The proper establishment of epithelial polarity allows cells to sense and to respond signals that arise from the microenvironment in a spatiotemporally controlled manner. Increasing evidence has suggested that disruption of polarity promotes the malignant progression of cancer cells. However, the molecular mechanism underlying polarity regulation in the initiation and progression of colon cancer remains largely unknown. PHLPP belongs to a novel family of Ser/Thr protein phosphatases that consists of PHLPP1 and PHLPP2 isoforms. Previously, we have identified conventional PKC isoforms as substrates of PHLPP. Here, we demonstrated that PHLPP controls phosphorylation levels of atypical PKC (aPKC) isoforms, including PKCζ and PKCι, as well. Overexpression of either PHLPP isoform resulted in a decrease in aPKC phosphorylation at both the activation loop (Thr403/410) and the turn motif (Thr555/560) sites in colon cancer cells; conversely, knockdown of PHLPP increased aPKC phosphorylation. In addition, in vitro dephosphorylation experiments revealed that both aPKC isoforms are direct substrates of PHLPP. Since aPKC has been widely implicated in the regulation of cell polarity in intestinal epithelial cells, we determined the function of PHLPP in establishing cell polarity using a 3-D Matrigel culture model. Whereas control Caco2 cells form well polarized cysts in 2 weeks, PHLPP depletion alters the acinar structure by inducing the formation of multiple lumens. Interestingly, knockdown of PKCζ, but not PKCι, results in similar disruption of the polarized lumen structure in Caco2 cells, suggesting that PHLPP may regulate cell polarity through dephosphorylating PKCζ. Taken together, our results identify both aPKC isoforms as novel substrates of PHLPP and downregulation of PHLPP may promote tumorigenesis in colon cancer by disrupting cell polarity. Citation Format: Xiaopeng Xiong, Xin li, Tianyan Gao. PHLPP controls cell polarity by negatively regulating the activity of atypical PKC in colon cancer cells. [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 5288. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-5288


Background A therapy really successful in modifying the natural history of Systemic Sclerosis (SSc) has not so far been described. Conversely, autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHSCT) has demonstrated to be sometimes an effective treatment in patients (pts) with severe (s) diffuse cutaneous (dc) SSc. Objectives We report a retrospective analysis of our experience with AHSCT in severe cutaneous SSc evaluating the efficacy on skin and major organ involvement. In addition, we focused on the results of AHSCT on SSc clinical activity by using a validated activity score. Methods Rodnan skin score (mRSS), assessment of heart and lung organ involvement (OI) by echocardiography, respiratory functional parameters (VC, DLCO), and disease activity level, by the European Scleroderma Study Group (ESSG) scoring system, represented the tools used for selecting and monitoring the pts. Pts were eligible if they had a rapidly progressive disease, a mRSS>14, and ESSG score>3, in the absence of severe advanced OI. AHSCT was performed using positively selected CD34+ cells. Mobilisation was performed with CTX 4000 mg/m2 and G-CSF 10 μg/m2/day. Conditioning regimen included CTX 50 mg/kg/day and rabbit ATG 2.5 mg/kg/day. Results Since 2003, 17 pts s-dcSSC were enrolled (4 M, 13 F; median age 40 yrs., ranging 20–62 yrs.), The median follow-up was of 41 months (range 6–136). A beneficial effect was observed in 16/17 pts (94%).The mean mRSS was 20.9 (SD ± 4.0) at baseline (T0), 9.8 (± 4.6) at month 6 (T6), 6.8 (± 2) at month 12 (T12), and 3.0 (± 1.6) at month 60 (T60), (all p<0.001 with respect to T0). The mean ESSG score was 5.2±0.7 at T0, 2.1±0.8 at T6, 2.1±1.8 at T12, and 1.8±0.74 at T60 (all p<0.0001 with respect to T0). OI was nearly unchanged during follow-up. Mean DLCO predicted value was 65.7%±16.8% at T0, 63.2%±12.5% at T12, and 59.8%±16.3% at T60. Mean VC predicted value was 78.7%±22.0% at T0, 83.4%±17.0% at T12, 90.3% ± 26.0% at T60. No echocardiographic changes were identified during follow-up. Two patients died from SSc-related lung and cardiac disease progression, and one patient because of interstitial pneumonia within 100 days after AHSCT, this leading to a TRM of 5.8%. Conclusions This study confirms that AHSCT in selected patients with severe dcSSc results in sustained improvement of skin thickening and stabilizations of organ function up to 10 years after transplantation, so leading to a global clinical improvement, as showed by the persistent reduction in the ESSG clinical activity score. According to other experiences, TRM resulted reasonable, as a possible result of patients selection. These findings are in keeping with the view that AHSCT is effective in improving the inflammatory and active phase of SSc, while letting unchanged and stable the fibrosclerotic one. Further studies are needed to evaluate the importance of CD34 selection, the need of immunosuppressive therapy post-AHSCT and the best timing of HSCT in the treatment of SSc patients. Disclosure of Interest None declared DOI 10.1136/annrheumdis-2014-eular.4375


Spinel structured LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 based compounds are promising cathode materials for high power lithium ion batteries, owing to its superior 4.7 V discharge plateau and large reversible capacity. However, its pace of commercialization is hindered by limited rate capability, poor cyclic performance at high current densities and instability with electrolyte. Extensive works have been devoted to tackle these difficulties. This paper presents a review of challenges and recent developments of LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 based compounds.


Quantification of roughness plays an important role in modeling strength deformability and fluid flow behaviors of rock joints. A procedure was suggested to simulate joint roughness, and characteristics of the roughness was investigated in this study. Stationary fractional Brownian profiles with known input values of the fractal parameter and other profile properties were generated based on random midpoint displacement method. Also, a procedure to simulate three dimensional roughness surface was suggested using the random midpoint displacement method. Selected statistical roughness parameters were calculated for the generated self-affine profiles to investigate the attribute of roughness. Obtained results show that statistical parameters applied in this study were able to consider correlation structure and amplitude of the profiles. However, effect of data density should be tackled to use statistical parameters for roughness quantification.


Volume loss is commonly encountered at chest imaging and may result from a number of causes, including endobronchial obstruction from mucous impaction or centrally obstructing neoplasms, previous surgical resection, and visceral pleural restriction from prior pleural inflammation or intervention. Typically these conditions can be readily distinguished from one another through careful review of the chest radiographic appearance, comparison with prior radiographs, and correlation with appropriate clinical history; occasionally, thoracic computed tomography may be required to clarify chest radiographic findings. When the more common causes of unilateral thoracic volume loss have been excluded, rare causes of unilateral reduced lung volume, particularly congenital and developmental lesions should be considered. Pulmonary agenesis and aplasia may be discovered in childhood but may rarely escape detection into adulthood. These 2 conditions present with extensive unilateral volume loss and shift of the cardiomediastinal structures toward the affected side, with no visible lung tissue on the affected side. Pulmonary agenesis and hypoplasia essentially differ only in the presence of a blind-ending rudimentary bronchus in pulmonary aplasia; no bronchus is present in pulmonary agenesis. Pulmonary hypoplasia may occur in utero or develop as a result of childhood respiratory infections, and is characterized by reduced number and size of alveoli. On chest imaging, pulmonary hypoplasia presents as a unilateral volume loss associated with a small pulmonary artery on the affected side. Unlike pulmonary agenesis and aplasia, patients with pulmonary hypoplasia have at least some lung tissue present, and they may present with a unilateral hyperlucent lung, rather than complete hemithorax opacification, and thus may be distinguished from patients with pulmonary agenesis and aplasia.


This bachelor thesis deals with the existence and the issues of contemporary slavery. Contemporary slavery is a term that includes the types of slavery that are present in modern society. For the last 20 years the term slavery has been reinvented in different ways and is now used by many large organisations such as the UN and the ILO, however it is not as discussed or acknowledged in most European countries. Due to this it is a very new and rather unresearched problem. Therefore, this Bachelor Thesis aims to examine contemporary slavery, and to ascertain what contemporary slavery is and how it needs to be dealt with. The thesis will be focused on an international, European and national level to bring a broad view of the issue. This means there is a UN focus, a EU and CoE focus as well as a UK focus, as the UK is exemplary in how contemporary slavery can be apprehended and dealt with on a national level. The thesis has three main areas that will be thoroughly examined to determine what contemporary slavery is and how it should be dealt with. First there is a conceptual analysis of the term contemporary slavery, to determine what the concept of contemporary slaver entails and includes. I come to the conclusion that the term contemporary slavery in its original setting, as created by the UN, is supposed to be very broad term to include all types of modern slavery. Secondly comes a historical overview of the issue in UK and the actual existence of contemporary slavery in the UK at present, where I conclude that the issue of slavery is more or less the same as it has always been but with a brand new label. Thirdly and lastly there is an overview of the legislations on UN, EU/CoE and UK level, where it is my assessment that both the UN and the UK are trying to handle the contemporary slavery in their own ways. It is my belief that the UK with its new Modern Slavery Act of 2015 really is doing splendidly in trying to apprehend the problems with contemporary slavery. In conclusion I find that the contemporary slavery is much more present issue in our modern society than most people believe and that the western-world needs to start trying their utmost in wiping out this awful injustice.


An accurate forecast of the solar wind plasma and magnetic field properties is a crucial capability for space weather prediction. However, thus far, it has been limited to the large‐scale properties of the solar wind plasma or the arrival time of a coronal mass ejection from the Sun. As yet there are no reliable forecasts for the north‐south interplanetary magnetic field component, Bn (or, equivalently, Bz). In this study, we develop a technique for predicting the magnetic and plasma state of the solar wind Δt hours into the future (where Δt can range from 6 h to several weeks) based on a simple pattern recognition algorithm. At some time, t, the algorithm takes the previous Δt hours and compares it with a sliding window of Δt hours running back all the way through the data. For each window, a Euclidean distance is computed. These are ranked, and the top 50 are used as starting point realizations from which to make ensemble forecasts of the next Δt hours. We find that this approach works remarkably well for most solar wind parameters such as v, np, Tp, and even Br and Bt, but only modestly better than our baseline model for Bn. We discuss why this is so and suggest how more sophisticated techniques might be applied to improve the prediction scheme.


