This paper discusses the design space of believable social robots. We synthesise ideas and concepts from areas as diverse as comics design and rehabilitation robotics. First, we revisit the work of the Japanese researcher Masahiro Mori in the context of recent developments in social robots. Next, we discuss work in the arts into comics design, an area which has dealt for decades with the problem of creating believable characters. Finally, in order to illustrate some of the important issues involved we focus on a particular application area: the use of interactive robots in autism therapy, work that is carried out in the Aurora project. We discuss design issues of social robots in the context of 'design spaces' and 'niche spaces', concepts that have been defined originally for intelligent agent architectures but which, we propose, can be highly valuable for social robotics design. This paper is meant to open up a discussion towards a systematic exploration of design spaces and niche spaces of social robots.


: It has been shown on larva gland that falloidin - a toxic of toadstool inducing an increased number of membrane microfilaments-affects the efficiency of intercellular transfer of small inorganic ions and molecules of organic dye fluorescein-Na. The data obtained are in favour of the participation of microfilaments in the regulation of intercellular diffusion communication.


Rotating fluidized beds (RFB) have found applications as dust filters, dryers, particle coaters, and granulators, and recently as catalytic reactors for the clean up of diesel exhaust. However, successful design and operation of an RFB requires an in-depth understanding of the fundamentals of the fluid dynamics involved. In this study, mechanistic models have been developed to account for the pressure drop relationship with respect to rotating speed, flow rate, properties of the granular particles, and fluidization conditions in the RFB. The models show that the total pressure drop across the bed is quadratically dependent on the rotating speed as well as the flow rate. These quadratic relationships have also been validated experimentally. The pressure drop relationship has further been validated through a full flow field numerical simulation of flow through a rotating bed with a slotted cylindrical distributor but without granular particles in the bed. Using our analytical model together with experimental results from three different types of distributors, a slotted cylinder with a thin metal screen, a perforated cylinder with a thin metal screen, and a sintered metal cylinder, three semi-empirical quadratic equations are obtained to predict the pressure drop across these distributors. A comparison of the distributor pressure drop with that across the fluidized bed (granules only) shows that the pressure drop across the distributor is appreciable and cannot be neglected in RFB applications. The higher the rotating speed, the more significant the pressure drop across the distributor.


This paper presents a simple hydrogen fuel cell vehicle (HFCV) energy consumption model. Simple fuel/energy consumption models have been developed and employed to estimate the energy and environmental impacts of various transportation projects for internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs), battery electric vehicles (BEVs), and hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs). However, there are few published results on HFCV energy models that can be simply implemented in transportation applications. The proposed HFCV energy model computes instantaneous energy consumption utilizing instantaneous vehicle speed, acceleration, and roadway grade as input variables. The mode accurately estimates energy consumption, generating errors of 0.86% and 2.17% relative to laboratory data for the fuel cell estimation and the total energy estimation, respectively. Furthermore, this work validated the proposed model against independent data and found that the new model accurately estimated the energy consumption, producing an error of 1.9% and 1.0% relative to empirical data for the fuel cell and the total energy estimation, respectively. The results demonstrate that transportation engineers, policy makers, automakers, and environmental engineers can use the proposed model to evaluate the energy consumption effects of transportation projects and connected and automated vehicle (CAV) transportation applications within microscopic traffic simulation models.


In this paper, we investigate the suitability of the generalpurpose workflow language BPEL to create executable simulation workflows. We therefore compare BPEL to GriCoL, a graphical language with proven applicability for simulation workflows in Grid environments. We discover a number of incomparable concepts in the two languages. On the one hand, BPEL's unique features in comparison to GriCoL reveal the rationale behind the approach of using BPEL as basis for a simulation workflow language. On the other hand, based on the features of GriCoL, we are able to discuss how to extend BPEL in order to increase its expressiveness for simulation workflows.


Summary Tumor homograft-enhancing activity was found to be widely distributed in subcellular particulate fractions prepared from Sarcoma I ascites cells but was essentially absent from the soluble fraction. It was most concentrated in the fluffy layer, but, because of the relatively large mass of the nuclei, about half of the total activity of the cells was present in the nuclear fraction. A procedure for extracting enhancing activity from a particulate fraction prepared from ascites tumor cells was developed. Active extracts contained three components separable by electrophoresis at pH 9.2. The fastest-moving component could be eliminated by incubating the particulate fraction with ribonuclease.


Since the 1990s, Chinese independent cinema has been at the forefront of documenting contemporary realities for marginalised citizens in Mainland China. This began with the New Chinese Documentary Movement and exploded in the mid-late 1990s with the rise of what is called the 'Urban Generation' of filmmakers who mix fiction with documentary to make sense of urban transformations at the street level. Now, with the continued expansion of more
affordable and portable digital video production, independent filmmakers have moved beyond their local parameters and urban aesthetic styles to explore, represent and imagine new ways to document reality for the everyday citizen. In recent years, scholarship on Chinese independent cinema has acquired greater
significance in film studies, insofar as it has devoted itself to the analysis of the historical significance and lasting influence of the New Chinese Documentary Movement and the 'Urban Generation'. However, in the past decade, increasingly active digital video practices in China have proliferated on the independent film scene, including an increase in amateur and grassroots filmmaking which has embraced realism in multiple and innovative ways
through documentary, fiction and experimental films.
In this thesis, I will address the question of realism in contemporary Chinese independent cinema, which I argue, remains under-examined and both requires and warrants
closer textual analysis. The cultural politics of China's subaltern voices provides the common thread of this research which is articulated through the tropes of urban spaces, mobility and memory in this alternative filmmaking practice. These films imagine and represent realities through different and original modes of intervention that include performance, self-portraits,
re-enactment and participatory filmmaking. In short, my research focuses on film productions from the past decade that challenge China's official culture but also engage with it, placing it in relief with the ambiguity inherent in representation in film and history.


In 1891 Stéphane Mallarmé described his view of the widening rift between poets and modern society: 'Pour moi, le cas d'un poëte, en cette société qui ne lui permet pas de vivre, c'est le cas d'un homme qui s'isole pour sculpter son propre tombeau.' This article reads Mallarmé's three tombeaux — 'Le Tombeau d'Edgar Poe', 'Le Tombeau de Charles Baudelaire', and 'Tombeau' (for Verlaine) — as responses to this perceived rupture and isolation. These poems establish a community of poets around the departed, distinct from the society in which Mallarmé felt the poet no longer had a place. Mallarmé's tombeaux can thus be understood in connection with his involvement in the construction of other poetic communities, such as his role in founding La Société internationale des poètes, as well as with the modest tombeau revival of the latter half of the nineteenth century. Understanding this historical moment as an interregnum, the poet developed a concept of poetic fraternity that, he hoped, could serve as a model for sociability more broadly in the future. This article emphasizes the commonalities that link the tombeaux to one another and to Mallarmé's notion of community, using close readings to analyse the unique visions of poetic community each poem presents.


The factors influencing FLA are found to be different across various cultural and language learning contexts. Therefore, this study was conducted with 553 Chinese non-English major undergraduates from four levels of universities that provide different language learning contexts in China. Participants' FLA were measured by a modified version of the Foreign Language Classroom Scale (FLCAS). Statistical analyses revealed that participants generally experienced a moderate level of FLA. The second-year students tended to be more anxious in English learning than the first-year from the overall perspective and in terms of communication apprehension. Students from the provincial top university experienced lower level of FLA from tests than those from the vocational university. And in terms of gender and major, no differences were found in FLA from any dimension. The results have shown some light on the overall situation of Chinese foreign language learners' FLA situation.


A class of high performance division algorithms is functional iteration. Division by functional iteration uses multiplication as the fundamental operator. The main advantage of division by functional iteration is quadratic convergence to the quotient. However, unlike non-restoring division algorithms such as SRT division, functional iteration does not directly provide a final remainder. This makes fast and exact rounding difficult. This paper clarifies the methodology for correct IEEE compliant rounding for quadratically-converging division algorithms. It proposes an extension to previously reported techniques of using extended precision in the computation to reduce the frequency of back multiplications required to obtain the final remainder. Further, a technique applicable to all IEEE rounding modes is presented which replaces the final subtraction for remainder computation with very simple combinational logic.


Abstract Objective: To develop and evaluate a questionnaire assessing knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors (KAB) as they pertain to hearing conservation, using the constructs of the health belief model (HBM). Design: The KAB was completed by 235 participants. Relationships between knowledge and attitudes about hearing and hearing conservation, participation in noisy activities, and use of hearing protection were examined. Study sample: 117 males and 118 females aged between 18 and 80 years (mean = 42.3, SD = 4.1) recruited from the Portland VA Medical Center, local universities, and a community college. Results: Knowledge scores ranged from 15.6% to 93.8%. Factor analyses revealed six attitude factors, interpreted as measuring perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived benefits, perceived barriers, perceived self-efficacy, and cues to action. Over 95% of participants routinely participated in at least one noisy activity but few used hearing protection while doing so. The attitude scores of individuals who used hearing protection differed significantly from the scores of those who did not. Conclusions: Significant relationships between use of hearing protection and scores on the KAB provide validation that the HBM is a valuable framework for understanding hearing health behaviors, and evidence that the KAB is a valid tool for assessing these attitudes and behaviors.


