SUMMARY Increased hydrogen ion concentration and decreased carbonate ion concentration in seawater are the most physiologically relevant consequences of ocean acidification (OA). Changes to either chemical species may increase the metabolic cost of physiological processes in marine organisms, and reduce the energy available for growth, reproduction and survival. Parasitic infection also increases the energetic demands experienced by marine organisms, and may reduce host tolerance to stressors associated with OA. This study assessed the combined metabolic effects of parasitic infection and OA on an intertidal gastropod, Zeacumantus subcarinatus. Oxygen consumption rates and tissue glucose content were recorded in snails infected with one of three trematode parasites, and an uninfected control group, maintained in acidified (7·6 and 7·4 pH) or unmodified (8·1 pH) seawater. Exposure to acidified seawater significantly altered the oxygen consumption rates and tissue glucose content of infected and uninfected snails, and there were clear differences in the magnitude of these changes between snails infected with different species of trematode. These results indicate that the combined effects of OA and parasitic infection significantly alter the energy requirements of Z. subcarinatus, and that the species of the infecting parasite may play an important role in determining the tolerance of marine gastropods to OA.


Further investigation into the real-world etiology of impaired awareness of hypoglycemia (IAH) in T2DM is needed. The present study aims to address this research gap by providing pragmatic, population-based insight into IAH and its risk indicators. A validated questionnaire (InHypo-DMPQ) was administered online to a nationally representative panel comprising Canadians (≥18 years) with T2DM taking insulin and/or secretagogues. Data were collected on respondents' socio-demographic/clinical traits, self-reported hypoglycemia, and severity of IAH (no, moderate, and severe). Multivariable partial proportional odds (PPO) regression was used to identify the relevant risk indicators of moderate and severe IAH. Covariates were selected in consultation with the literature and clinical experts. A complete case analysis of 432 respondents (mean age: 53.0 (SD: 14.7) years; male: 56%) was undertaken. Of these individuals, 28% were classified with severe IAH, 66% with moderate IAH, and 6% with no IAH. Age, diabetes duration, A1C, total annual history of hypoglycemia (any type), therapeutic regimen, comorbidity status, gender, income, education, and drug coverage status were assessed for their influence on IAH severity. Based on the multivariable PPO model, a 5-year increase in diabetes duration decreased the adjusted odds of moderate or severe IAH, relative to no IAH, by 24% (95% CI: 12-35%, p These results will help inform the improved management of IAH in real-world clinical settings. To reduce the risk of severe IAH in T2DM, clinical interventions should prioritize the reduction of hypoglycemic events. In particular, supporting patients with more recent T2DM diagnoses toward accurately recognizing their hypoglycemia symptoms may forestall the onset of IAH and related sequelae. Disclosure A. Ratzki-Leewing: None. S.B. Harris: Advisory Panel; Self; AstraZeneca, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Lilly/Boehringer Ingelheim, Merck & Co., Inc., Novo Nordisk A/S, Sanofi. Consultant; Self; AstraZeneca, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Lilly/Boehringer Ingelheim, Merck & Co., Inc., Novo Nordisk Inc., Sanofi. Research Support; Self; Abbott, AstraZeneca, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Merck & Co., Inc., Novo Nordisk A/S, Sanofi. Other Relationship; Self; Canadian Diabetes Association, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, The Lawson Foundation. N.H. Au: None. S. Webster-Bogaert: None. J.B. Brown: None. S.M. Reichert: Advisory Panel; Self; Abbott, AstraZeneca, Novo Nordisk Inc., Sanofi, Servier. Research Support; Self; Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Speaker9s Bureau; Self; Abbott, AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Eli Lilly and Company, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Merck & Co., Inc., Novo Nordisk Inc., Sanofi. B.L. Ryan: None. Funding Sanofi Canada


Study Design. Review of methods. Objective. To provide a detailed description of the methods undertaken in the articles in this focus issue pertaining to cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) and ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) and to describe the process used to develop summary statements and clinical recommendations regarding factors associated with the mechanisms, diagnosis, progression, and treatment of CSM and OPLL. Summary of Background Data. We present methods used in conducting the systematic, evidence-based reviews and development of expert panel summary statements and clinical recommendations of the mechanisms, diagnosis, progression, and treatment of CSM and OPLL. Our intent is that clinicians will combine the information from these systematic reviews, narrative reviews, and primary research studies with an understanding of their own capacities and experience to better manage patients with CSM or OPLL and consider future research for the diagnosis and treatment of these diseases. Methods. For the systematic reviews, which make up the bulk of the studies in this focus issue, a systematic search and critical review of the English language literature was undertaken for articles published on the mechanisms, diagnosis, progression, and treatment of CSM and OPLL. Articles were screened for relevance using a priori criteria and relevant articles were critically reviewed. Whether an article was included for review depended on whether the study question was descriptive, one of therapy, or one of prognosis. The strength of evidence for the overall body of literature in each topic area was determined by 2 independent reviewers considering risk of bias, consistency, directness, and precision of results using a modification of the Grading of Recommendation Assessment, Development and Evaluation criteria. Disagreements were resolved by consensus. Findings from articles meeting inclusion criteria were summarized. From these summaries, summary statements or clinical recommendations were formulated among subject experts through a modified Delphi process using the Grading of Recommendation Assessment, Development and Evaluation approach. Methods for the 2 primary research studies and the narrative reviews are also reviewed. Results. Because of the nature of questions that needed to be addressed, not all studies in this focus issue were amenable to systematic review. As a result, this focus issue consists of several different article types, including 1 research protocol, 2 primary research studies, 2 narrative literature reviews, 7 systematic reviews, and 3 articles that combine a systematic review component with either a narrative section (n = 2) or a provider survey (n = 1). In general, the strength of evidence ratings ranged from insufficient to moderate. Summary statements or clinical recommendations were made according to available evidence and study type: 16 summary statements were made across 8 articles, and 17 clinical recommendations were made across 9 articles. Three articles had both summary statements and clinical recommendations, 5 had summary statements only, 6 had clinical recommendations only, and 1 (the research protocol) was not amenable to either. Conclusion. Systematic reviews, narrative reviews, and primary research studies were undertaken to understand the mechanisms, diagnosis, progression, and treatment of CSM and OPLL and to provide summary statements and clinical recommendations. This article reports the methods used in the studies in this focus issue. Summary Statements. The objectives of this focus issue were met using a variety of article and study designs, each of which has some unique methodological aspects associated with it. The reader should refer to the full article in this issue for additional details specific to that topic. The methods for systematic review follow accepted standards for rigor and, together with the application of Grading of Recommendation Assessment, Development and Evaluation, are intended to allow for transparency in the process for creating the clinical recommendation.


Public health decision making can be a complicated process because of the complex nature of inputs and the need for group decision making. Nevertheless, public health research and practice during the last century gained many notable achievements and contributed to the 30-year gain in life expectancy. Despite these accomplishments, a greater attention to evidence-based approaches may be helpful. In its most straightforward definition, evidence-based public health (EBPH) means applying the principles of evidence-based medicine (EBM) to the field of public health [1]. However, the randomized clinical trials—the gold standard in EBM—are not always applicable in investigating public health problems. Key components of a broader definition of EBPH include making decisions on the basis of the best available scientific evidence by using sound data collection and research methods while engaging with the affected community in decision making. An evidence-based approach to public health could potentially have numerous direct and indirect benefits, including access to more and higher-quality information on best practice, a higher likelihood of successful prevention programs and policies, greater workforce productivity, and more efficient use of public and private resources.

In this special issue we collect several contributions to the emerging field of evidence-based public health, covering different aspects of the EBPH policy cycle, that is, from evidence generation and evidence synthesis to evidence communication and policy recommendation [2]. We are particularly delighted about the broad geographical coverage and methodological range of the included paper. The utilized methodology ranges from randomized controlled trial (RCT) to simulation studies with observational studies still being the most popular research design. The study titled "Worksite Tobacco Prevention: A Randomized, Controlled Trial of Adoption, Dissemination Strategies, and Aggregated Health-Related Outcomes across Companies" by V. Friedrich et al. conducted an RCT to compare various approaches to worksite tobacco prevention. An instructive finding of this study is that special attention must be paid to the dissemination of findings if adoption of proven public health measure should increase. Similarly, the article "Strong Public Health Recommendations from Weak Evidence? Lessons Learned in Developing Guidance on the Public Health Management of Meningococcal Disease" by G. Hanquet et al. shows the necessity to be transparent about the quality of the underlying evidence when giving policy recommendations.

Systematic reviews and meta-analysis are a workhorse of evidence-based medicine and two studies in our special issue demonstrate clearly that this is also the case for evidence-based public health. G. A. Kelley et al. conducted a systematic review titled "Exercise and BMI in Overweight and Obese Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review and Trial Sequential Meta-Analysis" utilizing a trial sequential meta-analysis approach. This approach combines conventional meta-analysis methodology with meta-analytic sample size considerations; inferences derived from this method may potentially improve reliability of estimates. The systematic review "Sexual Risk Behaviors and HIV Infection among Men Who Have Sex with Men and Women in China: Evidence from a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis" by H.-Y. Wang et al. sheds light on potential transmission mechanism of HIV/AIDS in China, indicating that more emphasis must be put on prevention measures for men who have sex with men and women.

