&NA; Typha angustata Bony et Chaub, is a traditional Chinese medicine, commonly used in China for a variety of clinical disorders, including atherosclerosis, cardiovascular diseases, uterus contraction, and wound healing. The effect of the pollen of Typha angustata on the bone inductive capacity of demineralized bone matrix is studied here. Demineralized bone matrix soaked with saline solution was implanted in 8‐mm defects in rat calvaria. After surgery all rats received a 0.2‐ml injection in the defect sites of Typha angustata extract, plasma, or saline 3 times weekly for 2 to 4 weeks. The repair of bone defects was evaluated by radiography and by histology at 2 and 4 weeks after surgery. Results indicated that the 3% Typha angustata extract and demineralized bone matrix combination produced substantially more bone than demineralized bone matrix alone, while plasma plus demineralized bone matrix induced the same amount of bone formation as Typha angustata extract plus demineralized bone matrix. The osteoinductive potential increased in a dose dependent manner, 3% Typha angustata extract plus demineralized bone matrix produced more bone than the 0.6% Typha angustata extract plus demineralized bone matrix at 2 and 4 weeks. This study demonstrates that an extract of the pollen of Typha angustata is capable of enhancing the osteoinductive potential of demineralized bone matrix.


A multichannel photonic temporal differentiator implemented based on a single multichannel fiber Bragg grating (FBG) for wavelength-division-multiplexed (WDM) signal processing is proposed for the first time to our knowledge. The multichannel FBG is designed using the discrete layer peeling (DLP) algorithm together with the spatial sampling technique. The DLP algorithm is used to design the spectral response of an individual channel, while the spatial sampling is employed to generate a multichannel response. The key feature of the proposed temporal differentiator is that WDM signals at multiple optical wavelengths can be simultaneously processed. Two sampling techniques, the phase-only and the amplitude-only sampling, are employed to design a 45-channel and a 3-channel first-order temporal differentiator, respectively. A proof-of-concept experiment is then carried out. A 3-channel first-order differentiator with a bandwidth of 33.75 GHz and a channel spacing of 100 GHz is fabricated. The use of the fabricated 3-channel FBG to perform first-order temporal differentiation of a 13.2-GHz Gaussian-like optical pulse with different optical carrier wavelength is demonstrated.


In the Benchmark Approach to Finance, it has been shown that by taking the Growth Optimal Portfolio as numéraire, a candidate for a pricing derivatives formula under the real world probability can be given. This result allows us to price in an incomplete financial market model. The result comes from two different approaches. In the first approach we use the supermartingale property of portfolios in units of the benchmark portfolio which leads to the fact that an equivalent measure is not needed. In the second approach the numéraire property of the Growth Optimal Portfolio is used. The numéraire portfolio defines an equivalent martingale measure and by change of measure using the Radon-Nikodým derivative, a real world pricing formula is derived which is the same as the one given by the first approach stated above.


Serum complements of C1q C1, C4, BF, C1-INH and C5 were measured by single immunodiffusion in 54 patients with myasthenia gravis (MG), 46 normal control (NC) and 42 cases of other neurological disorders. It was found that C1-INH, C5 levels in MG were significantly higher than that in other groups (P less than 0.01). The serum levels of C1-INH, C5 were not related to the clinical type and the stage of the illness. These data suggest that endplate receptors might be disrupted through complement mediated immunoreaction.


This research compared the ability of Landsat ETM+, Quickbird and three image classification methods for discriminating amongst coral reefs and associated habitats in Pacific Panama. Landsat ETM+ and Quickbird were able to discriminate coarse and intermediate habitat classes, but this was sensitive to classification method. Quickbird was significantly more accurate than Landsat (14% to 17%). Contextual editing was found to improve the user's accuracy of important habitats. The integration of object‐oriented classification with non‐spectral information in eCognition produced the most accurate results. This method allowed sufficiently accurate maps to be produced from Landsat, which was not possible using the maximum likelihood classifier. Object‐oriented classification was up to 24% more accurate than the maximum likelihood classifier for Landsat and up to 17% more accurate for Quickbird. The research indicates that classification methodology should be an important consideration in coral reef remote sensing. An object‐oriented approach to image classification shows potential for improving coral reef resource inventory.


This paper puts forward the background of the topic, expounds the research status of waste transfer center location at home and abroad, and summarizes and establishes a nonlinear mixed 0-1 planning type of multi transfer center location model in the relevant theory. The model gives the location constraints when the alternative point of the transfer center has been determined. Under the constraints, it mainly considers the total transportation cost of the waste passing through the transfer center, the treatment cost due to the classification, compression and packaging of waste, and the fixed investment cost of the construction of the waste transfer center, so as to minimize the total cost of these four parts. Based on Gaode map, on the basis of establishing the model, the investigation, statistics and analysis data are substituted to solve the optimal


Ian Pickford takes a wide-ranging look at flatware patterns and, at the same time, discusses in deatil flatware makers, stylistic developments, quality, repairs, fakes, forgeries and alterations as well as the marking of flatware. A large part of the book is devoted, in reference form, to the patterns themselves. Silver flatware is highly collectable and this is the standard work of reference.


In recent years, increased concern and societal pressure have focused on environmental impacts of forest roads on soil erosion and water quality. Forest roads have been identified as the major contributor to sediment production from forested lands accounting for as much as 90 percent of all sediment produced from forest lands. This paper reports on two research studies on the National Forests of Alabama, which evaluate the effectiveness of sediment control alternatives from the forest road prism. Two of the most vulnerable components of the road prism, sideslopes and ditches, are considered in this work. Research evaluated the effectiveness of sediment control practices in mitigating sediment export. The first study, initiated in 1995, investigates the effect of three erosion control techniques on soil movement from cutslopes and fillslopes. Treatments consisting of a wood excelsior erosion mat, native species vegetation, and exotic species vegetation have been evaluated over the last 4 years. Treatments were detected to significantly affect sediment yield and runoff from the road sideslopes. The second study, initiated in 1997, evaluates the effect of selected techniques to control sediment movement in the forest turnout ditch. The investigation compares sediment filtering and sediment export from the following selected treatments: sediment fence, settling basin, vegetation, and riprap.


A learning environment consists of a dynamic mix of many different types of resources and facilities which should be aware of, and adapt to, the learner in his/her current context. This multiplicity of technologies and situations demands a service-oriented approach, and this in turn leads us to OGSA, which is the major emergent de facto standard for open, service-oriented information and communication technology based learning opportunities. Collaboration and contextualisation are important pedagogical goals, and must therefore be supported through services which can be created and modified dynamically to suit the current needs and situations of learners. Ubiquity and accessibility, sometimes referred to as "anytime, anywhere", are also important goals of technology enhanced learning, so we must be able to create services which can adapt to the capabilities of the infrastructure as it is made manifest for each learner in a collaborative community. In other words, a learning environment must be quality of service (QoS) aware, and, ideally, be able to adapt to that aspect of the context (the infrastructure) for each participant. This paper focuses on providing adaptive QoS for synchronous, real time conferencing for dynamically constituted learning groups. Firstly, pedagogical goals are reviewed, secondly, an example existing collaborative learning environment is described, with some discussion as to how it can be reengineered to be OGSA compliant We then describe work carried out to support adaptive QoS for synchronous conferencing and finally report on initial experiences. This paper contributes towards understanding how to support adaptive QoS for service-oriented learning environments, with a particular view to the emerging likelihood that such systems will be Grid-based.


Partial or complete remission from type 2 diabetes was recently observed after bariatric surgeries. Limited data is available about the possibility of inducing diabetes remission through intensive weight reduction. We retrospectively evaluated diabetes remissions after one year of the Weight Achievement and Intensive Treatment (Why WAIT) program, a 12-week intensive program for diabetes weight management in real-world clinical practice. Among 120 obese patients with type 2 diabetes who completed the program, 88 patients returned for follow-up at one year. Nineteen patients (21.6%) had major improvement in their glycemic control, defined as achieving an A1C <6.5% after one year. Four patients (4.5%) achieved either partial or complete diabetes remission defined as A1C <6.5% and <5.7%, respectively, on no antihyperglycemic medications for one year; 2 achieved partial remission (2.3%) and 2 achieved complete remission (2.3%). At the time of intervention, patients who achieved diabetes remission had shorter diabetes duration (<5 years) and lower A1C (<8%) and were treated with fewer than 2 oral medications. They achieved a weight reduction of >7% after 12 weeks. These results indicate that a subset of obese patients with type 2 diabetes is appropriate for intensive lifestyle intervention with the aim of inducing diabetes remission.


Neuronal activity regulates neurogenesis and neuronal differentiation in the mammalian brain. The commencement of neurotransmitter expression establishes the neuronal phenotype and enables the formation of functional connectivity between neurons. In addition, release of neurotransmitters from differentiating neurons may modulate the behaviour of neural precursors. Here, we show that neuronal activity regulates γ‐aminobutyric acid (GABA) expression in neurons generated from stem cells of the striatum and adult subventricular zone (SVZ). Differentiating neurons display spontaneous Ca2+ events, which are voltage‐gated calcium channel (VGCC) dependent. Depolarization increases both the frequency of Ca2+ transients and the amount of Ca2+ influx in differentiating neurons. We show that depolarization‐dependent GABA expression is regulated by the amplitude and not by the frequency of Ca2+ influx. Brief activation of VGCCs leads to Ca2+ influx that in turn promotes a rapid expression of GABA. Depolarization‐dependent GABA expression does not require changes in gene expression. Instead, it involves cAMP‐dependent protein kinase (PKA) and Ca2+ and phospholipid‐dependent protein kinase (PKC) signalling. Activity increases the number of glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) 65‐immunoreactive neurons in a PKA‐dependent manner, without altering the expression of GAD 65, suggesting that depolarization promotes recruitment of GAD 65 by a post‐translational mechanism. In line with this, depolarization does not permanently increase the expression of GABA in neurons derived from neural stem cells of the embryonic striatum, cortex and adult SVZ. Thus, neuronal activity does not merely accelerate neuronal differentiation but it may alter the mechanism of GABA synthesis in newly generated neurons.


