There is a pressing need for high throughput methods to assess potential effects of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). released into the environment. Currently our ability to identify effects in vitro exceeds that for in vivo monitoring. However, only in vivo analysis provides the full spectrum of physiological impacts exerted by a given chemical. With the aim of finding a physiological system compatible with automatic plate reading we tested the capacity of early embryonic stage Xenopus laevis tadpoles to monitor thyroid hormone (TH) disruption. Fluorescent transgenic X. laevis embryos bearing a TH/bZIP-eGFP construct, placed in 96 well plates, were used for a physiological-based screen for potential TH signaling disruptors. Using stage NF-45 embryos (time of thyroid gland formation) allowed rapid detection of chemical interference with both peripheral TR signaling and production of endogenous TH. Nanomolar concentrations of TH receptor agonists could be detected within 72 h. Moreover, when testing against a 5nM T3 challenge, the effects of inhibitors of TH production were revealed, including inhibitors of TH synthesis, (methimazole: 1 mM or sodium perchlorate: 3.56 microM), as well as antagonists acting at the receptor level (NH3: 2 microM) and a deiodinase inhibitor (iopanoic acid: 10 microM). Finally, we show that the thyroid disrupting activities of BPA (10 microM) and TBBPA (1 microM) can also be detected in this rapid screening protocol. Finally, this noninvasive technology using an automatic reading system shows low variability (around 5%) and permits detection of subtle changes in signaling by EDCs that either inhibit or activate TH signaling in vivo.


The working of a novel ultrasonic technique for measuring the sound velocity in liquids, which automatically cancels the dependence of temperature by a phase difference method is described in this paper. This technique uses a very simple circuit system which treats only the continuous sinusoidal waves and is constituted of only analog circuits. The temperature-compensation factor in the designing of the temperature-compensation circuit is derived from the equation obtained for the ultrasonic velocity in sea water. This measuring system is shown to yield a 0.01% accuracy of velocity determination, independent of the temperature variation of ±1.0°C around 25.4°C for the NaCl solution.


【Increasing requirements for the high quality of industrial robot performance made the vibration control issue very important because the vibration makes it difficult to achieve quick response of robot motion and may bring mechanical damage to the robot. This paper presents the vibration mechanism of an industrial robot which has flexible joints. The joint flexibility of the robot is modeled as a two-mass system and its dynamic characteristics are analysed. And some characteristics of the two-mass system, especially for the joint of industrial robots, such as disturbance, non-linearity and time-varying characteristics are studied. And finally, some considerations on controller design for the flexible joint of industrial robots are discussed.】


A complex random vector is called improper if it is correlated with its complex conjugate. We present a hypothesis test for impropriety based on a generalized likelihood ratio (GLR). This GLR is invariant to linear transformations on the data, including rotation and scaling, because propriety is preserved by linear transformations. More specifically, we show that the GLR is a function of the squared canonical correlations between the data and their complex conjugate. These canonical correlations make up a complete, or maximal, set of invariants for the Hermitian and complementary covariance matrices under linear, but not widely linear, transformation


Abstract. The Carpathians and their rich biosphere are considered to be highly vulnerable to climate change. Drought is one of the major climate-related damaging natural phenomena and in Europe it has been occurring with increasing frequency, intensity, and duration in the last decades. Due to climate change, land cover changes, and intensive land use, the Carpathian Region is one of the areas at highest drought risk in Europe. In order to analyze the drought events over the last 50 yr in the area, we used a 1961–2010 daily gridded temperature and precipitation dataset. From this, monthly 0.1° × 0.1° grids of four drought indicators (Standardized Precipitation-Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI), Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI), Reconnaissance Drought Indicator (RDI), and Palfai Aridity/Drought Index (PADI)) have been calculated. SPI, SPEI, and RDI have been computed at different time scales (3, 6, and 12 months), whilst PADI has been computed on an annual basis. The dataset used in this paper has been constructed in the framework of the CARPATCLIM project, run by a consortium of institutions from 9 countries (Austria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, and Ukraine) with scientific support by the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission. Temperature and precipitation station data have been collected, quality-checked, completed, homogenized, and interpolated on the 0.1° × 0.1° grid, and drought indicators have been consequently calculated on the grid itself. Monthly and annual series of the cited indicators are presented, together with high-resolution maps and statistical analysis of their correlation. A list of drought events between 1961 and 2010, based on the agreement of the indicators, is presented. We also discuss three case studies: drought in 1990, 2000, and 2003. The drought indicators have been compared both on spatial and temporal scales: it resulted that SPI, SPEI, and RDI are highly comparable, especially over a 12-month accumulation period. SPEI, which includes PET (Potential Evapo-Transpiration) as RDI does, proved to perform best if drought is caused by heat waves, whilst SPI performed best if drought is mainly driven by a rainfall deficit, because SPEI and RDI can be extreme in dry periods. According to PADI, the Carpathian Region has a sufficient natural water supply on average, with some spots that fall into the ''mild dry'' class, and this is also confirmed by the FAO-UNEP aridity index and the Koppen-Geiger climate classification.


Stars are fossils that retain the history of their host galaxies. Elements heavier than helium are created inside stars and are ejected when they die. From the spatial distribution of elements in galaxies, it is therefore possible to constrain the physical processes during galaxy formation and evolution. This approach, Galactic archaeology, has been popularly used for our Milky Way Galaxy with a vast amount of data from Gaia satellite and multi-object spectrographs to understand the origins of sub-structures of the Milky Way. Thanks to integral field units, this approach can also be applied to external galaxies from nearby to distant universe with the James Webb Space Telescope. In order to interpret these observational data, it is necessary to compare with theoretical predictions, namely chemodynamical simulations of galaxies, which include detailed chemical enrichment into hydrodynamical simulations from cosmological initial conditions. These simulations can predict the evolution of internal structures (e.g., metallicity radial gradients) as well as that of scaling relations (e.g., the mass-metallicity relations). After explaining the formula and assumptions, we will show some example results, and discuss future prospects.


In this paper, we introduce a state transformation to study the stability of a switched linear system, where each subsystem of the switched linear system is unstable. Some sufficient conditions are derived to ensure such switched linear systems to be asymptotically stable.


The bound-polaron problem in a purely two-dimensional quantum well is studied variationally for the entire range of the electron-phonon coupling constant and the Coulomb binding parameter. The ground-state energy, the average number of virtual phonons around the electron and the size of the polaron are calculated. A comparison made with the corresponding quantities for bulk crystals shows that the polaronic effects are more pronounced in two dimensions. The energies of the first two excited states are obtained and the phonon-induced Lamb shift corrections are computed for several polar materials.


Software clone refactoring has been studied from many perspectives,including empirical research on clone refactoring history, IDE supportfor tracking clone change, and recommendation systems for clonemanagement.  Most of the work relies on having access to and being ableto analyze the history of clone refactoring. However, refactoring clonedcode is not equivalent to clone management, as code refactoring can bemotivated by goals unrelated to cloning. In this position paper, weintroduce a dataset of intentional clone refactoring, which is producedby keywords matching in commit messages within the version control systemof Linux kernel. By investigating two important clone evolution scenarios--- clone removal and inconsistent changes --- in subsystems of Linuxkernel, we find that intentional clone refactoring accounts for only asmall proportion of all detected clone evolution.


ABSTRACT This special issue questions the assumption that migrant populations have near complete information about the policies of their country of destination/settlement and that they take these policy measures into account, be they policies on control or on integration. Our pilot case studies ask first of all what kind of information migrants have with regard to the migration control and integration policies of their receiving country. Second, we check where or from whom migrants get this information. Third, and most importantly, we investigate whether and in what ways do migrants take these policy measures into account in designing and executing their migration plans. In other words, we ask whether migrants meet the migration policies at specific points of their migration journey and what the impact of this 'meeting' is on the migrants' plans. In this chapter we put the case studies into their theoretical and empirical context: we discuss the notion of migrant today, the new forms of international migration and the notion of migration system. We also explain the research design adopted in the study and the structure of the case chapters that follow.


The effect of cAMP on the activity of Na(+)-K(+) ATPase in the rat jejunum was studied by measuring the ouabain-sensitive (86)Rb accumulation by isolated villus cells. The cyclic nucleotide increased significantly (86)Rb accumulation by the enterocytes. The involvement of the NaKCl(2) symporter, the H(+)-K(+) exchanger and the Na(+)-K(+) pump was tested by measuring, respectively the furosemide-sensitive, the omeprazole sensitive, and the ouabain-sensitive (86)Rb accumulation. Furosemide significantly increased the basal level of intracellular (86)Rb and exerted overlapping effects with cAMP. Inhibiting the Na(+)-H(+) exchanger with amiloride, decreased the basal level of intracellular (86)Rb, and in its presence the stimulatory effect of cAMP was still observed but not that of furosemide. cAMP and furosemide did not exert any significant effect on (86)Rb accumulation by the enterocytes in presence of ouabain or in the absence of sodium but their stimulatory effect still appeared in the absence of chloride or in the presence of omeprazole or K(+)-channel blockers. These data suggest that cAMP and furosemide stimulate the Na(+)-K(+) ATPase in rat jejunal cells, and that this effect is, in the case of furosemide, mediated by an activation of the Na(+)-H(+) exchanger.


