The absence of frameworks to cope with "Too big to fail" (TBTF) credit institutions has led several states to huge financial rescues, leaving it to taxpayers to bear the cost. Policy-makers have pooled efforts towards the set-up of a framework enabling them to overcome TBTF via the orderly resolution of credit institutions. Bail-in is the resolution tool that, at the EU level, epitomizes the policy response to the problem of social costs. The article focuses on legal complexities of this powerful tool' s application, with particular reference to the right of property and to the creditor's right.


This thesis aims to explore and provide a better understanding of the ways in which religion and spirituality, as social constructs, impact on ethnic entrepreneurship. The choice to focus on religion and spirituality was informed by the gap in the literature as well as the increasing emphasis on the importance of integrating issues related to these sets of values in the wider contemporary business discourse.
The research project is grounded in the mixed embeddedness framework and argues that, although very complex, this model focusses too much on opportunity structures, ethnic and social capitals while failing to acknowledge the potential of religious and spiritual values in shaping ethnic firms. In this concern I have used qualitative triangulation to build 11 in-depth case studies of ethnic minority businesses.
The findings have shown that religious and spiritual capitals are important in same spheres of the business such as forming social support networks, shaping business decision, motivation and aspirations, employee relations and constructing a positive company culture. Additionally, the evidence suggests that spiritual values are likely to encourage the participation of women in ethnic entrepreneurship. However, their influence is not representative for matters related to accessing and utilising financial capitals.


Indian retail industry has emerged as one of the most dynamic and fast-paced industries due to the entry of several new players. It accounts for over 10% of the countrys gross domestic product (GDP) and around 8% of the employment. India is the worlds fifth-largest global destination in the retail space. The sizeable middle class and nearly unexplored retail market in India are the main attractive factors for international retail behemoths seeking to move into newer markets, which will help the Indian Retail Industry, grow more quickly. The urban Indian consumers purchasing power is increasing, and branded goods in categories like apparel, cosmetics, footwear, watches, beverages, food, and even jewellery are gradually evolving into business and leisure that are well-liked by the urban Indian consumer. India has the third-highest number of e-retail shoppers (only behind China, the US). The phenomenon called shopping centre or shopping mall is rocking India - metros and now even the smaller towns are buzzing with the mall mania. Modern retail format i.e. shopping malls are characterized by professionally managed large format stores, providing goods and services that appeal to consumers, in an ambience that is conducive for shopping. The recent surge in the growth of shopping malls is changing the way people shop. Mall culture in India and especially in Andhra Pradesh has been growing with an incredible pace. Just a few years back, people had to make a choice among shopping, movies or hanging out on a holiday but thanks to our malls, all these jobs can be performed at the same time, under the same roof and that too with a wonderful experience. The possibility of shopping for clothes, shoes and grocery, while simultaneously having provision for eating and entertainment in the form of movies or video game parlors, has been a convenient experience for the consumers. This paper aims to study the key factors that influence consumer behaviour towards shopping malls. The specific objective of this paper is to study consumers buying tactic, shopping priority during shopping at mall in Chennai city. The main aim of this study is to analyze different attributes of layouts, accessibility and availability of services in malls in Visakhapatnam City and to examine the attributes offered by the shopping malls which influence the customers in Visakhapatnam.


In this paper we present an experimental implementation of the flocking algorithm presented by H.G. Tanner et al., (2003) for the double integrator model, in the case of wheeled mobile robots (WMR). We use the look ahead concept to feedback linearize the WMR model and obtain its double integrator form in which we apply the control signals in the form of voltages in wheel motors. A virtual leader is used to steer the flock in the desired direction. Comparisons of the experimental results with simulation verify the robustness of this algorithm to model uncertainties and communication delays.


Reliability optimization has been studied in the literature for decades, usually using a mathematical programming approach. Because of these solution methodologies, restrictions on the type of allowable design have been made, however heuristic optimization approaches are free of such binding restrictions. One difficulty in applying heuristic approaches to reliability design is the highly constrained nature of the problems, both in terms of number of constraints and the difficulty of satisfying constraints. This paper presents a penalty guided genetic algorithm which efficiently and effectively searches over promising feasible and infeasible regions to identify a final, feasible optimal, or near optimal, solution. The penalty function is adaptive and responds to the search history. Results obtained on 33 test problems from the literature dominate previous solution techniques.


Geometric objects are often represented by many millions of triangles or polygons, which limits the ease with which they can be transmitted and displayed electronically. This has lead to the development of many algorithms for simplifying geometric models, and to the recognition that metrics are required to evaluate their success. The goal is to create computer graphic renderings of the object that do not appear to be degraded to a human observer. The perceptual evaluation of simplified objects is a new topic. One approach has been to sue image-based metrics to predict the perceived degradation of simplified 3D models. Since that 2D images of 3D objects can have significantly different perceived quality, depending on the direction of the illumination, 2D measures of image quality may not adequately capture the perceived quality of 3D objects. To address this question, we conducted experiments in which we explicitly compared the perceived quality of animated 3D objects and their corresponding 2D still image projections. Our results suggest that 2D judgements do not provide a good predictor of 3D image quality, and identify a need to develop 'object quality metrics.'


In this chapter, the CeHRes Roadmap – a framework for eHealth development, implementation and evaluation – is explained. The Roadmap consists of six main phases: the contextual inquiry, value specification, design, operationalization, summative evaluation and formative evaluation. In this chapter, the rationale behind the Roadmap is provided. After that, each phase is explained, its objectives are stated, relevant concepts, methods and activities are explained, and the types of outcomes of the phase are given. Furthermore, cases are provided to illustrate certain abstract concepts, and references to other chapters that provide more in-depth information are included.


In two recent publications 1 I have shown that a watery extract of fresh suprarenal glands possesses the following properties: Injected into the body of a dog or a rabbit it produces glycosuria (see also Blum's, Zuelzer's and Herter's recent publications). It possesses the power of converting starch into dextrose and maltose and this power of the extract is lost on boiling. It causes the blue color produced by iodin in a starch solution to disappear. I am indebted to Dr. A. O. J. Kelly of Philadelphia, whose work on hypernephromas is well known, for the suggestion that possibly hypernephromas possessed properties similar to those shown to be possessed by the suprarenals themselves. It seemed possible that an investigation of this question might lead to an additional and important means of differentiating hypernephromas from tumors derived from proper renal structures. Inasmuch as it was thought that conclusive evidence


The increasing consumption of probiotics is due to progress made in understanding the use of probiotics. In the past, probiotics were used to treat UTIs mostly because of an alarming concern regarding rise in antibiotic resistance. Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium are mostly use on a large scale nowadays. They are gut beneficial bacteria. These organisms have enzymes, H2O2, lactic acid, and other acids which are utilized as antimicrobial agents to treat digestive pain, eczema, tumors, and ulceration. Dairy-based products like milk, yogurt, cheese, ice cream, milk powder, dark chocolate, fermented milk etc., mostly contain probiotics. Samples were collected from different markets. All these samples were enriched for 24 hours following morphology observation by catalase test, gram staining and biochemical test. Antimicrobial activity was checked by measuring zone of inhibition formed by isolated species against uropathogens, namely E-coli and Klebsiella. A current study showed results that were probable to promote rate of UTI treatment in women who are above 50 years. It was found that natural products contain probiotics which allow the consumer to get their beneficial health effect. These probiotics colonize in the intestine and act as a barrier to prevent urinary tract infections.


The clinical features of 3 patients from a kindred with adrenoleukodystrophy and the analysis of their plasma sphingomyelin are described. Onset of symptoms was between the ages of 33 and 54 years. Ataxic gait and spasticity were the only symptoms noted during the early stage of the disorder. Dementia and optic atrophy were present in two of the cases. Baseline plasma cortisol was normal, but adrenocorticotropic hormone was elevated. Analysis of plasma sphingomyelin demonstrated an increase in very-long-chain (C24-C26) fatty acid. This study demonstrates that adrenoleukodystrophy may present with spinocerebellar symptoms.


The purpose of the study was to examine how financial Management Practices affect profitability amongst small scale enterprises. The study adopted descriptive and correlational research designs. The study used a multi regression analysis that determined the linear effect of financial management practices on profitability. A multi regression model also provided a basis for hypothesis testing. The findings established a significant influence of financial management practices on profitability. Evidence showed that working capital and cash management practices had strong associations with profitability. This study also established a triad-factor that limits profitability, characterizing operational costs, microeconomic, and personal characteristics. This study provided empirical evidence on the contribution of the innovation theory and managerial efficiency theory of profits to management of operational and production costs in business. The study recommends that Small business firms should ensure sound financial management practices in order to experience positive changes in their profitability levels. Small scale enterprise owners must pay a lot of attention to their working capital dynamics, cash management which highly affect their profitability levels. Small scale entrepreneurs should hire professionals and experts in financial management.


