We introduce the concept of a multi-principal assistance game (MPAG), and circumvent an obstacle in social choice theory, Gibbard's theorem, by using a sufficiently collegial preference inference mechanism. In an MPAG, a single agent assists N human principals who may have widely different preferences. MPAGs generalize assistance games, also known as cooperative inverse reinforcement learning games. We analyze in particular a generalization of apprenticeship learning in which the humans first perform some work to obtain utility and demonstrate their preferences, and then the robot acts to further maximize the sum of human payoffs. We show in this setting that if the game is sufficiently collegial, i.e. if the humans are responsible for obtaining a sufficient fraction of the rewards through their own actions, then their preferences are straightforwardly revealed through their work. This revelation mechanism is non-dictatorial, does not limit the possible outcomes to two alternatives, and is dominant-strategy incentive-compatible.


Abstract Stacking structures in pyrophyllite, Al2Si4O10(OH)2, were investigated mainly by using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). The specimens examined were large lath-shaped crystals (Berosovska, Urals, Russia) and massive aggregates of fine platy crystals (Nohwa, southwest Korea). Both specimens showed powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns similar to those reported previously as the 2M polytype. The common stacking sequence in the two specimens is not monoclinic with two-layer periodicity as previously reported, but a uniform orientation of the 2:1 layers and near complete disorder of two alternative directions of interlayer displacement, i.e., lateral displacement between the two tetrahedral sheets across an interlayer region. The directions of interlayer displacement are about ± 2π/3 from that of the intralayer shift (lateral displacement between the two tetrahedral sheets within a 2:1 layer). Simulation of powder XRD patterns by this stacking model closely approximates the experimental pattern. Elongation of the lath-shaped Berosovska crystals corresponds to the direction of the intralayer shift, as seen in illite-1M. 2:1 layers with different orientations, and interlayer displacement almost parallel to the intralayer shift, were occasionally observed as stacking faults. Such disorder occurs more frequently in the massive Nohwa specimen than in the Berosovska specimen. Sub-micrometer domains of the 2M stacking sequence with regular alternation of the two directions of interlayer displacement were found in the Nohwa specimen.


Deepfake technologies are known for the creation of forged celebrity pornography, face and voice swaps, and other fake media content. Despite the negative connotations the technology bears, the underlying machine learning algorithms have a huge potential that could be applied to not just digital media, but also to medicine, biology, affective science, and agriculture, just to name a few. Due to the ability to generate big datasets based on real data distributions, deepfake could also be used to positively impact non-human animals such as livestock. Generated data using Generative Adversarial Networks, one of the algorithms that deepfake is based on, could be used to train models to accurately identify and monitor animal health and emotions. Through data augmentation, using digital twins, and maybe even displaying digital conspecifics where social interactions are enhanced, deepfake technologies have the potential to increase animal health, emotionality, sociality, animal-human and animal-computer interactions and thereby animal welfare, productivity, and sustainability of the farming industry.


An analytical solution method is presented for the transient axial response of one-dimensional structures subjected to impact loading. The transient structural response is expressed as a series of the impact loading function and its progressive shifting values depending on both material position and time scale. The governing differential equation on the impact force is derived considering the general solution and constitutive equation of the contact interface. The analytical solution of differential equation yields a recursive function describing the impact force and displacement function of the total geometry. Depending on the contact surface roughness and the material properties, an impact function is introduced as a base function for impact response. The procedure is implemented to determine the shock waves generated at the collision of the elastic rod on the rigid surface and two elastic rods. The analytical solution also derives the steady-state response of the structure after the impact loading.


Analysis of bend‐scale meandering river dynamics is a problem of theoretical and practical interest. This work introduces a method for extracting and analyzing the history of individual meander bends from inception until cutoff (called "atoms") by tracking backward through time the set of two cutoff nodes in numerical meander migration models. Application of this method to a simplified yet physically based model provides access to previously unavailable bend‐scale meander dynamics over long times and at high temporal resolutions. We find that before cutoffs, the intrinsic model dynamics invariably simulate a prototypical cutoff atom shape we dub simple. Once perturbations from cutoffs occur, two other archetypal cutoff planform shapes emerge called long and round that are distinguished by a stretching along their long and perpendicular axes, respectively. Three measures of meander migration—growth rate, average migration rate, and centroid migration rate—are introduced to capture the dynamic lives of individual bends and reveal that similar cutoff atom geometries share similar dynamic histories. Specifically, through the lens of the three shape types, simples are seen to have the highest growth and average migration rates, followed by rounds, and finally longs. Using the maximum average migration rate as a metric describing an atom's dynamic past, we show a strong connection between it and two metrics of cutoff geometry. This result suggests both that early formative dynamics may be inferred from static cutoff planforms and that there exists a critical period early in a meander bend's life when its dynamic trajectory is most sensitive to cutoff perturbations. An example of how these results could be applied to Mississippi River oxbow lakes with unknown historic dynamics is shown. The results characterize the underlying model and provide a framework for comparisons against more complex models and observed dynamics.


Finally, as we begin the 21st Century the call to examine consumption's role in driving global environmental change and responses is thankfully beginning to resound loud and clear! The three edited volumes being reviewed here are new and important contributions to this emerging theme of environmental studies. It is clear that the impetus behind all the books can be located, either directly or tangentially, in the pivotal changes that took place in the global sustainability agenda at the 1992 Earth Summit. The neo-Malthusian concerns that predominated through the '70s and '80s were more intensively questioned at Rio where a fractious conoict between the First and Third Worlds broke out over who was responsible for global warming. This led to a brand new concern focused on resource consumption among afouent nations. The practical outcome was that Agenda 21's Chapter Four was devoted to "Changing Consumption Patterns" which led to a new arena of environmental policy in both Europe and the US. This notable shift has also been reoected in both university research as well as environmental studies curricula. Interestingly, though, this development has not been circumscribed by an intellectual space that is bounded by singular


The response of peripheral blood and synovial fluid lymphocytes to three non-specific mitogens has been studied. The paired samples were taken from patients with a range of inflammatory arthritides. Unstimulated synovial fluid lymphocytes (SFL) tended to have a greater uptake of tritiated thymidine than had unstimulated peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL). This background uptake of tritiated thymidine by SFL showed a positive correlation with the response these SFL then showed to the mitogens. A significant depression was observed in the SFL response to phytohaemagglutinin when compared with the paired PBL response; this was seen in both the rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory joint diseases groups. SFL responses to concanavalin A and pokeweed mitogen, although depressed in individual cases, failed to show a significant depression overall. Attempts to restore the SFL response to that of the paired PBL by removal of any possible blocking substance from the cell surface either by pre-incubation of SFL in tissue culture medium or by enzyme treatment were unsuccessful. This suggested that cell surface blockers were possibly not the reason for deficient SFL reponses and that other factors were involved.


We present an approach for maximizing a global utility function by learning how to allocate resources in an unsupervised way. We expect interactions between allocation targets to be important and therefore propose to learn the reward structure for near-optimal allocation policies with a GNN. By relaxing the resource constraint, we can employ gradient-based optimization in contrast to more standard evolutionary algorithms. Our algorithm is motivated by a problem in modern astronomy, where one needs to select-based on limited initial information-among $10^9$ galaxies those whose detailed measurement will lead to optimal inference of the composition of the universe. Our technique presents a way of flexibly learning an allocation strategy by only requiring forward simulators for the physics of interest and the measurement process. We anticipate that our technique will also find applications in a range of resource allocation problems.


Electrical separation of proximate grounding systems has been the subject of much heated debate in the past and continues to generate much interest and discussion, particularly when the target grounding systems belong to different utilities. Essentially, the main argument used by the advocates of electrical separation is to prevent transfer of high ground potential rise from the neighboring but physically separate grounding system to their own system, which is typically a lower voltage installation. The main objective of this paper is to determine the feasibility and adequacy of electrical separation of grounding systems buried in a variety of soil structures, by carrying out a computerized parametric analysis. The computation results show that the nature of the soil structure has a significant influence on the intensity of the conductive coupling between grounds. Transferred potentials from one system to the other may range from a fraction of one percent to more than 90%, in most practical cases examined. Most of the results shown in this paper have never been published before.


[1] Results of a systematic search for magnetospheric line radiation (MLR) observed by the DEMETER spacecraft since the beginning of the mission are presented. DEMETER is a French microsatellite (altitude of orbit about 700 km, inclination 98°) designed to study electromagnetic phenomena connected with seismic or man-made activity that has been launched in June 2004. An automatic identification procedure of possible MLR events has been used in order to analyze a large amount of measured data. It is shown that there are two principally different classes of events: (1) events with frequency spacing of 50/100 or 60/120 Hz (power line harmonic radiation, PLHR) and (2) events with a different frequency spacing. The first class of events is generated by power systems on the Earth's surface, with frequency spacing well corresponding to the fundamental frequency of the radiating power system. On the other hand, the second class is most probably generated in a completely natural way. All the detected events are thoroughly analyzed, and different properties of the two classes are statistically demonstrated. We have found that PLHR events occur both during low and high geomagnetic activity, with none of them significantly preferred. However, MLR events occur more frequently under disturbed conditions. Most of the PLHR events are observed at frequencies of 2 to 3 kHz. On the other hand, MLR events most frequently occur at frequencies below 2 kHz and seem to be more intense than PLHR. Additionally, PLHR events are more intense during the night than during the day, and there is about the same number of PLHR events observed during the day and during the night. On the contrary, no dependence of MLR peak intensities on magnetic local time was found, and more MLR events were observed during the day than during the night, although this difference is not statistically very significant. Finally, there is a group of MLR events with characteristics corresponding to the previous spacecraft observations of equatorial noise.


