Victims of obstetric injuries usually suffer life-long disabilities that tend to deprive them of years of enjoyment in life, independence and productivity. As these injuries occur on the victims early in life, the costs of medical and nursing care are usually enormous. This subsequently imposes stressful and heavy burden on the family members who will resort to litigation as means of procuring monetary compensation. However, proving that such injuries were attributable to negligence is not an easy task and the affected parties are usually subjected to various hazards of litigation including excessive cost, delays and inconsistencies of outcome. The many hurdles of pursuing a medical negligence suit in court has discouraged victims of obstetric injuries from obtaining adequate compensation. The 'name, blame and shame' culture in litigation tend to destroy the relationship of trust and confidence between a doctor and his patient and this ultimately, hinders any possibilities of amicable settlements and future rehabilitation. The quality of healthcare system may thus, be compromised as doctors become more and more defensive in their practice and constantly, submitting themselves to the 'conspiracy of silence.' Further, as the premium for medical indemnity insurance for obstetricians escalate, many obstetricians tend to leave the practice leading to reduced availability of obstetric care. Hence, the inherent difficulties in establishing negligence and the hazards of litigation have triggered the move by many jurisdictions to find alternative methods in compensating for birth injuries. Presently, in Malaysia, several incentives have been made to encourage affected parties to avoid litigation in gaining compensation for birth injuries. This includes the creation of several platforms for the affected parties to channel their complaints as well as encouraging out of court settlements through mediation, arbitration and the payment of ex gratia. However, the absence of any specific laws governing the practice of ex gratia poses a threat of unjust interchanges between the affected parties and the withdrawal of cases in exchange of such payment deters proper disclosure of adverse events. Thus, it is imperative that a comprehensive dispute resolution mechanism for obstetric cases is introduced in Malaysia, which is capable of delivering timely as well as adequate compensation to victims of obstetric injuries in a less adversarial manner and at the same time, ensuring that the quality of healthcare is not compromised in any aspects.


The first purpose of this study was to introduce a laboratory modelling activity focusing on teaching the concepts of radioactive elements/atoms, radioactive decay, and half-life. The second was to investigate pre-service chemistry teachers' understanding of these concepts. Fifteen pre-service chemistry teachers who had enrolled in a Physical Chemistry Laboratory course participated in the study. The participants simulated the radioactive decay process of an imaginary radioactive element called Cornium during the laboratory modelling activity. In this way, pre-service chemistry teachers were able to visualize and model what is meant by radioactive decay and half-life. Data sources included responses given to open-response conceptual questions, participants' drawings about radioactive decay and half-life, semi-structured interviews, activity worksheets, and observation notes. Qualitative analysis of data revealed that the pre-service chemistry teachers had misconceptions about the definition of radioactive elements/atoms, radioactive decay, and the half-life process before the activity. The role of the modelling activity in exposing and eliminating these misconceptions was discussed.


The canonical model of sex‐chromosome evolution assigns a key role to sexually antagonistic (SA) genes on the arrest of recombination and ensuing degeneration of Y chromosomes. This assumption cannot be tested in organisms with highly differentiated sex chromosomes, such as mammals or birds, owing to the lack of polymorphism. Fixation of SA alleles, furthermore, might be the consequence rather than the cause of recombination arrest. Here we focus on a population of common frogs (Rana temporaria) where XY males with genetically differentiated Y chromosomes (nonrecombinant Y haplotypes) coexist with both XY° males with proto‐Y chromosomes (only differentiated from X chromosomes in the immediate vicinity of the candidate sex‐determining locus Dmrt1) and XX males with undifferentiated sex chromosomes (genetically identical to XX females). Our study finds no effect of sex‐chromosome differentiation on male phenotype, mating success or fathering success. Our conclusions rejoin genomic studies that found no differences in gene expression between XY, XY° and XX males. Sexual dimorphism in common frogs might result more from the differential expression of autosomal genes than from sex‐linked SA genes. Among‐male variance in sex‐chromosome differentiation seems better explained by a polymorphism in the penetrance of alleles at the sex locus, resulting in variable levels of sex reversal (and thus of X‐Y recombination in XY females), independent of sex‐linked SA genes.


Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways are involved in multiple important cellular responses. To activate their downstream protein kinases by phosphorylation is a crucial manner for MAPK family members to fulfill their physiological functions. Downstream of MAPKs, there exist three structurally related MAPK-activated protein kinases (MAPKAPKs or MKs), i.e., MK2, MK3 and MK5. Once upon activated by MAPKs, MKs signal to different cellular targets, to regulate gene expression at the levels of transcription and translation, control cytoskeleton remodelling and cell cycle, and mediate cell migration and embryonic development. Recently, based on the gene knockout studies, the function divisions among different MK subfamily members are gradually clear, leading to tremendous advancements of our knowledge on MKs.


In the last campaigns, JET has extended the hybrid scenario with q profile close to unity in the plasma core to different q95 (from 5 to 2.7), larger normalised pressure (βN) up to 3.6, density up to the Greenwald density and also long duration up to 20s. In contrast to other machine the confinement improvement has not exceeded 1.2 with respect to the H98y2 scaling law. Differences in critical temperature gradient length in terms of rotational shear and magnetic shear might explain this difference. Recent experiments have transiently reached an improvement factor of H=1.4 by raising the magnetic shear in the outer half of the plasma. In addition, the stability at high βN has been address experimentally using MHD spectroscopy using error field correction coils and indicates that hybridlike q profile are ideally stable at JET.


The structural and magnetic properties of lithium-zinc ferrite ceramics of Li0.4Fe2.4Zn0.2O4 composition, which was obtained under complex high-energy action based on the use of mechanical activation of Fe2O3-Li2CO3-ZnO initial reagents mixture in AGO-2C planetary mill and subsequent its heating to a sintering temperature of 1050 °C for 140 min by ELV-6 continuous electrons beam with an electron energy of 1.4 MeV, were investigated. X-ray phase analysis showed a broadening of diffraction peaks due to the decrease in the crystallite sizes and the increase in the values of microdeformation as a result of mechanical milling. It was established that preliminary mechanical activation of the initial reagents mixture in a planetary mill allows not only to accelerate the synthesis of ferrite materials, but also to combine the both technological stages of synthesis and sintering in one stage of radiation-thermal treatment, consisting in a heating of press-billets by a high-energy electron beam to a sintering temperature. Lithium-zinc ferrite ceramics, obtained by the radiation-thermal method, is characterized by high density and low porosity as well as high values of the specific magnetization and the Curie temperature.Forcitation:Lysenko E.N., Surzhikov A.P., Malyshev A.V., Vlasov V.A., Nikolaev E.V. Radiation-thermal method for lithium-zinc ferrite ceramics. Izv. Vyssh. Uchebn. Zaved. Khim. Khim. Tekhnol. 2018. V. 61. N 6. P. 69-75


OBJECTIVE
To determine the correlation of ultrasonographic estimation of fetal weight and actual birthweight and the impact of the level of resident's training on the results.

METHODS
A prospective study of 90 women with term pregnancies. Ultrasound estimated fetal weight (EFW) was calculated by a preprogrammed Hadlock formula. Days from ultrasound to delivery were less than seven. The EFW was compared to the actual birthweight at delivery. The year of training of the resident that performed the ultrasound was recorded. Exclusion criteria included Diabetes mellitus and known fetal anomalies.

RESULTS
Mean age was 28 years, parity zero to four, mean gestational age 38 weeks. There was an average over-estimation of 64.8 grams. The difference between mean EFW and mean BWT was not significant (p = 0.067). The difference between mean EFW and mean BWT when calculated according to year of residency was not significant, p = 0.075 and 0.402 for junior and senior residents, respectively.

CONCLUSION
There is good correlation between resident's ultrasonographic estimation of fetal weight and actual birthweight at the UHWI. There was no significant difference in correlation between senior and junior residents. Development in computer technology might contribute to decrease in the learning curve.


Abstract With increasing negative wildlife-related impacts on humans, public expectations of agency roles are transitioning and wildlife managers are becoming more concerned about public acceptance of management interventions, particularly lethal measures. One goal of human dimensions research in wildlife is to provide managers with a better understanding of the relationship among stakeholders' values, beliefs, and acceptance of management actions. We used data obtained from a survey of Alaska residents on managing wolf (Canis lupus) and grizzly bear (Ursus arctos) predation on moose (Alces alces) and caribou (Rangifer tarandus) to explore 2 general questions: 1) is opposition to lethal control of wildlife context-free (an individual is opposed to lethal control regardless of circumstance) or context specific (an individual's support or opposition to lethal control depends on circumstances)? And 2) does perceived impacts of wildlife on humans make a difference in an individual's expression of support or opposition to lethal actions? We found that support for lethal methods for management of wolves and grizzly bears to minimize predation on moose and caribou was influenced by the impact that predation was perceived to have on humans' access to moose and caribou, whether access was a concern primarily for food or recreational hunting. Specifically, respondents were more likely to support the use of lethal methods to control predation in situations where the effect of predation on moose and caribou had the greatest subsequent impact on humans' access to these big game resources. Conversely, lethal control of predators was less likely to be supported in situations where the impact of predators on moose and caribou was perceived to be less severe with respect to human needs. We use the phrase "impact dependency" to highlight the importance of context-specific influences on public evaluations of management actions. Although inherent characteristics of potential management interventions (e.g., relative humaneness, cost, efficiency, etc.) are important considerations in decision making, our findings suggest that researchers and managers also should consider how public support or opposition for a particular management action is influenced by public perceptions of the nature of impacts being experienced by people.


OBJECTIVE
To report a case of Cushing syndrome due to apparently sporadic primary pigmented nodular adrenal disease in a young woman.

