(Background) Defect distribution in software systems has been shown to follow the Pareto rule of 20-80. This motivates the prioritization of components with the majority of defects for testing activities. (Research goal) Are there significant variations between defective components and architectural hotspots identified by other defect measures? (Approach) We have performed a study using post-release data of an industrial Smart Grid application with a well-maintained defect tracking system. Using the Pareto principle, we identify and compare defect-prone and hotspots components based on four defect metrics. Furthermore, we validated the quantitative results against qualitative data from the developers. (Results) Our results show that at the top 25% of the measures 1) significant variations exist between the defective components identified by the different defect metrics and that some of the components persist as defective across releases 2) the top defective components based on number of defects could only identify about 40% of critical components in this system 3) other defect metrics identify about 30% additional critical components 4) additional quality challenges of a component could be identified by considering the pair wise intersection of the defect metrics. (Discussion and Conclusion) Since a set of critical components in the system is missed by using largest-first or smallest-first prioritization approaches, this study, therefore, makes a case for an all-inclusive metrics during defect model construction such as number of defects, defect density, defect severity and defect correction effort to make us better understand what comprises defect-prone components and architectural hotspots, especially in critical applications.


Research into comorbidity of alcohol and cannabis use disorders has resulted in inconsistent findings, especially among simultaneous users, who used alcohol and cannabis together on a single occasion. This study investigated the association of alcohol and cannabis use disorders among simultaneous users using a network perspective, which considers direct relationships between symptoms. We used a subset of simultaneous alcohol and cannabis users driven from the representative population-based sample of young Swiss men cohort study on substance use risk factors (C-SURF) (n = 1559 at baseline and n = 991 at follow-up). Self-reported symptoms of alcohol and cannabis use disorders were collected. Network analyses included network estimation, visualization, and community detection tests. Alcohol and cannabis use symptoms were separated in two distinct clusters, with few paths between them (eleven positive edges at baseline, three at follow-up). Withdrawal symptoms were likely to connect the two disorders at baseline, but not at follow-up. Alcohol and cannabis use disorders appeared as separate disorders among simultaneous users. Our findings mitigated previous findings on the detrimental association between alcohol and cannabis use. Future studies should incorporate network analyses as a means to study comorbidity in other community and clinical samples to confirm our preliminary findings.


We build a non-stationary Hawkes model of sovereign credit risk for seven European countries, and estimate it on CDS data from the run-up to the Greek default. We model a country's credit risk as partly driven by a weighted combination of risks across countries. We find Spain and Portugal are the chief drivers of this component, with Greece's contribution also significant. Greece and Portugal are found to be particularly sensitive to external risk, with a Greek default 35% less likely in our period without shocks elsewhere. Our novel maximum-likelihood procedure permits tractable estimation of high-dimensional Hawkes models with unobserved events.


The horizontal-vertical partial laryngectomy combines supraglottic and hemilaryngeal excisions of one side of the larynx and is indicated, as first choice, in the supraglottic tumours with unilateral glotoaryntenoid involvement. We have followed this theory and practice since 1974, and have studied 44 patients operated on using this technique up to 1986, who have now (1992) been followed up for more than five years. Analysis of the results shows the number of patients alive and free of tumour, and the number of decannulations, to be sufficiently high for the recommendation of this technique in the treatment of such tumours.


The paper is based on a qualitative survey conducted in France's so-called HLM sector, i.e. the social housing sphere. This is an activity that is genuinely territorialised: for an agency manager, managing a housing stock entirely situated in difficult neighbourhoods or a collection of dwellings spread over a wide rural area implies, in practical terms, a set of very different activities and demands. For an apartment block caretaker, the territory can almost make the difference between a building where the tenants cause absolutely no problems and one, immediately next door, where the residents regularly leave dirt in the communal areas, fail to pay their rent, are noisy, damage the fittings. To work is to experience these differences and, in the long term, to develop strategies in order to achieve a comparable level of performance despite everything. A whole invisible process of activity may go on in certain territories, known and experienced only by those who face the challenges of that territory on a daily basis. However, in their organisation, the social landlords do not define territories in terms of the experience of the problems encountered there, but in terms of more abstract principles: generally, these entities define "sectors" which they approach as if they represented a comparable volume of work (same number of dwellings, same number of inhabitants…). The topic of the paper is the gap between the way the territories are described by the staff and the description given by the organisation.


In young animals that had received multiple doses of calcium-45, a constant ratio of calcium-45 specific activity in blood to that in bone was found in growing dogs and chicks but not in rats. This steady-state relationship of calcium-45 between bone and blood suggests that during growth in dogs and chicks most of the skeletal calcium is in an active state of turnover. In growing rats, after the first 2 weeks of life, the blood/bone ratio of calcium-45 decreases due to a decrease in bone resorption.


Dr Carinna Parraman was invited to contribute a chapter to the book 'Colour in the Making', a visual history of art and design told through the materials of colour—from the discovery and use of early earth pigments through lakes to organic chemistry and into contemporary dyes, inks, printing techniques and manufacture. Throughout this sumptuously colourful book artists' and designers' projects illustrate the often behind the scenes inventions and processes of colour-making. In doing so Colour in the Making, through its international and deep exploration of the field of colour, shows that art and science have always been inextricably linked.

The book is structured around four essays, each of which provides the historical and technical background for studies which illuminate art and science collaborations and innovations in the field of colour and the artists' projects they produced. These studies feature Louis Jaques Thenard and the French Government's invention of "French Blue" leading to Yves Klein's obsession with the same colour, Cezanne's experiments with Goethe's theories, Joseph Albers' colour experiments leading to Bridget Riley's colour fields and new developments in digital colours which have led to works such as Cory Archangel's beautiful Photoshop colour gradients and Jessica Stockholder's immersive work Color Jam, colouring the streets of Chicago.
Colour in the Making, via the beautifully illustrated essays and in depth studies that complement them, uncovers an important and sometimes overlooked history of art and design through the innovations that made the reproduction of coloured objects possible. Mark Clarke, colour conservation specialist working with the Winsor and Newton Archive, discusses colour's innovations up until the Renaissance. Philip Ball focuses on the advances in organic chemistry in the nineteenth century which led not only to a whole new colour spectrum in a vast array of materials, including the plastics, expanding foams and various resins crucial to contemporary sculpture, but also to a new world of dyes and therefore global fashion. Carinna Parraman examines the future of inks and paint making. Throughout the book the objects and images of art, design and fashion tell colour's story, and their reproduction here also touches on the use of inks, digital reproductions and the lasting value of colour in print.


The Reviews Department includes reviews of publications, films, audio and video tapes, and exhibits relating to the history of computing. Full-length studies of technical, economic, business, and institutional aspects or other works of interest to Annals readers are briefly noted, with appropriate biblio-graphic information. Colleagues are encouraged to recommend works they wish to review and to suggest titles to the Reviews Editor.


The study was conducted to determine forage quality criteria of Salvia multicaulis VAHL. species collected from different locations of Southeastern Anatolia Region of Turkey in 2018. Results of statistical analysis of the study data revealed that there were significant differences among the locations for all of the investigated traits. Additionally, among the locations the investigated traits were changed as following; dry matter content (DM) 88.66-91.58%, crude protein content (CP) 16.47-25.37%, insoluble protein content in acid detergent (ADP) 0.8%-1.10%, acid detergent fiber content (ADF) 22.08-29.54%, neutral detergent fiber content (NDF) 29.71-%43.85%, calcium (Ca) content 1.22-1.82%, phosphor (P) content 0.23-0,40%, Ca:P ratio 3.05-6.87, potassium (K) content 1.20-2.58%, magnesium (Mg) content 0.28-0.46% and K/(Ca+Mg) ratio 0.55-1.44. Results of the study revealed that dry forage of Salvia multicaulis species is both rich in terms of crude protein content and having a high digestibility level and its macro minerals content and K/(Ca+Mg) ratio to be sufficient for animal feeding. However, due to its too high level Ca:P ratio than critical top level (2:1), it is important to be careful against the risk of poisoning of animals when the forages of this species are used in animal feeding. Hence, additional research is required to determine the harmful effect of the species on the livestock health.


The continued growth of the World-Wide Web and the emergence of new end-user technologies such as cable modems necessitate the use of proxy caches to reduce latency, network traffic and Web server loads. Current Web proxy caches utilize simple replacement policies to determine which files to retain in the cache. We utilize a trace of client requests to a busy Web proxy in an ISP environment to evaluate the performance of several existing replacement policies and of two new, parameterless replacement policies that we introduce in this paper. Finally, we introduce Virtual Caches, an approach for improving the performance of the cache for multiple metrics simultaneously.


BACKGROUND
Preeclampsia develops after a partial disorder in the process of placental formation, perhaps due to a deficiency of the trophoblast invasion by its spiral arteries and acute aterosis in its miometrial segments. It has not been reported if these changes also appear in placentas of women with gestational hypertension without proteinuria.

OBJECTIVE
To describe histopathological changes in the placenta of patients with hypertensive disorders during pregnancy.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
Cross-sectional study carried out in 138 patients divided into three groups: 46 with normotensive pregnancy (A group or control), 46 with gestational hypertension (group B), and 46 with preeclampsia (group C). There were registered sociodemographic and clinical variables; and the histopathological study of the placenta was performed. Mean, standard error and percentages were used. We calculated analysis of variance for comparing groups and linear regression for determining correlation between histopathological changes and blood pressure (it was assigned an alpha value of 0.05).

RESULTS
There were more histopathological changes in groups of gestational hypertension and preeclampsia compared with controls (p < 0.01). Most frequent changes in all groups were: sincitial hyperplasia and fibrin deposits around the villi. There was correlation between histopathological changes and blood pressure (r= 0.27, p <0.01).