This paper presents the convergence property for a sequence of functions over a finite interval of time, which square integral has a zero limit. It is proven that if such a sequence of functions is equicontinuous, the sequence itself will converge uniformly to zero over the entire interval. For illustration purposes, this result is applied and its usefulness shown in learning control systems analysis.


We describe for the first time the presence of human T lymphotropic virus type II (HTLV-II) infection in Venezuela, among the Pume Amerindians living in the southern plains of the country. Antibodies to HTLV-II antigens were assessed by enzyme immunoassays (Elisa), Western blot, radioimmuno-precipitation, and immunofluorescence; titration studies against HTLV-I- and HTLV-II-infected cell lines were very useful in the differentiation of HTLV-I and HTLV-II antibodies. The HTLV-II general prevalence was 5%; however, there is a striking difference in prevalence between the truly isolated villages (0%) when compared to those living along the riverside and thus in contact with outsiders (9%). Preliminary evidence suggests sexual contact as the main source of transmission. These findings might suggest that HTLV-II in Venezuela originated through contact with outsiders rather than ancient infection related to the origins of the Pume.


Abstract The genus Zygocarpum is described with six species formerly of Ormocarpum. This genus is endemic to the Horn of Africa, the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, and the island of Socotra. Analysis of combined nuclear ribosomal ITS/5.8S and morphological data reveals that Zygocarpum is strongly supported as monophyletic and the basal-most lineage of a mainly African-Madagascan clade comprising also Ormocarpum, Ormocarpopsis, and Peltiera. A second analysis involving a combination of nuclear ribosomal ITS/5.8S, chloroplast trnL intron, and morphological data reveals some well supported relationships among the species of Zygocarpum. Zygocarpum dhofarense and Z. yemenese, endemic to the Arabian Peninsula, form a sister clade to the central Somalian Z. gillettii. The precise relationships among the other two Somalian species, Zygocarpum rectangulare and Z. somalense, as well as the endemic Socotran Zygocarpum coeruleum, are less certain. The distribution of Zygocarpum, which spans the Gulf of Aden, is considered to be due to a Late Tertiary vicariant event involving the separation of the Arabian Peninsula from continental Africa. Communicating Editor: Aaron Liston


Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is a complex neurodegenerative disease with a progressive degeneration of behavioral and cognitive functions such as memory. [1] Alzheimer's disease is characterized by amyloid-B plaques, tau protein hyperphosphorylation, microglial cell activation and release of inflammatory cytokines such as IL-1B leading to disease progression. Amyloid-B plaques act on Toll-like receptors on microglial cells, thereby activating them and causing the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines. [2] Milrinone is a Phosphodiesterase inhibitor that has vasodilatory effects in the vasculature and has shown to suppress neurocytes apoptosis and inflammation. [3].
A study performed on APP/PSI transgenic mice demonstrated that milrinone reduces formation of amyloid-B plaques, suppresses tau protein hyperphosphorylation and release of inflammatory cytokines and reduces neuroinflammation therefore improving memory and cognitive functioning and helps reduce the progression of Alzheimer's disease.[4]
As per recent statistics, low-middle income countries constitute 58% of the world's aging population and this is expected to reach 68% by 2050. China, South Asian countries including Pakistan and Western pacific neighbors have reported the fastest growth in their geriatric population (5). In Pakistan, a country of approximately 220 million people with an increasing elderly population, there are very limited dementia trained specialists and available treatment options (6). Milrinone, a drug conventionally being used in cardiovascular treatments, could help bridge this gap and allow us to cater to the increasing burden of Alzheimer's disease in Pakistan.


Carney complex is an autosomal dominant disease that displays such characteristic features as cardiac and cutaneous myxomas and spotty pigmentation of the skin. We report here on a case of Carney complex that was accompanied by increased myxoid fibroadenomas in the breast and multiple intracranial aneurysms.


Over the past decade, South African organisations have had to cope with an ever-increasing rate of local and global changes. There have been considerable and ongoing socio-political changes, resulting from new government regulations. Most organisations have experienced some type of downturn, whether due to external business factors or poor internal performance. A typical response to organisational decline is retrenchment. Our study sought to explore employees' perceptions of the effects of retrenchment on job stress and organisational commitment in a mining company. The study was located within a quantitative research paradigm. Four research hypotheses were posited and data was collected in one region from a sample of 400 surface mining employees, including management, administrators, engineers and artisans. The results showed that the effects of retrenchment did not have a negative impact on job stress (time stress and anxiety). This may be due to the fact that the mining company in question had a planning and consultation process in place for the employees prior to the retrenchment process. The results also showed that job stress (time stress and anxiety) was negatively associated with organisational commitment. To conclude this article we discuss the implications of our findings, outline the limitations of our study and make recommendations for future research.


The effect of combined treatment of Bone Marrow Stromal Cells (BMSC) along with long-term quercetin pre-treatment was studied. SCI was induced in rats by compression. Animals were randomly divided into five groups including sham group, groups representing individual treatments and group representing combined treatment. The effects of various treatment groups were estimated using the Blood Spinal Cord Barrier (BSCB) permeability test, estimation of TJ-associated proteins and NF-?B, and motor function test. The spinal cord water content and BSCB permeability were significantly reduced by treatment with BMSC as well as quercetin. Their combined treatment showed a synergistic effect. Moreover, the animals also showed marked improvement in the hind-limb motor-function after the combination treatment. TJ-associated proteins showed a significant increase in expression upon combination treatment. This increase was greater than the individual treatments, indicating a synergistic effect. A significant decrease of NF-?B expression and a significant attenuation of its activity was found to be due to the combination treatment. The combination treatment of BMSC and quercetin caused a reduction in the permeability of BSCB by the up-regulation of proteins associated with TJ. The decreased BSCB permeability causes overall improvement in the SCI symptoms including edema and motor function. It was also concluded that the alleviation of SCI symptoms is mediated by the NF-?B pathway.


Chaperone-mediated autophagy (CMA) plays an important role in regulating a variety of cellular functions by selectively degrading damaged or functional proteins in the cytoplasm. One of the cellular processes in which CMA participates is the oxidative stress response. Oxidative stress regulates CMA activity, while CMA protects cells from oxidative damage by degrading oxidized proteins and preventing the accumulation of excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS). Changes in CMA activity have been found in many human diseases, and oxidative stress is also involved. Therefore, understanding the interaction mechanism of ROS and CMA will provide new targets for disease treatment. In this review, we discuss the role of CMA in combatting oxidative stress during the development of different conditions, such as aging, neurodegeneration, liver diseases, infections, pulmonary disorders, and cancers.


Even if the interest in franchise business is growing due to the rapid growth of franchise and increase of its weight in the beauty industry, the reality is that studies on cost and profit related with opening of franchise beauty shop are rare. Accordingly, the study made an actual investigation by breaking down profit and general cost items incurringfrom operation of franchise beauty shop into operation type, beauty shop operation experience and number of staff. This aims to provide to-be franchise shop starter and individual beauty shop heads with the base information. Data process and analysis in the study was done by SPSS WIN 13.0 program. As the analysis method, x2(Chi-square)test was done to find frequency analysis and franchising cost of beauty shop, which was to identify general characteristics of the study respondents. As for the geographical range of the study, franchise beauty shops that have 5 or more franchised shops in the nation were selected and the shop heads were questioned. The study was done from June 1, 2008~July 15. The researcher visited the franchised shops in person, filled out the questionnaire after explaining its purpose and statistically processed 322 copies that were valid out of the recollected. The scale used for the questionnaire was Likert 5-scale. The result of the studyindicated that more than half respondents (54.6%) were making the initial investment for 100~300 million Won to open a franchised beauty shop. Also, most of franchise shops except the ones under the direct company management were paying out sizable cost for franchise cost, key money and loyalty. Since most of to-be starters who wish to have franchise business did not have in-depth knowledge about the franchise business, the selection of franchise headquarters is critical. The franchise headquarters must endeavor to strengthen the support system for franchise shops and further need mutual cooperationwith franchise shops based on the sense of common destiny partnership so that both can survive together. In addition, successof failure of the business depends on beauty shop manager`s capability so it is believed that to-be franchise shop starter needs to make an effort to strengthen individual capability like management knowledge and leadership.


Cytoplasmic male-sterile sudangrass, A Rhodesian ( Sorghum arundinaceum ), was crossed with two sudangrasses (Sweet Sudan and Piper) and six forage sorghums (Sugar Drip, Brawley, Roma, Collier, Sumac and Meridian 55- 1). The eight F 1  hybrids and their male parents were compared for yield of green forage (GF), dry forage (DF), and crude protein (CP); dry matter (DM) and CP contents; plant height, leaf area, number of tillers, leaf/stem ratio and hydrocyanic acid potential (HCN-p). The first cutting was made 60 days after planting and the two subsequent cuttings at a 60-day interval. The second harvest had the greatest DF yields but a lower CP content when compared to the first harvest. The  F 1  hybrids were significantly superior than male parents for all traits except HCN-p at 45 and 60 days, leaf/stem ratio and DM and CP contents at each of the three harvests. Combined data for the three cuttings show that the  F 1 's of A Rhodesian x Sumac and A Rhodesian x Roma produced the greatest DF yields among hybrids. The DF yields of Sugar Drip were the highest among male parents. The average DF yield for  F 1  hybrids was 19% more than for the male parents. The DF yields of about 19 t/ha of the best hybrids compared favorably with other high yielding forage sorghums. Heterosis was observed for the most important traits,  F 1  hybrid A Rhodesian x Piper exhibiting the greatest value, 60 and 97% more DF than the midparent and high parent, respectively. The excellent DF yields, relatively low HCN-p values and high protein content of hybrids when A Rhodesian sudangrass was the female parent, make them potentially valuable genotypes for utilization in an intensive management program in the tropics. As in a previous study. A Rhodesian sudangrass proved to be a potentially useful male-sterile line in the development of superior F 1  forage sorghum hybrids in Puerto Rico.


