Maurice Sendak has interpreted these old' Mother Goose rhymes in animated sequences that have the aliveness and immediacy of a child's own imaginings.There is little in these verses to suggest the settings, the characterizations, the unforeseen twists and turns of Mr. Sendak's fantastical picture-stories. They extend the boundaries of the short rhymes and add surprising dimension.The many admirers of Where the Wild Things Are and The Nutshell Library will recognize in Hector Protector and the seafarer of As I Went Over the Water the same pugnaciousness, love of mischief, and derring-do that characterize Max and Pierre. And they will agree that Mr. Sendak has created a true picture book of astounding originality.


We develop a channel model for errors originated from over-aggressive operation of a communication link. Such a situation arises in the context of on-chip self-calibrating communication, where a link controller has to determine adaptively the operating voltage and frequency. Based on this channel model, we derive an analytical expression for the undetection error probability of linear codes, and alternating-phase codes, the latter being an extension of the former.


Introduction: Food protein-induced allergic proctocolitis (FPIAP) is the most frequent presentation of non-IgE mediated food allergy (FA). The diagnosis is made by oral food challenge, however, non-invasive diagnostic tests are not available. In Chile, the fecal occult blood test (FOBT) is frequently used to confirm FPIAP, however, there are no studies that support this practice. Objective: To establish the diagnostic validity of FOBT in the evaluation of infants with FPIAP. Patients and Method: Case-control study with prospective recruitment of infants with rectal bleeding and suspicion of FPIAP, and controls were healthy infants, in whom the FOBT was conducted. All cases underwent an elimination diet, after which the diagnosis of FPIAP was confirmed by oral food challenge. Results: 25 cases and 29 controls were included without significant differences in age, gender, type of delivery, feeding, and maternal age. The cases had higher rates of allergic comorbidities, medication use, and family history of allergy. The FOBT was positive in 84% of cases and in 34% of controls (p < 0.001). The sensitivity of the FOBT for the diagnosis of FPIAP was 84%, specificity was 66%, positive predictive value 68%, and the negative predictive value 83%. The area under the ROC curve was 0.75 (CI 95% 0.61-0.88). Conclusions: Although the FOBT has an adequate sensitivity to diagnose FPIAP in infants with rectal bleeding, this test had abnormal results in more than a third of healthy infants. Therefore, the routine use of FOBT is not recommended for the diagnosis of FPIAP.


Pacing strategies during endurance performance is becoming one of the main topics in sport sciences. Tucker et al. (2006) reported that Power Output (PO) recordings during an individual time trial (ITT) exhibit non-random fluctuations which can be determinant for the intensity regulation by the central nervous system. Recently, Abbiss et al. (2010) proposed the "Exposure Variation Analysis" (EVA) method to study the PO variations during races. This new method expresses PO as a tridimensional distribution which allows to identify both intensity and duration of each effort realised by the cyclist. During self-paced ITT, this method offers valuable and relevant possibilities to analyse the pacing strategies and PO variations in elite cyclists to optimise their performances. Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyse the PO variations during a short and a long ITT in professional road cyclists.   Methods: Three UCI World Tour road cyclists took part in this study (1 ITT specialist, 1 world class climber and 1 domestic climber). PO data were recorded during the short initial ITT of 2015 Tour de France (13.8km) and the long ITT of 2013 Tour de France (33km). PO variations were analysed from the EVA method that quantifies both the time spend within 7 predefined intensity levels and the"acute" time for which PO was maintained within each intensity zone without changing to another level. Intensity zones were expressed in percentage of the mean PO of the ITT ( 110%). Acute times were ranged from 30s.   Results: Both short and long ITT present a lot of PO variations, with a majority of time spent in 110% intensity zones (respectively 31.7 ± 6.0% and 20.8 ± 3.8% of total time) for both short and long ITT but with different acute times repartition inside these two PO zones: short ITT exhibits only acute times shorter than 30s whereas long ITT exhibits several constant efforts lasting for more than 30s (3.6 ± 1.5%; figure 1).   Discussion: The main finding of this study is that both short and long ITT exhibit variable PO with most of constant efforts lasting for less than 2s. These results are consistent with the hypothesis of St Clair Gibson et al. (2006) which explain that self-paced efforts are composed of alternating periods of certainty and uncertainty (that come from both right and left lower limbs) during which the brain expects feedbacks from physiological systems in order to regulate the metabolic rate. Thus, during the ITT the brain doesn't regulate the exercise intensity linearly but with a multitude of little PO adjustments of 16W for a mean PO of 400W. The short ITT appears to be even more inconstant than the long ITT with more short efforts at intensities higher than the mean PO. These results can be related to the short ITT course which exhibits many corners where the cyclists must produce a strong acceleration to regain speed as quickly as possible.   Conclusion: Both short and long ITT present the same intermittent exercise intensity regulation with mainly inconstant efforts lasting for less than 2s and only a few longer constant efforts at intensities lower at 90% of the mean PO and higher at 110% of the latter.


Summary

This paper, part of an IDS and Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation research project, is about the promotion of accountability at the local level in Bangladesh. By exploring in this context the legal grounds for accountability, the role of social hierarchies based on gender, education, family and wealth, and the impact of political alliances on accountability, the paper focuses on the social and political factors which may enable or prevent emerging accountability practices. The accountability practices studied in this context are local networks formed and supported by SDC's local governance programme Sharique. These networks strive to emerge as catalysts of social and economic development as well as good governance in Bangladesh. Composed of local governance actors, local networks bring information, spaces for participation and opportunities for oversight closer to citizens in rural Bangladesh, making it easier for them to benefit from accountability options provided by their government. This paper elaborates the strategy Sharique applies to help networks take on this role in a socially and politically divided context. It maintains that this strategy contributes to a transfer of power from a powerful individual to a group, setting off a process of collectivisation and affecting each member's role in engaging in local development and promoting accountability. However, the paper also draws attention to disparities that persist between members of the networks studied, with respect to different elements of accountability. It argues that the active promotion of all elements of accountability is necessary for Sharique to reach out to all populations through this initiative. It concludes that the success of accountability practices both on a conceptual and applied level is subject to clear differentiation between elements of accountability, which avoids relying on assumed casual connections between them.


North Carolina's first state-specific checklist of freshwater fish species was published in 1709 by John Lawson. Subsequent species lists with descriptions included: Brickell (1737), Cope (1870a), Jordan (1889a), Jordan and Evermann (1896-1900), Smith (1907), Jordan et al. (1930), Fowler (1945), Louder (1962), Ratledge et al. (1966), Menhinick et al. (1974). In 1991, Menhinick published "The Freshwater Fishes of North Carolina", which is still widely in use because a comprehensive update has not been produced since its publication. The increase in the availability of historical records in globally accessible databases and the surge of collections post-1991 made by federal and state resource agencies, and academic and museum researchers, allowed for the creation of an update of North Carolina's freshwater fish species in an annotated atlas. Herein we discuss the distribution of the 257 currently described and undescribed freshwater fish species within North Carolina. Annotations for each species include a distributional map with type locality noted where appropriate, remarks concerning questionable records and misidentifications, extirpations, introductions and interbasin transfers, and imperilment status.


Modern cities and industrial centers boast a developed energy infrastructure, including fuel, electric, heating, and cooling systems. The integration of many separate systems into a single technological entity can provide new functional capabilities, the application of more advanced technologies for operation, and the establishment of intelligent integrated energy systems (IIES). Such systems have a multidimensional structure of functional features and properties of development. They combine a large number of components; intelligence; efficiency; reliability; controllability; flexible use of energy conversion, transportation, and storage technologies; and active demand. The IIES control represents an urgent and a rather challenging task. The paper is concerned with a model for control of a steady state of an intelligent integrated energy system. An algorithm intended for the calculation of joint operating conditions of electric and heating systems when integrated is presented. The results of the research into the joint operation of electric and heating systems are demonstrated on the example of a typical urban area with residential housing that has district electric and heating systems. The obtained results highlight the problems related to separate consideration of expansion and operation of the energy systems, as well as equipment wear and the need to improve the technological and technical level of these systems and use them as a basis for an intelligent integrated energy system


Abstract. The Limpopo Basin in southern Africa is prone to droughts which affect the livelihood of millions of people in South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. Seasonal drought early warning is thus vital for the whole region. In this study, the predictability of hydrological droughts during the main runoff period from December to May is assessed using statistical approaches. Three methods (multiple linear models, artificial neural networks, random forest regression trees) are compared in terms of their ability to forecast streamflow with up to 12 months of lead time. The following four main findings result from the study. 1. There are stations in the basin at which standardised streamflow is predictable with lead times up to 12 months. The results show high inter-station differences of forecast skill but reach a coefficient of determination as high as 0.73 (cross validated). 2. A large range of potential predictors is considered in this study, comprising well-established climate indices, customised teleconnection indices derived from sea surface temperatures and antecedent streamflow as a proxy of catchment conditions. El Nino and customised indices, representing sea surface temperature in the Atlantic and Indian oceans, prove to be important teleconnection predictors for the region. Antecedent streamflow is a strong predictor in small catchments (with median 42 % explained variance), whereas teleconnections exert a stronger influence in large catchments. 3. Multiple linear models show the best forecast skill in this study and the greatest robustness compared to artificial neural networks and random forest regression trees, despite their capabilities to represent nonlinear relationships. 4. Employed in early warning, the models can be used to forecast a specific drought level. Even if the coefficient of determination is low, the forecast models have a skill better than a climatological forecast, which is shown by analysis of receiver operating characteristics (ROCs). Seasonal statistical forecasts in the Limpopo show promising results, and thus it is recommended to employ them as complementary to existing forecasts in order to strengthen preparedness for droughts.


