Abstract INTRODUCTION: This prospective observational study was conducted to determine the risk factors and disturbance of consciousness level in stroke patients in the medical wards of Khyber Teaching Hospital, Peshawar, Pakistan, from June 2005 to August 2006. methods: A questionnaire was prepared in accordance with the objectives of the study. The questionnaire contained detailed history, general physical examination, and neurological examination. Prognosis of the disease was studied with the help of Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) (severity of unconsciousness) scoring system. results: One-hundred and eighty-three patients with established diagnosis of stroke were selected. Forty-seven (25.68%) had more than one risk factor. The age range of the patients was 31-92 years with mean age of 57 years. Out of total, 111 (60.65%) were male and 72 (39.34%) were female. The distribution of risk factors was as follows: hypertension 95 (51.91%), diabetes 56 (30.60%), hyperlipidemia 21 (11.47%), smoking 23 (12.56%), ischemic heart diseases 21(11.47%), atrial fibrillation 5 (2.73%), obesity 5 (2.73%), physical inactivity 2 (1.09%), history of heparin or warfarin use 2 (1.09%), and history of oral contraceptive use 1 (0.54%). The prognosis of the disease based on the GCS scoring system (severity of unconsciousness) was studied only in 122 (66.66%) patients. Out of 122 patients, 42.62% had scores greater than ten, 35.24% between 6 and 10, and 22.13% less than five. CONCLUSIONS: Hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia and smoking are major modifiable risk factors of stroke in our patients. More than half of the patients had unsatisfactory GCS scores, which indicates poorer prognosis. Keywords: Stroke, Risk factors, Loss of consciousness, Peshawar.


i AbstrAct Human mobility necessitates that people adapt not only to a new society but also to a new natural environment and biodiversity. We use birds as biodiversity proxies to explore the place experiences of 26 Latin Americans adapting to Canada and the United States. Using interviews with open-ended questions, we prompted participants to identify birds that were linked to remarkable experiences in both places of origin and immigration, which we coded respectively as "roots" and "routes." Participants reported foundational keystone species linked to their cultural heritage and conspicuous key species they associated with self-realization in the new place. Linking species, involving connections between roots and routes, triggered a process of place recalibration in association with key and keystone birds that worked as points of reference. We suggest that biodiversity offers critical social functions that need to be addressed by social integration programs promoting conviviality between humans and nature in the Anthropocene.


Summary The paper reviews the main causes of ground subsidence as it affects route design and construction in the United Kingdom. Investigation techniques and remedial measures are discussed in relation to both natural and mining subsidence. In addition to the common occurrence of subsidence problems in the coalfields, emphasis is placed on their presence elsewhere in the country. Natural subsidence problems are associated mainly with carbonate and saliferous rocks but mining activity has taken place at various times at numerous geological horizons for a variety of minerals. Future mining activity is likely to involve fewer minerals but will still be dominated by the coal industry. Experience has shown that the conflicting interests of route planners and mineral operators can usually be resolved by negotiation, accompanied in some cases by compensation.


Introduction:
 The use of pharmacologic venous thromboembolism (VTE) prophylaxis in patients with acute intracranial hemorrhage has been controversial due to concerns of hemorrhage expansion. We hypothesize that pharmacologic VTE prophylaxis is associated with better functional outcomes, without excess bleeding risk, compared to mechanical prophylaxis alone.

 METHODS:
 In a prospective study of intracranial hemorrhage patients (SAH N=116; intracerebral hemorrhage N=125 and subdural hemorrhage N=130) conducted between 7/2008-11/2011, we compared bleeding complications, VTE rates and 3-month functional outcomes between patients who received pharmacologic VTE prophylaxis (either heparin or enoxaparin) plus compression boots versus mechanical prophylaxis (compression boots) alone.

 RESULTS:
 Of 371 patients, 265 (70%) received pharmacologic prophylaxis in addition to compression boots, while 106 (29%) received compression boots alone. The median time to initiation of pharmacological prophylaxis was 4 days post hemorrhage onset and 2 days from surgical intervention, while mechanical prophylaxis was started at hospital admission. Compared to mechanical prophylaxis alone, those who received pharmacologic prophylaxis were younger (median age 60 versus 69, P=0.002), more likely to have a SAH (41% versus 8%, P<0.0001), less likely to have SDH (25% versus 60%, P<0.0001) and less likely to be DNR/comfort care (14% versus 27%, P<0.0001). Admission GCS and APACHE 2 scores did not vary between groups. ICH expansion was less common in those receiving pharmacologic prophylaxis (7% versus 2%; P=0.030) and there were no differences in other bleeding events (EVD associated hemorrhage, new ICH, new SDH, SDH reaccumulation, bleeding at the craniotomy site, GI bleeding or anemia requiring transfusion) or thombotic events (DVT or PE). Pharmacologic prophylaxis was significantly protective against death at 3 months after adjusting for age, admission GCS, bleed type, and DNR/comfort care status (aOR 0.2, 95% CI 0.1-0.5, P<0.0001).

 CONCLUSIONS:
 In intracranial hemorrhage patients, pharmacological VTE prophylaxis is not associated with higher bleeding risks and predicts improved 3-month mortality rates compared to mechanical VTE prophylaxis alone.


Background: The valuation of growing crops is problematic partly due to weather conditions. 2011 showed that of all cultivated crops 42% were autumn sown which makes up a significant proportion of the total arable land in Sweden. This presented an opportunity to investigate more closely the methods and options used in the inventory valuation of biological assets. Problem: What options are there in the valuation of own-produced inventory specifically in the form of growing crops? Objective: This study's aim is to create an increased understanding of an agricultural company's options for inventory valuation of biological assets. In the survey of the options this study has found two main categories: rule-and principle-based accounting. Methods: A qualitative study with an abductive approach. Three interviews were conducted, one with the tax authority and two with specialist expertise in agriculture. Results: The study shows that current regulations do not take into account the valuation of growing crops, however according to generally accepted accounting principles which advocate the matching principle where expenses shall be recognised along with the related revenues in the same accounting year, apply. Key words: Inventory valuation, grain stock, growing crops, produced stock, financial statements, financial accounting, growing crops, work in progress.


Using data from the 2007 Pew Religious Landscape survey (PRLS), which includes over 650 Buddhist respondents (after weighting), this research note examines the usefulness of previously devised typologies for describing the religious and social characteristics of Buddhists in the United States. Existing "two Buddhisms" typologies capture the category breaks of the U.S. Buddhist landscape, with a couple of exceptions: convert Buddhists report higher rates of belief and higher rates of social activity than do those born into the religion. Analysis also shows that three-group typologics capture additional complexity within the U.S. Buddhist landscape. Examination of the social characteristics of Buddhists in the United States mostly corroborates previous assumptions with one exception, women do not outnumber men.


MST1 (mammalian Sterile20-like 1) and MST2 are closely related Class II GC (protein Ser/Thr) kinases that initiate apoptosis when transiently overexpressed in mammalian cells. In the present study, we show that recombinant MST1/2 undergo a robust autoactivation in vitro, mediated by an intramolecular autophosphorylation of a single site [MST1(Thr)/MST2(Thr)] on the activation loop of an MST dimer. Endogenous full-length MST1 is activated by a variety of stressful stimuli, accompanied by the secondary appearance of a 36 kDa Thr-phosphorylated, caspasecleaved catalytic fragment. Recombinant MST1 exhibits only 2–5 % activation during transient expression; endogenous MST1 in the cycling HeLa or KB cells has a similar low fractional activation, but 2 h incubation with okadaic acid (1 μM) results in 100 % activation. Endogenous MST1 immunoprecipitated from KB cells is specifically associated with substoichiometric amounts of the growth inhibitory polypeptides RASSF1A and NORE1A (novel Ras effector 1A; a Ras-GTP-binding protein). Coexpression of RASSF1A, RASSF1C, NORE1A and NORE1B with MST1 markedly suppresses MST1(Thr) phosphorylation in vivo and abolishes the ability of MST1 to undergo Mg-ATPmediated autoactivation in vitro; direct addition of purified NORE1A in vitro also inhibits MST1 activation. In contrast, cotransfection of MST1 with NORE1A modified by the addition of a C-terminal CAAX motif results in a substantial increase in MST1(Thr) phosphorylation, as does fusion of a myristoylation motif directly on to the MST1 N-terminus. Moreover, MST1 polypeptides, bound via wild-type NORE1A to Ras(G12V) (where G12V stands for Gly → Val), exhibit higher Thr phosphorylation compared with MST1 bound to NORE1A alone. Nevertheless, serum stimulation of KB cells does not detectably increase the activation state of endogenous MST1 or MST2 despite promoting the recruitment of the endogenous NORE1–MST1 complex to endogenous Ras. We propose that the NORE1/RASSF1 polypeptides, in addition to their role in maintaining the low activity of MST1 in vivo, direct MST1 to sites of activation and perhaps co-localization with endogenous substrates.


Arab Journal of Nutrition and Exercise, Vol. 2, No. 1 Published on 29th April, 2017 Abstract Background: The claim that breakfast is the most important meal of the day has an abundance of sound science behind it. Breakfast is continually suggested to be a critical feature of eating regimens since it is associated with a healthier intake of nutrients, BMI and lifestyle. Several studies have shown the importance of having breakfast to the body's performance. Moreover, recent studies have demonstrated that breakfast enhances intellectual capacity, concentration, attention and academic performance. However, there is a paucity of studies which examine the relationship between breakfast consumption and academic performance in the UAE. Objective: The aim of this study is to examine the effect of breakfast intake on the academic performance of young female students in the emirate of Abu Dhabi. Methods: Data was collected through a self-administered questionnaire from 130 female students aged 15-19 years, who were selected from two private schools in Abu Dhabi. The questionnaire was used to explore the students' breakfast consumption habits. The data collected was analyzed to examine the association between breakfast intake and academic performance. Academic performance was assessed according to the average grade for all subjects in the final exam. Results: Sixty-two percent of the 130 students eat breakfast regularly. Breakfast consumption is associated with increased academic performance among high school female students. The association of breakfast intake was found to be statistically significant (p=0.00). Conclusion: The findings of the current study indicate that there is a positive correlation between breakfast intake and the students' scores. Regular breakfast consumption improves students' academic performance, whereas the performance of students who frequently skip breakfast is lower. Key words : Breakfast; Students; Academic performance; Abu Dhabi; UAE.