A crucial, but at times overlooked, factor for a successful public health policy is the availability of trained medical staff. In our special issue two articles study this important topic. Interestingly enough, both are from Sub-Saharan Africa, a region that constantly faces the challenge of brain drain, that is, the outmigration of well-trained individuals. The study from Ethiopia titled "The Prevalence of Skilled Birth Attendant Utilization and Its Correlates in North West Ethiopia" by M. Alemayehu and W. Mekonnen looks at the prevalence of skilled birth attendants demonstrating that both social and technical factors must be addressed if this prevalence should be improved in the future. The study titled "Working Atmosphere and Job Satisfaction of Health Care Staff in Kenya: An Exploratory Study" by K. Goetz et al. investigates the factors that influence job satisfaction for health care works in Kenya. Clearly, improving job satisfaction may prove to be a very cost-effective tool in increasing retention rates among health care staff in Africa.

The contribution "Intervention Mapping to Adapt Evidence-Based Interventions for Use in Practice: Increasing Mammography among African American Women" by L. Highfield et al. uses the topic of mammography among African American women to demonstrate the use of intervention mapping as a tool for a systematic planning process. Their use of a simplified framework (IM Adapt) allowed adapting and implementing an evidence-based intervention to help underserved African American women to keep appointments for mammography screening. A separate paper titled "Evaluation of the Effectiveness and Implementation of an Adapted Evidence-Based Mammography Intervention for African American Women" by L. Highfield et al. evaluated the effectiveness of the identified intervention and added evidence to the finding that sequentially measuring efficacy and effectiveness of an evidence-based intervention, followed by implementation, may be missing important contextual information.

A paper from Croatia titled "Perinatal Health Statistics as the Basis for Perinatal Quality Assessment in Croatia" by U. Rodin et al. describes how the national perinatal health audit improved after introducing reporting criteria as recommended by WHO and PERISTAT. This database now allows comparison in perinatal outcome with other countries and targeting areas of improvement in a more evidence-based fashion. The contribution "Health Impacts of Increased Physical Activity from Changes in Transportation Infrastructure: Quantitative Estimates for Three Communities" by T. J. Mansfield and J. M. Gibson utilizes the approach of quantitative health impact assessment to assess the implications of increased physical activity from changes in transportation infrastructure. To this end they use a simulation tool (DYNAMO-HIA) that was specifically developed for such applications.

An Australian paper titled "Public Concern about the Sale of High-Caffeine Drinks to Children 12 Years or Younger: An Australian Regulatory Perspective" by C. M. Pollard et al. presents a study connected to the epidemiology of caffeine intake. Usually this is attributed mostly to coffee consumption. However, this paper demonstrates that growing concerns regarding the consumption of caffeinated beverages such as energy drinks by children and adolescents exist in communities in Western Australia, in particular by females and those living with children. These concerns increase with age. The final paper of this special issue titled "Smoke-Free Workplaces Are Associated with Protection from Second-Hand Smoke at Homes in Nigeria: Evidence for Population-Level Decisions" by D. Kaleta et al. aims to support decision making at the population level. These authors find evidence that smoke-free workplaces have the important additional effect of stimulating smoke-free homes in Nigeria and in turn reduce second hand smoking exposure of children.

In summary such collection of papers covering different issues relevant to EBPH will provide evidence for decision makers and will contribute to the development of this field.


Software architecture is a relatively new software engineering discipline that has emerged as a response to the growing complexity of software systems and the problems these systems attempt to solve. Software is becoming the dominant component of most aerospace systems and it is necessary for the aerospace software development community to develop new practices, principles, and standards to manage this growing complexity. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) has developed and implemented a year-long educational program designed to develop expertise in software architectures and to train future software architects. Now in its third year, the software architect program (SWAP) selects senior software engineers and then apprentices them as software architects. The objective of this paper is to describe the structure of the SWAP, the program's background, how the program has evolved, and the lessons learned from the implementation of this educational program.


BACKGROUND: Current evidence on the effect of dexmedetomidine in early postoperative recovery is limited. We conducted a systematic review to evaluate the effect of dexmedetomidine on the length of stay (LOS) and recovery profile in postanesthesia care unit (PACU) patients. METHODS: The study protocol is registered on International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO; CRD42021240559). No specific funding or support was received. We conducted searches in MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed, and Cochrane Library to March 31, 2021 for peer-reviewed randomized controlled studies comparing adult patients who received intravenous dexmedetomidine and placebo undergoing noncardiac, nonneurosurgical procedures under general anesthesia. All studies reporting statistics relating to the duration of stay in the recovery ward or PACU, the primary outcome, were included. We performed individual random-effect meta-analysis on the primary and secondary outcomes (time to extubation, emergence agitation, cough, pain, postoperative nausea and vomiting, shivering, residual sedation, bradycardia, and hypotension) using Stata version 17.0. Evidence was synthesized as mean difference (MD) and risk ratio (RR) for continuous and dichotomous variables, respectively. The quality of evidence was assessed using the revised Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for randomized trials (RoB 2) tool and Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach. RESULTS: Thirty-three studies including 2676 patients were eligible for analysis. All studies had low risk or some concerns of overall bias and provided low-to-high certainty evidence for all studied outcomes. Dexmedetomidine was not associated with a significantly increased PACU LOS (MD, 0.69 minute; 95% confidence interval [CI], −1.42 to 2.81 minutes). It was associated with a statistically but not clinically significant prolonged time to extubation (MD, 1 minute; 95% CI, 0.32–1.68 minutes). Dexmedetomidine was associated with significantly reduced incidence of emergence agitation (RR, 0.38; 95% CI, 0.29–0.52), cough (RR, 0.69; 95% CI, 0.61–0.79), pain (RR, 0.50; 95% CI, 0.32–0.80), postoperative nausea and vomiting (RR, 0.54; 95% CI, 0.33–0.86), and shivering (RR, 0.24; 95% CI, 0.12–0.49) in PACU. There was an increased incidence of hypotension (RR, 5.39; 95% CI, 1.12–5.89) but not residual sedation (RR, 1.23; 95% CI, 0.20–7.56) or bradycardia (RR, 5.13; 95% CI, 0.96–27.47) in the dexmedetomidine group. CONCLUSIONS: The use of dexmedetomidine did not increase the duration of PACU LOS but was associated with reduced emergence agitation, cough, pain, postoperative nausea and vomiting, and shivering in PACU. There was an increased incidence of hypotension but not residual sedation or bradycardia in PACU.


The type IV IFN (IFN-υ) is reported in vertebrates from fish to primary mammals with IFN-υR1 and IL-10R2 as receptor subunits. In this study, the proximal promoter of IFN-υ was identified in the amphibian model, Xenopus laevis, with functional IFN-sensitive responsive element and NF-κB sites, which can be transcriptionally activated by transcription factors, such as IFN regulatory factor (IRF)1, IRF3, IRF7, and p65. It was further found that IFN-υ signals through the classical IFN-stimulated gene (ISG) factor 3 (ISGF3) to induce the expression of ISGs. It seems likely that the promoter elements of the IFN-υ gene in amphibians is similar to type III IFN genes, and that the mechanism involved in IFN-υ induction is very much similar to type I and III IFNs. Using recombinant IFN-υ protein and the X. laevis A6 cell line, >400 ISGs were identified in the transcriptome, including ISGs homologous to humans. However, as many as 268 genes were unrelated to human or zebrafish ISGs, and some of these ISGs were expanded families such as the amphibian novel TRIM protein (AMNTR) family. AMNTR50, a member in the family, was found to be induced by type I, III, and IV IFNs through IFN-sensitive responsive element sites of the proximal promoter, and this molecule has a negative role in regulating the expression of type I, III, and IV IFNs. It is considered that the current study contributes to the understanding of transcription, signaling, and functional aspects of type IV IFN at least in amphibians.


Entity linking (or Normalization) is an essential task in text mining that maps the entity mentions in the medical text to standard entities in a given Knowledge Base (KB). This task is of great importance in the medical domain. It can also be used for merging different medical and clinical ontologies. In this paper, we center around the problem of disease linking or normalization. This task is executed in two phases: candidate generation and candidate scoring. In this paper, we present an approach to rank the candidate Knowledge Base entries based on their similarity with disease mention. We make use of the Triplet Network for candidate ranking. While the existing methods have used carefully generated sieves and external resources for candidate generation, we introduce a robust and portable candidate generation scheme that does not make use of the hand-crafted rules. Experimental results on the standard benchmark NCBI disease dataset demonstrate that our system outperforms the prior methods by a significant margin.


