Introduction: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory neurodegenerative disease. MS is the most prevalent neurological disability that often leads to severe cognitive or physical incapacitations in young adults. As MS is currently an incurable disease, more effective treatments need to be investigated. The disease is associated with axonal degenerations and the development of demyelinated plaques, due to episodic autoimmune destruction of oligodendrocytes. Usually, demyelination is followed by remyelination as the brain attempts to reconstruct the myelin sheaths. Oligodendrocyte precursor cells are essential for remyelination as these cells proliferate and differentiate into mature oligodendrocytes. An important regulator of oligodendrocyte development is G protein-coupled receptor 17 (GPR17), whose inhibition has been suggested in previous studies to the promote oligodendrocyte differentiation and remyelination. As such, a potential therapy for MS patients is through decreasing GPR17 expression via inhibition of one of its ligands, LTC4. Methods: We aim to promote remyelination in MS patients using the LTC4 synthase inhibitor AZD9898 to indirectly partially inhibit GPR17 in proteolipid protein-induced experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (PLP-induced EAE) MS mice models. There will be 6 experimental groups and 8 control groups. All experimental groups will receive a three mg dose of AZD9898. After approximately zero, one, five and ten days, the mice will be sacrificed, and magnetic resonance imaging will be conducted. The myelin water fraction will then be determined to visualize in vivo myelination of the central nervous system through myelin water imaging. Western blotting will be used to verify AZD9898's indirect inhibition of GPR17. The resulting data will be analyzed with the Kolomogorov–Smirnov test, Pearson's correlation coefficient (linear) and two-tailed paired t -tests and ImageJ software. Anticipated Results: It is expected that AZD9898 administration in PLP-induced EAE mice models will result in an increased myelin water fraction, indicating remyelination, alongside decreased GPR17 expression. Discussion: These results will provide a potential treatment for MS by illustrating how AZD9898 is effective at indirectly inhibiting GPR17 in mice models, and thus promoting remyelination. Conclusion: This study will provide insight on the treatment of demyelinating diseases by demonstrating how pharmacological inhibition of GPR17 ligand LTC4 can promote remyelination in MS patients.


Calpain-5 (CAPN5) is a member of the calpain family of calcium-activated neutral thiol proteases. CAPN5 is partly membrane associated, despite its lack of a transmembrane domain. Unlike classical calpains, CAPN5 contains a C-terminal C2 domain. C2 domains often have affinity to lipids, mediating membrane association. We recently reported that the C2 domain of CAPN5 was essential for its membrane association and the activation of its autolytic activity. However, despite the removal of the C2 domain by autolysis, the N-terminal fragment of CAPN5 remained membrane associated. S-acylation, also referred to as S-palmitoylation, is a reversible post-translational lipid modification of cysteine residues that promotes membrane association of soluble proteins. In the present study several S-acylated cysteine residues were identified in CAPN5 with the acyl-PEG exchange method. Data reported here demonstrate that CAPN5 is S-acylated on up to three cysteine residues including Cys-4 and Cys-512, and likely Cys-507. The D589N mutation in a potential calcium binding loop within the C2 domain interfered with the S-acylation of CAPN5, likely preventing initial membrane association. Mutating specific cysteine residues of CAPN5 interfered with both its membrane association and the activation of CAPN5 autolysis. Taken together, our results suggest that the S-acylation of CAPN5 is critical for its membrane localization which appears to favor its enzymatic activity.


The Bayesian approach to reliability estimation from Type II censored samples is discussed here with emphasis on obtaining natural conjugate prior distributions. The underlying sampling distribution from which the censored samples are drawn follows a generalized life model (GLM) which includes a model proposed by Epstein and Sobel, Weibull, exponential, and Rayleigh distributions as special cases. Results are given for the Type II asymptotic distribution of largest values, Pareto, and Limited distribution. The natural conjugate prior, Bayes estimate for the generalized scale parameter, posterior risk, Bayes risk and Bayes estimate of the reliability function were derived for the distributions studied. In every case the natural conjugate prior is a 2-parameter family which provides a wide range of possible prior knowledge. Conjugate diffuse priors were derived. A diffuse prior, also called a quasi-pdf, is not a pdf because its integral is not unity. It represents roughly an informationless prior state of knowledge. The proper choice of the parameter for the diffuse prior leads to maximum likelihood, classical uniform minimum-variance unbiased estimator, and an admissible biased estimator with minimum mean square error as the generalized Bayes estimate. A feature of the GLM is the increasing function g(·) with possible applications in accelerated testing. KG(·) is a s-complete s-sufficient statistic for ¿, and KG(·)/m is a maximum likelihood estimate for ¿. Similar results were obtained for the Pareto, Type II asymptotic distribution of extremes, Pareto (associated with Pearl-Reed growth distribution) and others.


Comments on article by L. F. Cofer et al (see record 1999-11379-001) on future directions and challenges in the study of morningness-eveningness. These authors commend Cofer et al's discussion and dynamic systems view of development. However, they suggest several basic theoretical issues that should be addressed in regard to what mechanisms should be established by the individual. They suggest more empirical research is needed to detail how different factors interact pre- and postnatally. These authors also point out the matter of interpretation of the empirical data presented in Cofer et al's study.


Exciting possibilities for cyber-geography are on the horizon, based on Big Data and the ever-expanding computational capabilities of our age. Are we close to building a system that will anticipate the future in practically all areas of the social and behavioral sciences, and for any place on earth? Is such a system possible even in principle? Many scientists think so. This essay probes this fascinating question.


Agriculture can have negative impacts on the environment, such as pesticide contamination of water. The relationships between agricultural practices and environmental impacts are complex. To improve the quality of the environment and agricultural products, solutions require an interest in both physical processes (e. g. transfer of contaminants) and human processes in order to set up a system for evaluating and monitoring innovations in agriculture. The action-research territory is a set of watersheds in Guadeloupe, with high banana production and historically marked by a serious pollution from farming, using chlordecone (kepone) between the 1970s and 1990s. The aim of the support of the stakeholders is to facilitate the learning process for the change of agricultural practices. Modelling is the privileged tool for research to represent dynamics and simulate consequences of action, even before implementing experiments. We use the DPSIR model (Driving Forces, Pressures, States, Impacts and Responses), a robust qualitative model of the European Environment Agency for monitoring and evaluating environmental policies, to enable the exchange of views for collective learning processes. The partners involved are the various stakeholders of the territory: farmers and players in agricultural development, land managers, associations, inhabitants, consumers, and the scientific community, which we regularly gather in sessions of a "school of stakeholders" of the territory.


Author(s): Kellogg, Stephanie | Advisor(s): Tilly, Chris | Abstract: The purpose of this study was to assess the attributes of vendors certified to sell produce in Los Angeles County farmers markets and relate these vendor attributes to goals of the "local food movement." This movement is characterized by marked consumer preference for locally produced food. In particular, data were collected through qualitative interviews and quantitative producer output records to determine whether markets support an alternative production model akin to the local food movement, or whether markets supplement established mass-production oriented producers. Markets are considered to support a different kind of agricultural practice if participants in the markets are largely growers that rely on Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) marketing for a significant portion of their revenue. Because reliable responses to this line of inquiry are particularly rare, results are not conclusive. Instead, they are meant to draw inferences, and help to provide context for a more thorough analysis of the topic. This research demonstrates that farmer's markets benefit both more large-scale producers and small-scale than is typical for farms in California, but is also particularly detrimental to mid-scale producers.


Male cuckoos Cuculus canorus produce calls that differ in number of syllables depending on environmental conditions and presence of male and female conspecifics. Why different males produce so repeatable calls that vary greatly in duration among males remains an open question. We used playback of cuckoo calls with few or many syllables (hereafter short and long calls), and woodpigeon calls (a control that also produces few or many syllables), predicting that playback of longer cuckoo calls should attract more male cuckoos (if males with such calls are dominant and successfully out-compete other males due to intraspecific competition), and attract more hosts mobbing male cuckoos (cuckoos with such calls and their females attract more hosts because of an increased risk of parasitism). Because cuckoos differentially parasitize hosts away from human habitation, we also tested whether the number of syllables in cuckoo calls differed with distance from buildings. Playback showed significant effects of number of syllables in cuckoo calls, but not woodpigeon Columba palumbus calls, with an additional effect of distance from human habitation decreasing the response to playback. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that longer cuckoo calls, especially played back near human habitation, attract more conspecifics and hosts than shorter calls. To the best of knowledge this is the first study showing that cuckoo call response modified both other cuckoo individuals, as well as hosts response.


Previous studies have shown that shallow groundwater in arid regions is often not in equilibrium with near‐surface boundary conditions due to human activities and climate change. This is especially the case where the unsaturated zone is thick and recharge rate is limited. Under this nonequilibrium condition, the unsaturated zone solute profile plays an important role in estimating recent diffuse recharge in arid environments. This paper combines evaluation of the thick unsaturated zone with the saturated zone to investigate the groundwater recharge of a grassland in the arid western Ordos Basin, NW China, using the soil chloride profiles and multiple tracers (2H, 18O, 13C, 14C, and water chemistry) of groundwater. Whereas conventional water balance and Darcy flux measurements usually involve large errors in recharge estimations for arid areas, chloride mass balance has been widely and generally successfully used. The results show that the present diffuse recharge beneath the grassland is 0.11–0.32 mm/year, based on the chloride mass balance of seven soil profiles. The chloride accumulation age is approximately 2,500 years at a depth of 13 m in the unsaturated zone. The average Cl content in soil moisture in the upper 13 m of the unsaturated zone ranges from 2,842 to 7,856 mg/L, whereas the shallow groundwater Cl content ranges from 95 to 351 mg/L. The corrected 14C age of shallow groundwater ranges from 4,327 to 29,708 years. Stable isotopes show that the shallow groundwater is unrelated to modern precipitation. The shallow groundwater was recharged during the cold and wet phases of the Late Pleistocene and Holocene humid phase based on palaeoclimate, and consequently, the groundwater resources are nonrenewable. Due to the limited recharge rate and thick unsaturated zone, the present shallow groundwater has not been in hydraulic equilibrium with near‐surface boundary conditions in the past 2,500 years.