Two studies are reported that independently examined the psychometric characteristics of children's performance on the Preschool Inventory. The sample in study I consisted of 100 Chicano children tested longitudinally at ages 3½ and 4 years. The sample in study II consisted of 200 Chicano and non-Hispanic White children matched on mothers' schooling level in a cross-sectional design involving two age levels-prekindergarten-age children and children enrolled in kindergarten. Comparisons were made by ethnic group, sex, and age level with regard to item characteristics, internal-consistency reliabilities, test-retest stability, standard errors of measurement, validity, and performance level. Comparisons also were made between the psychometric characteristics of the Chicano children's performance on the Preschool Inventory and the psychometric characteristics reported by other investigators for the same instrument administered to children of other ethnic, socioeconomic, and sociolinguistic backgrounds. The results provide impressive evidence of the Preschool Inventory's psychometric strengths and demonstrate that the examined psychometric characteristics of the Preschool Inventory are as exemplary when the test is administered to Chicano children as they are exemplary when it is administered to children of other ethnic backgrounds. Certain limitations of the Preschool Inventory are identified. Recommendations are made regarding possible avenues for future test development efforts.


The second generation wavelet transform has shown the property of high flexibility in multiresolution analysis. Based on this powerful tool, a new finite element multiresolution method is proposed. By using this method, the equation can be resolved in the low-resolution space, and then the coarse solution can be refined by adding the detail solutions in the detail spaces gradually till the solution in a high-resolution space satisfies the expected accuracy. This method is easy to achieve self-adapting algorithm and is suited for solving the singular problems. Numerical tests demonstrate the validity of this method.


"The Death of Semiology after Conceptual Art" offers an in-depth analysis of Saussure's Semiology and its validity in art history. Theorists like Mieke Bal and Norman Bryson advocate that semiology is an effective interpretative methodology in every circumstance. I argue that their thesis is flawed. While Semiology has some prominence, I argue that Semiology dies with the passing of Conceptual art. Rene Magritte (Ceci n'est pas une pipe) acts as an important precursor to the art of Joseph Kosuth and the Conceptual Artists. Magritte's textual ideas, as seen in the Treachery of Images, can be understood through Semiology. Before Magritte, Semiology is not an effective tool, such as in the Renaissance like Bal & Bryson argue. Semiology takes prevalence through the work of the Conceptual artists, mainly Joseph Kosuth, as an applicable method of interpretation. I argue that after the Conceptual artists, Semiology dies as a methodology. As a case study, I examine the prominence of Semiology with Rene Magritte and Joseph Kosuth. I then use Tauba Auerbach, Liam Gillick & Lawrence Weiner, Glenn Ligon, Christopher Wool, & Shirin Neshat as artists who utilize common visual themes in Postmodern art as case studies for the death of semiology. Each artist and the interpretation that is being developed starts with a different facet of semiology – one with the sign, one with the signifier, and one with the signified. Looking at the equation of semiology from all angles proves that semiology is dead. My thesis is meant to be a critical analysis of the methods of critical theory, and reevaluating their purpose in Postmodern art. "The Death of Semiology after Conceptual Art" will be submitted in partial requirement to graduate with honors from the University of Iowa.


We designed pressure responsive soap–hydrogel bead composites by incorporating agar hydrogel beads of different size distributions within a molten soap matrix at various volume fractions. Upon cooling, the combined suspension of hydrogel beads into the molten soap was set into a composite of soap matrix. We demonstrate pressure driven syneresis of water from the soap–hydrogel bead composites upon compression. This allowed a release of active components embedded in the hydrogel beads upon application of pressure on these "smart" soap composites. We found that the dissolution rate of these composites generally increases with the volume percentage of hydrogel beads. We achieved a composite dissolution rate approximately 2.8 times higher than the soap control sample without hydrogel beads. However, the composite dissolution rate was independent of the size of the embedded hydrogel beads. We studied the release rates of active components encapsulated within the hydrogel beads used to prepare the composites. It was found that the release rate can be controlled in three different ways: varying the hydrogel beads size, using different concentrations of the gelling polymer used to make the hydrogel and also by co-encapsulating an oppositely charged polyelectrolyte along with the active encapsulated species. We found that the composites compressional strength decreased with an increasing volume percentage of hydrogel beads incorporated within the soap composite. Young's modulus showed a maximum when 7.5% by volume of hydrogel beads were used for composite preparation. These fast-dissolving soap–hydrogel composites contain significantly less raw materials and would reduce the pollution of waste water with surface active components. We envisage that soap–hydrogel bead composites could improve the sustainability of the soap-producing industry and could find their application within the hotel business, where they could reduce costs and the waste of millions of partially used soap bars discarded on a daily basis.


Millions of people worldwide work in jobs where assessing dynamic data presented visually to them is a key part of their tasks. Since the data is only represented in a visual format, these occupations are out of reach for visually impaired people, making them unable to review hundreds of information-heavy cases per day and determine outcomes for each one in just a couple of minutes. In this work, we aim to shrink that gap by detailing the implementation of screen reader accessibility features to real-world visualizations used by fraud detection analysts. We propose a set of features that should be validated with users and, if proved to be useful, transformed into guidelines for creating these types of accessible charts


In this paper we begin by stressing the empirical importance of non-linear weighting of probabilities, which expected utility theory (EU) is unable to accommodate. We then go on to outline three stylized facts on non-linear weighting that any alternative theory of risk must address. These are that people: overweight small probabilities and underweight large ones (S1); do not choose stochastically dominated options when such dominance is obvious (S2); ignore very small probabilities and code extremely large probabilities as one (S3). We then show that the concept of a probability weighting function (PWF) is crucial in addressing S1-S3. A PWF is not, however, a theory of risk. PWF's need to be embedded within some theory of risk in order to have significant predictive content. We ouline the two main alternative theories that are relevant in this regard: rank dependent utility (RDU) and cumulative prospect theory (CP). RDU and CP explain S1,S2 but not S3. We conclude by outlining the recent proposal for composite prospect theory (CPP) that uses the composite Prelec probability weighting function (CPF). CPF is axiomatically founded, and is flexible and parsimonious. CPP can explain all three stylized facts S1,S2,S3.


Chronic sick leaves in Europe are strongly related to mental health issues. Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) enables collecting data on mental health, but it is challenging to implement in fast-paced and controlled work environments. We describe the design of an EMA device for workers in a garment factory, along with individual data visualisation, which were evaluated in naturalistic setting with eight workers for one week during work hours to understand whether and how participants would engage with the device. Participants easily used the device at work and appropriated it in different ways, mainly by extending its declared function. Confrontation with individual data visualisations led to episodes of self-discovery and participants suggested extending the use of the device to more operators to get a picture of workers' wellbeing. However, participants expressed doubts about data validity.


We develop an approach to quantitative analysis of carbon dioxide concentration in exhaled breath, recorded as a function of time by capnography. The generated waveform-or capnogram-is currently used in clinical practice to establish the presence of respiration as well as determine respiratory rate and end-tidal CO2 concentration. The capnogram shape also has diagnostic value, but is presently assessed qualitatively, by visual inspection. Prior approaches to quantitatively characterizing the capnogram shape have explored the correlation of various geometric parameters with pulmonary function tests. These studies attempted to characterize the capnogram in normal subjects and patients with cardiopulmonary disease, but no consistent progress was made, and no translation into clinical practice was achieved. We apply automated quantitative analysis to discriminate between chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and congestive heart failure (CHF), and between COPD and normal. Capnograms were collected from 30 normal subjects, 56 COPD patients, and 53 CHF patients. We computationally extract four physiologically based capnogram features. Classification on a hold-out test set was performed by an ensemble of classifiers employing quadratic discriminant analysis, designed through cross validation on a labeled training set. Using 80 exhalations of each capnogram record in the test set, performance analysis with bootstrapping yields areas under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of 0.89 (95% CI: 0.72-0.96) for COPD/CHF classification, and 0.98 (95% CI: 0.82-1.0) for COPD/normal classification. This classification performance is obtained with a run time sufficiently fast for realtime monitoring.


Hydrodynamic, topographic, and geologic factors control flow of groundwater toward an effluent stream. Features of such flow are illustrated by a hydraulic model that simulates the stream and surrounding consolidated rocks. Colored ink in the flow system marks progress toward the stream. Visual analysis shows that groundwater moves into the effluent stream along curvilineal flow lines. The total head of groundwater beneath the stream increases with depth.


Cities are particularly prone to the effects of climate change. One way for cities to adapt is by enhancing their green infrastructure (GI) to mitigate the impacts of heat waves and flooding. While alternative GI design options exist, there are many unknowns regarding public support for the various options. This study aims to fill this gap by performing a socio-cultural valuation of urban GI for climate adaptation that encompasses multiple dimensions: people's notion of and concerns about climate impacts, the degree to which people acknowledge the benefits of GI to alleviate such impacts, and people's preferences for different GI measures, including their willingness to pay (WTP). Data were collected through photo-assisted face-to-face surveys (n = 200) with residents in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and linked to GI GIS data. Respondents had a notion of and concerns about climate impacts, but did not necessarily acknowledge that GI may help tackle these issues. Yet, when residents were informed about the adaptation capacity of different GI measures, their preferences shifted towards the most effective options. There was no information effect, however, on people's WTP for GI, which was mostly related to income and ethnicity. Our study shows that economic valuation alone would miss nuances that socio-cultural valuation as applied in this paper can reveal. The method revealed preferences for particular adaptation designs, and assists in detecting why policy for climate adaptation may be hampered. Understanding people's views on climate impacts and adaptation options is crucial for prioritizing effective policy responses in the face of climate change. © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.