Differences in body sizes of mountain hares (Lepus timidus L., 1758) and moose (Alces alces (L., 1758)) affect their abilityto perceive and respond to environmental heterogeneity and plant density. Therefore, we expect these species to show nicheseparation at different scales in the same environment. Results showed that the numbers of mountain birches (Betula pubescenssubsp. czerepanovii L.) browsed by moose per unit area was inversely related to hare browsing. Moose browsed larger birchescompared with hares, and while hares targeted areas with high birch densities regardless of tree sizes, moose preferentiallybrowsed areas with high densities of large birches. Moose browsing was clustered at spatial intervals of 1000–1500 m, while harebrowsing was clustered at intervals of less than 500 m. Willows (genus Salix L.) in the study area were heavily browsed by moose,while few observations of hare browsing on willow were made. Regarding both hare and moose, numbers of birch stems withnew browsing per sample plot were positively correlated with the numbers of birch stems with old browsing, indicating thathare and moose preferred the same foraging sites from year to year. These findings have implications for management of thespecies because they show the importance of scale and landscape perspectives in planning and actions.


We have developed a wavelength-Shifting-fiber Scintillator Detector (SSD) with a 0.3 m2 area per module. Each module has 154 × 7 pixels and a 5 mm × 50 mm pixel size. Our goal is to design a large area neutron detector offering higher detection efficiency and higher count-rate capability for Time-Of-Flight (TOF) neutron diffraction in the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS). A ZnS/6LiF scintillator combined with a novel fiber encoding scheme (v.3) was used to record the neutron events. A Cross-fiber Read-Out-Card (CROC) based digital-signal processing electronics and position-determination algorithm was applied for neutron imaging. Neutron-gamma discrimination was carried out using Pulse-Shape Discrimination (PSD). A sandwiched flat scintillator detector can have a detection efficiency close to He-3 tubes (about 10 atm). A single layer and sandwiched flat scintillator detectors have count rate capabilities of about 6,000 and 35,000 cps/cm2, respectively, which can satisfy the count rate requirement of powder diffractometers at SNS. Detectors with v.3 fiber encoding have better image quality and higher spatial resolution than those with previous v.2 fiber encoding.


SUMMARY This study reports observations by oncology nurses, doctors, social workers and administrators at Queen's Medical Center (QMC) in Honolulu (N = 50), concerning cultural, religious and institutional factors influencing mentally competent Japanese-American elders signing medical informed consent (IC) documents without understanding them. Sixty-eight percent of respondents reported having observed elderly Japanese-Americans signing IC documents without understanding them. Explanatory concepts of enryo(refraining from imposing one's own interest or desire), oyakoko(filial piety), ishin-denshin(silent communication) and obasute(a traditional practice of sacrificing oneself to avoid being a burden to others), in addition to other cultural concepts are discussed for their possible contribution to "signing without understanding." Suggestions are made for further research to include elders and their family members to explore the perceptions of IC. The study concludes with recommendations for improvements to the laws, policies, programs and procedures governing the IC process in order to achieve a better fit with the cultural, ethnic and religious characteristics of Japanese-American elderly patients in America.


[1] Satellite altimetric sea surface height anomaly (SSHA) data from Geosat Follow-on (GFO) and European Remote Sensing (ERS), as well as TOPEX/Poseidon (T/P), are merged to estimate M2 internal tides around the Hawaiian Ridge, with higher spatial resolution than possible with single-satellite altimetry. The new estimates are compared with numerical model runs. Along-track analyses show that M2 internal tides can be resolved from both 8 years of GFO and 15.5 years of ERS SSHA data. Comparisons at crossover points reveal that the M2 estimates from T/P, GFO, and ERS agree well. Multisatellite altimetry improves spatial resolution due to its denser ground tracks. Thus M2 internal tides can be plane wave fitted in 120 km × 120 km regions, compared to previous single-satellite estimates in 4° lon × 3° lat or 250 km × 250 km regions. In such small fitting regions the weaker and smaller-scale mode 2 M2 internal tides can also be estimated. The higher spatial resolution leads to a clearer view of the M2 internal tide field around the Hawaiian Ridge. Discrete generation sites and internal tidal beams are clearly distinguishable, and consistent with the numerical model runs. More importantly, multisatellite altimetry produces larger M2 internal tidal energy fluxes, which agree better with model results, than previous single-satellite estimates. This study confirms that previous altimetric underestimates are partly due to the more widely spaced ground tracks and consequently larger fitting region. Multisatellite altimetry largely overcomes this limitation.


Dynamic modeling of compaction process ,and evaluation of hardening parameters of powder compacts undergoing uni-axial/multi compaction is a tedious process and requires many elaborate tests .However ,assuming a two-parameter failure surface ( such as Mohr–Coulomb),evolution of failure surface may be monitored by two points on the failure surface. Results of uni-axial compression and direct or indirect tensile tests may readily provide the two required points. In order to assess this hypothesis ,a laboratory investigation was carried out using atomized iron powder(WPL-200) and aluminum powder(+160Mm) . Green compacts of the said drop-hammer , specifically designed for this purpose. Specimens with various relative compactions were produced and tested in uni-axial compression test and Brazilian split test .Variations of compressive/tensile strength with compaction energy(hammer speed) and relative density were studied and hardening law for green compacts were developed.


Background and objectives Although several repurposed antiviral drugs have been used for the treatment of COVID-19, only a few such as remdesivir and molnupiravir have shown promising effects. The objectives of our study were to investigate the association of repurposed antiviral drugs with COVID-19 morbidity. Methods Patients admitted to 26 different hospitals located in 16 different provinces between March 11–July 18, 2020, were enrolled. Case definition was based on WHO criteria. Patients were managed according to the guidelines by Scientific Board of Ministry of Health of Turkey. Primary outcomes were length of hospitalization, intensive care unit (ICU) requirement, and intubation. Results We retrospectively evaluated 1,472 COVID-19 adult patients; 57.1% were men (mean age = 51.9 ± 17.7years). A total of 210 (14.3%) had severe pneumonia, 115 (7.8%) were admitted to ICUs, and 69 (4.7%) were intubated during hospitalization. The median (interquartile range) of duration of hospitalization, including ICU admission, was 7 (5–12) days. Favipiravir (n = 328), lopinavir/ritonavir (n = 55), and oseltamivir (n = 761) were administered as antiviral agents, and hydroxychloroquine (HCQ, n = 1,382) and azithromycin (n = 738) were used for their immunomodulatory activity. Lopinavir/ritonavir (β [95% CI]: 4.71 [2.31–7.11]; p = 0.001), favipiravir (β [95% CI]: 3.55 [2.56–4.55]; p = 0.001) and HCQ (β [95% CI]: 0.84 [0.02–1.67]; p = 0.046) were associated with increased risk of lengthy hospital stays. Furthermore, favipiravir was associated with increased risks of ICU admission (OR [95% CI]: 3.02 [1.70–5.35]; p = 0.001) and invasive mechanical ventilation requirement (OR [95% CI]: 2.94 [1.28–6.75]; p = 0.011). Conclusion Our findings demonstrated that antiviral drugs including lopinavir, ritonavir, and favipiravir were associated with negative clinical outcomes such as increased risks for lengthy hospital stay, ICU admission, and invasive mechanical ventilation requirement. Therefore, repurposing such agents without proven clinical evidence might not be the best approach for COVID-19 treatment.


Forty-six patients with clefts of the alveolus who had received alveolar bone grafts (secondary osteoplasties) at ages 7-14 years, were studied. A total of 64 affected canines from 18 bilateral and 28 unilateral alveolar cleft patients was available. Follow up orthopantomographs were examined to determine the state of root development and spontaneous canine movement through the grafted site. The postoperative observation period ranged from 2-8 years (mean 4.3 +/- 1.5). All test canines erupted through the graft. Spontaneous eruption occurred for 27% of test canines, 17% required surgical uncovering (either bony or soft tissue), and 56% required surgical uncovering and orthodontic assistance to accomplish eruption. All patients required orthodontic treatment to accomplish arch alignment. The prognosis for canine eruption through a graft site is most favorable if the graft is performed at 1/4-1/2 canine root formation and when the patient is aged 9-12 years. The post graft observation period is very important and requires complete cooperation between the orthodontist and the surgeon.


The plane strain problem for a functionally graded solid cylinder with thermal energy generation under the effect of convective heat transfer is considered. In previous studies on FGM cylinders in the literature, the modulus of elasticity, the thermal conductivity and the thermal expansion coefficient are represented by using either exponential or power functions. However, this study considers different functions for these material properties, which results in a more realistic representation of the problem. The stress and strain components are evaluated analytically and their dependencies on the radially varying material parameters are presented at the elastic state. Critical values of the volumetric thermal energy generation evaluated for a homogeneous solid cylinder and for an FGM cylinder are compared by using the Tresca's Yield Criterion. Numerical results are generated by considering a W/Cu FGM solid cylinder which has potential applications as an International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) component.


Radar can be utilized to detect the mechanical heart activity and is a potential alternative to today's heartbeat monitoring techniques in medicine. It can detect details of the heart activity, such as filling and ejection of heart chambers and opening and closing of heart valves. This is due to the radars ability to detect movements and direction
of motion. Compared to electrocardiogram and ultrasound it has the advantage that it is a contactless measurement.
The objective of this thesis is the development of a proof-of-concept prototype of a novel microwave on-body sensor for heartbeat detection, which can be used inside an MRI system and which could provide prospective triggering information. The main idea is to use a microwave sensor (reflectometer) with an on-body antenna illuminating the heart and detecting the reflected signal.
The measurement is based on the evaluation of the heart-related time-dependent reflection coefficient of the antenna, by minimizing the static and respiration-related components of the reflection coefficient. In a first step, this is done by minimizing the antenna mismatch with an automatic impedance matching circuit after the placement of the antenna on the chest of an individual; the antenna mismatch is dependent on the position and the individual body properties. In a second step the residual static and slow variation signal from respiration is suppressed by a canceller circuit (well-known
from CW radar technology as reflected power canceller).
With the reflectometer sensor system consisting of a CW signal generator (transmitter, Tx), on-body antenna, adaptive impedance matching circuit and demodulator circuit as part of the reflected signal canceller, the performance of each component influences
the performance of the sensor system. Thus, the thesis concentrates on the design of the circuits and the antenna but also investigates the wave propagation scenario of the sensor applied to a human chest.
The signals measured with the microwave sensor are compared with a standard measurement method for heart activity, a heart sound measurement. This is used in order to assess the obtained signal and relate the signal states to certain heart states.
The measured radar signals are found to be sensitive to position of the sensor, the individual and the posture of the individual, making the interpretation of the signals challenging.


