In his article "Nation in Remarque's All Quiet on the Western Front and Eastwood's Flags of Our Fathers" Brent M. Smith-Casanueva explores the commonalities between the antiwar narratives of Erich Maria Remarque's novel All Quiet on the Western Front (1929) and Clint Eastwood's film Flags of our Fathers (2006). Taking the position that narration of nation must be considered a site of hegemonic struggle, Smith-Casanueva argues that both texts employ a similar deconstructive logic to subvert the nationalist discourses and dominant war narratives of their respective nations and the national myths constructed through these narratives. In particular, both All Quiet on the Western Front and Flags of our Fathers destabilize narration of nation through challenging dominant war narratives' claim to a universality of national interests and the essentializing character of national myth, as well as through disrupting the linear temporality of narration of nation. Brent M. Smith-Casanueva, "Nation in Remarque's All Quiet on the Western Front and Eastwood's Flags of Our Fathers" page 2 of 9 CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture 14.1 (2012):  Brent M. SMITH-CASANUEVA Nation in Remarque's All Quiet on the Western Front and Eastwood's Flags of Our Fathers At first glance, Erich Maria Remarque's 1929 novel All Quiet on the Western Front and Clint Eastwood's 2006 film Flags of our Fathers may seem to have little in common, other than perhaps their general designation as antiwar texts. Remarque's novel, written and published in Weimar-era Germany, chronicles the experience of a German soldier during World War I while Eastwood's film focuses on the lives of three U.S. soldiers fighting in World War II immortalized in the classic picture of the Iwo Jima flag-raising. However, a closer look reveals significant commonalities between the texts, the first of which is the historical context of their production. All Quiet and Flags both emerged during periods of national insecurity and instability following a national crisis. For All Quiet, this national crisis was the German defeat in World War I and the preceding economic and political insecurity of the inter-war period and for Flags the crisis was the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the United States' inability to achieve definite military victories in Afghanistan and Iraq. Beyond this commonality in historical context, there is a more significant, although not unrelated, similarity between the texts, one that points to their importance as "resistant" products of culture. Both of these texts, I argue, employ a similar deconstructive logic to subvert the nationalist discourses and dominant war narratives of their respective nations and the national myths constructed through these narratives reproduced both through official discourse and cultural production. I address the ways in which All Quiet and Flags are able to subvert national imagery and dominant war narratives. I begin, then, by establishing a theoretical context, drawing on the work of Benedict Anderson and Ella Shohat and Robert Stam, and Antonio Gramsci, for both the significance of the novel and the film to national imagery and the potential for destabilizing narration of nation through these narrative forms. I then proceed to examine the importance of war narratives for national imagining and the specific ways in which these narratives function in order to explore how All Quiet and Flags challenge and subvert these narratives. The novel and film as narrative forms have both become central to the imagining of nation. As Anderson argues, the emergence of the popular novel, along with that of the newspaper in eighteenth century Europe was connected to the development of nationalism. Anderson credits the development of print capitalism and the book as the "first modern-style mass-produced industrial commodity" (34) as central in the formation of national consciousness. The most significant aspect of the popular novel, in terms of the national imagery was its narrative temporality which allowed it to reproduce a sense of "homogenous, empty time" through narrating an individual's or community's movement through this time. As Anderson notes, this "idea of a sociological organism moving calendrically through homogeneous, empty time is a precise analogue of the idea of the nation, which also is conceived as a solid community moving steadily down (or up) history" (26). Thus, both the increased availability of the novel to a mass audience and its narrative temporality were inseparable from the development of national consciousness in modernity. In many ways, the emergence of cinema in the late nineteenth century represented a continuation in the developments that Anderson addresses. As Shohat and Stam note, the film "inherited the social role of the nineteenth-century realist novel in relation to national imaginaries", communicating the 'homogeneous, empty time' of the nation through arranging events and actions into a temporally linear narrative (102). To the temporal narrative logic of the novel, the film adds a gregarious consumption ritual that, unlike the private consumption of a novel, allows for the gathering of a community that "homologizes, in a sense, the symbolic gathering of the nation." The movie audience becomes a sort of "provisional 'nation' forged by spectatorship" (103). Furthermore, Shohat and Stam suggest, the film also overcame the obstacle of literacy that prevented literature from reaching a truly mass audience. The accessibility of cinema thus allowed for the fostering of national consciousness on a truly national scale. If the novel and the film represent the privileged forms for narration of nation, then they also represent the terrain on which this narration can be challenged and subverted. This potential for resistance and subversion becomes a real possibility if we consider narration of nation as a manifestation of hegemonic power. In Gramsci's formulation, hegemony represents a kind of "compromise equilibrium" that "presupposes that account be taken of the interests and the tendencies of the groups over which hegemony is to be exercised" (86). Thus hegemony is not an absolute Brent M. Smith-Casanueva, "Nation in Remarque's All Quiet on the Western Front and Eastwood's Flags of Our Fathers" page 3 of 9 CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture 14.1 (2012):  imposition of the interests of the dominant on those of the subordinated. Rather, it is a process through which "previously germinated ideologies ... come into confrontation and conflict, until only one of them, or at least a single combination of them, tends to prevail, to gain the upper hand, to propagate itself throughout society – bringing about not only unison of economic and political aims, but also intellectual and moral unity, posing all the questions around which the struggle rages not on a corporate but on a 'universal plane', and thus creating the hegemony of a fundamental social group over a series of subordinate groups" (86). This process of negotiation, while never in equal measure and always with limits, opens up the dominant ideology to challenges which have the potential to shift the equilibrium. If we conceive of the nation as "a continuous process of formation and superseding of unstable equilibria ... between the interests of the fundamental group and those of the subordinate groups" (Gramsci 86), narration of nation becomes a necessarily indeterminate and contingent terrain. Thus, there is the possibility for what Homi Bhabha terms "minority discourses" which add to, without adding up to, the dominant discourse to destabilize the "compromise equilibrium" of narration of nation (222-23). I argue that All Quiet and Flags destabilize this equilibrium by resisting narration of nation through subverting dominant war narratives and structures of national mythilogy. Wars play an essential role in the construction of national identity as nationalism is linked to warfare. As Gopal Balakrishnan points out, "the state possesses a historical purpose and collective meaning because it organizes a community into a sovereign polity ready for war. It is during war that the nation is imagined as a community embodying ultimate values" (qtd. in Hogan 216). Wars are also inseparable from the national historical imagination as they become one of the central rhetorical figures in narration of nation. Past conflicts become part of a mythical history that the nation returns to in times of struggle and insecurity to re-imagine the nation's present. The narration of present conflicts is no less essential to national imagination. As Kevin Foster demonstrates in his account of narratives emerging during and after the Falklands War, the arrangement of information and events into narrative form by the media, memoir writers, and others was more important in re-constructing British national identity than any "real" events of the war. These war narratives become produced and reproduced at various sites, constructed both in the official military/political discourse and in literary, cinematic, or media discourses. As mentioned above, the novel and the film represent particularly significant sites for the construction of national narratives. To understand the dominant war narratives that All Quiet and Flags challenge, we can look at Ernst Jünger's novel Storm of Steel and Steven Spielberg's film Saving Private Ryan as narratives representing the dominant national ideology of their respective nations and eras. Jünger's Storm of Steel presented the pro-war and nationalistic literary narrative of Germany's World War I experience through its glorification of combat and adherence to the prototypical hero narrative. Saving Private Ryan is constructed similarly as a narrative of the United States' involvement in World War II and that reproduced a legitimation of this involvement, as well as its involvement in following wars, and an affirmation of national identity. Particu


Meiofauna, macro-infauna and epifauna were sampled at two offshore sandbanks in the southern North Sea in 2006. The epifaunal and infaunal communities in the dynamic environment of the sandbank crests were species poor, with lesser weever, solenette, Crangon crangon, amphipods and deposit-feeding polychaetes the predominant benthic taxa. Abundant early life-history stages (24–39 mm) of the lesser weever Echiichthys vipera on the sandbank crests indicated that these habitats may be important nursery grounds for this species. Species diversity of infauna and epifauna was greater in the deeper waters parallel to the sandbanks. Contrasting patterns were evident for meiofaunal nematodes, where communities collected on the sandbank crests were more diverse than those recorded in the deeper off-bank sites. The fauna of sandbank crests is composed of a restricted range of the fauna typically associated with sandy habitats, particularly taxa adapted to live in this dynamic environment.


A new compound, nigeglanine (1), and its new artificial derivative (1a), were isolated from the seeds of Nigella glandulifera, together with a known aporphine alkaloid, fuzitine (2). Their structures were established by spectral analysis, including two-dimensional (2D)-NMR spectroscopy. Nigeglanine (1) is the third natural product determined to contain an indazole nucleus.


This study was performed in the southern part of Çandarlı Bay between May 2015 and May 2018. The aim of the research was to determine the existing cetacean species and their distribution. Cetacean monitoring surveys were conducted biannually for three years, and the presence of bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus and common dolphin Delphinus delphis were detected by visual observations. Total encounter rate of delphinids in the study was 1.7567 sightings per100 km. The main reason for such a low encounter rate is considered as that the study area is in an industrial zone.


The early history of the development and characterization of a set of three 50 mm diameter piston gauges for primary pressure measurements in the atmospheric range is described, including target geometric specifications and uncertainty objectives, most significantly a relative combined uncertainty in pressure of less than 5 × 10-6. Apart from the relatively large diameter of the pistons and the cylinder bores, other noteworthy features of the piston gauges include pistons and cylinders made from a ceramic material, a floating cylinder design, and the ability to vary the gaps between each piston and cylinder combination through application of an independent pressure along a portion of the inner surface of the hollow piston. The piston and cylinder elements were measured dimensionally by the National Institute of Standards and Technology and effective areas and associated uncertainties were calculated. The performance of the piston gauges was examined by comparing them, and both mode-of-operation and gas-species dependence of the effective areas were investigated and found to be within predicted limits. After extensive testing it was concluded that changes in the piston-cylinder materials were needed to make the systems easier to use consistently and to reduce uncertainty. This early work was quite promising, and demonstrated the potential of the approach. The project, with some hardware changes, is ongoing.


