Abstract. Smoke from biomass and peat burning has a notable impact on ambient air quality and climate in the Southeast Asia (SEA) region. We modeled a large fire-induced haze episode in 2006 stemming mostly from Indonesia using the Weather Research and Forecasting model coupled with chemistry (WRF-Chem). We focused on the evolution of the fire plume composition and its interaction with the urbanized area of the city state of Singapore, and on comparisons of modeled and measured aerosol and carbon monoxide (CO) concentrations. Two simulations were run with WRF-Chem using the complex volatility basis set (VBS) scheme to reproduce primary and secondary aerosol evolution and concentration. The first simulation referred to as WRF-FIRE included anthropogenic, biogenic and biomass burning emissions from the Global Fire Emissions Database (GFED3) while the second simulation referred to as WRF-NOFIRE was run without emissions from biomass burning. To test model performance, we used three independent data sets for comparison including airborne measurements of particulate matter (PM) with a diameter of 10 μm or less (PM10) in Singapore, CO measurements in Sumatra, and aerosol optical depth (AOD) column observations from four satellite-based sensors. We found reasonable agreement between the model runs and both ground-based measurements of CO and PM10. The comparison with AOD was less favorable and indicated the model underestimated AOD, although the degree of mismatch varied between different satellite data sets. During our study period, forest and peat fires in Sumatra were the main cause of enhanced aerosol concentrations from regional transport over Singapore. Analysis of the biomass burning plume showed high concentrations of primary organic aerosols (POA) with values up to 600 μg m−3 over the fire locations. The concentration of POA remained quite stable within the plume between the main burning region and Singapore while the secondary organic aerosol (SOA) concentration slightly increased. However, the absolute concentrations of SOA (up to 20 μg m−3) were much lower than those from POA, indicating a minor role of SOA in these biomass burning plumes. Our results show that about 21% of the total mass loading of ambient PM10 during the July–October study period in Singapore was due to biomass and peat burning in Sumatra, but this contribution increased during high burning periods. In total, our model results indicated that during 35 days aerosol concentrations in Singapore were above the threshold of 50 μg m−3 day−1 indicating poor air quality. During 17 days this was due to fires, based on the difference between the simulations with and without fires. Local pollution in combination with recirculation of air masses was probably the main cause of poor air quality during the other 18 days, although fires from Sumatra and probably also from Kalimantan (Indonesian part of the island of Borneo) added to the enhanced PM10 concentrations. The model versus measurement comparisons highlighted that for our study period and region the GFED3 biomass burning aerosol emissions were more in line with observations than found in other studies. This indicates that care should be taken when using AOD to constrain emissions or estimate ground-level air quality. This study also shows the need for relatively high resolution modeling to accurately reproduce the advection of air masses necessary to quantify the impacts and feedbacks on regional air quality.


Dermatophytosis, commonly known as ringworm, is a zoonotic disease caused by complex fungi that grow as hyphae and attach to the skin, hair and nails or claws. About 40 species of fungi of the genera Microsporum spp., Trichophyton spp. and Epidermophyton spp. are considered dermatophytes, and Microsporum canis is the genus most commonly isolated from cats. This study investigated the occurrence of dermatophytes in cats without clinical signs of skin diseases. The study involved the physical examination of 50 clinically healthy cats and the collection of samples for direct examination and fungal culture at a university veterinary hospital. The resulting data were evaluated by the chi-square association test. Of the 50 cats, 11 (22%) presented dermatophytes, with a predominance of Microsporum spp. The other 39 animals were diagnosed for non-dermatophytic fungi. Sex, breed and the presence of contactants showed no statistical difference, although there was a predominance of adult animals. The high dermatophyte infection rate confirms that cats without clinical signs can harbor these fungi, acting as asymptomatic carriers, contaminating the environment and increasing the infection rate. This study confirms that cats without clinical signs can be carriers of ringworm, which underscores the importance of the adoption of control methods even for clinically healthy animals.


The overall AXAF program is summarized, with particular emphasis given to its science instruments. The science objectives established for AXAF are to determine the nature of celestial objects, from normal stars to quasars, to elucidate the nature of the physical processes which take place in and between astronomical objects, and to shed light on the history and evolution of the universe. Attention is given to the AXAF CCD imaging spectrometer, which is to provide spectrally and temporally resolved imaging, or, in conjunction with transmission grating, high-resolution dispersed spectral images of celestial sources. A high-resolution camera, an X-ray spectrometer, and the Bragg Crystal Spectrometer are also discussed.


A low-cost Wi-Fi robot as a teaching equipment is developed. The robot can be used to teach students in the subjects related to robotics system and internet of things (IoT). A Wi-Fi robot is a robot equipped with a Wi-Fi communication system for connecting to the internet. Integrating the robot with an IoT platform makes the robot able to communicate with other devices. The developed Wi-Fi robot in this study is a three-wheeled robot type. A NodeMCU ESP-12, which is a microcontroller equipped with Wi-Fi module, is applied in the robot. The robot is connected to the Blynk IoT platform and paired to a smartphone. It results in communication between the robot and the smartphone through the internet. The communication is demonstrated by remotely operating the robot using the smartphone. Mechanical structure and electronic wiring of the robot are simple such that the robot is easily built. Moreover, the cost of required components for building the robot is quite cheap as less than USD 20.


Medication adherence and knowledge towards tuberculosis management are very important to cure and to prevent resistant tuberculosis. The study aims to evaluate the impact of pharmacist delivered counseling services on knowledge and medication adherence levels of tuberculosis patients. This is a quasi-experimental design without control conducted in an infectious unit of a secondary care referral hospital located in rural settings of Anantapur district, India. The study protocol was approved by the institutional review board. A suitable data collection form was used to collect the knowledge and medication adherence levels of the study participants, A total of 258 smear positive pulmonary tuberculosis patients were recruited in the study. More than half of the participants belonged to male gender with a mean age of 48.1±15.3years. Majority of the participants had smoking and alcohol consumption habits (30.6%), coolie as occupation (37.9%), and no formal education (36.4%). The mean knowledge score was significantly improved from baseline to first follow-up, and first follow-up to second follow-up, and baseline to second follow-up visits with a P <0.05. There was a significant difference in the medication adherence levels measured by pill-count method at baseline, 1 follow-up, and 2 follow-up visits with P <0.05. The study concludes that pharmacist mediated counseling in tuberculosis patient showed a significant improvement in knowledge and medication adherence levels from baseline to 1 and 2 follow-up visits. Knowledge regarding causes, mode of transmission, symptoms, management and prevention of tuberculosis are most important to minimize spread of infection and drug resistance.


Background: Addressing policy change in traumatic injury care demands a strong evidence base from which to inform necessary amendments, and measure the impact of any change. Current recommendations for acute traumatic spinal cord injury include admission to a specialist Spinal Cord Injury Unit within 24 hours from injury. This study aimed to document pathways for patients with traumatic spinal cord injury across a state-wide Health Service in a historical cohort, prior to and in order to inform trauma policy changes. Methods: Retrospective analysis of a large Ambulance service record-linked dataset, containing 2.04 million Ambulance records linked with hospital and death records (2006-09). Incident cases of traumatic spinal cord injury were identified using ICD-10-AM codes. Multivariate analysis aimed to identify factors associated with admission to specialist units within 24 hours. Results: Of 311 patients with confirmed traumatic spinal cord injury, 177 (56.9%) were admitted to a specialist Spinal Cord Injury Unit, with 130 of these (73.4%) being within 24 hours post injury. The remaining 47 (26.6%) had up to several months delayed transfer to SCIU. Patients were significantly more likely to have timely admission to SCIU with a cervical level cord injury (OR 2.05), aeromedical transfer to a specialist unit (OR 2.5), outer regional geographic location of injury (OR 2.05), or a surgical spinal procedure within 24 hours (OR 3.1). Patients were significantly less likely to be admitted to a specialist unit within 24 hours were those who experienced more than one hospital transfer (OR 0.28), and patients >75 years (OR 0.35). Conclusion: Historically across this state-wide Health Service, patients with traumatic spinal cord injury did not experience consistent treatment pathways. Publication of this study importantly provides a baseline from which changes to clinical policies that have occurred since 2009 can be evaluated.


The tragal pointer has long been used as a surgical landmark for the identification of the facial nerve trunk and the maxillary artery in such procedures as parotidectomy, internal fixation of subcondylar and condylar fractures, mandibular osteotomy, temporomandibular joint arthroplasty, and percutaneous blocks of branches of the trigeminal nerve and pterygopalatine ganglion. Aside from its use as an external landmark, it has also been implicated as a contributor to crease formation in the presence of peripheral arterial disease. This article will review the available literature on the tragal pointer's use as an external landmark.


This paper is dedicated to some aspects of maritime on-board safety improvement. The contribution of this article is a proposal to extend wireless communication on the ship, supported by examples of solutions that have not previously been used on board. Analyzed aspects concern the measurement and control signal transmission in hostile marine environment. A problem to solve is formulated, how to reduce a negative impact of this environment on effectiveness and reliability of maritime on board communication. The proposed ways for solving a problem under consideration cover recommendations concerning some aspects of ship construction and implementation of wireless sensor network. The main topic faced by the paper is concentrated on case study-based ZigBee as well as WiFi networks implementation in the area of the acquisition of data from sensors and measuring transducers connected to the terminal network. The exemplary implementation of ZigBee network, elaborated in Gdynia Maritime University is related, firstly, to the configuration of a simple wireless measurement and control channel, and secondly, to wireless communication channel supported by autonomously working microprocessor measurement and control system. WiFi networks were also tested in the same area of application. Finally, some concluding remarks are formulated.