CONCLUSION
There are more histopathological changes in placentas of women with hypertensive disease; number of histopathological changes is correlated with the severity of hypertension.


Stereo vision based sensors provide large amounts of data, a fact which is advantageous when trying to extract semantic information about the imaged scene. However, this data is corrupted by errors, caused especially by the uncertainties in the stereo reconstruction process. Temporal information can be used in order to minimize these errors. This paper presents an advanced object model, a novel association mechanism and the design of a Kalman filter based tracking algorithm, for tracking multiple objects, in complex, urban traffic scenarios.


1. The authors reported mixing the biphasic CaP/CaS powder with a radiopaque iohexol solution ahead to mixing the composite with vancomycin, and we are interested to know the reason for this step, especially that when calcium sulfate hemihydrate comes in contact with the iohexol solution, it is ionized and recrystallizes into calcium sulfate dihydrate. We are wondering if the authors took into consideration the potential effect of such addition on the experiment and tried to add a control group. 2. We are interested to know if the authors noticed any changes in the setting time for the composite with the changing in the antibiotic concentration and if so how they managed to incorporate as high as 17.78% of vancomycin into the structure of the CaP/CaS composite. In a study by Guo et al. [3], they reported an increase in the setting time of calcium phosphate cement/calcium sulfate composite with the increase in the liquid/solid ratio (L/S ratio) with a loss of the cement dough formation when the ratio is high. This was also reported by Hu et al. [4] as an increase in the setting time with an increase in the same ratio. Moreover, it was reported that vancomycin is an antibiotic that accelerates the hardening process [2]. 3. Finally, how can the authors justify their results in light of the differences in the structure of the individual components of the composite as reported in their discussion section?


1. Benzene extracts of some carbon blacks were found to contain 3,4-benzpyrene, a strong carcinogen for animals; 1,2-benzpyrene, a weak carcinogen; and five other related aromatic hydrocarbons: pyrene, fluoranthene, 1,12-benzperylene, anthanthrene, and coronene.

2. These compounds possess peri-condensed ring systems in which carbon atoms are shared by three rings. They contain the smallest possible proportion of hydrogen to carbon for molecules of this type and size. A theory of their formation is presented.

3. Furnace blacks, with an average particle diameter of 80 mµ or more, possessed all 7 of the aromatic hydrocarbons; those with particle size below 50 had few or none. A rough correlation existed between yield of extractable aromatic hydrocarbons and average particle diameter of the carbon blacks.

4. These hydrocarbons were not detected in any channel blacks, which have small particle diameter averaging from 10 to 30 mµ, and are made by a different process.

5. Based on these observations an interpretation of the apparently contradictory reports in the literature on the carcinogenicity of soot is possible. 3,4-Benzpyrene seems to be the principal carcinogenic agent. This hydrocarbon can be extracted from many soots with lipid solvents, and these extracts produce tumors in animals at the site of application. Soot itself appears to be carcinogenic on skin but possibly not on respiratory tract epithelium. It is suggested that this difference in behavior is explained by the presence of lipid solvent (the sebaceous secretions) in the skin and its absence in the respiratory tract.

6. It is further suggested that the differences in extractable aromatic hydrocarbons from carbon blacks can be explained by the phenomenon of adsorption.


Foam, a cellular material, is found all around us. Bone and cork are examples of biological cell materials. Many forms of man-made foam have found practical applications as insulating materials. NASA uses the BX-265 foam insulation material on the external tank (ET) for the Space Shuttle. This is a type of Spray-on Foam Insulation (SOFI), similar to the material used to insulate attics in residential construction. This foam material is a good insulator and is very lightweight, making it suitable for space applications. Breakup of segments of this foam insulation on the shuttle ET impacting the shuttle thermal protection tiles during liftoff is believed to have caused the space shuttle Columbia failure during re-entry. NASA engineers are very interested in understanding the processes that govern the breakup/fracture of this complex material from the shuttle ET. The foam is anisotropic in nature and the required stress and fracture mechanics analysis must include the effects of the direction dependence on material properties. Material testing at NASA MSFC has indicated that the foam can be modeled as a transversely isotropic material. As a first step toward understanding the fracture mechanics of this material, we present a general theoretical and numerical framework for computing stress intensity factors (SIFs), under mixed-mode loading conditions, taking into account the material anisotropy. We present mode I SIFs for middle tension — M(T) — test specimens, using 3D finite element stress analysis (ANSYS) and FRANC3D fracture analysis software, developed by the Cornell Fracture Group. Mode I SIF values are presented for a range of foam material orientations. Also, NASA has recorded the failure load for various M(T) specimens. For a linear analysis, the mode I SIF will scale with the far-field load. This allows us to numerically estimate the mode I fracture toughness for this material. The results represent a quantitative basis for evaluating the strength and fracture properties of anisotropic foam insulation material.© 2006 ASME


Though it is widely acknowledged that teachers' knowledge of mathematics is a cornerstone on which their instructional practices are based, little research exists documenting the impact of changes in teachers' mathematical content knowledge on their teaching practices. As proving is a central activity in the study of mathematics, a teacher's proof schemes (in the sense of Harel and Sowder, 1998) enable and constrain instructional approaches. For professional developers hoping to better understand the impact of teachers' proof schemes on their instructional practices, examinations of specific cases, with special attention to the nature and mechanisms of change in proof schemes and teaching practice, provide insight into the organization of effective professional development (PD) for teachers in the domain of proving. The case study reported here examines the development of proof schemes and teaching practices of one in-service secondary mathematics teacher who participated in an off- site PD for two years. Two data sources were examined: video of the participant doing mathematics at the PD and footage of her own teaching. The analysis of proof schemes focuses on proof production during the PD. Development of the teacher's practice was also investigated during the two academic years following each summer. The study includes theoretical connections (using Harel's DNR Theoretical Framework) between developments in the teacher's proof schemes and teaching practices. Specifically, this study asked : (1) What changes were observed in one participant's proving and proof schemes as she participated in the PD? (2) What connections can be found between her experiences at the PD (including changes in her proof schemes) and the evolution of her teaching practices in a whole class setting? It was found that she became increasingly able to identify pivotal statements in her own proofs that had previously been left unattended. The participant showed evidence of a transition from empirical to deductive proof schemes. The greatest developments in teaching practices were observed in the practices of handling students' solutions by encouraging student-to-student talk, asking students to prove conjectures, soliciting alternative solutions in the presence of correct solutions, and attending to mathematical detail in correct solutions


The exponential growth of oncology drug development and personalized/targeted therapy in the recent years has presented a challenge to even the most experienced medical oncologist. Targeted therapy and Immunotherapy has been added to the oncologic treatment armamentarium and become increasingly popular in the field of oncology. This handbook provides an easily accessible for reference in the clinic. This book is divided into four core sections. The first section, targeted by organ site provides a concise description of clinical experience with various targeted agent and immunotherapies in an easy table format. The second section, carcinogenesis from the perspective of targeted therapy and immunotherapy, is a primer for cancer researchers. Then the third section, Molecular targets and Pathways, places emphasis on actionable molecular targets. Understanding each of these pathways gives context and rationale for modern cancer drug development. In the fourth section, targeted therapy agents, describes more than 170 drugs mechanism of action, dosing schedule, FDA approval and/or clinical trial investigations, and common toxicities. The handbook can be used in daily practice or as a quick reference guide. It is a work of meticulous dedication, with full credit due to Professor Daniel D. Karp, Dr. Gerald S. Falchook and all the contributors for this exceptional resource.


Although there is evidence that regulatory focus is associated with opportunity exploitation, there is a lack of research examining its role at the early stages of opportunity recognition. The present study makes two major contributions to address this gap. First, we demonstrate that entrepreneurs' promotion focus is positively related to opportunity recognition, whereas prevention focus is not significantly related to opportunity recognition. Second, integrating two theories of self-regulation – regulatory focus theory and self-efficacy theory – our findings reveal that a high promotion focus compensates for entrepreneurs' low levels of creative and entrepreneurial self-efficacy in opportunity recognition. Our study extends extant cognitive theories of opportunity recognition.


The child has existed in cinema since the Lumiere Brothers filmed their babies having messy meals in Lyons, but it is only quite recently that scholars have paid serious attention to her/his presence on screen. Scholarly discussion is now of the highest quality and of interest to anyone concerned not only with the extent to which adult cultural conversations invoke the figure of the child, but also to those interested in exploring how film cultures can shift questions of agency and experience in relation to subjectivity. Childhood and Nation in World Cinema recognizes that the range of films and scholarship is now sufficiently extensive to invoke the world cinema mantra of pluri-vocal and pluri-central attention and interpretation. At the same time, the importance of the child in figuring ideas of nationhood is an undiminished tic in adult cultural and social consciousness. Either the child on film provokes claims on the nation or the nation claims the child. Given the waning star of national film studies, and the widely held and serious concerns over the status of the nation as a meaningful cultural unit, the point here is not to assume some extraordinary pre-social geopolitical empathy of child and political entity. Rather, the present collection observes how and why and whether the cinematic child is indeed aligned to concepts of modern nationhood, to concerns of the State, and to geo-political organizational themes and precepts.


