The recent economic downturn experienced in the UK and other major economies has led to intense speculation about the impact on non-profit organisations. In particular, there has been an assumption that charities will suffer significantly as a result of decreased donations and increased demand.
However, drawing on an analysis of UK media coverage of philanthropy and charitable giving during a six month period, this paper seeks to re-appraise existing research on charitable giving in order to consider the impact of a recession. We show that much of the media comment fails to take account of existing theory regarding the non-economic basis of most philanthropic motivations, nor of the varied nature of charitable beneficiaries, which extends well beyond the financially disadvantaged. The paper also explores known features of recessionary impacts such as variability across the sector; time lags between economic conditions and changes in donor behaviours; and factors that affect resilience, such as the possession of reserves and investment in fundraising activities. The paper concludes by discussing implications for donor fundraising strategies.


Background and importance Tumors of the fourth ventricle account for 1%–5% of all intracranial neoplastic lesions and present with different configurations and anatomical challenges. Microsurgery represents the primary therapeutic strategy for the majority of fourth ventricular tumors, and adequate anatomical understanding and visualization are paramount to surgical planning and success. The authors present the case of a young patient with a complex fourth ventricular tumor, whose surgery was successfully planned using a novel mixed reality (MxR) system. Case description We present a case of a 31-year-old woman with a lesion extending from the fourth ventricle to the lamina quadrigemina and causing symptomatic hydrocephalus occlusus. Through the combined use of routine 2D images and an interactive 3D anatomical model, an interhemispheric transtentorial approach was used to remove 98% of the lesion with successful functional outcomes. Conclusions The application of advanced 3D visualization with a novel MxR system to the surgical planning of a complex fourth ventricular lesion proved relevant in designing the best surgical approach and trajectory to better identify potential intraoperative challenges and rehearse the patient-specific anatomy. The present case report endorses the implementation of advanced 3D visualization in routine perioperative practice.


Iran's constitutional Revolution was the inevitable consequence of two main developments. The first was the widespread awareness of the deteriorating internal situation in their country and recognition of the ways and means to redress it. Their main slogans clearly reflected their objective: Freedom, independence and progress. However, once victory over the despotic old regime was secured, the victors could not really govern and with, a number of exceptions, the revolution's objectives, particularly in the realm of democratic governance, were not realized. The heavy burden of centuries of stagnation could not easily be lifted. However, the ideals of the constitutional revolution forever left their imprint on the consciousness of generations of Iranians.

Moreover, in the modernizing efforts of the Pahlavi period, the administrative, economic and educational foundations for the eventual realization of the goals of Iranian constitutionalists were created. The sobering experiences of the last few decades have reawakened the Iranian intellectual elite that had for long succumbed to the ephemeral lures of leftist totalitarian ideas and ideologies. Thus, one can detect in contemporary Iranian society the urge to revive the struggle for the unfulfilled objectives of the constitutional revolution. Of these objectives two appear to be the most salient for the prevailing conditions: The establishment of a secular and democratic order, which was the primary objective of the constitutional revolution; and reordering Iran's foreign policy priorities in order to extricate it from its current isolation in the world.


This article presents preliminary evidence on the ability of an adjusted AR to enhance the materiality and significance levels in AR-based event studies. A case example of differences between the standard AR measure used in most event studies and the adjusted AR is provided. In tests of 240 equity private placements of publicly held companies between 1983 and 1996, the adjusted AR measure dominates the standard AR measure across various sample sizes. As the sample size decreases, the adjusted measure retains the ability to detect material and significant price increases while the standard AR measure's ability declines.


AbstractGracilaria cultivation is basically in need of lighting for photosynthesis process which will be a great effect on growth. The use of fluorescent (FL) as a replacement for the sun light is used for fluorescent lamps produce white light, except that fluorescent lights do not increase the room temperature drastically culture (temperature stable) and the intensity of light produced in the culture room suitable for the growth of shoots Gracilaria verrucosa. In addition to light intensity, while irradiation also affects the growth of cultured algae. Long exposures are generally set according to the needs of algae in natural conditions. In the process of photosynthesis is need a light and dark reaction. Light reaction occurs in the conversion of light energy into chemical energy and dark reactions occur for the formation of glucose that used for catabolism system. This study aims to determine the best long exposures of the different long exposures which can affect the growth and the amount of chlorophyll a of G. verrucosa. The methods is an experimental that used Complete Random Design (RAL) as the experimental design. The treatment used is different irradiation time, the treatment A (long irradiation for 24 hours, control), treatment B (irradiation time 12 hours light: 12 hours dark), treatment C (irradiation time 8 hours light: 16 hours dark) and D treatment (irradiation time 16 hours light: 8 hours dark) of each treatment is repeated five times. The main parameters were observed daily growth rate (%/day) and the amount of chlorophyll a (µg/ml) of G. verrucosa. Supporting the observed parameters are pH, temperature (ºC) and salinity (%o) The analysis data is using of variants analysis (ANOVA), if there is a difference data followed by Duncan's Multiple Range Test to determine the best treatment. The results showed that different irradiation time take a real effect (P <0.05) on the growth and the amount of chlorophyll a G. verrucosa. Daily weight growth rate of the highest average found in treatment D (irradiation time 16hour light: 8-hours dark) of 0.62%/day, and the lowest in treatment A (24-hour long light irradiation) of 0.23%/day. The highest number of chlorophyll a average at the end of the study are in treatment D (irradiation time 16-hours light : 8 hours dark) of 0.0068 µg/ml and the lowest in treatment A (24-hour long light irradiation) of 0.0048 µg/ml. The increasing daily growth rate of G. verrucosa can used of the irradiation time 16-hours light : 8-hours dark.


Non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA) is characterised by absence of sperm in the ejaculate. Significant relationship between the pattern of the testis histopathology of NOA and successful sperm retrieval rate is well known. In this study, we assess efficacy of testicular histopathology on sperm retrieval rates and intracytoplasmic sperm injection results after microdissection testicular sperm extraction in cases of non-obstructive azoospermia. It is a retrospective analysis of 111 NOA patients who have histopathological confirmation. According to histopathological findings, the patients were divided into three groups: Sertoli-cell-only syndrome (SCOS), maturation arrest (MA) and hypospermatogenesis. Sperm retrieval rate was significantly higher in hypospermatogenesis group compared with that in SCOS and MA groups. In terms of fertilisation and clinical pregnancy rates, there was no significant difference between the groups. As a result, compared with MA and SCOS, hypospermatogenesis has higher sperm retrieval rates. Our study revealed that once successful sperm retrieval is achieved, fertilisation and clinical pregnancy rates are similar in NOA patients.


I. INTRODUCTION Cyberbullying is essentially speech that is disseminated via electronic or digital means and is intended to embarrass, hurt, or harass another person.1 The most common conduits of cyberbullying include text messages, instant messages, email messages, social networking sites such as Facebook or MySpace, and microblogging sites such as Twitter. Cyberbullying is considered more pernicious than traditional bullying because it allows "cruel or sadistic behavior to be amplified and publicized, not just on the campus [of a school], but throughout the world."2 This amplification of the bullying behavior may contribute to the "extreme emotional reaction"3 manifest when a victim of cyberbullying takes his or her own life. Legislators, educators, parents, scholars, and students have responded to the deaths of teenagers Ryan Hulligan,4 Megan Meier,5 Phoebe Prince,6 Tyler Clementi,7 and others8 with a vigorous debate over what role school entities can and should play in protecting students by prohibiting this type of speech.9 A main focus of the debate is whedier a public school entity that regulates cyberbullying infringes on a student's First Amendment right to free speech. Under current and proposed statutory schemes,10 speech that originates and often takes place entirely offcampus, without the use of school computers or other school property and while the student is engaged in activities or events that are in no way related to the school or to any school purpose, could be regulated. Thus the question is whether the prevention of cyberbullying is so compelling an interest as to justify the ability of public school entities to regulate such a broad scope of student speech. This debate sets states' clear interests in protecting children and maintaining a safe and educationally conducive environment at school and at school-sponsored activities against the individual student's constitutionally guaranteed right to freedom of speech. Though there is a compelling need to protect children from the insidious harm inflicted through cyberbullying, many statutes and local school policies permitting broad limitations on individual speech are not the least restrictive means through which such an interest is met. Unfortunately, considering the strong policy arguments on both sides of this issue obfuscates rather than clarifies where the appropriate balance lies. Children are often the weakest and most easily victimized members of society. Consequently, they not only deserve but often desperately need protection. Additionally, the effects of cyberbullying can be pernicious and particularly destructive to children and youth in their early adolescence.11 However, First Amendment scholarship and jurisprudence make it clear that freedom of speech is a most decidedly cherished and vigorously protected constitutional right. This Comment does not propose that cyberbullying should be tolerated without any consequences whatsoever. It recognizes that much of what is categorized as cyberbullying is a distasteful and potentially damaging form of speech. However, in order to appropriately defend the individual's right to free speech, the regulation by public-school entities of off-campus student speech must be narrowly tailored to prevent a limited class of speech that is either already under the school's authority to regulate or that rises to the level of a "true threat."12 Thus, schools would maintain the power to regulate speech through which the speaker means "to communicate a serious expression of an intent to commit an act of unlawful violence to a particular individual or group of individuals."13 The alternative - allowing a broad infringement of students' First Amendment rights by public-school entities in misguided and sometimes inefficient efforts to control cyberbullying - sweeps in too much speech that should be protected. Such actions cannot be upheld as permissible under the Constitution. Therefore, school administrators must exercise care in how far they are willing to go to regulate student speech. …


The red crab (Charybdis feriata) is one of most important fishery resource in China. In the present study, 17 morphological traits and body weight of C. feriata were first measured and 18 traits were characterized, and then, the effects of morphological traits on body weight were estimated by statistical methods including correlation coefficients, determination coefficients, path coefficients and regression equations. All correlation coefficients between each morphological trait and body weight reached an extremely significant level (P<0.01). Determination and path coefficients analysis revealed the real correlation between the independent variables and the dependent variable. Significant path coefficients were found between three morphological traits (stemum width, X8; meropodite length of pereopod 3, X16; meropodite length of pereopod 4, X17) and body weight, suggesting these three traits were the key factors directly influencing body weight. Multiple correlation index (R2) between the above three morphological traits and body weight was of 0.977, which indicated that the main independent variables influencing body weight had been found. Finally, a best-fit linear regression equation was established as Y = 13.078 X8 + 7.048 X16 - 4.902 X17 - 576.635, which provided an ideal model for better understanding of the feature of morphological traits and body weight of C. feriata.

