Since the fuel is always exposed to turbulent flow, the grid strap shows flow induced vibration characteristics that impact on the nuclear fuel soundness. The dynamic behavior of grids in nuclear fuels is quite complex, since two pairs of spring and dimple support are contacted with rods by friction in the limited space. This paper focuses on investigation of the grid strap(test fuel strap, TFS) vibration in one cell. TFS consists of a single spring and double dimples. To identify the grid strap vibration, modal analysis of the strap is performed using finite element method(FEM). Modal testing on a $5{\times}5$ grid structure without rods is performed. The modal testing results are compared to analytic results. In addition, random test considering rod effect is performed about a $5{\times}5$ grid with rods under real contact condition in the air. Finally, the strap vibration of a $5{\times}5$ fuel bundle in investigation of flow induced vibration(INFINIT) facility is measured in real fluid velocity condition without heating. It is shown that modal frequencies from the test are almost equal to those peak frequencies in the INFINIT test.


In this paper, we explore the problem of generating molecules using deep neural networks, which has recently gained much interest in chemistry. To this end, we propose a spanning tree-based graph generation (STGG) framework based on formulating molecular graph generation as a construction of a spanning tree and the residual edges. Such a formulation exploits the sparsity of molecular graphs and allows using compact tree-constructive operations to define the molecular graph connectivity. Based on the intermediate graph structure of the construction process, our framework can constrain its generation to molecular graphs that satisfy the chemical valence rules. We also newly design a Transformer architecture with tree-based relative positional encodings for realizing the tree construction procedure. Experiments on QM9, ZINC250k, and MOSES benchmarks verify the effectiveness of the proposed framework in metrics such as validity, Fr´echet ChemNet distance, and fragment similarity. We also demonstrate the usefulness of STGG in maximizing penalized LogP value of molecules.


After the onset of an acute episode of arrested circulation to the brain and consequent cerebral hypoxia, EEG changes and modifications of consciousness ensue within seconds. This in part reflects the rapid effect of hypoxia on the neocortex, where oxygen deprivation leads to impaired neuronal excitability and abnormal synaptic transmission. To identify the cellular mechanisms responsible for the earliest changes in neocortical function and to determine their time course, we have used patch-in-slice recording techniques to investigate the effects of acute hypoxia on the synaptic and intrinsic properties of layer 5 neurons. Coronal slices of mouse somatosensory cortex were maintained at 37°C and challenged with episodes of hypoxia (3–4 min of exposure to 95% N2, 5% CO2). In recordings with cell-attached patch electrodes, activation of ATP-sensitive potassium channels first became detectable 211 ± 11 sec (range, 185–240 sec; n = 6 patches) after the onset of hypoxia. Similar recording techniques revealed no alterations in the properties of Na+ currents in the first 4 min after the onset of hypoxia. The earliest hypoxia-induced disturbance was a marked increase in the frequency of spontaneous EPSCs and IPSCs, which began within 15–30 sec of the removal of oxygen. This rapid synaptic effect was not sensitive to TTX and was present in Ca2+-free perfusate, indicating that the hypoxia had a direct influence on the vesicular release mechanisms. The incoherent, massive increase in miniature PSCs would be expected to deplete the readily releasable pool of vesicles in cortical terminals, and to thereby markedly distort the neuronal interactions that underlie normal circuit function.


We present VisLink, a method by which visualizations and the relationships between them can be interactively explored. VisLink readily generalizes to support multiple visualizations, empowers inter-representational queries, and enables the reuse of the spatial variables, thus supporting efficient information encoding and providing for powerful visualization bridging. Our approach uses multiple 2D layouts, drawing each one in its own plane. These planes can then be placed and re-positioned in 3D space: side by side, in parallel, or in chosen placements that provide favoured views. Relationships, connections, and patterns between visualizations can be revealed and explored using a variety of interaction techniques including spreading activation and search filters.