Zebrafish, a suitable and widely used teleost fish model in basic biomedical research, displays morphophysiological features of adult gonads that share some commonalities with those of mammalian species. In mammals, gametogenesis is regulated, among several factors, by brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). This neurotrophin has a well‐established role in the developing and adult nervous system, as well as gonads development and functions in vertebrate species. We hypothesize that BDNF has a role also in the gonadal functions of zebrafish. At this purpose, we investigated BDNF and its receptors p75 and TrkB in the ovary and testis of adult zebrafish, kept under laboratory conditions. Our results display (1) the expression of BDNF mRNA and pro‐BDNF protein outside of the nervous system, specifically in the ovary and testis; (2) the presence of pro‐BDNF in primary oocytes and follicular layer, and p75 in follicular cells; (3) the localization of pro‐BDNF in type B spermatogonia, and Sertoli cells in testis. Altogether, these data lead us to consider that BDNF is involved in the gonadal function of adult zebrafish, and mainly in the adult ovary. Anat Rec, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Anat Rec, 301:140–147, 2018. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


Published in one of the most prestigious German publishing house Vahlen in 2008, the second edition of [the book entitled] "Retail Management" includes not only a third author (Bernhard Swoboda) as a recognition of his scientific work and writings, but also a tremendous improvement of the scientific content. Furthermore, this edition offers a consistent update by new practical examples, case studies and research overviews in each chapter. The present work is even more valuable due to the dual approach of retailing, commerce or trade – both from the management perspective and especially from the marketing one. As a matter of fact, the work of the three authors is nothing else but a sustainable and comprising approach of all management activities of a retailing company, which a marketing and management specialist has to know in order to adequately steer a retail company. The quality of the book is also underlined by about 1.200 used literary sources. The majority of them are Anglo-American one.


Tidsskrift for kjønnsforskning offers open and special issues, and welcomes contributions. Future special issues include "Purchases and sales of household services" (deadline 1 April 2015), "Indigeneity" (1 September 2015), and "Religion" (1 March 2016). Issue no. 1 for 2015 is an open issue, offering articles about: pickup artists, in the context of the commercialization of sex and a therapeutic ethos (Simen Andersen Øyen and Fredrik Langeland), women and patriarchy in seventeenth-century devotional literature for bereaved women (Jon Haarberg), honour violence in relation to self-narratives (Louise Lund Liebmann), and the rise to political power and subsequent career of Gro Harlem Brundtland (Anne Krogstad).


Colombia is listed as the second largest country in plant diversity in the world, presenting more than 6000 species of endemic plants. The different genus and species of plants, as well as the various environments encountered in the country, are responsible for the countless amount of endophytic bacteria and fungi. So far, only a few endophytic microorganisms were isolated in Colombia, including the genera Pseudomonas, Burkholderia, Chromobacterium, Curtobacterium, Acremonium, Alternaria, Aspergillus and Fusarium, which have been isolated from rice, coffee, rose, grass and Espeletia plants. Fungi and bacteria isolated from these plants have great potential for use in biocontrol, bioremediation and in promoting plant growth. Colombia for its rich flora have become a promising country for finding new microorganisms associated with plants, especially those with potential for food industry, pharmaceuticals and agriculture.


Moraxella lacunata is a rare coccobacillus associated with eye and upper respiratory tract infections. It may also have an affinity for bone and joint tissue. We report on 1 case of subacute osteomyelitis of the patella due to M. lacunata that presented as an osteolytic bone lesion in a child.


PRDX6 is a bifunctional protein involved in antioxidant regulation and phospholipid metabolism. Previous studies have shown that PRDX6 is involved in some biological pathways and networks related to lactation. The aim of this study was to explore the characteristics, function, tissue expression and variation of buffalo PRDX6 gene. We cloned and characterized the complete coding sequence (CDS) of buffalo PRDX6. The CDS of PRDX6 for swamp and river buffalo is the same, which consists of 675 nucleotides and encodes a protein of 224 amino acids. Buffalo PRDX6 contains one PRX_1cys functional domain (AA 7–222), which is probably related to the regulation of oxidative stress. Multi-tissue differential expression analysis showed that buffalo PRDX6 was highly expressed in the muscle, brain, lung and small intestine during non-lactation and lactation, and there were significant differences in expression in all the tissues except the small intestine between the two periods. It is worth noting that the mRNA abundance of buffalo PRDX6 in non-lactating mammary gland is higher than that in lactating mammary gland. Among the two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) identified in the CDS in this study, c.261C>T is shared by the two types of buffalo with different allelic frequencies, and c.426T>G is found only in river buffalo. The c.426T>G is non-synonymous, resulting in the amino acid substitution p.Asn142Lys. Only one nucleotide differential site is identified in PRDX6 gene between buffalo and other species of Bovidae. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that buffalo PRDX6 has a closer genetic relationship with that of the species in Bovidae. These results indicate that PRDX6 probably plays a crucial role in the mammary gland of buffalo. This study provides the foundation for further functional studies of PRDX6 in buffalo.


Due to the existence of end-effects and the changing operational conditions, the parameters of linear induction motor (LIM) are variable. In this paper, model reference adaptive method is applied to the parameter identification of linear induction motor. Based on the proposed method, the magnetizing inductance and secondary resistance, which are both the most variable in the equivalent circuit of LIM due to end-effects, can be identified on-line simultaneously. Simulation and experiment results show great performance of the proposed scheme. It can be used in the high performance control of LIM.


Background:Multi-drug resistant(MDR) Acinetobacter baumannii and Pseudomonas aeruginosa are major causes of nosocomial infections globally. They are the current World Health Organization critical priority pathogens for resistance and discovery of new antibiotics. However, there is paucity of data on nosocomial infections caused by such superbugs in Ethiopia.Therfore, this study determined the magnitude and profile of nosocomial MDR Acinetobacter baumannii and Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections among patients hospitalized at Felegehiwot referral hospital, Northwest Ethiopia.Methods:A cross-sectional study was conducted at Felegehiwot referral hospital from April 1 to July 31, 2018.A total of 238 patients presumptive for blood stream, urinary tract and surgical site nosocomial infections were enrolled using convenient sampling technique.Either blood, urine and wound swab specimens were collected and processed using standard bacteriological procedures.A.baumannii and P.aeruginosa isolates were identified using standard bacteriological techniques and confirmed by automated Vitek2 Compact.Antimicrobial susceptibility testing on isolates was performed using the disk diffusion technique.The results interpreted as per the standard zone sizes of Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute.Chi-square test was done to determine associations among variables.P.value< 0.05 was considered statistical significant. Results:The median age of participants was 29 years.Overall, 20(8.4%) of patients had nosocomial MDR A.baumannii and P.aeruginosa infections.The proportion of nosocomial MDR blood stream, urinary tract and surgical site infections were 13(8.9%),5(8.3%) and 2(6.3%), respectively. The mean age of patients with nosocomial infection was significantly lower (24.9 years) than their counter parts (29.6years) (P=0.035). All isolates of nosocomial infections were from patients with intravenous catheterization.The frequency of nosocomial MDR A.baumannii infection was 9(3.8%) and for P.aeruginosa nosocomial infections was 11(4.6%). A.baumannii and P.aeruginosa isolates were 100% MDR.MDR A.baumannii isolates were 100% resistant to ampicillin and piperacillin.MDR P.aeruginosa isolates was 100% resistant to ampicillin, piperacillin, cefotaxime and ceftriaxone.On the other hand, A.baumannii isolates showed 36.4% and 44.5% resistance against ciprofloxacin and meropenem while P.aeruginosa isolates revealed 33.3% and 45.5% resistance against Pseudomonas aeruginosa.Conclusions:Health care associated MDR A.baumannii and P.aeruginosa infections are critical problems in the study area.Therefore,urgent focused interventions required to contain the spreading of MDR NIs.Treatment of NIs for patients on health care should be guided by antimicrobial susceptibility testing.


Playing online games has become a popular activity among youngsters. This one-shot-survey study explores (a) the individual psychological characteristics of online players, (b) the reasons for playing online games and (c) online players' relationship with friend in terms of friendship quality and number of friends. The results suggest that online players are neither shy nor depressive. They score high on sensation seeking and self-esteem and aggression. Youths play online games mainly for entertainment reasons and for contacting friends. Online players and non-players do not differ with non-players is terms of number of real friends. Players' friendship quality seems to be poor, though.


RAV (related to ABI3/VP1) protein containing an AP2 domain in the N-terminal region and a B3 domain in the C-terminal region, which belongs to AP2 transcription factor family, is unique in higher plants. In this study, a gene (GhRAV1) encoding a RAV protein of 357 amino acids was identified in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum). Transient expression analysis of the eGFP:GhRAV1 fusion genes in tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) epidermal cells revealed that GhRAV1 protein was localized in the cell nucleus. Quantitative RT-PCR analysis indicated that expression of GhRAV1 in cotton is induced by abscisic acid (ABA), NaCl and polyethylene glycol (PEG). Overexpression of GhRAV1 in Arabidopsis resulted in plant sensitive to ABA, NaCl and PEG. With abscisic acid (ABA) treatment, seed germination and green seedling rates of the GhRAV1 transgenic plants were remarkably lower than those of wild type. In the presence of NaCl, the seed germination and seedling growth of the GhRAV1 transgenic lines were inhibited greater than those of wild type. And chlorophyll content and maximum photochemical efficiency of the transgenic plants were significantly lower than those of wild type. Under drought stress, the GhRAV1 transgenic plants displayed more severe wilting than wild type. Furthermore, expressions of the stress-related genes were altered in the GhRAV1 transgenic Arabidopsis plants under high salinity and drought stresses. Collectively, our data suggested that GhRAV1 may be involved in response to high salinity and drought stresses through regulating expressions of the stress-related genes during cotton development.


Many philosophers consider favouritism toward humans in the context of moral choice to be a prejudice. Several terms are used for it – 'speciesism', 'human chauvinism', 'human racism', and 'anthropocentrism' – with somewhat varying and often blurred meanings, which brings confusion to the issue. This essay suggests that only one term, 'speciesism', be used, and it attempts a conceptual clarification. To this end it proposes a set of conditions of adequacy for a concept that would be acceptable to the parties of the controversy. Through an examination of various forms of alleged speciesism it eventually proposes a rather precise concept. On this definition some positions believed not to be speciesist perhaps should be so called, and some positions believed to be speciesist perhaps should not be so called. The latter would better be referred to as 'humanistic ethics' or 'non-speciesist humanism'.