Referring Expression Segmentation (RES) can facilitate pixel-level semantic alignment between vision and language. Most of the existing RES approaches require massive pixel-level annotations, which are expensive and exhaustive. In this paper, we propose a new partially supervised training paradigm for RES, i.e., training using abundant referring bounding boxes and only a few (e.g., 1%) pixel-level referring masks. To maximize the transferability from the REC model, we construct our model based on the point-based sequence prediction model. We propose the co-content teacher-forcing to make the model explicitly associate the point coordinates (scale values) with the referred spatial features, which alleviates the exposure bias caused by the limited segmentation masks. To make the most of referring bounding box annotations, we further propose the resampling pseudo points strategy to select more accurate pseudo-points as supervision. Extensive experiments show that our model achieves 52.06% in terms of accuracy (versus 58.93% in fully supervised setting) on Re-fCOCO+@testA, when only using 1% of the mask annotations. Code is available at https://github.com/qumengxue/Partial-RES.git.


Evidence is presented for the importance of western lowland gorillas as seed dispersers in the Lopé Reserve, Gabon. The survival and growth of seedlings of three tree species, growing from dung deposited at gorilla nest sites, were monitored for up to 2 y after deposition. A comparison was made between this and seeds (i) deposited in dung on gorilla feeding trails, (ii) dropped (spat out) under conspecific canopies, and (iii) scatter-dispersed (spat out) by other consumers away from conspecific trees but under intact forest canopy. The highest survival and the best performance of seedlings was always at a gorilla nest site, although not every site was favourable for survival or growth. Seedling performance was related to the surrounding vegetation conditions: better performance was observed in seedling clumps with less vegetation cover. Gorillas at Lopé apparently provide high quality seed dispersal for these species, not just because they consume large quantities of seeds, but because the pattern of seed deposition, especially in nest sites, can result in the enhanced survival and growth of seedlings.


Neuroelectric currents were extracted from free-running magnetoencephalographic (MEG) rest and task recordings from 617 normative subjects (ages: 18-87). State-dependent neuroelectric differential activation (DA) with spatial resolution comparable to that of local field potentials was detected in the majority of this cohort. Rest-high (rest greater than task) or task-high DA was found in the majority of individual subjects in more than 13,000 1 mm 3 voxels per subject. On average, 6% of the DA voxels bordered a second voxel whose DA was opposite, i.e. one was rest-high and the other was task-high. 516 subjects showed more than 100 such opposite voxel pairs 1 mm apart; 226 subjects showed more than 1000. The number of bordering voxel pairs with the same DA was consistently higher for almost all subjects and averaged 20%, ruling out the possibility that "opposite" bordering voxels occur simply by chance. For 65 brain regions, more than 10% of the cohort showed significantly more "same" than "opposite" pairs. These findings taken together support the conclusion that neuroelectric DA is consistently distinguishable at single 1 mm 3 brain voxels, i.e. with 1-mm resolution. When restricted to voxels with near-zero rest or task counts, significantly more rest-high than task-high voxels were found in 35 regions for at least 10% of the subjects. This inequality was not found when all DA-voxels were included. This supports the conclusion that the DA found in many rest-high voxels with near-zero task counts is due in part to task-dependent inhibition.


Objective To determine if there is a significant association between KINARM robotic sensorimotor and neurocognitive measurements at baseline, ≤10 days post-concussion (IPC), and when clinically asymptomatic (CA). Design Double-blind, prospective case series. Setting Four athletic seasons (2011–2015). Participants 1,214 elite athletes (904 males, 310 females, mean age: 18 and 20 years, respectively). Outcome measures Fifty-seven parameters from five robotic tasks (Visually Guided Reaching (VGR), Position Matching (PM), Object Hit, Object Hit and Avoid, Trail Making B (TMB)) characterising sensorimotor and neurocognitive function. Linear regression was used to determine if there was a significant association between baseline, IPC, and CA measurements, adjusting for potential predictors (age, sex, concussion history, recurrent concussion during study, number of baseline assessments, method (seated versus standing), Post-Concussion Symptom Scale Score (PCSS), days post-concussion at testing) and learning effect. Main results 95 athletes sustained 102 concussions. There was a clear reduction in performance in concussed athletes on individual parameters compared to non-concussed repeat performance. Significant predictors of impairment were: 1) higher PCSS for VGR (IPC): Reaction Time (p<0.001), Min-Max Speed Difference (m/s) (p=0.001), Path Length Ratio (p=0.001), and TMB (CA): Test Time (p=0.003), Dwell Time (p=0.003); 2) older athletes for VGR (IPC): Speed Maxima Count (p<0.01); 3) less days post-concussion at IPC testing for PM Contraction/Expansion Ratio XY (p=0.005); and 4) recurrent concussion during study period for non-dominant PM Shift Y (p=0.005). Conclusions Results of this large prospective study suggest the KINARM robot is a valid, objective tool for quantifying sensorimotor and neurocognitive impairment in concussed athletes. Competing interests Brian W Benson In the future may receive a small royalty from BKIN Technologies Ltd. in consideration for assisting with development and validation of the KINARM end-point robotic device for use in acute sport concussion assessment and management. None. Co-founder and CSO of BKIN Technologies that commercialises the KINARM robot.


Lymphangiography of the lower extremities was performed in 21 patients with ovarian dysgenesis. Seventeen subjects turned out to have hypoplastic superficial lymph vessels of the lower limbs. Aplasia of the lymphatics of the legs occurred in four instances. Hypoplastic lymph pathways were also observed in the pelvis and in the retroperitoneal space. Although the impairment of the lymphatic channels occurred in all cases of ovarian dysgenesis, it appears that it is more severe in patients with streak gonads. There was no correlation between the lymphatic defect and the karyotype. Patients with and without lymphedema had similar lymphatic defects. Our findings suggest that hypoplasia of the superficial lymph vessels of the lower limbs is a common abnormality in patients with ovarian dysgenesis irrespective of their chromosomal complements. The hypothesis that lymphedema in ovarian dysgenesis is mainly attributable to hypoplasia of the lymphatic channels is supported by this study. However, it appears that other factor(s) may also play a role in the pathogenesis of the lymphedema, since, despite lymphatic hypoplasia, lymphedema does not develop in all instances.


The paper reports the role of sodium hydroxide in the synthesis of a superhydrophobic powder from polymethylhydrosiloxane (PMHS) in the presence of ethanol and water. The effects of other basic and acidic solutions as well as the absence of water were also investigated. PMHS exhibited rapid gelation (from 8 h to 2 h) by increasing the concentration of sodium hydroxide in the presence of ethanol and water. In contrast, gelation did not occur in the absence of sodium hydroxide or water or in the presence of acidic solutions. Delayed gelation (96 h to 120 h) occurred as a result of the introduction of dipotassium hydrogen phosphate trihydrate. Superhydrophobic powder was obtained by the evaporation of solvents from the gelated sol at 150 °C. The surface properties of the superhydrophobic powder were examined by scanning electron microscopy, high resolution transmission electron microscopy, N 2 sorption isotherm, and X-ray diffraction. The particle size, functional groups and thermal stability of the powder were analyzed by dynamic light scattering spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, 29 Si cross polarization magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis. The surface properties of the powder were also assessed by contact angle measurements. The results showed that increasing the concentration of sodium hydroxide added to PMHS or increasing the drying temperature of the gelated sol resulted in the more rapid formation of superhydrophobic powder.


"The Encyclopedia of Civil Rights in America" is a comprehensive reference source on the human rights and civil liberties that are legally recognized in the US. The US Consitution and the Bill of Rights define individual rights for Americans. The successive amendments to the Constitution and Supreme Court decisions further define these rights and relationships while protecting the individual citizen in an ever changing society. "The Encyclopedia of Civil Rights in America" presents students with lucid, enlightening essays on these fundamental documents, court decisions and laws, while examining the aspects of public and private life they serve to protect, and highlighting those individuals who are and have been influential in defining and interpreting civil rights. It is organized in an easy to use A-Z format, from Abolitionists to the contemporary Zoot Suits riots.


In this paper, novel dispersion engineered conformal metamaterial-based leaky-wave antennas (LWA) based on composite right/left-handed (CRLH) concept are being reviewed. As a planar CRLH LWA is conformed on a curved surface, the radiation characteristics of LWA is distorted. The effect of conformation on a CRLH LWA is investigated. A dispersion engineering method is presented to compensate for the conformation effect and obtain radiation characteristics comparable to the planar version for both convex and concave surfaces. Using the dispersion engineering technique an electronically controlled multifunctional CRLH transmission-line (TL)/LWA will be presented. The slow-wave and fast-wave characteristics of this CRLH device is electronically controlled by incorporating varactor diodes in the CRLH unit-cells. It will be shown that by using the developed dispersion engineering compensation technique along with applying the proper reversebias voltage to the varactor diodes of each unit-cells and tuning the capacitance of each unit-cell the effect of conformation is compensated. Furthermore, it will be shown that by having certain section of the CLRH device operating in the slow-wave mode and the remaining sections in the fast-wave mode, through applying the proper reverse-bias voltage to the varactor diodes, and by changing the location of the fast-wave section along the device a radiation aperture selective functionality is introduced. Thus, the radiation angle and the beamwidth of the LWA is electronically controlled at a fixed frequency. Index Terms — Composite right/left-handed (CRLH), metamaterials, conformal antenna, electronically controlled, leaky-wave (LW).