People linked through social ties are known to have interdependent health. Our aim was to investigate such collateral health effects in the context of offspring mortality after a parent's death in children aged 10–59 years. The data (N = 3,753,368) were from a linked-registers database that contains the total Swedish population. In minor children, we found elevations in mortality risks associated with a parent's death. Adult offspring experienced a reduced mortality risk recently after a parent's death, which over time approached, and in some instances even exceeded, that of the general population. Mother's death tended to have a stronger influence than father's death, unnatural parental deaths had a stronger effect than natural ones, and male offspring were more vulnerable than female offspring.


This study evaluates the impact of agricultural subsidies (CAP) on unemployment and employment outside the agricultural sector. For the CAP subsidies to have an effect outside the agricultural sector, the subsidies must have a second-order effect. Thus, the Open Economy Relative Multiplier for Sweden is estimated with aggregate municipality data for the years 2001 to 2009. A side-effect of the decupling reform in 2005 was that Sweden was forced to introduce a grassland support which redistributed the payments among the regions. This exogenous redistribution of the CAP is the identifying assumption in this study. The subsidy creates private jobs at a cost of about $20,000 per job, which is consistent with earlier estimates based on US data.


Missing data in databases are considered to be one of the biggest problems faced on data mining application. This problem can be aggravated when there is massive missing data in the presence of imbalanced databases. Several techniques as samples deletion, values imputation, values prediction through classifiers and approximation of patterns have been proposed and compared, but these comparisons do not consider adverse conditions found in real databases. In this work, it is presented a comparison of techniques used to classify records from a real imbalanced database with massive missing data, where the main objective is the database pre-processing to recover and select records completely filled for further techniques application. It was compared with other algorithms such as clustering, decision tree, artificial neural networks and Bayesian classifier, expressing their efficiency through ROC curves. Through the results, it can be verified that the problem characterization and database understanding are essential steps for a correct techniques comparison in a real problem. It was observed that artificial neural networks are an interesting alternative for this kind of problem since it was capable to obtain satisfactory results even when dealing with real-world problems.


The objective of this theoretical study is to design an ultrasound (US) cylindrical phased array that can be used for hyperthermia (40–44 °C) treatment of tumours in the intact breast. Simultaneously, we characterize the influence of acoustic and thermal heterogeneities on the specific absorption rate (SAR) and temperature patterns to determine the necessity of using heterogeneous models for a US applicator design and treatment planning. Cylindrical configurations of monopole transducers are studied on their ability to generate interference patterns that can be steered electronically to the location of the target region. Hereto, design parameters such as frequency, number of transducers per ring, ring distance and number of rings are optimized to obtain a small primary focus, while suppressing secondary foci. The models account for local heterogeneities in both acoustic (wave velocity and absorption) and thermal (blood perfusion rate, heat capacity and conductivity) tissue properties. We used breast models with a central tumour (30 × 20 × 38 mm3) and an artificial thorax tumour (sphere with a radius of 25 mm) to test the design. Simulations predict that a US cylindrical phased array, consisting of six rings with 32 transducers per ring, a radius of 75 mm and 66 mm distance between the first and sixth transducer ring, operating at a frequency of 100 kHz, can be used to obtain 44 °C in the centre of tumours located anywhere in the intact breast. The dimensions of the volumes enclosed by the 41 °C iso-temperature are 19 × 19 × 21 mm3 and 21 × 21 × 32 mm3 for the central and the thorax tumours, respectively. It is demonstrated that acoustic and thermal heterogeneities do not disturb the SAR and temperature patterns.


In their current Annals report, Yu and colleagues (1) show that drinking high-temperature tea, when combined with tobacco or alcohol use, is associated with an increased risk for esophageal cancer. Their study was well-designed. Its findings, which are based on long-term follow-up (median, 9.2 years) in more than 450000 participants, are an important addition to the current literature (2). The hypothesis that drinking very hot beverages may cause esophageal cancer is not new. In the 1930s, based on clinical observations, New York physician W.L. Watson wrote, Thermal irritation is probably the most constant factor predisposing to the cancer of the esophagus. The drinking of copious amount of excessively hot tea is a history frequently obtained from Russian-born patients coming to Memorial Hospital suffering from cancer of the esophagus (3). Nevertheless, the association between hot beverages and esophageal cancer is not firmly established. An expert panel assembled by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) in 2016 classified drinking very hot beverages as a probable (class 2A) rather than a definite (class 1) carcinogen (2). This uncertainty, despite more than 60 published epidemiologic studies, stems mainly from limitations in the literature. Most studies had a retrospective casecontrol design, with the accompanying bias and recall issues. In addition, some studies did not assess consumption frequency and temperature; others considered esophageal squamous cell cancer and esophageal adenocarcinoma together, despite clear etiologic differences (4). Even previous prospective studies suffered from bias. For example, a study from China (5) was marred by implausible responses, having been conducted amid a strong campaign against drinking very hot beverages, with substantial pressure on respondents to give the right answer. The Yu group's study overcame many of these challenges. It was a population-based prospective study with a very large number of esophageal cancer cases (1731). Detailed data were available on tea-drinking frequency, type of tea consumed, and temperature preference. Data also were available on important potential confounders, including smoking and alcohol use, 2 important risk factors for esophageal squamous cell cancer (4), which is the predominant form of esophageal cancer in China. Nevertheless, the study also has several limitations. Tea temperature was assessed only once and probably with error. Repeated assessments, available in a small subset of the cohort, showed low to moderate reliability over time (a Spearman correlation coefficient of just 0.35), perhaps resulting in an underestimation of the association. Another important limitation was that tea temperature was assessed by self-report, and the study lacked an objective measurement of tea temperature. Despite inconsistencies in the literature, a clear pattern is emerging. The most recent meta-analysis showed an approximately 2-fold increased risk for esophageal squamous cell cancer in association with consumption of hot food and drinks (6). These results are consistent with those from an epidemiologic study that assessed tea temperatures by using an instrument validated against measured temperatures (7). Experimental studies have shown that hot water, at temperatures above 65 to 70C (149 to 158F), may increase the incidence of nitrosamine-induced esophageal tumors in animal models (8). The totality of this evidence resulted in the IARC classification of very hot drinks as probably carcinogenic to humans (2). The results of the study by Yu and colleagues, which show an increased risk for esophageal cancer in persons who drink very hot beverages daily, contribute to this emerging picture. In the Yu group's study, the associations with very hot tea were observed in men but not women and only in the presence of concomitant smoking or regular alcohol drinking. However, it is still too early to rule out associations in women. Besides biologic implausibility, too few cases of esophageal cancer (only 37) occurred in women who drank tea daily, and even fewer in those who consumed it very hot. Likewise, only 38 cases occurred in participants who reported drinking hot or burning hot tea but did not smoke or consume 15 g or more of alcohol per day. Future studies are needed, particularly those examining associations in women and in persons who do not smoke cigarettes or drink alcohol. The study by Yu and colleagues will probably remain the largest study of hot drinks and esophageal cancer for some time. Nevertheless, an important role still exists for follow-up studies. For example, cohort studies that have measured tea-drinking temperature (7) will provide complementary findings when published. Further animal and mechanistic studies also are needed. Tea is among the most popular beverages worldwide. Tea drinkers may be concerned about the implications of this study on their risk for cancer. Of importance, however, is that the accumulated literature suggests little risk from hot drinks at temperatures below 65C (149F). Most people drink beverages at temperatures lower than that threshold; for example, in the United States, coffee typically is consumed at around 60C (140F) (9). For these and other reasons, these findings should be interpreted cautiously. Despite this study's rigorous design and careful analysis, its results are observational and may still reflect confounding by other factors and chance. In addition, health decisions generally should not be made on the basis of a single end point, especially one that is uncommon in much of the world. Tea and other hot beverages, such as coffee and mat, contain many compounds that may have beneficial effects on health outcomes. In fact, coffee drinking has been inversely associated with overall mortality in many studies (10). In conclusion, the Yu group's study clearly adds to the literature. Perhaps those of us who drink hot beverages often should be prudent and wait for the liquid to cool a bit first. However, the results of this study should not cause people to abandon their favorite beverage. Most people drink their tea and coffee at a temperature that seems unlikely to cause cancer.


Small ribonucleic acid (RNA)-protein complexes precipitated by anti-Ro and anti-La antibodies from lupus patients have been examined with emphasis on their RNA components. In both ribonucleoprotein (RNP) classes, the numbers of different RNA molecules and their sequences vary between mouse and human cells. The complex mixtures of La RNAs include two previously sequenced 4.5S RNAs from mouse cells and 5S ribosomal RNA-like molecules from both mouse and human cells. All Ro and La RNAs possess 5-triphosphates. Some La RNAs have internal modifications typical of transfer RNAs. The Ro RNPs are quite stable and are localized by immunofluorescence in the cell cytoplasm, whereas the majority of the La RNPs turn over rapidly and reside in the nucleus. Despite these differences, reconstitution experiments show that the Ro particles carry the La as well as the Ro determinant. Studies using a nuclear transcription system demonstrate that most of the La RNAs are synthesized by RNA polymerase III. The possibility that the La protein(s) functions in the transcription or maturation of all RNA polymerase III transcripts is discussed.


