Megakaryocytes (Mks) are unique cells in the human body in that they carry a single and polyploid nucleus. It is therefore of interest to understand their nuclear ultrastructure. PML oncogenic domains (PODs) were described in several types of eukaryotic cells using human autoantibodies which recognize nuclear antigens with a specific speckled pattern (dots) in indirect immunofluorescence (IF). Two main antigens, PML and Sp 100, usually colocalize and concentrate in these nuclear subdomains. We investigated the presence of PODs using IF and immunoelectron microscopy (IEM) in cells from megakaryocytic lineage: the HEL cell line and human cultured Mks. Antibodies against PML, Sp100, and anti-nuclear dots were used in single and double labeling. PODs were identified in HEL cells and in human Mks, and their ultrastructure was characterized. We then used IF to quantify PODs within Mks and showed that their number increased proportionally to nuclear lobularity. In summary, we report the identification of PODs in human Mks at an ultrastructural level and an increase in PODs number in parallel with Mk ploidy. We show that endomitosis not only leads to DNA increase but also to the multiplication of at least one of the associated nuclear structures.


Growth hormone (GH) promotes growth and development in children and is the meaningful co-regulator of the metabolism in adulthood. GH may act directly, through its receptor (GHR), as well as via mediators – insulin-like growth factors: IGF-1, i.e. somatomedin C and IGF-2. Moreover, GH and two growth factors are involved in the mechanisms of cell proliferation, differentiation and survival, hence their oncogenic potential is propounded. Indeed, GH, somatomedins and their receptors are found abundantly in normal and cancer cells in several tissues. It has been shown in animal and human trials that polymorphisms and mutations that increase signal transmission from the GH and IGF-1 receptor are associated with more frequent tumors development and reduce life expectancy. Numerous epidemiological studies have confirmed a clear relationship between GH/IGF-1 level in circulation and a cancer-dependent morbidity and mortality. It dictates caution in case of treatment with use of growth hormone. Such replacement therapy is recommended in cases of GH deficiency. In the common opinion of scientific societies such treatment is generally safe, although in some cases unambiguous opinion in this field cannot be determined yet. On the other hand, on the basis of available evidence, GH cannot be recommended for use by the healthy elderly (ani-aging medicine), bearing in mind that GH decline with age may represent a beneficial adaptation to ageing. Understanding the molecular mechanisms by which GH and GH-dependent growth factors affect cell metabolism and proliferation will allow to use them in oncology in the future.


ABSTRACT Front-of-pack (FOP) food labels are increasingly used by government and industry to provide nutrition information to consumers for the promotion of healthier eating habits. However, quantitative and qualitative research into the effectiveness of FOP food labelling schemes is in its infancy and, at this stage at least, is largely unconvincing. Using Australia's health star rating system as an exemplar, in this article we provide a novel perspective on FOP food labels and in so doing make two (related) arguments about FOP food labels and in many ways about food label schemes more broadly. The first argument is that FOP food labels enliven a combination of hard and soft law. The second argument, informed by Foucault's notion of governmentality, is that FOP food labelling functions as a technology of the self. Drawing these two arguments together, we conclude that FOP food labels rely on a distorted rationality, because (i) the main actors in the process – food companies – are placed in a position of self-regulatory actors, fundamentally oriented to an economic rather than biopolitical agenda; and (ii) the biopolitics of population health through FOP food labels assumes particular kinds of rational consumers, when the reality of social life is far more complex.


THE RESULTS of the 1965 survey of continuing medical education in dermatology have been compiled. The data derived from this survey have been reproduced in a questionnaire form which duplicates one sent to 107 medical centers in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico earlier this year. Eighty-three of the questionnaires (77%) were completed in time for inclusion in the survey. The range of teaching activities varied from those institutions reporting no scheduled activity in a particular teaching category, to those having 600 scheduled hours devoted to the same teaching activity. The figures are not intended to give an accurate measure of the total teaching activity in dermatology; rather, they represent estimates which give some notion of the scope and magnitude of teaching efforts in these areas. The necessity for consideration of such data is outlined in the following letter, which was appended to the original questionnaire. Letter Appended to


Matching local geometric features on real-world depth images is a challenging task due to the noisy, low-resolution, and incomplete nature of 3D scan data. These difficulties limit the performance of current state-of-art methods, which are typically based on histograms over geometric properties. In this paper, we present 3DMatch, a data-driven model that learns a local volumetric patch descriptor for establishing correspondences between partial 3D data. To amass training data for our model, we propose a self-supervised feature learning method that leverages the millions of correspondence labels found in existing RGB-D reconstructions. Experiments show that our descriptor is not only able to match local geometry in new scenes for reconstruction, but also generalize to different tasks and spatial scales (e.g. instance-level object model alignment for the Amazon Picking Challenge, and mesh surface correspondence). Results show that 3DMatch consistently outperforms other state-of-the-art approaches by a significant margin. Code, data, benchmarks, and pre-trained models are available online at http://3dmatch.cs.princeton.edu.


Comparisons between the merits of many different motion analysis systems is a very difficult task because their published specifications are obtained in a widely varying conditions and in some cases refer only to the performance of small components of an integrated system. The main purpose of this study is the introduction of the reader to the most important tecnologic characteristics that define the performance of the modern optoelectronic systems on the basis of data acquisition and signal processing. The evolution of these systems during the last two decades brought about a need for determination of objective criteria and standarized procedures that allow potential users evaluate different systems before spend money. In short, the decision for an optoelectronic system should be made on the basis of the investigations´ particular purposes, systems' performance and price. KEY WORDS: Photoinstrumentation, optoelectronic systems, cinematic analysis, Biomechanics


This paper estimates the stabilizing effects of tax and transfers systems through a marginal incentives channel. When income taxes are progressive, the tax rate that a household faces will fall following an income decline in a recession, thereby increasing work incentives and hence labor supply. This effect offsets part of the initial income decline, stabilizing aggregate income and output. The magnitude of the effect depends on the change in the marginal tax rate after a change in gross income, as well as the elasticity of labor supply with respect to a change in the after-tax wage. We estimate a structural discrete choice labor supply model and individual tax rates for households in the EU28 using the microsimulation model EUROMOD and EU-SILC household data. Our estimations show that up to ten percent of a fall in household income is offset by an increase in labor supply. The EU average is roughly two percent. The results reveal a large heterogeneity across countries, which is mainly due to differences in the progressivity of the tax systems across Europe: the incentive effect is large in countries with a highly progressive tax schedule, while it is zero for countries with a flat tax, where the marginal tax rate is constant. Differences in labor supply elasticities also play a significant role.


This paper provides a sociological account of how researchers of different disciplines become experts in translational nanomedicine. Using a case study of the Nanotechnology Characterization Laboratory (NCL) at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the author argues that the relationship between the different disciplines involved in translational nanomedicine should be understood in the broader sociopolitical context of the boundary politics between the academy, industry, and government. This study suggests that the process of training the nanobio expert is not simply a process of inculcating skills; it is also a process of institution building. In the case of the NCL, sustaining the laboratory's existence at the interface between the university, industry, and government informed how researchers practiced interdisciplinarity and cultivated their interdisciplinary expertise. It required mobilizing institutional resources through administrative/managerial strategies. Viewing the formation of a professional identity as a social process helps clarify the meaning of interdisciplinarity and provides insight in evaluating the performance of interdisciplinary collaboration and the design of nanoscience education.


In this article, I seek to define the status and role of Thomas Paine's Common Sense as a historical document. I argue that although Paine's influential pamphlet offers no original ideas and seems simply to reinforce existing trends, its layered text transcends the regurgitation of propaganda and extends to literary achievement in its reflection of social and economic conditions, its deliberate narrative style, and its usage of literary devices and culture references grounded in historical context. Consequently, my methodology is necessarily focused through literary discourse to achieve historical understanding of this key document from the American Revolution.


Objective: Our goal was to investigate whether asymptomatic maternal hepatitis B
(HB) infection affects early membrane rupture (PROM), fetal death, preeclampsia,
eclampsia, gestational hypertension, or bleeding before delivery.
Materials and Methods: This study was conducted in the Department of Community Medicine and Obstetrics and Gynecology department, KEMU Lahore for one-year duration
from May 2017 to April 2018. The electronic literature surveys were conducted
using gray literature studies (e.g. conference papers and final reports). (Technicians) and scanned reference lists of attached studies and systematically related studies.
We study statistical heterogeneity using statistical tests I2 and tau square (Tau2).
Results: 18 studies included. Early membrane ruptures (PROM), fetal death,
preeclampsia, eclampsia, gestational hypertension and prenatal bleeding were
obtained in this study. The results showed no significant relationship between
inactive HB and these complications during pregnancy. Small amounts of P and
chi-square and large amounts of I2 have revealed heterogeneity, which we are
trying to modify using statistical methods such as subgroup analysis in this chapter.
Conclusion: Inactive HB infection did not increase the risk of adverse effects in
this study. In addition, well-designed tests should be performed to confirm the
results.