Arctic warming accelerates the rapid degradation of ice- and organic-rich permafrost landscapes through thermokarst and thermal-erosion. These processes lead to the retreat of ice-rich coasts, riverbanks, lake shorelines, to surface subsidence and gullying. The subsequent reactivation of ancient carbon previously stored in the eroded ice- and organic-rich sediments could have tremendous impact on the carbon cycle from regional to global scale. Yet, information at high temporal and spatial resolution is often lacking to describe the rates and the timing of permafrost degradation. Synthetic aperture radar (SAR), which operates independently of atmospheric distortions, is particularly valuable to alleviate these issues because of its potential for high temporal resolution monitoring in a region where cloud cover often limits the use of optical satellite imagery.
In this study, we used SAR data to investigate the spatiotemporal dynamic of a rapidly degrading ice- and organic-rich up to 50-m-high and 2000-m long riverbank in the central Lena Delta. Our main objectives were to 1) assess the applicability of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite data for high-temporal resolution monitoring of rapidly eroding riverbanks and 2) to identify the seasonal timing of ice-rich permafrost riverbank erosion.
We analyzed a unique time-series of high-spatial and temporal SAR images from the German TerraSAR-X (TSX) satellite, operating in X-band wavelength, as well as very high resolution optical satellite imagery and in-situ time-lapse data. We processed 77 HH- polarized SAR backscatter images with acquisition dates between August 2012 and October 2015. The imagery was first pre-processed using the Sentinel-1 toolbox from the European Space Agency. We then applied a thresholding to better identify the transition line from undisturbed tundra surface to the actively eroding cliff we refer to as cliff top line. We then calculated cliff top retreat rates and finally compared these with environmental baseline data to identify the main driving factors of riverbank retreat.
Visual interpretation of the TSX time-series showed that the cliff of the riverbank is only visible in the months June to October. Annual erosion rates were in the same range when comparing the optical reference with the SAR datasets. The in-situ time-lapse data for the summer of 2015 showed similar results for the intra-annual erosion compared to the SAR derived results. Based on the SAR dataset we detected mostly constant erosion rates at our test site throughout the thawing period for the years 2013, 2014 and 2015.
Our results show that the cliff-top at the test site retreats constantly over the thawing season rather than event driven (i.e. through the spring peak discharge only). The studied cliff top is protected from spring flood events by sandbanks in front of the riverbank. However, runoff caused by permafrost thaw, precipitation and flooding will degrade the protecting sand banks and consequently will lead to a reconnection of the cliff system to the Lena River System, even when water level is lower towards the end of the thawing season.
We conclude that x-band backscatter time-series are valuable for monitoring rapid permafrost degradation with high spatial and temporal resolution. Our results indicate that cliff top erosion of ice-rich riverbanks takes place constantly over the thawing period and is not event driven.


Emerging technologies open up new visions and business potential for systems design and development in the areas of wellbeing and health. New technologies enable the detection of human performance and early changes in physical and cognitive functioning, making it possible to monitor an older person's wellbeing. This kind of technology or service sets significant requirements for design, as design concepts must be able to capture the complexity of people's daily lives in terms of activities and environments. Technology itself is "blind" unless designers can adapt it to human life. There is thus a distinct need for comprehensive design and development models that generate adequate human requirements for such design. Activity typologies described in this paper are an example of such life-based design relevant knowledge. They allow the detection of signals in daily routines that would predict a decline in the target person's functioning, and feed this data into design processes. They can be used to create a model for human requirements specification for such ubiquitous services that are grounded on the idea of detecting changes in human activity. The model presented in this paper is created in BeWell project and based on the theoretical frameworks of Life-Based Design and International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health.


Albert approaches critical rationalism as an alternative to other philosophical standpoints dominant in Germany: the conceptions of the Frankfurt School, hermeneutical thinking as represented by Gadamer, analytic philosophy, and logical empiricism. The author's purpose is to find a way out of the foundationalism of classical philosophy without falling back on the skeptical views so prevalent in today's philosophical thinking.Originally published in 1985.The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These paperback editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.


This study investigated localized corrosion behavior of austenitic stainless steels under stressed and unstressed conditions, as well as corrosion of metallic thin films. While austenitic stainless steels are widely used in corrosive environments, they are vulnerable to pitting and stress corrosion cracking (SCC), particularly in chloride-containing environments. The corrosion resistance of austenitic stainless steels is closely tied to the alloying elements chromium, nickel, and molybdenum. Polarization curves were measured for five commercially available austenitic stainless steels of varying chromium, nickel, and molybdenum content in 3.5 wt.% and 25 wt.% NaCl solutions. The alloys were also tested in tension at slow strain rates in air and in a chloride environment under different polarization conditions to explore the relationship between the extent of pitting corrosion and SCC over a range of alloy content and environment. The influence of alloy composition on corrosion resistance was found to be consistent with the pitting resistance equivalent number (PREN) under some conditions, but there were also conditions under which the model did not hold for certain commercial alloy compositions. Monotonic loading was used to generate SCC in in 300 series stainless steels, and it was possible to control the failure mode through adjusting environmental and polarization conditions. Metallic thin film systems of thickness 10-200 nm are being investigated for use as corrosion sensors and protective coatings, however the corrosion properties of ferrous thin films have not been widely studied. The effects of film thickness and substrate conductivity were examined using potentiodynamic polarization and scanning vibrating electrode technique (SVET) on iron thin films. Thicker films undergo more corrosion than thinner films in the same environment, though the corrosion mechanism is the same. Conductive substrates encourage general corrosion, similar to that of bulk iron, while insulating substrates supported only localized corrosion.


SUMMARY: Studies by cinemicrography confirm that the long forms of Proteus vulgaris (Hauser) seen during the swarming stage are morphologically indistinguishable from those induced by penicillin and other toxic agents. They appear only in cultures which are growing freely and when a threshold concentration of population has been reached; thereafter the organisms at the growing edge of the colony become more abnormal with each swarming. The normal small bacilli may begin to move before any long forms are present. In later swarmings, movement may be seen in small as well as in long organisms. It is suggested that the long forms are induced by a non-specific volatile agent which can not be detected when growth has been cleared from the medium. Its action is enhanced in cultures which are confined under a coverslip. Though it is partially neutralized by the action of catalase, conclusive proof of its nature is still lacking. When different strains are grown together long forms are soon produced. The agents causing this are specific and stable, producing their effect immediately, and are detectable in the medium after the primary culture has been cleared from it.


Background: Matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9) acts via diverse mechanisms to promote tumor growth, invasion, and metastasis. It activates growth factors and signaling pathways, promotes angiogenesis, and impedes anti-tumor immune responses. We developed a monoclonal antibody that inhibits mouse MMP9 (AB0046) and assessed its mechanism of action in immunocompetent mouse tumor models and in vitro assays. Methods: We examined MMP9 expression in a variety of human tumor tissues via immunohistochemistry. Human monocytes were differentiated in vitro and protein expression was assessed via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Primary tumor growth in orthotopic, syngeneic tumor models was examined following anti-MMP9 antibody treatment. RNA sequencing, immunohistochemical and flow cytometry analyses were performed on tumor tissues to assess gene expression, stromal remodeling and macrophage polarization in response to AB0046 treatment. Results: MMP9 levels are elevated in human tumors compared to healthy tissues. The protein is expressed predominantly in stromal cells, including macrophages and neutrophils, with more occasional heterogeneous expression in tumor epithelia. Differentiation of human monocyte-derived macrophages in vitro revealed that M2 polarization is associated with increased expression of MMP9 and Th2 markers CCL18 and TGFβ. Anti-MMP9 treatment in three independent mouse tumor models (HC11-NeuT, CT26, Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC)) resulted in decreased primary tumor growth (p=0.001 and p=0.018 for HC11-NeuT and CT26 respectively) and increased animal survival (p=0.024 for LLC). Gene expression profiling of tumors from the various models demonstrated that inhibition of MMP9 resulted in elevated expression of genes associated with immune cell activation pathways (Hallmark Interferon Gamma Response, p Conclusions: These analyses show that MMP9 is expressed in a variety of human tumors. Our data suggest that inhibition of MMP9 promotes anti-tumor immunity and enhances a Th1 immune response. GS-5745, a humanized anti-MMP9 inhibitory antibody, is being evaluated in gastric cancer in phase 3 and 2 studies with chemotherapy and nivolumab, respectively (NCT02545504, NCT02864381). Citation Format: Vladi Juric, Amanda Mikels-Vigdal, Chris O9Sullivan, Andrew Greenstein, Erin Stefanutti, Vivian Barry-Hamilton, Igor Mikaelian, Ted Sullivan, Erik Huntzicker, Jeremiah Degenhardt, Peng Yue, Victoria Smith. Inhibition of MMP9 improves anti-tumor immunity by changing the tumor microenvironment to promote T cell trafficking and activation [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 653. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-653


textabstractPain is defined as "an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated
with actual or potential tissue damage, or described in terms of such damage"
(IAS P, 1979). Chronic pain of at least 3 months duration is quite common in
children and even in toddlers. Levels and duration of acute pain and distress
during medical procedures are high as well. Furthermore, there are significant
consequences of both acute and chronic pain, such as an altered pain perception
after high acute pain that increases fear and pain in future procedures, and
impaired daily functioning and quality of life in children with chronic pain. Thus,
it is important to gain understanding of what determinants might affect differences
in children's procedural distress and chronic pain. Theoretical models
and previous evidence show various parent factors, such as anxiety, depression,
and chronic pain, and child factors, such as temperament, as determinants of
pediatric acute and chronic pain. Most studies so far have investigated children
aged 3 or older and many have used clinical samples and/or cross-sectional
designs. As a consequence, it is not clear what the early longitudinal risk factors
are for toddlers' pain.
The aim of this thesis was to extend existing knowledge on prenatal and
early postnatal determinants of young children's acute pain and chronic pain.
The studies presented in this dissertation were carried out within the Generation
R Study, a prospective multi-ethnic population-based study investigating
growth, development and health from fetal life onwards in Rotterdam, the
Netherlands.


This guide is intended as a starting point for the research of private international law. It is based on legal materials available in the DuFour Library in print format, through online subscriptions and on the Internet.


There has been a growth of interest in the role of humour in organizations from both practitioner and academic perspectives. Various claims for the functionality of humour have been made, ranging from stress reduction to helping form and cement corporate cultures. Latching on to these presumed benefits, businesses and consultants have begun to employ humour and comedy in a direct and explicit manner. However, there is a counterpoint, which suggests that humour cannot always be managed and in fact has subversive qualities. This article addresses the issue of the subversive potential of comedy in organizational contexts. It draws illustratively on the case of a successful corporate comedian to do so. The article argues, through an analysis of the case, the history and philosophy of comedy, and theories of the comedic, that while comedy has inherent subversive potential, it most often is contained. Indeed, it suggests that comedy works by intruding as a potential threat to mundane reality, but offers comic relief when it is apparent that the threat will not be actualized and the status quo ante prevails. Implications for using corporate comedy are drawn.