Novel N-pyrazolyl-2-nitrobenzamides variously substituted on the pyrazole nucleus were prepared. The products obtained together with some other N-substituted 2-nitrobenzamides were tested for their antifungal activity against Cryptococcus neoformans and Candida albicans. The results of the antimicrobial assay showed different behaviours of the organisms used with regard to the derivatives tested.


Three stationary points of symmetry C3v, C2v, and Oh on the potential energy surface of XeF6 have been located and characterized at the self‐consistent field level of theory with a large basis set. At this level of theory, and contrary to results given earlier in the literature, two of these stationary points (C2v and Oh) are determined to be transition states, with harmonic vibrational frequencies leading to the third stationary point (C3v). In addition, second‐order Mo/ller–Plesset perturbation theory, configuration interaction, and coupled‐cluster energies have been determined at each of these optimized geometries. The C3v structure is predicted to lie lowest, followed by the C2v and then the Oh structure.


Abstract The article deals with the concept of quality and compliance in the context of the short-cycle professional higher education (SCHE) program in the field of real estate management. The article highlights the role of graduates and employers in assessing the quality and compliance and surveys of students as well. The surveys of students, graduates and employers and the analysis of legislation allow assessing the quality and compliance of SCHE study program in real estate management. Currently, in Latvia, the qualification of a house manager can be obtained at three accredited higher education institutions, studying in a short-cycle professional higher education program, which, in accordance with European Qualifications Framework (EQF), is the first-level professional higher education program. The article will mainly focus on the quality and compliance of the house managers' professional qualification acquisition in short-cycle higher education programs in Latvia. Data analysis, synthesis and logical construction methods have been used in this article.


: Serial computed tomography following intravenous bolus injection of contrast agent is an important development in computed tomographic diagnosis. The technical necessities and methods of examination are discussed. Our experience with 108 examinations is evaluated. The additional information in terms of morphology and function is described.


In this study, the aerial parts and seeds of Sophora jaubertii Spach (leguminosae) growing in Turkey were investigated for their alkaloid compositions and antimicrobial activities. The alkaloid extracts were analyzed by capillary gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The main components were identified as matrine (34.64 %), sophocarpine (15.32 %), cytisine (10.32 %), anagyrine (9.10 %), and sophoridine (6.35 %) in the aerial parts, while matrine (32.34 %), sophocarpine (14.67 %), cytisine (13.30 %), sophoranol (10.98 %), and sophoridine (8.57 %) in the seeds of the plant. The alkaloid extracts were also evaluated for their antibacterial and antifungal activities. The alkaloid extract of the aerial parts of S. jaubertii presented significant activity against Bacillus subtilis with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 31.25 pig/ml. The remaining MIC values were found in the range of 62.5-500 pig/ml.


The dynamical relationship between predator and prey can be represented by the prey functional response which refers to the change in the density of prey attached per unit time per predator as the prey density changes. In this paper, three-species food chain model with Beddington–DeAngelis type functional response is considered and found solution both analytically and numerically. We investigate the Hopf bifurcation and Chaos of the system at mortality rate ( ) of predator with the help of computer simulations. Butler-Mc Gehee lemma is used to identify the condition which influences the persistence of the system. We also study the effect of Harvesting on prey species. Harvesting has a strong impact on the dynamic evolution of a population. To a certain extent, it can control the long-term stationary density of population efficiently. However, it can also lead to the incorporation of a positive extinction probability and therefore to potential extinction in finite time. Our result suggests that the mortality rate of predator species have the ability to control the chaotic dynamics. Keywords:  Food Chain Model, Stability, Persistence,Harvesting, Chaotic Attractor, Hopf Bifurcation


This paper presents a comprehensive and adaptive framework for orchid conservation programs illustrated with data from published and unpublished case studies. There is a specific focus on West Australian terrestrial orchids, but many of the approaches have universal relevance. Aspects of the framework include (1) setting appropriate objectives, (2) establishing effective collaborations between scientists, volunteers and regulators to fill knowledge and funding gaps, (3) use of survey and demographics data to determine extinction risks and management requirements for species, (4) effective habitat management to overcome threats such as grazing, (5) finding potential new habitats by modelling climate and site data, (6) investigating the effectiveness of pollinators and (7) using seed baiting to detect mycorrhizal fungi. The relative cost and effectiveness of different methods used to propagate orchids for translocation are compared. Methods known to be successful, in order of complexity, include placement of seed in situ, vegetative propagation, symbiotic germination in non-sterile organic matter, symbiotic germination in sterile culture, asymbiotic sterile germination and clonal division in tissue culture. These form a continuum of complexity, cost, time required, faculties needed, as well as the capacity to maintain genetic diversity and produce seedlings preadapted to survive in situ. They all start with seed collection and lead to seed storage, living collections used as tuber banks and seed orchards, as well as translocation for conservation. They could also lead to commercial availability and sustainable ecotourism, both of which are needed to reduce pressure on wild plants. Overall, there has been a strong preference to use relatively complex, expensive and time-consuming methods for orchid conservation, despite evidence that simpler approaches have also been successful. These simpler methods, which include in situ seed placement and non-sterile germination on inorganic substrates, should be trialled in combination with more complex orchid propagation methods as part of an adaptive management framework. It is essential that orchid conservation projects harness the unique biological features of orchids, such as abundant seed production and mycorrhizal fungi which are far more widespread than their hosts. This is necessary to increase the efficiency and coverage of recovery actions for the largest and most threatened plant family.


In this paper, we introduce a new approach to multiclass classification problem. We decompose the problem into a series of regression tasks, that are solved with CART trees. The proposed method works significantly faster than state-of-the-art solutions while giving the same level of model quality. The algorithm is also robust to imbalanced datasets, allowing to reach high-quality results in significantly less time without class re-balancing.


Stabilizing mast cells (MCs) can either inhibit or augment inflammation; however, how improved therapeutic benefits against small intestinal ischemia-reperfusion injury (IIRI) can be achieved by stabilizing MCs remains to be elucidated. The present study was designed to evaluate different treatments with cromolyn sodium (CS, an MC stabilizer), which was administrated either prior to ischemia or after reperfusion. Kunming mice were randomized into a sham-operated group (SH), a sole IIR group (M), in which mice were subjected to 30 min superior mesenteric artery occlusion followed by 3 day or 3 h reperfusion, or IIR, treated with CS 15 min prior to ischemia or 15 min after reperfusion in the PreCr and PostCr groups. The survival rate and Chiu's scores were evaluated. The levels of ET-1, histamine, TNF-α and IL-6, and expression of MC protease 7 (MCP7), MC counts and myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity were quantified. IIR resulted in severe injury as demonstrated by significant increases in mortality and injury score. IIR also led to substantial elevations in the levels of ET-1, histamine, TNF-α and IL-6, expression of MCP7, MC counts and MPO activities (P<0.05, M vs. SH groups). All biochemical changes were markedly reduced in the PostCr group (P<0.05, PostCr vs. M groups), whereas pretreatment of IIR mice with CS prior to ischemia exhibited no changes of ET-1 levels, injury score and inflammation (P>0.05, PreCr vs. M groups). In conclusion, administration of CS after reperfusion, but not prior to ischemia, attenuates IIRI by downregulating ET-1 and suppressing sustained MC activation.


We have investigated the sensitivity and specificity of a rapid phosphorus magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) protocol for detecting metabolic abnormalities in vivo in skeletal muscle of patients with mitochondrial disease. We examined 17 patients with mitochondrial myopathies. Sixteen had only mild or minimal myopathic signs and symptoms. Phosphorus magnetic resonance spectra from the resting gastrocnemius muscles showed an abnormal intracellular energy state (marked by an increased intracellular inorganic phosphate concentration) in 14/17. In 3/17, this was associated with a decreased phosphocreatine concentration. We also studied 20 patients with other diseases of muscle (inflammatory myopathies, metabolic myopathies, muscular dystrophies, and myasthenia gravis) that can present with similar clinical features. Spectra showed increased intracellular inorganic phosphate concentrations in 6/20. All of these muscle diseases were associated with evidence of muscle fiber necrosis. Abnormalities in the muscle energy state in these cases may be due to secondary mitochondrial dysfunction. Except for cases of polymyositis and dermatomyositis, these 6 other myopathies could be readily distinguished from the mitochondrial myopathies on the basis of the clinical examination and blood tests. We conclude that phosphorus MRS of resting muscle is practical in a clinical setting and has a useful sensitivity and specificity for mitochondrial myopathies when used in conjunction with standard noninvasive tests.