ABSTRACT Porphyromonas gingivalis, a putative periodontopathogen, can bind to human saliva through its fimbriae. We previously found that salivary components from the submandibular and sublingual glands bind to P. gingivalis fimbriae and that acidic proline-rich protein (PRP) and statherin function as receptor molecules for fimbriae. In this study, we investigated the fimbria-binding components in parotid saliva. Fractionated human parotid saliva by gel-filtration chromatography was immobilized onto nitrocellulose membranes for the overlay assay following sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The salivary components on the membrane were allowed to interact with fimbriae purified fromP. gingivalis ATCC 33277, and the interacted fimbriae were probed with anti-fimbria antibodies. The fimbriae were shown to bind to two forms of proline-rich glycoproteins (PRGs) as well as to acidic PRPs and statherin. Moreover, fimbriae bound to several components of smaller molecular size which appeared to be acidic PRP variants and basic PRPs. Fimbriae bound strongly to the purified PRGs adsorbed onto hydroxyapatite (HAP) beads. In contrast, PRGs in solution failed to inhibit the fimbrial binding to the immobilized PRGs on the HAP beads. These findings suggest that the appearance of binding site(s) of PRGs can be ascribed to their conformational changes. We previously identified the distinct segments within PRP and statherin molecules that are involved in fimbrial binding. The peptides analogous to the binding regions of PRP and statherin (i.e., PRP-C and STN-C) markedly inhibit the binding of fimbriae to PRP and statherin immobilized on the HAP beads, respectively. The PRP-C significantly inhibited the binding of fimbriae to PRG-coated HAP beads as well as to PRP on HAP beads. The peptide did not affect the binding of fimbriae to statherin, whereas the STN-C showed no effect on the fimbrial binding to PRPs or PRGs. In the overlay assay, the PRP-C clearly diminished the interactions between the fimbriae and the various salivary components, including PRPs, the PRGs, and the components with smaller molecular sizes but not statherin. These results strongly suggest that fimbriae bind to salivary components (except statherin) via common peptide segments. It is also suggested that fimbriae bind to saliva through the two distinct binding domains of receptory salivary components: (i) PRGs and PRPs and (ii) statherin.


A devastating earthquake on Oct. 8, 2005 drew the world's attention to the disputed South Asian border region of Jammu and Kashmir. Despite the tragedy, there was some cause for hope. Perhaps it would shift priorities and actually help to bring peace to Jammu and Kashmir, a land subjected to decades of contention and host to more than 16 years of insurgency? Unfortunately, promise has a way of fading quickly, and bitterly, in the Kashmir conflict. Misrule, miscalculation, and fear have conspired repeatedly to restore the "war status quo." Unless these factors—the sources of the conflict's intractability—are addressed, it is difficult to be optimistic. To help bring about a positive dynamic in which these issues can be addressed, parties to the conflict and international actors should continue toward realizing a "soft border" and improving the economic situation on both sides of the Line of Control.


In this article, I argue for a reassertion of the practice of acoustic ecology. I present an argument for the rejection of the term soundscape in favour of the notion of an acoustic ecology; along the way, I show how the concept of ecology is a powerful tool in re-imaging the role of sound awareness in the society. I argue, however, that acoustic ecology as defined by Luc Ferrari and Murray Schaeffer needs refocusing or revitalizing. I suggest a framework that prioritizes community engagement, exploration, and experience of the sounding world, driven by a desire to build stewardship and agency for change management in the community. The proposed model draws on the sensibilities of acoustic ecology to drive design solutions to anthropocentric sound challenges. This kind of work provides for the development of tools that quantify environmental psychoacoustic metrics and can be used to design and manage acoustic ecologies that contribute to well-being, social cohesion, and quality of life.


The physical basis of hyperspectral remote sensing is the presence
of features in the observed spectral properties of materials that are
characteristic to their chemical and physical make-up. To establish this physical basis, one must explore the interaction of optical radiation with matter to understand how material properties are expressed in radiometric observations. Since materials are composed of atoms and molecules whose physical understanding requires a quantum mechanical treatment, a full understanding of the spectroscopy of materials is derived from quantummechanical
principles. However, classical electrodynamics offers several
useful insights into the underlying physics and provides foundational
principles of significant utility with regard to the remote sensing field. This chapter reviews the fundamental principles of the interaction
of optical radiation with matter that arise from the classical theory of electromagnetic radiation. The focus of the treatment is interaction and propagation through dense media, and the characterization of such media by a complex index of refraction. It is shown that the complex index of refraction is an intrinsic spectral property of the material that governs the transmission and reflectance at material interfaces, as well as transmission
through uniform media. A classical model for the complex index of
refraction that can be further extended by quantum mechanics relates the spectral locations and shapes of resonant spectral features to the electrical and mechanical characteristics of the atoms and molecules from which the material is composed.


The purpose of this study is to develop an accurate and efficient CFD code that can be used in hypersonic flows. The flow analysis is based on the three dimensional NavierStokes equations. These equations are solved by using Newton's method. The analytical method is used to calculate the Jacobian matrix. Flow parameters and convective heat transfer are analyzed on Apollo AS-202 Command Module. Especially, temperature of nose and maximum temperature regions are observed. Assessment about general physics of flow is made to acquire some contribution to future studies.


The low frequency damping capacities of commercial cast AZ91D, squeeze cast AZ91D alloy and SiCw/AZ91D composite were studied using dynamic mechanical analyzer (DMA). The obtained strain amplitude dependent damping could be divided into two regions. In the region of small strain amplitude, the damping capacity was independent of the amplitude. While at high strain region, the damping capacity increased rapidly with increasing of strain amplitude. The G-L dislocation model was used to explain the damping capacity, and the differences of the distance between the weak and strong pinning points were discussed. The microstructures of the alloys and composites were observed and coincided with the analysis results according to G-L dislocation model.


Abstract A Mississippi kite (Ictinia mississippiensis) was presented to the Wildlife Hospital of Louisiana, School of Veterinary Medicine, Louisiana State University, for an inability to fly and was subsequently diagnosed with a minimally displaced, closed, simple, short oblique, diaphyseal fracture of the distal third of the right ulna. A figure-8 bandage was initially applied to the wing to stabilize the fracture. Over a 5-week period, the kite developed progressive reduction in wing extension, and serial radiographs revealed a bridging callus at the ulnar fracture site, as well as development of a radioulnar synostosis. To restore wing function and extension, surgical excision of the bony union between the radius and the ulna was performed, after which a polypropylene mesh implant was interposed between the 2 bones. Within 2 weeks after the surgical procedure, the kite had recovered normal wing extension and was able to fly without noticeable impairment. The bird was released 2 weeks after surgery. This case illustrates a common complication of external coaptation used as sole means of managing fractures of the avian ulna, radius, or both, which results from lack of interosseous soft tissue in the antebrachial area. On the basis of the successful outcome in this case, surgical excision of the interdiaphyseal callus and interposition of a polypropylene mesh could be a viable option for management of posttraumatic radioulnar synostosis in birds of prey.


The mechanical properties and morphology of polypropylene/wood flour (PP/WF) composites with different impact modifiers and maleated polypropylene (MAPP) as a compatibilizer have been studied. Two different ethylene/propylene/diene terpolymers (EPDM) and one maleated styrene-ethylene/butylene-styrene triblock copolymer (SEBS-MA) have been used as impact modifiers in the PP/WF systems. All three elastomers increased the impact strength of the PP/WF composites but the addition of maleated EPDM and SEBS gave the greatest improvements in impact strength. Addition of MAPP did not affect the impact properties of the composites but had a positive effect on the composite unnotched impact strength when used together with elastomers. Tensile tests showed that MAPP had a negative effect on the elongation at break and a positive effect on tensile strength. The impact modifiers were found to decrease the stiffness of the composites. Scanning electron microscopy showed that maleated EPDM and SEBS had a stronger affinity for the wood surfaces than did the unmodified EPDM. The maleated elastomers are, therefore, expected to form a flexible interphase around the wood particles giving the composites better impact strength. MAPP further enhanced adhesion between WF and impact-modified PP systems. EPDM and EPDM-MA rubber domains were homogeneously dispersed in the PP matix the diameter of domains being between 0.1-1 μm. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 67: 1503-1513, 1998


We present high-resolution, spatially resolved, near-infrared spectroscopy and imaging of the two components of DF Tau, a young, low-mass, visual binary in the Taurus star-forming region. With these data, we provide a more precise orbital solution for the system, determine component spectral types, radial velocity, veiling and values, and construct individual spectral energy distributions. We estimate the masses of both stars to be . We find markedly different circumstellar properties for DF Tau A and B: evidence for a disk, such as near-infrared excess and accretion signatures, is clearly present for the primary, while it is absent for the secondary. Additionally, the and rotation period measurements show that the secondary is rotating significantly more rapidly than the primary. We interpret these results in the framework of disk-locking and argue that DF Tau A is an example of disk-modulated rotation in a young system. The DF Tau system raises fundamental questions about our assumptions of universal disk formation and evolution.


A new combined geochronological and paleomagnetic study was carried out on the late Mesoproterozoic mafic dikes in the northeastern and central North China Craton (NCC). Three dikes were dated at 1224.2 ± 5.1 Ma, 1219.9 ± 6.0 Ma and 1215.2 ± 7.7 Ma through use of the secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) zircon dating method and one dike was dated at 1219.1 ± 4.3 Ma by using SIMS baddeleyite dating method, indicating that these dikes emplaced at ∼1220 Ma. A total of 286 paleomagnetic core samples were collected from seven ∼1220 Ma dikes and their host rocks, as well as two ∼775 Ma dikes for field tests. All the samples were subjected to stepwise thermal demagnetization. Rock magnetic experiments of representative samples demonstrate that the dominant magnetic carriers of the ∼1220 Ma dikes are single-domain and pseudo-single domain magnetite grains. Two paleomagnetic components were identified from the ∼1220 Ma dikes. The low temperature component is a viscous magnetic remanence acquired in the recent geomagnetic field. The high temperature component (HTC) was isolated between 500 and 580°C, which directs east and down with moderate inclination. A paleomagnetic pole (11.3°N, 175.8°E, A95 = 7.6°) was determined by averaging seven virtual geomagnetic poles (VGPs), each VGP corresponding to the mean HTC direction of an individual dike. The ∼1220 Ma pole passed a baked-contact test and appeared to adequately average out secular variation. It differs from any younger poles of the NCC, and is thus considered as a reliable pole for the NCC. While our new results place the NCC at intermediate paleolatitudes (∼28.8°N for site located at 36.8°N, 113.4°E) at ∼1220 Ma, the coeval high-quality poles in the global paleomagnetic database, however, indicate that the Australian cratons were positioned near the pole and Laurentia was located around the Equator, depicting a dispersed paleogeographic pattern of the three continents at ∼1220 Ma. The updated paleomagnetic data together with geological evidence may suggest that the NCC separated from northern Australia between ∼1320 and ∼1220 Ma, and later joined northwestern Laurentia between ∼1220 and ∼1110 Ma.