This paper presents the Remotely Accessible Laboratory (REAL), a virtual laboratory accessible through the Internet. REAL allows a remote user to manipulate a mobile robot in a mode of interaction suitable to his or her level of expertise. A basic mode of interaction, dedicated to users with limited knowledge of robotics, supports interaction via teleoperation. In a more advanced level of interaction, expert users can plan and execute complex robotics experiments that exploit the full capabilities of the robot. In this mode of interaction, experiments in the field of autonomous navigation, environmental mapping, sensor fusion, mission planning, and robot control can be performed. Finally, a third mode of interaction allows a set of trainees to follow the interactions conducted by an instructor. The architecture of REAL departs from the commonplace World Wide Web applications, since it employs a sophisticated software architecture based on software components. This architecture presents a high degree of reusability that future developments in the field of Internet robots and virtual laboratories can take advantage of.


Abstract Objective The objective of this study is to demonstrate the feasibility of applying word embeddings to expand the terminology of dietary supplements (DS) using over 26 million clinical notes. Methods Word embedding models (ie, word2vec and GloVe) trained on clinical notes were used to predefine a list of top 40 semantically related terms for each of 14 commonly used DS. Each list was further evaluated by experts to generate semantically similar terms. We investigated the effect of corpus size and other settings (ie, vector size and window size) as well as the 2 word embedding models on performance for DS term expansion. We compared the number of clinical notes (and patients they represent) that were retrieved using the word embedding expanded terms to both the baseline terms and external DS sources expanded terms. Results Using the word embedding models trained on clinical notes, we could identify 1–12 semantically similar terms for each DS. Using the word embedding expanded terms, we were able to retrieve averagely 8.39% more clinical notes and 11.68% more patients for each DS compared with 2 sets of terms. The increasing corpus size results in more misspellings, but not more semantic variants and brand names. Word2vec model is also found more capable of detecting semantically similar terms than GloVe. Conclusion Our study demonstrates the utility of word embeddings on clinical notes for terminology expansion on 14 DS. We propose that this method can be potentially applied to create a DS vocabulary for downstream applications, such as information extraction.


This paper offers a critical and political reading of the excerpts of myths included in government-sponsored school-level language textbooks of Nepal, and looks at how the content is more prone to instilling particular values than to teaching skills of language competence. Drawing on insights and postulations from Critical Discourse Analysis in general, and dispositive analysis in particular, it examines values embedded in the excerpts as a discursive site for the practice of knowledge-making and power. Given that textbooks are a cultural production at large, and therefore textual, the paper explores how the reproduction of mythical content has given rise to the pedagogy that serves the teleological purpose of producing the desired type of possible citizenry by keeping the essentialities of modern education such as critical engagement, linguistic and cognitive skills, the questioning attitude and critical thinking at the disposal. The paper concludes that the particular way of designation of the content is likely to halt the basic aim of producing the learners as active and critical social agents for the broader social transformation, and calls for a revisit to mitigate the gap between the professed objectives and their materialization in language textbooks and make the learning content more goal-oriented.


In this study 80 ICR mice were infected per os with 260 embryonated Toxocara canis eggs each through a stomach tube. Ten mice were sacrificed at weekly intervals over an eight-week period. Internal organs including livers, lungs, hearts, spleens, kidneys, brains, and carcasses were pooled separately and T.canis larvae from each category treated with artificial digestive fluid were recovered and later collected by the Baermann technique. Larval distributions at a given week in different organs or in a given organ at different weeks were compared and analyzed. Results revealed that total larval recovery increased from week one (11.6%) to four(19.7%); thereafter it decreased gradually and dropped to 13.4% by week eight. Larval distribution in different organs varied with time. No larvae were recovered from the heart or spleen during the study period, except for a small number recovered from the spleen in the 4th and 5th weeks after infection. In general, the larvae were recovered mainly from the brain, carcass and liver. Larval recovery from the liver was high in the first two weeks (4.5% and 3.6%, respectively) and in week 4(5.6%). Recovery from the brain increased drastically in week 4(6.8%) and remained high. Recovery from the carcass increased with time. In the case of the lungs, a sharp peak was observed in week 3(4.8%), but recovery from the kidneys was low (0.7-1.6%). Our results indicated that the ICR strain mouse is also a suitable animal model for the study of toxocariasis in paratenic hosts.


Edge is an important feature in video classification which finds applications in video representation and coding. In H.264/AVC, intra-prediction mode decision (a computationally intensive process) is based on the orientation of the edges in the macroblock. In this paper, we first investigate the difference properties derived from three coefficients in the non-normalized Haar transform (NHT) domain and present a fast and efficient method to classify block edge using these properties. The proposed method significantly reduces the number of computational operations in the edge models determination with no multiplications and less addition operations. The use of edge classification for fast intra-prediction mode decision in H.264/AVC video coding is then presented. The experimental results show the effectiveness of the proposed method.


Increased early growth and total dry matter production have been suggested as useful traits to improve yield in Mediterranean-type environments. In Part I, genotypic variation for early growth and total dry matter production was identified among cultivars and some introduced lines. In this part, characteristics associated with early vigour in five of these introduced lines and ten Australian cultivars were examined in a field study at Wongan Hills in Western Australia. Differences in dry matter production were observed at all sampling times during the season, with three of the introduced lines (CEP 8058, Kansu No. 32 and V979-28) having consistently higher dry matter production than the standard cultivars during the early growth period. Those genotypes with a higher dry matter production at 54 days after sowing had higher relative growth rates and green area indices than those with low dry matter production. Both genotypes with large leaves on few tillers and genotypes with small leaves on many tillers had higher green area indices and higher dry matter production. While high dry matter production was associated with a large degree of ground cover and high light interception, it was not associated with the earlier commencement of reproductive development. Incorporation of early vigour and high dry matter production into locally adapted cultivars is required to demonstrate its benefit in these environments.


In this article, for a better understanding of the viscosity changes in LPMC (low pressure sheet molding compounds), the thickening mechanism of crystalline polyesters was studied. And by means of varying the content of crystalline polyester resin, the thickening effect on resin paste was investigated, too. Results gained during experiments showed that there existed three kinds of functions acting in the process of thickening: swelling, hydrogen bonds and induction crystallization. The thickening effect was excellent when the amount of crystalline polyester resin was 3%. This research supports the producing process for LPMC with theory basement.


Although there are two different approaches to organic market development, the first applied in the USA and the second in countries of EU, it can be seen that on both territories that development is dynamic. Nowadays differences are decreasing while at the same time occurs development of organic agriculture in countries in which it didn't exist before. Increased availability of organic products in different distribution channels and from different parts of the world is actually the consequence of organic market development which sets new tasks for promotion, as for marketing mix instrument. On one hand, direct marketing channels and specialized organic stores are attempting to remain competitive. Besides, there is a need to target increased number of occasional organic buyers. At the same time, possibilities of promoting "organic plus" arguments in order to protect domestic production and consumers from organic market globalisation are being examined. Understanding of organic market development impact on organic products promotion could direct creation of promotion in Serbia, both for internal market, and for organic products export as well.


Let \(D=(V,A)\) be a finite simple directed graph (shortly digraph). A function \(f:V\longrightarrow \{-1,1\}\) is called a twin signed dominating function (TSDF) if \(f(N^-[v])\ge 1\) and \(f(N^+[v])\ge 1\) for each vertex \(v\in V\). The twin signed domination number of \(D\) is \(\gamma_{s}^*(D)=\min\{\omega(f)\mid f \text{ is a TSDF of } D\}\). In this paper, we initiate the study of twin signed domination in digraphs and we present sharp lower bounds for \(\gamma_{s}^*(D)\) in terms of the order, size and maximum and minimum indegrees and outdegrees. Some of our results are extensions of well-known lower bounds of the classical signed domination numbers of graphs.