The value of CT of the pelvis, 111In-labeled leukocyte scintigraphy, and contrast enema (pouchography) for detecting postsurgical complications was assessed in 44 patients with total colectomy, rectal mucosectomy, and ileoanal pouches. Ileoanal pouches were created as reservoirs from an ileal loop that was anastomosed to the dentate line of the anus and stayed connected to the remainder of the ileum. This pouch preserves the normal defecatory pathway and eliminates disease-producing mucosa. A total of 57 sets of examinations revealed 22 cases of normal postoperative findings, 22 of pouchitis, 13 of abscess, and three of fistula. Overall sensitivity for detecting complications with pouchography was 60% (18 of 30 findings); with CT, 78% (28 of 36 findings); and with scintigraphy, 79% (23 of 29 findings). Pouchitis was best diagnosed by scintigraphy (sensitivity, 80%), followed by CT (sensitivity, 71%) and pouchography (sensitivity, 53%). Only CT correctly diagnosed all cases of abscess. Fistulas were frequently missed by all three methods. If tests were combined, the overall sensitivity rose to 93% for the combination CT/scintigraphy and to 86% for CT/pouchography, but did not improve for pouchography/scintigraphy (78%). For evaluation of complications in patients with ileoanal pouches, CT should be the initial test. If an abscess is found, no further tests are needed. If CT findings are negative, a scintigram should be obtained. Our data did not establish a clear role for pouchography.


A qualitative study was conducted to explore the meaning of respect from the perspective of five Cree-Ojibway key informants. Data were obtained from in-depth interviews conducted in a First Nations community in northern Manitoba. Interviews focused on key informants' understanding of the meaning of respect, and their experiences of being treated with or without respect during clinical interactions. The qualitative analysis identified characteristics of respect and lack of respect that reflected the informants' experiences as First Nations persons interacting with Western health-care providers. The features of respect reflected ethical values related to equality, inherent worth, and the uniqueness and dignity of the individual. Findings highlighted the need for nurses to be cognizant of the sociopolitical context of interactions with First Nations patients. The preliminary descriptions of respect identified in this study provide a foundation for further analysis of the concept.


The infrared spectrum of a mixture serves as the basis to quantitate its constituents, and a number of common clinical chemistry tests have proven to be feasible using this approach. This article reviews the infrared spectroscopy-based analytical methods that have been developed for consideration as clinical assays, including serum analysis, urine analysis, amniotic fluid assays for the estimation of fetal lung maturity, and others. Because of the widespread interest in the potential for in vivo measurement of blood glucose using near-infrared spectroscopy, a separate section is devoted to the analysis of glucose in whole blood.

A related technique uses the infrared spectrum of biomedical specimens directly as a diagnostic tool. For example, the spectra of serum and of synovial fluid have proven to be useful in the diagnosis of metabolic disorders and arthritis, respectively, without explicitly recovering their chemical composition from the spectra. Rather, characteristic spectral features and patterns have been identified as the basis to distinguish spectra corresponding to healthy patients from those corresponding to diseased patients. These applications are reviewed here.

Issues such as ease of use, speed, reliability, sample size, and calibration stability all play important roles in governing the practical acceptability of infrared spectroscopy-based analytical methods. To provide a framework to illustrate these issues, descriptions are included for the various procedures that have been explored to wed successfully infrared spectroscopy to clinical chemistry.


The interaction between infra-red radiation and molecules in the liquid state reveals phenomena that are characteristic of (1) individual molecules, and (2) molecules only in the liquid state. To category (1) belong the spectral properties of molecules that are common to both the liquid and gaseous state—it is understood that there might be small shifts in the characteristic frequencies due to an interaction of the molecules in the liquid state. Most of the atomic vibration frequencies lie in the near infra-red but certain combination terms (made up of differences of near infra-red frequencies) are permitted in the spectral region considered. AIso some polyatomic molecules can have fundamental vibrational frequencies in the extreme infra-red. There is no evidence that pure rotation exists in liquids as in gases and this is understandable either by considering that shocks from neighbouring molecules are too disturbing for a free rotation to he maintained sufficiently long or, and this was experimentally verified for water, that the intermolecular fields are too powerful to permit free rotation for the quantum energies involved. This last explanation belongs to category (2) which implies a quasi-crystalline structure of liquids in which the molecules as a whole can oscillate linearly and execute oscillating rotational motions. Experimentally we can distinguish between phenomena that are characteristic of individual molecules (1) and those due to a quasi-crystalline structure, (2), by comparing the spectrum of a pure liquid with that of a solution where the intermolecular field is changed. The measurement of the absorption and reflexion of liquids not only reveals resonance phenomena; it permits the calculation of refraction and the molecular polarisation. The total molecular polarisation can be expressed as the sum of the electronic, atomic and permanent polarisation: P = P e + P a + P p = 4 π /3 N ( γ e + γ a + γ p ) = e - 1/e + 2 M/ d , (1) where N is the Avogadro number, γ the average polarizability, M the molecular weight, d the density and e the static dielectric constant. This formula and those to follow neglect any interaction between molecules (except that the effective field acting is given by the Lorenz relation R = E + 4/3 P); however, we shall consider them as giving a first approximation for molecules in the liquid state.


In this paper, we investigate how the COVID-19 pandemics and more precisely the lockdown of a sector of the economy may have changed our habits and, therefore, altered the demand of some goods even after the re-opening. In a two-sector infinite horizon economy, we show that the demand of the goods produced by the sector closed during the lockdown could shrink or expand with respect to their prepandemic level depending on the length of the lockdown and the relative strength of the satiation effect and the substitutability effect. We also provide conditions under which this sector could remain inactive even after the lockdown as well as an insight on the policy which should be adopted to avoid this outcome.


This study aimed to examine how changes in motor behavior are associated with falls, delirium, and urinary tract infections (UTIs). Twenty-three (128 observations) skilled nursing residents were examined for up to 18 months. In multilevel models, motor behaviors (e.g., time and distance traveled, gait speed), measured by a real-time locating system, were used to predict falls, UTIs, and delirium. Falls were associated with decreased gait speed (OR = 0.01; p ≤ 0.001) and path distance (OR = 0.99; p ≤ 0.05); delirium was associated with increased distance traveled (OR = 1.01; p ≤ 0.001), path distance (OR = 1.02; p ≤ 0.001), and decreased time traveled (OR = 0.99; p ≤ 0.001) and path time (OR = 0.99; p ≤ 0.001); UTIs were associated with increased distance traveled (OR = 1.01; p ≤ 0.001), decreased time traveled (OR = 0.99; p ≤ 0.001), and the number of paths (OR = 0.91; p ≤ 0.01). Subtle changes in motor behavior may be an early warning sign of falls and acute events. Continuous monitoring may enable clinical staff to prevent, identify early, and/or delay these poor health outcomes.


Interfering with increased levels of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) might offer new therapeutic strategies for a variety of cardiovascular diseases. Inactivation of PAI-1 can be accomplished by a number of monoclonal antibodies (MA), including MA-8H9D4. In a previous study, a single-chain variable fragment (scFv-8H9D4) was cloned and found to have the same properties as the parental MA-8H9D4. In the present study, we identified the residues of scFv-8H9D4 that contribute significantly to the paratope. The complementarity determining region 3 from the heavy (H3) and the light (L3) chain were analysed through site-directed mutagenesis. Out of twelve mutations, only four residues appeared to contribute to the paratope. The affinity of scFv-8H9D4-H3-L97D for PAI-1 was 38-fold decreased (K(A) = 4.8 +/- 0.2 x 10(7) M(-1) vs. 1.8 +/- 0.7 x 10(9) M(-1) for scFv-8H9D4) whereas scFv-8H9D4-H3-R98Y did not bind to PAI-1. The affinities of scFv-8H9D4-L3-Y91S and scFv-8H9D4-L3-F94D for PAI-1 were 9- and 5-fold reduced, respectively, whereas the combined mutation resulted in an 86-fold decreased affinity (K(A) = 2.1 +/- 0.2 x 10(7) M(-1)). In accordance with the affinity data, these mutants had no, or a reduced, PAI-1 inhibitory capacity, confirming that these four particular residues form the major interaction site of scFv-8H9D4 with PAI-1. In combination with the three-dimensional structure, these data contribute to the rational design of PAI-1 neutralizing compounds.


The ability to generate an emotional response is the key to any leader?s success. But does the nature of the emotion matter? The current wisdom holds that command and control is dead; employees must be empowered to act on their own. They are team members, not subordinates. Even more, they are ?family,? working together in a ?community.? The language of love ? as in, ?I love my people? ? has become the acceptable, even preferred managerial idiom.

It?s hard to escape the feeling that fear is still an important reality in the world of work, however. Not just fear of layoffs, which are often a matter of cyclical downturns and global disruptions. The issue is good old-fashioned fear of the boss, driven by the knowledge that one?s performance will be judged by the highest standards and that failure to meet a high level of achievement will not be tolerated for long. Isn?t such fear a necessary ? even a healthy ? component of many a company in today?s ultracompetitive world?

Niccolo Machiavelli took on these questions centuries ago in the course of writing The Prince, famously advising at one point, ?It is better to be feared than loved.? SMR asked three experts to reconsider that notion in the context of modern management and leadership.


Abstract Radioactive waste arises mainly from the generation of nuclear power but also from the use of radioactive materials in medicine, industry, and research. It occurs in a variety of forms and may range from slightly to highly radioactive. It is a worldwide consensus that radioactive waste should be disposed of in a permanent way which ensures protection of humans and the environment. This objective may be achieved by isolating radioactive waste in a disposal system which is located, designed, constructed, operated, and closed such that any potential hazard to human health is kept acceptably low, now and in the future. For highly radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel, which are the waste types representing the highest potential danger to human health, an effective isolation from the biosphere is considered to be achievable by deep geological disposal. Disposal concepts rely on the passive safety functions of a series of engineered and natural barriers. Since total isolation over extended timescales is not possible, radionuclides will eventually be released from the waste matrix and migrate through the engineered and natural barriers. The assessment of their mobility in these environments is essential for the safety demonstration of such a repository. The solubility of many radionuclides is limited and may contribute significantly to retention. Reliable predictions of solubility limitations are therefore important. Predictions of maximum solubilities are always subject to uncertainties. Complete sets of thermodynamic and equilibrium data are required for a reliable assessment of the chemical behavior of the radionuclides. Gaps in the thermodynamic databases may lead to erroneous predictions. Missing data and insufficient knowledge of the solubility-limiting processes increase the uncertainties and require pessimistic assumptions in the safety analysis; however, these are usually not detrimental to safety owing to the robustness of the multi-barrier approach.