The Wolbachia genus of bacteria is comprised of obligate intracellular endosymbionts that are known to infect arthropods and nematodes. Most filarial nematodes of humans host maintain Wolbachia endosymbionts in a mutualistic association that is essential for nematode development, reproduction and the longevity of the adult parasites. As a result, much research has gone into investigating Wolbachia's role in adult nematodes, both in understanding the basis of the mutualistic relationship, as well as exploiting the endosymbiont as a target for treatment. Less attention has been applied to understanding Wolbachia's role in the biology of larval stages of filarial parasites. To better characterise Wolbachia's roles during these larval stages, RNA-sequencing technologies were employed to investigate the relationship between the parasitic filarial nematode Brugia malayi, and its Wolbachia endosymbiont during larval development and microfilarial transmission. This first involved the development of a manually curated, revised annotation of the Wolbachia genome using gene expression data, further corroborated by RT-qPCR and proteomics experiments. Second, the transcriptomes for both nematode and Wolbachia were then investigated across two major nematode developmental stages: the two weeks immediately after nematode infection into the mammalian host spanning the L3 to L4 developmental moult, and following Wolbachia depletion from B. malayi microfilariae during transmission to the mosquito vector. The reannotation of the Wolbachia endosymbiont genome resulted in the identification of 21 new protein coding genes, 5 instances of non-model translational events, and 3 functional RNAs. Several newly identified genes were predicted to be unique to the Wolbachia genus, with a potential role in Wolbachia-nematode interactions. The transcriptome of developing L3 to L4 stages demonstrates Wolbachia's ability to undergo coordinated control over its carbon metabolism to enable rapid population growth. The consistent upregulation of metabolic pathways, such as haem, nucleotide biosynthesis and Type IV secretion systems, complements the nematode host transcriptome, which was focused predominantly on its own growth and development, as well as regulating Wolbachia population during the L4 stage. B. malayi microfilariae depleted of Wolbachia have a significantly reduced ability to infect the mosquito vector, with transcriptome analysis of treated and untreated nematodes identifying targeted downregulation of chitinase and V-type ATPase transcripts in the treated group. These targeted changes likely have a role in the nematode's ability to successfully penetrate the vector's midgut or achieve exsheathment. Taken together, these observations illustrate a complex and dynamic relationship that Wolbachia has with its nematode host, expanding to more than just a mutualist important for adult parasite longevity and reproduction.


Introduction:
In professional soccer, talent selection relies on the subjective judgment of scouts and coaches. To date, little is known about coaches´ "eye for talent" (Christensen, 2009, p. 379) and the nature of the subjective criteria they use to identify those players with the greatest potential to achieve peak performance in adulthood (Williams & Reilly, 2000). Drawing on a constructivist approach (Kelly, 1991), this study explores coaches´ subjective talent criteria. It is assumed that coaches are able to verbalise and specify their talent criteria, and that these are related to their talent selection decisions based on instinct.

Methods:
Participants and generation of data. Five national youth soccer coaches (Mage = 55.6; SD = 5.03) were investigated at three appointments: (1) talent selection decision based on instinct, (2) semi-structured inductive interview to elicit each coaches´ talent criteria in detail, (3) communicative validation and evaluation of the players by each coach using the repertory grid technique (Fromm, 2004).

Data Analysis:
Interviews were transcribed and summarized with regard to each specified talent criterion. Each talent criterion was categorized using a bottom-up-approach (meaning categorization, Kvale, 1996). The repertory grid data was analysed using descriptive statistics and correlation analysis.

Results and Discussion:
For each coach, six to nine talent criteria were elicited and specified. The subjective talent criteria include aspects of personality, cognitive perceptual skills, motor abilities, development, technique, social environment and physical constitution, which shows that the coaches use a multi-dimensional concept of talent. However, more than half of all criteria describe personality characteristics, in particular achievement motivation, volition and self-confidence. In contrast to Morris (2000), this result shows that coaches have a differentiated view of the personality characteristics required to achieve peak performance. As an indication of criterion validity, moderate to high correlations (.57 ≤ r ≤ .81) are found between the evaluations of the players according to the coaches´ talent criteria and their talent selection decision. The study shows that coaches are able to specify their subject talent criteria and that those criteria are strongly related to their instinctive selection decisions.

References:
Christensen, M. K. (2009). "An Eye for Talent": Talent Identification and the "Practical Sense" of Top-Level Soccer Coaches. Sociology of Sport Journal, 26, 365–382.
Fromm, M. (2004). Introduction to the Repertory Grid Interview. Munster: Waxmann.
Kelly, G. A. (1991). The Psychology of Personal Constructs: Volume One: Theory and personality. London: Routledge.
Kvale, S. (1996). InterViews: An introduction to Qualitative Research Interviewing. Thousand Oaks: Sage.
Morris, T. (2000). Psychological characteristics and talent identification in soccer. Journal of Sports Sciences, 18, 715–726.
Williams, A. M., & Reilly, T. (2000). Talent identification and development in soccer. Journal of Sports Sciences, 18, 657–667.


At its daily used in adult individuals and children, language meet the communication function is to communicate ideas (thought) of an individual in others (Piaget, 2005: 1). This can be evident from the speech-speech or narrative generated in the use of everyday language which then becomes an interesting study for the main study in the use of language in children. In narrating the story, just as it had done by adult speakers, children will also make the selection and preparation of experience and other stories from the story of his life (life story). This explains the narrative as a genre that is universal because it narrated traditions can be found in every culture and speakers of different languages (Hatch: 1992 in Brockmeier 1998). On the other hand, the narrative is also characterized as being bound by culture and language so that in the context of language and speakers of different backgrounds will have the tools possible narrative and discursive different linguistic (Labov & Waletsky: 1968, Ochs: 1998 in Berman 1998). The above facts indicate that the narrative structure generated by the speakers of a language and culture will be different from the speakers of the language with cultural and language backgrounds other.


During the summer field season, 2006, we undertook a pilot geophysical experiment at Helheim Glacier, East Greenland, in which we deployed a network of GPS instruments on and around the glacier to measure the ice deformation field as a function of time. The experiment was motivated by the discovery of a new class of earthquakes occurring at glaciers in Alaska, Antarctica, and Greenland (Ekström, Nettles, and Abers, 2003). Teleseismic analysis indicates that these glacial earthquakes may result from the rapid sliding of the glacial ice over the glacier bed, and recent evidence (Ekström, Nettles, and Tsai, 2006) suggests a link to the hydrological cycle. However, little is understood about the mechanism by which the earthquakes occur. We installed sixteen GPS receivers on Helheim glacier, in a network spanning an upglacier distance of ~25~km from a point ~10~km behind the calving front. We also installed three GPS receivers at nearby rock sites to help define a stable reference frame. The stations were deployed in late June, 2006, and retrieved in late August, 2006. The GPS receivers recorded at a rate of at least 5~samples/sec. In addition, we operated several receivers for a few days each just behind the calving front during field visits in late June, late July, and late August, and we recorded the tidal stage using a pressure sensor near the end of Helheim Fjord for ~3~weeks during the experiment. Initial results show a variation in flow speed from about 25~m/day near the calving front to about 6~m/day at a location ~35~km behind the front. The horizontal flow speeds are tidally modulated, and an abrupt spatial change in vertical displacements due to the water tide gives the probable location of the glacier grounding line. We will present our geodetic results, and combine these results with seismological and glaciological observations to place constraints on the conditions under which glacial earthquakes are generated.


Cognitive social simulation is a computer simulation technique that aims to improve our understanding of the dynamics of socially-situated and socially-distributed cognition. This makes cognitive social simulation techniques particularly appealing as a means to undertake experiments into team cognition. The current paper reports on the results of an ongoing effort to develop a cognitive social simulation capability that can be used to undertake studies into team cognition using the ACT-R cognitive architecture. This capability is intended to support simulation experiments using a team-based problem solving task, which has been used to explore the effect of different organizational environments on collective problem solving performance. The functionality of the ACT-R-based cognitive social simulation capability is presented and a number of areas of future development work are outlined. The paper also describes the motivation for adopting cognitive architectures in the context of social simulation experiments and presents a number of research areas where cognitive social simulation may be useful in developing a better understanding of the dynamics of team cognition. These include the use of cognitive social simulation to study the role of cognitive processes in determining aspects of communicative behavior, as well as the impact of communicative behavior on the shaping of task-relevant cognitive processes (e.g., the social shaping of individual and collective memory as a result of communicative exchanges). We suggest that the ability to perform cognitive social simulation experiments in these areas will help to elucidate some of the complex interactions that exist between cognitive, social, technological and informational factors in the context of team-based problem-solving activities.


The paper presents the establishment and functioning of the career centers at the Bulgarian higher education institutions as a successful model for assisting the students through the information on the vacancies, the employers and the labor market; career counseling services; training to acquire various skills related to finding and retaining work, etc. The study is aimed at analyzing the activities of the Student internships project as a good example of effective partnerships between higher education institutions and the employers. As a result, conclusions were drawn regarding the growing role of university career centers in today's business environment.


The Wythoff construction takes a d-dimensional polytope P, a subset S of {0,...,d} and returns another d-dimensional polytope P(S). If P is a regular polytope, then P(S) is vertextransitive. This construction builds a large part of the Archimedean polytopes and tilings in dimension 3 and 4. We want to determine, which of those Wythoffians P(S) with regular P have their skeleton or dual skeleton isometrically embeddable into the hypercubes Hm and half-cubes 1⁄2 Hm. We find six infinite series, which, we conjecture, cover all cases for dimension d > 5 and some sporadic cases in dimension 3 and 4 (see Tables 1 and 2). Three out of those six infinite series are explained by a general result about the embedding of Wythoff construction for Coxeter groups. In the last section, we consider the Euclidean case; also, zonotopality of embeddable P(S) are addressed throughout the text.


Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopic analyses of melt inclusions from four explosive eruptions of Etna (Italy) were conducted to determine pre-eruptive dissolved volatile concentrations. The studied eruptions include the 3930 BP subplinian, the 122 B.C. plinian, and the 4 January 1990 and the 23 December 1995 fountain fire eruptions. Preliminary results indicate that H2O varies between 3.13 and 1.02 wt% and CO2 between 1404 and 200 ppm. The most basic products (3930 BP tephra) contain the highest concentrations of CO2 (1404 ppm), whereas fire fountain hawaiitic tephra present the lowest values (< 200 ppm) indicating a continuous degassing process during the differentiation and rising of the magma. Generally, similar behavior has been found for water, characterized by a decreasing content during the differentiation that is mainly found in the 3930 BP eruption, 1990 and 1995 fire fountain products. Considering the relevance of volatile content and behaviour in determining the eruptive style, we made some inferences on the eruptive mechanisms based on the initial high volatile content and the degassing dynamics inside the plumbing system. These two factors suggest the cause of the high explosive activity in this basaltic volcano.


BACKGROUND: Cross-sectional studies link functional abdominal pain (FAP) to anxiety and depression in childhood, but no prospective study has evaluated psychiatric status in adulthood or its relation to pain persistence. METHODS: Pediatric patients with FAP (n = 332) and control subjects (n = 147) were tracked prospectively and evaluated for psychiatric disorders and functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) at follow-up in adolescence and young adulthood (mean age = 20.01 years). Participants were classified according to presence (FGID-POS) or absence (FGID-NEG) of FGIDs at follow-up. RESULTS: Lifetime and current risk of anxiety disorders was higher in FAP than controls (lifetime: 51% vs 20%; current: 30% vs 12%). Controlling for gender and age, the odds ratio was 4.9 (confidence interval = 2.83–7.43) for lifetime anxiety disorder and 3.57 (confidence interval = 2.00–6.36) for current anxiety disorder at follow-up for FAP versus controls. Lifetime risk of depressive disorder was significantly higher in FAP versus controls (40% vs. 16%); current risk did not differ. In most cases, initial onset of anxiety disorders was before pediatric FAP evaluation; onset of depressive disorders was subsequent to FAP evaluation. Within the FAP group, risk of current anxiety disorders at follow-up was significantly higher for FGID-POS versus FGID-NEG (40% vs 24%), and both were higher than controls (12%); current depressive disorders did not differ across FGID-POS, FGID-NEG, and controls. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with FAP carry long-term vulnerability to anxiety that begins in childhood and persists into late adolescence and early adulthood, even if abdominal pain resolves.


The techniques used in producing thin-film circuits are discussed. Conductive, resistive and insulating films are evaporated separately onto glass substrates to form resistors, capacitors and interconnections. Active elements, transistors and diodes are mounted in holes drilled through the substrates. Studies aimed at developing thin-film active elements are discussed briefly. Several possible methods of interconnection are presented.


Documents exhibit sequential structure at multiple levels of abstraction (e.g., sentences, paragraphs, sections). These abstractions constitute a natural hierarchy for representing the context in which to infer the meaning of words and larger fragments of text. In this paper, we present CLSTM (Contextual LSTM), an extension of the recurrent neural network LSTM (Long-Short Term Memory) model, where we incorporate contextual features (e.g., topics) into the model. We evaluate CLSTM on three specific NLP tasks: word prediction, next sentence selection, and sentence topic prediction. Results from experiments run on two corpora, English documents in Wikipedia and a subset of articles from a recent snapshot of English Google News, indicate that using both words and topics as features improves performance of the CLSTM models over baseline LSTM models for these tasks. For example on the next sentence selection task, we get relative accuracy improvements of 21% for the Wikipedia dataset and 18% for the Google News dataset. This clearly demonstrates the significant benefit of using context appropriately in natural language (NL) tasks. This has implications for a wide variety of NL applications like question answering, sentence completion, paraphrase generation, and next utterance prediction in dialog systems.


The need for renewable and environmentally friendlier energy sources has led to intensified efforts with respect to research in that area. One of such endeavours is the production of biofuels from various sources of vegetable oils. Therefore, this work is aimed at producing biodiesel from freshly prepared and clean palm kernel oil and groundnut oil making use of methanol and sodium hydroxide pellets in a base-catalysed trans-esterification reaction. 185g groundnut oil and 187g palm kernel was trans-esterified with 37g of methanol and 0.7g of NaOH pellets at 55°C operating temperature. The result gave a percentage conversion of 91.98% for groundnut oil feedstock and 16.18g of glycerol (i.e. soap) as bye product, while palm kernel oil feedstock gave a yield of 90.53% conversion and 15.20g of glycerol. The biodiesel retained the physical properties of the oil such as smell and colour. The density of the biodiesel from groundnut oil was found to be 850.80kg/m3 while that of palm kernel oil gave 848.0kg/m3. The kinematic and dynamic viscosities of groundnut oil bio-diesel were obtained to be 15.9mm2/s and 13.5 x 10-3kgm-1s-1 while that of palm kernel gave 7.65mm2/s and 6.49 x 10-3kgm-1s-1 respectively.


Classic malakoplakia was found in the colon of a patient with a 30-year history of proven ulcerative colitis. She had undergone total proctocolectomy after failure of medical treatment to control her illness. Immunoperoxidase studies showed immunoglobulins and muramidase within the malakoplakic histiocytes, and electron microscopy showed bacteria resembling Escherichia coli in the same cells. Immunologic studies on the patient showed an unusually high E coli antibody titer (1:512) in her serum and reduced numbers of circulating T-lymphocytes with reduced cytotoxic activity. This case shows the paradoxical rarity of malakoplakia in ulcerative colitis and reaffirms the presence of an immunologic defect that may be pathogenetically significant.


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To find a new utilization of rice bran, nine higher fungi were examined for the production of exo-biopolymer with macrophage stimulating activity from rice bran. Among the exo-biopolymers produced from submerged cultures, Lentinus edodes showed the highest activity, followed by Grifola frondosa, Schizophyllum commune, and Coriolus versicolor. L. edodes also had the most potent macrophage stimulating activity in a liquid culture rather than in a solid culture. In order to improve rice bran utilization and the yield of exo-biopolymer with macrophage stimulating activity, the treatment of Rapidase effectively increased the macrophage stimulating activity (about 30% increase), whereas the other enzymes (Econase, Viscozyme, Ultraflo, Celluclast, and Thermylase) treatments did not increase the macrophage stimulating activity. Exo-biopolymer with macrophage stimulating activity from L. edodes contained mainly neutral sugars (58.7%) with considerable amounts of uronic acid (32.2%) and a small amount of proteins (9.1%). Component sugars of exo-biopolymer consisted of mainly arabinose, galactose, glucose, mannose, and xylose (0.95:0.81:0.96:1.00: 0.39, respectively). When the exo-biopolymer was treated with NaIO 4 , NaClO 2 , and pronase, the NaClO 2 treatment and pronase digestion had little effect, whereas NaIO 4 oxidation significantly decreased the macrophage stimulating activity (47.6% reduction at 100 μg/ml). Therefore, the carbohydrate moiety in exo-biopolymer from L. edodes plays an important role in the expression of the macrophage stimulating activity.


Phosphorylation of glucose to glucose 6-phosphate by glucokinase (GK; EC 18.104.22.168) serves as a glucose-sensing mechanism for regulating insulin secretion in beta cells. Recent findings of heterozygous GK gene mutations in patients with maturity-onset diabetes of the young (MODY), a form of type II (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes characterized by autosomal dominant inheritance, have raised the possibility that a decrease in beta-cell GK activity may impair the insulin secretory response of these cells to glucose. To generate an animal model for MODY we have expressed in transgenic mice a GK antisense RNA with a ribozyme element under control of the insulin promoter. Mice in two independent lineages had about 30% of the normal islet GK activity. Insulin release in response to glucose from in situ-perfused pancreas was impaired; however, the plasma glucose and insulin levels of the mice remained normal. These mice are likely to be predisposed to type II diabetes and may manifest increased susceptibility to genetic and environmental diabetogenic factors. They provide an animal model for studying the interaction of such factors with the reduced islet GK activity.


We introduce a mass spectrometric access route to nitroxide containing polymers via high resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HR ESI MS), a polymer class that is – due to the presence of unpaired spins – highly challenging to analyze via NMR techniques. The nitroxide content within the polymer chain structure was varied between 11.3 and 29.1 mol% in a statistical copolymer consisting of styrene-stat-4-(chloromethyl)styrene (p(S-stat-CMS), 4800 ≥ Mn/g mol−1 ≥ 11 100), where 4-carboxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine 1-oxyl (4-carboxy-TEMPO) units were attached by post-polymerization modification. By carefully evaluating the isotopic pattern of the nitroxide containing polymers, we demonstrate that the persistent nitroxyl radical retains its structural integrity during the soft ionization process employing spray currents up to 4.3 keV and in-source collision induced dissociation energies up to 30 eV using chloride attachment technology in negative ion mode. Interestingly, high-molecular weight gas-phase aggregates are identified with increasing amounts of nitroxide side-chain functionalization. To further exemplify the power of the introduced mass spectrometric protocol, a well-defined styrene based polymer was synthesized via atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP, Mn = 5600 g mol−1, Đ = 1.05) containing functional groups, i.e. a terminal cyanuric acid unit and Hamilton Wedge moiety as well as a free nitroxide in the penultimate position to the Hamilton wedge. The intact persistent nitroxide radical at the chain end was unambiguously identified by its isotopic pattern in a highly defined polymer structure.