We study theoretically the effect of a spin polarized resonant surface band on the conductance of scanning tunneling spectroscope with a spin polarized tip (SP-STM). Using the example of the Fe(001) surface, we show that a minority-spin surface state can induce a bias dependence of the tunneling differential conductance which depends strongly on the orientation of the magnetization in the SP-STM tip relative to the magnetization axis in the surface. We propose the use of this effect to determine the spin character of the surface band.


The anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery (ALCAPA) is a rare congenital anomaly. The usual clinical course is severe left-sided heart failure and mitral valve insufficiency presenting during the first months of life. However, in some cases, the collateral blood supply from the right coronary artery is sufficient and symptoms may be subtle or even absent. We describe a 49-year-old woman presenting with atypical chest pain during physical exertion. The exercise tolerance test and then coronary angiography by indication revealed an anomalous origin of the left coronary artery. The patient underwent surgical treatment, whereby a pulmonary artery tube graft from the aorta to the left coronary artery was created and the main pulmonary artery was reconstructed with a bovine pericardial patch. The patient was discharged from the hospital without any chest pain and dyspnea and was symptom free during a follow-up period of 18 months. Clinicians should consider ALCAPA as a differential diagnosis in adults with presentations similar to exercise-related asthma.


We describe a procedure for bounding the performance of dynamic routing schemes for loss or queueing networks. The bound is developed from a network flow synthesis of a collection of Markov decision processes, one for each resource of the network. The bound emerges as a solution to a dual pair of convex programming problems, where the primal problem describes mean flows through the network and the dual problem describes implied costs and surplus values at resources of the network. The bound is particularly appropriate for large highly connected networks, where it may be approached by simple trunk reservation or threshold routing schemes.


Eight hundred sixty six kits of 104 New Zealand White litters were studied for the rate of stillbirth, within litter mortality (M) between birth and day 21 of age (M0-21) where kits rely solely on milk, day 22 to weaning (M22-28) and postweaning to marketing (M29–70). Overall least squares means were 6.96% (stillbirth), 10.62% (M0-21), 0.55% (M22-28) and 3.08% (M29-70). In 30.77% of litters, all kits survived to marketing. Dead kits at birth and those died within the first week of age had significantly lower body weight (bwt) than their surviving littermates. M0-21 was higher in litters of low mean kit birth weight (≤ 60 vs > 60 g). Kit survival pre(M0-21) and postweaning (M29-70) was better when their does gained > 250 g bwt during the first three weeks post-kindling compared to dams losing bwt or gaining < 250 g. The rate of stillbirth tended to increase (P = 0.06) with longer gestation periods. M0-21 was higher in large litters (alive kits ≥ 9 vs < 9 kits). Summer and spring born litters experienced significantly higher M0-21 than autumn and winter born ones. Stillbirth increased with parity (P< 0.05). Repeatability was 0.31 for M0-21 and low (0.00 to 0.07) for other traits. Conclusion: Small kit size, dam bwt loss or low bwt gain during the first three weeks postnatal, large litters, summer and spring kindlings, and 3 or higher kindling orders reduce kit survival, particularly at birth and during the first three weeks of age.


Elastomers
are viscoelastic polymers with low Young's modulus and high failure strain
that are used in many
c
ivil
e
ngineering applications, including bridge bearings, seismic isolators for
buil
dings and resilient rail wheels.
Their constitutive behaviour
i
s characterized by a nonlinear stress
-
strain relation with
an
extensibility limit
. This contrasts
with materials that have
instead
a limit on the tensile stresses, such
as mild steel.
This
MSc
thesis
is concerned with the
numerical modeling
of elastomers.
T
his involves
dealing with a medium
with two phases:
a constrained region, wher
e
the particles have reached their
maxi
mum allowable deformation, and a
free region, where the
inextensibility constraint
is still
inactive.
Moreover, one can think of an interf
ace splitting the two phases of the medium. If the focus is
put in obtaining methods to
locate and evolve such interface, then a two phase medium with a
moving interface
is considered.
From the mathematical point of view, this is a constrained minimization
problem. One of the
strategies to solve it is to turn the minimization problem into a shape equilibrium one. This
approach has b
een successfully employed for an
interface location problem
in small strains
and
serves as the starting point of this work.
T
hu
s, t
he main purpose of this thesis is to extend this formulation to a
large strains
interface
locating and evolving scenario. A first analysis of the problem reveals two sources of
nonlinearity
:
the inextensibility constraint and the kinematics in large st
rains.
A simple
but
thorough
one
-
dimensional
study of the problem is
then
developed
to find methods
to sort out
both
nonlinearities.
Following this,
explicit iterative schemes to locate and evolve one or
multiple interfaces
are straightforwardly obtained i
n 1D linear elasticity.
However, the same ideas applied to a simple
St.Venant
-
Kirchhoff
hyperelasticity
model
,
evidences that even very simple 1D problems become rather complex and cannot be solved as
directly and explicit as before.
Numerical examples are
provided throughout this analysis and they are also useful to conclude
that both locating and evolving the interface can be
essentially
seen as the same problem, but with
different driving effects.
After that,
an extension of the one
-
dimensional schemes t
o two or more dimensions
is explored
.
Although the same ideas can be applied, more sophisticated modeling tools are required, namely,
the
X
-
FEM and Level set
methods, the
shape sensitivity
analysis and the
Arbitrary Lagrangian
-
Eulerian methods
.
A
complemen
tary
numerical implementation of the pr
oposed strategy is to show its
computational benefits. In particular, a combination of the three previous techniques shall make
unnecessary a stepwise update of the Level set.
T
he work presented here
may not be limite
d to this particular case and
be r
elevant to
other
engineering problems involving
moving interfaces
and boundaries
, such as plasticity analysis or
the saturation of a porous medium.


Abstract. Mainland and maritime Southeast Asia is home to more than 655 million
people, representing nearly 10 % of the global population. The dry
season in this region is typically associated with intense biomass
burning activity, which leads to a significant increase in surface air
pollutants that are harmful to human health, including ozone
(O3). Latitude-based differences in the dry season and land use
distinguish two regional biomass burning regimes: (1) burning on the
peninsular mainland peaking in March and (2) burning across Indonesia
peaking in September. The type and amount of material burned in each
regime impact the emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx = NO + NO2) and
volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which combine to
produce ozone. Here, we use the nested GEOS-Chem atmospheric chemistry
transport model (horizontal resolution of 0.25∘ × 0.3125∘),
in combination with satellite observations
from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) and ground-based
observations from Malaysia, to investigate ozone photochemistry
over Southeast Asia in 2014. Seasonal cycles
of tropospheric ozone columns from OMI and GEOS-Chem
peak with biomass burning emissions.
Compared to OMI, the model has a mean annual bias of −11 %
but tends to overestimate tropospheric ozone near areas of seasonal fire activity.
We find that outside these burning areas,
the underlying photochemical environment is generally
NOx-limited and dominated by anthropogenic NOx and
biogenic non-methane VOC emissions. Pyrogenic emissions of NOx play a key
role in photochemistry, shifting towards more VOC-limited ozone production
and contributing about 30 % of the regional
ozone formation potential during both biomass burning seasons. Using the
GEOS-Chem model, we find that biomass burning activity coincides with
widespread ozone exposure at levels that exceed world public health
guidelines, resulting in about 260 premature deaths across
Southeast Asia in March 2014 and another 160 deaths
in September. Despite a positive model bias,
hazardous ozone levels are confirmed by surface observations during
both burning seasons.


Abstract A new species of Citharexylum from the foothills of inter-Andean dry valleys in Peru, Citharexylum peruvianum, is described and illustrated herein. It is distinguished from other closely related species with caulinar spines (C. andinum, C. flexuosum, C. herrerae, C. montevidense, and C. weberbaueri), by inflorescence morphology, leaf size, and pubescence. The newly defined taxon has 15–40 flowered racemes, rachis 7–12 cm long, and coriaceous leaves, with the leaf blade being 4–6(8) × 2–3 cm and densely hirsute on the abaxial surface. A brief discussion on closely related species is provided. Citharexylum peruvianum is known exclusively from northwestern Peru, from the departments of Cajamarca, Lambayeque, and La Libertad. The species grows in the Andean foothills at mid-elevations between 1400 and 3000 m a. s. l., in rocky soils and on steep slopes with thorny scrubland. It is occasionally found in moist areas. This species has a restricted distribution and limited numbers of individuals, which will likely result in threatened status following formal review.