Crab waist is a collision scheme to increase the luminosity which had been developed for lepton storage-ring colliders, in particular SuperB, and which has been successfully applied at DAFNE. An implementation in hadron colliders like the LHC, with naturally round beams and equal charge per beam, is more challenging. In this talk I will present a new interaction-region for the HL-LHC which combines a local chromatic correction, large Piwinski angle, flat beams and crab waists.


Multi-values theory is considered an effective tool in constructing society with diversified cultures and respect for equality and human rights. It has become a mainstream trend for educational development. This paper uses western feminism literatures as examples, and conducts research into multi-angle aesthetic education of foreign literatures. It explains the multi-values theory contained in foreign literatures, discusses elements in the literature works, and proposes diversified teaching strategy and methods on foreign literature aesthetics based on multi-values theory. Through analyzing changes in holders of rights and consciousness of rights, as well as expanding right space thanks to three rounds of feminist trends, this paper sets to promote and contribute to the development of western feminism theory from an aesthetic perspective.


Objective: Cholinesterase inhibitors (ChEIs) are widely used for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD); however, their cholinergic side effects on the cardiovascular system are still unclear. In this study, we aimed to examine the side effects caused by donepezil, rivastigmine, and galantamine on cardiac rhythm and postural blood pressure changes in elderly patients with AD. Methods: Of 204 consecutive elderly patients who were newly diagnosed with AD, 162 were enrolled and underwent comprehensive geriatric assessments. The electrocardiographs (ECGs) and blood pressures were recorded at the baseline and 4 weeks after the dose of 10 mg/d of donepezil, 10 cm2/d of rivastigmine, and 24 mg/d of galantamine. Results: There were no changes relative to the baseline in any of the ECG parameters or arterial blood pressure with any of the administered ChEIs. Conclusion: It was demonstrated that none of the 3 ChEIs were associated with increased negative chronotropic, arrhythmogenic, and hypotensive effects for the elderly patients with AD.


Designing the optical response of metallic nanoparticles (NPs) is crucial for applications based on localized surface plasmons. In order to gain insight into the optical properties of metallic NPs and their experimental control, a well-defined, highly flexible excitation of single NPs is needed. In this study, we report on the realization of a measurement setup that allows 3D axis-selective excitation of single NPs with high accuracy, facilitating the study of the resulting scattering cross sections in the visible wavelength range. The experimental setup combines the concepts of dark-field optical microscopy and spectroscopy and objective-type total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy. Its functionality is validated by the study of nanocylinders with elliptical footprints. A retardation-influenced size range of moderate aspect ratios is addressed by choosing axis lengths between 70 and 200 nm. We experimentally separate three different polarization states of dipolar character, one for an electric field along each of the three principal axes, and show that the overall scattering spectrum of such a nanocylinder follows the expected superposition principle. Based on this separation, the scaling of the three resonances with the length of the principal axes is analyzed. It is found that each resonance scales exclusively with the corresponding principal axis in a linear way with slopes of the order of 1 to 2. Reasons for this scaling behavior and for its limited validity are discussed in terms of particle depolarization in the quasi-static limit and retardation.


Abstract The authors construct a historical database of public investment (both total and broken down into its main components) for the period 1925 to 1981 in order to measure its impact on economic activity. Given the possible presence of crowding-out effects between public investment and private investment, in their analysis they control for the latter. The results suggest that: i) public investment had a significant impact on output, one which varies depending on the category of public investment considered, and; ii) private and public investment are positively related, i.e., public investment has a crowding-in effect on private investment, and both have a positive and significant impact on GDP. The results contrast with those of previous studies that have analyzed this relationship, though using a different time period, one that includes the economic liberalization era. Nevertheless, these differences can be rationalized by the findings of Ilzetzki et al. (How Big (Small?) are Fiscal Multipliers? 2013), who point out that key country-specific characteristics such as trade openness and the exchange rate regime are determinant in the relationship between public investment and output.


PURPOSE
To investigate the influence of speech sample of spontaneous conversation or sentences repetition on intra and inter-rater hypernasality reliability.

METHODS
One hundred and twenty audio recorded speech samples (60 containing spontaneous conversation and 60 containing repeated sentences) of individuals with repaired cleft palate±lip, both genders, aged between 6 and 52 years old (mean=21±10) were selected and edited. Three experienced speech and language pathologists rated hypernasality according to their own criteria using 4-point scale: 1=absence of hypernasality, 2=mild hypernasality, 3=moderate hypernasality and 4=severe hypernasality, first in spontaneous speech samples and 30 days after, in sentences repetition samples. Intra- and inter-rater agreements were calculated for both speech samples and were statistically compared by the Z test at a significance level of 5%.

RESULTS
Comparison of intra-rater agreements between both speech samples showed an increase of the coefficients obtained in the analysis of sentences repetition compared to those obtained in spontaneous conversation. Comparison between inter-rater agreement showed no significant difference among the three raters for the two speech samples.

CONCLUSION
Sentences repetition improved intra-raters reliability of perceptual judgment of hypernasality. However, the speech sample had no influence on reliability among different raters.


This paper makes a critical appraisal of teacher education programmes in achieving curriculum goals. Teacher education refers to the policies and procedures designed to equip prospective teachers with the knowledge, attitudes, behaviors and skills they require to perform their tasks effectively in the classroom, school and wider community. Although ideally it should be conceived of, and organized as, a seamless continuum, teacher education is often divided into several stages, especially in Kenya. This paper, therefore, makes a critical evaluation of teacher education programmes in the Kenya school curriculum. It develops an understanding of the concepts in teacher education and the diversity of curriculum for teacher preparation at the respective stages from the neophyte or pre-primary stages to continuing education. It further examines the educational trends of post-independent Kenya in respect to teacher preparation as well as the diverse global perspectives. A comprehensive landscape of teacher education in Kenya is provided, drawing from the history. Finally, the paper dissects the emerging challenges of teacher education in Kenya in the realm of attainment of Kenya's Vision 2030 and makes recommendation of the prospects in this field associated with this kind of education in the attaining of the overall goals of education in Kenya


The objective of this paper is to present numerical simulations of combustion of an air/methane mixture in porous materials using a model that considers the intra-pore levels of turbulent kinetic energy. Transport equations are written in their time-and-volume-averaged form and a volume-based statistical turbulence model is applied to simulate turbulence generation due to the porous matrix. Four different thermo-mechanical models are compared, namely Laminar, Laminar with Radiation Transport, Turbulent, Turbulent with Radiation Transport. Combustion is modeled via a unique simple closure. Preliminary testing results indicate that a substantially different temperature distribution is obtained depending on the model used. In addition, for high excess air peak gas temperature are reduced.


Many learners struggle to master reading skills. Hence, this study aimed to test the effectiveness of Project EARES in addressing difficulties in word recognition and comprehension among Grade 6 learners in Tuhian Elementary School. This undertaking employed quantitative method. Meanwhile, quasiexperimental research design was utilized, specifically pretest-posttest, with a comparison group design to demonstrate causality between the intervention and an outcome. The respondents involved 40 Grade 6 learners who comprised the control and experimental groups formed through matched sampling. The reading performance of the respondents in both groups was assessed using the standardized passages from the Philippine Informal Reading Inventory (Phil-IRI) at two points of the experimental study: one was before the treatment (pretest), and the other one was after the treatment (posttest). For the analysis of the data gathered, the following statistical tools were used: mean, standard deviation, and paired sample ttest. Based on the findings, there was no significant difference between the pretest scores of controls and experimental groups before the implementation of Project EARES in terms of word recognition and comprehension. This implies that the grouping matches and there is homogeneity of group performance. On the other hand, after the implementation of the treatment, there was a significant difference between the progress of control and experimental groups regarding word recognition and comprehension. The results demonstrate a positive effect of Project EARES on addressing difficulties in reading skills. Moreover, it implies that the use of the intervention program in the treatment group is more effective than the teacher-led reading approach, which was utilized in the control group. Likewise, the utilization of Project EARES, as a reading intervention program that provides explicit instruction in metacognitive strategy within mixed-ability cooperative learning group, is a useful tool in addressing difficulties in word recognition and comprehension resulting to the improvement of reading performance.


We present a multi-wavelength observational study towards the high-mass young stellar object G8.68−0.37. A single massive gas-and-dust core is observed in the (sub)millimetre continuum and molecular line emissions. We fitted the spectral energy distribution (SED) from the dust continuum emission. The best-fitting SED suggests the presence of two components with temperature of T_d = 20 and 120 K, respectively. The core has a total mass of up to 1.5 × 10^3 M_⊙ and a bolometric luminosity of 2.3 × 10^4 L_⊙. Both the mass and luminosity are dominated by the cold component (T_d= 20 K). The molecular lines of C^(18)O, C^(34)S, DCN and thermally excited CH_(3)OH are detected in this core. Prominent infall signatures are observed in the ^(12)CO (1 − 0) and (2 − 1). We estimated an infall velocity of 0.45 km s^(−1) and a mass infall rate of 7 × 10^(−4) M_⊙ yr^(−1). From the molecular lines, we have found a high DCN-to-HCN abundance ratio of 0.07. The overabundant DCN may originate from a significant deuteration in the previous cold pre-protostellar phase. And the DCN should now be rapidly sublimated from the grain mantles to maintain the overabundance in the gas phase.