This paper presents an extremely low cost, tube conformable, printed T-resonator based microwave level sensor, whose resonance frequency shifts by changing the level of fluids inside the tube. Printed T-resonator forms the frequency selective element of the tunable oscillator. Unlike typical band-pass resonators, T-resonator has a band-notch characteristics because of which it has been integrated with an unstable amplifying unit having negative resistance in the desired frequency range. Magnitude and phase of input reflection coefficient of the transistor has been optimized over the desired frequency range. Phase flattening technique has been introduced to maximize the frequency shift of the oscillator. With the help of this technique, we were able to enhance the percentage tuning of the oscillator manifolds which resulted into a level sensor with higher sensitivity. The interface level of fluids (oil and water in our case) causes a relative change in oscillation frequency by more than 50% compared to maximum frequency shift of 8% reported earlier with dielectric tunable oscillators.


This paper addresses the scan matching problem for mobile robot displacement estimation. The contribution is a new metric distance and all the tools necessary to be used within the iterative closest point framework. The metric distance is defined in the configuration space of the sensor, and takes into account both translation and rotation error of the sensor. The new scan matching technique ameliorates previous methods in terms of robustness, precision, convergence, and computational load. Furthermore, it has been extensively tested to validate and compare this technique with existing methods


Objective real-time assessment of hand motion is crucial in many clinical applications including technically-assisted physical rehabilitation of the upper extremity. We propose an inertial-sensor-based hand motion tracking system and a set of dual-quaternion-based methods for estimation of finger segment orientations and fingertip positions. The proposed system addresses the specific requirements of clinical applications in two ways: (1) In contrast to glove-based approaches, the proposed solution maintains the sense of touch. (2) In contrast to previous work, the proposed methods avoid the use of complex calibration procedures, which means that they are suitable for patients with severe motor impairment of the hand. To overcome the limited significance of validation in lab environments with homogeneous magnetic fields, we validate the proposed system using functional hand motions in the presence of severe magnetic disturbances as they appear in realistic clinical settings. We show that standard sensor fusion methods that rely on magnetometer readings may perform well in perfect laboratory environments but can lead to more than 15 cm root-mean-square error for the fingertip distances in realistic environments, while our advanced method yields root-mean-square errors below 2 cm for all performed motions.


Abstract Polyamines acid extracted from roots, stems, leaves, flower buds, flowers and seeds of eight Brassica crop plants (cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, Komatsuna, Chingensai, turnip, Aburana and Seiyou-aburana) with or without clubroot disease were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography and gas chromatography. Endogenous concentrations of polyamines per wet weight of the organ were calculated. In cabbage, broccoli and Komatsuna clubroot galls, the levels of putrescine, spermidine and spermine were increased whereas the levels of agmatine levels were decreased after the infection with a protist, Plasmodiophora brassicae. The levels of 2-phenylethylamine and homospermidine found in the normal healthy roots were decreased in the clubroots. The thermospermine level in broccoli was higher in the sprout stem than in the sprout root or other organs. A high agmatine level was found in the healthy sprouts and flower buds of broccoli and cauliflower flower buds. Diaminopropane, cadaverine and norspermine were detected in some Brassica organs as a minor polyamine. The seeds of the eight Brassica plants were rich in spermine and spermidine.


: The effect of cimetidine on the metabolism of methadone was investigated in hepatic microsomes isolated from male Sprague-Dawley rats. N-demethylation of methadone was determined by formation of formaldehyde. Cimetidine inhibited methadone N-demethylation in a noncompetitive manner with an IC50 of 5.3 X 10(-4) M. This observation is consistent with previous reports of microsomal enzyme inhibition by cimetidine and suggests that caution must be exercised when methadone and cimetidine are co-administered to patients in order to avoid excessive sedation or respiratory depression.


Compact binary systems with neutron stars or black holes are one of the most promising sources for ground-based gravitational-wave detectors. Gravitational radiation encodes rich information about source physics; thus parameter estimation and model selection are crucial analysis steps for any detection candidate events. Detailed models of the anticipated waveforms enable inference on several parameters, such as component masses, spins, sky location and distance, that are essential for new astrophysical studies of these sources. However, accurate measurements of these parameters and discrimination of models describing the underlying physics are complicated by artifacts in the data, uncertainties in the waveform models and in the calibration of the detectors. Here we report such measurements on a selection of simulated signals added either in hardware or software to the data collected by the two LIGO instruments and the Virgo detector during their most recent joint science run, including a "blind injection'' where the signal was not initially revealed to the collaboration. We exemplify the ability to extract information about the source physics on signals that cover the neutron-star and black-hole binary parameter space over the component mass range 1M(circle dot)-25M(circle dot) and the full range of spin parameters. The cases reported in this study provide a snapshot of the status of parameter estimation in preparation for the operation of advanced detectors.


A new meshless Lagrangian particle code has been developed in order to tackle the challenging numerical modeling of primary atomization. In doing so the correct treatment and representation of the interfacial physics are crucial prerequisites. Grid based codes using interface tracking or interface capturing techniques, such as the Volume of Fluid or Level Set method, exhibit some difficulties regarding mass conservation, curvature capturing and interface diffusion. The objective of this work is to overcome these shortcomings of common state-of-the-art grid based FVM approaches. Our multi-dimensional meshless particle code is based on the Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics method [1] [2]. Various test cases have been conducted, by which the capability of accurately capturing the physics of single and multiphase flows is verified and the future potential of this approach is demonstrated. Compressible as well as incompresssible fluids can be modeled. Surface tension effects are taken into account by two different models, one of them being more suitable for free surface flows and the other for simulating multiphase flows. Solid walls as well as periodic boundary conditions offer a broad variety of numerically modeling technical applications. In a first step, single phase calculations of shear driven liquid flows have been carried out. Furthermore, the disintegration of a gravity driven liquid jet emerging from a generic nozzle has been investigated in free surface simulations. The typical formation of a meniscus due to surface tension is observed. Spray formation is qualitatively in good agreement compared to experiments. Surface tension effects have been taken into account via the cohesive force model. Finally, the results of a two-phase simulation with a fluid density ratio of 1000, which is similar to a fuel-air fluid system as in airblast atomizers, are presented. The surface minimization and pressure jump across the droplet interface due to surface tension can be predicted accurately. The test cases conducted so far demonstrate the accuracy of the existing code and underline the promising potential of this new method for successfully predicting primary atomization.Copyright © 2012 by ASME


The problem of minimizing the cycle time of a given pipelined circuit is considered. The idea of simultaneous retiming and resynthesis is used to optimize a pipelined circuit to meet a given cycle time. An instance of the pipelined cycle optimization problem is specified by the circuit, a set of input arrival times relative to the clock, a set of required output times relative to the clock, and a given cycle time that it must meet. Given the instance of the pipelined performance optimization problem, the authors construct an instance of a combinational speedup problem. This is specified by a combinational logic circuit, a set of arrival times on the inputs, and a set of required times for the outputs which must be met. A constructive proof that the pipelined problem has a solution if and only if the combinational problem has a solution is given. This result shows that it is enough to consider only the combinational speedup problem, and all known techniques for that can be directly applied to generate a solution for the pipelined problem. >


John Neary shows that the theological dichotomy of via negativa (which posits the authentic experience of God as absence, darkness, silence) and via affirmativa (which emphasizes presence, images, and the sounds of the earth) is an overlooked key to examining and comparing the works of John Fowles and John Updike. Drawing on his extensive knowledge of both Christian and secular existentialism within the modern theology of Barth and Levinas and the contemporary critical theory of Derrida and J. Hillis Miller, Neary demonstrates the ultimate affinity of these authors who at first appear such opposites. He makes clear that Fowles's postmodernist, metafictional experiments reflect the stark existentialism of Camus and Sartre while Updike's social realism recalls Kierkegaard's empirical faith in a generous God within a kind of Christian deconstructionism. Neary's perception of uncanny similarities between the two authors-- whose respective careers are marked by a series of novels that structurally and thematically parallel each other-- and the authors' shared long-term interest in existentialism and theology support both his critical comparison and his argument that neither author is philosophically more sophisticated nor aesthetically more daring.


Here, we demonstrate that reductions in the depth of inlets or estuary channels can be used to reduce or prevent coastal flooding. A validated hydrodynamic model of Jamaica Bay, New York City (NYC), is used to test nature-based adaptation measures in ameliorating flooding for NYC's two largest historical coastal flood events. In addition to control runs with modern bathymetry, three altered landscape scenarios are tested: (1) increasing the area of wetlands to their 1879 footprint and bathymetry, but leaving deep shipping channels unaltered; (2) shallowing all areas deeper than 2 m in the bay to be 2 m below Mean Low Water; (3) shallowing only the narrowest part of the inlet to the bay. These three scenarios are deliberately extreme and designed to evaluate the leverage each approach exerts on water levels. They result in peak water level reductions of 0.3%, 15%, and 6.8% for Hurricane Sandy, and 2.4%, 46% and 30% for the Category-3 hurricane of 1821, respectively (bay-wide averages). These results suggest that shallowing can provide greater flood protection than wetland restoration, and it is particularly effective at reducing "fast-pulse" storm surges that rise and fall quickly over several hours, like that of the 1821 storm. Nonetheless, the goal of flood mitigation must be weighed against economic, navigation, and ecological needs, and practical concerns such as the availability of sediment.