ABSTRACT Mono- (Au, Ag and Cu) and bi-metallic (Au–Ag and Au–Cu) nanoparticles were deposited on TiO2 and tested for the photocatalytic degradation of sulfamethoxazole using either UV-C or simulated sunlight. The optimal loading of metallic nanoparticles was determined as 1.5 wt% for Au and Ag, and 1.0 wt% for Cu. In the case of bi-metallic nanoparticles, only the ratio 1:0.5 wt% for both Au–Ag and Au–Cu was tested. In experiments using UV-C light, the highest degradation performance was found for Ag/TiO2, while bi-metallic nanoparticles supported on TiO2 also showed increased photocatalytic activity compared with unmodified TiO2. In simulated sunlight irradiation tests, Au/TiO2 showed to be the most efficient material. Complete mineralization of sulfamethoxazole was achieved when surface-modified materials were tested in both UV-C and simulated sunlight experiments. Photolysis was efficient to fully degrade sulfamethoxazole, although mineralization was lower than 10% for both luminic sources. The main by-products of sulfamethoxazole were determined in photolysis and photocatalysis tests using UV-C light, and degradation paths were proposed. By-products showed non-toxicity and low antibiotic activity. Reuse of the catalysts upon three reaction cycles did not result in the loss of activity.


Uncontrolled CO2 emission from various industrial and domestic sources is a considerable threat to environmental sustainability. Scientists are trying to develop multiple approaches to not only reduce CO2 emissions but also utilize this potent pollutant to get economically feasible products. The electrochemical reduction of CO2 (ERC) is one way to effectively convert CO2 to more useful products (ranging from C1 to C5). Nevertheless, this process is kinetically hindered and less selective towards a specific product and, consequently, requires an efficient electrocatalyst with characteristics like selectivity, stability, reusability, low cost, and environmentally benign. Owing to specified commercial features, copper (Cu)‐based materials are highly anticipated and widely investigated for the last two decades. However, their non‐modified polycrystalline Cu forms usually lack selectivity and lower overpotential of CO2 reduction. Therefore, extensive research is in progress to induce various alterations ranging from morphological and surface chemistry tuning to structural and optoelectrical characteristics modifications. This review provides an overview of those strategies to improve the CO2 conversion efficiency through Cu‐based ERC into valuable C1, C2, and higher molecular weight hydrocarbons. The thermodynamics and kinetics of CO2 reduction via Cu‐based electrocatalysts are discussed in detail with the support of the first principle DFT‐based models. In the last portion of the review, the reported mechanisms for various products are summarized, with a short overview of the outlook. This review is expected to provide important basics as well as advanced information for experienced as well as new researchers to develop various strategies for Cu and related materials to achieve improved ERC.


The classic view of marketing has always regarded the customer as external to the firm and a passive recipient of the firm's value creation effort. However, there is an increasing conception that in order to succeed in today's challenging market environment, value needs to be co-created by companies and consumers, and co-creation is seen as an innovative method to facilitate these value creation activities. One of the primary limiting factors of greater consumer engagement has historically been the poor connectivity between customers and producers. The Internet is regarded as a new form of technology that significantly facilitates and enhances the connectivity between customers and producers, and through this, the phenomenon of virtual co-creation emerged. Virtual co-creation is a considerably new and growing phenomenon that offers a new opportunity for marketers to better satisfy customer requirements by involving them more fully in the creation of a new product. While the concept of virtual co-creation has been thoroughly examined at a conceptual level, empirical research in this concept is limited and has primarily focused on co-creation in a firm setting. Thus, minimum attention has been paid to the phenomenon of co-creation from a consumer perspective. Specifically focusing on co-creation in the New Product Development context, this study examines consumer value perceptions of the virtual co-creation method, and its subsequent impact on consumer future intention to use the co-creation method. A Value-based Technological Acceptance Model was adopted to measure consumers' value perception of the co-creation method. Using My Starbucks Idea and Dell's Design Studio as the examples, this model was empirically tested in two instances: 1) the 'contribution' & non-technological product category, and 2) the 'selection' & technological product category. The study found that consumers, in general, had a positive value perception of co-creation methods, which, in turn, positively influence their future intention to use the co-creation method. This confirmed that virtual co-creation, as a new method for firms and consumers to collaborate in creating a new product, was well received by consumers. With the existence of this opportunity for collaboration, virtual co-creation is deemed to be a trend that is hard to ignore as it offers a promising and a more holistic approach to a New Product Development strategy.


Ten AML-M4/M5 patients' samples containing a t(10;11) translocation, but with different cytogenetic breakpoints on chromosome 11q (11q13-23), were studied by G- and R-banding and fluorescent in situ hybridization. Southern blotting analysis, studied in five patients, revealed a rearranged MLL gene. Reverse transcription-PCR analysis carried out in six patients showed a 5' MLL-3' AF-10 fusion transcript. Fluorescent in situ hybridization studies suggested that in 8 of 10 patients, the rearrangement/fusion transcript resulted from an inversion of a part of 11q (q13q23) translocated to 10p12. In the other two patients, it is assumed that an inversion/translocation has occurred of a part of 10p to the der(11). The results suggest that the orientation of the AF-10 gene on 10p is 5' telomeric and 3' centromeric. This is the first example of opposite-oriented genes being involved in translocation to yield fusion transcripts.


Silicon carbide (SiC) is a wide band gap semiconductor satisfying requirements to replace silicon in devices operating at high power and high frequency at high temperature, and in harsh environments. Hexagonal polytypes of SiC, such as 6H-SiC and 4H-SiC are available on the power device markets. However, the cubic SiC (3C-SiC) polytype is still not industrially used, essentially due to the lack of 3CSiC substrates. This is mainly because of a high density of defects appearing in the crystals. Thus, it is critical to understand material growth and defect formation, and learn to control their appearance. Ensuring, that growth methods capable of large scale industrial production can be applied. The aim of this work was to develop operation conditions for fabrication of 3C-SiC crystals via understanding fundamentals of the growth process and to explore structural and electrical properties of the grown material, including its suitability for substrate applications. The physical vapor transport or sublimation process has already shown a capability to produce substantial quantities of large area and high quality hexagonal SiC substrates. In the present study a similar growth principle, but in a different geometry, namely sublimation epitaxy, was applied. Using this method very high growth rates (up to 1 mm/h) can be achieved for hexagonal polytypes while maintaining high material quality. Additionally, the growth process does not require expensive or hazardous materials, thus making the method very attractive for industrial use. When growing 3C-SiC directly on 6H-SiC, the substrate roughness does not have significant influence on the yield and quality of 3C-SiC. This is mostly due to the growth of homoepitaxial 6H-SiC which appears before the 3C-SiC. Structural characterization showed that 3C-SiC grown directly on 6HSiC exhibited the highest quality as compared with other substrate preparation, such as annealing or deposition of a 3C-SiC buffer layer. Thus, further investigation was devoted to the growth of 3C-SiC on 6H-SiC substrates. The parameter window for the growth of 3C-SiC is quite narrow. The temperature interval is from ~1675oC, where the material starts to nucleate, to ~1850oC, where an uncontrolled growth process begins. Si-rich conditions (high Si/C ratio) and high supersaturation are needed in the growth chamber for preferable 3C-SiC nucleation. Deviation from these parameters leads to the growth of homoepitaxial 6HSiC in spiral or 2D island mode along with cubic SiC with high defect density. Nucleation is the most important step in the growth process. The growth on 6H-SiC substrates commences from homoepitaxial 6H-SiC growth in spiral mode, which makes the surface perfect for 3CSiC nucleation. At temperature of ~1675oC the supersaturation is high enough and the 3C-SiC nucleation initiates in two-dimensional islands on the 6H-SiC spiral terraces. Control of the homoepitaxial 6H-SiC growth is a key element in the growth of 3C-SiC. SiC is a polar material having surfaces terminated by either silicon or carbon atoms, called Si- and C-face, respectively. The growth is different on both faces due to the different free surface energies. The lower surface free energy on the C-face causes more uniform nucleation of 3C-SiC and thereafter more uniform twinned domain distribution. Additionally, calculations showed that increase of growth temperature from 1675oC to 1775oC does not change the supersaturation ratio on the C-face due to a much higher surface diffusion length. This results in appearance of pits in the 3C-SiC layer with a 6H-SiC spiral. The pits were not observed on Si-face material as the supersaturation ratio was much higher. Pits formed in the early stages of growth were overgrown more effectively during the later stages. Characterization by transmission electron microscopy showed that transformation from 6H-SiC to 3C-SiC is not abrupt and can appear in two different modes. The first one is forming a few micrometers of polytypic transition zone consisting predominantly of 15R-, 6H- and 3C-SiC. The second one appears due to a competition between 3C-SiC and 6H-SiC resulting in a step-like intermixing zone between these polytypes. Four-fold twins were observed, which resulted in depressions at the surface of 3C-SiC. These defects expand proportionally to the layer thickness, thus drastically reducing usable area of thick layers. Electrical measurements revealed carrier mobility ~200 cm2/Vs at room temperature and the dominant charge carrier scattering is by neutral centers and phonons. The neutral centers originate from extended defects, such as 6H-SiC inclusions, stacking faults and twin boundaries. By growing 3C-SiC on atomically flat and vicinal substrates a preferential orientation of twin boundaries (TBs) was achieved. The mobility was higher in the material with twin boundaries parallel to the current flow, and lower when twin boundaries were perpendicular to the current flow. This was less pronounced at higher temperature as relatively fewer carriers have to overcome barriers created by TBs. Finally, the substrate capability of the 3C-SiC (111) was demonstrated by growth of a monolayer graphene, which was compared with graphene grown on hexagonal SiC poytypes. The quality of the graphene in terms of thickness uniformity and pit appearance was the best when grown on 3C-SiC. The lower quality on hexagonal substrates was attributed to a more difficult process control which is due to the more complex crystal structure.


