Synopsis Whole-rock analysis of Moinian rocks, and comparisons of their compositions with those of Foreland Lewisian rocks, shows that persistent chemical differences occur. Sedimentation processes explain adequately the lower FeO/ TiO2 and K/Rb ratios, and the high concentration of zirconium characteristic of the Moinian. Whole-rock analysis of rocks from supposed Lewisian 'inliers' shows that they are compositionally similar to the gneisses of the Lewisian Foreland. It is suggested that post-Moinian metamorphism was not accompanied by wholesale chemical changes, and that original compositional differences between Lewisian and Moinian rocks are preserved. Knowledge of these compositional differences may therefore serve to identify or confirm the presence of Lewisian inliers in places where their field appearance is not readily distinguishable from the Moinian.


Voltages induced on a 1300-m overhead power line by 51 return strokes in a thunderstorm process in Guangzhou Field Experiment Site during the summer of 2008 have been measured. As to a group of surge protective devices (SPDs) were installed at the end of the overhead power line, the peak values of induced voltages were all below 1 kV, and most of induced voltage waveforms show typical residual voltages. The interval time of adjacent return strokes ranged from 14.0 to 185.6 ms. The peak values of induced voltages at the SPD site were obviously under attenuation compared to that at the household site. The lightning location data indicate that the induced voltage might be of either positive or of negative polarity depending on the location of the lightning strike points. The peak value of induced voltage tends to saturate when the ratio of peak value of return stroke current to distance from the stroke location to the measuring point exceeds 4 kA/km.


Ua VLSI CAD systems are typically large and undergo frequent changes. A frustrating aspect of these changes is that so little of the old availtime and effiort to find the reusable pieces and recast them for the new use.We believe that such systems should be designed for reusability by anticipating change. Our thesis is that this goal can be achieved by designing the software as layers of problem oriented languages, which are implemented by suitably extending a,"base", language. A language layer rarely needs to be adapted to changes, only the application (i.e. algorithm) needs to be changed. ," We illustrate this methodology with respect to VLSI CAD programs and a particular language layer: a language for handling networks. A concept shared by many CAD programs is that of networks consisting of components and their interconnects. We capture this common part by providing a languagefor handling network problems. Such a language consists of our, "bse" language (EC or Lisp) plus data types, operations and control structures that are relevant to network problems. The network language is but one of several languages used; other languages we use deal with sets, two dimensional layout structures, waveforms, etc. The discussion of the network language illustrates this technique. We present two different implementations of the above philosophy. The first uses UNIX and Enhanced C, a set oriented language supporting data abstractions based on C. The second approach uses Common Lisp on a Lisp machine. In each case, we describe the basic technique and its applications. We conclude by comparing the two approaches. -.


The number of people with type 2 diabetes is increasing at an alarming rate. Almost 4% of the UK population currently have diagnosed diabetes. Non-modifiable risk factors for diabetes include genetic predisposition, some black and ethnic minority groups and increasing age. Type 2 diabetes, (formally known as maturity onset diabetes), used to be a condition affecting adults only, although due to the increasing levels of obesity, it is now being diagnosed in young people and children. A healthy diet and lifestyle can help to prevent or delay the development of type 2 diabetes. In particular, strategies to reduce obesity will have a beneficial effect on the prevalence of type 2 diabetes, as excess adiposity (particularly central adiposity) is a strong risk factor for the condition. Dietary measures to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease will also help prevent diabetes. Diets low in fat (particularly saturated fat), and high in fibre and complex carbohydrates are effective in reducing the risk of developing diabetes. Good quality evidence from trials is required to determine the role of specific micronutrients in diabetes prevention.


Anterior crossbite, a permanent upper central or lateral incisor occluding lingually to an opposing tooth, can have serious dental health implications if left untreated. It usually becomes evident in the early mixed dentition, and all general dental practitioners should be aware of the condition and know how to manage it in order to prevent the possibly serious consequences.


Nowadays security has become an important aspect in information systems engineering. A mainstream method for information system security is Role-based Access Control (RBAC), which restricts system access to authorised users. Recently different authors have proposed a number of modelling languages (e.g., abuse cases, misuse cases, secure i*, secure Tropos, and KAOS extensions to security) that facilitate the documentation and analysis of security aspects. However it is unclear if these languages support the full spectrum of RBAC specification needs. In this paper we selected two security modelling languages, namely SecureUML and UMLsec. Based on the literature study and on the running example we systematically investigate how these languages could be used for RBAC. Our observations indicate that, although both approaches originate from the de-facto industry standard UML, they are not competitors. Rather they complement each other: SecureUML helps defining static RBAC aspects; UMLsec is recommended for dynamic RBAC analysis. Thus, the combined use of both approaches would provide a more comprehensive approach to secure information system development. As a step towards enabling the combined use of SecureUML and UMLSec, this paper outlines a mapping transformation between these two languages.


The fatigue design criterion for members of cast steel is not specified in the design standard of railway bogie frames in Japan. The objectives of the present study involve clarifying the fatigue property of cast steel used in railway bogie frames and proposing a fatigue design criterion for members of cast steel. Fatigue tests are conducted on test specimens with casting or machined surfaces under axial loading or plane bending. The results indicate that the fatigue strength of specimens with casting surfaces exceeds that of specimens with machined surfaces. The fatigue strength under plane bending significantly exceeds that under axial loading. The results are attributed to differences in the locations and geometries of cast defects where cracks originate. A fatigue design criterion for members of cast steel is proposed by the statistical evaluation of fatigue data. Furthermore, the validity of the proposed criterion is demonstrated via a full-scale fatigue test of bogie frames with members of cast steel. [doi:10.2320/matertrans.Z-M2019814]


The efficiency of natural language processing has improved dramatically with the advent of machine learning models, particularly neural network-based solutions. However, some tasks are still challenging, especially when considering specific domains. In this paper, we present a cloud-based system that can extract insights from customer reviews using machine learning methods integrated into a pipeline. For topic modeling, our composite model uses transformer-based neural networks designed for natural language processing, vector embedding-based keyword extraction, and clustering. The elements of our model have been integrated and further developed to meet better the requirements of efficient information extraction, topic modeling of the extracted information, and user needs. Furthermore, our system can achieve better results than this task's existing topic modeling and keyword extraction solutions. Our approach is validated and compared with other state-of-the-art methods using publicly available datasets for benchmarking.


Cells cultured in three dimensional (3D) scaffolds as opposed to traditional two-dimensional (2D) substrates have been considered more physiologically relevant based on their superior ability to emulate the in vivo environment. Combined with stem cell technology, 3D cell cultures can provide a promising alternative for use in cell-based assays or biosensors in non-clinical drug discovery studies. To advance 3D culture technology, a case has been made for identifying and validating three-dimensionality biomarkers. With this goal in mind, we conducted a transcriptomic expression comparison among neural progenitor cells cultured on 2D substrates, 3D porous polystyrene scaffolds, and as 3D neurospheres (in vivo surrogate). Up-regulation of cytokines as a group in 3D and neurospheres was observed. A group of 13 cytokines were commonly up-regulated in cells cultured in polystyrene scaffolds and neurospheres, suggesting potential for any or a combination from this list to serve as three-dimensionality biomarkers. These results are supportive of further cytokine identification and validation studies with cells from non-neural tissue.


Chief Isaac Oluwole Delano was a Nigerian expert in the Yoruba language and culture who was born in the Ifo District of the Abeokuta Province on the 4th of November, 1904.2 He was born to the family of Chief Edmund Delano and Rebecca Delano (both Egba indigenes). His educational exploits started from Holy Trinity Primary School situated at Okenla Christian Village in Ifo. From there, he was moved to Lagos Grammar School under the tutelage of an Anglican Bishop, Solomon Odutola, and his principal, Reverend E. J. Evans. However, situations necessitated his transfer to Kings College in 1921 where he met with his lifetime friends and college mates; Sir Adetokunbo Ademola, Justice N.O.A. Morgan as well as Dr. Oladele Ajose, to mention a few. Having passed his Senior Cambridge Examinations in 1923, Chief Delano proceeded to successfully write his Senior Clerical Examination in 1924, which propelled him to join the civil service in the same year. However, a severe injury sustained from an accident in 1947 led to his invalidation from the civil service. Worthy of note is the fact that he never blended into the civil service bureaucracy, as his principles and religious faith were constantly tested by various practices within the service. His dream to become more lettered was not going to succeed by his involvement with the civil service alone, and he was not positioned in those days to enjoy the privilege of travelling overseas to further his education. He had studied shorthand, and his love for writing by default made him aspire to a lifetime of authoring. While belonging to a number of literary societies, he tried his hand at writing newspaper articles which were generally well-received by the public. He was able to maintain a following from there, and this fueled his desire to write more works for public consumption; he was determined to make his mark in the field of writing. His first work as an author was published in 1937 under the title The Soul of Nigeria. Tis feat gave him his first taste at writing as an occupation, and the happiness that followed suit spurred him to achieve more. Isaac Delano believed that the first one was always going to be the hardest. His first published work had landed him on top of the world, and he was determined not to rest on his oars.