METHODS
We describe the clinical, biochemical, radiologic, and histologic findings of Cushing syndrome due to the rare condition of primary pigmented nodular adrenal disease.

RESULTS
A 30-year-old woman presented with a 2-year history of worsening itch without rash over her shoulders and arms and weight gain, particularly around the abdomen and face. Careful questioning did not elicit any history of exogenous glucocorticoid use (systemic or topical), including hydrocortisone. On examination, the patient had a slightly rounded and plethoric face, a small buffalo hump, central adiposity, and thin skin with a few small striae on her inner thighs. No features of the Carney complex were observed. Investigations showed hypercortisolism with suppressed corticotropin and normal adrenal imaging despite documentation of enlarged adrenal glands at removal. High-dose dexamethasone administration was followed by a decrease in urinary free cortisol excretion rather than a paradoxical rise as previously reported in primary pigmented nodular adrenal disease. No mutations were detected in the PRKAR1A gene.

CONCLUSIONS
Primary pigmented nodular adrenal disease should be suspected in patients with corticotropin-independent Cushing syndrome who have normal adrenal imaging. The role of genetic testing in apparently sporadic cases is not established, but cumulative experience may be helpful in defining the frequency of PRKAR1A mutations.


Context
Clinical studies suggest that AL-TENS, acupuncture-like transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), is effective for treating many types of pain and physical dysfunction. To date, only a few studies have compared the TENS and AL-TENS forms of stimulation, and no studies have compared the efficacy of conventional TENS and AL-TENS in patients who have undergone total knee arthroplasty (TKA).

Objectives
The study intended to determine (1) the efficacy of conventional TENS and AL-TENS for TKA patients and (2) which outcomes-pain at rest, movement-evoked pain, and physical function-were most likely to be affected by conventional TENS compared with AL-TENS for people with pain, to inform the design of future studies.

Design
The research team designed a single-blind, randomized clinical trial with randomized treatment allocation.

Setting
The study took place at the Orthopedic and Rehabilitation Hospital of Jeonju (Jeonju, South Korea).

Participants
Participants were 30 patients at the hospital who had undergone TKA.

Intervention
Participants were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 groups, TENS or AL-TENS, and received the relevant intervention at selected points for knee pain. Each group received treatment for 30 min per visit, 5 times per wk, for 2 wk during the study.

Outcome Measures
Outcome measures were pain intensity, measured with a visual analogue scale; knee functional mobility, measured with the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index and with the Timed Up & Go Test; and inflammation, measured by the C-reactive protein level. Data were collected at baseline and postintervention.

Results
Changes in pain, knee function, knee mobility, and inflammation between baseline and postintervention were statistically significant for both groups (P < .05). Changes in pain, stiffness, and inflammation between baseline and postintervention were significantly greater for the AL-TENS group compared with TENS group (P < .05).

Conclusions
AL-TENS was more effective than TENS with respect to pain, stiffness, and inflammation relief for patients following TKA.


OBJECTIVE
To determine the relative performances of MR angiography and duplex Doppler sonography in the evaluation of the portal venous system in patients with portal hypertension, we compared two-dimensional time-of-flight MR angiography and duplex Doppler sonography in 60 sequential patients with cirrhosis. All 60 subsequently underwent liver transplantation.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS
MR imaging and duplex Doppler sonography were performed on the same day, and in all patients the imaging findings were validated at surgical exploration. Five transplantation candidates had surgical portosystemic shunts in situ at the time of imaging. MR images were acquired during breath-holding, and flow in the portal vein was evaluated with presaturation bolus-tracking MR imaging. Sonography included color Doppler and pulsed gated Doppler images of the portal vein. MR angiograms and sonograms were analyzed independently and prospectively for patency of the portal vein, patency of surgical shunts, and grade and distribution of portosystemic collateral vessels. Scores on both imaging techniques were compared by using regression analysis.

RESULTS
MR angiograms showed all five cases of portal vein occlusion and all 55 cases of patent portal veins. Sonograms showed three of five cases of portal vein occlusion and 52 of 55 cases of patent portal veins. The techniques concurred in assessing flow direction in 54 (90%) of 60 patients, and both procedures enabled detection of occlusive portal vein thrombus in one patient. We found a significant correlation (p < .001) between the grades of gastric varices detected with MR angiography and surgery but no significant correlation between the grades seen on sonography and found at surgery. Shunt patency in four of five patients and shunt occlusion in one were correctly assessed on MR angiograms, whereas three of these shunts were not visible on sonograms.

CONCLUSION
Our results show that MR angiography is more reliable than duplex Doppler sonography for evaluating the portal venous system in patients with portal hypertension caused by cirrhosis.


This book deals with the concept of justice and righteousness in ancient Israelite literature in comparison with identical concepts in ancient Near East. Various aspects of this ideal concept are taken into consideration: philological, historical, sociological and theological. Moshe Weinfeld surveys social reforms in the ancient Near East from the third millennium BCE to the Hellenistic period. The first chapters discuss semantics and centre in terms that denote social justice, such as social reforms embodied in the terms justice and righteousness and their equivalents in cognate languages. A separate chapter discusses the institutions of Shemitta and Jubilee in ancient Israel. A special discussion is dedicated to justice and righteousness on the individual level. Just as the ruler is commanded to do justice and righteousness -- to free his subjects from oppression, so every individual is asked to help the poor and the needy in their distress, which is to do justice and righteousness with others.


BACKGROUND: Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) protein is overexpressed on the surface of various epithelial ovarian cancer tissues, which mediates the proliferation, differentiation, metastasis and signal transduction of tumor cells and is a potential cancer therapeutic target.METHODS: In this paper, the recombinant anti-HER2 humanized IgG1 monoclonal antibody (rhHer2-mAb) was expressed in HEK293F cells by constructing mammalian cell expression vector and optimizing transfection conditions. The antibody was purified by rProtein A affinity chromatography, and its mediated antibody dependent cytotoxicity (ADCC) was identified by lactate dehydrogenase(LDH) lactate dehydrogenase release assay. The anti-tumor activity of rhHer2-mAb was evaluated in NOD/SCID mice. RESULTS: The expression of rhHer2-mAb in HEK293F cells was at the highest level (100.5 mg/L) when the ratios of DNA/PEI and light chain/heavy chain was 1:4 and 1:2, respectively. The IC50 on ADCC of antibodies against SK-OV-3, OVCAR-3 and A-2780 cells were 12.36, 5.43 and 102.90ng/ml, respectively. Animal experiments in mice showed that rhHer2-mAb could effectively inhibit the growth of SK-OV-3 tumor at the dose of 10 mg/kg.CONCLUSIONS: The recombinant monoclonal antibody was obtained by transient gene expression technology and its bioactivity was studied in vitro and in vivo , providing a novel insight for the development and production of future biotechnology-based drugs using transient gene expression technology of HEK293F.


We develop a theoretical description of Dynamic Nuclear Polarization (DNP) in solids under Magic Angle Spinning (MAS) to describe the magnetic field dependence of the DNP effect. The treatment is based on an efficient scheme for numerical solution of the Liouville-von Neumann equation, which explicitly takes into account the variation of magnetic interactions during the sample spinning. The dependence of the cross-effect MAS-DNP on various parameters, such as the hyperfine interaction, electron-electron dipolar interaction, microwave field strength, and electron spin relaxation rates, is analyzed. Electron spin relaxation rates are determined by electron paramagnetic resonance measurements, and calculations are compared to experimental data. Our results suggest that the observed nuclear magnetic resonance signal enhancements provided by MAS-DNP can be explained by discriminating between "bulk" and "core" nuclei and by taking into account the slow DNP build-up rate for the bulk nuclei.


We consider the problem of parallelizing restarted backtrack search. With few notable exceptions, most commercial and academic constraint programming solvers do not learn no-goods during search. Depending on the branching heuristics used, this means that there are little to no side-effects between restarts, making them an excellent target for parallelization. We develop a simple technique for parallelizing restarted search deterministically and demonstrate experimentally that we can achieve near-linear speed-ups in practice.


Autoimmune thrombocytopenic purpura is estimated to be one of the most common acquired bleeding disorders of children. The pathogenesis involves the generation of autoantibodies against the normally expressed glycoproteins on the platelet membranes. These antibody-coated platelets in turn are destroyed by the spleen and other reticuloendothelial organs. Although the disease can occur without an identifiable etiology, many underlying pathologies, including infections, can be found. We report the mumps virus as a rare etiology of secondary autoimmune thrombocytopenic purpura.


Abstract The first case of cooperative polyandry in the Common Tern (Sterna hirundo) is reported. During the breeding season of 2000 two males, originating from the same brood, bred together with a female, who was paired in the previous season with one of the males. Both males copulated with the female. All three terns incubated the eggs, brooded and fed the chicks, but in different proportions. Despite poor food supply and bad weather conditions during the breeding season 2000, this polyandrous trio reared two fledglings, one of which has returned to the native colony in 2002. In another case, a two-year old, unrelated male incubated a clutch belonging to a pair of terns for a few days. Possible reasons for this deviation from the common monogamous mating system are discussed.


Although borderline personality disorder (BPD) has a prevalence of ~ 6% in the primary care setting, the condition easily can be misdiagnosed or missed altogether by non-psychiatrists in older patients. Debilitating symptoms associated with BPD can be ameliorated with a combination of psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy, although data for the efficacy of individual drugs are based on small clinical trials and observational studies. Failure to recognize BPD and to collaboratively develop effective interventions not only may prevent gains in quality of life, but may subject vulnerable patients to inappropriate, potentially harmful treatments and deprive family and institutional caregivers of the tools they need to effectively care for the patient, as well as to handle the negative transference that commonly occurs.