OF THE THESIS Differential Interactions between the Holliday Junction-Binding Antimicrobial Peptide wrwycr and Two DNA Gyrase Inhibitors: wrwycr's Effects on Membrane Integrity and Drug Efflux by Ilham Naili Master of Science in Microbiology San Diego State University, 2011 The synthetic peptide wrwycr binds Holliday junctions and other branched DNA repair intermediates, and interferes in vitro with enzymes that participate in DNA repair. Peptide wrwycr is bactericidal for both Gramand Gram+ bacteria. Because peptide wrwycr is synergistically lethal with DNA-damaging agents such as UV and mitomycin C, we hypothesized that the peptide traps DNA repair intermediates that arise during the repair of DNA damage. Therefore, we investigated the potential synergy between peptide wrwycr and two distinct topoisomerase II inhibitors: norfloxacin, a fluoroquinolone antibiotic that stabilizes open DNA complexes, and novobiocin, a coumarin that inhibits their ATPase activity. Repair of breaks caused by topoisomerases II requires recombination-dependent DNA repair. Co-treatments with sublethal concentrations of peptide wrwycr and a bacteriostatic concentration of norfloxacin indicated synergy only at high sublethal concentrations of the peptide. Surprisingly, low sublethal concentrations of wrwycr protected cells from the effects of norfloxacin: co-treated cells showed increased cell viability and reduced DNA damage compared to treatment with norfloxacin alone. E. coli lacking tolC lost this "protection", and wrwycr co-treatment with norfloxacin induces the expression of TolC and its regulator MarA. In contrast, wrwycr demonstrated synergistic lethality with novobiocin even at low peptide concentration. We propose that this synergy is due not only to inhibition of DNA damage repair but also to the peptide-mediated increased membrane permeability, thereby permitting novobiocin to be more efficient.


Membrane bioreactor (MBR) technology, a combination of traditional activated sludge and membrane filtration, has been widely used for industrial wastewater treatment and reclamation. This paper highlights a pilot-scale MBR system treating textile wastewater from a textile factory in Taiwan. Over 7 months of continuous operation, the average MBR influent chemical oxygen demand (COD) is 332 mg/L, and the average effluent COD is 38 mg/L, which results in approximately 88% COD removal. A reverse osmosis (RO) module is installed after 2 months of MBR operation and uses the MBR permeate as its influent. The RO produces pure water with average COD, conductivity, and color of 7 mg/L, 16 μS/cm, and 7 Pt-Co, respectively. The RO permeate is suitable for reuse in manufacturing processes, and the RO membrane shows stable performance with TMP, which is less than or equal to 0.5 kg/cm2 during the test. The study demonstrates the great feasibility of MBR combined with RO for treating and reclaiming textile wastewater.


Theoretical and practical features of the management of communal property in accordance with the current legislation of Ukraine are studied. The position on the need to qualitatively expand the content of the existing principles of communal property management was supported. The author is of the opinion that the formation of effective local self-government as part of the goal of the administrative-territorial reform introduced in Ukraine requires, among other things, taking into account the general principles of economic activity, including greater dispositiveness in decision-making by local governments.
Gaps have been identified within the limits set by the current legislation for the management of communally owned property in correlation with approaches to the implementation of business relations in Ukraine.
An analysis of the current legal framework governing the boundaries and procedures for decision-making on the management of communal property revealed a lack of declarative rules that determine the prerequisites and procedures for the transfer of communal property from the common property of territorial communities in Ukraine. Author expressed an opinion that the existing procedure of managing objects of property rights of territorial communities, as an element of powers of the property owner, restrains the action of the principle of material and financial independence of local self-government enshrined in the Constitution of Ukraine.
It has been established that one of the key criteria that should be followed by entities empowered to manage communal property is social orientation in making any organizational and business decisions.
The idea of outsourcing as one of the most pragmatic ways to improve the efficiency of communal property management is supported given its wide range of optimization properties. The author also noted the possibility of delimitation of powers between local governments to manage the common property of territorial communities in the context of contractual relations established on the basis of voluntary cooperation and mutual responsibility.


Exogenous insulin exists primarily as the monomer in human plasma. However, in U100 regular insulin formulations, the concentrations of zinc and peptide are such that the insulin hexamer predominates. The biologic result is further disassociation to the monomer after subcutaneous or i.v. administration. Because of this, human plasma from seven normal controls dissolved 20-30 microm hexagonal insulin crystals in 3-8 min. This ability was inhibited by acid titration to a stable pH of 6.30, at which point bicarbonate depletion could be suggested. Repletion of bicarbonate remarkably restored the solvent effect, while back-titration to the initial pH without repleting bicarbonate had only a moderate result. To establish whether the in vivo reduction of bicarbonate in pathologic states had similar results, plasma from five Type I diabetics in severe acidosis (pH 7.06 +/- 0.04, HCO3 -7.3 +/- 0.6 mmol/l) was similarly studied after stabilization under 5% CO2 (pH, 6.97-7.17). In all cases, the dissolution of insulin crystals was inhibited (dissolution times greater than 25 min). When bicarbonate was replenished (HCO3- 24.1-26.7 mmol/l) and pH accordingly renormalized (pH 7.39-7.43), the dissolution of insulin crystals was completely restored. Because of these observations, we conclude that both plasma bicarbonate and pH markedly affect the dissolution of insulin and that reduced bicarbonate/pH in diabetic ketoacidosis may limit the availability of the biologically active monomer. These influences may play a role in the initial insensitivity to insulin frequently seen in severe insulin deficiency and ketoacidosis.


The cultural aspects, life styles, experiences, beliefs and perspectives of Chinese immigrants and Chinese students in Britain have been incorporated into the literature in English with the arrival of the Chinese immigrants in Britain in the 1960s. Sour Sweet by Timothy Mo, which was first published in 1982, mirrors the Chinese immigrants' lives in Britain in the 1960s with a focus on the Chen family whereas A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers by Xiaolu Guo is about the struggle of a single Chinese woman to learn English in Britain. The latter was published in 2007 and chronicles monthly how Z learns English in 2003. Despite the temporal gap of 40 years between the novels and the dynamics of the characters' move to Britain, there are many similarities between the women portrayed in the novels as far as their problems, reactions, emotions, thoughts and change during their experience in Britain are concerned. The female characters in these novels, Lily and Mui in Sour Sweet, and Z in A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers, struggle with problems stemming from Chinese culture, tradition, morality and family structure as well as economic, social and cultural difficulties in Britain. The English language seems to be the most formidable obstacle because their linguistic development takes long time, a great deal of energy and much effort on the part of the characters portrayed in Sour Sweet and A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers not to mention the lack of communication, misunderstandings and subsequent isolation. Inevitably, their social, financial and cultural hindrances are complicated and exacerbated by their inadequate language skills. Indeed, improvement of their foreign language skills, English, takes precedence over social, cultural and economic elements and their survival and success in Britain are consequential to and conditional on speaking English. No matter how eager or * Asst. Prof. Dr., Maltepe University, Faculty of Education, Department of Foreign Language Teaching, firstname.lastname@example.com © 2012, Hacettepe University Faculty of Letters, All Rights Reserved 'Sorry of my English': Lily and Mui in Sour Sweet and Z in A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers 168 resistant they are to the impositions of the British culture, they realize that speaking English is a must in Britain. Although the restaurant business and ensuing isolation in Sour Sweet are detrimental to linguistic development for the first generation immigrants, all Chinese people in these novels are exposed to the unassailable effects of the English language sooner or later. Consequently, Lily and Mui in Sour Sweet and Z in A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers are obliged to develop their English, which parallels their emancipation from male domination. It is obvious that the more adept they become at speaking English, the better and more comfortable their lives become.


The DNA translocase function of Bacillus subtilis SpoIIIE is essential for spore development and is important during vegetative growth for moving trapped chromosomal DNA away from division septa. Two papers in this issue of Molecular Microbiology, from the teams of Peter Graumann and William Burkholder, have characterized a second SpoIIIE/FtsK‐like protein in B. subtilis, SftA. This protein lacks any recognizable transmembrane domain possessed by the other characterized members of the family, yet the protein is shown to be associated with the division septum and, like SpoIIIE, is required for clearing DNA from the septum. However, SftA and SpoIIIE act at different stages of septation and together they ensure maximum fidelity in chromosome segregation.


This study was carried out to assess the standard of personnel radiation protection practices in industrial radiography in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. A non-experimental prospective survey design was used for the study. A sample size of 11 inspection Companies and 26 radiation workers were randomly selected for the survey. The objectives of the study were to determine the standard of personnel radiation monitoring practices, training given to personnel, quality assurance practices and to assess the adequacy of the work area design used for industrial radiography. Results showed that personnel are provided with radiation monitoring devices and are routinely monitored. They undergo medical check ups and attend periodic seminars. However, majority of the personnel were not fundamentally trained in radiography prior to industrial radiography work. Regular quality assurance tests were done and the work area design was adequate. Results suggest that adequate fundamental training of personnel in general radiography prior to industrial radiography work will further improve the standard of personnel radiation protection practices in industrial radiography. Nigerian Medical Practitioner Vol. 54 (3-4) 2008: pp. 61-65


In this research the authors investigate the opportunities of suppression of CC-FWM produced inter channel crosstalk by introducing unequal channel spacing in an 8-channel DWM transmission system with a single-pump FOPA used for signal amplification. The frequency spacing between the neighbor channels was consistently increased from 50 GHz to 125 GHz with steps of 12.5 GHz, thus the overall frequency band used from transmission was just 0.6125 THz. In order to estimate the performance of the provided solution, the dependence of bit-error ratio (BER) values on the power of the detected signal was obtained in the channel with the highest BER. These results were compared with the corresponding results obtained the same WDM transmission system but with 100 GHz channel spacing.