Porcine aortic endothelial cells (PAEC) are known to be metabolically robust. They are capable of surviving extended periods of complete lack of exogenous substrate, and purine release has been shown to be significantly up-regulated. The endogenous substrates used during substrate deprivation, as well as the sources responsible for the increased purine release, have not been completely identified. We tested the possibility that a phosphoglyceroyl-ATP-containing polymer, purinogen, might support PAEC hibernation induced by lack of exogenous substrate. This involved isolation of the acid-insoluble fraction of PAEC, which was presumed to contain purinogen, and analysis by HPLC and 31P NMR. No evidence supporting the presence of triphosphate-containing compounds (purinogen) was found. Similar results were obtained in the rat heart. The majority of the products in the acid-insoluble, alkaline-treated fraction were identified as RNA degradation products (2'- and 3'-nucleoside monophosphates). A [14C]adenosine labelling experiment showed that incorporation of adenosine into the acid-insoluble fraction was almost completely prevented after inhibition of RNA synthesis with actinomycin D. Furthermore, RNA isolated from PAEC and subsequently treated with alkali showed a profile that was almost identical with the HPLC profile of the acid-insoluble fraction. Finally, substrate-free incubation of the cells did not quantitatively or qualitatively influence the distribution of acid-insoluble derivatives. We conclude that PAEC survival during the absence of exogenous substrate is not supported by purinogen but rather by some other, yet-to-be-identified, endogenous substrate.


Abstract Extensional syn-rift structures at passive margins indicate that continental break-up occurs in response to horizontal deviatoric tension in the continental lithosphere. An abrupt change in the state of stress occurs at the onset of the post-rift (break-up) unconformity when the large tension ceases. The stress regime at the time of continental break-up has been modelled by finite element analysis with a view to simulating the observed features. A local compression is associated with thinned crust and an opposing local tension is produced by hot, low density upwelled asthenosphere. The resulting stress associated with stretching and thinning of the lithosphere is relatively insignificant and is likely to be compressive unless the normal continental crust is very thin. One possible source of break-up tension is the large tensional loading stress associated with an underlying hot, low density upper mantle, such as now occurs in the present day uplifted continental rift systems. It is uncertain whether such local tension could readily cause break-up within the present compressional stress regime of normal continental regions. Another possible source of wide-spread continental tension would be the occurrence of subduction on opposite sides of a large continental mass such as Pangaea, giving rise to instability. At such times, splitting could more readily propagate outwards from a domed plume region leading to break-up, thus involving both active and passive factors. The radical change in stress regime at the onset of seafloor spreading is readily modelled as the change in stress associated with the development of a new weak plate boundary.


Recently it has been argued that in many cases it is more natural to view the problem of controller design as finding for a given system an additional set of 'laws' which the signals appearing in the system should obey. In recent work the H-control problem has been reformulated in this behavioral framework. A complete solution of the full information version of the H problem has been obtained, together with algorithms to check whether such a controller exists and how to compute it. The purpose of this thesis is to apply these algorithms to an example, the computation of the optimal suspension of a vehicle that drives on a bumpy road. The robust controller algorithms and the simulation of the controlled behavior have been carried out as numerical algorithms in M AT L A B


Intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH) is an acute neurological disorder without effective treatment. Mechanisms of acute brain injury after ICH remain to be clarified. Although a few studies suggested a detrimental role for the gelatinase matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 in ICH, the relationship between MMP-9 activity and acute brain injury after ICH is not determined. In this study, we first examined the expression of gelatinases in vivo using a collagenase-induced mouse model of ICH. Gel zymography revealed that MMP-9 was activated and upregulated after ICH. In situ zymography showed that gelatinase activity was mostly co-localized with neurons and endothelial cells of the blood vessel matrix. Inhibition with a broad-spectrum metalloproteinase inhibitor GM6001 (100 mg/kg) ameliorated dysregulated gelatinase activity, neutrophil infiltration, production of oxidative stress, brain oedema and degenerating neurons. Functional improvement and a decrease in injury volume were also observed. We provide evidence that MMP-9 may play a deleterious role in acute brain injury within the first 3 days after ICH. Blockade of MMP activity during this critical period may have efficacy as a therapeutic strategy for the treatment of acute brain injury after ICH.


BACKGROUND: Unmanaged pain has been found to predict delayed return to work, psychologic distress, and chronic pain and disability in patients with traumatic injury. However, little is known about the pain experience during hospitalization. The primary objective of this study was to determine pain intensity, pain interference, and satisfaction with pain treatment in orthopedic trauma patients at hospital discharge. A secondary objective was to examine whether patient self-efficacy and psychologic distress were associated with pain and satisfaction. METHODS: Two hundred thirty-three orthopedic trauma patients were enrolled and completed a discharge assessment at a Level I trauma center. Pain was measured with the Brief Pain Inventory and satisfaction with the American Pain Society Patient Outcome Questionnaire. RESULTS: Ninety-seven percent of patients reported pain at the time of hospital discharge, with 59% and 73% reporting moderate to severe pain intensity and interference, respectively. Overall, 86% of patients were satisfied with pain treatment. Multivariable regression analyses demonstrated that decreased self-efficacy was associated with moderate to severe pain intensity, increased depression was associated with moderate to severe pain intensity and interference, and increased pain intensity was associated with decreased satisfaction (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that orthopedic trauma patients have a significant pain burden but are satisfied with pain treatment during the hospital stay. Efforts are needed to improve pain assessment and management and findings imply that addressing self-efficacy and depressive symptoms may decrease pain and increase satisfaction at hospital discharge. Brief educational interventions that incorporate pain coping skills and self-management techniques may be a feasible approach to improving self-efficacy in the acute care setting. Additional recommendations include routine hospital screening for depression and increased communication between surgeons and mental health providers to identify patients at high risk for unmanaged pain and facilitate provision of early mental health services. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: II.


The nature of Laramide deformation in the southern Rocky Mountains remains highly debated. Advocates of north-south strike-slip faulting favor transpression and northward displacement of the Colorado Plateau, whereas advocates of east-west shortening by thrust faulting contest evidence for large right-lateral displacements.

Minor faults (n = 2552) were measured to determine the Laramide to Holocene structural evolution of north-central New Mexico. Multimodal slickenline and ideal σ1 orientations, as well as consistent crosscutting relationships, indicate multiphase, multidirectional faulting. The oldest set of thrust and strike-slip faults indicates east-northeast– to east-trending shortening and compression. The faults cut rocks as young as the upper Paleocene–lower Eocene Diamond Tail Formation. Strike-slip faults from a second phase of northeast- to north-northeast–trending shortening and compression cut the Eocene Galisteo Formation but do not cut the 27 Ma Galisteo dike. Elsewhere, later north-striking strike-slip faults cut 24 Ma igneous units, indicating north-northeast– to north-trending shortening and compression of mid-Tertiary age. Subsequent north-striking normal faults related to Rio Grande rifting commonly reactivate the mid-Tertiary strike-slip fault planes.

These results show the validity of both strike-slip and thrust hypotheses in north-central New Mexico, although neither is adequate in exclusion of the other. Early Laramide east-west thrusting probably formed the north-trending Laramide arches of the region. Later counterclockwise rotation of regional shortening and compression directions may have caused transpression, opening some late Laramide axial basins and causing limited northward displacement of the Colorado Plateau. Subsequent mid-Tertiary strike-slip deformation may be a missing link between Paleogene Laramide shortening and Neogene Rio Grande rifting.


The main concern of this research is the potential of digital assemblages of art and technoscience to generate change. The thesis investigates a selection of contemporary
installation artworks that deploy a range of techno-scientific processes in the search for new aesthetic experiences. These examples open a way of thinking about the digital as virtual without reducing either the virtual or the digital to each other. The hype that followed the proliferation of digital media technologies, in the last two decades, prompted a tendency in cybercultural theory to either conflate or oppose the virtual to the digital, commonly addressing the latter as immaterial, quantifiable and probabilistic. The thesis develops an alternative virtual ecology that departs from the logic of binary representational thought, without reiterating the centrality of sensory perception in digital philosophy. It contends that the participation of self-referential,
abstract-yet-material dimensions is immanent to the emergence of actual digital structures of material, aesthetic and scientific combination.
This research project elaborates a philosophy of rhythm as an appropriate mode of analysis for revisiting contemporary debates about digital media, embodiment and temporality. It proposes an account of temporal agency active at a micro-perceptual resonant level, across the quasimathematical,
biodigital and microsonic modulations of the virtual digital. Mainly, the project draws on philosophical material by Deleuze and Guattari, Massumi, Leibniz and Bachelard to further explore the microscopic (or molecular) scale of digital assemblages. This philosophical
investigation provides a set of tools with which to evaluate the impact of rhythm on the production of aesthetico-scientific media environments. Overall, the thesis develops a theory of virtual dynamics for the digital as a non-computable, autonomous sphere specific to the actuality of digital code yet not fully exhausted in it.