Proteins from Hermetia illucens (or Black Soldier Fly, BSF) have been employed in this study as possible source for bioplastic formulation. This type of bioplastic can replace the actual materials employed in agriculture, avoiding the critical issues concerning the soil pollution due to conventional plastic end-life. Different plasticizing agents (glycerol and polyethylene glycol) have been tested and the ability to generate a homogenous film, through wet casting, has been evaluated. Characterizations on tensile properties and water absorbance have been performed to estimate the effect of different plasticizers employed. Bioplastic formed by proteins/glycerol ratio 50:50 has shown interesting properties, contributing to the formation of homogeneous and free-standing film with tensile stress at break near to 2.5MPa, almost constant during degradation profile test. At the same time the high degree of solubility in water has been verified for the same sample (~70%). The environmental impact of the laboratory scale production of bioplastics obtained from BSFs proteins has been evaluated through the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology. Inventory analysis has been conducted using primary data and Ecoinvent database. LCA analysis has been conducted using the SimaPro 8.3 software and the IMPACT 2002+ method of evaluation. The analysis show that the energy consumption is high (63%), but this can be mainly attributed to a laboratory-scale production process and related with the energy consumption of aspiration system (93%). Therefore, these results will help to the design of industrial production of innovative bioplastics in order to minimize these environmental issues.


Intelligent systems in biology raises questions about the interface between computing and biology. What does it look like? How does it engage the two disciplines? What will it take to grow that interface productively? The Computer Science and Telecommunications Board at the National Academies' new project focuses on these and related questions. CSTB's project, Frontiers at the Interface between Computing and Biology, is both comprehensive and exploratory. Launched in September 2000, it is examining the intersections of computer science and biology research. The project's emphasis is on finding truly interdisciplinary opportunities and new directions in which to extend information technology and biology research.


Tool life, surface roughness, and cutting forces have always remained extremely important output parameters of milling process. In this paper an attempt has been presented in order to study the influence of cutter geometry and cutter coating upon these three output parameters. Series of high-speed side milling experiments were done upon hardened AISI 4340 and AISI D2 steels using coated and uncoated carbide cutters. Mechanisms of wear occurring in different tools have been described in the paper using SEM photographs and micro-analysis of the tool surface. The analysis of experimental data shows that the coated carbide cutters having high values of helix angle and small values of rake angle, in the negative range, provide the better optimization of highspeed milling of hardened steels. Results imply that tool geometry and coating are influential upon cutting forces and tool wear but not upon surface quality. Introduction of MQL in the process leads the tool to fail abruptly because of the onset of chipping.


This study aims to examine the differences and the factors that affect the Level of Reliance The Audit Board of Republic Indonesia's (BPK) Auditors at the Ministry / Agencies (K/L) and Local Government, on Government Internal Supervisory Apparatus (APIP). The increasing role of APIP in good goverment governance, as well as resource constraints of BPK , is a contributing factor increasing the efficiency of the BPK audit with increasing levels of reliance on APIP. The sampling method was convenient sampling. Samples were selected based on easiness of control questionnaires. This study uses primary data with respondent, BPK's auditor has done performance audit on APIP in 2013, with a sample of 74 respondents. The statistical tool used is the Mann Whitney U test, Manova, and Multiple Discriminant Analisys. The results showed that there was no difference in the level of reliance and perceptions of quality inspection between APIP K / L and local government. The most influential factors on level of reliance BPK auditors on APIP is independence and objectivity, inherent risk of auditee, and competence.


Constitutive activation of the hedgehog pathway is implicated in the development of many human malignancies; hedgehog targets, PTCH1 and Gli1, are markers of hedgehog signaling activation and are expressed in most hedgehog-associated tumors. Protein kinase Cδ (PKCδ) generally slows proliferation and induces cell cycle arrest of various cell lines. In this study, we show that activated PKCδ (wild-type PKCδ stimulated by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate or constitutively active PKCδ) decreased Gli-luciferase reporter activity in NIH/3T3 cells, as well as the endogenous hedgehog-responsive gene PTCH1. In human hepatoma (i.e. Hep3B) cells, wild-type PKCδ and constitutively active PKCδ decreased the expression levels of endogenous Gli1 and PTCH1. In contrast, PKCδ siRNA increased the expression levels of these target genes. Silencing of PKCδ by siRNA rescued the inhibition of cell growth by KAAD-cyclopamine, an antagonist of hedgehog signaling element Smoothened, suggesting that PKCδ acts downstream of Smoothened. The biological relevance of our study is shown in hepatocellular carcinoma where we found that hepatocellular carcinoma with detectable hedgehog signaling had weak or no detectable expression of PKCδ, whereas PKCδ highly expressing tumors had no detectable hedgehog signaling. Our results demonstrate that PKCδ alters hedgehog signaling by inhibition of Gli protein transcriptional activity. Furthermore, our findings suggest that, in certain cancers, PKCδ plays a role as a negative regulator of tumorigenesis by regulating hedgehog signaling.


The recently discovered SCFA-activated G-coupled protein receptors FFA receptor 2 and FFA receptor 3 are co-localised in l-cells with the anorexigenic 'ileal brake' gut hormone peptide YY, and also in adipocytes, with activation stimulating leptin release. Thus, SCFA such as acetate and propionate show promise as a candidate to increase satiety-enhancing properties of food. We therefore postulate SCFA may have a role in appetite regulation and energy homeostasis. SCFA can be delivered either directly within food, or indirectly via the colon by the provision of fermentable non-digestible carbohydrates. A review of studies investigating the effects of oral SCFA ingestion on appetite suggests that while oral SCFA ingestion is associated with enhanced satiety, this may be explained by product palatability rather than a physiological effect of SCFA. Colon-derived SCFA generated during microfloral fermentation have also been suggested to explain satiety-enhancing properties of non-digestible carbohydrates. However, findings are mixed from investigations into the effects of the prebiotic inulin-type fructans on appetite. Overall, data presented in this review do not support a role for SCFA in appetite regulation.


In this work, a new route for possibility synthesizing high purity submicron size mullite (3A1 2 O 3 .2SiO 2 ) powder at relatively low temperature. Mullite precursor has been prepared from mixing precipitated silica powder with solution of aluminum nitrate nonahydrate (Al(NO 3 ) 3 .9H 2 O) through sol-gel process, in order to obtain composite powder. The formed precursor gel was calcined at temperatures of (1100, 1150, 1200 and 1250)°C for 1 hour. The influence of calcination temperatures of the mullite synthesis was discussed. The microstructure tests of calcined materials were investigated by x-ray diffractometer (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDX). X-ray analysis results identified the mullitization initiated at 1200°C, and the mullite phase was completely formed at 1250°C. The SEM micrographs show the microstructure of mullite powder had been aggregated in the regular and nearly spherical-like appearances with diameters in the range of (100-200) nm.


Two simple and sensitive extractive spectrophotometric methods have been developed for the estimation of Irbesartan (IST) in pure and pharmaceutical dosage forms. These methods are based on the formation of ion-pair complexes of the drug with acidic dyes Solochrome black T (SBT: λmax 520nm) and Solochrome black Blue (SBB) : λmax 540 nm). The absorbance of the chloroform extracts is measured against the corresponding reagent blanks. These methods have been statistically evaluated and found to be precise and accurate.


Seedling size and survival in relation to summer drought were examined for Chrysothamnus nauseosus growing under field and greenhouse conditions. In the field, summer survival rates were less than 2% annually for the three years monitored. The effect of initial seedling height on subsequent survival was examined in both the field and greenhouse by grouping seedlings into live and dead categories on each census date and comparing initial heights for seedlings in these categories. For a majority of the census dates, the initial height of surviving seedlings was greater than the initial height of those that subsequently died (significant differences ranged from 1 to 8 mm), indicating that seedlings that were taller at the initiation of the drought period had a higher probability of survival. In the greenhouse, taller seedlings had greater shoot and root biomass and rooting depth. Seedlings that are larger (i.e., taller and have greater aboveground biomass) in late spring appear to have a higher probability of surviving summer drought due to greater rooting depth and hence increased access to moisture in deeper soil layers. Seed availability and safe sites for germination were probably not limiting since large numbers of seedlings successfully germinated in a patchy pattern during the study period. Seedling size and probability of survival were not related to either seedling density or the distance to nearest seedling neighbor. Survival through summer drought appears to be the main limitation to seedling recruitment in this population.