Compass is the popular instrument used in navigation. In the past, compasses were used to determine the coordinate of ships on the sea and position of people in the deep forests. Nowaday with the development of technology, electronic compasses contribute the excellent solutions in navigation, especially in navigation of mobile robot. Electronic compass with many advantages -compact dimension, high resolution, easy to use and high effect - will be the optimal solution in determining angle of goal point. By giving the right angle of goal to the controller of robot, electronic compass along with other sensors such as encoder and ultrasonic, infrared sensor help increase the result of navigation. In this paper we suggest using of electronic compass in mobile robot navigation to reduce the errors. This method has higher effect and the process of navigation become simplier.


The existence of high-tech corporations in villages are regarded as aliens in their environment. This indicates a wide gap between them and the environments. That gap may result in an interaction that tends to be negative. Although this has been anticipated by the initiators implemented in Amdal document accompanied by UPL & UKL, it cannot guarantee that it can give a solution of the gap. Any efforts to bridge the gap through CD that turn into CSR do not have a strong foundation by law or academically. However, CSR is a way to develop collaboration between Academics (A), Businessmen (B) and Government (G). The attempts to combine the ABG concept have several obstacles either from the internal or from external institutions. The corporations' care for environment, well-known as CSR, can be regarded as a new breakthrough to provide a chance for developing creativity, not only in developing society, research, and community service but also in improving the roles of government for public service, especially in managing environment. It can also reposition the roles of government in society, as it was proposed by Al Gore.


China's commitment to peaking its carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality by 2060 is a significant and well-conceived strategic decision made by the central government. It concerns the sustainable development of China and the building of a community with a shared future for mankind. Emission reduction and carbon sequestration in animal husbandry is a crucial approach to achieve carbon peak and neutrality and enjoys profound research potential. Based on analyzing the current status, trends of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and relevant policies relevant to animal manure management at home and abroad, the recent development of animal husbandry and recycling utilization of animal manure in China, the report proposes policy suggestions such as improving manure storage and treatment, science-based monitoring and evaluation of greenhouse emissions in the livestock sector, and facilitating the access of animal husbandry to the carbon trading market, to provide support for the policies and actions on emission reduction and carbon sequestration in the agricultural sector.


The scission of lipid membranes is a common biological process, often mediated by ESCRT complexes in concert with VPS4 assembling around the separation point. The functions of the ESCRT-I and ESCRT-III complexes are well established in certain of these cellular processes; however, the role of ESCRT-II remains contentious. Here, we devised a SNAP-tag fluorescent labelling strategy to understand the domain requirements of EAP45, the main component of ESCRT-II, in HIV egress, late endosome recruitment, and cytokinesis. We used TIRF microscopy to measure the spatial co-occurrence of the HIV structural polyprotein Gag with full length EAP45 in both fixed and live cells. Gag colocalises with the full length EAP45 comparably to ALIX, but this is lost on deletion of the EAP45 N terminus. Our findings reveal the H0 domain of the EAP45 protein is essential for linking to ESCRT-I during HIV budding and in anchoring at the late endosomal membrane, however in cytokinesis it is the Glue domain that is critical.


"The problem is fundamental. Put twenty or more children of roughly the same age in a little room, confine them to desks, make them wait in lines, make them behave. It is as if a secret committee, now lost to history, had made a study of children and, having figured out what the greatest number were least disposed to do, declared that all of them should do it."


This paper describes a possible way to bridge the gap between two-dimensional functionstructures according to Pahl and Beitz and the three-dimensional world of modern CADsystems. Functions are equipped with information about design spaces and connections. Therefore two tools are introduced, which support the designer in using the designmethodology and give him the possibility to build up different variants of a product in a short spell.


Cancer is one of the most common life-threatening diseases, particularly in developed countries, and causes more than one third of all human deaths every year. The effects of standard treatments are still far from satisfactory. Thus, immunotherapies have been under investigation. The greatest merit of immunotherapy is its specificity, compared to non-specific standard treatments. However, one of the most important issues impeding cancer immunotherapy is the recruitment of the immune suppressor cells by cancer cells in the cancer microenvironment. These immune suppressors, represented by regulatory T cells (Treg) and myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), efficiently attenuate the CTL activities against cancer. By using the mouse ovarian cancer cell line, we have found that a large population of the CD11b+ and Gr-1+ cells instead of Tregs accumulated in ascites and the spleen. CD11b and Gr-1 are the typical markers for MDSCs, for instance, induced by the subcutaneous injection of mouse thymoma cell line. They were well characterized with its strong suppressive property and consist of heterogeneous population. However, the CD11b+ and Gr-1+ cells in ascites induced by the mouse ovarian cancer cell line were not suppressive and highly homogeneous population of granulocyte-like cells. We investigated the detail function of this population comparing with it of MDSCs.


This essay is a response to the proposals of David Klemm and William Klink concerning the construction and testing of theological models. A number of issues are raised for critical attention. (1) The exclusive attention to Christian theology, with no discussion of other religions, poses some significant prob ems, not the least of which is that cognitive claims of religious thinking are not universal but rather are defined by the particularities of the religious context in which they are made. (2) Although the authors wish to transcend conficssionalism, their focus on Christianity and on the concept of God as a basic assumption can be construed as a kind of confessionalism. (3) The argument that theological and scientific models stand in analogy to each other requires more critical examination, particularly with respect to the issues of explanation, prediction, falsification, nesting, and openness. (4) While the argument is persuasive when referred to certain theologians, such as Paul Tillich, it requires some adjustment if it is to apply to other theological systems, such as Process theology.


Background—The influence of mechanical forces on cell function has been well documented for many different cell types. Endothelial cells native to the aortic valve may play an important role in mediating tissue responses to the complex fluid environment, and may therefore respond to fluid flow in a different manner than more characterized vascular endothelial cells. Methods and Results—Porcine endothelial cells of aortic and aortic valvular origin were subjected to 20 dynes/cm2 steady laminar shear stress for up to 48 hours, with static cultures serving as controls. The aortic valve endothelial cells were observed to align perpendicular to flow, in direct contrast to the aortic endothelial cells, which aligned parallel to flow. Focal adhesion complexes reorganized prominently at the ends of the long axis of aligned cells. Valvular endothelial cell alignment was dependent on Rho-kinase signaling, whereas vascular endothelial cell alignment was dependent on both Rho-kinase and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase signal pathways. Conclusions—These differences in response to mechanical forces suggest a unique phenotype of valvular endothelial cells not mimicked by vascular endothelial cells, and could have implications for cardiovascular cell biology and cell-source considerations for tissue-engineered valvular substitutes.


Disasters as opportunities is an emerging niche of investigation but empirical evidence remains sparse. As such, this paper described how Typhoon Ketsana affected various levels of resilience in Marikina City's disaster governance institution. This determined whether the city has built back a better disaster governance institution post-Ketsana. This also highlighted lessons to Disaster Risk Management (DRM) scholarship and practice. The study proposed a framework to describe the dynamic process of institutional change post-disaster. Data were collected using key informant interviews, document analyses, and literature review, and interpreted them using thematic analysis. The study revealed that Ketsana stimulated systemic interactions leading to policy reforms at the national and local levels, and significant improvements in the city's disaster governance institution. Extreme events also heightened issue awareness for better disaster governance and emphasized the value of science-driven policy approaches. Furthermore, institutional change after the typhoon highlights the value of human ecology in understanding how non-human factors affect social systems; thus, providing an opportunity for theory-testing and exploratory theoretical framework building to explain lesson-learning from disruptive events. However, comparing pre and post mandate delivery of disaster governance institutions, using bigger case samples for theory-testing, and focusing on micro-level analysis can be explored in future research.


This paper proposes an efficient method to capture and augment highly elastic objects from a single view. 3D shape recovery from a monocular video sequence is an underconstrained problem and many approaches have been proposed to enforce constraints and resolve the ambiguities. State-of-the art solutions enforce smoothness or geometric constraints, consider specific deformation properties such as inextensibility or ressort to shading constraints. However, few of them can handle properly large elastic deformations. We propose in this paper a real-time method which makes use of a mechanical model and is able to handle highly elastic objects. Our method is formulated as a energy minimization problem accounting for a non-linear elastic model constrained by external image points acquired from a monocular camera. This method prevents us from formulating restrictive assumptions and specific constraint terms in the minimization. The only parameter involved in the method is the Young's modulus where we show in experiments that a rough estimate of its value is sufficient to obtain a good reconstruction. Our method is compared to existing techniques with experiments conducted on computer-generated and real data that show the effectiveness of our approach. Experiments in the context of minimally invasive liver surgery are also provided.


In this work, EPR spectra and optical absorption spectra of VO(superscript 2+) in KZn-CISO4•3H2O(PZCST): VO(superscript 2+) single crystal were calculated theoretically based on the two-spin-orbit-coupling parameter model and the corresponding formulae of energy levels for the tetragonal symmetry of 3d^1 cluster. The calculated results were found in good agreement with experimental data. It was deduced from the results that the local symmetry structure along the C4 axis is compressed tetragonal distortion with a size of 0.47nm. The large value of κ indicates a large contribution from spin-polarize of unpaired electron to the hyperfine constant.


This study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of Saccharomyces boulardii in acute diarrhea. One hundred hospitalized children in Myanmar (age range = 3 months to 10 years) were included. Fifty were treated with S. boulardii for five days in addition to oral rehydration solution (ORS) and 50 were given ORS alone (control group) in an alternating order. The mean duration of diarrhea was 3.08 days in the S. boulardii group and 4.68 days (P < 0.05) in the control group. Stools had a normal consistency on day 3 in 38 (76%) of 50 patients in the S. boulardii group compared with only 12 (24%) of 50 in the control group (P = 0.019). On day 2, 27 (54%) of 50 had less than three stools per day in the S. boulardii group compared with only 15 (30%) of 50 in the control group (P = 0.019). Saccharomyces boulardii shortens the duration of diarrhea and normalizes stool consistency and frequency. The shortening of the duration of diarrhea results in a social and economic benefits.


