Understanding the differences in efficiencies of various methods to concentrate, extract, and amplify environmental DNA (eDNA) is vital for best performance of eDNA detection. Aquatic systems vary in characteristics such as turbidity, eDNA concentration, and inhibitor load, thus affecting eDNA capture efficiency. Application of eDNA techniques to the detection of terrestrial invasive or endangered species may require sampling at intermittent water sources that are used for drinking and cooling; these water bodies may often be stagnant and turbid. We present our best practices technique for the detection of wild pig eDNA in water samples, a protocol that will have wide applicability to the detection of elusive vertebrate species. We determined the best practice for eDNA capture in a turbid water system was to concentrate DNA from a 15 mL water sample via centrifugation, purify DNA with the DNeasy mericon Food kit, and remove inhibitors with Zymo Inhibitor Removal Technology columns. Further, we compared the sensitivity of conventional PCR to quantitative PCR and found that quantitative PCR was more sensitive in detecting lower concentrations of eDNA. We show significant differences in efficiencies among methods in each step of eDNA capture, emphasizing the importance of optimizing best practices for the system of interest.


In this short paper, we propose a research design for collecting data on entrepreneurs' perceptions of the existential crisis. In particular, we are interested in a deeper understanding of the societal impact the Corona-Crisis will have on social relations in Germany through the eyes of a key-demographic: entrepreneurs. We outline a possible set up for a probabilistic web-panel of entrepreneurs, focusing on managing directors and company owners in small and medium sized companies. The panel would include questions about how entrepreneurs perceive the support offered by the government and the wider society, how this evaluation will impact their view of the government and their fellow citizens and how entrepreneurs see any chance in this crisis for more sustainability-oriented business practices. Moreover, we outline a sampling strategy and a data collection mode. Such research is of particular relevance in the current situation of high uncertainty to better understand how perceptions and attitudes of entrepreneurs are developing due to the crisis. This will not only have important implications for the social group under study, but for questions about the social cohesion more generally.


Background: Acid mine drainage (AMD) leads to contamination of surface and ground water by high levels of toxic metals including chromium. In many cases, these waters are sources of drinking water for communities, and treatment is therefore required before consumption to prevent negative health effects. Methods: Cationised hemp cellulose was prepared by etherification with two quaternary ammonium salts: 3-chloro-2-hydroxypropyl trimethyl ammonium chloride (CHPTAC) and glycidyltrimethylammonium chloride (GTMAC) and examined for (i) the efficiency of Cr(VI) removal under acid mine-drainage (AMD) conditions, and (ii) antibacterial activity. Adsorbents were characterised by electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), CP-MAS 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, elemental composition and surface charge. Results: FTIR and solid state 13C NMR confirmed the introduction of quaternary ammonium moieties on cellulose. 13C NMR also showed that cationisation decreased the degree of crystallisation and lateral dimensions of cellulose fibrils. Nevertheless, 47 %  72 % of Cr(VI) ions were removed from solutions at pH 4, by 0.1 g of CHPTAC and GTMACcationised cellulose, respectively. Adsorption kinetics followed the pseudo-second order model and isotherms were best described by the Freundlich and Dubinin-Radushkevich models. When GTMACmodified cellulose was applied to AMD contaminated water (pH 2.7); however, Cr(VI) removal decreased to 22% likely due to competition from Al and Fe ions. Cationised materials displayed considerable antibacterial effects, reducing the viability of Escherichia coli by up to Open Peer Review


Abstract. European society is facing many critical challenges. Traditional as well as social media, inform people about a particular crisis. The news titles during the last years have contained words such as COVID-19, drought, floods or migration. The society, including experts, call for a quick and straightforward solution of particular burning troubles. However, all of the problems afflicting contemporary Europe is much more complex. The regional development is a keystone of problems mentioned-above. Visions of regional development, as well as efficient cooperation and sharing knowledge, can prevent or limit the impact of various types of hazards and risks. Prosperous and vital regions can help with many burning problems threatening the human population such as climate change, poverty, hunger, health or clean energy. The information is a crucial commodity from the perspective of regional development. Such information has to be high-quality and reliable. The way of presentation and interpretation is also critical. Therefore the maps of the regional attractiveness (which is taken as a potential region) have been developed in the Polirural project. The article "Maps of Attractiveness of European Regions" presents two types of thematic maps of regional attractiveness: choropleth maps providing information on a level of attractiveness based on Rural Attractiveness Index (RAI) and chorochromatic maps showing similarities on regions calculated by clustering techniques. These maps cover NUTS 3 region in Europe. The target group for the developed map is very heterogeneous. It can cover policy-makers and decision-makers of particular regions; people focused on regional development and planning or investments, persons interested in entrepreneurship or citizen living in particular areas. Because of the variety of user group and limited experience with advanced cartographic products, the developed maps have to be simple, clear, comparable, intelligible and attractive.


We demonstrate a first-principles method to compute all factors entering the vacancy-mediated self-diffusion coefficient. Using density functional theory calculations of fcc Al as an illustrative case, we determine the energetic and entropic contributions to vacancy formation and atomic migration. These results yield a quantitative description of the migration energy and vibrational prefactor via transition state theory. The calculated diffusion parameters and coefficients show remarkably good agreement with experiments. We provide a simple physical picture for the positive entropic contributions.


Drug resistance (DR) of cancer cells leading to relapse is a huge problem nowadays to achieve long-lasting cures for cancer patients. This also holds true for the incurable hematological malignancy multiple myeloma (MM), which is characterized by the accumulation of malignant plasma cells in the bone marrow (BM). Although new treatment approaches combining immunomodulatory drugs, corticosteroids, proteasome inhibitors, alkylating agents, and monoclonal antibodies have significantly improved median life expectancy, MM remains incurable due to the development of DR, with the underlying mechanisms remaining largely ill-defined. It is well-known that MM is a heterogeneous disease, encompassing both genetic and epigenetic aberrations. In normal circumstances, epigenetic modifications, including DNA methylation and posttranslational histone modifications, play an important role in proper chromatin structure and transcriptional regulation. However, in MM, numerous epigenetic defects or so-called 'epimutations' have been observed and this especially at the level of DNA methylation. These include genome-wide DNA hypomethylation, locus specific hypermethylation and somatic mutations, copy number variations and/or deregulated expression patterns in DNA methylation modifiers and regulators. The aberrant DNA methylation patterns lead to reduced gene expression of tumor suppressor genes, genomic instability, DR, disease progression, and high-risk disease. In addition, the frequency of somatic mutations in the DNA methylation modifiers seems increased in relapsed patients, again suggesting a role in DR and relapse. In this review, we discuss the recent advances in understanding the involvement of aberrant DNA methylation patterns and/or DNA methylation modifiers in MM development, progression, and relapse. In addition, we discuss their involvement in MM cell plasticity, driving myeloma cells to a cancer stem cell state characterized by a more immature and drug-resistant phenotype. Finally, we briefly touch upon the potential of DNA methyltransferase inhibitors to prevent relapse after treatment with the current standard of care agents and/or new, promising (immuno) therapies.


Adsorption isotherms, which describe the coal's gas storage capacity, are important for estimating the carbon sequestration potential of coal seams. This study investigated the inter-laboratory reproducibility of carbon dioxide isotherm measurements on dry Argonne Premium Coal Samples (Pocahontas No. 3, Upper Freeport, Illinois No. 6, Wyodak-Anderson, and Beulah Zap). Four independent laboratories provided isotherm data for the five coal samples at temperatures of either 22 °C or 55 °C and pressures up to 7 MPa. The differences among the data sets in this study appeared to be rank-dependent in that the data among the laboratories agreed better for high-rank coal samples than for low-rank coal samples. A number of parameters such as sample size, equilibration time, and apparatus dimensions were examined to explain the rank effect, but no trend could be found that explained the differences. The variations among the data are attributed to different procedures for removing moisture to obtain the "dried" coal.


An exceptional arrangement concluded for access to the HeLa cell line sequence highlights the problems involved in studies on « old » samples obtained before ethical and privacy safeguards were in place.


Cooking habits and product quality can impact consumer's in-grocery and at-home food decisions. On February 12, 2016, a survey was launched; data collection concluded two weeks later for a total sample of 1,265 respondents. Household demographic information was collected, as well as information about cooking habits, where respondents learned healthy eating, and acceptance of damaged food items. Males made up 48% of the sample, with those aged 45 to 64 years old representing the largest age group (38%) in the sample. In terms of method of learning healthy eating, learning from family was selected by 56% of the sample. A majority of the sample was willing to accept or buy food past the sale by date (61%), accept or buy damaged produce (53%), and accept or buy dented canned or boxed items (77%).


Exploiting the locality of the chemical potential of an excited state when it is evaluated using the ground state Density Functional Theory (DFT), a new local descriptor for excited states has been proposed (J. Chem. Theory Comput.2009, 5, 2274). This index is based on the assumption that the relaxation of the electronic density toward that of the ground state drives the chemical reactivity of excited states. The sign of the descriptor characterizes the electrophilic or nucleophilic behavior of atomic regions. Through an exact excited state DFT formalism provided by Gross, Oliveira, and Kohn, a mathematical argument is given for this descriptor only for the first excited state. It is afterward used to rationalize the occurrence and the regioselectivity of some DNA lesions based on the [2 + 2] cycloaddition between two adjacent bases.