The following article deals with the problem of « misuse of office » in the principal-agent relationship under Quebec civil law. Despite the abundance of case law, solutions to the problem are not well defined especially in cases involving personality defects of the agent. The law concerning « misuse of office » is generally to be found in article 1054(7) of the Quebec Civil Code concerning the liability of principals. This controverted article not only deals with the liability of masters for servants, but also with the problem of torts committed by agents (art. 1731 C.C.). It also has an effect on workmen's compensation laws. The main issue in « misuse of office » is the determination of what constitutes a carrying out of duties within the scope of employment. The principal can only be held liable for the tort of an agent if three conditions are met : the tort feasor must have been his agent ; he must have committed a wrongful act ; and this act must have been committed in the scope of his employment. After a general view of the fundamental principles involved, the paper defines « misuse of office » as « all torts committed by an agent in the exercice of his duties, even when not authorized to carry out the duties in the manner which he did, but where the activity is designed to benefit his principal ». The only case where the principal escapes liability is where the agent committed a tort which did not involve his work. The agent in that case no longer acts for the benefit of his principal, but is pursuing his personal interest. The principal is then no longer held liable. Determination of the notion of « benefit » therefore becomes essential. Far from being a simple question of monetary profit, it is extended to mean any activity which can serve the principal's enterprise, whether in the improvement of public relations, or of relations with staff or suppliers. The pecuniary gain becomes but one element amongst many others. It is not even necessary for the benefit to ever materialize. The simple fact that the intention was to benefit the principal is sufficient. The review of the case law leads the author to conclude that the modification of the ways in which the duties are carried out has little effect on the liability of the principal. For instance, the agent can change the time, the place and the manner of performance and still engage the liability of the principal. Quebec courts have gone even further. They have held that an agent can go beyond the usual scope of his duties or take up some that he was not authorized to do, without affecting the liability of the principal. In fact, Quebec courts have developed a broad interpretation of the notion of duty. They consider that the agent is called upon to perform tasks more or less accessory to his main duties and thus extend the principal's liability to all of them. As already stated, the notion of «benefit to the principal» is a determining factor. It is not necessary that the agent's work for the principal be exclusive. The agent that derives a personal benefit and simultaneously intends to benefit the principal, will still be considered to have performed an act in the course of his duties. The paper examines a series of problems involving the personality of the agent. Certain tortious acts can be committed in relations with third parties or co-workers, and are the direct result of a personality defect of the agent. Such is the case of a restaurant worker who physically attacks a client as the result of a dispute or of the agent stealing from a client. The paper points out the great difficulty that Quebec courts have experienced in the legal qualification of this situation. After an in-depth study of the Quebec case law, the paper concludes that the trend is to maintain the liability of the principal in these cases. One criterion appears to be well defined : the principal bears the responsibility, when hiring someone, to assure his clients or the persons with whom he does business, that he will respect their property as well as their moral and physical integrity. The necessary tie between the duties of the agent and the relationship with persons coming in contact with him, will engage the liability of the principal. Every time the agent comes in contact with a person in the carrying out of business, the principal will be held responsible for the damage resulting from personality defects of the agent. In all other cases, the relation will be considered personal to the agent and the principal will be relieved of any liability.


There is no conclusive, scientific answer to the question of what children's development and well-being will be if society permits same-sex marriages. This is not surprising, in view of the limited nature of research done, and the difficulties of doing large scale, randomized, controlled studies. Indeed, virtually none of the changes which have dramatically affected the institution of marriage in recent times - including no-fault divorce and the entry of mothers of infants and young children into the full-time workforce - have been preceded by reliable scientific studies demonstrating the likely effects of such changes on children. A look back at past societal controversies, over eugenic sterilization and over interracial marriage, highlights the danger of relying on scientific theories to resolve social issues. Science in these past debates too often reinforced societal biases. The four guidelines suggested here for considering the welfare of children in the context of same-sex marriage treat social science studies as one input among others that, when fairly considered, give substantial support to allowing such marriages as a means to promote the welfare of children raised by same-sex couples.


Results of monosaccharide analysis of Ralstonia solanacearum lipopolysaccharides of the strains of different geographical origin are shown. Such monosaccharides as glucose, rhamnose and glucosamine prevail. Following the results of analysis, strains with supposedly truncated O-polysaccharide are revealed. As to their quantitative and monosaccharide composition of LPS the strains have demonstrated high level of heterogeneity.


Abstract. Slope–area analysis and the integral approach have both been widely used in stream profile analysis. The former is better at identifying changes in concavity indices but produces stream power parameters with high uncertainties relative to the integral approach. The latter is much better for calculating channel steepness. Limited work has been done to couple the advantages of the two methods and to remedy such drawbacks. Here we show the merit of the log-transformed slope–area plot to determine changes in concavities and then to identify colluvial, bedrock and alluvial channels along river profiles. Via the integral approach, we obtain bedrock channel concavity and steepness with high precision. In addition, we run bivariant linear regression statistic tests for the two methods to examine and eliminate serially correlated residuals because they may bias both the estimated value and the precision of stream power parameters. We finally suggest that the coupled process, integrating the advantages of both slope–area analysis and the integral approach, can be a more robust and capable method for bedrock river profile analysis.


Emerging data suggest that VEGF receptors are expressed by endothelial cells as well as hematopoietic stem cells. Therefore, we hypothesized that functional VEGF receptors may also be expressed in malignant counterparts of hematopoietic stem cells such as leukemias. We demonstrate that certain leukemias not only produce VEGF but also express functional VEGFR-2 in vivo and in vitro, resulting in the generation of an autocrine loop that may support leukemic cell survival and proliferation. Approximately 50% of freshly isolated leukemias expressed mRNA and protein for VEGFR-2. VEGF(165) induced phosphorylation of VEGFR-2 and increased proliferation of leukemic cells, demonstrating these receptors were functional. VEGF(165) also induced the expression of MMP-9 by leukemic cells and promoted their migration through reconstituted basement membrane. The neutralizing mAb IMC-1C11, specific to human VEGFR-2, inhibited leukemic cell survival in vitro and blocked VEGF(165)-mediated proliferation of leukemic cells and VEGF-induced leukemic cell migration. Xenotransplantation of primary leukemias and leukemic cell lines into immunocompromised nonobese diabetic mice resulted in significant elevation of human, but not murine, VEGF in plasma and death of inoculated mice within 3 weeks. Injection of IMC-1C11 inhibited proliferation of xenotransplanted human leukemias and significantly increased the survival of inoculated mice. Interruption of signaling by VEGFRs, particularly VEGFR-2, may provide a novel strategy for inhibiting leukemic cell proliferation.


Securities lending plays an important role in supporting financial markets. For example, it can improve market liquidity, potentially reducing the cost of trading and increasing market efficiency. But by increasing the interconnections between institutions it can pose potential risks to financial stability, which are exacerbated by a lack of transparency in the securities lending market. Since the onset of the financial crisis, market participants have attempted to address some of these risks, and fundamental changes to market infrastructure are being discussed, such as the use of central counterparties. New regulations under way to improve the resilience of the financial system may also impact both the risks to financial stability from securities lending and its benefits.


Head movement constitutes a controversial topic in linguistic theory. Finnish long head movement exhibits an unusual combination of predicate clefting with Ā-movement instead of V-copying. An analysis is developed on the basis of Roberts 1993, 2010 and Chomsky 2008 that relies on a minimal top-down search algorithm that exists as part of a comprehension-based, reverse-engineered Minimalist architecture. Exceptional properties of Finnish head movement are explained as arising from its lexicon, which furnishes the language with an extensive catalogue of left-peripheral discourse-motivated C-features participating in predicate formation. The analysis was formalized and tested using computational tools.


The thesis is a study of reading practices and communities across various sites of the British Empire between 1890-1930, a period marked by near universal literacy levels and affordable, mass print production. It draws on the extensive archive of Fred Barkas (1854-1932), an English-born New Zealand resident, whose reading and writing has left a uniquely rich record of reading practices over a forty-year period, and the records of other individual and group readers in Canada, Britain and Australia. As a social history of reading, the study explores how reading shaped personal relationships, fashioned individual and collective identities, and contributed to the processes of community formation, locally and across space. The remarkable depth of Barkas's records allows an examination of how a reader situated in a provincial centre on the outskirts of empire could be at the "centre" of a British reading world. Barkas's records are supplemented by library records, by the minute books and scrapbooks of the Canadian reader Margaret McMicking (1849-1944) and the Victoria Literary Society, B.C., and by the publications of the National and the Australasian Home Reading Union, active in the British Empire between 1889 and 1930. Like Barkas, McMicking and members of the Home Reading movement participated in a social world of reading that was simultaneously defined by local specifics and by imperial connections. The study considers reading within a variety of spaces, times and social environments. The discussion leads from an exploration of local reading networks in Timaru which connected in a number of spaces, to a particular place of reading: the Timaru Public Library. Reading, and writing about reading, was central to Fred Barkas's relationship with his daughter Mary. Mary lived in England for most of her adult life from 1913; the lengthy and detailed correspondence between Fred and Mary provides a basis for the exploration of reading in a family intimacy spanning space and time. Group reading cultures are discussed through Barkas's involvement with several reading and discussion groups in Timaru, and McMicking's membership in the Victoria Literary Society in British Columbia. These local reading groups were embedded in existing associational cultures and constituted important spaces for sociability within prevailing notions about class and gender. The empire-wide Home Reading movement addressed concerns about the right kind of reading, stressing in particular the importance of reading in circles. The Union extended the debate about reading to notions of citizenship of nation and empire, a responsibility especially emphasized during World War One. During the war, civilians in different sites across the empire used their reading for information as well as escape, and reading turned into a mechanism to cope with heightened anxiety. A diversity of reading practices is evident across these spaces and included reading that was variously entertaining, recreational, productive, instructive, informative, social and solitary. Connections to other readers influenced the choice of reading material and reading practice. Reading alone and silently, reading out loud at group meetings or with friends, taking notes, reflecting on reading in writing, re-reading texts, and discussing one's reading in writing or talk with others all contributed to reading cultures that were highly social. The thesis argues that in order to understand the place of reading in specific localities and in the wider British Empire in this period, we need to train our gaze simultaneously on the local and on the imperial, and move beneath and beyond national histories of reading. The readers in this study connected to places outside their local communities, and to a larger reading world not only through what they read but how they read. Recent scholarship on the new imperialism has emphasized the notion of the British Empire as a "web" – a set of networks facilitating the flow of people, goods and ideas across the empire. Print and other forms of the written word formed an important part of this movement and exchange. Reading material and suggestions for reading flowed back and forth, books were bought and shipped as commercial goods, were sent as gifts in private mail, or lent to other readers within existing networks. Across the lines of connections, discussion about reading flowed profusely in newspapers, journals, NHRU magazines and letters. This study offers insights into the ways in which reading and reading practices operated across the webs of empire.