Amenity values on urban arterial roads are fraught. This is largely due to the traditional traffic capacity versus amenity trade-off. This trade-off implies that high-capacity roads must be inherently deficient in amenity due to issues of air quality, noise nuisance and the physical barrier of streams of traffic. However, a more nuanced position – and one adopted by this thesis - is that arterial roads can be both busy thoroughfares and active, enjoyable destinations. This design-led research explores retrofitting amenity values onto existing arterial roads, creating new spaces and improving qualities of a system not originally constructed with amenity in mind.  Cuba Street in Lower Hutt is a regionally significant connector intended for future densified development. In addition to the current link function, this road needs to become more attractive as a destination and address. Consideration at the urban scale encourages broad, strategic planning to support amenity holistically. This urban planning addresses topics like desirable densification, transit-oriented development, walkable centres and how these affect the arterial road condition. In moving from urban-scaled to architectural design, the detailed implementation of the greater policies is tested. Architecture is engaged to respond to the immediate arterial road conditions with spaces and surfaces, protective buffers and layers. In this way - with architectural refinement and a comprehensive, coherent strategy - traffic capacity and amenity can be brought into balance.


There is an important but underappreciated tension between transmission-layer services and application-layer services in the design of prior telecommunications statutes. These statutes were designed for a different technological era, one where discrete networks served distinct purposes—e.g., coaxial cable for television, copper wires for telephony. But these distinct physical networks have since converged into a single multipurpose internet, making nonsense out of some statutory provisions. These rules, conflating applications with transmissions services, yield illogical outcomes—including both deregulated monopoly markets and overregulated competitive ones. One consequence of such persistent, deregulated monopolies is a stubborn digital divide, driven by higher costs for critical transmissions services, such as broadband carriage. Indeed, this essay's novel study reveals that consumers served by monopoly providers—about 20% of the American population—face significantly higher prices for comparatively worse internet access services, transferring billions of dollars in monopoly profits to broadband carriers annually. But this data also suggests that broadband rate regulation, where it exists, helps move rates and quality closer to competitive levels. The next telecommunications statutes must thus better account for the convergence across physical networks, the distinctions between the applications layer and the broadband transmission layer, and the concomitant consequences for competition and regulation. Competition, where it exists (as in many applications markets) should thrive, and regulators should properly refrain from meddling in competitive markets for broadband carriage. Yet Congress and the Commission should protect consumers from monopoly carriers—including, most importantly, broadband carriers. Broadband rate regulation offers one promising path for doing so


Off-gas from the metal industry is a significant surplus heat source that is often not utilized due to lack of internal and external heat demands. Power production from the surplus heat in the off-gas could be a promising option for utilization. This work considers an off-gas at 150 °C from a metallurgical process, suitable for a Rankine Cycle (RC). Metallurgical off-gas typically contains particles that can deposit on heat exchanger surfaces, therefore requiring specialized heat recovery solutions for robustness and consistent performance. To maximize competitiveness of an RC implementation, it is crucial to recover the surplus heat at the highest possible temperature. We explore a novel plate-type heat exchanger concept for improved heat recovery from scaling-prone off-gas. Simulations show that the investigated concept can be competitive both in terms of weight and compactness compared to both a clean gas reference exchanger and alternative dirty gas concept.


Development and validation of an instrument for measuring patient satisfaction with physical therapy Objective: To develop and validate an instrument for measuring patient satisfaction with physical therapy, and to identify the most important satisfaction indicators. Method: The sample was composed of 834 outpatients of both sexes with mean age of 46.7 years who were health plan users at 45 private health clinics in Natal and Mossoro, State of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil, and who answered a questionnaire. The study covered the process of developing the instrument as well as the analysis of its psychometric properties. Qualitative analysis on the initial sample of items in the questionnaire was performed by a panel of specialists. A pilot study preceded refinement of the questionnaire and was carried out prior to data collection. Psychometric analysis (evaluation of the test that was developed) was performed by means of studying the reliability and validity of the measures obtained with the instrument. Results: The results achieved in relation to reliability, by means of Cronbach's alpha coefficient (α= 0.94), and content, simultaneous, and construct validities showed high internal consistency and satisfactory validity according to psychometric standards for patient satisfaction with physical therapy. Factorial analysis indicated the existence of four dimensions in which patient-therapist interaction, especially regarding the physical therapist's communication skills, seem to be the best indicators of satisfaction. Aspects related to personal convenience, such as location of the clinic and availability of parking, were not strongly predictive of satisfaction with the care received. Conclusions: This study makes available a new tool to contribute to management and to the planning process necessary for improving the quality of physical therapy services.


The accumulating evidence of a casual relationship between obesity and enhanced cancer risk has promoted us the introduction of a new term ''adiponcosis'', derived from the fusion of the words ''adiposis'' and ''oncosis''. Increased incidence of hematologic tumors is strongly associated with obesity. However, it is unknown whether leukemia incidence is, for instance, directly increased by obesity or rather by other genetic or socio-economic factors or lifestyle. It has emerged that, across many populations, there is an association between acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) risk and obesity, although it is still not known why this occurs. It was observed that obesity can directly accelerate the progression of ALL in mice; older obese mice had accelerated ALL onset and higher leptin, insulin, and IL-6 levels than controls, all obesity-related hormones with potential roles in leukemia pathogenesis. Past observational studies had showed higher prevalence of overweight and obese individuals among adult survivors of ALL than among adults in the general population. More recently, studies were extended to childhood cancer survivors. In particular, following treatment for ALL, these patients tend to be less active and at greater risk for obesity than their healthy peers. This study, which assessed cases prospectively over a 12-month period during the early phases of treatment, extends prior reports by demonstrating that these outcomes are evident at an early stage in treatment. Indeed, a pilot study demonstrated that home exercise intervention during ALL maintenance therapy is feasible and has promise for efficacy. In an attempt to determine if weight gain, early in therapy, is predictive of obesity at the end of treatment, Withycombe et al. suggested that monitoring weight trends during childhood ALL induction therapy may be useful in identifying which patients are at highest risk for obesity development so that early intervention strategies may be implemented. Furthermore, another study showed that obese or underweight patients at diagnosis and for 50% or more of the time between end of induction and start of maintenance therapy had inferior event-free survival (EFS). Normalization of weight during that period was related to a mitigation of this risk comparable to never being obese or underweight. Obese or underweight status at start of each treatment phase was significantly associated with specific patterns of treatment-related toxicity. Of note, these authors very recently described the association between obesity and the key prognostic marker of minimal residual disease (MRD) in the bone marrow in pediatric B-precursor ALL. This study shows that obesity during induction was associated with both a significant greater risk for persistent MRD and with poorer EFS irrespective of end-induction MRD. This is important since it links obesity also with leukemia relapse; however, the limitations of this study are due to a selected population (Hispanic children who are prone to obesity) and the fact that heterogeneity of drug induction therapy cannot be excluded. However, another recent work published on Haematologica, performed on a cohort of newly diagnosed Dutch pediatric patients with ALL, although confirming that underweight patients have a similar overall survival and event-free survival as compared to patients with normal weight or who are overweight, shows that patients who are underweight have an increased risk of relapse. In addition, this study further extends our knowledge since it demonstrates that patients with loss of body mass index during the first 32 weeks of treatment had a similar risk of relapse and event-free survival, but a decreased overall survival compared to patients without a loss of body mass index. Indeed, loss of body mass index during treatment seems to mainly consist of a loss of lean body mass. These authors, in line with previous studies, agree on the importance of the physical exercise programs early during pediatric ALL treatment and suggest that pediatric ALL patients could benefit from interventions that enhance lean body mass in addition to the commonly used interventions. What comes out from the literature is that the 'extremes' concerning body weight status matter, and although the authors of this study were not able to associate obesity with survival, the comment should be made that outcome of overweight patients may be compromised due to a deficient immune response because of higher inflammation parameters, and that they have an increased risk of comorbidities related to being overweight. It is currently believed that a positive correlation between obesity and cancer is driven by white adipose tissue. Adipocytes secrete factors that play roles in cancer cell proliferation, migration, and metastasis. SDF-1α secretion induces ALL cells to migrate into adipose tissue; however, the precise mechanisms whereby adipocytes may contribute to ALL relapse are still not known. Numerous epidemiological studies revealed that chronic inflammation, that is associated with enlarged body fat mass, predisposes to different types of tumors. In the microenvironment of most neoplastic tissues, an inflammatory component related with obesity is finely orchestrated by NF-κB and Stat3. Anti-inflammatory effects have been proposed among other plausible biological mechanisms, as being the basis of the possible association between physical activity and hematologic cancers. However, there is still insufficient epidemiological evidence for this. In conclusion, the emerging studies strongly support the 'obesity-leukemia' link. Thus, the term "adiponcosis" can find an application also in hematologic tumors, and although the mechanisms of this connection remain largely unknown, we believe that the majority of people are unaware that obesity and overweight can increase also the risk of leukemia. The molecular mechanisms at the basis of the obesity-cancer link must be explored in order to provide new ways of prevention and treatment.


