Abstract Aims: We set out to investigate the antibacterial activity of a new Mn-based photoactivated carbon monoxide-releasing molecule (PhotoCORM, [Mn(CO)3(tpa-κ3N)]+) against an antibiotic-resistant uropathogenic strain (EC958) of Escherichia coli. Results: Activated PhotoCORM inhibits growth and decreases viability of E. coli EC958, but non-illuminated carbon monoxide-releasing molecule (CORM) is without effect. NADH-supported respiration rates are significantly decreased by activated PhotoCORM, mimicking the effect of dissolved CO gas. CO from the PhotoCORM binds to intracellular targets, namely respiratory oxidases in strain EC958 and a bacterial globin heterologously expressed in strain K-12. However, unlike previously characterized CORMs, the PhotoCORM is not significantly accumulated in cells, as deduced from the cellular manganese content. Activated PhotoCORM reacts avidly with hydrogen peroxide producing hydroxyl radicals; the observed peroxide-enhanced toxicity of the PhotoCORM is ameliorated by thiourea. The PhotoCORM also potentiates the effect of the antibiotic, doxycycline. Innovation: The present work investigates for the first time the antimicrobial activity of a light-activated PhotoCORM against an antibiotic-resistant pathogen. A comprehensive study of the effects of the PhotoCORM and its derivative molecules upon illumination is performed and mechanisms of toxicity of the activated PhotoCORM are investigated. Conclusion: The PhotoCORM allows a site-specific and time-controlled release of CO in bacterial cultures and has the potential to provide much needed information on the generality of CORM activities in biology. Understanding the mechanism(s) of activated PhotoCORM toxicity will be key in exploring the potential of this and similar compounds as antimicrobial agents, perhaps in combinatorial therapies with other agents. Antioxid. Redox Signal. 24, 765–780.


Context. The statistical analysis of large sample of strong lensing events can be a powerful tool to extract astrophysical or cosmological valuable information. Their selection using submillimetre galaxies has been demonstrated to be very effective with more than ∼200 proposed candidates in the case ofHerschel-ATLAS data and several tens in the case of the South Pole Telescope. However, the number of confirmed events is still relatively low, i.e. a few tens, mostly because of the lengthy observational validation process on individual events.Aims. In this work we propose a new methodology with a statistical selection approach to increase by a factor of ∼5 the number of such events within theHerschel-ATLAS data set. Although the methodology can be applied to address several selection problems, it has particular benefits in the case of the identification of strongly lensed galaxies: objectivity, minimal initial constrains in the main parameter space, and preservation of statistical properties.Methods. The proposed methodology is based on the Bhattacharyya distance as a measure of the similarity between probability distributions of properties of two different cross-matched galaxies. The particular implementation for the aim of this work is called SHALOS and it combines the information of four different properties of the pair of galaxies: angular separation, luminosity percentile, redshift, and the ratio of the optical to the submillimetre flux densities.Results. The SHALOS method provides a ranked list of strongly lensed galaxies. The number of candidates within ∼340 deg2of theHerschel-ATLAS surveyed area for the final associated probability,Ptot >  0.7, is 447 and they have an estimated mean amplification factor of 3.12 for a halo with a typical cluster mass. Additional statistical properties of the SHALOS candidates, as the correlation function or the source number counts, are in agreement with previous results indicating the statistical lensing nature of the selected sample.


One of the primary objectives in the design of digital portable radio is power reduction required to maximize run time and minimize battery size and weight. Available power saving strategies such as dynamic power level control and discontinuous transmission are limited in their scope. A more effective approach is to operate the processors at the lowest supply voltage without incurring reduction in the throughput. Parallel architecture utilizing pipelining and parallelism through hardware duplication can be used to maintain throughput at lower voltages, by allowing slower device speeds. In the paper, several parallel/pipelined implementations of a VSELP speech coder employing VSELP algorithm modifications are suggested and are assessed for the power saving-voice quality trade-off.


Nanoscaled SRAMs are now becoming more and more prone to device parameter deviations. In this paper, we consider threshold voltage (Vt) deviations in 6T core-cells designed with 90 nm technology. Static faults (transition and read destructive) but also dynamic faults (dynamic read destructive) are obtained as resulting faulty behaviors. Moreover, electrical data show that PVT (process, voltage, temperature) corners that maximize the detection of these faults are quite unconventional. Especially, we show that Vt deviations have their main impact at low voltage while hard defects, such as resistive-open defects in the core-cell, better manifest themselves at high voltage. This study of parameter deviations opens an additional problematic for the test of nanoscaled SRAMS that will be much more severe in deeper technologies (65 nm and 45 nm).


We have experimented with yttrium fluorescence in the various crystalline phases of ZrO/sub 2/. This work was a direct result of micro-Raman analysis of filter debris samples from Power Burst Facility. The yttrium fluorescence in the micro-Raman spectra provides a method for differentiating between fabricated zirconia and oxidized fuel-rod cladding. We can conclude from the spectra that some of the observed cubic ZrO/sub 2/ in the samples was not from fabricated zirconia and is probably oxidized fuel-rod cladding. This work also suggests a novel and unexplored line of research in fission-product chemistry and detection.


Maximizing the discrepancy between expected and actual outcomes during exposure (i.e., expectancy violation) is thought to optimize inhibitory learning. The current study examined Craske et al.'s suggestion that engaging in cognitive restructuring (CR) before exposure prematurely reduces expectancy and mitigates outcomes. Participants (N = 93) with claustrophobia were randomly assigned to either 15 minutes of CR before exposure (CR Before) or 15 minutes of CR after exposure (CR After). Although the CR Before condition experienced greater expectancy reduction before exposure than the CR After condition, both groups experienced similar overall expectancy reduction by the end of the intervention. Groups experienced similar gains, with large significant improvement at posttreatment and follow-up. Results suggest that both cognitive therapy and exposure therapy lead to expectancy reduction, but that the order of these interventions does not impact outcome. Clinicaltrials.org registration #NCT03628105.


In recent times, the term "sustainability" has come to gain significant popularity in policy-oriented research and has become part of our everyday lexis in higher education research. Yet, in an attempt to deal with the issue of sustainability planning in research project proposals, the term has been conceptualized to refer solely to financial sustainability as if to say other types of sustainability either do not exist or do not matter. This chapter addresses this issue of sustainability planning in higher education research. In the process, financial sustainability is elucidated, and through that two other categories/types of sustainability are identified and discussed crisply for rumination. Following up on this, steps to sustainability planning are outlined to set in context the contention of the chapter that sustainability planning in research project management requires long term planning to facilitate diverse donor engagements and for improving institutional capacity of target populations. Thereafter, and using an example of a research proposal which responds to Open Call for project proposals for funding from a renowned multilateral funding agency, the chapter exemplifies how sustainability planning in research project proposals can be addressed to help strengthen the proposals to attract research funding from potential donors.


The Common Core State Standards (CCSS)—adopted in 2010—are similar to California's current K–12 standards, but their emphasis on conceptual understanding and problem solving will require changes in classroom instruction. California's transition to the CCSS has gotten off to a slow start. Survey data suggest that many teachers will deliver the new standards for the first time in 2014–15—the first year of CCSS-based testing. Like other states, California will probably see a drop in test scores under the new standards. But as the transition continues beyond 2014–15, the hope is that the new standards and tests will create incentives that lead to higher student achievement.


This paper is the first to test a national panel data set of Hispanic enrollments in gifted education. Using data from 2002-2010, it is found that lower education budgets have a disproportionately negative impact on Hispanics and differences across states in learning disability programs may lower Hispanic gifted enrollments. Larger Hispanic student populations do not seem to be a significant factor across states, but have a negative effect within states over time. Graduating a high percentage of Hispanic students increases gifted program enrollments. Identification of students as learning disabled needs to be reexamined in the context of race/ethnicity as well. JEL Classification: I21, I20


OBJECTIVE
To categorize the vegetation of marshland in the endemic areas of Schistosomiasis Japonica using satellite thematic mapper (TM)data in Liupo Village, Anhui Province.

METHODS
Data of three satellite TM hands, namely TM3, TM4 and TM5, were selected to be used in classification with principal component analysis. Then, satellite TM images were applied to false color composite and unsupervised classification with computer software to manage the images. Finally, the resulting clusters were identified and reclassified by site visits to categorize the land coverage and vegetation.

RESULTS
Five classifications of land coverage were generated, including poplar forest, bulrush and marshland, all with snail habitants. Based on the survey in the spring of 1998, the overall live snail density and infested snail density in the study areas were 0.510/0.11 m2 and 0.007/0.11 m2, respectively.

CONCLUSION
Unsupervised classification, which is a technique for the interpretation of remotely sensed imagery, can contribute to the classification of environment with snail habitants and ecological diseases and become a new method in epidemiological studies.


Recently, uses of rotating machinery have been increased sharply and failure occurrence also was significantly increased along with the industrial development. To solve these problems, intelligent fault diagnosis was tried. In this paper, feature parameters for the rotor with high frequency of failure occurrence, which are used as algorithm input, were suggested. To do this, 9 fault types from pump historical failure data of nuclear power plants were selected and simulation testing was performed. Total 84 statistical parameters were calculated to quantify fault signal pattern from the acceleration signal and fault discrimination capability for each parameter was evaluated by using the Z-SCORE method. Finally, RAW-P7, RAW-P8, RAW-P4, WT2-NNL, WT2-EE through verification of fault classification status using the SVM were proposed as the superior parameters for intelligent fault diagnosis of rotor.