The Roman Curia, the Apostolic Penitentiary and the Partes in the Later Middle Ages. Edited by Kirsi Salonen and Christian Krotzl. [Acta Instituti Romani Finlandiae, Vol. 28.] (Rome: Institutum Romanum Finlandiae. 2003. Pp. iii, 213. $30.00 paperback.) Among the offices of the medieval papal curia, the workings of the Chancery, Camera, and Rota have understandably attracted considerable scholarly attention. It was, after all, here that affairs of high finance and politically charged litigation were conducted. Yet the office of the Penitentiary was perhaps more symbolic of the reach of papal might, governing the consciences (the forum internum) and touching the lives of ordinary people. Once it emerged as a bureau in the thirteenth century, the Penitentiary was responsible for granting dispensations and absolutions in such matters as marriage impediments, formal barriers to clerical ordination, and declarations of innocence in alleged crimes. Interest in the Apostolic Penitentiary has naturally grown since 1983 when Pope John Paul II opened the office's archives, though research is still in its early stages. Prominent in this burgeoning field are Ludwig Schmugge and the German-Swiss group working under him, not to mention Scandinavian historians like Per Ingesman, Kirsi Salonen, and Torstein Jorgensen (who continue a tradition of Nordic scholarship on the papacy that goes back to P. A. Munch's path-breaking studies in the mid-nineteenth century). The present volume is the result of two conferences held at the Finnish Institute in Rome. It contains eleven articles (mostly in German) offering a range of perspectives on the Penitentiary material and its relationship to the documentation available in local archives in Europe (in partibus). If the book has an overarching thesis, it is that the skeletal evidence available from the "center" needs to be seen in the perspective of fleshier (yet often lacking) details from the "periphery." For example, Daniel Rutz's contribution tracing the supplication of one Hans Umbendorn for dispensation from his defectus corporis (two missing fingers on his left hand) demonstrates the complex local situation behind a terse entry in the Penitentiary registers. At the same time, the book is a reminder that students of papal relations with the churches of late-medieval Europe must be minutely sensitive to geographical diversity and chronological shifts. Brigide Schwarz's piece on "Norddeutschland und die romische Kurie im spaten Mittelalter," though it draws very little on Penitentiary material, reveals both the striking variations in contact with Rome from one North-German diocese or town to another and from one decade to the next, as well as the manifold practical difficullies encountered by petitioners (e. …


: The number of mast cells has been established to increase sharply during the metamorphosis of Bufo viridis tadpoles and during the period of postnatal ontogenesis of rats. The data obtained are under discussion to represent mast cell as a system-forming element of thyroid microregion.


Landau-Kleffner syndrome (LKS) and the syndrome of continuous spikes and waves during slow wave sleep (CSWS) are two points on the spectrum of functional childhood epileptic encephalopathies. They are characterized by a severe paroxysmal EEG disturbance that may permanently alter the critical synaptogenesis by strengthening synaptic contacts that should have been naturally "pruned." The much more common benign epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes is also related to LKS and CSWS by a common pathophysiology. Although prognosis in LKS and CSWS for seizure control is good, cognitive function declines and permanent neuropsychologic dysfunction is seen in many cases. This permanent damage is most evident in those patients who had early-onset EEG abnormality and a prolonged active phase of continuous spike-and-wave discharges during sleep. If the active phase of paroxysmal activity persists for over 2 to 3 years, even successful treatment does not resolve neuropsychologic sequelae. In LKS, the paroxysmal activity permanently affects the posterior temporal area and results in auditory agnosia and language deficits; in CSWS, the frontal lobes are more involved and other cognitive disturbances predominate. Aggressive treatment should include high-dose antiepileptic drugs, corticosteroids, and surgery in specific cases


The paper presents geometrical accuracy tests of polymer spiral bevel gears. The change in geometry was quantified with reference to research models produced by incremental methods: FDM (fused deposition modeling), SLS (selective laser sintering), DLP (digital light processing) and PolyJet. Model geometry verification was made basing on the INDUSTRY 4.0 philosophy using the Klingelnberg P40 coordinate measuring machine (CMM) operating in an integrated network system. The graphs show deviations of selected parameters defining the geometry of the teeth. Analysis of the obtained results was used to select the appropriate printing technology and to improve the quality of the polymer gears. The highest 11th accuracy class of the spiral bevel gear teeth, determined according to DIN 3965, was obtained for models manufactured in PolyJet additive technology.


Book synopsis: The International Guide to Speech Acquisition is a comprehensive guide that is ideal for speech-language pathologists working with children from a wide variety of language backgrounds. Offering coverage on 12 English-speaking dialects and 24 languages other than English, you will find the information you need to identify children who are having speech difficulties and provide age-appropriate prevention and intervention targets.


The thesis describes the establishment of a laser damage facility
in the ultra violet. The laser is a pulsed excimer laser (25 n sec)
capable of an output energy of 1 Joule at wavelengths of 193, 245,
308, 337 and 351 nm. The problems involved in making reliable
damage threshold measurements are addressed, such as energy calibration,
beam attenuation, damage detection and temporal and spatial beam
profiling. A computer controlled frame store and video system
enabling single shot spatial profiling and peak fluence measurements
to be performed is described. Such a system is essential if reliable
results are to be obtained from lasers whose spatial output cannot
be described by a Gaussian.
Using the damage facility, work has been performed on single crystal
Caf2 laser windows ascertaining the bulk and surface damage thresholds
as a function of crystal purity, surface finishing and polishing
procedures. The results of a T.E.M. study give an insight into the
fundamental damage mechanism of this material to be electron avalanche
breakdown. The role of transient primary defects in the bulk breakdown
of CaF2 has been investigated using dye laser probe techniques, and
indicate that the presence of U.V. generated self trapped excitons,
acting as sinks for the conduction band electrons, greatly enhances
the damage threshold.
Work on coatings using a LIMA (Laser-induced ion mass analyser)
is reported and the potential of this machine as a laser damage
diagnostic tool is explored.


Introduction National and multi-national bodies provide guidance for the treatment of mild-moderate Ulcerative Colitis (UC). How these recommendations are applied in clinical practice is unclear. Very limited data on real-life prescriptions by gastroenterologists are available. Method In November 2015, 181 gastroenterologists from 8 EU countries [Czech Republic (CZ): 31 (17%); Denmark (DK): 20 (11%); Finland (FI): 12 (7%); France (FR): 30 (17%); Ireland (IE): 15 (8%); Norway (NO): 11 (6%); Spain (ES): 31 (17%); Sweden (SE): 31 (17%)] were invited to participate in an online survey. The analysis was explorative in nature and descriptive results are presented. Results Participating physicians reported seeing and treating on average of 25–71 patients with UC of different severity per month. Of these, 9%–22% were treatment naïve, 21%–41% were relapsing, and 43%–64% were in remission. Overall, mesalazine (5-ASA) was the treatment of choice in 72%–97% for patients with mild UC and in 67%–95% with moderate UC, while 6%–44% and 41%–83% of patients with mild and moderate UC were on a combination therapy. Interestingly, 3%–10% of physicians in ES, IE and DK and 3%–9% of physicians in ES and NO prescribed corticosteroids and/or biologics/biosimilars for newly diagnosed patients with mild disease. The mean mesalazine daily dose for induction/maintenance of remission was of 3.9/2.4g in DK; 3.5/2.1g in SE; 3.5/1.8g in NO; 3.5/1.9g in CZ; 3.4/2.3g in IE; 3.1/2.1g in FI; and 2.4/1.3g in ES. In case of relapse, 48%–68% of the participating physicians increased the treatment dose, 17%–55% added another therapy while 5%–17% switched to another therapy. In case of add-on therapy, 25%–68% of physicians prescribed corticosteroids, 9%–33% biologics, 3%–20% biosimilars, and 10%–50% azathiopirine. In case of switch to another therapy, 8%–60% of physicians prescribed corticosteroids, 3%–33% biologics, 9%–17% biosimilars, and 5%–58% azathiopirine. Physicians' perception of patients' compliance varied among countries, from a minimum of 40% in CZ to a maximum of 77% in ES. Conclusion Several factors, including personalised treatment and the local reimbursement scheme might influence prescription behaviour in different countries. Prescription of corticosteroids and biologics/biosimilars for newly diagnosed patients with mild form of the disease is difficult to explain and might mirror local medical habits or indicate a need for further education. Disclosure of Interest P. Marchi Conflict with: Tillotts Pharma AG, B. Chemittz-Nielsen Conflict with: TNF-Sifo Navigare


1. Seventy-two adult guinea pigs were fed tuberculous sputum daily for periods ranging from 6 weeks to 4 months. 2. Thirty-seven of these were maintained on a diet partially deficient in vitamin C; twenty-six developed ulcerative intestinal tuberculosis. 3. In the remaining thirty-five animals whose diet was supplemented by an adequate amount of vitamin C only two developed tuberculous ulcers in the intestines. 4. From these studies we conclude that the ingestion of tubercle bacilli by the guinea pig is not the sole factor in the production of intestinal tuberculosis. 5. In our opinion, an adequate supply of vitamin C usually protects the guinea pig against ulcerative intestinal tuberculosis.


Thermal neutron detectors have seen only incremental improvements over the last decades. In this paper we overview the current technology of choice for thermal neutron detection--{sup 3}He tubes, which suffer from, moderate to poor fieldability, and low absolute efficiency. The need for improved neutron detection is evident due to this technology gap and the fact that neutrons are a highly specific indicator of fissile material. Recognizing this need, we propose to exploit recent advances in microfabrication technology for building the next generation of semiconductor thermal neutron detectors for national security requirements, for applications requiring excellent fieldability of small devices. We have developed an innovative pathway taking advantage of advanced processing and fabrication technology to produce the proposed device. The crucial advantage of our Pillar Detector is that it can simultaneously meet the requirements of high efficiency and fieldability in the optimized configuration, the detector efficiency could be higher than 70%.