BACKGROUND: Limited research has been done on head blows that may result in mild traumatic brain injury in Taekwondo. The purpose of this study was to investigate the fighting conditions under which blows to the head commonly take place, with a view to determining the typical conditions under which injury may occur. METHODS: EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: videotape analysis (retrospective). SETTING: the semi-final and final matches (a total of 48 matches) at the 14th World Taekwondo Championships in 1999. PARTICIPANTS: 64 athletes (32 females and 32 males) who won elimination-round matches (out of 563 competitors), aged 15 to 38 years. MEASURES: frequency, mechanism of head blows, characteristics of situations leading up to and following head blows, frequency of multiple impacts. RESULTS: A total of 35 incidents of head blow occurred (365 blows per 1,000 athlete exposures). All of these head blows were associated with a direct head or face contact and frequently involved: a closed sparring stance, shorter athletes, axe or roundhouse type kicks, attacker's offensive kick, and head-blow-receiver's offensive action with absence of a blocking skill. CONCLUSIONS: To prevent possible brain injury resulting from direct head blows, updated safety education, a complete understanding of concussion for athletes, coaches, and referees, and a rule change in competition Taekwondo are recommended. Language: en


Freshly prepared, unstained peripheral blood smears from 46 of 50 patients with chronic environmental illness showed clear microscopic evidence of advanced oxidative injury to all elements of circulating blood. As observed with high‐resolution (15,000×) phase‐contrast and darkfield microscopy, morphologic patterns of oxidative injury to blood components have been designated oxidative coagulopathy, a state of circulating blood comprising: structural abnormalities involving erythrocytes and granulocytes and zones of congealed plasma in its early stages; fibrin clots and thread formation with platelet entrapment in the intermediate stages; and microclot and microplaque formation in late stages. Moderate to advanced changes of oxidative coagulopathy were seen in only two of 15 healthy control subjects. Oxidative coagulopathy begins with oxidative activation of plasma enzymes and leads to oxidative permutations of plasma lipids, proteins, and sugars, and is not merely confined to oxidative activation of recognized coagulation pathways. It is proposed that oxidative coagulopathy represents one of the core pathogenetic mechanisms of homeostatic dysregulation seen in environmental illness and leads to oxidative injury to intracellular matrix, cell membranes, and intracellular organelles such as mitochondria. The observed cellular and plasma changes shed considerable light on many aspects of the macroecologic toxicants and their cellular targets, as well as the microecologic oxidants and their molecular targets. Oxidative coagulopathy is a powerful explanation of the production of symptom‐complexes characteristically encountered in environmental illness.


The electrocatalytic decomposition of the abundant and toxic H2S from industrial by-products is a promising energy conversion technology for H2 production and simultaneously removing this environmental pollutant. However, the development of such a technology has been hindered by the lack of low-cost, efficient and robust electrocatalysts. Herein, we reported a remarkable graphene-encapsulated metal catalyst, i.e., nitrogen-doped graphene encapsulating a non-precious CoNi nanoalloy as the anode for highly efficient electrocatalytic H2 production from H2S. This optimized catalyst could drive the anode reaction at an onset potential of 0.25 V, which was 1.24 V lower than that required for the water oxidation reaction, and delivered almost twice current density than that of Pt/C. Meanwhile, it exhibited approximately 98% H2 faradaic efficiency and maintained long-term durability for more than 500 h without any decay. The density functional theory calculations revealed that the CoNi and nitrogen dopants synergistically facilitated the formation of polysulfides on graphene's surfaces. Furthermore, a demo showed 1200 h stability for removing H2S impurities from industrial syngas to produce hydrogen by this graphene-encapsulated metal catalyst, demonstrating its great potential for hydrogen production toward sustainable energy applications.


Image segmentation is the most important and first step in pattern recognition and image analysis. In this paper, an automatic segmentation algorithm based on light refraction was proposed for medical images. In the proposed algorithm, similarity percents of the pixels were calculated by using the amount of shift while occurred light through a transparent sheet and re-enters the same environment. The proposed algorithm is similar to region growing algorithm where the seed points are automatically selected and grown and does not require any prior knowledge of the number of regions existing in the image. So, it decreases the computational load required for the other image segmentation methods. The proposed algorithm is demonstrated by application to real medical images. Results have showed that proposed algorithm extract all segments effectively.


Dead leaves of neem trees in the Sahelian urban zone are among the wastes that are underutilized, since it is either buried or burnt, and thus, contribute to increased environmental pollution. Unfortunately, the lack of information on the biomass and energy potentials of these wastes empedes any initiative for its industrial biomethanization. This study was investigated with the aim of evaluating the biofuel potentials of dead neem leaves in Maroua town. The number of neem trees, as well as biomass produced by their dead leaves in the town was estimated. Different possible forms of energy which could be generated from biomass were determined. Results revealed the presence of 45500 neem trees in the whole town. In addition, averagely 1.2 kg of dead neem leaves was daily produced per tree. All the neem trees were able to generate 53.7 tons biomass/day, which can supply 756.538 m3 of biogas in 7 months of defoliation. This biogas volume was assimilated to 5.674 MWh/day of electrical energy, sufficient enough to support the need of 7565 householders. The biogas produced could be used as cooking energy source, or substitute the firewood demand of 3926 householders for 7 months, leading to the preservation of 567.45 ha land /year from destruction as the result of uncontrolled firewood collection in the sahelian zone.

 Key words: Biomethanization, biogas, biofuel, dead neem leaves, energy, Maroua town.


Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a severe respiratory disease caused by the virus SARS-CoV-2 that became classified as a pandemic on March 11, 2020. COVID-19 is known to produce similar clinical manifestations to SARS of the last decade. Fever, dry cough, fatigue, myalgia, dyspnea, and sore throat are some of the most common symptoms and the median incubation period is around 4 days. While the respiratory symptoms often bring the patients to medical attention, clinical manifestations on the gastrointestinal tract and hepatobiliary system have also been cautiously observed. It has been reported that approximately 1-5% of cases developed diarrhea and nausea or vomiting, sometimes preceding the respiratory symptoms. As hemorrhagic colitis was reported in one case with SARS-CoV-2, detected in stool, there is a possibility of fecal-oral transmission of the virus is possible in humans. Thus, it is widely recommended that non-urgent and low prior endoscopic procedures be postponed. For patients requiring urgent endoscopic procedures, SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid testing from the throat swabs is used as a screening test within 48 hours prior. Minimal personnel, infection control training, and usage of negative pressure rooms are recommended. Abnormal liver function tests have been commonly reported. Patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 can have a true liver injury, which is however mild. The abnormal liver function test values may be caused, at least partially, by muscle injury or hemolysis. Nevertheless drugs with hepatotoxicity should be used with increased caution.


During the decades of the Cold War, belief and power blended in ways that better integrated Protestant evangelicals into the mainstream American political culture. As the nuclear age corresponded with the early Cold War, evangelicals offered an eschatological narrative to help make sense of what appeared to many to be an increasingly dangerous world. At the same time, the post–World War II anticommunism that developed during the presidencies of Harry Truman and Dwight Eisenhower made room for evangelical interpretations that supported their good-versus-evil rhetoric. Evangelist Billy Graham and other evangelical leaders consistently referenced Cold War events and promoted Christian nationalism while at the same time calling on Americans to turn to God and away from sin. Evangelical missionaries, who had long interpreted the world for fellow believers in the pews back home, were agents advocating for American values abroad, but they also weighed in on American foreign policy matters in sometimes unexpected ways. By the time the Cold War world order had fully emerged in the 1950s, cold warriors were fighting the geopolitical battle for influence in part by promoting an "American way of life" that included religion, allowing evangelicals to help shape the Cold War consensus. White evangelicals were more ambivalent about supporting the civil rights movement that challenged the inclusivity of that consensus, even though civil rights leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. made the case for civil rights using moral and spiritual arguments that were familiar to evangelicalism. As the long sixties brought divisions within the country over civil rights, the war in Vietnam, and the women's rights movement, evangelicals participated in the political discussions that captivated the country and were divided themselves. By the 1970s, conservative evangelicals helped to create the Religious Right, and a small group of liberal evangelicals began to contest it. The Religious Right would be more successful, however, in defining political evangelicalism as the culture wars extended into the 1980s. Conservative evangelicalism matured during the Reagan years and become an important part of the conservative coalition. Even as the Cold War ended, the political networks and organizations that evangelicals formed in the second half of the 20th century, both conservative and progressive, have continued to influence evangelicals' political participation.


Middle Neolithic circular enclosures, known as Kreisgrabenanlage (KGA), are the oldest known monumental sites in Central Europe, dating roughly to 4850–4600/4500 BC. These large prehistoric monuments are mainly discovered by aerial archaeology and have been investigated by geophysical prospection and archaeological excavations since the 1960s. The site of Velm (Lower Austria) was discovered by aerial photographs in 2001. Due to its unusual location on a flat gravel plateau, the enclosure has become the object of intensive interdisciplinary research in recent years. In 2016, two motorized ground-penetrating radar (GPR) surveys were conducted, resulting in a detailed three-dimensional dataset visualizing the circular ditches, palisades and dwellings of an adjacent settlement. The high contrast between the gravel sediments and the humic earthen backfill of the ditches, palisades and individual postholes resulted in a highly detailed visualization of the Middle Neolithic monument. Based on this survey, selected structures were investigated by targeted archaeological excavations to evaluate the GPR results and to take samples for radiocarbon dating. This paper presents a synopsis of all the methods used. An integrated interpretation of aerial photo information, magnetometry and GPR is conducted, and it is shown to what extent these could be verified by the targeted archaeological excavation. By a detailed analysis of all applied archaeological prospection methods, it is now possible to interpret the monument in its entirety and confirm its dating to the Middle Neolithic Lengyel cultural complex.


An algorithm was developed to estimate the 3D lung tumor position using the projection data forming a cone beam CT sinogram and a template registration method. A pre-existing respiration-correlated CT image was used to generate templates of the target, which were then registered to the individual cone beam CT projections, and estimates of the target position were made for each projection. The registration search region was constrained based on knowledge of the mean tumor position during the cone beam CT scan acquisition. Several template registration algorithms were compared, including correlation coefficient and robust methods such as block correlation, robust correlation coefficient and robust gradient correlation. Robust registration metrics were found to be less sensitive to occlusions such as overlying tissue and the treatment couch. The mean accuracy of the position estimation was 1.4 mm in phantom with a robust registration algorithm. In two research subjects with peripheral tumors, the mean position and mean target excursion were estimated to within 2.0 mm compared to the results obtained with a '4D' registration of 4D image volumes.