PurposeTo find the dropout rate and identify the clinical characteristics of patients who drop out in the first year of follow-up from a glaucoma clinic. DesignDescriptive hospital-based study at a tertiary hospital eye department. MethodsClinical characteristics of consecutive patients newly diagnosed with glaucoma who dropped out (n=452) were compared with patients who did not drop out (n=295) within 12 months. ResultsThe rate of dropout from follow-up was 60.5% within 1 year; 43.1% of the study group dropped out after their first follow-up visit. The dropout rate was high in all age groups, but higher in the age groups 21 to 30 years, 41 to 50 years, and over 70 years. Males had a higher dropout rate than females (78.6% vs. 34.5%). Dropout rate was higher among those with mild/moderate glaucoma than those with severe disease (88.2% vs. 37.2%); those who lived further away from the hospital than those who lived nearer to the hospital (72.5% vs. 40.8%), those who were referred from screening clinics for nonblinding eye disease compared with those referred because of a blinding eye disease (72.2% vs. 58.9%). More patients (63.8%) unsure of their family eye disease history dropped out, compared with 34.3% of those with positive family history of glaucoma and other potentially blinding diseases. More patients who had no systemic disease dropped out, than those with systemic disease (54.6% vs. 39.6%); whereas patients on 2 medications or more had a higher dropout rate than those on less than 2 medications (68.1% vs. 52.1%). Of the study factors, those that were statistically significantly associated with dropping out of follow-up from the glaucoma clinic were age, sex, place of domicile, diagnosis at referral, severity of disease, family history, and polydrug use. ConclusionsThe dropout rate from this glaucoma clinic in the first year was high (60.5%). Patients who were more likely to dropout were younger patients, male, those who travelled far distances to the clinic, those with mild to moderate glaucoma, those with no family history of blinding eye diseases, and patients taking 2 or more eyedrops. Patients who seem to perceive their problems as not serious dropped out of follow-up. These findings have great implications in planning future studies and intervention to improve the follow-up of glaucoma patients in the study area.


Gender stereotyping always has and still exists in our society. However, this issue is getting conspicuously serious as gender stereotyping has now reached the young masses, who are much more accustomed to the easy, seemingly effortless influence of the mass media. In this study, the researchers have collectively delved into gender roles in animated movies, specifically. The objective of this research is to comprehend how gender perspectives and gender favouritism influence a particular film's image of the world and the way narratives are being organized to emphasize the impact of male characters in movies, conducted through the research method of content analysis. The results point to the glaringly obvious scarcity of female characters as compared to male characters. As such, it is safe to assume that the presence of gender equality borders from slim to absolutely none. Should this problem persist, there is a plausible, almost certain chance that youngsters these days will undoubtedly have a skewed viewpoint on gender roles and hence, will only push the effect of gender stereotyping deeper while simultaneously leaving a dent on the hard, dim fight for gender equality.


The paper examines the effects on growth of both pr ivate and public investment in health, schooling and culture: in short, education. These xpenditures exert two effects on the growth rate: (i)they increase labour and capital stock productiv ity through a positive externality, and (ii) they modify saving and investment decisions through the substitutability between education and private consumption. The different effects on economic gro wth of publicly financed education and private investment in education are investigated. The optim al growth rate depends on households' preferences for education. Moreover, there will be always an optimal tax rate that produces the same rate of growth in alternative regimes, private and public, of education financing. Universalistic public education exerts a strong pos itive externality on the economic efficiency but unlike private investments it does not create suf ficient incentives through income differentials to change consumer preferences for education. JEL:H5-O4


This chapter contains sections titled: Building System Models Modeling a Tank System Modeling of a DC-Motor Servo from Predefined Components Designing Interfaces-Connector Classes Block Diagram Models Categories of Variables and Constants in Mathematical Models Types of Equations in Mathematical Models Statespace Equations for Continuous Systems Summary Literature ]]>


It is shown that the saturated state of an unstable wave nonlinearly coupled to two lower frequency damped waves exhibits spatiotemporal chaos. The results can be understood by perturbation analysis on the conservative nonlinear three-wave interaction which is integrable.


Plasmonic capsules have been designed as submicron hollow silica capsules with gold nanoparticles supported over the inner walls of a mesoporous shell. This configuration shows morphological distinctive features that turn them into attractive nanostructures for different applications related to sensing, catalysis and biomedicine.
These capsules have been used as nanoreactors capable of concentrating light for the simultaneous performance and optical realtime monitoring of thermally activated reactions. They behave as nanosources upon external illumination, promoting the conversion of reactants into products. The thermal effect was induced by the excitation of the LSPR inside the reactors and the electromagnetic field generated was exploited simultaneously for in situ SERS monitoring of the process. The estimated temperature achieved inside the capsule was 90 oC. Diels-Alder cycloaddition reaction was carried out in the presence of capsules under NIR laser irradiation probing the capsules efficacy as nanoreactors by thermal activation. A remarkable increase in the reaction yield (?300 %) was achieved without significant temperature alterations of the bulk solution.
Another application consisted of using these plasmonic nanocapsules as biocompatible nanoprobes for quantitative in situ real-time optical monitoring of the dynamic of NO in living cells. The mesoporous silica shell facilitates the diffusion of small molecules and protects the active optical material (AuNPs) from the interaction with lysosomal macromolecules preventing the enzymatic degradation of the sensor. A large electromagnetic field confinement was generated inside plasmonic capsules upon illumination with a NIR laser, which contributes to amplify the Raman scattering, making these structures ideal for monitoring NO generation inside living cells through SERS spectroscopy. The intense optical absorption at the SPR frequency is responsible for a strong heat generation inside the capsule through an efficient photo-heat conversion, which favors the diffusion of NO between the exterior and the interior of the capsule. Intracellular NO was detected through its capacity to promote diazotization of ABT to finally obtain HBT. The rate of diazotization increases at high temperatures and it was determined that diazotization inside the capsules can only be considered quantitatively at pH <5. Both conditions were achieved inside of irradiated capsules (interior at 90 oC) only when they were located exclusively in the lysosome (pH <4). NO generation was induced by the addition of hydrogen peroxide, demonstrating the ability of this sensor to detect the dynamic concentration of intracellular NO in a basically non-invasive way. It was probed that the design of this plasmonic capsules makes them ideal intracellular reporters allowing multiplexed on-line detection and showing stable SERS signals over time.
It was designed a new hybrid system based on the impregnation of the hollow plasmonic mesocapsules with rhodamine 6G molecules. It was probed that this system has the capacity for mitigate the inherent optical losses of plasmonic materials involving a large portion of the visible spectrum. In the hollow cavity of the mesocapsule, the electric field is spatially uniform and, consequently, the nonradiative energy transfer takes place between chromophoric donors (R6G) present in this region and the surrounding plasmonic acceptors (AuNPs), giving rise to a broadband attenuation of losses. This loss-compensating mechanism was proved through an ultrafast pump-probe experiment. Mesocapsules can be considered an effective loss-mitigation model system in between a single nanoresonator and a bulk material.
A new hybrid nanostructure has been designed taking advantage of the fluorophore-metal interactions. Highly luminescent, chemically stable and biocompatible optical nanoprobes have been fabricated based on a multistep synthesis which consists of a quantum dot core covered with a silica shell, all surrounded by a dense layer of gold nanoparticles. This architecture allows controlling the QD-metal interactions by modifying the thickness of the dielectric spacer. The shell thickness was optimized at the nanometer scale in order to increase the enhanced photoluminescence. This brighter biocompatible material comprises good qualities for bioimaging applications since it requires smaller acquisition times to yield better imaging results and smaller powers with the subsequent protection of the sample from photodegradation.


Purpose: When intending balloon-/stent-assisted embolization of cerebral aneurysms using ≥8 Fr guiding and coaxial 6 Fr inner catheters, operations can be conducted more safely by inserting the inner catheter to a site proximal to the aneurysm. However, tortuous-blood-vessel-related mechanical vasospasm or blood stagnation makes it impossible to insert a 6 Fr inner catheter to a distal site in some patients. For adjunctive techniques, devices may interfere with each other in a 6 Fr inner catheter, reducing the operability. Case Presentation: In this study, we termed a method of placing two 4.2 Fr FUBUKI catheters (Asahi Intecc Co., Ltd, Aichi, Japan) in parallel in an 8 Fr shuttle sheath (SS) to reduce the resistance to a parent blood vessel and improve the operability during an adjunctive technique, "dual inner catheter technique (DICT)", and selected the DICT for 10 patients with unruptured cerebral aneurysms. Conclusion: The DICT reduced the distance from the aneurysm, device-related interference, and risk of blood stagnation/ mechanical vasospasm, improving the operability/safety.


Application of umbilical wound dressings is challenging because of the shape and depth of the navel. Dressing changes and umbilical wound cleaning as practiced by many surgeons are painful procedures. The authors describe a simple and durable postoperative umbilical vacuum dressing, providing the advantages of topical negative-pressure wound therapy.


Amaranthus tuberculatus is a weed species that has shifted emergence patterns over the past few years, presumably due to changes in seed dormancy in response to selection in agricultural fields. Although it is recognized that the seed dormancy phenotype is greatly affected by the environment, it is also acknowledged that the genotype plays a significant role. However, the importance of the genotype in determining intra-population seed dormancy variability, and the effect on emergence patterns, is not well understood. The objective of the present study was to determine the importance of the genotype on deep dormancy and the stratification-mediated dormancy alleviation in A. tuberculatus. Wild populations differing in seed dormancy were crossed and F2 families were generated. These families were used to determine narrow sense heritability of dormancy and stratification-mediated dormancy alleviation at the individual (hi2) and family (hf2) levels. hi2 ranged from 0.13 to 0.4 and 0.04 to 0.06 for the dormancy and stratification response, respectively. In the case of hf2, the values ranged from 0.76 to 0.91 for deep dormancy and from 0.33 to 0.58 for the stratification response. The genetic correlation between these two traits was below 0.075, indicating that different genes control them. High temperature strengthened the dormancy of deeply dormant seeds, making them less sensitive to stratification. However, high temperature promoted the germination of non-deeply dormant seeds. It is proposed that delayed weed emergence can be generated by selecting genes that control stratification response, and not necessarily only the genes that are directly responsible for deep dormancy.


The integration discussion of scientific knowledge in religion dichotomy stream and science are certainly to develop for establish anti teas to the secular of western science development, the art penetration that supported by empiric rationality as a truth measure that developed by western country were give the influence to the science development in this era. The science that developed and sourced from western country was escaped from the theological, the rationality reinforcing as a truth measure was grated the framework idea and no except for Islamic community. The religion and science dichotomy was ignored the religion function to the knowledge, so it was make the science must be stand on it self without intervention of theology, for the more effect, will be happened the treating as a God (pendewaan) to the rationality, a reduction in value of godly to reconstruct the science, dry value of spirituality in human pragmatic-opportunist attitude. When the science are introduced to the Islamic world through the west imperialism, it makes a hard dichotomy between religion and science, after explaining to the validity and scientific status between one each other the dichotomy more and more to become acute. Fundamentalist group are assume that study about science is Bid'ah ( Bid'ah is something that prophet Muhammad saw. never do it), even though the supporter of science are assume the knowledge of religion as a scientific-pseudo or just a mythology, because it's not speak about empiric-fact. The corroborate Co-optation of western culture to the science development must be balanced with the reinforcing of scientific knowledge that be based on the holy Qur'an as an epistemology basic in reconstruct the religion and science integration, so the science be a support of truthfulness of revelation.