There are various undesirable products generated from endogenous aerobic metabolism such as reactive oxygen species (ROS). Physiological and biochemical lesions are caused by ROS and which give rise to oxidative damages towards DNA, proteins and lipids which ultimately lead to cell death. This study was aimed to examine the effect of oral administration of food colorants (tartrazine and curcumin) on the oxidants and antioxidants level in blood and fecal of rats after 15, 30, and 45 days. Two doses were used based on the admissible daily intake (ADI) of 9.6 and 96 (high) mg/kg/body weight for tartrazine, 3.85 and 38.5 6 mg/kg/body weight for curcumin. The results showed that oral administration of tartrazine had significantly increased the total oxidant level, arylesterase, glutathione reductase, and MDA whereas there was significantly decreased the total antioxidants level, catalase, glutathione peroxidase in plasma and fecal after 30 and 45 days. Vitamin E and C were decreased in plasma. Fecal showed high level of vitamin A. High dose of tartrazine caused alteration in the aldehyde reactive probe (ARP) sites of DNA showing the DNA damage. After 45 day, significant increment was observed in the level of AST in low and high curcumin treated group. Whereas, elevations of arylestrase were seen in high curcumin group after 45 day. High dose of curcumin significantly (P≤ 0.05) decreased the concentration of vitamin C after 45 days of treatment and increased the level of vitamin E in plasma of treated groups after 30 and 45 days of treatment. The present study showed that the ADI and doses up to 10 times higher than ADI showed negative effects on antioxidant level and demonstrated the importance of using appropriate doses of food colorants such as tartrazine and curcumin in different processed food products.


ABSTRACT:This essay explores the ways in which Abraham Shalom Yahuda (1877–1951) mobilizes Arabo-Islamic culture for the construction of Hebrew culture as manifested in his writings that treat Arabic literature. The essay's argument comprises two parts: first, that Yahuda's production of Arabic poetical literature endeavored to familiarize Jewish communities, in particular European Jews, with Arabic culture. As such, I argue that Yahuda did not Hebraize Arabic poetical texts nor he Judaize Arab figures that he treated. Rather, he preserved essential characteristics that were intended to acquaint European Jews with the otherness of Arabs and simultaneously with the Jewish self. Second, Yahuda's efforts also sought to draw a connection between contemporary Jews and their "Israelite brethren"—in Yahuda's words—as Yahuda concurrently urged his Hebrew-reading audience to embrace spiritual and moral values that characterized the Jewish forefathers. Prominent Arab figures, particularly poets, represented the perfect example to transmit moral values that Jews needed in order to restore their relation with the land of their ancestors. In advocating for embracing moral values such as bravery, loyalty, and hospitality, Yahuda's noble Arabs and heroes represented the Orientalism of Arabic culture and its relevance to the Jews of his time, highlighting the common denominators between Arabs and Israelites.


Chromosome structure is thought to be crucial for proper functioning of the nucleus. Here, we present a method for visualizing chromosomal DNA at super-resolution and then integrating Hi-C data to produce three-dimensional models of chromosome organization. We begin by applying Oligopaint probes and the single-molecule localization microscopy methods of OligoSTORM and OligoDNA-PAINT to image 8 megabases of human chromosome 19, discovering that chromosomal regions contributing to compartments can form distinct structures. Intriguingly, our data also suggest that homologous maternal and paternal regions may be differentially organized. Finally, we integrate imaging data with Hi-C and restraint-based modeling using a method called integrative modeling of genomic regions (IMGR) to increase the genomic resolution of our traces to 10 kb. One Sentence Summary Super-resolution genome tracing, contact maps, and integrative modeling enable 10 kb resolution glimpses of chromosome folding.


Residents of urban areas, and particularly urban cores, have higher levels of long-distance travel activity and related emissions, mostly on account of greater frequency of air travel. This relationship typically remains after controlling for basic socio-economic correlates of long-distance travel. There is an ongoing debate in the literature about what causes this association, and whether it calls into question urban densification strategies. Understanding this is important from a climate policy perspective. In this article, we investigate the role of three factors: i) access to airports; ii) the concentration of people with migration background and/or geographically dispersed social networks in urban areas; and iii) greater air travel by urban residents without cars ('rebound effect'). We use representative survey data for the UK including information on respondents' air travel frequency for private purposes and derive estimates of greenhouse gas emissions. The dataset also includes detailed information on migration generation, residential location of close family and friends, car ownership and use, as well as low-level geographical identifiers. The findings of regression analysis show that Greater London residents stand out in terms of emissions from air travel. Airport accessibility, migration background, and dispersion of social networks each explain part of this association, whereas we find no evidence of a rebound effect. However, proximity to town centres remains associated with higher emissions after accounting for these issues, indicating that this association is due to other factors than those considered here. We conclude by discussing implications for urban and climate policy, as well as future research.


Feral ferrets ( Mustela furo) are a serious pest of agricultural importance because they transmit bovine tuberculosis (Mycobacterium bovis ; Tb) to domestic livestock. They therefore pose a significant risk to New Zealand's international trade in dairy, beef and venison products. The most likely route of infection to ferrets is oral, through killing and eating infected prey or scavenging infected carrion (particularly possums). Indeed, the prevalence of Tb in ferrets is positively correlated with possum abundance and infected possums. Male ferrets have a higher prevalence of Tb than females, and adult ferrets have higher prevalence than juveniles. It is still not clear whether Tb can cycle independently in feral ferrets in the absence of external (non-ferret) sources of infection (i.e., "maintenance hosts") or whether the disease is simply "spillover" infection from other wildlife populations (predominantly possums). Available evidence suggests that ferrets are more likely to be spillover than maintenance hosts in most habitats in New Zealand. However, several aspects of the epidemiology of Tb in feral ferrets, and the ecology of feral ferrets, need to be investigated in order to resolve this debate.


The interface layer has great significance on the potential barrier height of the CdTe/GaAs heterointerface. In this study, the electronic properties of the CdTe/GaAs heterostructure prepared by molecular beam epitaxy was investigated in situ by synchrotron radiation photoemission spectroscopy for CdTe thicknesses ranging from 3.5 to 74.6 Å. During CdTe deposition, an As-Te and Ga-Te interface reaction occurred, which caused the out diffusion of Ga. As a result a stable GaTe interface dipole layer (more than 30 Å) was formed, which reduced the potential barrier height by 0.38 eV. The potential barrier height was in proportion to the chemical bonding density and thickness of the Ga-Te interface layer. These results provide a more fundamental understanding of the influencing mechanism of the interface layer on the potential barrier height of the CdTe/GaAs heterointerface.


In the paper, we introduce some subclasses of harmonic mapping, the analytic part of which is related to general starlike (or convex) functions with a symmetric conjecture point defined by subordination. Using the conditions satisfied by the analytic part, we obtain the integral expressions, the coefficient estimates, distortion estimates and the growth estimates of the co-analytic part g, and Jacobian estimates, the growth estimates and covering theorem of the harmonic function f. Through the above research, the geometric properties of the classes are obtained. In particular, we draw figures of extremum functions to better reflect the geometric properties of the classes. For the first time, we introduce and obtain the properties of harmonic univalent functions with respect to symmetric conjugate points. The conclusion of this paper extends the original research.


Aromatase cytochrome P450 enzyme catalyzes the formation of estrogen from androgen in distinct regions of the vertebrate brain. During neural development, local estrogen synthesis is required for the sexual differentiation of male brain characteristics and the differentiation of neural circuits Involved in sex-specific behaviors and neuroendocrine functions. A common phenomenon in all species studied so far is that the male brain displays much higher and brain region-specific aromatase expression during distinct periods of brain development than the female one. An important question arising from these findings is which factor(s) play a role in regulating estrogen formation in a sex- and brain region-specific fashion. Among the factors investigated, androgens have been found to be the most powerful regulators of brain aromatase. In vitro experiments using primary cell cultures of embryonic mouse brains showed that sex differences in aromatase activity in hypothalamic cells develop, at first, independently of gonadal steroids. Later during embryonic development, aromatase expression is regulated in a region- and sex-specific way by circulating androgens. Hypothalamic aromatase neurons are most sensitive to androgen exposure whereas cortical and midbrain ones are insensitive. Moreover, androgens affect morphological maturation of aromatase-immunoreactive cells by stimulating neurite outgrowth and dendritic arborization. These findings suggest that androgens function as major morphogenetic factors during the differentiation of the mammalian hypothalamic aromatase system. During late embryonic development and perinatally, androgen levels differ between sexes, being significantly higher in males. This time period corresponds exactly to the developmental stage when aromatase activities are highest in the male hypothalamus. It seems plausible therefore that higher androgen concentrations in the male circulation during ontogenesis are causally connected with the observed sex differences in hypothalamic aromatase activity. Biomedical Reviews 1997; 7: 41-50.