ABSTRACT Zhang, Y.-J.; Qu, J.-G., and Li, D., 2020. Evolution and prediction of coastal wetland landscape pattern: An exploratory study. In: Gong, D.; Zhang, M., and Liu, R. (eds.), Advances in Coastal Research: Engineering, Industry, Economy, and Sustainable Development. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 106, pp. 553–556. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. Wetlands are among the most important natural resources in the world, a human treasure house with many resources. According to the convention on wetlands, wetlands can be natural or artificial, permanent or temporary swamps, wet plains, peatlands, and water areas, which are water bodies with static, flowing, fresh water, brackish water, or salt water, including shallow water areas with a depth of no more than 6 m at low tide. This article mainly studies the coastal wetland of Yancheng, Jiangsu Province, by remote sensing, GIS, and GPS technology and cellular automata modeling. Based on the remote sensing images of 1992, 2000, and 2008, the cellular automata model of the Yancheng coastal wetland is established. Through the relevant data, this article analyzes the evolution process of wetland landscape pattern, which plays an important role in the prediction of wetland changes in Yancheng. Through this model, the landscape data in 2020 are predicted. Finally, this article puts forward some sustainable development measures, which can better protect the wetland resources of Yancheng, Jiangsu Province.


This study estimates the life cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the production of Marcellus shale natural gas and compares its emissions with national average US natural gas emissions produced in the year 2008, prior to any significant Marcellus shale development. We estimate that the development and completion of a typical Marcellus shale well results in roughly 5500 t of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions or about 1.8 g CO2e/MJ of gas produced, assuming conservative estimates of the production lifetime of a typical well. This represents an 11% increase in GHG emissions relative to average domestic gas (excluding combustion) and a 3% increase relative to the life cycle emissions when combustion is included. The life cycle GHG emissions of Marcellus shale natural gas are estimated to be 63–75 g CO2e/MJ of gas produced with an average of 68 g CO2e/MJ of gas produced. Marcellus shale natural gas GHG emissions are comparable to those of imported liquefied natural gas. Natural gas from the Marcellus shale has generally lower life cycle GHG emissions than coal for production of electricity in the absence of any effective carbon capture and storage processes, by 20–50% depending upon plant efficiencies and natural gas emissions variability. There is significant uncertainty in our Marcellus shale GHG emission estimates due to eventual production volumes and variability in flaring, construction and transportation.


ABSTRACT To characterize intracellular gram-negative bacteria associated with epitheliocystis in farmed Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar), gills with proliferative lesions were collected for histopathology, conventional transmission and immunoelectron microscopy, in situ hybridization, and DNA extraction during epitheliocystis outbreaks in Ireland and Norway in 1999 and 2000, respectively, and compared by ultrastructure and immunoreactivity to nonproliferative gills from Ireland archived in 1995. Genomic DNA from proliferative gills was used to amplify 16S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) for molecular phylogenetic analyses. Epitheliocystis inclusions from proliferative gills possessed variably elongate reticulate bodies, examples of binary fission, and vacuolated and nonvacuolated intermediate bodies, whereas inclusions in nonproliferative gills had typical chlamydial developmental stages plus distinctive head-and-tail cells. Immunogold processing using anti-chlamydial lipopolysaccharide antibody labeled reticulate bodies from proliferative and nonproliferative gills. 16S rDNA amplified directly from Irish (1999) and Norwegian (2000) gill samples demonstrated 99% nucleotide identity, and riboprobes transcribed from cloned near-full-length 16S rDNA amplicons from Norwegian gills hybridized with inclusions in proliferative lesions from Irish (1999) and Norwegian (2000) sections. A 1,487-bp consensus 16S rRNA gene sequence representing the chlamydia-like bacterium (CLB) from proliferative gills had the highest percent nucleotide identity with endosymbionts of Acanthamoeba spp. (order Chlamydiales). Molecular phylogenetic relationships inferred from 16S rRNA gene sequences using distance and parsimony indicated that the CLB from proliferative gills branched with members of the order Chlamydiales. "Candidatus Piscichlamydia salmonis" is proposed for the CLB associated with epitheliocystis from proliferative gills of Atlantic salmon, which exhibits developmental stages different from those identified in nonproliferative gills.


We report ridge-waveguide superluminescent diodes based on five stacks of self-assembled InAs-GaAs quantum dots. Devices with output powers up to 10 mW emitting around 1.3 /spl mu/m are demonstrated. Spectral analysis shows a broad emission peak (26-nm full-width at half-maximum) from the dot ground state at low injection, and an additional peak from the excited state at higher bias. Temperature characteristics in the range 10/spl deg/C-80/spl deg/C are also reported. The experimental curves are in good agreement with simulations performed using a traveling-wave rate equation model.


Critical thinking is a skill that is needed for success in every period of life. Teacher candidates, as being students currently, needs to their improve critical thinking skills and, as being teachers in future, are required to know the ways of improving their clients' skill of critical thinking. The aim of this study was to determine the mathematics teacher candidates' critical thinking dispositions based on the variables of grade level in college, high school type, gender, and reading practice. The study, being a case study, included a total of 99 mathematics teacher candidates as the sampling. Among the results of the study were that mathematics teacher candidates generally possessed low level of critical thinking dispositions (CTD) that high school was the only variable that significantly affecting teacher candidates' CTD, and that reading practices weakly correlated with CTD.


The plurality of current infotainment devices within the in-vehicle space produces an unprecedented volume of incoming data that overwhelm the typical driver, leading to higher collision probability. This work presents an investigation to an alternative option which aims to manage the incoming information while offering an uncluttered and timely manner of presenting and interacting with the incoming data safely. The latter is achieved through the use of an augmented reality (AR) head-up display (HUD) system, which projects the information within the driver's field of view. An uncluttered gesture recognition interface provides the interaction with the AR visuals. For the assessment of the system's effectiveness, we developed a full-scale virtual reality driving simulator which immerses the drivers in challenging, collision-prone, scenarios. The scenarios unfold within a digital twin model of the surrounding motorways of the city of Glasgow. The proposed system was evaluated in contrast to a typical head-down display (HDD) interface system by 30 users, showing promising results that are discussed in detail.


Tropical seascapes are comprised of a range of patch habitat types, yet we have only a partial understanding of how local patch condition and seascape position may influence patterns of marine biodiversity, particularly for invertebrate taxa. We investigated how the epifaunal abundance and biomass of tropical Sargassum varied with canopy size (volume, total length and dry weight), local patch conditions (macroalgal composition, canopy structure and invertivorous fish biomass) and seascape setting (nearshore, lagoon and back reef) within the Ningaloo fringing reef ecosystem, Australia. A total of 49431 epifauna, dominated by crustaceans and molluscs, were extracted from the thalli of 81 tropical Sargassum polycystum individuals. Epifaunal abundance and biomass were most strongly correlated with host Sargassum canopy volume and dry weight, respectively. Epifaunal abundance and biomass also varied significantly among separate Sargassum meadow patches, with a significant interaction between canopy size and seascape position. Considerable site-level variations in epifaunal biomass density (mg per g Sargassum dry weight) were best predicted by either seascape context or local invertivorous fish biomass. Sargassum within meadows furthest from the back reef tended to have the highest epifaunal biomass (dominated by molluscs), while meadows closest to the back reef were dominated by crustacea. Sargassum within meadows with a high local abundance of invertivorous labrids and serranids tended to have the lowest epifaunal biomass. Strong Sargassum canopy size-epifauna relationships indicate that even small differences in canopy extent have major flow-on effects for the trophic function of tropical marine ecosystems by affecting the epifaunal secondary productivity available to higher-order consumers, such as fishes.


The role of chloride in photosystem II (PSII) is unclear. Using structural information from PSII and a careful comparison with other chloride-activated enzymes, we proposed a role for chloride at the D2-K317 site in PSII [Pokhrel, R., et al. (2011) Biochemistry 50, 2725-2734]. To probe the role of chloride at this site, the D2-K317R, D2-K317A, D2-K317Q, and D2-K317E mutations were created in the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. Purified PSII from the mutants was probed with Fourier transform infrared difference spectroscopy, demonstrating that compared to PSII from wild-type Synechocystis, PSII from all four mutants exhibit changes in the conformations of the polypeptide backbone and carboxylate groups. However, D2-K317R PSII exhibits minor changes, whereas D2-K317A, D2-K317Q, and D2-K317E PSII exhibit more substantial changes in polypeptide conformations. Steady-state oxygen-evolution measurements of purified PSII core complexes show that the oxygen-evolution activity of D2-K317A is independent of chloride. This is consistent with the loss of the chloride requirement when the charged K residue is replaced with an uncharged residue that no longer binds to an essential carboxylate (D1-D61) in the absence of chloride, analogous to observations in other chloride-activated enzymes. In contrast, the oxygen-evolution activity of D2-K317R is sensitive to the chloride concentration in the assay buffer; the effective KD for chloride binding is higher in D2-K317R than in wild-type PSII, possibly because of a less optimal binding site in the mutant. The S2 states of wild-type, D2-K317A, and D2-K317R PSII were probed using electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy. A g = 2 multiline signal, similar to the wild-type signal, was observed for D2-K317A and D2-K317R. However, a g = 4 signal was also observed for D2-K317R. Measurements of flash-dependent O2 yields showed that D2-K317A and D2-K317R have a higher miss factor than wild-type PSII. The oxygen-release kinetics of D2-K317A and D2-K317R were slower than those of the wild type, in the following order: D2-K317A < D2-K317R < wild type. These results collectively suggest that proton transfer is inefficient in D2-K317A and D2-K317R, thereby giving rise to a higher miss factor and slower oxygen-release kinetics.