An effective and stable operation of an economic system leads to a prosperous society and sustainable world development. Unfortunately, the system faces inevitable perturbations of extreme events and is frequently damaged. To maintain the system's stability, recovering its damaged functionality is essential and is complementary to strengthening its resilience and forecasting extreme events. This paper proposes a target recovery method based on network and economic equilibrium theories to defend the economic system against perturbations characterized as localized attacks. This novel method stimulates a set of economic sectors that mutually reinforce damaged economic sectors and is intuitively named the target reinforcement path (TRP) method. Developing a nonlinear dynamic model that simulates the economic system's operation after being perturbed by a localized attack and recovering based on a target recovery method, we compute the relaxation time for this process to quantify the method's efficiency. Furthermore, we adopt a rank aggregation method to comprehensively measure the method's efficiency by studying the target recovery of three country-level economic systems (China, India, and Japan) for 73 different regional attack scenarios. Through a comparative analysis of the TRP method and three other classic methods, the TRP method is shown to be more effective and less costly. Applicatively, the proposed method exhibits the potential to recover other vital complex systems with spontaneous recovery ability, such as immune, neurological, and ecological systems.


The coordinators of the Personal Librarian Program at two institutions, Sarah Lawrence College (SLC) and Fairfield University (Fairfield), started a dialogue about their respective programs. Through these discussions, they learned from one another, developed new initiatives, shared feedback, and expanded and modified their programs based on their combined knowledge and skill sets. This article provides background information on the growth of each institution's Personal Librarian Program (PLP). Specific projects discussed include: transitioning to a new automated email campaign program MailChimp, improving the design of email templates, developing staff training documentation, and improving outreach and marketing endeavors. It also demonstrates how, through continuous conversations and the sharing of resources, the PLP coordinators became each other's peer-mentors. The article also discusses the lessons learned about sharing knowledge and networking with other librarians. In addition, possibilities for potential future collaborations among other Personal Librarian coordinators are proposed.


BACKGROUND
Natural killer (NK) cells play a crucial role in innate immunity as effectors against tumor cells and pathogen-infected cells. Human NK cells can be subdivided into two functional subsets, the immunoregulatory CD56(bright) NK cells and the cytotoxic CD56(dim) NK cells. NK-mediated host defence against tumor cells is strongly impaired in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).

MATERIALS AND METHODS
NK cells were isolated from peripheral blood of 70 HNSCC patients and 22 healthy donors by magnetic bead separation and subsequently analyzed using flow cytometric as well as immunohistochemical methods.

RESULTS
In this work we demonstrate that the population of circulating immunoregulatory CD56(bright) NK cells is lower in the peripheral blood of patients with HNSCC as compared with that in healthy donors, regardless of the individual tumor stage or tumor type.

CONCLUSION
These data underline the complex network of HNSCC-mediated immunomodulation as part of the immune escape mechanisms of malignant head and neck tumors.


Background: The oral cavity has optimal conditions to act as a reservoir of microorganisms. Aims and Objectives: This research corresponds to a descriptive study, which aims to study the presence or absence of periodontopathogens and Helicobacter pylori in oral swab samples from healthy Chilean women between 18 and 26 years old. Materials and Methods: Fifty-four oral samples were recruited and then cultured on 5% blood agar plates for the semiquantitative macroscopic microbiological analysis. Of the 54, only 38 showed regular to abundant bacterial growth. Of these 38 samples, 21 were randomly selected and analyzed by conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to detect periodontopathogens (Porphyromonas gingivalis, Treponema denticola, and Tannerella forsythia) and Helicobacter pylori. Results: 71% of the samples studied were negative for this group of bacteria, while 29% were positive for at least one of the microorganisms studied. Of this group, six samples were positive for Helicobacter pylori, one for Treponema denticola, and three for Tannerella forsythia. These last two microorganisms were presented together with Helicobacter pylori. Conclusion: The buccal swab of the healthy cohort was a matrix that allowed bacterial molecular analysis; however, due to the small sample size, no correlations were found between them.


Do women invest differently than men? We contribute to the answer of this question by analysing the Panel on Household Finances (PHF) of the German Bundesbank. This representative panel collects a wide variety of behavioural and financial variables in the area of household finance. We find that participation in risky assets is generally lower among women than among men. Once risk attitude is controlled for, this effect shrinks to only2.6 percent. We find no difference when single women are compared to single men – even irrespective of other demographic variables. The raw gap in capital market participation is mainly explained by different risk attitudes and monetary endowments, but women would participate even less in the capital market if they reacted as sensitively to risk aversion as their male counterparts. Lastly, given participation in the market, we find that both genders hold comparable portions of risky assets in their portfolios. Within their risky assets, men invest more in certificates and listed shares whereas women invest more in funds.


Beckett's letters show a struggle to write, his care with proofs, and his responses to rejection. But publication was not sought at any cost. Censorship was a central factor in Beckett's circumstance as a writer in Ireland. If a work was refused on this basis, used without his consent, or altered editorially, Beckett took umbrage. However, he did revise and reshape his work in translation and production. The archival legacy of these changes presents an evolving, not an iconic text. If we recognize and respect Beckett's act of making, defensiveness about the integral text may prove less necessary.


This paper describes the results of the FP6 project SWIM-SUIT (System Wide Information Management -- Supported by Innovative Technologies) that currently integrates a number of existing ATM (Air Traffic Management) systems on top of a newly build prototype. As SWIM-SUIT has been identified to provide relevant inputs to SESAR, the authors give an overview on the prototype architecture and major software components. The relevant data domains for the prototype are Flight Data, Surveillance Data and Aeronautical Information. The paper provides insights and lessons learned derived from the design decisions of the prototype implementation as guidance for future work to take place within SESAR. The last part of the paper presents a view on the ongoing validation activities that connect ATM systems throughout Europe to the SWIM-SUIT prototype


Through the development of clubs such as an engineering society and a space society, managed by sixth-form students themselves and structured to hand over responsibility to the next year-group an appropriate time before the A-level exams, girls throughout this school are encouraged to take an interest in physics and physics-related topics. One secret of success is to avoid high-level or high-intensity physics, but instead make sure that the meetings remain quite informal and can be seen as social occasions. Hence the students can 'live and think' physics without feeling under pressure; in this way, curiosity is developed that enables students to think further – and eventually take their turns as leaders of the groups.


Lack of muscle glycogen phosphorylase activity leads to McArdle's disease, a rare metabolic myopathy. To investigate its molecular basis at the nucleic acid level, we isolated muscle phosphorylase cDNA clones from a human cDNA library in Escherichia coli plasmid pBR 322. Subcloning of one insertion of M13 bacteriophage permitted its definite identification by sequencing. Northern blot experiments revealed one specific messenger RNA of 3.4 kilobases found uniquely in tissues expressing muscle phosphorylase. We show that McArdle's disease exhibits a molecular heterogeneity at the messenger RNA level. In eight unrelated cases of McArdle's disease in which no inactive proteins had been detected, we assayed muscle biopsies for phosphorylase mRNA by Northern blotting. In five cases, no muscle phosphorylase mRNA could be detected, while in three other cases, normal length mRNA was present in lower amounts. Moreover, Southern blot analysis of DNA isolated from white blood cells in four McArdle patients revealed no major deletion or rearrangements of the phosphorylase gene as compared with controls.


Migration of dendritic cells (DCs) plays an important role in T‐cell‐mediated adaptive immune responses. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) sensed by Toll‐like receptor 4 (TLR4) serves as a signal for DC migration. We analyzed LPS‐induced DC volume changes preceding the directed movement towards chemoattractants. Treatment with LPS resulted in rapid, prolonged cell swelling in wild‐type (WT), but not in TLR4−/− bone marrow‐derived (BM) DCs indicating that TLR4 signaling is essential for LPS‐induced swelling. As a consequence, LPS‐treatment enhanced the migratory activity along a chemokine (CCL21)‐gradient in WT, but not in TLR4‐deficient BMDCs suggesting that the LPS/TLR4‐induced swelling response facilitates DC migration. Moreover, the role of calcium‐activated potassium channels (KCa3.1) as putative regulators of immune cell volume regulation and migration was analyzed in LPS‐challenged BMDCs. We found that the LPS‐induced swelling of KCa3.1‐deficient DCs was impaired when compared to WT DCs. Accordingly, the LPS‐induced increase in [Ca2+]i detected in WT DCs was reduced in KCa3.1‐deficient DCs. Finally, directed migration of LPS‐challenged KCa3.1‐deficient DCs was low compared to WT DCs indicating that activation of KCa3.1 is involved in LPS‐induced DC migration. These findings suggest that both TLR4 and KCa3.1 contribute to the migration of LPS‐activated DCs as an important feature of the adaptive immune response.


Rats were trained to discriminate drug vs. no-drug in a shock-escape T-maze task; a right turn was required when rats were drugged and a left turn when undrugged. The three antihistamine drugs pyrilamine, dimenhydrinate (Dramamine) and diphenhydramine (Benadryl) were discriminated after an average of 20 training sessions indicating that their effects were only moderately discriminable. After criterion performance was achieved under the training conditions, substitution tests were conducted during which rats received a novel drug and were then run in the maze with both goals accessible. Rats trained with antihistamine drugs made drug choices during tests with other antihistamines. Rats trained with other types of drugs made no-drug choices during tests with antihistamines. The results suggest that the antihistamines share a discriminable effect which is relatively unique to that class of drugs.