A specific, rapid and simple UV spectrophotometric method with good sensitivity was developed and validated for the simultaneous quantification of Rosuvastatin calcium and aspirin in standard solutions and tablets. The method employed solving of simultaneous equations based on the measurement of absorbance maxima at 340 and 240 nm, for Rosuvastatin calcium and aspirin, respectively. The calibration curve was linear for both drugs in a concentration range of 3--18(μg/ml) and 2-12(μg/ml). It can be concluded from the results that present method for the simultaneous determination of Rosuvastatin calcium and aspirin in tablets is specific, rapid and simple with good sensitivity. This analytical method is also applicable in ordinary laboratories also. It can also be adopted for quality control tests for these drugs in tablets.


We present a case of a 2‐month‐old boy with partially treated meningitis and suspected Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia. A full blood count revealed profound lymphopenia. The child was diagnosed with adenosine deaminase deficiency, a rare cause of severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID). SCID is an immunological emergency and must be considered in any lymphopaenic infant with opportunistic infection. We discuss adenosine deaminase‐deficient SCID, which can involve multiple systems and in which other treatment options apart from bone marrow transplant are available.


Large variation exists amongst patients with regards to treatment outcomes following functional appliance treatment in growing children. Various factors have been assessed with regard to this variation, but evidence is scarce. Recent studies suggest that the initial condition of the masticatory muscles may be one of the factors that influences treatment and post-treatment functional appliance outcomes. Children with weaker masticatory muscles show greater dentoalveolar change, as witnessed by incisor compensation and molar movement. Following functional appliance treatment, children who show greater dentoalveolar treatment change may also be those with a more likely post-treatment sagittal relapse. The gonial angle may also be a variable determining treatment outcomes with functional appliances in that more incisor compensation and a greater likelihood for relapse is evident in those with a more open gonial angle. The gonial process is the site of muscle attachment for the masseter and median pterygoid muscles, and the thickness and force of these muscles can have an effect on the process and its contribution to mandibular morphology. By extrapolation, cephalometric analysis of the gonial angle can perhaps provide insight into the amount of incisor proclination expected to be observed during and after functional appliance treatment.


Abstract Grapevine red blotch-associated virus (GRBaV), which causes grapevine red blotch disease, is an emerging problem for grapevine production in the United States. However, little is known about how viruses, such as GRBaV, affect host physiology even though it is crucial to understanding host-pathogen interactions, symptom development, and potential effects on other pathogens and insect pests including potential vectors. Thus, foliar levels of amino acids, sugars, phenolics and terpenoids were examined in healthy or GRBaV-infected 'Cabernet Franc' (CF) or 'Cabernet Sauvignon' (CS) grapevines both before and after development of red blotch symptoms, in July and September of 2014, respectively. Particular amino acids were increased both before and after symptom development in both cultivars, with some of these amino acids having previously defined associations with host defences. Fructose and glucose were increased in GRBaV-infected CF at both sampling times. However, for CS only, glucose was increased in infected grapevines and only when pre-symptomatic. Phenolic levels were greater in GRBaV-infected CF and CS after symptom expression. Terpenoids were greater in infected CF in July, with no other apparent differences. Taken together, these results demonstrate the effects of GRBaV infection on host physiology, with shifts potentially associated with symptom development and changes in resistance to other organisms.


The Secure Mobile Code is a fragment of code being executed in some unfamiliar and untrusted environment. Protecting integrity and maintaining confidentially of the code execution in unfamiliar environment has been a challenging task. The host environment may try to guess the functionality of the code received. This generates a need to design a scheme that can perform secure computation on encoded data and leaving no clues for the host to guess the functionality and data. In our scheme, the sender will generate the code which is transformed to hide the functionality and she will send it along with encoded data to the host. Subsequently, the host will run the code on the encoded data and send the result to the sender. The functionality is protected by the encoded gates where the truth table is transformed using the Reducible Rank Codes[1]. We also present a detail security analysis and complexity of our scheme. Our scheme finds application where the data computation has been outsourced to other party.


This research aimed to provide a more informed and systematic basis on which to develop the positioning strategy in social media due to the interactive capacity and influence that social media has in the success of tourist destinations. In particular, we investigated the role of stakeholders. We carried out an exploratory study using a mixed method which included interviews and an analysis of the activity conducted on the official social media accounts (Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram) of the Spanish regions of Andalusia, Catalonia, and Valencia. The findings provide insight into how tourist destinations promote their image through the use of social media. Social media was found to be a strategic platform for enhancing brand image and achieving tourist engagement. Additionally, the role of stakeholders in supporting and facilitating the image destination strategy is worth highlighting. This study shows that the results achieved by social media can be improved by identifying all stakeholders and defining a content generation strategy by integrating and adding value.


SUMMARY:During the first decade of this century, a new subculture emerged on the Runet (the Russian Internet). It promoted a version of the deliberately distorted Russian language, first of all by systematically altering orthographic and punctuation norms. This "padonkafskii" language (given the misspelled usage of the original word, it seems more accurate to translate it as "basterds," as in in Tarantino's movie) has been analyzed by linguists. Its political role and implicit message have not been scrutinized until now. In the article, Ilya Kukulin argues that this basterd language was used and promoted by pro-Kremlin political entrepreneurs to develop new strategies of communication: performances of cynical transgression and symbolic violence through the humiliation of counterparts. Cyberbullying became a distinctive style of seemingly nonconformist subculture, and already in this capacity was used by the regime.Central to this communication strategy was the cult of power, xenophobia, and discarding of any idealistic motivations of human behavior as hypocritical public relations technologies. At the same time, the basterd subculture itself claimed the status of nonconformist sincerity for its members. This image of a novel subculture helped to promote its aggressive xenophobia and support for the authorities among the most socially dynamic groups of Russia's population.Political mobilization of the basterds' language relied on the earlier aesthetic and political strategies of Russian mass culture of the 1990s, which were partially reconfigured or further developed. The radical and socially escapist irony underlying the cultural scene of the 1990s (the article uses Russian punk rock as an example) has been recast into the view of society as a total war, perceived from the position of total cynicism and nihilism. Cynicism has become the main mode of social thinking in modern Russia.Once popular with many bloggers, the basterds' language is now out of vogue. Moreover, experiments with language transgressions seem to have lost their popularity. Instead, the role of transmitters of an ultra-cynical worldview and proponents of symbolic violence has been assumed by officialdom as represented by press secretaries of the president, key ministries, or MPs. They display the same conscious transgression of linguistic norm and moral standards as their Basterd predecessors, who pretended to be antiestablishment and nonconformist. The preponderance of basterd language during the previous decade cleared the ground for hate-speech and symbolic violence in the public sphere as an acceptable, attractive, and even necessary format of public communication.


In this study, a montmorillonite masterbatch (OMMT-MB) containing polystyrene and organo-montmorillonite was first prepared by extrusion processes. Subsequently, blending of polystyrene (PS) and montmorillonite masterbatch (OMMT-MB) was performed by the direct melt intercalation method using a twin-screw extruder followed by compression molding. The flexural and morphological properties of PS/OMMT-MB were characterized by flexural tests and field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). The flexural tests were carried out at two different testing speeds, i.e. 5 mm/min and 50 mm/min. The flexural modulus of PS increased significantly with the addition of OMMT. This is due to the reinforcement and stiffness of the OMMT-layered silicates. It is interesting to note that the flexural modulus of PS/OMMT-MB was higher than that of both PS and montmorillonite masterbatch (OMMT-MB). This indicates that the dispersion of OMMT in the PS was better and more homogeneous by using the montmorillonite masterbatch approach.


It is commonly known that most applications suffer from security holes that are sooner or later exploited. One reason is that for developers the term "security" is difficult to grasp. Many security properties exist and there are many methods to enforce them or to avoid implementing common vulnerabilities in applications. Ontologies can help to get an overview of web security and to structure this domain by relating relevant assets, methods, tools, security properties, vulnerabilities and threats (referred to as knowledge objects). In this paper, we present a novel ontology with a focus on secure web applications, called SecWAO. It is based on the Context model of SecEval, which is a domain model tailored to describe knowledge objects. By providing an overview, SecWAO supports teaching purposes and web developers when specifying security requirements or making design decisions.


In this paper we propose a hybrid heuristic approach for public data delivery under ultra-large-scale smart-city settings. In this approach, public transportation vehicles are going into election process to be utilized as Mobile Couriers (MCs) that read public Access Points (APs) data loads and relay it back to a central processing base-station. We also introduce a cost-based fitness function for the MCs election in the smart-city project which forms a real implementation for the Internet of Things (IoT) paradigm. Our cost-based function considers mobile resource limitations in terms count, storage and energy. Extensive simulations are performed and the results confirm the effectiveness of the proposed approach in comparison to other heuristic approaches with identical objectives.


This review considers recent information that illuminates pathogenetic mechanisms that involve three of the major viral infections that cause renal injury in the form of HIV-associated nephropathy, polyoma virus nephropathy, and hepatitis C virus-associated glomerulonephritis.


We have used gluconate-limited chemostats to study selective differences between isogenic strains of Escherichia coli K12 into which four naturally occurring alleles coding for allozymes of 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (6PGD) had been transferred. The limit of detectability of selection with our procedures is a selection coefficient of 0.5%. In the normal E. coli K12 genetic background, all alleles are selectively neutral or nearly neutral. The absence of detectable selection does, however, depend on genetic background and on such environmental factors as cell density. In a genetic background containing a mutation that cuts off the alternative metabolic route for 6-phosphogluconate, selection between allozymes can be detected, and the selection is in the direction expected from the measured apparent Km values of the allozymes. Even when the alternative metabolic route is not blocked by mutation, one of the 6PGD allozymes has a detrimental, but density-dependent, interaction with a mutation conferring resistance to bacteriophage T5. In all cases, the observed selection is due to the allozymes themselves (or to associated regulatory elements), as the selection disappears when the chemostats are limited by a different carbon source (ribose plus succinate). Nevertheless, the four alleles do seem to be selectively neutral or nearly neutral in the normal E. coli K12 genetic background. Moreover, the distribution of allele frequencies in natural populations of E. coli is in accord with the expectations of selective neutrality.