Improving computer-aided early detection techniques for breast cancer is paramount because current technology has high false positive rates. Existing methods have led to a substantial number of false diagnostics, which lead to stress, unnecessary biopsies, and an added financial burden to the health care system. In order to augment early detection methodology, one must understand the breast microenvironment. The CompuMAINE Lab has researched computational metrics on mammograms based on an image analysis technique called the Wavelet Transform Modulus Maxima (WTMM) method to identify the fractal and roughness signature from mammograms. The WTMM method was used to color code the mammograms based on the type of tissue present and assign the Hurst exponent (H) value to corresponding tissue: dense tissue with H greater than 0.55, fatty tissue with H less than 0.45, and disrupted tissue with H between 0.45 and 0.55, with the latter being a key trait in tumorous tissue. This analysis on the full breast was performed on 127 cases for the Medio Lateral Oblique (MLO) view. We are revisiting these data by analyzing the region behind the nipple for the MLO view and the region outside the nipple area. After performing the WTMM analysis on each breast, non-parametric statistical analysis methods were performed to determine the level of significance between normal, benign, and cancerous cases. Furthermore, we utilized logistic models to assess the predictability of these metrics for future datasets.


In patients with significant valvular heart disease (VHD) undergoing non-cardiac surgery (NCS), perioperative adverse cardiac events are a relevant issue. Although postoperative outcomes can be adversely affected by valve-related haemodynamic instability, recommended perioperative risk scores prioritise the risk of the surgical procedure and the presence of cardiovascular risk factors, neglecting the presence or extent of VHD. Perioperative management and anaesthetic approach should focus on the underlying type and severity of VHD, the compensatory mechanisms deployed by left ventricle and right ventricle and the type and risk of NCS. Due to the lack of randomised trials investigating different therapeutic approaches of valvular intervention prior to NCS, recommendations mainly rely on consensus opinion and inference based on large observational registries. As a general rule, valvular intervention is recommended prior to NCS in symptomatic patients or in those who meet standard criteria for cardiac intervention. In the absence of such conditions, it is reasonable to perform NCS with tailored anaesthetic management and close invasive perioperative haemodynamic monitoring. However, patient-specific management strategies should be discussed with the heart team preoperatively. Symptomatic patients with severe VHD or those undergoing high-risk NCS should ideally be treated at a high-volume medical centre that is equipped to manage haemodynamically complex patients during the perioperative period.


Effect of a chronic excess or deficit of thyroid hormone on intrinsic myocardial performance in rats was assessed. Animals were thyroidectomized or treated with thyroid hormone or vehicle 6-7 wk before the study. Body weight and heart weight were decreased in the hypothyroid group, and heart weight was elevated in the hyperthyroid group. Hearts were removed from thyroidectomized, euthyroid or thyroid-treated animals and studied as isolated, perfused working heart preparations. Ventricular function curves were generated by increasing left atrial filling pressure, whereas outflow resistance was not varied. Coronary flow, aortic outflow (and thus cardiac output), heart rate, and peak aortic systolic pressure were measured as a function of preload. These studies showed that performance of hearts from hyperthyroid animals was similar to that of euthyroid controls. Hearts from hypothyroid rats had decreased rate, pressure, and cardiac output but normal stroke volume. Since heart weight was 55% lower than control, normalization of volume work to dry heart weight reversed the difference in cardiac output. Comparison of hearts from hypothyroid animals to control rats of similar weight showed minimal differences in pump function. Thus hyperthyroidism did not result in altered in vitro cardiac output or peak systolic pressure as a function of changing preload when compared with age-matched euthyroid controls, hypothyroidism resulted in a decreased in vitro heart rate but greater cardiac output normalized to heart weight when compared with age-matched controls and hyperthyroid animals; external pacing of hypothyroid hearts yielded myocardial work parameters that were comparable to euthyroid control rats of similar body weight; and cardiac efficiency was significantly greater in hypothyroid hearts than in hyperthyroid hearts.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


The aim of this study was to validate the French version of the career decision-making difficulties (CDDQ) questionnaire and to assess its measurement invariance across gender, age groups, countries, and student versus career-counseling samples. We also examined the sensitivity of this instrument to discriminate a career counseling population from a general student sample. Third, we studied the relationship between career decision-making difficulties, career decision-making self-efficacy, and self-esteem in a sample of 1,748 French and French-speaking Swiss participants. A confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the overall hierarchical structure of the CDDQ. Multigroup analysis indicated that the level of invariance across groups almost always reached configural, metric, and scalar invariance. Differences between countries were very small whereas differences between the general population and career-counseling subsamples were much larger. Both self-esteem and self-efficacy significantly predicted career decision-making difficulties. Moreover, as expected, selfefficacy partially mediated the relationship between self-esteem and career decision-making difficulties.


We examine available data from experiment and recent numerical simulations to explore the supposition that the scalar dissipation rate in turbulence becomes independent of the fluid viscosity when the viscosity is small and of scalar diffusivity when the diffusivity is small. The data are interpreted in the context of semi-empirical spectral theory of Obukhov and Corrsin when the Schmidt number, $\hbox{\it Sc}$, is below unity, and of Batchelor's theory when $\hbox{\it Sc}$ is above unity. Practical limits in terms of the Taylor-microscale Reynolds number, $R_\lambda$, as well as $\hbox{\it Sc}$, are deduced for scalar dissipation to become sensibly independent of molecular properties. In particular, we show that such an asymptotic state is reached if $R_\lambda \hbox{\it Sc}^{1/2}\,{\gg}\,1$ for $\hbox{\it Sc} \,{<}\, 1$, and if $\ln(\hbox{\it Sc})/R_\lambda\,{\ll}\,1$ for $\hbox{\it Sc} \,{>}\,1$.


Abstract* Combining genome-wide association studies (GWAS) data with clinical information from the electronic medical record (EMR) provide unprecedented opportunities to identify genetic variants that influence susceptibility to common, complex diseases. While mining the vastness of EMR greatly expands the potential for conducting GWAS, non-standardized representation and wide variability of clinical data and phenotypes pose a major challenge to data integration and analysis. To address this requirement, we present experiences and methods developed to map phenotypic data elements from eMERGE (Electronic Medical Record and Genomics) to PhenX (Consensus Measures for Phenotypes and Exposures) and NCI's Cancer Data Standards Registry and Repository (caDSR). Our results suggest that adopting multiple standards and biomedical terminologies will expose studies to a broader user community and enhance interoperability with a wider range of studies, in turn promoting cross-study pooling of data to detect both more subtle and more complex genotype-phenotype associations.


We developed a new mammalian cell-based luciferase reporter gene assay for androgenic and antiandrogenic activities of chemicals and environmental samples. Environmental samples usually have a complex matrix that may contain the constituents acting as androgen receptor (AR) agonists, AR antagonists or aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) agonists. AhR agonists are known to elicit the antiandrogenic effect through cross-talk between AR and AhR signal transduction pathways. In this study, PC3/AR human prostate carcinoma cells were transiently transfected with a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) promoter-driven luciferase expression plasmid. The cells were treated with a test compound or an environmental sample for 24 h at 37˚C and then measured for luciferase activity. The luciferase activity was induced by dihydrotestosterone (DHT) in a concentration-dependent manner in a concentration range from 10 fM to 1 nM. R1881, a synthetic androgen receptor agonist, induced luciferase activity and its inductive effects was additive to that of DHT. The luciferase activity was not induced by cortisol, a glucocorticoid, progesterone, a progestin, and 17 β -estradiol, an estrogen in a concentration range of up to 1 µM. DHT-induced luciferase activity was reduced by bicalutamide and cyproterone acetate, A. antagonists, and also by benzo[ a ]pyrene, an aryl hydrocarbon receptor agonist, through AhR-mediated pathways. All of these findings indicate that the present assay system correctly responds to AR agonists, AR antagonists and AhR agonist and, therefore, it is a powerful tool for the sensitive and selective screening of chemicals and environmental samples for their androgenic and antiandrogenic activities. We developed the first assay system, in which the expression of luciferase was driven by the promoter of a prostate-specific antigen gene, a typical human androgen-regulated gene.


Previous research indicates that early childhood experiences, such as responsive parenting and the home learning environment, influence child outcomes including emotional, social and cognitive development. Recent government policy calls for support for parents to enable them to improve outcomes for their children. In particular, support for parents during pregnancy and in the first five years of children's lives has been recommended, in order to maximise the positive impact on children's development, based on evidence of increased neural plasticity during the first three years. Few established parenting programmes focus on families with children under five years of age. The Northamptonshire Baby Room Project© Parents' Course is a Local Authority course designed and run by Educational Psychologists for parents of babies under twelve months. It aims to provide information and evidence from research on how babies' brains develop in the first year and how early experiences can impact on later development, whilst giving parents ideas and resources to improve the home learning environment. This evaluation investigates the impact the course has on parenting self-efficacy, the impact on parents' knowledge of baby brain development, and any impact on parents' practice following course completion. The roles of Children's Centres and the community also discussed.


Existing inpainting methods have achieved promising performance in recovering defective images of specific scenes. However, filling holes involving multiple semantic categories remains challenging due to the obscure se-mantic boundaries and the mixture of different semantic textures. In this paper, we introduce coherence priors between the semantics and textures which make it possible to concentrate on completing separate textures in a semantic-wise manner. Specifically, we adopt a multi-scale joint optimization framework to first model the coherence priors and then accordingly interleaving optimize image inpainting and semantic segmentation in a coarse-to-fine manner. A Semantic-Wise Attention Propagation (SWAP) module is devised to refine completed image textures across scales by exploring non-local semantic coherence, which effectively mitigates the mix-up of textures. We also propose two coherence losses to constrain the consistency between the semantics and the inpainted image in terms of the overall structure and detailed textures. Experimental results demonstrate the superiority of our proposed method for challenging cases with complex holes.