A total of 197 respondents (129 parents of boys and 68 parents of girls) constituted the sample of the study. To measure mental health status, Bengali version of (Mullick, 2001) Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) was used for the collection of data which was originally developed by Michael Rutter and Robert Goodman. Purposive sampling procedure was used for this purpose. The results showed that about 20.3% students had pro-social problem and 19.3% students were in borderline level in pro-social behavior. Only 0.5% students had Peer problems and 15.7% students were found at borderline level of this problem. About 6.6% students had hyperactivity problem and about 5.6% students were found at borderline level of this problem. About 1.5% students had Emotional symptom problem and 0.5% students were found at borderline level. About 19.3% students had conduct problem and 23.9% students were in borderline level of this problem. About 27.4% students were facing total difficulties problems and 38.1% students were in borderline level. In terms of above all mental health status, boys were found to have more problems than girls. But no significant differences were found between boys and girls at any dimension score or even total difficulties score. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/cujbs.v6i1-2.17238 The Chittagong Univ. J. B. Sci.,Vol. 6(1&2):119-133, 2011


career structure is that the morecommonly research becomes incorporated within higher training, so that such experience can be gained with little or no prolongation of senior registrar or equivalent tenure, the more control has to be held over the number of available posts. Geographical spread of senior registrar training and research is another related issue, and I should hate to think that I had made any suggestion which might lead to a perpetuation of the present disparity. J PARKHOUSE


Learning plays an important role in the life of many animals. In social insects, colony foraging success depends on the combined actions of many individuals and learning contributes to individual foraging success. In many ants, for example, route learning helps foragers to navigate between the nest and a food source. Here, we studied if the foraging success of a colony depends on the route-learning performance of its individuals. We used a doubly bifurcating T-maze to assess the route-learning performance of ants from 12 Lasius niger colonies. We also measured the propensity of workers to deposit trail pheromone and to explore the surrounding of their nest. We then tested colony foraging performance in a complex maze, set up either as a poor environment (one food source at the end of one tip), or a rich environment (a food source at the end of each tip). We found that individual learning performance was linked to colony foraging success in the rich, but not the poor environment. The propensity of individual ants to lay pheromone correlated negatively with their learning performance and only predicted colony foraging success in colonies with poor learning abilities in a rich environment. The strongest predictor of colony foraging success was exploratory activity, which differed consistently between colonies. Our results suggest that the importance of individual learning for colony foraging success depends on the environment and that explorative activity is an important factor for colony foraging success.


The stepwise approach in evaluation of left ventricular (LV) diastolic function is essential in any patients with dyspnea on exertion or heart failure. Many of them have normal to near-normal ejection fractions (EFs). These subsets of patients are labeled as diastolic heart failure or heart failure with preserved EF. It is important to differentiate diastolic dysfunction from dyspnea of pulmonary origin for further management and future prognosis. LV filling pressures is usually synonymous with pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP), mean left atrial pressure (LAP), mean LV diastolic pressure, and LV end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP). PCWP on the other hand is also an indirect estimate of LV diastolic pressures. LVEDP is often elevated in early diastolic dysfunction because of a large atrial pressure wave, while mean PCWP and LAP remain normal. While mean PCWP and LAP increased during tachycardia and where there is increased LV afterload which is the basis for the diastolic stress test. It is essential that certain Doppler variables correlate well with an increase in LVEDP only and not reflecting the increase in either LAP or LVEDP. Therefore, early evaluation of LV filling pressures and LVEDP are more important than mean LA pressure which is elevated later. Echocardiography is the best evaluation tool to evaluate LV diastolic function. The purpose of this article is to provide the simplest stepwise approach of different diastolic parameters which are used as routine protocol with minimal use of the newer modalities at various clinical settings.


This paper describes a statistical study of the effectiveness of state-of-the-art built-in-self-test (BIST) jitter measurement techniques. Many BIST solutions under-sample the signal under test, estimating the jitter in a system based upon a subset of the total number of clock edges. In this paper, we explore how under-sampling affects the accuracy of jitter measurements, and demonstrate a technique for estimating the actual jitter using a Gaussian distribution estimation. Our theoretical results were verified through a simulation study and comparison to experimental data collected from a 400 MHz phase-locked loop supplied by an industry sponsor.


Religion is the conceptual framework and the recognized institution within which a society's deep moral values and the rules governing what is defined as correct behavior for individuals are generally associated. Religion is the term most frequently used by Americans and in the popular media as well as in scholarly analyses to encompass the complexity of beliefs and practices delineated by established denominational institutions and framed through defined doctrines, theology, and historical narratives or myths accounting for the establishment of these doctrines and practices. In the past fifty years a major transformation has occurred in the definitions and practices of religion among the American population. No longer comfortable with the constraints associated with organized religion, many Americans are now focused on a more personal experience of religious faith and practice and prefer to define their experiences as spiritual rather than religious. Although religion has most frequently been defined in terms of established institutional beliefs and practices, the experience of religion and spirituality is ultimately personal and varies in relation to an individual's cognitive, social, and emotional characteristics, as well as his or her personal narrative. Beginning in the early twentieth century with William James's groundbreaking work, The Varieties of Religious Experience, a range of scholars and scholarly disciplines has developed a variety of theories and models to better understand the religious experience of individuals as one of the basic elements of human existence. The growing concern to promote campus environments that support examining individual values, meaning, and purpose as an essential component of the educational mission rests on our recognition that the college experience can have a major impact in shaping students' lives. Late adolescence is "a time of great potentiality and vulnerability in development, when concerns about individual purposes, meaning, and commitment interact with forces of cognitive development, maturation, and social expectations."2 As campuses around the country begin to explore ways to support students' spiritual growth in conjunction with their intellectual advancement, it is im


In the report "Nitrous acid mutation of transforming DNA: Consideration of mode of action," by S. H. Goodgal and E. H. Postel (21 May, p. 1095), centered subheadings in both tables are transposed. In Table 1, the subheadings should have read H. influenzae and H. parainfluenzae, respectively, instead of H. parainfluenzae, and H. influenzae; in Table 2, the subheadings should have read H. parainfluenzae and H. influenzae, respectively, instead of the reverse. In addition, the sentence beginning on page 1097, column 2, line 22, should read "On the other hand, the deamination of adenine to hypoxanthine would be consistent with the results since hypoxanthine could function like quanine." The original sentence implied the opposite.


Seven new pyridine dicarboxamide ligands H2L(1-7) have been synthesised from condensation reactions involving pyridine-2,6-dicarboxylic acid (H2dipic), pyridine-2,6-dicarbonyl dichloride or 2,6-diaminopyridine with heterocyclic amine or carboxylic acid precursors. Crystallographic analyses of N,N'-bis(2-pyridyl)pyridine-2,6-dicarboxamide monohydrate (H2L8 x H2O), N,N'-bis[2-(2-pyridyl)methyl]pyridine-2,6-dicarboxamide and N,N'-bis[2-(2-pyridyl)ethyl]pyridine-2,6-dicarboxamide monohydrate revealed extensive intramolecular hydrogen bonding interactions. 2,6-Bis(pyrazine-2-carboxamido)pyridine (H2L6) and 2,6-bis(pyridine-2-carboxamido)pyridine (H2L7) reacted with copper(II) acetate monohydrate to give tricopper(II) complexes [Cu3(L)2(mu2-OAc)2]. X-Ray crystallography confirmed deprotonation of the amidic nitrogen atoms and that the (L6,7)2- ligands and acetate anions hold three copper(II) ions in approximately linear fashion. H2L8. Reacted with copper(II) tetrakis(pyridine) perchlorate to give [Cu(L8)(OH2)]2 x 2H2O, in which (L8)2- was tridentate through the nitrogen atoms of the central pyridine ring and the deprotonated carboxamide groups at one copper centre, with one of the terminal pyridyl rings coordinating to the other copper atom in the dimer. The corresponding reaction using H2L7 gave [Cu3(L7)2(py)2][ClO4]2, which transformed during an attempted recrystallisation from ethanol under aerobic conditions to a tetracopper(II) complex [Cu4(L7)2(L7-O)2].


Microstereolithography is a new microfabrication process that evolved from the rapid prototyping industry. The first developments in this technology started in 1993 and different research teams around the world have developed microstereolithography machines since. All are based on the manufacturing of parts by a light-induced layer-stacking technique, but different approaches have been followed. This paper reviews the major microstereolithography processes developed until now, and presents the components they produced. Microstereolithography is able to create complex microobjects having real 3D shapes, which can be useful in the fields of microrobotics, microfluidics or microsystems. Although most research teams involved in the microstereolithography field have investigated its use as a microfabrication technique, the most promising application field of this technology is nevertheless the rapid prototyping domain that faces an increasing demand of small-size high-resolution prototype parts.


This investigation examined iron in powdered soy protein products using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy, and the effect that selectively binding free iron in isolated soy protein (ISP) had on the occurrence of metastable radicals in powdered soy proteins. EPR analyses of soybean defatted flour, commercial ISP and laboratory ISP samples revealed a peak at g = 4.3 characteristic of high-spin ferric iron in a rhombic-coordinated environment. Commercial ISP samples examined contained higher levels of the rhombic ferric iron than laboratory-prepared ISP samples. During the first 6 wk of storage the primary singlet EPR signal at g = 2.0049 in the commercial ISP samples approximately doubled, and the laboratory prepared samples increased by about 9-fold. The EPR signal was initially about 4-times higher in the freshly prepared commercial samples compared to the corresponding laboratory ISP. Laboratory ISP samples prepared with added deferoxamine to sequester endogenous iron exhibited a large increase in the high-spin ferric iron EPR signal at g = 4.3. ISP treated with deferoxamine also exhibited a multiple-line EPR signal at about g = 2.007, instead of the typical singlet signal at g = 2.0049. The power at which the signal amplitude was half-saturated also changed from about 1 mW in the control ISP to about 20 mW in the deferoxamine treated ISP. The multiple-line EPR spectrum from the ISP treated with deferoxamine increased during storage over a 6-wk period by about 6-fold. The observed changes in EPR line-shape, g-value, and power saturation with the deferoxamine treatment indicate that the primary free-radical signal in powdered ISP samples may be from stabilized tyrosine radicals with spin densities distributed over the aromatic ring.