In this series of papers, we employ several machine learning (ML) methods to classify the point-like sources from the miniJPAS catalogue, and identify quasar candidates. Since no representative sample of spectroscopically confirmed sources exists at present to train these ML algorithms, we rely on mock catalogues. In this first paper we develop a pipeline to compute synthetic photometry of quasars, galaxies and stars using spectra of objects targeted as quasars in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. To match the same depths and signal-to-noise ratio distributions in all bands expected for miniJPAS point sources in the range 17.5 ≤ r < 24, we augment our sample of available spectra by shifting the original r-band magnitude distributions towards the faint end, ensure that the relative incidence rates of the different objects are distributed according to their respective luminosity functions, and perform a thorough modeling of the noise distribution in each filter, by sampling the flux variance either from Gaussian realizations with given widths, or from combinations of Gaussian functions. Finally, we also add in the mocks the patterns of non-detections which are present in all real observations. Although the mock catalogues presented in this work are a first step towards simulated data sets that match the properties of the miniJPAS observations, these mocks can be adapted to serve the purposes of other photometric surveys.


labour and perinatal and delivery outcomes in a cohort of uncomplicated singleton term pregnancies. Methods: Prospective multicentre observational study conducted at four tertiary centres between January 2016 and October 2019. Low-risk term pregnancies with spontaneous onset of labour were included. The Doppler measurements were obtained in between uterine contractions in women admitted for early labour as the CPUR was computed as the cerebroplacental ratio converted into MoMs divided by the mean uterine artery (UtA) PI MoM. Doctors and midwives involved in the clinical management of the women were blinded to the results of the Doppler evaluation. Mode of delivery and perinatal outcome were compared between pregnancies with reduced CPUR MoM, defined as CPUR within the lowest decile of the study population, and those with normal CPUR. Results: Overall, 804 women were included. The rate of obstetric intervention for suspected fetal distress in labour was almost six-fold higher among cases with CPUR within the lowest decile compared to those with CPUR above the 10th percentile (21/75, 28%, vs 33/729, 4.5%; p < 0.001). Furthermore, a higher rate of composite adverse perinatal outcome was found in fetuses with CPUR <10th percentile compared to those with CPUR ≥10th percentile (10/75, 13.3%, vs 22/729, 3%; p < 0.001). CPUR within the lowest decile showed low sensitivity and positive predictive value for obstetric intervention (38.9% and 28.0%, respectively) and for composite adverse perinatal outcome (31.3% and 13.3%, respectively). Conclusions: Data on a wide cohort of low-risk term pregnancies in early labour showed an association between CPUR within the lowest decile with an higher incidence of obstetric intervention due to fetal distress and composite adverse perinatal outcome. However, the a low CPUR proved to be a poor predictor of adverse outcome.


Background Arterial oxygen content (CaO2) represents the amount of oxygen delivered to the tissues. We hypothesize that low levels of CaO2 in community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) could have a systemic impact. Aims We aim to determine the prognostic value of arterial oxygen content in CAP. Material and methods We analyzed CaO2 values of patients from a prospective, multicentric cohort. T student test was used to establish the relationship between CaO2 and outcomes. Percentil 50 th was used to dichotomize CaO2 and compare it between the comorbidities by X2 test. Results From a population of 811 cases, CaO2 could be calculated in 632 patients. CaO2 mean and P50 values were 15.5 ml/dl (IQR 13.9-17.1). Levels of CaO2 below 15.5 ml/dl were found significantly associated with chronic heart failure (59.5% vs 47.4%; p=0.019), cerebrovascular disease (67.1 vs 46.8; p=0.001), and swallowing disorders (70.2% vs 47.3%; p=0.001). Low levels of CaO2 were associated with a worse clinical presentation (PSI IV-V 56.3% vs PSI I-III 39.5%; p=0.000). Regarding outcomes, acute renal failure was associated with low levels of CaO2 (14.8 vs 15.5; p=0.017). CaO2 levels were lower in patients who died than in survivors (14.2 vs 15.6; p=0.001). Conclusions 1- Cardiovascular and neurological comorbidities showed low levels of CaO2 in CAP patients. 2-Low levels of CaO2 were related to acute renal failure and mortality in our series. 3-Simple measurement of arterial oxygen content could provide useful prognostic information in patients with CAP.


The pipelines located in cold region, offshore and under riverbed are exposed and unpredictable loads and these pipelines should be protected by assistant structures. As one manner of protecting river crossing pipelines, a rectangular concrete encasement is generally used in Korea. This paper describes behavior characteristics of underground pipelines encased in rectangular concrete box in terms of deformed radius derived from occurred hoop stress. The solution for contact pressure between steel pipeline and concrete encasement is derived from the equation of Lame's double walled cylinder. Every FEA model adopted in this study has same pipe diameter (762mm), internal pressure and cover depth. A variable is only the thickness of concrete encasement. This problem is formulated as a shrink-fit cylinder because of the inner steel pipe expanding by internal gas pressure. In order to get a deformed radius, the interface (contact) pressure was calculated, and the local deformed radius was determined based on obtained interface pressure and hoop stress. In this data processing, peculiar ovalized shape was developed in the section of the X65 steel pipeline covered with rectangular concrete encasement. The result in terms of the rate of local diameter change describes that shoulder (±45°, ±135°) part has the largest change rate over 120% and the smallest values occurred at a bottom (±180°). By using the relation of encasement size and deformed diameter, the results make stress design for the double layer pipeline be more precise and effective.Copyright © 2008 by ASME


Iatrogenic hypoglycaemia activates the immune system and is associated with an increased risk for atherosclerotic disease. We determined acute and long-term effects of insulin-induced hypoglycemia on inflammatory markers in humans with or without type 2 diabetes. Fifteen adults with type 2 diabetes and 16 matched controls (M/F 17/14, age 59.6±7.1 years, BMI 28.5±4.3 kg/m2) underwent a hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic (5.31±0.32 mmol/L) hypoglycemic (2.80±0.12 mmol/L) glucose clamp. Blood was drawn during euglycemia and hypoglycemia and 1, 3 and 7 days later, to determine circulating immune cell composition, function, and inflammatory proteins. In response to hypoglycemia, absolute numbers of circulating lymphocytes and monocytes significantly increased and remained elevated for one week. The proportion of CD16+ -monocytes increased, and the proportion of CD14+ -monocytes decreased, which sustained for a week in people without diabetes. During hypoglycemia, ex vivo stimulated, monocytes released more TNF-α and IL-1β, and less IL-10, particularly in people with diabetes. Hs-CRP and 25 circulating inflammatory proteins increased, remaining significantly elevated one week after hypoglycemia. While levels at euglycemia differed, responses to hypoglycemia were broadly similar in people with or without type 2 diabetes. We conclude that hypoglycemia induces a pro-inflammatory response at the cellular and protein level that is sustained for one week in people with type 2 diabetes and controls.


Functionalizing cardiovascular biomaterials with an extracellular matrix (ECM) via in vitro decellularization has been applied as an effective method to improve the biocompatibility of implants. However, the current ECM modified materials used for surface engineering implants have functional restrictions compared with the natural blood vessel due to distinguished cell phenotypes in vitro. Herein, we are inspired by the natural vascular basement membrane which is composed of an ECM secreted by physiological endothelial cells (EC) and smooth muscle cells (SMC), preparing a novel ECM coating by successive cell culture and decellularization: appropriately scaled hyaluronic acid (HA) micro-patterns are used to regulate the SMC phenotype to contraction and simulate the blood flow shear stress (BFSS) effect to control the EC physiological phenotype. The nature-inspired ECM coating significantly improves the material's hemocompatibility, cytocompatibility and tissue compatibility, and may be promising to break the function limitation of a single ECM and address more clinical complications.


Owen Brian Toon was awarded the 2011 Roger Revelle Medal at the AGU Fall Meeting Honors Ceremony, held on 7 December 2011 in San Francisco, Calif. The medal is for "outstanding contributions in atmospheric sciences, atmosphere-ocean coupling, atmosphere-land coupling, biogeochemical cycles, climate, or related aspects of the Earth system."


Metallic two-dimensional (2D) 1T-VSe2 with high conductivity and a large specific surface area is a promising electrode material for supercapacitors. Here, we use a facile chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method to prepare thin VSe2 nanosheets. A flexible in-plane solid-state supercapacitor is fabricated using the high-quality VSe2 nanosheets as the electrode material. The prepared supercapacitor presents an electrical double-layer capacitive behavior, and it has a high power density that is comparable with that of advanced graphene-based supercapacitors. The flexible supercapacitor also shows good mechanical stability to both bending and fatigue tests up to 10 000 cycles. This work provides a novel method for the fabrication of high-performance thin-film power sources, and paves the way for their application in soft thin-geometry devices.


Background—Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a frequently encountered arrhythmia after cardiac surgery, but its underlying mechanisms are still unclear. We hypothesize that autoimmune and inflammatory responses against heat shock protein 65 (HSP65) may be involved and hence examined the relationship between HSP65 autoantibodies and occurrence of postoperative AF. Methods and Results—A prospective study of 329 patients undergoing elective primary CABG was undertaken. Cardiovascular risk factors, ECG characteristics, medications, and intraoperative and postoperative features were documented. Anti-HSP65 antibodies and C-reactive protein levels were measured in all preoperative blood samples with ELISA. Postoperative AF was defined as the characteristic arrhythmia, lasting for at least 15 minutes and confirmed on 12-lead ECG and occurring within the first postoperative week. This occurred in 62 patients (19%). In univariate analysis, HSP65 antibodies were significantly higher in patients with postoperative AF (P=0.02). History of previous myocardial infarction, duration of bypass, number of distal anastomosis, and duration of ventilation were also associated with AF (P<0.05), but C-reactive protein levels were not (P=0.13). Multivariate analysis confirmed the positive association of HSP65 antibodies with postoperative AF (OR, 1.41; P=0.04) independent of age, sex, other cardiovascular risk factors, severity of coronary artery disease, duration of ventilation, duration of bypass, and left ventricular function. Conclusions—We report a novel association between anti-HSP65 antibodies and occurrence of postoperative AF, indicating a possible role for antibody-mediated immune response in its pathogenesis.