BACKGROUND
Intravitreal triamcinolone injection (IVT) has become a treatment option for macular edema of heterogeneous etiology and neovascular retinal diseases including AMD. Besides the risk for a steroid-induced secondary open-angle glaucoma, the acute rise in intravitreal volume induces IOP elevations immediately after injection. To decrease the intravitreal volume a paracentesis is advocated by many surgeons. The aim of this study was to determine variations in IOP at different time points immediately after IVT in order to assess the necessity for routine paracentesis.

METHODS
The IOP was recorded by Goldmann applanation tonometry preoperatively, 10 minutes, 1, 3 and 24 hours after intravitreal injection of 0.1 mL (4 mg) triamcinolone. A consecutive series of 32 eyes of 32 patients with diabetic macular edema, diffuse edema after central vein occlusion or occult subfoveal choroidal neovascularization due to age-related macular degeneration was included. Statistical analysis was performed with ANOVA test and Bonferroni correction.

RESULTS
Compared to baseline (15.24 +/- 0.52 mm Hg) IOP was significantly elevated 10 min postoperatively (22.28 +/- 1.4 mmHg; p < 0.05). One hour after injection IOP decreased to 15.58 +/- 0.69 mmHg (p < 0.05). Three and 24 h after injection mean IOP was not significantly different from preoperative baseline levels. Immediately after IVT light perception was tested and retinal perfusion was evaluated by indirect ophthalmoscopy. In none of the patients was a paracentesis necessary.

CONCLUSION
Intravitreal injection of 0.1 mL triamcinolone led to a moderate transient rise in IOP. Based on these results, a routinely performed paracentesis immediately before or after IVT is not required. As paracentesis bears an additional risk including endophthalmitis it should only be considered if functional testing following injection indicates a relevant impairment of retinal perfusion.


The rocksalt transition-metal oxides whose He II UPS spectra are presented here have the same crystal structure but different cation d-electron configurations: Mn2+ is 3d5; Co2+ is 3d7; and Ni2+ is 3d8. There is currently a great deal of interest in the growth of thin films of these oxides, and it is important to determine the stoichiometry of such films. These UPS spectra are for ultrahigh vacuum-cleaved single-crystal surfaces having bulk stoichiometry. While interpretation of the spectra is complicated by final-state screening effects [V. E. Henrich and P. A. Cox, see The Surface Science of Metal Oxides (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1994)], the increase in the number of occupied 3d orbitals in going from MnO to NiO is clearly visible in the size of the peak at low binding energy (which is the 0 eV reference for the abscissa in the accompanying figure).


Perhaps understandably, most of the research undertaken into the growth of the South Wales coal and iron industries has concentrated on the major production areas such as Merthyr Tydfil. Llanelly parish, Breconshire, is situated to the north-east, at the very extremity of this industrial area, and has been largely ignored by historians. Yet, starting in the late eighteenth century, Llanelly parish underwent a rapid development owing to the expansion of the local iron industry, only for it to decline from around the middle of the nineteenth century. This study examines the demographic, economic, and social changes which the iron industry brought to this previously agricultural area, and the extent to which communities on the margin of the ironbelt were caught up in the industrial conflicts of the time. The thesis also investigates how this relatively small industrial settlement differed, if at all, from the larger industrial centres, and attempts to assess the consequences of the failure of the local ironworks in mid-century, by comparing the experiences of communities in the parish with those communities which continued to grow. Internal to the parish, the thesis also proffers reasons as to why some settlements never developed into proper townships, whereas others, most notably the town of Brynmawr, made that transition successfully.


abstract
 Conceptual metaphor research has benefited from advances in discourse analytic and corpus linguistic methodologies over the years, especially given recent developments with Natural Language Processing (NLP) technologies. Such technologies are now capable of identifying metaphoric expressions across large bodies of text. Here we focus on how one particular analytic tool, MetaNet, can be used to study everyday discourse about personal and social problems, in particular, poverty and cancer, by leveraging reusable networks of primary metaphors enhanced with specific metaphor subcases. We discuss the advantages of this approach in allowing us to gain valuable insights into cross-linguistic metaphor commonalities and variation. To demonstrate its utility, we analyze corpus data from English and Spanish.


A demand clean and renewable energy through the use of submerged turbines. Using this new source of energy we can grow the production of electrical energy in a sustainable way. This paper presents the simulation of maritime currents using a wind tunnel which allows the comparison of speed variations of water compared to air. It also features a brake system that uses a magnetic sensor in real time using the wavelets. As an example, it can be the ones mentioned concerning the feedback control system applied in a brand WEG motor of 100 hp with 2 poles 3500rpm rotation. Using software tools, the Acquired data are post-processed.


Using coupled dynamic substance flow and environmental fate models, CiP-CAFE and BETR-Global, we investigated whether the degradation of side-chain fluorotelomer-based polymers (FTPs), mostly in waste stocks (i.e., landfills and dumps), serves as a long-term source of fluorotelomer alcohols (FTOHs) and perfluoroalkyl carboxylates (PFCAs) to the global environment. The modeling results indicate that, in the wake of the worldwide transition from long-chain to short-chain products, in-use stocks of C8 FTPs will peak and decline afterward, while the in-use stocks of C6 FTPs, and the waste stocks of both FTPs will generally grow. FTP degradation in waste stocks is making an increasing contribution to FTOH generation, the bulk of which readily migrates from waste stocks and degrades into PFCAs in the environment; the remaining part of the generated FTOHs degrade in waste stocks, which makes those stocks reservoirs that slowly release PFCAs into the environment over the long run because of the low leaching rate and extreme persistence of PFCAs. Short-chain FTPs have higher relative release rates of PFCAs from waste stocks than long-chain ones. Estimates of in-use and waste stocks of FTPs were more sensitive to the selected lifespan of finished products, while those of the emissions of FTOHs and PFCAs were more sensitive to the degradation half-life of FTPs in waste stocks. Our preliminary calculations highlight the need for environmentally sound management of obsolete FTP-containing products into the foreseeable future.


In 1994 and 1995 a remapping of 80 plant species of interest has been carried out in the marsh and fen nature reserve De Wieden (province of Overijssel). Species were mapped in a grid of 100m by 100m squares. Their occurrence and distribution were compared to those of the preceding mapping, which took place in 1982 and 1983. A number of marsh species ( Calla palustris, Hottonia palustris, Myriophyllum verticillatum, Ranunculus lingua and Stratiotes aloides) have increased, possibly due to a different management of the ditches. The Berne-Convention species Liparis loeselii was found in 104 (against 41) plots, probably a real increase. Within quagfens, Carex pulicaris, Cladium mariscus, Dactylorhiza incarnata and Scorpidium scorpioides have decreased. Hammarbya paludosa and Linum catharticum, which were observed in very low numbers in the first mapping, have not been found again. Other species have increased, probably because they profit by special management measures such as removing off the top-layer of acidified reed-lands and digging of ditches: Carex buxbaumii, Parnassia palustris, Pedicularis palustris, Sparganium natans, and Utricularia intermedia. In the hayfields Carex echinata and Juncus filiformis have increased due to acidification, while Cirsium dissectum has decreased.


Beyond surveys on racist prejudices there are always underlying assumptions about what are the worsening factors of rejection. The influence of these presuppositions on interpreting the results only comes up when an alternative approach is introduced. lt would seem that national traditions do have a role to play in this: the Anglo-Saxon approach of the Chicago School is marked by pragmatic interests on the mechanisms of rejection by racist motives. Especially the negative image of a Black person occupies a central methodological role. Elsewhere, within the Durkheimian tradition of French sociology; neither "race '' nor "ethnicity" has been accepted as the basic constructive unit of society. In other words, the ultimate source of social cohesion - and exciusion - cannot be reduced to an issue of "ethnic relations ". Therefore it is not enough to fix ones interest on measuring negative ''ethnic attitudes" and rejection without paying attention to the coexisting mechanisms of inclusion. The approach briefly introduced in this article stems from the Durkheimian tradition of sociology and anthropology of viewing the integration of immigrants as a gradual process towards assimilation or isolation, eventually segregation. The Durkheimian preference on assimilation is not understood within the Anglo-Saxon tradition of research which gives priority to respecting ethnic differences. As a new recipient country of immigrants from the Third World, Finland pro vides an example where the prospects of integration of immigrants at times show contradictory tendencies depending on what is examined: integration to the labour market may be difficult but there seems to exist no equivalent obstacle in Finnish attitudes towards intermarriage. The prospects of integration of stigmatised minorities is therefore also a matter of an ideological perspective.