The complex [Rh(μ-Cl)(IPr)(η2-coe)]2 {IPr = 1,3-bis(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)imidazol-2-carbene, coe = cis-cyclooctene} efficiently catalyzes the coupling of alkynes and N-vinylpyrazole via C–H activation, leading to Markovnikov-selective butadienylpyrazole derivatives under mild conditions. A straightforward approach to cross-conjugated acyclic trienes is also operative through a one-pot alkyne dimerization-hydrovinylation tandem reaction. The proposed mechanism involves C–H activation of vinylpyrazole directed by nitrogen coordination to the metallic center. Subsequent alkyne coordination, insertion, and reductive elimination steps lead to the coupling products. Several key intermediates participating in the catalytic cycle have been detected and characterized, including a κ-N, η2-C═C coordinated vinylpyrazole complex and a RhIII-hydride-alkenyl species resulting from the C–H activation of the vinylpyrazole


Power-line communications (PLC) is a field that has raised a lot of research in the past years. In this paper, we introduce array codes into the PLC environment and we study the channel's performance. In particular, generalized array codes (GAC), as well as row and column array codes (RAC) are applied. We examine their performance by obtaining three different code rates from each category. Therefore, the (8, 4, 4), (12, 7, 4) and (16, 11, 4) GAC codes as well as the (9, 4, 4), (12, 6, 4), and (15, 8, 4) RAC codes are used, meaning that we obtain code rates of (1/2), (7/12), (11/16), and (4/9), (6/12), (8/15) respectively. In addition, for reasons of completeness, convolutional codes are also being applied under the same channel conditions. Moreover, we suggest a hybrid coding technique, which combines the (8, 4, 4) GAC and the (15, 8, 4) RAC code in order to meet the requirements of the PLC time-varying channel and improve its performance. Concerning the system's design, we take into consideration Zimmermann's model for the PLC channel. We apply Middleton's model for the channel's background and impulsive noise, while we also introduce a novel way of estimating the system's impulsive noise. Finally, the well-known transmission technique of orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing is used. The channel's performance is evaluated in terms of the bit-error rate for different Eb/N0 values via computer simulations.


Elastic-scattering angular distributions for the 6 Li + 64 Zn system were measured at eight beam energies from below to above the Coulomb barrier, 12.0 ≤ E lab ≤ 22.0 MeV. The experimental data were analyzed within the optical model to study the energy dependence of the interaction potential and to obtain total reaction cross sections. The results obtained using several optical model potentials show similar behavior. The energy dependence of the strengths of the real and imaginary potentials suggests the presence of the breakup threshold anomaly. It is shown that the extracted energy dependence of the interaction potential at sub-barrier energies is very sensitive to possible experimental errors.


Over the last years, many face analysis tasks have accomplished astounding performance, with applications including face generation and 3D face reconstruction from a single '`in-the-wild'' image. Nevertheless, to the best of our knowledge, there is no method which can produce render-ready high-resolution 3D faces from '`in-the-wild'' images and this can be attributed to the: (a) scarcity of available data for training, and (b) lack of robust methodologies that can successfully be applied on very high-resolution data. In this work, we introduce the first method that is able to reconstruct photorealistic render-ready 3D facial geometry and BRDF from a single '`in-the-wild'' image. We capture a large dataset of facial shape and reflectance, which we have made public. We define a fast facial photorealistic differentiable rendering methodology with accurate facial skin diffuse and specular reflection, self-occlusion and subsurface scattering approximation. With this, we train a network that disentangles the facial diffuse and specular BRDF components from a shape and texture with baked illumination, reconstructed with a state-of-the-art 3DMM fitting method. Our method outperforms the existing arts by a significant margin and reconstructs high-resolution 3D faces from a single low-resolution image, that can be rendered in various applications, and bridge the uncanny valley.


A total of 176 highlander Ladakhis staying at an altitude of 3445 meters were examined for nail changes. Mean age of the subjects was 22.28 years (range 3-58 years). Koilonychia was seen in 47.16% of the subjects. It was most common during fourth (80.56%) and fifth (80%) decade. Males (49.60%) were slightly more commonly affected than females (41.34%). Soldiers (69.57%) were most commonly affected. Peasant and labourers (64.26%) were also equally affected. Most of the soldiers were also involved in forming during their leave period. Recruits (39.29%) and students (30.30%) were less commonly affected. Right index finger (36.36%), right middle finger (30.68%) and right thumb (29.55%) finger nails were most commonly affected followed by left thumb (13.64%), left index finger (10.23%), right ring finger (8.52%) and left middle finger nails (7.95%). Mean haemoglobin levels in those with or without koilonychia were 14.17 and 14.12 gm % respectively. Chronic hypoxia of high of high altitude causing increased erythropoiesis and depletion of iron stores leads to thinning of nail plate and atrophy of the distal nail bed with superadded mechanical trauma of farming or hard labour is the most likely cause of Ladakhi koilonychia. Dietary iron supplementation as a public health programme should be started in Ladakh to meet the demands of increased erythropoiesis in chronic hypoxic conditions.


We provide open-source software implemented in MATLAB, that performs Fourier-Motzkin elimination (FME) and removes constraints that are redundant due to Shannon-type inequalities (STIs). The FME is often used in information theoretic contexts to simplify rate regions, e.g., by eliminating auxiliary rates. Occasionally, however, the procedure becomes cumbersome, which makes an error-free hand-written derivation an elusive task. Some computer software have circumvented this difficulty by exploiting an automated FME process. However, the outputs of such software often include constraints that are inactive due to information theoretic properties. By incorporating the notion of STIs (a class of information inequalities provable via a computer program), our algorithm removes such redundant constraints based on non-negativity properties, chain-rules and probability mass function factorization. This newsletter first illustrates the program's abilities, and then reviews the contribution of STIs to the identification of redundant constraints.


This study investigated the measurement of social emotional competence in low-income youth by assessing the validity of responses derived from the widely used, teacher-rated Devereux Student Strengths Assessment (DESSA). Based on the five-component social emotional learning model proposed by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning, the teacher-rated DESSA shows promise as an easy-to-administer, strengths-based assessment tool for teachers from low-income communities. In a sample of 313 kindergarten students from a southeastern city, three competing measurement models were tested (one-factor, correlated five-factor, and higher order five-factor) using confirmatory factor analyses. Results revealed that, relative to the one-factor model, the higher order five-factor framework had the best model-data fit, although the first-order factors were highly correlated with the second-order factor. Furthermore, zero-order correlations showed that the DESSA was associated with both direct and teacher-reported measures of school-related outcomes. Implications for practice and directions for future research are discussed.


According to the FAO study, about 20 to 50 percent of the world's agricultural soils suffer from different degrees of salinity. Various reasons including low absorption of trace elements in saline and alkaline soils due to high -pH soils accompanied by plenty of lime such as Iran soils, ionic imbalance, low organic matter, carbonate presence in irrigation water, the inexorable and imbalance use of fertilizers and finally the subsequent droughts led to study both the bioavailability of iron and zinc within halophilic bacterial strains collected from terrestrial resources and availability of these nutrients for plants under salt stress by means of DTPA-TEA extraction method. Halophilic bacterial strains were isolated and purified from six saline soils in Khorasan Razavi Province (Iran) using the Ventosa moderately halophilic bacteria culture medium. Afterward, the concentrations of Fe and Zn in these strains with three replicates were measured by the DTPA-TEA method. The results showed that only four strains H2, H1, H11 and H3 of the fourteen isolated had iron; however, the iron concentration of the strains did not differ significantly or to the control (bacteria culture medium). Measurement of zinc showed that all halophilic strains had zinc except for two strains: H9 and H11, but the amount of zinc of strains did not differ significantly between strains or to the control. Strain H2 also showed the highest concentration of extractable iron and zinc. Concentrations of iron and zinc in the strains showed a low correlation coefficient (R 2 =0.15). Due to the absence of both iron and zinc in the bacteria medium, the amount of iron and zinc measured in strains may be structural and constitute some part of microbial tissues. Because of measuring these micro nutrients based on the simple method of EDTA-TEA, the chance of bioavailability of the nutrients exists in the rhizosphere of plants under salt stress conditions. In addition, the average electrical conductivity, osmotic pressure and total dissolved solids in halophilic bacterial extracts were 60.85 dS/m, 21.61 atmospheres, 3.89 percent respectively. The high osmotic pressure in bacterial extracts, which is equal to the osmotic pressure of the soil in permanent wilting point (10 to 20 atmospheres), could be another reason for the viability and efficiency of these special bacteria in high salinity. Hence, due to the high bacterial population growth and survival of bacteria under the conditions of high salinity and osmotic pressure of the soil, these bacteria may have the ability to help the stressed plants and biofortification of these important micronutrients in human food.


Abstract Although the recognized distribution of Japalura kumaonensis is restricted largely to western Himalaya, a single, isolated outlier population was reported in eastern Himalaya at the China-Nepal border in southeastern Tibet, China in Zhangmu, Nyalam County. Interestingly, subsequent studies have recognized another morphologically similar species, J. tricarinata, from the same locality in Tibet based on photographic evidence only. Despite these reports, no studies have examined the referred specimens for either record to confirm their taxonomic identifications with robust comparisons to congener species. Here, we examine the referred specimen of the record of J. kumaonensis from southeastern Tibet, China; recently collected specimens from the same locality in southeastern Tibet; type specimens; and topotypic specimens of both J. kumaonensis and J. tricarinata, to clarify the taxonomic identity of the focal population from southeastern Tibet, China. Our results indicate that individuals of the referred Tibetan population differ from J. kumaonensis in external morphology, but match descriptions and specimens of J. tricarinata. We conclude that the previous record of J. kumaonensis from Tibet was a misidentification of J. tricarinata, and J. kumaonensis should be recognized as occurring in western Himalaya only. To facilitate future taxonomic studies of the genus Japalura sensu lato in the Himalaya, we provide a detailed description of J. tricarinata and an updated diagnostic key to the genus from the Himalaya.