Children with developmental disabilities put great impact not only on the lives of the children but also on the lives of their caregivers especially the family members. Fostering a child with intellectual disabilities resulted in increased risk of mental agony, frustration, stress, anxiety, depressive symptoms and other psychological problems among the primary caregivers. The worry about child's future, economic burden, lack of emotional or social support and excessive physical care put parents into psychological distress affecting their mental health. The present study is an attempt to assess and compare the mental health of primary caregivers having children with mild and moderate intellectual disability and parents having children with average intelligence. A multi group design was employed. A sample of 150 healthy parents (50 with mild intellectually disabled children, 50 with moderate intellectually disabled children & 50 having children with average intelligence), was administered Mental Health Inventory by Veit and Ware (1983). Data was analyzed by using one- way ANOVA followed by Tukey's post hoc test. Significant differences were evident on the domains of mental health i.e. on psychological distress and psychological well-being among primary caregivers having children with mild and moderate intellectual disability and parents having children with average intelligence.


Summary This paper reports the efficacy and complications of the trans-obturator foramen procedure (TOT). The effect of TOT on co-existing urgency and urge incontinence and voiding difficulty were also noted. It reports on patients (31) undergoing TOT (Obtape®) from April 2005 to April 2006, who were sent a questionnaire. The mean age was 53 years, mean parity 2.3, mean duration of incontinence 6.2 years and the mean duration of follow-up was 9 months. All patients had significant stress incontinence. Co-existing urge incontinence was present in 70%; no intraoperative complications. One patient had a urinary tract infection (UTI) and one, catheterisation for 5 days. A total of 16.6% of patients developed sling erosion. There was a 93% response rate to the postal survey, indicating a 31% complete cure of urinary incontinence; 65% a significant improvement and 3.5% failure. Urge incontinence disappeared in 66%, no de-novo urgency and 8% reported slower voiding. Satisfaction was 8.9 on a 1 – 10 Scale. The success rate of the TOT procedure was high, helping both stress and concomitant urge incontinence, but due to an unacceptably high erosion rate, Obtape® was discontinued.


Background/aim The increasing number of lung diseases and particularly pulmonary malignancies has intensified the need for diverse interventions in the field of interventional pulmonology. In recent years we have seen many new developments and expanding applications in the field of interventional pulmonology. This has resulted in an increased number and variety of performed procedures and differing approaches. The purpose of the present study is to provide information on patient characteristics, range of interventions, complication rates, and the evolving approach of an experienced center for interventional pulmonology. Materials and methods We retrospectively examined the records of 1307 patients who underwent a total of 2029 interventional procedures in our interventional pulmonology department between January 2008 and December 2017. Results About half of the interventional procedures (47.2%) were performed on patients with airway stenosis due to malignant disease. Among patients with benign airway stenosis, the most frequent reason for intervention was postintubation tracheal stenosis. The number of patients who developed complications was 81 (6.2%), and the most common complication was hemorrhage (n = 31, 2.99%); 94.9% (n = 1240) of interventional procedures were performed under general anesthesia, without complications or deaths associated with anesthesia. Only one death (0.076%) occurred in the perioperative period. A total of 18 patients (1.38%) died in the 30-day perioperative and postoperative period. None of the patients with benign airway stenosis died. Conclusion Interventional bronchoscopy is an invasive but considerably safe and efficient procedure for selected cases and effective treatment modality for airway obstructions, massive hemoptysis, and foreign body aspiration. Interventional pulmonology is a field of pulmonary medicine that needs effort to progress and provide an opportunity to witness relevant developments, and increase the number of competent physicians and centers.


There are several simplified methods, known as notch stress-strain conversion (NSSC) rules that provide an approximate formula to relate local elastic-plastic stresses and strains at the notch root to those estimated elastically. This paper investigates a unified approach that estimates non-linear and history dependent stress-strain behavior of the notches using the conventional NSSC rules. A non-linear interpolation method is adapted to estimate the elastic-plastic stress and strain at notches. A comparison is made between the finite element results for several notch configurations (with and without three dimensional effects) and those obtained from NSSC rules and the proposed formulation.Copyright © 2012 by ASME


Coronary heart disease is a highly prevalent and lethal illness for women, particularly in their menopausal years, a fact that fostered interest in hormone use for cardioprotection. Despite the compelling evidence of cardiovascular benefit of estrogen therapy and estrogen and progestin therapy in observational studies of postmenopausal women, and multiple biologically plausible mechanisms for estrogen benefit, precise clinical outcome information from prospective randomized controlled trials is lacking. The only such trial reported, the Heart and Estrogen/Progestin Replacement Study, not only failed to demonstrate cardioprotection, but showed an early adverse outcome in women with documented coronary heart disease who received daily conjugated equine estrogen and medroxy-progesterone acetate. Several large randomized clinical trials of hormone and selective estrogen receptor moderator therapy for primary and secondary prevention are currently underway.


Visinin-like 1 (VSNL1) is upregulated in aldosterone-producing adenomas (APAs) compared with normal adrenals. We demonstrate that VSNL1 overexpression in adrenocortical carcinoma cells (NCI H295R) upregulates basal and angiotensin II–stimulated CYP11B2 gene expression 3.2- and 1.5-fold, respectively. Conversely, silencing VSNL1 by RNA interference decreases angiotensin II–stimulated CYP11B2 expression and aldosterone secretion by 41.0% and 34.5%, respectively. Mutations in the potassium channel KCNJ5 have been identified in APAs that result in sodium influx and membrane depolarization and are postulated to result in calcium influx in adrenal glomerulosa cells. VSNL1 and CYP11B2 are 8.1- and 6.0-fold more highly expressed, respectively, in APAs harboring KCNJ5 mutations compared with those without, and the upregulation of VSNL1 in these APAs accounts for the overexpression of VSNL1 in the total APA sample set compared with normal adrenals. Silencing VSNL1 in H295R cells renders them sensitive to ionomycin-induced apoptosis, indicating that VSNL1 protects these cells against calcium-induced cell death. Concomitant expression of mutated KCNJ5 (G151R) and silencing VSNL1 results in apoptosis of H295R cells, an effect that is blocked by nifedipine and is absent using a control small-interfering RNA or when wild-type KCNJ5 is expressed and VSNL1 is silenced. These data demonstrate that VSNL1 plays a dual function in vitro in the regulation of CYP11B2 gene expression and in the inhibition of calcium-induced apoptosis. In addition, VSNL1 may play a role in the pathophysiology of APAs harboring mutations in the potassium channel KCNJ5 via its antiapoptotic function in response to calcium cytotoxicity and its effect on aldosterone production.


[1] In this paper we present the first results of F region field-aligned irregularities (FAI) made during the summer of low solar condition using the Gadanki mesosphere-stratosphere-troposphere radar. FAI echoes were observed on all 20 nights of radar observations and were mostly confined to the postmidnight hours. Echo morphology is found to be very different from the equinoctial postsunset features reported earlier from Gadanki. Echo SNRs are lower by 25 dB than their equinoctial postsunset counterparts but are quite comparable to those of the equinoctial decaying FAI during the postmidnight hours. The Doppler velocities, which lie in the range of ±100 m s−1, are predominantly upward-northward during 0000–0300 LT and downward-southward afterward, in contrast to those observed as predominantly downward-southward associated with the decaying equinoctial postmidnight F region FAI. Spectral widths of the summer echoes, which are well below 50 m s−1 and are very similar to those of the decaying equinoctial irregularities, represent the presence of weak plasma turbulence. Simultaneous observations made using a collocated ionosonde show no ionogram trace during 2200–0530 LT except for a few cases of weak spread F events. Concurrent ionosonde observations made from magnetic equatorial location Trivandrum also show very similar results. The observations are discussed in the light of current understanding on the postmidnight occurrence of F region irregularities in the summer of low solar condition.


The authors present analysis and numerical results for ATM cell transmission over a DS-CDMA satellite link. An increase in capacity is achieved by using discontinuous transmission detection (DTX) for all on-off sources, thus exploiting the burstiness of ATM traffic. Three scenarios are analysed. System performance is expressed in terms of link efficiency, capacity and their relative increases. It is shown that the bursty nature of ATM is in this case beneficial rather than detrimental to the system capacity. Finally, the idea for the connection admission control in a satellite network that conveys ATM over DS-CDMA is presented.


While pyrrolo[3,4-c]pyrrole-1,4(2H,5H)-diones (DPPs) are extensively used as building blocks in field-effect transistors and photovoltaic active layers, less attention has been paid to the construction of novel optical materials. In this work, we have designed and synthesized two soluble 9-anthryl-capped DPP derivatives with benzene and thiophene as spacing units, 1,4-diketo-2,5-dioctyl-3,6-bis(9-anthrylphenyl)pyrrolo[3,4-c]pyrrole (ABDPP) and 1,4-diketo-2,5-dioctyl-3,6-bis(9-anthrylthiophen)pyrrolo[3,4-c]pyrrole (ATDPP). It is found that ABDPP and ATDPP emit strong and weak fluorescence in solution, respectively, but their crystalline states all exhibit strong fluorescence, implying that only ATDPP exhibits an aggregation-enhanced emission (AEE) effect although the two dyes all adopt a twisted conjugation backbone. Interestingly, grinding and pressing can only change the fluorescence color of crystalline ABDPP from yellow to red, contributing a non-AEE dye exhibiting mechanochromic luminescence. Differential scanning calorimetry and powder X-ray diffraction analyses confirm that the phase transition between the crystalline and amorphous states upon application of external stimuli is responsible for the reversible color change. This work has demonstrated once again that a subtle manipulation of the molecular structure unit could significantly tune and alter the optical properties of conjugated organic materials.