The expression of the glyoxylate shunt enzymes is required for growth of Escherichia coli on acetate or fatty acids as a sole carbon source. The genes for the two unique enzymes of the glyoxylate shunt, aceA and aceB, are located at 90 min on the E. coli K-12 genetic map. Polar mutations in the aceB gene eliminate aceA gene function, suggesting that these genes constitute an operon and the direction of transcription is from aceB to aceA. Mu d (Ap lac) fusions with the aceA gene have been constructed to study the regulation of the ace operon. Expression of the ace operon is under the transcriptional control of two genes: the iclR gene, which maps near the ace operon, and the fadR gene, which maps at 25 min, and is also involved in the regulation of the fatty acid degradation (fad) regulon. Merodiploid studies demonstrated that both the iclR and fadR genes regulate the glyoxylate shunt in a trans-dominant manner.


This paper presents results from the KIC InnoEnergy project: Generic DC grid off-line and real-time simulation models and tools (Action 2.1, Subtask 2.1.1). The work reported here is focused on the development of a generic voltage source converter (VSC) model and its control schemes. Different test systems were designed and implemented in simulation tools and an experimental platform to verify the proposed generic model. Consistent simulation and emulation performances indicate that the generic model and its control schemes are applicable for VSC-HVDC operation, and thus, they can facilitate further research and development in DC grids.


Representation learning lives at the heart of deep learning for natural language processing (NLP).
Traditional representation learning (such as softmax-based classification, pre-trained word embeddings, and language models, graph representations) focuses on learning general or static representations with the hope to help any end task. As the world keeps evolving, emerging knowledge (such as new tasks, domains, entities or relations) typically come with a small amount of data with shifted distributions that challenge the existing representations to be effective. As a result, how to effectively learn representations for new knowledge becomes crucial. Lifelong learning is a machine learning paradigm that aims to build an AI agent that keeps learning from the evolving world, like humans' learning from the world. This dissertation focuses on improving representations on different types of new knowledge (classification, word-level, contextual-level, and knowledge graph) for a myriad of NLP end tasks, ranging from text classification, sentiment analysis, entity recognition, question answering to the more complex dialog system. With the help of lifelong representation learning, models' performance on tasks is greatly improved beyond existing general representation learning.


Malaria is still a significant public health burden in the tropics. Infection with malaria causing parasites results in a wide range of clinical disease presentations, from severe to uncomplicated or mild, and in the poorly understood asymptomatic infections. The complexity of asymptomatic infections is due to the intricate interplay between factors derived from the human host, parasite, and environment. Asymptomatic infections often go undetected and provide a silent natural reservoir that sustains malaria transmission. This creates a major obstacle for malaria control and elimination efforts. Numerous studies have tried to characterize asymptomatic infections, unanimously revealing that host immunity is the underlying factor in the maintenance of these infections and in the risk of developing febrile malaria infections. An in-depth understanding of how host immunity and parasite factors interact to cause malaria disease tolerance is thus required. This review primarily focuses on understanding anti-inflammatory and pro-inflammatory responses to asymptomatic infections in malaria endemic areas, to present the view that it is potentially the shift in host immunity toward an anti-inflammatory profile that maintains asymptomatic infections after multiple exposures to malaria. Conversely, symptomatic infections are skewed toward a pro-inflammatory immune profile. Moreover, we propose that these infections can be better interrogated using next generation sequencing technologies, in particular RNA sequencing (RNA-seq), to investigate the immune system using the transcriptome sampled during a clearly defined asymptomatic infection.


Separators are needed in microbial fuel cells (MFCs) to reduce electrode spacing and preventing electrode short circuiting. The use of nylon and glass fiber filter separators in single-chamber, air-cathode MFCs was examined for their effect on performance. Larger pore nylon mesh were used that had regular mesh weaves with pores ranging from 10 to 160 μm, while smaller pore-size nylon filters (0.2–0.45 μm) and glass fiber filters (0.7–2.0 μm) had a more random structure. The pore size of both types of nylon filters had a direct and predictable effect on power production, with power increasing from 443 ± 27 to 650 ± 7 mW m−2 for pore sizes of 0.2 and 0.45 μm, and from 769 ± 65 to 941 ± 47 mW m−2 for 10 to 160 μm. In contrast, changes in pore sizes of the glass fiber filters resulted in a relatively narrow change in power (732 ± 48 to 779 ± 43 mW m−2) for pore sizes of 0.7 to 2 μm. An ideal separator should increase both power density and Coulombic efficiency (CE). However, CEs measured for the different separators were inversely correlated with power production, demonstrating that materials which reduced the oxygen diffusion into the reactor also hindered proton transport to the cathode, reducing power production through increased internal resistance. Our results highlight the need to develop separators that control oxygen transfer and facilitate proton transfer to the cathode.


Two independent, simplex procedures were employed to optimize the official blue tetrazolium reaction. The net absorbance for a fixed amount of hydrocortisone was maximized by the simultaneous variation of five factors of the pharmacopeial method, i.e.: concentrations of tetramethylammonium hydroxide, blue tetrazolium, and water, as well as temperature and time for color development. An initial simplex was used to determine an optimum response, while a second was performed to minimize the blank absorbance obtained at the optimum. A series of pharmaceutically important steroids: prednisone, prednisolone, hydrocortisone acetate, and cortisone acetate were also analyzed by the optimized method. The results indicated improvements in sensitivity ranging from 9.27 to 22.95% for the corticosteroids studied. The optimized method also decreased the assay time in relation to the official procedure by one-sixth.


Abstract. The effect of Patagonian dust over primary producers in the Southern Ocean has long been disputed. Here we present new remote sensing evidence in favour of dust mediated biological response and postulate a hypothesis to explain the spatial relation observed. A new remote sensing definition of dust source areas based on the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Absorbing Aerosol Index (AAI) correlation is presented and interannual variation in AAI is evaluated within the source regions as a proxy for dust activity. Correlation of this data with annual chlorophyll concentration, phytoplankton biomass, and diatom dominance reveals a spatially coherent latitudinal band of positive correlation concentrated between the Polar Front and the Subtropical Front. This pattern is restricted to western areas in the biomass correlation and extends toward Africa for the chlorophyll and diatom correlation. This region is equivalent to the area of the Subantarctic Mode Water formation, characterized by a ratio Si : N ≪ 1 in late summer, an unfavourable condition for diatom development, especially under iron limitation. Therefore, due to Si–Fe co-limitation, the positive correlation could be the consequence of an enhanced sensibility of this area to external iron addition for diatom growth. For the Argentinean shelf-break, is not clear whether direct dust input and/or wind stress driving water masses upwelling could be responsible for the positive correlation.


The purpose of this work is to evaluate the use of the Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) Method within the framework of modeling high speed cutting. First, a 2D SPH based model is carried out using the LS-DYNA software. SPH is a meshless method, thus large material distortions that occur in the cutting problem are easily managed and SPH contact control allows a "natural" work piece/chip separation. The developed SPH model proves its ability to account for continuous and shear localized chip formation and also correctly estimates the cutting forces, as illustrated in some orthogonal cutting examples. Then the SPH model is used in order to improve the general understanding of machining with worn tools. At last, a milling model allowing the calculation of the 3D cutting forces is presented. The interest of the suggested approach is to be freed from classically needed machining tests: Those are replaced by 2D numerical tests using the SPH model. The developed approach proved its ability to model the 3D cutting forces in ball end milling.


The user-generated social media messages usually contain considerable multimodal content. Such messages are usually short and lack explicit sentiment words. However, we can understand the sentiment associated with such messages by analyzing the context, which is essential to improve the sentiment analysis performance. Unfortunately, majority of the existing studies consider the impact of contextual information based on a single data model. In this study, we propose a novel model for performing context-aware user sentiment analysis. This model involves the semantic correlation of different modalities and the effects of tweet context information. Based on our experimental results obtained using the Twitter dataset, our approach is observed to outperform the other existing methods in analysing user sentiment.


This paper shows a non-linear convex relationship between an investor's experience and overconfidence. While the literature argues that overconfidence increases at first owing to bias in self-attribution, such as taking credit for success, this paper demonstrates that investor overconfidence steadily declines in the first years of investing. The intuition of our results rests on seminal psychology research which demonstrates that for the majority bad events have stronger impact than good events, and given the natural market fluctuations of the stock market, the longer investing in the stock market the greater the propensity to face bad events, and hence cause less overconfident. Furthermore, we find that as investors earning experience become more averse to risk and more pessimistic; only after decades of investing experience, the effect of bad events diminishes (desensitization effect) and investors then take more risk and become less pessimistic and regain their overconfidence. Collectively, investors overweight bad events in the first years of investing, and this has implications on overconfidence level and risk tolerance.


Robust graphene-based nanocomposites show promising applications in fields of flexible, wearable and intelligent devices. But, it is still a big challenge to construct high performance macroscopic graphene-based nanocomposites for practical application through cost-efficient graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets. Inspired by the hierarchical layered structure and interfacial interactions of nacre, we demonstrated robust graphene-based nanocomposites via synergistic interfacial interactions, which are constructed via divalent ions of zinc (Zn2+), and linear molecules of 10,12-pentacosadiyn-1-ol (PCDO) with GO nanosheets. The synergistic interfacial interactions result in integrated high strength, toughness and fatigue life. Furthermore, the resultant bioinspired graphene-based nanocomposites (BGBNs) also possess high electrical conductivity. The extraordinary performance allows this kind of BGBN to be potentially utilized in aerospace, flexible electrodes of supercapacitors and other intelligent devices. The demonstration of synergistic interfacial interactions of ionic and covalent bonding also supplies an effective approach for building robust graphene-based nanocomposites in the future.