Ventricular tachycardia in pediatric emergency department patients is a high-risk, low-frequency event well suited for education through simulation. This technical report describes a simulation-based curriculum for Pediatric Emergency Medicine fellows and senior residents involving the evaluation and management of a 10-year-old female presenting with palpitations who is ultimately diagnosed with Belhassen tachycardia. The curriculum highlights the features that differentiate Belhassen tachycardia (idiopathic left posterior fascicular ventricular tachycardia) from supraventricular or other tachycardias, building upon foundational pediatric resuscitation skills and Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) algorithms for advanced learners.


The fast event-by-event fission code FREYA (Fission Reaction Event Yield Algorithm) generates large samples of complete fission events while employing only a few physics-based parameters. Not only is FREYA fast, it is also flexible, able to employ a variety of input formats to test the implications of various fission yield evaluations on neutron and photon observables. We describe how FREYA was applied to the neutron-rich nuclei needed for r-process nucleosynthesis calculations as an example of this flexibility. Finally, we discuss how we plan to make use of this flexibility to extend FREYA to calculations of cumulative fission product yields to aid evaluations of these yields in the future.


This paper is a short view of the Decentralisation to the Regional Health Systems in Venezuela during the decade of the 1990s, and it is based on my doctoral dissertation. It begins with some theoretical and conceptual foundations used in the thesis. Second, the paper shows the analytical framework for the "policy trajectory" followed by the decentralisation process examined in the research. In a third section, some comments on the main findings with regard to the institutional outcomes are analysed, but details are no illustrated here. Section 4 is a review of the political and policy process factors conditioning the decentralisation process. Sections 5 and 6 analysed how the changes in the Venezuelan rules of the game impacted on decision rights and spaces in the Regional Health Systems. Finally, some concluding remarks are show.


The aim of this paper is to examine stress and time in educational management in Maroua University. These two phenomena are profound in educational issues in Cameroon due to the complex administration or management. Education comprised of diversity of activities ranging from administration, discipline, teaching, evaluation and learning. Each of these activities requires time schedule to avoid stress in the face of pressure. Administration requires planning, organizing, controlling, commanding, coordinating, reporting and budgeting. Each of these managing variables requires time, just as discipline, teaching, evaluation and learning should need. The situation may be affected by higher authority interference and cause a rush thus affecting every schedule in the system on this note, it is necessary that every administrator on management cadre should develop a list of activities such as admissions, examinations, sports, vacations and other ceremonies which requires his attention on daily, weekly, or monthly bases and there after allocate in a tentative fashion the most appropriate times for dealing with such activities. Some profile recommendations are: strict adhering to schedules to avoid overlapping or prolongation to other programs; the schedules should be pasted or placed at a convenient point in the office for reference to avoid forgetfulness: as an administrator, time should be allocated for meeting or consulting with visitors and subordinates; he should delegate functions to his accredited subordinates to crave chance or time for essential duty; he should review the school or organization programs on daily, weekly or monthly bases the degree to which his administration goals have been attained and he (i.e. administrator) should crave time for rest i.e. holidays, relaxation and various forms of physical exercises to revitalizes the body for subsequent activities. The paper recommends planning which is vital in management to avoid time waste which is scarce and organizing to avoid repetition and also derailed. Hence, a healthy climate may encourage staff participation in decision making, program, daily routines to avoid time constraint and stress, which by-products are hypertension, insomnia and poor or unsuccessful accomplishment of education programs in Maroua University in particularly and nation wide in general.


The number of fluoroscopy-guided procedures in cardiology is increasing over time and it is appropriate to wonder whether technological progress or change of techniques is influencing patient exposure. The aim of this study is to examine whether patient dose has been decreasing over the years. Patient dose data of more than 7700 procedures were collected from two cardiology centres. A steady increase in the patient dose over the years was observed in both the centres for the two cardiological procedures included in this study. Significant increase in dose was also observed after the installation of a flat-panel detector. The increasing use of radial access may lead to an increase in the patient exposure. The monitoring of dose data over time showed a considerable increase in the patient exposure over time. Actions have to be taken towards dose reduction in both the centres.


Iran-Iraq War is one of the bloodiest, longest and, with respect to consequences, the most important battles which occurred in the Middle East in the 20th century. The confrontation of two regional powers lasted eight years and caused devastating effects on these two states and their people. Efraim Karsh's book offers an ideal explanation for those who want to get information about this war. It has chronological narration and it's basically composed of nine chapters. In this review, every chapter is studied separately and eventually a general examination is made.


Part 1 Theory: information-processing operators in decision making, Oswald Huber from cognition to action - the search for dominance in decision making, Henry Montgomery rules and strategies in decision making - a critical analysis from phenomenological perspective, Gunnar Karlsson. Part 2 Method: eliciting and analyzing verbal protocols in process studies of judgement and decision making, Ola Svenson illustrating verbal protocol analysis - individual decisions and dialogues preceding a joint decision, Ola Svenson three methods for analyzing decision making using written documents, Irmtraud N.Gallhofer and Willem E.Saris. Part 3 Experimental studies: a think-aloud study of dominance structuring in decision processes, Henry Montgomery and Ola Svenson information search and evaluative processes in decision making - a computer-based process-tracing study, Ulf Dahlstrand and Henry Montgomery positive and negative decision frames - a verbal protocol analysis of the Asian disease problem of Tversky and Kahneman, A.John Maule preselection, uncertainty of preferences and information processing in human decision making, Tadeusz Tyszka structuring and evaluating simple monetary risks, Rob Ranyard information search and decision making - the effect of information displays, Gunilla A.Sundstroem change of preferences under time pressure - choices and judgements, Ola Svenson and Anne Edland. Part 4 Societal decision making: scenario analysis and energy politics - the disclosure of causal structures in decision making, Anders Biel and Henry Montgomery the credibility of inflation-related scenarios of different lengths, Goran Nilsson postdecisional justification - the case of De Lorean, Ray Crozier decision trees and decision rules in politics - the empirical decision analysis procedure, Irmtraud N.Gallhofer and Willem E.Saris.


This article proposes an analysis of the relationship between the tendencies of liberalization of international trade, on one hand, and environmental protection, on the other hand. It is presented the judgment of a case by the World Trade Organization, regarding the American law, which had forbidden the importation of shrimp that was harvested by vessels not equipped with turtle excluder devices. Composing the analysis, the article brings a description of the case and of the judgment, offering an approach of the legal reasoning of the WTO judgment decision and discussing the consequences of such a decision.


The space between the planets is filled with a solar wind of plasma that expands supersonically outward from the Sun. Most planets, including Earth and Jupiter, have an intrinsic magnetic field that deflects the solar wind, creating a comet-shaped cavity called a magnetosphere. Earth's magnetosphere, for example, extends about 10 Earth radii in the upstream, sunward direction and hundreds of Earth radii downstream. Frictional coupling at the magnetopause drives plasma circulation, known as convection, within the magnetosphere, a dynamic process that gives rise, among other things, to visible aurora and planetary radio emissions.


Our research examined the effect of the Meta-CIC model on students' metacognitive performances in an online discussion. This model embeds individual and social metacognitive support within an inquiry computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) environment. The research population consisted of 150 high-achieving 7th- and 8th-grade students who were divided into four research groups, according to the instructional method to which they were exposed. An online discussion forum accompanied the students' inquiry process. The results indicate that the individual metacognitive support significantly affected students' online metacognitive performances, while the social metacognitive support increased the students' involvement in their peers' learning processes, and enabled them to collaborate in the CSCL. We therefore recommend embedding the Meta-CIC model in a CSCL environment as a means to develop students' online metacognitive performances.


In this study, the size selective deposition of SiGe nanoislands is demonstrated to be possible only in Si nanopits using a molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) system. The depth of the etched Si substrate prepared by Ar+ plasma etching just before the deposition seems to be playing a role in the selectivity of keeping the SiGe nanoislands only inside the nanopits. We observed that, when the thickness of the deposited SiGe layer is around the mean pit depth, which is 4 nm in this case, Ge nucleation takes place selectively on the pre‐etched pits. Relatively larger deposition thickness (e.g., 40 nm) is demonstrated to suppress the preferential growth of the Ge nanocrystals (NCs)/Si NCs which are in return observed all along the surface of the Si substrate. On the other hand, surface migration is considered to play a role in very small depth (relatively more shallow pits) and yielding the unfilled Si nanopits (ca. 1.5 nm) whereas Ge NCs selectively nucleate only within those having larger depths (ca. 3 nm). Such site‐specific 3D controlled growth of nanoislands is shown for the deposition of different semiconductor nanocrystals on top of another for formation of nanodevices fabricated in a single nanopit.


Cytosolic diacylglycerol kinase was inhibited drastically by nucleoside monophosphate. The inhibition was relatively specific for adenosine-5'-monophosphate (5'-AMP), although uridine-5'-monophosphate was also effective. The effect of 5'-AMP on diacylglycerol kinase appeared to be indirect since the degree of inhibition lessened with the dilution of the cytosol and the more purified enzyme failed to respond to 5'-AMP. A 5'-AMP-dependent mediator is proposed to be involved in the inactivation of diacylglycerol kinase.


Summary An X-ray powder pattern of idocrase (vesuvianite) from Canzoccoli, Italy, has been indexed by the method described by Nedoma (1968a, b). The improved X-ray data collected in the paper can be useful in identifying this mineral and in discussing the influence of diadochic substitutions on the lattice parameters of idocrase.