There is a need for a more comprehensive understanding of sanitation behaviors and determinants in the school setting to mitigate health risks, improve sanitation practices and programs, and maximize educational and health impacts. We conducted qualitative research with pupils and teachers in western Kenya to understand where pupils urinate and defecate and what factors influence location selection. Despite the availability of gender-separated latrines at all schools, pupils listed numerous locations for urination and defecation. Several physical environmental, social, and individual factors influence pupils9 selection of where to urinate and defecate. Physical environment factors include condition, safety, privacy, accessibility, and availability of facilities; social factors include norms, expectations, and responsibility; and individual factors include experience, routine, risk perception, and personal needs. Students simultaneously weigh several competing factors to determine where to go. The factors that facilitate or hinder latrine use need to be taken into consideration during design, construction, operation and maintenance, if healthy habits are to be formed and sustained.


Abstract : Soot prediction in realistic systems is one of the most challenging problems in theoretical and applied combustion. Soot formation as a chemical process is very complicated and not fully understood up to the moment. The major difficulty stems from the chemical complexity of the soot formation processes as well as its strong coupling with the other thermochemical and fluid processes that occur simultaneously. Soot is a major byproduct of incomplete combustion, having a strong impact on the environment, as well as the combustion efficiency. Therefore, it needs to be predicted in realistic configurations in an accurate and yet computationally efficient way. In the current study, a new soot formation subgrid model is developed and reported here. The new model is designed to be used within the context of the Large Eddy Simulation (LES) framework, combined with Linear Eddy Mixing (LEM) as a subgrid combustion model. The final model can be applied equally to premixed and non-premixed flames over any required geometry and flow conditions in the free, the transition, and the continuum regimes. The soot dynamics is predicted using a Method of Moments approach with Lagrangian Interpolative Closure (MOMIC) for the fractional moments. Since, no prior knowledge of the particles distribution is required, the model is generally applicable. The effect of radiation is introduced as an optically thin model. As a validation the model is first applied to a non-premixed non-sooting flame, then a set of canonically premixed flames. Finally, the model is validated against a non-premixed jet sooting flame. Good results are predicted with reasonable accuracy.


AlGaN/GaN Schottky barrier diodes (SBDs) with and without the in situ silicon carbon nitride (SiCN) cap layer were investigated. The fabricated SBD with the SiCN cap layer exhibited improved electrical characteristics, such as the forward turn-on voltage of about 0.7 V, the forward current of 4.1 A at 1.5 V, and the reverse breakdown voltage of 630 V, as compared with the corresponding values of 0.8 V, 3.8 A, and 580 V for the reference SBD without the SiCN cap layer. This improvement in the device performance of the SiCN-SBD is because the in situ SiCN cap layer not only lowers the barrier height but also effectively passivates the surface of the device with better surface morphology.


Based on phylogenetic analysis of 18S rRNA sequences and clade taxon composition, this paper adopts a biogeographical approach to understanding the evolutionary relationships of the human and primate infective trypanosomes, Trypanosoma cruzi, T. brucei, T. rangeli and T. cyclops. Results indicate that these parasites have divergent origins and fundamentally different patterns of evolution. T. cruzi is placed in a clade with T. rangeli and trypanosomes specific to bats and a kangaroo. The predominantly South American and Australian origins of parasites within this clade suggest an ancient southern super-continent origin for ancestral T. cruzi, possibly in marsupials. T. brucei clusters exclusively with mammalian, salivarian trypanosomes of African origin, suggesting an evolutionary history confined to Africa, while T. cyclops, from an Asian primate appears to have evolved separately and is placed in a clade with T. (Megatrypanum) species. Relating clade taxon composition to palaeogeographic evidence, the divergence of T. brucei and T. cruzi can be dated to the mid-Cretaceous, around 100 million years before present, following the separation of Africa, South America and Euramerica. Such an estimate of divergence time is considerably more recent than those of most previous studies based on molecular clock methods. Perhaps significantly, Salivarian trypanosomes appear, from these data, to be evolving several times faster than Schizotrypanum species, a factor which may have contributed to previous anomalous estimates of divergence times.


Damage to the maxillary anteriors secondary to trauma is one of the primary concerns of a patient, attributable to his/her perceivability in the society. The clinical presentations of such a condition may vary vastly according to the extent of the injury. The present article describes the interdisciplinary management of an 18-year-old female with traumatized maxillary incisors and an anterior crossbite on a borderline skeletal Class III base. Orthodontic camouflage by means of fixed mechanotherapy was successfully attempted to produce a correction in the overjet and overbite. The esthetic rehabilitation was carried out using zirconium crowns and veneers placed on the central and lateral incisors, respectively, after crown lengthening. Thus, the interdisciplinary management ensured the restoration of optimal esthetics and function with a conservative approach.


PURPOSE
To simulate and evaluate the use of dynamic multileaf collimators (dMLC) in respiratory gating to compensate for baseline drift.

METHODS
Tumor motion tracking data from 30 lung tumors over 322 treatment fractions was analyzed with the finite state model. A dynamic respiratory gating window was established in real-time by determining the average positions during the previous two end-of-expiration breathing phases and centering the dMLC aperture on a weighted average of these positions. A simulated dMLC with physical motion constraints was used in dynamic gating treatment simulations. Fluence maps were created to provide a statistical description of radiation delivery for each fraction. Duty cycle was also calculated for each fraction.

RESULTS
The average duty cycle was 2.3% greater under dynamic gating conditions. Dynamic gating also showed higher fluences and less tumor obstruction. Additionally, dynamic gating required fewer beam toggles and each delivery period was longer on average than with static gating.

CONCLUSIONS
The use of dynamic gating showed better performance than static gating and the physical constraints of a dMLC were shown to not be an impediment to dynamic gating.


This third edition of The Directory of University Libraries in Europe provides extensive details of the central and other major libraries of European universities and, where appropriate, includes the libraries of attached institutes and research centres. Meticulously researched and revised, this title provides the most up-to-date information available and, to ensure accuracy and reliability, information is provided by the libraries and institutions concerned. Key Features * covers libraries throughout Europe, arranged alphabetically by country * entries list full contact details, including email and internet addresses, and names of chief librarians and other relevant staff * other invaluable information includes: areas of specialization, opening hours, entitlement to use the library, the size and composition of library holdings, online subscriptions and details of libraries' own publications * fully indexed for ease of use.


The purpose of this research is to firstly explore the difference in entrepreneurial attitude between students who has family member as entrepreneur and non-family member as entrepreneur. Secondly to know the influence of role models on entrepreneur attitude in higher education student. The study was conducted amongst sample of 100 student in Universitas Negeri Semarang, which consists of 18 male and 82 female. All of the sample has took entrepreneurship subject. The data collected through questioners. The findings of this study suggest that role model comes from families whether is their parents or any other family member has no significant effect in creating students' entrepreneurial attitude. This can be noted from the hypothesis test on the difference in attitude between students with an entrepreneurial family member and students without.


Tumors of the central nervous system having their origin from ependymal cells have long been looked on as a rarity. The reports of workers in the various clinics, particularly of those interested in tumors of the brain, reveal but a relatively small number of ependymal gliomas found in the encephalon. In 1926 Bailey and Cushing 1 reported 7 ependymomas among 254 classified gliomas. In a later study Bailey 2 found 16 ependymal tumors during an analysis of 566 gliomas. Fincher and Coon 3 in 1929 reviewed 8 cases found among 140 cases of glioma at the Sachs clinic. The ependymomas, therefore, would seem to comprise but a small percentage of the glioma family as found in the brain. The careful investigations of Kernohan, Woltman and Adson 4 have revealed a different situation with regard to the number of ependymal tumors found as intramedullary tumors of the spinal cord. In an


In many industrial nations, about two third of the paper demand is covered by recovered paper. A major process step within the treatment of waste paper is the de-inking. It is a floating process yielding paper sludge as a waste product. About 50 % of this residue is used as a fuel. In several cases it is burnt at temperature of about 850 °C and thereafter the accrued ashes are collected in the flue gas filter. During the combustion, kaolinite and calcium oxide generate gehlenite and larnite. Calcite is the main component of waste paper sludge ash (PA).The chemical and mineralogical composition of PA suggests using it as a supplementary cementitious material.
In modern construction materials technology, workability aspects gain importance, since for most modern materials the rheology and compaction ability are relevant for the operation at a hardened state. It was observed that PA significantly increases the water demand of powder systems, which can cause serious problems during the casting of mineral binder systems containing PA. It is therefore obvious that binder systems containing PA might demand for the use of superplasticizers. Superplasticizers are polymers with anionic backbone that cause electrostatic and steric repulsion effects upon adsorption on surfaces of particles and hydration phases.
In this paper interactions between superplasticizers and waste paper sludge ashes are discussed and analysed. Based on observations of changes in the zeta potential and the dispersion of the particle system, the influence of the charge density of superplasticizers is observed and time dependent effects are demonstrated.


Reforms in private pension plans across the world are opening up more options for pension participants to make choices to suit their preferences. Freedom of choice is however not a unidimensional concept as it is commonly perceived by policy makers. People can value both the freedom to choose as well as the freedom not to choose This observation can have far-reaching implications for pension policy design. By using a unique panel survey among Dutch employees we are able to offer a more refined typology of preferences with respect to the freedom to choose. For most pension contract issues - level of pension savings, investment choice, risk coverage - a minority (14-26 %) values individual freedom of choice, whereas most would like to let their pension fund make the decisions, or favor a mixed model – having choice but not necessarily use this freedom - or are simply indifferent with respect to how their pension contract is designed and financed. Employees who distrust their pension fund or who do not express solidarity with other pension fund participants are far more likely to prefer freedom of choice compared to those who have a high level of solidarity and high level of trust in their pension fund.