We briefly review the Ising model with uncorrelated, quenched random‐site or random‐bond disorder, which has been controversial in both two and four dimensions. In these dimensions, the leading exponent α, which characterizes the specific‐heat critical behaviour, vanishes and no Harris prediction for the consequences of quenched disorder can be made. In the two‐dimensional case, the controversy is between the strong universality hypothesis which maintains that the leading critical exponents are the same as in the pure case and the weak universality hypothesis, which favours dilution‐dependent leading critical exponents. Here the random‐site version of the model is subject to a finite‐size scaling analysis, paying special attention to the implications for multiplicative logarithmic corrections. The analysis is fully supportive of the scaling relations for logarithmic corrections and of the strong scaling hypothesis in the 2D case. In the four‐dimensional case unusual corrections to scaling characterize the...


This thesis proposes a probabilistic approach based on the Cumulant method for optimal capacitor planning in distribution systems with high penetration of wind generators. To account for the problem uncertainties, the probabilistic behaviour of load forecasts and wind generators are modeled using Probability Density Functions. Once the probabilistic framework is defined, an optimization problem can be formulated to minimize the total costs of the capacitors and of the annual energy losses. The optimization problem is then solved by using the Logarithm Barrier Interior Point Method, which provides a linear relationship between the cumulants of load and wind variables and the cumulants of the system parameters and solution cost. The Cumulant method offers a generous advantage in speed, while maintaining acceptable accuracy, as compared to the traditional Monte Carlo Simulation method. The proposed method is tested on a 7-bus and on a 33-bus systems, and the results are reported and discussed.


Native American reservations in the United States are often located on mineral-rich lands, making them a target for fossil fuel development in already socioeconomically disadvantaged areas. As environmentally damaging as they are, coal and oil industries can bring invaluable jobs and money to isolated reservations, causing tribes to rely on fossil fuels for mere economic survival. In these instances of corporations or the federal government exploiting Native American labor and land, tribes lose the most fundamental principle of tribal governance: tribal sovereignty. Replacing fossil fuels and securing energy independence with a stable, renewable energy source is key to reclaiming that tribal sovereignty. Biomass, a general term for any organic material used as a fuel source, is an often overlooked form of renewable energy to provide for an entire community's needs. This paper focuses specifically on the 21 tribes in Arizona that can use elements of the local landscape, residues from economic activity like agriculture, or waste from urban areas to power a community-scale biomass plant. The feasibility study for a biomass plant on the Cocopah Reservation, a small and economically poor tribe in southwestern Arizona, determined that the tribe could supply all of its energy needs with a small, 1 MW combustion stoker boiler fed with crop residues from nearby agricultural lands. The levelized cost of electricity for this biomass plant is about $0.2–$0.3/kWh, or one-sixth of electricity rate that the tribe pays from the local utility. The plant would create revenue over its 30-year lifespan that could be fed back into other social service or economic revitalization projects for tribal members. The Cocopah would also benefit from joining with other small and politically isolated tribes to form an intertribal energy consortium that could share administrative and technical expertise in completing feasibility studies or applying for federal assistance.


Potamotrygonidae is a family of freshwater stingray endemic in South America. We determined the hematological and serum biochemistry parameters of Potamotrygon motoro and Potamotrygon falkneri from Parana Basin and Potamotrygon orbignyi and Potamotrygon scobina from the Amazon Basin. Blood was collected from 55 specimens of Potamotrygon sp., and these parameters were evaluated: red blood cell count, hematocrit percent, hemoglobin concentration, leucocytes count, trombocytes count, total protein concentration, albumin, uric acid, urea, creatinine, triglycerides, cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein HDL, calcium, phosphorus, calcium/phosphorus relationship, creatine kinase CK, gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase GGT, Aspartate transaminase AST, alanine transaminase ALT, globulin, albumin/globulin relationship, alkaline phosphatase AP, sodium, chloride, potassium, triiodothyronine T3, and thyroxine T4 hormones. The hematological indices were similar for all species, except for levels of heterophils in P. orbignyi and P. scobina that were higher. Calcium, phosphorus, calcium/phosphorus relationship, sodium, potassium, chloride, AST, ALT, GGT, CK, albumin/globulin relationship, uric acid, creatinine, urea, triglycerides, HDL, T3, T4 levels had no significant difference between the species. These results suggest that there is low influence of habitat and feeding habits. AP, total protein, albumin, globulin, glucose, and total cholesterol had significant differences between the studied species. These results support the theory that stingrays migrated from the Atlantic Ocean, adapting to different conditions over time and placed themselves geographically distant from each other.


This paper focuses on numerical computation and experimental examination of Bernoulli picker, which is the essential module for the 3D stacking process for heterogeneous integration devices, to reveal the fundamental physics of non-contact die handling and to seek optimized design. We estimated the pick-up performance of the Bernoulli picker and the deformation of the die using pseudo-coupling of flow and structural analysis. We simulated the flow field around the target die and picker using the RANS equation with the k-w SST turbulence model to predict the levitation height between the picker surface and target die. Then we estimated the deformation of the die using the inertial relief approach of ABAQUS with computed pressure field information. Based on the numerical investigations, we made a prototype of a Bernoulli picker and conducted experimental measures to verify the feasibility of our design. The measured results indicate that the present numerical approach can be utilized for further optimization.


Although childbirth is a time of happiness and joy for couples, happiness can be flawed by pain and discomfort associated with perineal trauma sustained during childbirth. It is estimated that 85% of vaginal births are accompanied by trauma to the perineum. A higher risk of trauma is sustained at the first birth compared with subsequent vaginal births. In New Zealand, midwives work in partnership with the woman. The Lead Maternity Care (LMC) midwife has an ongoing relationship with the woman in her care that starts when the pregnant woman books with the midwife and ends at six weeks postpartum. The relationship between the woman and the LMC midwife involves trust, shared control, responsibility and a shared meaning through mutual understanding. Midwives fear they will be held responsible by women who sustain severe perineal trauma during their birth for the outcome. There is a lack of research into how New Zealand midwives' relationships are affected when women in their care sustain severe perineal trauma. This research sought to explore the experiences of LMC midwives who have cared for women who sustained severe perineal trauma during childbirth. The objective of this study was to understand the effects of severe perineal trauma on the midwife/ woman relationship. The aim was to explore LMC midwives` perception of how they were affected when women in their care sustained severe genital tract trauma during birth. Qualitative descriptive methodology was used. Face-to-face semi-structured interviews were conducted with LMC midwives from three geographical regions in lower North Island of New Zealand. The participants were eight midwives who had personal experience of caring for a woman who sustained severe genital tract trauma during childbirth. The findings revealed three themes: building a relationship with women, participants' perceptions of the effects of severe perineal trauma on women, and the impact of severe perineal trauma on the midwife. The findings demonstrate that LMC midwives build relationships with women during the antenatal period. This relationship ensures an excellent partnership, established on the foundation of trust and respect, developed with the women. Midwives are affected on a personal and professional level when woman sustains trauma during childbirth, and the midwife adopts ways of coping. In the aftermath of severe perineal trauma, the woman may suffer health problems. This can impact her relationship with her LMC midwife during the postnatal period.


This paper presents the results of a laboratory investigation on the behavior of motor oil-contaminated, partially saturated compacted clays. For the study, both a natural clay and an artificially purified kaolinite, contaminated with 0 to 8% of motor oil, were firstly compacted following the ASTM standard procedure. Secondly, permeability tests were carried out in a triaxial cell on 10 cm-diameter compacted clay specimens. The results of the investigation indicate that increasing percentages of motor oil decrease both the optimum water content and the optimum dry density of the two clays. However, whereas the optimum water content on the average decreases by about 6% when the percentage contamination increases from 0 to 8%, the corresponding decrease in the optimum dry density is less than 3%. Even though the optimum dry density decreases as the percentage of oil increases from 0 to 8%, there is, however, a range in oil content varying between 2 and 4% for which the optimum dry density is slightly greater than that of the untreated soils. As far as the permeability tests are concerned, the results indicate that as the percentage of oil increases, the coefficient of permeability decreases substantially, especially for clay specimens which were initiallymore » compacted on the dry side of optimum.« less


Objective: To investigate the correlation between MRI features and pathology in brain edema at the early stage of severe burn (50% TBSA Ⅲ degree) in dogs.Methods: Fifty-two dogs were randomized into control, simple burn (SB), burn plus sodium lactate (BSL), and burn plus glucose solution groups (BGS). The manifestation of the brain of control group was compared with that of burn groups at 6, 12, 18 and 24 hours postburn with MRI and pathological examination (gross appearance, electron microscopy and light microscopy).Results: The earliest findings of brain edema were seen at 12 hours after burn in BGS group, in which brain swelling was the main feature of MRI. The decrease of SIR on T1WI was not observed until it was exceeded 10%.Signal of T2WI increased by 8.29% at 24 hours after burn.It was difficult to distinguish the gray matter from the white matter at the boundary line, which became blurred later. Histological changes of brain edema were observed as early as 6 hours after burn, being accompanied by swelling of endothelial cells and peri-vescular astrocytes, and vacuolation took place in neurons at 12 hours after burn, with different degrees of necrosis of capillary endothelimn,neurons, and axons. These changes became more marked with elapse of time. The BGS group showed the most obvious changes mentioned above at 24 hours after burn.Conclusions: The model of the brain edema after severe burn has the feature of both vasogenic edema and cytotoxic edema on the MRI and pathology. Positive MRI findings lagged behind that of the pathomorphological changes. ed


Original Research Article This study focused on types of leadership styles and the effects on employee productivity. Leadership is the ability to use power effectively and responsibly, the ability to comprehend that human beings have different situations, ability to inspire, create a conducive environment and arouse motivation, for enhanced employee productivity. The broad objective of this paper is to examine the concept of principle-centered leadership styles, with emphasis on the relevance of various leadership styles in sustainable employee productivity in organizations. A descriptive approach was adopted from secondary source of data. The study employed theoretical models that highlight 'Great man' and 'Trait theories', Contingency-Situational theories, to 'Transformational leadership theory. The paper touches on autocratic, democratic and free-rein (laissez-faire) leadership styles. The findings from the study revealed that, there is no one leadership style that fits all occasions, but the styles merge into a continuum, rather that boxes. However, employees seem to be more satisfied under the leadership of a transformational leader. The paper concludes that any leadership style adopted should be one that create suitable and conducive work environment, that will enable employee achieve organizational goals and increase productivity easily. The recommendations of this study, among others, are that any leadership style adopted should incorporate continuous process improvement, which entails continuously searching for better ways of doing things. This could be in the form of large dramatic changes, resulting from new technologies, innovative and small incremental changes and maintaining and building on the performance standards, already in existence, through earlier innovations in the organization.