H earing loss is a very common congenital disorder affecting one in 1000 newborns. More than 50% of deafness cases in the paediatric population have a genetic cause with autosomal dominant, autosomal recessive, X-linked, or mitochondrial patterns of inheritance. Mutations in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), particularly in the 12S rRNA and tRNA genes, have been found to be one of the most important causes of sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL). 3 The homoplasmic A1555G mutation in the highly conserved decoding site of the mitochondrial 12S rRNA has been found to be associated with both aminoglycoside-induced and non-syndromic SNHL in many families of different ethnic origins. Recently, the homoplasmic C1494T mutation in the same gene has also been found to be associated with aminoglycoside-induced and non-syndromic SNHL in a large Chinese family. In addition, a C-insertion or deletion at position 961 of the 12S rRNA gene has been shown to be associated only with aminoglycoside-induced deafness. 11 Furthermore, the mitochondrial tRNA appears to be another hot spot for mutations associated with hearing impairment, as five deafness-associated mutations have been identified in the mitochondrial tRNA gene: A7445G, 13 7472insC, T7510C, T7511C, and T7512C. However, non-syndromic deafness-associated mtDNA mutations, such as the A1555G or A7445G mutation, are often not sufficient to produce the clinical phenotype since some individuals carrying these mutations have normal hearing. Thus, other factors including other mtDNA mutations/polymorphisms and/or nuclear backgrounds or environmental factors modulate the phenotypic variability and penetrance of deafness associated with these mtDNA mutations. However, little is known about the incidence of these deafness-associated mtDNA mutations. Furthermore, it is anticipated that additional deafness-associated mutations will be found in the 12S rRNA and tRNA genes. A retrospective database review of all children with SNHL and subsequent molecular analysis has been initiated in the clinical population at the Center for Hearing and Deafness Research (CHDR) at the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC). In the present study, a mutational analysis of the 12S rRNA and tRNA genes was performed in 164 SNHL subjects from this clinic and 226 unaffected individuals from a comparable ethnic background. This analysis led to the identification of 17 nucleotide changes including the novel G to T transversion at position 961 (T961G) in the 12S rRNA gene in five affected subjects. To elucidate the molecular basis for the T961G mutation, we completed the mitochondrial genome sequence from these five affected subjects. To examine the role of the GJB2 gene in the phenotypic expression of the known or putative deafness-associated mtDNA mutations, we also performed mutational screening of the GJB2 gene in subjects carrying the mtDNA mutations.


Mallard/sup TM/ is a World Wide Web-based interactive learning environment suitable for virtually any subject. We focus on its application as an educational tool for digital signal processing basics. Students are tested via interactive quizzes with instantaneous problem correction and grading. Intelligent grading programs not only assess the correctness of a response but also determine why an answer is incorrect. The student receives immediate feedback and can access online assistance if desired. The instructor benefits from a number of administrative utilities, the most important being automatic grading and maintenance of not only the gradebook but also detailed logfiles. Mallard/sup TM/ does this within a secure environment, using Netscape's Commerce Server. Access is restricted by password, and communication is encrypted.


This is the fifth In Brief of a series of eight developed as background papers for a three-day workshop titled 'Improving women's electoral chances through an evidence-based approach', hosted by the Centre for Democratic Institutions and the State, Society and Governance in Melanesia Program at the Australian National University in Canberra, June 2016. The In Briefs are designed to accompany the workshop synthesis report.


Current approaches to climate modeling, including environmental simulation, may not be able to generate actionable results for a few decades yet. Over the last 50 years, methods attempting to capture and predict states of the climate system have flourished and diversified. However, many such models are subject to errors and uncertainty arising from parameterization problems, the obligate characterization of poorly understood phenomena, and high capacity requirements stemming from the incredible computing power needed. As the window for meaningful actions towards altering the climate change trajectory closes, we should consider the use of simple methods that generally predict the conditions of the future climate. For my analysis, I developed a time-series regression analysis of land surface trends in precipitation and near-surface temperature. For each global 0.5 land surface grid, values for 1901-2009 baseline means were calculated, and 2050 values were predicted using time series regression models for each of four historical data subsets. Average predicted warming across the subsets range from 0.89 C to 5.8 C above the baseline, with high northern latitudes predicted to experience the most warming. Precipitation is predicted to follow the wet getting wetter, dry getting dryer paradigm, with average predicted changes across the subsets ranging from 3.2% to 26% above the baseline.


ED care is important for the treatment of acute presentations of schizophrenia and may serve as a safety net for schizophrenic patients not otherwise receiving care (4,5). This analysis of National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS) data indicates that during 2009-2011, an average of 382,000 ED visits related to schizophrenia occurred each year among adults aged 18-64, corresponding to an overall visit rate of 20.1 per 10,000 adults. A visit having a first-, second-, or third-listed diagnosis of schizophrenia (i.e., whether the visit was directly or indirectly related to schizophrenia) was included in the analysis to provide a broader description of ED use by these patients. The distribution of the primary diagnosis of visits related to schizophrenia was: schizophrenia (58.8%), another mental disorder (15.4%), and a nonmental health disorder (25.7%) (data not shown). Among adults aged 18-64, the rate for ED visits related to schizophrenia was about twice as high for men as for women. Public insurance (Medicaid, Medicare, or dual Medicare and Medicaid) was more frequently the primary expected source of payment for ED visits related to schizophrenia compared with ED visits not related to schizophrenia. ED visits related to schizophrenia were more frequently made by patients who were homeless compared with ED visits not related to schizophrenia. About one-third of ED visits related to schizophrenia resulted in a hospital admission, and another 16.7% resulted in a transfer to a psychiatric hospital--both higher than the percentages for ED visits not related to schizophrenia. One of the goals of Healthy People 2020 is to improve mental health through prevention and by ensuring access to appropriate, quality mental health services (6). National data on the rates and characteristics of ED visits related to schizophrenia will help policymakers and practitioners address disparities and meet this goal.


Aim Minimally invasive procedures for the treatment of anal fistulas are gaining more and more popularity. For this purpose, Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) are administered to accelerate the healing process of various difficult wounds or lesions. The aim of this study was to evaluate preliminary results of PRP injection into the tissues adjacent to anal fistulas. Patients and methods A cohort of 42 patients with recurrent anal fistula, who underwent at least one cutting procedure previously, were enrolled into this preliminary and prospective trial. Closure of internal orifice was performed in all investigated patients, however, in 22 patients from group I, that procedure was combined with topical injection of PRP. In the postoperative period, the PRP administration could be repeated in case of incomplete fistula closure. Follow-up consisted of out-patient visits in a fortnight, 1, 2, and 12 months. Results Complete closure of anal fistulas was achieved in 16 (75%) patients from group I and 10 (45,5%) patients from group II. The fistulas were healed in 9 patients from group I after single application of PRP. In the next 9 patients with incomplete fistula closure, the injection was repeated 2 to 4 times every fortnight leading finally to complete recovery in 6 of them. Conclusions Surgical fistula closure with local PRP application spares the anal sphincter and gives the opportunity to repeat the procedure several times if necessary. Treatment of recurrent anal fistulas with PRP can be considered as last resort therapy.


Abstract We report our attempts to produce water-soluble Mn clusters of the type [Mn12O12(O2CR)16(H2O)4] and the synthesis, spectroscopic, structural, and electrochemical characterization of the three new compounds that were obtained. Clusters 2, 3, and 4 were prepared via substitution of the acetate ligands in [Mn12O12(O2CMe)16(H2O)4] (1) with either 3,4-diaminobenzoic acid, L-proline or L-ascorbic acid, respectively, which are all inexpensive and readily available. Clusters 2, 3, and 4 were characterized by elemental analysis, UV-Vis, and FTIR spectroscopies, XPS, MS, and XRD analysis, suggesting that the clusters retain their structure during the substitution reaction, albeit 4 was obtained partially substituted and reduced. Electrochemical measurements in acetate buffer at pH 6, including continuous cyclic voltammetry scans of the free ligands and of the clusters, imply that 4 is stable to the oxidation process, while in 2 the primary amine ligands are oxidized rapidly, leading to precipitation of the cluster. Overall, the voltammetric measurements support the spectroscopic-based proposed structures. Graphical Abstract


The factors affecting the welfare can be classified into economic factors, social, and psychological. One measurement welfare from an economic perspective can done with the exchange rate approach. Value. The exchange must be able to describe the fishery ability of fisheries (catching and aquaculture) to meet the needs of (goods and services) with resources derived from fisheries activities. Measurements with this concept is considered more reflect the actual conditions, because measurements by just looking at the changes income (households) without notice changes in the costs not comprehensively describe their welfare. When the concept of exchange rate fishermen (NTN) and exchange rate farmers fish (NTPi) describes the indicators for measuring the purchasing power of the need goods and services required, then when the value the higher the index of the exchange rate will be more welfare. Location of activities carried out in coastal areas Kutai Kartanegara regency covers Sub District of Muara Badak, Anggana, Sanga-Sanga, Muara Jawa, Samboja, and Marangkayu. The data obtainedin the field (primary) and secondary data is then compiled, categorized and analyzed. The focus of the study consisted of two analytical resultsare Exchange Fishermen (NTN) and Fishermen Exchange RateIndex (INTN) were divided into 3groups: Household Fishermen, fishing by fishing fleet, and fishing based on the type of fishing gear. The exchange rate fisherman (NTN) in total revenues and receipts fishery in 2012 based on their fishing geareach consisting of mini trawl of 1.13 and 1.76; trammel net of 1.16 and 1.69; guiding barrier was 1.04 and 1.94; bottom longline 1.28 and 2.07; crab traps of 1.02 and 1.97; troll line of 1.04 and 1.50; and step on the chart of 1.14 and 1.88. Exchange Rate Index fishermen (INTN) total revenues and receipts fishery in 2012 by fishing geareach consisting of mini trawl of 80.65 and 82.19; trammel net of 74.90 and 72.32; guiding barrier at 68.89 and 68.06; bottom longline at 62.78 and 62.20; crabs traps of 75.01 and 75.17; troll line for 71.64 and 69.18; and step on the chart at 69.29 and 69.76. Key words: fishermen, trend, welfare,


The paper aims to propose a clustering model for panel data. More specifically, the paper aims to construct a gray incidence model for panel data to solve the classification with multi-factors and multi-attributes.,The paper opted for a clustering theory study using gray incidence theory based on dynamic weighted function. The paper presents an example to verify the rationality of the new model, which suggests that the new model can reflect the incidence degree of panel data.,The paper provides a new gray incidence model based on a dynamic weighted function that can amplify the characteristics of the sample to some extent. The properties of the new incidence model, such as normalization, symmetry and nearness, are all satisfied. The paper also shows that the new incidence model performs very well on cluster discrimination.,The new model in this paper has supplemented and improved the gray incidence analysis theory for panel data.