A polyacrylamide-based nanogel sensor was constructed for spectral and visual colorimetric fluorescence measurement of ionizing radiation doses. The sensor showed a good linear and reproducible response in the dose range of 0-20 Gy with low errors, temperature stability and durability. The sensor was used to detect X-ray-irradiated tumor cell doses.


The early restoration of facial and palatal morphology in patients with cleft of lip and/or palate provides the anatomical base for good speech outcome. The author gives the up todate overview of the main problems concerning cleft speech, such as velopalatal insufficiency and typical articulation errors. The article describes the modern methods for the evaluation of VPI and current trends in treatment modalities for VPI.


A single-chip MPEG-4 audiovisual LSI in a 0.13 /spl mu/m 5M CMOS technology with 16 Mb embedded DRAM is presented. Four 16 b RISC processors and dedicated hardware accelerators including a 5 GOPS post filtering engine are integrated on the IC. The chip consumes 160 mW at 125 MHz and uses 80 nA in the standby mode. This LSI handles MPEG-4 CIF video encoding at 15 frames/s and audio encoding simultaneously.


Although visualization in scientific computing has been a field of intensive progress during the last five years it is far from being finally developed. The concepts of modern techniques in scientific computing - Synergetic Visualization, On-Line Visualization, Distributed Visualization, and Semantic Input - are outlined in this paper. It is demonstrated how the realization of these techniques in a hardware environment which features a compute server and graphic workstations improves the process of scientific computing. Examples from fluid dynamics, structure mechanics and thermodynamics show the application of the installed hardware and software environment in actual research projects at the Fraunhofer Institute for Computer Graphics.


The FVM(Finite Volume Method) have been used mainly for the flow analyses in the piston-cylinder. The objective of the present study is to analyze numerically the piston-driven intake flows using the FEM(Finite Element Method). The FEM algorithm used in this study is 4-step time-splitting method which requires much less execution time and computer storage than the velocity-pressure integrated method and the penalty method. And the explicit Lax-Wendroff scheme is applied to nonlinear convective term in the momentum equations to prevent checkerboard pressure oscillations. Also, the ALE(arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian) method is adopted for the moving grids. The calculated results show good agreement in comparison with those by the FVM and the experimental results by the LDA.


The observation and analysis of the difficulties and differences, as well as possible errors, in the information output by automated stations is a complicated process. In observing the present weather the human observer is, for example, able to code many different codes at the same time. A period of mixed winter precipitation events is recognised as a significant challenge in assessing the reliability of automated Present Weather Sensors (PWS). The period of difficult winter conditions presented in this paper was unique in the whole two‐year test period. Earlier studies have mostly been based only on liquid precipitation.


Cancer-induced bone pain (CIBP), resulting from primary sarcoma in the bone or metastatic spread to bone, is a common complaint among cancer patients and a major clinical problem. Recent innovations in rodent models of CIBP have facilitated investigation of novel drug treatments and of the mechanisms underlying this condition. The aim of this project was to characterize behavioural and dorsal horn neuronal alterations in a rat model of CIBP, and to study the effects of these alterations on different pharmacological systems. Following intratibial injection of MRMT1 mammary carcinoma cells to induce CIBP, behavioural testing revealed that cancer animals developed significant mechanical and cold allodynia, as well as ambulatory-evoked pain, commencing on post-operative day 9. Sham-operated animals (injection of cell medium alone) showed no behavioural alterations. In vivo electrophysiological characterization of superficial dorsal horn (SDH) neuronal responses to natural (mechanical, heat, brush and cold) and electrical stimuli in the halothane anaesthetized rat revealed neuropathological alterations correlating temporally with the behavioural alterations. There was a marked shift in SDH neuronal populations such that in shams the ratio of wide dynamic range (WDR) to nociceptive specific (NS) cells was 26%:74% whereas in animals with CIBP it was 47%:53%. Furthermore, WDR cells in animals with CIBP had significantly increased responses to mechanical, thermal, and electrical-evoked stimuli compared to shams. These first studies show that the spinal cord is hyperexcitable in CIBP, probably driven by changes in populations of SDH neurons, and that there is a clear temporal link between behavioural and neuronal alterations proving the latter to be a viable substrate for pharmacological testing in this pain model. Acute electrophysiological study using the selective 5-HT3 receptor antagonist ondansetron showed that descending facilitatory serotonergic pathways are enhanced in CIBP. Gabapentin and morphine worked both acutely and chronically to normalise the evoked dorsal horn neuronal responses in rats with CIBP. Chronic behavioural studies showed that these drugs also significantly reduced pain behaviour to the pre-operative baseline response and, furthermore, gabapentin shifted the abnormal WDR:NS SDH cell ratio back towards the sham ratio. These investigations therefore confirmed that pain behaviour in CIBP is strongly linked to changes in populations and excitability of SDH neurones, and highlighted gabapentin as a possible novel treatment for CIBP in the clinic.


SUMMARY The flying fish (family Exocoetidae) is an exceptional marine flying vertebrate, utilizing the advantages of moving in two different media, i.e. swimming in water and flying in air. Despite some physical limitations by moving in both water and air, the flying fish has evolved to have good aerodynamic designs (such as the hypertrophied fins and cylindrical body with a ventrally flattened surface) for proficient gliding flight. Hence, the morphological and behavioral adaptations of flying fish to aerial locomotion have attracted great interest from various fields including biology and aerodynamics. Several aspects of the flight of flying fish have been determined or conjectured from previous field observations and measurements of morphometric parameters. However, the detailed measurement of wing performance associated with its morphometry for identifying the characteristics of flight in flying fish has not been performed yet. Therefore, in the present study, we directly measure the aerodynamic forces and moment on darkedged-wing flying fish (Cypselurus hiraii) models and correlated them with morphological characteristics of wing (fin). The model configurations considered are: (1) both the pectoral and pelvic fins spread out, (2) only the pectoral fins spread with the pelvic fins folded, and (3) both fins folded. The role of the pelvic fins was found to increase the lift force and lift-to-drag ratio, which is confirmed by the jet-like flow structure existing between the pectoral and pelvic fins. With both the pectoral and pelvic fins spread, the longitudinal static stability is also more enhanced than that with the pelvic fins folded. For cases 1 and 2, the lift-to-drag ratio was maximum at attack angles of around 0 deg, where the attack angle is the angle between the longitudinal body axis and the flying direction. The lift coefficient is largest at attack angles around 30∼35 deg, at which the flying fish is observed to emerge from the sea surface. From glide polar, we find that the gliding performance of flying fish is comparable to those of bird wings such as the hawk, petrel and wood duck. However, the induced drag by strong wing-tip vortices is one of the dominant drag components. Finally, we examine ground effect on the aerodynamic forces of the gliding flying fish and find that the flying fish achieves the reduction of drag and increase of lift-to-drag ratio by flying close to the sea surface.


Perennial grains are demonstrating a greater probability of occupying land currently dedicated to other agricultural production. Arable land that is currently in use for forage or annual crop production becomes utilized. Breeding materials for the introduction of perennial grains directly into the human food chain has required utilizing existing plant materials in the domestication of species or manufacturing diverse crosses to introduce perenniality into existing crops. In the domestication of intermediate wheatgrass (Thinopyrum intermedium (Host), Barkworth and Dewey), existing forage cultivars or plant accessions were used to develop populations selected for grain production. A comparison of Cycle 3 materials from The Land Institute (TLI), Salina, KS, USA to USDA-Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN) accessions took place under space-planted field conditions at Carman, MB, Canada from 2011 to 2014. One hundred plants (75 TLI and 25 GRIN identified in May 2012) were followed through three seed harvests cycles with phenological, morphological and agronomic traits measured throughout. Selection for seed productivity (TLI materials) reduced the importance of biomass plant−1 on seed yield plant−1, leading to an increase in harvest index. Principal component analysis demonstrated the separation of the germplasm sources and the differential impact of years on the performance of all accessions. Path coefficient analysis also indicated that plant biomass production was of less importance on seed yield plant−1 in the TLI materials. Analysis removing area plant−1 as a factor increased both the importance of biomass and heads on seed yield cm−2 in the TLI materials, especially in the first two seed production years. Plant differences due to selection appear to have reduced overall plant area and increased harvest index in the TLI materials, indicating progress for grain yield under selection. However, a greater understanding of the dynamics within a seed production field is needed to provide insight into the development of more effective selection criteria for long-term field level production.


Developmental changes are generally reflected in gradual increase in size or number, or both. These morphological changes will be accompanied by physiological changes. In a first-order approximation one may state that the rate of change at any time is proportional to the value of the parameter in question, which leads to exponential changes. More complex models have been devised for so-called growth processes. A number of these models are reviewed here and their application to developmental changes is discussed.


Sepsis is a serious medical problem and is one of the main causes of high mortality in intensive care units. Fifty percent of patients with severe sepsis will develop acute lung injury (ALI). Amentoflavone (AMF) is a polyphenolic compound possessing potent anti-inflammatory activities. The study aimed to explore the protective effects of AMF against ALI in cecal ligation and puncture (CLP)-induced septic rats. The results showed that AMF administration protected against septic ALI, as reflected by marked amelioration of histological injury of lung tissues and decrease of pulmonary edema in CLP-treated rats. AMF ameliorated CLP-induced increase of systemic and lung TNFα and IL-1β and binding activity of p65 NF-κB, indicating the inhibition of inflammation. Moreover, AMF prevented CLP-induced oxidative stress, as evidenced by increase of oxygen consumption rate, decrease of TBARS content, increase of SOD activity and GSH level in lung tissue of CLP-treated rats. CLP resulted in significant decrease of mRNA expression of Nrf2 and GCLc, which was inhibited by AMF. AMF-induced protective effects on ALI, inflammation, and oxidative stress were inhibited by lentivirus shRNA-mediated silence of Nrf2 and buthionine sulphoximine (BSO), an inhibitor of GSH synthesis. AMF increased Nrf2-binding activity in GCLc promoters in lung tissue of CLP-treated rats. The results suggested that AMF protected against ALI in septic rats through upregulation of Nrf2-GCLc signaling, enhancement of GSH antioxidant defense, reduction of oxidative stress and final amelioration of inflammation and histological injury of lung. The data provide new therapeutic options for the treatment of sepsis-associated ALI.