PurposeThe study aims to compare survey recruitment rates between Facebook, Twitter and Qualtrics and to assess the impact of recruitment method on estimates of energy content, food safety, carbon footprint and animal welfare across 29 foods.Design/methodology/approachTwo versions of an online survey were developed on the citizen science platform, Zooniverse. The surveys explored citizen estimations of energy density (kcal) or carbon footprint (Co2) and food safety or animal welfare of 29 commonly eaten foods. Survey recruitment was conducted via paid promotions on Twitter and Facebook and via paid respondent invites on Qualtrics. The study included approximately 500 participants (Facebook, N˜11 (ratings 358), Twitter, N˜85 (ratings 2,184), Qualtrics, N = 398 (ratings 11,910)). Kruskal–Wallis and Chi-square analyses compared citizen estimations with validated values and assessed the impact of the variables on estimations.FindingsCitizens were unable to accurately estimate carbon footprint and energy content, with most citizens overestimating values. Citizen estimates were most accurate for meat products. Qualtrics was the most successful recruitment method for the online survey. Citizen estimates between platforms were significantly different, suggesting that Facebook and Twitter may not be suitable recruitment methods for citizen online surveys.Practical implicationsQualtrics was the favourable platform for survey recruitment. However, estimates across all recruitment platforms were poor. As paid recruitment methods such as Qualtrics are costly, the authors recommend continued examination of the social media environment to develop appropriate, affordable and timely online recruitment strategies for citizen science.Originality/valueThe findings indicate that citizens are unable to accurately estimate the carbon footprint and energy content of foods suggesting a focus on consumer education is needed to enable consumers to move towards more sustainable and healthy diets. Essential if we are to meet the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals of zero hunger, good health and wellbeing and responsible consumption and production. The study highlights the utility of Zooniverse for assessing citizen estimates of carbon footprint, energy content, animal welfare and safety of foods.


The establishment of a sustainable energy future is one of the most pressing tasks of mankind. With the exhaustion of fossil resources the energy economy will change from a chemical to an electrical base. This transition is one of physics, not one of politics. It must be based on proven technology and existing engineering experience. The transition process will take many years and should start soon. Unfortu- nately, politics seems to listen to the advice of visionaries and lobby groups. Many of their qualitative arguments are not based on facts and physics. A secure sustainable energy future cannot be based on hype and activism, but has to be built on solid grounds of established science and engineering. In this paper the energy needs of a hydrogen economy are quantified. Only 20%-25% of the source energy needed to synthesized hydrogen from natural compounds can be recovered for end use by efficient fuel cells. Because of the high energy losses within a hydrogen economy the synthetic energy carrier cannot compete with electricity. As the fundamental laws of physics cannot be chanced by research, politics or investments, a hydrogen economy will never make sense.


The BLEU metric has been widely used in NLP for over 15 years to evaluate NLP systems, especially in machine translation and natural language generation. I present a structured review of the evidence on whether BLEU is a valid evaluation technique—in other words, whether BLEU scores correlate with real-world utility and user-satisfaction of NLP systems; this review covers 284 correlations reported in 34 papers. Overall, the evidence supports using BLEU for diagnostic evaluation of MT systems (which is what it was originally proposed for), but does not support using BLEU outside of MT, for evaluation of individual texts, or for scientific hypothesis testing.


Title of Thesis: DYNAMIC ADAPTIVE ROUTING IN MOBILE AD HOC NETWORKS Degree candidate: Harsh Mehta Degree and year: Master of Science, 2002 Thesis directed by: Professor John S. Baras Department of Electrical Engineering Mobile Ad Hoc Networks are infrastructure-less networks consisting of wireless, possibly mobile nodes which are organized in peer-to-peer and autonomous fashion. They are ideal for use in scenarios such as battlefield operations, disaster relief and emergency situations where fixed infrastructure is not available for communications and rapid deployment is important. This environment provides substantial challenges for routing. The highly dynamic topologies, limited bandwidth availability and energy constraints make the routing problem a challenging one. The Swarm Intelligence paradigm is derived from the study of group behavior in animals such as ants, bees and other insects and has been used to solve various hard optimization problems such as the travelling salesman problem and has recently been used in solving the routing problem in static computer networks with encouraging results. These algorithms have proved to be resilient and robust to topology changes. In this thesis we take a novel approach to the unicast routing problem in MANETs by using swarm intelligence-inspired algorithms. The proposed algorithm uses Ant-like agents to discover and maintain paths in a MANET with dynamic topology. We present simulation results that measure the performance of our algorithm with respect to the characteristics of a MANET, the varying parameters of the algorithm itself as well as performance comparison with other well-known MANET routing protocols. DYNAMIC ADAPTIVE ROUTING IN MOBILE AD HOC NETWORKS by Harsh Mehta Thesis submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Maryland, College Park in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science 2002 Advisory Committee: Professor John S. Baras, Chair Professor Virgil Gligor Doctor Mark Fleischer c © Copyright by Harsh Mehta 2002


Abstract There are different notions of computation, the most popular being monads, applicative functors, and arrows. In this article, we show that these three notions can be seen as instances of a unifying abstract concept: monoids in monoidal categories. We demonstrate that even when working at this high level of generality, one can obtain useful results. In particular, we give conditions under which one can obtain free monoids and Cayley representations at the level of monoidal categories, and we show that their concretisation results in useful constructions for monads, applicative functors, and arrows. Moreover, by taking advantage of the uniform presentation of the three notions of computation, we introduce a principled approach to the analysis of the relation between them.


Execution of customized Start/stop (SS) advancement in a medium vehicle is a fiscally canny way to deal with improves mileage and rot surges without influencing purchaser request. In urban degrees, where an unbelievable bit of the vehicle driving time is spent sitting at stop lights, the motor can be closed down so spare fuel. The motor is quickly and carefully restarted as the driver quickens it. This working strategy is a significant part of the time utilized as a bit of full small scale half breed electric vehicles that have fantastic power sparing potential. In this paper the framework is introduced in a Three-Wheeler where the regenerative braking and Stop-Start strategy of the Micro Hybrid structure is worked by Ultra-capacitor alongside Traditional battery. The power conveyance and investigation of vehicle is appeared in paper which was finished by MATLAB. An attainability investigation for Bangladesh is likewise led in this paper.


This study aimed to compare the efficiencies of multi-dimensional CAT versus uni-dimensional CAT based on the multi-dimensional graded response model and provide information about the optimal size of the item pool. Item selection and ability estimation methods based on multi-dimensional graded response models were developed and two studies, one based on simulated data, the other based on real data, were conducted. Five design factors were manipulated: correlation between dimensions, item pool size, test length, ability level, and number of estimated dimensions. A modest effect due to the correlation between dimensions on the outcome measures was observed, although the effect was found primarily for correlations of 0 versus 0.4. Based on a comparison of the correlation condition equal to zero with correlation conditions greater than zero, the multi-dimensional CAT was more efficient than the uni-dimensional CAT. As expected, ability level had an impact on the outcome measures. A multi-dimensional CAT provided more accurate estimates for those examinees with average true ability values than those with true ability values in the extreme range. The multi-dimensional CAT was over-estimated for examinees with negative true ability values and under-estimated for examinees with positive true ability values. This is consistent with Bayesian estimation methods which "shrink" estimates toward the mean of the prior distribution. As the number of estimated dimensions increased, more accurate estimates were achieved. This supports the idea that the ability of one dimension can be used to augment the information available to estimate ability in another dimension. Finally, larger item pools and longer tests yielded more accurate and reliable ability estimation, although greater difference in efficiency was realized when comparing shorter tests and smaller item pools.Information on the optimal item pool size was provided by plotting the outcome measures versus the item pool size. The plots indicated that, for short tests, the optimal item pool size was 20 items; for longer test, the optimal item pool size was 50 items. However, if item exposure control or content balancing were an issue, a larger item pool would be needed to achieve the same efficiency in ability estimates.


We tested the hypothesis that afterslip should be accompanied by tremor using observations of seismic and aseismic deformation surrounding the 2002 M  7.9 Denali fault, Alaska, earthquake (DFE). Afterslip happens more frequently than spontaneous slow slip and has been observed in a wider range of tectonic environments, and thus the existence or absence of tremor accompanying afterslip may provide new clues about tremor generation. We also searched for precursory tremor, as a proxy for posited accelerating slip leading to rupture. Our search yielded no tremor during the five days prior to the DFE or in several intervals in the three months after. This negative result and an array of other observations all may be explained by rupture penetrating below the presumed locked zone into the frictional transition zone. While not unique, such an explanation corroborates previous models of megathrust and transform earthquake ruptures that extend well into the transition zone.


The Recent Advances in Surgery series, edited once more by Irving Taylor and Colin Johnson, has now reached its 30th edition and will be familiar to many surgical trainees and consultants. In recent years, the series has been published annually and the book consists of sections dedicated to some of the subspecialities within general surgery; a section entitled 'Surgery in General', which pertains to topics relevant to all practitioners of surgery; and finally a chapter reviewing recent randomised clinical trials. This edition includes sections dedicated to breast, gastrointestinal and vascular surgery. Contributors include both surgical trainees and leading consultants in their respective fields, including a number from overseas and those in other specialties where their expertise relates to the topic under consideration.

The information in the individual chapters is presented in a concise and readable format, with useful summary boxes containing key points. Relevant photographs, imaging and other illustrations are presented, with colour plates included in the section on vascular surgery.

The 'Surgery in General' section contains a thought-provoking chapter on risk management and, among other things, examines how this issue is addressed in a more systematic way by anaesthetists and the airline industry. The chapter on the surgical significance of MRSA is topical but consists largely of personal opinion and lacks a firm evidence-base. We were disappointed with the emphasis given to the role of medical staff's clothing in the dissemination of MRSA while neglecting significance of high bed-occupancy rates prevalent in many NHS institutions.