The authors developed a screening instrument to detect patients in need of complex care coordination at admission to a general hospital. On the basis of a series of risk factors for care complexity, the authors constructed a short, care complexity prediction instrument (COMPRI) and assessed its qualities. The COMPRI is an easily administered screening instrument that detects patients at risk for complex care needs for whom care coordination is indicated. COMPRI's predictive power exceeds all currently available case-mix instruments.


The steady translational motion of a sphere in a Boussinesq stratified fluid, where the motion is parallel to the stratification surfaces, is studied. A model based on existing linear gravity wave theory for large Froude numbers and on new theory for small Froude numbers is presented. The small-Froude-number theory describes wave generation and the presence of a rectangular-section attached wake whose size and shape is controlled by the size and shape of the wave generation regions. Existing laboratory data are used to evaluate the model's prediction for the drag coefficient of the sphere as a function of Froude number.


Twenty-five women with somatisation disorder (SD) were compared with matched patient controls for the presence of personality disorders. Personality was assessed with the Personality Assessment Schedule (PAS). Interviewers were unaware of the patients' diagnoses. All controls had DSM–III–R axis I diagnoses of depressive or anxiety disorders. The prevalence of personality disorders among patients with somatisation disorder was 72% compared with 36% among controls. Certain personality disorders, including passive–dependent, histrionic, and sensitive–aggressive, occurred significantly more often in the SD patients than controls.


Editor's Note: Tony Silva's article on the Grand Cayman Amazon parrot (Watchbird, June/Juiy '85) elicited two informed responses wishing to update facts and present the most current and correct status of the parrots. Ramon Noegel reported that for the first time in I5 years of observation he is encouraged and feels A. l. cayman ens is is increasing its numbers on Grand Cayman Island. This increase, according to Noegel, is partly due to the successful mosquito abatement program conducted on Grand Cayman Island -mosquitos have been a hazard to baby parrots even in Florida as well as on the island. Noegel and his organization are cooperating with the Grand Cayman Island government by assisting in field studies and, of course, Noegei's success captive breeding the Cayman Island parrot is unparalleled. Noegel 's concern at the moment is the numbers of foreign birds that have become established on Grand Cayman Island. He is worried that feral Indian ring-necked parakeets may have a serious effect on the future of the Cayman Island Amazon. I personally feel that Noegel 's eagle eye and close cooperation with Grand Cayman Island officials will bode well for the future status of the Cayman Island parrot. The well-researched and authoritative report by Terry Brykczynski follows in its entirety. The AFA membership is much indebted to Noegel and Brykczynski for their thorough and upto-date research. A self-composed tricolored heron languidly beats along the wall of mangrove, reluctant to penetrate, while dozens of shrieking grackles, intent on ambushing dragonflies, swoop in acrobatic sorties from the dense jungle. The charged twilight air hums with rushhour activity. It feels odd to be able to drive nearly a mile into a tropical swamp but I'm grateful for the luxury, even though the road is nothing more than a ribbon of dredged marl barely wider than the car-the skeleton of an extensive network of mosquito control dikes piercing the interior of Grand Cayman. Within a few minutes of the engine being turned off the parrots approach. You hear them first, staccato bursts of raucous squawks, then pairs of their distinctive silhouettes are spotted-stocky bodies with blunt heads, wingtips fluttering with deceptively powerful downstrokes. In the fading light none of their brilliant colors can be seen; only their black outlines and unmistakable chatter make for positive identification. A severe drought has hurried the mango season and the parrots are returning for a rich feast of ripened food. Around me at least half a dozen pairs settle themselves for the night but no matter how hard I strain I cannot hear the gook-gook of youngsters begging for regurgitated food. It's mid-May and from reports of boys familiar with the nests the young are almost fully feathered except for a patch of bare throat. As I start the car and gingerly thread my way out of the mangrove, my headlights scatter hoohing ground cloves and I worry over the unpleasant prospect of punctures as huge clawwaving land crabs rush out of their burrows to do battle with my tires. Of the five subspecies of the Cuban Amazon, two are confined to the Cayman Islands-a British Crown Colony a hundred and fifty miles south of Cuba. Together they provide unique examples of the best and the worst outlooks facing endangered island parrots today. Amazona teucocepbata hesterna inhabits the smallest land mass of any Amazon in the world-38 square kilometers of Cayman Brae. Various reports put their number at less than 100 and declining inexorably. A mazona /eucocephala caymanensis is found on the main island of Grand Cayman- 76 square kilometers-and while accurate figures are yet to be established, they certainly number far more than earlier published estimates of 300 and may, in fact, be substantially...


Space physics focuses on the physics of upper atmospheres, ionospheres, magnetospheres and the interplanetary medium. It includes core physics courses and specialty courses in space physics, aeronomy, magnetospheric and auroral physics, and advanced plasma physics. The specialty courses support graduate research with faculty members at UAF's Geophysical Institute, and include areas such as numerical simulations and time-series analysis. Additional courses such as radiative transfer and physics of fluids provide added breadth.


Diagnostic ultrasound currently provides a noninvasive, economical means to evaluate internal organ structure. Methods to increase the amount of diagnostic information obtained from the sonographic examination are being explored. A new area of research has recently focused on the ability of microbubble contrast agents to help provide additional information. A prospective study was undertaken to quantitatively evaluate the amount of gray scale enhancement of ultrasound images of six canine livers, spleens, and left kidneys that occurs after intravenous injection of Imagent. Computerized analysis was used to assess the percent change in brightness of these images. A transient decrease in the percent change in brightness was seen to occur after injection of higher doses of Imagent. This effect was more pronounced in the deeper portions of the organs of interest. Imagent provides a measurable change in the brightness of the organs of interest and would be potentially useful in a clinical setting.


The title compound, [CuBr(C9H9N5)]n, prepared by the solvothermal treatment of CuBr with 4-(2-allyl-2H-tetrazol-5-yl)pyridine, is a new homometallic CuI–olefin coordination polymer in which dinuclear Cu2Br2 units are linked by the organic olefin ligand 4-(2-allyl-2H-tetrazol-5-yl)pyridine, which acts as a bidentate ligand connecting two neighbouring Cu2Br2 units through the pyridine N atom and the double bond of the allyl group. The coordination of Cu(I) is slightly distorted tetrahedral.


Solar power is one of the most attractive green energy sources and plays a vital role in daily electricity supply. Since the amount of available solar power is uncontrollable, it is essential to forecasting its availability so that power plants can arrange power supply in advance. Global horizontal irradiance (GHI) is the key indicator of available solar power, highly accurate forecasts for which are required to successfully integrate solar energy into the power grid. In this letter, we propose probabilistic solar irradiance transformer (ProSIT); a novel deep learning model for multihorizon probabilistic GHI forecasting based on both historical GHI and natural irradiance impact factors. ProSIT is able to capture the correlations of the heterogeneous impact factors of GHI as well as the long- and short-term temporal dependencies across the historical sequence. ProSIT also features residual connections and gating mechanisms to suppress superfluous components ad hoc. Rather than simply providing single forecasting values as in existing methods, ProSIT employs a probabilistic output module to afford auxiliary forecasting confidence and bounds, which are particularly desirable in practical applications. We conduct experiments on two real-world datasets and demonstrate that ProSIT can achieve considerably better performance than state of the art.


A device for representing biometrics, methods, and to provide a program storage device. The apparatus includes includes a converter biometric feature extractor. Biometric feature extractor comprises one or more sets of extracted features corresponding to the drawn biometrics image, consisting of one or more by one or more geometric shapes of its features it is used to define. Each of the one or more geometric shapes, having one or more geometric features do not change for the conversion of the first set that is applied to at least a portion of the image. Converter applies a first set conversion to at least a portion of the image in order to obtain one or more of the feature representation comprising one or more of the one or more geometric features, to one or more feature representation to obtain one or more of transformed features representation is used to apply a transformation of the second set. .The 23


This paper reports the results of an experiment designed to test the usefulness of alternative solution concepts to explain players' behavior in noncooperative games with preplay communication. In the experiment subjects communicate by plain conversation prior to playing a simple game. In this setting, we find that the presumption of individualistic and independent behavior underlying the concept of Nash equilibrium is inappropriate. Instead, we observe behavior to be cooperative and correlated. Statistical tests reject Nash equilibrium as an explanation of observed play. The coalition proof equilibrium of the game, however, explains the data when the possibility of errors by players is introduced.


GABA-induced currents have been characterized in isolated horizontal cells from lower vertebrates but not in mammalian horizontal cells. Therefore horizontal cells were isolated after enzymatical and mechanical dissociation of the adult mouse retina and visually identified. We recorded from horizontal cell bodies using the whole cell and outside-out configuration of the patch-clamp technique. Extracellular application of GABA induced inward currents carried by chloride ions. GABA-evoked currents were completely and reversibly blocked by the competitive GABAA receptor antagonist bicuculline (IC50 = 1.7 microM), indicating expression of GABAA but not GABAC receptors. Their affinity for GABA was moderate (EC50 = 30 microM), and the Hill coefficient was 1.3, corresponding to two GABA binding sites. GABA responses were partially reduced by picrotoxin with differential effects on peak and steady-state current values. Zinc blocked the GABA response with an IC50 value of 7.3 microM in a noncompetitive manner. Furthermore, GABA receptors of horizontal cells were modulated by extracellular application of diazepam, zolpidem, methyl 6,7-dimethoxy-4-ethyl-beta-carboxylate, pentobarbital, and alphaxalone, thus showing typical pharmacological properties of CNS GABAA receptors. GABA-evoked single-channel currents were characterized by a main conductance state of 29.8 pS and two subconductance states (20.2 and 10.8 pS, respectively). Kinetic analysis of single-channel events within bursts revealed similar mean open and closed times for the main conductance and the 20.2-pS subconductance state, resulting in open probabilities of 44.6 and 42.7%, respectively. The ratio of open to closed times, however, was significantly different for the 10.8-pS subconductance state with an open probability of 57.2%.