Purpose/Objective(s): Prior case reports and preclinical studies have suggested that combined radiotherapy and immunotherapy may generate tumor responses outside the radiation treatment field (the "abscopal effect"). However, the frequency of this phenomenon and the radiation parameters associated with its occurrence are relatively unexplored. We aimed to systemically evaluate out-of-field responses following radiotherapy in a large cohort of patients with metastatic melanoma who had been also been treated with the CTLA-4 inhibitor ipilimumab. Materials/Methods: We retrospectively reviewed records from 91 consecutive patients with metastatic melanoma who were treated with ipilimumab and radiation therapy at our institution. These 91 patients received a total of 208 courses of palliative radiation treatment between October 2007 and June 2014. Overall survival was calculated from the date patients were diagnosed with metastatic melanoma using the Kaplan-Meier method. We reviewed radiographic imaging before and after each course of radiotherapy, and the largest "index" lesion outside the radiation treatment field was identified. The difference in the largest diameters of the index lesions were calculated comparing the pre- and post- radiation treatment imaging studies as well as two consecutive imaging studies performed immediately prior to radiotherapy. A favorable response was defined as any decrease in the size of the index lesion. We compared the number of favorable responses before and after radiation therapy using McNemar9s test. We also calculated the difference in response on the two imaging studies prior to radiation as compared to before and after radiation therapy by calculating the difference between the percent changes in index lesion diameter ("delta-delta"), and analyzed the significance of these differences using the binomial test. Finally, we used Pearson9s chi-squared test to assess associations between radiation treatment parameters and changes in response rate. Results: Patient median survival was 19 months (IQR: 11-48 months, median follow up 17 months), with 5-year survival of 22%. There were 116 radiotherapy courses identified with available data from at least two consecutive imaging studies prior to initiation of radiation as well as a single post-radiation study. Index lesions shrank in 10 instances prior to radiation therapy (9%) as compared with 29 instances (25%) after radiation therapy; in 22 of these 29 instances (76%) the index lesion had been increasing in size prior to radiotherapy (p Conclusions: Our systematic review of metastatic melanoma patients treated with the combination of radiotherapy and ipilimumab suggests that a subset of patients may have more favorable out-of-field responses following treatment with radiation. Interestingly, we found that smaller radiation fraction sizes (≤3 Gy/fraction) were associated with a more favorable change in response. If confirmed, these results may have important ramifications for the design of future trials that seek to combine radiation and immunotherapy to maximize the likelihood of achieving an abscopal effect. Citation Format: Ravi A. Chandra, Tyler J. Wilhite, Tracy A. Balboni, Alexander Spektor, Andrea K. Ng, Frank Stephen Hodi, Jr., Jonathan D. Schoenfeld. A systematic evaluation of abscopal responses following radiation therapy in patients with metastatic melanoma treated with ipilimumab. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference: Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy: A New Chapter; December 1-4, 2014; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Immunol Res 2015;3(10 Suppl):Abstract nr A20.


We examined the incidence of primary invasive melanoma in the municipality of Reggio Emilia, northern Italy, in the period from 1986 to 1997. We identified 169 cases, five of which were intraocular. After adjustment for confounders, the risk of having a thick melanoma (Breslow > or = 1 mm) did not decrease over time, except in older females. The age-standardized incidence of cutaneous melanoma during the entire study period was 7.57 in males and 11 in females; from 1986-1991 to 1992-1997, it rose from 5.04 to 10.04 cases/100,000 person-years in males and from 8.96 to 13.09 cases/100,000 person-years in females. In males, the increase in incidence was almost entirely confined to subjects aged 30 or more, suggesting a possible cohort effect. We noted rising age-standardized incidences over time both in males with thin tumours (Breslow < 1 mm) (from 2.05 to 4.38 cases/100,000 person-years) and thick tumours (from 2.73 to 5.51 cases/100,000 person-years), while in females the increase was limited to thin melanomas (from 3.14 to 6.93 cases/100,000 person-years), mainly due to an increase in the older age groups (50 69 years and > or =70 years). The increase in thick melanomas among males and the expected cohort effects suggests antecedent exposure to environmental risk factors.


Achieving academic continuity in the face of the CoVid-19 pandemic demonstrated the universities' ability to respond to the challenges of sudden and disruptive external changes. More than ever, technology became the enabler of learning. Faculty and students quickly needed to develop new skills in the short term to finish the academic term that had been interrupted. The situation required integral digital transformation. The purpose of this document is to present the status of a doctoral-thesis research plan for creating a university digital transformation model supported by the measurement of media literacy. We propose a mixed study with a concurrent-triangulation, sequential-explanatory design that allows us to analyze quantitative and qualitative results and consider the impact of technologies that support media literacy on professors and digital education production teams within university programs. The expected results will lead to proposing a university digital transformation model that supports media literacy development in the academic community and training for the labor market in the digital age. The document is organized in nine sections: context and motivation that drives the dissertation research, state of the art, hypothesis, research objectives, research approach, and methods, results to date and their validity, dissertation status, expected contributions, and conclusions. The pre-research project, the preliminary planning of the research, and the research method and analysis proposal have been carried out.


Single event effects(SEEs) induced by radiations become a significant challenge to the reliability for modern electronic systems. To evaluate SEEs susceptibility for microelectronic devices and integrated circuits(ICs), an SEE testing system with flexibility and robustness was developed at Heavy Ion Research Facility in Lanzhou(HIRFL). The system is compatible with various types of microelectronic devices and ICs, and supports plenty of complex and high-speed test schemes and plans for the irradiated devices under test(DUTs). Thanks to the combination of meticulous circuit design and the hardened logic design, the system has additional performances to avoid an overheated situation and irradiations by stray radiations. The system has been tested and verified by experiments for irradiating devices at HIRFL.


This study of the poetry of Elizabeth Bishop and Sylvia Plath goes beyond the usual practice of labelling these writers either as reticent or Confessional. Instead, it places greater emphasis on their visual poetics which privileges the process of creativity – the different modes of seeing – over ethical and political considerations. I begin by discussing what each knew of the other and proceed to examine their common interest in perception and interpretation. Bishop and Plath seek to understand the depiction of  ̳reality' and the various forms that this takes: the concrete fact, the object or the authentic experience modulated by historical data, whether symbols, mythical forms or religious conventions. In their poetry the self objectifies the world, discovering and simultaneously defining observed phenomena. Alternatively, personal identity is determined as part of a symbolic order because the present is deemed inadequate in itself and, therefore, frames of reference need to be expanded, analogies drawn, historical parallels established, myths invoked. This historicised art is complex, stylistic and culturally established. Bishop's poetry, for instance, distinguishes between customary ways of seeing; the symbolism of medieval painting and the untrained eye of individualism (Primitive art). Her poetic ̳transparency', language which corresponds faithfully to actual experience, calls attention, by its very directness and apparent simplicity, to the various parts of a synthesising imagination that could, potentially, infringe upon pure vision. The analysis of Bishop's language and its development is based upon her published and unpublished material. Bishop and Plath underscore differences between description and meditation, empirical enquiry and symbolic transformation, the tangible and the abstract. They further consider religious beliefs ephemeral and place their faith in the primacy of the material world. Bishop is especially distrusting of symbolism in Christian imagery. Plath admired Bishop's poetry for being  ̳real', that is intimate, but not self-obsessed, concerned with aestheticism and  ̳pleasuregiving'. This was the type of poetry she aspired to write. The reading of Plath uses autobiography sparingly, while arguing that her work – including poems in Ariel – demonstrates the creative strategies of, what she termed, a  ̳pseudo-reality'. This precludes the automatic designation of her poetry as fully Confessional. Visual poetics is broadly defined to include a discussion on surrealism. Bishop was fascinated by the movement's expression of the numinous and transcendent but recoiled from its illogical thinking. Plath was equally drawn and repelled by male surrealists' portrayal of the woman subject. In her poetry the misogyny of this art is countered by the appropriation of more positive imagery found in female surrealists such as Leonor Fini. Myrna Nader Brunel University, School of Arts Phd 2010


Many large-scale dynamic processes, from continental rifting to plate subduction, are intimately linked to metamorphic
reactions. This close relation between geodynamic processes and metamorphic reactions is, in spite of
appearances, yet poorly understood. For example, during extension processes, rocks will be exposed to important
temperature, pressures and stress changes. Meanwhile less attention has been paid to other important aspects of
the metamorphic processes. When reacting rocks expand and contract, density and volume changes will set up in
the surrounding material.
While several tectonic models are proposed to explain the formation of extensive basins and passive margins (
simple shear detachment mantle exhumation .... ) a single thermal model (McKenzie , 1978), as a dogma, is used
to understanding and modeling the formation and evolution of sedimentary basins . This model is based on the
assumption that the extension is only by pure shear and it is instantaneous. Under this approach, the sedimentary
deposits occur in two stages. i) A short step , 1 to 10 Ma , controlled by tectonics. ii) A longer step , at least 50 Ma
as a result of the thermal evolution of the lithosphere.
However, most stratigraphic data indicate that less thermal model can account for documented vertical movements.
The study of the thermal evolution , coupled with other tectonic models , and its consequences have never been
studied in detail , although the differences may be significant and it is clear that the petrological changes associated
with changes in temperature conditions , influence changes reliefs.
In addition, it seems that the relationship between basin formation and thermal evolution is not always the same:
- Sometimes the temperature rise above 50 to 100 Ma tectonic extension. In the Alps, a significant rise in geothermal
gradient Permo -Triassic followed by a "cold" extension , leading to the opening of the Ligurian- Piedmont
ocean, from the Middle Jurassic .
- Other examples show that temperature changes are synchronous with basin formation . For example, extensive
ponds Cretaceous North Pyrenean clearly indicate that the "cooking" of contemporary sediment deposit.
In the light of new models, we discuss the consequences of the formation of LP-granulites during rifting on deformation
and the subsidence processes.


An investigation of active power measurements using 4 different accuracy level watt meters when specific harmonic conditions (different harmonic curr ents, 4 values of fundamental power factor (PF) and no phase shift between harmonic voltages and harmonic currents) in the system was performed. Expected active powers during harmonic environments based on IEEE Std. 1459-2010 were calculated to be reference powers. Results show the reference and working level watt meters provide measured active powers perfectly while the general measuring watt meter gives a large error especially when a harmonic content is high but a PF is very low. Thus, uses of active power values in harmonic conditions obtained from watt meters need to be careful particularly those obtained from general measuring watt meters.


The problem of stabilizing a bulk power system by modulating controllable active loads is investigated. With today's advances in power distribution and home automation, fibre optic communications and networking, such a scheme for improving the reliability of bulk power supply is increasingly attractive. After developing a generic model for active load-modulation studies, time domain modal analysis is applied to a three-machine-nine-bus system in order to assess quantitatively its responsiveness with respect to controller location and observed response signals. This structural analysis shows that proportional control is unsatisfactory and may artificially restrict the economic benefits of active-load modulation. By contrast, using the bus voltage and frequency as input signals, combined with suitable dynamic compensators, yields a fully decentralized, two-loop load stabilizer able to add damping to all grid modes in the sample power system. Finally, placement and sizing issues are considered and preliminary observations based on transient stability studies are made.