In 197 among plastic operations of the groin without tension, using a mesh and new method was added: P.H.S.--Prolene Hernia System--mesh. At the Surgical Clinic of the General Faculty Hospital and First Medical Faculty Charles University in Prague this method is used for plastic operations of the inguinal canal since October 1999. Every year some 300 patients with inguinal hernia are operated, incl. 18.7% operations or multiple relapses. 91% of the group are men and the mean period of hospitalization is 4.9 +/- 3 days. The method "under tension" (McVay, Lotheissen) is used on average in 56.2% patients, in the remainder we use methods "without tension": laparoscopic hernioplasty (TAPP) in 26.7%, Lichtenstein's method in 2.4% and hernioplasty by means of PHS in 14.7% of the patients. Since October 1999 we used it so far in 88 male patients, mean age 55.3 years (2-90 years) with 97 primary or recurrent inguinal hernias. In these patients in 36 instances an indirect hernia was involved (37.1%), a direct hernia was present in 59 patients (60.8%). In two patients we found a saddle hernia (2.1%) and 11 patients (11.4%) had a bilateral hernia. In 12 (12.4%) patients we observed haematoma in the subcutaneous layer in the area of the wound and on the scrotum. In 4 (4.1%) patients there was a seroma in the wound, and subfebrile temperatures up to 38 degrees C were recorded in 9 (9.3%), in 4 patients (4.1%) pain or oedema of the testis developed but receded very rapidly. Postoperative hospitalization lasted on average 2.4 days (1-6 days) and the period before return to normal physical activity was 9.9 days (7-16 days). The patients are checked after regular intervals: 2 weeks, 6 weeks, 6 months, 1 and 2 years. Between October 1999 and February 2002 in the group only one relapse occurred after 6 months.


As a planning theorist who has studied and taught planning theory in the Global South and North, I grapple with the question – "What does planning theory mean in the Global South?" To answer this question, I ontologically investigate the meaning of Southern planning theory based on a Lacanian approach. Drawing on the Lacanian theory of human subjectivity, this article explains how planning theorists' identities are constituted through their interactions within academia. Lacanian discourse theory assists in exploring how most Southern planning theorists adopt, internalise, and use hegemonic Western philosophy, ideas, and discourses as the only accepted mechanism of truth. Consequently, this process profoundly alienates Southern planning theorists from their local context, as they often devalue, overlook, and neglect non-Western beliefs, ideas, knowledge, and philosophy. I argue that although the number of Southern planning theorists has increased during the last decades, non-Western philosophy is seldom utilised as the core of their critical studies. Based on the Lacanian discourse theory, I show that they mostly remain in the hegemonic mechanism of knowledge production that is embedded in the colonial era.


This paper analyses the role of consulting success and contingent fees as two important pillars of a theory of management consulting. In view of public criticism, contingent fees are not only considered as a possible implication of the success evaluation of consulting activities, but also as an opportunity for strengthening the client's position in the consulting process. However, the precondition for being able to agree on contingent fees is the determination of criteria and indicators to measure consulting success. Based on a process-oriented perspective, we show the interconnections between consulting success and contingent fees both of which being important elements to be considered on the way to a theory of management consulting.


Certificateless cryptography eliminates the need of certificates in public key cryptosystems and solves the inherent key escrow problem in identity-based cryptosystems. An aggregate signature scheme is a signature scheme which allows to aggregate n signatures on n distinct messages from n distinct users into a single signature. Recently, Zhang and Zhang proposed a certificateless aggregate signature scheme provably secure in the random oracle model under the Computational Diffie-Hellman assumption. In this paper, we propose a novel fundamental security requirement for certificateless aggregate signature schemes, called coalition resistance, by presenting coalition attacks on Zhang-Zhang's scheme.


Multiple sclerosis (MS) affects cognition in the majority of patients. A major aspect of the disease is brain volume loss (BVL), present in all phases and types (relapsing and progressive) of the disease and linked to both motor and cognitive disabilities. Due to the lack of effective pharmacological treatments for cognition, cognitive rehabilitation and other nonpharmacological interventions such as repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) have recently emerged and their potential role in functional connectivity is studied. With recently developed advanced neuroimaging and neurophysiological techniques, changes related to alterations of the brain's functional connectivity can be detected. In this overview, we focus on the brain's functional reorganization in MS, theoretical and practical aspects of rTMS utilization in humans, and its potential therapeutic role in treating cognitively impaired MS patients.


The etiopathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis is partially understood; however, it is believed to result from a multi‐step process. The immune onset followed by pre‐clinical phases will eventually lead to the development of symptomatic disease. We aim at identifying differentially expressed genes in order to highlight pathways involved in the pre‐clinical stages of rheumatoid arthritis development. The study population consisted of first‐degree relatives of patients with rheumatoid arthritis, known to have an increased risk of developing disease as compared to the general population. Whole transcriptome analysis was performed in four groups: asymptomatic without autoantibodies or symptoms associated with possible rheumatoid arthritis (controls); having either clinically suspect arthralgias, undifferentiated arthritis or autoimmunity associated with RA (pre‐clinical stages of RA: Pcs‐RA); having subsequently developed classifiable RA (pre‐RA); and early untreated rheumatoid arthritis patients (RA). Differentially expressed genes were determined, and enrichment analysis was performed. Functional enrichment analysis revealed 31 pathways significantly enriched in differentially expressed genes for Pcs‐RA, pre‐RA and RA compared to the controls. Osteoclast pathway is among the seven pathways specific for RA. In Pcs‐RA and in pre‐RA, several enriched pathways include TP53 gene connections, such as P53 and Wnt signalling pathways. Analysis of whole transcriptome for phenotypes related to rheumatoid arthritis allows highlighting which pathways are requested in the pre‐clinical stages of disease development. After validation in replication studies, molecules belonging to some of these pathways could be used to identify new specific biomarkers for individuals with impending rheumatoid arthritis.


We are characterizing the immune system and cell populations of the tunicate model Botryllus schlosseri on functional and molecular levels. The chordate B. schlosseri belongs to a group that is considered the closest living invertebrate relative of vertebrates. Using FACS analysis we can isolate 12 populations of B. schlosseri cells by size, granularity and auto fluorescence. In order to increase the number of isolated cell populations, we used Cytof to scan large numbers of antibodies. Antibodies that differentially bind to B. schlosseri cells were validated by flow cytometry. Serum against the Botryllus Histocompatibility Factor, and lectins and fluorescent reagents activated by enzymatic activity were also used to differentiate live B. schlosseri cell types. Using these markers we isolated 34 cell populations and created RNA libraries for deep sequencing. Additionally, we developed immunological assays for cytotoxicity, phagocytosis and stem cell tracking. Using gene expression analysis we found hematopoietic stem cells and progenitors; in transplantation assays we showed their capability to induce chimerism of pigmentation and differentiation to other cell types, as well as localization to the stem cell niches. We characterized 3 different phagocytic cell types including a previously undescribed myeloid derived cell population. We describe the B. schlosseri cytotoxic cell population that originates as a large granular lymphocyte-like cell type that become morula cells upon allogeneic challenge activation. Altogether, it seems that the common ancestor of tunicates and vertebrates had a true hematopoietic myeloid lineage, while the cytotoxic cells are a convergent evolutionary system.


SiO2/SiC interfaces have been under intensive research, because the quality of the interfaces can significantly affect the performance and reliability of SiC power devices. For offering microscopic insights on the generation of interface defects, here we describe the application of our novel scanning probe microscopy method called local deep level transient spectroscopy (local DLTS) to a thermally oxidized Si-face 4H-SiC epitaxial layer. Our sample is an off-axially grown epitaxial layer which is intentionally modified to have wide flat terraces and macro-stepped features instead of typical terraces separated by atomic steps. A spatially resolved map of the interface defect density shows that the macro-steps have a significantly higher interface defect density than the wide flat terraces. The result suggests that high interface defect densities on typical off-axis SiO2/4H-SiC stacks might be related to the steps created during the step-controlled epitaxial growth. Local DLTS is useful for the microscopic evaluation of the interface quality.


Background To explore the correlation between the ultrasound elasticity score (ES) of real-time tissue elastography (RTE) and the malignant risk stratification of the Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System (TI-RADS) and to evaluate the added value of RTE to TI-RADS in differentiating malignant nodules from benign ones. Methods A total of 1,498 patients (885 women and 613 men; mean age of 43.5 ± 12.4 years) with 1,525 confirmed thyroid nodules (D = maximum diameter, D ≤ 2.5 cm) confirmed by fine-needle aspiration (FNA) and/or surgery were included. The nodules were divided into four groups based on their sizes (D ≤ 0.5 cm, 0.5 < D ≤ 1.0 cm, 1.0 < D ≤ 2.0 cm, and 2.0 < D ≤ 2.5 cm). We assigned an ES of RTE and malignant risk stratification of the TI-RADS category to each nodule. The correlation between the ES of RTE and the malignant risk stratification of TI-RADS category was analyzed by the Spearman's rank correlation. The diagnostic performances of RTE, TI-RADS, and their combination were compared by the receiver operator characteristic (ROC) analysis. Results The ES of RTE and the malignant risk stratification of TI-RADS showed a strong correlation in the size intervals of 0.5 < D ≤ 1.0 cm, 1.0 < D ≤ 2.0 cm, and 2.0 < D ≤ 2.5 cm (r = 0.768, 0.711, and 0.743, respectively). The diagnostic performance of their combination for each size interval was always better than RTE or TI-RADS alone (for all, P < 0.001). Conclusions Overall, The ES of RTE was strongly correlated with the malignant risk stratification of TI-RADS. The diagnostic performance of the combination of RTE and TI-RADS outperformed RTE or TI-RADS alone. Therefore, RTE may be an adjunctive tool to the current TI-RADS system for differentiating malignant from benign thyroid nodules.