Background Osteosarcoma is a relatively common bone tumour; with an incidence of 0.2 to 3/100 000, it is an orphan disease. Mifamurtide has managed to increase survival without increasing side effects. Purpose To evaluate the safety and efficacy of mifamurtide in two paediatric patients diagnosed with osteogenic sarcoma. Materials and Methods We conducted a prospective study of two paediatric patients diagnosed with osteogenic sarcoma. Weekly, we attended the oncology sessions and we tracked them during the chemotherapy, and after that, through the electronic clinical history. Mifamurtide is indicated in children, adolescents and young adults for the treatment of high-grade resectable non-metastatic osteosarcoma after surgical resection. It is used in combination with post-operative chemotherapy. In the two cases, the treatment followed the SEOP-SO-2010 guidelines of the Spanish Society of Paediatric Oncology for 37 weeks. After surgery (week 15) mifamurtide was started as adjuvant treatment: 2 mg/m2 twice weekly for the first 12 weeks and followed by once-weekly for an additional 24 weeks, for a total of 48 infusions in 36 weeks. Results Chemotherapy started according to protocol, the patients were aged 12 and 15 years (July and November 2010, respectively). One patient had a flu-like reaction after the first dose of mifamurtide, so the following doses were administered with premedication (acetaminophen and dexchlorpheniramine). Other side effects: anaemia and thrombocytopenia, requiring human stimulating factors and platelet concentrates; vomiting was treated with aprepitant. When chemotherapy finished, the patients were in complete remission, this situation continues today, 10 and 13 months later. Conclusions The SEOP protocol plus mifamurtide achieved complete remission in both cases. The use of mifamurtide can be considered safe and it did not increase side effects, we observed only a flu-like reaction attributed to mifamurtide which resolved with premedication. The effectiveness of mifamurtide in osteogenic sarcoma treatment cannot be considered as assessed due to the small sample size. No conflict of interest.


The simbol of municipality (big city) in Indonesia is changing from time to time, as well as changing according to the social and cultural conditions of the city. If in colonial era the simbol of the city is a representation of the power of the government or rule, and then the phenomenon is now beginning to change in the current era, where the simbol of the city functioned also for the needs of tourism. In the late Dutch East Indies colonial era around 1930s, some cities were considered to be self-reliant by government and economy, so that the government at that time made a simbol for the need to run the wheels of his government. The interesting phenomenon of the simbol of the city simbolically is the existence of simbols that are displayed, both simbols affiliated to the ruler (Dutch East Indies) and also the simbol that is a typical simbol of the city's local tradition. Composition and relationship between simbols in the city simbol is interesting to be studied and analyzed. Especially at visual structure area and meaning representation. The analysis is done by qualitative research method which is descriptive interpretative with semiotics theory approach for sign analysis and using postcolonial theory for understanding the meaning of the city simbol. The results of the analysis both in the visual structure and in the meaning shows the existence of different types of simbols that appear, as well as the discovery of the difference of simbol dominance in each simbol of the city. The relation between the simbols generated from the composition of the visual structure results in a new understanding, which in the postcolonial perspective will be interpreted by a binary opposition relationship, or the dominant/hegemonic relationship between the colonial government and the colony state, between "The Other" and "The Occident", or between colonizing and colonized countries. Furthermore, the simbolic relation on the visual structure and meaning resulted in the ideological significance of the sociocultural conditions of the community at that time.


In the past decade, health-related quality-of-life (HRQoL) assessment has become an important tool to measure change as a result of treatment in clinical trials. The aim of this project was to compare and contrast two foot-specific HRQoL questionnaires: the Foot Function Index (FFI) and the Foot Health Status Questionnaire (FHSQ). To assist in this process, a quasi-experimental trial was performed to evaluate the effectiveness of foot orthoses in improving HRQoL in people suffering from plantar fasciitis. The results from this study found that the FFI is generally less responsive to change, particularly in the domain of Activity Limitation. Nevertheless, significant improvements were found for two out of the three domains (Pain and Disability, but not Activity Limitation) for the FFI, as well as the overall score of FFI. In contrast, all four domains (Pain, Function, Footwear and General Foot Health) of the FHSQ showed significant improvement. Our experience with the questionnaires also revealed that certain questions in the Activity Limitation domain of the FFI can lead to inconsistent scoring, thus casting doubts over the suitability of this domain for use with patients with plantar fasciitis. Therefore, the FHSQ has several advantages when evaluating HRQoL in patients being treated with foot orthoses for plantar fasciitis, and should be viewed as the preferred questionnaire.


In 2017, I participated in a walking fieldtrip organized by First Story Toronto. It was an eye-opening experience. We explored various sites with significant Indigenous connections in downtown Toronto, Canada's primary immigrant-receiving city. Canada is both a nation of immigrants and a land belonging to Indigenous people, and the field trip addressed these diverging perspectives in a novel and hands-on way. As an academic, I'm used to dealing with issues through rigorous scholarship and conceptual theories, and to see this complex relationship presented in an experiential way was both humbling and inspiring.


In this study, phytochemical characterization was conducted and the in vitro antibacterial activity of extracts of Ageratum conyzoides L. (whiteweed), Gossypium hirsutum (cotton), Phyllanthus tenellus (shatterstone) and Polygonum hydropiperoides (swamp smartweed) was evaluated against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. To assess the antibacterial activity, the agar diffusion method was used. Tests were performed with the extract at alcoholic contents from 0 to 100% (v/v), at 20% proportion (m/v - mass/extractor). Phytochemical tests indicated the presence of reducing sugars, phenolic compounds, flavonoids, tannins, triterpenes and steroids in all four species. The growth of S. aureus cultures was inhibited by all extracts, except for whiteweed extract. The highest inhibitory activity was observed for shatterstone. However, none of the extracts was capable of inhibiting the growth of E. coli strains. Results are promising since three of the four selected plants showed to have antibacterial substances, which stimulates further studies for the isolation and the identification of active principles responsible for this activity, with potential to be used in the pharmaceutical industry.


This work-in-progress paper develops the conceptual background for researching knowledge construction in networked learning through examining learners' articipation in knowledge advancement activities. Knowledge construction processes are explored using an analytical framework originating from data and ideas guided by the theoretical framework of the study based on the notion s of epistemic activity and epistemic fluency. Data have been collected from a postgraduate course in Advanced Learning Technology including student assignments,online discussions and interviews. The paper concludes that the ideas expressed within online messages exchanged between course participants as well as research projects and reviews undertaken as part of their assessment are representations of abstract knowledge which is constructed both collaboratively and individually. Epistemic activities have a decisive role in knowledge creation and improvement as they add value to such representations. Finally, the findings point to the importance of the contextual aspect in the process of knowledge construction pointing to the fact that knowledge can be constructed through interaction of the individual with the environment including peer learners, tutors and available resources. The paper contributes to discussions about the ways in which knowledge is being produced, managed, improved and applied in networked learning contexts.


This paper shows that it is difficult, if not impossible, to formulate policies that guarantee that tourism can be maintained for a long time without severely impacting on the environment. The analysis is purely theoretical and is based on very simple and general assumptions about the interactions between the three main components of the system: the tourists, the environment, and the capital. These assumptions are encapsulated in a so-called minimal model, used to predict the economic and environmental impact of any given policy. This paper is of value for three reasons. First, it introduces the approach of minimal descriptive models in the context of tourism, which has traditionally been dominated by the use of black-box econometric models. Second, the specific results are quite interesting. We show, in fact, that tourism sustainability can be achieved, provided agents are prudent about reinvesting their profits and are willing to protect the environment, but that sustainability is very often at risk, because unforeseen shocks can easily trigger a switch from a profitable and compatible behavior to an unprofitable or incompatible one. These results are in line with conventional wisdom and observations, but the interesting fact is that here they are theoretically derived from a few very simple and abstract premises. Third, although not directly related to the problem of tourism but rather to the general topic of sustainability, this is one of the first times that the notion of sustainability, which is more and more pervasive in the field of resource management, is interpreted strictly in terms of the structural properties of the attractors of a dynamic system. This creates an important and promising bridge between sustainability and bifurcation theory, one of the most important areas of systems analysis.


This article explores why estimates of arts participation in America diverge dramatically. It focuses on two similar surveys - the General Social Survey (GSS) and the Survey of Public Participation in the Arts (SPPA) - that produced very different estimates of attendance at museums, classical music concerts and dance performances. Comparing the design of each survey, this paper examines several possible explanations to account for the divergent estimates, including sample composition and selection bias, question wording and context, and survey design.


Life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias are associated with the existence of stable and unstable spiral waves. Termination of such complex spatio-temporal patterns by local control is substantially limited by anchoring of spiral waves at natural heterogeneities. Far-field pacing (FFP) is a new local control strategy that has been shown to be capable of unpinning waves from obstacles. In this article, we investigate in detail the FFP unpinning mechanism for a single rotating wave pinned to a heterogeneity. We identify qualitatively different phase regimes of the rotating wave showing that the concept of vulnerability is important but not sufficient to explain the failure of unpinning in all cases. Specifically, we find that a reduced excitation threshold can lead to the failure of unpinning, even inside the vulnerable window. The critical value of the excitation threshold (below which no unpinning is possible) decreases for higher electric field strengths and larger obstacles. In contrast, for a high excitation threshold, the success of unpinning is determined solely by vulnerability, allowing for a convenient estimation of the unpinning success rate. In some cases, we also observe phase resetting in discontinuous phase intervals of the spiral wave. This effect is important for the application of multiple stimuli in experiments.