Electric arc furnace dust (EAFD) which is considered hazardous waste, contains significant amounts of Zinc (Zn), iron (Fe), and some dangerous elements. Zn exists in the dust as Zinc Oxide (ZnO) and Zinc Ferrite (ZnFe2O3) which is difficult to be leached with traditional methods. The main objective of the suggested process is to recover Zn from EAFD by using a hybrid pyro/hydrometallurgical method. This method includes mixing cement dust and EAFD and heating the mixture in a pyrometallurgical treatment step to convert ZnFe2O3 to ZnO. This step is followed by leaching the treated dust with sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solution using different Solid/Liquid (S/L) ratios through different time intervals in a hydrometallurgical treatment step. Finally, Zn-metal can be recovered from the leached solution in an electrochemical step (electro-winning). About 82 % of the Zn originally presented in the EAFD sample was successfully extracted by using a treatment mixture of 2:1 cement dust: EAFD at 1000 °C for 2 hrs., then leaching with 2M NaOH solution with an S/L ratio of 1/20 for 6 hrs. at a stirring rate of 250 rpm.


This paper will look at the consequences of rapid urbanisation on rural development with particular reference to the squatter problem in Lusaka. The major underlying assumption is that interventions to alter the conditions of the urban poor have excerbated the deteriorating lifestyle of rural dwellers. Urbanisation is seen as having occurred obversely to rural development and, to some extent, reflecting the same effect as that depicted in dependency theories which seek to explain the relationship between developed and undeveloped countries. Accordingly, the under-development that exists in some parts of the world is the creation of Western industrial growth which could not have occurred without the conditioning of a periphery from which economic surplus was extracted and necessary raw materials secured. As depicted in the relationship of undeveloped areas of the world with developed countries, urban development has been based on an exploitative relationship with the rural countryside. Human resources, rural production and national finance have been used to sustain cities and towns. Dependency theories do not adequately portray the relationship between the development of urban areas and the the underdeveloped rural countryside within a national boundary. An historical understanding of events is also nececessary to comprehend the relationship between national needs and demands, and the ensuing social response. This paper will also look at the underdeveloped process within a historical context.


Methylated arginine residues are found at only one site (position 107) of the polypeptide chain of the A1 protein, as shown by analysis of tryptic and peptic peptides; these analyses show 0.2 mole of N(G)-dimethylarginine and 0.4-0.8 mole of N(G)-monomethylarginine per mole of A1 protein. The methylated arginine residues appeared to be relatively resistant to tryptic attack. Both methylated derivatives were isolated from an enzymatic digest of the A1 protein; they were identified by chromatography, electrophoresis, and degradation to citrulline, methylamine, and ornithine on alkaline hydrolysis. The phylogenetic importance of the methylated derivatives was shown by their presence in the human, monkey, bovine, rabbit, guinea pig, rat, chicken, and turtle A1 proteins at the analogous position to that of the bovine sequence: [Formula: see text] We postulate that the methylated arginine residues may serve an important role in the myelin membrane in situ by stabilization of a double-chain structure for the A1 protein; such a double-chain conformation is induced by a (proline)(3) sequence located nearby.


Modern driver assistance systems as well as autonomous vehicles take their decisions based on local maps of the environment. These maps include, for example, surrounding moving objects perceived by sensors as well as routes and navigation information. Current research in the field of environment mapping is concerned with two major challenges. The first one is the integration of information from different sources e. g. on-board sensors like radar, camera, ultrasound and lidar, offline map data or backend information. The second challenge comprises in finding an abstract representation of this aggregated information with suitable interfaces for different driving functions and traffic situations. To overcome these challenges, an extended environment model is a reasonable choice.In this paper, we show that role-based motion predictions in combination with v2x-extended environment models are able to contribute to increased traffic safety and driving comfort. Thus, we combine the mentioned research areas and show possible improvements, using the example of a threading process at a motorway access road. Furthermore, it is shown that already an average v2x equipment penetration of 80 % can lead to a significant improvement of 0.33 m/s2 of the total acceleration and 12 m more safety distance compared to non v2x-equipped vehicles during the threading process.


Tec family kinases, which include tyrosine kinase expressed in hepatocellular carcinoma (TEC), Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK), interleukin (IL)-2-inducible T-cell kinase (ITK), tyrosine-protein kinase (TXK), and bone marrow tyrosine kinase on chromosome X (BMX), are the second largest group of non-receptor tyrosine kinases and have a highly conserved carboxyl-terminal kinase domain. BMX was identified in human bone marrow cells, and was demonstrated to have been expressed in myeloid hematopoietic lineages cells, endothelial cells, and several types of cancers. Significant progress in this area during the last decade revealed an important role for BMX in inflammation and oncologic disorders. This review focuses on BMX biology, its role in inflammation and possible signaling pathways, and the potential of selective BMX inhibitors.


Statistical region-based segmentation methods such as the Active Appearance Models establish dense correspondences by modelling variation of shape and pixel intensities in low-resolution 2D images. Unfortunately, for high-resolution 2D and 3D images, this approach is rendered infeasible due to excessive storage and computational requirements. This paper addresses the problem by modelling the appearance of wavelet coefficient subsets contrary to the pixel intensities. We call this Wavelet Enhanced Appearance Modelling (WHAM). Experiments using the orthogonal Haar wavelet and the bi-orthogonal CDF 9-7 wavelet on cardiac MRIs and human faces show that the segmentation accuracy is minimally degraded at compression ratios of 1:10 and 1:20, respectively. Keywords— Segmentation, compression, Active Appearance Models, wavelets, multi-scale analysis.


In a series of sensitivity experiments, using a three‐dimensional ocean general circulation model, rapid climate shifts during the last deglaciation are interpreted in terms of gradual temperature changes and freshwater perturbations, which impact on the Atlantic thermohaline circulation (THC). We show that increasing global temperature leads to a rapid intensification of the THC. The transition to an interglacial THC mode is preconditioned by a decrease of the subsurface temperatures due to an increase in ventilation of the subsurface water in the northern North Atlantic, which enhances the merdional transport of salt to the northern high latitudes and gradually erodes the halocline. This process enables the remaining temperature inversion to overcome the salinity stratification in the northern North Atlantic, which causes a kick start of vigorous convection and a rapid intensification of the Atlantic THC. As a result of the abrupt THC amplification and the deglacial warming and sea ice retreat in the Southern Ocean, enhanced transport of relatively salty surface and intermediate‐depth waters from the Indian Ocean provides an additional source of salt to the North Atlantic, which changes the stability behavior of the THC with respect to freshwater perturbations. A warming‐induced transition from a weak glacial THC to a stronger THC state, with different North Atlantic freshwater hysteresis characteristics, provides a concept that might explain the sequence of events, characterizing the last glacial termination as recorded in proxy data.


This study examines methods for simplifying estimation of the Weibull modulus. This parameter is an important instrument in understanding the statistical behavior of the strength of materials, especially those of brittle solids. It is shown that a modification of Robinson's approximate expression can provide good estimates of Weibull modulus values (m) in terms of average strength (<σ>) and standard deviation (S): m = 1.10 <σ>/S. This modified Robinson relation is verified on the basis of 267 Weibull analyses accompanied by <σ> and S measurements. Estimated m values matched normally obtained m values on average within 1%, and each pair of m values was within ± 20%, except for 11 cases. Applications are discussed, indicating that the above relation can offer a quantitative tool based on the Weibull theory to engineering practice. This survey suggests a rule of thumb: wrought metal alloys have Weibull moduli of 10 to 200.


Neoacrenhydrosoma zhangi gen. et sp. nov. is described from specimens recovered from muddy sediments in the shallow waters of the Bohai Sea. On the basis of the structure of the mouthparts, P5 of both sexes and the female genital field, it is suggested that the taxon is related to the Acrenhydrosoma-complex within the Cletodidae. It differs from other known genera in the structure of the exopod in P2–P4 which is two-segmented as a result of the failure to separate the proximal two segments of a three-segmented ramus; and the P5 in as much as the mucroniform process incorporates the exopod, as well as the endopodal lobe of the baseoendopod.


Localization, estimating the positions and orientations of a set of cameras, is a critical first step in camera-based sensor network applications such as geometric estimation, scene reconstruction, and motion tracking. We propose a new distributed localization algorithm for networks of cameras with sparse overlapping view structure that is energy efficient and copes well with networking dynamics. The distributed nature of the localization computations can result in order-of-magnitude savings in communication energy over centralized approaches.


Both Craig Liebenson and his multiple contributors have created a practical text to examine spinal rehabilitation. This multidisciplinary text integrates the fields of physical therapy, chiropractic, physiatry, and manual medicine. The rationale for the text is to provide an updated evidence-based functional and active self-care approach to musculoskeletal spinal pain. The combined expertise of the authors makes this text a valuable resource. A few of the contributors include Drs. Kirkaldy-Willis, Jull, Janda, Hodges, Bogduk, and McGill, Mooney, and Triano.