Engineering multicellular patterning may help in the understanding of some fundamental laws of pattern formation and thus may contribute to the field of developmental biology. Furthermore, advanced spatial control over gene expression may revolutionize fields such as medicine, through organoid or tissue engineering. To date, foundational advances in spatial synthetic biology have often been made in prokaryotes, using artificial gene circuits. In this review, engineered patterns are classified into four levels of increasing complexity, ranging from spatial systems with no diffusible signals to systems with complex multi‐diffusor interactions. This classification highlights how the field was held back by a lack of diffusible components. Consequently, we provide a summary of both previously characterized and some new potential candidate small‐molecule signals that can regulate gene expression in Escherichia coli. These diffusive signals will help synthetic biologists to successfully engineer increasingly intricate, robust and tuneable spatial structures.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the dynamic trend of specific antibody against severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)-CoV in serum collected at various periods among employees in Guangzhou Xinyuan animal market.

METHODS
Volunteers from employees of the animal market were recruited and their serum specific antibody against SARS-CoV were determined by enzyme linked immunesorbent assay (ELISA) method.

RESULTS
Positive SARS-CoV specific IgG antibody was found 25.61% (n = 328), 13.03% (n = 238), 12.59% (n = 135), 5.04% (n = 139) and 9.43% (n = 53) among volunteers, which were sampled in May 2003, Dec. 2003, Jan. 2004, July 2004 and June 2005 respectively. No specific IgM antibody was found in all of those samples. Among 129 samples which were tested twice or more, 97 were all negative, 18 all positive, 13 changed from positive to negative but only one sample from negative to positive. When the volunteers were divided by the duration of their working experiences as short-term or long-term, those who had worked at animal market for less than or more then 6 months when being tested, the positive rate for long-term employees were relatively constant, however, all of the persons employed after January 2004, when the palm civets and raccoon dogs were culled from the market, were tested negative.

CONCLUSION
The prevalence of specific antibody against SARS-CoV in employees of the animal market were somehow related with the presence or absence of palm civet. No serum was tested positive for persons who were employed after palm civets and raccoon dogs were culled from market. This data indicated that the SARS-CoV might have been from the palm civets and raccoon dog, and the animal market seemed to serve as one of the sources of infection.


Indoor localization is a well researched scientific topic and demanded commercial and technological area. However, the problem of scalability remains for indoor localization systems. Though there is a plenty of radio-based approaches for indoor localization that achieve high level of accuracy, many of those rely on manual data collection which is laborious and not globally scalable. In this paper we approach the problem of scalable radio-mapping by improving estimation of horizontal locations of Wi-Fi radio nodes using GNSS and motion sensor data collected in crowd-sourcing manner, i.e. without manual human intervention. We use simple and yet robust sensor fusion algorithms based on Kalman Filter to estimate pedestrian tracks in indoor and outdoor environments, and then use resulting location estimates as a reference for radio measurements, which are further used to estimate horizontal locations of Wi-Fi radio nodes indoors. We then analyze different radio measurement selection criteria for Wi-Fi node location estimation methods. The experiments based on real data indicate that sensor fusion considerably improves localization of Wi-Fi radio nodes when compared to approaches relying on GNSS data only. Our study also shows that using only radio measurements with strong signal and accurate location reference results in more accurate localization of Wi-Fi radio nodes. The results also indicate that estimation of Wi-Fi radio node locations with accuracy below 15-20 meters on average is achievable without manual data collection, and hence in a globally scalable way. Proposed approaches may be further extended with sensor fusion methods utilizing, for example, misalignment estimation and magnetometer measurements, as well as applied to radio technologies other than Wi-Fi, such as 5G radio technologies.


The computer image processing is useful for identifying each particle from a picture of overlapping particles like particles of fine powder or droplets of atomized liquid. For this purpose we propose a new approach in which a binary image of overlapping particles is approximated in one of overlapping circles. This approach selects the best among a number of alternative patterns of overlapping circles, each of which is produced based on a combination of numbers of circles and their intersections. The validity and performance of this approach are examined through both a real picture and some computer simulation.


The SOTA algorithms for addressing QDec-POMDP issues, QDec-FP and QDec-FPS, are unable to effectively tackle problems that involve different types of sensing agents. We propose a new algorithm that addresses this issue by requiring agents to adopt the same plan if one agent is unable to take a sensing action but the other can. Our algorithm performs significantly better than both QDec-FP and QDec-FPS in these types of situations


Objective In type 1 diabetes the circulating IGF-system is altered with low IGF-I and changes in levels of IGF-binding proteins (IGFBPs) which may be of importance for the development of diabetes complications. Our aim was to study if IGF-I, as supported by experimental data in animals, can be affected by dietary protein intake.Design and methods Twelve patients with type 1 diabetes, age 37.5 ± 10.0 years (mean ± SD), diabetes duration 20.1 ± 9.3 years and HbA1c 6.3 ± 0.6% were allocated to isocaloric diets with either low normal protein content (LNP), (10 E%; 0.9 g protein/kg body weight) or high normal protein content (HNP) (20 E%; 1.8 g protein/kg body weight) in an open randomised cross-over study. Each diet was taken for 10 days with a wash-out period of 11 days in between. Circulating levels of total and free IGF-I and -II, IGFBP-1, -2 and -3 and GH-binding protein (GHBP) as well as ghrelin were measured with validated in-house immunoassays.Results At day 10, urinary urea excretion was 320 ± 75 mmol/24 h during LNP diet compared with 654 ± 159 mmol/24 h during HNP diet (p < 0.001). There were no changes in body weight or glycaemic control between the diets. Fasting levels of total IGF-I were 121 ± 33 μg/L after LNP and 117 ± 28 μg/L after HNP diet (ns) and the corresponding concentrations of IGFBP-1 were 142(141) and 132(157) μg/L [median (IQR)] (ns). There were no differences in plasma concentrations of total IGF-II, free IGF-I and -II, IGFBP-3, GHBP and ghrelin, whereas a small difference was found for IGFBP-2 (302 ± 97 vs. 263 ± 66 μg/L; LNP vs. HNP; p < 0.04).Conclusions A twofold change of the dietary protein intake does not influence the altered circulating IGF-system in type 1 diabetes. In order to affect the IGF-system other interventions must be used.


Received August 21, 2007 Abstract We report a male neonate who was prenatally diagnosed as having Dandy Walker malformation. Post natal cranial computerised tomography showed periventricular calcifications and ventriculomegaly. Cranial magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated findings that could be interpreted as a Dandy Walker malformation. Aetiologic investigations revealed a positive viral culture and a polymerase chain reaction for cytomegalovirus DNA indicating a congenital cytomegalovirus infection.


This study provides a species-level phylogeny and morphological characterization for the Neotropical brassoline genus Dasyophthalma Westwood, 1851. A revised generic definition is given, and two species groups are proposed. Diagnoses and illustrations of habitus and genitalia are provided for all species. Wing color, male scent organs, and male and female genitalic morphology are characterized and discussed.


In Western European countries, dentists use standardized procedures, rather than individualized risk assessment, for routine oral examinations. The predictive hypothesis was that guideline implementation strategies based on multifaceted interventions would be more effective in patient care than the dissemination of guidelines only. A cluster-randomized trial was conducted, with groups of general dental practitioners (GDPs) as the unit of randomization. Patients were clustered within practices and prospectively enrolled in the trial. Patient data were collected from registration forms. The primary outcome measure was guideline-adherent recall assignment, and a secondary outcome measure was guideline-adherent bitewing frequency. The interventions consisted of online training, guideline dissemination, and educational sessions. For low-risk patients, guideline-adherent recall increased in the intervention group (+8%), which differed from the control group (−6.1%) (p = 0.01). Guideline-adherent bitewings showed mixed results. We conclude that multifaceted intervention had a moderate but relevant effect on the performance of GDPs, which is consistent with other findings in primary care.


Despite nearly 100 years of edge studies, there has been little effort to document how edge responses 'cascade' to impact multi-trophic food webs. We examined changes within two, four-tiered food webs located on opposite sides of a habitat edge. Based on a 'bottom-up' resource-based model, we predicted plant resources would decline near edges, causing similar declines in specialist herbivores and their associated predators, while a generalist predator was predicted to increase due to complementary resource use. As predicted, we found declines in both specialist herbivores and predators near edges, but, contrary to expectations, this was not driven by gradients in plant resources. Instead, the increase in generalist predators near edges offers one alternative explanation for the observed declines. Furthermore, our results suggest how recent advances in food web theory could improve resource-based edge models, and vice versa.


Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore conflict resolution styles, marital intimacy and family functions among breast cancer patients and their spouses. Methods: The subjects were total 126 participants. Breast cancer patients who completed chemotherapy and or radiation along with their spouses. Data were collected using questionnaires with questions about conflict resolution styles, marital intimacy and family functions. Results: There were no differences between breast cancer patients and their spouses in verbal aggression, avoidance of conflict resolution styles and family functions. As patients reported using positive conflict resolution styles the spouseperceived marital intimacy and family functions were higher. Those patients who perceived marital intimacy as lower they also reported more verbal aggression and avoidance. As breast cancer patients perceived family functions increasing, their spouses perception of both intimacy and family function increased. Conclusion: As these results, it should be considered as basic data to develop family intervention programs such as positive communication and effective stress management and improving of conflict resolution, intimacy and family functions among breast cancer patients and their spouses.