The physical properties of the test fine capsulated latent heat-storage material-water mixture were described in the first report. This paper deals with flow and cold heat-storage characteristics of the fine capsulated latent heat-storage material-water mixture as a latent heat-storage material having a low melting point of the core material (pentadecane, C_ H_ , freezing point 283.1 K). A coiled double-tube heat exchanger was used for the cold heat-storage experiment. The pressure drop, the heat-transfer coefficient and the finishing time of cold heat-storage in the coiled tube were measured as experimental parameters. It was clarified that the flow behavior of the fine capsulated latent heat-storage material-water mixture as a non-Newtonian fluid played an important role in cold heat-storage. The nondimensional correlation equations for the additional pressure loss coefficient, the heat-transfer coefficient and the finishing time of the cold heat-storage were derived in terms of Dean number and heat capacity ratio.


Distance-measuring equipment (DME), developed for the USAF and CAA, providing automatic distance indications for aircraft navigation is described. Distance is measured with respect to a ground transpondor beacon by the length of time elapsing between the transmission of a pulse "interrogation" signal from the aircraft and the reception of a similar pulse "reply" from the beacon. Traffic to and from several beacons is channeled by a combination of frequency and pulse-pair coding wherein each signal consists of a pulse pair of distinctive spacing. Circuits are described that recognize only pulse pairs whose leading edges are separated by the proper time interval (of the order of 10 to 25 microseconds). Data is presented of the extent to which such pulse pairs can be used to permit several transpondor beacons, within overlaping service areas, to operate on common interrogation and common reply frequencies when serving a multiplicity of interrogator-responsors of the automatic searching and tracking type. While the equipment described operates with only 52 channels, the experience obtained with this equipment has been used to standardize internationally the same channeling method on 100 channels.


Significance
 This also comes as indirect US nuclear talks with Iran resume in Vienna, despite concerted Israeli opposition. US President Joe Biden is in effect withdrawing the unconditional backing his predecessor Donald Trump gave Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu.

 Impacts
 The Gaza ceasefire will be fragile, with a significant chance of renewed hostilities in the short-to-medium term.
 The appointment of a new Mossad chief, David Barnea, may lower the profile of but will not materially change Israeli-US intelligence ties.
 The United States will further increase financial support to both Gaza and the West Bank.
 In a more serious possible future war against Hezbollah, Washington might not back a major Israeli military incursion into Lebanon.


This research deals with Semiotic Analysis of Kerja Adat Erdemu Bayu in Karonese. This research was aimed to find out the values and meanings contained in the Karo tribe's wedding ceremony so that people do not consider the ceremonial rituals as mere obligations and customs. This research used descriptive qualitative method. The data were taken from the video of the Karonese wedding ceremony on YouTube channel which uploaded on 07 May 2021 and also through interview from an elder who really understands the customs of the Karonese tribe, especially in wedding ceremonies. There were found 15 symbols, they are beka buluh (male's hood), uis jongkit dilaki (male's sarong), uis jujung-jujungen (veil), uis ragi barat (sarong), amak tayangen (bed mat), kalang ulu (pillows), perembah (long chloth, baby carrier), beras meciho (pure rice), naruh manuk (egg), sumpit (basket rice), uis nipes (traditional cloth), lampu terlong (oil lamp /lamp), kudin (cooking pot), manuk asuhen (hen), perkakas dapur (kitchen utensils) each of which has an interpretation in the form of advice, prayers and wishes for the bride and groom in living their domestic life.


This paper studies differences in tax-morale attitudes between East and West Germany using multiple recent data sets. Contrary to previous 1990s evidence, but in line with recent studies on an east-west mentality gap, we find a persistent higher tax morale in East Germany and no indication of convergence over time. Distinguishing between region of living and birth reveals that East Germans who stayed determine the results and that migration reduces differences. Regional economic heterogeneity cannot explain the results, whereas historical patterns of religious denomination absorb part of the effect. An effect of question phrasing illustrates underlying moral reasoning.


The authors analized the effect of reeducation on patients with an exacerbated bronchial stasis and mucostasis. The group studied was composed of 103 patients suffering from chronic bronchitis, with or without pulmonary emphysema, bronchial asthma and bronchiectasis. Examination methods and breathing reeducation methods were briefly reported. Values measured before and after reeducation enabled by comparison the appreciation of this as an independent method. The rates of pulse (P less than 0.005), of breathing (P less than 0.001) and of systolic pressure (P less than 0.05) were influenced favourably by reeducation. The average quantity of sputum per day increased by 69% (P less than 0.001) specially in asthmatic patients, in itself an important improvement. After exercise there was a slight decrease of PaO2 and SaO2, but after 2 hours of rest, improved values for PaO2 (P less than 0.05), SaO2 (P less than 0.05) Raw (P less than 0.05) and SGaw (P less than 0.05) were noted. The transitory decrease was probably due to tired respiratory muscles and auxillary respiratory muscles. Breathing reeducation favourably affected the clinical conditions, the sputum production, mucostasis, blood-gases exchange, and decreased the airways obstruction. For a greater objectivity, different methodological approaches should also be considered.


To identify genetic pathways for addiction, we analyzed intravenous self-administration of cocaine or saline in a panel of 84 inbred and recombinant inbred mouse strains over 10 days. We integrated the behavior data with RNA-Seq data from the medial frontal cortex and nucleus accumbens from 41 strains. The self-administration of cocaine and saline showed distinct genetic bases. We maximized power to map loci for cocaine intake by using a linear mixed model to account for this longitudinal phenotype while correcting for population structure. A total of 15 unique significant loci were identified in the genome-wide association study (GWAS). A transcriptome-wide association study (TWAS) highlighted the Trpv2 ion channel as a key locus for cocaine self-administration from the GWAS. In addition, 17 genes supplementary to the GWAS were identified including Arhgef26, Slc18b1 and Slco5a1. We found numerous instances where alternate splice site selection or RNA editing altered transcript abundance. Our work emphasizes the importance of Trpv2, a known cannabinoid receptor, for the response to cocaine as well as identifying further relevant loci.


Omega-3 or n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) display a variety of beneficial effects on various organ systems and diseases. Evidence for cardiovascular protective effects was among the first reasons for biomedical interest in these fats. Following these initial reports, evidence has continued to emerge demonstrating the cardioprotective effects of n-3 PUFAs and elucidating the underlying biological mechanisms. Decreased atherogenesis is currently thought to account at least in part for cardiovascular protection by n-3 PUFAs. We summarise the evidence for such effects and the putative mechanisms involved.


Abstract 2058 Background: Healthcare professionals caring for patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) anxiously await the release in late 2012 of evidence-based guidelines for primary care physicians. These guidelines are anticipated to include a number of recommendations for health care strategies designed to improve outcomes for SCD patients. As these guidelines become widely disseminated, the evaluation of patient adherence to recommended preventative care will be an essential component of efforts to monitor the quality of health and health care for the SCD population. Unfortunately, there is a dearth of baseline information regarding current levels of SCD patient adherence to recommended therapies. The objective of our study was to describe current levels of self-reported adherence to recommended therapies among a large sample of adults with SCD. Methods: We used data collected as part of a large cohort study of sickle cell patient experiences with care to describe sickle cell patient9s self-reported adherence to a number of currently recommended preventative care behaviors. We also examined the association of different levels of adherence with self-reported levels of acute emergency department (ED) and inpatient hospital utilization over the prior 12 months. Results: 292 individuals completed baseline study questionnaires and had completed chart abstractions. The average age of participants was 34.5 (95% CI 33.1–36.), 97% were black or African American and 54% were female. 70% had either SS or SB0thal (sickle cell anemia-SCA), 21% were SC and 9% had Sb+thal. Of the 252 respondents who provided info on income, 50% reported an annual income less than $30k/yr. Those with SCA were significantly younger than those with other genotypes (33 yrs v 37 yrs p=0.02). 91% of patients reported seeing a sickle provider every year, while 73% reported seeing a primary care provider once a year. 45% of patients reported seeing a dentist in the prior year, 58% of all patients reported seeing an eye doctor in the last year. However among the 24% of patients with documented retinopathy, only 65% had seen an eye doctor in the prior year. 82% of patients had received both an influenza vaccine in the prior year and a pneumococcal vaccine within 5 years. Those with low income were less likely to report seeing a SCD provider in the prior 12 months than those with higher incomes (87% v 94% p=0.049). A significant majority of patients (88%) reported high levels (i.e. a self-report of often/very often) of adherence to taking medications as prescribed. 79% reported high-levels of adherence to keeping their clinic appointments. 87% reported high-levels of adherence in following their doctor9s directions. In bivariate analyses examining those preventative care behaviors with a significant impact on outcomes, we found that those patients reporting high-levels of adherence to their medical appointments reported fewer ED visits (p=0.015) and fewer inpatient hospitalizations (p=0.005) over the prior 12 months than those with lower levels of adherence. High self-reported levels of compliance with doctor9s instructions was associated with fewer ED visits, but not fewer inpatient visits, over the same 12-month period. There was no bivariate correlation between seeing a sickle cell provider or primary care provider annually with outcomes, though this may be due to the overall high levels of adherence to these behaviors that we observed in our sample. In ordinal logistic regression analyses controlling for age, education, and poverty levels, high self-reported levels of compliance with doctor9s instructions exhibited an independent association with lower levels of ED visits (OR = 0.44, 95%CI [0.21, 0.90]). Conclusions: We report relatively high levels of self-reported adherence to some, but not all, recommended preventative care behaviors among a sample of adults with SCD. The relatively low levels of adherence to dental and eye care recommendations should be noted as areas of focus for future interventions. Relationships between providers and SCD patients are notoriously rife with conflict. The association of high levels of compliance with doctor9s instructions with lower levels of acute care utilization observed here suggests a need to identify the specific factors and mechanisms within provider-SCD patient relationships that successfully lead to improved clinical outcomes. Disclosures: Lanzkron: Hemaquest: Membership on an entity9s Board of Directors or advisory committees; NHLBI: Research Funding. Haywood: NHLBI: Research Funding. Strouse: NHLBI: Research Funding. Beach: NHLBI, NIMH: Research Funding; Merck: Speakers Bureau.