Abstract Liver resection may be beneficial in intermediate-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), though the benefit of postoperative anti-hepatitis B virus (HBV) therapy in these patients remains unclear. In this study, we sought to evaluate the efficacy of postoperative anti-HBV for intermediate-stage HCC patients who underwent radical liver resection. According to inclusion and exclusion criteria, this study enrolled 202 HCC patients who underwent liver resection and had a high HBV-DNA load. The patients were divided into 2 groups on the basis of postoperative anti-HBV therapy: group A included patients undergoing postoperative anti-HBV therapy, whereas group B patients did not receive any postoperative anti-HBV therapy. Factors including baseline demographics, tumor characteristics, overall long-term survival, tumor-free survival, and tumor recurrence rate were compared between the 2 groups. Moreover, univariate and multivariate analyses were used to identify risk factors of HCC recurrence. Baseline demographics and tumor characteristics were comparable between the groups. The 1-, 3-, and 5-year overall survival rates in group A were 91.3%, 80.9%, and 66.1%, respectively, values that were significantly increased compared with group B (91.7%, 60.7%, and 52.4%, respectively, P = .019). Group A patients also exhibited enhanced 1-, 3-, and 5-year tumor-free survival compared with group B patients (87.0%, 67.0%, and 62.6%, respectively, in group A; 82.1%, 50.0%, and 42.9% in group B, P = .002). In addition, the tumor recurrence rate in group B was significantly increased compared with group A (P < .01). Univariate and multivariate analyses indicated lack of postoperative anti-HBV therapy [hazard ratio (HR) = 0.882; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.712–0.938; P = .042] to be a predictor of tumor recurrence. For intermediate-stage [Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stage B] HCC with a high HBV-DNA load, postoperative anti-HBV therapy after curative resection should be routine adjuvant therapy.


The cycle plot is an established and effective visualization technique for identifying and comprehending patterns in periodic time series, like trends and seasonal cycles. It also allows to visually identify and contextualize extreme values and outliers from a different perspective. Unfortunately, it is limited to univariate data. For multivariate time series, patterns that exist across several dimensions are much harder or impossible to explore. We propose a modified cycle plot using a distance‐based abstraction (Mahalanobis distance) to reduce multiple dimensions to one overview dimension and retain a representation similar to the original. Utilizing this distance‐based cycle plot in an interactive exploration environment, we enhance the Visual Analytics capacity of cycle plots for multivariate outlier detection. To enable interactive exploration and interpretation of outliers, we employ coordinated multiple views that juxtapose a distance‐based cycle plot with Cleveland's original cycle plots of the underlying dimensions. With our approach it is possible to judge the outlyingness regarding the seasonal cycle in multivariate periodic time series.


Abstract Some new 3,4,5-trisubstituted 1,2,4-triazole derivatives were synthesized and studied for their antimicrobial activity. The lead compounds were obtained starting from 8-hydroxyquinoline and ethyl 2-chloroacetate. The obtained ester compound (1) first reacted with hydrazine hydrate (2) then with phenyl isothiocyanate (3). Ring closure by KOH led to 3-mercapto-1,2,4-triazole derivative (4). Lastly, it reacted with 2-chloro-N-(substituted (benzo)/thiazole)acetamide derivatives to obtain the final compounds (5a–j). The structural elucidation of the compounds was performed by 1H NMR and 13C NMR spectroscopy and high resolution mass spectrometry techniques and elemental analysis. The synthesized compounds were investigated for their antimicrobial activities against seven bacteria and four fungi. As a result of the activity studies, it was observed that compounds N-(6-nitrobenzothiazol-2-yl)-2-[[4-phenyl-5-((quinolin-8-yloxy)methyl)-4H-1,2,4-triazol-3-yl]thio]acetamide (5a) and N-(6-fluorobenzothiazol-2-yl)-2-[[4-phenyl-5-((quinolin-8-yloxy)methyl)-4H-1,2,4-triazol-3-yl]thio]acetamide (5d) were the most active molecules. Also, the antifungal activity of the compounds was found to be higher than their antibacterial activity although lower than the standard drug's potential. Additionally, the physicochemical properties of the compounds were calculated which were evaluated to be at a suitable range for oral administration. Graphical Abstract


Mississippi State University is developing diagnostic instruments for MHD power train acquisition and for support of MHD component development test facilities. Microprocessor-controlled optical instruments, initially developed for HRSR support, are being refined, and new systems to measure temperatures and gas-seed-slag stream characteristics are being developed. To further data acquisition and analysis capabilities, the diagnostic systems are being interfaced with MHD Energy Center computers. Additionally, technical support of the diagnostic needs of the national MHD research effort is being provided. 10 refs., 23 figs.


Entropic regularization is quickly emerging as a new standard in optimal transport (OT). It enables to cast the OT computation as a differentiable and unconstrained convex optimization problem, which can be efficiently solved using the Sinkhorn algorithm. However, entropy keeps the transportation plan strictly positive and therefore completely dense, unlike unregularized OT. This lack of sparsity can be problematic in applications where the transportation plan itself is of interest. In this paper, we explore regularizing the primal and dual OT formulations with a strongly convex term, which corresponds to relaxing the dual and primal constraints with smooth approximations. We show how to incorporate squared $2$-norm and group lasso regularizations within that framework, leading to sparse and group-sparse transportation plans. On the theoretical side, we bound the approximation error introduced by regularizing the primal and dual formulations. Our results suggest that, for the regularized primal, the approximation error can often be smaller with squared $2$-norm than with entropic regularization. We showcase our proposed framework on the task of color transfer.


In recent years, European pharmaceutical regulators have increasingly committed to heightening access to raw safety‐related data as part of a wave of transparency initiatives (e.g., providing public Internet‐mediated access to clinical trials data). Yet, the regulators—who are under significant pressure—have not yet benefited from a systematic review of this new policy. In seeking to inject much needed evidence, this article explores the effects of new transparency policies designed to promote meaningful communication of risks and benefits to patients. Results of a cross‐national European survey with respondents from Great Britain, the Netherlands, Spain, France, Germany, and Sweden (N = 5,648) shed light on how patients and the public are likely to react to the regulators' new transparency policies. The findings demonstrate clear national variations in how European citizens are likely to react and emphasize the need to develop evidence‐based, reasoned transparency policies that integrate benefit‐risk communication. The authors conclude by providing six specific recommendations, informed by the study, that seek to improve the European transparency model both within the medical field and across health, safety, and environmental policy domains.


Strong signal of fluctuation superconductivity has been found in RBa2Cu3O7-δ(R = Y, Gd) superconducting thin films near Tc through careful investigation on resistance transitions. Detailed analyses show that, for both polycrystalline and epitaxial YBa2Cu3O7-δ thin films, it tends to be of 2D characteristic when T》Tc, but a crossover from 2D to 3D will occur when T approaches Tc, which is consistent with the prediction of Lawrence-Doniach theory. The 3D-2D crossover can also take place when a rather weak field (1.5G) is applied parallel to Cu-O planes, but it is not the case when H is perpendicular to Cu-O planes, this indicates that there is a weak coupling between Cu-O planes in YBa2Cu3O7-δ. The same study on a GdBa2Cu3O7-δ epitaxial thin films shows that the 2D feature also appeares when T》Tc, but no evidence of 3D has been found when T approaches Tc, this we think is related to the self-moment of Gd ions.


The 5' non-coding region of the genomes of 11 isolates of Murray Valley encephalitis virus from Australia and Papua New Guinea were examined by primer extension sequencing. Although the 5' non-coding region of all isolates was found to be highly conserved, three isolates were significantly different in that they contained extra uridine residues. Two of these isolates from Papua New Guinea contained an extra uridine residue, nominally positioned after nucleotide 54, which was absent from all but one of the Australian isolates tested. This isolate (OR 156) contained a further uridine residue at the same site. These results provide further support for earlier observations on the genetic relationships between these isolates, in particular that OR 156 is more closely related to the Papua New Guinea strains than to the Australian strains.


Do more protesters on the streets make governments likely to grant their demands? Several studies link protest size and government concessions. Yet existing research has limitations: many studies suffer from potential endogeneity due to potential protesters joining protests when they anticipate that concessions are likely, causal mechanisms are often unclear, and many of the most rigorous event-level studies are limited to Western democracies. We reexamine this relationship in a non-Western sample using a novel instrumental variable approach, using Fridays as an instrument for exogenous variation in protest size in predominately Muslim countries. We perform two analyses: one using the NAVCO 3.0 dataset, and the second using the Mass Mobilization in Autocracies Dataset (MMAD). In both analyses exogenous variation in protest size negatively affects the likelihood of concessions. Larger protests are less likely to receive government concessions. We suggest these surprising results point to the importance of unanticipated protests that produce new information about regime stability to motivate government concessions.


Line narrowing in the output spectrum of a Nd-doped silica-fiber laser with spectrally flat reflectors is interpreted to indicate a substantial homogeneous contribution to the 1.09-microm fluorescent linewidth. By using a fiber Bragg reflector, frequency-stable operation with 100-GHz bandwidth is obtained, dominated by power broadening and spectral hole burning.


Global phenomena such as nationalism, extremism and xenophobia are related today to discourses on autochthony and citizenship. Given current processes of democratisation and economic liberalisation, and the scarcity of natural resources, interaction between people of diverse origins is becoming increasingly violent. In West Africa, the declining resource base and power relations are important factors in conflicts between different communities. Many outbreaks of violence are caused by attempts on the part of 'autochthons' to safeguard 'ancestral lands' against 'newcomers' accused of overusing this patrimony. This seems paradoxical at a time of political and socio-economic change, when official discourse invites national and regional integration. The present article draws on studies carried out in West Africa between 2002 and 2007. Data extracted from various individual studies on institutions concerned with natural resource management, livelihood and territory, and negotiated statehood were compiled, analysed and discussed in two interdisciplinary meetings involving researchers from many scientific backgrounds. Focusing on pastoralism and access to land, this article aims to demonstrate that management institutions are eroded in a context of resource scarcity, and that certain groups build discourse and strategies on fuzzy notions of nationhood or identity in order to exclude other users. In this process, the notion of autochthony appears to be an ideological tool in the hands of native people, used to combat social malaise and difficulty in sustaining a livelihood in a context of global development. W that in a context of 'presence-absence' of the state, negotiations between various stakeholders at different levels could foster sustainable development.