Decapoda is a ten-legged invertebrate organism macro such as shrimp, crabs and lobster. Dekapoda is an association biota with a coral reef ecosystem that has ecological functions, namely as detritus feeders and as a food source for other biota in the food chain in coral reef ecosystems. This aims of this study to analyze the diversity and density of decapods species on dead corals of Acropora sp. at Pelabuh Dalam Tuing and Turun Aban Beach. This research was conducted in July-August 2018 at the Pelabuh Dalam Tuing and Turun Aban Beach. Decapoda data retrieval uses the Dead Coral Head method. The results of the study on Pelabuh Dalam Tuing Beach found 140 individuals from 9 species of Decapoda on Acropora sp dead corals while Turun Aban Beach were found 242 individuals from 11 species. Diversity index values in both study locations 2,510 and 2,533. The uniformity index value in both study locations 0,884 and 0,871. The dominance index values in the two study locations 0,214 and 0,208. Species density in both study locations had an average value of 0.0121 ind/ and 0.0165 ind/.


Purpose: Currently, corneal blindness is affecting >10 million individuals worldwide, and there is a significant unmet medical need because only 1.5% of transplantation needs are met globally due to a lack of high-quality grafts. In light of this global health disaster, researchers are developing corneal substitutes that can resemble the human cornea in vivo and replace human donor tissue. Thus, this review examines ROCK (Rho-associated coiled-coil containing protein kinases) inhibitors as a potential corneal wound-healing (CWH) therapy by reviewing the existing clinical and nonclinical findings. Methods: The systematic review was done from PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar for CWH, corneal injury, corneal endothelial wound healing, ROCK inhibitors, Fasudil, Netarsudil, Ripasudil, Y-27632, clinical trial, clinical study, case series, case reports, preclinical study, in vivo, and in vitro studies. After removing duplicates, all downloaded articles were examined. The literature search included the data till January 2023. Results: This review summarized the results of ROCK inhibitors in clinical and preclinical trials. In a clinical trial, various ROCK inhibitors improved CWH in individuals with open-angle glaucoma, cataract, iris cyst, ocular hypertension, and other ocular diseases. ROCK inhibitors also improved ocular wound healing by increasing cell adhesion, migration, and proliferation in vitro and in vivo. Conclusions: ROCK inhibitors have antifibrotic, antiangiogenic, anti-inflammatory, and antiapoptotic characteristics in CWH, according to the existing research. ROCK inhibitors were effective topical treatments for corneal infections. Ripasudil, Y-27632, H-1152, Y-39983, and AMA0526 are a few new ROCK inhibitors that may help CWH and replace human donor tissue.


MADAM, We are very glad to have the chance to answer these relevant questions that have arisen about our article. Firstly, we were asked to specify the prevalence of atherosclerotic and coronary artery disease in our population of patients and controls. The study was not powered to detect subclinical atherosclerotic disease, and tests such as carotid Doppler ultrasonography or intima-media thickness were not performed. We can only answer this question with regard to the prevalence of clinically diagnosed disease. The prevalence of coronary artery disease or stroke was < 6% in both groups (5Æ8% in patients and 5Æ7% in controls), without a significant difference. We must bear in mind that the median age of our study population was 46 years, and many of these patients may experience cardiovascular events in the future. A prospective study including a large cohort of patients with psoriasis and long follow-up periods evaluating firm endpoints such as mortality of cardiovascular origin is the ideal study design for the purpose of evaluating the consequences of atherosclerosis. Secondly, we were asked about the value of assessing inflammatory markers in patients who are already being treated with statins or other drugs with anti-inflammatory properties. In our study population, the prevalence of previously diagnosed diabetes, dyslipidaemia and hypertension was 8%, 22% and 18% in patients and 6%, 16% and 20% in controls, respectively. Most patients were receiving diverse treatments (including statins). There were no significant differences between patients and controls for every separate disease, although there was a significant difference regarding metabolic syndrome (International Diabetes Foundation criteria) (54% in patients and 42% in controls). We could not mention all these data in our article because of space constraints. If statins are influencing the inflammatory profile in the study subjects, their influence is similar in patients and in controls. When we designed this study, we considered excluding previously diagnosed and ⁄or treated patients (not only regarding dyslipidaemia but also diabetes and hypertension), but the utility of assessing a real-life population was preferred over a higher accuracy in the analyses in a theoretically suitable population which would not correspond to clinical practice. Most published studies have included patients with a higher inflammatory profile and taking more medications than our study population, which comprised patients with psoriasis and controls devoid of chronic inflammatory diseases, arthritis and frank obesity, so we feel that our results demonstrate that psoriasis itself is a source of systemic inflammation. There may be some interference of concomitant treatments, but it should not affect the interpretation of the differences between patients and controls, when the presence of those treatments is reasonably well distributed between the two groups.


The village of Civita di Bagnoregio (Viterbo, Italy) represents a surreal landscape generated by accelerated soil erosion. The active landslides and erosive phenomena which are affecting Civita contributed to the progressive reduction of its surface and to its depopulation and currently require advanced engineering solutions to mitigate their impact. Furthermore they contributed to internationally increase the village fame, resulting in an increasing number of visitors over last years. The increasing touristic pressure on the village has been evaluated by taking into account also possible rising due to the recent candidature of Civita di Bagnoregio to the UNESCO's World Heritage List (WHL). The high touristic pressure is triggering new critical issues highlighting the absence of a proper management plan: the data analysis highlighted the need to develop appropriate tourist numbers management strategies, considering also a partial re-investment of entrance fees for activities aimed to safeguard the village. The present research highlight that effects of tourist flows attracted by Civita di Bagnoregio could substantially contribute to both the safeguard of the village and the economical development of the territory. Properly distributed in the area by planning tourism decentralization policies based on an integrated valorisation of the territory it would be also possible to expand benefits deriving from the tourism sector to the entire Teverina area, transforming a stress factor into a development vector for the whole territory and the local population.


The apparent lack of recognition of the need for Spanish as a foreign language is surprising in Nigeria where only one federal university offers Spanish (Uchechukwu, 2014). Even the Spanish government's Action Plans for Africa (2001-2012), efforts at the diplomatic level to foster bilateral relationships through cultural exchange, and introduction of Spanish as a foreign and international language into the African continent did not have any resonancein Nigeria. Investigations however, confirm a tremendous increase in learning Spanish in many countries in sub-Saharan Africa with the francophone countries in the forefront (Serrano, 2014). This paper presents the situation of Spanish in Nigeria and poses the question of the country's standin this emerging trend in the West African sub-Saharan region. Key Words : Spanish in Sub-Saharan Africa, Spanish in Francophone countries, Spanish in Nigeria


The 2011 pivot illustrated the persistence of post-World War II geopolitical thinking that seeks to prevent a single state or coalition from dominating Eurasia. For nearly seven decades, the U.S. has relied on a forward deployed presence and alliances in the Asia Pacific to maintain stability and deter conflict. This article will analyze the long-standing policy and the continuation of the policy with the 2011 pivot, and will explore the logics behind the policy. Next, the paper will explore three topics: the current-day situation in Eurasia, how nuclear weapons have altered the geopolitical logics, and the rise of China as an economic and military power in Asia.


The present status of knowledge about glucagon pathophysiology in diabetes is reviewed. 1) A-cells behave abnormally in all varieties of diabetes mellitus, spontaneous and experimental, except perhaps in case of pancreatectomized humans. These abnormalities are : hyperreactivity of A-cells to arginine, non suppressibility by glucose, and absence of stimulation following hypoglycemia. 2) These abnormalities appear as secondary in most instances : a) A-cells behave in a normal way in most studies with prediabetics ; b) plasma glucagon concentration is normalized by excellent control of diabetes or following prolonged insulin infusion. High doses of insulin are required most of the times to obtain a normalization of A-cell function : in insulin-dependent diabetics, the physiological portoperipheral insulin gradient no longer exists, and the high doses of insulin which are necessary may be the only mean to reconstitute the high insulin concentrations supposed to be present at the A-cell level. 3) Conflicting results have been collected about the role of this glucagon excess in aggravating the diabetic metabolic syndrome. Evanescent effects follow sustained glucagon infusions: but in diabetics, glucagon bursts rather than permanent hyperglucagonemia are observed and these appear deleterious to glucose tolerance. It seems clear however that insulin deprivation is required for the full expression of the consequences of glucagon excess.


This report argues that it's time for Defence to more fully incorporate domestic disaster assistance tasks as part of its core business. Defence is likely to be used more frequently in the future to assist in domestic disaster management. There will be larger and more frequent extreme weather events due to climate change; increased vulnerability of the growing populations in coastal developments and in bushfire-prone areas; continual reduction per capita in the number of volunteers and emergency services personnel; and growing community and political expectations to use military resources to support whole-of-government counter-disaster efforts. To prepare for the increased demand on, and expectations for the use of, Defence in disaster management there are three actions that should be taken: - Australian Government should clarify that Australian disaster assistance is an ADF priority task. Elevating domestic disaster assistance into a core Defence activity will ensure that this priority flows through the Australian Defence organisation. - Defence should undertake a fundamental review of its domestic disaster assistance role with the goal of maximising its contribution to Australian disaster management. This is likely to involve modifying existing organisations, policies and procedures, logistics and training. - Defence and civil counter-disaster organisations should work together to facilitate the transfer of capability development, research and development and other skills to accelerate the development of the states and territories next-generation disaster management systems. Image: 'Boom !!!', Rossco ( Image Focus Australia ) / flickr


Neostriatum is one of the brain areas that are not primarily affected in Alzheimer's disease, according to classic regard of the disease. However, recent data emphasize the involvement of neostriatum, especially the head of the caudate nucleus, in the emergence of characteristic symptoms of the disease. Glutamatergic neurotransmission is a key component of striatal pathways. The present study is focused on glutamate receptors of striatal neurons on human caudate nucleus in normal aging and Alzheimer's disease. Immunohistochemical studies were carried out for N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor subunit 1 (NMDAR1), α -amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptor subunit 2 (GluR2) and metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGluR5). Ionotropic receptors (NMDAR1 and GluR2) were found to be expressed by 82% - 93% of striatal neurons with no significant alterations in aging and Alzheimer's disease. On the other hand, metabotropic receptor mGluR5 was found to be expressed by just 40% of striatal neurons in young individuals, with significant intensity variations among the neurons. This percent was increased in elderly individuals and Alzheimer's disease patients to 80% and 92% of striatal neurons, respectively. The up-regulation of mGluR5 both in normal aging and Alzheimer's disease is possibly associated with reorganization of neuronal connections, indicates the complexity of this receptor function and renders quite unpredictable the intervention and treatment of dementia with mGluR5 inhibitors or modulators.