Background: Approximately 2% of the human core promoter short tandem repeats (STRs) reach lengths of ≥6 repeats, which may in part be a result of adaptive evolutionary processes and natural selection. A single-exon transcript of the human nescient helix loop helix 2 (NHLH2) gene is flanked by the longest CA-repeat detected in a human protein-coding gene core promoter (Ensembl transcript ID: ENST00000369506.1). NHLH2 is involved in several biological and pathological pathways, such as motivated exercise, obesity, and diabetes. Methods: The allele and genotype distribution of the NHLH2 CA-repeat were investigated by sequencing in 655 Iranian subjects, consisting of late-onset neurocognitive disorder (NCD) as a clinical entity (n = 290) and matched controls (n = 365). The evolutionary trend of the CA-repeat was also studied across vertebrates. Results: The allele range was between 9 and 25 repeats in the NCD cases, and 12 and 24 repeats in the controls. At the frequency of 0.56, the 21-repeat allele was the predominant allele in the controls. While the 21-repeat was also the predominant allele in the NCD patients, we detected significant decline of the frequency (p < 0.0001) and homozygosity (p < 0.006) of this allele in this group. Furthermore, 12 genotypes were detected across 16 patients (5.5% of the entire NCD sample) and not in the controls (disease-only genotypes; p < 0.0003), consisting of at least one extreme allele. The extreme alleles were at 9, 12, 13, 18, and 19 repeats (extreme short end), and 23, 24, and 25 repeats (extreme long end), and their frequencies ranged between 0.001 and 0.04. The frequency of the 21-repeat allele significantly dropped to 0.09 in the disease-only genotype compartment (p < 0.0001). Evolutionarily, while the maximum length of the NHLH2 CA-repeat was 11 repeats in non-primates, this CA-repeat was ≥14 repeats in primates and reached maximum length in human. Conclusion: We propose a novel locus for late-onset NCD at the NHLH2 core promoter exceptionally long CA-STR and natural selection at this locus. Furthermore, there was indication of genotypes at this locus that unambiguously linked to late-onset NCD. This is the first instance of natural selection in favor of a predominantly abundant STR allele in human and its differential distribution in late-onset NCD.


For the purpose of exploring the long-term variation of regional SST, this paper studies the historical SST in local sea areas and the emission pattern of greenhouse gases and proposes a gray model of regional SST based on atmospheric reflection which can be used to predict SST variation in a long time span. By studying the grey systematic relationship between historical SST data, the model obtains the development law of temperature change, and furtherintroduces different future greenhouse gas emission scenarios as the index coefficient to determine the corresponding changing results of seawater temperature in the next 50 years. Taking the North Atlantic Ocean as an example, the cosine similarity test method is used to verify the model proposed in this paper, and its accuracy is as high as 0.99984. The model predicts that the local SST could reach a maximum of 15.3°C by 2070. This model is easy to calculate, with advantages of the high accuracy and good robustness.


. In this work we propose a deep adaptive sampling (DAS) method for solving partial differential equations (PDEs), where deep neural networks are utilized to approximate the solutions of PDEs and deep generative models are employed to generate new collocation points that refine the training set. The overall procedure of DAS consists of two components: solving the PDEs by minimizing the residual loss on the collocation points in the training set and generating a new training set to further improve the accuracy of current approximate solution. In particular, we treat the residual as a probability density function and approximate it with a deep generative model, called KRnet. The new samples from KRnet are consistent with the distribution induced by the residual, i.e., more samples are located in the region of large residual and less samples are located in the region of small residual. Analogous to classical adaptive methods such as the adaptive finite element, KRnet acts as an error indicator that guides the refinement of the training set. Compared to the neural network approximation obtained with uniformly distributed collocation points, the developed algorithms can significantly improve the accuracy, especially for low regularity and high-dimensional problems. We present a theoretical analysis to show that the proposed DAS method can reduce the error bound and demonstrate its effectiveness with numerical experiments.


Molecular dynamics studies of the temperature dependent properties of copper have been carried out. The constant pressure and constant temperature (NPT) MD method has been used together with the Finnis-Sinclair many-body potential. On the basis only of the room temperature properties the behaviour of solid and liquid copper over wide temperature range have been simulated and compared with experiment.


Research has shown that disentangling surface and illuminant colors was possible based on various scene statistics. This study investigates the statistical cues induced by the chromatic effects of interreflections. We present a numerical analysis of ambiguous spectral pairs, in which the spectral power distribution of the illuminant in one scene matched the surface reflectance function in the other scene and vice versa. If the scenes are flat or convex and perfectly matte (Lambertian), the reflected light spectra of both cases are identical. However, the incident light undergoes interreflections for concave scenes. The spectral power of interreflections will be absorbed spectrally in an exponential way, dependent on the number of interreflections. We found that this causes systematic shifts towards the spectral reflectance peaks, resulting in brightness, saturation and hue shifts. Those paired cases' color differences (CIEDE2000) are so large that humans would be able to observe them if viewed simultaneously. In addition, we find that the color shifts cause qualitatively different gradients for chromatic materials and achromatic light and vice versa. Further psychophysical testing is necessary to see whether the different color shifts for the two cases can be recognized in isolation due to material or light properties. Moreover, the light densities and light vectors are spectrally different for these cases, creating different appearances of 3D objects in non-empty rooms.


Background Constable Care Child Safety Foundation delivers performance-education programmes to children aged 2–13 years in primary schools and early learning centres throughout metropolitan, regional and remote Western Australia, a 2.5 million sq km area 3.5 times the size of Texas. Covering issues in child safety, crime prevention and citizenship, the organisation works with over 150 000 children each year in a joint government and community funded early intervention programme aimed at increasing knowledge and changing attitudes and behaviours. Over its 23 year history the organisation has provided theatre-in-education programmes for over 2 million children, including children in very remote indigenous communities in Western Australia and the Northern Territory. Purpose Education research supports the effectiveness of theatre-in-education as a tool for teaching children about personal safety issues. Delivering protective behaviours, road safety and violence prevention interactive programmes, the organisation invests in best-practice approaches to content development, performance methodology and outcome measurement. Method Constable Care's sustainable funding model mixes national, state and local government recurrent and project funding with corporate sponsorship, philanthropic donations and fee for service activity. Educational themes are determined by schools and local government partners through ongoing consultation processes, with local safety and school issues given priority. A mix of puppet theatre, drama and interactive question and answer sessions cater for younger and older learners. Outcome Over time the organisation has amassed a database of teacher feedback in relation to the perceived efficacy of the programme. Data indicates that teachers view the programme as being of considerable value in raising children's awareness of safety issues. In 2011 the organisation formed a research partnership with a WA university to design and collect ongoing pre–post survey data from participant children to evaluate changes in knowledge, attitude and behavioural intent. Initial findings from this process, although still in its early stages, indicate that the programme has impact for the children involved. Significance The Constable Care model demonstrates a sustainable government-community-NGO partnership that delivers effective and evaluated child safety theatre-in-education programmes responsive to changing local community safety priorities and school needs.


Acute inflammation triggers the innate immune response of neutrophils that efficiently traffic from the blood stream to concentrate at high numbers at the site of tissue infection or wounding. A gatekeeper in this process is activation of β2-integrins, which forms bond clusters with ICAM-1 on the endothelial surface. These bond clusters serve dual functions of providing adhesive strength to anchor neutrophils under the shear forces of blood flow and directional guidance for cell polarization and subsequent transmigration on inflamed endothelium. We hypothesized that shear forces transmitted through high affinity LFA-1 facilitates their cooperation with the calcium release activated channel (CRAC) Orai1 in directing localized cytoskeletal activation and directed migration. Employing vascular mimetic microfluidic channels we observed neutrophils arresting on a substrate of either ICAM-1 or allosteric antibodies that stabilize a high or low affinity conformation of LFA-1. Neutrophils captured via low affinity LFA-1 did not exhibit intracellular calcium flux, F-actin polymerization, cell polarization, or directional migration under shear flow. In contrast, high affinity LFA-1 provided orientation along a uropod-pseudopod axis that required calcium flux through Orai1. We demonstrate how the shear stress of blood flow can transduce distinct outside-in signals at focal sites of high affinity LFA-1 that provides contact mediated guidance for neutrophil emigration.


Plant extracts from Cecropia genus have been used by Latin-American traditional medicine to treat metabolic disorders and diabetes. Previous reports have shown that roots of Cecropia telenitida that contains serjanic acid as one of the most prominent and representative pentacyclic triterpenes. The study aimed to isolate serjanic acid and evaluate its effect in a prediabetic murine model by oral administration. A semi-pilot scale extraction was established and serjanic acid purification was followed using direct MALDI-TOF analysis. A diet induced obesity mouse model was used to determine the impact of serjanic acid over selected immunometabolic markers. Mice treated with serjanic acid showed decreased levels of cholesterol and triacylglycerols, increased blood insulin levels, decreased fasting blood glucose and improved glucose tolerance, and insulin sensitivity. At transcriptional level, the reduction of inflammation markers related to adipocyte differentiation is reported.