Because the complications resulting from IV therapy started outside the hospital seem inordinately higher than those resulting from IV therapy started in the emergency department, we undertook a comparative two-month study of the complications resulting from both sources. We found the number and severity of complications from IV therapy started in the field significantly greater than complications from that started in the ED. The phlebitis rate in the prehospital group was 4.65 times that in the ED group (P less than .001). The percentage of patients with unexplained fever in the prehospital group was 5.58 times that in the ED group (P less than .01). Means for reducing the complications and areas for further research are suggested.


Welcome to the Physiotherapy Research Guide. This guide brings together Library resources at the University of Melbourne Library, both in print and online, that are relevant to Physiotherapy. Physiotherapy Databases


Antisense peptides are defined as those generated from the non-coding strand of DNA, and represent a peptide analog to antisense RNA technologies. Peptides generated from both parallel and anti-parallel readings of the non-coding strand of DNA have displayed biological activity, although considerable controversy exists concerning the mechanism(s) by which these "anti-peptides" exert their effects. This paper provides a critical review of some of the key data and issues defining this emerging field and focuses on contradictions and discrepancies in the current studies. We also suggest some directions for future research such as more physico-chemical studies and the use of combinatorial chemistry techniques combined with solid phase binding studies to test, once and for all, the generality and specificity of antisense peptide interactions.


The oxidation resistance of four prototype single crystal nickel-based superalloys for industrial gas turbine applications is studied. All contain greater quantities of Cr than in most existing single crystal superalloys; two are alloyed with Si, one with Re. To explain the results, the factors known to influence the rate of Al\(_2\)O\(_3\) scale formation are considered. Models are developed to predict whether any given alloy composition will form a continuous Al\(_2\)O\(_3\) scale. These are used to rationalise the dependence of Al\(_2\)O\(_3\) scale formation on alloy composition in these systems. The mechanical behaviour of a new single crystal nickel-based superalloy for industrial gas turbine applications is also studied under creep and out-of-phase thermomechanical fatigue (TMF) conditions. Neutron diffraction methods and thermodynamic modelling are used to quantify the variation of the gamma prime (\(\gamma\)') strengthening phase around the \( \gamma\)' solvus temperature; these aid the design of primary ageing heat treatments to develop either uniform or bimodal microstructures of the \( \gamma\)' phase. During TMF, localised shear banding occurs with the \( \gamma\)' phase penetrated by dislocations; however during creep the dislocation activity is restricted to the matrix phase. The factors controlling TMF resistance are rationalised.


A case of blood culture-negative aortic and mitral valve infective endocarditis caused by the bacterium Tropheryma whipplei is reported. A 33-year-old man showed no clinical manifestations of Whipple's disease, with the exception of arthralgia as given in his history. The disease was complicated by recurrent cerebral and left upper limb embolization of vegetations. The causative agent was detected in a valve sample using broad-range polymerase chain reaction. The patient underwent successful surgery (aortic and mitral valve replacement) and his clinical condition during six-month antibiotic therapy was good.


Glass compositions in the Y2O3–Al2O3–SiO2 (YAS) system are envisaged as promising coatings for high-temperature protection, in particular for the thermal protection systems (TPS) looked for aerospace applications. Recently, thermally sprayed YAS hybrid coatings containing a small amount of graphene nanoplateletes (GNPs) showed enhanced performance as compared to the blank YAS coating, demonstrated by the occurrence of unusual electrical conductivity for these glasses and the development of better mechanical compliance, both phenomena associated with the presence of GNPs. Nevertheless, a crucial issue is to demonstrate if these kinds of coatings would also have superior behavior under ablation conditions, particularly regarding the mentioned TPS applications. This work goes far beyond, exploring the ablative behavior of new YAS/GNPs coatings flame sprayed over SiC substrates. These essential tests were carried out under laboratory conditions, reaching limit temperatures of 1350°C while blowing gas. Results evidence that hybrid coatings having just 1.05 vol% GNPs show enhanced ablation resistance, actually withstanding up to 30 thermal cycles (between 200°C and 1350°C) without apparent damage. This satisfactory performance is linked to the benefits of the GNP additions, and fundamentally to the higher emissivity and the directional thermal conduction characteristics of the hybrid coatings—produced by the formation of a GNP network with a preferential surface parallel arrangement—that preclude the creation of hot spots and also hinder heat propagation toward the substrate; accordingly, coating degradation is constrained to the uppermost layer of these coatings.


The SARS-CoV-2 vaccines have had an overwhelming success in curbing the COVID-19 global pandemic, accounting for countless lives saved. Adverse reactions are inevitable, given the vast scale of vaccination required to mitigate future surges of COVID-19. Hyperthyroid disorders have been reported as potential adverse reactions to SARS-CoV-2 vaccines in two patients with Graves' disease and a group of adults with subacute thyroiditis occurring in young women healthcare workers. We report a case of clinical Graves' disease in a woman with a previously stable multinodular goitre that occurred 14 days following her second dose of Pfizer-BioNTech SARS-CoV-2 vaccine.


These days, illiteracy is still a major problem. There is empirical evidence that auditory phoneme discrimination is one of the factors contributing to written language acquisition. The current study investigated auditory phoneme discrimination in participants who did not acquire written language sufficiently. Auditory phoneme discrimination was analyzed in illiterate adults and literate controls by recording event-related brain potentials (ERPs) while participants listened to standard and deviant phonemes (oddball paradigm). The results showed that only literate controls yielded mismatch negativity (MMN), the characteristic ERP marker for auditory discrimination. In illiterates, no discernible MMN was observed. These findings indicate the importance of written language acquisition for the development and maintenance of auditory phoneme discrimination. The reduced ability in discriminating phonemes in adult illiterates suggests potential training measures concerning literacy acquisition in these adults.


Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a devastating disease that is almost uniformly lethal within the first year of diagnosis and is the fourth leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States. Activating mutations in the KRAS protooncogene are found in nearly all human PDAC cases as well as in early putative PDAC precursor lesions, pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasias (PanINs). Modeling of PDAC has been achieved through expression of an activated Kras allele in mouse pancreas that results in PanINs similar to those found in humans. PanINs develop focally, however, despite ubiquitous expression of mutant Kras suggesting that other factors must be involved in Kras-induced PanIN formation. Due to ubiquitous expression of mutant Kras in the pancreas, it is unknown which cell type, or types, can contribute to PanINs. This thesis aims to understand the cellular events that lead to Kras-induced PanIN formation, and to identify the cellular origin of PDAC. We find that mature acinar cells of the adult pancreas are competent to form PanIN lesions following Kras activation, and this process is dramatically accelerated by co-activation of the Notch signaling pathway, which antagonizes differentiation during pancreas development, but is largely inactive in the adult. Lineage tracing indicates that Kras/Notch co-activation drives rapid acinar-to-ductal metaplasia (ADM) during which acinar cells take on a duct-like phenotype, providing a mechanism by which acinar cells can serve as the origin of a "ductal" tumor. During ADM, acinar cells lose expression of Ptf1a, a transcription factor that is considered the master regulator of acinar cell identity. To test the requirement for Notch in PanIN initiation we deleted the key Notch mediator RbpJ. Surprisingly, we found that loss of RbpJ resulted in an increase in Kras-induced PanIN formation. In the pancreas, however, RbpJ is part of the Ptf1a complex and we suspect that loss of RbpJ could alter Ptf1a complex function and perturb acinar cell differentiation, which could allow for Kras to drive PanIN formation. We formally tested whether loss of Ptf1a would allow for increased Kras-driven PanIN formation and found that, in the presence of activated Kras, Ptf1a null acinar cells rapidly formed PanINs. Expression loss of key differentiation factors resulting in ADM may in fact be the initial step towards Kras induced tumorigenesis. ADM is similarly seen during acute pancreatitis, although, ultimately, acinar differentiation is restored during the regeneration process. We find that inducing pancreatitis in animals harboring active Kras mutations results in rapid and robust PanIN initiation


OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this review is to critically examine studies that have examined investigated the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and functional or medical outcomes and other health variables in patients with non-neurologic medical conditions.

METHOD
Databases OVID Medline and Embase were systematically searched through April 2020, yielding 281 articles that were separately screened for inclusion. Study characteristics extracted from retained articles are presented in Table S1 (online supplemental materials).

RESULTS
Thirty-six articles were retained. Cognitive impairment as assessed by the MoCA was associated with adverse health variables including increased morbidity/mortality, poorer functional abilities, increased length of hospital stay, and increased hospital readmissions in 34 of 36 articles.

CONCLUSIONS
Cognitive impairment as detected by the MoCA was shown in 34 of 36 studies to be associated with worse functional or medical status compared to those with better cognitive functioning across a variety of medical populations. Further research is needed to better understand how to best use the MoCA to potentially inform treatment planning in medical populations, including referral for more detailed neuropsychological evaluation. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).