ABSTRACT This paper examines the potential of using methods derived from fuzzy set theory to utilize qualitative geological data in numerical modeling. An example application involving dynamic stratigraphic modeling is used to describe the basic design and function of a simple fuzzy system. Preliminary results, as well as advantages and limitations of a fuzzy approach to the problem of controlling sediment distribution in space and time, are discussed with reference to the example application. The potential of fuzzy logic in geological classification and prediction are briefly discussed, as are aspects on the robustness and objectiveness of fuzzy methods. The main conclusion is that, due to their ability to handle qualitative data and complex nonlinear relationships, fuzzy-logic-related method are very well suited for using qualitative geological data in numerical models.


Efficient and steady electrogeneration of H2O2 is a significant step in the Electro-Fenton water treatment process. This study fabricates a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) coated graphite felt cathode with a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) damp-proof coating to generate H2O2 in a flow-through system without an external oxygen supply. We evaluated the effect of PDMS content, current, flow rate, and pH on H2O2 production. PDMS coating inhibits electrowetting to extend the longevity of the modified graphite felt for electrogeneration of H2O2. However, increasing PDMS content can decrease H2O2 production due to reduction of active sites on the graphite felt. Graphite felt electrodes (surface area = 14.5 cm2) coated with 500 mg of PDMS can generate 10 mg/L of H2O2 under a flow rate of 3 mL/min with only 2% production reduction after 24-hour use. This modified graphite felt has better performance in a neutral or alkaline environment than in an acidic condition. Up to 38.5 mg/L of H2O2 will be generated at optimum current (120 mA) at the flow rate of 3 mL/min. Increasing the flow rate decreases the concentration of H2O2 in the electrolyte but enhances total production after 145 mins.


In 1999, the Bank's Rural Water Supply and Sanitation (WSS) Thematic Group, in collaboration with the Water and Sanitation Program (WSP), launched a global small towns initiative to study, and document innovative management models that provide good quality, affordable services that are sustainable, and can be expanded to meet demand. This effort led to simultaneous E-Conferences, sharing a wealth of information about local initiatives, aimed at improving water services in small towns. Herewith are the proceedings of the International Conference on Water Supply and Sanitation for Small Towns and Multi-village Schemes - Conference Summary V. 1 - where practitioners reviewed case studies, and shared experiences. The proceedings are structured as follows: 1) the Conference statement attempts to capture the broad, shared understanding developed through the presentations/exchanges; 2) Volume 1 - Conference Summary - expands on the summary, and includes selected annexes on special sessions, and provides participant feedback; 3) Volume 2 - Presentations - includes the complete set of presentations, and will be made available electronically; and 4) Volume 3 - Posters - will be a compendium of posters, likewise to V. 2, accessible electronically.


1. Responses of male broiler chicks and male chicks of an egg-laying stock to dietary crude protein (CP) concentrations ranging from 167 to 251 g/kg (metabolisable energy content 13 MJ/kg) were compared from 0 to 21 d of age, using 20 groups of 9 or 10 chicks (5 diets x 2 stocks x 2 replicates). 2. Average growth rate in the broilers was three times that of the layer chicks. The broilers needed at least 251 g CP/kg to maximise their liveweight gain but the layer chicks needed only about 188 g CP/kg. 3. The broiler chicks ate less than twice as much food as the layers and their maximum gain/food ratio was 0.6 compared with 0.4 for the layer chicks. These maximum efficiencies of conversion of food to liveweight were achieved in both cases with a diet containing 230 g CP/kg. 4. The efficiency of protein utilisation (above maintenance) was the same in fast- and slow-growing genotypes (about 0.47 g protein gain/g protein consumed). 5. Carcase analysis at 3 weeks of age showed that the broilers had deposited more fat than the layers and that protein content of the diet had markedly influenced fat deposition in both stocks. Fat in the whole body increased from 29 to 87 g/kg in the layer chicks and from 81 to 123 g/kg in the broilers as dietary protein was reduced from 251 to 167 g/kg. 6. The optimum protein to energy ratio of a chick starter diet will depend on the growth potential of the stock, as well as the cost of ingredients and the value of fatter or leaner carcases.


A thin-layer chromatographic method was optimized for the separation of the polar aromatic flavour compounds pertinent to the determination of the botanical source and quality of the cinnamons of commerce. Cinnamaldehyde, eugenol, coumarin, 2-methoxycinnamaldehyde, cinnamyl alcohol and cinnamyl acetate were determined in an acetonitrile extract of powered cinnamon after separation on silica gel layers. Cinnamic acid was determined in a second chromatographic system after separation on DIOL (spacer bonded propanediol) layers. The presence of coumarin or eugenol in proportion to the amount of cinnamaldehyde in the extracts was used to distinguish between the common botanical sources of cinnamon in retail samples of cinnamon oil, stick or powder from four countries.


Tebo Agung Internasional Ltd is one of the companies in coal mining that employs the open-pit mining method. This sort of method will create a large basin that can accumulate water inside the mining pit. The drainage system is applied at the Pit-1 Site Semambu is mine-dewatering carried out by draining the water into the sump so that it can be pumped out of the mining area and prevent the runoff from coming inside through an open drainage system (ditch). The result of data analysis demonstrated that referring to the daily rainfall in 2010 – 2019 through the distribution of Log Person Type III, the maximum rainfall being planned was 508.019 mm/day within the return period of 5 years. The intensity of rainfall at the research site was 82.5 mm/hour having a rain duration averagely of 3.1 hours/day. Pit-1 Site Semambu had a catchment area around 469,317.15 m 2 and a water discharge totally 61,238.81 m 3 /day derived from rainwater discharge of 48,530.48 m 3 /day and runoff water discharge 12,708.33 m 3 /day, whereas the capacity of the temporary accommodating pond (Sump) was 39,539.55 m 3 . The pump at the research site could not be operated anymore (broken). Accordingly, the recommendation that can be given to the company is changing the broken pumps with 4 units of multi fall 420 pumps having operating speed 1,300 rpm and actual discharge yielded by the pump 871.64 m 3 /hour. The pump worked for 14 hours/day and the total water discharge that could be produced was 12,202.96 m 3 /day. Open channel (ditch) at Pit-1 Site Semambu was the only one with accommodated discharge 1.27 m 3 /second. Thus, the recommendation that could be delivered to optimally prevent the runoff water coming into the mining area is by adding 2 ditches having the capacities of 0.90 m 3 /second and 0.75 m 3 /second which have been adjusted to the planned water discharge.


Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is associated with numerous pejorative outcomes in adults such as low frustration tolerance and deficits in central executive functioning. The present study aims to examine (1) the effect of induced frustration on working memory capacity (WMC) and (2) the unique contribution of ADHD symptoms and other commonly comorbid disorders (i.e., anxiety/depression and alcohol use) to frustration. Participants (N=66) were randomly assigned to either the control group (n=32) or the experimental group (n=34). The Frustration Induction Procedure (FIP) was administered to participants in the experimental group and a neutral, non-frustrating task was administered to a control group. A factor-analytic framework was utilized to assess WMC based on performance on three computerized tasks. WMC and baseline frustration levels were assessed both prior to and after inducing frustration. Participants provided four subjective ratings of frustration and blood pressure was assessed at four time points to assess changes in baseline frustration ratings and blood pressure. Results suggest that we were able to systematically induce subjective frustration for participants in the experimental group relative to the control group. WMC, however, was not associated with induced frustration in the present study, highlighting a need to examine the extent to which additional working memory-related performance variables (i.e., reaction time, latency to first response) are related to frustration. Finally, results indicate that ADHD symptoms, rather than anxiety/depression symptoms and hazardous drinking behavior, predict baseline frustration


This article presents our approach to construct the night-time environment (NE) as an interdisciplinary research subject. Understood within the framework of various French mountain areas, we show that the NE is highly indicative of different development trajectories. We analyse them by combining traditional social science research into territory with the ecosystem approaches of the experimental sciences. We show how the NE resource (NER) is transformed into an operator that facilitates the transition towards sustainability. By highlighting three of the NE's specifications, this work lays the groundwork for a transdisciplinary approach.


Abstract A new planar multiple-input–multiple-output (MIMO) antenna for ultra wideband (UWB) applications is presented. The proposed antenna operates over the frequency band from 3.1 to 10.6 GHz and it consists of two identical circular monopoles on an FR4 substrate. The wide isolation is achieved through a novel planar decoupling structure that is being inserted between the dual antennas. Moreover, a center slot is etched on the common ground to further increase isolation. The effectiveness of the decoupling structure is analyzed, and performance study has been performed to investigate the mutual coupling reduction. A good isolation of more than 31 dB has been achieved through the entire UWB band (more than 12 dB improvement over the reference antenna). The proposed UWB antenna with and without the wideband decoupling structure has been investigated and verified both numerically and experimentally. The measurement results of the proposed UWB–MIMO antenna are in good agreement with the simulation results. The proposed UWB antenna has been compared with previous works regarding antenna size, geometric complexity, bandwidth, and isolation level. The proposed antenna has some outstanding characteristics such as a geometric simplicity, compact size, broad bandwidth, and low correlation which give the antenna an excellent diversity performance and a good candidate for UWB applications.


Esophageal atresia (EA) is a congenital developmental defect of the alimentary tract concerning the interruption of the esophagus with or without connection to the trachea. The incidence of EA is 1 in 3000-3500 of live-born infants, and occurs in both isolated and syndromic (in combination with abnormalities in other organ systems) forms. The molecular mechanisms underlying the development of EA are poorly understood. Knockout studies in mice indicate that genes like Sonic hedgehog, Gli2, and Gli3 play a role in the etiology of EA. These facts led us to hypothesize that Sonic hedgehog-GLI gene rearrangements are associated with EA in humans. To test this hypothesis, we screened patients with isolated and syndromic EA for GLI2 and/or GLI3 microrearrangements using methods to estimate the copy number (Multiplex Ligation-dependent Probe Amplification, real-time polymerase chain reaction). To our best knowledge this is the first study assessing copy number of GLI2 and GLI3 genes in patients with EA.