Introduction : The prehospital phase of the management of pediatric severe traumatic brain injury may have a direct influence on the results. Objective : To evaluate the influence of prehospital variables on intracranial pressure and the results in pediatric patients with severe TBI. Method: A descriptive study of 41 pediatric patients who were admitted to the medical emergency department and later admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit due to severe head trauma was carried out between January 2003 and December 2018. Results : children aged 5-17 years predominate, and the highest number of cases were received between 0-3h at the neurotrauma center. Of the 41 cases, 27 arrived with a non-expedited airway and hypoxia was verified upon arrival by pulse oximetry. A correlation was observed between arterial hypotension on admission and elevated intracranial pressure in 9 of 15 children (60%) and in the deceased (40%). Discussion : Clinical conditions, oxygenation, arterial hypotension, and treatment in the prehospital phase may influence the state of intracranial pressure and other intracranial variables in pediatric patients with severe head injury.


Objective: The purpose of our research is to evaluate the patient safety culture at Islamabad and Rawalpindi teaching hospitals. Materials and methods: A validated and slightly modified questionnaire was sent as a google forms link via WhatsApp and email to different teaching dental hospitals in the twin cities. The returned questionnaires were examined with IBM's statistical package for social sciences (version 22).). Results: 139 complete questionnaires were analyzed and results were calculated as average positive and average negative responses. Conclusion: This pilot study demonstrated that degree of patient safety in general in the Hospitals of Pakistan was acceptable. The number of incident reports were very low. Many participants also stated that the hospital is only concerned about patient safety after an unfavorable incident occurs., but they also reported that mistakes always lead to positive outcomes and the departments coordinate well with each other. Key words: Patient safety, incident reports, dental teaching hospital.


SUMMARY Calcite-filled minor fractures and thrusts associated with the major joints and structural features on the Alston Block area of the Northern Pennine Orefield are described in terms of their relationship with the major joints and their organic geochemistry. The field relationships observed show that some of these fractures and the thrusts were healed prior to the joint formation, whereas others are coincident with the principal WNW joint set. The light hydrocarbon gases held in fluid inclusions in the calcite infills are distinctive compared with similar gases held in minerals such as fluorite, deposited during the mineralisation of the orefield. Infills normally have between 10,000 and 20,000 vppm/cc methane, whereas fluorite from the orefield rarely contains more than 1,200 vppm/cc. Also, there are high correlations between the gases ethane, propane, I- and N-butane, which are not shown by these gases from fluorite. These and other factors lead to the conclusion that the calcite fracture infills examined were deposited at or about the same time as the joint formation, from a fluid which differed from that responsible for the main mineralisation event.


We present a novel architecture which allows rendering of a large-shared dataset at interactive rates on an inexpensive workstation. The idea is based on view-dependent rendering on a client-server network. The server stores the large dataset and manages the selection of the various levels of detail while the inexpensive clients receive a stream of update operations that generate the appropriate level of detail in an incremental fashion. These update operations are based on changes in the clients' view-parameters. Our approach dramatically reduces the amount of memory needed by each client and the entire computing system since the dataset is stored only once on the server's local memory. In addition, it decreases the load on the network as results of the incremental update contributed by view-dependent rendering.


Abstract This paper investigates the impact of community home‐based care (CHBC) on self‐management outcomes for chronically ill patients in rural Malawi. A pre‐ and post‐evaluation survey was administered among 140 chronically ill patients with HIV and non‐communicable diseases, newly enrolled in four CHBC programmes. We translated, adapted and administered scales from the Stanford Chronic Disease Self‐Management Programme to evaluate patient's self‐management outcomes (health status and self‐efficacy), at four time points over a 12‐month period, between April 2016 and May 2017. The patient's drop‐out rate was approximately 8%. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, tests of associations, correlations and pairwise comparison of outcome variables between time points, and multivariate regression analysis to explore factors associated with changes in self‐efficacy following CHBC interventions. The results indicate a reduction in patient‐reported pain, fatigue and illness intrusiveness, while improvements in general health status and quality of life were not statistically significant. At baseline, the self‐efficacy mean was 5.91, which dropped to 5.1 after 12 months. Factors associated with this change included marital status, education, employment and were condition‐related; whereby self‐efficacy for non‐HIV and multimorbid patients was much lower. The odds for self‐efficacy improvement were lower for patients with diagnosed conditions of longer duration. CHBC programme support, regularity of contact and proximal location to other services influenced self‐efficacy. Programmes maintaining regular home visits had higher patient satisfaction levels. Our findings suggest that there were differential changes in self‐management outcomes following CHBC interventions. While self‐management support through CHBC programmes was evident, CHBC providers require continuous training, supervision and sustainable funding to strengthen their contribution. Furthermore, sociodemographic and condition‐related factors should inform the design of future interventions to optimise outcomes. This study provides a systematic evaluation of self‐management outcomes for a heterogeneous chronically ill patient population and highlights the potential and relevant contribution of CHBC programmes in improving chronic care within sub‐Saharan Africa.


Observations of dune migration, wind velocity (measured near the dune surface on relatively short time scales and near the dune field over a period of several years), and dune surface processes (that is, wind-ripple migration, grainfall, avalanching, and superposed dune migration) were made on a complex-crescentic dune in the Algodones dune field, California, to document the link between eolian dunes, their deposits, and the wind regimes in which they form. The observations suggest that typically there is not a simple link between the orientation of eolian cross-strata and the primary, or regional, paleowind direction. Leeward of dunes with near-angle-of-repose lee faces, an alongslope-directed secondary airflow develops in response to primary winds that are oblique to the dune. This secondary airflow drives the migration of lee-side superposed dunes and wind ripples. The deposits of these superposed bedforms may significantly differ in dip direction from any one component of the primary wind regime, or the vector sum of all of its components. A record of the short-term fluctuations in primary wind direction is recorded by the interlamination of eolian stratification types, primarily grainflow and wind-ripple deposits.

Insights gained from this study of modern dunes, their deposits, and wind regimes were applied to two well-documented ancient eolian deposits, the Jurassic Page and Navajo Sandstones of the southwestern United States. Both units contain alternating wind-ripple and grainflow deposits. These cyclic stratification patterns are interpreted to have resulted from a seasonally varying wind regime with a component or components of flow oblique to the dune, responsible for wind-ripple deposition, and another component of flow perpendicular to the dune, responsible for deposition by grainflow.


To assess the role of enterovirulent Escherichia coli at home and abroad, faeces samples of patients with diarrhoea and of healthy controls in Tunisia, Seville (southern Spain) and the Netherlands were investigated. Enterovirulent E. coli were identified by hybridization with five different non-radioactively labelled DNA probes specific for enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC), enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC) and verocytotoxin producing E. coli (VTEC). ETEC was the main causative agent of travellers' diarrhoea in Tunisia. The isolation of ETEC in the Netherlands was shown to be related to travel in endemic areas. EPEC probe positive strains were isolated in children and in adults, but were not in all cases associated with intestinal disease. During this study no VTEC were detected. From an immunocompromised kidney transplantation patient with sepsis and diarrhoea ETEC were isolated from blood.


The ginsenoside 20- O-β-glucopyranosyl-20( S)-protopanaxadiol, compound K, has attracted much attention in functional food, traditional medicine, and cosmetic industries because of diverse pharmaceutical activities. The effective production of compound K from ginseng extracts has been required. However, an enzyme capable of completely converting all protopanaxadiol (PPD)-type ginsenosides to compound K has not been reported until now. In this study, unlike other enzymes, β-glucosidase from Caldicellulosiruptor bescii was able to hydrolyze sugar moieties such as l-arabinofuranose as well as d-glucose and l-arabinopyranose as the C-20 outer sugar in ginsenosides. Thus, ginsenoside Rc containing l-arabinofuranose can be converted to compound K by only this enzyme. Under the optimized reaction conditions, the enzyme completely converted PPD-type ginsenosides in ginseng extracts to compound K with the highest productivity among the reported results. This is the first report of the enzyme capable of completely converting all PPD-type ginsenosides into compound K.


The functions of Logistics Management is very important whether we realise it existence or not. We cannot deny its importance in our life by making necessity goods and wants reliable when demanded. The Effectiveness of Logistics Management in Providing An Efficient Lead-time Management For Export Distribution brings to the 'scenario of the functions and importance of logistics management for export distribution. This study is related to the effectively managing the logistics elements in order to achieve shorter lead-time management for customer order delivery. The flow of information related to the customer order is required to be managed effectively in order to achieve an efficient logistics management. Besides managing the flow of information, the physical movement also required to be managed properly. When discussing the physical movement of goods, warehousing is the other elements which are related directly. Managing warehouses are important especially if we know the highly risk works of loading goods for export. The final stage or process is occur at the warehouse. Therefore proper checking activities should be planned and handled by the persons responsible in warehouse activities. Finally, besides managing warehouse, other departments which concerned with the export distribution should be integrated, Success cannot be achieved without the integration of all departments.


In this paper the author describes a modification of iridocyclectomy. Before opening the bulbus and removing the malignant melanoma, a lamellar scleral flap is formed with its base at the limbus. After extirpation of the tumor the area is "plastically" covered with this flap. This modification was used on 5 patients; it produces a firmer scar and prevents the development of a staphyloma.