Abstract Bangkok often floods. This paper examines the effects of city deluge as a result of urban assemblage: complex, distributed and disjunctive relations between the city's amphibious ecologies and landscapes, its dilapidated drainage infrastructure, its varied transport systems, its weather patterns, and the movements of people. During cloudbursts, many of Bangkok's missing masses become plainly and frustratingly, visible. Using ethnographic description as a "material diagnostics," I explore how irritated, perturbed, urban atmospheres emerge out of disjunctive infrastructural constellations. Cloudbursts make perceptible such atmospheres as forms of sentient urbanism, in which distributed sensations are generated by intersecting material itineraries moving across multiple assemblages. As affects and agitations move from street level to social media, rain precipitates matters of urgent, urban concern and critique.


This article discusses results of a spatial index of social exclusion for school-aged children at a small area level in Australia. Using data from the 2006 Census, at the height of the mining boom, the index is calculated to examine how the children aged 5-15 years in different states were faring at a time when there were significant differences in the performance of state economies. We analyse the regional distribution of the risk of child social exclusion, examining differences between states, urban and rural areas and by remoteness category. The results show that Tasmania and the Northern Territory are the states with the highest risk of social exclusion for school-aged children. There is a higher proportion of rural small areas which fell into the most at risk category compared to urban areas. Further analysis of results for the education domain and a comparison to child poverty rates are also presented.


Background Refractory gout is a serious medical condition, which leads to massive deposition of uric acid crystals in the body resulting in the formation of tophi. A new highly effective treatment modality based on the administration of recombinant PEGylated uricase (pegloticase) allows to approach such patients. Pegloticase cleaves uric acid and leads to a profound drop in serum uric acide levels. How this decrease in uric acid in the body affects the resolution of existing tophi is not yet adequately characterized. Objectives To investigate the effect of intensive lowering of serum uric acid levels by pegloticase on the resolution of tophi in patients with refractory gout. Methods Descriptive study in patients with refractory gout receiving pegloticase treatment. Serum uric acid levels were measured before and after each infusion. Dual energy computed tomography scans were taken from all patients before the first infusion and after the last infusion. Computerized tophus volumes were calculated for the baseline and follow up assessments and compared with each other. Results Ten patients with refractory gout and baseline mean serum uric acid level of 8.1 mg/dL were enrolled. Pegloticase effectively reduced tophi in all patients showing a decrease in volume by 71.4%. Responders, showing reduction of serum uric acid level below 6 mg/dl during at least 80% of the treatment time, were virtually cleared from tophi (-94.8%). Dependent on their anatomical localization, resolution of tophi showed different dynamics, with articular tophi showing fast and tendon tophi slow resolution. Conclusions Tophi are highly sensitive to pegloticase treatment, particularly when located at articular sites. Debulking of disease and a tophus-free state can be reached within a few months of pegloticase treatment. DECT allows for comprehensively assessing tophus burden and monitoring treatment responses. Disclosure of Interest None declared


Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) are known to participate in central nervous system processes such as development, cell migration, and neurite outgrowth. In this paper, we report an initial glycomics study of GAGs from the porcine central nervous system. GAGs of the porcine central nervous system, brain and spinal cord were isolated and purified by defatting, proteolysis, anion-exchange chromatography, and methanol precipitation. The isolated GAG content in brain was 5 times higher than in spinal cord (0.35 mg/g of dry sample, compared to 0.07 mg/g of dry sample). In both tissues, chondroitin sulfate (CS) and heparan sulfate (HS) were the major and the minor GAG, respectively. The average molecular masses of CS from brain and spinal cord were 35.5 and 47.1 kDa, respectively, and those for HS from brain and spinal cord were 56.9 and 34 kDa, respectively. The disaccharide analysis showed that the compositions of CS from brain and spinal cords are similar, with uronic acid (1→3) 4-O-sulfo-N-acetylgalactosamine residue corresponding to the major disaccharide unit (CS type A) along with five minor disaccharide units. The major disaccharides of both brain and spinal cord HS were uronic acid (1→4) N-acetylglucosamine and uronic acid (1→4) 6-O-sulfo-N-sulfoglucosamine, but their composition of minor disaccharides differed. Analysis by (1)H and two-dimensional NMR spectroscopy confirmed these disaccharide analyses and provided the glucuronic/iduronic acid ratio. Finally, both purified CS and HS were biotinylated and immobilized on BIAcore SA biochips. Interactions between these GAGs and fibroblast growth factors (FGF1 and FGF2) and sonic hedgehog (Shh) were investigated by surface plasmon resonance.


The article examines the phenomenon of media image and political image. The material for the study was the media representation of V. Zhirinovsky and K. Sobchak as candidates for the presidency of Russian Federation in the fields of television (in the information and socio-political programs of First Channel, ARTRBC ("Russia 1", "Russia 24"), NTV, "RenTV", Fifth Channel, "TV Center") and the Internet (materials of news portals "RIA News", "REGNUM", "TASS", "Interfax", "Izvestia", "Vedomosti", "Meduza"; posts in social networks "VKontakte", "Facebook"). The methods of contentanalysis, intent-analysis (through the system "Medialogia"), secondary data analysis — the results of sociological studies of All-Russian Public Opinion Research Center (ARPORC), Public Opinion Foundation (POF), Levada Center and the presidential elections in Russia. Chronological framework of the study: November 2017 — March 2018. The author comes to the conclusion about the existence of interdependence and conditional identity of the phenomenon of political image and media image, which influence the construction of each other. At the same time, excessive mediatization of political actors (outside the respective ritualized locales and contexts) leads to their self-discredit — the loss of the "credibility" of both the potential and the real electorate.


Cardiac arrest and electrical storm are two major emergencies. The use of beta blockers in these clinical conditions has been proposed; however, definite data about the emergency use of beta blockers in recurrent ventricular tachycardia with pulse have never been published. We report two cases of recurrent ventricular tachycardia, which were unresponsive to the standard pharmacological treatment but successfully responsive to esmolol infusion. Both cases showed a reduced left ventricle ejection fraction due to an acute myocardial infarction and to an idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy respectively. Nevertheless, the use of esmolol was shown to be both safe and effective without inducing low output syndrome.


BACKGROUND AND AIMS
The aim of this study was to study the morphological and functional development in vivo of whole human embryonic and fetal stomachs, intestines, tracheas, and lungs, which would otherwise be ethically and technically impossible to perform in utero, by microsurgically grafting these organs into nude mice.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Five hundred fifty-seven human organs obtained from legally aborted embryos and fetuses of 6-10 weeks were microsurgically grafted into nude mice for 1 to 273 days. Following different grafting times, biopsies were taken for optical and electron microscopy, in situ hybridization, and cellular kinetics studies. A catheter was introduced into the human organs in order to collect and analyze secretions.

RESULTS
All of the grafts took successfully. Macroscopic growth was fast during the first 6 to 10 weeks, following which organ size was stable. In situ hybridization studies detected only a minute level of mouse mesenchymal chimerism in the grafts. The different epithelial cells differentiated, became of adult type, and remained normal during the remainder of the grafting periods. The pH of gastric juice from stomachs grafted for 10 to over 90 days dropped from 8.0 +/- 0.1 to 1.58 +/- 0.29 over this time period (P < 0.001), intrinsic factor levels were stable, and pepsin ranged from 6.8 +/- 7.8 to 134 +/- 51 units (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS
These results demonstrate that the development of entoblastic organs from human embryos and fetuses microsurgically grafted into nude mice is similar to that occurring in utero. As such, this method provides a model for the analysis of whole human organs in development and later normal adult-like micro-organs for physiological, therapeutic, and pathological studies.


Research on natural disasters has generally focused on specific hazard agents, often related to the disciplinary basis of those researchers concerned. Equally, social impacts have frequently been related to the composition and structure of the specific population involved. There have been few attempts to synthesise findings and few comparative studies. This paper explores the social impact of flood and drought on an agricultural region in New Zealand. It highlights the differential impact of floods and drought on farms as both businesses and family homes. The paper uses a range of published and unpublished sources as well as the findings drawn from interviews with 23 farm households that experienced prolonged drought in the summer of 2008. Eleven households had been interviewed previously as part of a larger study of 44 households that experienced severe flooding in February 2004. The remaining 12 households provide a comparison group that while having experienced the drought was not directly impacted by the earlier flood. Six officials, including community leaders and others involved in drought and flood relief were also interviewed. The interviews were conducted in the period June-October, 2008. The results confirm the importance of the characteristics of the hazard in explaining its impact but also highlight the need to better understand the contextual factors involve when interpreting its social impact.