Triangle-mesh modeling, as one of the approaches for representing images based on nonuniform sampling, has become quite popular and beneficial in many applications. In this thesis, image representation using triangle-mesh models and its application in image scaling are studied. Consequently, two new methods, namely, the SEMMG and MIS methods are proposed, where each solves a different problem. In particular, the SEMMG method is proposed to address the problem of image representation by producing effective mesh models that are used for representing grayscale images, by minimizing squared error. The MIS method is proposed to address the image scaling problem for grayscale images that are approximately piecewise-smooth, using triangle-mesh models. The SEMMG method, which is proposed for addressing the mesh-generation problem, is developed based on an earlier work, which uses a greedy-point-insertion (GPI) approach to generate a mesh model with explicit representation of discontinuities (ERD). After in-depth analyses of two existing methods for generating the ERD models, several weaknesses are identified and specifically addressed to improve the quality of the generated models, leading to the proposal of the SEMMG method. The performance of the SEMMG method is then evaluated by comparing the quality of the meshes it produces with those obtained by eight other competing methods, namely, the error-diffusion (ED) method of Yang, the modified Garland-Heckbert (MGH) method, the ERDED and ERDGPI methods of Tu and Adams, the GarciaVintimilla-Sappa (GVS) method, the hybrid wavelet triangulation (HWT) method of Phichet, the binary space partition (BSP) method of Sarkis, and the adaptive triangular meshes (ATM) method of Liu. For this evaluation, the error between the original and reconstructed images, obtained from each method under comparison, is measured in terms of the PSNR. Moreover, in the case of the competing methods whose implementations are available, the subjective quality is compared in addition to the PSNR. Evaluation results show that the reconstructed images obtained from the SEMMG method are better than those obtained by the competing methods in terms of both PSNR and subjective quality. More specifically, in the case of the methods with implementations, the results collected from 350 test cases show that the SEMMG method outperforms the ED, MGH, ERDED, and ERDGPI schemes in approximately 100%, 89%, 99%, and 85% of cases, respectively. Moreover, in the case of the methods without implementations, we show that the PSNR of the reconstructed images produced by the SEMMG method are on average 3.85, 0.75, 2, and 1.10 dB higher than those obtained by the GVS, HWT, BSP, and ATM methods, respectively. Furthermore, for a given PSNR, the SEMMG method is shown to produce much smaller meshes compared to those obtained by the GVS and BSP methods, with approximately 65% to 80% fewer vertices and 10% to 60% fewer triangles, respectively. Therefore, the SEMMG method is shown to be capable of producing triangular meshes of higher quality and smaller sizes (i.e., number of vertices or triangles) which can be effectively used for image representation. Besides the superior image approximations achieved with the SEMMG method, this work also makes contributions by addressing the problem of image scaling. For this purpose, the application of triangle-mesh mesh models in image scaling is studied. Some of the meshbased image-scaling approaches proposed to date employ mesh models that are associated with an approximating function that is continuous everywhere, which inevitably yields edge blurring in the process of image scaling. Moreover, other mesh-based image-scaling approaches that employ approximating functions with discontinuities are often based on mesh simplification where the method starts with an extremely large initial mesh, leading to a very slow mesh generation with high memory cost. In this thesis, however, we propose a new mesh-based image-scaling (MIS) method which firstly employs an approximating function with selected discontinuities to better maintain the sharpness at the edges. Secondly, unlike most of other discontinuity-preserving mesh-based methods, the proposed MIS method is not based on mesh simplification. Instead, our MIS method employs a mesh-refinement scheme, where it starts from a very simple mesh and iteratively refines the mesh to reach a desirable size. For developing the MIS method, the performance of our SEMMG method, which is proposed for image representation, is examined in the application of image scaling. Although the SEMMG method is not designed for solving the problem of image scaling, examining its performance in this application helps to better understand potential shortcomings of using a mesh generator in image scaling. Through this examination, several shortcomings are found and different techniques are devised to address them. By applying these techniques, a new effective mesh-generation method called MISMG is developed that can be used for image scaling. The MISMG method is then combined with a scaling transformation and a subdivision-based model-rasterization algorithm, yielding the proposed MIS method for scaling grayscale images that are approximately piecewise-smooth. The performance of our MIS method is then evaluated by comparing the quality of the scaled images it produces with those obtained from five well-known rasterbased methods, namely, bilinear interpolation, bicubic interpolation of Keys, the directional cubic convolution interpolation (DCCI) method of Zhou et al., the new edge-directed image interpolation (NEDI) method of Li and Orchard, and the recent method of super-resolution using convolutional neural networks (SRCNN) by Dong et al.. Since our main goal is to produce scaled images of higher subjective quality with the least amount of edge blurring, the quality of the scaled images are first compared through a subjective evaluation followed by some objective evaluations. The results of the subjective evaluation show that the proposed MIS method was ranked best overall in almost 67% of the cases, with the best average rank of 2 out of 6, among 380 collected rankings with 20 images and 19 participants. Moreover, visual inspections on the scaled images obtained with different methods show that the proposed MIS method produces scaled images of better quality with more accurate and sharper edges. Furthermore, in the case of the mesh-based image-scaling methods, where no implementation is available, the MIS method is conceptually compared, using theoretical analysis, to two mesh-based methods, namely, the subdivision-based image-representation (SBIR) method of Liao et al. and the curvilinear feature driven imagerepresentation (CFDIR) method of Zhou et al..


A number of approved IgG1 monoclonal antibodies (mAb) used in cancer therapy, including trastuzumab, cetuximab, and rituximab, depend on natural killer (NK) cell-mediated antibody dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) to induce cancer cell death, mediated through the Fcγ receptor (FcγR). Multiple studies report that survival benefit is significantly improved in cancer patients receiving IgG1 antibody therapy who have NK cells that express the high-affinity FcγRIIIa receptor (CD16-158V). Only 12% of the normal human population, however, is homozygous for expression of this high-affinity variant CD16. We hypothesized that infusion of an NK-92 cell line modified to express CD16-158V (high-affinity NK cells [haNK]) in combination with an IgG1 mAb may result in superior antitumor effects compared with IgG1 mAb alone. A GMP-grade plasmid-transfected variant of NK-92 expressing the high-affinity CD16 receptor was developed utilizing a novel transfection vector containing the erIL-2 gene, enabling the resulting haNK cells to grow independently of IL-2. Using limiting dilution, clones having identical surface molecule expression to the parent cell line were generated and shown to have long-term expression of CD16. The haNK cells displayed high ADCC in combination with rituximab, trastuzumab, and daratumumab against target cell lines that were not killed by the parental NK-92 cells. Of note, despite non-viral transfection, the plasmid is fully integrated into chromosome 5. The haNK cell line secretes about 200 pg/106 cells of IL-2, and like the parental NK-92 cell line, produces enough IFNγ to potentially stimulate an adaptive immune response. A GMP-grade master cell bank of haNK cells has been established; haNK cells can be cryopreserved with retention of ADCC activity. In vivo studies demonstrated the efficacy of haNK cells. In a multiple myeloma model of CD38+ NCI-H929 cells xenografted into NOD/SCID gamma null (NSG) mice, treatment with haNK cells plus the anti-CD38 mAb daratumumab led to prolonged survival versus mice treated with haNK cells plus an isotype control (log rank p = 0.0169), demonstrating therapeutically relevant in vivo ADCC. haNK cells have also been transfected with various CARs using mRNA, thereby enabling this platform to make a bispecific effector cell product. In summary, haNK cells are a potent and versatile platform for cellular immunotherapy, and clinical trials of these novel "off the shelf" high-affinity NK cells are scheduled for 2016. Citation Format: Laurent Boissel, Hans Klingemann, Kerry Campbell, Karen Nichols, Frances Toneguzzo, Paula Marcus, Brent Williams, Armand Keating, Patrick Soon-Shiong. An 'off the shelf,' GMP-grade, IL-2-independent NK cell line expressing the high-affinity Fc-receptor to augment antibody therapeutics. [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 2302.


In this thesis, I calculate the thermal conductivity of bridgmanite across a range of lower mantle conditions, with particular focus on the core-mantle boundary (CMB). Thermal conductivity of the lowermost mantle has direct implications on the heat flux from the core. Heat flux, and its lateral variations, control dynamic processes on both sides of the CMB, affecting the core geodynamo, the mantle convective cycle, and plate tectonics at the surface.

Thermal conductivity is difficult to determine at the high pressures and temperatures of the CMB using experimental methods, but computational approaches are able to reproduce these physical conditions. The thermal conductivity of bridgmanite has previously been modelled under limited conditions, but here, I model the full range of CMB conditions including temperatures from 1000-5000 K, and the effects of adding Fe2+ impurities (i.e., the full suite of MgSiO3 to FeSiO3-endmember composition).

I compare two different molecular dynamic approaches to determine thermal conductivity: the direct method and the Green-Kubo method, previously not compared in application to bridgmanite at CMB conditions. In atomic-scale simulations, finite system sizes can misrepresent the properties of the bulk material, leading to inaccurate estimates of thermal conductivity in the case of this study. Finite-size effects in the Green-Kubo method are easily addressed, and the Green-Kubo results can then be used to evaluate finite-size effects in direct method simulations. I present a comprehensive analysis of finite-size effects at 1000 K and 4000 K, and 136 GPa, identifying where simulations from existing literature may be incorrect. I also suggest minimum direct method system sizes (2 by 2 at 4000 K, lengths of 8-24 unit cells) for computing the thermal conductivity of bridgmanite at the CMB, which could be implemented in density functional theory calculations. It is possible to use the direct method to calculate thermal conductivity at lower mantle conditions, but care must be taken to avoid finite-size effects. I conclude that accurate results are more easily obtained using the Green-Kubo method.

Using the Green-Kubo method, I investigate the effects of iron impurities across a wide range of temperatures (1000-5000 K) at a CMB pressure of 136 GPa. At a CMB pressure and temperature (4000 K), I calculate lattice thermal conductivity to be 7.07+/-0.06 W/m.K for bridgmanite, 5.30+/-0.05 W/m.K for the FeSiO3 endmember, and 5.46+/-0.05 W/m.K for the 50% (Mg,Fe)SiO3 solid solution. I find that adding impurities (introducing phonon-defect scattering) causes conductivity to decrease, but the rate of the decrease decays with impurity concentration. The conductivity reduction due to temperature (increased phonon-phonon scattering) is more significant than the conductivity reduction due to impurities. I identify saturation in thermal conductivity as phonon-phonon and defect scattering increase, where the relative significance of these scattering mechanisms determines the reduction in conductivity as a function of temperature and composition.