A symmetric tensor is a higher order generalization of a symmetric matrix. In this paper, we study various properties of symmetric tensors in relation to a decomposition into a symmetric sum of outer product of vectors. A rank-1 order-$k$ tensor is the outer product of $k$ nonzero vectors. Any symmetric tensor can be decomposed into a linear combination of rank-1 tensors, each of which is symmetric or not. The rank of a symmetric tensor is the minimal number of rank-1 tensors that is necessary to reconstruct it. The symmetric rank is obtained when the constituting rank-1 tensors are imposed to be themselves symmetric. It is shown that rank and symmetric rank are equal in a number of cases and that they always exist in an algebraically closed field. We will discuss the notion of the generic symmetric rank, which, due to the work of Alexander and Hirschowitz [J. Algebraic Geom., 4 (1995), pp. 201-222], is now known for any values of dimension and order. We will also show that the set of symmetric tensors of symmetric rank at most $r$ is not closed unless $r=1$.


Globally, female students from marginalized areas experience multiple disadvantages. In Kenya, the marginalized communities are synonymous with arid and semi-arid areas that continue to experience education disparities. Culture, the education and training systems, and the learning mode are among the other barriers that continue to disenfranchise women and girls in the education space. Towards ensuring women are proportionately benefiting from the education and training opportunities, Masai Technical Training Institute (MTTI) tested some tools of learning with students mainly from the Maasai and Swahili communities that have been marginalized for long. We employed an innovative Triple Response Model (TRM) of skills development encompassing flexible learning technologies, multimedia content and psychosocial support. This model benefited regular girls and girls with disabilities. Partly attributed to this intervention, MTTI has realized an increased number of trainees with disabilities by 40 percent improved retention and completion rates of female students during the COVID-19 reopening of institutions. This paper, documents the TRM as a learning solution in marginalized communities with the potential of scaling beyond Kenya. Practical steps on development and implementation in different setups within learning systems will be provided. Key lessons will be recommended to learning institutions, governments and development partners for remodeling and replication.


Different genetic mutations have been described in complement components resulting in total or subtotal deficiency states. In this work we report the genetic basis of C7 deficiency in a previously reported Spanish patient exhibiting a combined total deficiency of C7 and C4B associated with systemic lupus erythematosus. Exon‐specific polymerase chain reaction and sequencing revealed a not previously described single base mutation in exon 10 (T1458A) leading to a stop codon that causes the premature truncation of the C7 protein (C464X). Additionally, a C to A transversion at position 1561 (exon 11) was found in the patient resulting in an amino acid change (R499S). This latter mutation has been previously reported in individuals with subtotal C7 deficiency or with combined subtotal C6/C7 deficiency from widely spaced geographical areas. Another novel mutation was found in a second patient with meningococcal meningitis of Bolivian and Czech origin; a 11‐base pair deletion of nucleotides 631–641 in exon 6 leading to the generation of a downstream stop codon causing the premature truncation of the C7 protein product (T189 × 193). This patient was found to be a heterozygous compound for another mutation in C7; a two‐base pair deletion of nucleotides 1922 and 1923, 1923 and 1924 or 1924 and 1925 in exon 14 (1922delAG/1923delGA/1924delAG), leading again to the generation of a downstream stop codon that provokes the truncation of the C7 protein (S620×630). This latter mutation has been recently reported by our group in another Spanish family. Our results provide more evidences for the heterogeneous molecular basis of C7 deficiency.


The orthognathic surgical procedures are performed for the correction of abnormalities of the facial skeleton that are present from the birth or arise during growth or acquired secondarily during lifetime. Due to the cover of this book as orthodontics, I would prefer to summarize some commonly used techniques to correct the dentofacial deformities. Even we have published all these techniques at their popular time with our orthodontist colleagues; skeletal anchor systems, some basic interdental osteotomies, or complex mechanics that are applying orthopedic corrective forces are currently being used by the orthodontists rather than surgeons. Le Fort I osteotomy in maxilla and sagittal split ramus osteotomies (SSRO) in mandible are commonly used techniques to solve the deformity problems of the facial skeleton; therefore, the scope of this chapter is going to be including my personal experience and some technical details with Le Fort I and SSRO.


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Emma Huntley is a fourth-year veterinary student studying at the University of Surrey. She has a special interest in small animal surgery and hopes to pursue a career in veterinary cardiology.

#### The dilemma

An elderly client comes into the clinic with her seven-year-old diabetic terrier, Charlie. Charlie was on a stable dose of twice daily insulin which, up until recently, his owner has been able to manage. However, within the past year the client has started to develop dementia and now struggles to remember the last time she administered Charlie's insulin. You note high glucose readings in both blood and urine samples, as well as increased levels of ketone. Your client mentions that Charlie has been urinating in the house and he seems uncharacteristically thin and lethargic. From the consultation it is clear that Charlie isn't receiving the care he needs and his medication isn't being administered properly – subsequently Charlie's condition is deteriorating. You are concerned that Charlie is at serious risk of medical complications if the owner cannot manage his treatment. The owner, who lives alone, often refers to Charlie as her only companion. What do you advise?

The key stakeholders in this scenario are the dog, the client and the vet. With regards to the owner's attachment to Charlie, there have been numerous studies conducted that detail the various psychological …

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Abstract : Bioaugmentation is an innovative technology designed to promote complete reductive dechlorination at sites where natural attenuation or enhanced anaerobic dechlorination cannot achieve the level of contaminant destruction to protect human health and the environment. Enhanced anaerobic bioremediation through the addition of electron donors and/or other nutrients is being demonstrated in the field at an increasing number of sites where the geochemical environment cannot support natural attenuation. While the technology has been able to achieve the anaerobic conditions necessary for halo respiration, the sites do not exhibit complete dechlorination, most commonly due to microbial limitations. Recently, bioaugmentation has been demonstrated successful for achieving complete dechlorination at Sites where delivery of donor/nutrient amendments resulted in limited success. One such site is the Building 360 Site at Kelly AFB, Texas where dechlorination of trichloroethylene (TCE) was demonstrated to hold up at cis-dichloroethylene. The Environmental Security Technology Certification Program funded a study to test the robustness of the bioaugmentation technology. The objectives were to investigate the survivability of the KBI culture, evaluate any residual dechlorinating activity, attempt to reestablish the level of activity to pre-shutdown levels, and to Stress the culture by adding sulfate. Gene probe analysis on groundwater samples collected across the augmented test plot all tested positive for the presence KBI, none of the samples from the non-augmented control plot tested positive. Complete TCE dechlorination was observed in the vicinity of the test plot Suggesting that the KBI culture was utilizing a source of electron donor already in the groundwater although the level of dechlorination appeared to be lower than the level during donor addition.


Objective We sought to investigate the clinicopathologic features of ovarian squamous cell carcinomas arising from mature cystic teratomas (MCT) and to report our clinical experience and lessons learned. Methods From January 1993 to November 2012, a total of 6,260 women with ovarian MCT were surgically treated at Cheil General Hospital and Women's Healthcare Center. Among them, the cases with malignant transformation to squamous cell carcinoma were included in this analysis. Patient demographic characteristics, surgical findings, and prognosis were evaluated retrospectively. Results Of the 6,260 ovarian MCT patients, four (0.06%) had ovarian squamous cell carcinoma arising from MCT. The mean patient age was 43 years (range, 35-51 years), and the mean tumor size was 12 cm (range, 9-16 cm), with two patients in the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage I and the other two in stage III. Upon preoperative imaging, all cases were expected to be benign ovarian tumors, but the preoperative squamous cell carcinoma antigen level was elevated from 1.5 ng/mL in stage Ia to 11.3 ng/mL in stage IIIc, suggesting malignancy, while the CA-125 level was normal in two of the three patients who received the test. Optimal debulking surgery was performed and adjuvant chemotherapy was used in all patients, but death from the recurrence of disease occurred in one patient, whose overall survival was 10 months. Conclusion Ovarian squamous cell carcinoma arising from MCT is extremely rare, and it is rarely diagnosed preoperatively on imaging workups. Measuring the squamous cell carcinoma antigen level might be a useful diagnostic clue, and it might also be predictive of the tumor stage. An adequate staging surgery should be included in the standard treatment, but multicenter studies are needed to confirm this.


The eight mammalian Src-family tyrosine kinases are dynamic, multi-domain structures, which adopt distinct "open" and "closed" conformations. In the closed conformation, the regulatory SH3 and SH2 domains pack against the back of the kinase domain, providing allosteric control of kinase activity. Small molecule ligands that engage the regulatory SH3-SH2 region have the potential to modulate Src-family kinase activity for therapeutic advantage. Here we describe an HTS-compatible fluorescence polarization assay to identify small molecules that interact with the unique-SH3-SH2-linker (U32L) region of Hck, a Src-family member expressed exclusively in cells of myeloid lineage. Hck has significant potential as a drug target in acute myeloid leukemia, an aggressive form of cancer with substantial unmet clinical need. The assay combines recombinant Hck U32L protein with a fluorescent probe peptide that binds to the SH3 domain in U32L, resulting in an increased FP signal. Library compounds that interact with the U32L protein and interfere with probe binding reduce the FP signal, scoring as hits. Automated 384-well high-throughput screening of 60,000 compounds yielded Z'-factor coefficients > 0.7 across nearly 200 assay plates, and identified a series of hit compounds with a shared pyrimidine diamine substructure. Surface plasmon resonance assays confirmed direct binding of hit compounds to the Hck U32L target protein as well as near-full-length Hck. Binding was not observed with the individual SH3 and SH2 domains, demonstrating that these compounds recognize a specific three-dimensional conformation of the regulatory regions. This conclusion is supported by computational docking studies, which predict ligand contacts with a pocket formed by the juxtaposition of the SH3 domain, the SH3-SH2 domain connector, and the SH2-kinase linker. Each of the four validated hits stimulated recombinant, near-full-length Hck activity in vitro, providing evidence for allosteric effects on the kinase domain. These results provide a path to discovery and development of chemical scaffolds to target the regulatory regions of Hck and other Src family kinases as a new approach to pharmacological kinase control.