Urban agriculture is embedded in an urban food system, and its full potential can only be understood by looking into the dynamics of the system.
Involving a variety of actors from civil society, policy, and the market, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of the food system of the city of Basel, Switzerland, including policy and actor analysis, analysis of perceptions on urban agriculture, food flow analysis, and a sustainability assessment. The article presents the results of these analyses and discusses how research can contribute to the societal debate on food systems transformation. We particularly reflect on how the research project became a boundary object in a dynamic process to develop new ideas and activities, as well as to create a space for future debates in the city's food system.


Malignant lymphomas encompass various types of lymphoid neoplasms, possibly originating from cells in various stages of differentiation. The development of high throughput technologies based on knowledge of the human genome identifies novel mutations, epigenetic alterations, and signaling pathways characteristics of each of the lymphoma subtypes. The mutational landscape of tumors may have a clinical impact in terms of identifying rational approaches for molecular target therapy and predictive biomarkers for new therapies. This review will focus on our current understanding of underlying molecular mechanisms, new molecular target drugs, and their activity in lymphomas.


A set of differential equations is proposed reflecting the time-dependent postirradiation changes that occur in the quantitative composition of various cell pools within the cell regeneration system of the small intestine epithelium. The solution of the equations permits to find a dose dependence of the time of reduction in the number of the epithelium functional cells below a threshold level and to obtain in equal dose.


Abstract Background Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is the most common cardiac disease in cats. However, most cats are not diagnosed until they develop congestive heart failure, arterial thromboembolism (ATE), or sudden cardiac death. Thus, an affordable screening test for early detection of HCM is desirable. Hypothesis/Objectives Evaluation of a sensitive cardiac troponin I (cTnI) assay as a screening test for HCM in cats and determination of a cutoff for its early detection. Animals One hundred sixty‐six client‐owned cats (male, n = 97) of various breeds were evaluated and classified using echocardiography as being healthy (n = 87), equivocal (n = 15), or having HCM (mild, n = 16; moderate, n = 10; severe, n = 34) or ATE (n = 4). Methods All cats were prospectively evaluated by echocardiography, and serum cTnI concentration was determined using the currently most sensitive assay (Siemens ADVIA Centaur TnI‐Ultra). Results The median cTnI concentration was significantly different between study groups (P < .000001). A cutoff of 0.06 ng/mL provided good discrimination between healthy cats and cats with HCM (sensitivity, 91.7%; specificity, 95.4%; area under the curve [AUC], 0.95; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.899‐0.978). Even for asymptomatic cats with HCM, sensitivity and specificity for a cutoff of >0.06 ng/mL remained high at 87.8% and 95.4%, respectively (AUC, 0.93; 95% CI, 0.864‐0.964). Conclusions and clinical importance Cardiac troponin I can be used as a sensitive and specific screening test for the diagnosis of HCM in otherwise healthy cats (cutoff, >0.06 ng/mL). However, echocardiography is needed to confirm the diagnosis.


The accurate solutions to the low-lying eigenstates of the cranked shell model Hamiltonian are obtained by the particle-number-conserving treatment, in which a many-particle configuration truncation is adopted instead of the conventional single-particle level truncation. The variation of the seniority structures of low-lying eigenstates with rotational frequency {omega} is analyzed. The gap parameter of the yrast band decreases with {omega} very slowly, though the seniority structure has undergone a great change. It is suggested to use the seniority structure to indicate the possible pairing phase transition from a superconducting state to a normal state. The important blocking effects on the low-lying eigenstates are discussed.


MS. SIBBERS is a student at Kings Park State Hospital School of Nursing, Kings Park, N.Y. humorous aspects of student nursing, like finally getting the patient's arm and the IV tubing through the gown in the same direction. But student nursing is a serious business and the levity soon passed. Ann was troubled by what had happened in the intensive care unit. She looked at us with her large brown eyes, soft as her gentle disposition. Her words fell amid the clatter like a gentle rain. She told us about the patient who had been fibrillating intermittently. One of the nurses, who had acquired great skill in interpreting EKG patterns, had stood looking at the monitor, explaining the pathology, and predicting the next arrhythmia. To her trained eye death was predictable; to Ann death was incomprehensible. Ann asked if they shouldn't go in and be with the patient and was told to stay and watch the monitor, someone else could be with him but she might not get to see one like this again. Death-to-come was not acceptable to Ann. She would prefer to gather her gentle forces and push death away; failing that, she would speak soothingly and stroke the patient's brow so he would not make the journey alone. "Do you think," she asked, "that we'll get like that? Will we become so encapsulated in our knowledge that we can watch a man's passing with little emotion?"


In this study, a synthetic nonapeptide similar to luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRHa), the ligand of an extracellular membrane receptor specific to ovarian tumor cells, was selected as targeting moiety and electrically adsorbed to the negatively charged liposomes composed of phospholipid and monocholesterolsuccinate. Docetaxel, as the first line chemotherapy for ovarian tumor, was chosen to be encapsulated into the liposomes. And a high encapsulate efficiency (93%) and drug loading efficiency (20%) of liposomes were achieved via central composite design. In order to investigate the targeting efficiency of the drug delivery system, in vitro cell uptake was determined and the results showed an increasing uptake of LHRHa aided liposomes compared to normal ones.


Background: Healthcare reforms (HCRs) are performed by many resource-limited countries to improve the quality of health care. However, reforms do not always lead to the expected benefits and implementation problems are not fully considered due to lack of a systematic analysis of HCRs in these countries. Thus, the present study aimed to review the challenges of health care reforms in low and middle-income countries systematically.Method: A systematic review of qualitative studies was used in the present study. Data were searched in five databases. The references related to the selected articles were searched for any relevant study irrespective of gray literature. The articles were screened based on PRISMA. The duplicates were removed, others were screened based on the title and abstract, and the eligible ones were selected for full-text reading and those matched with inclusion and exclusion criteria were selected for review. Framework analyses were used for data analysis, and the quality of the studies was evaluated by the CASP checklist for qualitative studies.Results: 702 articles were found, among which 149 were duplicated, 553 were selected to primary screening, 390 were excluded, and 163 were selected for full text reading. Finally, 151 articles were excluded, and 12 matched with the inclusion and exclusion criteria were included in the study.Conclusion:Health reforms in low and middle-income countries have faced different challenges in financing, human resources, drugs and medicine, infrastructures, and governance, which can be influenced the delivery of qualified services. Thus, in order to design and implement any health care reforms in these countries, it is recommended for policymakers to take appropriate decisions about agenda setting, regulations and guidelines, sustainability of financing resources, collaborations, accountabilities and responsibilities, as well as the way of providing human resources, infrastructures, needed drugs, and medicine. In addition, the way of accessing services in rural and remote areas should be clarified. Finally, the reforms should be made very intelligently to direct the funds for the right needs and priorities in the countries where the donors' interests may be affected.


This paper describes the study of creating clientless online interfaces for laboratories served through the iLab publishing system. Given the increased usage of the iLab Shared Architecture, for example the launch of the new iLab Europe website ( http://ilab-europe.net/ ) it seems like a good opportunity to study the potential of the iLab software. At present, iLab interfaces are being built using various third party plug-ins, however, because it is really a web application these shortcomings can be eliminated by using standard front-end programming techniques. By client-less interfaces we mean any web interface that is served on the web which does not require any installation for the end-user other than a modern web browser. The support application for this paper features three remote experiments that range from the analysis of a light dependent resistor to the study of filters. The main piece of hardware used is the ME3200 Electronic Instrumentation and Measurement toolkit developed by Dreamcatcher. The device is an educational aid for studying electronics. Measurements and powering will be handled by Agilent devices. These devices can be controlled by a computer, therefore are an important part in enabling remote-control on the experimental set-up, by means of LabVIEW applications and various back-end web programming technologies.


In this paper a model, for natural language inflected irregular text structure, is developed in order to automatically be able to derive stems from given text words. The proposed system is modeled in away so that it has the ability to act in two ways forward and backword which is called bi-directional Techniques. It can deduce morphemes from inflected words and, at the same time, can build inflected words from stems.  The proposed system is developed and built using first-order logic techniques.The Proposed rule-based model will help researchers to do more investigation and works on multiligual applications that help facilitate many applications in our real life. Those applications can cover topics ranging from  medical diagnosis systems,  machine translation,…, to e-government entities through teaching expository text structure to facilitate reading comprehension. The proposed model be able learn how to extract rules from information by applying logic programming techniques to natural language data. Keywords: syntax Analysis, Irregular plurals, rule-based, bi-directional, Inflected words, stems, finite atomaton


The paper investigates the relationship between knowledge representation languages P-log [Baral et al., 2004] and LPMLN [Lee et al., 2015] designed for representing and reasoning with logic and probability. We give a translation from an important subset of LPMLN to P-log which preserves probabilistic functions defined by LPMLN programs and complements recent research [Lee and Wang, 2016] by the authors of LPMLN where they give a similar translation from a subset of P-log to their language. This work sheds light on the different ways to treat inconsistency in both languages.


Two groups of nine animals each, were fed either a conventional diet based on ground maize or whole maize and roughage protein additive mineral pellets in a cafeteria system. Both groups were fed ad libitum for a period of 105 days. No statistically significant differences could be found between the groups in any of the feedlot parameters used to evaluate growth and efficiency. An interesting protein-sparing effect was found on the freechoice whole maize and pellets cafeteria system, as opposed to the conventional diet or NRC recommendations.