My submission for the degree is comprised of two components: the text of my novel Travelling with the Duke and the supporting exegesis Travelling with the Duke: Origins, Structure, Technique. Travelling with the Duke has been accepted for publication by Random House in early 2009. Travelling with the Duke is a romantic comedy set in Australia and Italy. It is a comic variation on the theme of the fatal charm of Italy. The novel is written in the tradition of fictions about English-speakers travelling to Italy. The novel explores the fatal attraction of Italy, Italian culture, and Tuscany in particular for three generations of Australian women. Renaissance art is a major motif, explored from the perspectives of experts and amateurs from Italy and Australia. Particular art works inform the structure of the narrative and shape the meaning of the novel. Piero della Francesca's fifteenth-century portrait of the Duke of Urbino is vivid and present throughout, his relationship with Nelly develops with the plot. As the novel opens, Nelly, understood by her family to have no friends, relies on the Duke for companionship and advice. By the novel's close Nelly has acquired a cast of more current confidantes and friends. For Nelly's daughter, Jenny, the novel is a journey from personal fantasies and loneliness through to a confrontation with renaissance art in Florence as a threat followed by personal transformation and reconciliation. Nelly's granddaughter, Katherine, an Australian art historian, is transformed from limited professional observation of art to the reality of romance, the erotic and artistic creativity. The exegesis, Travelling with the Duke: Origins, Structure, Technique, explains the influences that have shaped the novel, and its narrative structure and literary concerns. I am a playwright with a considerable body of work including plays that have been performed in Australia and internationally. I have a long connection with theatre as an actor and director. For long periods of my life I have lived and worked in Italy; and like many of the characters, I remain a student of the language. The exegesis explores how my background and experiences have informed the style and narrative. The exegesis describes and analyses other main structural and stylistic issues including: the genre of the English-speaking traveller in Italy; intertextual use of literary models and renaissance art; and literary theory. E.M.Forster provides a central reference point for my interest in the travel genre. The application of theory to my work is examined in relation to M.M. Bakhtin's theory of the novel; theory that is founded in an interest in the historical and social world and the relations between representation and reality. Acknowledgements The novel could not have been completed without the help and support of many people. I would particularly like to thank John Scott who was with me at the outset, and whose humour and encouragement meant so much in those early days. I also thank Jan Hutchinson for her assistance with the exegesis. TRAVELLING with the DUKE


The therapeutic activity of L-658,310 was demonstrated in experimental bacteremias in normal, diabetic and neutropenic mice. Especially potent activity was shownagainst the usually difficult to control pathogens, Enterobacter cloacae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, that wereresistant to ceftazidime and/or gentamicin. Pharmacokinetic studies in mice showed a linear dose response in serum after the 20 and 50 mg/kg subcutaneous dose and urinary recoveries of administered dose of about 60 % in 6 hours. Excretion was mainly by glomerular filtration. In a crossover design in rhesus monkeys, the pharmacokinetics of L-658,310 were similar to those of ceftazidime and suggest a moderately long half-life in serum of humans.


The climate of Venus is to a large degree controlled by the radiative properties of its massive atmosphere. In addition, outgassing due to volcanic activity, exospheric escape processes, and surface/atmosphere interactions may all be important in moderating the abundances of atmospheric CO2 and other volatiles. Before the return of detailed radar images of Venus' surface by the Magellan spacecraft, estimates of the magnitude of volcanic source terms were relatively unconstrained. Recent work on the interpretation of the impact cratering record as revealed by Magellan, however, have placed some plausible limits on the magnitude of the volcanic flux [1][2][3]. In addition, the high temperatures and pressures at the surface of Venus have led to the suggestion that heterogeneous reactions between surface minerals and the atmosphere may play an important role in buffering CO2 and other volatiles [4]. For example, Fegley and Treiman [5] have shown that the surface temperature and pressure on Venus coincide approximately with the P-T equilibrium of the calcite-wollastonite mineral reaction. If this is the case, perturbations to the atmospheric inventory of radiattvely active species, caused by volcanic eruptions, may have a significant impact on the climate of Venus and upon the stability of the greenhouse effect. For example, it appears that a small increase in atmospheric CO2 would increase the magnitude of the greenhouse effect, and at the same time shift the calcitewollastonite mineral equilibrium to one of both a higher temperature and pressure. In this way, the buffering effect of the surface mineral equilibrium can produce an important feedback on the greenhouse effect.


Acute kidney injury can complicate rhabdomyolysis in 10-40% patients. Myoglobinuria and elevated creatine kinase (CK) form the basis of diagnosis. When associated with azotemia and/or oliguria, intermittent hemodialysis is a treatment option. 31-year-old young man came with lower limb pain after doing 800 sit ups. At the presentation, blood pressure was high, serum creatinine was 15.7mg/dl and creatine kinase(CK)>20000 IU/L. Intermittent dialysis was initiated. He developed posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome, generalized tonic clonic convulsions and a further rise in CK. He underwent extracorporeal removal of myoglobin with medium cut-off (MCO) membrane. After 3 sessions with MCO membrane, myoglobin and CK levels reduced. He was transitioned to conventional dialysis and discharged in a stable condition with complete renal recovery. Medium cut-off membrane effectively removes circulating myoglobin without significant albumin loss and is cost effective.


Comparisons were made between all patients who underwent emergency surgery for complicated colorectal carcinoma in Finland in 1975 and all who were electively operated on for the disease in the same period. The overall incidence of tumour complications was 18% (29% in colon and 7% in rectum). Obstruction alone was present in 15% and perforation with or without obstruction in 4%. The mean age in the "emergency group", 69.5 years, was 4 years higher than in the "elective group". Resectability for cure was 47% and 66% in the respective groups. The 21% mortality associated with emergency surgery was four times the rate after elective surgery. The observed 5-year survival rates were 18% and 35%. Relative 5-year survival, excluding surgical mortality, was 31% vs. 48%, overall and 54% vs. 68% after resection for cure. The excess mortality in the emergency compared with the elective group accrued only in the first 6 postoperative months. In complicated colorectal cancer, intensive treatment is necessary even after the immediate postoperative period. Early diagnosis should be sought even in elderly patients, as the prospects are better after elective than after emergency surgery.


1. We investigate factors influencing the trade-off between survival and reproduction in female Soay sheep (Ovis aries). Multistate capture-recapture models are used to incorporate the state-specific recapture probability and to investigate the influence of age and ecological conditions on the cost of reproduction, defined as the difference between survival of breeder and non-breeder ewes on a logistic scale. 2. The cost is identified as a quadratic function of age, being greatest for females breeding at 1 year of age and when more than 7 years old. Costs, however, were only present during severe environmental conditions (wet and stormy winters occurring when population density was high). 3. Winter severity and population size explain most of the variation in the probability of breeding for the first time at 1 year of life, but did not affect the subsequent breeding probability. 4. The presence of a cost of reproduction was confirmed by an experiment where a subset of females was prevented from breeding in their first year of life. 5. Our results suggest that breeding decisions are quality or condition dependent. We show that the interaction between age and time has a significant effect on variation around the phenotypic trade-off function: selection against weaker individuals born into cohorts that experience severe environmental conditions early in life can progressively eliminate low-quality phenotypes from these cohorts, generating population-level effects.


Friedreich ataxia is an autosomal recessive disorder caused by mutations in the FRDA gene that encodes a 210-amino acid protein called frataxin. An expansion of a GAA trinucleotide repeat in intron 1 of the gene is present in more than 95% of mutant alleles. Of the 83 people we studied who have mutations in FRDA, 78 are homozygous for an expanded GAA repeat; the other five patients have an expansion in one allele and a point mutation in the other. Here we present a detailed clinical and genetic study of a subset of 51 patients homozygous for an expansion of the GAA repeat. We found a correlation between the size of the smaller of the two expanded alleles and age at onset, age into wheelchair, scoliosis, impaired vibration sense, and the presence of foot deformity. There was no significant correlation between the size of the smaller allele and cardiomyopathy, diabetes mellitus, loss of proprioception, or bladder symptoms. The larger allele size correlated with bladder symptoms and the presence of foot deformity. The duration of disease is correlated with wheelchair use and the presence of diabetes, scoliosis, bladder symptoms and impaired proprioception, and vibration sense but no other complications studied.


Believe is an integral part of human nature. Man has always believed in something and if this believe is strong enough there is a passion to transmit it to others. A church is an organised group of people who believe in Christ. Church founders and members have a mandate to spread their faith (believe). The transmission dynamics of believe is similar to that of an epidemic disease. In this paper we modelled church growth using ideas from epidemiological modelling and evaluated the impact of active members on the growth of the church. We found that a FaitFree equilibrium state exists and that it is locally asymptotically stable. Furthermore we investigated the existence of a faithful endemic equilibrium state and numerically solved the model equations with MATLAB. From numerical simulations we established that maximum church growth is achieved in presence of effective active members who continue to reproduce themselves, that is, groom passive members into becoming active.


In the framework of its European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP), the EU is aiming to strengthen its political and economic relations with former Soviet Union republics. A key instrument to achieve this objective is to negotiate Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreements (DCFTA). A DCFTA concerns not only the liberalisation of trade in all areas, but also the harmonisation of trade-related legislation with EU standards and acquis communautaire. To date, the EU has signed DCFTA's with Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. Yet, the current political tensions centering on the Ukrainian crisis may disrupt the intended East-West integration significantly. Increasing strains between the EU and Russia in the summer of 2014 culminated in reciprocal trade sanctions, by which a range of EU food products is still banned from the Russian market. This session discusses the impacts of both short-term and long-term developments in the bilateral agro-food trade and markets. As an introduction to the topic, this paper sketches EU's current state of agro-food trade relations and the evolutions in the trade policy context with its Eastern neighbours.