Other chapters in this section discuss the emerging field of tissue engineering of blood vessels and newer procedures for day-case surgery. Further highlights include a useful review of the management of acute gallbladder disease and a review of the evidence for the surgical management of haemorrhoids. There is also a useful update on the multidisciplinary approach to the modern management of bleeding oesophageal varices, with contributions from a physician, surgeon and radiologist practising at the University of Cape Town.

The increasingly difficult task of staying up-to-date with new developments in the practice of general surgery is made easier to some degree by this series. We would recommend it to all basic and higher trainees within the increasingly superspecialised field of general surgery as well as consultants with an interest in the relevant sections of the book. In particular, this book is ideal for candidates preparing for final examinations prior to completion of training in general surgery. We hope the series continues in the future.


Atrial fibrillation is a common cardiac arrhythmia, and has been a significant financial burden. Class III antiarrhythmics such as dofetilide, ibutilide, and amiodarone are indicated for rhythm control. Magnesium may possess intrinsic antiarrhythmic properties, and may potentially increase the efficacy of class III antiarrhythmics when used concomitantly. Objective The purpose of this article is to review the literature on the efficacy of magnesium in addition to Class III antiarrhythmics, specifically amidarone, ibutilide, and dofetilide for the cardioversion of atrial fibrillation. Methods Databases Pubmed and CINAHL are utilized along with the search terms amiodarone, dofetilide, ibutlide, magnesium, atrial fibrillation, conversion, rhythm control, and cardioversion. Results One study on dofetilide and 5 studies on ibutilide were identified. No studies were found on amiodarone. Patients with atrial fibrillation who received dofetilide and magnesium had higher rates of successful cardioversion as compared to those who only received dofetilide. Conversion rates were similar between the 2 treatment groups for patients with atrial flutter. As for ibutilide, 4 studies have shown that the addition of magnesium significantly increases conversion rates for patients with atrial fibrillation or typical atrial flutter. Conversion rates were similar for patients with atypical atrial flutter. One study showed that addition of magnesium did not improve efficacy of ibutilide. Higher doses of magnesium (4 g) were associated with improved outcomes. Adverse effects of magnesium were mild and included flushing, tingling, and dizziness. Patients who received magnesium had shorter corrected QT intervals and smaller increase in corrected QT interval from baseline. Compare to previous studies, studies included in this review had higher conversion rates for dofetilide and ibutilide as well as dofetilide and magnesium or ibutilide and magnesium combination therapies. However, only 2 ibutilide studies and 1 dofetilide study reported baseline characteristics such as left atrial size, history of heart failure, and duration of atrial fibrillation, which are significant predictors of successful cardioversion. Therefore, differences in baseline demographics may have influenced the results. Conclusions Magnesium may be used as adjunct for dofetilide and ibutilide due to potential improved efficacy and minimal toxicity. Dose ranging studies should be conducted in the future to establish the optimal dose and duration of therapy as well as the optimal serum magnesium concentration in order for the clinician to manage and monitor patients appropriately.


The aluminium alloys are widely employed in the aeronautical, aerospace and automotive industries in the most important manufacturing processes. This is due to the fact they have a high resistance even at high temperatures as well as a low density. Nevertheless, these materials can commonly show problems associated with the heat generated during the machining process that reduces their machinability. For this reason, cutting fluids are still widely used. However, the growing social preoccupation towards environmental conservation has made it necessary to develop cleaner production technologies as dry machining, in which no cutting fluids are employed. This situation makes necessary to look for combinations of cutting parameters and types of tools that improve the machining in those extreme work. In this study, the UNS A97050-T7 and UNS A92024-T3 aluminium alloys were analyzed in terms of surface roughness and the morphology of chips obtained, using tools with TiN coating. It was found that the surface quality of the aluminium UNS A97050-T7 and UNS A92024-T3 bars improves with the descent of the feed and with the increase of the cutting speed, being the feed the cutting parameter more influential on the surface roughness. Thus the machining of the UNS A92024-T3 allows obtaining shorter chips than the UNS A97050-T7.


Primary biliary cirrhosis is characterized by the presence of autoantibodies to mitochondria with specific reactivity to proteins of 74 and 52 kilodaltons (kd). The 74-kd mitochondrial protein is the E2 component--dihydrolipoamide acetyltransferase--of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex, and the 52-kd protein is the equivalent E2 component--dihydrolipoamide acyltransferase--of the branched-chain alpha-keto acid dehydrogenase complex. Current methods for the detection of antibodies to these proteins lack specificity or sensitivity, or they are time-consuming and not readily available. We therefore developed an enzyme-linked immunoassay to quantify specific antimitochondrial antibodies in patients with primary biliary cirrhosis. Recombinant polypeptides coding for both the 74-kd and the 52-kd mitochondrial autoantigens were used to analyze 217 coded serum samples, including samples from 93 patients with primary biliary cirrhosis and 124 controls, for reactivity by our immunoassay, immunoblotting, and immunofluorescence testing. Serum samples from 89 of the 93 patients with primary biliary cirrhosis reacted with either the pyruvate dehydrogenase-E2 or the branched-chain alpha-keto acid dehydrogenase protein. None of the 124 control samples from healthy volunteers (n = 86) or patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis (n = 38) had significant reactivity. Our results indicate that the use of recombinant, cloned autoantigens provides a simple, accurate, and rapid method of quantifying and monitoring the levels of specific mitochondrial autoantibodies in the serum of patients with primary biliary cirrhosis.


Rationale: Canonical transient receptor potential 4 (TRPC4) contributes to the molecular composition of a channel encoding for a calcium selective store-operated current, ISOC, whereas Orai1 critically comprises a channel encoding for the highly selective calcium release activated calcium current, ICRAC. However, Orai1 may interact with TRPC proteins and influence their activation and permeation characteristics. Endothelium expresses both TRPC4 and Orai1, and it remains unclear as to whether Orai1 interacts with TRPC4 and contributes to calcium permeation through the TPRC4 channel. Objective: We tested the hypothesis that Orai1 interacts with TRPC4 and contributes to the channel's selective calcium permeation important for endothelial barrier function. Methods and Results: A novel method to purify the endogenous TRPC4 channel and probe for functional interactions was developed, using TRPC4 binding to protein 4.1 as bait. Isolated channel complexes were conjugated to anti-TRPC protein antibodies labeled with cy3-cy5 pairs. Förster Resonance Energy Transfer among labeled subunits revealed the endogenous protein alignment. One TRPC1 and at least 2 TRPC4 subunits constituted the endogenous channel (TRPC1/4). Orai1 interacted with TRPC4. Conditional Orai1 knockdown reduced the probability for TRPC1/4 channel activation and converted it from a calcium-selective to a nonselective channel, an effect that was rescued on Orai1 reexpression. Loss of Orai1 improved endothelial cell barrier function. Conclusion: Orai1 interacts with TRPC4 in the endogenous channel complex, where it controls TRPC1/4 activation and channel permeation characteristics, including calcium selectivity, important for control of endothelial cell barrier function.


In empirical social research, using questions with an agreement/disagreement scale, also known as agree/disagree (A/D) questions, is a very popular technique for measuring attitudes. Major national and international surveys, such as the American National Election Study (ANES), the Eurobarometer, and the International Social Survey Program (ISSP) make use of the A/D question format. Methodological considerations, however, suggest that such questions require effortful cognitive processing and are prone to response bias. Therefore, many survey scientists recommend the use of item-specific (IS) questions, which usually consist of an interrogative request for an answer and tailored response categories so that they seem to imply less response effort. In this thesis, I propose an explanatory approach to explain differences between the A/D and IS question format in terms of response effort and response quality. Furthermore, I provide supporting evidence for this approach from five experimental studies employing different methods and techniques, such as eye tracking. The overall results indicate that IS questions are associated with higher response effort, but they are more robust against response bias, such as scale direction effects, and, thus, produce better response quality. All in all, the findings suggest substantial differences between the presumed cognitive complexity of question formats and the response effort expended in responding.


Introduction HIVST is a new approach for individuals to test themselves for HIV in a location and at a time of their choosing using a rapid diagnostic test. This approach has the potential to increase testing uptake and frequency. Questions remain about where and how to situate HIVST in a landscape of diverse HIV testing provision. This study aims to understand the perspectives of key informants on the implementation of HIVST. Methods In order to inform development an intervention for use in a trial recruiting men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender people, we conducted in-depth interviews with 17 key informants (KIs) including clinical staff in HIV and STI services, voluntary sector service providers and HIV testing commissioners. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed using a thematic framework analysis. Results KIs valued HIVST for providing patients with additional choice. Careful attention to intervention design was important as local context and client group shaped anticipated patient response to HIVST. Interventions should deliver HIVST through integrated approaches that provide direct pathways into additional testing services and HIV care. Anticipated impacts were a loss of support from face-to-face testing services, the possibility of increased risk of self-harm, reduced STI detection, but conversely HIVST also increased potential for empowerment. Discussion HIVST interventions should be responsive to context, taking into account both local and national needs. Concerns centred on potential negative impacts indicating that innovative service delivery designs which address these may be key to KI buy-in for HIVST implementation and patient outcomes.


Summary Rock samples from five separate profiles, totalling 2.3 km, in the E Greenland lower Tertiary plateau basalts exhibit well-defined magnetic vectors and stability to both alternating magnetic fields and thermal demagnetization. Stability is confirmed by baked-contact evidence and the preservation of a secular variation record. The remanences are all of reversed polarity and the age relationships suggest that these were acquired during chron C24R, immediately prior to the formation of oceanic magnetic anomaly 24. Radiometric age determinations from the N Atlantic Igneous Province suggest that the plateau basalts of E Greenland may be of similar age to those of the Faeroes, but differ in age from those of the British Tertiary Igneous Province. Palaeomagnetic pole positions for each province suggest an age similarity between the Faeroes and British plateau basalts, while their age relationship to the E Greenland basalts is not clear. The pole positions generally confirm the published continental reconstructions for this period. The simplest polarity solution is for the magnetization of the British and Faeroes basalts to be predominantly associated with chrons C24R and C26R, with only chron C24R being represented in E Greenland. However, this model is dependent on the radiometric constraints on the Palaeocene/Eocene boundary.