One of the interesting topics in grid computing systems is resources discovery. After the failure of a resource in a chain of resources made for a specific task in grid environment, discovering and finding a new resource that reconstructs the chain is an important topic. In this study, with defining new agent that is called task agent, and by proposing an algorithm, we will increase the fault tolerance against probable failure of a resource in the resource chain.


More than 100 years ago, macrophages was discovered. So far, we thought that these are no subtype of macrophages in out body. However, recent studies of these cell types indicate that more than two types of macrophages are existed, and each cell types has inherent functions. In this review, we describe the functional diversity of various type of disorder-specific macrophages and its differentiation mechanism.


The ethnic and cultural diversity of today's society demands an intercultural education that promotes equal opportunities and the inclusion of minority groups at risk of social exclusion. Various policies and governmental strategies are directed at favoring social inclusion and reducing situations of discrimination and exclusion. One of said ethnic minorities is the Roma community. This article talks about measures for reversing the high rates of absenteeism, dropout, and school failure. The aim of this systematic review in the educational context is to analyze programs and interventions that have been made to promote the educational inclusion of Roma students. Three databases were used—Scopus, Web of Science, and Eric—to examine 419 articles. After a selection, based on an inclusion criterion, which follows the guidelines given by the Declaration of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyzes (PRISMA), 17 articles were chosen for the analysis. The main findings shed light on data for programs and interventions developed mostly within the school setting and for students of elementary and secondary education, however, there are also interventions that are developed in the community and extracurricular context. The works are centralized in valuing the cultural diversity of the Roma people with the Roma students but not just exclusive to them. Highlighted is the implementation of teacher assistants and/or intercultural mediators from the Roma community to be role models or references for the students, and family education participation is considered common practice. Such characteristics in educational interventions contribute to an inclusive education in an intercultural and sustainable manner.


In searching for novel targeted therapeutic agents for lung cancer treatment, norcycloartocarpin from Artocarpus gomezianus was reported in this study to promisingly interacted with Akt and exerted the apoptosis induction and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition suppression. Selective cytotoxic profile of norcycloartocarpin was evidenced with approximately 2-fold higher IC50 in normal dermal papilla cells (DPCs) compared with human lung cancer A549, H460, H23, and H292 cells. We found that norcycloartocarpin suppressed anchorage-independent growth, cell migration, invasion, filopodia formation, and decreased EMT in a dose-dependent manner at 24 h, which were correlated with reduced protein levels of N-cadherin, Vimentin, Slug, p-FAK, p-Akt, as well as Cdc42. In addition, norcycloartocarpin activated apoptosis caspase cascade associating with restoration of p53, down-regulated Bcl-2 and augmented Bax in A549 and H460 cells. Interestingly, norcycloartocarpin showed potential inhibitory role on protein kinase B (Akt) the up-stream dominant molecule controlling EMT and apoptosis. Computational molecular docking analysis further confirmed that norcycloartocarpin has the best binding affinity of -12.52 kcal/mol with Akt protein at its critical active site. As Akt has recently recognized as an attractive molecular target for therapeutic approaches, these findings support its use as a plant-derived anticancer agent in cancer therapy.


In this work, we present a variant of multiple deep neural network (DNN) based speech enhancement method. We directly estimate clean speech spectrum as a weighted average of outputs from multiple DNNs. The weights are provided by a gating network. The multiple DNNs and the gating network are trained jointly. The objective function is set as the mean square logarithmic error between the target clean spectrum and the estimated spectrum. We conduct experiments using two and four DNNs using the TIMIT corpus with nine noise types (four seen noises and five unseen noises) taken from the AURORA database at four different signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs). We also compare the proposed method with a single DNN based speech enhancement scheme and existing multiple DNN schemes using segmental SNR, perceptual evaluation of speech quality (PESQ) and short-term objective intelligibility (STOI) as the evaluation metrics. These comparisons show the superiority of proposed method over baseline schemes in both seen and unseen noises. Specifically, we observe an absolute improvement of 0.07 and 0.04 in PESQ measure compared to single DNN when averaged over all noises and SNRs for seen and unseen noise cases respectively.


The structure of the metallic glasses Ni80P20 and Ni81B19 was simulated by means of the Reverse Monte Carlo method. The starting configurations for the RMC runs were created by a static version of a Molecular Dynamics algorithm. As basis for the fitting procedure the partial pair correlation functions, as established by neutron diffraction - isotopic substitution experiments, were used, and almost perfect agreement was achieved. From the three-dimensional RMC clusters of 1500 atoms structural properties were deduced, which are not accessible from experimental pair correlation functions. A detailed analysis for the occurrence of distorted trigonal prisms was performed. The degree of trigonal prismatic ordering in the metallic glasses does not exceed substantially that in statistical reference clusters, where the Ni atoms are distributed randomly around the P or B atoms.


Background: Liver injuries induced by different toxic substances have been recognized as one of the great toxicological problem for years. However, there are a lot of herbal medicines existing to compensate these disorders.Alcohols are one of the most important organic compounds in different areas of our daily lives. The health benefits of Ajwa Date Fruit Extract are well documented in literature. Objective: To determine the effect of alcohol on weight of liver and possible protective role of Ajwa date fruit extract (ADFE) in adult male albino rats. Study Design:Experimental Study Place and Duration of Study: Department of Anatomy, Postgraduate Medical Institute, Lahore from 1st October 2018 to 31st March 2019. Methodology: Twenty four adult male albino rats were used in this research and divided into the 4 groups A, B, C and D having 6 rats in each group. Group A was designated as control group;group B received ethanol 3g/kg/day of 40% v/v prepared in distilled water; group C received ethanol and ADFE1g/kg/day and group D received ethanol and ADFE 2g/kg/day by oral gavage once daily for 28 days.The 100% pure alcohol was dissolved in distilled water for preparation of 40% alcohol. Dates palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) fruits washed with tap water and removed the seeds. The extract of the date fruits made by adding distilled water to date fruit (3:1) and leaving for 48 hours in refrigerator (4°C). Results: The increase in mean weight of liver in group B on 29th day of experiment were statistically significant (p=0.001) in comparison with the control. The mean weight of liver was decreased significantly after 28 days of experiment in experimental groups C and D. Conclusions: Alcohol administration in the male albino rats significantly increase their weight of liver which was improved by the use of ADFE. Key words: Alcohol, Ajwa date fruit extract, Rats


Cells contain complex protein machinery that drives their repeated divisions, but they also have "checkpoint proteins" that prevent this from happening if conditions are not right. If their DNA is damaged, for example, the cell cycle is arrested. Now in a Perspective, Weinert synthesizes the results presented in three papers in this issue and describes a biochemical pathway that links for the first time the checkpoint proteins that sense DNA damage and the cyclin-dependent kinase-cyclin complex that is the "engine" that drives the cell cycle.


Current indications for high tibial osteotomy (HTO) are controversial although several risk factors have been associated with HTO survival. We ascertained the influence of preoperative variables in a consecutive series of patients who had closing wedge HTO at a minimum of 12 year followup (mean 18-year, range 12 to 28 years). Three hundred one of an initial 372 high tibial osteotomies (313 patients) were included (81% followup); 71 knees were eliminated because patients died (30 knees) or were lost to followup (41 knees). The mean age was 42 years (range, 15-76 years), 194 were men and 119 were women. The osteotomy was fixed by a Blount staple and an AO half-tube plate with three screws. Forty-three knees (14%) in 39 patients were revised for progression of osteoarthritis at an average of 102 months. Survival was 85% at 20 years with revision as the endpoint. Knee function was considered satisfactory by 77% of patients. At final followup, ½ of the knees showed radiographic signs of medial osteoarthritis. The most important risk factors predicting revision were age greater than 50 years and a preoperative arthritis Ahlback grade of 3 or more. Level of Evidence: Level IV, therapeutic study (case series). See the Guidelines for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.


Abstract There have been many ductile fracture criteria published for predicting fractures in the isothermal metal-forming process, especially at room temperature. However, many materials, such as magnesium alloy and aluminium alloy, show an improved formability at elevated temperatures under non-isothermal conditions. It is significant to predict the occurrence of fracture in metal forming under these conditions since a forming limit diagram is almost powerless here. In the present work, an approach is proposed for extending the application of existent ductile fracture criteria in a non-isothermal metal-forming process. Using the new approach, combined with the finite element method (FEM), the deep drawing of magnesium alloy AZ31 cylindrical cups under non-isothermal condition is analysed. The fractures located in the punch radius region and in the cup wall close to the radius region of the female die resulting from the low and high punch temperatures, respectively, are predicted.


Objective: To investigate the impact of adding human menopausal gonadotropin (hMG) for in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer pregnancy outcomes in a standard population of non-advanced age with normal ovarian reserve function using a long follicular phase protocol. Methods: Clinical data of 489 patients with normal ovarian reserve function, who were admitted from January 2018 to January 2020 in the Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University and underwent in vitro fertilization for the first time with the long follicular phase protocol in fresh cycles, were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were divided into three groups according to whether or not to add urine-derived hMG and the timing of addition: non-addition group (group A), medium-term hMG group (group B1), whole course hMG group (group B2); the laboratory parameters of each group were observed, and the effect of ovulation induction drugs and pregnancy outcomes were compared. Results: The ages of B1 and B2 groups were significantly higher than that of group A (P=0.019 and P=0.011). The basal FSH level of group B2 was significantly higher than those of group A and group B1 (P<0.01 and P=0.006), and the basal FSH/LH ratio of group B2 was significantly higher than that of group B1 (P=0.009). Antral follicle counts of group A and group B1 were significantly higher than that of group B2 (P=0.007 and P=0.017). The superior embryo rate of group B2 [(47±27)%] was significantly higher than that of group A (P=0.017). The embryo implantation rate of group B1 was significantly lower than those of group A and group B2 (P=0.043 and P<0.01). The clinical pregnancy rate of group B2 [76.7% (155/202)] was significantly higher than those of group A (P=0.039) and group B1 (P<0.01). The live-birth rate of group B2 [67.3% (136/202)] was significantly higher than those of group A (P=0.017) and group B1 (P=0.001). Conclusions: For non-advanced aged patients with normal ovarian reserve function, the long protocol of follicular phase is suitable for those with relatively low ovarian reserve function. Adding hMG in the whole course of ovulation induction after gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist reduction could improve the pregnancy outcomes by improving the quality of embryos.