In 1984, Knuth introduced the idea of literate programming and described a pair of tools to support the practise 1]. His approach was to combine Pascal code with T E X documentation to produce a new language, WEB, that ooered programmers a superior approach to programming. He wrote several programs in WEB, including weave and tangle, the programs used to support literate programming. The idea was that a programmer wrote one document, the web le, that combined documentation (written in T E X 4]) with code (written in Pascal). Running tangle on the web le would produce a complete Pascal program, ready for compilation by an ordinary Pascal compiler. The primary function of tangle is to allow the programmer to present elements of the program in any desired order, regardless of the restrictions imposed by the programming language. Thus, the programmer is free to present his program in a top-down fashion, bottom-up fashion, or whatever seems best in terms of promoting understanding and maintenance. Running weave on the web le would produce a T E X le, ready to be processed by T E X. The resulting document included a variety of automatically generated indices and cross-references that made it much easier to navigate the code. Additionally, all of the code sections were automatically pretty printed, resulting in a quite impressive document. Knuth also wrote the programs for T E X and METAFONT entirely in WEB, eventually publishing them in book form 3, 2]. These are probably the largest programs ever published in a readable form. Inspired by Knuth's example, many people have experimented with WEB. Some people have even built web-like tools for their own favorite combinations of programming language and typesetting language. For example, CWEB, Knuth's current system of choice, works with a combination of C and T E X 6]. Another system, FunnelWeb, is independent of any programming language and only mildly dependent on T E X 8]. Inspired by the versatility of FunnelWeb and by the daunting size of its documentation, I decided to write my own, very simple, tool for literate programming. 1 1 Nuweb Nuweb works with any programming language and L a T E X 5]. I wanted to use L a T E X because it supports a multi-level sectioning scheme and has facilities for drawing gures. I wanted to be able to work with arbitrary programminglanguages because my friends and I …


We look in depth at some of the different capabilities Grids must support. However, because there are several definitions of Grids, we adopt two views of them: those that support e-Science and those that provide an infrastructure with the ability to dynamically link managed resources. These descriptions emphasize a high-level user requirement and the system capability, respectively. We are integrating resources, managing them, and using them to support distributed collaborative engineering and science. Grids must embrace multiple heterogeneous resources and then integrate them. We discuss how this requires the meeting of three worlds: computers, databases, and sensors.


Nitrosatable precursors of mutagens that show mutagenicity to Salmonella typhimurium TA100 without S9 mix after treatment with nitrite at pH 3 were found in various foods. From Chinese cabbage, three indole compounds, indole-3-acetonitrile, 4-methoxyindole-3-acetonitrile, and 4-methoxyindole-3-aldehyde, were identified as mutagen precursors. 1-Methylindole and 2-methylindole, which are present in cigarette smoke showed strong mutagen precursor activity. Escherichia coli WP2 uvrA/pKM101 is more sensitive than S. typhimurium TA100 to nitrosatable precursors in soy sauce after treatment with 1-3 mM nitrite. The mutagenicity of soy sauce towards E. coli WP2 uvrA/pKM101 is partly explained by 1-methyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-beta-carboline-3-carboxylic acid (MTCA) and tyramine reported previously. Oral administration of soy sauce and nitrite to male Fischer 344 rats for 2 years induced basal cell proliferation of the forestomach and intestinal metaplasia of the glandular stomach, but did not induce cancers in any organ. 3-Diazotyramine, a mutagenic nitrosation product of tyramine that is present at high concentrations in various foods induced squamous cell carcinomas of the oral cavity of rats when given in their drinking water. The carcinogenesis by N-benzylmethylamine, a nitrosatable precursor and nitrite was prevented by thioproline.


DESCRIPTION REGRANEX Gel contains becaplermin, a recombinant human platelet-derived growth factor (rhPDGF-BB) for topical administration. Becaplermin is produced by recombinant DNA technology by insertion of the gene for the B chain of platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) into the yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Becaplermin has a molecular weight of approximately 25 KD and is a homodimer composed of two identical polypeptide chains that are bound together by disulfide bonds. Becaplermin Concentrate is produced by Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics, Inc. and supplied to OMJ Pharmaceuticals under a shared manufacturing arrangement. REGRANEX Gel is a non-sterile, low bioburden, preserved, sodium carboxymethylcellulose-based (CMC) topical gel, containing the active ingredient becaplermin and the following inactive ingredients: sodium chloride, sodium acetate trihydrate, glacial acetic acid, water for injection, and methylparaben, propylparaben, and m-cresol as preservatives and l-lysine hydrochloride as a stabilizer. Each gram of REGRANEX Gel contains 100 μg of becaplermin.


Biological snakes' diverse locomotion modes and physiology make them supremely adapted for the ground. This paper discusses the biological snakes' locomotion mode on the diverse ground, and describes the development of a snake-like robot with the adaptability for the ground. The method to realize some locomotion modes is given. The method for detecting the characteristic of ground is proposed and identified in test.


I HAVE JUST FINISHED reading "Action for Mental Health," the challenging report of the Joint Commission on Mental Illness and Health. This comprehensive 5-year study, completed in 1960 and just published, presents this complex and enormous health problem realistically, pointing out that progress depends on removing those three well-known obstacles of manpower, facilities and costs.
 One of the Commission's recommendations for a national mental health program is better use of present knowledge and experience. There is an acute shortage of professional resources for the care of mentally ill patients, as we know. Of all categories of psychiatrists, the Commission reports, Child psychiatrists are in shortest supply, "children being especially trying to work with and requiring the close co-operation of the parents and infinite patience on the part of therapists." Because pediatricians offer a considerable potential for helping emotionally disturbed children, the Commission recommends that the National Institute for Mental Health provide support for resident training programs in pediatrics that incorporate adequate psychiatric information and that it provide allowances for pediatricians who wish to take postgraduate courses in psychiatry. The aim is not to convert pediatricians into psychiatrists (although a good pediatrician certainly has an abundance of the "infinite patience" required) but to increase the resources of the community.
 Actually, of all medical specialties, pediatrics has for many years played a key role in mental health, as we know, both in early recognition of emotional maladjustments in childhood and in prevention by fostering good mental health concepts in child rearing. This has applied not only to private practice but to public health work such as well child conferences and school health service.


The author thought the subject of perennial interest to all geologists, on account of both its intrinsic importance and the eminent men who had written of it. The true solution could not yet be said to have been finally established, and elaborate papers were still appearing at intervals, advocating rival theories. His aim was to state the problem, explain the solutions offered, give its bibliography, criticise the theories, and develop more fully the one he adopted. He first described the locality of the Roads in Glen Roy, Glen Spean, Glen Gluoy, and Glen Laggan, all at the south end of the Great Glen. Their unique and striking aspect was such as to draw the attention of the primitive Celts. They had received several names. They were known in Gaelic as Na Casan, literally The Feet, hence Footpaths, of which the English Roads was a literal translation. Campbell of Islay's rendering, "The Bends," the late Rev. Mr. McGregor, the Gaelic scholar, of Inverness, thought fanciful, and without foundation. They were also variously called "roads," "lines," "shelves," "parallels," etc. The highest of those recognized is in Glen Gluoy, at 1,172 feet, another existing there at 964; the three chief in Glen Roy stand at 1,148, 1,067, and 855; the lowest sweeping round into Glen Spean at the same level. A possible Road, discovered by Darwin in 1838, in Glen Laggan, above the Loch Laggan Locks, is 1,300 feet high. Their breadth varies from 40 to 70 feet, giving an average of 60.


Summary This work explores the possibilities raised by valorisation of historical and maritime heritage (Batana Salvorina) in the construction of an original and innovative tourism product, with the goal of repositioning Umag as a distinctive tourist destination. It is based on the authors' research, questionnaires and Umag stakeholder focus groups (members of the Association Batana Salvorina, local government, public utility and entrepreneurs), benchmark analysis of batana valorisation in Umag, Rovinj and Piran using situational and scenario analysis, as well as the authors' projections of building the batana salvorina project and Umag competitiveness. The limitations of the research lie in the fact that the project of batana salvorina valorisation is still underdeveloped, as well as in the insufficient recognition of the project importance and opportunities in creating tourism uniqueness and distinctiveness. The valorisation of history (batana salvorina) must evolve into an integral indigenous product that will be based on the synergy of business entrepreneurs and other stakeholders in a continuous effort to enrich and qualitatively improve Umag tourism offer.


Thermal, structural, and optical analyses are performed to predict the optical performance of a double Gauss and a seven-element lens assembly due to on-axis heat loads. In the double Gauss lens assembly, optical performance is computed as a function of power, and in the seven-element lens assembly, optical performance is computed as a function of time for a fixed power. 14.1 Double Gauss Lens Assembly Thermal, structural, and optical modeling tools are used to predict the optical performance of a double Gauss lens assembly subject to an on-axis heat load as shown in Fig. 14.1. System specifications are listed in Table 14.1. A fraction of the heat load is absorbed by the optical elements via bulk volumetric absorption,
resulting in thermal gradients in the lens assembly. The on-axis wavefront error, point spread function, modulation transfer function, and the change in focus is computed for incident powers of 40, 80, 120, 160, and 200 W. The surface numbering for the double Gauss lens is shown in Fig. 14.2. 14.1.1 Thermal analysis A thermal analysis is performed to compute the temperature distribution in the lens assembly due to the bulk volumetric absorption of the heat load. A two-step modeling effort was conducted using the thermal analysis software Thermal Desktop. First, a heat-rate model was developed to compute the energy absorbed. A heat source was defined in the heat-rate model to emit a parallel radiation flux, and a mask was used to set the clear aperture for the lens assembly. Multiple surfaces of zero thickness with the appropriate indices of refraction were then defined for each lens element. The surface absorption coefficients were radially
varied to account for the absorption characteristics of each glass and the energy distribution of the heat source. The radiation flux was varied to yield the desired incident power. The resulting heat rates were then used in a steady-state thermal analysis to compute the temperature distribution for powers of 40, 80, 120, 160, and 200 W. The resulting temperature distribution is a radial gradient with a
slight axial variation due to surface effects as shown in Fig. 14.3. The approximate radial gradient as a function of power is listed in Table 14.2. The temperatures were subsequently mapped to a MSC/Nastran finite element model using the shape function interpolation algorithm in Thermal Desktop, as demonstrated in Fig. 14.4.