 Key words: Charybdis Feriata, morphological traits, correlation analysis, path analysis, regression analysis.


Ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) is an essential micro-nutrient, an outstanding antioxidant and an essential co-factor in different mammalian enzymatic processes. There is considerable clinical attestation that, high dose of intravenous ascorbic acid can improve cancer patients with or without extant therapeutic involvements. Ascorbic acid in high intravenous doses serves as pro-oxidant and promotes the generation of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and other reactive oxygen species (ROS) with oxidative stress-induced toxicity selectively to cancer cells. This effect also hampers the bioenergetics and angiogenesis of malignant cells, resulting in cancer cell death. Large doses of ascorbic acid are safe and well-tolerated. On account of its antioxidant effect, ascorbic acid supplementation may be applied as an adjuvant with regular cancer therapy to minimize complications. Nevertheless, there is a necessity for further mechanistic studies and randomized controlled clinical trials to evaluate the benefit of ascorbic acid in the treatment of cancer.


Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a multifactorial disease affecting the immune system and many tissues in the body. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of magnesium supplementation on insulin resistance and fasting blood sugar (FBS) of patients with RA. In this prospective uncontrolled before-after study, RA patients referring to Rheumatology clinics of Qom City from January 2020 to January 2021 were evaluated. First, the patients received the routine rheumatoid arthritis treatment including 5 mg Prednisolone and 200mg Hydroxychloroquine daily for 6 months and FBS and insulin levels were measured after. Then, they received the routine arthritis rheumatoid treatment in addition to 300 mg/day oral Magnesium sulfate for 6 months and then, FBS and insulin levels were measured. The Homeostasis Model Assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) was used for determining insulin resistance. Thirty five patients with RA and the mean age of 49.83±2.58 years were enrolled. Twenty eight cases (80%) were female and 7 cases (20%) were male. The mean HOMA-IR before and after consumption of oral magnesium were 3.04±0.29 and 2.43±0.19, respectively. Statistically significant differences were found between FBS, insulin and HOMA-IR before and after consumption of oral magnesium (p<0.05). Our data suggested that magnesium supplementation reduces FBS, insulin and HOMA-IR in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Thus, magnesium supplements may be an alternative method for prevention of type 2 diabetes in RA patients.


Wastewater is a rich source of microbial life and contains bacteria, viruses, and other microbes found in human waste as well as environmental runoff sources. As part of an effort to characterize the New York City wastewater metagenome, we profiled the viral community of sewage samples across all five boroughs of NYC and found that local sampling sites have unique sets of viruses. We focused on bacteriophages, or viruses of bacteria, to understand how they may influence the microbial ecology of this system. We identified several new clusters of phages and successfully associated them with bacterial hosts, providing insight into virus-host interactions in urban wastewater. This study provides a first look into the viral communities present across the wastewater system in NYC and points to their functional importance in this environment. ABSTRACT Bacteriophages are abundant members of all microbiomes studied to date, influencing microbial communities through interactions with their bacterial hosts. Despite their functional importance and ubiquity, phages have been underexplored in urban environments compared to their bacterial counterparts. We profiled the viral communities in New York City (NYC) wastewater using metagenomic data collected in November 2014 from 14 wastewater treatment plants. We show that phages accounted for the largest viral component of the sewage samples and that specific virus communities were associated with local environmental conditions within boroughs. The vast majority of the virus sequences had no homology matches in public databases, forming an average of 1,700 unique virus clusters (putative genera). These new clusters contribute to elucidating the overwhelming proportion of data that frequently goes unidentified in viral metagenomic studies. We assigned potential hosts to these phages, which appear to infect a wide range of bacterial genera, often outside their presumed host. We determined that infection networks form a modular-nested pattern, indicating that phages include a range of host specificities, from generalists to specialists, with most interactions organized into distinct groups. We identified genes in viral contigs involved in carbon and sulfur cycling, suggesting functional importance of viruses in circulating pathways and gene functions in the wastewater environment. In addition, we identified virophage genes as well as a nearly complete novel virophage genome. These findings provide an understanding of phage abundance and diversity in NYC wastewater, previously uncharacterized, and further examine geographic patterns of phage-host association in urban environments. IMPORTANCE Wastewater is a rich source of microbial life and contains bacteria, viruses, and other microbes found in human waste as well as environmental runoff sources. As part of an effort to characterize the New York City wastewater metagenome, we profiled the viral community of sewage samples across all five boroughs of NYC and found that local sampling sites have unique sets of viruses. We focused on bacteriophages, or viruses of bacteria, to understand how they may influence the microbial ecology of this system. We identified several new clusters of phages and successfully associated them with bacterial hosts, providing insight into virus-host interactions in urban wastewater. This study provides a first look into the viral communities present across the wastewater system in NYC and points to their functional importance in this environment.


In recent years, enterprise group chat collaboration tools, such as Slack, IBM»s Watson Workspace and Microsoft Teams, have presented unprecedented growth. With all the potential benefits of these tools - productivity increase and improved group communication - come significant challenges. Specifically, the 'always on' feature that makes it hard for users to cope with the load of conversational content and get up to speed after logging off for a while. In this demo, we present Collabot - a chat assistant service that implicitly learns users interests and social ties within a chat group and provides a personalized digest of missed content. Collabot assists users in coping with chat information overload by helping them understand the main topics discussed, collaborators, links and resources. This demo has two main contributions. First, we present a novel personalized group chat summarization algorithm; second the demonstration depicts a working implementation applied on different chat groups from different domains within IBM. A video, describing the demo can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cVsstiJ9vk.


Background Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) use has increased due to its therapeutic effects in numerous diseases. Despite this, IVIg label indications remain limited. Purpose To assess the use of IVIg in hospitalised patients and outpatients in a tertiary hospital in terms of: adequacy of use to label indications; and economic impact on the conditions used (label and off-label indications). Material and methods Retrospective study from January 2014 to December 2014. Collected data, obtained from Farmatools software and medical records, were: sex, age, IVIg indication, dose and number of administrations to each patient, and treatment costs. A descriptive analysis of IVIg use per patient and indication and associated cost was made. IVIg adequacy of use was established based on the British Clinical guidelines for Immunoglobulin Use, 2nd edition, July 2011 update. Results 138 patients (average age 59.1, 58.7% female) received IVIg. 44.1% of treatments were administered to hospitalised patients. Label indications were 67.4%: common variable immunodeficiency (55/93), IgG immunodeficiency (13/93), idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (12/93), Guillain-Barré syndrome (6/93), Kawasaki disease (3/93), secondary immunodeficiency (2/93), hyperIgM immunodeficiency (1/93) and unspecified hypogammaglobulinaemia (1/93). Off-label indications supported by clinical evidence were 21.0%: myasthenia gravis (7/29), multifocal motor neuropathy (6/29), non-specific demyelinating neuropathy (4/29), chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (3/29), inclusion body myositis (3/29), autoimmune haemolytic anaemia (2/29), polymyositis (1/29), dermatomyositis (1/29), Rassmusen syndrome (1/29) and alloimmune thrombocytopenia (1/29). Off-label indications not sufficiently supported by clinical evidence were 5.8%: systemic vasculitits (2/8), scleroderma (2/8), polyarteritis nodosa (2/8), microscopic polyarteritis (1/8), acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (1/8). Non-recommended indications were 5.8%: systemic lupus erythematosus (3/8), epilepsy (2/8), proximal diabetic neuropathy (1/8), aplastic anaemia (1/8) and paraneoplastic syndrome (1/8). For each category, IVIg dispensed were 22 252.5 g, 16 632.5 g, 7287.5 g and 5247.5 g, respectively. Percentage expenditure for each one was 41.4%, 34.2%, 13.9% and 10.5%, respectively (of a total amount of 1 730 002€). Conclusion Despite the fact that most of the dispensed IVIg were used for label or for off-label supported by clinical evidence indications, uses with unproven clinical benefit, even those recommended, implies an important expense in our hospital. Due to the frequent off-label use of IVIg, implementing a protocol would be useful to adjust IVIg treatments to the guideline recommendations and to optimise its use. No conflict of interest.


This note is a systematic review of arguments provided by Feldstein (2008) on the necessity for global readjustments, both in the U.S. and in main trading partners. The purpose is to address the main arguments in the scientific and political debate on persistent To date, there has been no publication that challenged the opinions leading to totally wrong forecasts concerning the global imbalance. With a perspective of more than 10 years of post-2008-crisis developments, and together with empirical evidence one can easily see how erroneous were the arguments formulated in 2008. The tasks included a systematic review of all arguments formulated by Martin Feldstein in 2008, and casting them against empirical evidence. The U.S. current account (CA) deficit has continued for many years, since 1982, and has not changed, as foreseen by Feldstein. The primary method is a simple comparative analysis, supported by basic macroeconomic data. They allow to reveal multiple processes leading to further deterioration of the U.S. trade balance. Neither savings rate domestically nor abroad adjusted to give a basis for solving the global imbalance. In the same time, all traditional arguments presented on global imbalances seem undeniable. However, an alternative interpretation of the imbalance does not recognize the CA deficit as "a gift to the U.S. economy". This paper sheds new light on the "global imbalance", suggesting that increasing domestic absorption by China may be an important factor in resolving the U.S. problematic and persistent trade deficit. Disaster-scenarios may be not there in the U.S. to experience. Future developments may be far from those announced, and previously expected by Feldstein in his seminal paper. A careful reader may conclude that all coming changes and adjustments will be slow, gradual, and will not cause any major issues in the global economy. Such conclusions seem most justified by hard data and therefore encouraging. As the topic remains central to open economy empirical macroeconomics, continuation of studies on this issue seems natural. The U.S. and China will remain the biggest economies, and, as such, they are central to the global situation.