The recently approved COBRAS/SAMBA cosmic microwave background mission will also have a major impact on measurements of the Sunyaev-Zeldovich effect. The frequency of three of the channels (150 GHz, 217 GHz, 353 GHz) are chosen to optimize measurements of the thermal and kinetic SZ effect mainly caused by hot gas in clusters of galaxies. Estimates of the number of detected clusters are somewhat uncertain due to incomplete knowledge of the gas mass function of clusters and the distribution of hot gas at large radii. Straightforward interpolation of X-ray observations of the 200 X-ray brightest clusters gives a firm lower limit of approximately 3000 detected clusters of which roughly half should be resolved. If the gas distribution of clusters should turn out to be favourable and/or the cluster evolution with redshift is weak, this number could be higher by a factor of up to ten. Using an optimal filtering technique a measurement of the bulk peculiar velocity of a sample of about 200 of the resolved clusters will be possible with a 1-sigma error of 100 - 200 km/s.


The purpouse of this study to examine antibiotics inhibition growth of Salmonella sp . isolated from feces of broiler chickens to chloramphenicol, gentamicin, and tetracycline in coparison with pineapple squeeze. Swab  sample  from  broiler  chicken  cloaca  was  cultured  to  nutrient  broth  media  and incubated at 37°C temperature for 24 hours. Culture was compared with Mc Farland 3 standardization, and separated on surface of Muller Hinton Agar (MHA). Antibiotic sensitivity was tested by mean of  chloramphenicol, gentamisin, and tetrasiklin in coparison with pineapple squeeze. The antibiotic disks (Oxoid) were put on the surface of MHA media which had inoculated with Salmonella sp . bacteria. Antibiotic sensitivity was determined based on formation of inhibition zone in surrounding of antibiotic disc. The result showed that S almonella sp . bacteria growth was inhibited in ≥ 21 mm and ≥ 18 mm, ≥ 7 mm and ≥ 9 mm against chloramphenicol, gentamisin, tetrasiklin, and pineapple squeeze respectively. This research concluded that the Salmonella sp . cultured in this manner were sensitive to chloramphenicol and gentamisin. The inhibition growth of Salmonella sp . caused by chloramphenicol and gentamicin was significantly higher in comparison with pineapple ( Ananas comosus ) squeeze, meanwhile the Salmonella sp . bacteria was resistance against tetracycline. Our result suggest that both antibiotics chloramphenicol and gentamicin were recommended for antibiotic therapy in Salmonella sp. infection.


This introduction explains why and how Keynes became associated with the project for publishing Reconstruction Supplements that would circulate throughout Europe in 1922-3. The idea came from C.P. Scott, the long-serving editor and proprietor of the Manchester Guardian, Britain's most prestigious liberal newspaper. Keynes agreed to edit the proposed series, to recruit contributors from across Europe, and to write a number of essays himself. This was a new kind of journalistic challenge for him, but it brought both prestige and considerable financial rewards. The proposal was intimately linked with the commission for Keynes to attend the international Genoa Conference in the spring of 1922 as a special correspondent, contributing a series of articles that were widely syndicated. All this came at a critical moment in his personal life, at the beginning of his relationship with the Russian ballerina Lydia Lopokova, who was to become his wife. Her impact on the project should not be underestimated, encouraging Keynes to write in a more accessible way than previously. The results were seen not only in the publication of the Supplements themselves but also in the subsequent book that Keynes published, A Tract on Monetary Reform, which owes much to the Supplements both in style and in substance.


Indonesian freshwater fish diversity is threatened by human activities such as logging, land clearing, pollution and introduction of non-native species. The latter may pose serious threats to endemic freshwater fauna even in relatively pristine and isolated habitats. One such area, West Papua in the island of New Guinea, is one of the least studied regions in the world and a biodiversity hotspot. The Mamberamo River contains the highest proportion of non-native fish compared to other major river systems in New Guinea. To document this, we conducted a field study to validate and further temporally characterise the fish biodiversity to ascertain its current status. Since the last ichthyological survey 15 years ago, we detected two additional non-native species (Leptobarbus melanopterus and Oreochromis niloticus) that have established in the river system. Moreover, our survey revealed that non-native fish are extremely common in the mid reaches of the Mamberamo River, comprising 74% of total catch, with non-native Barbonymus gonionotus (family Cyprinidae) now established as the dominant species. The biomass of non-native B. gonionotus now exceeds that of all native fish combined in the main river channel. These results highlight the serious threat of invasive species in remote regions that support high levels of endemic biodiversity. Plans for containment, prevention through education programmes, and management are urgently required.


An analog input shaper (AIS) was proposed as a means for increasing the virtual impedance range that could be stably displayed by haptic interfaces. The AIS reduces high frequency inputs to haptic interfaces, since high frequency inputs that usually occur during collisions with very stiff virtual objects can induce instabilities. The AIS is composed of an analog high-pass filter, two half-wave rectifiers, and an adder. In this paper, we show analytically that how the AIS works as equivalent frequency-dependent damping. In addition, we present both the numerical simulation results and the virtual wall experiment results using a custom-built 1-DOF haptic interface and show that the AIS can significantly increase the Z-Width.


Consumer reviews on retailer-hosted platforms present an internal source of information for customers before considering the purchase of a product. While related literature has established a strong link between review ratings and retailer sales, research that integrates external sources is still in its infancy. This is particularly true for the role of social media, in which user actions can induce other users to behave in a similar way. This paper thus examines the role of social media in the assessment of product reviews on retailer-hosted platforms. We find that a higher deviation of a review rating from a product's social media popularity has a positive effect on the perceived helpfulness of the review. Moreover, we see that negative reviews are more likely to receive a helpful vote if the product enjoys substantial popularity on social media, whereas we observe the opposite effect for products with low popularity.


This paper maintains that the interview, understood as an interactionally achieved social practice, can be a locus for ideological
 work. It shows how a differentiated understanding of stance, alignment and the discourse identities that the participants assume
 and leave in interaction, can bring into focus aspects of ideology that would be difficult to capture otherwise. Specifically, the
 paper shows how mis- and realigning actions with respect to the stances conveyed by the interview participants relative to a given
 subject or from a given discourse identity can lead to the construction of ideology, encouraging (or not) movement along a given
 interview trajectory. The ideological work observed is contingent on how the participants locate themselves and others in the
 interview where tensions between legitimised linguistic views and discourse identity adoption, as well as contradictions with
 regard to other circulating discourses emerge. The paper thus suggests that (language ideological) analyses of interview data can
 and should be focused on the social dynamics of the participants and how their ideological presuppositions play out in the
 situated interaction of the interview.


Direct numerical simulations (DNS) were carried out to investigate the laminar–turbulent transition for a flared cone at Mach 6 at zero angle of attack. The cone geometry of the flared cone experiments in the Boeing/AFOSR Mach 6 Quiet Tunnel (BAM6QT) at Purdue University was used for the simulations. In the linear regime, the largest integrated spatial growth rates ( $N$ -factors) for the primary instability were obtained for a frequency of approximately $f=300~\text{kHz}$ . Low grid-resolution simulations were carried out in order to identify the azimuthal wavenumber that led to the strongest growth rates with respect to the secondary instability for a fundamental and subharmonic resonance scenario. It was found that for the BAM6QT conditions the fundamental resonance is much stronger compared to the subharmonic resonance. Subsequently, for the case which led to the strongest fundamental resonance onset, detailed investigations were carried out using high-resolution DNS. The simulation results exhibit streamwise streaks of very high skin friction and of high heat transfer at the cone surface. Streamwise 'hot' streaks on the flared cone surface were also observed in the experiments carried out at the BAM6QT facility using temperature sensitive paint. The presented findings provide strong evidence that the fundamental breakdown is a dominant and viable path to transition for the BAM6QT conditions.


This report presents the results of a course on software product lines. The assignment in the course was to develop a software product line. . During the course, the students had to develop the following artifacts in groups: product line architecture, component designs, product derivations, modifiability assessment and a prototype. The results of the course are described in this report


Exchanging collateral has emerged as the market standard for mitigating counterparty credit risk in the interbank derivatives market. Collateral postings do not, however, eliminate that risk completely. Most notably, the so-called gap risk remains, which is the risk that in the event of counterparty default, mismatches between the collateral account and the portfolio market value build up between the last margin call and the end of the close-out process. Such gaps are most pronounced when the portfolio market value changes heavily during the margin period of risk. Since portfolio value changes are driven by market movements on the one hand and by incoming or outgoing contractual cashflows on the other hand, gap risk decomposes into a component driven by market movements and a component driven by settlement payments. In this article, we separate these components from one another. We thereby introduce two new risks which should be measured and managed separately. The settlement induced component of gap risk, which we call Settlement Gap Risk (SGR), can be the dominant source of gap risk on individual time buckets, and it will not be covered by bilateral exchange of Initial Margin. We present a framework for measuring, managing and mitigating these two new risks, building upon a Monte Carlo based exposure simulation.


The present study examined the relation between the type of relationship onset on the one hand and the degree to which partners have similar personalities and relationship quality on the other hand. It was hypothesized that partners who fell in love at first sight, relative to partners who got involved more gradually, entered into intimate relationships more shortly after they met, would have mates with less similar personalities, especially with regard to levels of extraversion, emotional stability and autonomy, and would report relatively low levels of relationship quality. In a sample of 137 married or cohabiting couples, it was found that, as predicted, partners who fell in love at first sight became romantically involved more quickly, and showed more dissimilar personalities with regard to levels of extraversion, emotional stability and autonomy. Partners who fell in love at first sight did not report lower relationship quality. Instead, partner personality trait similarity was related to relationship quality as a function of both relationship onset and specific personality traits.