Current risk assessment of plant protection products is performed on a formulated-product-by-formulated-product basis and does not take into account the fact that products may be mixed and/or that different products are used sequentially within a growing season. This report evaluates three possibilities for taking these aspects into account in the future that target the risks for surface water. The investigated methods have been shown to be able to take 'multiple stresses' into consideration. Further investigation is needed to check if these methods are sufficient. In this report, three different methods were used to assess the multiple stresses caused by parallel and sequential applications of plant protection products according to realistic application scenarios during the growing season of a tuber crop and an orchard crop. The methods show the effects of the different products on the organisms living in a ditch at the edge of a field. The first method used is the so-called Toxic Unit method, in which the contributions of the individual substances to the overall toxicity are summed and the maximum in time is calculated. The second method, the mixture toxic pressure method (msPAF), calculates the potentially affected fraction of aquatic organisms, taking into account differences in the sensitivity of the organisms to the various substances. The third method, the MASTEP population model, calculates the time necessary for a sensitive aquatic organism (an aquatic isopod) to recover from its exposure to the various substances. The Toxic Unit method (TU) is the one most comparable to the current authorization assessment. All three methods show that a few substances determine a large part of the calculated total effect. The TU-method and the mixture toxic pressure (msPAF) method are useful in identifying these active substances. These selected substances were then used in the MASTEP calculations. The MASTEP method, using Asellus aquaticus as indicator species, did indicate no or hardly any longer recovery times for the multiple applications in comparison with those calculated for the individual pesticide applications. This result applies to species with a high number of offspring. It is recommended that the MASTEP method is used with water organisms that have other survival strategies. At the moment, EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) undertakes activities to develop tools and guidance to assess the human and ecological risks of combined exposure to multiple active substances. This report can contribute to these activities.


In this article, the material qualities and the use of space on rune stone and its links to the landscape during the Viking Age and in the Early Medieval Period in South Scandinavia are explored and related to acts of commemoration and changing spatial perceptions. The 11th century rune stones from Denmark and Scania without iconography have previously received less scholarly attention by the archaeologists, but here they form the main focus. Whereas the commemorative aspects of the rune stones have been noticed by a number of scholars, less emphasis has been on their material qualities and the spatial aspects of the inscription on the stones; the spatial references in the rune stones to the surrounding landscape; and the bodily effect they had for the readers of the runes. The rune stones are studied as expressions of social relations between living, deceased and places in late pagan and early Christian Scandinavia. Three phenomena are explored: the rune stones at bridges and the role of the bridge in paganism and Christianity; the use of the surface and shape of the stones to separate diverging beings; and the shape of the inscription and its relation to the new concepts of afterworld in terms of heaven above, while simultaneously creating links to near and distant pasts. Further, the process of creating relations to distant pasts in the Early Christian period is explored. ARTICLE HISTORY Received 20 November 2019; Accepted 15 April 2020


The Gaussian process bandit is a problem in which we want to find a maximizer of a black-box function with the minimum number of function evaluations. If the black-box function varies with time, then time-varying Bayesian optimization is a promising framework. However, a drawback with current methods is in the assumption that the evaluation time for every observation is constant, which can be unrealistic for many practical applications, e.g., recommender systems and environmental monitoring. As a result, the performance of current methods can be degraded when this assumption is violated. To cope with this problem, we propose a novel time-varying Bayesian optimization algorithm that can effectively handle the non-constant evaluation time. Furthermore, we theoretically establish a regret bound of our algorithm. Our bound elucidates that a pattern of the evaluation time sequence can hugely affect the difficulty of the problem. We also provide experimental results to validate the practical effectiveness of the proposed method.


The next generation of mobile systems based on LTE-A (Long Term Evolution-Advanced) networks are expected to support the new promising technology M2M (Machine-to-Machine) communications while keeping an eye on its previous H2H (Human-to-Human) communications not to be affected especially when it comes to the expected exponential growth of the number of M2M in the coming years, in particular, with the advance of IoT (Internet of Things) deployment and the expected ubiquity of such objects in the near future. In this article, we review the M2M communication technology from the LTE-A perspective and we outline the random access challenges in high dense areas where the LTE-A network is striving to fulfill the massive number of M2M devices. Moreover, we compare the most common mechanisms found in the literature that deal with the RACH (Random Access Channel) procedure issues and challenges by analyzing the existing solutions and approaches to avoid RACH overload congestion in the M2M communications. To this end, we have developed different M2M scenarios using SimuLTE Modeler to investigate the impact of M2M communications on LTE-A networks in emergency events.


Anthracnose and rust are widely spread diseases in leaves, ripening and ripe fruits of uguressa (Flacourta indica (Burmm.F). Merr) in Sri Lanka. An investigation carried out to determine the effect of fruit and leaf exudates for the development of anthracnose and rust pathogens in fruits and leaves of uguressa. The casual agent of anthracnose (Colletotrichum gloeosporioides) and rust (Uromyces species) diseases were isolated and identified using morphological features of culture media, microscopic observations and Koch's postulation. Exudates obtained from fruits of all maturity stages and leaves were separated into two fractions that are soluble in ether and water to investigate the effect fruit and leaf exudates for the differentiation of spores of both fungi. Conidia of C. gloeosporioides germinated and produced appressoria within 22 hours on fruit exudates of all maturity stages of uguressa fruits. The highest stimulation of conidia differentiation of C. gloeosporioides was observed in fruit exudates of ripe fruits which are highly susceptible for the anthracnose disease. Chemical substances found in both water soluble and ether soluble fractions enhanced conidia differentiation of C. gloeosporioides. Significantly highest lesion development of anthracnose found on ripe fruits compared to mature and immature fruits. Higher conidia differentiation of C. gloeosporioides was observed in original exudates of leaves compared to ether and water fractions. There was no effect of leaves and fruit exudates for germination on urediospores of Uromyces species. The study revealed uguressa fruits and leaf exudates have chemical substances to stimulate differentiation of spores of C. gloeosporioides and lesion development while there is no any chemical substances that stimulate the differentiation of Uromyces sp.


West Nile virus (WNV)- induced neurological disease has become a public health concern. No vaccines have been approved for human use. We have previously shown that an attenuated WNV, the nonstructural (NS) 4B-P38G mutant, induced stronger innate cytokine and T cell responses than wild-type WNV. Mice immunized with this mutant were all protected from subsequent lethal wild-type WNV infection. Here, we found both Toll-like receptor (TLR7) and MyD88 expression are required for host protection from NS4B P38G mutant infection. Infected MyD88-/- and TLR7-/- mice had lower IL-12 expression, IgM production, and reduced effector T cell functions. MyD88-/- and TLR7-/- dendritic cells (DC)s exhibited impaired antigen-presenting functions compared to wild-type DCs. At the late stage of infection or during secondary challenge with wild-type WNV, MyD88-/- and IL-1R-/- mice displayed reduced memory T cell responses compared to wild-type mice; whereas TLR7-/- mice had normal T cell functions. Moreover, immunization of MyD88-/- and TLR7-/- mice with NS4B P38G mutant strain offer partial or full protection respectively from subsequent lethal wild-type WNV infection. Thus, TLR7-MyD88 signaling is required for initial T cell priming; whereas the TLR7-independent MyD88 signaling is involved in memory T cell development during NS4B P38G mutant infection. Results can be utilized as a paradigm to aid in the rational development of efficacious live attenuated flavivirus vaccines.


On the way to a completely electronic workflow, it is necessary to include customer signatures. Legislation in many countries treats electronic signatures similar to handwritten ones. Both are accepted for various purposes such as for finalization of documents, acknowledgement of the document's contents as well as conclusion of agreements. Most important, electronic signatures are accepted as proof of those actions. But customers today often lack knowledge or means to issue them. In this study a business process is described that will produce reliable signatures without the need of previous knowledge or devices on customer side. A threat model for a generic process is described and countermeasures including cryptography, biometric features, tamper-resistant devices, timestamps, signature databases, and others are discussed.


Between 1972 and 1979 34 patients with severe hypernatraemia (serum sodium larger than or equal to 160 mmol/l) were admitted to the intensive care unit. Among these there were 45% of neuropsychiatric patients with reduced consciousness. Maximal serum sodium concentration was 168 (160--204) mmol/l, maximum serum osmolality 391 (340--520) mosm/kg H2O. Treatment consisted of infusion of hypotonic solutions and potassium substitution. Fluid balance was positive (5,9 during 43 hours) until normal serum sodium concentrations had been reached. The mortality of 77% was exclusively due to the underlying diseases.


Avian mortality on power lines in South Africa is currently recorded on the Central Incident Register (CIR), which is a collation of incidentally reported cases. The true scale of the problem is unknown, so we report here on a survey of representative power lines in the Overberg region of the Western Cape. On the 199 km surveyed, 123 birds of at least 18 species were found. Collisions were more common than electrocutions, apparently killing 88% of the birds found on distribution lines. Large terrestrial birds were the most numerous victims, with large numbers of Blue Cranes Anthropoides paradiseus and Denham's Bustards Neotis denhami killed. In comparison with mortality rates from the CIR, we estimate that only 2.6% of power-line mortalities are reported, emphasising the importance of systematic surveys in quantifying mortality and directing mitigation. Our survey highlights the general hazard that power lines pose to avifauna, and the urgent need for further research into the population impacts of the high incidence of collisions.


T cells are activated when the antigen‐specific T cell receptor recognizes antigen in association with major histocompatibility complex (MHC) proteins. The T cell surface protein CD2 (T11, LFA‐2, the T erythrocyte receptor) and its target or stimulator cell ligand, lymphocyte function‐associated antigen‐3 (LFA‐3), are also involved in T cell adhesion and activation. The molecular mechanisms by which the CD2/LFA‐3 interaction affects T cell adhesion and activation are unclear. The CD2/LFA‐3 interaction may be modeled by the interaction between LFA‐3 and anti‐LFA‐3 monoclonal antibody (mAb). We used the fluorescence photobleaching recovery technique to investigate the effect of anti‐LFA‐3 mAb on the lateral mobility of MHC proteins in plasma membranes of JY, a human Epstein‐Barr virus‐transformed B cell line. Anti‐LFA‐3 mAb induced immobilization of class I MHC proteins labeled with bivalent but not monovalent fluorescein‐conjugated W6/32 mAb. Anti‐LFA‐3 mAb also caused immobilization of class II MHC proteins labeled with bivalent fluoresceinated LB3.1 mAb. In contrast, anti‐LFA‐3 mAb did not affect the mobilities of either a B cell membrane protein labeled with bivalent fluoresceinated anti‐CD45 (human leukocyte antigen) mAb or a membrane lipid analogue. Unlike anti‐LFA‐3 mAb, anti‐LFA‐1 mAb did not affect class I MHC protein mobility. These results suggest that CD2 binding to LFA‐3 may trigger a physiological response in which target cell MHC proteins, cross‐linked by receptors on the T cell surface, are immobilized at and thereby localized to the T cell‐target cell interface.