The measurement of (anti)nuclei production in pp, p-A and A-A collisions at ultrarelativistic energies is important to understand hadronization. The excellent tracking and particle identification capabilities of ALICE make it the most suited detector at the LHC to study light (anti)nuclei produced in high-energy hadronic collisions. (Anti)nuclei with mass numbers up to 4, such as (anti)deuterons, (anti)tritons, (anti)$^3$He and (anti)$^4$He have been successfully identified in ALICE at midrapidity ($|\eta|<$0.9). In this contribution, multiplicity dependent results on the yields, nuclei-to-protons ratios as well as the coalescence parameter $B_{\mathrm A}$ as a function of the charged-particle multiplicity are presented and compared with the expectations of coalescence and statistical hadronization models (SHM) to provide insight into their production mechanism in heavy-ion collisions.


Emerging quantum algorithms for problems such as element distinctness, subset sum, and closest pair demonstrate computational advantages by relying on abstract data structures. Practically realizing such an algorithm as a program for a quantum computer requires an efficient implementation of the data structure whose operations correspond to unitary operators that manipulate quantum superpositions of data. To correctly operate in superposition, an implementation must satisfy three properties --- reversibility, history independence, and bounded-time execution. Standard implementations, such as the representation of an abstract set as a hash table, fail these properties, calling for tools to develop specialized implementations. In this work, we present Core Tower, the first language for quantum programming with random-access memory. Core Tower enables the developer to implement data structures as pointer-based, linked data. It features a reversible semantics enabling every valid program to be translated to a unitary quantum circuit. We present Boson, the first memory allocator that supports reversible, history-independent, and constant-time dynamic memory allocation in quantum superposition. We also present Tower, a language for quantum programming with recursively defined data structures. Tower features a type system that bounds all recursion using classical parameters as is necessary for a program to execute on a quantum computer. Using Tower, we implement Ground, the first quantum library of data structures, including lists, stacks, queues, strings, and sets. We provide the first executable implementation of sets that satisfies all three mandated properties of reversibility, history independence, and bounded-time execution.


A method of numerical analysis of the magnetoelastic buckling of toroidal field coils is shown on the basis of finite element method. Lagrange's equation is used to deduce an eigenvalue equation determining the buckling current of the toroidal coils. The Lagrangian consists of elastic strain energy and magnetic energy. Since the coil is unidirectional, fiber-reinforced composite material, the theory of orthotropy is applied to determine elastic constants at 4.2 K. A buckling experiment on the eight superconducting-coil full torus was conducted to verify the numerical method developed here. A comparison of the numerical results with the experimental result is fairly good.


Abstract This paper examines the use of spline functions in linear, squared, and cubic spline regression models and exhibits the estimation of spline parameters from data by ordinary least squares. Determination of the number and the location of knots is central to spline regression. In this paper, we initially propose a method based on the coefficient of determination R2 related to the estimation of knots in spline regression. This proposed method as applied to export–import ratio distributions in Turkey for the years 1923–2010 determines the knots, and linear, quadratic, and cubic spline regression models are established accordingly. Results reveal that spline regression models offer better results than polynomial regression models, and that the quadratic spline regression model is the best explanatory model for export–import ratio distributions in the smoothest spline regression models.


Previous studies suggest that there are three different jam phases in the cellular automata automaton model with a slow-to-start rule under open boundaries. In the present paper, the dynamics of each free-flow-jam phase transition is studied. By analysing the microscopic behaviour of the traffic flow, we obtain analytical results on the phase transition dynamics. Our results can describe the detailed time evolution of the system during phase transition, while they provide good approximation for the numerical simulation data. These findings can perfectly explain the microscopic mechanism and details of the boundary-triggered phase transition dynamics.


Transitioning towards environmental sustainability is now a critical pathway to a positive global future. As part of this, the work of individual change agents who lead and champion green agendas and initiatives in organisations is critical to maximising the impact of the corporate sustainability movement. These individuals can be categorised as "sustainability change agents", which includes managers, professionals and consultants who either take on or are assigned the responsibility of influencing and implementing sustainability outcomes in organisations (Egri & Herman, 2000; Robertson & Barling, 2013; Taylor, Cocklin & Brown, 2012). A concerning trend, however, is the potential for these change agents to experience negative emotions like frustration and anger as a result of challenges and roadblocks encountered in their work, with detrimental impacts on their ability to communicate sustainability agendas and influence green outcomes (Andersson & Bateman, 2000; Wright & Nyberg, 2012). To date, literature has focused primarily on the events and situations that cause change agents to experience emotion, and less on how such emotions might be managed (Fineman & Sturdy, 1999). In this thesis, I argue that emotion generation and emotion regulation theories are an essential consideration in how sustainability change agents navigate their complex work environments to successfully sell and implement green agendas and initiatives, and ultimately influence sustainability outcomes. Emotion generation and emotion regulation are both well-studied phenomena in the field of organisational behaviour, and explain the different mechanisms through which individuals are triggered to feel emotion (see Affective Events Theory - Weiss & Cropanzano, 1996) and how they manage the experience and expression of their emotions through cognitive reappraisal, suppression and expression (see the process model of emotion regulation theory - Gross, 1998). Both have subsequent impacts on the personal and professional outcomes of individuals (Lawrence, Troth, Jordan & Collins, 2011). However, these two theories have not been examined in the field of corporate sustainability to date or in the context of sustainability professionals.
The aim of my program of research is to understand how sustainability change agents use emotion regulation to maximise their ability to influence environmental outcomes in organisations. To address this aim, I use a blended framework of Affective Events Theory (Weiss & Cropanzano, 1996) and emotion regulation theory (Gross, 1998), and propose the following research questions: RQ1: What events and situations cause sustainability change agents to experience strong positive and negative emotion when promoting sustainability initiatives?; RQ2: How do sustainability change agents regulate emotion when promoting sustainability initiatives?; RQ3: What organisational and individual factors impact the strategies that sustainability change agents use to regulate emotion when promoting sustainability initiatives?; RQ4: Which emotion regulation strategies enhance the performance of sustainability change agents when promoting sustainability initiatives?
I present the rationale and development of these research questions in Chapter 1, which is followed by a review of relevant literature in Chapter 2. To answer my research questions, I develop a multi method program of research, including one qualitative study and one quantitative study, conducted with a sample of sustainability change agents. In Study 1, presented in Chapter 3, I conducted in-depth interviews with 20 sustainability change agents to capture rich insights from their emotional experiences in the role. The results from Study 1 confirm that sustainability change agents are indeed faced with complex and contested organisational conditions in which they work, which induce a broad spectrum of emotions, and further reveal the positive and negative impacts this has on their job performance and personal wellbeing. Drawing on the findings of the qualitative study, I then outline a new theoretical model in Chapter 4 that promotes emotion regulation as a construct for understanding how sustainability change agents manage the experience and display of their emotions in their work (Dieffendorff, Richard & Yang, 2008; Gross, 1998) with respect to the outcomes of performance (Cote & Morgan, 2002) and burnout (Zhao, Li & Shields, 2019).
In Study 2, presented in Chapter 5, I draw on my model to develop hypotheses and conduct a quantitative study using a split administration survey method, again with a sample of sustainability change agents. Here I seek to identify which emotion regulation strategies lead to better performance and wellbeing outcomes for sustainability change agents, specifically in relation to the discrete emotions of passion and frustration (found to be especially salient in Study 1). I also consider how emotional intelligence (Cote, Moon & Miners, 2008) and organisational display rules around sustainability (Andersson & Bateman, 2000; Dieffendorff & Richard, 2003) influence this process. In this study, I focus on the situational form of emotion regulation, which allows for examination of emotion regulation strategies in relation to specific events and emotions (Brans, Koval, Verduyn, Lim, & Kuppens, 2013; Gross & John, 2003). The results from Study 2 show that when sustainability change agents suppress their passion for the role, they are likely to have higher job performance, however this simultaneously increases the likelihood of personal burnout. Interestingly, sustainability change agents higher in emotional intelligence were less likely to suppress their feelings of passion, and more likely to express them, which may protect against the effect of burnout also observed.
The participants in my program of research have demonstrated that committed, motivated professionals are striving to make positive advances in the shift towards sustainability in organisations. However, committed individuals alone are insufficient to generate significant progress toward this goal given the complexities and challenges associated with championing sustainability agendas in organisations. My thesis offers a deeper and more nuanced understanding of the varying emotions change agents experience and display to successfully influence green outcomes.
In terms of theoretical contribution, my research and proposed theoretical model advance our understanding of the construct of emotion regulation and its underlying strategies as an important consideration for sustainability change agents. From a practical perspective, my program of research provides insights into how sustainability professionals might be able to better manage the emotionality of their work to enhance their ability to influence sustainability outcomes and preserve their personal wellbeing. My findings may also inform organisations and managers about how to better support change agents in their challenging roles through professional development that builds personal and professional resilience. Organisations may also consider developing cultural norms that accept and encourage green practices through clear policy, top management buy-in and cultural change. With sustainability change agents being at the front line of the organisational response to sustainability, researchers and practitioners in the field need to ensure these professionals feel supported to maintain their commitment and develop their resilience to withstand the challenges and emotions faced in their role, and in turn, support the viability of the corporate sustainability movement.