The recent availability of more accurate estimates of regional gdp, of social indicators (human capital, life expectancy, the human development index [hdi], heights, inequality, and social capital), and of other indices (such as market potential) has helped to advance the study of the growth patterns within Italian regions from (approximately) unification to the present day. This up-to-date information provides the basis for a new explanation of Italy's industrial expansion and economic growth: The North–South socio-institutional divide that existed in Italy before unification in some respects grew stronger after unification, never to be bridged. This geographical division ultimately carried differences in human and social capital, governmental policies, and various institutions that exerted considerable influence on the regional structure of Italy's economic growth.


An ethanolic extract from Myagropsis yendoi was fractionated using several solvents. Among these, an ethyl acetate fraction (Myagropsis yendoi ethyl acetate fraction: MYE) showed the highest anti-inflammatory activity based on inhibition of lipopolysaccharides (LPS)-induced nitric oxide (NO) production in RAW 264.7 cells. We thus investigated the molecular mechanisms underlying MYE's inhibitory effects. Pretreatment of cells with up to 30 μg/mL of MYE significantly inhibited NO production and inducible nitric oxide synthase expression in a dose-dependent manner (P<0.05). Similarly, MYE markedly reduced the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, as well as their mRNA levels. While the nuclear translocation of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) was strongly suppressed by MYE, the activation of a nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor (Nrf2) was increased. Moreover, MYE significantly reduced the phosphorylation of JNK, p38 MAPK, and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt in LPS-stimulated cells. These results indicate that MYE contains anti-inflammatory compounds, and that it might be used as a dietary supplement for the prevention of inflammatory diseases.


This paper is written for the development and application of boiler fuel control algorithm and distributed control system of coal-fired power plant by the steps of design, coding, simulation test, site installation and site commissioning test. Fuel control algorithm has the upper algorithm and it is boiler master control algorithm that controls the fuel, feed water, air by generation output demand. Generation output demand by power load influences fuel control. Because fuel can not be supplied fast to the furnace of boiler, fuel control algorithm was designed adequately to control the steam temperature and to prevent the explosion of boiler. This control algorithms were coded to the control programs of distributed control systems which were developed domestically for the first time. Simulator for coal-fired power plant was used in the test step. After all of distributed control systems were connected to the simulator, the tests of the actual power plant were performed successfully. The reliability was obtained enough to be installed at the actual power plant and all of distributed control systems had been installed at power plant and all signals were connected mutually. Tests for reliability and safety of plant operation were completed successfully and power plant is being operated commercially. It is expected that the project result will contribute to the safe operation of domestic new and retrofit power plants, the self-reliance of coal-fired power plant control technique and overseas business for power plant.


Article history: In recent years, aluminum processing has been increasing in the aerospace, vehicle, airplane industries etc.,because aluminum has abundant resources and has a high specific strength. Aluminum alloys have a high coefficient of thermal expansion therefore, it is necessary to consider the temperature problem in the cutting process. The objective of this research is to investigate the machinability of a hardened aluminum alloy Al7075-T6 by using cryogenic heat treatment. The machining test is conducted by comparing the cutting force and surface roughness, corresponding to various cutting conditions of depth of cut, cutting speed, and feed rate, with those of Al7075-T0.


This paper evaluates and compares the performance of two code acquisition schemes for direct-sequence (DS) code-division multiple-access (CDMA). The first techniques is a subspace based estimation technique which uses the well-known MUSIC algorithm. The second method obtains its timing estimation from an adaptive near-far resistant receiver known as the minimum mean-squared error (MMSE) receiver. Both of these techniques have been shown in previous work to be able to obtain reliable code acquisition in a severe near-far environment. It is shown that both of these techniques are also simultaneously robust to narrowband interference and near-far cochannel interference and thus useful in a CDMA overlay scenario. Simulation results are provided which evaluate the performance of these acquisition schemes as it depends on the bandwidth of the narrowband interference and the presence or absence of CDMA power control. The interference is modelled as narrowband Gaussian noise. It is found that the MUSIC estimation strategy provides a consistently better estimate than the MMSE estimator but at the cost of significantly higher complexity.


The amount of genetic variation in two natural populations of Queensland koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus adustus) was assessed by analysis of mitochondrial DNA. Levels and any adverse effects of inbreeding (inbreeding depression) were estimated from the pedigree of a well-characterised captive colony. Genetic diversity of mitochondrial DNA was found to be exceedingly low both within and between the two populations, but the variation detected was found to be strongly structured geographically. Inbreeding levels in the captive colony were moderate to high yet the only apparent evidence of inbreeding depression was a male-biased sex ratio. There was no evidence for decreased juvenile survivorship or growth rate with inbreeding. Because of the limited data it would be premature to conclude that koalas are relatively resistant to the effects of inbreeding. However, we suggest the hypothesis that koalas have a history of small population size, resulting in reduced susceptibility to inbreeding depression.


Blockade of local spinal cord inhibition mimics the behavioral hypersensitivity that manifests in chronic pain states. This suggests that there is a pathway capable of mediating allodynia/hyperalgesia that exists but is normally under strong inhibitory control. Lamina I and III neurokinin 1 (NK1) receptor expressing (NK1R+) dorsal horn neurons, many of which are projection neurons, are required for the development of this hypersensitivity and are therefore likely to be a component of this proposed pathway. To investigate, whole-cell patch-clamp recordings were made from lamina I and III NK1R+ neurons in the spinal cord slice preparation with attached dorsal root. Excitatory postsynaptic currents were recorded in response to electrical stimulation of the dorsal root. Lamina I NK1R+ neurons were shown to receive high-threshold (Aδ/C fiber) monosynaptic input, whereas lamina III NK1R+ neurons received low-threshold (Aβ fiber) monosynaptic input. In contrast, lamina I neurons lacking NK1 receptor (NK1R−) received polysynaptic A fiber input. Blockade of local GABAergic and glycinergic inhibition with bicuculline (10 μm) and strychnine (300 nm), respectively, revealed significant A fiber input to lamina I NK1R+ neurons that was predominantly Aβ fiber mediated. This novel A fiber input was polysynaptic in nature and required NMDA receptor activity to be functional. In lamina I NK1R− and lamina III NK1R+ neurons, disinhibition enhanced control-evoked responses, and this was also NMDA receptor dependent. These disinhibition-induced changes, in particular the novel polysynaptic low-threshold input onto lamina I NK1R+ neurons, may be an underlying component of the hypersensitivity present in chronic pain states.


This study investigates the effects that commercial computer games have on young individuals social comfort and learning progress. As a systematic study of literature, scholarly articles have been analysed in order to illuminate the positive as well as negative effects on social comfort and learning progress that may come with playing computer games. The social effects have mainly been discussed with role-playing games, such as World of Warcraft, as starting point, while the learning effects have been coupled with strategy games, such as Civilization IV. The study does not simply declare how these games can be good for these factors, but also in what respect computer games may prevent the development of young individuals socials skills and learning progress. The study showed that in spite of perpetual prejudices against computer games in the technological age, computer games might actually be good to use as a tool in order to authorize the development of young individuals regarding learning and social aspects. However, computer games may as well become the source of problems regarding time, family and school results.


Abstract The microstructural features of a biotite (Mg-rich annite) crystal from dacite rocks of Džep, Serbia, were studied by X-ray diffraction topography (XRDT) and high-resolution and analytical transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM and ATEM, respectively). The average chemical composition, obtained by electron microprobe analysis (EMPA) and secondary-ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) data, is (K0.87Na0.05Ca0.01)Σ=0.93(Fe2+1.36Mg1.25Ti0.22Al0.14Mn0.03Li0.01)Σ=3.01(Si2.84Al)Σ=4.00O10[(OH)1.53O0.35F0.10Cl0.02]Σ=2.00. Inhomogeneous regions from either different polytypes or twins were mapped by XRDT, and these images were used to guide sampling for TEM analysis. Three stacking arrangements, each belonging to subfamily-A of mica polytypes, were identified by selected area electron diffraction (SAED) patterns and HRTEM images: (1) dominant semi-random 1Mr-n(120°), including an occasional repetition of long-period inhomogeneous stacking sequences belonging to the 3T structural series; (2) highly faulted 2M1, sometimes with short-range-ordered long-period inhomogeneous sequences based on the 2M1 structural series; and (3) perfectly ordered 3T stacking repeating over long distances (several micrometers). ATEM data revealed that the microchemical composition of 3T differs from that of the host matrix. The 3T is enriched in interlayer cations (K and Na), and depleted in Si and octahedral cations. No evidence of Li was detected. Compositional control on the stability of 3T stacking is suggested.


Scanning force microscopy, such as atomic force microscopy (AFM) is complicated by the capillary force of a water meniscus formed in air between the probe tip and the sample. This small liquid bridge between the hydrophilic sample and the sharp AFM tip can be formed by capillary condensation from the vapor phase. We present an analytical model that describes the shape of the meniscus in which the pressure difference across the curved liquid air interface is taken into account. The analysis is based on a minimization of the liquid surface energy, together with the boundary condition of a given pressure drop across the surface as determined by the relative humidity of the vapor. The capillary forces that the wetting liquid exerts on the AFM tip are derived from the model. The resulting expressions can be used to describe arbitrary axial symmetric liquid air interfaces with nonzero total curvature, such as fluid bridges between two surfaces and droplets under a uniform force. The model illustrates some of the basic concepts of capillarity, such as surface tension forces and interfacial pressure drops


In this work a light beam composed of a series of periodically repeated pulses with a Lorentzian profile is studied by the use of a photon-counting multichannel analyzer and by the measurement of n(2)(Ti) (i = 1, 2, …, K). The error in the determination of the width of the pulses is studied with the use of both methods and the results are compared.