This paper explores the multiple, entangled geographies of Palestine-Israel. It traces a range ways in which broadly geopolitical ideas have been brought to bear on the Middle East over the past several decades and the implications of this work for our understanding of this part of the world. Specifically, the paper engages with the imaginative geographies through which Palestine-Israel has been constructed, the geopolitical and biopolitical machinations of Israeli occupation, as well as narratives and practices of identity. The argument is that territory, sovereignty and security are bound up with bodies, mobility and identity, and that geo- and biopolitics need to be thought together in order to access the operations of power at multiple scales that compose and exceed the state, and in order to understand the materiality of everyday life within and beyond the context of politics.


In this note we make several observations concerning symplectic fillings. In particular we show that a (strongly or weakly) semi-fillable contact structure is fillable and any filling embeds as a symplectic domain in a closed symplectic manifold. We also relate properties of the open book decomposition of a contact manifold to its possible fillings. These results are also useful in showing the contact Heegaard Floer invariant of a fillable contact structure does not vanish [28] and property P for knots [18].


Several professional groups have effectively incorporated supervision into their everyday practice. Chaplains as a 'caring' profession cannot be immune from the personal effects of engaging in pastoral relationships with patients, carers and staff. Clearly, Chaplains require adequate support to prevent 'burnout' and stress. This paper explores Chaplains perceptions of supervision using a focus group methodology. The emerging themes from the findings provide a valuable insight into the perceptions and attitudes of chaplains towards the concept of supervision. In particular, Chaplains view supervision as a necessary part of their professional practice.


This paper describes the extension in capability of the Engine Component AeroThermal (ECAT) facility at the University of Oxford. The ECAT facility is an established, high technology readiness level facility for research and development of aeroengine components, particularly high-pressure turbine nozzle guide vanes (NGVs). The original facility is capable of matching Mach number, Reynolds number and coolant-to-mainstream pressure ratio to engine conditions. It is also possible to use a combustor simulator module to match combustor exit temperature and swirl profiles.
 It was desired to further increase the capability of the facility to match engine mainstream-to-coolant temperature ratio (TR), achieved by increasing the mainstream inlet temperature to 600 K. This required: a new high temperature air feed and exhaust system with all the associated compressor plant and air heating systems; a new test section capable of high temperature operation; a new control system; and new high-temperature-rated instrumentation. The facility operates in a semi-transient mode, with air stored at 50 bar (g) and 600 K in three large air receivers. The air is released in a controlled manner through the test section, allowing test times over 100s in duration. This presents a particular challenge for the thermomechanical design of the test section, due to rapid heating of components leading to high transient thermal stress.
 The extended facility (referred to as ECAT+) has been successfully commissioned and an initial test campaign undertaken. The facility design, results from the commissioning tests and operating envelope are described within the paper. These results demonstrate the new facility meets all of the operating requirements for high TRL research and product development. The results showed very good agreement with a low order transient system model which was used throughout the design process. It is anticipated that details of the design, and the design process itself, will be of interest to other developers of high TRL facilities.


In a prospective study 105 consecutive patients with leg ulcers were recruited (causes: 77% venous, 4% arterial, 9.5% mixed, 9.5% other). 70 (67%) had a history of previous ulceration. 83 patients could be followed for 1 year. The healing rate for the whole group was 41 (49%) after 3 months and 61 (73%) after 1 year. The corresponding figures for the 67 venous patients are 44 (66%) and 52 (78%) respectively. From 61 healed ulcers 18 (30%) reoccurred during the 1st year. At the primary examination several factors were investigated which might have influenced the healing rate. Age, ulcer-size, the duration of the ulcer, lateral localization, absence of foot-pulses and lymphoedematous skin changes on the forefoot could be shown to have negative influence on healing.


When a flowering plant species changes its life history from self-supply to parasite, its chloroplast genomes may have experienced functional physical reduction, and gene loss. Most species of Santalales are hemiparasitic and few studies focus on comparing the chloroplast genomes of the species from this order. In this study, we collected and compared chloroplast genomes of 12 species of Santalales and sequenced the chloroplast genomes of Taxillus nigrans and Scurrula parasitica for the first time. The chloroplast genomes for these species showed typical quadripartite structural organization. Phylogenetic analysis suggested that these 12 species of Santalales clustered into three clades: Viscum (4 spp.) and Osyris (1 sp.) in the Santalaceae and Champereia (1 sp.) in the Opiliaceae formed one clade, while Taxillus (3 spp.) and Scurrula (1 sp.) in the Loranthaceae and Schoepfia (1 sp.) in the Schoepfiaceae formed another clade. Erythropalum (1 sp.), in the Erythropalaceae, appeared as a third, most distant, clade within the Santalales. In addition, both Viscum and Taxillus are monophyletic, and Scurrula is sister to Taxillus. A comparative analysis of the chloroplast genome showed differences in genome size and the loss of genes, such as the ndh genes, infA genes, partial ribosomal genes, and tRNA genes. The 12 species were classified into six categories by the loss, order, and structure of genes in the chloroplast genome. Each of the five genera (Viscum, Osyris, Champereia, Schoepfia, and Erythropalum) represented an independent category, while the three Taxillus species and Scurrula were classified into a sixth category. Although we found that different genes were lost in various categories, most genes related to photosynthesis were retained in the 12 species. Hence, the genetic information accorded with observations that they are hemiparasitic species. Our comparative genomic analyses can provide a new case for the chloroplast genome evolution of parasitic species.


The article seeks to reanimate the early regulation theory project of building Marxist political economy through the development of mid-range institutional theory. The concept of a mode of regulation – central to the Parisian wing of regulation theory – is rejected in favour of a distinction between functional and dysfunctional accumulation regimes. The Fordist regime of accumulation provided a unique institutional context allowing an extraordinary combination of high profits, rising real wages and strong GDP growth. In contrast, the postfordist regime is shown to be inherently dysfunctional, characterized by manifest tendencies toward stagnation and associated regressive trends in work and employment relations. A comparative analysis of profit rates, wage shares, growth rates and debt in the USA, UK and Germany shows that the single model of postfordism as a dysfunctional accumulation regime fits all three countries, although with important differences in forms of dysfunctionality.


This paper discusses the successful design, testing, and application of a new filter-cake breaker technology based on lactic acid chemistry. This technology provided prolonged delay in filter-cake breakthrough time at 220°F, which ensured coverage of the entire open hole, improved uniform filter-cake removal, minimized brine losses, and exceeded the expected production rates in different layers of the offshore Abu Dhabi reservoir.
 Reservoir characterization was a fundamental component in the identification of the proper solution to maximize the return on investment of the assets. Temperature, permeability, porosity, and the nature of the reservoirs were studied thoroughly to determine one solution to be used in different reservoirs. Drilling fluid characterization (non-damaging with proper bridging package) and a proper filter-cake design were crucial to exceed the targeted production of the reservoirs. The paper discusses all steps from the laboratory testing of the breaker, application in different layers of the reservoir, and results obtained from the applications.
 Lactic acid precursor was confirmed to be the "one fit solution" to cover the different reservoir layers. Because of its chemical structure, the hydrolysis process is slower than other breaker types currently available, which made it possible to maximize the breakthrough time at elevated temperatures, minimize completion fluid losses, and optimize the completion operations. Equally important, as an acid precursor rather than a live acid, this solution enabled the rig site personnel to implement the solution without affecting the health, safety, and environment (HSE) aspects that are fundamental in offshore locations. The possibility of pumping this solution through the rig pits enabled the jobs to be performed without additional equipment generally required for well stimulation. The achievement of these goals, supported by the higher production observed during the flow-back of the well, demonstrated how this solution maximized the return on investment for the assets located offshore Abu Dhabi.
 The innovative use of lactic acid chemistry in the breaker, as compared to the conventional formic acid precursor breakers that are widely available, provided superior delay at higher bottomhole temperatures (in this case, 220°F) because of the slower acid liberation rate.


A novel illumination system for mask aligners will be described. The illumination system provides improved exposure light uniformity and customized illumination. It is based on two consecutive Kohler integrators and an exchangeable illumination filter plate. It allows a free choice of illumination settings, e.g., ring-illumination, quadrupole, multipole, Maltese cross, and free-forms in a standard mask aligner. The so-called micro optical exposure optics significantly increases the field of applications for mask aligners. The well defined illumination allows optical proximity correction (OPC) of the mask pattern to compensate for the remaining image errors due to diffraction or process effects. Customized illumination and OPC-like structures introduce well-known tools of projection lithography for mask aligners for the first time. Lithography process simulations as well as experimental results will be shown.


In order to assess the role of thyroid hormone on physiologically and pharmacologically induced prolactin (PRL) secretion, serum PRL concentrations were measured in 4 normal women and 4 women with various endocrinopathies before, and 4 to 6 days following, the ingestion of L-thyroxine (T4). A single 1.5 to 3.0 mg dose of oral T4 produced approximately a 2-fold increase in serum T4. Exogenous T4 did not significantly alter the mean concentration, or the pattern of PRL secretion during a 24-h interval in either normal individuals or 3 patients with galactorrhea. The lactating patients had elevated basal PRL levels and a blunted secretory response to intramuscular chlorpromazine; however, neither fasting PRL nor the peak response to chlorpromazine was altered by T4. L-Dopa suppression of serum PRL was not significantly influenced by T4 in these patients. In conclusion, PRL secretion remained unaltered after the administration of thyroxine in doses sufficient to produce approximately a 2-fold increase in serum T4. This challenges the concept that T4 and TRH are important physiologic regulators of PRL secretion.