Enforced expression of c-myc in many cell types is associated with inhibition of terminal differentiation. However, the mechanism by which this occurs remains unclear. In order to address this issue we therefore exploited the ability of c-Myc to block differentiation in the 3T3-L1 cell line, a well characterised in vitro model of adipogenesis. Analysis of 3T3-L1 lines constitutively expressing an avian c-myc transgene revealed an inability to undergo morphological changes or accumulate cytoplasmic triglyceride, which was dependent upon the integrity of the Myc leucine zipper. In order to define the point at which adipogenesis was inhibited we analysed patterns of gene expression during the differentiation programme. This study demonstrated that the Myc block was associated with repression of the late stage markers C/EBPalpha, PPARgamma2, aP2 and SCD1. C/EBPa and PPARgamma2 are key transcriptional regulators of adipogenesis that co-ordinate the expression of genes required for lipid metabolism, including aP2 and SCD1. Hence, repression of these factors provides a molecular basis for the inability of Myc-expressing cell lines to undergo morphological differentiation. Interestingly, a 3T3-L1 clone that had spontaneously lost the ability to differentiate displayed a similar profile of gene expression. However, subtle differences indicated that this block occurred via a different mechanism. Surprisingly, low levels of c-Myc were sufficient to inhibit 3T3-L1 differentiation and this was not associated with transformation or the capacity to undergo apoptosis. Additionally, the continued presence of c-Myc did not alter the ability of the 3T3-L1 line to undergo a number of defined cell cycle events during the early phases of the differentiation programme. Hence, inhibition of adipogenesis was unlikely to reflect altered cell cycle control. It had been proposed that c-Myc inhibits adipogenesis by preventing entry into a differentiation-specific growth arrest (GD) that is both irreversible and a prerequisite for terminal differentiation. However, we were unable to characterise the Gd state by either conventional criteria or by analysis of factors known to mediate cell cycle withdrawal in other differentiation systems. Indeed, irreversible cell cycle exit was only apparent in mature adipocytes, suggesting this was a consequence of terminal differentiation rather than the driving force. Thus, c-Myc did not inhibit adipogenesis by precluding entry into Go- Finally, treatment with 10% foetal calf serum (PCS) was sufficient to rescue Myc-mediated inhibition of adipogenesis but had no effect on the differentiation- defective clone. Abrogation of the Myc block was associated with restoration of the late stage markers, accounting for the ability of the Myc-expressing lines to accumulate lipid in the presence of PCS. Whilst the active component(s) present in PCS have yet to be fully defined, it is likely that growth hormone may be partly responsible for this phenomenon. We therefore conclude that c-Myc inhibits adipogenesis by repressing the expression of master transcription factors. However, this effect is dependent upon external factors, since FCS rescues the phenotype.


The minimum semidefinite rank (msr) of a graph is defined to be the minimum rank among all positive semidefinite matrices whose zero/nonzero pattern corresponds to that graph. We recall some known facts and present new results, including results concerning the effects of vertex or edge removal from a graph on msr.


Virtual screenings can accelerate and reduce the cost of discovering metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) for their applications in gas storage, separation, and sensing. In molecular simulations of gas adsorption/diffusion in MOFs, the adsorbate-MOF electrostatic interaction is typically modeled by placing partial point charges on the atoms of the MOF. For the virtual screening of large libraries of MOFs, it is critical to develop computationally inexpensive methods to assign atomic partial charges to MOFs that accurately reproduce the electrostatic potential in their pores. Herein, we design and train a message passing neural network (MPNN) to predict the atomic partial charges on MOFs under a charge neutral constraint. A set of ca. 2,250 MOFs labeled with high-fidelity partial charges, derived from periodic electronic structure calculations, serves as training examples. In an end-to-end manner, from charge-labeled crystal graphs representing MOFs, our MPNN machine-learns features of the local bonding environments of the atoms and learns to predict partial atomic charges from these features. Our trained MPNN assigns high-fidelity partial point charges to MOFs with orders of magnitude lower computational cost than electronic structure calculations. To enhance the accuracy of virtual screenings of large libraries of MOFs for their adsorption-based applications, we make our trained MPNN model and MPNN-charge-assigned computation-ready, experimental MOF structures publicly available.


The natural history of pancreatic pseudocyst occasionally terminates with rupture into either the peritoneal cavity or a hollow viscus. Rupture into the duodenum, however, is extremely rare; the world literature contains but two documented reports of this complication. 1 This report details the third such case, reviews the pertinent literature, and discusses the radiologic diagnosis. Report of a Case A 46-year-old Negro man was admitted to the Greenpoint Hospital on Dec 29, 1968, with the complaint of epigastric pain and vomiting of two days' duration. He admitted to the daily consumption of large quantities of alcohol and had been hospitalized twice during the preceding year for treatment of acute pancreatitis. Upper-gastrointestinal tract x-ray films were normal during the first admission (Fig 1). At the second admission, nine months before the current hospitalization, repeat examination showed the stomach and duodenal bulb to be intrinsically normal. The entire descending portion of the


Origami, the ancient art of paper folding, has inspired the design of engineering devices and structures for decades. The underlying principles of origami are very general, which has led to applications ranging from cardboard containers to deployable space structures. More recently, researchers have become interested in the use of active materials (i.e., those that convert various forms of energy into mechanical work) to effect the desired folding behavior. When used in a suitable geometry, active materials allow engineers to create self-folding structures. Such structures are capable of performing folding and/or unfolding operations without being kinematically manipulated by external forces or moments. This is advantageous for many applications including space systems, underwater robotics, small scale devices, and self-assembling systems. This article is a survey and analysis of prior work on active self-folding structures as well as methods and tools available for the design of folding structures in general and self-folding structures in particular. The goal is to provide researchers and practitioners with a systematic view of the state-of-the-art in this important and evolving area. Unifying structural principles for active self-folding structures are identified and used as a basis for a quantitative and qualitative comparison of numerous classes of active materials. Design considerations specific to folded structures are examined, including the issues of crease pattern identification and fold kinematics. Although few tools have been created with active materials in mind, many of them are useful in the overall design process for active self-folding structures. Finally, the article concludes with a discussion of open questions for the field of origami-inspired engineering.


Physical and chemical non-equilibrium processes may facilitate the transport of pesticides and other chemicals through structured and macroporous soils. For sorbing pesticides, transport associated with a mobile colloidal or particulate phase represents an additional transport mechanism in structured soils that is not well understood. We investigated particle-facilitated transport of a sorbing pesticide (prochloraz, N-propyl-N-[2-(2,4,6-trichlorophenoxy)ethyl]imidazole-1-carboxamide) in a 5- by 5-m subsurface-drained field plot in a structured sandy loam in Denmark. Following pesticide application, three simulated rainfall events during an 8-d period were monitored in terms of drainage flow rate, content of particulate matter (>0.24 μm), and pesticide concentration in the solution and in the particulate phases in the drainage water. The fraction of pesticide loss to the drain was 0.2% of the applied mass, of which 6% was associated with the particulate phase. Macroporous flow paths appeared to be major routes of pesticide and particle transport. Preferential sorption to particles in the drainage water relative to bulk soil, and possibly also slow desorption from the particles, were assumed to influence the pesticide leaching in the particulate fraction. Based on experimental and reported data, the dual-porosity model MACRO, modified to account for particle mobilization and transport, could be calibrated to simulate the observations. Sensitive parameters for the particle and pesticide descriptions were identified.


Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are one of the most important ingredients in the Internet of Things. Thus it is vital to design a good power saving protocol, which operates at the medium access control (MAC) layer, for a WSN since sensors are generally battery-powered. On the other hand, organizing a WSN into coronas centered at the sink is a simple effective technique to achieve low-overhead routing where every sensor needs neither to broadcast beacons nor to maintain routing/neighbor tables. Hence in this paper, we propose an optimal and maximized configurable power saving protocol, named Green-MAC, for a corona-based WSN, which has the following attractive features. (i) By using the generalized Chinese remainder theorem, Green-MAC guarantees that any two sensors in the neighboring coronas can simultaneously wake up in bounded time regardless of their schedule offset as well as their respective cycle lengths. (ii) Given the cycle length, the ATF-ratio (i.e. the fraction of awake time frames in a cycle) of each sensor reaches the theoretical minimum. (iii) Under the minimum ATF-ratio constraints, the number of configurable ATF-ratios of each sensor reaches the theoretical maximum. (iv) An ATF-ratio configuration scheme is proposed for Green-MAC such that the power consumption of a WSN can be minimized while the worst event-to-sink delay requirement can be fulfilled with high probability. Both theoretical analysis and simulation results demonstrate that Green-MAC greatly outperforms existing power saving protocols for corona-based WSNs, including Q-MAC and Queen-MAC, in terms of ATF-ratio, configurability, network lifetime, delay violation ratio, and event-to-sink throughput.