This Course Guide is intended to support students in English 627 locating critical scholarly works analyzing literature and film exploring "racial liberalism"


The 26S proteasome is the primary protease responsible for degrading misfolded membrane proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum. Here we examine the specific role of β subunit function on polypeptide cleavage and membrane release of CFTR, a prototypical ER-associated degradation substrate with 12 transmembrane segments. In the presence of ATP, cytosol and fully active proteasomes, CFTR was rapidly degraded and released into the cytosol solely in the form of trichloroacetic acid (TCA)-soluble peptide fragments. Inhibition of proteasome β subunits markedly decreased CFTR degradation but surprisingly, had relatively minor effects on membrane extraction and release. As a result, large TCA-insoluble degradation intermediates derived from multiple CFTR domains accumulated in the cytosol where they remained stably bound to inhibited proteasomes. Production of TCA-insoluble fragments varied for different proteasome inhibitors and correlated inversely with the cumulative proteolytic activities of β1, β2 and β5 subunits. By contrast, ATPase inhibition decreased CFTR release but had no effect on the TCA solubility of the released fragments. Our results indicate that the physiologic balance between membrane extraction and peptide cleavage is maintained by excess proteolytic capacity of the 20S subunit. Active site inhibitors reduce this capacity, uncouple ATPase and peptidase activities, and generate cytosolic degradation intermediates by allowing the rate of unfolding to exceed the rate of polypeptide cleavage.


Mercury is one of the main components in dental fillings. The aim of the article is to assess the risk of the use of metallic mercury on the human health. The authors describe the exposure of stomatologists and nurses to Hg and nonoccupational exposure of patients to Hg from dental amalgams. The Hg concentration in the atmosphere depends on the phase of the amalgam preparation and handling, but the occupational exposure is acceptable as a whole. Application of amalgam fillings manifested itself by an enormous growth of Hg content in saliva and blood. The correlations are discussed between the Hg content in biological materials and special aspects of the use of amalgam fillings, in particular Hg sensitization and possible alkylation of mercury in mouth. The current Hg exposures of the stomatological staff in the Czech Republic do not exceed the acceptable hazard. Recommendations for minimization of the Hg exposure in stomatological practice are given.


In this fascinating history of the "Guardian", South Africa's famous anti-apartheid newspaper, James Zug tells the story of a political publication that not only reported events but also helped to shape them. Between 1937 and 1963, the "Guardian" was the sole voice of dissent in the South African media, and Zug shows us how it played an essential role in the struggle to end apartheid.Combining a scholar's attention to facts with a journalist's sense of the dramatic, Zug recreates a tumultuous and dangerous era. The newspaper's telephones were tapped, articles were censored, and staff members were jailed and deported. The apartheid regime banned the paper three times, charged it with high treason, and could only silence it completely, in 1963, by placing the entire staff under house arrest. As Zug explains, the "Guardian" persisted through the harassment and torment because the paper's staff knew the significance of their work: "We not only record the struggle for freedom, we are actively participating in it."When wages were kept low, when workers went on strikes, and when fascism reared its head in South Africa, the "Guardian" spoke up. At its height, the paper sold more than 50,000 copies a week nationally, with four bureaus across the country. As Nelson Mandela, head of the African National Congress (ANC), led the movement to end apartheid, he issued messages through the paper. Perhaps the newspaper's most significant accomplishment, Zug writes, was uniting the ANC and the South African Communist Party. The "Guardian" translated Marxism into an African idiom for the ANC, bringing together the two factions that propelled the liberation struggle into a mass movement.This highly readable work is more than a perceptive look at an influential paper. It is a testament to the power of the printed word in ending injustice and changing the course of history.


We perform quantum tomography on one-dimensional polariton condensates, spontaneously occurring in linear disorder valleys in a CdTe planar microcavity sample. By the use of optical interferometric techniques, we determine the first-order coherence function and the amplitude and phase of the order parameter of the condensate, providing a full reconstruction of the single particle density matrix for the polariton system. The experimental data are used as input to theoretically test the consistency of the Penrose-Onsager criterion for Bose-Einstein condensation in the framework of nonequilibrium polariton condensates. The results confirm the pertinence and validity of the criterion for a nonequilibrium condensed gas.


High Capacity Tensiometers, or HCTs, are sensors that can measure negative pore water pressures (soil suctions) between -1.5 and -2 MPa. To achieve such measured values, HCTs first need to be fully saturated by water. For the first saturation of an initially dry HCT, the most common procedure involves application of vacuum followed by forced flooding by pressurised water. Instead, for the resaturation of a HCT that has cavitated (and is therefore still water flooded), only application of water pressure is necessary. Typically, the procedures for the first saturation and resaturation of HCTs can last days or weeks, which hinders adoption of these devices by the geotechnical industry. In this paper, faster procedures are presented for both first saturation and resaturation of HCTs built with 1.5 MPa air entry value filters. The duration of the first saturation can be reduced to less than 24 hours if high vacuum is first applied to the ceramic filter followed by water pressurisation at about twice the air entry value of the filter. Even more, resaturation of a cavitated HCT can be achieved in less than 10 minutes by simple water pressurisation of the ceramic filter. This is however true only if the HCT is not left to dry out to the atmosphere completely and is submerged in water just after cavitation.


ATP gamma-(p-azidoanilidate) (1) and ATP gamma-(p-azidobenzyl)-methylanilidate (2) were shown to be competitive inhibitors for ATP and amino acid in tRNA aminoacylation catalyzed by E. coli MRE-600 phenylalanyl-tRNA synthetase (E.C.184.108.40.206). Low concentration (10(-5)--10(-6) M) of either ATP, gamma-anilidate or GMP stimulates the aminoacylation of tRNA suggesting their interaction with some nucleotide binding sites of the enzyme other than catalytic ones. Covalent photobinding of (1) to the enzyme does not inhibit aminoacylation, nor does it prevent nucleotides from activating the enzyme. UV-irradiation of the synthetase in the presence of (2) results in complete inactivation of the enzyme which can be prevented by phenylalanine or phenylalanine-ATP to save 50% of the enzyme activity but not ATP and tRNA. The photobinding of (2) to the enzyme in the presence of phenylalanine and ATP removes the activation of the enzyme by nucleotides suggesting that both the catalytic and effector sites of the synthetase are blocked in the same manner by compound (2).


Conventional Strehl method uses intensity ratio to evaluate aberrations on lens-based systems under plane wave illumination. Here we present a technique based on the Strehl method to evaluate the development of diffuse light or speckle pattern. A model for the proposed speckle evaluation technique is presented. The effectiveness of the technique is demonstrated on different diffusers (amplitude- and phase-type), varying object roughness or depth of randomization and varying shapes for the region of interest. The modified Strehl method offers a simple yet fast characterization of speckle development.


Although pigs contaminated with Salmonella rarely show clinical symptoms, control is important because of the public health concern. Both producers and consumers are interested in procedures for minimizing the risk of Salmonella infections. This study outlines the entire production path for fresh pork in Belgium, from farm to fork. Additionally, it describes the different critical points for Salmonella contamination, with emphasis on those steps that need extra attention and/or improvement. The data was collected by means of questionnaires at the different steps of the process. In total, 3658 questionnaires were collected, which made it possible to draw up a nationwide image of the pork production process.
In the primary production phase, there are several points relating to biosecurity that can be improved in order to minimize the risk for Salmonella in fattening pigs that are sent to slaughter. In the slaughterhouse, there has been an increase in the number of pigs or carcasses that become infected with Salmonella. Attention should be paid to avoiding contact of the feces and tonsils of contaminated pigs with the carcass, and strict hygienic measures should be taken to avoid cross-contamination.
During the transformation and distribution of the carcasses, there is a low risk of further spreading of Salmonella spp. Finally, during the consumer phase, the risk for Salmonella contamination increases because of inappropriate temperature conditions during storage, manipulation of the meat and possible cross-contamination with other food products, and the consumption of insufficiently heated and/or raw meat.
The present study illustrates that the risk of Salmonella infection by consumption of fresh pork is relatively low under Belgian conditions. Nevertheless, it can be further decreased by implementing additional control measures, mainly in the slaughterhouse and in the domestic kitchen.


This thesis interrogates the post-colonial and ethical implications of three works of fiction published in South Africa between 1983 and 1987, namely Fools and Other Stories by Njabulo S. Ndebele, A Sport of Nature by Nadine Gordimer and Life & Times of Michael K by J. M. Coetzee.With a double focus on the attempt to inscribe subject-positions that resist the determinations of colonial history and apartheid, and on the formal conditions of possibility for such a strategy, the thesis opens with an extended theoretical discussion. Gayatri Spivak's concept of catachresis and the term "mimicry" as defined by Homi Bhabha are of particular importance to the analysis of how formal elements and subject-positions marked by colonial history are textually reappropriated. In the chapter on Fools, the main focus is on the challenge to the dichotomy between African "tradition" and "rational" Western knowledge. This eventuates in a utopian notion of a fully modern African subject, which is tested against the narrative's negotiation of its constricted historical predicament.The reading of A Sport of Nature deals with the utopian options inscribed in the main character Hillela. It departs from previous discussions of the novel insofar as its failure to convince realistically is redeemed through the allegorical and catachrestic reassemblage of disparate temporal and cultural elements in the figure of Hillela.In Life & Times of Michael K, the ethical imperative to transgress the limits of the imperial Western subject while refraining from appropriating alterity, places specific demands on the reader's reflexive capacity. By mobilising the philosophy of Emmanuel Levinas, the chapter rearticulates the novel's deconstruction of metanarratives in terms of an ethical sublimity that disrupts the reader's assumption of hermeneutic authority. The subject "beyond" apartheid's determinations is never affirmed in the novel, but is rather marked by blankness, thereby clearing a space for an-other subject and an-other history of which the text is not in control.