Abstract Progesterone has been shown to regulate a number of genes and gene networks in the primate endometrium. This action of progesterone is essential to provide an appropriate milieu for embryo-endometrial communication that can lead to implantation and the successful initiation of pregnancy. A temporal regulation of endometrial genes is most likely required to achieve an appropriate state of receptivity in the primate endometrium. Using simulated menstrual cycles in the rhesus monkey, endometrial tissue was harvested at days that encompass the expected window of receptivity (4–10 days after the estradiol surge) and subsequently converted to cycle day-specific cDNA populations. Using differential display reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction, 12 cDNA fragments were isolated and sequenced whose mRNA levels were elevated during this time frame. The temporal expression patterns of these mRNAs were confirmed by semiquantitative polymerase chain reaction. Two of these fragments exhibited high homology to previously characterized human genes: 1) secretory leukocyte protease inhibitor, also known as antileukoprotease, an endometrial neutrophil elastase inhibitor with antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties; and 2) syncytin, also known as endogenous retrovirus W envelope protein, a highly fusogenic membrane glycoprotein that induces formation of giant syncytia and is believed to be important in decidual and placental development. The temporal regulation of these genes by progesterone supports their likely role in the orchestration of molecular and cellular events that are required to achieve a state of receptivity in the primate endometrium.


Neurodegenerative diseases (NDDs) are characterized by progressive deterioration of the structure and function of cells and their networks in the nervous system. There are currently no drugs or other treatments that can stop the progression of NDDs. NDDs have many similarities and common pathways, e.g., formation of misfolded amyloid proteins, intra- and extracellular amyloid deposits, and chronic inflammation. Initially, the inflammation process has a cytoprotective function; however, an elevated and prolonged immune response has damaging effects and causes cell death. Neuroinflammation has been a target of drug development for treating and curing NDDs. Treatment of different NDDs with non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) has failed or has given inconsistent results. The use of NSAIDs in diagnosed Alzheimer's disease is currently not recommended. Sigma-1 receptor (Sig-1R) is a novel target for NDD drug development. Sig-1R plays a key role in cellular stress signaling, and it regulates endoplasmic reticulum stress and unfolded protein response. Activation of Sig-1R provides neuroprotection in cell cultures and animal studies. Clinical trials demonstrated that several Sig-1R agonists (pridopidine, ANAVEX3-71, fluvoxamine, dextrometorphan) and their combinations have a neuroprotective effect and slow down the progression of distinct NDDs.


We study high-energy neutrino and cosmic-ray (CR) emission from the cores of low-luminosity active galactic nuclei (LLAGN). In LLAGN, the thermalization of particles is expected to be incomplete in radiatively inefficient accretion flows (RIAF), allowing the existence of non-thermal particles. In this work, assuming stochastic particle acceleration due to turbulence in RIAFs, we solve the Fokker–Planck equation and calculate spectra of escaping neutrinos and CRs. The RIAF in LLAGN can emit CR protons with ≳ 10 ?> PeV energies and TeV–PeV neutrinos generated via pp and/or p γ ?> reactions. We find that, if ∼1% of the accretion luminosity is carried away by non-thermal ions, the diffuse neutrino intensity from the cores of LLAGN may be as high as E &ngr; 2 Φ &ngr; ∼ 3 × 10 − 8 GeV cm − 2 s − 1 sr − 1 ?> , which can be compatible with the observed IceCube data. This result does not contradict either of the diffuse gamma-ray background observed by Fermi or observed diffuse CR flux. Our model suggests that, although very-high-energy gamma-rays may not escape, radio-quiet active galactic nuclei with RIAFs can emit GeV gamma-rays, which could be used for testing the model. We also calculate the neutron luminosity from RIAFs of LLAGN, and discuss a strong constraint on the model of jet mass loading mediated by neutrons from the diffuse neutrino observation.


Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is associated with impaired nitric oxide (NO)-mediated cerebral vasodilatation. We tested the hypothesis that SAH causes alterations in the production of, hydrolysis of, or responsiveness to cGMP in the rat basilar artery in vivo. Rats were injected with saline or autologous blood into the cisterna magna. Two days later, effects of vasoactive drugs on basilar artery diameter were examined using a cranial window preparation. Vasodilator responses to ACh, sodium nitroprusside (SNP), and low concentrations (≤10-5 M) of zaprinast, an inhibitor of phosphodiesterase V (PDE V), were impaired in SAH rats ( P < 0.05). In contrast, vasodilator responses to adenosine and 8-BrcGMP were similar in control and SAH rats. Vasoconstrictor responses to 1H-[1,2,4]oxadiazolo[4,3,-a]quinoxalin-1-one, an inhibitor of soluble guanylate cyclase, were unaffected by SAH. In the presence of zaprinast (10-5-10-4 M), responses to ACh and SNP were equivalent in control and SAH rats. Thus an increased rate of cGMP hydrolysis by PDE V may be a major factor contributing to the impairment of NO-mediated cerebral vasodilatation after SAH.