OBJECTIVE
To critically appraise and summarize the trials examining the addition of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) or noninvasive positive pressure ventilation (NPPV) to standard therapy on hospital mortality, need for endotracheal intubation, and predischarge left ventricular function in patients admitted to the hospital with cardiogenic pulmonary edema with gas exchange abnormalities.

DATA SOURCES
We searched MEDLINE (1983 to June 1997) and bibliographies of all selected articles and review articles. We also reviewed the abstracts from the proceedings of relevant meetings from 1985 to 1997.

STUDY SELECTION
(1) POPULATION: patients presenting to hospital with cardiogenic pulmonary edema; (2) intervention: one of the following three: (a) the use of CPAP and standard medical therapy vs standard medical therapy alone; (b) the use of NPPV and standard medical therapy vs standard medical therapy alone; and (c) the use of NPPV and standard therapy vs CPAP and standard therapy; (3) outcome: hospital survival, need for endotracheal intubation, or predischarge left ventricular dysfunction; and (4) study design: randomized controlled trial (RCT); if there were fewer than two RCTs, other study designs were included.

DATA EXTRACTION
Two authors independently extracted data and evaluated the methodologic quality of the studies.

DATA SYNTHESIS
CPAP was associated with a decrease in need for intubation (risk difference, -26%, 95% confidence intervals, -13 to -38%) and a trend to a decrease in hospital mortality (risk difference, -6.6%; +3 to -16%) compared with standard therapy alone. There was insufficient evidence to comment on the effectiveness of NPPV either compared with standard therapy or CPAP and standard therapy. Evidence was also lacking on the potential for either intervention to cause harm.

CONCLUSIONS
A modest amount of favorable experimental evidence exists to support the use of CPAP in patients with cardiogenic pulmonary edema. CPAP appears to decrease intubation rates and data suggest a trend toward a decrease in mortality, although the potential for harm has not been excluded. The role of NPPV in this setting requires further study before it can be widely recommended.


Cognitive leaps and multiple epistemological resources: an agent-based modeling approach Paulo Blikstein Stanford University Abstract: Agent-based modeling (ABM) has been increasingly used by scientists to study a wide range of phenomena in physics, chemistry, and biology. In these models, each element ('agent') follows local, simple rules, and the overall macroscopic pattern emerges from these multiple local behaviors. Despite its roots in the natural sciences, ABM is highly relevant to research in the social sciences. The recent decades have seen a surge in social-science studies employing ABM, and more recently it has also been used to illustrate aspects of cognitive development, collaboration, and group work. In this paper, we describe a model to explain sudden leaps in cognition observed in a science classroom when students switch between the use of two types of epistemological resources. The model confirms that reliance on brute-force search is very sensitive to increased complexity of the content, whereas selective search is initially less efficient but more accurate for complex content.


BACKGROUND
Intimate partner violence (IPV) is defined as physical, sexual, or psychological harm that can be perpetrated by a former/current spouse. IPV has been linked to adverse health outcomes and risky behaviors, and victims of IPV tend to need more healthcare overall than nonvictims of IPV. The purpose of this study was to determine the association between IPV and preventive screening among women.

METHODS
The study used data from eight states/territories, which collected IPV information in the 2006 and 2007 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (n=30,182). IPV and preventive screening for HIV, cervical cancer, colorectal cancer, cholesterol, and breast cancer were determined by self-report. Multivariable logistic regression models provided adjusted estimates of odds ratios (aOR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI).

RESULTS
Approximately one in four women reported a history of lifetime IPV. Relative to those who did not report a history of IPV, IPV victims were twice as likely to have had an HIV test (aOR: 2.34; 95% CI: 2.06 to 2.66) or a breast exam (aOR: 1.76; 95% CI: 1.37 to 2.27). IPV victims are vigilant about certain screening practices related to sexual health (HIV testing) and passive screening (breast exam) compared to active screening.

CONCLUSION
The strongest association between IPV and preventive screening was seen for HIV testing, which likely reflects the women's perceived risk for HIV infection. That these women are in contact with the healthcare system provides support for recommendations for widespread adoption of IPV screening and counseling.


This study aims at incorporating the use of the boundary element method
(BEM) as an efficient and fast numerical method for the solution of the problem of
the elastohydrodynamic (EHL) of hard rolling line contact. EHL of hard rolling is
the dominant mode of lubrication in many critical, highly stressed machine elements
such as gears, cams and followers, and bearings. The study of the stress
concentration and deformation is important to predict the performance and the life
expectancy against failures. These failures are manifested in wear, fatigue and
scuffing. This fundamental study is based on isothermal, steady state, and smooth
line contact EHL. The rolling of two cylindrical rollers was approximated by a
roller and a plane.
The hard rolling EHL relates to counter-formal contact elements made of
high elastic modulus materials such as metals. The problem is to seek a solution,
which reconciles the hydrodynamic equation represented by the Reynolds equation,
and the elasticity equation while at the same time allowing for the variation of the
lubricant properties with pressure. The resultant regime is highly non-linear. A hybrid solution is util ised to solve the elasticity problem using the BEM,
and to solve the Reynolds equation for the pressure us ing the finite difference
method (FDM) in a ful ly coupled solution. The BEM fundamental ly consists of the
transformation of the partial differential equations, which describe the behaviour of
the variables ins ide and on the boundary of the domain into integral equation
relating to the boundary values, and the numerical solution of these equations. The
boundary integral equation is formulated for the elasticity and solved using the
BEM. The hydrodynam ic equation is solved using FDM. The coupled solution i s
solved using Newton-Raphson iterative technique. The converged solut ion gives the
pressure distibution and the l ubricant film thickness.
The overa l l result of executi ng the hybrid BEM-FDM program gives a ful l
agreement when compared to the program using FDM while resu lting i n reduction
in the C PU time. The results also agree with other published numerical works. These
veri fy the use of the developed method. To fu l ly uti l ize the advancement of the
developed program, an extension of the models needs to include a non-Newtonian
behaviour of l ubricant and the thermal effects.


Benjamin Franklin once said that 'In this world, nothing is certain but death and taxes' and a significant body of the scientific literature including the IPCC have indicated that the climate change problem has become such a pressing issue that we now face a stark choice between the premature death of hundreds of millions of the people on this planet (from storm, flood, starvation, war or pestilence) and the use of taxation or other financial strategies to change the relative cost of carbon intensive sources of energy compared to the cost of 'green' sources of energy. A change in the relative cost of 'green energy' will not itself solve the problem, but it is a necessary (though not sufficient) step if there is to be the required behavioural change which will support the application of engineering solutions to the problem which has been signaled by a large group of climate scientists. This paper addresses possible approaches to solving the problem of climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHGEs). It considers the European Union's emissions trading scheme (ETS) as an example of a market and government failure to achieve a reduction in emissions through a neoliberal approach to pricing emissions. The discussion then focuses on the design features of a carbon tax and some alternative policy instruments that could contribute to a solution to the problem and it raises the main advantages of a carbon tax over an ETS.


Using the concept of ontological security, this paper examines the physical and psychological loss of home and community following Hurricane Katrina. This qualitative longitudinal study includes 40 heads of households with school-age children who lived in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. Participants describe a breakdown in their social fabric at the individual and structural/community levels that contributes to a sense of community loss and social displacement, disrupting their ontological security--their notion of safety, routine and trust in a stable environment. Three interrelated reactions were common: 1) experiencing nostalgia for their old neighbourhoods specifically and New Orleans in general; 2) experiencing a sense of loss of people and things that represented a level of security or constancy; 3) initiation of a process for re-establishing ontological security whether or not they returned to New Orleans. The paper concludes that intangible losses have an important psychological effect on community redevelopment and recovery from trauma.


We discuss how to construct a tight-binding model Hamiltonan for the simplest possible solid, composed of hydrogen-like atoms. A single orbital per atom is not sufficient because the onsite electron-electron repulsion mixes in higher-energy orbitals. The essential physics is captured by a dynamic Hubbard model with one electronic orbital and an auxiliary spin degree of freedom per site. We point out that this physics can lead to a substantial shift in the position and width of electronic energy bands relative to what is predicted by conventional band-structure calculations.


At the end of the nineteenth century, Giddens proposed a new kind of androgyny intended as a way to resolve the conflict between the sexes and democratise societies starting from the most intimate area of our lives. In so doing, mainstream sociology made use of an ancient idea that is central in a set of founding myths with reference both to the West and to the rest of the world and is subsequently visible in several literary works, artistic creations and cultural trends. All these elements, in fact, reveal at least two aspects: firstly, human beings unconsciously think themselves as painfully ruptured creatures and therefore tend to some kind of completion; secondly, androgyny can represent both a way to criticize old sexual stereotypes and a more general attempt to differently think and live. This is particularly true nowadays, when so-called postmodernity seems to yearn for androgyny intended as lightness of thought and life but also as illusory and narcissistic self- sufficiency.


Abstract The present status of freshwater crabs (Decapoda, Brachyura) in Turkey is reviewed in this study, with the purpose of identifying the exact number of species, their conservation status, and their distribution. In previous records, it was reported that Turkey has nine freshwater crab species belonging to the genus Potamon: Potamon bileki Pretzmann, 1971, P. ibericum (Bieberstein, 1809), P. hueceste Pretzmann, 1962, P. persicum Pretzmann, 1962, P. magnum Pretzmann, 1962, P. potamios (Olivier, 1804), P. setiger Rathbun, 1904, P. rhodium Parisi, 1913, and P. mesopotamicum Brandis, Storch & Türkay, 1998. However, there was no detailed information on species distribution in Turkey. This review is intended to update the distribution of species in the country, and it revealed that populations of three more freshwater crab species (P. karpathos, P. fluviatile and P. hippocrate) also occur; thus, there are currently 12 freshwater crab species in Turkey. In addition, this review provides a distribution map and identifies possible threats to each species. This review can serve decision makers in the development of management strategies to better protect the environments of these species that are facing growing anthropogenic impacts.