Objective: To explore the correlation between genetic polymorphism of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and cardiac remodeling. Methods: A total of 272 subjects who received coronary angiography in our hospital from July 2008 to September 2013 were selected, including 172 CAD patients (CAD group) and another 100 ones (control group). Both groups were subjected to MMP-9 and ultrasonic detections to determine vascular remodeling and atherosclerotic plaques. C1562G polymorphism of MMP-9 gene was detected, and correlation with vascular remodeling and atherosclerotic plaque was analyzed. Results: Serum MMP-9 level of CAD group (330.87±50.39 ng/ml) was significantly higher than that of control group (134.87±34.02 ng/ml) (P<0.05). Compared with control group, CAD group had significantly higher intima-media thickness, and significantly lower systolic peak velocity, mean systolic velocity and end-diastolic velocity (P<0.05). Total area of stenotic blood vessels was 67.34±22.98 mm2, while that of control blood vessels was 64.00±20.83 mm2. G/G, G/C and C/C genotype frequencies of MMP-9 differed significantly in the two groups (P<0.05). G and C allele frequencies of CAD group (70.9% and 29.1%) were significantly different from those of control group (50.0% and 50.0%) (P<0.05). G/G, G/C and C/C genotypes were manifested as lipid-rich, fibrous and calcified or ulcerated plaques respectively. Total area of stenotic blood vessels of G/G genotype significantly exceeded those of G/C and C/C genotypes (P<0.05), whereas the latter two had no significant differences. Conclusion: CAD promoted 1562C-G transformation of MMP-9 gene into genetic polymorphism, thus facilitating arterial remodeling and increasing unstable atherosclerotic plaques.


Manufacturing systems face now more than ever the effects of an uncertain environment, which is triggered by constantly changing customer needs. Numerous approaches have been proposed to provide manufacturing systems with the capability to satisfactorily perform under situations of uncertainty, particularly by improving their level of responsiveness. Manufacturing flexibility is a dimension of responsiveness which aims at reacting to unpredictable events with little penalty on performance.

Nonetheless, there is a strong perception that the achievement of manufacturing flexibility exclusively depends on the availability of highly automated equipment. This is a misleading belief considering that manufacturing systems are a collection of interacting components sharing a common objective and therefore there must be alternative system's aspects, other than automation, contributing to the achievement of manufacturing flexibility.

This study expands on existing knowledge by exploring the concept of manufacturing flexibility through the investigation of the dimension of uniformity. The analysis of this dimension has provided a valuable perspective from which to improve understanding of flexibility in manufacturing and identify alternative ways to achieve it. By combining the analytical capabilities of discrete event simulation, statistical design of experiments and optimisation, it has been possible to identify specific factors, optimal system configurations and response trade-offs that, within the context of semi-automated cellular manufacturing systems, constitute a significant contribution in the attainment of manufacturing flexibility.


A DELIBERATE RECONSTRUCTION AND RECONFIGURING OF WOMEN IN HISTORY: ONE TEACHER'S ATTEMPT AT TRANSFORMING A U.S. HISTORY CURRICULUM by Cynthia Marie Schafer For decades, researchers have noted that the representation of women within the social studies curriculum and historical narratives has seriously neglected meaningful contributions made by women (Crocco, 1997; Lerner, 1975, 1977, 1979, 1993, 2004; Minnich, 1990; Noddings, 2001; Sincero & Woyshner, 2003). When women have received acknowledgement within traditional history, or the "great men" of history approach (Goldberg, Brattin, & Engel, 1993), it has mostly occurred in relationship to how men define women which leads to an unknowing acceptance of a dominant patriarchal tradition of knowledge and understanding (Minnich, 1990). Using a liberal feminist perspective, this interpretive inquiry examined the decision-making processes of one experienced social studies teacher as she attempted to integrate women into a high school United States history curriculum. The initial guiding question for this study was: How does a teacher intentionally include women in meaningful contexts in a high school U.S. history class? Additional sub-questions relevant to this study were: (1) How does a teacher decide the historical contexts in which women are to be included or not included? (2) What specific challenges does the teacher face when working to implement women into the U.S. history curriculum? (3) What positive factors have shaped the teacher's abilities or willingness to integrate women into the curriculum? Data sources included interviews, observations, field notes, the participant's journal reflections, and other documents used during lessons. Data analysis occurred by using a constant comparative method (Glaser & Strauss, 1967) to document any themes or patterns as they emerged. Credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability helped enhance the trustworthiness and rigor of the study (Lincoln & Guba, 1985). The findings of the study suggest that the teacher's personal experiences helped to shape her goal to show her students that women were more than secondary characters in history. The findings also indicate that even though the teacher faced many challenges as she was attempting to transform her curriculum, when she drew upon the more positive influences from her past and the positive experiences she was encountering during the study, she became much more encouraged that she could move past any obstacles confronting her. A DELIBERATE RECONSTRUCTION AND RECONFIGURING OF WOMEN IN HISTORY: ONE TEACHER'S ATTEMPT AT TRANSFORMING A U.S. HISTORY CURRICULUM by Cynthia Marie Schafer


Free triiodothyronine/free thyroxine (FT3/FT4) ratio is considered as an index of the activities of iodothyronine deiodinase types 1 and 2 (DIO1 and DIO2, respectively) and is reportedly associated with insulin resistance in euthyroid adults. Euthyroid women with polycystic ovary syndrome accompanied with insulin resistance have lesser deiodinase activities. Correspondingly, the serum insulin level in a fasted condition positively correlates with the FT3/FT4 ratio, and insulin depletion decreases the DIO2 activity in mice. Selected genetic variants in DIO1 are also associated with insulin resistance measures. Therefore, if insulin positively regulates DIO1 and DIO2, the FT3/FT4 ratio should decrease under impaired insulin action, and the casual insulin level and FT3/FT4 ratio should be negatively correlated. To evaluate this hypothesis, we conducted a single-center retrospective study between 2018 and 2021. All participants visited the selected hospitals monthly for type 2 diabetes mellitus treatment and casual plasma glucose and HbA1c level measurements. Furthermore, their casual serum insulin levels were measured annually. Meanwhile, we excluded patients treated with insulin injection. Ultimately, we evaluated 71 patients, which all exhibited euthyroid conditions. The FT3/FT4 ratio was independently associated with thyroid-stimulating hormone, casual plasma glucose, and casual insulin levels. In terms of the regression coefficients of the univariate linear regression analysis, the FT3/FT4 ratio negatively correlated with the casual serum insulin levels. Therefore, the risk of FT3/FT4 ratio underestimation should be considered when diagnosing Graves' disease, which is often accompanied with insulin resistance.


OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to document within-person and between-persons associations between the duration of day-to-day activities (volunteering, spiritual activities, media use, socializing, entertainment/campus events and clubs, athletics, classes, working for pay) and alcohol use (quantity and heavy drinking) and to examine whether these associations differed by gender and the time of week.

METHOD
First-semester college students (N = 717 persons; 51.6% female) provided up to 14 consecutive days of data (N = 9,431 days) via daily web-based surveys. Multilevel analyses tested whether alcohol use was associated with activity duration, gender, and time of week.

RESULTS
Between-persons associations indicated that alcohol use was higher among individuals who spent more time involved in athletics and socializing and lower among students who spent more time in spiritual and volunteer activities. Within-person associations indicated that students consumed more alcohol and were more likely to drink heavily on weekends, on days they spent more time than usual socializing, and on days they spent less time than usual in spiritual activities and using media.

CONCLUSIONS
Select activities and days were linked with less alcohol use at both the between- and within-person levels, suggesting that attention should be paid to both selection effects and social context to understand the mechanisms linking activity duration and student drinking.


We analyzed the expression, during the osteogenic response of bone to mechanical stimulation, of insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I), a growth factor implicated in bone formation, and c-fos, a protooncogene in which disordered regulation specifically affects bone. Both genes were strongly expressed in osteocytes of mechanically stimulated but not control bones within 30 min of the osteogenic stimulus. IGF-I mRNA expression increased up to 6 h, was restricted to osteocytes, and was strongly suppressed by indomethacin. Although early IGF-I mRNA expression was resistant to cycloheximide, there was a degree of suppression after 6 h, raising the possibility that IGF-I expression might be prolonged by autocrine mechanisms. c-fos mRNA was increased both in osteocytes and on bone surfaces. At both sites, c-fos expression was transient, prolonged by cycloheximide, and was strongly stimulated even in the presence of indomethacin. Thus osteocytes respond to mechanical stimulation with immediate prolonged expression of IGF-I and immediate transient expression of c-fos, implicating osteocytes in the osteogenic response to mechanical stimulation. Moreover, the different spatial distribution and indomethacin sensitivity of c-fos and IGF-I gene expression suggest that at least two signaling pathways are activated in osteocytes during this process.


The structure and function of ribosomes from spores and vegetative mycelium of Streptomyces antibioticus were compared. Differences were observed in the sedimentation coefficient of ribosomes from spores (56·86S) and vegetative mycelium (69·77S). Reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography of ribosomal proteins of the 30S and 50S subunits revealed differences which included several polypeptides present in the vegetative ribosomes but absent from spore ribosomes. The latter were also defective in their ability to promote polyphenylalanine synthesis, the functional activity of both ribosomal subunits being affected. The soluble fraction of spores also showed decreased protein-synthesizing activity, compared to that of the vegetative mycelium. Recovery of normal ribosomal subunits and soluble fraction activity occurred early in the germination process, reaching activity values approaching those of the vegetative state during initiation of germination. It is suggested that regulation of cellular metabolism at the level of translation may be involved in the establishment of spore dormancy.