One of the potential byproducts of waste rock is Acid Mine Drainage (AMD), also called Acid Rock Drainage (ARD), from the dissolution of sulfides which can release acidic and metalliferous effluent into the environment. This thesis presents a model of a 1-D, 17 m high, theoretical waste rock pile with a non-reactive cover that would have existed 30 years in the past at the Detour Lake property. Since short term predictions of ARD are difficult due to the heterogeneous nature of waste rock and the seasonal variety from one year to the next, the model simulates 30 years of exposure to atmospheric conditions. The project utilizes hydrological and mineralogical work previously done on site along with 30 years of meteorological data to build the model. Similar procedures may be used to model the long-term generation of AMD on other sites and act a tool to test waste rock management strategies.


Although the concept of remote working is not new, and it has been in use for a while, billions of people and workplaces were caught in surprise during the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to full-scale lockdowns people got stuck with their family members. And in a very short time they were expected to set up home-offices and continue working. Balancing family relations with daily work schedule was hard for many. Drawing on a sample of instructors, this study investigates how people felt and dealt with it. Homogeneous purposive sampling technique was employed. The authors contacted with people from their network and asked them to fill in the online questionnaires. The people contacted also help to reach others in their network and consequently a total of 435 people participated. Most of the sample is comprised of university instructors (44.4%); followed by secondary school (22.8%), primary school (18.6%), and high school teachers (14.3%). We developed a theoretical model based on boundary theory and study the relationships among eWork-Life interferences with technostress and psychological well-being. The results supported our hypotheses and we found that timely IT assistance might decrease the felt technostress. Implications and further study suggestions are made accordingly.


Objective: At cesarean section (CS) for placenta previa (PP), previous CS, especially multiple CS, is reported to be associated with massive bleeding. The authors attempted to determine which causes massive bleeding, previous CS per se or previous-CS-associated factors. The need for allogeneic blood transfusion (BT) at CS was set as a marker representing massive bleeding. Materials and Methods: This retrospective cohort study involved all 326 patients with PP who delivered in one institute using the same management protocol. The authors evaluated the associations between the number of previous CS, maternal characteristics, and perinatal outcomes, and calculated the odds ratio (OR) for allogeneic BT according to the number of previous CS. Results: With an increasing number of previous CS, the following significantly increased: abnormally invasive placenta, anterior placentation, total previa, and ultrasound-detectable lacunae. The rates of allogeneic BT for patients with previous CS of 0×, 1×, and >2× were 6% (16/273), 37% (14/38), and 60% (9/15), respectively (p < 0.001). On adjustment for anterior placentation, total previa, and lacunae, ORs (95% confidence interval) of allogeneic BT for previous CS 1× and >2× were 6.3 (2.5-16.4) and 11.4 (3.0-42.2), respectively, with CS 0× being referent. On analysis of 308 (326-18) patients excluding 18 with an abnormally invasive placenta, the adjusted ORs of allogeneic BT for CS 1× and >2× were 3.5 (1.1-10.8) and 6.2 (1.1-37.3), respectively, remaining high. Conclusion: The number of prior CS, and, thus the previous CS per se, increases the requirement for allogeneic BT, irrespective of the presence/absence of an AIP, anterior placentation, total previa, or lacunae. Management protocol of PP women with multiple CS should be adapted accordingly.