Object-oriented technology has long been advocated as a better way to construct complicated large-scale software projects. We have adopted such a methodology in our design of radiology workstations. In retrospect, it proved to be advantageous in at least four aspects: (1) system modeling and the software development process, (2) system operation and management, (3) multimedia information representation, and (4) interoperability within a heterogeneous computing environment.


OBJECTIVE
To study the prevalence of chondromalacia patella among college students and the correlation with sports injury.

METHODS
354 students from gymnastic department and 429 from nongymnastic department with knee joint pain were selected. 184 students from gymnastic department and 342 from nongymnastic department were checked randomly by a surgeon. 77 patients (37 males, 40 females) from gymnastic department and 119 patients (62 males, 57 females) from nongymnastic department were diagnosed as chondromalacia patellae. The amount of exercise and the occurrence of sports injury were investigated in each student. All data were analyzed with SPSS 10.0 statistical software.

RESULTS
The prevalence of chondromalacia patella was 20.1% in female students and 11.6% in male students from gymnastic department, and 5.61% in female students and 4.92% in male students from nongymnastic department. The amount of exercise and the occurrence of sports injury to the knee joint in students from gymnastic department were greater than those from nongymnastic department.

CONCLUSIONS
In both female and male students, the prevalence of chondromalacia patella is higher in gymnastic department than nongymnastic department. Sports injury is an important cause of chondromalacia patella.


Emotional mental disorders are a leading cause of disabilities worldwide. Despite the obvious importance of emotion for human existence, controversy still abounds over the definition of emotion, the number of emotions that exit, whether different emotions have different physiological signatures. In this paper, we review papers about the emotional functions of neuromodulators: dopamine (DA), norepinephrine (NE), serotonin (5-HT) and acetyl choline (ACh), and propose that they act as the primary neural basis for 5 primary emotions (joy, anger/fear, sadness and missing). DA is a rewarding signal for salient stimuli such as food, sex and other needs. 5-HT has been related to depression for decades, it might be a marker for dislike/disgusting things. NE is the substrate for surprise, whose release induces "fight or flight" behaviors, or fear and anger emotions. Even though anger and fear are common emotions, there are no previous papers differentiating them or probing into their relationships. Here we found that fear and anger usually come hand in hand with fear followed by anger. And we give an equation to describe their relationships: The total amount of Surprise/stress = fear + anger. This equation fits in both duration and tension. Finally we introduced ACh emotions, which are opposite to NE induced stressful emotions. These emotions include "missing and wanting", "calm/tame", affectionate, submissive, et al. The significance of ACh emotions lies in the treatment for aggressive, impulsive behaviors, or phobia and manic disorders. In all, there might be 5 basic emotions (joy, anger/fear, sadness and missing).


We introduce a contextual descriptor which aims to provide a geometric description of the functionality of a 3D object in the context of a given scene. Differently from previous works, we do not regard functionality as an abstract label or represent it implicitly through an agent. Our descriptor, called interaction context or ICON for short, explicitly represents the geometry of object-to-object interactions. Our approach to object functionality analysis is based on the key premise that functionality should mainly be derived from interactions between objects and not objects in isolation. Specifically, ICON collects geometric and structural features to encode interactions between a central object in a 3D scene and its surrounding objects. These interactions are then grouped based on feature similarity, leading to a hierarchical structure. By focusing on interactions and their organization, ICON is insensitive to the numbers of objects that appear in a scene, the specific disposition of objects around the central object, or the objects' fine-grained geometry. With a series of experiments, we demonstrate the potential of ICON in functionality-oriented shape processing, including shape retrieval (either directly or by complementing existing shape descriptors), segmentation, and synthesis.


Glutamate is a main component of Monosodium Glutamate. It is excitatory neurotransmitter but it leads to excitotoxicity in brain nerve cells when consumed in large doses. It also has negative impact in learning ability and memory. The aim of this study is to determine exercise effect in protecting learning ability and memory caused by MSG exposure. This study used pretest-posttest control group design and was conducted in Animal Laboratory of Faculty of Medicine Airlangga University in November 2015. Thirty mice males were tested for learning ability and memory using Morris Water Maze before and after treatment. They were divided into three groups, they are one control group/K (without treatment) and two treatment group were given different treatment for 21 days. Group P1 was given 2,5 mg/gBW MSG intraperitoneal injection, group P2 was given 2,5 mg/gBW MSG intraperitoneal injection and swimming exercise with a span of 30 minutes/day on 5 days/week for 3 weeks with a load individual 4% of body weight. The result showed latency time and frequency between pretest and posttest group at P1 group there is no significant difference either in latent or frequency while P2 was a significant difference of latency time (p=0,010) but no significant difference of frequency (p=0,645). Our study suggested that exercise (swimming) can protect learning ability caused by MSG exposure, but not protect memory retention.


Babingtonite has been found at El Valle-Boinas Cu-Au deposit, Spain, this being the first known occurrence of this mineral in skarn in Spain. It is a locally abundant accessory mineral related to the hydrothermal alteration of the calcic skarn. Babingtonite is present in metasomatized aplitic dykes or occurs as a consequence of alteration of Fe-rich end members of both hedenbergite and andradite and always in association with Fe-rich epidote (Ps 32–48 ). Other related minerals are calcite, quartz, hydroxyapophyllite, hydroandradite, prehnite, pumpellyite-(Fe +2 ), Cu-sulphides and electrum. The babingtonite formation is related to the locally Aldepleted aqueous fluids at relative high fO 2 and low XCO 2 .


Arabidopsis thaliana Deg8, an ATP-independent serine endopeptidase, is involved in the repair of photosystem II (PSII), specifically the degradation of the photo-damaged PSII reaction centre D1 protein. To understand the molecular mechanism underlying the participation of Deg8 in the degradation of the photo-damaged D1 protein, the structure of Deg8 is needed. Until recently, however, no structure of Deg8 had been solved. In this study, Deg8 from A. thaliana was cloned, overexpressed and purified in Escherichia coli. Crystallization was performed at 277 K using tribasic sodium citrate as the precipitant and the crystals diffracted to 2.0 Å resolution, belonging to space group C2 with unit-cell parameters a = 129.5, b = 124.2, c = 93.3 Å, α = γ = 90, β = 132.4°. Assuming one trimer in the asymmetric unit, the Matthews coefficient and the solvent content were calculated to be 2.35 Å(3) Da(-1) and 47.6%, respectively.


The objectives of this research are to design, construct and test a rice husk furnace for a commercial fluidized bed paddy dryer with capacity of 10,000 kg/h. The furnace was cylindrical in shape with inner diameter of 1.37m and height of 2.75m. Rice husk was fed into the furnace with a feed rate of 110 kg/h to 136 kg/h. Air and rice husk entered to the combustion chamber in tangential direction with vortex rotation. The experimental results showed that for heights of ash on grate of 300 mm, 450 mm,500mm and 600mm, rice husk feed rates were 110 kg/h to 136 kg/h and excess air 265% to 350% with combustion gas temperature approximately 523 o C to 710 o C. Thermal efficiency of the furnace system increasing with excess air was approximately 57% to 73% while carbon conversion efficiency was approximately 89% to 97%. The height of ash on grate had no effect on the system performance. Financial analysis indicated that the pay-back period of the furnace was 1200 hours, when used in place of the diesel oil burner. Latest information shows that the rice husk furnace has been commercialized for more than 40 units since the beginning of the year 1999.


Spreading of liquid and solid Ga over the surface of thin polycrystalline Ag film is accompanied by fast penetration of Ga through the film. The penetration process between +60°C and –10°C has likely a common mechanism with the spreading. The activation energies of the process responsible for spreading/penetration are EL = 0.3±0.05 eV and ES = 0.5±0.1 eV for liquid and solid Ga, respectively. The common mechanism is attributed to grain boundary (GB) grooving with diffusion of Ag out of the groove either via liquid Ga or along GBs in solid Ga. A possible formation of intermetallic compound between Ag and Ga is considered as the secondary process, which does not control the kinetics. The model reproduces the spreading/penetration rates that are observed, and gives reasonable estimates of the experimental activation energies ES and EL.


Background/introduction We are a community based, multi-disciplinary team providing sexual health care for 8,000 under 20s that attend our service yearly. Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) is an increasingly recognised problem that affects young vulnerable people across the UK. Information sharing between agencies is an important factor in identifying young people who are involved in CSE and in order to improve our practice, we retrospectively reviewed case notes of those identified as vulnerable to CSE by other agencies. Aim(s)/objectives To identify: was information shared when a risk of CSE was identified during the sexual health consultation? What is the prevalence of strong and warning signs of CSE in this population of young people attending sexual health services? Methods Retrospective case note review using our health authority tool for identifying CSE risks. Results 76 of the136 young people identified had attended our service. 39/76 (51%) had at least one strong indicator for CSE. 36/39 nine were known to social work. 38/39 had documented information sharing. 11/76 (14%) had at least one warning indicator and 26/76 (35%) had no identifiable CSE risk factors. 7/26 had information shared with social work. Discussion/conclusion Information sharing occurred for almost all patients identified with a strong risk factor for CSE. 49% of the young people identified by other agencies as at risk did not disclose information that strongly indicated CSE. Incorporation of the BASHH spotting the signs proforma and training to further increase staff awareness is being developed.