The text is well indexed and there is an excellent flow of material. There are 39 chapters, divided into 7 sections: Overview, Basic Science, Assessment, Acute Care Management, Recovery Care Management, Practical Application by Region, and Implementing the Functional Paradigm. Each section discusses some of the basic underlying theories and provides key information on clinical application. With the inclusion of the companion DVD, five sections outlining the correct application of rehabilitation techniques is provided. The sections include physical performance evaluation, sparing strategies, stabilization strategies, functional integrated training, and the Czech school of manual medicine. Each section of the DVD is comprised of numerous exercises and functional training protocols.

The premise of the first edition is carried forward into the second – focussing on psychosocial factors, active care, and outcomes. There are several new chapters which include a focus on diagnosis, functional assessment, and recovery care. The text highlights the importance of functional restoration and various rehabilitation methods are outlined. One of the major additions to the second edition is the companion DVD. This is an excellent adjunct which demonstrates the appropriate techniques for the diagnosis and treatment of spinal pain. This is an excellent tool to educate both clinicians and patients.

Although this is an updated edition, there are some chapters which have limited change from their previous counterparts. The layout of some of the chapters could be enhanced to visually separate concepts. Even though there are a multitude of illustrations and photographs, the use of occasional colour diagrams and photos would have been a welcome change to the new edition.

Integrating active rehabilitation into the clinical management for musculoskeletal pain is essential. Overall, this book is highly recommended for any student or clinician interested in providing appropriate active rehabilitative care for spinal pain. The companion DVD is a valuable addition and both this and the text would likely be a frequently used reference.


Of the many cases of traumatic rupture of the aorta diagnosed each year at l"Hôpital du Sacré-Coeur, Montreal, most patients are already in irreversible shock when seen. However, during the period Oct. 1, 1974 to Sept. 30, 1975, prompt surgical treatment saved six patients. One of these six patients had a complete trans-section of the aortic arch between the left carotid and left subclavian arteries with avulsion and slight retraction of the left subclavian artery. Repair of the aortic arch and left subclavian artery was accomplished without extracorporeal circulation. A sutureless temporary bypass shunt was created by (a) cannulating the ascending and descending aorta, the cannulas being secured with purse-string sutures and joined by a 3/8-inch (94-mm) polyvinyl chloride (PVC) tube connected to a "double T" adapter, and (b) joining two small PVC tubes from the adapter with two straight cannulas, a no. 14 being inserted into the innominate artery and a no. 12 being inserted into the left carotid artery. With this temporary bypass created, the ascending and descending aorta and aortic arch vessels were all clamped. Aortic continuity was re-established with a tubular Dacron graft (diameter, 19 mm) to which was anastomosed a side-arm of knitted Dacron (diameter, 10 mm) to repair the left subclavian artery. Throughout the temporary perfusion the brain, spinal cord and all abdominal viscera were well protected. No sign of ventricular distension was detected. This report is the first in which complete transsection of the aortic arch has been managed by a sutureless bypass shunt allowing perfusion of all aortic arch vessels without extracorporeal circulation.


A facile strategy is proposed to prepare N-doped mesoporous carbon catalysts dispersed with Fe3Pt intermetallics (Fe3Pt/N@C) through direct pyrolysis of Pt-Fe co-functionalized ZIF-8. The catalysts exhibit excellent ORR activity, outstanding mass activity with ultralow Pt loading, low H2O2 yield, and high cycling stability in alkaline medium.


Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) are composed of tiny sensor nodes, which are capable of sensing and processing data from inaccessible environments and communicating them to the end-user for further analysis. The main requirement of energy-constrained wireless sensor networks is to offer a long network lifetime. Thus, conceiving energy efficient protocols is a major challenge for WSNs. Energy-aware protocols therefore become crucial in designing viable WSNs that can live for a long time. We propose in this paper a novel probability function for energy-efficient clustering protocols in wireless sensor networks. The proposed probability function considers, in addition to the information about the residual energy of the nodes, the specific network topology characteristics, such as the connectivity degree, in the selection process of the cluster heads. We incorporate the proposed function in the energy-efficient HEED protocol. Simulation results show that, in addition to a considerable energy saving, the proposed probability function increases the packet delivery compared to the classical HEED.


The formation of adducts between cis-[Pt(NH(3))(2)Cl(2)], Zn(II), and Mn(II) and double-stranded oligodeoxynucleotides was studied by 1D and 2D (1)H, (31)P, and (15)N NMR spectroscopy. For labile adducts involving Zn(II) and Mn(II), both (1)H chemical shifts (Zn(II)) and (1)H line-broadening effects (Mn(II)) showed that in the hexamer [d(GGCGCC)](2) I, the terminal G(1)-N7 is the exclusive binding site, while for the dodecamer [d(GGTACCGGTACC)](2) II, which contains both a terminal and internal GG pair, the preference for metal binding is the internal guanine G(7). Zn(II) binding to II was confirmed by natural-abundance 2D [(1)H,(15)N] HMBC NMR spectroscopy, which unambiguously showed that G(7)-N7 is the preferred binding site. The long duplex [d(GGTATATATACCGGTATATATACC)](2) III was expected to have a more pronounced accumulation of electrostatic potential towards the central part of the sequence (vs the terminal part) than does II. However, the Zn(II) titration of III showed no increase in coordination with the internal Gs (vs the terminal Gs), compared with what was observed for II. The reaction between the nonlabile metal complex cis-[PtCl(2)((15)NH(3))(2)] (cisplatin) and II showed a slight preference for the internal GG pair over the terminal GG pair. However, when the diaqua form of cisplatin cis-[Pt((15)NH(3))(2)(H(2)O)(2)] was reacted with II a more pronounced binding preference for the internal GG pair was observed.


In the paper, antenna processing is applied in the radio localisation frame. For a source of interest, the multipath directions of arrival (DOA) are estimated and the shortest/direct propagation path is identified. First, an unstructured estimate of the sampled channel impulse response is derived by use of pilot symbols. The channel response samples are then separately processed to recover the DOA of the relative paths. For stationary channels, it is suggested that smoothing be used in the case of a uniform and linear antenna array (ULA) to recover the source subspace. For fast fading channels, which is typically the case for high speed mobiles, it is shown that using a MUSIC like algorithm allows source subspace recovery by exploiting the gain diversity over a reduced number of slots with unchanged DOA and time delays. Separate processing of channel response samples reduces the constraint on antenna array size and allows comparison of the path lengths.


In this study, the characteristic of offensive major odorous compound from the Bon-San industrial complex in Gimhae were determined by analytical methods of Gas Chromatography, High Performance Liquid Chromatography and UV/VIS Spectrophotometer. The kind of major odorous compounds examined acetaldehyde, sulfur compounds, ammonia and styrene. The concentration of all odorous compounds at 3 sampling points of industrial complex were lower than those of regulation standard levels of the industrial complex in Korea. The mean concentration of hydrogen sulfide was 0.0235 ppm at sampling point 2, it was higher than other sampling point. Complex odors was lower than regulation standard levels of the industrial complex in Korea.


Networks naturally capture a host of real-world interactions, from social interactions and email communication to brain activity. However, graphs are not always directly observed, especially in scientific domains, such as neuroscience, where monitored brain activity is often captured as time series. How can we efficiently infer networks from time series data (e.g., model the functional organization of brain activity as a network) and speed up the network construction process to scale up to millions of nodes and thousands of graphs? Further, what can be learned about the structure of the graph data? How can we automatically summarize a network 'conditionally' to its domain, i.e., summarize its most important properties by taking into account the properties of other graphs in that domain (e.g., neuroscience)? In this talk I will present our recent work on scalable algorithms for inferring, summarizing and mining large collections of graph data coming from different sources. I will also discuss applications in various domains, including connectomics and social science.


Narrowband and partial-band interference can severely degrade the performance of GPS receivers. The use of digital signal processing in a receiver has been shown to provide protection against this type of interference in communications systems and has been proposed for application in future GPS systems. This paper discusses the measured effects of narrowband interference suppression on GPS receiver performance. Emphasis is placed on its effects on pseudorange measurements, since navigation accuracy is ultimately the measure of interest to the user. Performance metrics presented include: the GPS receiver input carrier-to-noise ratio, receiver crosscorrelation function, and pseudorange errors. The results demonstrate that substantial interference suppression can be attained with modest navigation accuracy degradation by incorporating narrowband interference suppression technology into GPS receivers.


Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), a prolactin (PRL)-releasing factor, has been shown to be synthesized within the anterior pituitary. To test the hypothesis that estrogens increase PRL secretion, at least in part, by stimulating VIP secretion, the concentrations of VIP, peptide histidine isoleucine (PHI) and prepro VIP mRNA were measured in the anterior pituitaries of oophorectomized rats treated with 17 beta-estradiol benzoate 25 micrograms/kg/day s.c. for 5 days. For comparison, changes in the hypothalamus were also measured. Estrogen treatment resulted in a marked increase in pituitary VIP content without detectable changes in PHI content, suggesting that estrogen may regulate differentially the enzymes involved in the posttranslational processing of the VIP prohormone. A VIP mRNA-transcript of about 1.7 kilobases was detected in all tissues studied, being most abundant in the cortex, less abundant in the hypothalamus and barely detectable in the untreated pituitary. Estrogen treatment resulted in an increase in VIP gene expression in the pituitary but not in the hypothalamus or cerebral cortex. This marked increase in prepro VIP mRNA rendered possible the demonstration in the estrogen-treated pituitary of a second VIP transcript of about 1.0 kilobase which was present in only very low quantities in the cortex and hypothalamus. We conclude that estrogen regulates the gene expression of VIP in the anterior pituitary. Changes in VIP secretion may contribute to the stimulatory effect of estrogen on PRL secretion.