OBJECTIVE
To determine whether ingestion of fescue seed infected with the endophyte Neotyphodium coenophialum would alter thyroid function in adult horses.

DESIGN
Original study.

ANIMALS
4 adult mares that were not pregnant and 6 adult geldings.

PROCEDURE
Thyrotropin releasing hormone stimulation tests were performed while horses received a standard diet and after infected seed (2.3 kg/d [5 lb/d]) had been fed for 1 and 2 months. Serum prolactin concentrations were measured to verify endophyte absorption.

RESULTS
Serum prolactin concentrations indicated that at least 8 of 10 horses absorbed the endophyte. Baseline concentrations of thyroid stimulating hormone, total and free triiodothyronine, and total and free thyroxine and the change in hormone concentrations in response to administration of thyrotropin releasing hormone (1 mg, i.v.) were not altered by ingestion of endophyte-infected fescue seed.

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE
Results suggest that ingestion of fescue seed infected with the endophytic fungus N. coenophialum for 2 months has little effect on thyroid function in adult horses that are not pregnant.


Standing stem residues affect erosion, hydrology, and other processes differently than flat residues, but stem persistence under no-tillage management is not well understood. We developed an equation to predict standing stem number over time, based on precipitation and air temperature. Crops were field-grown winter and spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), and oat (Avena sativa L.) grown near Bushland, TX, on Pullman clay loam fine, mixed, thermic Torrertic Paleustoll). Fallow-period irrigation treatments produced three decomposition environments. Standing stems were counted in flagged quadrats 18, 98, 158, 223, 289, and 379 d after harvest. The daily minimum of precipitation-based moisture or mean air temperature coefficients was accumulated as decomposition days (DD). Standing stem fraction (SF) was predicted assuming SF = exp [k(DD - B)]. The threshold, B, was approximately 17.5 DD for all crops, and k was -0.284, -0.176, -0.169, and -0.116 for oat, barley, and inter and spring wheat, respectively. Equation evaluation used data from North Dakota, Oregon, and Texas. Stem number prediction tended to be high before the B threshold and low later. Paired t-tests indicated no significant difference between predicted and measured stem fraction of spring wheat or barley. Stem fraction was overestimated by 0.09 for winter wheat averaged across Oregon and Texas data. Use of DDs improved prediction of standing stem persistence across diverse climates. Such information is needed for a wide range of erosion, water balance, and micrometeorological studies. A quantitative index for forces such as strong winds, animal traffic, or blowing precipitation may improve the model.


Abstract
Depending on whether one premises academic literature, press reports, or vernacular folklore, the origin stories of microcelebrity cultures can differ greatly. As academics, we are often inclined to deem as canon and factual the descriptions detailed in refereed academic publications, viewing them as scientific truths that take precedence over other forms of written records such as traditional press or popular media reports. But what happens if the origin stories of cultural phenomena are not logged in these traditionally privileged outlets that are often in the English language, and in a vocabulary not usually accessible to the general populace? What happens if the origin stories of cultural happenings remain within the domains of material or oral folklore without ever being logged as transmittable text? How do researchers go about reading theory, applying concepts, and interpreting their data while maintaining the critical lens of cultural relativism? In this chapter I contemplate the origin stories of my research on microcelebrity cultures between 2009 and 2018 both thematically and conceptually, by biographically recounting my methodological and theoretical trajectories in studying internet celebrities. As an act of radical transparency in displaying some of my most intimate fieldnotes – such as how I came upon particular schools of thought and theories – and as a reflexive mode of transcribing from material and oral culture the earliest beginnings of microcelebrity culture in Singapore as a participant observer, I hope this methodological biography will contribute toward rethinking the politics of our knowledge production as researchers.


We investigated the preventive effect of an orally active chymase inhibitor, NK3201 (2-(5-formylamino-6-oxo-2-phenyl-1,6-dihydropyrimidine-1-yl)-N-[[3,4-dioxo-1-phenyl-7-(2-pyridyloxy)]-2heptyl]acetamide), on the adhesion formation in a hamster experimental model. Hamsters were administered orally once daily with 30 mg/kg of NK3201 or placebo from 3 days before uterus scraping to 7 days after it. A significant increase of chymase activity in the injured uterus was reduced by treatment with NK3201. The score of adhesion formations in the chymase inhibitor-treated group was significantly decreased in comparison with that in the placebo-treated group (P < 0.01). Oral administration of NK3201 may be a useful drug for prevention of peritoneal adhesion formation.


The authors proposes an innovative technology "Molten Salt Redox Combustion Energy System", that includes the flameless combustion in molten salt. This system generates a high temperature without dis-charging pollutants coming from combustion of fuels. At the same time, it is possible to recover the pure carbon dioxide.This system characterized by coupling two redox reactions occurring at different places, separately. At one place, the oxidation of the redox couple by air proceeds, while at the other, the reduction reaction with fuels does.This system is ready for giving the following advantages.·Pure carbon dioxide from the combustion of fuels can be recovered.·Thermal NOx is not generated, because of relatively low temperature reactions.·Sulfur, nitrogen and chlorine compounds in fuels are caught in molten salt as sulfates, nitrates and chlorides of alkali metals.·The mix fuels of a variety of compositions can be applied.·A few kinds of oxidation-reduction couples can provide the chemical heat pump effect.As the first step of developing this combustion system, the authors describe the theoretical concept and discusses it feasibility based on the chemical thermodynamics. The promising redox couples were found successfully.


The Band Collocation Problem appears in the context of problems for optimizing telecommunication networks with the aim of solving some concerns related to the original Bandpass Problem and to present a more realistic approximation to be solved. This problem is interesting to optimize the cost of networks with several devices connected, such as networks with several embedded systems transmitting information among them. Despite the real-world applications of this problem, it has been mostly ignored from a heuristic point of view, with the Simulated Annealing algorithm being the best method found in the literature. In this work, three Variable Neighborhood Search (VNS) variants are presented, as well as three neighborhood structures and a novel optimization based on Least Recently Used cache, which allows the algorithm to perform an efficient evaluation of the objective function. The extensive experimental results section shows the superiority of the proposal with respect to the best previous method found in the state-of-the-art, emerging VNS as the most competitive method to deal with the Band Collocation Problem.


Composite coatings can demonstrate improved property performance as compared to metals and alloy materials. One category of composite coatings is composed of metal or metal alloys with a dispersed phase of nonmetallic nanoparticles. The addition of these nanoparticles has been found to improve corrosion, wear resistance, and hardness. Producing metal composite coatings using electrochemical techniques can be advantageous due to reduced production cost, lower working temperatures, and precise control of experimental parameters. Metal coatings such as zinc have been successfully co-deposited with TiO 2 , SiO 2 , CeO 2 and mica particles and nickel has been co-deposited with a number of materials including TiO 2 , SiC, Al 2 O 3 , PTFE and silicates. Zinc-nickel alloys have long been studied for a number of properties, most notably corrosion resistance and recently their tribological properties. This chapter reviews the literature on electrodeposition of ZnNi nanocomposite coatings. Although there has been much work done on composite coatings, there is much less literature available on composite coatings with zinc-nickel alloys. So in this review, we look at the general trends for nanoparticle incorporation, deposition mechanisms, system stability, microstructures of the coatings and general corrosion trends.


MaturaseK (matK) gene of chloroplast DNA has been served as appropriate candidate to be a DNA barcode in angiosperms. Using this DNA marker, 19 species of genus Mangifera, one of ecologically important crop, collected from Indonesia and Thailand were analyzed. Phylogenetic analysis using parsimony method revealed that the gene could clasify Mangifera into three major groups, namely group I, II, and III. Moreover, the matK barcode can identify Mangifera species that is originated from Thailand. Although this classification system is different with the previous system, it can provide a new information about Mangifera taxonomy. Results further exhibited that DNA sequences of the matK of two Mangifera species (M. laurina dan M. macrocarpa) are different between Indonesia and Thailand specimens.


Myiasis is the infestation of live vertebrates by dipterous larvae. Cutaneous myiasis is the most common form, although many organs can be infected by these larvae. Cutaneous myiasis is divided into 3 forms: localized furuncular, migratory, and wound myiasis, which have a worldwide distribution, but tropical and subtropical countries have a heavier burden of the disease. Herein, we report a case of scalp wound myiasis in a patient with pemphigus vulgaris caused by Muscidae domestica (M. domestica) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Cases of M. domestica myiasis are limited in the literature. We would like to raise awareness regarding the possibility of cutaneous myiasis in M. domestica in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.


Abstract Fluids buffered by a plagioclase matrix are experimentally reacted with olivine megacrysts at 800 °C and 800 MPa (piston-cylinder press, CaF2 assembly) to form secondary veins of orthopyroxene ± clinopyroxene in the olivine. Fluids utilized were varied in both amount (0–2 wt%) and salinity (0–8 M NaCl). Assuming equilibrium with the plagioclase matrix, they are presumed enriched in Si, Al, Ca, Na, and Cl and are thereby similar in composition to slab-derived fluids. The experiments provide controlled, multi-component analogs of Si-metasomatism in the mantle wedge above subduction zones. The veins are dominated by orthopyroxene with minor clinopyroxene and form complex interconnected networks along fractures in the olivine. The reaction is rate limited by interfacial process of dissolution and precipitation. Porosity is developed throughout the veins and along sub-grain boundaries in the olivine megacrysts. These veins strongly resemble the textures observed in secondary metasomatic orthopyroxene veins widely reported in upper mantle xenoliths within arc magmas. A review of literature data on natural samples and experiments suggests that orthopyroxene ± clinopyroxene veins primarily form between 750–950 °C and over a large pressure range from 0.8–3.4 GPa. The abundance and composition of these metasomatic veins may vary as a function of pressure, variances in the fluid-rock partition coefficients, and/or by modification of the metasomatic fluid during the reaction.