This design-based research explores professional growth of in-service English teachers in Israel. Participating teachers took part in one of two iterations of a professional development course focusing on the integration of technology in English teaching. Both iterations were designed based on a cognitive apprenticeship approach and the use of the model of Technological, Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (TPACK) as a lens for teachers to implement and evaluate the integration of technology in their own classrooms. The mediating process of reflection has been added to the second iteration in the form of reflective writing. Quantitative analysis of pre-post TPACK questionnaires shows significant improvement of teachers' perceptions in the first iteration. Results of the second iteration confirm and extend the findings of the first one. The course is a promising model for supporting teachers in developing the capacity for integrating technology into their everyday teaching.


ABSTRACT Accommodating degrees of moral certitude is a serious problem for non-cognitivism about ethics. In particular, non-cognitivism has trouble accommodating fundamental moral certitude. John Eriksson and Ragnar Francén Olinder [2016] have recently proposed a solution. In fact, Eriksson and Francén Olinder offer two different proposals—one 'classification' account and one 'projectivist' account. We argue that the classification account faces the same problem as previous accounts do, while the projectivist account has unacceptable implications. Non-cognitivists will have to look elsewhere for a plausible solution to the problem of accommodating fundamental moral certitude.


Serine concentrations were markedly decreased in the cerebrospinal fluid of two brothers with congenital microcephaly, profound psychomotor retardation, hypertonia, epilepsy, growth retardation, and hypogonadism. The youngest boy also had congenital bilateral cataract. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain showed evidence of dysmyelination. Plasma serine as well as plasma and cerebrospinal fluid glycine concentrations were also decreased but to a lesser extent. Treatment with oral serine in the youngest patient significantly increased cerebrospinal fluid serine and abolished the convulsions. In fibroblasts of both patients, a decreased activity was demonstrated of 3-phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase, the first step of serine biosynthesis (22% and 13% of the mean control value). This is an unusual disorder as the great majority of aminoacidopathies are catabolic defects. It is a severe but potentially treatable inborn error of metabolism that has not been previously reported in man.


The corpus cardiacum of Locusta consists of a syncytium containing nuclei of two sizes. The most obvious cytoplasmic inclusions are spheroid bodies, mostly about 0.6µ in diameter, which are easily seen in the living tissue, especially by phase-contrast microscopy. They do not appear in routine microscopical preparations, but are blackened by the classical 'Golgi' techniques. They give positive reactions for phospholipines. The cytoplasm also contains very numerous minute granules, which appear to be mitochondria.


This volume of critical essays and of creative writings brings together work by distinguished authors in many fields in honour of Alexander Norman Jeffares: English literature, Irish and Anglo-Irish Literature and Commonwealth literature, all fields which gained his interest throughout his life and to which he has contributed much, both through the spoken and printed word - as can be' seen from the bibliography of his writings at the end of this volume. Scholarship and criticism are deployed by the essayists to show how literature, by virtue of its creativity, offers a human and vivid insight into the individual in his or her society. Poets and imaginative writers of many traditions deepen and extend our understanding of the creative impulse and its immediacy through their own work.


In this paper, we discuss weblogs (blogs), their impact on society, whether they should be considered for inclusion in library collections, and their bibliographic nature. We describe using several top blog lists to help select a blog appropriate for cataloging and inclusion in our libraries" political science collections. Lastly, we compare our record with two other blogs that have been cataloged already and whose records are included in a national bibliographic utility. ********** Although "TalkLeft," "Boing Boing," and "Scrappleface" sound like they could be characters from a children's television show, they are not. They are three examples of what have come to be known as weblogs, or, more simply, blogs. Since their introduction in the late 1990s, blogs have come to play an important part in how many members of society publish and gather information. Like DVDs, general Internet resources, CD-ROMs, interactive multimedia, and a host of other formats before them, blogs are another type of information resource librarians have had to begin to consider. This paper will define blogs, describe their impact on society, discuss how they might fit into a library's collection development plan, and discuss how they might be cataloged. Definition Blogs are Web sites with frequently updated series of essays about topics of importance to the author. Anyone posting a blog can update it as many times as he or she wants, using hypertext links to point to the actual Web sites being discussed. When blogs were first introduced, they were mainly a collection of links to other sites that the author felt were important. As software such as that found at blogger.com has become available, nearly anyone--even those with no experience in creating Web pages--is able to create a blog, and the content of blogs has come to resemble a person's diary instead of a collection of essays with links. (1) Just as in a real diary, these entries are, for the most part, organized by date and are often short snippets of the blog creator's thoughts. Unlike diaries, blogs usually have a subject focus, such as politics, music, religion, or book arts. Types Amateurs and hobbyists are not the only ones creating blogs. After all, if the only blogs out there were ones in which the creators talked about their day and linked to sites that were of interest to them, one would have to question the importance of blogs. Blogs also are being used by the mainstream media, in politics, in business, and in many other fields. Mainstream media outlets such as the New York Times have begun to maintain blogs, which often link to stories in other newspapers--a practice usually an anathema to the news industry. Other media outlets, from the Boulder, Colorado, Daily Camera to CNN, have begun employing blogs as a means of further connecting with their audience. The Daily Camera, a local newspaper, has blogs tracking Boulder's music and nightlife scenes as well as a blog hosted by the editor of the paper. As part of its coverage of the 2004 Democratic National Convention, CNN.com offered CNN's Convention Blog, featuring contributions from CNN correspondents, anchors, analysts, and guests. According to the New York Times, the Democratic Party gave press credentials to about a dozen bloggers for its convention, and the Republican Party planned to issue between ten and twenty for its meeting. (2) The influence of blogs in the political realm already has been noteworthy. In early 2004, blogs were written in support of both the Howard Dean and John Kerry presidential primary campaigns. Blogs have even been used to bring down politicians. For example, the controversy over Trent Lott's remarks about Strom Thurmond's past segregationist positions was largely ignored by the mainstream media; only when bloggers continued to write about the issue was it picked up by the larger media outlets, forcing Lott to eventually resign his position as Senate majority leader. …


MEG reflects electrical activity of neuronal assemblies that coalesce and decoalesce in time providing for massively parallel and dynamic flow of information exchange in the brain. There is a growing evidence that our behavior is mediated by simultaneous activity of several interacting and simultaneously active cortical networks. Not only the location of network nodes but also the temporal profiles of such interaction are of interest. The existing methods are primarily concerned with proposing novel measures of synchrony to be applied to the cortical region activity signals extracted from the MEG data using beamforming or other spatial filtering approaches. In this work we propose to render the task of estimating network topology and temporal profiles as a source estimation problem but in the space of interacting topographies. The proposed point of view has a number of benefits as it allows to use the wealth of techniques and intuition accumulated in the community when dealing with source estimation problems. Operating in the interacting topographies space we first propose subspace projection method to significantly reduce the spatial leakage effect in the cross-spectral matrix. We then use subspace matching metrics to extract a set of networks with their synchronicity profiles that explain the variance in the sensor space cross-spectral matrix, much like regular dipoles and their activations explain the variance in the regular evoked responses. The preliminary results of application of this method to a simple self-paced voluntary finger movement paradigm comparing allowed to observe functional coupling between primary motor and supplementary motor area and establish that this coupling can be characterized with near-zero phase delay between the oscillatory activity of these two regions. This observed synchrony pattern is physiologically plausible and is in agreement with the current hypothesis about the neural mechanics of the motor acts.


Introduction: Anatomy forms the backbone of medical education for first year MBBS with maximum number of teaching hours allotted to this subject. Invariably Anatomy is best taught in dissection halls with the specimens but due to reduction in course duration of first MBBS to 1 year and limited number of cadavers available in present time's demands more innovative techniques to be utilized for teaching Anatomy. The lecture classes as perceived by most of students as boring does not under rule its importance. The adjustments and modifications made by the teachers of Anatomy to impart overall appropriate knowledge of the subject to the first MBBS student as per their requirements needs to be evaluated and assessed at regular intervals for best results.
Objectives: To evaluate the teaching and learning methodologies practiced in Department of Anatomy by feedback analysis from 1st MBBS students.
Material and Method: 147 first MBBS students were included in the study. Informed consent was taken and they were asked to answer a semi structured questionnaire previously prepared and verified. The questionnaires were collected back from them after 30 minutes. The response was analyzed thoroughly over a period of 6 months and represented in percentages.
Results: The responses of students were represented in graphs with percentages. Almost 42% of students preferred PowerPoint teaching and another 39% of students preferred both PowerPoint and chalk and board teaching of theory lectures whereas old conventional method of teaching with chalk and board was preferred by only 4% of students. Almost 64% of students preferred receiving handout of lectures before the class and ultra-small group teaching and demonstrations was favoured strongly for osteology rather than lectures for osteology. For effective learning methodologies almost 54% students preferred student's subject seminars at end of each region and 71% of students preferred judicious use of audiovisual aids in form of animation, dissection videos, and museum models for demonstration other than regular dissection hall teaching. Students felt clinical anatomy was not sufficiently taught and more emphasis should be given to applied aspects.
Conclusion: This study was an extremely useful tool for evaluating student's preferences for teaching and learning methodologies and thus a self-evaluation for the teachers and thus corrective measures can be taken in future batches.