Prereactive metal atom-HCN entrance channel complexes [M-HCN (M=Al, Ga, In)] have been stabilized in helium nanodroplets. Rotationally resolved infrared spectra are reported for the CH stretching vibration of the linear nitrogen-bound HCN-Ga and HCN-In complexes that show significant perturbation due to spin-orbit coupling of the 2Pi1/2 ground state with the 2Sigma1/2 state which are degenerate at long range. Six unresolved bands are also observed and assigned to the linear hydrogen-bound isomers of Al-HCN, Ga-HCN, and In-HCN corresponding to the fundamental CH stretching vibration and a combination band involving the CH stretch plus intermolecular stretch for each isomer. A nitrogen-bound HCN-Al complex is not observed, which is attributed to reaction, even at 0.37 K. This conclusion is supported by the observation of a weakly bound complex containing two HCN's and one Al atom which, from the analysis of its rotationally resolved zero-field and Stark spectra is assigned to a weakly bound complex of a HCNAl reaction product and a second HCN molecule. Theoretical calculations are presented to elucidate the reaction mechanisms and energetics of these metal atom reactions with HCN.


The book brings together recent qualitative research studies in enterprise-wide implementations. The collection is useful as a teaching case for academia, a student reference and also for academics, researchers and IT practitioners who wish to gain a broad view of ERP implementation success and failure, The book provides relevant methodologies and recent empirical research findings in the area and includes sufficient background information for an understanding of each case but focuses on providing a rich description of more than a dozen real life cases.


Abstract. In Ghana, large-scale farms and plantations produce mainly oil palm, rubber and coconut and to a lesser extent, maize, rice and pineapples. Ghana produces 51% of its cereal needs, 60% of fish requirements, 50% of meat, and less than 30% of the raw materials needed for agro-based industries. Gross domestic product has grown between 4 and 8 percent annually over the past decade, and agricultural growth has been the major driver of poverty reduction. The agriculture sector is the largest source of employment for Ghanaians and is dominated by smallholder farmers. The challenges in the agriculture sector are in the dimensions of diversity in agro-ecology and constraints including human resource and managerial skills, natural resource management, technology development and food insecurity. Food security is a complex phenomenon resulting from multiple causes which are food availability, food accessibility, food utilization and food stability. About 5% of Ghana's population are food insecure and about 2 million people are vulnerable to become food insecure. Agricultural growth has been more rapid than growth in the non-agricultural sectors in recent years, expanding by an average annual rate of 5.5%, compared to 5.2% for the economy as a whole. However, agricultural growth heavily depends on rainfall patterns and current growth is still driven by land expansion. The objective of this paper was to review literature on the general agricultural trends and challenges in Ghana. Food insecurity, and some policy plans to reduce food insecurity were also highlighted.


Parathyroid hormone (PTH) plays a central role in regulation of calcium metabolism. For example, excessive or inappropriate production of PTH or the related hormone, parathyroid hormone related protein (PTHrP), accounts for the majority of the causes of hypercalcemia. Both hormones act through the same receptor on the osteoblast to elicit enhanced bone resorption by the osteoclast. Thus, the osteoblast mediates the effect of PTH in the resorption process. In this process, PTH causes a change in the function and phenotype of the osteoblast from a cell involved in bone formation to one directing the process of bone resorption. In response to PTH, the osteoblast decreases collagen, alkaline phosphatase, and osteopntin expression and increases production of osteocalcin, cytokines, and neutral proteases. Many of these changes have been shown to be due to effects on mRNA abundance through either transcriptional or post‐transcriptional mechanisms. However, the signal transduction pathway for the hormone to cause these changes is not completely elucidated in any case. Binding of PTH and PTHrP to their common receptor has been shown to result in activation of protein kinases A and C and increases in intracellular calcium. The latter has not been implicated in any changes in mRNA of osteoblastic genes. On the other hand activation of PKA can mimic all the effects of PTH; protein kinase C may be involved in some responses. We will discuss possible mechanisms linking PKA and PKC activation to changes in gene expression, particularly at the nuclear level. © 1994 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


Word clouds provide a simple and effective means to visually communicate the most frequent words of text documents. However, only few word cloud visualizations support the contrastive analysis of multiple texts. This paper introduces Concentri Cloud, a layered word cloud layout that merges the words from several text documents into a single visualization. The weighted words are arranged in a concentric layout, with those representing the individual documents on the outer circle and the merged ones on inner circles. Interaction techniques allow to analyze the word cloud composition and to provide details on demand. The approach has been implemented and tested on several examples. A qualitative evaluation indicates the general value of Concentri Cloud and reveals benefits and limitations.


Performance-based contracting (PBC) is reshaping the acquisition, operation, and maintenance of capital equipment. Under the PBC scheme, we propose a holistic approach for lowering the cost of wind turbine ownership while meeting the availability requirement. Our effects are focused on integrated firms who design and market wind turbines, and also provide maintenance and repair service. PBC differs from conventional service contracts in that the wind farmers compensate the service provider for the system performance, not the spare parts and repair labor. We explore the analytical relationship between system cost, reliability and spare parts stocking. This analytical insight into the system performance allows the turbine manufacturer to optimize design, production, and after-sales services. The study aims to create a theoretical basis to facilitate the transition of the maintenance paradigm from a material-based contract to a performance-based contract in the power industry.


The Pto gene was derived originally from the wild tomato species Lycopersicon pimpinellifolium and confers resistance to Pseudomonas syringae pv tomato strains expressing the avirulence gene avrPto. The Fen gene is also derived from L. pimpinellifolium and confers sensitivity to the insecticide fenthion. We have now isolated and characterized the alleles of Pto and Fen from cultivated tomato, L. esculentum, and designated them pto and fen. High conservation of genome organization between the two tomato species allowed us to identify the pto and fen alleles from among the cluster of closely related Pto gene family members. The pto and fen alleles are transcribed and have uninterrupted open reading frames that code for predicted proteins that are 87 and 98% identical to the Pto and Fen protein kinases, respectively. In vitro autophosphorylation assays revealed that both the pto and fen alleles encode active kinases. In addition, the pto kinase phosphorylates a previously characterized substrate of Pto, the Pto-interacting Pti1 serine/threonine kinase. However, the pto kinase shows impaired interaction with Pti1 and with several previously isolated Pto-interacting proteins in the yeast two-hybrid system. The observation that pto and fen are active kinases and yet do not confer bacterial speck resistance or fenthion sensitivity suggests that the amino acid substitutions distinguishing them from Pto and Fen may interfere with recognition of the corresponding signal molecule or with protein-protein interactions involved in the Pto- and Fen-mediated signal transduction pathways.


Nonparametric and resampling approaches for the two-way factorial design include permutation tests, bootstrap tests, the rank transform, aligned ranks tests, tests on trimmed means, and a rank-based ANOVA method that allows heteroscedastic variances, one known as the BDM method, or combinations of these such as bootstrap tests on trimmed means. Research shows the BDM method, parametric tests on trimmed means, and bootstrap tests on trimmed means to be the most promising methods in terms of α-control and power.

Keywords:

nonparametric;
resampling;
permutation;
bootstrap;
ranks;
trimmed means


Increasing productivity through enhancing efficiency in cereal production in general and in wheat production in particular could be an important pace towards achieving food security. However, the strategic conceptual and empirical analysis in the context of the efficiency, which would guide policy makers and development practitioners in their efforts to revamp cereal productivity, is sparse. This study was undertaken to assess the technical efficiency and factors affecting efficiency of wheat production in Welmera district of Oromia region, Ethiopia. The primary data pertaining to farm production, input usage, and socioeconomic and institutional factors were collected during 2012/13 cropping year through a structured questionnaire from randomly selected 180 wheat farmers. The stochastic frontier and translog functional form with a one-step approach were employed to assess efficiency and factors affecting efficiency in wheat production. The maximum likelihood estimates for the inefficiency parameter depicted that most farmers in the study area were not efficient. The mean technical efficiency was found to be 57%. Factors such as sex, age and education level of the household head, livestock holding, group membership, farm size, fragmentation, tenure status and investment in inorganic fertilizers affect efficiency positively and distance to all weather roads negatively. The finding implies that there is an opportunity to improve technical efficiency among the farmers by 43% through gender-sensitive agricultural intervention, group approach extension, and attention to farmers' education, scaling out of best farm practices.

 Key words: Smallholder wheat farms, translog production function, technical efficiency.


The meadow moth, Loxostege sticticalis, is a typical agricultural pest that uses sex pheromones to mediate mating behavior; however, the mechanism underlying the selectivity of its pheromone-binding proteins (PBPs) remains unknown. In this study, LstiPBP1 and LstiPBP3 were cloned, expressed and purified, fluorescence binding assay showed that LstiPBP1 binds to the major sex pheromone component, E-11-tetradecenol (E11-14:OH), with high affinity, moreover, E11-14:OH could evoke a significant antennal electrophysiological response and attract L. sticticalis males. After LstiPBP1 was silenced, both the antennal response and attractiveness of E11-14:OH decreased significantly. Molecular docking predicted that a hydrogen bonding site, Leu37, played key role in the binding of LstiPBP1 to E11-14:OH. After Leu37 was mutated, the E11-14:OH-binding affinity decreased drastically. These results suggest that LstiPBP1 participates in E11-14:OH recognition and could be used as a target gene to disturb the mating behavior of L. sticticalis and develop new odorants for pest control.