Purpose Little is known about retinal neuronal loss in the retinas of diabetic mice. The purpose of this study was the quantitative assessment of retinal neural cell number in diabetic mice. Methods Five-week-old C57BL/6 mice were used as a diabetic model with streptozotocin. Mice were studied over the course of 6 and 12 weeks after the onset of diabetes. Intraocular pressure (IOP) was measured with a noninvasive TonoLab tonometer. The retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) were counted at two different time points after the induction of diabetes and examined using the immunofluorescence technique and quantitative analysis. Results The diabetic mice had significantly elevated IOP levels at 6 and 12 weeks after the onset of diabetes compared with the age-matched control mice (p<0.01 and p<0.001, respectively). The temporal course of Brn3a+ RGC and Neuronal Nuclei+RGC (NeuN+ RGC) loss induced by intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin followed a similar trend. At 6 and 12 weeks after the onset of diabetes, the number of Brn3a+ RGCs (p<0.05 at 6 weeks; p<0.001 at 12 weeks) and NeuN+ RGCs (p<0.05 at 6 weeks; p<0.001 at 12 weeks) was significantly lower in diabetic mice than age-matched control mice. In the retinal flatmounts, the number of Brn3a+ RGCs (p<0.05 at 6 weeks, p<0.01 at 12 weeks) was also significantly lower in diabetic mice than control mice. The IOP in diabetic mice was negatively related with RGCs in cross sections. The cut-off value of IOP was 14.2 mmHg for diabetes. Conclusions This is a specific quantitative study of neural cell loss in the retina during diabetes. These data suggest that retinal neural cell reduction occurs in diabetic mice. It indicates that RGC loss may be an important component of diabetic retinopathy.


A significant correlation was shown in Rockland-Swiss albino mice between the number of fetuses and maternal nest-building performance as assessed by the amount of nesting material gathered into the cage. The greater the number of fetuses, the more nesting material was gathered. A significant correlation first appeared on Day 4 and was maintained until Day 18 of gestation.


An elderly patient with no abnormal bleeding presented with prolongation of the activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT). Preincubation of plasma with aPTT reagent caused shortening of the abnormal clotting time. Plasma prekallikrein (PK) activity and antigen were <5 u/dL. Molecular analysis showed a homozygous Arg94Stop substitution in the PK gene, predicted to prevent expression of the mutant allele. The five heterozygous offspring of the proband each showed a normal aPTT but reduced PK activity and antigen. This is the first description of a kindred in which absence of expression of one or both PK alleles has been confirmed by genotype.


Background Aortic cross-clamping and balloon occlusion of the aorta could lead to damage to the aorta wall. Objective The aim of this study was to investigate changes to the aorta wall related to the method used to interrupt flow (clamping or balloon) in the different techniques available for aortic surgery. Methods Experiments were performed on 40 female pigs, weighing 25-30kg, which were randomly allocated to 4 study groups: S (n=10), no intervention (sham group); C (n=10), midline transperitoneal laparotomy for infrarenal abdominal aortic access with 60 min of cross-clamping; L (n=10), laparoscopic infrarenal abdominal aortic surgery with 60 min of cross-clamping; EV (n=10), remote proximal aortic control with transfemoral arterial insertion of aortic occlusion balloon catheter, inflated to provide continued aortic occlusion for 60min. After euthanasia, the aortas were removed and cross-sectioned to obtain histological specimens for light microscopic and morphometric analyses. The remaining longitudinal segments were stretched to rupture and mechanical parameters were determined. Results We observed a reduction in the yield point of the abdominal aorta, decrease in stiffness and in failure load in the aortic cross-clamping groups (C and L) compared with the EV group. Conclusions Aortic cross-clamping during open or laparoscopic surgery can affect the mechanical properties of the aorta leading to decrease in resistance of the aorta wall, without structural changes in aorta wall histology.


A simple tight-binding model is used for a quantitative study of hybridisation effects in nickel-aluminium compounds. The model is not an ab initio calculation but it requires only the data on elemental properties of pure metal constituents which are readily available in the literature. Combined with an extended Cluster Bethe Lattice Method, this approach allows the energy of formation of these compounds to be calculated and the chemical trends in the bonding properties to be analysed.


Aims: Flow over gravel dunes is investigated. Measured velocity and Reynolds stress
distributions over gravel dunes are compared to those for sand bedforms under similar
geometric and hydraulic conditions.
Place and Duration of Study: Experiments were carried out at the hydraulics laboratory
at Isfahan University of Technology, Iran, during the summer of 2012.
Results: Results show that the dune surface roughness plays a significant role in the
stream wise velocity near-bed region (z/H <0.3), but it has no influence on the velocity
distribution in outer flow region (z/H>0.3). While flow separation is clear in the troughs of
sand bedforms, it is not evident over gravel bedforms and this has important implications
when considering drag and flow resistance. The convex shapes of the Reynolds shear
stress distribution over the trough and stoss regions of gravel bedforms are comparable
to those of sand bedforms for z/H>0.5, but significant differences are found for z/H<0.5.
The greater surface roughness of gravel dunes increases peak values of Reynolds shear
stresses over the trough, crest and stoss regions.


ABSTRACT The influence of caspofungin on polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMN) phagocytosis and intracellular killing of Candida albicans was investigated. Caspofungin, at all of the concentrations tested (2, 3.2, and 8 μg/ml), significantly increased intracellular killing by PMNs through its direct action on both yeast cells and PMNs, indicating the potential ability of caspofungin to synergize with phagocytes for candidal killing. Caspofungin may therefore constitute an effective therapeutic option for the treatment of invasive fungal infections, including those refractory to conventional treatment with azole agents.


This article looks at security valuation from the perspective of the financial manager, accenting the relationships to stockholder wealth maximization (SWM), risk and return, and potential agency problems. It also covers some of the pertinent literature related to how investors and creditors price the stocks and bonds of corporations.


In recent times, the South African bakery industry has gone under intense competition that threatens the survival of players within the sector. An identified bakery firm located in the City of Tshwane is not immune to the problem. Faced with fierce competition from established bakery firms such as Albany, Sasko, Supreme, Blue Ribbon and retail own brands such as Shoprite, Spar and Pick n Pay, the bakery firm urgently need to rethink its strategy to secure its survival. An assessment of total quality management (TQM) on the operations of the bakery firm is a recommended strategy for continuous improvement and gaining a competitive edge. It is therefore important in this study to understand employees' perceptions of total quality management and establish its impact on operational performance. For the sake of bringing this study into operation, the researcher utilised a descriptive research design. Data was collected through a well-structured questionnaire from a sample of 110 employees working for the bakery firm. Analyses of data that include mean values, standard deviation, correlation and regression analyses was performed through the use of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences. Results showed that employees had a negative perception on total quality management factors that include leadership, knowledge management, supplier management, customer focus, employee involvement and process management. A significant positive relationship was also found between total quality management (leadership, knowledge management, supplier management, customer focus, employee involvement and process management) and operational performance. This study also provides recommendations to authorities within the bakery industry so as to improve total quality management and operational performances


Microstrip antennas are widely used in wireless communications due to their advantages of low profile, light weight, low production cost, and conformability with RF circuitry. Recently, a novel reconfigurable microstrip antenna design, patch antenna with switchable slots (PASS), has been proposed to realize various functionalities such as dual frequency operation, dual band CP performance, and polarization diversity with only one patch and a single feed. In this paper, the PASS concept is used to design a compact dual band circularly polarized antenna at the UHF band for a future Mars rover mission.


"Inl statistical inference proper, the model is never questioned. . . . The methods of mathematical statistics do not provide us with a means of specifying the model." 1 Few would question the profundity of the above quotes. Yet in practice the methodological dictum contained therein is invariably violated. In practice we ordinarily face data with an imperfectly specified model and learn of our imperfection from the data themselves. For an example, a second round estimation procedure to clean up residual serial correlation is often employed after a Durbin-WVatson statistic turns out to be insufficiently close to two. For another, we often read of a choice of algebraic form based on computation of R 2s. And few of us can deny deciding whether to drop a variable based on the outcome of a t-test. Such procedures seem sensible from an intuitive point of view -data may not speak for themselves but they can raise a voice hard for a sensible man to ignore when a model is badly misspecified. The opposite extreme, complete empiricism, is just as unattractive perhaps more so. Theory is worth something. Meaningful research does not come from exhaustively searching through lists of potential explanatory variables. Presumably it is safe to ignore sunspot data and the length of women's skirts in studying the demand for food. The reader of a research report is unconvinced by even nice results if he is made aware that a large number of trials with alternative specifications led sequentially to those results. Most would agree to the broad statements made so far. The purpose of this paper is to define more rigorously the balance between two untenable methodological attitudes; that, on the one hand, data should not be allowed to interfere with specification and, on the other, specification must be achieved mainly by experimentation. The vehicle used in the sequel to investigate costs and returns of sequential investigation is a lFnear regression model relating a regress and to two potential regressors. The assumption is that the researcher's interest lies mainly in the effect of the first regressor and the question is whether to include or exclude the second independent variable in regression. Thus, the specific problem considered here is so limited that it arises seldom in practice as a specific case. But the simple problem contains within it features that are common with those of more realistic problems of model construction. The same considerations arise in more complex situations. The results that follow are rigorous but the mode of presentation is nonrigorous. Those interested in proofs of results are referred to appropriate sources.