Keywords: Questionnaire, Teaching, Learning, Perception, Students, Feedback


Objective To describe the experience of parenting a child diagnosed with cancer by examining particularly negative and positive experiences reported by parents of childhood cancer survivors and parents of children lost to cancer. Methods 168 parents (88 mothers, 80 fathers) participated. Data were collected five years after the end of successful treatment or the child's death. The parents' experiences were identified by open-ended semi-structured questions about particularly negative and positive experiences of the child's cancer. An inductive approach was used in which the manifest verbal content of the answers was analysed using content analysis. Results The analysis revealed eight categories of negative experience (child late effects; distressing events; healthcare; impaired relationships; long-term psychological consequences; own reactions; surrounding institutions; the fact that the child got cancer) and seven categories of positive experience (healthcare; improved relationships; long-term consequences for the child; personal development; support systems; treatment outcome; unexpected joy). The categories were related to past events or to the present situation. The findings indicate variations in experiences between parents of survivors and bereaved parents, and between fathers and mothers, as some experiences were only reported by parents of survivors and some experiences were only reported by mothers. Conclusions The results highlight the importance of past and present events to parents, and accordingly the long-lasting impact of paediatric cancer on parents. The results also point to the wide range of negative as well as positive experiences involved in parenting a child diagnosed with cancer, and provide a comprehensive understanding of the overall experience for parents of children with cancer. Specifically, the findings give guidance to healthcare providers by illustrating the need to provide healthcare personnel with continuous training in communication skills, offering parents opportunities to meet other parents in the same situation and increasing the access to psychosocial supportive services and psychological care.


Recent research has attempted to distinguish the key differences between backpacking and flashpacking. However, research observing how both groups choose to travel between destinations remains a neglected theme, and one that may also reveal distinct behavioural differences. This paper critically examines the methods of transportation used by backpackers and flashpackers and analyses how both groups value mobility throughout their respective journeys. While both groups have frequently been identified as being highly mobile, few papers have critically examined the significance transportation choices play in enhancing or fulfilling their desired experiences. Despite suggestions that flashpackers possess far greater financial budgets, most studies have assumed that they travel in similar ways to backpackers. In this paper, the importance of automobility, which is deemed to be a combination of autonomous and self-directed movement, is explored in the context of Norway. Using a qualitative methodology, the experiences of 43 interviewees (26 backpackers and 17 flashpackers) at 10 different hostel locations were recorded in 2009. The findings revealed that backpackers and flashpackers exhibited highly contrasting mobilities, and that previous assumptions regarding how they choose to travel should be challenged.


A key problem in model-based object recognition is selection, namely, the problem of isolating regions in an image that are likely to come from a single object. This isolation either can be based solely on image data (data-driven) or can incorporate the knowledge of the model object (model-driven). In this paper we present an approach that exploits the property of closely spaced parallelism between lines on objects to achieve data- and model-driven selection. Specifically, we present a method of identifying groups of closely spaced parallel lines in images that generates a linear number of small-sized and reliable groups thus meeting several of the desirable requirements of a grouping scheme for recognition. The line groups generated form the basis for performing data- and model-driven selection. Data-driven selection is achieved by selecting salient line groups as judged by a saliency measure that emphasizes the likelihood of the groups coming from single objects. The approach to model-driven selection, on the other hand, uses the description of closely-spaced, parallel line groups on the model object to selectively generate line groups in the image that are likely to be the projections of the model groups under a set of allowable transformations and take into account the effect of occlusions, illumination changes, and imaging errors. We then discuss the utility of line groups-based selection in the context of reducing the search involved in recognition, both as an independent selection mechanism and when used in combination with other cues such as color. Finally, we present results that indicate the improvement in the performance of a recognition system that is integrated with parallel line groups-based selection.


Over the past three decades there has been a considerable amount of attention paid to the problem of rape and how the law and legal system should address it. And yet, in spite of significant legislative changes and political goodwill, attrition rates remain high and conviction rates low. In light of this, this thesis will explore the civil law, and in particular the trespass to the person torts, as an alternative route to justice. By placing the crime of rape within the framework of tort law it seeks to provide an alternative perspective from which to interrogate the harm of rape. Exploring the small body of case law, it will consider the extent to which tort law can respond to and might disrupt the distorting presence of 'rape myths'. It outlines the purpose(s) of tort law and the reasons as to why civil claims for rape (or acts like rape) may or may not be pursued, before considering its gendered limitations. Further, the strengths and shortcomings of the civil law's procedural rules and structures that differ from the criminal law will be explored, as well as the extent to which tort law may contribute to maintaining a problematic conception of rape. The thesis concludes that while tort law is unlikely to provide an ideal route to justice, it might – at least for some – offer an alternative avenue to redress; and placing rape in the context of tort law – with different purposes, substance and procedures to the criminal law – might reshape and reframe debates, allowing us to rethink rape and the possible legal responses.


In this paper, a variable frequency pulse charge system (VFPCS), that can detect and dynamically track the optimal charge frequency, is proposed to improve the battery-charge response. To assess the system performance, a prototype of the VFPCS for 600-mAh lithium-ion battery is designed and implemented. Compared with the standard constant-current and constant-voltage charge system, the charge speed of the proposed VFPCS is improved above 24%, while the proposed VFPCS is improved above 10% compared with the conventional fixed-frequency pulse charge system. The results indicate that the VFPCS can actually provide pulse with optimal frequency to charge the battery and the charge response is improved


Objective: To describe burden among Indonesian family caregivers, andexamine its predictors including family caregivers' perceived severity ofpatients' illness, knowledge and attitude towards schizophrenia, caregivingappraisal, and perceived social support. Method: A sample of 120 familycaregivers of schizophrenia patients visiting outpatient department of MenurMental Hospital, Surabaya, Indonesia participated in this study. Datacollection was performed during January to February 2015 with simplerandom sampling to recruit the sample. Structured questionnaires for datacollection included general information of both family caregivers and thepatients, perceived severity of patients' illness, knowledge and attitudetowards schizophrenia, caregiving appraisal, perceived social support, andburden. Descriptive statistics and standard multiple regression wereemployed for data analysis. Results: Ninety-three caregivers (77.50%)reported burden during their patient care. Perceived severity of patients'illness, knowledge about schizophrenia, attitude towards schizophrenia,caregiving appraisal, and perceived social support significantly explained51% of the variance in family caregivers' burden (R2 = 0.51, F = 24.07, P <0.001). Significant predictors were perceived severity of patients' illness (= 0.41, P < 0.001), attitude towards schizophrenia (= -0.38, P < 0.001),and perceived social support ( = -0.27, P < 0.01). Conclusion: Thefindings provided better understanding regarding burden and its predictorsamong Indonesian family caregivers of schizophrenia patients. Theseresults can be used for developing proper nursing intervention aiming atalleviating burden which will in turn help enhance the quality of life amongthese caregivers and their patients.Keywords: burden, schizophrenia, caregivers, Indonesia


Introduction The assessment of cognitive disorders in schizophrenia is becoming a part of clinical and research practice by using batteries that differ widely in their content. The Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia (BACS) was developed to cover the main cognitive deficits of schizophrenia. Objectives The objective of this study was to assess concurrent validity of the Arabic version of the BACS with a standard neurocognitive battery of tests in Lebanese patients with schizophrenia and healthy controls. Methods A sample of 120 stable inpatients diagnosed with schizophrenia and 60 healthy controls received the Arabic version of the BACS in a first session, and a standard battery in a second session. Results The mean duration of completion for the BACS was 31.2 ± 5.4 min in patients with schizophrenia. All tests demonstrated significant differences between controls and patients (p<0.01). A principal components analysis demonstrated that a one-factor solution best fits our dataset (64.8% of the variance). A high Cronbach alpha was found (0.85). The BACS composite scores were significantly correlated with the standard battery composite scores in patients (r=0.78, p < 0.001) and healthy controls (r=0.77, p < 0.001). Also, the correlation analysis between the BACS sub-scores and the standard battery sub-scores showed significant results (p < 0.05). The Arabic-BACS demonstrated high ability to discriminate patients with schizophrenia from healthy controls. Conclusions The results showed that the Arabic version of the BACS is a useful tool for assessing cognition in patients with schizophrenia and could be used in clinical practice in Lebanon.


Plant endo-β-1,4-glucanases (EGases) include cell wall-modifying enzymes that are involved in nematode-induced growth of syncytia (feeding structures) in nematode-infected roots. EGases in the α- and β-subfamilies contain signal peptides and are secreted, whereas those in the γ-subfamily have a membrane-anchoring domain and are not secreted. The Arabidopsis α-EGase At1g48930, designated as AtCel6, is known to be down-regulated by beet cyst nematode (Heterodera schachtii) in Arabidopsis roots, whereas another α-EGase, AtCel2, is up-regulated. Here, we report that the ectopic expression of AtCel6 in soybean roots reduces susceptibility to both soybean cyst nematode (SCN; Heterodera glycines) and root knot nematode (Meloidogyne incognita). Suppression of GmCel7, the soybean homologue of AtCel2, in soybean roots also reduces the susceptibility to SCN. In contrast, in studies on two γ-EGases, both ectopic expression of AtKOR2 in soybean roots and suppression of the soybean homologue of AtKOR3 had no significant effect on SCN parasitism. Our results suggest that secreted α-EGases are likely to be more useful than membrane-bound γ-EGases in the development of an SCN-resistant soybean through gene manipulation. Furthermore, this study provides evidence that Arabidopsis shares molecular events of cyst nematode parasitism with soybean, and confirms the suitability of the Arabidopsis-H. schachtii interaction as a model for the soybean-H. glycines pathosystem.