Value is often regarded as an elusive term, having both relative and referential connotations. Every value is a value of someone, or of an individual, or of a group. It can be a value of a society as awhole, or of a given culture or a value of a larger culture, etc. From this perspectivewe can speak ofAfrican values as those belonging to the entire Africans as a whole. This is especially when we talk of African values vis-a- vis western or Chinese values, etc. African values could equallymean values belonging to a segment ofAfrica, like the Igbo. In this paper, our effort will be directed towards interpreting philosophically different dynamics of African values but more importantly, of Igbo cultural values. African values can mean African traditional values or African modern values or its contemporary values, etc. All these dynamics involve the issue of interpretation. In this paper, we shall examine the impact of relativity of African values as well as the referential nature of its values. The Igbo is case study here. We shall find out how both African and Igbo values promote the development and progress of African humanities and the communities. Because of emphasis on the philosophical method of interpreting African and Igbo values, we devote time in defining the meaning of values as well as that of philosophy.


Leukemia is a fast growing cancer also called as blood cancer. It normally originates near bone marrow. The need for automatic leukemia detection system rises ever since the existing working methods include labor-intensive inspection of the blood marking as the initial step in the direction of diagnosis. This is very time consuming and also the correctness of the technique rest on the worker's capability. This paper describes few image segmentation and feature extraction methods used for leukemia detection. Analyzing through images is very important as from images; diseases can be detected and diagnosed at earlier stage. From there, further actions like controlling, monitoring and prevention of diseases can be done. Images are used as they are cheap and do not require expensive testing and lab equipment. The system will focus on white blood cells disease, leukemia. Changes in features will be used as a classifier input.


In this study, first-principles calculations based on density functional theory (DFT) were performed to analyze in detail the electronic transport properties of dumbbell-shape graphene nanoribbons (DS-GNRs) and their strain dependence as a strong function of the combination of the basic structure of GNRs in the narrow segment and the structures at both ends of DS-GNRs. Then, the current-voltage characteristics (I-V characteristics) and orbital distributions of DS-GNRs were investigated to develop a highly sensitive DS-GNR-based strain sensor. By combining two GNRs with metallic and semiconducting electronic properties, a non-negligible transition layer (gradient Schottky barrier) was formed near the junction. The length of the transition layer was about five six-membered rings of carbon atoms. The formation of this transition layer is considered to be due to the exudation of the wave function from the wide segment to the narrow segment in DS-GNR. In the DS-GNR with metal-semiconductor interfaces, the strain dependence of the electronic transport properties was very complicated due to the presence of the transient Schottky barrier. On the other hand, in a DS-GNR consisting of two metallic GNRs, the Schottky barrier and the transition layer disappeared, and stable current-voltage and piezoresistive characteristics close to those of a single GNR were observed. The predicted gauge factor of DS-GNRs was larger than that of conventional metal foils (gauge factor 2–5) and close to that of conventional polysilicon (gauge factor ±30). These results indicate that DS-GNRs have the potential to produce highly sensitive and reliable strain sensors.


Abstract This study examines variations in efficiency among hospitals located in western and southern Ukraine. We estimated efficiency using a nonparemetric modeling technique known as data envelopment analysis (DEA). DEA is a very powerful tool to compare relative efficiency among several economic units of study, known as decision making units (DMUS). In our current and previous research we have focused attention on comparative efficiency among hospitals and then explained variation in efficiency based on historical and cultural differences that influence managerial behavior at the hospital level of decision making. This study using current data and an expanded geographic territory provides further support to our findings from previous studies.


Learning in non-stationary environments is a challenging task which requires the updating of predictive models to deal with changes in the underlying probability distribution of the problem, i.e., dealing with concept drift. Most work in this area is concerned with updating the learning system so that it can quickly recover from concept drift, while little work has been dedicated to investigating what type of predictive model is most suitable at any given time. This paper aims to investigate the benefits of online model selection for predictive modelling in non-stationary environments. A novel heterogeneous ensemble approach is proposed to intelligently switch between different types of base models in an ensemble to increase the predictive performance of online learning in non-stationary environments. This approach is Heterogeneous Dynamic Weighted Majority (HDWM). It makes use of "seed" learners of different types to maintain ensemble diversity, overcoming problems of existing dynamic ensembles that may undergo loss of diversity due to the exclusion of base learners. The algorithm has been evaluated on artificial and real-world data streams against existing well-known approaches such as a heterogeneous Weighted Majority Algorithm (WMA) and a homogeneous Dynamic Weighted Majority (DWM). The results show that HDWM performed significantly better than WMA in non-stationary environments. Also, when recurring concept drifts were present, the predictive performance of HDWM showed an improvement over DWM.


Data security is an important activity in many companies, especially if they operate in an environment with sensitive data. To facilitate the implementation of data security measures, a variety of standards, frameworks and best practices are available as a guidelines according to which a company can or must act. These standards can be different in their requirements, while some of their requirements and chapters can be similar.
This work examines theoretical background of information security in the processing of payments, while selected standards and frameworks that help to safeguard information are also analysed. The case of implementation of the standard PCI DSS and ISO/IEC 20000 using ITIL in companies in the business of processing payment transactions is presented. Additionally, implementation in cases of risk and vulnerability, modelled in the ArchiMate language, is also demonstrated. The main aim of the master thesis is to examine how the company could at minimum cost and use of various sources implement standard ISO/IEC 27001 on the basis of what is already available from the standards PCI DSS and ITIL. For this purpose, the master thesis reviews, compares and conducts mapping of various requirements between those standards. On this basis, the concept of the implementation model of ISO / IEC 27001 with the integration of the PCI DSS and ITIL is developed. Through this model, companies could lower their costs and more easily implement the new standard as well as reduce the level of risk. The conclusion of the thesis offers overview of the findings and suggestions for further work.
In this master thesis knowledge acquired in postgraduate study of Information Systems and decision-making at the Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science is used. Moreover, this thesis makes use of the knowledge and experience gained from my work in the field of software development, in particular web applications and web services, as well as the implementation of safety standards in the network which is discussed in this thesis. In addition to this, domestic and foreign scientific, technical articles, conference contributions, standards and frameworks are used as a relevant knowledge sources.


Recently, it has been shown that different complexes consisting of protein and fatty acids, which we call liprotides, have common functional and structural features. Liprotides can transfer their fatty acid content to membranes, highlighting the potential to incorporate other small molecules and help transfer them to membranes. In this study, this potential was explored with regard to the poorly water-soluble vitamin E compound α-tocopherol (Toc). Uptake into liprotides increased Toc solubility and chemical stability. The liprotide-Toc complexes retained the characteristic liprotide structure with a core of fatty acid surrounded by protein. Toc and fatty acid could be transferred to artificial vesicles upon being incorporated into the liprotide complex. Extending this work, we found that free tryptophan and the vitamin A precursor retinaldehyde could also be incorporated in the liprotides; however, other small molecules failed to be taken up, and we conclude that successful incorporation requires a hydrophobic terminal moiety that can be accommodated within the micelle interior of the liprotides. Nevertheless, our work suggests that liprotides are able to stabilize and transport a number of otherwise insoluble small molecules with significant potential health benefits.


To reduce memory footprint and run-time latency, techniques such as neural net-work pruning and binarization have been explored separately. However, it is un-clear how to combine the best of the two worlds to get extremely small and efficient models. In this paper, we, for the first time, define the filter-level pruning problem for binary neural networks, which cannot be solved by simply migrating existing structural pruning methods for full-precision models. A novel learning-based approach is proposed to prune filters in our main/subsidiary network frame-work, where the main network is responsible for learning representative features to optimize the prediction performance, and the subsidiary component works as a filter selector on the main network. To avoid gradient mismatch when training the subsidiary component, we propose a layer-wise and bottom-up scheme. We also provide the theoretical and experimental comparison between our learning-based and greedy rule-based methods. Finally, we empirically demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach applied on several binary models, including binarizedNIN, VGG-11, and ResNet-18, on various image classification datasets. For bi-nary ResNet-18 on ImageNet, we use 78.6% filters but can achieve slightly better test error 49.87% (50.02%-0.15%) than the original model


The literature on climate change communication addresses a range of issues relevant to the communication of climate change and climate science to lay audiences or publics. In doing so, it approaches this particular challenge from a variety of different perspectives and theoretical frameworks. Analyzing the body of scholarly literature on climate change communication, this article critically reviews how communication is conceptualized in the literature and concludes that the field of climate change communication is characterized by diverging and incompatible understandings of communication as a theoretical construct. In some instances, communication theory appears reduced to an 'ad hoc' toolbox, from which theories are randomly picked to provide studies with a fitting framework. Inspired by the paradigm shift from transmission to interaction within communication theory, potential lessons from the field of communication theory are highlighted and discussed in the context of communicating climate change. Rooted in the interaction paradigm, the article proposes a meta‐theoretical framework that conceptualizes communication as a constitutive process of producing and reproducing shared meanings. Rather than operating in separate ontological and epistemological perspectives, a meta‐theoretical conceptualization of communication would ensure a common platform that advances multiperspective argumentation and discussion of the role of climate change communication in society. WIREs Clim Change 2016, 7:329–344. doi: 10.1002/wcc.392


In design, a wide range of design tools and techniques that are derived from theoretical frameworks have been developed. However, there are only a few that consider the perceptual qualities involved in interaction. Although existing tools are widely adopted, designer's need for considering theoretical notions of ecological perception (Gibson, 1986), embodied interaction (Dourish, 2011) and affordances (Gibson, 1986; Norman, 1988; Hartson, 2003) has not been addressed in the context of design tools. This paper describes the development of an experiential design method card system based on the Interaction Frogger framework (Wensveen, 2004). The design method card supports designers to better understand the perceptual qualities of interaction design and convey this knowledge into their design processes. First, we introduce various theoretical frameworks that deal with perceptual qualities within interaction design, particularly focusing on the Interaction Frogger framework. Consequently, we investigate how a complex theoretical framework can be translated into practice utilising a design tool, by examining a case study of developing a set of design method cards. This set of method cards was examined by means of focus group sessions with design researchers and redesign exercises with designers and design students from various backgrounds. Throughout the redesign exercise, the experiential nature of the method cards system helped designers and design students to gain insights into perceptual information exchanges that emerge between objects and users. Furthermore, the method cards gave them a systematic platform for these insights to be reapplied into their design process. Overall, the design method card system provides opportunities for design practitioners, researchers, and students to explore perceptual qualities within the interaction design space and further an opportunity to utilize theoretical knowledge in a practical design process.