Effective altruism is committed to Altruistic Maximization – the claim that any impact of giving to charities ought to be maximized at the margins and counterfactually. This may lead to counterintuitive or contradictory conclusions in certain cases. For instance, when we can bring about a substantial benefit to few or a tiny benefit to a larger number at the same cost, spreading of benefits across a great number of recipients can compensate substantial loss for fewer people. However, sometimes the perspective of widely spreading tiny benefits instead than giving substantial benefits to small groups is counterintuitive, and repugnantly wrong. Call this the 'Altruistic Repugnant Conclusion.' Standard solutions to the Repugnant Conclusion do not work if applied to the Altruistic Repugnant Conclusion. The Altruistic Repugnant Conclusion can be rebutted by giving up on the idea that judgements on such cases should be precise. But imprecision undermines Altruistic Maximization. Hence a dilemma for effective altruists follows: either they accept some strongly counterintuitive judgments—weakening the attractiveness of their position—or they give up on the maximizing requirement, thus admitting sub-optimal contributions. Gianfranco Pellegrino Libera Università Internazionale degli Studi Sociali Guido Carli Essays Philos (2017)18:1 | DOI: 10.7710/1526-0569.1579 Correspondence: email@example.com Essays in Philosophy Volume 18, Issue 1 Essays in Philosophy 2 | eP1579 Essays in Philosophy Introduction Recently, Theron Pummer claimed that, once you decided to donate to charities, you don't have the option of making sub-optimal donations.1 Defending this claim, he passingly noticed that "as many charitable causes are difficult to compare [...], there may be no best charities, but only an upper set of charities" (Pummer 2016, 85). In this paper, I shall explore this idea, and its consequences for effective altruism (EA). If Pummer is right, EA is in trouble, or so I argue. According to Peter Singer, EA is "based on a very simple idea: we should do the most good we can" with our altruistic resources. (Singer 2015, vii) Doing the most good we can is a matter of differential impact: we should make "the most difference", thereby having "the biggest positive impact." (Singer 2015, 118) EA's core tenet, then, may be put as follows: Effective Altruist Maximization (AM): We ought to do the most good we can, maximizing the impact of donating to charities on the margin and counterfactually —which means that among the available charities, the one that is most effective on the margin should be chosen.2 Singer notices that "doing the most good is a vague idea that raises many questions" (Singer 2015, 7). Some of the questions are not empirical, but questions of value. However, Singer rejects an obvious conclusion that may be derived from vagueness— i.e., that there is no objective answer to the question: "Where can I do the most good?". (Singer 2015, 117) Singer suggests that there are many cases where we can reasonably agree, and disagreement on the few puzzling cases will not undermine agreement on clearer cases.3 Moreover, as Singer points out, despite differences, effective altruists share some common principle. Effective altruists, Singer says, would all agree that a world with less suffering and more happiness in it is, other things being equal, better than one with more suffering and less happiness. Most would say that a world in which people live longer is, other things being equal, better than one in which people live shorter lives. (Singer 2015, 7) 1 See (Pummer 2016). 2 Effective altruist maximization is here framed in terms of marginal utility—in terms of the increase in utility brought about by a supplementary amount of money given to a charity. This is the meaning of the expression 'on the margin' in the main text. 3 See (Singer 2015a, 107). Pellegrino | Effective Altruism and the Altruistic Repugnant Conclusion commons.pacificu.edu/eip eP1579 | 3 The principles Singer mentions in this passage concern features—such as happiness, or the length of lives—which ought to be maximized. Spelling out such principles is a way to make EA less vague.4 But there are other features that any maximizing view of beneficent action should consider. For instance, the size of the benefits, but also the number of persons involved, or both.5 Indeed, AM comes in different versions, depending on the features to be maximized. An obvious contention is that effective altruists should decide which of these more specific versions of AM they endorse—this is part of making EA less vague. A less obvious claim is that none of the more easily predictable specific versions of AM are entirely satisfactory, and that further work needs to be done in trying to articulate more precisely EA's main core. In this paper, I shall try to substantiate this less obvious view. The paper's main claims are the following. Sometimes, we can either spread tiny benefits across large numbers or give more substantial benefits to smaller groups at the same cost. If numbers are large enough, the first option seems obviously better. In virtue of the same logic, assuming that the cost remains the same, spreading minuscule benefits to immensely large groups should be better than giving a substantial benefit to very small numbers, or to individuals. However, often this conclusion seems counterintuitive, and repugnantly wrong. I call this the Altruistic Repugnant Conclusion (ARC)—a version of the standard Repugnant Conclusion (RC). Standard solutions to RC do not apply to ARC. Only one solution holds: giving up precision in comparisons. But this solution undermines AM. If we cannot precisely compare the impact of different charities, we cannot be required to maximize our donations. The paper develops as follows. In §2, I lay out the specific principles upon which Singer and other effective altruists may suggest that certain charitable options are better than others. In §3, I show that the most convincing interpretation of AM leads to ARC.6 In §4, I consider some ways to dismiss ARC, and rebut all of them. § 5 concludes. 4 However, once these principles are endorsed, EA can be thicker than without them, thereby diminishing its appeal to a wide audience. For the difference between thick and thin versions of EA, see (Gabriel 2016, 2). 5 Cp. (Stark 2008). 6 On RC, see (Arrhenius, Ryberg, and Tannsjo 2014; Parfit 1984, 388; Sidgwick 1907, 418; Broad 1930, 249–50; McTaggart 1927, 452–3; Narveson 1967; Parfit 2016). There are many different versions of RC; see for instance (Arrhenius 2009). Here, I am not considering the differences, if any, between the original RC and these variations of it, and between them and ARC; nor do I consider the possible implications, if any, of these differences. Volume 18, Issue 1 Essays in Philosophy 4 | eP1579 Essays in Philosophy Going across cases and principles Much of The Most Good You Can Do is a discussion of possible alternative charitable actions.7 The main argumentative strategy is to show that one of two alternative actions is strikingly more effective than the other, notwithstanding appearances or intuitions to the contrary. In this section, I shall focus on some of these cases, in order to elaborate the principles of distribution that Singer might presuppose.8 Consider Giving directly: You have $1,000 and you wish to give this amount to a poor family. You can either A. give it to an American poor family; or B. give it to an impoverished African family.9 Singer suggests to choose B. Here his reasoning: The American poor family is very likely to be already receiving aid from the government or domestic charities. Perhaps this aid is not "enough to raise [this family] out of poverty". However, the African family is very likely to get nothing from the government or fellow-citizens, and it remains in a much more impoverished context. Accordingly, "the cost of making a lasting, positive difference to the life of a poor American is far higher than the cost of making such a difference to the life of someone who is poor by global standards". (Singer 2015, 114, 115) Also, it seems highly plausible that the benefit that the American family will get from an additional $1000 is smaller than the benefit the African family might get. Hence, it is most effective to give money to the African family.10 7 This seems to be a constant of the—still rare—scholarship on EA. Like Singer's The Most Good You Can Do, William MacAskill's Doing Good Better is replete with cases and discussions of them. See also (Pummer 2016; Gabriel 2016; Carey 2015). 8 Singer's treatment of these cases is discursive and extended. I myself shall paraphrase it in a sketchier way, for the sake of shortness and in order to provide a comparative view of the various cases. References to Singer's passages will be given in the main text or in footnotes. Also, I am employing the figures about costs that Singer uses in The Most Good You Can Do. Nothing hinges on the choice of these figures. 9 See (Singer 2015, 114, 115). 10 This is an application of the law of diminishing marginal returns: the same sum of money yields different benefits depending on the well-being level of the recipient. Thus, ceteris paribus, the worse off the recipient, the greater the benefit. On EA and the law of diminishing marginal returns, see (MacAskill 2015). Pellegrino | Effective Altruism and the Altruistic Repugnant Conclusion commons.pacificu.edu/eip eP1579 | 5 In Giving directly, the comparison concerns differently sized benefits to be distributed to the same number of people. EA dictates choosing the option where the benefit has the greatest size—which is an obvious suggestion. The same suggestion might be given when different numbers of people are involved. Consider: Dog vs. preventing blindness: You have $40,000 to donate to the best cause you can find. You can either A. supply one blind person in the United States with


L-arginine and its derivatives, asymmetric and symmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA and SDMA) and L-homoarginine, have emerged as cardiovascular biomarkers linked to cardiovascular outcomes and various metabolic and functional pathways such as NO-mediated endothelial function. Cellular uptake and efflux of L-arginine and its derivatives are facilitated by transport proteins. In this respect the cationic amino acid transporters CAT1 and CAT2 (SLC7A1 and SLC7A2) and the system y+L amino acid transporters (SLC7A6 and SLC7A7) have been most extensively investigated, so far, but the number of transporters shown to mediate the transport of L-arginine and its derivatives is constantly increasing. In the present review we assess the growing body of evidence regarding the function, expression, and clinical relevance of these transporters and their possible relation to cardiovascular diseases.


Material properties pertaining to the physical phenomena of mass transport in concrete are important for the durability of concrete structures, and they can ultimately be derived from material heterogeneities found at different subscales. On the mesoscale level, these heterogeneities are mainly characterized by the presence of embedded aggregates in the cement paste, together with cracks. This thesis concerns modelling of moisture and chloride transport in concrete, where the mesoscale heterogeneities are explicitly accounted for by means of geometrical and constitutive descriptions along with computational homogenization. The objective of this work was to numerically study how the heterogeneous and random mesoscale composition of concrete influence the homogeneous transport properties on the macroscale. This objective was ultimately met by the development of twoand three-dimensional Statistical Volume Elements (SVEs) of mesoscale concrete, which are geometrical representations of the material morphology. The developed SVEs contained the mesoscale constituents cement paste, aggregates and the highly porous interface material—the so-called Interfacial Transition Zone (ITZ)—which has important implications on the macroscale behaviour of concrete, both in terms of mass transport and deformational characteristics. The SVEs were employed numerically using the the finite element method (FEM) to simulate mass transport—for both stationary and transient conditions—in order to compute macroscale diffusivities. Computations were carried out for various volume fractions of aggregates in the SVEs and for different diffusivities in the ITZ. For stationary conditions, the decrease in macroscale diffusivity attributed to increased volume fraction of aggregates was numerically determined. By use of the ITZ, the magnitude of this decrease in macroscale diffusivity could readily be controlled and altered. The influence of cracks on the macroscale diffusivity was also modelled and numerically evaluated. The numerical simulations showed that the macroscale diffusivity became anisotropic due to cracks and that the macroscale diffusivity rapidly increased in magnitude once cracks had begun to develop in the SVE. This work forms a base for further modelling of the influence of mesoscale composition and cracking on the diffusivity of concrete, which has important implications for the durability of concrete structures.


Abstract Background: Studies that considered apolipoprotein B (APOB) gene polymorphisms as risk factors for coronary artery disease (CAD) have reported conflicting results. We sought to analyze the association between 5′ ins/del and 3′ VNTR polymorphisms of APOB, lipid parameters and CAD risk. Methods: We recruited 251 patients with CAD, documented by coronary angiography, and 94 controls. Genotyping was performed by PCR. Lipids and apolipoproteins were measured. Results: 5′ ins/del (ins/ins, ins/del, del/del) and 3′ VNTR (LL, SS, LS) polymorphism frequencies were significantly (p<0.05) different between controls and CAD patients. LL and del/del were significantly associated with higher levels of apolipoprotein B (apoB), total cholesterol/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio and apoB/apoA-I ratio (p<0.05) and with increased risk of CAD. The odds ratio for significant coronary stenosis associated with del/del was 3.2 (95% CI 1.6–36.42) (p=0.032) and with LL was 2.2 (95% CI 1.1–5.1) (p=0.042). Conclusions: The two polymorphisms exert an impact on lipid levels and contribute to the susceptibility to the development of CAD. Clin Chem Lab Med 2008;46:329–34.