I combine the temperature and compositional-dependence of thermal conductivity to create a new combined model. I use this model with a simple representation of the large-scale structure of the lower mantle to investigate CMB heat flux. The results from thermochemical LLSVP models show that in order to reproduce LLSVP shear velocity anomaly and heat flux across the CMB, the values of lateral thermal boundary layer temperature range and LLSVP Fe content range from 100 K and 10% Fe, to 1000 K and 4% Fe. For simplified models of large low shear velocity provinces (LLSVPs), where the seismic anomaly is caused by lateral variation in mantle temperature, I find larger lateral variation in CMB heat flux than for models where the equivalent seismic anomaly is caused by lateral variations in the Fe2+ content. However, absolute values of the integrated CMB heat flux and its variability depend on the temperature at the CMB as well as the origin of LLSVPs, and will be sensitive to other phases and impurities found in the lower mantle.

It is only by investigating the effect of finite system size on atomic-scale modelling that it is possible to obtain reliable conductivity estimates. By determining a comprehensive suite of thermal conductivity values across a range of temperature and composition, I produce a new combined model and show how this can be used to inform on dynamic processes both sides of the CMB.


Aim: to study mental state of gynecological oncological patients, their attitude to the existing disease and quality of life. Material and methods. The study was conducted on the basis of the City Clinical Hospital No. 1 of Novosibirsk. The main group (17women aged 29 to 60 years) included patients with ovarian cancer, cancer of the external female genital organs, and uterine cancer; the comparison group was comprised of 20 people aged 29 to 63 years without a history of cancer. Results. In gynecological oncological patients, dissatisfaction with their own bodies is more pronounced; they perceive their body distorted, which may be due to the characteristics of the disease and the specifics of treatment. Patients with gynecological cancers have a more pronounced subjective feeling of loneliness, but it is at the upper limit of the norm, which may mean the fact that these patients turn in upon themselves, in their experiences, as well as the feeling of something lost in their inner world. Patients with gynecological cancers showed an average level of quality of life and low indicators of the mental component of health, which indicates reduced functioning and a significant effect of the patient's physical and emotional state on daily activities. Conclusion. The mental state of the cancer patient, his ability to withstand stress, his attitude to the existing disease affect the treatment process and further quality of life.


Energy selected mono-, di- and trimethylamine ions were prepared by threshold photoelectron photoion coincidence spectroscopy (TPEPICO). Below 13 eV, the main dissociative photoionization path of these molecules is hydrogen atom loss. The ion time-of-flight (TOF) distributions and breakdown diagrams for H loss are analyzed in terms of the statistical RRKM theory, which includes tunneling. Experimental evidence, supported by quantum chemical calculations, indicates that the reverse barrier along the H loss potential energy curve for monomethylamine is 1.8 +/- 0.6 kJ mol(-1). Accurate dissociation onset energies are derived from the TOF simulation, and from this analysis we conclude that Delta(f)H degrees (298K)[CH(2)NH(2)(+)] = 750.4 +/- 1.3 kJ mol(-1) and Delta(f)H degrees (298K)[CH(2)NH(CH(3))(+)] = 710.9 +/- 2.8 kJ mol(-1). Quantum chemical calculations at the G3, G3B3, CBS-APNO and W1U levels are extensively used to support the experimental data. The comparison between experimental and ab initio isodesmic reaction heats also suggests that Delta(f)H degrees (298K)[N(CH(3))(3)] = -27.2 +/- 2 kJ mol(-1), and that the dimethylamine ionization energy is 8.32 +/- 0.03 eV, both of which are in slight disagreement with previous experimental values. Above 13 eV photon energy, additional dissociation channels appear besides the H atom loss, such as a sequential C(2)H(4) loss from trimethylamine for which a dissociation mechanism is proposed.


Tiapride ip-ethanol vo combined in animals showed on three psychopharmacological tests that: decreased motor activity induced by tiapride in mice was slightly pronounced; catalepsy induced by tiapride in rats was slightly increased; sleeping time induced by ethanol in mice was not potentiated.


The fungal phytopathogen Leptosphaeria maculans, causing stem canker (blackleg) of rapeseed (Brassica napus), is mainly controlled worldwide by genetic resistance including major resistance genes (Rlm). This model is one of those for which the highest number of avirulence genes (AvrLm) has been cloned. In many systems, including L. maculans-B. napus interaction, intense use of resistance genes exerts strong selection pressure on the corresponding avirulent isolates, and the fungi may rapidly escape the resistance by various molecular events modifying the avirulence genes. In the literature, the study of polymorphism at avirulence loci is often focused on single genes under selection pressure. In this study, we investigate allelic polymorphism at eleven avirulence loci in a French population of 89 L. maculans isolates collected on a trap cultivar in four geographic locations in the 2017-2018 cropping season. The corresponding Rlm genes have been (i) used for a long time, (ii) recently used, or (iii) unused yet in agricultural practice. The sequence data generated indicate an extreme diversity of situations. For example, genes submitted to an ancient selection may have either been deleted in populations (AvrLm1) or replaced by a single-nucleotide mutated virulent version (AvrLm2, AvrLm5-9). Genes that have never been under selection may either be nearly invariant (AvrLm6, AvrLm10A, AvrLm10B), exhibit rare deletions (AvrLm11, AvrLm14), or display a high diversity of alleles and isoforms (AvrLmS-Lep2). These data suggest that the evolutionary trajectory of avirulence/virulence alleles is gene-dependent and selection pressure-independent in L. maculans.


In this paper, we present a model critical analysis of discourse in educational research that uses a clinical interview as an instrument of data recollection. Our model combines several elements that allow a more exhaustive study of the discourses of the participants in case studies, although the model can be used in other types of research. The factors considered in our model are: relationship between text and context, discourse markers, meta-categories and categories from the analysis of content and grammatical resources. We also added etic and emic perspectives to compare the researcher's visions with the subject or subjects investigated.


Past research suggests that early pubertal maturation predicts delinquency for Anglo American boys. Little research has been done on the effects of pubertal maturation on problem behavior for boys of other ethnic groups. This study investigated the relation-ship between relative pubertal status and delinquency for Anglo American, African American, and Mexican American adolescent boys. Early-maturing boys across all three ethnic groups reported higher levels of both violent and nonviolent delinquent behavior. These results are consistent with a theory of differential peer access and not consistent with a theory of asynchronicity between testosterone-driven aggression and social-cognitive maturity.


Reducing the energy needs of existing buildings has a significant place in reducing global energy demands. High energy savings can be achieved with passive renovation suggestions in existing buildings. In this study, the effect of the proposed renovations for an educational structure in Safranbolu on the heating and cooling demands of the building was determined with a simulation program. Energy improvements of up to 70 percent have been achieved through passive improvement designs in orientation and insulation material. The highest energy saving (69.31 %) was realized through a scenario of rearranging spaces from the north side to the south side where the number of users is relatively high and selecting a 20 cm aerogel thermal insulation material. While the heating and cooling load, in accordance with the definition of a zero-energy building, could not be reached in this scenario, the study showed the importance of holistic decisions taken in the design phase of the building with respect to energy-efficient building design.


Using a systematic and standardized method this longitudinal study examines changes in grief reactions in a sample of close family members (n=183) to individuals who had died of cancer. The respondents were followed for 1 year after the loss. The study sample originated from a cluster randomized trial evaluating comprehensive palliative care (intervention) against conventional care (control). Hence, we also compared grief reactions among close family members to the patients in the intervention and control groups. Overall, the family members' grief reactions, as measured by the second part of the Texas Revised Inventory of Grief (TRIG), showed a significant decline over the period studied. However, we found no significant differences in grief reactions between the family members to the intervention and control patients at any point in time, and the pattern of change did not differ significantly for the two groups.


are the phrases, consisting of one or more words, representing the important concepts in the articles. Keyphrases are useful for a variety of tasks such as text summarization, automatic indexing, clustering/classification, text mining etc. This paper presents a hybrid approach to keyphrase extraction from medical documents. The keyphrase extraction approach presented in this paper is an amalgamation of two methods: the first one assigns weights to candidate keyphrases based on an effective combination of features such as position, term frequency, inverse document frequency and the second one assign weights to candidate keyphrases using some knowledge about their similarities to the structure and characteristics of keyphrases available in the memory (stored list of keyphrases). An efficient candidate keyphrase identification method as the first component of the proposed keyphrase extraction system has also been introduced in this paper. The experimental results show that the proposed hybrid approach performs better than some state- of-the art keyphrase extraction approaches.


There is a high demand for redeveloping brownfield areas to make European cities grow in a more sustainable manner. As brownfield areas are often located within the urban structure, redeveloping them reduces the need to use green areas for new developments, and creates more compact cities. Remediating contaminated land in former industrial sites or harbour areas will also reduce environmental risks. This policy brief gives an overview of challenges for brownfield redevelopment in the Central Baltic region and is published as part of the Central Baltic INTERREG Baltic Urban Lab project.


This study aims to look at the factors that influence job satisfaction among childcare employees in the Kedah State. The main objective of this research was to identify any correlation between salary, internal communication, rewards, working hour, and job satisfaction. This study was conducted using quantitative methods where data were collected using a set of questionnaires. Questionnaires' books were used to obtain feedback from the respondents. The study sample consisted of employees of childcare center in the Kedah State which has a total of 234 respondents participated in this study. The findings showed that there is a positive relationship between salary, internal communication, rewards and working hour and job satisfaction. This indicates that satisfied employees working in their respective organizations. This study has provided a better understanding of the factors that influence job satisfaction in the childcare centre. Results of this study provide benefits to the centre, particularly the management in knowing and measuring the level of satisfaction of their employees.