Aim: Various studies have shown that secreted factors alone in culture medium without stem cell are capable of repairing tissues by itself in various conditions involving damaged tissue/organ. Therefore, this study was aimed to investigate the role of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell-derived conditioned medium (CM) on the recovery of pancreatic β-cells in Wistar rats (Rattus norvegicus) with type 1 diabetes mellitus. Materials and Methods: The 0.05 ml CM induction was applied to the diabetic group of rats in weeks 1, 2, 3, and 4. 1 week after each CM induction, insulin concentration was analyzed using ELISA. The pancreas was divided into 3 regions, processed by paraffin method, stained with hematoxylin-eosin, and immunohistochemical method for insulin. Results: This study indicated the decrease in the total number of islets and insulin concentration after the injection of single dose of alloxan. The exocrine acini were also damaged. Microscopic observation detected the presence of small islets in the diabetic group 1 week after the first 0.05 ml CM induction. The number and size of the islets increased in line with the CM doses and time of inductions. Immunohistochemically, the presence of low intensity of insulin-positive cells could be recognized at the splenic and duodenal regions of the pancreas, but not gastric region, 1 week after the first and second 0.05 ml CM induction. The intensity of staining and the number of insulin-positive cells increased dramatically in 1 week after the third and fourth 0.05 ml of CM induction in all regions of the pancreas. The data of insulin blood concentration showed clear differences between the second and the fourth induction of 0.05 ml CM induction. Conclusions: This study showed very strong evidence on the role of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell-derived CM in recovering the pancreatic β-cells damage in Wistar rats (R. norvegicus) with type 1 diabetes mellitus, structurally and functionally.


This article analyzes one of the classical works «Yatimat ad-dahr fi fatawa ahl al-'asr» (a Unique collection of fatwas of our time scholars) by a traditional for the Volga Region Muslim Hanafi School of Theology (madhhab). Most biographical writings ascribe the authorship of this work to Muhammad Ibn Mahmud at-Tarjumani (d. 645/1247). But the authors of the paper, having analyzed the manuscripts, which were compiled to form the work and having examined the Ijaza of al-Zamakhshari, naming arrays of his students, found out that the work actually belongs to the pen of his grandfather 'Abd ar-Rahim Ibn' Umar at-Tarjumani (approx. born in 515/1122). As well as the authors managed to identify some events concerning the biography of the theologian, for example, they made an assumption about his date of birth and revealed some textual features of this work.


Down syndrome (DS) or trisomy 21 is one of the most important genetic causes of mental retardation. Sincere and significant attempts have been made towards understanding the congenital diseases that affect DS patients. Better understanding of gene networks associated with such malformations will help to predict the complex genetic trait behind congenital disease in DS and will also provide the basis for tailored gene therapies that could begin to heal or prevent such malformation without the need to resort to invasive surgery. Further, susceptible mutation screening in women will also be helpful for both prenatal diagnosis of DS birth and assessing the risk of predisposition to Alzheimer's disease and congenital heart disease. Stress condition and neurodegeneration are two important markers in Down syndrome patients and mtDNA variation can also be used as an important biomarker. It has been suggested that nutraceuticals which reduce reactive oxygen species (ROS) level may be used to treat trisomy 21 condition. As mitochondria play a crucial role in the regulation of free radicals, only a detail analysis will reveal the origin of phenotypic characteristics among trisomy 21 DS patients. On the other hand, several mechanisms are responsible for neurodegeneration as well as altered cognition. It includes impaired neurogenesis leading to hypocellularity in the cortex, hippocampus and cerebellum, altered dendritic morphology, altered synapses, increased inhibition and neurodegeneration. The new knowledge of the pathogenic mechanisms in DS individuals has been acquired from mouse model. These studies provide the basis for developing new drugs for clinical trials in DS individuals and to sustain the hope that some of these drugs will be useful in treating intellectual disability in DS individuals.


The Energy Sciences Network (ESnet) is the primary provider of network connectivity for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science (SC), the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States. In support of SC programs, ESnet regularly updates and refreshes its understanding of the networking requirements of the instruments, facilities, scientists, and science programs that it serves. This focus has helped ESnet to be a highly successful enabler of scientific discovery for over 25 years. In October 2012, ESnet and the Office of Advanced Scientific Computing Research (ASCR) of the DOE SC organized a review to characterize the networking requirements of the programs funded by the ASCR program office. The requirements identified at the review are summarized in the Findings section, and are described in more detail in the body of the report.


Preface: the dynamic systems approach to fostering human development Alan Fogel, Barbara J. King and Stuart G. Shanker Part I. Dynamic Relationships between Genetics and Environments: 1. Developmental dynamics: the new view from the life sciences Robert Lickliter 2. Genes, experience and behaviour Timothy D. Johnston 3. How dynamic systems have changed our minds Ken Richardson 4. Individual development as a system of coactions: implications for research and policy Gilbert Gottlieb and Carolyn Tucker Halpern 5. Gene-environment interactions and inter-individual differences in rhesus monkey behavioral and biological development Stephen J. Suomi Part II. The Dynamic System of the Child in the Family: 6. Relationships that support human development Alan Fogel 7. The impact of emotions and the emotional impact of a child's first words Stuart G. Shanker 8. Emotional habits in brain and behaviour: a window on personality development Marc D. Lewis 9. Creating family love: an evolutionary perspective Barbara J. King Part III. The Dynamic System of the Child in Social and Physical Environment: 10. The tempest: anthropology and human development Peter Gow 11. An anthropology of human development: what difference does it make? Christina Toren 12. The social child Tim Ingold 13. Learning about human development from a study of educational failure Gillian Evans 14. Dynamic views of education Lynette Friedrich Cofer 15. Embodied communication in non-human animals Barbara Smuts 16. Children in the living world: why animals matter for children's development Gail F. Melson Part IV. Dynamic Systems Approaches to Mental Health: 17. A dynamic developmental model of mental health and mental illness Stanley I. Greenspan 18. Dyadic microanalysis of mother-infant communication informs clinical practice Beatrice Beebe and Joseph Jaffe 19. Current problems of Japanese youth: some possible pathways for alleviating these problems from the perspective of dynamic systems theory Alan Fogel and Masatoshi Kawai 20. A different way to help George Downing 21. Why do siblings often turn out very differently? Michael E. Kerr 22. A dynamic systems approach to understanding family and peer relationships: implications for effective interventions with aggressive youth Isabela Granic 23. Prenatal substance exposure and human development Daniel S. Messinger and Barry M. Lester Part V. Conclusions and Outlook: 24. Dynamic systems methods for the life sciences Alan Fogel, Stanley Greenspan, Barbara J. King, Robert Lickliter, Pedro Reygadas, Stuart G. Shanker and Christina Toren.


In this part I discuss the role of computers in the current research on the additive number theory, in particular in the solution of the classical Waring problem. In its original XVIII century form this problem consisted in finding for each natural k the smallest such s=g(k) that all natural numbers n can be written as sums of s non-negative k-th powers, n=x_1^k+ldots+x_s^k. In the XIX century the problem was modified as the quest of finding such minimal $s=G(k)$ that almost all n can be expressed in this form. In the XX century this problem was further specified, as for finding such G(k) and the precise list of exceptions. The XIX century problem is still unsolved even or cubes. However, even the solution of the original Waring problem was [almost] finalised only in 1984, with heavy use of computers. In the present paper we document the history of this classical problem itself and its solution, as also discuss possibilities of using this and surrounding material in education, and some further related aspects.


Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has caused major disruption in the health care deliveries and activities worldwide including hospital admission. Method: We used hospitals discharged coded data from January 1, 2019 to June 30, 2020 to examine the impact of COVID-19 outbreak on the pattern of cardiovascular admission among Hamad Medical Corporation hospitals in the State of Qatar. Results: In this retrospective observational study, we documented significant changes in the pattern of cardiovascular admissions in our hospitals. There was a significant reduction in hospitalizations of various subsets of cardiac disease. Admissions for acute myocardial infarction dropped by 31%, acute decompensated dropped by 48%, unstable angina dropped by 79% and arrythmia by 80%. Primary percutaneous coronary intervention procedures declined briefly. However, the total deaths remained the same despite the increase in mortality rate due to reduced admissions number. Conclusion: We postulate the fear of contracting the disease and the lock-down mentality during COVID-19 outbreak contribute to reduction of cardiovascular admission to our hospital.


Contemporary cosmological conceptions suggest that the dark matter in haloes of galaxies and galaxy clusters has most likely a clumpy structure. If a stream of gas penetrates through it, a small-scale gravitational field created by the clumps disturbs the flow resulting in momentum exchange between the stream and the dark matter. In this article, we perform an analysis of this effect, based on the hierarchical halo model of the dark matter structure and Navarro– Frenk–White density profiles. We consider the clumps of various masses, from the smallest up to the highest ones M ≥ 10 9 M� . It has been found that in any event the effect grows with the mass of the clump: not only the drag force F acting on the clump but also its acceleration w = F/M increases. We discuss various astrophysical systems. The mechanism proved to be ineffective in the case of galaxy or galaxy cluster collisions. On the other hand, it played an important role during the process of galaxy formation. As a result, the dark matter should have formed a more compact, oblate and faster rotating substructure in the halo of our Galaxy. We have shown that this thick disc should be more clumpy than the halo. This fact is very important for the indirect detection experiments since it is the clumps that give the main contribution to the annihilation signal. Our calculations show that the mechanism of momentum exchange between the dark and baryon matter is ineffective on the outskirts of the galactic halo. It means that the clumps from there were not transported to the thick disc, and this region should be more clumpy than the halo on the average.