High-efficiency white organic light-emitting diodes (WOLEDs) were fabricated with two emissive layers and an exciton blocking layer (EBL) was sandwiched between two phosphorescent dyes, bis(3,5-difluoro-2-(2-pyridyl)phenyl-(2-carboxypyridyl) iridium III (Flrpic) as the blue emission and iridium(III) bis(5-acetyl-2-phenylpyridinato-N,C2') acetylacetonate ((acppy)2Ir(acac)) as the red emission. This EBL effectively prevented a triple-triple energy transfer between the two phosphorescent emissive layers with blue and red emission. The white device showed Commission Internationale De L'Eclairage (CIE(x, y)) coordinates of (0.33, 0.42) at 22400 cd/m2, a maximum luminance of 27300 cd/m2 at 13.2 V, and a maximum luminous efficiency of 26.9 cd/A.


Given the multidimensional transformation taking place in the Arctic, it is timely to redefine and develop Poland's engagement in the region. Although Poland has neither vital nor direct political and economic interests in the Arctic, the state's multi-faceted involvement in international cooperation in that region may improve national security as well as enhance Poland's international standing, especially in the EU, European and transatlantic dimensions. A clearly defined and comprehensive Arctic policy should be the foundation for further Polish engagement in the region. How this policy should look may be determined on the basis of the previous achievements, current potential, and identification of key rationales and of the areas for future activities.


Background: Epidemiological studies conducted among atomic bomb (A-bomb) survivors by the Radiation Effects Research Foundation (RERF) have indicated a significant radiation-dose-dependent increase in risks of certain cancers among survivors. The mechanisms for different organ susceptibilities to radiation have remained unclear. Epidemiological and biological data show that colorectal cancer (CRC) risk factors may vary by anatomic subsite. We categorized CRC into two subtypes: Proximal colon cancer (cecum, ascending colon, and transverse colon) and distal CRC (descending colon, sigmoid colon, rectosigmoid junction, and rectum). CD14 is known to enhance the inflammatory response in the colorectum by acting as a co-receptor to detect bacterial lipopolysaccharide and activating the production of inflammatory cytokine. In this study, we examined the association between polymorphisms of the cytokine CD14 gene and risks of CRC subtypes. Methods: We analyzed the follow-up data from the RERF Immunogenome Study Cohort of 4,673 A-bomb survivors at the baseline covering 1981-2005: a total of 222 CRC cases, comprising 81 proximal colon cancer cases and 131 distal CRC cases. We focused on the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the 5′-untranstated region of CD14 (CD14-C/A) and genotyped all cohort subjects. Relative risks (RRs) for CRC and subtypes were estimated. Results: RRs of all-subtypes-combined CRC or either of the subtypes significantly increased with increasing radiation dose. When dividing the subjects into 2 groups by genotypes (CD14-A/A homozygote and CD14-C/C homozygote combined with CD14-C/A heterozygote), A-bomb survivors with CD14-A/A homozygote revealed significantly higher RRs of all-subtype-combined CRC (1.52, 95%CI: 1.15-2.01) and distal CRC (1.76, 95% CI: 1.21-2.57) than those with CD14-C/C homozygote combined with CD14-C/A heterozygote. However, there was no significant difference between 2 genotype groups in proximal colon cancer (RR=1.24, 95% CI: 0.79-1.95). When categorizing radiation dose into 3 levels ( 700 mGy), A-bomb survivors with CD14-A/A who were exposed to the highest radiation dose (>700 mGy) were at significantly higher risk of all-subtype-combined CRC (RR=2.53, 95%CI: 1.58-4.04) and distal CRC (RR=3.26, 95%CI: 1.71-6.23) than "non-exposed" survivors with CD14-C/C combined with CD14-C/A. Conclusion: These results suggest the potential involvement of a CD14-mediated inflammatory response in the development of radiation-associated CRC, specifically distal CRC, but not proximal colon cancer, among A-bomb survivors. This possibly contributes to the different susceptibilities of the proximal colon and distal colorectum to radiation exposure. Citation Format: Yiqun Hu, Kengo Yoshida, Junko Kajimura, Seishi Kyoizumi, Yoichiro Kusunoki, John Cologne, Waka Ohishi, Ikue Hayashi, Kei Nakachi, Tomonori Hayashi. CD14 gene polymorphisms associated with development of colorectal cancer subtypes among atomic bomb survivors in Japan. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 2199. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-2199


George Grant argues that modern innovations in technology are delineated by what he terms 'the co-penetration of art and science', which disposes their rational methods towards the satisfaction of while in a purported 'spirit of creativity'. Though such a spirit has provided many benefits, a natural worry arises as to what may be justified, morally, within the parameters of such creativity. For Grant, such skepticism is well-founded as the gradual expansion of technology is co-measure with 'demythologization', that is, the loss of any sense of objective, transcendent purpose. Noting how this worrying trend invites a dangerous premise of making human life subordinate to such creative drives, Grant asserts that the highly individualistic nature of modern technological thinking ultimately challenges the idea of human dignity itself. However, in his Thinking Like a Mall, Steven Vogel argues for the non-existence of nature by attempting to demonstrate that the entire world is simply the result of Man's artifice. Labelling such projects as technological, Vogel goes on to say that each technology's 'wildness' prevents it from being absorbed into projects of mastery, negating concerns that technology will attempt to master human nature. Yet in presenting Grant's historical examination of the idea of technology, particularly as it relates to the ideas of 'progress' and Nietzsche's critique of the same, I will argue that Vogel's view of technology is ultimately inadequate as it does not satisfactorily what Grant identifies as the novelty of current technological thinking, which relates to the profound lack of a 'myth' to contextualize our moral decision making in modern technological thinking. Rather, Vogel's account is rather static inasmuch as it equivocates technology with artifacts and does not pay adequate attention to how the idea of technology has developed, particularly in recent history. As such, Vogel's moral program fails to address the issues that Grant raises, and thus reinscribes the most harmful aspects of technological thinking.


Abstract Among 300 Jewish sojourner youth (age range: 15–18 years) from the Russian Federation, the authors investigated associations of acculturation attitudes, measures of sociocultural adjustment, and length of the encounter with the host society, Israel. All the youth were participating in a 1-3-year program of high school studies in Israel. In the light of J. W. Berry's (1997) acculturation model, the authors examined the assumptions that the participants' adjustment to Israeli society would require readiness to abandon some of their previous identity and to adopt elements of a new identity characteristic of the host society. Lower degrees of separation and higher degrees of integration were positively linked with measures of sociocultural adjustment. The adjustment scores tended to decrease over time spent in Israel.


Bismuth sodium titanate, Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3 (BNT), is a promising lead-free ferroelectric material. However, its potential applications have not been fully explored, mainly because of the complex domain structure arising from its intricate phase transitions. A deep and thorough study of its domain structure and polarization switching behavior will greatly help with understanding the polarization nature and with promoting future applications. In this work, we demonstrate that BNT polycrystalline films possess a highly ordered out-of-plane polarization (self-polarization) and randomly oriented in-plane polarizations. Interestingly, the inherent nature of polarization in the BNT films does not allow for the nonvolatile domain writing, as the switched polarization spontaneously and rapidly reverses to the initial orientation state once the external poling electric field is removed, making the self-polarization recoverable. Such a stable self-polarization vanishes gradually with temperature increasing over 150 °C but starts to recover to its initial state upon cooling down to 250 °C, and entirely recovers once the temperature is reduced to below 200 °C. Such interesting properties of BNT films are attributed to the combined effects of the free charges at the Pt electrode, (detected) cation vacancies at the oxide/Pt interface and the defects in oxide lattices. Our results make a step closer to fully understand the nature of polarization and related piezoelectricity in BNT. Such films with recoverable self-polarization are of great interest for applications as sensors, actuators, and transducers that can operate particularly under high temperatures and high electric field conditions.


We use robust nonlinear regression techniques to estimate the separation, brightness ratio, and orientation of binary stars. We perform the regression by fitting a binary-star model to a measurement of the object complex visibility obtained from infrared speckle data. Examination of χ2 for subplanes of the parameter range provides predictions of the accuracy required in the initial guesses at the parameters. We use the predictions to design an effective global search. The results of the global least-squares fit provide the necessary starting point for the robust regression. Using observational data, we show the robust regression solution to be superior to the conventional least-squares solution.


This article concerns on nationalism that was within repatrian Suriname in 1947 and 1954. It was known as the "Mulih Njowo" Movement. The movement arouse due to various factors experienced by the contracted Javanese laborers in Suriname. One of those factors was nationalism. The existence of Javanese in Suriname was triggered by the policy of the Dutch Government, and as a process of diaspora. They migrated to a new place (Suriname), and interacted with the people there. However, they still had bonding emotion with Java. The movemnt's participants felt close with their homeland, local traditions and also the official authorities in the region. It is found that Mulih Njowo Movement in 1947 and 1954 motivated by several factors; disappointment a nd discrimination from the Dutch Government; a hard life in Suriname; so ci al status; unfair treat ment by plantation overseer; stronger sense of nationalism; sense of belonging to Java Island which raises a yearning for the homeland, and a desire to build Indonesia as a new independent country.