Published ahead of print 18 March 2013

The views expressed in this Commentary do not necessarily reflect the views of the journal or of ASM.


Whole body vibration training (WBVT) is currently been tested as a potential exercise countermeasure against the losses of leg muscle mass and strength during long term space flight. Vibration causes a direct mechanical stimulus to leg muscles. An increase in muscle activity is also expected via the so called tonic vibration reflex. WBVT causes a moderated increase in respiratory oxygen consumption (Rittweger et al. 2002, Int J Sports Med). A combination of resistive strength training plus whole body vibration was successfully applied to counteract leg muscle atrophy (Blottner et al. 2006, Eur J Appl Physiol, Mulder et al. 2006, Eur J Appl Physiol). However, resistive training alone also efficiently counteracts muscle loss during bed rest (Alkner & Tesch 2004, Eur J Appl Physiol).
In three recent studies we examined a) whether the energy consumption of an isometric contracting calf muscle increased by a superimposed vibration of the pedal, b) whether WBVT increased the EMG activity of the m. rectus femoris during slow knee bends and whether this increase persisted over 5 consecutive days of trainings, and c) whether WBVT in upright standing position with moderately bended knees and an extra load of 15% body weight was capable to prevent the muscle volume loss caused by 14 days of 6° head down tilt (HDT) bedrest.
We examined local energy metabolism in the right calf muscle of 20 subjects by 31P magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Twenty subjects performed 3 min static plantar flexion exercise at 40% MVC with and without superimposed 20 Hz vibration at ±2 mm amplitude. Both exercise types were performed with and without applied arterial occlusion (AO). Vibration plus contraction caused a significantly higher consumption in phosphocreatine than static contraction alone (p<0.05). This difference, however, was moderate and only visible under AO. Natural muscle perfusion may be increased during vibration which would allow an aerobic ATP formation for the extra energy costs during vibration.
During 5 subsequent days, we tested the combination of WBVT plus knee bends (n=20) on the EMG activity of m. rectus femoris of both legs in comparison with resistive training alone (n=19). On days 1, 3, and 5, the integrated EMG amplitude was determined after filtering of motion artefacts by vibration for each knee bend cycle and was averaged for every training set. On the first training day, significantly higher EMG amplitudes (p<0.01) were found during vibration than during knee bends only. Furthermore, a steeper increase in EMG amplitude during the 10 sets of exercise was found (p<0.01) but no significant decrease in median frequency. However, during subsequent days of training the effects of vibration on EMG became smaller. At day 5, the EMG during knee bends plus vibration was not anymore significantly different compared to EMG at normal knee bends.
After 14 days of HDT bed rest in 8 subjects the volumes of knee extensors and flexors and of plantar flexors were decreased by about 5%. WBVT in upright standing position was not capable to reduce these losses in muscle volume.
An optimum WBVT to counteract losses in muscle volume by immobilisation probably needs individually adapted vibration frequencies and amplitudes to reach maximum activation of each target muscle group. Furthermore, an optimum training protocol probably needs a variation in the vibration stimulus in order to minimise the reduction in muscle activation due to neuromuscular adaptation.


Philip Heckmann, 2013. Translation and Validation of the German Version of the Basic Psychological Needs in Physical Education Scale: Master's Thesis in Sport and Exercise Psychology. Department of Sport Sciences. University of Jyväskylä.43 p. It is important to understand students' motivation regarding physical activity to investigate the global issue physical inactivity. Based on the self-determination theory (SDT: Ryan & Deci, 2002), which is one of the most important frameworks in explaining motivation, students need to be emotionally satisfied in order to put effort towards a certain goal. The Basic Psychological Needs Theory is one sub-theory of the self-determination theory, which explains that constructs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness need to be satisfied in all humans in order to increase well-being. It is important to understand students' motivation regarding physical activity to investigate the global issue of physical inactivity. In order to adapt a scale to another language, a reliable and valid scale is necessary. This procedure allows further research on motivational issues in other countries as well as comparison studies. Therefore, the main aim of this study was to adapt the Greek Basic Psychological Needs in Physical Education Scale (BPN-PE: Vlachopulos, Katartzi, & Kontou, 2011) to German. After translating the scale, the BPN-PE scale's factorability, internal consistency and testretest reliability were examined. Finally, factorial and construct validity of the BPN-PE scale were explained. The three-factor structure of autonomy, competence, and relatedness of the original scale was hypothesized to be the same in the adapted German version. After obtaining permission to conduct the research from local school principals, a pilot test with 5 grade students (n = 20), age 11-12, was conducted at one high school in Germany. Secondary educational institutions (Germany) were used to collect data from 7 to 10 grade students (n = 372). Finally, a third wave of data for the needs of the test-retest procedure was collected from 90 students. In order to examine the construct validity of the BPN-PE, two other scales (Perceived Autonomy Support Scale and Subjective Vitality Scale) were used as criterion validity instruments. All the BPN-PE factor scores showed moderate correlation with the Perceived Autonomy Support Scale and the Subjective Vitality Scale ranging between .33 and .61 which indicates satisfactory criterion validity. Cronbach's alphas ranged from .705 to .875. The Principal Component Analysis revealed that three specific sets of items (autonomy, competence and relatedness) explained 68 % of the variance in the BPN-PE scale. Consequently, the translated BPN-PE scale is considered reliable and valid for German PE student population. Limitations of the study and further suggestions are discussed.


CAR (Chimeric Antigen Receptor) T cells have demonstrated clinical success for the treatment of multiple lymphomas and leukaemias, but not for various solid tumours, despite promising data from murine models. Lower effective CAR T-cell delivery rates to human solid tumours compared to haematological malignancies in humans and solid tumours in mice might partially explain these divergent outcomes. We used anatomical and physiological data for human and rodent circulatory systems to calculate the typical perfusion of healthy and tumour tissues, and estimated the upper limits of immune cell delivery rates across different organs, tumour types and species. Estimated maximum delivery rates were up to 10 000-fold greater in mice than humans yet reported CAR T-cell doses are typically only 10–100-fold lower in mice, suggesting that the effective delivery rates of CAR T cells into tumours in clinical trials are far lower than in corresponding mouse models. Estimated delivery rates were found to be consistent with published positron emission tomography data. Results suggest that higher effective human doses may be needed to drive efficacy comparable to mouse solid tumour models, and that lower doses should be tested in mice. We posit that quantitation of species and organ-specific delivery and homing of engineered T cells will be key to unlocking their potential for solid tumours.


The document concerns with the design and study of a large masonry model of Hagia Irene in Istanbul. The goals of experimentation were to acquire a deeper structural behaviour knowledge than that possible to acquire with numerical models only and to assess the effectiveness of the consolidation works foreseen on Hagia Irene. The scale factor chosen is equal to 1:10. The tests were arranged into two different phases: for not reinforced and reinforced scale model .The displacements of the markers placed on the structure were registered by an innovative monitoring technique measuring 3D motion time histories.


Variable speed limits (VSL) are used to balance traffic safety and transportation efficiency on the highway. However, driver satisfaction usually affects both aspects because human behaviour is an important factor in the traffic system. Therefore, this study aims to propose a VSL rule that combines traffic flow, risk level and driver satisfaction. First, the authors present a physical model of the lane-changing process, and the psychology of drivers when judging whether to change lanes is measured by mathematical expectation and membership functions. Considering the above three factors as target functions, a new VSL rule for two-lane highways and a periodic VSL rule for three-lane highways are formulated. Simulation results indicate that the rule for two-lane highways has good performance in the three aspects, but when it is extended to the three-lane situation, the driver satisfaction does not improve significantly. However, the periodic speed limit rule can help increase driver satisfaction. Therefore, the VSL rules that are proposed reveal a potentially highly effective way to improve the vehicle speed on the highway and advance rule making.


BACKGROUND
The lung epithelium is among the first donor tissues encountered by the lung allograft recipient's immune system. The purpose of this study was to determine whether lung epithelium was recognized by T lymphocytes that are isolated from bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of lung allograft recipients during periods of acute rejection.

METHODS
Lymphocytes isolated from 45 bronchoalveolar lavage samples (from 41 lung transplant recipients) served as effector cells in standard cell-mediated cytolytic assays with several cell lines as targets: BEAS-2B (an immortalized airway epithelial cell line); B-lymphoblastoid cell lines; and K562 (a natural killer-sensitive cell line). Cytotoxic T-lymphocyte activity of bronchoalveolar lavage lymphocytes was correlated with pathologic status.

RESULTS
During acute rejection alone (ie, without concomitant cytomegalovirus infection), mean lysis of the airway epithelial target was significantly greater, compared with during no rejection, when these targets expressed donor-specific HLA class I antigens (P =.007). Lysis of donor class I-matched B-lymphoblastoid cell line targets during rejection was not significantly different from lysis during no-rejection periods (P =.18). Mean lysis of K562, a natural killer cell target, did not differ between acute rejection (without concomitant cytomegalovirus infection) and no rejection (P =.30). During cytomegalovirus infection (without concomitant acute rejection), there was no difference in mean lysis of airway epithelial cells, B-lymphoblastoid cell lines, or K562 targets compared with during no cytomegalovirus infection, whereas during acute rejection, compared with cytomegalovirus infection without rejection, there was a significant increase in mean lysis of the airway epithelial target when it expressed donor-specific HLA antigens (P =.01).

CONCLUSIONS
Donor HLA class I-specific cytotoxic T-lymphocyte activity directed at airway epithelial cells was demonstrated in bronchoalveolar lavage lymphocytes from lung transplant recipients. Lysis of these targets was significantly higher during episodes of acute rejection.