Many classical approaches developed so far for learning in a human-robot interaction setting have focussed on rather low level motor learning by imitation. Some doubts, however, have been casted on whether with this approach higher level functioning will be achieved. Higher level processes include, for example, the cognitive capability to assign meaning to actions in order to learn from the tutor. Such capabilities involve that an agent not only needs to be able to mimic the motoric movement of the action performed by the tutor. Rather, it understands the constraints, the means and the goal(s) of an action in the course of its learning process. Further support for this hypothesis comes from parent-infant instructions where it has been observed that parents are very sensitive and adaptive tutors who modify their behavior to the cognitive needs of their infant. Based on these insights, we have started our research agenda on analyzing and modeling learning in a communicative situation by analyzing parent-infant instruction scenarios with automatic methods. Results confirm the well known observation that parents modify their behavior when interacting with their infant. We assume that these modifications do not only serve to keep the infant's attention but do indeed help the infant to understand the actual goal of an action including relevant information such as constraints and means by enabling it to structure the action into smaller, meaningful chunks. We were able to determine first objective measurements from video as well as audio streams that can serve as cues for this information in order to facilitate learning of actions.


Chronic liver disease is increasing in prevalence worldwide; however, few medical therapies are available to treat liver cirrhosis and failure. Hepatic stellate cell (HSC) activation and trans-differentiation into myofibroblast-like (MFB-like) cells is a key process in liver injury and fibrogenesis. Greater understanding of the role of matrix regulating proteases, such as the plasminogen activators, in HSC activation could provide new therapeutic targets for treating chronic liver disease. Mice lacking plasminogen activators exhibit delay in liver repair; however, their exact functions after liver injury remain unclear. Recent studies in kidney demonstrate that low density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 1 (LRP1)-dependent signaling by tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) is an essential regulator of the myofibroblast phenotype after injury. This study investigated the role of t-PA and LRP1 in HSC activation and in vivo liver injury. We find that, in contrast to kidney fibroblasts, exogenous t-PA antagonizes activation of primary and immortalized HSCs in vitro. Similar to kidney, these effects are independent of the proteolytic function of t-PA and require phosphorylation of LRP1. Antagonism of LRP1 or PI3K/Akt signaling pathways is able to prevent t-PA-mediated decreases in α-SMA. During recovery following acute liver injury, mice lacking t-PA (globally) or LRP1 (conditionally on HSCs) retain higher densities of the α-SMA+ MFB-like cell population compared to control mice. These differences are seen at time points that correspond to the appearance of co-localization between p-LRP1 and α-SMA, as well as t-PA immunolocalization at sites of α-SMA-positive cells. Additionally, t-PA may regulate macrophage phenotype and drug metabolism, as t-PA null mice exhibit increased macrophage accumulation and lack of normal compensatory down-regulation of a key metabolic enzyme after acute injury. Finally, more collagen I deposition remains in the livers of t-PA null mice up to two weeks after cessation of chronic liver injury, suggesting a decreased rate of matrix turnover. These data reveal that t-PA has multiple functions in liver repair and is able to affect the phenotype of several cell types, in addition to its classical plasminogen activating role. Further preclinical studies are needed to evaluate the clinical potential of using t-PA as a treatment for chronic liver injury and fibrosis.


Seen through the eyes of Syrian activists and other observers based in the Middle East, EU policy towards Syria could in some ways appear inconsistent and ambiguous. In Brussels, EU representatives remind us that the Syrian crisis is the most difficult one the European Union has had to face so far, for the unprecedented scope of the humanitarian catastrophe, its geographic proximity to the Union's borders, and the difficulties in deciphering a fluid and multi-dimensional conflict. After more than three years since the eruption of violence, the EU is trying hard to play a pivotal role in the Syrian issue, despite the complexity of balancing its institutions, the different political sensibilities of its 28 member states, and the pressures exerted by influent external actors.


Cape Breton Island is one of the most beautiful islands in the World. The island itself has a unique geography and is located in Nova Scotia, Canada. This chapter introduces and summarizes the current transportation modes in Cape Breton Island. The transportation modes discussed include air, rail, water, truck, and intermodal modes. A SWOT matrix is applied to identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats related to the different transportation modes in Cape Breton Island. Then, the factors are evaluated and ranked based on pairwise comparisons in analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method, and the best strategies are defined. This research provides a unique and multidisciplinary overview of transportation modes in the region that is necessary for future quantitative investigations. Furthermore, it introduces the steps to analyze transportation modes of other areas and regions.


In this paper we report on a systematic study of ion implantation equipment currently in operation or development by IC manufacturers and equipment vendors. The application of optical surface photovoltage (SPV) to both quantify and qualify bulk implant-induced contaminants in CZ P-type silicon is emphasized. We address the issue of contaminants and exemplify the use of SPV as a passive, in-line technique for assessment of the problem.


In The Disenchantment of the World Marcel Gauchet defines Christianity as the religion of the exodus from religion. This observation seems at the same time to serve as a paradigm for a political interpretation of religion as such, and for the understanding of modern secular politics. However, Gauchet himself affirms that he considers the primary heteronomous kind of religion as the standard for interpreting religion in general. The author, on his behalf, intends to show that Gauchet is mainly relying on the modern auto-critical and hermeneutical Christian religion as an explicatory scheme for religion as such and for modern politics. This raises the question whether we even can abandon the auto-reflexivity of the auto-critical religion. Can religiosity (le religieux) ever exist without religion (la religion)? If not, does it make sense to speak of a religiosity which, disjoined from religion, finds its outlet in the political, or are we facing the same aporia again, i.e. how to define the modern political disjunct from the practice of modern politics? The author concludes that actual modern politics is taking advantage of the auto-critical, self-obliging, ethical attitude of the Christian religion and that the modern constitutional state, as well as religious expression, may suffer when abandoning this. The alternative seems indeed to lead to the loss of social cohesion and the emergence of religious fundamentalism.


Abstract Time-dependent flow solutions for steady supergradient pressure patterns are presented for a variety of initial flow configurations. These solutions discriminate initial conditions and pressure patterns that produce stable and unstable flow evolutions. It is shown that steady-state divergent flows are realizable for commonly observed pressure patterns of the upper troposphere. In these cases, the steady state is approached on relatively short time scales. Solutions agree roughly with observed features of atmospheric flows and constitute a plausible explanation for strong upper level outflows.


During development of the mammalian embryo, spatial and temporal expression of fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) and their cognate receptors are vital in the regulation of a number of patterning processes. Inappropriate or decreased expression leads to severe malformations and even embryonic death. The objectives of this thesis have been to evaluate the usefulness of differentiating embryonic stem (ES) cells as a model to study FGF and FGF receptors in endothelial and hematopoietic cell function in vitro and in vivo, and the effect of an activating mutation in the platelet-derived growth factor receptor-β (PDGFR-β) on endothelial cells and vessel formation.Aggregates of differentiating ES cells, denoted embryoid bodies, faithfully recapitulate many developmental processes. Embryoid bodies cultured in fetal calf serum spontaneously develop cardiomyocytes and endothelial cells. The endothelial cells organize into lumen-containing vessels carrying erythroblasts. Administration of FGF or vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-A promotes development of specific vascular phenotypes. About 20% of endothelial cells in embryoid bodies and teratomas express FGFR-1, and these FGFR-1-expressing endothelial cells are mitogenically active in the absence of exogenous stimuli and respond to VEGF-A to the same extent as endothelial cells lacking FGFR-1 expression. FGFR-1 deficiency leads to arrest in hematopoietic differentiation, whereas endothelial cell development is enhanced. As a consequence, teratomas derived from ES cells lacking FGFR-1 expression display vessels composed of a double layer of endothelial cells. The hyperactivity of endothelial cells derived from FGFR-1-deficient ES cells is suggested to be due to hyperactivity of VEGF receptor-2, as well as to loss of negative regulators of angiogenesis, such as interleukin-4.Mutation of platelet-derived factor receptor-β (PDGFR-β) to replace D849 in the activating loop in the kinase domain with V leads to ligand-independent kinase activity, increased basal signal transduction, and enhanced expression of VEGF-A as well as VEGFR-2. As a result, endothelial cell sprouts covered with pericyte-like cells are formed in a VEGF-A/VEGFR-2 dependent manner in ES cells expressing the mutated PDGFR-β.In conclusion, embryoid bodies represent a high-quality model for the study of growth factor-regulated vascular development and sprouting angiogenesis.


The state of environment (air, rivers and groundwater, etc.) is described by observations on one hand and by deterministic simulations based on the physics and chemistry and/or on the biology of complex phenomenon on the other hand, with results that usually differ. Generally the deterministic simulation is less variable than observations, but the differences cannot be explained by the only differences of support between observations (spatial "point" values) and simulation results (representing rather averaged quantities on the grid). In order to enhance the simulation to match the observations, a "simple" bivariate model consists in splitting the studied variable Y as the sum of the deterministic simulation S and a correction term R which is supposed to be not correlated (spatially or temporally) with S: Y = S + R. The observations Z differ from Y by a measurement error term. Within this model, the estimation of Y from the observations Z can be reduced to the kriging of the residual R from the " innovations " Z - S at observation points. Joint exploratory analysis of observations and results of deterministic simulations shows that this bivariate model does not always suit to the data. Innovations appear to be correlated with the simulation S. In order to take such correlations into account, Chiles, Seguret et al. (2008) proposed an intrinsic correlation model between the variable Y and the deterministic simulation S. This intrinsic correlation model is generalized here to the linear model of coregionalization. Examples are presented in air and river quality modeling. Consequences for the estimation are examined.