Previous literature has suggested that newspaper publishers should optimize how they advertise their online subscriptions. However, empirical findings on the effectiveness of advertising messages in increasing people's willingness to pay for such online subscriptions are still rare. Therefore, this study conducted an online experiment with U.K. participants ( N = 815) to investigate the effects of different advertising messages on people's willingness to pay for online news. These so-called subscription pitches included digital-specific, social, normative, and price transparency appeals. The findings show that a subscription pitch that includes both a normative appeal and a price transparency appeal significantly increases people's willingness to pay. This indicates that informing audiences that their subscription will support independent, inclusive, and watchdog journalism and that a subscription model was implemented due to the news industry's critical financial situation is particularly effective. Thereby, the study expands research on people's willingness to pay for online news.


Root
of burdock contains high amounts of dietary fibers and polyphenols. To improve
the functional properties, the root was fermented with Aspergillus awamori. Effect of the fermented burdock on
alloxan-induced mouse diabetes was examined. A diet containing the 5% fermented
burdock powers was prepared to examine effect of the burdock diet on
alloxan-induced mouse diabetes. Mice fed the burdock diet and the control diet
for 14 weeks. Then, alloxan (200 mg/kg of body weight) was administrated to
each mouse. After 5 days from the administration, blood glucose assay and
glucose tolerance test were carried out. Incidence of hyperglycemia decreased
and the glucose metabolism was improved when mice fed the burdock diet.
Insulin, C-peptide, biomarkers of oxidative stress in plasma and apoptosis in
pancreas were examined and compared to those obtained from mice fed the control
diet. It is deduced that alloxan-induced diabetes is caused to lower insulin
concentration. The fermented-burdock diet improves the diabetes and prevents
apoptosis in the pancreas.


Na_0.5Bi_0.5TiO_3‐based ceramics have been paid great attention as Pb‐free piezoelectric and electrical energy storage materials. Here, adding 10 mol% BiFeO_3 in Na_0.5Bi_0.5TiO_3–SrTiO_3 binary system, 0.5Na_0.5Bi_0.5TiO_3–0.4SrTiO_3–0.1BiFeO_3 ceramics were prepared by a conventional solid‐state reaction method. Dielectric measurements reflected a near‐plateau dielectric response at high temperature, e.g., the mid‐dielectric permittivity of 2052 with the variation within ±10% from 57 to 371 °C and within ±15% from 54 to 371 °C for the ceramic sintered at 1100 °C. At a moderate electric field of 70 kV/cm, a capacitor made by the ceramic has an electrical energy storage density of 0.95 J/cm^3, while the polarization has yet saturated at the moderate electric field. These results suggest that 0.5Na_0.5Bi_0.5TiO_3–0.4SrTiO_3–0.1BiFeO_3 ceramic is a promising novel material with thermally stable dielectric permittivity and high electrical energy storage property for applications in high‐temperature electronics.


This study aimed to identify the microhabitat preference of Strombidae species present in selected intertidal zones of Zamboanga del Norte and Misamis Occidental. A total of 406 individuals of Strombidae were collected and identified into 15 species. Most species of Strombidae were recorded to be abundant in seagrasses (Cymodocea rotundata and Thalassia hemprichii) and in algae (Gracilaria salicornia, Ulva lactuca and Ulva intestinalis). Strombidae were also observed along rocks, muddy sand, black sand, sediments and tide pools. A Kruskal-Wallis Test showed that there was a significant difference in species abundance among different microhabitat types (H[6] = 13.46, p = 0.036). This implies that the abundance of species among different habitats was not the same. Supporting this, the Cramer's contingency test revealed a significant association between the abundance of species to their microhabitat type with a contingency coefficient of 0.76. Canarium labiatum was observed to inhabit G. salicornia, while Canarium mutabile preferred both rocks and tide pools. Canarium urceus favored C. rotundata; Canarium (Canarium) esculentum occurred in G. salicornia and T. hemprichii. Conomurex luhuanus was observed in U. intestinalis and G. salicornia. Euprotomus aurisdianae inhabited the seagrass, while Euprotomus bulla occurred in T. hemprichii and muddy sand. Laevistrombus (Gonggonus) turturella inhabited the C. rotundata. Lastly, Lentigo lentiginosus and all Lambis species were noticed in G. salicornia. Strombidae preferred both seagrasses and algae apparently because these microhabitat types serve as food and nutrient sources to these species.


A Dissertation Submitted to MUDCC in Partial fulfilment of the Requirement for the Award of Degree of Master of Science in Human Resource Management (MSc. HRM) of Mzumbe University.


Abstract Response modes computed via linear resolvent analysis of a turbulent mean-flow field have been shown to qualitatively capture characteristics of the observed turbulent coherent structures in both wall-bounded and free shear flows. To make such resolvent models predictive, the nonlinear forcing term must be closed. Strategies to do so include imposing self-consistent sets of triadic interactions, proposing various source models or through turbulence modelling. For the latter, several investigators have proposed using the mean-field eddy viscosity acting linearly on the fluctuation field. In this study, a data-driven approach is taken to quantitatively improve linear resolvent models by deducing an optimal eddy-viscosity field that maximizes the projection of the dominant resolvent mode to the energy-optimal coherent structure educed using spectral proper orthogonal decomposition (SPOD) of data from high-fidelity simulations. We use large-eddy simulation databases for round isothermal jets at subsonic, transonic and supersonic conditions and show that the optimal eddy viscosity substantially improves the agreement between resolvent and SPOD modes, reaching over 90 % agreement at those frequencies where the jet exhibits a low-rank response. We then consider a fixed model for the eddy viscosity and show that with the calibration of a single constant, the results are generally close to the optimal one. In particular, the use of a standard Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes eddy-viscosity resolvent model, with a single coefficient, provides substantial agreement between SPOD and resolvent modes for three turbulent jets and across the most energetic wavenumbers and frequencies.


Radiative capture of protons is investigated as a probe of clustering in nuclei far from stability. The first such measurement on a halo nucleus is reported here for the reaction He-6(p, gamma) at 40 MeV. Capture into Li-7 is observed as the strongest channel. In addition, events have been recorded that may be described by quasifree capture on a halo neutron, the alpha core, and He-5. The possibility of describing such events by capture into the continuum of Li-7 is also discussed.


8537 Background: Five-year survival for stage I-II lung cancer is quite low even after complete surgical resection. Current guidelines recommend adjuvant treatment only for selected patients with stage II or higher disease. A prediction model that identifies patients at high risk of recurrence who may benefit from adjuvant treatment is greatly needed. Many existing prediction models include a small number of genes that were found to be significant in previous studies. We propose using artificial intelligence to analyze a microarray of > 20,000 well-annotated genes to create a model that predicts recurrence after surgical resection of stage I-II lung cancer. Methods: We identified 275 patients who underwent surgical resection for pathologic stage I-II lung adenocarcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma from 2009 to 2019 in our institution's prospective surgical database. We excluded patients who had follow up time less than 3 years or received adjuvant therapy and had not had a recurrence, as well as patients with missing specimen blocks. Patient characteristics and recurrence information were obtained from chart review. The patients were divided into training (192 patients) and validation (83 patients) cohorts, and the recurrence status for the validation cohort was initially blinded. Gene expression levels were generated using Clariom S human array (ThermoFisher) from 10um sections cut from the formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded surgical specimen blocks. The artificial intelligence algorithm Support Vector Machine (SVM) was used to create a prediction model for recurrence using the gene expression and recurrence status of the patients in the training cohort. The model was then tested on the validation cohort using Kaplan-Meier analysis and the area under the receiver operator curve (AUROC). Results: The recurrence prediction model separated the validation cohort into 15 (18.1%) patients in the high-risk group and 68 (81.9%) patients in the low-risk group. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed the five-year disease-free survival was significantly higher in the low-risk group compared to the high-risk group (86 vs. 50%, HR = 4.41, p = 0.0025). The AUROC for predicting recurrence was 0.744. Conclusions: Our model uses artificial intelligence to successfully predict recurrence after surgical resection for stage I-II non-small cell lung cancer. With an AUROC of 0.744, our model outperforms previously described models with AUROC up to 0.6. Our model separates patients into high-risk and low-risk groups, which will make management decisions clearer compared to other models that also include an intermediate-risk group. Patients in the low-risk group had 86% five-year disease-free survival; patients in the high-risk group had 50% five-year disease-free survival and may benefit from increased postoperative surveillance or adjuvant therapy.


Abstract The relationship between 20th-century phenomenology and the transcendental program launched by Immanuel Kant is crucial, but delicate. First there is Husserl, who seemed both attracted to and seriously critical of Kant's first Critique. Then there is Heidegger's ambition to scour the entire field of the three Critiques. Most important in this context, is probably his reading of the Critique of Pure Reason in Kant and the Problem of Metaphysics (1929). Faithful to his notion of a salvaging "destruction" of the philosophical tradition, Heidegger argues that the earliest version of Kant's work, the so-called A-deduction, is radically different from the philosophy promoted by the neo-Kantians. Kant, he claims, was not really interested in epistemology in the narrow meaning of the term. He was, rather, a philosopher verging upon a genuine ontology of Being, but who, for reasons that remain unknown, felt forced to leave these tracks behind in order to pursue the transcendental conditions of knowledge. Then there is the second Critique, which Heidegger approaches through a discussion of the Kantian notions of freedom and causality. And, finally, there are his remarks about the Critique of Judgment, scattered all over his writing on art from the early 1930s onwards. However, Heidegger never produces a proper, systematic account of the relevance of the third Critique. Such an account, I argue in this essay, is provided by Hans-Georg Gadamer.