The stress-strain relationship of the sand and asphalt concrete materials is one of the most important research subjects in the past, and many conctitutive laws for these materials have been proposed in the last two decades. In this study, the Vermeer plasticity model is modified and used to predict the behavior of the sand and asphalt concrete materials under different stress path conditions. The results show that the predictions and test results agree well under different stress path conditions. However, the orignal Vermeer model can not predict the stress-strain behavior of the asphalt concrete. Finally, the modified Vermeer plasticity model is incorporated with the pavement rutting model to predict the rut depth of pavement structure under traffic loadings.


In this article, we consider a topological dynamical system. The generic limit set is the smallest closed subset which has a comeager realm of attraction. We study some of its topological properties, and the links with equicontinuity and sensitivity. We emphasize the case of cellular automata, for which the generic limit set is included in all subshift attractors, and discuss directional dynamics, as well as the link with measure-theoretical similar notions.


Induced second-harmonic generation has been observed in a number of colored glasses with high lead content, at efficiencies that are an order of magnitude higher on the average than in germanium silicate preforms for optical fibers. This highest coefficient of second harmonic generation is observed in lead silicate glasses doped with cerium.


We hypothesized that fetal lung contains and releases immunoreactive (ir) adrenocorticotropin (ACTH). Fetal sheep lung (89-145 days gestation, n = 13) irACTH content was 4,100 +/- 672 (SE) pg/g lung wet wt compared with 5,425 +/- 1,403 (SE) pg/g in adults (n = 5) when measured by radioimmunoassay (RIA). irACTH values normalized to protein content were 158 +/- 18 and 95 +/- 22 (SE) ng/g protein for fetuses and adults, respectively. Grouped by age, < 90 days (n = 4), 131-139 days (n = 5), and 143-145 days (n = 4), the values for irACTH were 184 +/- 28, 173 +/- 33, and 114 +/- 33 (SE) ng/g protein, respectively, and declined significantly from < 90 days to adulthood. RIA serial dilution curve slopes were different from standard in 7 of 13 fetuses and in all adults, suggesting that irACTH structure differs from ACTH-(1-39). Acute in vivo fetal pulmonary artery and vein sampling (n = 5, 120-128 days gestation) revealed a mean difference of -609 +/- 476 (SE) pg/ml, a statistically significant release of irACTH across the lung. Western blotting revealed that pulmonary irACTH migrates in multiple immunostaining bands between molecular weight 14,000 and 46,000 and does not colocalize with ACTH-(1-39). Adrenal cell bioassay revealed that pulmonary irACTH is not corticotropic. We concluded that ovine fetal lung contains large-molecular-weight irACTH, that content declines from 90 days gestation to adulthood, and that, under acute conditions, the fetal lung releases irACTH substances in sufficient quantity to contribute to circulating hormone concentrations of irACTH.


OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the attitude, the practice and the knowledge of pediatricians regarding the management of the infant who cries excessively in the first months of life. METHODS: Descriptive cross-sectional study that enrolled pediatricians (n=132) randomly interviewed at a Pediatric meeting in Brazil, in August 2012. The data were collected by a self-administered standardized form after reading the hypothetical case of an infant who cried excessively. RESULTS: The majority of the participants were females, the mean age was 39 years and the average mean time working in the specialty was 14 years; 52.2% were Board Certified by the Brazilian Society of Pediatrics. The diagnosis most often considered was gastroesophageal reflux disease (62.9%), followed by infant colic (23.5%) and cow's milk allergy (6.8%). The diagnostic test most frequently mentioned was 24-hour esophageal pH-monitoring (21.9%). The medications most frequently indicated were domperidone (30.3%), the combination of domperidone with ranitidine (12.1%) and paracetamol (6%). CONCLUSIONS: In the approach of the infant who cries excessively, diagnostic tests are frequently requested and unnecessary medical treatment is usually recommended.


Human Factors and Ergonomics play a key role in the design and development of computer applications and tools. This is a multidisciplinary approach used to ensure that systems and learning environments are designed to aid in user's performance. This study aimed at analyzing the human factors and ergonomics, their effectson the effectiveness of e-learning platform at Rongo University.A descriptive research methodology was usedto collect and analyze the data from a sample size of 150consisting of faculty and the students.Using stratified sampling technique from five schools, a questionnaire was the main data collection tool and data was analyzed using SPSS. It was observed that the level of e-learning platform at Rongo University is very low at less than 2%. The study found that, psychological effects such as,motivation, individual perception, self-regulation, course content, computer literacy and lack of discipline from the e-learning students, were the major contributing factors.Student and faculty correlated significantly with each other across schools with course content being the main factor at a mean score of 8.60 for faculty and 21.40 for students. TheActivity Theory has been used as a theoretical background that guided the study.


Children with Down syndrome (DS) are at increased risk of obstructive sleep disordered breathing (SDB), which is associated with sleep disruption affecting daytime functioning. We examined the effects of treatment of SDB on sleep and daytime functioning in children with DS.

 Children with DS and SDB (n=34) completed a baseline and follow-up study which included 7 days of actigraphy in conjunction with a parental sleep diary. Parents also completed a number of questionnaires assessing sleep, behaviour, daytime functioning and quality of life (QOL). All children had overnight polysomnography (PSG) at baseline and 24 had PSG at follow-up.

 15 children (44%) were treated. At baseline the treated group had more severe SDB at baseline compared to the untreated group: obstructive apnoea hypopnoea index (OAHI) 29.3 ± 38.2 events/h vs 3.3 ± 5.2 events/h (p< 0.01). Actigraphy showed no significant differences in total sleep time or sleep efficiency from baseline to follow up in either the treated or untreated group. Wake after sleep onset increased at follow-up in the untreated group (p< 0.01). The sleep disturbance (p< 0.01) and total problems (p< 0.05) scales on the OSA-18 and the SDB subscale on the Pediatric Sleep Problem Survey Instrument (p< 0.01) improved in the treated children. No changes were seen in any of the measures in the untreated children.

 Treatment of SDB improves QOL, despite treatment having no demonstrable impacts on actigraphic sleep measures. In contrast despite having less severe SDB children who were untreated had no improvements in QOL and increased sleep disruption.

 Jerome Lejeune Foundation


The influence of 3 MW Hywind-II wind turbine wakes from an upstream offshore floating wind turbine on a downstream turbine with a separation distance of seven rotor diameters was studied for a site in the Gulf of Maine. The turbines and the platforms were subjected to atmospheric boundary layer flows. Various sensitivity studies on fatigue loads with respect to the positions of the downstream turbine were performed and validated with a large-eddy simulation tool. In particular, the effect of various lateral positions of the downstream turbine relative to the upstream turbine were considered using time-series turbine wake data generated from the large-eddy simulation tool which served as an input to an aero-elastic wind turbine model to assess the loads. The load response from the rotor, tower, and the floating platform for the downstream turbine were sensitive to the lateral offset positions where turbines that were partially exposed to upstream turbine wakes yielded significant increases in the cyclic load range. For the given set of lateral positions for the downstream turbine, the largest damage equivalent load occurred when the turbine was one rotor diameter to the left of the centerline, when looking upstream, which is the position of the turbine fully exposed to upstream turbine wake. On the other hand, the fatigue load on the downstream turbine placed on the right side of the position fully exposed to the upstream turbine wake, yielded lower stress due to the non-symmetric shape of the turbine wake. The configuration associated with the largest damage equivalent loads was further investigated in a large-eddy simulation, modeling both the upstream and downstream turbines. It was found that the energy spectra at the blade rotational frequency were a magnitude order higher for the downstream turbine, especially for surge, heave, pitch, and yaw motion of the platform. The increase of the damage equivalent load for the flapwise blade root moment was 45% compared to the upstream turbine, which can potentially reduce the turbine service life time.


Complexation of Np(V), U(VI) and Nd(III) with dimethyl-3-oxa-glutaramic acid (DMOGA) and tetramethyl-3-oxa-glutaramide (TMOGA) was studied in comparison with the complexation with oxydiacetic acid (ODA). Stability constants and enthalpy of complexation were determined by potentiometry, spectrophotometry and calorimetry. Thermodynamic parameters, in conjunction with structural information of solid compounds, indicate that DMOGA and TMOGA form tridentate complexes with the ether-oxygen participating in bonding with actinide/lanthanide ions. The trends in the stability constants, enthalpy and entropy of complexation are discussed in terms of the difference in the hydration of the amide groups and carboxylate groups and the difference in the charge density of the metal ions.


Larval acetylcholinesterase (acetylcholine acetylhydrolase, EC 126.96.36.199) of the ascidian Ciona intestinalis (L.) was purified by a two-step affinity chromatography procedure. Concavanalin A-Sepharose chromatography in batches provided the initial purification and was followed by chromatography on columns to which competitive inhibitors of acetylcholinesterase had been attached. The most efficient of these used m-carboxyphenylmethylammonium iodide coupled to Sepharose 4B via a hydrophobic 6-carbon spacer. In combination with the concanavalin A-Sepharose step, this affinity resin yielded recoveries of 30-39% with specific activities ranging from 580-730 units/mg protein, a total purification of 5000-7000-fold. Analysis of this product by polycrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence of SDS and beta-mercaptoethanol revealed a single major polypeptide of M(r) 65 000-70 000. This protein was identified as the basic catalytic subunit of acetylcholinesterase by its coelectrophoresis with [(3)H]diisopropyl fluorophosphate-labeled enzyme. Sucrose density gradient studies demonstrated that the purified enzyme consisted of three distinct species that appeared to be qualitatively the same as those seen in crude extracts. The largest species (11 S) is possibly a tetramer of the basic catalytic subunit and the two smaller forms, the monomer and dimer. Purified enzyme was also used to produce anti-acetylcholinesterase antibody in rabbits. IgG prepared from the sera of immunized rabbits was shown to react completely (greater than 98%) with acetylcholinesterase from crude larval homogenates. This result also supports the conclusions that no qualitative selection occurred during the purification procedure and that the basic catalytic subunit is a fundamental component of all the larval acetylcholinesterases.