According to the WTO data for regional trade agreements (RTA), the number of RTA has been exponentially growing since the middle of the 1990s. As a result, many countries these days have had more than one free trade partner country. In this paper, we attempt to find out statistically important characteristics of countries that may explain the frequency of a countrys RTA formations and as a result its total number of free trade partner countries. We find that the following country-specific variables are important : distance from equator, government effectiveness, and the low-middle income group countries and regional blocs that countries belong to. In contrast, the following variables are not statistically significant : geographical size of country; upper-middle or high-income group countries; languages and other institutional variables such as political aspects and the stability, law, regulation, and national corruption level. The important implication of the findings is that the current expansion of RTAs may not be linked to a global free trade system because of the peculiarity of countries having multiple RTAs.


the available methods for estimation of wind currents, mass transport velocity by waves and permanent flow (thermohaline gradient current) are briefly summarized and a simplified computer approach is outlined.

The computed synoptic surface currents are compared with monthly mean current charts and with surface wind conditions. This analysis indicates that the surface currents are greatly wind-driven. A detailed verification procedure which will use the observed changes in sea surface temperature is outlined.

The use of the synoptic current fields for computation of divergence and convergence and the resulting changes in subsurface thermal structure is described. The relative importance of the synoptic surface currents in ship routing, rescue operations and other practices is reviewed.


–  Environmental factors act in a hierarchical manner at multiple spatial scales to influence the organisation of ecological assemblages; however, the relative influence of the different scale-related factor groups is poorly known. We evaluated the importance of catchment-scale and site-scale environmental variables, as well as the spatial context of the sampling sites, in shaping stream fish assemblages in an agriculture-dominated landscape in Hungary. Beside the variables describing spatial context (principal coordinates of a truncated distance matrix among sites), altogether 60 environmental variables were used to predict variability using a variance-partitioning procedure in redundancy analysis. Presence–absence- and relative abundance-based data were examined at two assemblage levels (entire assemblage and native assemblage) at 54 stream sites. Incorporation of spatial variables increased largely the total explained variability in case of relative abundance, but not for presence–absence data. Of the environmentally explained variance, catchment-scale variables (e.g., land cover types, patch density) were relatively more influential for the native assemblage-level analyses, than for analyses at the entire assemblage level, where site-scale variables (e.g., altitude, depth) proved to be more influential. In addition, pure catchment- and pure site-scale variables have the primary role in determining fish assemblage patterns, whereas the influence of shared variance and that of site-scale riparian variables proved to be less important. Our findings demonstrate the importance of incorporating the spatial context of the sampling sites in predicting fish assemblage patterns and the effects of channelisation (dikes) in shaping assemblage–environment relationships in this human-influenced landscape.


Abstract Previous research shows that, within human occipito-temporal cortex (OTC), we can use a general linear mapping function to link visual object responses across nonidentity feature changes, including Euclidean features (e.g., position and size) and non-Euclidean features (e.g., image statistics and spatial frequency). Although the learned mapping is capable of predicting responses of objects not included in training, these predictions are better for categories included than those not included in training. These findings demonstrate a near-orthogonal representation of object identity and nonidentity features throughout human OTC. Here, we extended these findings to examine the mapping across both Euclidean and non-Euclidean feature changes in human posterior parietal cortex (PPC), including functionally defined regions in inferior and superior intraparietal sulcus. We additionally examined responses in five convolutional neural networks (CNNs) pretrained with object classification, as CNNs are considered as the current best model of the primate ventral visual system. We separately compared results from PPC and CNNs with those of OTC. We found that a linear mapping function could successfully link object responses in different states of nonidentity transformations in human PPC and CNNs for both Euclidean and non-Euclidean features. Overall, we found that object identity and nonidentity features are represented in a near-orthogonal, rather than complete-orthogonal, manner in PPC and CNNs, just like they do in OTC. Meanwhile, some differences existed among OTC, PPC, and CNNs. These results demonstrate the similarities and differences in how visual object information across an identity-preserving image transformation may be represented in OTC, PPC, and CNNs.


The cloud paradigm has become increasingly attractive throughout the recent years due to its both technical and economic foreseen impact. Therefore, researchers' and practitioners' attention has been drawn to enhancing the technological characteristics of cloud services, such as performance, scalability or security. However, the topic of identifying and understanding cloud consumers' real needs has largely been ignored. Existing requirements elicitation methods are not appropriate for the cloud computing domain, where consumers are highly heterogeneous and geographically distributed, have frequent change requests and expect services to be delivered at a fast pace. In this paper, we introduce a new approach to requirements elicitation for cloud services, which utilizes consumers' advanced search queries for services to infer requirements that can lead to new cloud solutions. For this, starting from the queries, we build fuzzy Galois lattices that can be used by public cloud providers to analyze market needs and trends, as well as optimum solutions for satisfying the largest populations possible with a minimum set of features implemented. This new approach complements the existing requirements elicitation techniques in that it is a dedicated cloud method which operates with data that already exists, without entailing the active participation of consumers and requirements specialists.


The Pacific region has been geomagnetically less surveyed in the sense that there are a very limited number of ground stations that continuously measure the Earth's vector magnetic field. Recently, however, long‐term vector geomagnetic observation has started at several stations, mostly on oceanic islands but including one seafloor station, which presently reinforces monitoring the geomagnetic field by the land‐based observation network. The new geomagnetic data together with those collected by Intermagnet Magnetic Observatories (IMOs) being operated in the Pacific and its rim were combined to give a regional geomagnetic reference field over the western Pacific (RGRF‐P) for epoch 2002 using spherical cap harmonics (SCHs). The resultant snapshot of the regional geomagnetic field was found to coincide well with existing global models, e.g., the 10th generation of International Geomagnetic Reference Field (IGRF‐10). This implies that the regionally denser geomagnetic network still sees small contribution of non‐dipole components over the Pacific.


The common assumption that perfect or correct shoe fit can be expected if the shoe and fitting are proper is untenable for a variety of reasons. For instance, no two feet of a pair are exactly alike, inevitably resulting in some degree of shoe misfit. Also, the foot assumes four different sizes and shapes under different conditions: at rest, on weight-bearing, in gait, and under thermal variations, yet all must comply to a shoe of only one size and shape. The complexities of shoe fit are further exacerbated by other obstacles. These include the prevailing design of shoe lasts, the absence of uniformity of shoe sizes, the limited training and skills of most shoe salespeople and fitters, the subjective determination of shoe fit by customer and fitter alike, and the role of footwear fashions. Hence shoe fit at best must be a compromise with the ideal. Nevertheless, improvements are possible, as suggested in this paper.


A field study was conducted to investigate differences between hourly assembly operators who stayed and hourly assembly operators who voluntarily quit their jobs. A total of 80 stayers and 121 leavers were identified from personnel records and were classified into one of three job tenure groups, 25 months, 6-12 months, and more than 12 months. Job performance, attendance measures, and biographical variables were used to predict turnover for each job tenure group. Results indicated poorer performance by leavers with 6-12 months tenure compared with stayers. No differences in performance or attendance were obtained between stayers and leavers with between 2-5 months and those with more than 12-months job tenure. Leavers after 6 and before 12 months demonstrated more absenteeism compared with stayers. Implications for the role of absenteeism and constraints on the performance-retention relation are discussed.


Background: The TMPRSS2:ERG gene fusion is a distinct molecular subtype of prostate cancer characterized by chromosomal rearrangements joining the androgen responsive TMPRSS gene with ERG, an oncogenic member of the ETS gene family. TMPRSS2:ERG is thought to be an early pathologic event occurring in 50% of prostate tumors and resulting in more than 100,000 fusion positive cancer cases each year in the US. No studies to date have examined underlying risk factors associated with development of the fusion. Oxidative stress and the production of free radicals may result in chromosomal instability and predispose to the formation of TMPRSS2:ERG positive prostate cancer. Higher levels of serum antioxidants prior to prostate cancer diagnosis may therefore be protective against later development of fusion positive cancer. Methods: We undertook a case-control analysis nested within the prospective Physicians' Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study among men with prostate cancer (n=331) and age-matched controls (n=2139). The cohorts include pre-diagnostic bloods with antioxidant levels at baseline as well as tumor tissue to characterize TMPRSS2:ERG status among prostate cancer cases. We used multivariate logistic regression analysis to determine if plasma antioxidant levels influenced the development of the TMPRSS2:ERG fusion. Results: Of seven antioxidants examined (alpha-tocopherol, alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, beta-cryptoxanthin, gamma-tocopherol, lutein, and lycopene), levels of beta-carotene above the lowest quartile were protective against fusion positive vs. fusion negative prostate cancer (OR 0.49, 95% CL 0.28-0.86, p = 0.01). This association was driven by a non-significantly decreased risk of fusion positive cancer vs. controls (OR 0.75, 95% CL 0.51-1.09, p = 0.13) and a significantly increased risk of fusion negative cancer vs. controls (OR 1.58, 95% CL 1.03-2.41, p = 0.03). None of the six other antioxidants were associated with fusion status, and none of the antioxidants, including beta-carotene, predicted overall prostate cancer risk. Discussion: Previous studies examining antioxidant status and overall prostate cancer risk have been inconclusive. This is the first study to examine pre-diagnostic serum antioxidant levels in relationship to fusion status. We find that beta-carotene levels may alter prostate cancer risk based on molecular subtype. Citation Format: Gregory Judson, Andreas Pettersson, Allison Meisner, Lorelei Mucci. Prediagnostic serum antioxidant levels and prediction of TMPRSS2:ERG fusion status in prostate cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Eleventh Annual AACR International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research; 2012 Oct 16-19; Anaheim, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Prev Res 2012;5(11 Suppl):Abstract nr A18.


Abstract: Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most prevalent endocrine disorders in women. It is believed that sex hormones play a role in the maintenance of bone mass and directly or indirectly influence several cell types, including periodontal cells. Objective: To evaluate the association between periodontal disease and PCOS according to the evidence reported in the last decade. Material and Method: A search was made in the biomedical databases: Pubmed, Embase, Scopus, SciELO, Science Direct and SIGLE for the 2007-2017 period. Selection criteria: prospective and retrospective studies reporting the relationship between periodontal disease and PCOS. The methodological quality of the studies was analyzed using the Critical Appraisal Skills Program scale. Results: 10 articles were found: 1 clinical trial and 9 case-control studies. The number of patients ranged from 48 to 196, mean age between 23.3 and 28.1 years, age range between 15 and 45 years. Studies were conducted in Turkey, India and Iran. All the studies presented good methodological quality and a positive association between PCOS and periodontal disease. Conclusion: PCOS shows a positive and significant association with the clinical and molecular parameters of periodontal diseases.