Context. The Hubble Frontier Fields o ff er an exceptionally deep window into the high-redshift universe, covering a substantially larger area than the Hubble Ultra-Deep field at low magnification and probing 1–2mag deeper in exceptional high-magnification regions. This unique parameter space, coupled with the exceptional multi-wavelength ancillary data, can facilitate for useful insights into distant galaxy populations. Aims. We aim to leverage Atacama Large Millimetre Array (ALMA) band 6 ( ≈ 263GHz) mosaics in the central portions of five Frontier Fields to characterize the infrared (IR) properties of 1582 ultraviolet (UV)-selected Lyman-Break Galaxies (LBGs) at redshifts of z ∼ 2–8. We investigated individual and stacked fluxes and IR excess (IRX) values of the LBG sample as functions of stellar mass ( M (cid:63) ), redshift, UV luminosity and slope β , and lensing magnification. Methods. LBG samples were derived from color-selection and photometric redshift estimation with Hubble Space Telescope photometry. Spectral energy distributions -templates were fit to obtain luminosities, stellar masses, and star formation rates for the LBG candidates. We obtained individual IR flux and IRX estimates, as well as stacked averages, using both ALMA images and u – v visibilities. Results. Two (2) LBG candidates were individually detected above a significance of 4.1- σ , while stacked samples of the remaining LBG candidates yielded no significant detections. We investigated our detections and upper limits in the context of the IRX– M (cid:63) and IRX– β relations, probing at least one dex lower in stellar mass than past studies have done. Our upper limits exclude substantial portions of parameter space and they are su ffi ciently deep in a handful of cases to create mild tension with the typically assumed attenuation and consensus relations. We observe a clear and smooth trend between M (cid:63) and β , which extends to low masses and blue (low) β values, consistent with expectations from previous works.


The genus Meroscolex Cernosvitov, 1934, comprised only two species: M. guianicus Cernosvitov and M. longissimus Cernosvitov, both known only from French Guiana (Cernosvitov, 1934: 56; 1935: 29). A third species, from Suriname, is described in the present paper. Meroscolex hoogmoedi n. sp. Material: Suriname, valley of Coeroeni River, approximately 3°2o'N 57°2o'W, leg. Dienst Bodemkartering Suriname, 24/25 June 1967 (2 clitellate specimens: holotype, coll. no. 5946, paratype, coll. no. 5947). — Suriname, Post Tigrie, New River, 3°2o'N 57°3o'W, leg. M.S. Hoogmoed, 28/29 June 1968 (5 clitellate specimens, 4 without posterior end, and 1 large aclitellate specimen, coll. no. 6055). Material in Rijksmuseum van Natuurlijke Historie, Leiden. The type specimens arrived alive in Leiden one month after they were collected. Observations on these living specimens were made by J. van der Land. External characters. — The length of the type specimens was 1.6 and 1.5 m, respectively, according to the collectors. After one month they measured 1.3 and 1.0 m, and after fixation in a mixture of alcohol 70% and formaline 5% they measured 0.80 and 0.50 m. Their diameters were then: 16 and 18 mm in the pre-clitellar region, 20 and 18 mm in the clitellum, 9 and 12 mm in the median body region, and 9 mm in the posterior region of both specimens. "In vivo" the colour of the pre-clitellar region was dorsally dark blue and ventrally light bluish green to light brown; the clitellum was dorsally dark grey-brown, nearly black, and ventrally brown with pink spots around the setae; the ridges of puberty were variable from light grey to cream-coloured. In the median and posterior regions of the body, the surface of the segments


Soil salinity is a growing threat all over the world due to its toxic effect to reduce soil fertility and water uptake in the crops. An average of 418 million ha soil is saline in nature. Various climatic, geomorphic and rainfall pattern causes which involved in saline soil formation. To reduce the toxic effect proper management of saline soil is required. Irrigation water also a major concern regarding soil salinity management. Saline irrigation water enhances and maintains the severity soil salinity. Crop production aspects root zone salinity provides a strong negative impact on soil fertility. Salinity causes the reduction in nutrient ion, and water uptake has a significant negative effect on crop yields. Soil and water salinity interactions and their influence on crop growth and management of salinity are deliberated in this chapter.


Coal ash, clay, coal powder and special type additive used to produce new type coal ash ceramsite by the sinter method. Effects of fly ash/clay/coal powder/special type additive ratio and calcinations temperature and calcinations time on compression strength and water holding capacity of the granules were studied. The best project is using a mixture of fly ash 80%, clay 10%, coal powder 5% and special type additive 5% produced by 30 min of sintering at 1150 . The results of landscape tiny pollute wastewater experiments show the wipe off rates of COD, NH3-N and P are above 80%, 60% and 70% separately.


A majority of animal science undergraduates have limited livestock handling experience when they come to college. To address this issue, a course based on livestock handling, safety and welfare was implemented in the Department of Animal Science at Iowa State University. This study aimed to 1) determine if the course was effective at improving the comfort level of a student while handling livestock and 2) to identify demographic factors that contributed to student performance in the course. The course was delivered as an 8-week, lecture-laboratory format. Each semester, a pre-course survey and pre-course exam were administered during the first class period (N=87). The survey collected self-reported demographic information, prior livestock handling experience, and comfort level by specie. The exam tested the prior knowledge of each student. At the semester conclusion, a post-course survey and post-course exam were given to determine if the course was effective at improving comfort and knowledge levels of each student, respectively (N=75). Students from farm backgrounds outscored urban students by 5.56 ± 2.96% on the pre-course exam (P=0.06). Cumulative grade point average at the time of the course (GPA) had a role in the pre-exam score (P=0.003) while gender, semester, involvement in 4H or FFA, and high school or collegiate judging were not factors in the pre-exam score (P>0.10). Background and student rank did not have an effect on the post-course exam score (P=0.96 and P=0.58, respectively). As expected, GPA was significant when fit as a covariate (P<0.001) in the post-course exam model. Upon course completion, students reported that their comfort level while handling livestock had increased for all livestock species. The largest increases were observed with poultry (37.8 to 66.9%) and dairy (49.3 to 84.3%). Of the 75 students polled, 96% felt that the hands-on approach was beneficial at reinforcing lecture material, and 100% reported that they were more likely to voluntarily interact with livestock inside or outside of the classroom setting after course completion. In conclusion, some demographic attributes play a role in student performance at the beginning of the course, but these factors are no longer significant after completion of the course. In addition, the level of comfort with and knowledge of livestock handling, safety and welfare all improved, which shows that the course was successful at achieving the intended learning outcomes.


Abstract Objective: To investigate whether for patients with incurable cancer comprehensive home care programmes are more effective than standard care in maintaining the patients' quality of life and reducing their "readmission time" (percentage of days spent in hospital from start of care till death). Design: Systematic review. Methods: A computer aided search was conducted using the databases of Medline, Embase, CancerLit, and PsychLit. The search for studies and the assessment of the methodological quality of the relevant studies were performed by two investigators, blinded from each other. Prospective, controlled studies investigating the effects of a home care intervention programme on patients' quality of life or on readmission time were included in the analyses. Results: Only 9 prospective controlled studies were found; eight were performed in the United States and 1 in the United Kingdom. Their methodological quality was judged to be moderate (median rating 62 on a 100 point scale). None of the studies showed a negative influence of home care interventions on quality of life. A significantly positive influence on the outcome measures was seen in 2 out of the 5 studies measuring patients' satisfaction with care, in 3/7 studies measuring physical dimensions of quality of life, in 1/6 studies measuring psychosocial dimensions, and in 2/5 studies measuring readmission time. The incorporation of team members' visits to patients at home or regular multidisciplinary team meetings into the intervention programme seemed to be related to positive results. Conclusions: The effectiveness of comprehensive home care programmes remains unclear. Given the enormity of the problems faced by society in caring for patients with terminal cancer, further research is urgently needed. Key messages Only nine controlled prospective studies have compared the effects of home care intervention programmes for patients with terminal cancer with those of standard care, in relation to patients' quality of life and time spent in hospital between start of care and death The methodological quality of these studies seemed to be moderate Home care programmes did not have a negative influence on quality of life or time spent in hospital; some studies observed positive effects on these outcome measures Enabling team members to visit patients at home and holding regular multidisciplinary team meetings seem important elements for obtaining favourable results The general belief that home care programmes are effective for patients with terminal cancer is not supported scientifically


Abstract The purpose of this essay is to analyze the brand as an organizing device that structures not only the sphere of consumption but also that of production. The essay takes its point of departure in an analysis of values. It suggests that values are a correlate of valuation devices and that these evaluation devices constitute a semantic space that is called, for want of a better term, "brand." The brand as a semantic space makes values visible, providing a platform upon which claims, calculations, and categorizations compete, collide, and sometimes coalesce. The essay concludes by discussing the implications of this argument for, among other things, the higher education sector.