We examined the enterotoxicity of a Klebsiella oxytoca cytotoxin which is produced by K. oxytoca OK-1, a strain from a patient with antibiotic-associated hemorrhagic colitis. Injection of the cytotoxin into ligated ileal and colonic loops in rabbits caused the accumulation of fluid in the loops. The fluid was bloody in the ileal loops but not in the colonic ones. Histological examination revealed intense mucosal hemorrhage with erosion in the ileum, whereas no microscopic change was noted in the colon. The fluid accumulation was shown to be a dose-dependent response in both ileal and colonic loops. The amounts of the cytotoxin required for maximal fluid accumulation in ileal and colonic loops were 60 and 10 micrograms, respectively. Fluid accumulation was first noticeable in ileal loops 12 h and in colonic ones 5 h after the injection of these doses of the cytotoxin and then proceeded with time. When K. oxytoca OK-1, a cytotoxin-producing strain, was inoculated into the loops at doses of 1 x 10(8) and 5 x 10(9) CFU, similar fluid accumulation was observed. However, inoculation of K. oxytoca ATCC 13182, a non-cytotoxin-producing strain, at the same doses did not cause any change. These results suggest that the cytotoxin-producing strain of K. oxytoca is the causative organism of antibiotic-associated hemorrhagic colitis and that the toxin is the factor responsible for pathogenesis.


Background Nevirapine (NVP) is often prescribed once daily in clinical practice in combination with a once daily nucleoside backbone. We investigated the relationship of NVP dosing with safety and efficacy. Methods Patients from the Dutch AIDS Therapy Evaluation in the Netherlands (ATHENA) cohort study, Canadian HAART Observational Medical Evaluation and Research (HOMER) cohort and Swiss HIV Cohort Study (SHCS) using NVP-based combination therapy either once daily or twice daily were included. Risk factors for discontinuing NVP because of hypersensitivity reactions (HSRs) were investigated using multivariate logistic regression. Risk factors for virological failure 96 weeks after NVP initiation were identified using logistic regression and Cox models. Results Of 5,636 patients (774 once daily and 4,862 twice daily), 268 (4.8%) discontinued NVP because of HSR between 2 and 18 weeks. Logistic regression showed that, compared with patients with detectable HIV type-1 (HIV-1) RNA starting twice-daily NVP, there was a significantly higher risk of discontinuation of once-daily NVP because of HSR in patients with detectable HIV-1 RNA at the start of NVP (odds ratio [OR] 1.52; P=0.04), whereas the risk was actually significantly lower in patients starting once-daily NVP with undetectable HIV-1 RNA (OR 0.44; P=0.04). Cox models showed that risk of virological failure was not different for twice- versus once-daily NVP in treatment-naive patients (twice-daily versus once-daily hazard ratio [HR] 1.01; P=0.95), treatment- experienced patients experiencing treatment failure (twice-daily versus once-daily HR 1.22; P=0.30) or patients with undetectable HIV-1 RNA simplifying treatment with NVP (twice-daily versus once-daily HR 1.29; P=0.30). Conclusions Initiation of a once-daily NVP-based regimen in patients with suppressed viraemia carries a low risk of treatment-limiting HSR. Once- or twice-daily NVP-based regimens appear to have similar antiretroviral efficacy.


We investigated the nonlinear and saturable absorption characteristics of Ga0.90In0.10Se and Ga0.85In0.15Se semiconductor crystals and their very thin amorphous films by open aperture (OA) Z-scan and pump–probe techniques. The linear absorption spectra indicated a blue shift in energy with increasing film thickness. This can be attributed to the quantum confinement effect. For both 4 ns and 65 ps pulse durations the two photon absorption coefficients of Ga0.90In0.10Se and Ga0.85In0.15Se crystals increased with increasing input intensities. The life time of the localized defect states was measured as 3 ns for both Ga0.90In0.10Se and Ga0.85In0.15Se films while it was around 10 ns for GaSe and InSe films. Open aperture Z-scan experiments with a 4 ns pulse duration did not exhibit any saturable absorption behavior for thin films since the life time of localized defect states was not long enough to saturate these films. Thinner films exhibited saturable absorption and thicker films exhibited nonlinear absorption for a 65 ps pulse duration. This behavior was attributed to increasing localized defect states with increasing film thickness. The experimental curves were fitted to the theory of the open aperture Gaussian-beam Z-scan based on the Adomian decomposition method incorporating one photon, two photon, and free carrier absorptions and their saturations. The lowest saturation intensity threshold for the Ga0.90In0.10Se film was found to be 1.38 × 102 MW cm − 2 for 43 nm film thickness.


p-Nitrophenylphosphocholine phosphodiesterase activity was purified 5000-fold from mouse brain by treatment of membranes with Bacillus cereus phospholipase C preparation and sequential chromatographies on concanavalin A-Sepharose and CM-Sephadex columns. The phosphodiesterase (Zn(2+)-requiring) showed Km and Vmax. values of 5.5 microM and 4.2 mumol/min per mg respectively in the hydrolysis of p-nitrophenylphosphocholine, and possessed an optimum pH of 10.5 and a molecular mass of approx. 74 kDa. The purified enzyme was found to convert glycerophosphocholine into glycerol and phosphocholine, with Km and Vmax. of 48 microM and 5 mumol/min per mg respectively. In the hydrolysis of glycerophosphocholine the enzyme also exhibited a Zn2+ requirement and optimal pH at 10.5. Additionally, the p-nitrophenylphosphocholine phosphodiesterase activity was competitively inhibited by glycerophosphocholine, with a Ki value of 50 microM. These observations, together with chromatographic behaviour and heat-denaturation analyses, indicate that both p-nitrophenylphosphocholine phosphodiesterase and glycerophosphocholine cholinephosphodiesterase activities reside in the same protein.


Tourism has long been an information intensive activity. It is, thus, understandable that information and communication technology is being adapted to serve both the tourism industry and its customers, and that this has found expression in forms such as cyber-tourism. Cyber-tourism is essentially evolving as a response to factors such as the mercurial developments in information and communication technology, together with widespread environmental impact concerns emanating from domains such as nature-based tourism. This paper argues that, as tourism is essentially a social and relational activity, the contribution of cyber-tourism ought to be considered within the context of major theoretical dimensions such as social capital, ethics and trust. An understanding of cyber-technology in the light of notions such as social capital and social networks has thus far produced, among commentators, an array of perceived benefits and concerns that are sometimes in stark opposition to each other. Whilst some welcome the advent of cyber-technology, believing that it generally will be of remarkable benefit, others fear that it may eventually destroy the very mechanisms by which individuals in community derive social capital. A further group cautiously welcomes the application of this technology to domains such as cyber-tourism, yet warns of possible negative consequences occasioned either directly or indirectly by the technology. Ethical principles and mechanisms, adapted from various sources such as UN human rights codes, are proposed to address these challenges. Finally, a communitarian perspective has been advanced, including an elaboration of mechanisms whereby both bonding and bridging social networks associated with cyber-tourism may be modified and monitored for the benefit of all stakeholders.


Statistics anxiety, negative emotions associated with statistics (Chew & Dillon, 2014), is related to procrastination (Onwuegbuzie, 2004) and poor performance (Hanna & Dempster, 2009). Although research has explored the antecedents and the consequences of statistics anxiety, intervention studies have only been recently developed, targeting for example the components of statistics anxiety (Davis, 2003). However, little intervention research has included control groups, making difficult to conclude that observed reductions are significantly larger than any reduction that could appear with time. Further, addressing the antecedents of the statistics anxiety itself may be more efficient. Such antecedents may include demographics such as gender, with statistics anxiety sometimes found to be higher in women (e.g., Bui & Alfaro, 2011), a group making the majority of psychology students in the United Kingdom (UCAS, 2016). The role of gender could be enlightened by consider ing the stereotype threat, that is the 'risk of confirming, as self-characteristic, a negative stereotype about one's group' (Steele & Aronson, 1995, p. 797). Recent studies have investigated interventions to reduce the stereotype threat, such as self-affirmation, an intervention asking participants to think about their own values and skills. Importantly this approach has been found to be efficient both in lab studies and in field experiments: Cohen, Garcia, Apfel, and Master (2006) used a self-affirmation writing intervention in a racially mixed school and showed academic performance to increase despite the intervention taking place only once or twice in the term. For the current research, we used a self-affirmation intervention in two experiments, with psychology undergraduates (N = 90) and with human resources management (HRM) postgraduates (N = 50). Results indicated that in both experiments the intervention did not have an effect on statistics performance, or on state and statistics anxiety. In the HRM group, a trending effect was found on the research methods module performance, however in opposite direction to expected: participants who wrote about their least important values received a higher grade than participants who wrote about their most important values. Implications of these findings for future intervention studies are discussed in terms of group-affirmation (Sherman, Kinias, Major, Kim & Prenovost, 2007).


Comparative social science concepts such as "illiberalism" and "authoritarianism" are increasingly common terms of art used in academic and policy debates, yet usage patterns and their substantive meaning vary widely across publications and authors. This article presents parsimonious "best-use" conceptualizations of both constructs, underlining the limitations of current, often widely disparate practices. In doing so, it outlines the reasons why this state of affairs is analytically unnecessary, leading to both conceptual stretching and terminological confusion. Illiberalism can most fruitfully be conceptualized positively and ideationally, capturing a distinct form of ideological reaction against hegemonic liberalism, experienced largely over the last several decades, with a variety of case-specific elements. This definition sits in partial contradistinction with other, sometimes-associated concepts such as anti-liberalism, populism, or conservatism and is not associated with regime-type definitionally. Authoritarianism, meanwhile, is most parsimoniously treated as a residual categorization of political regime vis-a-vis the concept of electoral democracy, which accords with the goals for which most scholars deploy it.