In this study, effect of viscous dissipation on entropy generation for fully developed incompressible laminar flow mixed convection in vertical parallel-plate channels with asymmetric and symmetric uniform heat fluxes was parametrically analysed. Analytical equations were derived by using continuum approach and perturbation method. A specific MATLAB code was created to solve the governing equations. The effects of Gr/Re, the Brinkman number, and the ratio of wall heat flux on the entropy generation are presented and discussed. It is concluded that viscous dissipation has a significant effect on the entropy generation for mixed convection in heated vertical parallel-plate channels. Entropy generation resulting from fluid friction goes up, however, entropy generation due to heat transfer decreases by increasing of viscous dissipation. Consequently, it can be said that, this study will contribute to literature in optimising the systems that operates under mixed convection conditions in the vertical parallel-plate configuration.


Background: Investigating population changes gives insight into effectiveness and need for prevention and rehabilitation services. Incidence rates of amputation are highly varied, making it difficult to meaningfully compare rates between studies and regions or to compare changes over time. Study Design: Historical cohort study of transtibial amputation, knee disarticulation, and transfemoral amputations resulting from vascular disease or infection, with/without diabetes, in 2003–2004, in the three Northern provinces of the Netherlands. Objectives: To report the incidence of first transtibial amputation, knee disarticulation, or transfemoral amputation in 2003–2004 and the characteristics of this population, and to compare these outcomes to an earlier reported cohort from 1991 to 1992. Methods: Population-based incidence rates were calculated per 100,000 person-years and compared across the two cohorts. Results: Incidence of amputation was 8.8 (all age groups) and 23.6 (≥45 years) per 100,000 person-years. This was unchanged from the earlier study of 1991–1992. The relative risk of amputation was 12 times greater for people with diabetes than for people without diabetes. Conclusions: Investigation is needed into reasons for the unchanged incidence with respect to the provision of services from a range of disciplines, including vascular surgery, diabetes care, and multidisciplinary foot clinics. Clinical relevance This study shows an unchanged incidence of amputation over time and a high risk of amputation related to diabetes. Given the increased prevalence of diabetes and population aging, both of which present an increase in the population at risk of amputation, finding methods for reducing the rate of amputation is of importance.


Flavonols form an important class of flavonoids which serve an essential function during plant reproduction. Flavonoid biosynthesis is initiated by the enzyme chalcone synthase (CHS). A high abundance of flavonols and chs mRNA was demonstrated in male and female reproductive organs of Petunia hybrida. Detailed analyses revealed precise spatial and temporal regulation of the chs promoter and flavonol synthesis in the stigma, style and ovules. Transgenic plants were generated with a complete block of flavonol biosynthesis as the result of anti-sense inhibition of chs gene activity. The absence of flavonols by this dominant mutation rendered these plants self-sterile. Pollination experiments with wild-type and mutant plants revealed that the production of flavonols in either the anthers or the pistils was required for pollen tube growth and seed set. Mutant pollen without flavonols in their exine germinated normally. However, after a short period of in vitro pollen tube growth the tips of these tubes disrupted and the protoplasm was disloaded leading to the death of the pollen grain. Addition of flavonol aglycones but not other flavonoids complemented this phenotype. Confocal laser scanning microscopy revealed the localization of high levels of flavonols throughout the wild-type pollen tube. These compounds were not detected in the exine or cell wall of growing tubes. In addition, it was observed that the flavone apigenin could completely inhibit pollen tube growth. Taken together, it is shown that flavonols play an important role in the growth of the pollen tube and their mode of action is discussed.


Direct, explicit, and systematic instruction of critical skills has been a hallmark of effective teaching for many years. In this study, we implemented a quasi-experimental pre-/post-test design with nonequivalent groups to determine the effectiveness of syllable skills instruction on reading achievement. Classes were randomly assigned to control or treatment groups. Participants included middle-school students with high incidence disabilities, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and their peers at risk for reading failure. The syllable skills intervention included instruction in syllable patterns, syllabication steps and rules, and accenting patterns. Students practiced skills by decoding and encoding nonsense and low-frequency mono- and multisyllabic words. Statistically significant differences were evident between pre-test and post-test scores for three dependent measures: (a) word identification, (b) word attack, and (c) reading comprehension. The treatment group demonstrated greater increase from pre-test to post-test on word identification, word attack, and reading comprehension; and the gap in fluency performance between the groups decreased. We discuss these outcomes with regard to their implications for practice and future research.