Background: Conventional contrast angiography (CA) is the standard diagnostic modality for peripheral artery disease of the lower extremities. However, CA presents possible risks, including contrast nephropathy and radiation exposure. An invasive procedure, it is not chosen to evaluate non-invasive physiologic procedures testing for vascular disease. Alternatively, Duplex ultrasonography (Duplex) is used to assess other non-invasive procedures that evaluate the presence or extent of peripheral artery disease. However, Duplex is not an infallible tool. Rather, another non-invasive physiologic test for peripheral artery disease is a volume plethysmography system (VPS), a blood volume waveform visualization and evaluation tool.
Objective: To determine the accuracy of a VPS as an aid for the primary care physician to more accurately identify patients with peripheral artery disease who might benefit from preventive management.
Design: Retrospective case series and a case presentation. Patients: Community vascular laboratory group consisting of 48 patients.
Methods and Findings: Patients were tested bilaterally with a VPS on all four limbs as per standard testing protocol. They subsequently underwent peripheral CA due to symptoms, physical examination, VPS or Duplex results suggestive of significant peripheral artery disease. Using CA as the gold standard for determining peripheral artery disease, the VPS had sensitivity of 86.0%, specificity of 100% and accuracy of 87.5%. Results indicated flow obstruction in 37 of 48 patients and showed no flow obstruction in 11 of 48 patients. The CA results confirmed peripheral artery disease in 37 of 37 patients with suspected peripheral artery disease by the VPS result.
Conclusion: Accuracy of the VPS is verified by CA results, supporting its use as an aid for practicing physicians to accurately diagnose peripheral artery disease. VPS is intended to provide primary care physicians with a tool, which in combination with clinical judgment, to more accurately identify patients with peripheral artery disease who might benefit from preventive management. When appropriate, patients may be referred to a vascular specialist.


Wearing impermeable garments during work inherently leads to heat strain, even in cold
environments [1]. Phase change materials (mainly paraffin's or salt [4]) may be used as a thermal
buffer (e.g. [2]) to reduce initial heat stress. Salts can also be used to absorb sweat, which may
enhance the cooling power from the skin.
Recently, specific encapsulated salts utilising KSCN (potassium thiocyanate) have been developed
that consume energy when the KSCN dissolves in water. The heat consumed when the KSCN
(present inside 150 g of capsules containing 60% KSCN salt) dissolves in water is 22410 J (249 J/g *
60% * 150 g). When this solving takes place over a period of 30 minutes, the average power
transfer is 12 W. One (1) g of KSCN-containing capsules absorbs close to 1 g of moisture. If we
assume that 150 g sweat extra can be evaporated from the skin, this yields an extra cooling power
of 182 W for 30 minutes. However this evaporated water from the skin is subsequently absorbed
by the KSCN in the capsules. During this absorption from the gas phase, the condensation heat is
released to the KSCN salt: about 182 W for 30 minutes. However, we hypothesise that this
condensation heat will be partly transferred to the body and partly to the environment [3],
providing a net benefit to the body.
Thus, the total cooling effect due to the salt capsules is composed of two parts:
• The cooling effect of about 12 W due to the heat consumption by the dissolving of the salts in
water;
• The cooling effect of maximal 182 W, which equals the difference between the evaporative
heat and the condensation heat. The latter is generated in the salt capsules that transfer part
of the heat to the environment.
The overall cooling effect should therefore be in between 12 W and 194 W.
The purpose of our study was to test the efficacy of a KSCN-based absorbing salt as a PCM for use
within impermeable protective clothing. We tested the PCM during 20 min of moderate exercise
in a hot (35°C, 40% relative humidity) environment, and hypothesized that thermal strain would be
lower in the PCM compared to the non-PCM condition.


Background Hyperfiltration refers to the enhanced re-nal elimination of circulating solute. It is an increasingly recognised phenomenon in critically ill adults, leading to subtherapeutic treatment of renally cleared drugs. Although its existence has also been suggested in critically ill children, concrete data are currently lacking. Objectives The primary aim of this pilot study was to investigate the incidence and risk factors of hyperfiltration in a paediatric intensive care setting. Additionally, a comparison of different methods for glomerular filtration rate (GFR) assessment in critically ill children was made. Methods The HYPIC study was a single centre, prospective, observational study, conducted at the paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) and the cardiac surgery intensive care unit (CSICU) of the Ghent University Hospital, Belgium, enrolling patients between 1 month and 15 years of age. GFR was estimated by means of a calculated 24 hour creatinine clearance (24 hour CrCL). Creatinine in serum and urine were determined using the Jaffe's reaction, and corrected for interfering total protein concentration accord-ing to Speeckaert et al.1 The Larsson formula was used for cystatin C-based estimation of GFR.2 Hyperfiltration was defined as a GFR exceeding normal values for age plus two standard deviations. Logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate risk factors for hyperfiltration. GFR assessment methods (24 hour CrCl, modified Schwartz formula and Larsson formula) were compared using Bland-Altman plots.3 Results Data were collected from 58 patients (median age: 20 months; age range: 1 month to 15 years). Hyper-filtration was present in 80.8% of patients. Body length was identified to be an independent risk factor for hyper-filtration (p=0.05). Although not statistically significant, body surface area (p=0.12) and a neurological admission reason (p=0.12) also seem related to the development of hyperfiltration. A systematic difference between calcu-lated creatinine clearance (24 hour CrCL) and the estimated GFR (eGFR) using the modified Schwartz formula was observed (mean difference 28.9 ml/min/1.73 m²; SD60.4 ml/min/1.73 m²). The Schwartz formula was accurate at low GFR, but underestimated the GFR at higher values. The mean difference of GFR between the Larsson formula and the 24 hour CrCl was very low (3.67 ml/kg/m²; SD66.9 ml/min/1.73 m²). Conclusion Hyperfiltration is a common phenomenon in critically ill children. The modified Schwartz formula is likely to underestimate GFR in case of hyperfiltration. Cystatin C seems a promising alternative renal biomarker but needs further investigation.


This paper examines the link between ancient Greek prostitutes and the textile industry, specifically through the women's association with braiding frames, spinning, and wool-baskets, as they are portrayed in Attic vase-painting. The argument presented is twofold: one, prostitutes from all ranks were involved in the textile industry and were thus depicted working wool in vase-painting; and two, Aphrodite, the prostitutes' patron deity, was also linked with textiles through the representations of her headdress, gestures of spinning, and her embroidered chest ornament on Attic pottery.


For decades, the Wahhabis and the Muslim Brothers were allies both in ideology and in political practices. They were united by their attitude to Western culture as to corruption and debauchery, a negative perception of the Western system of values, and the desire to mold society based on the models of the Koran, Sunnah, and Sharia. Their common enemies were secular nationalist regimes and communism. The points of disagreement – the condemnation by the Brothers of the hereditary monarchies, then the direct call to overthrow the pro-Western rulers – were simply glossed over. For Saudi Arabia's Salafi Wahhabis, loyalty to the Saudi monarchy was an axiom. The peak of cooperation was achieved when both Brothers and Wahhabis participated in the jihad in Afghanistan against the Soviet troops and the pro-communist government. In joint camps, future extremist jihadists were brought up. The watershed was the war against Saddam Hussein's Iraqi troops, which occupied Kuwait. The deploy-ment of a huge American army, as well as its European allies, in the territory of Saudi Arabia, where two main Muslim shrines are located, was considered sac-rilege by the Muslim Brothers, as was the invitation of infidel troops to war against a Muslim state, albeit with a dictatorial secular regime. However, the leadership of the Saudi ulama issued a fatwa approving the actions of the rulers of the Kingdom. Over the years, the disagreements were voiced louder and louder, and the culmination was the rupture between the Wahhabis and the Brothers, which had substantial regional and global implications.


What is the value of having microfoundations for monetary exchange in a macro model? In this article, the author attempts to answer this question by listing what he considers the major accomplishments of the field. He argues that the evidence overwhelmingly shows that microfoundations matter for many questions of first-order importance in macroeconomics.


5G network technologies are evolving in a tremendous pace, enhancing the potential for being adopted and exploited by vertical industries and serve advance networking requirements needs. Towards this direction, a set of 5G PPP projects are providing contributions for tackling aspects related to the overall lifecycle of 5G vertical applications design, development and deployment, including the activation and management of the appropriate network services. In this paper, a cartography of a set of novel solutions facilitating the adoption of 5G technologies by vertical industries is presented, aiming at identifying set of challenges and relevant solutions as well as potential synergies among the related projects.


Abstract. Aerial triangulation (AT) has reached outstanding progress in the last decades, and now fully automated solutions for nadir and oblique images are available. Usually, image correspondences (tie points) are found using hand-crafted methods, such as SIFT or its variants. But in the last years, there were many investigations and developments to promote the use of machine and deep learning solutions within the photogrammetric processing pipeline. The paper explores learning-based methods for the extraction of tie points in aerial image blocks. Image correspondences are used to perform aerial triangulation (AT) and successively generate dense point clouds. Two different datasets are used to compare conventional hand-crafted detector/descriptor methods with respect to learning-based methods. Accuracy analyses are performed using GCPs as well as ground truth LiDAR point clouds. Results confirm the potential of learningbased methods in finding reliable image correspondences in the aerial block, still showing space for improvements due to camera rotations.


Background: London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) exists since 1986 as a benchmark interest rate. Methods: Using two-layer linear regression method, we found a pattern of shortterm nature in LIBOR behaviour. Results: To wit, 2-month LIBOR experiences a jump after Xmas for the last two decades. The direction and size of the jump depend on the data trend on 21 days before Xmas. Conclusions:  The obtained results can be used to build a winning strategy on the Swap Market.