Liver X receptors (LXRs) including LXRα and LXRβ are nuclear receptor transcription factors and play an important role in lipid and glucose metabolism. It has been previously reported that mice lacking LXRβ but not LXRα develop a severe urine concentrating defect, likely via a central mechanism. Here we provide evidence that LXRβ regulates water homeostasis through increasing aquaporin 2 (AQP2) protein levels in renal collecting ducts. LXRβ-/- mice exhibited a reduced response to desmopressin (dDAVP) stimulation, suggesting that the diabetes insipidus phenotype is of both central and nephrogenic origin. AQP2 protein abundance in the renal inner medulla was significantly reduced in LXRβ-/- mice but with little change in AQP2 mRNA levels. In vitro studies showed that AQP2 protein levels were elevated upon LXR agonist treatment in both primary cultured mouse inner medullary duct cells (mIMCD) and the mIMCD3 cell line with stably expressed AQP2. In addition, LXR agonists including TO901317 and GW3965 failed to induce AQP2 gene transcription but diminished its protein ubiquitination in primary cultured mIMCD cells, thereby inhibiting its degradation. Moreover, LXR activation-induced AQP2 protein expression was abolished by the protease inhibitor MG132 and the ubiquitination-deficient AQP2 (K270R). Taken together, the present study demonstrates that activation of LXRβ increases AQP2 protein levels in the renal collecting ducts via a posttranscriptional mechanism. As such, LXRβ represents a key regulator of body water homeostasis.


Among its many functions, prolactin (PRL) participates in immune responses and promotes the activation, differentiation and proliferation of T cells. However, the mechanisms by which PRL regulates regulatory T (T(reg)) cells are still unknown. Our goal was to determine whether PRL plays a role in T(reg) function. We measured the expression of PRL and its receptor in T(reg) and effector T (T(eff)) cells from 15 healthy individuals. We also evaluated the functional activity of T(reg) cells by examining proliferation and cytokine secretion in cells activated with anti-CD3/CD28 in the presence or absence of PRL. We report that T(reg) cells constitutively expressed PRL receptor, whereas T(eff) cells required stimulation with anti-CD3/CD28 to induce PRL receptor expression. Expression of PRL was constitutive in both populations. We found that the addition of PRL inhibited the suppressor effect (proliferation) mediated by T(reg) cells in vitro, reducing suppression from 37.4 to 13% when PRL was added to co-cultures of T(reg) and T(eff) cells (P<0.05). Cultures treated with PRL favoured a Th1 cytokine profile, with increased production of TNF and IFNγ. We report for the first time that PRL receptor expression was constitutive in T(reg) cells but not in T(eff) cells, which require stimulation to induce PRL receptor expression. PRL inhibited the suppressive function of T(reg) cells, apparently through the induced secretion of Th1 cytokines.


Patients with acute leukemia (blast cells in the peripheral blood) manifest antigens in the one-way mixed leukocyte culture test. Leukocytes from normal patients and leukocytes of patients in remission do not clearly show these antigens. These antigens could be leukemia-associated antigens in man.


When reasoning about numbers, students are susceptible to a natural number bias (NNB): When reasoning about non-natural numbers they use properties of natural numbers that do not apply. The present study examined the NNB when students are asked to evaluate the validity of algebraic equations involving multiplication and division, with an unknown, a given operand, and a given result; numbers were either small or large natural numbers, or decimal numbers (e.g., 3 × _ = 12, 6 × _ = 498, 6.1 × _ = 17.2). Equations varied on number congruency (unknown operands were either natural or rational numbers), and operation congruency (operations were either consistent – e.g., a product is larger than its operand – or inconsistent with natural number arithmetic). In a response-time paradigm, 77 adults viewed equations and determined whether a number could be found that would make the equation true. The results showed that the NNB affects evaluations in two main ways: a) the tendency to think that missing numbers are natural numbers; and b) the tendency to associate each operation with specific size of result, i.e., that multiplication makes bigger and division makes smaller. The effect was larger for items with small numbers, which is likely because these number combinations appear in the multiplication table, which is automatized through primary education. This suggests that students may count on the strategy of direct fact retrieval from memory when possible. Overall the findings suggest that the NNB led to decreased student performance on problems requiring rational number reasoning.


Kinetic studies conducted primarily between 465 and 525 8C demonstrate that the rate of the polymorphic anatase to rutile transformation increases dramatically when the reacting anatase is very finely crystalline. Coarsening of the reactant anatase and product rutile crystallites occurs simultaneously with the transformation. Kinetic behavior and quantification of transformation rate as a function of average crystallite size indicate that the increase in favorable nucleation sites is a likely cause of increase in transformation rate at small crystallite sizes. Additionally, experimental evidence supports the reversal of stabilities of anatase and rutile at small crystallite sizes. It is proposed that the reversal of stabilities is the result of rutile having a higher surface energy than the anatase phase. Data for coarsening kinetics of anatase and rutile supports the prediction that the surface energy of rutile is significantly larger than that of anatase. Thermodynamic data and theoretical estimates are used to show that a 15% greater surface energy for rutile causes the total free energy of rutile to be greater (less negative) than anatase at crystallite diameters in the few nanometer range. Given the fact that anatase and rutile structures have no polymerized octahedral fragments in common, this may be significant in determining the nature of the nucleated phase.


[Excerpt] Why should the former President of Harvard University be concerned that during the 1970s and 1980s the earnings of doctors, lawyers in private practice, and top corporate executives grew substantially relative to the earnings of professors, teachers, and high level federal civil servants? Why should he care that physicians with specialized hospital-based practices, such as neurosurgeons, have seen their earnings rise substantially relative to physicians practicing family medicine during the same period? In each case, the answer is that Bok believes that occupational choices are determined, at least at the margin, by the pecuniary and nonpecuniary benefits that the various professions offer. Thus, he fears that the growing earnings differentials have diverted America's "best and brightest" away from occupations that he considers vitally important for our society, the professoriate, teaching, the federal civil service, and primary care medicine. Given this belief, his goal is to put forth a menu of reforms that might induce an increased supply of talented individuals to these occupations.


In this paper, we study cooperative transmissions over CR relay networks with imperfect spectrum sensing. More specifically, we formulate the CR relay selection problem as a partially observable Markov decision process. By integrating the spectrum sensing at physical layer, the spectrum access protocols at medium access control layer, as well as the concept of effective capacity at data-link layer, our proposed scheme aims at maximizing the supported arrival-rate subject to a given statistical delay QoS constraint from a cross-layer design perspective. Simulation results are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed scheme.


A fascinating prehistory of the American suburb, from its beginnings in the mid-1800s to the onset of World War II. Using a rich array of contemporary written and pictorial sources, prize-winning historian John Stilgoe guides us through the early suburbs of Manhattan, Boston, Chicago, and other cities, showing us not only what they looked like but what life was like for the men and women who lived there. Highly readable and generously illustrated, the book provides new insights into the lives of the first suburbanites and teaches us to appreciate anew this important aspect of the American way of life. "Borderland offers a fresh perspective on the zone between rural space and urban residential rings, and it challenges our assumptions about what constitutes a good life."-Kenneth Jackson, Progressive Architecture "In chronicling this great exodus and its impact - on culture, women, architecture and myriad other aspects of American society - Stilgoe displays wit, scholarship, and insight, as well as delight in searching out meanings in his sources...The book itself is handsome and well-illustrated, blessed with a lively text, saturated with evocative and vivid detail." -David Slovic, Philadelphia Inquirer "A provocative look at American culture...Borderland makes serious social history accessible and engaging."-Caryn James, New York Times "Stilgoe's research is thorough, his approach original and engaging, and his book a delight to read, filled with illustrations-pictorial and verbal-that help illustrate the phenomenon more clearly and deeply."-Merle Rubin, Christian Science Monitor


This paper tests affine, quadratic and Black-type Gaussian models on Euro area triple A Government bond yields for maturities up to 30 years. Quadratic Gaussian models beat affine Gaussian models both in-sample and out-of-sample. A Black-type model best fits the shortest maturities and the extremely low yields since 2013, but worst fits the longest maturities. Even for quadratic models we can infer the latent factors from some yields observed without errors, which makes quasi-maximum likelihood (QML) estimation feasible. New specifications of quadratic models fit the longest maturities better than does the 'classic' specification of Ahn et al. [2002. 'Quadratic Term Structure Models: Theory and Evidence.' The Review of Financial Studies 15 (1): 243–288], but the opposite is true for the shortest maturities. These new specifications are more suitable to QML estimation. Overall quadratic models seem preferable to affine Gaussian models, because of superior empirical performance, and to Black-type models, because of superior tractability. This paper also proposes the vertical method of lines (MOL) to solve numerically partial differential equations (PDEs) for pricing bonds under multiple non-independent stochastic factors. 'Splitting' the PDE drastically reduces computations. Vertical MOL can be considerably faster and more accurate than finite difference methods.


Studying the properties of young planetary systems can shed light on how the dynamics and structure of planets evolve during their most formative years. Recent K2 observations of nearby young clusters (10–800 Myr) have facilitated the discovery of such planetary systems. Here we report the discovery of a Neptune-sized planet transiting an M4.5 dwarf (K2-25) in the Hyades cluster (650–800 Myr). The light curve shows a strong periodic signal at 1.88 days, which we attribute to spot coverage and rotation. We confirm that the planet host is a member of the Hyades by measuring the radial velocity of the system with the high-resolution near-infrared spectrograph Immersion Grating Infrared Spectrometer. This enables us to calculate a distance based on K2-25's kinematics and membership to the Hyades, which in turn provides a stellar radius and mass to ≃5%–10%, better than what is currently possible for most Kepler M dwarfs (12%–20%). We use the derived stellar density as a prior on fitting the K2 transit photometry, which provides weak constraints on eccentricity. Utilizing a combination of adaptive optics imaging and high-resolution spectra, we rule out the possibility that the signal is due to a bound or background eclipsing binary, confirming the transits' planetary origin. K2-25b has a radius ( 3.43 − 0.31 + 0.95 ?> R⊕) much larger than older Kepler planets with similar orbital periods (3.485 days) and host-star masses (0.29 M⊙). This suggests that close-in planets lose some of their atmospheres past the first few hundred million years. Additional transiting planets around the Hyades, Pleiades, and Praesepe clusters from K2 will help confirm whether this planet is atypical or representative of other close-in planets of similar age.