Bioinformatics grid has emerged to meet the sharp requirement for computation and storage resource of bioinformatics research. We abstract six types of bioinformatics grid applications and analyze their features. A grid supporting environment of bioinformatics applications is tentatively put forward according to the analysis under the WSRF specification. It aggregates existing tools such as BLAST, wrapped as Web services, through WS-ServiceGroup, and supports the development, deployment, execution and monitoring of complex bioinformatics grid application. Based on the supporting environment, applications can access bioinformatics resource in a transparent manner. This paper also presents a use case to show the work flow of the supporting environment


Sedoheptulose-1,7-bisphosphatase (SBPase) is one of the rate-limiting enzymes of the Calvin cycle, and increasing the abundance of SBPase in C3 plants provides higher photosynthetic rates and stimulates biomass and yield. C4 plants usually have higher photosynthetic rates because they operate a biochemical CO2 concentrating mechanism between mesophyll and bundle sheath cells. In the C4 system, SBPase and other enzymes of the Calvin cycle are localised to the bundle sheath cells. Here we tested what effect increasing abundance of SBPase would have on C4 photosynthesis. Using green foxtail millet (Setaria viridis), a model C4 plant of NADP-ME subtype, we created transgenic plants with 1.5 to 3.2-times higher SBPase content compared to wild-type plants. Transcripts of the transgene were found predominantly in the bundle sheaths suggesting the correct cellular localisation of the protein. Abundance of RBCL, the large subunit of Rubisco, was not affected in transgenic plants overexpressing SBPase, and neither was relative chlorophyll content or photosynthetic electron transport parameters. We found no association between SBPase content in S. viridis and saturating rates of CO2 assimilation. Moreover, detailed analysis of CO2 assimilation rates at different CO2 partial pressure, irradiance and leaf temperature showed no improvement of photosynthesis in plants overexpressing SBPase. We discuss potential implications of these results for understanding the regulation of C4 photosynthesis.


Different types of chemical treatment of textile are widely applied in advanced textile. Finishing of textile can provide additional functional properties for products or/and to improve the appearance of final product as well as to improve their mechanical properties. In this research the influence of the industrial treatment of viscose linings on the parameters of fabric surface friction, on fabric surface appearance as well as on the slippage resistance of yarns at a seam was investigated. Raw, dyed, dyed and softened, dyed and non-slip finished plain weaved linings were investigated. The slippage resistance of yarns at a seam in woven fabrics was evaluated according to standard EN ISO 13936-1:2004. The friction was investigated according to the standard DIN 53375 in a fabric-fabric friction pair. Surface of raw, dyed, dyed and softened viscose lining was investigated using SEM. The obtained results have shown that the friction parameters as well as the parameters of seam slippage resistance of dyed or dyed and softened fabrics were higher than the ones of raw fabric. The highest differences in those parameters were obtained for lining that was dyed and treated with non-slip finishing. That type of finishing influenced the break of lining yarns without typical to the other investigated linings slipping near a stitching line. http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.ms.17.2.485


A case of fatal atlantoaxial dislocation is reported in a 56-year-old woman with Down's syndrome. The literature indicates such a case to be a rarity; however, this may be a result of the predominance of younger age samples. The implications of this are discussed.


AIMS
This paper aims to introduce the topic of human factors to nursing management and to identify areas where it can be applied to patient safety.

BACKGROUND
Human factors is a discipline established in most safety critical industries and uses knowledge about human behaviour in the analysis and design of complex systems, yet it is relatively new to many in healthcare.

EVALUATION
Most safety critical industries have developed tools and techniques to apply human factors to system design, and these have been reviewed together with those resources already available for use in healthcare.

KEY ISSUES
Models of human behaviour such as the nature and patterns of human error, information processing, decision-making and team work have clear applications to healthcare. Human factors focus on a system view of safety, and propose that safety should, where possible, be 'designed in'. Other interventions such as building defences, mitigating hazards and education and training should only be used where design solutions cannot be found.

CONCLUSIONS
Simple human factors principles such as: designing for standardization; the involvement of users and staff in designing services and procuring equipment; understanding how errors occur; and the workarounds that staff will inevitably take are vital considerations in improving patient safety.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT
Opportunities for the application of human factors to healthcare and improved patient safety are discussed. Some existing tools and techniques for applying human factors in nursing management are also presented.


Challenging yet extending extant efforts in organisation studies to disrupt the gender divide, we develop an embodied account to more fundamentally dissolve the binaries that divide conventional forms of female and male embodiment. Despite a proliferation of literature on the body and emotion in sociology and organisation studies, it is our view that much of it remains deeply disembodied, treating the body pretty much like any other sociological phenomenon, i.e., as a mere object of study. In seeking to dissolve the gender divide, we incorporate a number of vignettes in an attempt to write our own bodies into the text. While reflecting about our own masculine (David and Torkild) and transgender (Torkild) embodiment, we critically discuss how transgender, in particular, may constitute a vehicle for challenging and disrupting the gender divide.


During the Phanerozoic, ocean chemistry has oscillated to favour the dominant non-biogenic polymorph of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) to be either calcite or aragonite. The main driving force controlling these aragonite-calcite seas conditions is the Mg:Ca ratio of seawater. However, other parameters such us SO4, temperature and partial pressure of carbon dioxide (pCO2) are also known to influence CaCO3 polymorph formation but are often overlooked in the context of aragonite-calcite seas. The main aim of this research project was to evaluate and quantify the key effects as well as the relative effects of changes in Mg:Ca ratio, SO4 concentration, temperature and pCO2 have on the formation, transformation and structure of CaCO3 phases, in order to provide a better synergistic approach than those taken by previous studies.
We confirm seawater Mg:Ca ratio and SO4 concentration as dominant drivers since small differences in their values can be invoked as controlling the variation in abiotic CaCO3 polymorphs. We propose lower Mg:Ca and SO4 thresholds on seawater chemistry for calcite predominance seas (Mg:Ca≤ 0.65, SO4≤ 10 mM) than those suggested by the geological records (Mg:Ca≈ 2).
Our work demonstrates that there is not a significant response of abiotic marine CaCO3 mineralogy to changing temperature. Our experimental data also reveal that neither changes in pCO2 in the range 400 to 3000 ppm, or their respective changes in seawater pH (8.2, to 7.6) lead to major variations in the stability fields for aragonite and calcite precipitation. Hence, the view of Phanerozoic aragonite-calcite seas should not be temperature and atmospheric pCO2 or seawater pH corrected.
We validate abiogenic calcite Mg:Ca as a reliable and quantitative proxy for past global seawater temperature change if its dependence on both the temperature and the Mg:Ca ratio of the seawater is considered.
We propose SO4 content in abiogenic calcite as a reliable and quantitative proxy for past seawater pH and atmospheric pCO2, but our results indicated that it is not possible to provide a single SO4–pH calibration and the use of seawater SO4-specific equations is needed.
It can also be concluded that switches between aragonite and calcite seas calculated from the stability fields from our experimental results would only match the proxy data for seawater chemistry in the geological record if the lowest suggested seawater SO4 concentrations are considered ([SO4] ≤ 10 mM).
Furthermore, this study shows that Mg, SO4 and temperature significantly influence calcium carbonate morphology and addresses temperature turning out to be an important parameter for the control of particle size.


During a 6-year period, 119 patients with enlarged leiomyomata uteri underwent a transvaginal hysterectomy at this medium-size Medical Department Activity using morcellation to debulk the uterus. One hundred seventeen underwent successful removal of the uterus with the use of various morcellation techniques to reduce the uterine size. Two patients required conversion to an abdominal procedure. A retrospective review of each operative report was completed, and the findings are presented in this study. There was a low morbidity rate in this series, with no deaths. Transvaginal hysterectomy with debulking of enlarged leiomyomata using morcellation is a safe alternative to abdominal hysterectomy in a Medical Department Activity environment.


SummaryUsing a sedimentation method, the prevalence of the nodular worm Oesophagostomum stephanostomum (Nematoda: Strongylida) in western lowland gorillas at Moukalaba-Doudou National Park (MDNP), Gabon, was determined in fecal samples collected between January 2007 and October 2011, along with their coprocultures. Concurrently, possible zoonotic Oesophagostomum infections in villagers living near MDNP were assessed from their fecal samples collected during October and November of 2011. In the gorillas, strongylid (Oesophagostomum and/or hookworm) eggs were found in 47 of 235 fecal samples (20.0 %) and Oesophagostomum larvae were detected in 101 of 229 coprocultures (44.1 %). In the villagers, strongylid eggs were found in 9 of 71 fecal samples (12.7 %), but no Oesophagostomum larvae were detected in coprocultures. The internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of ribosomal RNA gene (rDNA) and cytochrome c oxidase subunit-1 (cox-1) region of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) of coprocultured Oesophagostomum larvae were amplified using parasite DNA extracted from 7–25 larvae/sample, cloned into Escherichia coli, and sequenced. Sequenced rDNA contained 353/354-bp long ITS1, 151-bp long 5.8S rDNA, and 227-bp long ITS2. Parts of clones showed variations at 1–3 bases in the ITS1 region at a frequency of 24/68 (35.3 %) and at 1–2 bases in the ITS2 region at a frequency of 7/68 (10.3 %), whereas the 5.8S rDNA was essentially identical. Sequenced cox-1 gene of the parasites, 849 bp in length, showed a higher number of nucleotide variations, mainly at the third nucleotide position of the codon. The majority of clones (27/41 (65.9 %)) had an identical amino acid sequence. These results suggest that at MDNP, Gabon, only a single population of O. stephanostomum with a degree of genetic diversity is prevalent in western lowland gorillas, without zoonotic complication in local inhabitants. The possible genetic variations in the ITS region of rDNA and cox-1gene of mtDNA presented here may be valuable when only a limited amount of material is available for the molecular species diagnosis of O. stephanostomum.


We study the inverse problem of recovering the scatterer shape from the far-field pattern(FFP) of the scattered wave in presence of noise. This problem is ill-posed and is usually addressed via regularization. Instead, a direct approach to denoise the FFP using wavelet technique is proposed by us. We are interested in methods that deal with the scatterer of the general shape which may be described by a finite number of parameters. To study the effectiveness of the technique we concentrate on simple bodies such as ellipses, where the analytic solution to the forward scattering problem is known. The shape parameters are found based on a least-square error estimator. Two cases with the FFP corrupted by Gaussian noise and/or computational error from a finite element method are considered. We also consider the case where only partial data is known in the far field.