This paper will examine the network neutrality debate with an eye toward assessing how the Internet will evolve as a major platform for content access and distribution. The paper accepts as necessary and proper many types of price and quality of service discrimination, but also identifies other types of potentially hidden and harmful discrimination. The paper concludes with an identification of best practices in "good" discrimination that should satisfy most network neutrality goals without creating disincentives that might dissuade ISPs from building the infrastructure needed distribution of high bandwidth consuming content such as full motion video.


Autism is a developmental disorder characterized by atypical social interactions and repetitive behaviors/restricted interests[1]. It is found that children with autism also experience delayed or impaired motor skills development [2]. It would be advantageous to develop methods that precisely evaluate these motor skills impairments. The use of robots for evaluating upper limb motor competency have been looked at in the stroke literature [3]. We would like to leverage robotic tools for motor skills assessment but with focus for children with autism spectrum disorder. Robotic methodologies provide a unique way of testing upper limb motor skills. For instance, if a person holds on to the end of a robot arm and moves the robot arm in space, the robot can apply forces and prevent or assist the person with these motions. In this fashion, the robot can apply perturbations in a repeatable and precise manner with high fidelity. Since individuals with autism have anxieties interacting with other individuals[4], using an impersonal robot would alleviate the anxiety of social interactions. These individuals learn motor skills best with consistent repetition and strong reinforcement, qualities that robots provide. Therefore, a robot based evaluation strategy and therapy paradigm for children with Autism would be beneficial for the community. 2 Methods


Cooperation invites cheating, and nowhere is this more apparent than when different species cooperate, known as mutualism. In almost all mutualisms studied, specialist parasites have been identified that purloin the benefits that one mutualist provides another. Explaining how parasites are kept from driving mutualisms extinct remains an unsolved problem because existing theories explaining the maintenance of cooperation do not apply to parasites of mutualisms. Nonetheless, these theories can be summarized in such a way as to suggest how mutualisms can persist in the face of parasites. (1) For cooperation to occur, the recipient of a benefit must reciprocate, and the recriprocated benefit must be captured by the initial giver or its offspring. (2) For cooperation to persist, the mutualism must be re-assembled each generation. Because most mutualisms are of the «by-product» type, broadly defined, the first condition is normally always fulfilled. Thus, the maintenance of mutualism usually requires enforcement of the second condition: reliable re-assembly. Hence, I argue that the persistence of mutualism is best understood by using theories of species coexistence, because each mutualist can be considered a resource for the other, and species coexistence theory explains how multiple taxa (e.g. parasites and mutualists) can stably partition a resource over multiple generations. This approach connects the study of mutualism to theories of population regulation and helps to identify key factors that have promoted the evolution, maintenance and breakdown of mutualism. I discuss how these ideas might apply to and be tested in ant-plant, fig-wasp and yucca-moth mutualisms.


A novel method is presented for 3-D nonlinear transient eddy current and field computations, utilizing the state-space approach for handling the time variation. A nonlinear magnetic circuit example was successfully implemented. The results of the proposed method are compared with those of the Crank-Nicholson technique and measured data. These comparisons reveal excellent agreement, and the proposed method outperforms the Crank-Nicholson technique in CPU time, calculating the results in less than 25% of the time required by the Crank-Nicholson method. Formulation details, numerical results, and the various comparisons are given. >


We demonstrate how a recently developed model selection procedure can be used to choose among competing stochastic frontier models where inefficiency depends on firm characteristics. We provide evidence on the power of this procedure. Moreover, we examine the effects of model choice on estimation results. We find that different models can lead to rather different magnitudes of the partial effects of the exogenous factors. However, because the model selection procedure gives an unambiguous choice of best model, and because bootstrapping indicates that the procedure is reliable, we conclude that it does not matter whether other models give different results.


It is an honour to have been asked to follow in the footsteps of Professor Russell (1) and deliver the FRAME Annual Lecture. In doing so, I am not speaking in any official capacity. I am speaking as myself: someone who has had a 30-year association with medicine and the biological sciences, who has had more time and reason than most to reflect upon the changes that have taken place during that period, and to think about how things may develop in the future. The views expressed tonight are based upon, and represent, my personal experience, expectations and aspirations.


Abstract Affect and cognition have both been associated with communication across one's social network during ageing. Thus, it is important to consider how communication varies by different aspects of one's social network, and by communication mode, including phone, email and social media. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between technology-mediated communication, depression and an executive function-related fluid-reasoning measure among older adults. Data were drawn from the Health and Retirement dataset's 2016 wave. Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to examine the link between communication modes (phone, email and social media) with children, family and friends with a fluid-reasoning cognition measure and Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, controlling for demographic covariates, among 3,798 older American adults. Phone and email communication, but not social media, were significantly related to depression and cognition. The model fit was considerably stronger for the analyses with cognition than depression. Curvilinear associations were found for communication via phone and email with cognition, suggesting moderate amounts of communication by phone and email across social groups were most closely linked with higher scores on fluid reasoning. For depression, curvilinear relationships were found for talking on the phone with family and friends, and emailing for children and family, indicating that moderate communication levels revealed the lowest depression levels. Implications for how older adults' social support may contribute to depression and cognition status are discussed.


Social networks in any form, specifically online social networks (OSNs), are becoming a part of our everyday life in this new millennium especially with the advanced and simple communication technologies through easily accessible devices such as smartphones and tablets. The data generated through the use of these technologies need to be analyzed for forensic purposes when criminal and terrorist activities are involved. In order to deal with the forensic implications of social networks, current research on both digital forensics and social networks need to be incorporated and understood. This will help digital forensics investigators to predict, detect and even prevent any criminal activities in different forms. It will also help researchers to develop new models/techniques in the future. This paper provides literature review of the social network forensics methods, models, and techniques in order to provide an overview to the researchers for their future works as well as the law enforcement investigators for their investigations when crimes are committed in the cyber space. It also provides awareness and defense methods for OSN users in order to protect them against to social attacks.


INTERVERTEBRAL DISK DISEASE: NEW SYNDROMES AND NEW CONCEPTS. under the lumbar and lower thoracic spine, betweenpatient and mattress,and training three nursesto hold the patient during the convulsion as follows. One with a hand on each of the patient'sthighs to opposeraising of the kneesduring the initial flexor spasm(and therebypreventforward flexion of the spine) and one on either side of the patient'strunk, each with one hand on a shoulderto prevent it rising from the bed, and the other holding a wrist, so that the patient's arm is adductedat the shoulderand flexed at the elbow, A fourth nurse, of course, adjusts the electrodes,inserts the mouth gag and controlsthe jaw. Sometimes,owing to retrograde amnesia,a patient will not rememberthe preliminary taking up of positions; and when he does, there Is nothing very alarming to recall about the routine. When only two limb-controlling nursesare available, each can stand on one foot and use the other knee to control the patient's thigh nearer to her, while controlling an arm with her hands. Experienced nurses can control and vary the pressure used during the convulsion in a mannerwhch could not be obtained with restraining devices,


This study examines the electrophysiological and metabolic changes that occur in rabbit hearts during hypothermic storage in vitro. Hearts were microperfused at 4 degrees C for 6 or 24 h with either normal Krebs-Henseleit buffer (KHB) or KHB containing 2,3-butanedione monoxime (BDM). After hypothermic storage, hearts were rewarmed to 37 degrees C with KHB. Cardiac function was then assessed in Langendorff perfusion mode. Electrophysiological changes were also assessed from the ventricular paced-evoked responses. After storage, mitochondria were isolated from the hearts and their respiratory control ratio, rate of ATP synthesis and outer membrane intactness were assessed. Compared with values from fresh non-stored hearts, hearts stored hypothermically for 24 h showed significant decreases in both left ventricular developed pressure and coronary flow when reperfused in Langendorff mode. On the other hand, the decrease in left ventricular developed pressure in hearts that were stored for only 6 h (with or without BDM) was not significant. Compared with values obtained from fresh non-stored hearts, hypothermic storage significantly decreased the R-wave amplitude, and both the R-E and ST-E intervals of paced-evoked responses. This was true for hearts microperfused for 6 h (with or without BDM) and for hearts microperfused with buffer containing BDM for 24 h. The ST-R intervals in hearts microperfused hypothermically for 6 h were prolonged, but this change was not statistically significant compared with those obtained from unstored hearts. In hearts microperfused with KHB containing BDM for 24 h, the ST-R interval was significantly prolonged. Hypothermic microperfusion for 24 h significantly decreased both the mitochondrial coupling ratio and the rate of ATP synthesis. In hearts microperfused with BDM for 6 h, mitochondrial coupling ratios and the rate of ATP synthesis were not significantly different from those in fresh hearts. In conclusion, the present study has shown that long-term hypothermic storage significantly impaired both paced-evoked responses and mitochondrial function. Inclusion of BDM in the perfusion buffer during storage significantly ameliorated some of these changes.