There has been rapid growth in the mobile-phone industry in terms of technology and growing number of users with migration into the car environment. There is also a significant demand for smart phones capable of accessing email, listening to music, organizing daily activities, linking to social networking sites, while the user is on the move. The automotive industry has been significantly impacted by such mobile-phone usage. Driving a car is a complicated and skillful task requiring attention and focus. However many people perceive driving to be easy - second-to-habit or an extension of their natural skills. This complacency encourages drivers to multitask while driving. While many drivers manage this multitasking comfortably, it becomes a distraction and contributes to increased risk while driving for some. Since the effect of multitasking is variable on different drivers, it is important to understand its impact on individual drivers. This study focuses on assessing the impact of several secondary tasks such as speaking over a hand-held mobile phone, tuning the radio, selecting songs from an MP3/CD playlist, speaking to a co-passenger, on individual drivers. To assess the driver activity, we formulate stochastic models such as Gaussian Mixture Models (GMM) using only CAN-bus signals collected on-road in real world driving situations from the UTDrive corpus. We also categorize drivers based on their distraction level into (1) least impacted, (2) moderately impacted, and (3) most impacted drivers. As the automotive industry further advances in developing active safety systems, such driver centric adaptive systems will help in personalizing the vehicle by triggering active safety systems only when drivers are impacted or when they show tendencies of such impact. This will help motivate drivers to use active safety systems rather than disabling them because they are annoyed. Keywords: Driver distraction; Language: en


A slice method to determine the boundary conditions between the stern bearing and shaft by dividing the journal in the stern bearing into several slice elements along the axial direction is proposed for the first time. A comprehensive finite element model considering the nonlinear force of the water film and the flexibility of the propeller blade is established for a propeller-shaft system. The long bearing approximation is adopted to calculate the pressure distribution around each journal element in the stern bearing. The mode superposition method is employed. The nonlinear equation of motion is solved iteratively using the Newmark method. A parametric study is implemented to analyze the nonlinear vibration characteristics of the system. It is shown that the real motion state of the journal in the stern bearing can be simulated more precisely by the slice method proposed. The responses of the system alternate among period-one, quasi-periodic, multi-periodic, and chaotic motions as the rotating speed increases. The damping ratio has a significant effect on the dynamic characteristics of the propeller-shaft system. The motion of the system is unstable when the damping ratio is very small. At this time, the modes of the flexible propeller blades can be excited readily. The slice method, which can also be extensively used in similar rotor-bearing systems in the engineering field, is very simple and efficient to analyze the nonlinear vibration characteristics of a flexible propeller-shaft system supported by water film bearings.


In this note, we characterize the semiparametric efficiency bound for a class of semiparametric models in which the unknown nuisance functions are identified via nonparametric conditional moment restrictions with possibly non-nested or over-lapping conditioning sets, and the finite dimensional parameters are potentially over-identified via unconditional moment restrictions involving the nuisance functions. We discover a surprising result that semiparametric two-step optimally weighted GMM estimators achieve the efficiency bound, where the nuisance functions could be estimated via any consistent nonparametric procedures in the first step. Regardless of whether the efficiency bound has a closed form expression or not, we provide easy-to-compute sieve based optimal weight matrices that lead to asymptotically efficient two-step GMM estimators.


We present a new protocol called distributed queueing over a broadcast channel (DQBC). It is a distributed protocol that has the potential to support a large number of users with different performance requirements in the medium access control layer. There is a separate reservation channel from the transmission channel and information is carried over time slots. DQBC presents a solution which requires only two reservation slots of one bit long per time slot. Under Poisson traffic conditions, DQBC has bounded delay up to input rates of 0.9. Under bursty traffic, DQBC has a delay performance comparable to the round-robin protocol.


For integers $r \geq 3$ and $t \geq 2$, an $r$-uniform $t$-daisy $\mathcal{D}^t_r$ is a family of $\binom{2t}{t}$ $r$-element sets of the form $$\{S \cup T \ : T\subset U, \ |T|=t \}$$ for some sets $S,U$ with $|S|=r-t$, $|U|=2t$ and $S \cap U = \emptyset$. It was conjectured by Bollob\'as, Leader and Malvenuto (and independently Bukh) that the Tur\'an densities of $t$-daisies satisfy $\lim\limits_{r \to \infty} \pi(\mathcal{D}_r^t) = 0$ for all $t \geq 2$; this has become a well-known problem, and it is still open for all values of $t$. In this paper, we give lower bounds for the Tur\'an densities of $r$-uniform $t$-daisies. To do so, we introduce (and make some progress on) the following natural problem in additive combinatorics: for integers $m \geq 2t \geq 4$, what is the maximum cardinality $g(m,t)$ of a subset $R$ of $\mathbb{Z}/m\mathbb{Z}$ such that for any $x \in \mathbb{Z}/m\mathbb{Z}$ and any $2t$-element subset $X$ of $\mathbb{Z}/m\mathbb{Z}$, there are $t$ distinct elements of $X$ whose sum is not in the translate $x+R$? This is a slice-analogue of the extremal Hilbert cube problem considered by Gunderson and R\"odl and its generalization studied by Cilleruelo and Tesoro.


ABSTRACTToday there are lots of different health care computer systems in use. However, according to recent studies many of them lack necessary usability. Within Nordic pediatric cancer care, analogue treatment protocols on paper are currently used, as a complement to the digital medical records and prescription systems. In these protocols, doctors and nurses note information regarding the patient's treatment. Comments and changes are noted in the margin, which sometimes leads to making the protocol messy and difficult to grasp. Since several people are involved in the handling of the treatment protocols it occasionally happens that the protocol disappears for periods of time. We had two aims with this project. The first was to examine and map requirements for a usable interactive treatment plan for acute lymphoblastic leukemia, ALL. The second was to investigate if our suggestedcombination of methods would be sufficient to acquire these requirements in a setting where the users, i.e. physicians, were time-‐constrained. Based on large variety of theories and methods from educational science and research in human computer interaction, we have conducted a qualitative study, iterating a combination of user-‐centered design methods, with a revision of the requirements as well as the design following each iteration. The requirements analysis was performed in close collaboration with the doctors at the Astrid Lindgren Children's Hospital, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden. Our results indicate that by using a combination of methods from usability engineering and participatory design, a well-‐defined list of requirements from the doctors could be identified which might be sufficient to develop an interactive prototype for a digital treatment protocol. In addition we found that our method enabled an exchange of knowledge between the designers and the users.In conclusion, these combined methods were suitable for enhancing the software designer's understanding of the user needs in this time-‐constrained environment.


Multi-step ahead streamflow forecasting is of practical interest. We examine the error evolution in multi-step ahead forecasting by conducting six simulation experiments. Within each of these experiments we compare the error evolution patterns created by 16 forecasting methods, when the latter are applied to 2 000 time series. Our findings suggest that the error evolution can differ significantly from the one forecasting method to the other and that some forecasting methods are more useful than others. However, the errors computed at each time step of a forecast horizon for a specific single-case study strongly depend on the case examined and can be either small or large, regardless of the used forecasting method and the time step of interest. This fact is illustrated with a comparative case study using 92 monthly time series of streamflow.


This research has as its main objective to create, test and improve methodologies and artefacts that help teachers to reflect to transform their practices, making them more creative. Actions are expected that go beyond envisioned planning, but that the teacher is able to concretize, evaluate and continuously improve his/her pedagogical actions. This paper describes the creation of a framework that aims to promote reflection on creative methodologies by teachers, helping them to make explicit the creative movements they already make highlighting their authorial moments, their limits, challenges and difficulties, as well as getting to know new creative possibilities.The data used for the initial construction of this framework was collected in two online courses on Design of Pedagogical Strategies, in which the participating teachers had to describe their teaching practices. From the qualitative analysis of this data, we mapped the challenges and strains in the construction of pedagogical strategies, as well as the fashions and trends that appeared in the discourses. An analysis of formative needs was made and a categorization was created based on a theoretical reflection and critical analysis of the trends presented in the teachers' data, emphasizing the importance of teachers' authorial and creative stances in their methodological construction. In this article, we will describe the mapped data, the categorization and the theoretical foundations that supported the construction of this framework. We will also describe the categories and the first validation phase already carried out as well as the next steps for a large-scale application.


Currently, there is no questionnaire to assess perceived stigmatization among people with visible differences in Brazil. The Perceived Stigmatization Questionnaire (PSQ), developed in the United States, is a valid instrument to assess the perception of stigmatizing behaviours among burn survivors. The objective of this cross-sectional and multicentre study was to assess the factor structure, reliability and validity of the Brazilian Portuguese version of the PSQ in burn patients. A Brazilian version of the 21-item PSQ was answered by 240 adult burn patients, undergoing rehabilitation in two burns units in Brazil. We tested its construct validity by correlating PSQ scores with depression (Beck Depression Index-BDI) and self-esteem (Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale-RSE), as well as with two domains of the Revised Burn Specific Health Scale—BSHS-R: affect and body image, and interpersonal relationships. We used Confirmatory Item Factor Analysis (CIFA) to test whether the data fit a measurement model involving a three-factor structure (absence of friendly behaviour; confusing/staring behaviour; and hostile behaviour). We conducted Exploratory Factor Analyses (EFA) of the subscale in a 50% random sample of individuals (training split), treating items as ordinal categorical using unweighted least squares estimation. To assess discriminant validity of the Brazilian version of the PSQ we correlated PSQ scores with known groups (sex, total body surface area burned, and visibility of the scars) and assessed its reliability by means of Cronbach's alpha and using test-retest. Goodness-of-fit indices for confirmatory factor analysis were satisfactory for the PSQ, but not for the hostile behaviour subscale, which was modified to improve fit by eliminating 3 items. Cronbach's alphas for the PSQ refined version (PSQ-R) ranged from 0.65 to 0.88, with test-retest reliability 0.87 for the total score. The PSQ-R scores correlated strongly with depression (0.63; p < 0.001), self-esteem (-0.57; p < 0.001), body image (-0.63; p < 0.001), and interpersonal relationships (-0.55; p < 0.001). PSQ-R total scores were significantly lower for patients with visible scars (effect size = 0.51, p = 0.029). The PSQ-R showed reliability and validity comparable to the original version. However, the cross-cultural structure of the subscale "hostile behaviour" and sensitivity to change of the PSQ should be further evaluated.