The techniques for producing high quality holographic diffraction gratings are investigated. These gratings are formed by recording the fringes of an optical interference pattern in such a way as to give grooves in a highly reflecting surface, and have been found to be superior to ruled gratings in terms of resolving power, although the sinusoidal groove profile means that the efficiency cannot be controlled easily. In order to produce gratings of high quality, care must be taken in the design of the apparatus used to form the fringes. It is shown that the two interfering wavefronts must be identical in curvature and accurately plane (r ≫ 20m) in order to form an accurate plane grating. The effects of the light source and environmental changes on the quality of the pattern are investigated, and the apparatus is designed to minimise these effects. Stability tests of the fringe system show that it is satisfactory. The fringes are recorded in positive photoresist (Shipley AZ1350), which becomes soluble on exposure to light. The techniques for preparing the blanks by spin coating and developing the exposed gratings are discussed. The exposure characteristics of the photoresist are measured and the groove profile for various combinations of exposure and development time is calculated. It is found that the minimum distortion from a sinusoidal groove profile results when the gratings are given a small, constant exposure to the fringes and the groove depth is changed by varying the development time. The resist surface is metallised to give a high quality reflection grating. The efficiency of the gratings as a function of angle of incidence, wavelength and groove depth is investigated in various configurations. It is found that for coarse gratings (λ/d ≲0.25) with highly reflecting surfaces, simple scalar theory is sufficient to explain the observed behaviour. For gratings with larger values of λ/d, there are fewer propagating orders and a corresponding increase in the intensity of the high orders. This introduces Wood's anomalies, which are rapid variations of efficiency occurring when one of the orders passes off the grating. These are polarisation dependant and cannot be explained on simple theories. The basic properties of rigorous theories which assume a perfect metal are considered. These are found to be inaccurate in the region of the S polarised (E perpendicular to the grooves) anomaly. The recent theories which take account of the optical properties of the metal are shown to predict accurately the observed variation of efficiency even in the region of the anomalies. The dependence of the grating properties on the metal coating has been shown to be due to an interaction between the radiation field and the electrons of the metal coating. This surface plasmon resonance is investigated in detail. The phenomena caused by the resonance are found to be: i) A net absorption of energy by the grating; ii) Redistribution of energy between the orders of the grating; iii) An increase in the scattered light from the grating; iv) A well defined angular distribution of scattered light. The phenomena only occur with S-polarised incident light. The conditions under which the resonance occurs are investigated and the effects are observed. The dependence of the resonance on groove depth is also investigated. It is shown how observations of the surface plasmon resonance may provide information concerning the properties of electron waves on periodic surfaces. Finally, some applications of the holographic gratings made during this work are discussed. These are: i) Radiation resistant gratings for use in synchrotron radiation; ii) Gratings for tunable lasers; iii) A multichannel spectrometer using a composite grating; iv) Holographic zone plates as imaging elements.


Technical analysis is a widely used tool in making investment decisions. Nowadays it becomes very popular in the context of big data analysis and artificial intelligence framework. Although the analysis of the results of indicators in certain markets often becomes the axis of technical analysis research, it is difficult to find articles aimed at applying and comparing this analysis in different markets. This paper attempts to answer the question of whether technical analysis indicators work in the same or different ways in the US, European, and Asian stock markets. For this purpose, 8 indicators are calculated, and their results are compared in three selected markets. The correlation between the indicators themselves in individual markets is also determined. It has been observed that the performance of technical analysis is similar in different markets so this type of analysis can be used in artificial intelligence framework.


Gender is an important risk factor in predicting chronic kidney disease (CKD); however, it is under-researched. The purpose of this study was to examine whether gender differences affect the risk factors of early CKD prediction. This study used data from 19,270 adult health screenings, including 5101 with CKD, to screen for 11 independent variables selected as risk factors and to test for the significant effects of statistical Chi-square test variables, using seven machine learning techniques to train the predictive models. Performance indicators included classification accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and precision. Unbalanced category issues were addressed using three extraction methods: manual sampling, the synthetic minority oversampling technique, and SpreadSubsample. The Chi-square test revealed statistically significant results (p < 0.001) for gender, age, red blood cell count in urine, urine protein (PRO) content, and the PRO-to-urinary creatinine ratio. In terms of classifier prediction performance, the manual extraction method, logistic regression, exhibited the highest average prediction accuracy rate (0.8053) for men, whereas the manual extraction method, linear discriminant analysis, demonstrated the highest average prediction accuracy rate (0.8485) for women. The clinical features of a normal or abnormal PRO-to-urinary creatinine ratio indicated that PRO ratio, age, and urine red blood cell count are the most important risk factors with which to predict CKD in both genders. As a result, this study proposes a prediction model with acceptable prediction accuracy. The model supports doctors in diagnosis and treatment and achieves the goal of early detection and treatment. Based on the evidence-based medicine, machine learning methods are used to develop predictive model in this study. The model has proven to support the prediction of early clinical risk of CKD as much as possible to improve the efficacy and quality of clinical decision making.


Food choices and eating habits are learned from many sources. The school environment plays a significant role in teaching and modeling health behaviors. For some children, foods consumed at school can provide a major portion of their daily nutrient intake. Foods and beverages consumed at school can come from two major sources: (1) Federally funded programs that include the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), the School Breakfast Program (SBP), and after-school snacks and (2) competitive sources that include vending machines, "a la carte" sales in the school cafeteria, or school stores and snack bars. Foods and beverages sold at school outside of the federally reimbursable school nutrition programs are referred to as a /competitive foodsa because they compete with the traditional school lunch as a nutrition source. There are important concerns about the contribution of nutrients and total calories from competitive foods to the daily diets of school-age children and adolescents. Nutrition Standards for Foods in Schools offers both reviews and recommendations about appropriate nutrition standards and guidance for the sale, content, and consumption of foods and beverages at school, with attention given to foods and beverages offered in competition with federally reimbursable meals and snacks. It is sure to be an invaluable resource to parents, federal and state government agencies, educators and schools, health care professionals, food manufacturers, industry trade groups, media, and those involved in consumer advocacy.


ADDITIONAL INDEX WORDS. Daucus carota, colored carrot varieties, β-carotene, vitamin E, vitamin C, antioxidant compounds ABSTRACT. Carrot (Daucus carota L.) is ranked among vegetables as the most consumed and the best provitamin A provider. Moreover, carrot also contains vitamins, phenolic compounds, and other antioxidant micronutrients. The infl uence of carrot genetic background on the content of several micronutrients was investigated. Carotenoids and vitamins (C and E) were analyzed by HPLC in 20 varieties of carrot, and antioxidant activity of carrots was investigated with colorimetric methods (ORAC and Folin-Ciocalteu). There were large differences among cultivars in carotenoid content (0.32 to 17 mg/100 g of fresh weight). In yellow and purple carrots, lutein represents nearly half of the total carotenoids. By contrast, in orange carrots, β-carotene represents the major carotenoid (65%). The concentration of vitamin E ranged from 191 to 703 µg/100 g of fresh weight, whereas the concentration in ascorbic acid ranged from 1.4 to 5.8 mg/100 g. For all these components, dark-orange carrots exhibited the highest values. Signifi cant differences among these 20 varieties were also recorded for mineral and total phenolic compound concentrations. Purple and dark- orange carrots could be preferred to usual carrot varieties to benefi t from their specifi c micronutrients (anthocyanins, carotenoids, or vitamin E). ORAC is a complex refl ection of phytomicronutrients but is not tightly linked to vitamin C levels, as shown for white carrots, which are rich in this vitamin.


For one nuclear power plant, the pressure of the diesel engine fuel oil circuit happened to fail to fit the design because of low fuel oil inlet pressure and fall-off of the O-ring of the pressure regulating valve. A lot of data has been collected from tests performed in different conditions during the commissioning phase of this type of diesel, and after a lot of work the wrong diameter of the orifice plate and the improper inner structure of the pressure regulating valve in the fuel oil returning circuit were proved to be the main reasons. This project tried to solve the problems in a systematic way. Single-variable method was used to find out that the inner hole diameter of the orifice plate was too large to maintain the fuel oil pressure at a high level even if the pressure regulating valve was blocked and the right diameter was found and tested on site. The inner part (valve disc) of the pressure regulating valve was found fail to keep the O-ring under the alterable pressure, then fail to regulate the fuel oil pressure. The structure of the valve disc was optimized to fit the alterable pressure working situation. Finally, the defect in fuel circuit of emergency diesel engine was solved by adjusting the bore diameter of the orifice plate and changing the structure of the pressure regulating valve disc. The relevant tests were successfully done after the modification implementation.


The three species in the genus Areoda are reviewed for the first time. The genus is characterized, a key to species is provided, each species is described, spatial and temporal distributions are given, and the biogeography is discussed. We consider their distribution to be isolated and relictual in the Atlantic coastal forests of southeastern Brazil.


Does the U.S. Supreme Court protect the states from the expansion of federal authority? In this important new book, political scientist Michael Dichio argues that the answer is "no." To the contrary, he contends that, throughout American history, "the Court …. has persistently acted as an important instrument of the broader central state, expanding federal authority over society." The theory that the Supreme Court expands federal power at the expense of the states is not a new idea, having been first raised by anti-Federalist critics of the Constitution over 200 years ago. But Dichio provides the most thorough and wide-ranging defense of it to date, drawing on an extensive database of notable Supreme Court decisions from 1789 through 1997. Among other things, he shows that the Court constrained the states in important ways even in historical periods that are often thought of as high points for "states' rights," such as the Jacksonian era and the late nineteenth century.

Dichio's analysis is, in many ways, compelling, and is a major contribution to the literature on federalism and judicial review. But some of his methodological choices overstate the centralizing tendencies of the Supreme Court. He also unduly downplays some key ways in which the Court promotes decentralization of power. While the Supreme Court has never been a consistent ally of state governments seeking to limit federal authority, it is also not quite as consistent a centralizing force as Dichio suggests.


Objectives Severity of a first pulmonary embolism (PE) is sometimes proposed as a criterion for prolonging anticoagulant treatment. However, little evidence supports this idea. We attempted to determine the connection between severity of first PE and the risk of recurrence. Participants Patients admitted with PE between 2012 and 2018 and for whom anticoagulant treatment had been discontinued were followed. PEs were classified according to the severity into the following two groups: those with associated cardiac involvement (increased cardiac biomarker(s) and/or echocardiographic right ventricular dysfunction) and those with no cardiac involvement which were classified as non-severe. Recurrence-free survivals were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method and compared using the log-rank test. Results 417 patients with PEs (186 with cardiac involvement) were followed for at least 1 year after discontinuation of treatment with a mean follow-up of: 3.5±1.9 years. 72 patients (17.3%) experienced venous thromboembolism recurrence: 24 (5.8%), 44 (12 %) and 72 (28.3 %) respectively, at 1, 2 and 5 years. In 63 patients (88%), recurrence was a PE. Mean time to onset of recurrence was 24.9±19.9 months. At 5 years, the recurrence rate is higher when the first PE was associated with cardiac involvement p=0.043. In contrast, in patients with provoked PE, the recurrence rate is higher when the first PE event was associated with cardiac involvement: p=0.032. Multivariate analysis demonstrates that PE severity is an independent factor of recurrence (HR 1.634 (1.015–2.632), p=0.043). Conclusion We report for the first time a possible link between a higher recurrence rate and the severity of the first PE. This result which must be confirmed in a dedicated prospective trial could become an important criterion for the duration of anticoagulant therapy after a PE. Trial registration number NCT04980924.