Asbestos consists of natural mineral fibers crystallized in a specific way with specific properties including flexibility, high tensile strength, resistance to heat and chemical degradation. The term asbestos refers to one fibrous serpentine, and five asbestiform varieties of amphiboles [1][2]. Asbestos is considered a Category 1 human carcinogen (e.g. [1][3][4][5][6]), as inhalation of asbestos fibers causes respiratory diseases, in particular asbestosis, lung cancers and malignant mesothelioma. Due to the pathogenicity of asbestos fibers, their use has been banned in most countries around the world. The classification as "asbestos" comprises three main characteristics: sub-micrometric fibrous morphology (so-called asbestiform), chemistry and crystallography (i.e. mineralogy). The ban applies to natural materials, which are quarried and used for public works projects. Compliance with existing rules requires accurate diagnosis of the asbestos or non-asbestos nature of the materials likely to be exploited in a quarry or involved in the opening of a construction site. Conventional methods for asbestos diagnosis, mainly based on the use of TEM, are hard to apply to massive materials as the sample preparation protocol is complex, it is likely to release artifacts like cleavage fragments, or sample-piece thinning is costly and hard to achieve and thus not applicable in routine analysis. The use of a LV-FE-SEM-EDS (Low vacuum field emission gun scannning electron microscope equiped with energy dispersive spectroscopy) coupled to confocal Raman-in-SEM imaging (RISE) is a new and efficient method for identifying the mineral nature of sub-micrometer fibers or fibrous bundles. SEM coupled to EDS provides a qualitative or semi-quantitative composition of the fiber. The crystal structure is determined by confocal Raman spectroscopy (with lateral resolution down to 360 nm [7]). Thus the combination of these two kinds of information allows for accurate identification of both the nature and the morphology of the mineral. The combination of SEM, EDS and confocal Raman imaging in a unique analytical system (RISE) allows precise location of the same area / fiber and identification of its mineral nature. In addition, RISE allows the acquisition of 3D data, which is able to provide morphological information of the mineral distribution in the sample volume and leading to the determination of the aspect ratio, a critical parameter for asbestos (i.e. asbestiform or non-asbestiform). Moreover, this combination of techniques is not destructive. The coupling of SEM-EDS with RISE is a powerful analytical system that simplifies and reinforces existing analytical procedures. For highest resolution studies of fibers in the sample volume (3 D imaging), the RISE can be connected to a FIB-SEM [7]. Although FIB volume reconstruction is a destructive method, the resolution of the voxel can be extended to below 100 nm [8]-a resolution sufficient for visualizing even the thinnest fibers. Furthermore, Raman 3D view is an efficient tool for sampling TEM slices using the FIB.


We describe a convenient approach for measuring the velocity vSAW of surface acoustic waves (SAWs) of the near-surface layer of a material through optical pump-probe measurements. The method has a lateral spatial resolution of <10 μm and is sensitive to the elastic constants of the material within ≈300 nm of the surface. SAWs with a wavelength of 700 nm and 500 nm are generated and detected using an elastomeric polydimethylsiloxane phase-shift mask which is fabricated using a commercially available Si grating as a mold. Time-domain electromagnetics calculations show, in agreement with experiment, that the efficiency of the phase-shift mask for generating and detecting SAWs decreases rapidly as the periodicity of the mask decreases below the optical wavelength. We validate the experimental approach using bulk and thin film samples with known elastic constants.


Recombinant DNA technology has been widely used for the production of proteins in recent years. In this paper, we describe the expression and the purification of two specific peptides corresponding to parts of the human immunodeficiency virus Rev protein. The strategy of this method relies on the chemical synthesis of a pair of two complementary oligodeoxynucleotides corresponding to the coding region of the peptide of interest and the subsequent cloning into a prokaryotic expression vector. Transformation of Escherichia coli with these synthetic gene constructs yielded high production levels of recombinant protein in the bacteria. The recombinant protein was composed of two moieties, one corresponding to an "affinity handle" and the second corresponding to the peptide. Chemical cleavage of the fused protein followed by a combination of affinity chromatography and rp-HPLC led to rapid and convenient peptide purification. Peptide fused to the affinity handle as well as cleaved peptide were fully characterized by N-terminal microsequencing and mass spectrometry. The data presented demonstrate that although the major recombinant products had the expected amino acid composition, we detected unexpected processing such as alternative cleavage within the signal peptide, modified cysteines, and deamidations. These results emphasize the importance of the complete characterization of recombinant products by efficient analytical tools such as N-terminal microsequencing and mass spectrometry.


BACKGROUND
Smoking during pregnancy can have many serious consequences. As the usual providers of pregnancy care in the Netherlands, midwives could serve as effective counsellors to pregnant women about cigarette smoking. The aim of the present study was to identify relevant factors that hamper or promote the provision of effective smoking cessation advice and counselling.

METHODS
Questionnaires were mailed to midwives; 237 (64.4%) were returned. Questions were asked about advantages and disadvantages of giving smoking cessation advice, perceived health benefits for mother and child, smoking behaviour and normative beliefs of colleagues, self-efficacy and role definition of midwives with regard to giving smoking cessation advice.

RESULTS
Midwives who have a more positive role definition regarding giving smoking cessation advice are more convinced of the advantages of giving advice, the advantages of quitting for their clients and perceive more support from their colleagues with regard to giving advice.

CONCLUSION
In general, midwives were motivated to provide their clients with smoking cessation advice. They were less comfortable with guiding women through the cessation process. Therefore, effective materials and training should be developed to facilitate and stimulate midwives in their role as effective counsellors.


The AvrPto protein from Pseudomonas syringae pv tomato is delivered into plant cells by the bacterial type III secretion system, where it either promotes host susceptibility or, in tomato plants expressing the Pto kinase, elicits disease resistance. Using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, we obtained evidence that AvrPto is phosphorylated when expressed in plant leaves. In vitro phosphorylation of AvrPto by plant extracts occurs independently of Pto and is due to a kinase activity that is conserved in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum), and Arabidopsis thaliana. Three Ser residues clustered in the C-terminal 18 amino acids of AvrPto were identified in vitro as putative phosphorylation sites, and one site at S149 was directly confirmed as an in vivo phosphorylation site by mass spectrometry. Substitution of Ala for S149 significantly decreased the ability of AvrPto to enhance disease symptoms and promote growth of P. s. tomato in susceptible tomato leaves. In addition, S149A significantly decreased the avirulence activity of AvrPto in resistant tomato plants. Our observations support a model in which AvrPto has evolved to mimic a substrate of a highly conserved plant kinase to enhance its virulence activity. Furthermore, residues of AvrPto that promote virulence are also monitored by plant defenses.


Array-based comparative genomic hybridization (ABCGH) is an emerging high-resolution and high-throughput molecular genetic technique that allows genome-wide screening for chromosome alterations associated with tumorigenesis. Like the cDNA microarrays, ABCGH uses two differentially labeled test and reference DNAs which are cohybridized to cloned genomic fragments immobilized on glass slides. The hybridized DNAs are then detected in two different fluorochromes, and the significant deviation from unity in the ratios of the digitized intensity values is indicative of copy-number differences between the test and reference genomes. Proper statistical analyses need to account for many sources of variation besides genuine differences between the two genomes. In particular, spatial correlations, the variable nature of the ratio variance and non-Normal distribution call for careful statistical modeling. We propose two new statistics, the standard t-statistic and its modification with variances smoothed along the genome, and two tests for each statistic, the standard t-test and a test based on the hybrid adaptive spline (HAS). Simulations indicate that the smoothed t-statistic always improves the performance over the standard t-statistic. The t-tests are more powerful in detecting isolated alterations while those based on HAS are more powerful in detecting a cluster of alterations. We apply the proposed methods to the identification of genomic alterations in endometrium in women with endometriosis.


The internet provides new channels for citizen voices, expression of minority viewpoints, and political mobilisation. In Egypt, Russia, Syria and China, blogs, online forums, Facebook and Twitter already provide citizens with a new form of public sphere and alternative source of news and information, which are seen as a new platform for exchanging news.This research paper is drawing data from blogging sites and printed media which reported on the worst civic conflict in the post-soviet history of Kazakhstan. During the celebration of the 20th anniversary of Kazakhstan's independence, oil workers in the town of Zhanaozen clashed with the state police. This sparked an increased online activity of Kazakh bloggers and political activists. As a result of this engagement, the Kazakh officials took the county's top bloggers to the town itself in the hope of getting some positive feedback online. Consequently, many of them backed the government's assertions. This example signified both the importance of the active online Kazakh community and the government's realisation of the importance of online engagement with its citizens.What can we learn from the Zhanaozen case about the role of online social media in political transformation in Kazakhstan? What is the role of the Kazakh government in controlling the political dissent using the cyberspace? This research will contribute to a better understanding of the current political processes in Kazakhstan, and will demonstrate the relation between the increased use of online social media and the political activism in Kazakhstan.,


Rivers in tropical Australia are largely pristine, and ecosystem connectivity is intact, but water resources in northern Australia are under increasing development pressure. A better understanding of the role and life histories of key migratory species is urgently needed to manage the risks posed by development. We investigated the life history of Macrobrachium spinipes (Schenkel, 1902) in the Daly River of the Northern Territory, Australia. We carried out a 13-mo trapping program (2011–2012) at 7 sites along the river between 92 and 405 km from the estuary. We provide the first detailed account of spatial and temporal changes in relative abundance and reproduction, and present information on length at first maturity and Fulton's body condition factor. Reproduction was strongly seasonal and was restricted to the wet-season months of November to April, followed by a recruitment pulse 3 to 4 mo later during the early dry season. Length at first maturity declined as the reproductive season progressed but did not vary significantly with distance from the estuary. Condition was temporally variable and peaked for both sexes immediately after the wet season before declining throughout the dry season. Relative abundance patterns followed a similar pattern. Contrary to results for other Macrobrachium species in rivers of comparable length, we found an increase in the relative abundance of females throughout the river's length during the reproductive season and reproductive effort occurring far upstream, over a restricted time period. This result highlights the importance of maintaining connectivity for reproductive success of this species and further recruitment into these upstream reaches.