Cable-stayed bridges have been commonly used on high-speed railways. The design, construction, and maintenance of cable-stayed bridges necessitate an accurate assessment of the cable temperature field. However, the temperature fields of cables have not been well established. Therefore, this research aims to investigate the distribution of the temperature field, the time variability of temperatures, and the representative value of temperature actions in stayed cables. A cable segment experiment, spanning over one year, is conducted near the bridge site. Based on the monitoring temperatures and meteorological data, the distribution of the temperature field is studied, and the time variability of cable temperatures is investigated. The findings show that the temperature distribution is generally uniform along the cross-section without a significant temperature gradient, while the amplitudes of the annual cycle variation and daily cycle variation in temperatures are significant. To accurately determine the temperature deformation of a cable, it is necessary to consider both the daily temperature fluctuations and the annual cycle of uniform temperatures. Then, using the gradient boosted regression trees method, the relationship between the cable temperature and multiple environmental variables is explored, and representative cable uniform temperatures for design are obtained by the extreme value analysis. The presented data and results provide a good basis for the operation and maintenance of in-service long-span cable-stayed bridges.


Testing is an indispensable element in the production and operation of virtually all electronic assemblies and systems. The author discusses the problems of interconnecting test instruments and the subsequent development of the general purpose interface bus. The problems with this bus are discussed followed by a brief mention of the research into developing a common interface standard for modular instrumentation. Known as the VXI bus, the first version was published in 1987, the first products appeared in 1988 and it has now been adopted for standardisation by the IEEE. The author describes the bus and its construction. Compatibility with the general purpose interface bus and future prospects are also discussed.


Microultrasound (micro-US) has become an invaluable tool for preclinical research and in emerging applications in clinical diagnosis and treatment guidance. Several such applications can benefit from arrays with a small footprint and endoscopic form factor. However, critical challenges arise in making electrical connections to array elements in such spatial constraints. In this work, we describe a method to pattern a high-density flexible circuit cabling on a copper-on polyimide film, using laser ablation of a polymer resist and wet etching, and then demonstrate a connection to a micro-US array. We investigate laser ablation process parameters and evaluate the ability to consistently pattern continuous copper traces. A minimum 30-<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mu \text{m}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> pitch was achieved with 5-<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mu \text{m}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-wide electrode lines, and continuity of a 5-m-long trace is demonstrated. A flexible circuit with 30-mm-long traces with 30-<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mu \text{m}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> line and 30-<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mu \text{m}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> space before fan-out was fabricated to connect in an interleaved manner to a 32-element array with 30-<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mu \text{m}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> element pitch. Metal deposition and laser ablation were used to connect and pattern the element electrodes to the copper traces of the flexible circuit. Electrical and acoustic measurements show good yield and consistent impedance across channels. Element pulse-echo tests demonstrated device functionality; the two-way pulse had 43-MHz center frequency and 40% fractional bandwidth (−6 dB). The proposed manufacturing methods facilitate the prototyping and fabrication of flexible endoscopic or small-footprint micro-US devices.


The crystal and magnetic structure of strontium ferrite Sr4Fe4O11 (SrFeO2.75) has been investigated using neutron powder diffraction and magnetic susceptibility measurements over the temperature range 1.5–293 K and by Mössbauer spectroscopy at room temperature. Sr4Fe4O11 is orthorhombic (symmetry group Cmmm) over the temperature range 1.5–293 K. Its crystal structure contains two iron sites occupied by trivalent and tetravalent iron. The trivalent magnetic moments order antiferromagnetically below TN = 232(4) K and the magnetic unit cell coincides with the chemical cell. The ordered moments are parallel to the b axis and the tetravalent iron moments form a magnetically frustrated sublattice. The extrapolated value of the Fe3+ moment is 3.55(5) μB at 0 K. The antiferromagnetic coupling occurs by the superexchange mechanism and is mediated by oxygen ions. There are no signs of long-range magnetic order in the tetravalent sublattice down to 1.5 K.


Interferometric synthetic aperture radar observations provide a means for obtaining high-resolution digital topographic maps from measurements of amplitude and phase of two complex radar images. The phase of the radar echoes may only be measured modulo 2π; however, the whole phase at each point in the image is needed to obtain elevations. We present here our approach to "unwrapping" the 2π ambiguities in the two-dimensional data set. We find that noise and geometrical radar layover corrupt our measurements locally, and these local errors can propagate to form global phase errors that affect the entire image. We show that the local errors, or residues, can be readily identified and avoided in the global phase estimation. We present a rectified digital topographic map derived from our unwrapped phase values.


OBJECTIVE
To assess the effectiveness of an education program designed to improve medical evacuation (MEDEVAC) categorization.

METHODS
To remedy the MEDEVAC miscategorization rates identified in the southern region of Afghanistan, the MEDEVAC medical director for that area created an education program to improve the situation. This education program was implemented through the region by the 14 NATO countries serving in southern Afghanistan and adopted by the Canadian Army as part of the training for Canadian medics.

RESULTS
The education program yielded statistically significant improvement in the MEDEVAC miscategorization rate.

CONCLUSIONS
Education concerning the categorization of MEDEVAC patients is essential for efficient use of Army MEDEVAC. Further investigation is warranted concerning the accuracy of categorization among an Army-only population.


OBJECTIVE
To standardize and to determine the structural validity of a conduct disorder self report questionnaire in adolescents.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
One hundred ninety, 12 to 16 year old male participants from the different socioeconomic status were randomized selected from educational institutions of Medellin City, Colombia. A quantitative self report questionnaire, with a discrete (0-3) item scored scale, based upon the DSM-IV criteria A symptoms for conduct disorder was applied to the sample. Reliability analysis using alpha item/scale Cronbach's coefficient was calculated, and a factor analysis with a maximum likelihood method of extraction and VARIMAX rotation was developed.

RESULTS
The standard obtained scores defined the presence and distribution of the symptoms of conduct disorder in an adolescent normal population. Reliability alpha Cronbach's coefficient for 14 items was 0.86. Three stable factors, which explained 53.9% of the variance, were found. First factor was serious violation of rules and explained 32.9% of variance, second factor was violence, which explained 10.9%, and the third factor was cruelty which explained 10.1% of the structure (Goodness-of-fit chi 2 = 34.6; df 25; p = 0.09). Conduct disorder questionnaire had a strong internal consistency and multidimensional structure, which would allow that it could be used in clinical and epidemiological researches with adolescent population.


One hundred and two strains of aerobic, gram-negative bacteria, isolated mainly from drugs and cosmetics, were tested for catabolic products after incubation in liquid media containing single amino acids. Breakdown products from L-arginine, lysine, and ornithine were identified as their N-heptafluoryl butyl esters by gas-liquid chromatographic techniques. A Finnigan model 1015 D gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer/PDP-8E data system was used to identify trace amounts of catabolites after amino acid substrates were inoculated with bacteria. The derivatization reaction was monitored in like manner. The Finnigan data system may be used to identify catabolic compounds rapidly and thus provide a means for bacterial characterization and identification.


David Hare is Britain's leading political dramatist. His Gethsemane premiered in November 2008, amidst anticipation that the play would 'crucify' New Labour. Gethsemane is in fact one of a number of fictionalisations of New Labour produced since 1997. These works have generally held up the party under Tony Blair's leadership to unmitigated criticism. Gethsemane certainly took Blair's premiership to task. However, despite increasing popular cynicism about Westminster politicians, Hare also suggested that politics remains a potential means through which honourable ends might still be achieved. However, already primed by the prevailing hostility to New Labour encouraged by earlier fictionalisations, few of those who reviewed Gethsemane noted Hare's tentative message of hope.


We describe a case of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus non-aureus infection in a rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta). The nonhuman primate described was part of a research project that involved whole-body gamma irradiation and subsequently developed acute generalized dermatitis with skin dryness, peeling, and erythema around the eyes. After initial evaluation, which included microbiologic culture and 6 d of medical treatment, the animal was euthanized due to concern regarding a possible outbreak of infectious or zoonotic disease. On the basis of skin culture, diagnosis of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus non-aureus was confirmed. This report underscores the importance of the occupational risk of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus non-aureus to research and animal care staff in a research animal facility setting.


ABSTRACT Hepatitis A represents one of the major public health problems worldwide including India. Vaccination is the most effective way to prevent hepatitis A infection. Two types of hepatitis A vaccines-live attenuated (H2 strain) and inactivated (killed) are available for use in clinical practice in India with former having advantage of a single-dose compared to two-dose killed vaccine. One of the important characteristic of an ideal vaccine includes its ability to provide life-long protection. In this article we reviewed the available long-term (≥10 years follow-up) published data on live attenuated hepatitis A (H2 strain) vaccine. The data from country of origin of the vaccine (China) and India establish the long-term immunogenicity, protection, and tolerability. Based on the results of several clinical trials showing long-term protection, single dose of live attenuated hepatitis vaccine can be widely used to protect high-risk population against hepatitis A virus infection and related complications.