We present a multiresolution surface reconstruction method from point clouds in 3D space based on Kononen's self-organizing neural networks. It uses a set of mesh operators and simple rules for selective mesh refinement. Experimental results shows the method is very sucessfull to reconstruct forms of varied geometry.


In this study, the Effective Plant Area Indices (PAIe) for areas of Korean Pine (Pinus koraiensis) and Oaks (Quercus spp.) were estimated by calculating the ratio of intercepted and penetrated LIDAR laser pulses for the canopies of the three forest types. Initially, the canopy gap fraction (GLiDAR) was generated by extracting the LiDAR data reflected from the canopy surface, or inner canopy area. The LiDAR-derived PAIe was then estimated by using GLIDAR with the Beer-Lambert law. A comparison of the LiDAR-derived and field-derived PAIe revealed the coefficients of determination for Korean Pine and Oak to be 0.82 and 0.59, respectively. These differences between field-based and LIDAR-based PAIe for the different forest types were attributed to the amount of leaves and branches in the forest stands. The probability that the LiDAR pulses are reflected from bare branches is low as compared to the reflection from branches with a high leaf density.


We empirically investigate the determinants of lenders concentration providing bank loans to European borrowers. We analyze the influence of loan and borrower characteristics but also legal enforcement variables that are expected to influence the financial and strategic decisions related to bank lending concentration. We find that firms tend to diversify sources of financing by reducing concentration when their level of quality is higher and both asymmetric information and the risk of early liquidation are minimal. Furthermore, lenders' monitoring appears to be an important feature of lending concentration, particularly in order to prevent private benefits extraction by insiders in legal environment where shareholders benefit from better protections. (This abstract was borrowed from another version of this item.)


In the determination of the effect of x-rays upon cells or tissues, the biological material is usually assumed to have an absorption coefficient approximately the same as that for water (1, 2). Some measurements of the absorption of the Kα and Kβ radiation of molybdenum by sperm, however, gave appreciably higher values than those for water. Since this has some interesting consequences, these values have been compared with the absorption by other types of cells. The results indicate that chromatin absorbs more than the cytoplasm or karyolymph. It is suggested that the regression of a tissue after irradiation with x-rays may be largely a consequence of injury to the chromatin, possibly by direct inactivation of genes or unequal distribution of genie material to daughter cells after mitosis. Hence the sensitivity of a tissue to x-rays may be dependent, in part, upon the number of nuclei contained in a unit volume. Materials and Methods Sperm was removed from the sperm sacs of Urechis with a pipette. The absorption of this undiluted suspension was then measured. Other samples were centrifuged in rubber tubes for two hours, at 3,000 times gravity. The supernatant fluid was then poured off, the thin rubber diaphragm at the end of the tube was removed, and the solid sperm mass squeezed into the absorption cell. Still other samples were suspended in distilled water, centrifuged, and the supernatant fluid poured off. The solid material was again suspended and centrifuged, the process being repeated five times. Microscopic examination of this washed material showed it to consist almost entirely of sperm heads, the tails having been removed with the supernatant fluid.


The paper discusses the problems of long distance travel surveys, with examples from recent studies, and presents results of a new long distance survey approach to overcome these problems. As part of of the 6th Framework funded KITE project (A Knowledge Base for Intermodal Passenger Travel in Europe), a new survey methodology based mainly on the MEST (Methods for European Surveys of Travel Behavior) and INVERMO (Intermodale Vernetzung) surveys was developed and tested in three different European countries. The method starts with a journey roster of basic items for the long distance journeys undertaken and a stage form for details about the last three long distance journeys. First, a short overview of conventional household travel surveys of long distance travel is given, followed by a description about their main problems and the survey approach which was chosen to overcome these. The second part presents the long distance journey rates from the KITE surveys and presents corrected rates from a homogeneous hazard-model for Switzerland, the Czech Republic and Portugal. These figures are compared with the results of the majority of long distance dedicated surveys.


"Protestant" is a term applied to many different Christian denominations, with a wide range of beliefs, who trace their common origin to the Reformation of the 16th century. Protestant ideas have profoundly influenced modern bioethics, and most Protestants would see mainstream bioethics as compatible with their personal beliefs. This makes it difficult to define a uniquely Protestant approach to bioethics. In this article we provide an overview of common Protestant beliefs and highlight concepts that have emerged from Protestant denominations that are particularly relevant to bioethics. These include the sovereignty of God, the value of autonomy and the idea of medicine as a calling as well as a profession. Most Canadian physicians will find that they share certain values and beliefs with the majority of their Protestant patients. Physicians should be particularly sensitive to their Protestant patients' beliefs when dealing with end-of-life issues, concerns about consent and refusal of care, and beginning-of-life issues such as abortion, genetic testing and the use of assisted reproductive technologies. Physicians should also recognize that members of certain Protestant groups and denominations may have unique wishes concerning treatment. Understanding how to elicit these wishes and respond appropriately will allow physicians to enhance patient care and minimize conflict.


A bias-assisted photoelectrochemical (PEC) etching method is developed to roughen the p-GaN surface of GaN-based light-emitting diodes (LEDs). According to the atomic force microscopy images obtained, the morphology of the p-GaN surface can be effectively roughened by using the bias-assisted photoelectrochemical etching method. The relative threshold voltage and leakage current of LEDs with and without the PEC treatment were virtually similar, indicating that the electrical performances had not been damaged by the bias-assisted PEC etching method. The enhancement of the light output power of LEDs subjected to the PEC treatment with durations of 5, 10. and 15 min compared with conventional LEDs had been determined to be 13.5, 19.1, and 22.7%, respectively. The foregoing results evidently demonstrated that an increase in the light output power critically depends on the surface morphology.


The Internet short video is booming in recently years, but its business model architecture and corresponding mechanism of value creation remain obscure. This study aims at answering the question of "how does the Internet short video business model realize value creation".Specifically, based on the perspective of factors' architecture and the theoretical foundation of network effects, and following the business model's logic among the dimensions of value proposition, value creation and value capture, this study compares Douyin and Kuaishou to investigate the theoretical architecture of the Internet short video business model and analyzes its mechanism of value creation. The findings suggest that the Internet short video business model consists of four key factors, namely, content, flow, operation, and monetization. Content belongs to value proposition dimension, including media oriented content and social oriented content; flow and operation belong to value creation dimension, flow including public flow and private flow, and operation including centralized operation and decentralized operation; monetization belongs to value capture dimension, including deal-promoting monetization and emotion-tied monetization. According to the logic among the business model's dimensions, these factors are integrated as three theoretical architectures, which are labelled as "content-dominant business model", "socialization-dominant business model" and "two-wheel driving business model". These three kinds of Internet short video business model are respectively supported by cross-side network effect, same-side network effect and two-side network effect in the mechanism of value creation. Furthermore, "two-wheel driving business model" reaches the organic combination between "content-dominant business model" and "socialization-dominant business model", which is more crucial for Internet short video platforms to gain sustainable competitive advantages.Compared with the extant literature, this study makes three main contributions: First, it supplements the research on the Internet short video business model by depicting its key factors and theoretical architectures. Second, it enriches the research on the architecture drivers of business model value creation by adopting the paradigm of "factor-architecture-value". Third, it strengthens the research on the mechanism of value creation for the platform business model under network effects by combining the concepts of strategy management and economics such as positioning, resource, capability and rent. Overall, this study not only opens the "black box" of value creation in the Internet short video business model, but also sheds light on the business model innovation of Internet short video both theoretically and practically.


We investigate the scaling properties of a model of passive vector turbulence with pressure in the presence of a large-scale anisotropy. The leading scaling exponents of the structure functions are proven to be anomalous. The anisotropic exponents are organized in hierarchical families growing without bound with the degree of anisotropy. Nonlocality produces poles in the inertial-range dynamics corresponding to the dimensional scaling solution. The increase vs. the Péclet number of the hyperskewness and higher odd-dimensional ratios signals the persistence of anisotropy in the inertial range.


PURPOSE: Mental health comorbidities are commonplace among patients with cancer and have been associated with adverse health outcomes and elevated health care costs. Given the rapidly evolving cancer care landscape, an updated understanding of the prevalence and costs of mental health conditions among patients with cancer is needed. This study assessed the incremental costs of anxiety and depression among Medicare beneficiaries with cancer. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study used the SEER-Medicare database. Patients diagnosed with melanoma, breast, lung, prostate, or colorectal cancer between July 2013 and December 2017 were followed for at least 12 months and up to 36 months after cancer diagnosis. Patients were categorized on the basis of anxiety/depression (AD) diagnosis: (1) predating cancer, (2) onset after cancer, or (3) no AD. Multivariable regression was used to estimate differences in all-cause incremental costs (before v after cancer) between the three groups. RESULTS: Of 230,626 patients, 10% had AD before their cancer diagnosis and 22% were diagnosed after cancer. In the first year after cancer diagnosis, average monthly health care costs were $5,750 in US dollars (USD) for patients with newly onset, $5,208 (USD) for patients with preexisting, and $3,919 (USD) for patients without a diagnosis of AD. The incremental cost of cancer was the greatest among patients with newly onset AD—$1,458 (USD) per month greater than those with no AD. Similar patterns were observed across cancer types and stages. CONCLUSION: One in three Medicare beneficiaries with cancer in this study had a diagnosis of anxiety or depression. Newly onset AD is associated with an increase in health care costs of $17,496 (USD) per year. Screening and management of mental health conditions for patients with cancer should be part of coordinated oncology care.