The present research investigates two sociolinguistic variables in the dialect of the Dawāsir who reside in Dammam in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Those Dawāsir immigrated from their homeland Wādi ad-Dawāsir in Najd to Bahrain and later returned to KSA, specifically Dammam. Dammam is a coastal city located in the Eastern part of KSA, very close to Bahrain. Sociolinguistic interviews were carried out to obtain data from 39 speakers from the Dawāsir who were born, and still live in Dammam.
The research investigates two variables: (ʤ) (the variation between [ʤ] and [j]); and the rounding and unrounding of the long vowel (ɑ:) word-medially. The correlation between internal (linguistic) factors and three social factors, namely age, gender and social networks is examined. The present study provides a quantitative analysis within the framework of the variationist theory, by using the multiple regression software Rbrul.
The data analysis shows that the occurrence of the traditional variants [j] and [ɒ:] is much lower in comparison to the innovative variants: 76 % for [ʤ] and 97 % for [ɑ:]. Overall, the use of [j] and [ɒ:] word-medially is receding, seemingly indicating a change in progress away from the traditional, local variants. The local dialect is undergoing levelling of the marked features toward the koinised or the supra-local linguistic features in KSA.
In regards to the social predictors, the results show that speakers who maintain loose social networks, predominantly men across the different age-groups (old, middle-aged, young) and young females, are leading the change in using the common features in KSA. On the other hand, speakers with tight social networks, mainly old women, are more conservative in retaining the traditional local linguistic features.
In terms of the internal factors, preceding environment is a strong predictor of variation. Contrary to the literature, the innovative variant [ʤ] prefers high vowels, and [ɑ:] prefers dorsal and coronal consonants.


A micro heat engine, based on a cavity filled with a stationary working fluid under liquid-vapor saturation conditions and encapsulated by two membranes, is described and analyzed. This engine design is easy to produce using MEMS technologies and is operated with external heating and cooling. The motion of the membranes is controlled such that the internal pressure and temperature are constant during the heat addition and removal processes, and thus the fluid executes a true internal Carnot cycle. A model of this Saturation Phase-change Internal Carnot Engine (SPICE) was developed including thermodynamic, mechanical and heat transfer aspects. The efficiency and maximum power of the engine are derived. The maximum power point is fixed in a three-parameter space, and operation at this point leads to maximum power density that scales with the inverse square of the engine dimension. Inclusion of the finite heat capacity of the engine wall leads to a strong dependence of performance on engine frequency, and the existence of an optimal frequency. Effects of transient reverse heat flow, and 'parasitic heat' that does not participate in the thermodynamic cycle are observed.Copyright © 2008 by ASME


Breast cancer remains the most common cancer and second-leading cause of cancer-related death in women, with metastatic disease carrying a particularly poor prognosis. Despite advances with chemotherapeutic drugs aimed at tumor growth, we do not fully understand the effects of these drugs on the metastatic process. Histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi) are novel epigenetic therapies that induce cancer cell death through various mechanisms, including apoptosis, cell-cycle arrest and antiangiogenesis. Clinical trials investigating HDACi use in solid tumors are ongoing but have yielded mixed results. To date, very few studies have examined how HDACi influence the metastatic potential of breast tumor cells. Since HDAC enzymes act on both histone and non-histone targets, HDACi drugs cause dramatic increases in non-histone protein acetylation, including acetylation of alpha-tubulin. A well-known marker of stable microtubules, tubulin acetylation increases in metastatic breast tumors and predicts poor patient survival. However, the effects of HDACi on tubulin-related cytoskeletal dynamics of tumor cells have not been previously examined. The current study investigates whether the use of HDACi in breast cancer cells could promote metastatic phenotypes. Clinically-relevant HDAC pan-inhibitors that target multiple Class I HDAC enzymes (Entinostat) or both Class I and Class II (FDA-approved Vorinostat) yielded strong and rapid increases in the migration of both MCF-7 and Bt-549 breast cancer cells. In addition, Vorinostat and Entinostat were each able to strongly induce histone acetylation, while only Vorinostat induced tubulin acetylation. To determine if the increased tubulin acetylation induced by HDACi drugs was sufficient to induce tumor cell migration, we used an isotype-specific HDACi (Tubastatin) that selectively targets the Class II HDAC6 and therefore can increase tubulin acetylation. At doses which strongly induce tubulin acetylation, Tubastatin did not increase tumor cell migration or other tubulin-dependent cancer cell processes, including reattachment and microtentacle formation. Vorinostat and Entinostat therefore induce tumor cell migration through a tubulin-independent mechanism, indicating that more precise targeting of HDAC enzymes could help avoid therapeutic approaches that induce metastatic phenotypes. Citation Format: Lindsay K. Hessler, Amanda E. Boggs, Rebecca A. Whipple, Michele I. Vitolo, Kristi R. Chakrabarti, Lekhana Bhandary, Keyata N. Thompson, Stuart S. Martin. HDAC inhibition promotes tubulin-independent cancer cell migration. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr LB-342.


This paper introduces and develops the concept of "conditional agreement point", defined as the dominating issue (hard optimality) within a certain restricted subset of the set of feasible issues (partial optimality). Such a concept associates individualistic independence (via the operation of individual preferences) and humanistic autonomy (via the social choice of the determined subset). As the "conditional agreement point" assumes a dualistic conception of human beings as self-interest followers and as rule makers, it acknowledges mixed or complex types of behavior and it supports some syntheses between efficiency and justice. Precisely, the notion of CAP permits the reconsideration of classical coordination or cooperation problems such as the bilateral exchange.


Neisseria musculi, isolated from the oral cavity of wild-caught mice, does not colonize most inbred mouse strains. N. musculi does weakly (50%) colonize C57BL/6J (B6) mice but readily colonizes CAST/EiJ (CAST) mice. In this study, we examined whether differences in the CAST and B6 host response could elucidate mechanisms governing N. musculi colonization. In vivo stimulation of B6 or CAST splenocytes with wild type (WT) Neisseria or Escherichia coli LPS showed that CAST mice had a blunted inflammatory response, producing significantly lower levels of IL-6 than B6 mice. The use of specific genetic knockouts highlighted a need for an intact innate immune system to prevent colonization. B6–RAG-1−/− mice were colonized at a similar rate as WT B6 mice, whereas B6-MyD88−/− and TLR4−/− mice were readily colonized like CAST (100%) mice. Sequence analysis revealed a unique point mutation in TLR4 in CAST mice. However, crosses to TLR4−/− mice and analysis of recombinant inbred Collaborative Cross mice showed that TLR4 from CAST mice was not sufficient to allow Neisseria colonization. In vitro stimulation of B6 bone marrow–derived macrophages or splenocytes with WT Neisseria yielded low levels of IL-6 compared with LPS stimulation. Surprisingly, UV-inactivated Neisseria induced high levels of IL-6, suggesting suppression of IL-6 production is an active bacterial process. Consistent with a critical role for IL-6 in preventing colonization, mice deficient for the IL-6 receptor were efficiently colonized, indicating host IL-6 production plays a critical role in determining host colonization susceptibility.


This paper provides an overview of the recent analytical and empirical literature on middle-income traps. The first part examines the descriptive and statistical evidence on these traps. The second discusses the various arguments that have been put forward to explain the existence, and persistence, of middle-income traps. These arguments include diminishing returns to physical capital, exhaustion of cheap labor and imitation gains, insufficient quality of human capital, inadequate contract enforcement and intellectual property protection, distorted incentives and misallocation of talent, lack of access to advanced infrastructure, and lack of access to finance, especially in the form of venture capital. The third part considers public policies aimed at avoiding, and escaping from, middle-income traps. The concluding part identifies a number of directions in which the empirical and theoretical literature could fruitfully evolve.


The borderline syndrome was reexamined recently in a new comprehensive way. We present a diagnostic reevaluation of chronic ward patients who were formerly diagnosed and treated as chronic schizophrenics. A new, meticulous clinical assessment, as well as psychological testing, suggested the borderline-syndrome diagnosis. These patients represent a special category of borderline patients not hitherto described and a characteristic etiological background was found in their familial constellation. A causal and descriptive differentiation between these patients and schizophrenics is mandatory: careful investigation of backward populations in hospitals might reveal numerous similar cases (borderlines in this special category). They call for a different, definite line of treatment.


Originally published by Allen & Unwin in 1930 this 3-volume collection brings together writings on the economic aspects of Japan's history. Covering the period from the 1600s until the 1920s this work offers the reader, not only an economic history of the Japanese, but also a social and political history. By explaining the realities of daily life during the periods covered, this collection allows the economic aspects to be fully appreciated.


State-of-the-art Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) have become increasingly accurate. However, hundreds or thousands of megabytes data are involved to store them, making these networks also computationally expensive. For certain applications, such as Internet-of-Things (IoT), where such CNNs are to be implemented on resource-constrained and memory-constrained platforms, including Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) and embedded devices, CNN architectures and parameters have to be small and efficient. In this paper, an evolutionary algorithm (EA) based adaptive integer quantisation method is proposed to reduce network size. The proposed method uses single objective rank-based evolutionary strategy to find the best quantisation bin boundary for fixed quantised bit width. The performance of the proposed method is evaluated on a small CNN, the LeNet-5 architecture, using the CIFAR-10 dataset. The aim is to devise a methodology that allows adaptive quantisation of both weights and bias from 32-bit floating point to 8-bit integer representation for LeNet-5, while retaining accuracy. The experiments compare straight-forward (linear) quantisation from 32-bits to 8-bits with the proposed adaptive quantisation method. The results show that the proposed method is capable of quantising CNNs to lower bit width representation with only a slight loss in classification accuracy.