In this work, we propose algorithms and methods that enable learning dexterous object manipulation using simulated one- or two-armed robots equipped with multi-fingered hand end-effectors. Using a parallel GPU-accelerated physics simulator (Isaac Gym), we implement challenging tasks for these robots, including regrasping, grasp-and-throw, and object reorientation. To solve these problems we introduce a decentralized Population-Based Training (PBT) algorithm that allows us to massively amplify the exploration capabilities of deep reinforcement learning. We find that this method significantly outperforms regular end-to-end learning and is able to discover robust control policies in challenging tasks. Video demonstrations of learned behaviors and the code can be found at https://sites.google.com/view/dexpbt


BACKGROUND
Opioids are effective in short-term pain treatment; however, their long-term effectiveness is unconfirmed. Many patients are exposed to opioids after pelvic injuries with little known about persistent use afterward. We assessed the prevalence and predictors of long-term opioid use following pelvic fractures.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
This retrospective study enrolled 277 patients with acute pelvic fractures over five years. Daily and total morphine milligram equivalents (MME) were calculated. The primary outcome was long-term opioid use (LOU) defined as ongoing opioid use 60-90 days post-discharge. The secondary outcome was intermediate-term opioid use (IOU) defined as ongoing opioid use 30-60 days post-discharge. Univariable and logistic regression analyses were performed.

RESULTS
Median (interquartile range) total inpatient opioid MME was 422 (157-1667) with a median daily MME of 69 (26-145). Long-term opioid use occurred in 16%, and IOU occurred in 29%. Univariable analysis found that total and daily inpatient opioid use were each significantly associated with LOU (median MME, 1241 vs 371; median MMEs, 127.7 vs 59.2, respectively) and IOU (median MME, 1140 vs 326; median MMEs, 111.8 vs 57.9, respectively). Logistic regression analysis found daily inpatient MME ≥50 (odds ratio [OR] 3.027, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.059-8.652]) and pelvic fracture type (Tile B/C) (OR 2.992 [CI 1.324-6.763])were independent predictors of LOU.

CONCLUSION
Total and daily inpatient opioid use were significantly associated with LOU and IOU. Patients who received ≥50 MME/inpatient day had a higher likelihood of LOU. This study seeks to inform clinical decisions for pain management to prevent adverse outcomes.


The element splitting operation on binary matroids due to Shikare, is a natural generalization of Slater's {\it n-point splitting operation} on graphs. The present paper generalizes the notion of {\it n-point splitting operation} on graphs to matroids representable over $GF(p)$. This operation on a given matroid representable over $GF(p)$ yields a matroid representable over $GF(p)$. We characterize circuits, bases and hyperplanes of the resulting matroid in terms of the circuits, bases and hyperplanes of the original matroid $M$, respectively. We also explore the effect of this operation on Eulerian, bipartite and connected matroids which are representable over $GF(p)$. This operation, in general, may not preserve the connectedness of the given matroid. We provide a necessary and sufficient condition for a connected matroid representable over $GF(p)$ to yield a connected matroid representable over $GF(p)$ by the element splitting operation.


Recent work has suggested that the success of pharmacological treatment for chronic aggressive behavior may depend, in part, on the subtype of aggressive behavior displayed (e.g. reactive, impulsive aggression vs. predatory, premeditated aggression). The present study examined the usefulness of characterizing aggressive behavior during a 16-week double-blind crossover study of phenytoin (PHT) treatment in 41 aggressive adult males. The Impulsive/Premeditated Aggression Scales (IPAS) were used to characterize aggressive behavior as predominantly impulsive or predominantly premeditated in nature. Analyses indicated that participants who did not respond to PHT treatment endorsed significantly more premeditated characteristics on the IPAS than those who responded to PHT treatment. Non-responders also exhibited fewer aggressive outbursts during placebo treatment, suggesting a greater level of behavior control. Participants who did not complete the study were younger, endorsed significantly more premeditated aggression characteristics and reported more lifetime antisocial behaviors than those who completed the study. Taken together, these data emphasize several factors that may influence the success of pharmacological treatment in aggressive individuals, namely the importance of characterizing the predominant type of problem aggressive behavior. Aggr. Behav. 00:1–6, 2005. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.


In 2003, Goldman Sachs published a startling report on the BRICs (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) region: These four countries would be larger than the G6 economics within 40 years, muscling their way to economic dominance and powering past developed countries such as the United Kingdom, Germany, and Japan. This book focuses on the technology and technology-enabled services that underpin this revolution. The editor analyses the reasons why these four countries are in a unique position to lead a 21st century growth in international services. He then features 12 chapters written by the most important chief executives from the BRICs service economy.


State of Charge (SoC) estimation of Li-ion batteries is crucial for the efficient operation of Electric vehicles. The article emphasis on the comparison of various techniques for SoC estimation of Li-ion batteries. Techniques selected for comparison is based on the easiness in implementing without compromising the accuracy. Simulation of CC and a combination of CC with an equivalent electric circuit model of a battery cell with closed-loop correction is carried out in MATLAB. The performance is evaluated and simulation results are presented.


The research was background by the problems that researcher found in ability of writing child with Low Vision Needs in class II junior high special school Fan Redha Padang. The researchers want to prove that the use of media writing Frame can improve the ability to write of child with Low Vision Needs. This research using Single Subject Research approach, the A-B design and data analysis techniques using visual analysis chart. Results of this study indicate that the media Writing Frame has improve the ability to write child with Low Vision Needs in class II junior high special school Fan Redha Padang.


Abstract This article investigates young children's understanding of and relationships to their communities and the natural world. Inspired by the pedagogy of Reggio Emilia (Edwards, Gandini, & Forman, 1998) and guided by the concept of documentation as a cycle of inquiry (Gandini & Goldhaber, 2001), a group of early childhood educators from across the state of Vermont met regularly to share and analyze observations, artifacts, photographs, and videotapes of children in their communities and the natural world. These discussions generated additional experiences that promoted the children's thinking and theories and resulted in participants reflecting on what they had learned about children in their communities and the natural world by creating an exhibit that would travel throughout Vermont. The article discusses a process teachers can engage in to study, deepen, and ultimately celebrate children's engagement in their communities and the natural world.


Personas are behavioural specifications of archetypical users in Human Factors Engineering and User Interaction
research aimed at preventing biased views system designers may have of users. Personas are therefore nuanced
representations of goals and expectations that should be addressed when designing systems. Previous work has
shown how personas may be validated by grounding in qualitative models; however, more evidence is needed on
the applicability for grounding models in risk decision making research. We present an approach for eliciting
persona characteristics for risk-based decision making by using Observe Orient Decide Act (OODA) as a modelling
baseline. The approach illustrates how modelling personas based on decision makers' understanding of risk
facilitates designing for risk and uncertainty.


A promising solution to meet the demands on accurate positioning and real-time situational awareness in future intelligent transportation systems (ITSs) is cooperative positioning, where vehicles share sensor information over the wireless channel. However, the sensing and communication technologies required for this will be gradually introduced into the market, and it is, therefore, important to understand what performance we can expect from cooperative positioning systems as we transition to a more modern vehicle fleet. In this paper, we study what effects a gradual market penetration has on cooperative positioning applications, through a Fisher information analysis. The simulation results indicate that solely introducing a small fraction of automated vehicles with high-end sensors significantly improves the positioning quality but is not enough to meet the stringent demands posed by safety critical ITS applications. Furthermore, we find that retrofitting vehicles with low-cost satellite navigation receivers and communication have marginal impact when the positioning requirements are stringent and that the longitudinal road position can be estimated more accurately than lateral.


Suggests that insufficient attention has been given to the significant differences between political and product or service marketing. The rise in awareness of political marketing has coincided with a decline of party membership in Britain and an increased distance between party and voter. Considers the relationships between party leader, brand image, exposure and awareness. Notes the current absence of predictive and prescriptive theories of political marketing action, and the relative significance of exogeneous factors in electoral success. Crossovers between conventional marketing, political science and political marketing are identified for future study.


Macrophages play a special role in the onset of several diseases, including acute and chronic kidney injuries. In this sense, tubule interstitial nephritis (TIN) represents an underestimated insult, which can be triggered by different stimuli and, in the absence of a proper regulation, can lead to fibrosis deposition. Based on this perception, we evaluated the participation of macrophage recruitment in the development of TIN. Initially, we provided adenine-enriched food to WT and searched for macrophage presence and action in the kidney. Also, a group of animals were depleted of macrophages with the clodronate liposome while receiving adenine-enriched diet. We collected blood and renal tissue from these animals and renal function, inflammation, and fibrosis were evaluated. We observed higher expression of chemokines in the kidneys of adenine-fed mice and a substantial protection when macrophages were depleted. Then, we specifically investigated the role of some key chemokines, CCR5 and CCL3, in this TIN experimental model. Interestingly, CCR5 KO and CCL3 KO animals showed less renal dysfunction and a decreased proinflammatory profile. Furthermore, in those animals, there was less profibrotic signaling. In conclusion, we can suggest that macrophage infiltration is important for the onset of renal injury in the adenine-induced TIN.