Activity of Type A monoamine oxidase (MAO) was measured in microdissected samples from preoptic‐hypothalamic and hindbrain areas of young male and female rats, and aged female rats. Administration of estradiol and progesterone, in doses sufficient to facilitate lordosis behavior and induce a luteinizing hormone surge in ovariectomized, but not castrated rats, was associated with sexually dimorphic changes of MAO activity within the hypothalamus. Forty‐two h following estradiol benzoate administration, increased MAO activity was measured in the ventromedial nucleus (VML) and midbrain central gray of females, while decreased MAO activity was measured in the VML and arcuate‐median eminence (ArME) of males. Progesterone administration to estradiol benzoate‐primed rats was associated with decreased MAO activity in the VML and medial preoptic nucleus (mPOA) of females and decreased activity in the dorsal raphe nucleus of males. Activity of MAO on diestrus, proestrus and estrus was assessed in ten preoptic‐hypothalamic and hindbrain sites. Differences between days of the cycle were limited to the mPOA, ArME and VML. While activities were generally lowest at estrus, these areas exhibited different patterns of activity across the cycle. Activity was highest at proestrus in the mPOA and highest at diestrus in the VML and ArME. Activity of MAO in some areas of 25‐month old, diestrus rats was altered as compared to young, cycling rats; however, ageing was not associated with widespread changes in MAO activity. In the suprachiasmatic nucleus, aged rats showed approximately 30% less activity than young rats. In the mPOA, VML and ArME, activity in aged females was different from some, but not all, days of the estrous cycle. These results show that MAO activity changes within specific hypothalamic sites when the neuroendocrine axis is altered. Since the changes are present in areas where activity of rnonoaminergic systems is critical for initiating gonadotrophin surges and inducing lordosis behavior, these results provide initial evidence that catabolism of monoamines by MAO may contribute to rnonoaminergic regulation of reproductive function.


In reply, I raise a metaphorical glass to celebrate kinship with Philip Ringstrom, a fellow laborer in the relational vineyard. Drawing from his commentary, I note examples of how a colleague's intersubjective understanding carries meaning forward. Ringstrom takes what I have said into his unique experience and relays it back to me in a new way. I feel both deeply understood and challenged. I restate what I believe Russell means when he refers to "the crunch" in therapy; and my "take" on Ringstrom's misunderstanding of Russell then leads me to an exploration of ways in which Philip and I may differ as we conceive the treatment frame. Finally, by implication, I hope to have highlighted, through our dialogue, that relational analysts do not define themselves by particular "agreements" but, rather, that they share a common attitude and context in which we continue to labor and explore.


The foramen ovale serves as an opening between the right and left atria at the site of the fossa ovalis in the fetus during uterine life. During fetal life, it makes it possible for venous blood from the maternal placenta with oxygen and nutrients to bypass the immature fetal lung and get transported to the left side of the heart and onto the systemic circulation. This hole from the right to the left atrium is usually occluded at the time of birth or shortly after birth, due to increased pressures in the left-sided cardiac cavities associated with normal breathing during delivery or shortly afterwards. If the foramen ovale remains open and fails to fuse beyond the first year of life, it is known as a patent foramen ovale (PFO). PFO occurs when, during fetal life, the septum primum and secundum, which develop and overlap normally, fail to fuse at birth. This results in the persistence of communication between the right and left atria. Paradoxical embolism from the right to the left side of the heart can occur through a PFO, causing a cryptogenic stroke or embolic stroke of an undetermined source in an otherwise healthy adult. There was a debate on the long-term benefits of closure. However, data from the randomized evaluation of the recurrent stroke comparing PFO closure to established current standard of care treatment (RESPECT) trial and two randomized trials (patent foramen ovale closure or anticoagulants versus antiplatelet therapy to prevent stroke recurrence (CLOSE) and reduction by dutasteride of prostate cancer events (REDUCE)) have clarified that there is a benefit to closure. In this case report, we describe a patient who presented with cryptogenic stroke, the investigations, imaging modalities for diagnosis of PFO, and procedure for closure. We also describe long-term outcomes and management following closure.


Most applications that access large data objects do so through file systems, but file systems provide an incomplete solution, as they maintain insufficient metadata and do not provide general purpose query engine. Storing large objects in a database addresses these problems, but, for applications that need to update object data, databases are inefficient as they do not provide direct access to data. Additionally, databases often relax the integrity and consistency constraints for large objects, as it the case with objects stored through the Binary Large Object (BLOB) data type. These shortcomings are exacerbated by multiple users or applications that wish to access large objects concurrently. We describe an architecture, based on the Datalink data type, in which large objects in a database are continuously available for read access and can be read and written through a file system interface. Additionally this system does not relax version management, consistency and recoverability guarantees, as with the BLOB data type.


Objective. To evaluate the clinical associations between rheumatic fever and antiphospholipid syndrome and the impact of coexistence of these two diseases in an individual. Methods. Systematic review in electronics databases, regarding the period from 1983 to 2012. The keywords: "Rheumatic Fever," "Antiphospholipid Syndrome," and "Antiphospholipid Antibody Syndrome" are used. Results. were identified 11 cases described in the literature about the association of rheumatic fever and antiphospholipid syndrome. Clinical presentation of rheumatic fever was characterized by the predominance of carditis (11/11) and chorea (7/11). Regarding the manifestations of APS, the stroke was observed in 7/11 (63.6%), with one of them having probable embolic origin. Conclusion. The present study brings the information that the association between APS and RF is quite rare, however, is of great clinical importance. Doctors who deal with the RF should include in their differential diagnosis the APS, especially in the presence of stroke in patients with RF and whose echocardiogram does not show intracavitary thrombi.


We introduce Serial Append, a new parallel file I/O mode well suited for parallel applications. Serial Append allows parallel applications to efficiently perform file I/O in parallel while maintaining a structure that makes the sequential file I/O operations easily available. This property of Serial Append lets serial applications, that are strictly dependent on sequential file I/O operation, to be easily parallelized. Serial Append can be used for example to parallelize compression utilities such as bz2, or to add logging to existent parallel applications, or as additional support to database applications. We present a cost efficient algorithm for performing Serial Append that uses concurrent Skip-Lists to guarantee write as well as read and seek file operations. We discuss the implementation of the algorithm for the Cilk multithreaded language. We also show the performance of several serial applications that were ported to use Serial Append. As an example of Serial Append consider a parallel execution (on several processors) of a multithreaded computation that performs output to a file. The output of the parallel execution of the program is scrambled, namely the output of one processor is interleaved with the output of the others. This does not correspond to the sequential (single processor) execution of the multithreaded computation. With negligible slow down in the parallel execution, Serial Append allows for the serial output to be easily available and reconstructed by saving the meta-data of the parallel execution of the computation in an additional structure. This permits efficient, parallel access, to the parallel file I/O operations as if they were performed sequentially. Cilk is a multithreaded language for writing parallel applications, and it has a provably good work-stealing scheduler. To make Serial Append work for Cilk it is important to keep track of the steal operations that occur in the parallel execution of a Cilk program. We define an I/O node to contain all the write operations that a processor performs between two steals. The implementation of Serial Append for Cilk is closely coupled with the Cilk runtime and scheduler. Meta-data about the parallel computation, namely the I/O nodes that are created when steal operations occur, is saved in a concurrent Skip-List. This is the only synchronization required during the parallel execution. By using a Skip-List, we improve the performance of the read and seek operations. On each steal operation, a new I/O node is created and inserted in the right order into the Skip-List, namely after the I/O node of the processor from which the current processor stole work. Each processor has its own file I/O buffer and all its write operations are performed into this buffer. In practice, an I/O node only contains the relevant meta-data that allows to access and retrieve the data written to the file I/O buffers. This scheme makes possible for all processors to perform parallel file I/O operations in their own buffers and maximizes the performance of write operations. [Full Text Not Available]


Thank you for reading multiparty democracy in transition tanzanias 1995 general elections. Maybe you have knowledge that, people have search hundreds times for their favorite novels like this multiparty democracy in transition tanzanias 1995 general elections, but end up in infectious downloads. Rather than reading a good book with a cup of tea in the afternoon, instead they juggled with some infectious bugs inside their computer.


Until three or four years ago parents faced with a high risk of producing a child with a serious genetic disorder had no option but to accept the risk and chance having an affected child, or limit their family completely. The advent of antenatal diagnosis with the possibility of selective abortion of affected fetuses has altered the situation completely. In the case of chromosomal disorders (particularly Down's syndrome), certain metabolic disorders (but unfortunately not yet fibrocystic disease), and probably anencephaly and open spina bifida a mother can now be offered amniocentesis with confidence that an affected child can be detected in


Human papilloma virus (HPV) high risk (hr) types cause several cancers, including cervical, vaginal, penile, and oropharyngeal, whereas low risk types cause benign diseases such as skin warts, anogenital warts and recurrent respiratory papillomatosis. Although hrHPV infection is one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases most infections remain asymptomatic and are cleared while a sub-population develops persistent HPV-related pathologies including cancer. Further, immune-compromised populations, notably organ transplant and HIV-positive patients, are particularly vulnerable to HPV-related pathologies. Here, we describe the first establishment of mouse papillomavirus-1 (MusPV1) disease in outbred and immune competent SKH1-Elite mice (Crl:SKH1-Hrhr). Challenge of SKH1 mice with MusPV1 resulted in three clinical outcomes: 1) persistent (>2 months) papillomas (∼15%), 2) transient papillomas that spontaneously regress typically within 2 months (∼10%), 3) no visible papillomas and viral clearance (∼75%). SKH1 mice with persisitent papillomas were treated using a potentially preventive and therapeutic DNA vaccine composed of human calreticulin (hCRT) linked to MusPV1 early proteins, mE6 and mE7 and the late protein mL2 (hCRTmE6/mE7/mL2). Three intramuscular DNA vaccinations (15 μg in PBS) via in vivo electroporation were administered weekly and immune responses were measured, including mE6/mE7/mL2 serum antibody response and T-cell epitope mapping studies. Previously persistent papillomas disappeared within 2 months after final vaccination. Clearance of MusPV1 was confirmed by loss of mE6/mE7 transcript staining using RNA-CISH on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tail sections. Vaccination induced a strong mE6 and mE7 CD8+ T cell response in all mice. Interestingly, mL2 antibody responses were faster and stronger in asymptomatic challenged mice and in those that spontaneously cleared their papillomas after challenge as compared to mice with persistent papillomas. In sum, MusPV1 challenge of outbred, immune-competent SKH1 mice represents a promising model to further study potential immunotherapies for HPV-related disease and the relationship between spontaneous clearance of papillomavirus and host genetics. Citation Format: Rosie T. Jiang, Joshua W. Wang, Shiwen Peng, Chien-Fu Hung, Richard B.S Roden. Spontaneous and vaccine-induced clearance of Mus Musculus Papillomavirus1 (MusPV1) infection. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 2364.