Trust is a critical component of successful e-Commerce. Given the impersonality, anonymity, and automation of transactions, online vendor trustworthiness cannot be assessed by means of body language and other environmental cues that consumers typically use when deciding to trust offline retailers. It is therefore essential that the design of e-Commerce websites compensate by incorporating circumstantial cues in the form of appropriate trust triggers. This paper presents and discusses the results of a study which took an initial look at whether consumers with different personality types (a) are generally more trusting and (b) rely on different trust cues during their assessment of first impression vendor trustworthiness in B2C e-Commerce.


A constitutive model for describing the mechanical response of an amorphous glassy polycarbonate is proposed. The model is based on an isotropic elastic phase surrounded by an SO(3) continuum of plastic phases onto which the elastic phase can collapse under strain. An approximate relaxed energy is developed for this model on the basis of physical considerations and extensive numerical testing, and it is shown that it corresponds to an ideal elastic-plastic behavior. Kinetic effects are introduced as rate-independent viscoplasticity, and a comparison with experimental data is presented, showing that the proposed model is able to capture the main features of the plastic behavior of amophous glassy polycarbonate.


Every protein is folded in its "native" state. How the sequence of amino acids determines the folding conformation is an open question in biochemistry. Because of the huge number of possible foldings, computer simulation of the problem has been impossible. In his Perspective, Berendsen discusses results reported in the same issue by
 Duan and Kollman
 in which they used a computer model to simulate protein folding in a 36-residue protein. Although small, the protein contains 12,000 atoms, lending hope that computers methods may make some progress in the understanding of folding.


We report a case of adenocarcinoma affecting the chin of a 48-year-old man. The tumor showed signs of apocrine differentiation and had infiltrated the muscle. The patient had no history or clinical evidence of breast cancer. We made a diagnosis of cutaneous apocrine adenocarcinoma. Apocrine adenocarcinoma rarely arises in areas with scarce apocrine glands. We reviewed the literature on apocrine adenocarcinoma of the face in areas other than the eyelids and auditory canal, where specialized apocrine glands are present.


The invention concerns an architecture for securely accessing virtual objects (Obv?i?) distributed in systems connected to the Internet (RI), and for obtaining an instance therefrom. Said access is performed, via a smart card (2a), through a "WEB" browser (10). The terminal (1) and the smart card (2a) comprise each a specific protocol layer (13, 23a). The latter contains intelligent agents (132, 232a1) for setting up two-way data exchange sessions, thereby enabling the smart card (2a) to have a "WEB" server functionality. The smart card (2a) also comprises intelligent agents, called script translators, and a virtual file management system (8) co-operating with a specialised script translator intelligent agent (7). Each virtual object (Obv?i? )is associated with a virtual file of the virtual file management system (8). The specialised intelligent agent (7) presents to the browser (10) the list of accessible virtual objects (Obv?i?) and generates methods for accessing said objects.


Disclosed herein is a cellulosic fibrous structure having multiple regions distinguished from one another by basis weight. The structure is a paper having an essentially continuous high basis weight network, and discrete regions of low basis weight which circumscribe discrete regions of intermediate basis weight. The cellulosic fibers forming the low basis weight regions may be radially oriented relative to the centers of the regions. The paper may be formed by using a forming belt having zones with different flow resistances. The basis weight of a region of the paper is generally inversely proportional to the flow resistance of the zone of the forming belt, upon which such region was formed. The zones of different flow resistances provide for selectively draining a liquid carrier having suspended cellulosic fibers through the different zones of the forming belt.


This paper examines how common property is produced and delineated in contractual communities in China. Shanghai, one of the most developed Chinese cities with a burgeoning housing market, is used as a case study. The research analyses the power relations between land, construction and housing departments within Shanghai district governments and with developers, specifically, during the development phases of land leasing, construction permission and ownership registration. Drawing on the theoretical framework of new institutionalism, and its conception of path dependency in urban space, the article sheds light on what has led to the infringement on homeowners' common property by developers. In a weak legal and regulatory system for property development, the departments within district governments shirk responsibility to each other, whereas developers hold considerable power. The article concludes that common property bears the imprint of power dynamics set in motion in the development phase and thus requires greater recognition.


A digital communication system is developed, using moving average matched filter (MAMF) detectors, for environments where the noise is unknown a priori and may change constantly and significantly. A system in which basis vectors representing a signal subspace are transmitted rather than a fixed signal vector is described. At the receiver the transmitted basis-vectors are linearly combined so that the output signal-to-noise ratio (OSNR) of the MAMF is maximized. This linear combination represents an adaptation of the transmitted signal to changes in the noise environment. A system combining the fixed vector and the signal subspace approaches is simulated and shown to potentially outperform either system alone for an arbitrary distribution of narrowband noise center frequencies.<<ETX>>


The objective of the paper was to assess the effect of gamma-irradiation on typeability of AmpFISTR SGM Plus loci in selected tissue specimens collected during forensic autopsies. Full AmpFISTR SGM profiles were obtained after gamma-irradiation of 150Gy. At the dose of 200Gy a gradual loss of longer amplicons was noted. In terms of AmpFISTR SGM Plus typeability, the thyroid gland and kidney were the most vulnerable to gamma-irradiation.


Storms crossing complex terrain can potentially encounter rapidly changing convective environments. However, our understanding of terrain-induced variability in convective stormenvironments remains limited. HRRR data are used to create climatologies of popular convective storm forecasting parameters for different wind regimes. Self-organizing maps (SOMs) are used to generate six different low-level wind regimes, characterized by different wind directions, for which popular instability and vertical wind shear parameters are averaged. The climatologies show that both instability and vertical wind shear are highly variable in regions of complex terrain, and that the spatial distributions of perturbations relative to the terrain are dependent on the low-level wind direction. Idealized simulations are used to investigate the origins of some of the perturbations seen in the SOM climatologies. The idealized simulations replicate many of the features in the SOM climatologies, which facilitates analysis of their dynamical origins. Terrain influences are greatest when winds are approximately perpendicular to the terrain. In such cases, a standing wave can develop in the lee, leading to an increase in low-level wind speed and a reduction in vertical wind shear with the valley lee of the plateau. Additionally, CAPE tends to be decreased and LCL heights are increased in the lee of the terrain where relative humidity within the boundary layer is locally decreased.


The purpose of this note is to show that many of the examples of quantum vertex operators do not satisfy vertex operator associativity. 2000 MSC: 81-XX


This is a study of adult epidermis morphology in 17 species of Angiopteris Hoffm., Danaea J. E. Smith, and Marattia Swartz. Epidermal patterns, adult stomata, indument, and idioblasts were studied. Hill and Camus (1986) made an overview of characters of some extant species of Marattiales as part of a cladistic study of extant and fossil members of the order. The epidermal characters they used were subsidiary cells of the stomata, dimensions of the stomata, walls of epidermal cells, and idioblasts. The only character of indument they included in their study was the presence or absence of scales. Rolleri et al. (1987) made the first detailed study dealing with pinna and pinnule indument in the Marattiaceae, although Holttum (1978) had made some general comments on petiole and rhizome scales of Angiopteris, illustrating two species. He suggested that Angiopteris pinna trichomes were diagnostic but needed detailed study. Rolleri et al. (1987) strongly pointed out that epidermal characters are diagnostic at the species level in the Marattiaceae and speculated on generic affinities within the Marattiales.


Multiple symmetric lipomatosis (MSL) is a mitochondrial disorder with impaired brown fat metabolism that has been associated with MERRF mutations in some, but not all, patients. We studied a sibling pair and an unrelated indiviadual who presented with MSL and neuropathy to determine the genetic etiology of this disorder in patients who did not carry the MSL-associated MERRF mutation. Whole-exome sequencing was performed on the siblings, and a rare, shared homozygous mutation in MFN2 (c.2119C>T: p.R707W) was identified. The mutation was not present in their healthy siblings. In silico programs predict it to be pathogenic, and heterozygous carriers of the MFN2 p.R707W substitution are known to have Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease. A third, unrelated patient with multiple symmetrical lipomatosis and neuropathy also harbored the same homozygous mutation and had been previously diagnosed with CMT. Functional studies in patient fibroblasts demonstrate that the p.R707W substitution impairs homotypic (MFN2-MFN2) protein interactions required for normal activity and renders mitochondria prone to perinuclear aggregation. These findings show that homozygous mutations at p.R707W in MFN2 are a novel cause of multiple symmetrical lipomatosis.


Population connectivity plays significant roles on both evolutionary and ecological time-scales, however efforts at constraining the magnitude and pattern of demographic exchange between populations of marine organisms has been encumbered by the difficulty of tracking the trajectory and fate of propagules. I survey 300 published studies to synthesize life-history and population genetic structure data from a broad array of marine taxa to determine how well pelagic larval duration (PLD) correlates with population genetic estimates of dispersal for benthic organisms. Expanding on earlier studies, I further explore other potential biophysical correlates of population substructure (genetic marker class, habitat type, and larval swimming ability) that have not been considered previously. In contrast to previous studies concluding that longer planktonic periods confer greater dispersal ability, average PLD was poorly correlated with population connectivity (Fsd except among species in intertidal ecosystems. For species in which minimum, maximum and mean PLD were available, both minimum and maximum PLD are better correlated with Fsr than is the mean estimate. Furthermore, even this weak correlation appears to be anchored by non-pelagic dispersal, because removal of species that lack a pelagic phase entirely (the zero PLD class) from the analysis resulted in a non-significant relationship between Fsr and mean estimated PLD. A 3-way ANCOVA instead reveals that differences among genetic marker classes (mtDNA, allozymes, and microsatellites) are responsible for most of the variation in Fsr (F = 7.113, df = 2, P = 0.001), while neither habitat nor swimming ability were significant factors. In contrast to the general expectation that microsatellite-based studies should provide the finest resolution of population structure, this survey finds that significantly


In a time when the majority of the United States' citizens viewed the Native American tribes as savages and a nuisance, George Catlin managed to capture a realistic view of these peoples. Catlin's art is probably the most receptive of the early Native American painters. His paintings demonstrated an understanding and even an appreciation of the native people. In 1837, few people in or outside of the United States had a clear picture of what the tribes of the Plains and the Rocky Mountains looked like. The copious amount of paintings, sketches and materials that Catlin brought back with him give some of the best, and in many cases, the only information about the tribes before the serious interference of Euro-American settlers and the government. For the majority of his adult life, Catlin traveled in the Louisiana Purchase Territory documenting the people through his paintings and his writing. Still, there is no doubt that Catlin believed that the Native Americans were doomed. One of the main motives behind Catlin's work was to document these people before they disappeared or the United Stated government changed their way of life forever. In many ways, Catlin was the first ethnographer of the native peoples and one of the most successful in capturing the tribes before outside interference.1 He was willing to paint and describe the Indians accurately. He did not give in to the stereotype of portraying the tribes as bloodthirsty savages. Through his art he attempted to show the American people the reality of the tribes, both good and bad, and doing this became his life's work.