This paper aims to develop a numerical methodology to investigate the penetration process of nanoneedles into cells and the corresponding force and indentation length. The finite element approach via the explicit dynamic method handles convergence difficulties in the nonlinear phenomenon. The cell is modeled as an isotropic elastic hemiellipsoidal shell with a thickness of 200 nm, which represents the lipid membrane and actin cortex, encapsulating cytoplasm that is regarded as an Eulerian body because of its fluid‐type behavior. Nanoneedles with diameters 400, 200, and 50 nm are considered for model development based on available experimental data. The Von Mises strain failure criterion is used for rupture detection. A parameter study using 1, 2.5, 5, 7.5, and 10 kPa shows that Young's modulus of the HeLa cell membrane is about 5 kPa. Moreover, a failure strain of 1.2 chosen among 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, 1, and 1.2 matches best the experimental data. In addition, a diameter study shows that the relations between force‐diameter and indentation length‐diameter are linear and polynomial, respectively. Furthermore, regarding the experimental data and by using contour of minimum principal stress around needle and an analytical equation for calculation of buckling force of a woven fabric, we proposed that for a given cell, membrane structural stability—a function of the coupled effect of Young's modulus and actin meshwork size—contributes directly to needle insertion success rate for that type of cell.


A theory of neural networks (NNs) built upon collective variables would provide scientists with the tools to better understand the learning process at every stage. In this work, we introduce two such variables, the entropy and the trace of the empirical neural tangent kernel (NTK) built on the training data passed to the model. We empirically analyze the NN performance in the context of these variables and find that there exists correlation between the starting entropy, the trace of the NTK, and the generalization of the model computed after training is complete. This framework is then applied to the problem of optimal data selection for the training of NNs. To this end, random network distillation (RND) is used as a means of selecting training data which is then compared with random selection of data. It is shown that not only does RND select data-sets capable of outperforming random selection, but that the collective variables associated with the RND data-sets are larger than those of the randomly selected sets. The results of this investigation provide a stable ground from which the selection of data for NN training can be driven by this phenomenological framework.


The spacing effect refers to the commonly observed phenomenon that memory for spaced repetitions is better than for massed repetitions. In the present study, we examined this effect in students' memory for a lengthy expository text. Participants read the text twice, either in immediate succession (massed repetition), with a 4-day interstudy interval (spaced short), or with a 3.5-weeks interstudy interval (spaced long). Two days after the second study trial, all participants were tested. The results demonstrated that students in the spaced-short condition remembered more of the content than those in the massed condition. By contrast, students in the spaced-long condition remembered as much as students in the massed condition. These results were interpreted in terms of a theoretical framework, which combines mechanisms of encoding variability and study-phase retrieval to account for the spacing effect. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


When the Covid-19 pandemic struck, the world was unprepared for the magnitude of effects that followed. The entire outbreak shook all countries, and governments, world leaders, and health professionals are trying to stop the health crisis. Politicians, celebrities, and especially the United Nations Goodwill Ambassadors have spoken out about issues related to the pandemic. However, studies on this particular subject remain in its infancy. To fill the literature gap, the current paper applies a corpus analysis to examine the patterns in news articles citing celebrities UN Goodwill Ambassadors as they are discussing the Covid-19 pandemic. As this paper is interested in collecting all reports published during the pandemic times, the timeline is set from 2020 up to 2022. The findings suggest that there are at least three main messages reflected in news articles citing celebrities UN Goodwill Ambassadors, namely the impacts of the pandemic, measures to overcome the global health crisis, and the importance of donations. This study sheds light on how celebrity diplomats continue to shape their roles in international communities by leveraging their influence as public figures.


Recent Global Positioning System observations of major earthquakes such as the 2014 Chile megathrust show a slow preslip phase releasing a significant portion of the total moment (Ruiz et al., 2014, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1256074). Despite advances from theoretical stability analysis (Rubin & Ampuero, 2005, https://doi.org/10.1029/2005JB003686; Ruina, 1983, https://doi.org/10.1029/jb088ib12p10359) and modeling (Kaneko et al., 2017, https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GL071569), it is not fully understood what controls the prevalence and the amount of slip in the nucleation process. Here we present laboratory observations of slow slip preceding dynamic rupture, where we observe a dependence of nucleation size and position on the loading rate (laboratory equivalent of tectonic loading rate). The setup is composed of two polycarbonate plates under direct shear with a 30‐cm long slip interface. The results of our laboratory experiments are in agreement with the preslip model outlined by Ellsworth and Beroza (1995, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.268.5212.851) and observed in laboratory experiments (Latour et al., 2013, https://doi.org/10.1002/grl.50974; Nielsen et al., 2010, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-246x.2009.04444.x; Ohnaka & Kuwahara, 1990, https://doi.org/10.1016/0040-1951(90)90138-X), which show a slow slip followed by an acceleration up to dynamic rupture velocity. However, further complexity arises from the effect of (1) rate of shear loading and (2) inhomogeneities on the fault surface. In particular, we show that when the loading rate is increased from 10−2 to 6 MPa/s, the nucleation length can shrink by a factor of 3, and the rupture nucleates consistently on higher shear stress areas. The nucleation lengths measured fall within the range of the theoretical limits Lb and L∞ derived by Rubin and Ampuero (2005, https://doi.org/10.1029/2005JB003686) for rate‐and‐state friction laws.


Topoisomerase inhibitors comprise an important group of agents that is used in cancer treatment. Because the development of resistance to cancer chemotherapeutic agents represents a major limitation of cancer chemotherapy, we investigated the mechanism of resistance by murine P388 leukemia to camptothecin (topoisomerase I inhibitor) or amsacrine (topoisomerase II inhibitor). The resistant cells contained reduced levels of topoisomerase activity and messenger RNA. The topoisomerase gene of these cells was rearranged (only in one allele) and hypermethylated. These topoisomerase gene alterations probably resulted in reduced transcription and, thus, enzyme production, which was correlated with resistance to the topoisomerase inhibitor.


The nuptial flight allows males and females to meet and copulate and both need energy to perform this activity. Before leaving the nest of origin, males and females are well nourished and ready to mate. However, little is known about the lipid and energy contents in females before the nuptial flight (virgins) and after it (mated females). In this work we measured lipid concentrations with respect to the body weight in these individuals. Our results showed that 16.82% of the bodies of virgin females are composed of lipids, contrasting with the 32.62% lipid content in mated females who had not excavated their nest yet, and 32.88% in those who had. The energy content measured for virgin females was 2942.63 J, contrasting with 6110.01 J for queens before excavating the nest and 5677.51 J after excavation. Based on our results, we conclude that the body mass, and therefore the lipid and energy contents in the bodies of Atta sexdens rubropilosa queens double one month before the nuptial flight. This energy resource is fundamental to the activities required during the nuptial flight, digging the nest and the founding of the colony.


In drug discovery, structure-based virtual high-throughput screening (vHTS) campaigns aim to identify bioactive ligands or"hits"for therapeutic protein targets from docked poses at specific binding sites. However, while generally successful at this task, many deep learning methods are known to be insensitive to protein-ligand interactions, decreasing the reliability of hit detection and hindering discovery at novel binding sites. Here, we overcome this limitation by introducing a class of models with two key features: 1) we condition bioactivity on pose quality score, and 2) we present poor poses of true binders to the model as negative examples. The conditioning forces the model to learn details of physical interactions. We evaluate these models on a new benchmark designed to detect pose-sensitivity.


Comanopa Blocker, 1979 and Gehundra Blocker, 1976 are small and poorly known genera of leafhoppers, previously comprising four and five species, respectively. In this study, two new species are proposed: Comanopa mananciensis sp. nov. from the state of Parana, Southern Brazil, and Gehundra cristalinensis sp. nov. from the state of Mato Grosso, Centralwestern Brazil. The male of Gehundra sordida (Baker, 1900) is studied by the first time. Detailed descriptions and illustrations of males and females are provided and keys to males of Comanopa and Gehundra are given.


Large-scale data centers leverage virtualization technology to achieve excellent resource utilization, scalability, and high availability. Ideally, the performance of an application running inside a virtual machine (VM) shall be independent of co-located applications and VMs that share the physical machine. However, adverse interference effects exist and are especially severe for data-intensive applications in such virtualized environments. In this work, we present TRACON, a novel Task and Resource Allocation CONtrol framework that mitigates the interference effects from concurrent data-intensive applications and greatly improves the overall system performance. TRACON utilizes modeling and control techniques from statistical machine learning and consists of three major components: the interference prediction model that infers application performance from resource consumption observed from different VMs, the interference-aware scheduler that is designed to utilize the model for effective resource management, and the task and resource monitor that collects application characteristics at the runtime for model adaption. We simulate TRACON with a wide variety of data-intensive applications including bioinformatics, data mining, video processing, email and web servers, etc. The evaluation results show that TRACON can achieve up to 50% improvement on application runtime, and up to 80% on I/O throughput for data-intensive applications in virtualized data centers.


Adenoviruses are efficient gene delivery vectors based on their ability to transduce a wide variety of cell types and drive high-level transient transgene expression. While there have been advances in modifying human adenoviral (HAdV) vectors to increase their safety profile, there are still pitfalls that need to be further addressed. Preexisting humoral and cellular immunity against common HAdV serotypes limits the efficacy of gene transfer and duration of transgene expression. As an alternative, nonhuman AdV (NHAdV) vectors can circumvent neutralizing antibodies against HAdVs in immunized mice and monkeys and in human sera, suggesting that NHAdV vectors could circumvent preexisting humoral immunity against HAdVs in a clinical setting. Consequently, there has been an increased interest in developing NHAdV vectors for gene delivery in humans. In this review, we outline the recent advances and limitations of HAdV vectors for gene therapy and describe examples of NHAdV vectors focusing on their immunogenicity, tropism, and potential as effective gene therapy vehicles.