: Typhlodromus longilaterus is a generalist phytoseiid mite described by Athias-Henriot in 1957 and commonly found in Israel on spontaneous herbaceous plants. As very little is known about this species, the present study reports preliminary results on the predation capacity of phytoseiid females on eggs and juveniles of two tetranychid mites very common in the Mediterranean area, Tetranychus urticae and Panonychus citri . After 24 hours the phytoseiid females preyed on 15% of offered eggs of both tetranychids, while the prey ratio was higher on T. urticae eggs after this period (33.4% and 33.5% vs 20.8% and 16.2% after 2 and 3 days for T. urticae and P. citri respectively). The phytoseiid showed its preference also for nymphs of T. urticae preying on 44-50% of nymphs offered, while the predation range was lower on nymphs of P. citri (from 30.3 to 36.3%).


Previous studies have shown that gut‐derived bacterial endotoxins contribute in the progression of simple steatosis to steatohepatitis, although the mechanism(s) remains inaccurate to date. As hepatic stellate cells (HSC) play a pivotal role in the accumulation of excessive extracellular matrix (ECM), leading to collagen deposition, fibrosis, and perpetuation of inflammatory response, an in vitro model was developed to investigate the crosstalk between HSC and hepatocytes (human hepatoma cell) pretreated with palmitate. Bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulated HSC with phosphorylation of the p38 mitogen‐activated protein kinase/NF‐κB pathway, while several important pro‐inflammatory cytokines were upregulated in the presence of hepatocyte–HSC. Concurrently, fibrosis‐related genes were regulated by palmitate and the inflammatory effect of endotoxin where cells were more exposed or sensitive to reactive oxygen species (ROS). This interaction was accompanied by increased expression of the mitochondrial master regulator, proliferator‐activated receptor gamma coactivator alpha, and a cytoprotective effect of the agent N‐acetylcysteine suppressing ROS production, transforming growth factor‐β1, and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase‐1. In summary, our results demonstrate that pro‐inflammatory mediators LPS‐induced promote ECM rearrangement in hepatic cells transcriptionally committed to the regulation of genes encoding enzymes for fatty acid metabolism in light of differences that might require an alternative therapeutic approach targeting ROS regulation.


An essential objective in low-dose Computed Tomography (CT) imaging is how best to preserve the image quality. While the image quality lowers with reducing the X-ray dosage, improving the quality is crucial. Therefore, a novel method to denoise low-dose CT images has been presented in this thesis. Different from the traditional algorithms which utilize similar shared features of CT images in the spatial domain, the deep learning approaches are suggested for low-dose CT denoising. The proposed algorithm learns an end-to-end mapping from the low-dose CT images for denoising the low-dose CT images. The first method is based on a fully convolutional neural network. The second approach is a deep convolutional neural network architecture consisting of five major sections. The results of two frameworks are compared with the state-of-the-art methods. Several metrics for assessing image quality are applied in this thesis in order to highlight the supremacy of the performed method.


AbstractThe study investigated the impact of emotional intelligence on academic achievement of senior secondary school students in Lagos, Nigeria. The purpose of the study was to examine the relationship between emotional intelligence and academic achievement among senior secondary school students. A sample of 156 participants randomly selected from three senior secondary schools was used. The schools were randomly assigned to the two treatment conditions (emotional intelligence training techniques) and control group. Questionnaire and achievement test were employed to generate data for the study. Two research hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. The hypotheses were tested using descriptive statistical method, analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) and Pearson product moment correlation coefficient statistics. The study revealed that there is a positive relationship between emotional intelligence skills and academic achievement such that developing emotional intelligence skills of a student will lead to the enhancement of his/her academic achievement. Thus, there is the need to inculcate the development of emotional intelligence skills into the school curriculum. This is considered important because of its impact in improving the academic achievement of students. The findings of this study may assist stakeholders in the education sector in developing a better understanding of the effects of emotional intelligence on the academic achievement of senior secondary school students.Keywords: emotional intelligence, academic achievement, interpersonal skills, leadership skills, self-management skills and intrapersonal skills.INTRODUCTIONThe trend in the academic achievement of secondary school students in Nigeria in the last two decades has become a major source of concern to all stakeholders in the education sector. This is so because of the great importance that education has on the national development of the country. There is a consensus of opinion about the fallen standard of education in Nigeria (Adebule, 2004). Parents and government are in agreement that their huge investment on education is not yielding the desired dividend (Adegbite, 2005). There is mass decline in the achievement of students in both National Examination Council (NECO) and the West Africa Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (WASSCE),( Dawa, Adamu and Olayomi ,2005). The annual releases of Senior Secondary Certificate Examination results (SSCE) conducted by West African Examination Council (WAEC) depicts the problematic nature and generalization of poor secondary school students' achievement in different school subjects especially mathematics and English language among secondary school students (Adesemowo, 2005).Poor academic achievement is an achievement that is adjudged by the examiner as falling below an expected standard. Academic failure is not only frustrating to the students and the parents, its effects are equally grave on the society in terms of dearth of manpower in all spheres of the economy and polity (Aremu, 2000). Morakinyo (2003) agrees that the falling level of academic achievement is attributable to teacher's non-use of verbal reinforcement strategy. Adegbite (2005) found out that the attitude of some teachers to their job is reflected in their poor attendance to lessons, lateness to school, unsavory comments about student's performance that could damage their ego, poor method of teaching and the likes. Edun and Akanji (2008) asserted that poor academic achievement among our students is usually attributed to the school authority and teachers' attitude to their work.Oyinloye (2005) attributes the problem of poor academic achievement to low level of emotional intelligence among secondary school students. He believes that "students who lack emotional intelligence show some adjustive challenges or in some ways fail to handle effectively the demands of school work. Such students might be said to have little or no emotional intelligence and may not be capable of attaining personal goals which include high academic achievement. …


A medium frequency (MF) radio system is being developed worldwide for the broadcast of differential corrections to users of GPS. These DGPS radiobeacons use groundwave propagation to carry the DGPS corrections to well beyond the radio horizon where the DGPS data is still valid. The International Association of Lighthouse Authorities (IALA) has established an international standard for the DGPS radiobeacon signal. Member countries have been extremely active in the development and installation of working systems. In particular, Iceland has just completed a nationwide DGPS service based on these radiobeacons and the IALA standard.

This paper details the Icelandic goals and objectives for DGPS. It describes the resulting system architecture, including reference stations, integrity monitors, communications, and system control. It also predicts system performance in terms of coverage and availability. The paper then describes the validation effort, including sea, airborne, and overland trials. Finally, it provides a summary and conclusions.


In the era of electronic word-of-mouth, hotels are under the pressure to respond to online reviews more effectively and strategically, to maintain and enhance hotel reputation and financial viability. Little research is done to guide organizations to effectively operate management response strategies. Using data mining techniques such as text mining, sentiment analysis, and Latent Dirichlet Allocation, guided by the affect theory, this study develops and evaluates an "AAAA" framework that classifies management responses to online hotel reviews into four categories: acknowledgment, account, action, and affect. A training sample of 29,606 review responses collected from three U.S cities on TripAdvisor.com are mined and analyzed. The results will be further tested by a longitudinal, econometric sales model, to identify the effectiveness of management response strategies for hotels. This research-in-progress will contribute to emerging research in management responses to online hotel reviews and provide managerial implications for managing responses to enhance hotel performance.


Reviewing workload statistics for our department a couple of weeks ago I was not surprised to find that last year we performed almost twice the number of radiological examinations recommended by the Royal College of Radiologists. Since 1990 our outpatient workload has increased by 48%, our inpatient workload by 13%, and our accident and emergency work by 6%. Similar figures could be quoted by most other consultants in the health service. I asked a member of the NHS Executive what effect this workload would have on my remuneration if performance related pay for health care professionals was introduced. The reply came "That is a matter for local negotiation." "What factors will determine performance related pay for doctors?" "A matter for local negotiation," was the predictable retort.

Consultation is taking place between the executive and the profession and implementation is reported to be as early as September 1994. What is clear from the answers to my questions is that central guidance on the implementation process is likely to be couched in the vaguest possible terms with ample scope for local interpretation.

Do doctors have anything to fear from the introduction of performance related pay? If a fair, clearly constructed, centrally guided process …


To date, several classes of hormones have been described that influence plant development, including auxins, cytokinins, ethylene, and, more recently, brassinosteroids. However, it is known that many fungal and bacterial species produce substances that alter plant growth that, if naturally present in plants, might represent novel classes of plant growth regulators. Alkamides are metabolites widely distributed in plants with a broad range of biological activities. In this work, we investigated the effects of affinin, an alkamide naturally occurring in plants, and its derivates, N-isobutyl-2E-decenamide and N-isobutyl-decanamide, on plant growth and early root development in Arabidopsis. We found that treatments with affinin in the range of 10-6 to 10-4 m alter shoot and root biomass production. This effect correlated with alteration on primary root growth, lateral root formation, and root hair elongation. Low concentrations of affinin (7 × 10-6–2.8 × 10-5 m) enhanced primary root growth and root hair elongation, whereas higher concentrations inhibited primary root growth that related with a reduction in cell proliferating activity and cell elongation. N-isobutyl-2E-decenamide and N-isobutyl-decanamide were found to stimulate root hair elongation at concentrations between 10-8 to 10-7 m. Although the effects of alkamides were similar to those produced by auxins on root growth and cell parameters, the ability of the root system to respond to affinin was found to be independent of auxin signaling. Our results suggest that alkamides may represent a new group of plant growth promoting substances with significant impact on root development and opens the possibility of using these compounds for improved plant production.