ABSTRACT School psychologists are encouraged to empower parents to be active partners in their child's education, including providing social-emotional supports. Typical parent engagement efforts involve trying to get parents to attend school meetings, which may overlook other ways parents can meaningfully support students. The current study examined engagement in a racially/ethnically diverse, predominantly low-income sample of parents of early elementary students participating in school-based group therapy. Most parents engaged in parent meetings, but approximately 20% engaged in other ways, including home activities. Lower income was associated with less frequent meeting attendance, while child racial/ethnic minority status predicted greater skill support at home. Therapist-parent relationship predicted meeting attendance. Results suggest that schools may enhance engagement by providing varied opportunities for parents.


A case of a single-stage reconstruction of the left hand of a 32-year-old right-handed construction worker with a shotgun wound by means of a composite osteoarthrotenocutaneous free flap from the foot is presented. The tissue loss caused by the injury included the cutaneous coverage of the dorsum of the left hand, extensor tendons of the second, third, fourth and fifth digits, metacarpals of the same fingers, and the second and third metacarpophalangeal joints. After 8 years of evolution, we have been able to verify a valuable degree of functional capability of the reconstructed hand.


Sanitation needs are significant in Bangladesh, which is the most densely populated country in the world and one of the poorest. Adding to the challenge, about one-third of Bangladesh experiences annual floods and other parts of the country suffer seasonal water shortages. All of these factors have implications for the ability of rural Bangladeshis to construct and maintain latrines. Improving sanitation is a high priority national policy goal in Bangladesh. The goal of this study is to provide the Government of Bangladesh (GoB) and it's in country partners with evidence on what makes sanitation behaviors, facilities, related benefits, and programs sustainable in the Bangladesh context. The study focused on five specific objectives: determine the current status of latrine facilities built pre-and post-(Open Defecation-Free) ODF declaration and sanitation practices; understand the perceived benefits to households and communities from community-wide ODF approaches since declaring ODF status; understand whether programmatic inputs from local and national governments and civil society sanitation programs had been sustained to support communities in maintaining their ODF status and helping the poor obtain access to latrines; understand how the growth or attrition of sanitation products and services has affected the sustainability of sanitation behaviors and facilities and ODF status; and most importantly, understand why households and communities had or had not sustained improved sanitation behaviors since ODF declaration.


Abstract:Contemporaneously with the fall and transformation of the Roman West, the Iranian Empire yielded its East to Hun—and later Turk—conquerors. This article traces the development of post-Iranian regimes through the dynamic interplay of nomadic and sedentary political institutions in the fourth through early seventh centuries. The conquerors adopted Iranian institutions, integrated the Iranian aristocracy, and presented themselves as the legitimate heirs of the kings of kings in a manner reminiscent of post-Roman rulers. At the same time, however, the Huns and the Turks retained the superior military resources of nomadic imperialism, included the Iranian East in trans-Eurasian networks, and distinguished themselves as ruling ethno-classes tied to the steppe. The resulting hybrid political culture came to be known as Turan.


Abstract Introduction Ifosfamide (IF) is a cytostatic that exhibits adverse nephrotoxic properties. Clinically, IF-induced nephrotoxicity takes various forms, depending on applied dose and length of treatment. Objectives The aim of the study was to evaluate the two proteins: osteopontin (OP) and fatty acid binding protein (FABP), as markers of kidney function in rats treated with ifosfamide. Material and Methods Rats receiving a single IF dose (250 mg/kg b.w.; group 1) or treated with five consecutive IF doses administrated on following days (50mg/kg b.w.; group 3), compared with control groups 2 and 4, respectively, were studied. Kidney function was assessed using classical (urea, creatinine) and novel (FABP, OP) laboratory parameters and by histopathology. Results Single IF dose administration resulted in significant total proteinuria with urinary concentrations and 24-hour excretions of both FABP and OP comparable to the appropriate control. In rats treated with five consecutive IF doses, the urinary concentrations and 24-hour excretion of both FABP and OP were significantly higher compared to the appropriate control. The development of cystitis was revealed in groups 1 and 3, which was not accompanied by significant histopathological kidney damage. Conclusions Both OP and FABP may be useful laboratory markers of tubulopathy in the early stage of chronic nephrotoxicity of ifosfamide.


Huntington's disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative disorder caused by a genetic mutation that is associated with pathological changes in cortico-subcortical pathways. Clinical onset typically occurs in middle adulthood, with an array of neuropathological, cognitive, psychiatric and motor signs evident during the "premanifest" disease stage. Despite increasing knowledge of the progressive structural, microstructural and gross functional brain changes of HD, obtained via magnetic resonance imaging for example, there is inadequate understanding of the pathophysiological changes in neural pathways underlying the disease. An alternative technique, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) involves non-invasive brain stimulation to assess the functional integrity of neurons at a physiological level within targeted circuits. While TMS holds great promise, it has had only limited application in HD to date and mixed findings have resulted from methodological differences between studies. This thesis sought to address a number of unanswered questions in the literature, relating to the specific pathophysiological changes in excitatory and inhibitory neuronal function occurring in premanifest and symptomatic HD. Moreover, it investigated phenotypic heterogeneity amongst HD gene carriers via examination of the clinical, cognitive and psychiatric correlates of TMS measures and various genetic variants that may modulate disease progression. Sixteen premanifest, thirteen symptomatic HD participants and seventeen healthy controls were recruited. Participants underwent clinical, cognitive and psychiatric assessment, and provided saliva samples for genotyping. TMS was administered to the left primary motor and dorsolateral prefrontal cortices, and responses were measured through electroencephalography and peripheral electromyography. Various TMS protocols were included in order to comprehensively assess cortical excitability, inhibition and facilitation. A number of significant findings emerged from these investigations. Firstly, cortical inhibition measures were impaired in premanifest and symptomatic HD, and associated with biological disease burden and development of symptomology. Furthermore, TMS was able to differentiate between pathophysiological changes in specific intracortical inhibitory circuits at different disease stages. Secondly, intracortical inhibition showed significant sex differences, with less inhibition across all female participants (but no interaction with HD-related cortical inhibitory deficits). Thirdly, in combination with the HD mutation, additional genetic variants significantly modulated individual responses to TMS and the age at HD onset. One of these gene variants (rs11789969), coding for a neurotransmitter receptor within the inhibitory pathways affected by HD, was determined to be in the top 10% most deleterious variants genome-wide, and was therefore likely to have a direct functional impact on the gene product. Taken together, the findings of this thesis provide novel insights into pathophysiology in HD including new knowledge of the sequence of functional neurological changes that occur prior to, and shortly after, clinical onset. Based on the results, it is argued that intracortical inhibitory deficits, mediated by the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA, may be a primary pathogenic outcome in HD. Building upon this line of research, it is suggested that future studies undertake longitudinal TMS investigations of motor and non-motor cortices with larger premanifest and symptomatic HD samples. This approach will assist in identifying TMS measures that may have utility as sensitive endophenotypic biomarkers in future clinical trials.


The wide application of computed tomography (CT) and lung cancer screening has increased the incidence of ground-glass opacities (GGOs). For those malignant potential of pulmonary lesions, several guidelines are conducted for radiologists or clinicians while encountering newly formed or persisted GGOs on CT scan. Active surveillance scanning instead of upfront surgical resection was mostly suggested as an initial decision of choice for small pulmonary lesions, except developing solid components or new growth. Standard surgical treatment has been lobectomy in the past decades for early-stage lung cancer, the feasibility of limited pulmonary resection based on radiologic features had investigated also recently. Several pivotal trials have been conducted using consolidation-to-tumor ratio, advocating the hypothesized advantages of preserving pulmonary function with equivalent oncologic outcome to lobectomy. After initial surgery for a main tumor, observation alone without further therapy is suggested for those residual GGOs which are not resected. Even though there might be no inferiority in postoperative survival outcomes, the evaluation made by experienced multidisciplinary team during follow-up is necessary. This paper is a review of the recent managements and guidelines for GGOs.


ABSTRACT This article argues that intersex is present in medieval medical texts outside of the medieval concept of hermaphroditism. The phlegmatic man, the phlegmatic woman, and the sanguine man, in the twelfth-century medical text Cause et cure, all exhibit intersex characteristics. The close examination of the terms in which these figures are described also shows that the elaboration of intersex in this text directly challenges the modern distinction between sex and gender. Contrary to Joan Cadden's influential analysis of Cause et cure, I argue that the text has a robust nonbinary system of sexual difference. In particular, phlegm is consistently characterised as an intersex category. The examination of phlegm's intersex properties leads to a re-examination of viriditas [greenness]. This study reveals that viriditas acts as a masculine and masculinising substance, in an almost hormonal sense. Its imbalanced presence in phlegmatic bodies causes them to diverge from prelapsarian ideals of sexual dimorphism. Cause et cure identifies the Fall as the cause of humoral imbalance, and illness. The text precisely describes atypical sex as one of the effects of this fallen state. I identify this through an intersex reading which contests the sex/gender distinction and the reification of sex.