ABSTRACT Previous research suggests that studying the effect of dissociation is particularly important in survivors of intimate partner violence because of the risk of revictimization. The current study investigated demographic variables, child and current abuse characteristics, coping style, and cognitive distortions as predictors of peritraumatic, trait, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)–related dissociation in a sample of female intimate partner violence survivors. The sample consisted of 372 women, the majority African American, with an average age of 34.41 years (SD = 8.09). Peritraumatic dissociation was significantly predicted by child physical abuse, current abuse injury, cognitive distortions about safety, and problem disengagement coping. Trait dissociation was significantly predicted by minority race, personal income, and cognitive distortions about safety and self-worth. PTSD-related dissociation was significantly predicted by cognitive distortions about self-worth, problem and emotion disengagement coping, and peritraumatic dissociation. In the models predicting both trait and PTSD-related dissociation, abuse characteristics significantly predicted dissociation until the entry of cognitive variables into the model. The analysis indicated a significant indirect effect of cognitive distortions on the relationship between current sexual aggression and trait dissociation. Results also suggested that there were indirect effects of both cognitive distortions and peritraumatic dissociation on the relationships between current psychological abuse/injury and PTSD-related dissociation. Findings point to the importance of cognitions in the development and maintenance of dissociation and suggest that treatments designed to help clients accept and process traumatic events may help reduce dissociation and in turn prevent future revictimization.


In 2017, I introduced a new theoretical framework in Archival Science, that of the 'Archive–as–Is'. This framework proposes a theoretical foundation for Enterprise Information Management (EIM) in World 2.0, the virtual, interactive, and hyper connected platform that is developing around us. This framework should allow EIM to end the existing 'information chaos', to computerize information management, to improve the organizational ability to reach business objectives, and to define business strategies. The concepts of records and archives are crucial for those endeavours. The framework of the 'Archive–as–Is' is an organization–oriented archival theory, consisting of five components, namely: [1] four dimensions of information, [2] two archival principles, [3] five requirements of information accessibility, [4] the information value chain; and [5] organizational behaviour. In this paper, the subject of research is component 5 of the framework: organizational behaviour. Behaviour of employees (including archivists) is one of the most complicated aspects within organizations when creating, processing, managing, and preserving information, records, and archives. There is an almost universal 'sound of silence' in scholarly literature from archival and information studies although this subject and its effects on information management are studied extensively in many other disciplines, like psychology, sociology, anthropology, and organization science. In this paper, I want to study how and why employees behave as they do when they are working with records and archives and how EIM is influenced by this behaviour.


It has been shown that most animals exhibit functional interhemispheric asymmetry in the visual cortex, which increases with a rise in the intensity of photic stimulation. Interhemispheric asymmetry is characterized by its bilateral origin and mozaic localization. In the intact brain the transcallosal mechanisms provide for weakening a weak asymmetry and intensifying a strong one. This is due to different lateralization of the excitation focus which possesses dominant properties. A conclusion has been drawn that one of the functions of the callosal body consists in modulating the functional interhemispheric asymmetry.


The purpose of this study was to analyze the relationship between spectator attendance at NCAA Division II football contests and selected determinants by estimating multiple economic demand models. The two primary determinants analyzed were winning percentage and promotional activity. Demand models were estimated using OLS and fixed-effect regression analysis. The results suggested that both current and previous year winning percentages are positively related to attendance. Furthermore, it is shown that the effect of previous season winning on attendance diminishes while the effect of current season winning increases as the season progresses. The results also indicated that promotional activities, the number of enrolled students, and market competition significantly affected attendance. Overall, the demand models explained between 37 and 70 percent of the variation in spectator attendance. The findings of this study may aid Division II athletic administrators who are attempting to increase revenues by att...


The bryozoan collection of Prof. Dr Ehrhard Voigt (1905-2004) at the Senckenberg Research Institute in Frankfurt am Main, Germany is a world-renowned collection of great scientific value. It is the world's largest collection of fossil bryozoans from the Upper Cretaceous and Paleocene and a unique archive documenting the evolution of this phylum of marine invertebrates during this time interval in the Boreal Chalk Sea that extended from the British Isles to the Aral Sea in Central Asia. The Voigt Collection contains over 300,000 specimens and was relocated to the Senckenberg Institute in 2005 according to the bequest of Ehrhard Voigt. As a result of a DFG-funded project, we present here a three-part type catalogue of the holotypes and neotypes of 256 bryozoan species in the Voigt Collection, of which this is Part 2. In total over the three parts, 247 species are re-illustrated but the name-bearing type specimens of 20 species are missing and no material could be found for 9 species. Two species, described as ctenostome bryozoans by Ehrhard Voigt, are questionable, while a further three 'ctenostome' species and one 'ctenostome' genus are considered as ichnotaxa.


In this contribution we introduce locally stationary time series through the local approximation of the non-stationary covariance structure by a stationary one. This allows us to define autoregression coefficients in a non-stationary context, which, in the particular case of a locally stationary Time Varying Autoregressive (TVAR) process, coincide with the generating coefficients. We provide and study an es-timator of the time varying autoregression coefficients in a general setting. The proposed estimator of these coefficients enjoys an optimal minimax convergence rate under limited smoothness conditions. In a second step, using a bias reduction technique, we derive a minimax-rate estimator for arbitrarily smooth time-evolving coefficients, which outperforms the previous one for large data sets. For TVAR, the predictor naturally obtained from the estimator also exhibits an optimal minimax convergence rate.


The Drosophila Malpighian tubules (MpTs) serve as a functional equivalent of the mammalian renal tubules. The MpTs are composed of two pairs of epithelial tubes that bud from the midgut–hindgut boundary during embryogenesis. The MpT primordia grow, elongate and migrate through the body cavity to assume their final position and shape. The stereotypic pattern of MpT migration is regulated by multiple intrinsic and extrinsic signals, many of which are still obscure. In this work, we implicate the TALE‐class homeoprotein Homothorax (Hth) in MpT patterning. We show that in the absence of Hth the tubules fail to rearrange and migrate. Hth plays both autonomous and nonautonomous roles in this developmental process. Within the tubules Hth is required for convergent extension and for defining distal versus proximal cell identities. The difference between distal and proximal cell identities seems to be required for proper formation of the leading loop. Outside the tubules, wide‐range mesodermal expression of Hth is required for directing anterior migration. The nonautonomous effects of Hth on MpT migration can be partially attributed to its effects on homeotic determination along the anterior posterior axis of the embryo and to its effects on stellate cell (SC) incorporation into the MpT. Developmental Dynamics 243:132–144, 2014. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


Isocyanates are extensively used for the production of different foams and elastomers. They also serve as glues, lacquer hardeners, inks, adhesives, fillers, finishes, sealants, coating and insulation materials. Usually, their application results in inhalative, partly also in cutaneous uptake. This review describes occupational exposures to isocyanates as well as hazardous effects. Isocyanates are used in the automautive/mechanical engeneering/building and construction/mining/casting/electricity and electronic/plastics/printing/timber and furniture/white goods and textile industry, partly also in medicine. Hazardous exposures to thermal degradation products of isocyanate-based polyurethanes and other materials have also be taken into consideration. Obstructive airway diseases are the major disorder caused by isocyanates. Rare cases suffer from extrinsic allergic alveolitis or eczema. In addition to regulation-based primary prevention qualitative medical surveillance mostly prevents disorders. There is also a need for the establishment of a validated biomonitoring of endangered employees.


For every Gaussian network, there exists a corresponding deterministic network called the discrete superposition network . We show that this discrete superposition network provides a near-optimal digital interface for operating a class consisting of many Gaussian networks in the sense that any code for the discrete superposition network can be naturally lifted to a corresponding code for the Gaussian network, while achieving a rate that is no more than a constant number of bits lesser than the rate it achieves for the discrete superposition network. This constant depends only on the number of nodes in the network and not on the channel gains or SNR. Moreover the capacities of the two networks are within a constant of each other, again independent of channel gains and SNR. We show that the class of Gaussian networks for which this interface property holds includes relay networks with a single source-destination pair, interference networks, multicast networks, and the counterparts of these networks with multiple transmit and receive antennas. The code for the Gaussian relay network can be obtained from any code for the discrete superposition network simply by pruning it. This lifting scheme establishes that the superposition model can indeed potentially serve as a strong surrogate for designing codes for Gaussian relay networks. We present similar results for the K ×K Gaussian interference network, MIMO Gaussian interference networks, MIMO Gaussian relay networks, and multicast networks, with the constant gap depending additionally on the number of antennas in case of MIMO networks.


This two-volume set offers an in-depth analysis of the leading tax treaty disputes in the G20 and beyond within the first century of international tax law. Including country-by country and thematic analyses, the study is structured around a novel global taxonomy of tax treaty disputes and includes an unprecedented dataset with over 1500 leading tax treaty cases. By adopting a contextual approach, the local expertise of the contributors allows for a thorough and transparent analysis. This set is an important reference tool for anyone implementing or studying international tax regulations and will facilitate the work of courts, tax administrations and practitioners around the world. It is designed to complement model conventions such as the OECD Model Tax Convention on Income and on Capital. Together with Resolving Transfer Pricing Disputes (2012), it is a comprehensive addition to current debate on the international tax law regime.


A DNA segment cloned from Streptomyces purpurascens ATCC 25489 close to a region that hybridized to a probe containing part of the actinorhodin polyketide synthase caused S. galilaeus ATCC 31615 to produce new anthracyclines. When transformed with certain sub-clones of this segment, the host produced glycosides of epsilon-rhodomycinone, beta-rhodomycinone, 10-demethoxycarbonylaklavinone and 11-deoxy-beta-rhodomycinone in addition to those of aklavinone, the natural anthracyclines of S. galilaeus. The first two compounds are S. purpurascens products and the other two are novel compounds that conceptually are structural hybrids between S. galilaeus and S. purpurascens products. Three glycosides of one of the novel aglycones, 11-deoxy-beta-rhodomycinone, were purified and found to possess cytotoxic activity against L1210 mouse leukaemia cells. Separate regions of the cloned S. purpurascens DNA are responsible for modification of the S. galilaeus host product at the 10- and 11-positions.