Reversible and selective binding of a dynamically racemic europium(III) complex to α(1)-acid glycoprotein and α(1)-antitrypsin is characterised by a significant change in the europium total emission spectral fingerprint and the switching on of a large circularly polarised luminescence (CPL) signal from the metal centre. Observation of an induced CD into the ligand chromophore in the presence of α(1)-AGP allows a structure for the protein-bound complex to be postulated. A direct determination of elevated α(1)-AGP levels in human serum was achieved by monitoring changes in the intensity ratio of Eu emission bands.


Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada sindrome is an autoimmune sistemic disease characterized by granulomatous bilateral uveitis with involvement of the central nervous system which can compromise the VIII craneal pair function producing tinnitus and neurosensorial hypoacusia. We report a case diagnosed in a young woman who also suffered episodes of vertigo. We review the literature of that pathology.


A cross-sectional, population-based study was conducted on a random sample of 427 elderly individuals living in Porto Alegre, Brazil, to establish the nutrient consumption profile and verify its association with sociodemographic and health variables. Dietary intake was assessed using the 24-hour Food Recall Survey and the Dietetic Research Investigation technique. Seventy percent of the elderly respondents were women: 48.5% were between 60 and 69 years old; 68.8% had less than 8 years of schooling; 39% had a family income of between 2 and 5 minimum wages and 58.4% took no physical exercise. Hypertension was the most prevalent disease among the elderly and 54.9% were underweight. Men consumed more calories, protein, fiber, minerals and vitamins than women. Carbohydrate and calcium intake increases with advancing age, while zinc intake decreases. Physical exercise increased the intake of calories, magnesium, potassium and phosphorus. The higher the schooling the greater the intake of vitamins B6 and B12; the higher the family income, the greater the consumption of vitamin B6 and folic acid. The results show that there are nutritional deficiencies in the daily diet of the Brazilian elderly population, especially among women and individuals over 80 years of age.


Using Dublin as a case study, this paper examines how the locus of power in urban governance is reshaped through the emergence of networked governing practices. Specifically, the paper takes the intersection of central government property-led regeneration initiatives with local government planning regulation in Dublin as a forum in which to explore the multiscaled policy networks constituting urban governance and the role of local government, particularly local government planners, within them. The paper employs a Latourian notion of the social production of power in interactions to analyse the power-flows through the networked practices of urban governance and to suggest strategies for the empowerment of local government within them.


Silver nanoparticles (NPs) with diameters of 5-10 nm were synthesized by using formaldehyde (HCHO) to reduce silver nitrate (AgNO3) and polyethylenemine (PEI) as a stabilizer. It was found that on the carbon-supported cupper grid (Cu/polyvinylformal (PVF)/C) and under a visible-near-infrared (VIS-NIR, 400-860 nm) lamp illuminating at about 75 degrees C for six minutes, the spherical Ag NPs self-assembled into bigger NPs, triangular nanoprisms, or structures like clock hands. On the glass slides, the NPs firstly self-assembled into spherical particles with 3-6 microm in sizes, then assembled into chain structures comprised of 3-20 spherical particles after being illuminated by the VIS-NIR lamp for about nine minutes. The violent thermal motion of the NPs after being illuminated by the VIS-NIR lamp leads to the self-assembly and the shapes of the self-assembled particles are related to the interactions between the substrates and the samples.


Type 1 diabetes mellitus is recognized as a T-cell-mediated autoimmune disease. Vitamin D compounds are known to suppress T-cell activation by binding to the vitamin D receptor (VDR); and thus, VDR gene polymorphisms may be related to T-cell-mediated autoimmune diseases. We, therefore, investigated a VDR gene polymorphism in type 1 diabetes. We examined the VDR gene Bsm I polymorphism in 203 type 1 diabetic patients and 222 controls, and the association between the VDR gene polymorphism and type 1 diabetes and their onset pattern. We found a significantly higher frequency of B allele in type 1 diabetics overall, compared with controls (P = 0.0010). Moreover, there was a significant difference in B-allele frequency between acute-onset type 1 diabetics and controls (P = 0.0002), whereas this difference was not observed between slow-onset type 1 diabetics and controls. Regardless of the existence of islet-associated autoantibody, we found a significant difference in B-allele frequency between acute-onset type 1 diabetics and controls. In conclusion, we found an association between a VDR gene polymorphism and acute-onset type 1 diabetes. Assessment of this VDR gene polymorphism may contribute to prediction of the onset pattern in individuals with a high risk of type 1 diabetes.


Walking safely and confidently without any human assistance in urban or unknown environments is a difficult task for blind people. Visually impaired people generally use either the typical white cane or the guide dog to travel independently. Although the white stick gives a warning about 1 m before the obstacle, for a normal walking speed of 1.2 m/s, the time to react is very short (only 1 s). The stick scans the floor and consequently cannot detect certain obstacles (rears of trucks, low branches, etc.). Safety and confidence could be increased using devices that give a signal to find the direction of an obstacle-free path in unfamiliar or changing environments


ADDITIONAL INDEX WORDS. citrus, accumulation ABSTRACT. Growth and nitrogen (N) accumulation relationships based on tree size, rather than age, may provide more generic information that could be used to improve sweet orange (Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck) N management. The objec- tives of this study were to determine how orange trees accumulate and distribute biomass and N as they grow, investigate yearly biomass and N changes in mature orange trees, determine rootstock effect on biomass and N distribution, and to develop simple mathematical models describing these relationships. Eighteen orange trees with canopy volumes ranging between 2 and 43 m 3 were dissected into leaf, twig, branch, and root components, and the dry weight and N concentration of each were measured. The N content of each tree part was calculated, and biomass and N distribution throughout each tree were determined. The total dry biomass of large (mature) trees averaged 94 kg and contained 0.79 kg N. Biomass allocation was 13% in leaves, 7% in twigs, 50% in branches/trunk, and 30% in roots. N allocation was 38% in leaves, 8% in twigs, 27% in branches/trunk, and 27% in roots. For the smallest tree, above-/below-ground distribution ratios for biomass and N were 60/40 and 75/25, respectively. All tree components accumulated biomass and N linearly as tree size increased, with the above-ground portion accumulating biomass about 2.5 times faster than the below-ground portion due mostly to branch growth. The growth models developed are currently being integrated in a decision support system for improving fertilizer use effi ciency for orange trees, which will provide growers with a management tool to improve long-term N use effi ciency in orange orchards.


Earlier diagnosis and improved therapies for the opportunistic infections have led to improved quality of life as well as survival time of patients with advanced HIV-related immunodeficiency. Most of the therapies can be administered on an outpatient basis. Outpatient treatment further contributes to improving the quality of life of the patients. Presentation, clinical aspects, treatment and prophylaxis of the five most frequent opportunistic infections in HIV-infected patients with advanced immunodeficiency in our outpatient clinic (oral and esophageal candidiasis, pneumocystis carinii pneumonia, herpes zoster, herpes simplex virus infection and cerebral toxoplasmosis) are discussed with respect to the practical implications.


This study explores variation in postgraduate students' and supervisors' conceptions of research. Based on earlier work, a Conceptions of Research Inventory (CoRI) was trialled on a mixed sample of postgraduate students and supervisors (n = 251). Exploratory factor analyses of resultant data yields a five‐dimensional empirical model, the composition of which is consistent with earlier work by the present authors. Four of these five dimensions distinguish between (variation in) conceptions of research such as "truth", "problem‐solving", "re‐search", and "an insightful process". The fifth dimension captures variation in terms of what are interpreted as "misconceptions". The discrete conceptual dimensions suggested within the factor model are further explored via k‐means cluster analyses in terms of partitioning of the dataset, as limited by sample sizes, according to postgraduate status and supervisor designation. These analyses provide further insights into variation, across the various clusters in each case, as expressed in the profiles of cluster mean scores. Such differences as are evidenced highlight contrasting patterns of variation between, for example, experienced and novice researchers. There is also evidence of dissonance in some of the cluster solutions and it is further demonstrated via analysis of variance that dissonant cluster membership is associated with a generally lower level of self‐estimated performance. The implications of these findings are finally considered in relation to postgraduate training and supervision.


Placenta, an important organ, mediates the exchange of nutrients and metabolites between mother and fetus. The transporters, including ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters and solute carrier (SLC), expressed in the syncytiotrophoblast play a vital role in substance exchange. Some transporters, such as organic cation transporters (OCTs) and organic anion transporters (OATs), mediate the uptake of endogenous substances and drugs. Some transporters, such as P-glycoprotein (P-gp), breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP) and multidrug resistance-associated proteins(MRPs), can excrete their substrates from the syncytiotrophoblast to the maternal circulation. However, the expression and activity of these transporters are not uniform throughout the gestation period, since they can be affected by physiological and pathological changes during pregnancy or drugs. Thus, an understanding of the role of placental transporters and the variation in their expression and activity in response to physiological and pathological changes is essential for efficient and safe therapy during pregnancy, and it also has important value in the development of drug treatment in pregnancy.