This article explores representations of Algerian women in colonial, decolonizing and postcolonial contexts, drawing in interdisciplinary fashion on written and visual texts by Malek Alloula, Frantz Fanon, Assia Djebar and Zineb Sedira. It problematizes hegemonic constructions of Algerian women, and cites commentators affiliated to Algeria who present pedagogical models of the potential and limits of counter‐representational projects. 'The Algerian woman', as a contested and mobile signifier, is thus read as produced by, but always in excess of, historically‐specific discourses and differently‐embodied reading/spectating positions.


Hot gas filtration and purification is widely applied in many industrial fields, such as in power generation industry, chemical and petrochemical industry, metallurgical industry, ceramic and glass industry, environmental protection industry, etc. Gas filtration at high temperature from industrial processes offers various advantages such as increasing process efficiency, improving heat recovery and materials resource recovery, protection of downstream plant equipment, etc. At the same time, it is an advanced environment protection technology. This paper describes a newly developed metallic filter element - sintered Fe3Al intermetallics. The manufacturing process of sintered Fe3Al metallic powder and the mechanical and filtration characteristics of this filter element were investigated. In this work, the mechanism of the morphological and phase constituent changes of the Fe3Al powder during sintering were studied. The newly developed filter elements were found to have excellent corrosion resistance, good thermal resistance, high strength and high filtration efficiency. Based on these results, the potential application of the sintered Fe3Al filter elements in industrial hot gas filtration are discussed.


ABSTRACT A significant body of research has illustrated that the Risk/Need/Responsivity (RNR) paradigm is predictive of recidivism for a variety of offenders, including those with mental illness. This paper builds upon the extant literature in this area by examining how RNR domains specifically predict successful completion of a mental health specialty caseload. To do so, we use data collected from offenders on the Seriously Mentally Ill probation caseload in Maricopa County, Arizona to examine the completion of probation. Using the Offender Screening Tool (OST) to examine how risk/need predicts probation completion (n = 1,430), our findings demonstrate that the OST score overall, as well as participants' age, whether the probationer received a Petition for Revocation for a technical violation or new crime during their time on probation, and multiple specific OST risk domains (e.g., educational risk, drug risk, mental health risk, and criminal behavior risk) are meaningfully associated with probation completion. We close by contextualizing these findings and discussing their policy implications.


Despite the tremendous attention given to conservation projects in the Neotropics, few published studies have documented remote sensing studies in tropical highland areas. Even fewer publications have addressed the use of topographic normalization methods in these regions. This article discusses the in ̄ uence of anisotropic re ̄ ectance patterns on land cover classi® cation for two study areas characterized by very rugged terrain and high relief. Landsat Thematic Mapper subscenes for sites in both Costa Rica and Ecuador were corrected using both Lambertian and non-Lambertian models. While use of the Lambertian model proved inappropriate for these mountainous areas, application of the non-Lambertian model enhanced classi® cation accuracies.


The main objective of this study is to measure and characterize the mechanical properties of the thermoplastic syntactic foams at the intermediate and high strain rates. The syntactic foam consists of the elastically deformable microballoons in the polypropylene matrix. The four types of syntactic foams and one polypropylene bulk specimen are prepared at same manufacturing process: 0, 20, 30, 40 and 50 volume percent of microballoons. Tensile tests are conducted at nominal strain rates ranging from 10-1 to 102 (1/sec). Elastic modulus, yield stress and rupture strain are measured and the effects of microballoons on the mechanical properties are studied. In addition, fracture surfaces are observed with ESEM (Environmental Scanning Electron Microscopy). Finally, the changes of fracture mode due to microballoons are discussed.


ABSTRACT We developed an easy-to-use method for genotyping Toxoplasma gondii isolates in a single multiplex PCR assay with 15 microsatellite markers. This method was validated by testing 26 reference isolates that had been characterized with other sets of markers.