Multiple sclerosis (MS) is the most common human demyelinating disease of the CNS. The etiology of MS is poorly understood, however, it is widely believed as a T cell-mediated autoimmune disease that ultimately targets the CNS [1,2]. Experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE) is the animal model for MS. Although it is an animal model for MS, when we look at the history of EAE, we find that its discovery was not associated with MS. In the early 1930s, while Rivers et al. [3] were wondering about encephalomyelitis in humans upon rabies vaccination, he found encephalomyelitis in animals after repeated injections of dehydrated spinal cords from rabbits infected with rabies. Since then it is being used as a model to study the disease process of encephalomyelitis.


Summary Surgical site infections caused by bacteria that are resistant to multiple classes of antimicrobials are an important and increasing problem in veterinary medicine. Organisms such as methicillin-resistant staphylococci, extended spectrum beta-lactamase Enterobacteriaceae and multi-drug resistant Enterococcus, Acinetobacter and Pseudomonas spp. are among the current concerns; however, the emergence and dissemination of other multi-drug resistant organisms will likely follow. Despite the negative connotations that are associated with multi-drug resistant infections, most infections are potentially treatable if basic principles of infection treatment and infection control are followed.


The GH receptor in adipocytes is a glycoprotein that has a half-life of less than 1 h. After 2 h of treatment with the alkaloid swainsonine, which interferes with carbohydrate processing, virtually all of the GH receptors on the surface of adipocytes are replaced with receptors whose carbohydrate side-chains are incomplete. We examined the effects of swainsonine on the responsiveness of adipose tissue to GH to determine whether these receptors, which bind GH normally, retain biological competence. In the concentration range of 100-300 ng/ml human (h) GH rapidly evokes insulin-like responses in adipose tissue or adipocytes that have been deprived of GH for at least 3 h. hGH, at concentrations ranging from 1-10 ng/ml, also increases lipolysis after a delay of at least 2 h. Pretreatment with 50 micrograms/ml swainsonine failed to influence insulin-like responsiveness to hGH, as judged by increased glucose oxidation, but nearly completely abolished the lipolytic response. Pretreatment with swainsonine, however, did not reduce lipolysis in response to isoproterenol, suggesting that signal transmission rather than the lipolytic apparatus per se had been affected. To determine whether the same receptors mediate lipolytic and insulin-like responses, the binding properties of hGH were compared to those of Da1, a chemically modified form of hGH, whose insulin-like potency is reduced relative to its lipolytic potency. Da1 and hGH were equipotent in promoting lipolysis and had an ED50 of about 3 ng/ml, but hGH was at least 6 times as potent as Da1 in promoting glucose oxidation (ED50 of 65 vs. 400 ng/ml). Scatchard plots of both Da1 and hGH binding data were linear, consistent with a single class of binding sites whose affinity for hGH was about 3.5 times higher for hGH than Da1. hGH and Da1 both produced half-maximal stimulation of glucose oxidation when about 90% of the GH receptors were occupied. In contrast, half-maximal lipolysis was produced by Da1 when 8% of GH receptors were occupied, but 21% occupancy was required for a similar effect of hGH. If a subclass of GH receptors mediates lipolysis, it is likely to comprise 10% or less of the total receptor population.


The compound Li4 GeS4 has been prepared as transparent, light yellow moisture-sensitive crystals. Li.(GeS4 belongs to the space group Pnma with a = 14.107(6) A, b = 7.770(3) A and c = 6.162(2) A. The crystal structure was solved by direct-methods. The final R and /?H-values are 1.85 and 1.65% for 866 observed reflections. The Li4 GeS4 structure has three crystallographically independent lithium sites and one germanium site. The lithium atoms adopt two different coordination types. The Lil atom is coordinated to five sulfur atoms in a square pyramidal geometry, while the Li2 and Li3 atoms have distorted tetrahedral coordination. The Ge atom is tetrahedrally coordinated by four sulfur atoms and is found as [GeS4 ]4units. The anisotropic three-dimensional crystal structure of Li4GeS4 is described.


Introduction: The efficiency of using ibuprofen for protecting the brain against Alzheimer's disease can be improved by developing a prodrug of ibuprofen able to distribute better through the blood–brain barrier (BBB). Materials and Methods: In this study, the hydroxyethyl ibuprofen (HEI) was synthesized as a prodrug by esterification of ibuprofen sodium through 2-bromoethanol then characterized using proton nuclear magnetic resonance and mass spectroscopy. The hydrolysis of HEI was evaluated in phosphate buffer at different pH values. Furthermore, the conversion of the prodrug to the parent drug was studied in vitro in rat's brain homogenates and plasma. Moreover, the kinetics of the HEI was studied in rats after intraperitoneal application in comparison to intraperitoneal injected ibuprofen. Results: The stability of HEI in buffer solutions decreased with increasing pH value. On the other hand, it was hydrolyzed rapidly in rat's plasma and faster than in brain homogenates. HEI was detected in plasma at low concentration for short time where it did not appear in brain. Hence, HEI is hydrolyzed in plasma to ibuprofen; the kinetic parameters of HEI were estimated by quantifying resulted ibuprofen. The bioavailability, absorption rate, and elimination rate constants of the prodrug were lower in plasma as well as in brain than of the parent drug. Furthermore, they were lower of both prodrug and parent drug in brain than in plasma. Discussion and Conclusions: The diffusion rate of the drug and prodrug into plasma and brain was dependent on the peritoneum membrane and BBB characteristics besides to the difference of the polarity between HEI and ibuprofen.


Nowadays, DevOps pipelines of huge projects are getting more and more complex. Each job in the pipeline might need different requirements including specific hardware specifications and dependencies. To achieve minimal makespan, developers always apply as much machines as possible. Consequently, others may be stalled for waiting resource released. Minimizing the makespan of each job using a few resource is a challenging problem. In this study, it is aimed to 1) automatically determine the priority of jobs to reduce the waiting time in the line, 2) automatically allocate the machine resource to each job. In this work, the problem is formulated as a multi-objective optimization problem. We use GA algorithm to automatically determine job priorities and resource demand for minimizing individual makespan and resource usage. Finally, the experimental results show that our proposed priority list generation algorithm is more effective than current priority list producing method in the aspects of makespan and allocated machine count. Keywords—Genetic algorithm, Job shop scheduling, Optimization.


We report the case of an 80-year-old man with generalized granuloma annulare (GGA) who subsequently developed giant cell arteritis (GCA). Steroid treatment was effective for both diseases in this case. Although cases of concomitant GGA and GCA have rarely been reported, previous studies suggest that common histological characteristics underlie the two diseases. It is therefore necessary to recognize that GGA can be complicated by GCA, particularly when typical symptoms, such as headache and visual disturbance, are present.


--- In machine learning, Classification is one of the most important research area. Classification allocates the given input to a known category. In this paper different machine algorithms like Logistic regression (LR), Decision tree (DT), Support vector machine (SVM), K nearest neighbors (KNN) were implemented on UCI breast cancer dataset with preprocessing. The models were trained and tested with k-fold cross validation data. Accuracy and run time execution of each classifier are implemented in python.


Abstract: The abandonment of the traditional pastoral practices is acknowledged as the main causes of the shrub-encroachment in the alpine semi-natural grasslands. In this paper, we proposed a state-and-transition approach in order to organize pastoral vegetation in a simple management-oriented framework integrating ecological data. The study sites were chosen in an inner alpine territory where the abandonment of pastoral practices was more evident than in other alpine regions. Cluster and fuzzy analysis applied to botanical data allowed the classification of six pastoral types and the assessment of the main overlaps between them. Non-parametric tests on Landolt nutrients indices, slope and distance from farm allowed the identification of a gradient linked with nutrients and pastoral practices intensity from rich pastures to shrub encroached pastures. Moreover, the implementation of the available information in a state-and-transition model (STM) allowed us to hypothesize the presence of an ecological threshold between grass-dominated and shrub-dominated grasslands and the identification of the at-risk pastoral types in the shrub-encroachment dynamics.


This study proposes a new method for fast and inexpensive extraction of a large number of living foraminifera for laboratory cultures. The method is a significant improvement over current extraction methods, which are highly time-consuming. Several treatments were designed to test the method. Sediment bearing foraminifera from Brouage Mudflat (Atlantic coast of France) was washed through a 50-µm sieve and distributed in glass Petri dishes with 20, 40 and 80 specimens of Hydrobia ulvae, a common gastropod from European intertidal mudflats. As a control experiment, one dish was treated similarly but maintained without Hydrobia. After two days, most of the sediment in the Hydrobia treatments was compacted into small cylindrical gastropod feces and the tests of living benthic foraminifera (Ammonia tepida and Haynesina germanica) were clean and easily visible. Additional experiments showed that the foraminifera were not ingested by Hydrobia ulvae, and could be picked quickly and easily.


The new edition of the bestselling employee development classic includes advice on talent retention in the gig economy, and a new chapter on creating a career development culture in your organization.
Study after study confirms that career development is the single most powerful tool managers have for driving retention, engagement, productivity, and results. But most managers feel like they just don't have time for more meetings. This book offers a better way: frequent, short conversations with employees about their career goals that can be integrated seamlessly into the normal course of business. Beverly Kaye and Julie Winkle Giulioni identify three broad types of conversations that will increase employees' awareness of their strengths, weaknesses, and interests; point out where their organization and their industry are headed; and help them pull all of that together to design their personalized career plans. And the new chapter includes an assessment so you can measure how well your current culture supports employee development—and how to improve it.