The irreducible binary Goppa codes are widely used in code-based cryptography, like in the McEliece cryptosystem. The aim of this work is to design an e cient and secure hardware implementation of a Goppa decoder. Patterson proposed in 1975 an algorithm able to e ciently decode those codes. We will show how to adapt this algorithm to obtain a "leakage resistant" variant.


A resilient tubular graft is delivered into place within a body passage by elongating the graft to reduce its diameter and then directing the graft to the desired position while in the elongated condition. The graft is carried into position by a pair of elongate members mounted for longitudinal movement relative to one other. Flexible lines secure opposite ends of the graft to the respective elongate members whereby relative longitudinal movement of the members functions to elongate the graft and reduce its diameter. The lines extend around the graft to impart radial compression thereto simultaneously with elongation of the graft. Upon placement of the graft at the desired location within a body passage, the lines are released to permit the graft to expand into engagement with the passage. Barbs on the graft provide for secure engagement of the graft with a body passage.


IntroductionSophisticated educational systems in developed economies in the world affirm the need of building a global Communication-information environment that will allow users of educational services and the business community access to information, information sharing and exchange of fundamental practices for improving processes function of intellectual competitive bid. It is why establishing a system of functional information and communication infrastructure based on the promotion of ICT content in education, development of management information system for education, development of systems of distance learning, lifelong and flexible learningis required. For that purpose ICT -literacy and content development is a need for adjustment of civic education in terms of empowering citizens to use e-services, providing continuous digital literacy by adapting to specific professional needs, publishing literature ICT and multimedia in a standard format, creation and use of information in digital form, creating virtual working environments. For the purposes of e-learning in the Republic Macedonia a Proteus portal is designed which is sublimation of all activities taking place in the field of education. A MARNET research network is also created for the continuous development of the university and the academic community which should provide access to Internet information globally through networking of all stakeholders on the application of digital technology. The foregoing activities indicate the focus of the Macedonian educational and business context of approximation to EU standards through the implementation of ICT standards and best practices regarding the application of digital technology in the Macedonian context.Research MethodologySecular trends in the application of ICT in the process of communicating, learning and teaching changed the paradigm in education in terms of preference of strategies of self-direction, self-learning, research, project learning, facilitate learning and more. In this context, is as well focused the research in this paper through which the current situation in the educational system in the Republic Macedonia at the level of secondary education is quantitative and qualitative analyzed . The goal is to get exact information about the application of ICT in teaching aimed at the acquisition of high quality, effective and competitive knowledge. Despite numerous reforms implemented for a decade yet ICT literacy and infrastructure in the Republic Macedonia is unsatisfactory. It is an indicator of the resistance to change as a result of stereotyped mental code that is not adaptable to changing global environment. In order to examine the attitudes of teachers and students about the use of ICT in teaching two combined questionnaires have been set, one for the students which contains 14 statements about the use of ICT.. Each statement has 4 alternative answers for the use of ICT: for fun, to relax, to gain knowledge from certain areas which are a subject to your personal interest folrinformtion and knowledge related to teaching. About the attitudes of teachers there is an instrument which contains 12 statements on a scale of views: never, sometimes, always. For obtaining relevant indicators a protocol for conducting interviews with students and protocol for conducting the interview with teachers, as well as protocol for conducting facilitated discussion with students and protocol for conducting facilitated discussions with teachers has been created. Student questionnaire is designed according to three indicators: the use of ICT for personal interest, for fun, for learning. The teacher questionnaire is designed according to four indicators: use of ICT in teaching, improving competetence and skills of students, creating effective communication at institutional level by applying ICT, application of software for learning and teaching. The survey was conducted in September 2016 in 20 secondary schools in Skopje on a sample of 960 students, 48 students from each high school, from which 12 students of first, second, third and fourth year. …


A cooperative Cu/Pd-catalysed borylallenylation of 2-trifluoromethyl-1,3-enynes with propargylic carbonates under mild reaction conditions was developed. This method provides facile and efficient access to conjugated bisallenes with a broad range of functional groups. Both aromatic and aliphatic 1,3-enynes can be utilized in this transformation to give the corresponding multi-substituted conjugated bisallenes.


In 1919, Weed and McKibben 1 called attention to the fact that it was possible to decrease the pressure of the cerebrospinal fluid experimentally by the intravenous injection of hypertonic solutions. Since the publication of their paper a number of workers have confirmed their findings and contributed some further observations. Haden 2 was the first to publish his clinical application of this principle. He administered a concentrated glucose solution to two patients with meningitis and obtained some improvement in their condition, which he attributed to a lowering of the intracranial tension. Cushing and Foley 3 followed this with a demonstration of the possibility of decreasing the brain volume by the intravenous injection of hypertonic solutions. These authors further found that a similar diminution in brain bulk and decrease in intracranial pressure could be obtained by the introduction of hypertonic solutions into the stomach or intestine. Hypotonic solutions, which had been


Large annotation projects, typically those addressing the question of multimodal annotation in which many different kinds of information have to be encoded, have to elaborate precise and high level annotation schemes. Doing this requires first to define the structure of the information: the different objects and their organization. This stage has to be as much independent as possible from the coding language constraints. This is the reason why we propose a preliminary formal annotation model, represented with typed feature structures. This representation requires a precise definition of the different objects, their properties (or features) and their relations, represented in terms of type hierarchies. This approach has been used to specify the annotation scheme of a large multimodal annotation project (OTIM) and experimented in the annotation of a multimodal corpus (CID, Corpus of Interactional Data). This project aims at collecting, annotating and exploiting a dialogue video corpus in a multimodal perspective (including speech and gesture modalities). The corpus itself, is made of 8 hours of dialogues, fully transcribed and richly annotated (phonetics, syntax, pragmatics, gestures, etc.).


Abstract : Our work provides an understanding of epitaxial growth at the atomic level and develops new phenomenological theories describing epitaxy on large space and time scales. It is hoped that a better understanding of crystal growth will allow us to optimize performance of solid state electronic devices and perhaps suggest how to grow new structures with new functions. During this funding period we have focused our efforts on understanding two-dimensional growth in which the posited material spreads rapidly on the surface and the crystal is grown layer-by-layer. We have proposed a new mechanism for surfactant action proposed a set kinetic mechanism for the early stage of Si deposition on Si(100), and have elucidated the mechanism of island-shape changes. We have shown that the growth of heterogeneous systems is very complex and requires shape-dependent diffusion constants. We have performed thermodynamic and kinetic studies of the mean island shape and its surface tension. We have proposed a new thermodynamic theory of evaporation rate. We have clarified many aspects of the coarsening process and made some advances in the theory of rate constants.


This article presents and discusses the communicative behaviour in the continuity texts produced by public service television providers in Denmark in the digital era. Based on a case study of the two main channels, DR and TV 2, the article argues that, after previous trends towards convergence in the way the two providers communicate, the present developments exhibit a divergence. Three major differences are found in the efforts to (1) hold on to and 'herd' the viewers within the scope of products and platforms, (2) strengthen the provider–viewer relationship, and (3) stand out with a distinctive set of institutional values. The findings are interpreted as a consequence of the challenges and opportunities facing the providers in terms of funding and in terms of meeting public service obligations, in a situation of tension between a traditional linear model of broadcasting and an emerging non-linear model.


In this paper, we use Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods in order to estimate and compare stochastic production frontier models from a Bayesian perspective. We consider a number of competing models in terms of different production functions and the distribution of the asymmetric error term. All MCMC simulations are done using the package JAGS (Just Another Gibbs Sampler), a clone of the classic BUGS package which works closely with the R package where all the statistical computations and graphics are done.


Background: Estimation of central corneal thickness is very important in the patients of glaucoma as it affects the intraocular pressure. Many studies have been done worldwide to find out the association of corneal thickness with the IOP but results are controversial. So the aim of current study was to find out the association of central corneal thickness with the intraocular pressure. Material and Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted in the outpatient department of ophthalmology, Kosher Fazal Teaching Hospital, Lahore during January 2022 to June 2022. Topical Proparacaine 0.5% was used to anesthetize the eye while 2% flourescene was applied to stain the cornea. IOP was measured by using Goldmann applanation tonometer while CCT was measured by ultrasonic pachymeter. Data was analyzed by using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version-20. Pearson correlation was used to find out the association of IOP with CCT. p-value of less than 0.05 was considered as significant. Results: Mean and standard deviation of age was 37.5 ± 4.9 with the range of 20 years up to 50 years. the central corneal thickness (CCT) of right eye was 531 ± 32.1 while that of left eye was 539 ± 30.9. The intraocular pressure (IOP) of right eye was 15.3 ± 2.7 and left eye was 15.9 ± 3.4. Pearson correlation coefficient found a strong significant association between central corneal thickness and intraocular pressure in both eyes with p-value ≤0.05. Conclusion: It can be concluded that central corneal thickness is significantly associated with intraocular pressure so there is a need to modify the protocol by adding measurement of central corneal thickness before measuring intraocular pressure. Keywords: Central corneal thickness, Intraocular pressure, Glaucoma


We present the case of a 63-year-old woman with comorbidity of myasthenia gravis and psychosis. Different diagnostic hypotheses based on a review of the literature are discussed. A protracted history of physical spousal abuse, patient symptoms, and results of different investigations allowed us to conclude that the patient had a form of posttraumatic stress disorder with secondary psychotic features. Psychosis due to myasthenia gravis is rarely seen, and it remains unclear what is the pathophysiology, if any, for such an association. The present case highlights the difficulties the physician faces in disentangling psychosis as a potential manifestation of myasthenia gravis itself versus being caused by a medical side effect of treatment, or psychosis due to a distinct co-occurring neurologic or psychiatric condition.