We construct a PCP based on the hyper-graph linearity test with 3 free queries. It has near-perfect completeness and soundness strictly less than 1/8. Such a PCP was known before only assuming the Unique Games Conjecture, albeit with soundness arbitrarily close to 1/16. At a technical level, our main contribution is constructing a new outer PCP which is "robust" against bounded degree polynomials, and showing that it can be composed with the hyper-graph linearity test with 3 free queries. We believe this outer PCP may be useful in obtaining the optimal query vs. soundness tradeoff for PCPs.


Wetlands in the Andean region have been altered and have been lost as a result of the agricultural frontier expansion and human activities. The disturbance of the paramo ecosystem by the destruction or alteration of the wetlands modifies the load and endowment of water to the hydrological systems, which provide water to main cities in the highlands. Therefore, the present work focuses on setting up the framework for wetland monitoring in the Andean paramo region using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). For this aim, the study was based on a mission profile using a fixed wing UAV incorporated with a RGB camera in one of the most documented wetlands in the Ecuadorian paramo region, Pugllohuma wetland. Furthermore, to assess the saturation of the wetland, field testing data has been collected to set the range values of saturation for the monitoring system. In the same way, a review regarding multispectral imagery for the assessment of water and vegetation indices is explored and highlighted for future work. This work is a first stage in the monitoring process and hence it aims to set a baseline study for the implementation of a more detailed methodology.


A small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) study was carried out on a three-component isometric (equal volume fractions of water and oil) ionic microemulsion system, composed of AOT/brine/decane [AOTsurfactant sodium bis(ethylhexylsufo)succinate]. SANS measurements were made as a function of volume fraction of surfactant within the one-phase channel at the hydrophile-lipophile balance (HLB) salinity and at a constant temperature. We analyzed SANS data taken with oil--water contrast in terms of a modified Berk random wave model. The good agreement of the model with SANS intensity requires a proper form of spectral function. We chose a spectral function which is an inverse eighth-order polynomial in wave number k, containing three length scales 1/a, 1/b and 1/c. The spectral function has finite second and fourth moments. The model shows good agreement with the intensity data in an absolute scale. The three parameters so obtained were then used to calculate the average square mean curvature and the average Gaussian curvature of the interface. The variation of these curvatures and the underlying spectral functions as a function of the surfactant volume fraction were determined and their implications for the degree of local order of the bicontinuous structure are discussed.


Seasonal and intraseasonal variability of thermocline and relative surface height in the central South China Sea (SCS) are investigated using time series data of temperature from three buoys and sea surface height anomaly data from TOPEX/POSEIDON and ERS‐1/ERS‐2 satellites (T/P‐ERS) from Feb, 1998 through Mar. 1999. We found that the thermocline becomes deeper and thinner in winter, owing to a great loss of the heat on the sea surface. This feature is more evident in the northern than the southern part of the central SCS. The intraseasonal variation of the thermocline is mainly controlled by the geostrophic vorticity and is out‐of‐phase with sea surface height (SSH). Furthermore, we find a double‐thermocline phenomenon occurs in the SCS: In spring, owing to maximum net downward heat flux at the surface, with the new thermocline appearing above 80 m and the old thermocline keeping under 80 m deep.


Trinitrotoluene (TNT) and dinitrotoluene (DNT) as the most common explosives are considered to be harmful to the environment and humans. Therefore, the detection of these explosives has been attracting more and more attention. And easily prepared polymer materials with high sensing performance are still in demand. In this study, two silicon-containing polymers, PCzSiO and PCzSiPh, are employed to detect the explosives TNT and DNT. PCzSiPh shows a better performance and the quenching efficiency of PCzSiPh films in TNT and DNT vapor can reach 91.0 ± 0.3% and 94.4 ± 0.3%, respectively, due to their loose molecular chain structure. Furthermore, the fluorescence quenching of PCzSiPh in TNT and DNT is little dependent on the thickness of the film. And the PCzSiPh films show good reversibility, good film-forming ability and high thermal and morphological stability, which suggest their potential application in the coating of detection devices.


Summary Coexistent carotid artery stenosis (CS) and multivessel coronary artery disease (CAD) is not infrequent. One in 5 patients with multivessel CAD has a severe CS, and CAD incidence reaches 80% in those referred for carotid revascularization. We reviewed treatment strategies for concomitant severe CS and CAD. We performed a literature search (MEDLINE) with terms including carotid artery stenting (CAS), coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), carotid endarterectomy (CEA), stroke, and myocardial infarction (MI). The main therapeutic option for CS-CAD has been (simultaneous or staged) CEA-CABG. This, however, is associated with a high risk of MI (in those with CEA prior to CABG) or stroke (CABG prior to CEA), and the cumulative major adverse event rate (MAE – death, stroke or MI) reaches 10–12%. With increasing adoption of CAS, a sequential strategy of CAS followed by CABG has emerged. Registries (usually single-centre) indicate an MAE rate of ≈7% for CAS followed by CABG (frequently after >30 days, due to double antiplatelet therapy). Recently, 1-stage CAS-CABG has been introduced. This involves different antiplatelet regimens and, in some centers, preferred off-pump CABG, with a cumulative MAE of 1.4–4.5%. No randomized trial comparing different treatment strategies in CS-CAD has been conducted, and thus far reported series are prone to selection/reporting bias. In addition to the established surgical treatment (CEA-CABG, sequential/simultaneous), hybrid revascularization (CAS-CABG) is emerging as a viable therapeutic option. Larger, preferably multi-centre, studies are required before this can become widely applied.


A quarter of a century after independence, few would dispute that African industry is in crisis. In a recent survey of 343 factories in over 16 African countries, spanning sectors as diverse as beverages, textiles, pulp and paper, flour milling, sugar refining and cement, fully 23 percent of the companies were found to have ceased production by mid-1980 and a further 57 percent were functioning at less than 70 percent of nominal capacity—well below their break-even point (Inst. de l'Entreprise, 1985: 16). No African country has been spared, including those that, like the Ivory Coast, had been regarded as economic miracles in the first two post-independence decades. From both the left and the right have thus come serious questions about the net contribution that industry has made to development in sub-Saharan Africa. The architects of Africa's industrialization process—multinational firms, states and foreign aid agencies— have also come under attack. But if the critiques have been rich, they have generated surprisingly little new data and few innovative prescriptions. Policy initiatives thus flow mainly from a single source, the international lending community, and within it, from the IMF and the World Bank, which have become its guiding spirits. Two features are common to their proposals (Bernstein, 1986; Loxley, 1984; Marsden and Belot, 1987; World Bank, 1981, 1984, 1987). One is an implicit movement away from industry and towards agriculture through the implementation of policies to liberalize tariffs, reduce the role of the state, "get prices right," and encourage exports. The other is an explicit move towards the rehabilitation of African industry within existing structures, thus tacitly accepting the particular paradigm that has given to African industry its current form and fragility.


In this article, we assess fund performance using data envelopment analysis (DEA). For each inefficient fund, DEA provides a set of role model funds whose best practices may be emulated for performance improvement. We find that the role models of most inefficient funds consist entirely of funds different from their own type. To overcome this situation, we suggest a multi-step DEA procedure. The procedure starts by categorizing funds on a hierarchical basis. We establish the hierarchy based on the frequency of efficient funds that belong to each fund type. Thereafter, a set of role model funds for each inefficient fund is found by pooling the funds in its own category and the funds that belongs to the categories at the lower levels in the hierarchy and applying DEA. This procedure is repeated by augmenting the pool with funds at the next higher level and so on until all the sampled funds are included. At each step, a set of role models is identified. An inefficient fund can thus reach the efficient frontier in stages. Statistical evidence suggests that membership and proportion of risky assets may have a negative association, and the fund size may have a positive association with fund performance.


Polymeric amine encapsulation in high surface area MCM-41 particles for CO2 capture is well established but has the drawback of leaching out the water-soluble polymer upon exposure to aqueous environments. Alternatively, chemical (covalent) grafting amine functional groups from an alkoxysilane such as 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) on MCM-41 offer better stability against this drawback. However, the diffusional restriction exhibited by the narrow uniform MCM-41 pores (2–4 nm) may impede amine functionalization of the available silanol groups within the inner mesoporous core. This leads to incomplete amine functionalization and could reduce the CO2 adsorption capacity in such materials. Our concept to improve access to the MCM-41 interior is based on the incorporation of nanostraws with larger inner diameter (15–30 nm) to create a hierarchical porosity and enhance the molecular transport of APTES. Halloysite nanotubes (HNT) are used as tubular straws that are integrated into the MCM-41 matrix using an aerosol-assisted synthesis method. Characterization results show that the intrinsic structure of MCM-41 remains unaltered after the incorporation of the nanostraws and amine functionalization. At an optimal APTES loading of 0.5 g (X = 2.0), the amine-functionalized composite of MCM-41 with straws (APTES/M40H) has a 20% higher adsorption capacity than the amine-modified MCM-41 (APTES/MCM-41) adsorbent. Furthermore, the CO2 adsorption capacity APTES/M40H doubles that of APTES/MCM-41 when normalized based on the composition of MCM-41 in the composite particle with straws. The facile integration of nanostraws in MCM-41 leading to hierarchical porosities could be effective toward the mitigation of diffusional restriction in porous materials with potential for other catalytic and adsorption technologies.


The introduction of N-oxides is a useful approach in improving oxygen balance, density and detonation properties of energetic compounds. Here we present the design and syntheses of a new series of trifuroxan compounds 4–6. The structures of 4 and 5 were determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction. Compound 5 is the first representative of furoxan fused 1,2-diazocine. The zero oxygen balance along with moderate sensitivities (IS = 19 J, FS = 80 N) and detonation properties (D = 9417 m s−1, P = 39.2 GPa) of compound 5 makes it a promising replacement for RDX and HMX. The high density, positive oxygen balance and detonation properties of compound 6 which approach those of CL-20 may help it to find potential application as a high energy density oxidizer.