To the Editor. —I was very disappointed to read the expedited publication concerning early vitrectomy in the November 1985 issue of theArchives. Because of poor experimental design and reporting, this article will further the trend toward unnecessary vitrectomy in diabetics. This concern is highlighted by the fact that at least one third of the deferral group never required vitrectomy and the incidence of a visual acuity of no light perception was higher in the early treatment group. The follow-up mandated of these patients (3, 6, 12, 18, 24, 36, and 48 months) provides substandard care and biases the study in favor of the early group. It has been my practice for a decade to see such patients every three months or more frequently if there is significant traction. Ultrasonography, if the retina is not visible, should be performed at each visit to prevent long-term nonoperated retinal detachments. Iatrogenic detachments


At the submesocale a strong physical-biogeochemical coupling exists due to similar temporal and spatial scales of the physical and biogeochemical processes involved. A swarm experiment with seven gliders equiped with biophysical sensors measuring pressure, temperature, salinity, oxygen, chlorophyll fluorescence and turbidity was conducted in early 2013 in the upwelling region off Peru. The goal of the experiment was to sample a relatively small spatial area as synoptically as possible, in order to allow seperation between temporal and spatial variability. In particular, the role of submesoscale processes for the near coastal vertical oxygen distribution was assessed. Each glider carried out about one dive per hour measuring two multi-parameter profiles with a lateral resolution of about 500 m. Alltogether more than 15.000 profiles were recorded during the two-months deployment.

The glider data shows small scale filamentary structures of different tracers such as salinity and oxygen at different depths. There are density compensated salinity filaments at about 150 m depth were lateral mesoscale eddy stirring of the lateral background salinity gradient is suggested as the main formation mechasim. Closer to the surface, however, non-density compensated salinity and oxygen intrusions reaching well below the mixed layer can be seen. These structures are found at strong lateral mixed layer density fronts, suggesting that submesoscale frontal processes are responsible for the observed structures. This findings suggest that beside diapycnal mixing vertical velocities due to submesoscale frontal processes lead to an additional oxygen supply from the oxygenated mixed layer into the oxygen minimum zone.


2776 CARP proteins (CARPs, including CARP1 and CARP2) are E3 ubiquitin ligases that promote the degradation of apical caspases of the extrinsic pathway and the p53 tumor suppressor protein (Yang et al., J. Biol. Chem. 282:3273-3281, 2007). To further examine CARP-mediated degradation of p53 we found that CARPs mediate MDM2 stabilization. Mutation of CARPs in the RING-domain abolished stabilization of but not binding to MDM2, indicating that stabilization of MDM2 by CARPs requires E3 ligase activity. Overexpression of CARP2, but not CARP1, caused degradation of endogenous 14-3-3σ whereas silencing of CARP2 induced stabilization of 14-3-3σ and associated reduction of MDM2 expression. CARP2 failed to stabilize but could still interact with MDM2 in 14-3-3σ knock-out cells. Silencing of MDMX did not affect CARP2-mediated stabilization of MDM2. Taken together, our data suggest that degradation of 14-3-3σ by CARP2 is mainly responsible for, though stabilization of MDMX by CARP2 may also contribute to, stabilization of MDM2 and subsequent elimination of p53.


This paper presents the design of an electroencephalography device capable of registering and analysing EEG signals. The electronics and the algorithms used in the registration and analysis parts are both introduced.


We have developed a mobile augmented reality application with historical photographs and information about a historical street. We follow a design science research methodology and use an extended version of the technology acceptance model (TAM) to study the acceptance of this application. A prototype has been developed in accordance with general principles for usability design, and two surveys have been conducted. A web survey with 200 participants that watched a short video demonstration of the application to validate the adapted acceptance model, and a street survey, where 42 participants got the opportunity to try the application in a live setting before answering a similar questionnaire and provide more concrete feedback. The results show that both perceived usefulness and perceived enjoyment has a direct impact on the intention to use mobile augmented reality applications with historical pictures and information. Further a number of practical recommendations for the development and deployment of such systems are provided.


The current study was performed to evaluate the anti-diabetic action of metformin and ginseng in alloxan-induced diabetes in rats. Forty male albino rats were used in this work, ten rats were left without any other treatment and kept as a control, the remaining thirty rats were injected with alloxan to induce diabetes and then divided into three equal groups, the first group was kept without any treatment during period of the experiment, the second one treated with metformin (300 mg/kg B.Wt.) and the third one treated with ginseng at dose level of 250 mg/kg B.Wt. for 30 consecutive days. The results showed a significant changes inthe hematological parameters, fasting blood glucose level, glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1C) besides the activity of liver enzymes (aspartate aminotranseferase (AST), alanine aminotranseferase (ALT) and gamma glutamyltransferase (GGT)) and level of total protein in addition to lipid profile (Triglyceride (TG),total cholesterol (TC), very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) and low density lipoprotein (LDL) except high density lipoprotein (HDL)) in all groupscompared to control group. The liver and pancreas of all groups were collected and examined histopathologically. Metformin and ginseng were found to have ameliorative effect on biochemical and histopathological alterations caused by hyperglycemia. From our data it was concluded that ginseng can be used as an effective anti-hyperglycemic and antioxidant agent.


From 2016-2018 there were 120 fuel station accidents in Indonesia. Fuel station accidents may harm not only workers but also the public. Major accidents in fuel stations have caused multiple fatalities and injuries. Various research regarding fuel stations has been done, but research on the role of the community in preventing fuel station accidents is limited. Therefore, studying the cause and effect of fuel station accidents is essential. The study aims to collect accident information and determine the impact, cause, and possible prevention programs for fuel station accidents. Study methods use data collection and classification, followed by qualitative analysis. Data were collected from the top 10 national news portals and tabulated in a structured manner. Twenty-nine fuel station accidents were identified and evaluated. These data were then categorized and analyzed to obtain the dominant effects of accidents. Accident causes were also investigated to provide an understanding and propose accident prevention programs adopted from previous research in various fields. It is concluded that fuel station accidents in Indonesia are dominated by vehicle fires, which involve consumer vehicles. The causes of accidents vary, but most of them were concerning the technical condition of vehicles, and a few were unsafe operations. To prevent future accidents, it is essential to ensure compliance with regulations and standards of facilities and equipment. Furthermore, community involvement is also crucial. Therefore, more efforts are needed to increase public awareness of fuel station hazards and how the community can be involved in preventing future accidents.


After significant diplomatic efforts, South Africa's inclusion into the BRICS grouping in 2011 can be regarded as one of South Africa's principal foreign policy achievements over the past years. It also fundamentally altered the nature of the BRICS group, giving it a more global structure. Yet little is known about why South Africa sought BRICS membership, why it was chosen over larger economies (e.g. Indonesia) or faster-growing countries (e.g. Nigeria), and how this altered South Africa's insertion into the international system. This article details the deliberations about South Africa's inclusion into the BRICS and its premiere as a BRICS member at the 3rd BRICS Leaders' Summit in Sanya in 2011, which symbolized an important step towards the institutionalization of the BRICS grouping. It argues that Brazil's, China's and India's previous interaction with South Africa, for example in the context of the BASIC and IBSA groupings, contributed to generating trust between large emerging powers and South Africa. South Africa was therefore a far more natural choice and involved fewer risks of reducing the group's capacity to develop joint positions in multilateral fora. While both the BRICS grouping and South Africa significantly benefitted from the inclusion, it also made South Africa's foreign policy challenges more complex, as it increasingly has to balance its emerging power commitments with its role as representative of Africa's poorer nations and that of regional leader.

 Key words: South Africa, emerging powers, BRICS, IBSA, BASIC, Sanya.


We describe the design, implementation, and deployment of a laser slope gauge developed at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution for the purpose of studying the propagation characteristics of capillary ripples, and how currents and natural slicks on the ocean surface modify ripple spectra. The laser slope gauge constitutes a nondisruptive optical technique for determining the slope spectrum for a range of waves with wavelengths between 2 mm and 20 cm using both spatial and temporal information. Operation of the sensor and data acquisition system is discussed and a sample data record collected in the Gulf Stream off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina is interpreted and analyzed.


The most important factors to consider in order to improve the level of occupant protection measures are those determined through the investigation of real world accidents. The distribution of various types of collision and impact speeds provides a sound basis for more realistic test procedures. One result of our in-depth accident investigations is the identification of the frontal offset collision with only partial overlap as the most frequent frontal accident with injured occupants. Based on that an additional frontal impact test procedure carried out with 40% overlap at test speeds up to 55 km/h was derived. The effectiveness of offset design is verified by the analysis of actual accident data.


The Public Trust Doctrine placed wildlife in trust, via state control and regulation, for the benefit of the people. Managing agencies that lose sight of the importance of public acceptance of predator policies and management actions may find themselves legislatively or judicially subverted. This study examines how the Montana public wolf hunting and trapping seasons have affected tolerance of gray wolves (Canis lupus) among rural resident ranchers, hunters, and trappers.  Twenty residents from the Blackfoot, Bitterroot, and Ninemile Valleys were qualitatively interviewed over the summer and fall of 2013. Potential participants were initially identified using purposive sampling, with subsequent interviewees located through snowball sampling. Preliminary results show that the hunting and trapping seasons have not yet caused changes in attitudes towards wolves in these groups; however losing the hunting and trapping seasons would have a negative impact. The majority of interviewees stated a desire for some avenue of management and control of the Montana wolf population. One apparent theme was that residents are more likely to accept hunting as a means of lethal control over trapping due to concerns of indiscriminate, inhumane take. Wolf presence conjures up a mixture of both awe and fear in these groups. Ranchers are primarily concerned with the threat to livestock and livelihood, while hunters and trappers are uneasy about predator and big game balance on the landscape.  As intended, the public wolf hunting and trapping seasons allow ranchers, hunters, and trappers to feel some measure of control over the perceived threat of wolf presence.


Generalized Fibonacci and Lucas sequences (Un) and (Vn) are defined by the recurrence relations Un+1 = PUn+QUn−1 and Vn+1 = PVn +QVn−1, n ≥ 1, with initial conditions U0 = 0, U1 = 1 and V0 = 2, V1 = P. This paper deals with Fibonacci and Lucas numbers of the form Un(P,Q) and Vn(P,Q) with the special consideration that P ≥ 3 is odd and Q = −1. Under these consideration, we solve the equations Vn = 5kx, Vn = 7kx, Vn = 5kx±1, and Vn = 7kx±1 when k | P with k > 1. Moreover, we solve the equations Vn = 5x ± 1 and Vn = 7x ± 1.