We present a new type of magnetic field detector that uses a nonlinear micromechanical oscillator for sensing. This is the first fabricated magnetometer that takes advantage of the geometrically induced nonlinearities in a clamped-clamped beam. It does not incorporate magnetic materials, and its fabrication is fully compatible with standard semiconductor processes. In this sensor, the magnetic field B applied to the resonant beam can be detected by measuring the shift that it produces in fpeak, the frequency of maximum oscillation amplitude. This frequency shift is linked to a reduction of the quality factor and only occurs if the oscillator is in the nonlinear regime. It is originated by the ohmic losses induced by the applied magnetic field, which dissipate part of the mechanical energy stored in the oscillator.


Asmare B, Yayeh Z. 2018. Determinants of rice by-products utilization as feed and their management in Ethiopia: the case of Fogera District. Asian J Agric 2: 1-7. The study was conducted with the objective to determine the status of farmers' rice byproduct utilization as feed in Fogera district, northwestern Ethiopia. Eighty smallholder farmers were selected purposely based on livestock population and rice production access. A semi-structured questionnaire was administered to select farmers systematically. The collected data was analyzed using SPSS descriptive statistical analysis. The result indicated that the majority of respondents in the study area were with the range from 31 to 50 years (55%). Education status of respondents showed that the majority of household heads were able to read and write (27.5%) followed by elementary school (26.25%) and high school (17.5%) completed. The main dry season feed in the majority of households (46.25%) was found to be grazing and crop residues. The majority (64.62%) of farmers used rice by-products as livestock feed, followed by both feed and house construction. Types of by-products used for animal feed by respondent's elucidated majority (61.5%) used rice straw, considerable proportion (26.15%) rice bran and (12.30%) used both straw and bran for animal feed based on availability. The sources of rice by-products indicated for many of respondents (66.7%) was farm produced, 18.5% use purchased and 18.4% get rice by-products both from farm produced and purchasing for their animal feed. Type of animals fed rice byproducts including cattle in the case of majority of respondents (49.23%), cattle and equine, followed (24.62%), and all animals (13.85%), respectively. In livestock owners, rice by-products are fed to livestock as sole feed and mixed with other feeds, however, the majority (69.2%) of households provides sole followed by both sole and mixed with other feeds (16.9%). Many of the respondents (55%) apply drying followed by addition of salt water (22.5%) as method of improving the rice by-products. The main constraints observed in rice by-products utilization as feed were seasonal deficiency of by-products (25.5%) followed by lack of awareness (16.25%).Though these problems prevailed in the study area, rice by-products are being used as a major crop residue feed with little or no improvement applied. Generally, it can be included that rice by-products were found very important feed resources in the rice dominated farming system of Fogera district. To exploit these products properly, farmers need to be assisted through proper agricultural extension service and supply in the form of credit service. Moreover, further on detailed on-farm experimentation should be done to demonstrate better utilization of the products as livestock feed.


PurposeThe two main objectives of this project were to advance knowledge about the way corruption and related offences are structured and operate in society and to draw inferences on the efficiency and efficacy of the judicial authorities in handling reported offences with the ultimate goal of improving and effecting control policies.Design/methodology/approachIn this research note the authors attempt to explore the relevance of judicial materials. The authors developed an analytical framework to extract information from court case decisions and analysed 838 court cases on corruption and related offences in Portuguese first instance courts for the period 2004–2008 to map the distribution of corruption and related offences, understand the anatomy of corruption as a criminal offence and learn from the judicial system's capacity to investigate, prosecute and trial reported occurrences.FindingsMost corruption cases took place in the major metropolitan areas, involved municipalities as passive agents and construction companies as active agents and had to do with urban sprawl and land management policies. Court data also allowed the authors to gauge the areas or sectors of activity more exposed to corruption risks. Generally speaking, these tend to be those areas or sectors characterized by high levels of informality and clientelism, high profitability ratios deriving from political decisions, unbalanced supply-demand of decisional goods and services, disorganised and fragmented regulation, low levels of transparency and insufficient or misguided supervision.Research limitations/implicationsThe framework for analysis is replicable in other contexts with minor adjustments. The major limitation is access to court decisions/narratives. This project was developed in partnership with the Portuguese Public Prosecutor's Office. This has facilitated access to those materials. For those wishing to use the database, the major limitation is that it covers only the period 2004–2008.Practical implicationsThe court narratives confirm that in cases where the complaint is complemented by documentary, audio, video and photographic evidences collected by special investigative means the subsequent production of proof in court is more effective. The data also suggests that cases reported from inside the organisation where the offence takes place are likelier to reach the trial phase, thus reinforcing the need for diversifying and strengthening reporting mechanisms and procedures and the guarantees to those who are willing to collaborate with the auditing and investigative authorities.Social implicationsThe authors contend that court cases of corruption and related offences yield important and useful policy-oriented information that should not be overlooked by decision-makers when upgrading their efforts to fight corruption.Originality/valueThis research note introduces a novel dataset on corruption court cases in Portugal. The policy significance of this dataset is threefold: (1) it provides decision-makers a more detailed mapping of the volume and distribution of corruption and related offences across the country than that provided by standard judicial statistics; (2) it fosters knowledge on key sociological aspects of the corrupt fact, thus helping decision-makers to understand better the type of actors, objectives, contexts, resources and exchanges involved and (3) it helps to understand the dynamics of judicial proceedings and how certain procedural and institutional features impact on outcomes.


The paper is concerned with the sequential online change-point detection problem for a dynamical system driven by a quasiperiodic stochastic process. We propose a multicomponent time series model and an effective online decomposition algorithm to approximate the components of the models. Assuming the stationarity of the obtained components, we approach the change-point detection problem on a per-component basis and propose two online change-point detection schemes corresponding to two real-world scenarios. Experimental results for decomposition and detection algorithms for synthesized and real-world datasets are provided to demonstrate the efficiency of our change-point detection framework.


A model is presented, where firms issuing equity differ in the ability of their controlling shareholders to extract private benefits: thus a lemon problem, leading to cross-subsidization across issuers, is added to the moral hazard issue. A governance institution is introduced, enabling large shareholders to commit to the general interest of shareholders. The following main results are obtained. I) Such an institution is employed either as a signalling device or as a commitment tool. The relationship between governance structure (e.g. board independence) and private benefits is non-monotonic. II) The adoption of the institution is negatively related to ownership concentration, consistently with the empirical evidence that board independence is decreasing in CEO ownership. III) It is better to let the application of such governance mechanisms emerge as a market outcome, rather than be imposed by the regulation.


The book provides an important contribution to the technological and commercial history of crucible and electric steelmaking by thoroughly examining its development in Sheffield and American centres such as Pittsburgh. It also discusses cutlery, saw and file manufacturing, where the Americans quickly shed Sheffield's traditional technologies and, with the help of superior marketing, established a word lead by 1900. It is also shown, however, that this did not free the US from its dependence on Sheffield steel. Sheffield's innovation in special steelmaking, which began with the Hunstman crucible process in 1742, continued with a series of brilliant 'firsts', which gave the world tool, manganese, silicon, vanadium and stainless steel alloys. Thus the US continued to draw from Sheffield know-how, even in the twentieth century - a transfer of technology that was facilitated by the foundation of Sheffield's own subsidiary firms in America, the history of which is recounted here.


Geothermal anomalies in sedimentary basins are strongly controlled by fluid circulation within permeable zones. Exploration of new targets requires the understanding of how and why hydrothermal circulation patterns establish in a particular zone. This study presents a new compilation of newly corrected bottom-hole temperature data in the French part of the Upper Rhine Graben, where the Soultz-sous-Forets temperature anomaly is locked beneath a local horst structure. After a geostatistically constrained interpolation procedure, maps and crosssections are extracted from the 3D thermal block, together with the associated standard deviations. Thermal anomalies are preferentially associated with the thickest zones of the permeable fractured Buntsandstein (sandstones) formation, in apparent contradiction with previous models where two major fault zones were suggested to control fluid flow. The underlying fractured granitic basement hosts fluid circulation patterns which are apparently controlled at large-scale by the inclined basement-sediments interface. Based on these observations, numerical models of hydrothermal convection including an inclined basement-sediments interface, a local horst structure, and realistic petrophysical properties have been carried out. The depth-decrease of permeability, the inclination of the interface and the fixed heat flow condition at the base of the model, explain why only a few upwellings can be triggered. Thermal anomalies and a measured temperature profile can be reproduced when fault permeability equals 10-14 m². Interestingly, structure of convective patterns also exhibits a second hotter upwelling, 8 km east of the Soultz-sous-Forets upwelling zone, where another geothermal exploration project is now underway. The understanding of hydrothermal convection with realistic fluid and rock properties clearly appears as a predictive tool for geothermal exploration strategies.


This study examines seasonal variability of the surface energy balance at the King Sejong Station, Antarctica, using measurements and estimates of the components related to the balance for the period of 1996 to 2004. Annual average of downward shortwave radiation at the surface is 81 which is 37% of the extraterrestrial value, with the monthly maximum of 188 in December and the minimum of 8 in June. These values are relatively smaller than those at other stations in Antarctica, which can be attributed to higher cloudy weather conditions in Antarctic front zone. Surface albedo varies between ~0.3 in the austral summer season and ~0.6 in the winter season. As a result, the net shortwave radiation ranges from 117 down to 3 with annual averages of 43 . Annual average of the downward longwave radiation shows 278 , ranging from 263 in August to 298 in January. The downward longwave radiation is verified to be dependent strongly on the air temperature and specific humidity, accounting for 74% and 79% of the total variance in the longwave radiation, respectively. The net longwave radiation varies between 25 and 40 with the annual averages of 30 . Accordingly, the annual average energy balance is dominated by radiative warming of a positive net all-wave radiation from September to next March and radiative cooling of a negative net all-wave radiation from April to August. The net all-wave radiative energy gain and loss at the surface is mostly balanced by turbulent flux of sensible and latent heat. The soil heat flux is of negligible importance in the surface energy balance.