Mating systems can vary among species and populations and thus influence evolutionary trajectories, ecological traits, and population demography. The siring of offspring by an extrapair male, or extrapair paternity (EPP), is a widespread and varied phenomenon in all vertebrate classes. However, we do not understand all of the factors associated with variation in EPP rates. The breeding synchrony hypothesis suggests that EPP rates should increase with latitude and elevation, whereas the paternal care hypothesis predicts that EPP rates should decrease with elevation. To address these hypotheses, we investigated how population EPP rates vary over elevation and latitude in emberizid sparrows. In comparative analyses including the effects of phylogeny, the relationship between EPP rates and elevation depended on latitude. EPP rates were greater in higher-latitude populations. But within higher-latitude populations, EPP rates decreased with increasing elevation. These findings provide support for both the breeding synchrony and paternal care hypotheses, suggesting that in lower-latitude, higher-elevation populations, the need for male parental care does not outweigh the benefits of seeking extrapair fertilizations in populations with relatively synchronous breeding. In contrast, at higher-latitude, higher-elevation sites, the need for male parental care is greater and might drive lower rates of extrapair mating despite highly synchronous breeding.


Recently, there have been intense discussions about the humanities and their role in society. Internationally, as well as in a Swedish context, the humanities have been regarded to be in a state of crisis. However, these discussions usually demonstrate a lack of historical perspectives based on thorough empirical research. The notion of a crisis needs to be historicized.In this study, a case is being examined where the relationship between science and society was renegotiated. In the context of World War II, a discourse has been identified in a borderland between science and politics through an analysis of Swedish journals and anthologies during the time period 1937-1947. Historical actors were then highlighting that the humanities faced several challenges. The study argues that these discussions should be regarded as parts of a renegotiation of the humanities' social contract. In the context of the war and fundamental societal changes, there occurred a greater pressure than before to mobilize science socially in order to make science appear as a legitimate undertaking. For the humanities, such demands seemed to conflict with their scientific ethos. During the interwar period this ethos was often based on a norm that demanded the drawing of a strict boundary between science and politics. But if they did not mobilize socially, scholars risked getting blamed for being isolated in the so-called 'ivory tower'. How the humanities could be effectively mobilized in order to satisfy the needs of society while still maintaining their legitimacy in a scientific context emerged as a fundamental problem with no clear solutions. Part of this problem was the exclusion of the humanities from politically hegemonic narratives of society's development, in contrast to natural and social sciences. Reactions to specific historical experiences and distinct expectations for the future thus seem – at least on a discursive level – to have put the humanities in a state of marginalization as early as the time period examined in this thesis.


Abstract We review the evolution of late Cenozoic magmatism in the NE Japan arc, and examine the relationship between the magmatism and the crust–mantle structure. Recent studies reveal secular changes in the mode of magmatic activity, the magma plumbing system, erupted volumes and magmatic composition associated with the evolution of crust–mantle structures related to the tectonic evolution of the arc. The evolution of Cenozoic magmatism in the arc can be divided into three periods: the continental margin (66–21 Ma), the back-arc basin (21–13.5 Ma) and the island-arc period (13.5–0 Ma). Magmatic evolution in the back-arc basin and the island-arc periods appears to be related to the 2D to 3D change in the convection pattern of the mantle wedge related to the asthenosphere upwelling and subsequent cooling of the mantle. Geodynamic changes in the mantle caused back-arc basin basalt eruptions during the back-arc basin opening (basalt phase) followed by crustal heating and re-melting, which generated many felsic plutons and calderas (rhyolite/granite phase) in the early stage of the island-arc period. This was followed by crustal cooling and strong compression, which ensured vent connections and mixing between deeper mafic and shallower felsic magmas, erupting large volumes of Quaternary andesites (andesite phase).


approved: _____________________________________________________________________ Christopher C. Higgins Article 1: Behavior of Epoxy Injected Diagonally Cracked Full-Scale CRC Deck-Girders. Many cast-in place reinforced concrete deck-girder bridges (RCDG) remain in the national inventory and exhibit diagonal cracking. Epoxy injection has been in use for several decades as a method for sealing diagonal cracks, but the effects on girder behavior have not been validated. Much of the existing data regarding performance of members injected with epoxy have been gathered through testing of reduced-scale specimens. This investigation reports structural responses of five full-scale RCDG specimens constructed to reflect mid-twentieth century proportions and details. Specimens were loaded to produce diagonal cracks, injected with epoxy under varying degrees of axial tension and service loading, and tested to failure. The experimental results indicate that epoxy injection produced minimal capacity increase, increased crack re-initiation loads, and reduced stirrup serviceability stresses compared to original performance and the control specimen. The addition of cyclic live loading during injection and curing of epoxy produced variable pressures within the crack volume and also produced small bubbles within the epoxy matrix. These bubbles did not reduce performance for the loading considered. Article 2: Investigation of the Effects of Imposed Axial Tension on Diagonally Cracked Full-Scale CRC Deck-Girders. Many cast-in place reinforced concrete deck-girder bridges (RCDG) remain in the national inventory and are exhibiting significant diagonal cracking. Current codes for rating and evaluation of bridges permit analysts to neglect temperature and shrinkage effects when calculating load ratings for bridge components with well distributed reinforcement. The proportions and details of 1950's vintage bridges are unlikely to be considered well detailed, and existing research regarding the performance of members subjected to axial tension is insufficient. Seven full-scale reinforced concrete specimens were constructed and tested to reflect mid-twentieth century proportions and detailing, including light shear reinforcement and straight flexural cutoff details. Specimens were loaded under combined axial tension and transverse forces. Results indicate that axial tension and flexural cutoffs reduce member capacity and stiffness and methods for predicting capacity were compared. © Copyright by Matthew T. Smith June 20, 2007 All Rights Reserved Investigation of the Behavior of Diagonally Cracked Full-Scale CRC Deck-Girders Injected with Epoxy Resin and Subjected to Axial Tension


Globally, UN Agencies and other international actors are working to prevent the recruitment and use of child combatants in conflicts. This study was carried out in three populated communities with large number of ex-child combatants in Monrovia with the objective of investigating the survival strategies influencing the effective reintegration of Ex-child combatants in Liberia. The study was a descriptive survey that collected quantitative and qualitative data on the survival strategies of Ex-child combatants. Primary and secondary data was collected through review of past documents and literature on similar topic, in-depth interviews, and focus group discussions with key stakeholders including children themselves. A thorough analysis of the data was carried out to ensure that the data is cleaned, coded and concise using Statistical Package for Social Sciences. The interviews and discussions held with the ex-child combatants, the community members, and NGOs staff brought out key information on the relevance of involving the community members and project beneficiaries themselves in the design, implementation and monitoring of the project; the importance of providing targeted assistance to different beneficiaries; and the awareness of the beneficiaries and community members on the objectives of the reintegration programme.. The study targeted 165 ex-child combatants but because of the movement of the ex-child combatants from one location to another in search of greener pastures, only 116 of them were reached. The findings of the study showed that 41 % of the respondents are involved in business from which 64 % of the proceeds are used for food, and 16% for family up keep. This indicates that the search for livelihood is paramount in the survival strategy for the ex-child combatants. Lastly, UN agencies and INGOs involved in the reintegration of ex-child combatants should employ a diversified community based strategy to ensure that ex-child combatants with different needs are treated accordingly. Governments on their part, they should put in place a rigorous monitoring mechanism to ensure that resources allocated to such projects should be used wisely with the involvement of the beneficiaries and the community in general.


The information professions need a paradigmatic shift to address the epistemicide happening within our field and the ways we have systematically undermined knowledge systems falling outside of Western traditions. Epistemicide is the killing, silencing, annihilation, or devaluing of a knowledge system. We argue epistemicide happens when epistemic injustices are persistent and systematic and collectively work as a structured and systemic oppression of particular ways of knowing. We present epistemicide as a conceptual approach for understanding and analyzing ways knowledge systems are silenced or devalued within Information Science. We extend Fricker's framework by: (a) identifying new types of epistemic injustices, and (b) by adding to Fricker's concepts of Primary and Secondary Harm and introducing the concept of a Third Harm happening at an intergenerational level. Addressing epistemicide is critical for information professionals because we task ourselves with handling knowledge from every field. Acknowledgement of and taking steps to interrupt epistemic injustices and these specific harms are supportive of the social justice movements already happening. This paper serves as an interruption of epistemic injustice by presenting actions toward justice in the form of operationalized interventions of epistemicide.


Beginning with the earliest philosopher of the Middle Ages, Saadiah ben Joseph al-Fayyumi, this work surveys the writings of such figures as Solomon ben Joseph ibn Gabirol, Bahya ben Joseph ibn Pakuda, Abraham ben david Halevi ibn Daud, Judah Halevi, Moses Maimonides, Gersonides, Hasdai Crescas, Simon ben Zemah Duran, Joseph Albo, Isaac Arama, and Isaac Abrabanel. Throughout an attempt is made to place these thinkers in an historical context and describe their contributions to the history of Jewish medieval thought in simple and lucid terms. The book is directed to students enrolled in Jewish studies courses as well as to those who seek an awareness and appreciation of the riches of medieval Jewish philosophical tradition.


This paper describes a patent-pending method that can be used to estimate the speed and position of surface-mounted permanent magnet synchronous motors (SMPMSM) with cylindrical rotor structure and sinusoidal back emf. The concept involves the use of the power inverter's switching actions and switching current to provide instantaneous real-time information for extracting the speed information. The theory and algorithm are included to explain the proposed concept, which has been verified by simulations on a SMPMSM drive under the control of a sensorless speed control scheme.