Quality of service is a response to the applicant on the level of service that is hosted by the Office of Integrated Licensing Services (KPPT) of Palembang as statements feeling of care received at the time taking care of business license letter (SIUP). This study aimed to analyze the dimensions of service quality ie reliability, responsiveness, assurance, empathy and tangible based on observations and interviews delivered by employees and customers at the time taking care of Trade Business License (License) in the Integrated Licensing Services Office (KPPT) of Palembang. The method used is descriptive method with qualitative approach. Observations and interviews with respondents on 5 indicators show that the physical evidence (Tangibles) from the comfort of the service is still less than satisfactory, reliability (Reliability) of the cost and timeliness of the necessary permits are still not satisfied, responsiveness (Responsiveness) from providing easily understandable information still not satisfied, the guarantee (assurance) of the attitudes and actions of officers as well as friendliness towards customers still lacking. The last indicator is empathy (Empathy) measured from providing delightful service to customers can be categorized own good, but because of the high public expectations on the performance of the service of this dimension, then this condition gives effects on the service user is not satisfied with the services received.Keywords : quality of service, Business license letter (SIUP),integrated license service offices (KPPT)


The paper deals with the problem of deterioration of water quality in water supply networks. On the basis of relevant literature and his own research, the author points to a common occurrence of this phenomenon. The case study of a 3.5 km town network presented in the paper confirms the situation. The field tests of the water quality in that network detected a high concentration of iron and presence of lead contamination from PVC pipes. One of the methods of counteracting water quality deterioration used by water companies is flushing, accomplished as water outflow by fire hydrants. Unfortunately this method has several disadvantages, such as substantial water loss and the resulting costs. These factors dictate limitation of the flushing frequency as well of the duration of the process. In addition, the house pipes are not flushed at all. As a conceptual solution to this problem the author proposes, is the implementation of mobile flushing stations. The closed cycle applied during the flushing process can essentially reduce the water loss. The proposed solution has been tested by computer simulations. A simplified cost estimation of the implementation of the solution has also been presented.


It is introduced in this paper the design and development of a three-dimensional scanner, plus scanner, which uses in its data acquisition system the laser triangulation technique, through a line laser generator and a Webcam. The software allows the visualization of the virtual model in a three-dimensional environment controlled by the user; besides, the data can be exported in different formats. The mathematical modeling, the design, implementation and the results are discussed


Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine nurses` cognition of the diagnosis related group (DRG) in long-term care hospitals and changes in nursing care after application of the DRG system. Method: This study was a descriptive survey involving 161 nurses working in 12 long-term care hospitals located in Gwangju city and Chonnam area. Data were analyzed using the SPSS 18.0 version program. Data analyses utilized descriptive test, chi-square test, Fisher`s exact probability test, t-test, and one-way ANOVA. Result: There was no change in cognition of DRG in 55.3% of the nurses, and 26.1% takes to ``change positively``. More than half of the respondents (57.8%) agreed to the application of DRG. After application of DRG, the nurses responded ``there were changes in nursing care`` in 23 of the 25 care items. Two items had an increase in nursing care. Conclusions: No distinct changes in nursing care were evident after DRG application. Therefore, there is need to provide education programs related to DRG for nurse in long-term care hospitals.


ABSTRACT:Junaluska is a historically Black community in the southern Appalachian town of Boone, North Carolina. In 2020, we began a collaborative archaeology project with the community-based Junaluska Heritage Association to address two community concerns: (1) identifying unmarked graves at the Clarissa Hill Cemetery and (2) learning more about the nineteenth and early twentieth-century origins of Junaluska. Here we present our ongoing work on these heritage issues, including a survey of local residents, archaeological geophysics and excavation, and public outreach. We argue that community archaeology in Junaluska can be a model for collaborative heritage management and antiracist scholarship elsewhere in the US.


Parental bonding patterns were studied in 52 female Japanese eating disorder outpatients with and without histories of sexual or physical abuse and with dissociation. Instruments included the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI), the Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES) and the Dissociative Disorders Interview Schedule (DDIS). Those with physical abuse history, but not sexual abuse history, had significantly different parental bonding scores and higher DES scores compared with subjects without physical abuse. DES scores and PBI scores were not correlated. Although the PBI was useful in discriminating between those with and those without abuse histories, it did not detect differences in degree of dissociation. Lack of association of sexual abuse to PBI and DES scores may have been due to mild abuse.


Broadcast is a fundamental operation in wireless networks, and naïve flooding is not practical, because it cannot deal with interference. Scheduling is a good way of avoiding interference, but previous studies on broadcast scheduling algorithms all assume highly theoretical models such as the unit disk graph model. In this work, we reinvestigate this problem by using the 2-Disk and the signal-to-interference-plus-noise-ratio (SINR) models. We first design a constant approximation algorithm for the 2-Disk model and then extend it to the SINR model. This result, to the best of our knowledge, is the first result on broadcast scheduling algorithms in the SINR model.


Background Unprecedented progresses in high-throughput DNA sequencing and de novo gene synthesis technologies have allowed us to create living organisms in the absence of natural template. Methodology/Principal Findings The sequence of wild-type S13 phage genome was downloaded from GenBank. Two synonymous mutations were introduced into wt-S13 genome to generate m1-S13 genome. Another mutant, m2-S13 genome, was obtained by engineering two nonsynonymous mutations in the capsid protein coding region of wt-S13 genome. A chimeric phage genome was designed by replacing the F capsid protein open reading frame (ORF) from phage S13 with the F capsid protein ORF from phage G4. The whole genomes of all four phages were assembled from a series of chemically synthesized short overlapping oligonucleotides. The linear synthesized genomes were circularized and electroporated into E.coli C, the standard laboratory host of S13 phage. All four phages were recovered and plaques were visualized. The results of sequencing showed the accuracy of these synthetic genomes. The synthetic phages were capable of lysing their bacterial host and tolerating general environmental conditions. While no phenotypic differences among the variant strains were observed when grown in LB medium with CaCl2, the S13/G4 chimera was found to be much more sensitive to the absence of calcium and to have a lower adsorption rate under calcium free condition. Conclusions/Significance The bacteriophage S13 and its variants can be chemically synthesized. The major capsid gene of phage G4 is functional in the phage S13 life cycle. These results support an evolutional hypothesis which has been proposed that a homologous recombination event involving gene F of quite divergent ancestral lineages should be included in the history of the microvirid family.


The rush to judgment about the social effects of the new communications media has branded them as positive and negative in equal measure. Alienation from "real world" relationships coupled with a lack of social regulation within the medium is balanced by liberation from the influences, inequalities, and identities to which people are subjected in face-to-face interaction. We argue that such general conclusions may in fact be turned upside down and propose that these media may actually strengthen social bonds but also reinforce power inequalities. Reviewing evidence of our research with university students, employing the social identity model of deindividuation effects, we show how these technologies can often be more "social," and socially regulated, than face-to-face interaction.


Research indicates that words activate high-level construal (processing that highlights central, goal-relevant features of events) whereas pictures activate low-level construal (processing that highlights idiosyncratic, peripheral features). We examine how these differences between words and pictures impact evaluative associations. Research has demonstrated that high-level relative to low-level construal promotes evaluative associations that enhance self-control, promoting associations that link smaller proximal rewards (temptations) with negativity and larger-distal rewards (goals) with positivity. Examining dieting as a self-control conflict, we find that words promote sensitivity to goal-relevant dimension of stimuli (i.e., health) while pictures promote sensitivity to temptation-relevant dimension of stimuli (i.e., taste) among those concerned with dieting in a single-category implicit association test (SC-IAT). An additional study finds that changing the presentation format of the IAT from pictures to words increases the tendency to associate temptations (i.e., desserts) with negativity among those concerned with dieting. Theoretical, methodological, and practical implications of these findings are discussed.


A monoclonal antibody (MAB) against equine tumor necrosis factor-alpha (Eq TNF) was used to investigate the role of TNF in cytokine, eicosanoid, and metabolic responses of Miniature Horses given endotoxin. Plasma concentrations of interleukin 6 (IL-6), lactate, thromboxane A2 metabolite, and prostacyclin metabolite (6-keto-PGF1 alpha) were measured in 10 Miniature Horses given 0.25 microgram of lipopolysaccharide (LPS; Escherichia coli O55:B5)/kg of body weight. Five horses were given Eq TNF MAB and 5 were given isotype-matched MAB as control. All horses were given 1.86 mg of antibody/kg by IV infusion, 5 minutes before LPS was given IV. Blood samples were taken 20 minutes before and at multiple intervals for 24 hours after LPS was given. Interleukin 6 bioactivity in plasma was measured, using IL-6-dependent cell line (B9). Eicosanoid activities were assessed by enzyme immunoassay, and plasma lactate concentration was determined enzymatically. Data were analyzed by ANOVA and Tukey's honest significant difference test for significant (P < 0.05) effect of treatment. Horses given Eq TNF MAB had significantly (P < 0.050) lower peak mean +/- SEM IL-6 (59 +/- 29 U/ml), lactate (16 +/- 2.00 mg/dl), and 6-keto-PGF1 alpha (254 +/- 79 pg/ml) values then did horses given control MAB (880 +/- 375 U/ml for IL-6; 26 +/- 0.04 mg/dl for lactate; and 985 +/- 290 pg/ml for 6-keto-PGF1 alpha). There was no effect of anti-TNF treatment on LPS-induced thromboxane A2 metabolite production. Tumor necrosis factor mediated IL-6, lactate, and prostacyclin responses, without affecting thromboxane production in horses given LPS.


This paper studied mirror image and nonmirror image pattern discrimination by measuring adults' eye movements as they responded to spatially simple or spatially complex stimulus pairs. Two measures were derived from the eye movement data; the average position of the subject's gaze as a function of time (scanpath), and the distribution of eye positions sampled over the patterns (dwell distribution). The data show that spatial complexity has a qualitative influence on the processing of mirror and nonmirror patterns, that spatially complex pairs tend to be scanned from left-to-right, and that peripheral features are not usually directly fixated. The data also bear on theories of symmetry perception, and indicate that symmetry is not always perceived in a holistic fashion.