The use of ICT in educational settings is a catalyst for change. The paper has sought to explore the role of ICT in education as we progress into the 21st century. The first phase focuses on the conceptual framework of the use of ICT in education. In this model the dependent variable is education and its sub variables are educational level of teachers and students which is directly affected by the independent variables which are the use of ICTs, ICT infrastructure and staff development. The second phase is the pilot study to answer two major questions: (i) Is ICT mandatory or voluntary at your institutions? (ii) What are the greatest barriers to using ICT to you as an academician? The results show that majority of the academic staff (86%) responded that ICT is mandatory. However, the survey revealed that most of the part-time lecturers ticked the use of ICT as voluntary. Some of these part-time lecturers in the cadre of professors, responded to Q32 as (do not fit my program). Actually in their dispensation, lecturing was done using the chalk board only. The research confirms that two major barriers affect the use of ICT; they are lack of time to use ICT the systems and training opportunities. Respondents on these are 38% and 32% respectively. Based on these findings, the paper recommended that, all employed teachers in Federal, State and Private institutions should undertake mandatory training and retraining on ICT programmers. The government should develop ICT policies and guidelines for the application of ICT in education.


Hypocholesterolaemia is a frequent and typical phenomenon of many acute situations such as injury, severe infection associated with sepsis and septic shock, catabolic situations after serious operations, in myocardial infarction and neoplastic diseases. This phenomenon cannot be explained only by malnutrition or energy deficiency although they may participate in the development of hypocholesterolaemia. In the development of the mentioned acute conditions participates according to our opinion also impaired synthesis of cholesterol as well as of intermediary metabolites of its biosynthesis (isoprene, squalene, lanosterol, and lathosterol). Evidence was provided that deprivation of these metabolites is frequent, very marked and statistically significant. Some precursors of cholesterol biosynthesis are extremely important for normal processes in the cell and as mediators (isoprene, farnesyl diphosphate, squalene). Their deficiency is a serious disorder which must be diagnosed in time. It is important to define the patients and conditions where a serious deficiency of these metabolites develops regularly and to seek ways how to treat deprivation of the mentioned metabolites.


Introduction The role of serum C3 and C4 levels as a marker of disease activity in cutaneous small-vessel vasculitis (CSVV) has been sparsely studied, especially in India. The primary objective was to determine the correlation between clinico-histopathological severity and serum C3 and C4 levels in CSVV. The secondary objective was to determine the association between direct immunofluorescence (DIF) findings and serum C3 and C4 levels and clinico-histopathological findings. Method This prospective cross-sectional study included all the clinically diagnosed cases of CSVV that satisfied the pathological criteria for CSVV. A clinical disease activity grade and a histopathological severity grade were calculated in all patients (N=50). Results Serum C3 and C4 levels (n=44) were diminished in 4.5% of cases. There was no significant correlation between the serum C3 and C4 levels and the clinical and histopathological severity. DIF was positive in 60.0% of cases (n=45), and IgA was the predominant immune deposit (46.7%). No significant association was detected between the DIF findings and the serum C3 and C4 levels, histopathological severity, and clinical disease activity grade. Positive DIF findings were significantly associated with palpable purpura and cutaneous necrosis. A significant association was detected between gastrointestinal involvement and IgA positivity. Conclusion In CSVV, serum C3 and C4 may not be used as markers of disease severity, and a positive DIF finding may indicate an underlying gastrointestinal involvement.


This paper considers a single-input-multiple-output underlay cognitive wiretap system over Nakagami-m channels with generalized selection combining, where confidential messages transmitted from a single-antenna transmitter to a multiple-antenna legitimate receiver are overheard by a multiple-antenna eavesdropper. Passive eavesdropping scenario is considered in this work, while the channel state information of the eavesdropping channel is not available at the secondary transmitter. We derived the closed-form expression for the exact secrecy outage probability. Simulations are conducted to validate the accuracy of our proposed analytical models.


One of the key aspects of a project is to deliver the project on time and budget regardless of requirement, scope and time changes. Cost estimation has always been a difficult task in software development much of which is research is done on traditional cost estimation techniques but little is researched on agile methodologies.Agile software development (ASD) provides a mechanism in reducing cost and time along with easy to handle ever-changing business environment and requirements. This study determines the impact of agile methodologies on cost estimation techniques in software development industry by focusing on different type of agile methodologies being used in software development industry. This study reveals how cost estimation at the beginning of each iteration helps company in making more easily and accurate estimate than traditional cost estimation techniques. The most common estimate technique is expert opinion a software development organization rely upon the expert in order to provide accurate estimate.The use of agile methodologies in software development industry for cast estimation purposes is still very new concert. For this concert to be adopted on a larger scale future in-depth study on agile methodologies is required in order to measure exact impact on cost estimation.


Noncoherent decoding of trellis codes using multiple-symbol overlapped observations was shown previously to achieve close to the coherent performance. Optimal decoding by the Viterbi algorithm for L-symbol observations requires a number of states which grows exponentially with L. Two novel suboptimal algorithms are presented, for which the number of states is the same as the original code, yielding a complexity depending weakly on L. For practical values of L, both algorithms are substantially less complex than the optimal algorithm. The first algorithm, the basic decision feedback algorithm (BDFA), is a low complexity feedback decoding scheme, based on the Viterbi algorithm. This algorithm is shown to suffer from increased error probability and from error propagation. A slight modification to this algorithm can, in most cases, reduce these effects significantly. The second algorithm uses the BDFA as a basic building block. This algorithm is based on a novel concept called "estimated future" and its performance is very close to optimum for most practical eases with some additional complexity and memory requirements as compared to the first algorithm. Performance analysis and simulation results are also given.


BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE
  A report describing the software Dental Image Analyzer (DIA) was published in this journal in 2009. A new function - measurement of the periodontal intrabony defect angle - was added to the software in 2010. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether measurements of the radiographic intrabony defect angle using digital radiographs and the newly developed DIA tool were comparable with measurements obtained using the conventional protractor method.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
  The baseline radiographic defect angle of intrabony defects was measured conventionally, using a protractor, in 60 selected teeth from 47 patients and then digitally using the newly developed DIA tool. The measurements were made independently by four experienced dentists. The radiographic defect angle of intrabony defects was measured after the three anatomical landmarks were identified, namely the cemento-enamel junction, the top of the crest and the bottom of the defect.

RESULTS
  Both methods showed a high interexaminer reliability for measurements of the radiographic defect angle of intrabony defects (intraclass correlation coefficient > 0.97). Moreover, both methods showed high reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient > 0.96). On the other hand, the new DIA tool, compared with the conventional method, exhibited high sensitivity (0.92) and high specificity (0.91) in selecting defects of ≥ 37° or < 37°. Analysis of the time taken for measurements revealed significant differences between the two methods, with the protractor method being more time consuming.

CONCLUSIONS
  This study provided evidence for the lack of a significant difference between the conventional method and the DIA tool for radiographic measurement of intrabony defects. However, digital analysis was significantly faster.


The article argues that there is a crisis of erroneous capital sentencing and that the insufficiency of alternative remedies makes the common law writ of "coram nobis" an overlooked and effective legal procedure when arguably exculpatory evidence is discovered after trial. It reviews the history and current use of coram nobis, both nationwide and particularly in Tennessee. Tennessee is a useful case study because it has the highest percentage of death penalty sentences reversed due to serious error. The article asserts as a legal standard for relief a finding of "reasonable probability" that the newly discovered evidence would have changed the initial trial outcome. It compares this approach to the approach taken in some other states and in the federal system, and raises policy concerns arguing for the "reasonable probability" approach.


In their essay, "How the microbiome challenges our concept of self," Rees and colleagues [1] argue that recent discoveries about the microbiome have far-reaching effects on our understanding of self and what it means to be human. They claim these effects are so profound that they require a new mode of operation for the arts and humanities: "a breakdown of the anachronistic barriers between the natural and the human sciences." While we strongly support interdisciplinary collaboration between the arts and sciences, the authors overinflate the microbiome's influence in ways that are conceptually and empirically problematic. The empirical problems come from statements about the microbiome's causal power as a unitary entity, which we think need to be more carefully phrased. The conceptual problems turn upon the unsystematic way the authors talk about the "self." Throughout the article, the meaning of "self" oscillates between three specific biological understandings defined by the authors and far less precise usage (e.g., in claims like "interactions with microorganisms define the individual human self," "profound implications. . .for our philosophical comprehension of the human self," or in the essay's title, "How the microbiome challenges our concept of self"). The context in which these looser attributions of "self" are deployed suggests at least three additional understandings that are more commonly the subject of humanistic or psychological inquiry. By conflating these various interpretations of self, Rees and colleagues create the impression that the microbiome's impact on one specific biological notion automatically entails a similar impact on all notions of self (or perhaps on some unified notion). But these entailments are neither obvious nor argued for.


OBJECTIVE
Demonstrate the economic benefits that community participation may render in the construction of health units.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
The purpose of this study was to analyze the efficiency in the construction of 21 auxiliary health units and 81 rural health built through the Program to Support the Development of Health Services for the Non-Insured Population (PASSPA) through three different construction models (national public bidding, restricted invitation and community participation). Comparisons were also made with the units built through regular construction procedures of the Ministry of Health and other institutions. To evaluate the expenditure/m2, a univariate analysis using non-parametric statistics and a mathematical model of bootstrapping were used.

RESULTS
The median expenditure/m2 and the delivery times for auxiliary health units, and the median expenditure/m2 for rural health units were smaller when using community participation. The expenditure/m2 of those units built through PASSPA was considerably lower than that of health units built through regular construction procedures.

CONCLUSIONS
The use of community participation in the construction of auxiliary health units and rural health units may impact positively the resource investment and the delivery times when compared with units built through national public biddings and restricted invitations. The possibility of using community participation in other health activities (supervision, maintenance) should be evaluated. The English version of this paper is available at:http://www.insp.mx/salud/index.html.