Kramers-Kronig analysis (KK) has been used for many years by spectroscopists to relate dissipative and dispersive processes. Traditionally, the equations have been numerically integrated according to Simpson's or Maclaurin's method, with suitable series approximations for integrating around the poles and extrapolations added to the experimentally limited data set. This implementation is usually performed on a mini or mainframe computer due to the length of the calculation, which scales as the square of the number of data points. However, the advent of 25-MHz 80386 microprocessors and Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) algorithms implemented in powerful array processing languages now allow the KK analysis to be easily performed on personal computers. The application of FFTs to KK analysis is vastly superior in computational efficiency to numerical integration, but quantitative KK analysis incorporates several subtleties, and its implementation is not straightforward. This paper discusses our implementation of quantitatively accurate FFT-based KK analysis on a 80386 processor with a 1-min run time and its performance when applied to a test function consisting of a set of Lorentz oscillators.


SBRG's research of archaeoacoustic and physical phenomena at ancient sites has developed over a number of years. Our research group uses a practical standard (SBSA) which complements the field of archaeology. Studying archaeoacoustics and natural phenomena over the last five years, it has enabled us to offer an explanation of some of the enigmas of ancient archaeological sites that were not previously possible to explain using other methods. Following our experience, we utilised the same archaeoacoustic methodology to study the town of Alatri in Italy. The present Cathedral of Alatri stands at the highest point of the town underneath which lies a Cyclopean temple. We sought to understand why such a temple was built on top of the hill. Using our SBRG protocol we discovered very strong and significant low vibrations (seismic waves) continuously emitted from the subsoil. Our hypothesis suggests the exposure to such vibrations in the absence of noise could have a significant effect on the psyche of those who came for prayer and meditation, facilitating access into a mystical state. Even though ancient people did not posse the same equipment we have today, they would have been aware of the conditions required to achieve such a mystical state, perhaps by simply sensing they were closer to God in a given location. The seismic waves would appear to arise from the geological fault located on the side of the hill where the town has stood since ancient times. The presence of these seismic frequencies would have increased the effect of rituals by enhancing the psyche of the participants due to the influence of these low vibrations on human brain waves. This suggests the builders of this temple had some sort of knowledge of this effect and offers a possible explanation as to why the temple was built in that particular location.


Most of the important characters in living beings are quantitative traits, which have complicated genetic basis and are very difficult for genetic research. Due to the rapid progress of molecular biological technology in the last two decades, especially due to the advent of molecular marker techniques and the techniques for the analysis and cloning of large DNA fragments, genetics has begun to march towards the great goal of elucidating the whole genomes of human and some model animals and plants, and the genetic and molecular dissection of quantitative traits (mapping and cloning of individual quantitative trait loci or QTL) has therefore become possible, and great progress has been achieved since late 1980′s. Studies in this field will enable us to perform precise analysis of QTL′s effects and reliable marker assisted selection of QTL and to realize genetic engineering of quantitative traits so as to make modern molecular biotechnology play even greater role in the genetic improvement of animals and plants and in the therapy of human′s genetic diseases. In this paper, recent progress in methodologies for the genetic and molecular dissection of quantitative traits is reviewed.


Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify and explore how different stakeholders represent communist and revolution heritage for tourism, with a case-study on Bucharest, the capital city of Romania. The research attempts to identify gaps and tensions between representation makers on communist heritage tourism.

Design/methodology/approach

The research employs a range of qualitative methods in order to explore communist heritage tourism representation from different perspectives: content analysis of secondary data in the form of government, industry and media destination promotional material; interviews with a range of representation producers (government, industry and media); focus groups with potential tourists; and content analysis of user generated content under the form of blogs by actual visitors to Bucharest.

Findings

Findings reveal that there are gaps between the "official" or government representations of communism and revolution heritage and "unofficial" or industry, media and tourists' representations. The research confirms and builds on Light's (2000a, b) views that communist heritage is perceived as "problematic" by government officials and that attempts have been made to reinterpret it in a different light. The process of representation is made difficult by recent trends such as the increase in popularity of communism heritage tourism in countries such as Germany or Hungary. The potential of communist and revolution heritage to generate tourism is increasingly being acknowledged. However, reconciliation with "an unwanted" past is made difficult because of the legacy of communism and the difficulties of transition, EU-integration, economic crisis or countless political and social crisis and challenges. The "official" and "unofficial" representations successfully coexist and form part of the communism and revolution heritage product.

Research limitations/implications

The research attempts to look at the representation of communism heritage from different angles, however, it does not exhaust the number of views and perspectives that exist on the topic. The research only records the British and Romanian perspectives on the topic. The topic is still in its infancy and more research is needed on communism heritage tourism and representation.

Originality/value

The research identifies and explores gaps, agreements and disagreements over the representation of communist and revolution heritage in Bucharest, Romania.


BACKGROUND
Disfluency is a multifactorial concept that can be linked to several of the language production levels, in both typical and atypical populations. In children, the language system is still developing and few studies have explored disfluency patterns. In typical development (TD), in particular, studies have shown discrepancies according to the language being considered. In neurodevelopmental disorders, such as developmental dyslexia (DD), it is still unclear whether the pattern of disfluency is similar to TD.

AIMS
To analyse the type of disfluency and their evolution in French children aged 8-12 years. Also to compare the pattern of disfluency in DD and TD, and to test whether disfluencies were correlated with reading difficulties.

METHODS & PROCEDURES
A total of 25 children with DD and 21 children with TD aged 8-12.6 years produced an autobiographical narrative. Seven types of disfluencies were coded: part-word repetitions; repetitions of monosyllabic words; other types of repetitions (words and phrases); filled pauses; revisions-substitutions; revisions-additions; and abandoned utterances. We compared the proportion of each disfluency in DD and TD. Spearman correlations were then performed between disfluencies, reading performance and age.

OUTCOMES & RESULTS
The results showed that both DD and TD children mainly produced filled pauses, repetitions of monosyllabic words and substitutions. Both groups displayed a high rate of disfluency (> 10%). No correlations with age were found. Correlations with reading performance were significant in the TD group only.

CONCLUSIONS & IMPLICATIONS
The study showed that DD is not characterized by a specific pattern of disfluency. Additionally, disfluency rates were similar in children aged 8-12 years. In contrast to other languages, the current study suggests that French-speaking children have a high rate of disfluency. The study also suggests that disfluency should be interpreted with caution in DD, given that TD children also have a high rate of disfluency. Therefore, it seems important to adapt the pathological threshold of disfluency to the language being spoken in order to avoid an overestimation of the prevalence of these deficits in French-speaking children.

WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS
What is already known on this subject TD children produce a high rate of disfluency, which is also influenced by the language being spoken. No study looked at the effect of DD on disfluency production. Nonetheless, problems in reading comprehension and reduced reading experience may impact lexical development and speech fluency. What this paper adds to the existing knowledge In our study, both groups (French-speaking children) produced a substantial amount of disfluency as compared with other languages (> 10%). Additionally, the pattern of disfluency was similar in TD and DD (namely, filled pauses, prolongations repetitions of monosyllabic words and substitutions). In the DD group, disfluency production was not correlated with reading performance. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work? These results indicate that it is crucial to consider the language being spoken when examining disfluency in order to avoid an overestimation of language difficulties in some languages, such as in French. Moreover, the production of disfluencies in DD should not be considered as language dysfunction since the pattern of disfluency what quite similar in TD and DD, and did not correlate with their reading difficulties.


The present status of phylogeny and classification in coleoid cephalopods and the effect of evolution on the present ecology and biodiversity in the group are examined. The basis of knowledge of cephalopod phylogeny was formulated by Naef in the early 1920s, and his ideas and the progress made in the intervening 75 years are investigated. In the process, the roles that transitions between pelagic and benthic habitats played in the evolution of cephalopods are noted, and the possibility is advanced that the most recent "oceanic anoxic event" may have established a time marker for the divergence of some oegopsid families. The major advances since Naef's work are: 1. The unusual nature of Vampyroteuthis has been recognized; 2. The sister-group relationship between the Neocoleoidea and the Belemnoidea has been established, but requires further confirmation; 3. Monophyly has been confirmed for the Decapodiformes (new name), Octopodiformes and Octopoda by molecular and morphological methodologies; 4. The dates ...


Weather effects are large, non-linear, and heterogeneous. Standard storm and element-based analyses are not designed to study weather effects on the whole. I use the LASSO machine learning method to develop a one-dimensional weather index reflecting how favorable weather conditions on the whole are for specific outcomes and contexts, capturing complex effects without over-fitting data. I illustrate the index with national daily store-level apparel and sporting goods sales. The worst five percent of weather days decrease outdoor store sales 22 percent, compared to 12 percent reductions at indoor malls on their bottom fifth percentile days. A bootstrap with historical weather data indicates that up to one-third of variability in same-store sales growth may be due to weather.


AIMS
Myeloperoxidase (MPO), a highly oxidative enzyme secreted by leukocytes has been implicated in human and experimental nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), but the underlying mechanisms remain unknown. In this study, we investigated how MPO contributes to progression from steatosis to NASH.