Many concrete pavement mixtures in the US are proportioned based on recipes that have been used before, or on prescriptive specifications. As budgets grow tighter and increasing attention is being paid to sustainability metrics, greater attention is beginning to be focused on making mixtures that are more efficient in their usage of materials, yet do not compromise engineering performance. While the technology is largely available in the concrete industry, a number of challenges are slowing the development of more performance-based specifications and mixtures in the US market. These include resistance to change from familiar to less known, resistance to any change in the distribution of risk, and a lack of good performance tests. This paper addresses these factors by clearly laying out the barriers to adoption of more performance-based specifications for mixtures, along with identifying the research that is needed to address them. Suggestions are made on the steps that can be taken to move the process forward. The paper also discusses work recently conducted to investigate an alternative approach to mix proportioning that is better able to deliver designed performance requirements for local materials.


—A novel motion system is presented that provides completely contactless operation from the fixed world. It consists of a contactless planar actuator with 6-DOF and long-stroke movement in the x - y plane, with a 2-DOF manipulator on top of the floating platform. The contactless energy transfer (100W continuous) to the moving platform for operating manipulator is integrated into the magnetic suspension. The manipulator is controlled by a controller on the fixed world with a low latency wireless link based on a custom protocol ( < 400 µ s additional closed loop delay). The behavior of the system is demonstrated with measurements of the experimental setup.


An immunohistologic study of 21 patients with germ cell tumors of the testis with measured serum levels of chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) and alpha‐feto protein (AFP) was undertaken to correlate the various types of neoplasms with the presence of these tumor markers in the tissue and serum. AFP was demonstrated in mononuclear embryonal cells within embryonal carcinoma and endodermal sinus tumor. HCG was identified within syncytiotrophoblastic giant cells, frequently in association with embryonal carcinoma, and rarely with endodermal sinus tumor and seminoma, as well as in the syncytiotrophoblastic component of choriocarcinoma. Eighteen of the 21 patients (86%) had elevated tumor markers in their serum; serum HCG alone was elevated in five (24%), AFP alone in five (24%) and both were elevated in eight (38%). There was tissue localization of HCG in 12 of the 13 patients (92%) with elevated serum HCG while AFP was identified in the tumor in eight of the 13 patients (53%) with elevated serum AFP levels. Based on these findings, a tentative immunohistologic classification of germ cell tumors utilizing AFP and HCG is proposed. Thus, embryonal carcinoma, adult type, is frequently associated with both AFP and HCG, endodermal sinus tumor with AFP and choriocarcinoma with HCG, whereas pure seminoma and teratoma are unlikely to be associated with either marker.


Abstract. Schwarzenburg Castle is one of the few Alsatian castles that can be dated with precision. The Schwarzenbourg family, taking advantage of a favourable historical and political context, built the castle in 1261 on the municipal boundary of the town of Munster. Initially intended for residential use, the castle passed through the centuries from family to family, and shortly becoming a ruin. The first major renovation was realized in the 15th century, but for military purposes rather than for housing. This was the only one, as the castle was quickly abandoned at the end of the same century. It was only during the First World War that the castle was used by the German army, which built a bunker in the upper courtyard. Schwarzenbourg castle is, therefore, an original in Alsace, both in terms of its history and its characteristics, which have no regional equal. The objective of this modelling project is twofold. On the one hand, to model the current state of the castle, i.e., an advanced state of ruin for certain elements, and, on the other hand, to model the reconstruction of the castle as it was when it was built in 1261. This double objective comes up against several problems, mainly technical. Indeed, how to move from a point cloud of a certain density and quality to a surface model allowing a realistic rendering? How to limit the influence of the noise on the quality of the surface model? How to remain faithful to the cloud while simplifying the geometric primitives to make the rendering more efficient? Or what technique should be used to reconstitute the castle as it was when it was built? The objective here was to realize the transformation from a consolidated and geo-referenced point cloud to a surface model allowing for a photo-realistic rendering.


This study examined the food intake changes evoked by intracerebroventricular (icv) injection of a selective agonist (BRL37344, 2 and 20 nmol) or antagonist (SR59230A, 10 and 50 nmol) of β3-adrenergic receptors in 24-h fasted rats (adult male Wistar rats, 200-350 g, N = 6/treatment). The animals were also pretreated with saline icv (SAL) or SR59230A (50 nmol) followed by BRL37344 (20 nmol) or SAL in order to determine the selectivity of the effects evoked by BRL37344 on food intake or the selectivity of the effects evoked by SR59230A on risk assessment (RA) behavior. The highest dose of BRL37344 (N = 7) decreased food intake 1 h after the treatment (6.4 ± 0.5 g in SAL-treated vs 4.2 ± 0.8 g in drug-treated rats). While both doses of SR59230A failed to affect food intake (5.1 ± 1.1 g for 10 nmol and 6.0 ± 1.8 g for 50 nmol), this treatment reduced the RA frequency (number/30 min) (4 ± 2 for SAL-treated vs 1 ± 1 for 10 nmol and 0.5 ± 1 for 50 nmol SR59230A-treated rats), an ethological parameter related to anxiety. While pretreatment with SR59230A (7.0 ± 0.5 g) abolished the hypophagia induced by BRL37344 (3.6 ± 0.9 g), BRL37344 suppressed the reduction in RA frequency caused by SR59230A. These results show that the hypophagia caused by BRL37344 is selectively mediated by β3-adrenergic receptors within the central nervous system. Moreover, they suggest the involvement of these receptors in the control of anxiety.


Previous research has studied the effects of welfare payments under the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program on incentives and behavior. By lowering the cost of raising children, states with larger welfare payments have higher rates of fertility among poor women, an adverse consequence. In previous papers, we concluded that by lowering the cost of unprotected sexual activity, greater welfare payments are associated with higher rates of sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV. The restructuring of the welfare system in 1996 transformed AFDC into time limited assistance with an emphasis on work and personal responsibility. We test whether this program (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, or TANF) has succeeded in eliminating the adverse incentive structure existing under AFDC. Using GLS and IV estimation procedures on state data from 1993 through 2002, we find that the effect of TANF payments on heterosexual HIV incidence is significantly less than under AFDC.


Should academic libraries seek to improve general satisfaction with their services, or are some services more important than others? This article asserts that faculty and students mainly want information resources. The research analyzes LibQUAL+™ data to determine which other library resources contribute to information satisfaction among users. The conclusion is that access mechanisms are very important predictors of information resource satisfaction, but library facilities and library staff are negligible predictors. This is true across different groups of users.


In this article, we present a perspective on the interaction between formal and informal institutions in spatial planning in which they transform each other continuously, in processes that can be described and analyzed as ongoing reinterpretations. The effects of configurations and dialectics are often ambiguous, only partially observable, different in different domains and at different times. By means of analyses of key concepts in planning theory and practice, this perspective is illustrated and developed. Finally, we analyze transformation options in planning systems, emphasizing the limits of formal institutions in transforming formal/informal configurations, and stressing the importance of judgment and conflict.


Elevated and/or spatially variable geothermal heat flux (GHF) is suspected to affect basal conditions of ice sheets, i.e. basal melting and subglacial hydrology. Thermomechanical models demonstrate the influential boundary condition of geothermal heat flux for (paleo) ice sheet stability. Due to a complex tectonic and magmatic history of West Antarctica, the region is suspected to exhibit strong heterogeneous geothermal heat flux variations [e.g. Schroeder et al., 2014; Fisher et al., 2015]. Although the maximum ice extent has retreated from the shelf since the last glacial maximum, the trends of offshore GHF patterns and the overall order of magnitude are hypothetically related to those areas onshore where the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) rests on geologically related structures. High-resolution GHF will aid the understanding of the paleo-retreat of the ice sheet in this sector. The problem with testing these possibilities is that direct observations of GHF in Antarctica are so sparse that it is accounted for the greatest source of uncertainty in ice sheet studies for the continent [Larour et al., 2012].
This presentation builds on our previous studies in which we discussed geothermal heat flux based on 26 in-situ temperature measurements that were conducted in 2010 in the Amundsen Sea Embayment (ASE) in West Antarctica. We found, that the shallow (3 m) in-situ temperature measurements were likely influenced by inter-annual bottom-water temperature variability, leading to GHF estimates biased towards lower values (mean = 33 mWm-²). In contrast, our numerical models of geothermal heat fluxes, based on Depth-to-the-Bottom-of-the-Magnetic-Source estimates, suggest that GHF spatially varies from 68 to 110 mWm-². During RV Polarstern expedition PS104 in early 2017 we collected additional 28 in-situ temperature measurements in marine sediments (up to 11 m probe depth) for deriving geothermal heat flux in the ASE, which will overall improve the spatial coverage of this region. We present GHF results of this novel data set and discuss challenges of measuring in-situ temperatures for GHF in the Amundsen Sea Embayment.