Some days ago our Museum received a probably fully adult female of Porphyrio, kindly sent by Mr. A. A. van Bemmelen, the able Director of the Zoological Garden at Rotterdam, with the assurance, that the bird had been caught at and sent from the Lake Toba in the Interior of Sumatra.
Peculiarly enough there is hitherto no evidence published as to the occurrence of a Porphyrio in Sumatra, except by Cassin in U. S. Exploring Expedition, Ornith. p. 308, where, treating of P. indicus, the author says that the Museum of the Philadelphia Academy contains specimens from Java, Sumatra and other islands of the Malay Archipelago. As Porphyrio indicus Horsf. ( (P. calvus Vieill.) has also been found in Borneo, I was much astonished to see that our Sumatran bird differs not only from this, but also from both the known species from the Continent, though those latter may be considered to be its nearest allies.


SUMMARY The objectivesof the present paper wereto develop and evaluateempirical equationsto predict fractional passage rate (kp) of forages commonly fed to goats using chemical composition of the diet and animal information. Two databases were created. The first (development database) was assembled from four studies that had individual information on animals, diets and faecal marker concentrations over time (up to 120 h post-feeding); it contained 54 data points obtained from Latin square designs. The second (evaluation database) was built using published information gathered from the literature. The evaluation database was comprised of five studies, containing 39 data points on diverse types of diets and animal breeds. The kp was estimated using a time-dependent model based on the Gamma distribution with at least two and up to 12 (rumen)+one (post-rumen) compartments (i.e. G2G1–G12G1) developed from the development database. Statistical analyses were carried out using standard regression analysis and random coefficient model analysis to account for random sources (i.e. study). The evaluation of the developed empirical equation was conducted using regression analysis adjusted for study effects, concordance correlation coefficient and mean square error of prediction. Sensitivity analyses with the developed empirical equation and comparable published equations were performed using Monte Carlo simulations. The G2G1 model consistently had lower sum of squares of errors and greater relative likelihood probabilities than other GnG1 versions. The kp was influenced by several dietary nutrients, including dietary concentration or intake of components such as lignin, neutral detergent fibre (NDF), hemicellulose, crude protein (CP), acid detergent fibre(ADF) and animal body weight (BW). The selected empirical equation, adjustedfor study effects, (kp/h = 0·00161 × NDF 1·503+0·371 g/kgBW × e (0·022+0·0097×BWkg�0·00375+0·0013×NDFg/kg DM) ) had an R 2 of 0·623 and root of mean square error (RMSE) of 0·0122/h. The evaluation of the adequacy of the selected equation with the evaluation database indicated no systematic bias (slope not different from 1), but a low accuracy (0·33) and a persistent mean bias of 0·0129/h. The sensitivity analysis indicated that the selected empirical equation was most sensitive to changes in dry matter intake (DMI, kg/d), BW(kg) and NDF (g/kg dry matter) with standardized regression coefficients of 0·98, �0·43 and �0·32, respectively. The sensitivity analysis also indicated that the greatest forage kp in goats is likely to be c. 0·0569/h. The comparison with a previously published empirical equation containing data on cattle, sheep and goats, suggested that the distribution of the present empirical equation, adjusted for mean bias, is wider and that kp of goats might be similar to cattle and sheep when fed high amounts of forage under confinement conditions.


The main types of modern electronic tubes are briefly surveyed in this paper, together with their general uses. Tubes are classified according to electronic mechanism, and their origin is traced to three independent sources and several independent lines of development. The earliest group of electron-beam tubes made its appearance as the most direct result of intense scientific study of gas-discharge tubes prompted by William Crookes. These are: the Lenard tube (1894), the X-ray tube (Roentgen, 1895), and the cathode-ray tube (Braun, 1897). Another direct descendent of the Crookes tube is the mercury-arc rectifier (Cooper Hewitt, 1902) with all its modem derivatives, thyratron, phanotron, ignitron, and excitron. These are industrial tubes par excellence and have become quite indispensable in many branches of industry. Their importance grows rapidly. High-vacuum tubes, rectifiers, and pliotrons, through de Forest's audion (1908) and Fleming's valve (1904) are connected with the Edison effect observed in incandescent lamps (1884). This vast family includes kenotrons, and all radio and industrial high-frequency tubes. Ultra-high-frequency tubes stand apart in this class, since in their designing electron transit time and associated ultra-high-frequency circuits are two important factors to be considered. Special triodes (or tetrodes), magnetrons and velocity-modulation tubes are the main ultra-high-frequency types. Finally, independent of all previous groups stands the phototube, unspectacular, but one of the most important tools in modern industry. Its development is rooted in the photoelectric phenomenon observed by Hertz and scientifically studied by Hollwachs (1888), by Elster and Geitel (1912), and others.


Objectives: To analyze the influence of the sparseness distribution characteristics of gradient-based descriptor data on reduction of high-dimensional data, this paper presents experimental analysis on learned samples of gradient descriptor data. Method: In order to draw valid inferences, a single gradient descriptor, the Edge based Gabor Magnitude (EGM) facial descriptor, is used. The descriptor data is learned using various linear subspace dimensionality reduction methods. The subspace models are the Principle Component Analysis plus Linear Discriminant Analysis (PCA plus LDA), supervised Locality Preserving Projection (sLPP) and Locality Sensitive Discriminant Analysis (LSDA) under the LGE and OLGE general framework (which in the present is used to aid the characterization of the data geometric properties). Findings: Using the plastic surgery data set, the following observations were made. The global based linear subspace model (PCA plus LDA) which do not require complex neighborhood assignment performs favorably well in relation to the graph embedding models. This may be due to the fact that it only works on the basis of class information. The LSDA is observed to be more affected by the nature of the descriptor data influenced by the complexity of plastic surgery because in all its identification rates, a below 60% is achieved. On the other hand, the sLPP show to be a best fit model for the sparse nature of the descriptor data. This can be attributed to its data preserving property by which it is able to preserve the local structures of a sparse data (gradient-based) and so outperformed the PCA plus LDA and most importantly, the LSDA. Applications/Improvements: Understanding the best fit model for certain descriptor data is as important as optimizing recognition rates, an important observation for the face recognition research community.


Background : Food security is defined as access, for all people at all times, to enough food for an active and healthy life. Food security includes: 1) the ready availability of nutritionally-adequate and safe food, and 2) an assured ability to acquire acceptable foods in socially acceptable ways. The increase in childhood as well as adulthood obesity and food insecurity has caused many recent investigations on obesity, food insecurity and some associated factors. However, there appears to be a lack of published information regarding some factors affecting obesity and food insecurity. This study aimed to determine the prevalence obesity and food insecurity and some associated factors among Yazd province primary school students in Iran. Methods : Using two-stage cluster sampling, a total of 3245 students (1587 boys and 1658 girls), aged 9-11 years, were randomly selected from primary school pupils in Yazd, Iran. From these, 187 students having BMIs ≥95 th percentile, as defined by Hosseini et al. (1999), were identified as obese and 187 pupils of the same age and gender having BMIs between the 15 th and 85 th percentiles were selected as controls. Data were collected using 24-hour food-recall and USDA food insecurity questionnaires. Results : We found that the prevalence of obesity among students aged 9-11 years was 13.3%, and the prevalence of food insecurity was 30.5%. Daily energy intakes, compared to those recommended by the RDA, carbohydrate intake and energy percentages from proteins and carbohydrates were higher in obese children, and all macronutrient intakes per kilogram of body weight were significantly higher. An association between obesity and food insecurity was observed with adjusted fat intake. Conclusion : In conclusion, the prevalence of obesity and food insecurity is high among Yazd primary school students, and high-level intakes of energy, protein, carbohydrate are associated with obesity. Furthermore, variation in the rate of fat intake is a relative factor for food insecurity.