RESULTS
In C57Bl/6J mice fed a diet deficient in methionine and choline to induce NASH, neutrophils and to a lesser extent inflammatory monocytes are markedly increased compared with sham mice and secrete abundant amounts of MPO. Through generation of HOCl, MPO directly causes hepatocyte death in vivo. In vitro experiments demonstrate mitochondrial permeability transition pore induction via activation of SAPK/JNK and PARP. MPO also contributes to activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), the most important source of collagen in the liver. In vitro MPO-activated HSCs have an activation signature (MAPK and PI3K-AKT phosphorylation) and upregulate COL1A1, α-SMA, and CXCL1. MPO-derived oxidative stress also activates transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) in vitro, and TGF-β signaling inhibition with SB-431542 decreased steatosis and fibrosis in vivo. Conversely, congenital absence of MPO results in reduced hepatocyte injury, decreased levels of TGF-β, fewer activated HSCs, and less severe fibrosis in vivo.

INNOVATION AND CONCLUSION
Cumulatively, these findings demonstrate important cross talk between inflammatory myeloid cells, hepatocytes, and HSCs via MPO and establish MPO as part of a proapoptotic and profibrotic pathway of progression in NASH, as well as a potential therapeutic target to ameliorate this disease.


SUMMARY Research background Citrus limon (L.) Burm lemon juice is rich in many important natural chemical components (flavonoids, citric acid and vitamin C) and its use in traditional medicine is well known. Formulations of lemon juice with fruit polyphenols in beverages have been investigated, but there is very little information about their ability to modulate the digestive behaviour of polyphenols. The goal of this study is to determine the stability and digestive availability of spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) polyphenols by adding different volume fractions of lemon juice (0, 2, 5, 10 and 20%) during in vitro digestion. Experimental approach The content of polyphenols and other abundant compounds including nitrates, oxalic acid and l-ascorbic acid in spinach formulation with various volume fractions of lemon juice were measured in predigested and digested samples using in vitro human digestion model. Antioxidant and α-amylase inhibitory activities of spinach lemon juice formulation were also measured. Results and conclusions The highest increases in total polyphenols, total flavonoids, total phenolic acids, oxalic acid and nitrate content were noted in predigested and almost all digested spinach samples formulated with the highest volume fraction of lemon juice. In the same sample, the content of individual compounds significantly increased after salivary
(l-ascorbic acid), initial (p-coumaric acid) and intestinal (quercetin) phase of digestion. High bioaccessibility of polyphenols and l-ascorbic acid in all phases of digestion was observed in almost all spinach lemon juice formulations, with the exception of nitrates in gastric and intestinal phases and oxalic acid in the intestinal phase, which had moderate bioaccessibility. Novelty and scientific contribution For the first time the stability and digestive availability of spinach polyphenols, oxalic acid, nitrates and l-ascorbic acid were tested with the addition of different volume fractions of lemon juice. The pH of lemon juice and its
l-ascorbic acid content increase the stability and availability of polyphenols in spinach lemon juice formulation during in vitro digestion. Antioxidant and α-amylase inhibitory activities increase in dose-dependent manner after lemon juice addition. Accordingly, spinach formulated with 20% of lemon juice appears as the best source of dietary polyphenols with antioxidant and antidiabetic activities and nitrates that may be used as a functional drink.


Abstract Objectives The effects of lipid metabolism disorders (LMD) on pregnancy outcomes is not well known. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of LMD on maternal and fetal outcomes. Methods Using the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project – National Inpatient Sample from the United States, we carried out a retrospective cohort study of all births between 1999 and 2015 to determine the risks of complications in pregnant women known to have LMDs. All pregnant patients diagnosed with LMDs between 1999 and 2015 were identified using the International Classification of Disease-9 coding, which included all patients with pure hypercholesterolemia, pure hyperglyceridemia, mixed hyperlipidemia, hyperchylomicronemia, and other lipid metabolism disorders. Adjusted effects of LMDs on maternal and newborn outcomes were estimated using unconditional logistic regression analysis. Results A total of 13,792,544 births were included, 9,666 of which had an underlying diagnosis of LMDs for an overall prevalence of 7.0 per 10,000 births. Women with LMDs were more likely to have pregnancies complicated by diabetes, hypertension, and premature births, and to experience myocardial infarctions, venous thromboembolisms, postpartum hemorrhage, and maternal death. Their infants were at increased risk of congenital anomalies, fetal growth restriction, and fetal demise. Conclusions Women with LMDs are at significantly higher risk of adverse maternal and newborn outcomes. Prenatal counselling should take into consideration these risks and antenatal care in specialized centres should be considered.


Four years elapsed between the first monozygQtic twin in 1954 and the first dizygotic twin tran~plant.~.~ Only two years later, successful transplants were reported from a m ~ t h e r , ~ sibling,e and a nonconsangiuneous relative.' All recipients, except the monozygotic twin, received sublethal total-body irradiation to suppress the host response. These nontwin successes (success being defined as survival over one year) were only a few of a much larger number of illfated attempts and even in these patients, renal function continued to decrease as time passed. The introduction of immunosuppressive drug therapys-10 led to a better early function of greater numbers of kidney transplants from diverse sources. The prolonged survival of a cadaveric kidney in a man treated solely by drugs11-13 further stimulated clinical activity, so that today human kidney transplantation is a partial reality. A recent conference on the present status of human kidney transplantation, held under the auspices of the National Academy of Science-National Research Council, has been summarized and re~0rted.l~ This current report attempts to evaluate human kidney transplantation from two viewpoints: a restricted view of our own group activity and a wider glance at the field at large. At the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital, 81 patients have received kidney transplants; this includes 24 sets of twins (TABLE 1). Total-body irradiation for immune suppression was abandoned two years ago because of repeated failures. Immunosuppressive drug therapy, cautiously started in April 1960, has been used in 31 patients. Two of this group received two kidney transplants on separate occasions. The first 10 recipients received expendable kidneys, either from cadavers or from elective therapeutic nephrectomies, the so-called "free" kidney. Although drug toxicity and many physiological problems were associated with the early experience in the adaptation of dog data to man, four of these kidneys had measurable function. One is still functioning at 22 months, The reversal of a rejec tion reaction by drug treatment, the first known instance of such an event, occurred in our second patient.15 This was an extremely pertinent observation and indicated that immunological rejection was not an inexorable "all-or-none" process which, when once initiated, proceeded inexorably to destruction; on the contrary, rejection became analagous to a disease process amenable to proper and timely therapy. The first kidney transplant to receive azathioprine, a 6'4" male with a kidney from a six-year-old child (see Reference 11, patient D. T.), had good renal function for a month and died of drug toxicity. The patient who received a cadaver kidney in April 1962 still survives, although function has decreased to such an


ABSTRACT A library of enriched marine natural product fractions was screened for their antiplasmodial activity using a SYBR green I fluorescence-based assay. Fractions derived from a sponge of the genus Spongosorites exhibited potent inhibition of Plasmodium falciparum growth. This genus of sponge has been reported to contain the nortopsentin and topsentin class of bis-indole imidazole alkaloids. This is the first report of nortopsentin A inhibiting parasite growth at the trophozoite stage at submicromolar 50% inhibitory concentrations (IC50).


Rock mass damage due to shear tectonic activity has been investigated largely in geoscience where fluid transport is of major interest. However, little has been studied on the effect of shear zones on rock mass behavior and its impact on stability of rock slopes. At Letšeng Diamonds open pit mine in Lesotho, the shear zone composed of sheared kimberlite material, calcite and altered basalt is forming part of the haul ramp into the main pit cut 3. The alarming rate at which the shear zone is deteriorating has triggered concerns about both local and global stability of pit the walls. This study presents the numerical modelling of the open pit slope affected by shear zone at Letšeng Diamond Mine (LDM). Analysis of the slope involved development of the slope model by using a twodimensional finite element code RS2. Interfaces between shear zone and host rock were represented by special joint elements incorporated in the finite element code. The analysis of structural geological mapping data provided a good platform to understand the joint network. Major joints including shear zone were incorporated into the model for simulation. This approach proved successful by demonstrating that continuum modelling can be used to evaluate evolution of stresses, strain, plastic yielding and failure mechanisms that are consistent with field observations. Structural control due to geological shear zone structure proved to be important in its location, size and orientation. Furthermore, the model analyzed slope deformation and sliding possibility along shear zone interfaces. This type of approach can predict shear zone deformation and failure mechanism, hence mitigation strategies can be deployed for safety of human lives and property within mine pits. Keywords—Numerical modeling, open pit mine, shear zone, slope stability.


The article focuses on the image of witches in the iconography, literature, and imagination of the inhabitants of Early Modern Europe (from the late Middle Ages to the Enlightenment). It endeavours to explain whether the role and function of magical figures in Early Modern literature is conditioned by gender and by the conviction that magic is related to the biological functions of women. I will also attempt to determine how the stereotype of the witch emerged and whether its function in literature was influenced by the changed relations between the sexes in the 18th century. Although the main area of interest are works in Polish, numerous references to foreign literature are also made.


Gyracanthid fish spines are described in detail for the first time from the Pennsylvanian (Langsettian)-aged Jarrow Assemblage in southeast Ireland. The spines are divided into pectoral, pelvic and anal spine morphotypes. The Jarrow gyracanthid is assigned to Gyracanthus sp. based on the morphology of its pectoral spines, which display U-shaped transections that possess ornament ridges on the exsertion area that do not change orientation distally along the length of the spine.


Enzalutamide, a second-generation antiandrogen, has been developed for the treatment of castration-resistance prostate cancer. We synthesized the deuterated analogues 6 and found that it showed higher drug exposure and thus stronger antitumor potency in preclinical settings. Compound 6 is being developed clinically for the potential to be differentiated from enzalutamide through reduced dosages and a higher safety margin.