Friction stir welding is a solid state joining method of welding invented in 1991 at The Welding Institute that utilizes a non-consumable rotating welding tool to generate frictional heat and plastic deformation.FSW can be used to join difficult to join materials like aluminium alloys, copper, magnesium, zinc, steels, and titanium.This technique overcomes difficulties of fusion welding.FSW found applications in the automobile, aerospace, marine, defence and medical industries. The control parameters rotational speed, axial load, tool geometry, welds speed affects quality of weld obtained. The advantages of Friction stir welding (FSW) are no fumes; uses no filler material; and low cost of operation. FSW sometimes produces a weld that is stronger than the base material.FSW is considerably ecofriendly than conventional "fusion" welding. In this paper, review of state of art, working principle, welding of different materials, work piece material applications etc are presented.


: Acoustic reflexes were elicited from seven normal hearing subjects with synthesized isolated consonant and vowel speech stimuli. Stimulus intensity and duration were controlled so that equivalent amplitudes and durations from 100 to 300 msec were produced. The recorded stimulus items were presented over an earphone to the subject's right ear, while susceptance changes caused by bilateral acoustic reflex activity were monitored in the subject's left ear. Analysis of variance revealed no significant difference between reflex threshold values for isolated synthetic consonant and vowel stimuli. Main effects of stimulus duration and subjects and the two-way interaction of phoneme type by subject were found to be significant.


Grid-based data replication protocols have been proven to be extremely efficient due to the high availability and the low cost of read and write operations they offer. However, although each grid protocol uses logical grids, the semantics and interpreting algorithms vary from scheme to scheme. This has the disadvantage that switching from one protocol to another, results in a re-implementation of the new protocol. By designing a general framework which separates the policy from the mechanism this drawback can be overcome. The purpose of this paper is to present such a general framework for grid-based protocols. We show how to model various popular grid protocols as instances of the framework, thereby demonstrating that grid-based protocols which look quite different at first glance share a common concept of construction. Additionally, we explain how new grid-based protocols with particular properties can be designed by using the framework in a graphical way.


Colloidal transformation based on simple physicochemical processes has produced a wide variety of functional structures for different applications. But the lack of local selectivity of conventional transformation methods makes the fabrication of nanodevices with desired optical properties challenging. Here, we use a laser beam to transform spherical polystyrene (PS) beads into bull's eye-shaped nanopatterns or concentric nanorings, depending on the time of irradiation. The final morphologies are dependent on the size of the PS beads and the dielectric nature of the substrates. The simulated near field features show that it is the selective hollowing of PS beads that results in collapsing and buckling of the shells. This understanding provides a new route towards unconventional colloidal nanostructures and defect engineering in 2D photonic crystals that can be locally and selectively controlled by light.


The quantitative evaluation of soil loss due to erosion, of water loss and of load sediments that reach water bodies is fundamental to the environmental planning of a watershed, contributing to the process of decision for best options for soil tillage and water quality maintenance. Estimates of these data have been accomplished throughout the world using empiric or conceptual models. Besides being economically viable in scenarios development, environmental models may contribute to the location of critical areas, leading to emergency contention operations caused by erosive processes. Among these models, we highlight the SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool) which was applied in Sao Bartolomeu watershed, located in the Zona da Mata, Minas Gerais state, southeastern Brazil, to identify areas of greater sensitivity to erosion considering the soil type and land use. To validate the model, 10 experimental plots were installed in the dominant crops of the watershed between 2006 and 2008, for monitoring the runoff and soil losses under natural rainfall. Field results and simulations showed the SWAT efficiency for sediment yield and soil losses estimations, as they are influenced by factors such as soil moisture, rainfall intensity, soil type and land use (dominated by Oxisols, Ultisols, Inceptisols and Entisols). These losses can be reduced significantly by improving crops management of. A simulation scenario replacing pastures cover by Eucalyptus was introduced, which significantly reduced soil loss in many parts of the watershed.


Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are now major players in the realm of environmental conservation. While
many environmental NGOs started as national organizations focused around single-species protection, governmental
advocacy, and preservation of wilderness, the largest now produce applied conservation science and work with
national and international stakeholders to develop conservation solutions that work in tandem with local aspirations.

Marine managed areas (MMAs) are increasingly being used as a tool to manage anthropogenic stressors on marine
resources and protect marine biodiversity. However, the science of MMA is far from complete. Conservation
International (CI) is concluding a 5 year, $12.5 million dollar Marine Management Area Science (MMAS) initiative.
There are 45 scientific projects recently completed, with four main "nodes" of research and conservation work:
Panama, Fiji, Brazil, and Belize. Research projects have included MMA ecological monitoring, socioeconomic
monitoring, cultural roles monitoring, economic valuation studies, and others. MMAS has the goals of conducting
marine management area research, building local capacity, and using the results of the research to promote marine
conservation policy outcomes at project sites.

How science is translated into policy action is a major area of interest for science and technology scholars (Cash and Clark 2001; Haas 2004; Jasanoff et al. 2002). For science to move policy there must be work across "boundaries" (Jasanoff 1987). Boundaries are defined as the "socially constructed and negotiated borders between science and policy, between disciplines, across nations, and across multiple levels" (Cash et al. 2001). Working across the science-policy boundary requires boundary organizations (Guston 1999) with accountability to both sides of the boundary, among other attributes. (Guston 1999; Clark et al. 2002).

This paper provides a unique case study illustrating how there are clear advantages to collaborative science. Through
the MMAS initiative, CI built accountability into both sides of the science-policy boundary primarily through
having scientific projects fed through strong in-country partners and being folded into the work of ongoing
conservation processes. This collaborative, boundary-spanning approach led to many advantages, including cost
sharing, increased local responsiveness and input, better local capacity building, and laying a foundation for future
conservation outcomes. As such, MMAS can provide strong lessons for other organizations planning to get involved
in multi-site conservation science. (PDF contains 3 pages)


Fingerprints feature a ridge pattern with moderately varying ridge frequency (RF), following an orientation field (OF), which usually features some singularities. Additionally at some points, called minutiae, ridge lines end or fork and this point pattern is usually used for fingerprint identification and authentication. Whenever the OF features divergent ridge lines (e.g., near singularities), a nearly constant RF necessitates the generation of more ridge lines, originating at minutiae. We call these the necessary minutiae. It turns out that fingerprints feature additional minutiae which occur at rather arbitrary locations. We call these the random minutiae or, since they may convey fingerprint individuality beyond the OF, the characteristic minutiae. In consequence, the minutiae point pattern is assumed to be a realization of the superposition of two stochastic point processes: a Strauss point process (whose activity function is given by the divergence field) with an additional hard core, and a homogeneous Poisson point process, modelling the necessary and the characteristic minutiae, respectively. We perform Bayesian inference using an Markov‐Chain‐Monte‐Carlo (MCMC)‐based minutiae separating algorithm (MiSeal). In simulations, it provides good mixing and good estimation of underlying parameters. In application to fingerprints, we can separate the two minutiae patterns and verify by example of two different prints with similar OF that characteristic minutiae convey fingerprint individuality.


Men with different patterns of sickness absence behaviour have been identified from a refinery population by simple epidemiological techniques. A detailed clinical study is described of four groups: 56 men with five or more sickness spells in 1964 and a matched control of 56 men; 35 men who had 60 or more days of sickness absence in 1964; and finally 47 men who had not had one day off sick for at least eight years. Whereas the men who were frequently sick tended to be younger and mostly on day work, those with long periods of sickness were reasonably representative of the whole population, and the men without any sickness absence were older and mostly on shift work. An analysis of records both before and since 1964 showed that the groups had maintained a consistent pattern of sickness absence, but when individuals were considered their behaviour was less consistent. Nevertheless there appeared to be states of sickness absence `liability' and also `resistance' which persisted for a variable length of time from a year or two up to many years. The pre-employment medical examination proved in retrospect to have been of little predictive value. Absenteeism, lateness, and also occupational injuries were all strongly associated with sickness spells, although the level of overtime was not. Previous episodes of neurotic illness, peptic ulceration, and loss of work due to back pain were also associated with frequent sickness spells, so also were frequent colds and troublesome constipation. An unexpected finding from the physical examination was that over one quarter of those who were never sick had some organic disease. Although neither the social nor economic circumstances differed between the groups, the attitude of the men towards themselves and their work proved to be of major importance. A memory of an unhappy childhood was more common in both groups with a lot of sickness absence, whilst dislike of the job or frustrated ambition was common in men with frequent spells. Those who were never sick denied all such problems as they denied illness. Personality testing revealed that extroversion was more marked in the frequently sick group, neuroticism in the long sick, and introversion in the never sick. The validity and significance of the results are discussed and suggestions are made for further investigation.


Vegetation indices based solely on visible reflectance may simplify and decrease the cost of crop growth estimates compared to visible and near-infrared (NIR) indices. Ground-based and aerial visible and visible/NIR vegetation indices based on aerial images were compared for sensitivity to ground cover fraction (GCF) of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) under four irrigation treatments in 2004 and five treatments in 2005 and 2006. In-season cotton imagery was collected using an unmodified Nikon COOLPIX 4300 camera and a COOLPIX 4300 camera modified for NIR imaging attached to a tethered blimp. GCF imagery was collected at 45 to 60 m and compared with normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and green/red ratio values from imagery collected at 180 to 250 m. Ground-based (1.5 m) spectrometer NDVI measurements using multiple spectral regions were also evaluated. Spectrometer (r 2 = 0.40 to 0.80) and camera (r 2 = 0.68 to 0.90) indices were highly correlated with season-wide GCF between fractions of 0.20 and 0.80 and were sensitive to irrigation treatments. Camera green/red ratio was linearly correlated with GCF throughout the 3 yr. The pooled comparison for the 3 yr was strongly linear (r 2 = 0.86). Our results suggest that the green/red ratio index might allow quick, simple, and accurate crop growth estimates for production.