Introduction: In 2004, ten new member states, eight from Central and Eastern Europe (the socalled
"A8" countries), joined the European Union. European Union citizens have the right to freely
move throughout and reside in (subject to conditions) all member states. At the time, though
thirteen out of fifteen existing E.U. member states put temporary restrictions on migrants from
these new member states, the U.K. decided to give these migrants immediate full access to the
labor market. While in France, for example, fears about the "Polish plumber" taking French jobs
became a hot topic of debate and caused the French to implement temporary controls, in the U.K.
Tony Blair highlighted "the opportunities of accession" to fill in gaps in the U.K. economy ( The
Guardian, 27 April 2004). Blair's Conservative opponents had also largely supported
enlargement in the 1990s, noting the expansion of the E.U. would increase trade and "encourage
stability and prosperity" (HC Deb 21 May 2003 vol 405 cc1021). The U.K. was hailed by
members of the European Parliament as welcoming, and in spite of some fears of strain on social
services and benefits, studies showed that the migrants had been a net benefit for the U.K. (BBC,
5 November 2014).
In 2013, however, it was a different story, as temporary movement controls on migrants
from Bulgaria and Romania, which had joined the E.U. in 2007, were set to expire on January 1,
2014. Concerns about "benefits tourism," or the assumption that migrants were being drawn to
the U.K. by a generous welfare state, seemingly abruptly arrived at the forefront of the political
debate. The ConservativeLiberal
Democrat coalition government led by David Cameron moved
2
to further restrict the benefits available to E.U. migrants by introducing domestic policy changes
such as lengthening the wait period to three months before migrants could access jobseekers'
allowance benefits, reducing by 50% the amount of time for which E.U. migrants in Britain are
eligible to receive certain benefits, introducing requirements such as a burden of proof on
migrants to show they had a "genuine prospect of finding work," and rendering E.U. migrants
ineligible for housing benefits (Wintour 2013). In addition to these changes which were enacted
in 2014, Home Secretary Theresa May proposed the extension of transitory controls for E.U.
migrants and changes to E.U. free movement rules. In 2014, Cameron even threatened that the
U.K. might exit the E.U. absent changes which would allow the U.K. to "cut E.U. migration" and
further restrict welfare benefits for E.U. migrants (Hutton and O'Donnell 2014). In the space of
ten years, Cameron's party had gone from being proenlargement
to threatening to leave the
E.U., or at least demanding the renegotiation of a fundamental tenet of E.U. membership, over
the issue of Bulgarian and Romanian migrants. What prompted this significant change? What
made Bulgarian and Romanian migrants different from Polish, Hungarian, or Czech ones, who
had all been granted immediate access to the labor market? Why did the "immigration" issue
shift in political debate from nonE.
U. migrants and asylumseekers
to the free movement of
E.U. citizens, even despite early indications that the number of new Bulgarian and Romanian
arrivals would be relatively small, and the fact that E.U. migrants still account for a lower
proportion of total migration than nonE.
U. migrants? Why did the narrative of "benefit
tourism" drive policy change, despite evidence that migrants claim benefits at a lower rate than
U.K. nationals?
3
This chapter looks at the perception of potential Bulgarian and Romanian migration to
the E.U. as a policy problem and argues that "benefits tourism" emerged as policy narrative
connected to E.U. migrants as the 2004 enlargement of the E.U. approached. As a narrative,
benefit tourism drew on the context of Euroskepticism and the stigmatization of both immigrants
and welfare recipients as threats to British values, the latter which was heightened in the context
of austerity. This chapter draws on recent work in Political Science on the construction of policy
narratives (Boswell, Geddes, Scholten 2011). A "policy narrative" is a claim which sets out
beliefs about policy problems and appropriate solutions (Boswell, Geddes, Scholten 2011: 1).
With regard to migration policy, states' anxieties about the perceived inability to control
migration and uncertainties about the causes of this phenomenon have meant political actors
have competed over policy narratives (Ibid.: 3). Which set of elements composes a narrative at
which time depends on contingent political processes and the ability of political actors to utilize
ideas to construct policy regimes to solve problems, to justify the maintenance of an existing
policy regime, or to destabilize an existing policy regime. This paper explains the processes by
which benefits tourism as a narrative emerged, became linked to E.U. migrants and justified
policy changes such as the restriction of benefits and the imposition of temporary controls on
freedom of movement, and has now been linked to questions of whether the U.K. should exit the
E.U. or whether fundamental changes are needed to E.U. law and institutions to alter freedom of
movement.


A statistical approach to estimate the trend, over a long time interval, of electrical parameters is proposed in this paper. The trend is determined by processing a limited number of parameter values measured at instants randomly chosen. Experimental results are reported, which show the good performance of the method proposed when it is applied to estimate customers' loads profiles and the trend of some parameters providing information on power quality.


The relevance of the psychosocial factors and occupational health is increasing worldwide. In Argentina a robust measuring instrument of them is needed. The COPSOQ (Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire) is a comprehensive instrument for its assessment, and it was currently adapted in several countries. The Union Institute of Work Environment and Health (ISTAS) got its Spanish version, known as COPSOQ ISTAS 21. We founded our study on the updated long version of this questionnaire (95 items). The aims of the study were the semantic adaptation through a qualitative strategy, the detailed validation of the psychometric measurement properties, and the development of an abbreviated version of the instrument. We used an intentional sample with a maximum variation strategy, until we reached the theoretical saturation. The main criterion used to set the sample was the educational level (combined with sex and age). With a random sample of 200 wage-earners we performed the quantitative analysis of content validity, reliability, criterion validity and sensitivity. The cultural adaptation, reached by the analyses of the interpretational expected and emerged difficulties, provided us an acceptable and clear version of the questionnaire in our context. For the principal dimensions the Cronbach's alpha was mostly >0.7 (Demands 0.86, Double presence 0.75, Work organisation 0.83, Interpersonal relationships and leaderships 0.88, Insecurity 0.84, Confidence 0.68, Justice 0.84). The factorial analysis was also consistent. In addition, these psychometric properties were comparable to those in the Danish and German COPSOQ-studies. The adapted Argentinian version is comparable with the COPSOQ ISTAS 21 instrument in terms of validity and is suitable for assessment of the psychosocial work environment in Argentina. The next step is the construction of national reference values for its preventive use in our country.


Er3+-doped strontium–lead–bismuth glasses for developing potential upconversion lasers have been fabricated and characterized. Under 975 nm excitation, intense green and red emissions centred at 525, 546, and 657 nm, corresponding to the transitions 2H11/2→4I15/2, 4S3/2→4I15/2, and 4F9/2→4I15/2, respectively, were observed at room temperature. The upconversion mechanisms are discussed based on the energy matching and quadratic dependence on excitation power, and the dominant mechanisms are excited state absorption and energy transfer upconversion for 525 and 546 nm emissions, and energy transfer upconversion for 657 nm emission.


This paper presents the PAPRICA-3 massively parallel SIMD system, designed as a hardware accelerator for real-time image processing tasks. It is composed of a linear array of single-bit processing elements, including a fairly complex pipelined controller, thus allowing the system to take advantage also of the intrinsic parallelism in a program. A programming environment has been developed to ease the prototyping of applications: a code generator converts C++ programs into assembly, and code optimization is performed directly at the assembly level, following a genetic approach. The effectiveness of the processor, as well as of the code optimizer, are discussed with the aid of an application example for handwritten character recognition.


OBJECTIVES Minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE) is the subclinical stage pre-clinical development of hepatic encephalopathy in cirrhotic patients, in addition to associated with impaired quality of life of these patients and an increased risk of accidents and disability of driving. The Psychometric Hepatic Encephalopathy Score (PHES) is currently considered the diagnostic method of choice in the diagnosis of MHE. The objective of this work was to design tables PHES normality for the Cuban population. MATERIAL AND METHOD A sample composed of 520 healthy people in the provinces of Villa Clara, Sancti Spiritus and Cienfuegos were studied. They made the 5 tests included in the PHES. The variables age, sex, years of education, origin, and daily alcohol consumption were analyzed. By t test of Student, ANOVA and Pearson correlation coefficient univariate analysis. an analysis of multiple linear regression for each test was performed and normal tables were constructed. RESULTS In the multivariate analysis (multiple linear regression) age and years of schooling were the two independent variables related to performance in each of the 5 tests. CONCLUSIONS The availability of tables PHES normality will provide a diagnostic method applicable reference to patients with liver cirrhosis Cubans, without the need to configure controlled for age and education level regional groups.


ABSTRACT: this present study aims at describing the analytical framework of the IMF and WB structural adjustment programs (SAP).It focuses on the theoretical foundation of the SAP and reviews the absorption approach, the monetary approach and the exchange rate approach.


A total of 374 clinical isolates of Enterococcus spp. were characterized to determine the species distribution and vancomycin resistance. The ability of the Vitek system (bioMerieux Inc, Hazelwood, St. Louis, Mo.) to identify enterococci to the species level and to recognize vancomycin resistance by using computer software version 7.1 was evaluated. Conventional methods were used for identification and agar dilution was used for susceptibility testing, the results of which were as follows (presented as number of vancomycin-resistant isolates/number of members of that species identified): 219/234 E. faecium, 9/112 E. faecalis, 2/3 E. mundtii, 0/1 E. durans, 0/1 E. hirae, 0/1 E. raffinosis, and 0/1 E. avium. Ten enterococci were in the vancomycin-intermediate category (six E. gallinarum, two E. casseliflavus, and one each of E. faecium and E. faecalis). The Vitek GPI card correctly identified 98% of E. faecium isolates, 99% of E. faecalis isolates, and only two isolates of other enterococcal species. The GPS-TA card was 98% sensitive and 95% specific for the detection of vancomycin resistance, generating a total of four very major (1.6%) and five minor errors (1.3%).


The Texas Legislature recently passed what the Supreme Court describes as an "unprecedented" statutory scheme. Texas's new law allows private, everyday citizens to sue anyone who assists a woman in obtaining an abortion after her sixth week of pregnancy. It's clear that Texas chose this unusual enforcement mechanism to try to circumvent the Constitution's "state action" requirement. Before a plaintiff can challenge a policy or action on constitutional grounds, they must show that the government somehow had a hand in causing their harm. But this Texas law strips the government of its enforcement power and instead gives it to everyday citizens, thereby allowing the law's defenders to argue that the law does not trigger constitutional protections.
This short article argues that the courts should have little trouble concluding that this law and its unusual enforcement mechanism amount to state action, meaning this law is subject to normal constitutional scrutiny. The Supreme Court's decisions in Shelley v. Kraemer, Edmonson v. Leesville Concrete Co., and Terry v. Adams make clear that private parties can be considered state actors, especially when they are working with the express approval of the government and when the courts are required to hand down rulings that seemingly infringe on well-settled constitutional protections. These decisions, among others, show that the private-citizen plaintiffs deputized under this new Texas law must be treated as state actors who are subject to constitutional limitations.


To assess the adequacy of peer review for research on human subjects, identical research protocols in oncology and anesthesiology were submitted to 32 institutional review boards (IRBs) at major universities with medical colleges. Each of the protocols posed serious ethical issues, contained flaws in scientific design, and provided an incomplete consent form. Twenty-two IRBs participated in the investigation, which revealed (1) consistency in the nonapproval of the three protocols, (2) substantial inconsistency among IRBs in the reasons offered in support of similar decisions, and (3) substantial inconsistency in the application of ethical, methodological, and informed-consent standards for individual review boards. This evidence suggests that revision of the protocols to satisfy particular objections would result in approval of flawed investigations.