The abundance of biomedical literature has attracted significant interest in novel methods to automatically extract biomedical relations from texts. Until recently, most research was focused on extracting binary relations such as protein-protein interactions and drug-disease relations. However, these binary relations cannot fully represent the original biomedical data. Therefore, there is a need for methods that can extract fine-grained and complex relations such as biomedical events. In this chapter we propose a novel rule-based method to extract biomedical events from text. Our method consists of two phases. In the first phase, training data are mapped into structured representations. Based on that, templates are used to extract rules automatically. In the second phase, extraction methods are developed to process the obtained rules. When evaluated on the Genia event extraction test set (Task 1) using 'Approximate Span/Approximate Recursive matching' criteria, we obtain results with recall, precision and F-score of 42.63, 68.77 and 52.63%, respectively, which is comparable to the state-of-the-art systems. Furthermore, our system achieves superior performance in terms of speed. * This chapter based on Bui & Sloot., "A robust approach to extract biomedical events from literature". Bioinformatics 2012. DOI: 10.1093/bioinformatics/bts487 62 Chapter 5. A robust approach to extract biomedical events from literature


There are ever new emerging ideas about globalization of the world especially certain debates longing for peace worldwide. The human historyshows that the best solution to different issues is dialogue and not resisting to disputes. The world has become a global village and it needs to develop and maintain a sustainable peace for the betterment of humanity. The present study explored the continualprocess of interfaith and intercultural dialogue between India and Pakistan towards the subcontinent and ultimately global peace, focusing specifically on religious, economic, political and social aspects in Kashmir issue. Apparently Kashmir is a religious conflict but the ground realities are self-evident that the obstacles are: strategic, political and economic issues and not only religion.A meticulous analysis of the data helped concluding the reconciliation process as a ball moving to and fro without scoring even a single goal ensuring regional peace.India and Pakistan have to change their intentions in the light of Kashmiris' intentions, their political right, self-rule for the sake of democracy and its promotion in the region. Only India or Pakistan or Kashmiris or UN, individually and in isolation cannot solve Kashmir issue instead all parties need to be equal participants in a meaningful dialogue performing their due roles.The dire need is to save the people of Kashmir on humanitarian grounds.


Mannose-binding lectin (MBL) is a collagenous lectin found in the serum of mammals and birds. In humans, it is believed to play an important role in innate immunity by binding to carbohydrates on the surface of microorganisms and then activating the complement system via MBL-associated serine proteases (MASPs). MBL may also interact directly with phagocytic cells to promote the opsonisation of bacteria and viruses. Serum concentrations of MBL are determined by three structural mutations in the exon 1 region of the MBL2 gene and by polymorphisms in the MBL2 promoter region. Approximately a third of the population have low levels of MBL and appear to have increased susceptibility to infection, especially in children and the immunocompromised. The work presented in this thesis has provided further information on the role of MBL in susceptibility to infection and also provided insights into the binding of MBL to microorganisms and how MBL can influence cell adhesion molecule expression and neutrophil opsonophagocytosis. Initially, MBL binding to defined lipopolysaccharide (LPS) mutants of Helicobacter pylori and LPS and lipid A mutants of Neisseria meningitidis was assessed by flow cytometry. Dramatic differences in binding were observed between different mutants indicating the importance of LPS structure in determining MBL binding. Analyses of the LPS structures involved revealed that MBL binding was not merely dictated by the presence or absence of known ligands for MBL in the LPS terminal regions. In addition, four Mycoplasma organisms as well as 10 different Proteus mirabilis clinical isolates were studied for MBL binding. There was no binding of the lectin to any Proteus organisms and A39 strain of Mycoplasma whereas Mycoplasma pneumoniae, hominis and orale did bind MBL avidly. All binding was carbohydrate-specific and calcium dependent. Next two different MBL ELISA procedures were compared and then assessed in parallel with immunonephelometry in order to establish the most accurate assay for measuring MBL concentrations. The AntibodyShop Oligomer MBL ELISA kit was chosen for subsequent studies as the levels determined by this assay correlated well with MBL2 haplotypes. Using this assay, MBL plasma concentrations and MBL2 genotypes were determined in an unselected UK child population (ALSPAC). Both coding and promoter MBL2 variants were shown to be significantly associated with MBL levels. In another study three cohorts of patients with meningococcal disease, severe sepsis and cystic fibrosis were investigated. 770 patients with meningococcal disease were genotyped for MBL variants and their haplotype related to susceptibility to the disease and the severity of the disease as assessed by mortality. MBL genotype had only a marginal effect on susceptibility to the infection. However, there was a significant relationship between MBL2 variants and survival from this disease (chi-square test). In an adult cohort of patients with sepsis, the relationship between MBL2 exon 1 and promoter -221 polymorphisms, plasma levels of the encoded protein, and the incidence and outcome of severe sepsis and septic shock were investigated. Individual plasma levels were variable and increased between days 1 and 7. The mortality rate was higher in those with MBL levels <1000 uA (47.2 vs. 22.2%, P = 0.05) (multiple logistic regression analysis). The exon 1 polymorphisms (A/O or O/O) were significantly more common in the patients with severe sepsis and septic shock than in normal healthy adults (54.6% vs. 39.7%, P = 0.001). There was no significant difference in MBL2 genotype or haplotype frequency between survivors and nonsurvivors. In the third cohort, 260 children were recruited from the paediatric CF clinic at the Royal Brompton Hospital during 2000 and early 2001 for the next study. In this group, low MBL levels were not associated with poor pulmonary function during childhood. There was no significant difference in predicted FEVi, FVC or the annual rate of decline between high, medium and low-expressing MBL haplotype groups. The effect of MBL on the expression of adhesion molecules by endothelial cells following bacterial stimulation was also studied. MBL used at physiological concentrations significantly reduced the expression of CD62E by endothelial cells after their incubation with both wild type and cpsD' Neisseria meningitidis organisms. MBL did not make any difference to the CD54 expression by HUVECs under similar conditions. The difference in meningococcal LPS structure as well as incubation time did not influence MBL effect on the expression of both adhesion molecules. The final results chapter describes experiments which show that MBL has an additive effect to other complement pathways during complement deposition on Staphylococcus aureus. This led to enhance neutrophil phagocytosis of the bacterium. The studies presented in this thesis provide further insight into the potential role and mechanisms of MBL in human disease.


Sympathetic regulation of periodontal ligament blood flow (PLBF) is well-attested; however, vasodilator responses mediated by parasympathetic nerve fibers have yet to be conclusively demonstrated in the periodontal ligament (PL). The present study was designed to determine whether parasympathetic vasodilator mechanisms do or do not exist in the cat PL. In our cats, the cervical sympathetic trunks were sectioned bilaterally prior to any stimulation in order to eliminate sympathetic effects on the vascular beds under study. Dynamic changes in PLBF, with mandibular lip blood flow (LBF) recorded for comparison, were investigated in cat mandibular canine teeth using laser Doppler flowmetry. The peripheral cut ends of the facial and glossopharyngeal nerve roots, which have been reported to contain parasympathetic nerve fibers to the oral tissues, were electrically stimulated intracranially. Such stimulation caused blood flow to increase in the ipsilateral PL and lip, without an increase in systemic blood pressure. These vasodilator responses in the PL and lip were sensitive to ganglion blockade (with hexamethonium), indicating vasodilation via activation of parasympathetic vasodilator fibers. In contrast, although intracranial stimulation of the trigeminal nerve root also induced increases in both PLBF and LBF, these were unaffected by hexamethonium, but reduced by tripelennamine, indicating antidromic vasodilatation via the trigeminal sensory nerve. These results suggest that parasympathetic vasodilator mechanisms do exist in feline PL.


Breeding propensity of tree-cavity nesting bird species are often limited by a shortage of natural nesting sites. Artificial nests can be used to provide alternative nest sites. Cape Parrots Poicephalus robustus are nationally endangered and nest in existing tree-cavities in high-altitude fragmented Afromontane forests in South Africa, assumed to be in short supply due to historic and current logging practices. To increase nest site availability, 179 wooden bird boxes and 28 bee boxes (to 'pull' bees) were erected during 2011–2012 in Hogsback, Eastern Cape. In 2016, no bird boxes were occupied by Cape Parrots. A total of 43% were used by other species, 51% were unused and 6% could not be inspected due to tree instability and inaccessibility. Two bird boxes were inspected by two pairs of Cape Parrots, but were never occupied. Occupancy of boxes by birds was not associated with nest, tree or habitat characteristics. However, occupancy of boxes by bees was associated with habitat type and tree species. Future conservation efforts will include locating natural Cape Parrot nesting sites and reforestation efforts to ensure the long-term availability of natural nesting sites.


: In this paper we demonstrate that cyclotrons can be made to have precisely constant betatron tunes over wide energy ranges. In particular, we show that the horizontal tune can be made constant and does not have to follow the Lorentz factor 𝛾 , while still perfectly satisfying the isochronous condition. To make this demonstration we developed a technique based on the calculation of the betatron tunes entirely from the geometry of realistic non-hard-edge closed orbits. We present two particular cyclotron designs, one compact cyclotron and one ring cyclotron. The compact cyclotron design is backed up by a 3-dimensional finite element magnet calculation, that we also present here.