1. Sodium acetoacetate was infused into the inferior vena cava of fed rats, 48h-starved rats, and fed streptozotocin-diabetic rats treated with insulin. Arterial blood was obtained from a femoral artery catheter. 2. Acetoacetate infusion caused a fall in blood glucose concentration in fed rats from 6.16 to 5.11mm in 1h, whereas no change occurred in starved or fed-diabetic rats. 3. Plasma free fatty acids decreased within 10min, from 0.82 to 0.64mequiv./l in fed rats, 1.16 to 0.79mequiv./l in starved rats and 0.83 to 0.65mequiv./l in fed-diabetic rats. 4. At 10min the plasma concentration rose from 20 to 49.9muunits/ml in fed unanaesthetized rats and from 6.4 to 18.5muunits/ml in starved rats. There was no change in insulin concentration in the diabetic rats. 5. Nembutal-anaesthetized fed rats had a more marked increase in plasma insulin concentration, from 30 to 101muunits/ml within 10min. 6. A fall in blood glucose concentration in fed rats and a decrease in free fatty acids in both fed and starved rats is to be expected as a consequence of the increase in plasma insulin. 7. The fall in the concentration of free fatty acids in diabetic rats may be due to a direct effect of ketone bodies on adipose tissue. A similar effect on free fatty acids could also be operative in normal fed or starved rats.


With the growing importance of privacy in data access, much research has been done on the privacy protecting technology in the recent years. Developing an access control model and related mechanisms to support a selective access data has become important. The extensible markup language (XML) is rapidly emerging as the new standard language for semi‐structured data representation and exchange on the Internet with more and more information being distributed in XML format. In this paper, we present a comprehensive approach for privacy preserving access control based on the notion of purpose. In our model, purpose information associated with a given data element in an XML document specifies the intended use of the data elements. An important issue addressed in this paper is the granularity of data labeling for data elements in XML documents and tree databases with which purposes can be associated. We address this issue in native XML databases and propose different labeling schemes for XML documents. We also propose an approach to represent purpose information to support access control based on purpose information. Our proposed solution relies on usage access control models as well as the components that are based on the notions of the purpose information used in subjects and objects. Finally, comparisons with related works are analysed. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


The investigation of Legionnaires' disease was riddled with problems, and as a result, was largely ineffective. But the lesions it taught can be extremely valuable to future public-health efforts if they are heeded. This chapter has attempted to highlight those problems and offer some possible solutions. It is now up to the public-health hierarchy to use what is offered in these pages to spark the building of programs and systems that provide the level of effectiveness the American people have a right to expect from public-health departments. Finally, it was my intent to raise questions about the Center for Disease Control's new organism. The Center may, indeed, have found the responsible agent. We must not, however, allow ourselves to have tunnel vision in the continuing investigation--switching to other possibilities only if the microorganism theory is exhausted. The evidence and remaining questions demand a broader scope of investigation. How tragic it will be if we have not learned from the inflexibility and narrowness of the 1976 investigation of Legionnaires' disease.


This article examines how public law should be revitalised in light of the increasing use of technology in government decision-making. As the recent controversy concerning the implementation of an automated debt recovery system by the Department of Social Services illustrates, the automation of government decision-making engages fundamental legal principles such as transparency, procedural fairness and reviewability. The use of technology in administrative decision-making in Australia therefore raises a number of critical, and interlocking, questions: Is Australian public law fit for purpose to protect individual rights in automated governmental decisionmaking? If not, what reforms are necessary and how should they be instituted? This article will consider these issues in relation to three specific areas of public law: privacy law, freedom of information, and judicial review. In doing so, it sets out concrete recommendations for the revitalisation of Australian public law so that it may become more value-compliant and consistent with emerging international best practice standards.


Film cooling experiments were performed using a highly loaded high pressure turbine blade blade linear cascade. A large region with main flow separation is found on the pressure side and film cooling is provided into this area with three rows of either cylindrical or fan-shaped holes. The measurements comprise adiabatic film cooling effectiveness and profile static pressure measurements. The surface temperature was acquired with thermochromatic liquid crystals and using a hue to temperature correlation. The results shown are for variations in main flow Mach and Reynolds numbers at engine relevant levels and of coolant mass flows. The results for steady and periodic unsteady inflows with highly turbulent wakes created by cylindrical bars moving upstream in a plane parallel to the cascade are compared as two-dimensional surface plots, laterally averaged film cooling effectiveness and overall effectiveness over the entire surface.