Laser transmission microjoining of two dissimilar materials has become a very significant technique. In this research, a numerical method is developed using finite element technique to determine the condition of joining two dissimilar materials namely Polyethylene terepthalate (PET) and titanium. First the model is used to optimize the laser parameters like laser traveling speed and power to obtain good bonding. A good combination is achieved at the power of 8W and laser traveling speed at 150mm/min.After the verifications, the profile of residual stress of the laser microjoint has been calculated using the developed model. The residual is low near the centerline along the traveling laser beam, and a higher values is away from the centerline at the x-direction shown by the contours on the PET surface. Higher residual von Mises stress near the centerline along the traveling laser beam and the stresses reduce as the distance away from the centerline.


The aims of the study were the identification and optimization of the radiation protection measures for in-patients who underwent palliative radionuclide therapy for bone metastases with 153Sm-EDTMP activities lower than 3 GBq. The suitability of the preventive procedures from the contamination of places and objects, and for the protection of the hospital staff, other patients and relatives from the danger of external radiation and internal contamination has been evaluated by carrying out a series of measurements both of superficial contamination inside the confinement room and of the dose near the treated patients. The results show that the contamination of the places and the objects close to treated patients is really low. The greatest risk of contamination depended on the management of the physiological waste that, therefore, should be collected and disposed as radioactive one. The measurements of external radiation show that nearby the confinement room the dose limit for public is not exceeded. The same is true for the dose limit of 3 mSv established for relatives who, when taking care treated patients, receive a dose lower than 20 microSv a patient. The fulfillment of the proposed radiation protection measures assures the containment of the risk of exposure and contamination for nursing and medical staff involved in radionuclide-based therapy.


Haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is now an established practice with over 70,000 transplants performed annually, and over 1.5 million around the world so far. The practice of HSCT has improved over the years due to advances in conditioning regiments, preparatory practices for patients leading up to the transplant, graft versus host disease (GVHD) and infection prophylaxis, as well as a better selection of patients. However, in many instances, the stem cells supplied to the patient may not be adequate for optimal transplantation outcomes. This may be seen in a few areas including umbilical cord blood transplantation, inadequate bone marrow, peripheral blood stem cell harvest, or gene therapy. Growing and expanding HSCs in culture would provide an increase in cell numbers prior to stem cell infusion and accelerate haematopoietic recovery, resulting in improved outcomes. Several new technologies have emerged in recent years, which have facilitated the expansion of haematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) in culture with good outcomes in vitro, in vivo, and in clinical trials. In this review, we will outline some of the reasons for the expansion of HSPCs as well as the new technologies facilitating the advances in HSCT.


This paper presents a new methodology to guide and control flexible wings UAV based on a stereo vision system with advanced fuzzy logic algorithms. This system allows to detect wing's deflections and shapes by using the novel Deflection-Detection Vision System (DDVS). This methodology has three different steps. First, the shape of the wing was identified by the determinant the deflection points on the wing using the stereo camera. Second, the fuzzy logic algorithm was used to classify the shapes of the wing and to determine the flight parameters such as, speed, angle of attack and roll angle. Finally, an autopilot controller based on intelligent, Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS) algorithm was designed. Extensive, experimental studies were performed in wind tunnel to determine the characteristics of the flexible wing. The testing were performed for wind speeds ranging from 11 to 31 km/h, angles of attack ranging from −20 deg to +20 deg. The experimental results were extended and verified with simulation experiments for wider ranges of velocities and angle of attack.


To reduce the system initialization time in high-speed full-duplex data transmission over two-wire lines, we propose an efficient full-duplex fast training algorithm which can simultaneously estimate the impulse responses of echo paths and channels at both ends. Two mutually orthogonal periodic sequences are designed and used to co-estimate the near echo, the far echo with bulk delay, and the channel response. The new algorithm can reduce the tap-setting time to half of that required by the traditional half-duplex fast training schemes. The effects of channel noise and symbol rate offset between two ends are examined in terms of both mean-square error (MSE) and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Both the theoretical analysis and computer simulation show that there are three degrading factors due to symbol rate offset. The SNR is inversely proportional to the sum of the estimated coefficients, the half period of the training sequences, and the square of symbol rate offset. If the far-signal-to-channel-noise ratio is 30 dB, then the degradation is significant when the symbol rate offset is more than 10/sup -4/. If it is 40 dB, then the degradation is significant when the symbol rate offset is above 3/spl times/10/sup -5/. >


Background: The short form of the indel promoter polymorphism (5HTTLPR) of the serotonin transporter gene (SLC6A4) and a history of child abuse have been reported to be associated with an increased risk for the development of depression. A child abuse history has also been associated with more rapid heart rate reactions. Methods: A retrospective chart review identified 282 patients with major depression who had been hospitalized and genotyped for the 5HTTLPR polymorphism. A subgroup of 185 females of European ancestry was also identified and analyzed. While hospitalized, heart rate was measured. Child abuse history was documented during the diagnostic evaluation. Analyses of the relationship between 5HTTLPR genotype, history of child abuse, and admission heart rate were conducted. Results: No main effect on heart rate from the 5HTTLPR genotype or a child abuse history was demonstrated for the entire sample or the subgroup of female patients. However, a genotype‐by‐abuse interaction was associated with resting heart rate on admission to the hospital (P<.05). Depressed patients, who were homozygous for the long allele and who had been abused, had a heart rate on hospital admission, which was statistically higher than patients with the same genotype but who had not been abused. These findings were consistent both for the 282 patients (7.2 bpm higher) as well as for the subgroup of 185 female patients of European ancestry (9.6 bpm higher). Conclusions: A 5HTTLPR genotype interaction of elevated heart rate with a history of child abuse was demonstrated in depressed psychiatric inpatients. Depression and Anxiety 28:227‐233, 2011.  © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


This book and a number of others have recently come out in celebration of the thirtieth anniversary of the first landing by humans on the Moon. When President Kennedy announced to the United States Congress on 25 May 1961 the goal of landing a man on the Moon, few people would have expected the derivative benefits. The United States was locked in an apparent struggle with the Soviet Union for mastery of the world. The Soviets had launched the first artificial Earth satellite, the first biological payload and the first human to orbit the Earth. The Soviets had done everything in space first and the American public was reeling from the implications of an orbiting nuclear bomb that would be able to strike any spot on the Earth. The cry heard in the United States was "Our rockets always blow up." President Kennedy faced a public relations disaster, in spite of his secret knowledge that the U.S. atomic and missile arsenal was vastly superior to that of the Soviet Union. Politicians must cater to the public in spite of the facts, and Kennedy needed a space spectacular to put the U.S.A. back on top; what could be more spectacular than a trip to the Moon? In Full Moon, Michael Light takes us on a trip to the Moon in loosely three parts. In Part One, we leave Earth in the mighty Saturn V launch vehicle and spend some time orbiting our home planet. He shares some of the spectacular vistas that are reserved for the select few that have left our Earth. He has chosen to include a few images of space-walking astronauts from the Gemini program. Gemini was a series of space missions designed as technology demonstrators to prove the feasibility of the Apollo program and to provide practice in activities that would be required for a successful journey. In Part Two, we land on the Moon and explore the desolate landscape. Light has pulled together multiple frames into some spectacular panoramic views of the lunar surface and of the Apollo explorers. In Part Three, we leave the Moon and journey back to Earth for a fiery reentry and landing in the ocean. Light has obviously spent considerable effort in utilizing original negatives from the space program to create gorgeous prints for this book, although some of the images in my copy suffered from minor imperfections in the printing process. I assume this is a legacy of the deep, dark backgrounds in many of the images. Cosmonauts and astronauts were the first humans to view an Earth where the scale of the planet showed the arbitrary and insignificant nature of political boundaries. This was readily apparent to spacefarers in low Earth orbit, only a few hundred miles above the surface, but the Apollo astronauts were in for a surprise when coming out from behind the Moon to watch an "Earthrise" over the lunar horizon. The photographs of Earthrise became an instant hit with the media and the worldwide public. Never before had so many realized that we live on such a tiny and fragile speck in the universe. And this sense of global unity has given rise to whole new ways of studying the interaction of Earth environments and biospheres. The United States did "beat" the Russians to the Moon, although the political nature of the Apollo program led to an almost immediate cutback in funds and the eventual cancellation of the project. The human race has only recently begun to return to the Moon with robotic exploration craft to search for water and perform other scientific investigations. The Soviet Union has crumbled, and it is difficult to remember today the urgency felt over the competition in space. Questions remain: Was the space race a waste? Were there no lasting legacies from our trips to the Moon? It will be difficult for humanity to forget the legacy of Apollo— that we all must share this tiny closed ecosystem—at least, until the exploration can continue further out into the solar system. I feel this book will provide enjoyment for both the space professional and the lay person. Readers previously unfamiliar with the space program will enjoy the spectacular images and the broad assortment of images, and the quality will satisfy the aficionado as well. DIGITAL AESTHETICS


Fault injection attacks are a powerful technique to influence the intended behavior of embedded systems. They can be used to exploit or bypass robust security features found in secure embedded systems. Examples of such attacks include differential fault analysis (DFA) and bypassing authentication mechanisms. An embedded system's authenticated boot chain (i.e. secure boot) is an interesting target for fault injection. The initial boot stages are of limited size which means logically exploitable vulnerabilities are not guaranteed to be present. In this paper, we introduce an ARM specific fault injection attack strategy for exploiting embedded systems where externally controlled data is loaded in the program counter (PC) register of the processor. This allows an attacker to control the target's execution flow which eventually will lead to arbitrary code execution on the target. We first simulate the attack using a common fault model, after which we demonstrate the practicality of the attack using a development platform designed around an ARM based, fast and feature rich system on chip (SOC). We conclude with an overview of effective and non-effective countermeasures against this fault injection attack technique.