We studied the effects of preoperative administration of Hochuekkito (TJ-41) on the host response of patients undergoing gastrectomy or colectomy in a prospective, randomized, multicenter clinical trial. Forty-eight patients were randomized into two groups: one received 7.5 g/day of TJ-41 for 7 days before surgery (n = 22); and the other served as the control group (n = 26). The body temperature and pulse rate in patients in the TJ41 group were significantly better controlled during the study compared with those in the control group. The concentration of serum cortisol on the first postoperative day in the TJ-41 group was also significantly lower compared with that in the control group. These results clearly indicate that the preoperative administration of TJ-41 may ameliorate an excessive postoperative inflammatory response and prolonged immunosuppressed state, resulting in fewer postoperative infectious complications.


We used density functional theory to study the mechanism of n-butane oxidation to maleic anhydride on the vanadium phosphorus oxide (VPO) surface. We found that O(1)═P on the V(V)OPO4 surface is the active center for initiating the VPO chemistry through extraction of H from alkane C-H bonds. This contrasts sharply with previous suggestions that the active center is either the V-O bonds or else a chemisorbed O2 on the (V(IV)O)2P2O7 surface. The ability of O(1)═P to cleave alkane C-H bonds is due to its strong basicity coupled with large reduction potentials of nearby V(V) ions. We examined several pathways for the subsequent functionalization of n-butane to maleic anhydride and found that the overall barrier does not exceed 21.7 kcal/mol.


We propose a high dimensional semiparametric scale-invariant principle component analysis, named TCA, by utilize the natural connection between the elliptical distribution family and the principal component analysis. Elliptical distribution family includes many well-known multivariate distributions like multivariate Gaussian, t and logistic and it is extended to the meta-elliptical by Fang et.al (2002) using the copula techniques. In this paper we extend the meta-elliptical distribution family to a even larger family, called transelliptical. We prove that TCA can obtain a near-optimal s√log d/n estimation consistency rate in recovering the leading eigenvector of the latent generalized correlation matrix under the transelliptical distribution family, even if the distributions are very heavy-tailed, have infinite second moments, do not have densities and possess arbitrarily continuous marginal distributions. A feature selection result with explicit rate is also provided. TCA is further implemented in both numerical simulations and large-scale stock data to illustrate its empirical usefulness. Both theories and experiments confirm that TCA can achieve model flexibility, estimation accuracy and robustness at almost no cost.


Abstract : Future space telescopes will contain lightweight, flexible, segmented mirrors. Traditional control approaches for mirror alignment and shape control may be inadequate due to flexibilities and low natural frequencies. Using adaptive optics for space telescopes presents a possible solution. This research proposes innovative H(infinity) robust control techniques for these types of systems. An H(infinity) controller is synthesized for a complex analytical model with 997 inputs, 936 outputs, and 332 states. To accomplish this, a new technique for model reduction using Zernike polynomials was developed. The H(infinity) controller was able to achieve a minimum 15 Hz control bandwidth. The previous integral controller was unable to meet the 10 Hz bandwidth requirement. The H(infinity) design process used was validated on a simpler adaptive optics testbed. The experimental verification also showed that the robust control techniques outperformed the classical control techniques in the presence of disturbances. The significant contributions are a Zernike polynomial method for model reduction, robust controller synthesis for a complex adaptive optics analytical model, and experimental verification on an AO testbed. Although the robust control design is more complex, it provides improved performance in the presence of uncertainty in the disturbances and modeling.


We show that stimulated Raman scattering by phonons is described by two separate tensors, one of which accounts for the phonon-induced modulation of the susceptibility, and the other one for the dependence of the coherentmode amplitude on the light intensity. These tensors have the same real component, associated with impulsive generation of phonons, but different imaginary parts. If the imaginary term dominates, the mechanism for two-band processes is displacive in nature. Femtosecond pump-probe experiments on antimony, using laser energies in the range of the E' 2 gap, support the two-tensor model.


American Indians, Alaska Native, and other Indigenous people throughout the world have undergone and continue to experience research abuses. Qualitative data such as intellectual property, Indigenous knowledge, interviews, cultural expressions including songs, oral histories/stories, ceremonies, dances, and other texts, images, and recordings are at risk of exploitation, appropriation, theft, and misrepresentation and threaten the cultural sovereignty of American Indians, Alaska Native, and other Indigenous people. These issues are potentially magnified with the increasing use of big data. Partly as a result of past and current research abuse, the Indigenous data sovereignty, the control, ownership, and governance of research and data, is growing. In this article, I discuss American Indian political sovereignty, cultural sovereignty, and Indigenous data sovereignty, with an emphasis on qualitative data sovereignty. In addition, I explore whether Arizona's public universities—Northern Arizona University, Arizona State University, and University of Arizona—policies and guidelines support Indigenous data sovereignty and the extent to which they align with the Arizona Board of Regent's tribal consultation policy that governs relations between the three Arizona universities and Arizona American Indian nations. Overall expectations, requirements, and processes do not go far enough in supporting Indigenous data sovereignty. Although each university has specific research policies that follow the Arizona Board of Regent's tribal consultation policy, the university guidelines differ in scope in term of supporting Indigenous data sovereignty. In addition, none of the policies address qualitative data sharing, including those in big data sets. Based on the findings I make several recommendations for researchers, including supporting the Indigenous sovereignty movement and to reconsider big data use and past positions about qualitative data ownership and sharing with regard to American Indians, Alaska Native, and other Indigenous people.


This paper presents a first solution for NoC-based communication security. Our proposal is based on simple network interfaces implementing distributed security rule checking and a separation between security and application channels. We detail a four- step security policy and show how, with usual NOC techniques, a designer can protect a reconfigurable SOC against attacks that result in abnormal communication behaviors. We introduce a new kind of relative and self-complemented street-sign routing adapted to path-based IP identification and reconfigurable architectures needs. Our approach is illustrated with a synthetic set-top box, we also show how to transform a real-life bus-based security solution to match our NOC-based architecture


A procedure is proposed which allows one to assess the adequacy of models to represent objects. Only the class of inverse problems has been considered in detail. The procedure is based on the definition of a vectorial distance between models. It allows one to order models from the standpoint of their adequacy and apply to the problem many results of ordered sets. When the set of models admits a minimum, this generally coincides with the most adequate model. Otherwise, the most adequate model has to be found with the methods of decision theory. The method may sometimes be cumbersome. It is shown, however, that this fact may represent a useful feature of the method. Moreover, it is shown that most of the existing work on the adequacy of models, even if in embryo, agrees quite well with the proposed framework.


Density functional theory is used to compute electronic and thermodynamic interactions between atomic and molecular oxygen and small Ptn clusters (n = 2−6). Binding energies, vibrational frequencies, and charge distributions are reported. Two states are identified for the adsorption of molecular oxygen:  the superoxo species (O2δ-) and the peroxo species (O22δ-) formed by charge transfer from the metal cluster to the O2 molecule. An analysis of the adsorbed O2 dissociation on Pt clusters illustrates the dependence of the activation barrier for dissociation on the metal cluster size.


Four groups of students were surveyed four to six years postgraduation regarding enrollment in graduate studies, research involvement, and occupancy of leadership positions in professional organizations. Group 1 (n = 20) consisted of honors graduates, Group 2 (n = 52) were high GPA non-honors graduates, Group 3 (n = 39) were low GPA graduates, and Group 4 (n = 16) were RN-to-BSN graduates with high GPAs but not in the honors program. Enrollment in graduate studies was the strongest outcome indicator of participation in the honors program. Honors graduates also held leadership roles in professional organizations significantly more than Groups 2 and 3, but were quite comparable to Group 4. Follow-up at 10 years postgraduation and replication of the study in other settings are recommended.


With the development of the global economy, national exchange frequently between navigational skills improve more and more attention. Radar, ARPA has identified the ship's capabilities, but because of their limitations were unable to adapt to the needs of modern maritime security. As digital communications technology, the rapid development of computer and network information technology, development of AIS Technology Foundation has been set up. Navigational aids in the shipping industry have become increasingly demanding of circumstances, marine automatic identification system (AIS) came into being. This article examines the AIS system architecture based on wireless local area network, building a wireless local area network.


Information systems (IS) planning is a developing field, and currently organizations plan and implement systems that enable them to transcend traditional boundaries. However, the issue of how individuals and groups can influence the process and outcomes of organizational IS planning with their own concerns still needs further attention. This paper presents an approach to IS planning that facilitates inclusion and participation of people. The focus of planning remains the organization, but critical thinking is developed through reflection on wider (e.g. individual and societal) concerns. Using Critical Systems Thinking (CST) and the theories of boundary critique and autopoiesis, the approach in this paper emphasizes continuous inclusion of, and reflection on, different issues of concern, values and interests that groups of stakeholders have about their situation prior to the selection, design and implementation of planning methods. Reflections from practice can lead practitioners to consider the importance of ethics in information systems planning.


We present an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) for high-resolution X-ray spectrometers. The ASIC is designed to read out signals from a pixelated silicon drift detector (SDD). Each hexagonal pixel has an area of 15 mm2 and an anode capacitance of less than 100 fF. There is no integrated Field Effect transistor (FET) in the pixel, rather, the readout is done by wire-bonding the anodes to the inputs of the ASIC. The ASIC provides 14 channels of low-noise charge amplification, high-order shaping with baseline stabilization, and peak detection with analog memory. The readout is sparse and based on low voltage differential signaling. An interposer provides all the interconnections required to bias and operate the system. The channel dissipates 1.6 mW. The complete 14-pixel unit covers an area of 210 mm2, dissipates 12 mW cm-2, and can be tiled to cover an arbitrarily large detection area. We measured a preliminary resolution of 172 eV at -35 degC on the 6 keV peak of a 55Fe source.