Using the EPIC and RGS data from a deep (~200 ks) XMM-Newton observation, we investigate the temperature structure (kT and sigma_T ) and the abundances of 9 elements (O, Ne, Mg, Si, S, Ar, Ca, Fe and Ni) of the intra-cluster medium (ICM) in the nearby (z=0.046) cool-core galaxy cluster Abell 4059. Next to a deep analysis of the cluster core, a careful modelling of the EPIC background allows us to build radial profiles up to 12' (~650 kpc) from the core. Probably because of projection effects, the temperature ICM is found not to be in single phase, even in the outer parts of the cluster. The abundances of Ne, Si, S, Ar, Ca and Fe, but also O are peaked towards the core. Fe and O are still significantly detected in the outermost annuli; suggesting that the enrichment by both type Ia and core-collapse SNe started in the early stages of the cluster formation. However, the particularly high Ca/Fe ratio that we find in the core is not well reproduced by the standard SNe yield models. Finally, 2-D maps of temperature and Fe abundance are presented and confirm the existence of a denser, colder, and Fe-rich ridge southwest of the core, previously observed by Chandra. The origin of this asymmetry in the hot gas of the cluster core is still unclear, but might be explained by a past intense ram-pressure stripping event near the central cD galaxy.


The paper presents the design and implementation of a quality of service architecture for the Internet. The architecture is based on the emerging standards for resource reservation in the Internet, namely the RSVP protocol and the associated service specifications defined by the Internet Engineering Task Force. Our architecture represents a major functional enhancement to the traditional sockets based communication subsystem, while preserving application programming interface and binary compatibility with existing applications. It is scalable and supports a variety of network interfaces ranging from legacy LAN interfaces, such as token ring and Ethernet, to high speed ATM interfaces. We also describe our initial experiences with the implementation of this architecture on the IBM AIX platform.


BACKGROUND: Carbon tetrachloride (CCl4 ) is a toxic material known to induce lipid peroxidation and liver damage.
    The possible protective roles that involved by chitosan or chitosan-Cu complex against CCl4 induced liver intoxication were investigated in male rats.
RESULTS: CCl4 administred at dose 20  mg/kg body weight i.p., exceed malondialdehyde (MDA) and protein carbonyle (PC), depleted superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione (GSH), in concomitant with marked increase in investigated liver function parameters , alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase (ALT, AST), impaired serum and liver total protein , albumin and globulin. An elevation in serum and hepatic total lipids, total cholesterol, triglycerides and serum LDL and VLDL levels as well as a low level of HDL were recorded. In the same time, there was a significant increase in sodium and iron contents in the serum while a significant decrease in potassium and zinc contents were recorded.
   Animals pretreated with chitosan (200 mg /kg body weight) orally by stomach tube for 21 consecutive days prior to CCl4 challenge significantly attenuated most of the tested parameters, strengthen antioxidant defense system, ameliorated liver function effectively. Chitosan-Cu complex has a protective effect by a higher degree than that of chitosan only.
CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that pretreatment with chitosan-Cu complex has higher hepato-protective effects than that of only chitosan against CCl4 induced toxicity in rat.


1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3 [1,25(OH)2D3) is a known up-regulator of 1,25(OH)2D3 receptor (VDR) both in vitro and in vivo. However, a 5- to 10-fold increase in plasma 1,25(OH)2D3 induced by dietary calcium deficiency does not result in up-regulation of intestinal VDR, and kidney VDR is down-regulated. Under certain physiological stresses, an increase in plasma PTH precedes increased plasma 1,25(OH)2D3. Therefore, the present study examined the effect of PTH on VDR regulation in vitro in ROS 17/2.8 cells and in vivo in male Holtzman rats. Treatment of ROS cells with PTH (0-5 nM) resulted in a dose and time-dependent decline in VDR from 95 +/- 9 to 35 +/- 5 fmol/mg protein at 18 h of exposure. The ED50 for PTH was 1 nM. This decline in VDR protein was attended by a 50% decline in VDR messenger RNA (mRNA). The PTH-mediated down-regulation of VDR occurred without affecting the affinity of VDR for 1,25(OH)2D3 as determined by Scatchard analysis. Also, the effect of PTH on VDR regulation was specific since cell glucocorticoid receptor concentration was not affected by PTH treatment. In accompanying experiments, 1,25(OH)2[3H]D3 treatment of ROS cells was shown to result in a 3- to 4-fold increased expression of VDR and VDR mRNA. The simultaneous addition of PTH and 1,25(OH)2[3H]D3 resulted in inhibition of the 1,25(OH)2[3H]D3-mediated up-regulation of VDR and VDR mRNA. Similarly, PTH also inhibited heterologous up-regulation of VDR and VDR mRNA induced by retinoic acid. In in vivo experiments, rats infused for 5 days with 1,25(OH)2D3 (1.5 ng/h) increased their expression of intestinal VDR, kidney VDR, and kidney 24-hydroxylase by 31, 336, and 4000%, respectively. Coinfusion of PTH (1.8 IU/h) along with 1,25(OH)2D3 completely inhibited the 1,25(OH)2D3-mediated increases in intestinal VDR and kidney 24-hydroxylase and reduced the 1,25(OH)2D3-mediated up-regulation of kidney VDR by more than half. These data suggest that PTH is a potent down-regulator of VDR and that PTH and 1,25(OH)2D3 have opposing effects on the expression of certain genes.


Abstract Nurses suffer from musculoskeletal strains because of frequent patient mobilizations. Therefore, mobile patient hoists were developed. However, patient hoists are rarely used. A possible reason is a low user acceptance due to poor usability of available products. To increase the user acceptance in health facilities and thus the frequency of use, a comparative usability assessment was conducted. The goal is to support health facilities in future purchasing decisions. 12 hoists were tested by 40 nurses in three everyday scenarios. Every nurse tested three hoists in randomized order. In total, each hoist was tested ten times. The success rate was used to measure the effectiveness. To identify poorly designed components, success rates were clustered into categories, which describe different hoist parts. User acceptance was quantified in the range of 0 to 100 using a standardized questionnaire. The success rate over all hoists was high and ranges from 88 % to 95 % (M = 92 %, SD = 2 %). However, serious use errors occurred in 24 % of the scenarios. The slingbars of the hoists showed the lowest effectiveness (M = 82 %, SD = 6 %). The user acceptance of the hoists ranges from 49 to 86 (M = 68, SD = 10). Besides structural problems like limited space or product availability, design deficits are a possible reason, why hoists are not used. All in all, the study identifies ergonomically better-designed hoists. Based on the results, health facilities can take usability aspects into account when making purchasing decisions.


The lack of numerical age dates for upper Cenozoic strata of the Amazon Basin has prevented resolution of its geologic history and accurate dating of important paleofaunas. Here we present results of magnetostratigraphy and 40 Ar/ 39 Ar dating of two volcanic ash deposits from the Madre de Dios Formation of eastern Peru. The two ash ages, 9.01 ± 0.28 Ma and 3.12 ± 0.02 Ma, provide the first numerical age data necessary for accurate interpretation of late Tertiary sedimentation in Amazonia and establish approximate time constraints for the last major cycle of Cenozoic deposition within the southwestern Amazon Basin. The older ash age also provides a minimum age for numerous Amazonian paleofaunas, which allows a more definitive correlation of these paleofaunas with those in other regions of South America.


The aim of the present study is to investigate the effect of cooling media on the temperature distribution, microstructure and mechanical properties of the joint produced during Underwater Friction Stir Welding (UFSW) in normal water, cold water (water with crushed ice (CFSW)) and air (FSW), for aluminum alloy (AA) 6082-T6. The results showed that peak temperature during UFSW and CFSW were significantly lower than the FSW. The temperature at the advancing side (AS) of the joint was higher than the retreating side (RS). Substantial reduction in TMAZ/HAZ width was observed during UFSW and CFSW as compared to FSW. Al-Mn-Fe-Si intermetallic phases were seen in all the joints along with the BM. The main strengthening precipitates found in UFSW and CFSW was β″ (Mg5Si6) which changed to β (Mg2Si) precipitates during FSW due to increased temperature. The tensile strength of the joints was best during UFSW followed by FSW and CFSW. The controlled temperature distribution resulted in improved tensile strength whereas both undercooling and overcooling resulted in decreased tensile strength, however, increased cooling rate does not improve the elongation. A typical 'W' shape hardness profile was observed in all the joints irrespective of the cooling media used. Maximum hardness was obtained in the UFSW joint due to refined grain structure, high-density dislocations and presence of β″ phases.


We report a case of congenital diaphragmatic hernia and a case of a post – traumatic one. Both of them have been treated by a laparoscopic access,  but we think that for post – traumatic hernia particularly if delayed, thoracotomy could represent a better surgical approch. This is because if the abdominal viscera remain for long time into the pleural cavity, important adhesions develop into the pleural space so that reducing herniated viscera into abdomen could reveal difficult. Moreover if a tract of herniated bowel has to be resected because of necrosis, the surgeon can manage better the pleural cavity via a thoracotomic access, because adequate cleaning and washing can be performed.


Tungsten carbide-cobalt powders (WC-17wt% Co) were plasma sprayed by a water-stabilized system WSP. Experiments with variable feeding distances and spray distances were carried out. Thinner coatings were deposited on carbon steel substrates and thicker coatings on stainless steel substrates to compare different cooling conditions. Basic characterization of coatings was done by XRD, SEM, and light microscopy plus image analysis. Microhardness was measured on polished cross-sections. The main focus of investigation was resistance against wear in dry as well as wet conditions. The appropriate tests were performed with set-ups based on ASTM G65 and G75, respectively. The influence of spray parameters onto coating wear performance was observed. The results of mechanical tests were discussed in connection with changes of phase composition and with the quality of the coating's microstructure. The results show that for obtaining the best possible WC-17Co coating with WSP process, from the viewpoint of wear resistance, the desired parameters combination is long feeding distance combined with short spray distance.