Mining association rules is an important task for knowledge discovery. We can analyze past transaction data to discover customer behaviors such that the quality of business decisions can be improved. Various types of association rules may exist in a large database of customer transactions. The strategy of mining association rules focuses on discovering large item sets, which are groups of items which appear together in a sufficient number of transactions. We propose a graph-based approach to generate various types of association rules from a large database of customer transactions. This approach scans the database once to construct an association graph and then traverses the graph to generate all large item sets. Empirical evaluations show that our algorithms outperform other algorithms which need to make multiple passes over the database.


Objectives: The objective of this retrospective review was to determine whether a closed reduction technique for unstable pelvic ring injuries is as accurate as an open technique. Design: Retrospective review. Setting: Two academic Level 1 trauma centers. Patients/Participants: We reviewed the records of 113 patients who had unilateral unstable pelvic ring injuries (Bucholz type 3, OTA type 61-C1) treated with closed reduction and percutaneous fixation (CRPF) or open reduction with internal fixation (ORIF). Intervention: Sixty patients were treated at one institution with open reduction and percutaneous iliosacral screw fixation. This involved prone positioning and a gluteus maximus sparing approach for direct visualization and reduction of the fracture. A second cohort of 53 patients was treated at a separate institution with closed reduction and percutaneous iliosacral screw fixation. This involved supine positioning and skeletal traction. Main Outcome Measures: Preoperative and postoperative plain radiographs of the pelvis were reviewed and standardized measurements were made to compare quality of reduction. Results: We were able to measure displacement within 0.1 mm. Overall reduction quality was slightly better for the CRPF group. The largest average difference in postoperative displacement was seen at the iliac wing height on anteroposterior pelvis radiographs with 6.3 mm (range 0–19.6) in the ORIF group versus 1.9 mm (range 0–4.7) in the CRPF group. Conclusions: The closed reduction technique described here is as effective as the ORIF technique in obtaining reduction of unstable pelvic ring injuries (Bucholz type 3, OTA type 61-C1). Level of Evidence: Therapeutic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.


Spatially heterogeneous ecosystems form a majority of land types in the vast drylands of the globe. To evaluate climate‐change effects on CO2 fluxes in such ecosystems, it is critical to understand the relative responses of each ecosystem component (microsite). We investigated soil respiration (Rs) at four sites along an aridity gradient (90–780 mm mean annual precipitation, MAP) during almost 2 years. In addition, Rs was measured in rainfall manipulations plots at the two central sites where ∼30% droughting and ∼30% water supplementation treatments were used over 5 years. Annual Rs was higher by 23% under shrub canopies compared with herbaceous gaps between shrubs, but Rs at both microsites responded similarly to rainfall reduction. Decreasing precipitation and soil water content along the aridity gradient and across rainfall manipulations resulted in a progressive decline in Rs at both microsites, i.e. the drier the conditions, the larger was the effect of reduction in water availability on Rs. Annual Rs on the ecosystem scale decreased at a slope of 256/MAP g C m−2 yr−1 mm−1 (r2=0.97). The reduction in Rs amounted to 77% along the aridity gradient and to 16% across rainfall manipulations. Soil organic carbon (SOC) decreased with declining precipitation, and variation in SOC stocks explained 77% of the variation in annual Rs across sites, rainfall manipulations and microsites. This study shows that rainfall manipulations over several years are a useful tool for experimentally predicting climate‐change effects on CO2 fluxes for time scales (such as approximated by aridity gradients) that are beyond common research periods. Rainfall reduction decreases rates of Rs not only by lowering biological activity, but also by drastically reducing shrub cover. We postulate that future climate change in heterogeneous ecosystems, such as Mediterranean and deserts shrublands will have a major impact on Rs by feedbacks through changes in vegetation structure.


OBJECTIVE
To compare drug-utilization patterns and costs in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), not on dialysis, yet receiving epoetin alfa (EPO) or darbepoetin alfa (DARB) in a long-term care setting.

DESIGN
A retrospective analysis of pharmacy dispensing from January 2007 through March 2009, was conducted using the AnalytiCareSM LTC database.

SETTING
Long-term care.

PATIENTS, PARTICIPANTS
Patients>or=18 years of age, with >or=1 EPO or DARB dose dispensed, were included. Patients dispensed both agents, diagnosed with cancer, receiving chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or renal dialysis, were excluded.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Mean cumulative erythropoiesis-stimulating agent (ESA) dose was used to calculate drug cost (using April 2009 wholesale acquisition cost) and dose ratio (Units EPO:mcg DARB). Results were also stratified by payer types.

RESULTS
A total of 2,259 patients were identified (EPO 1,640; DARB 619). EPO patients were slightly older (76.1 vs. 74.8 years of age, P=0.021), with similar proportion of women, compared with DARB patients. Mean (SD) cumulative dose was 98,420 (122,381) Units for EPO and 360 (428) mcg for DARB, resulting in a dose ratio of 273:1 (Units EPO:mcg DARB). The corresponding drug cost was 42% higher with DARB than with EPO ($1,734 vs. $1,217, P<0.001). Stratified analysis by payer types yielded similar results (dose ratios: 299:1 and 270:1 [Units EPO:mcg DARB]); cost premiums: 30% and 44% for Medicare Part A/Facility and Medicare Part D/Medicaid groups, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS
This study of long-term care CKD patients receiving ESAs reported 42% higher drug cost with DARB compared with EPO and a dose ratio of 273:1.


The internode length affects the status of fruiting branches and shapes the vine architecture. MYB TFs (transcription factors) have been widely studied and reported to control many biological processes including secondary metabolism, abiotic stresses, growth and development, etc. However, the roles of MYB TFs in regulating internode length remain poorly understood. Here, we demonstrated that a secondary metabolism-related R2R3-MYB TF AaMYBC1 from Actinidia arguta was involved in the regulation of internode length by combined analysis of transcriptome and metabolome of transgenic tobacco plants. The metabolome analysis of OE (over-expressed tobacco) and WT (wild-typed tobacco) showed that there were a total of 1000 metabolites, 176 of which had significant differences. A key metabolite pme1651 annotated as indole 3-acetic acid belonged to phytohormone that was involved in internode length regulation. The RNA-seq analysis presented 446 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between OE and WT, 14 of which were common DEGs in KEGG and GO enrichment. Through the combined analysis of metabolome and transcriptome in transgenic and wild-type tobacco, three key genes including two SAUR and a GH3 gene were possibly involved in internode elongation. Finally, a regulatory module was deduced to show the role of AaMYBC1 in internode elongation. Our results proposed a molecular mechanism of AaMYBC1 regulating internode length by mediated auxin signaling, implying the potential role in regulating the vine architecture.


Liver cancer stands now as the second leading cause of cancer-related death in men and the fifth in women. In 2015 there were 854,000 incident cases of liver cancer, primarily hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) making it the 6 th leading cause of cancer worldwide (1). Most HCC occur in chronic hepatitis or cirrhosis, and the major risk factors include hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections. HCV is responsible for nearly 366,000 deaths annually and one-quarter of all cases of HCC and cirrhosis worldwide (2). The cumulative incidence of HCC in untreated cirrhotic patients with HCV infection has been estimated in 3–5% per year. Viral eradication is associated with a reduction in fibrosis progression and an improvement in clinical outcomes. It is well known that sustained virological response (SVR) following interferon (INF) therapy was associated with a significant reduction in de novo HCC occurrence.


In an unusually clear and simple manner, the author explains the basics of reimbursement by Medicare under the new TEFRA regulations. Although eventually to be superseded by the DRG system, all hospitals will operate totally under TEFRA regulations for one year and partially for another two years.


We study the effect of polydispersity on the macroscopic physical properties of granular packings in two and three dimensions. A mean-field approach is developed to approximate the macroscale quantities as functions of the microscopic ones. We show that the trace of the fabric and stress tensors are proportional to the mean packing properties (e.g., packing fraction, average coordination number, and average normal force) and dimensionless correction factors, which depend only on the moments of the particle-size distribution. Similar results are obtained for the elements of the stiffness tensor of isotropic packings in the linear affine response regime. Our theoretical predictions are in good agreement with the simulation results.


This exploration of the attitudes of Latinas/os and African Americans toward each other in the Los Angeles area finds a clear pattern of respondents invoking color-blind ideology in their discussions of members of the other group. Color-blind racism is a racial ideology that denies the existence of racism by emphasizing that we are all the same. In essence, color-blind racism does not "see" racism because of its supposed commitment to look beyond race. Most of what we know about color-blind racism has been developed within the context of a Black/white paradigm. While this makes sense given that the national racial narrative of the United States has been anchored along a Black/white binary, it is also clear that we need to expand the context, given the country's rapidly changing demographics. Thus the question becomes this: To what extent have people of color adopted color-blind ideology—especially in relation to one another? Given that color blindness is a key part of the national racial formation, one would expect it to have some presence among people of color, but how exactly does it function? Does it do the same "work" that white color blindness performs with regard to Black people? This article reveals how color-blind racism works among African Americans and Latinas/os in Los Angeles. Specifically, it focuses on how race relations between Black and Latina/o Angelenos are described by both groups. It asks how Latinas/os and African Americans have adopted, refuted, and negotiated mainstream ideologies of color-blind discourse in their understanding of interethnic relations. The data in this article show clearly that people of color are maintaining white supremacy through their inability to speak its name and the lack of historical knowledge among Blacks and Latinos about each other. A lack of knowledge about how different groups have been exploited and marginalized throughout history and into the contemporary period works in tandem with the notion that we live in a meritocracy and precludes either group of people from seeing how they are complicit in contributing to the oppression of other people of color. By focusing on meritocracy, people indirectly assert that neither past injustices nor our current actions have any bearing on current social conditions. Without a shared understanding of the ways in which African Americans and Latinas/os have been similarly exploited, the likelihood of coalition-building is consequently diminished.