The transglycosylation activity of endo-β-N-acetylglucosaminidase from Arthrobacter protophormiae (endo-A) can be enhanced dramatically by inclusion of organic solvent in the reaction mixture (see accompanying article; Fan, J.-Q., Takegawa, K., Iwahara, S., Kondo, A., Kato, I., Abeygunawardana, C., and Lee, Y. C.(1995) J. Biol. Chem. 270, 17723-17729). This finding was extended to synthesis of important intermediates for preparation of neoglycoconjugates. When 0.2 M GlcNAc-O-(CH2)6NH2, GlcNAc-O-CH2CH=CH2, GlcNAc-O-(CH2)3CH=CH2, GlcNAc-O-(CH2)3NHCOCH=CH2, GlcNAc-S-CH2CN, GlcNAc-S-(CH2)3CH3, or GlcNAc-S-CH2CONHCH2CH(OMe)2 were used as acceptors in 30% acetone-containing media, the transglycosylation was accomplished with about 80% yield. The transglycosylation yields to benzyl β-GlcNAc (67%), 4-methylumbelliferyl β-GlcNAc (66%), p-nitrophenyl β-GlcNAc (33%), and (GlcNAc-β-S-CH2CH2CH2)2 (43%) were lower, because their poor solubilities allowed only 0.05 M or lower concentrations in the reaction mixture. A micromole-scale synthesis of Man9GlcNAc2-O-(CH2)3NHCOCH=CH2 (Man9GlcNAc2-NAP) was accomplished with 90% yield, and the structure of the transglycosylation product was confirmed by 1H NMR. Man9GlcNAc2-NAP was co-polymerized with acrylamide. The ratio of sugar side chain to acrylamide in this glycopolymer was 1:44 and the molecular weight of glycopolymer was estimated to be between 1,500,000 and 2,000,000 by high performance gel filtration chromatography. The glycopolymer was shown to be a much more efficient inhibitor of binding by recombinant rat mannose binding protein-carbohydrate recognition domains (MBP-CRD) from serum (I = 3.5 μM Man9GlcNAc2-sugar chain) and liver (I = 74.5 nM) than soybean agglutinin.


Different assistive technologies are available for deaf people (i.e. deaf, deafened, and hard of hearing). Besides the well-known hearing aid, devices for detection of sound events that occur at home or at work (e.g. doorbell, telephone) are available. Despite the technological progress in the last years and resulting new possibilities, the basic functions and concepts of such devices have not changed. The user still needs special assistive technology that is bound to the home or work environment. In this contribution a new concept for awareness of events in buildings is presented. In contrast to state-of-the-art assistive devices, it makes use of modern Information and Communication and home automation technology, and thus offers the prospect of cheap implementation and higher comfort for the user. In this concept events are indicated by notifications that are send over a Bluetooth Low Energy mesh network from a source to the user. The notifications are received by the user's smartwatch and the event is indicated by vibration and an icon representing its source.


Partial response continuous phase modulation (CPM) gives constant envelope digital modulation schemes with excellent power spectra. Both narrow main lobe and low spectral tails can be achieved. When these signals are detected in an optimum coherent maximum likelihood sequence detector (Viterbi detector), power efficient schemes can also be designed, sometimes at the expense of receiver complexity. This paper describes a general class of simple Viterbi detectors with reduced complexity compared to the optimum case. The key idea is that the approximate receiver is based on a less complex CPM scheme than the transmitted scheme. The asymptotically optimum reduced-complexity receiver is found for a variety of transmitted schemes and various complexity reduction factors, for a specific class of receivers and modulation indexes. A new distance measure is introduced for the performance analysis. Smooth schemes based on raised cosine pulses are analyzed and simulated for the case of simplified reception. A graceful performance degradation occurs with the reduction of complexity.


This paper is related to two others by the same authors, Research Reports LSE-CDAM-2007-23 and 24. In the first, we make a systematic study of properties that hold `automatically', for example, automatic continuity. This topic has been extensively studied for Banach algebras, but it has roots in classical real analysis, and that is the setting here. The second paper is on `analytic automaticity', where the test set on which a weaker property is to imply a stronger one is analytic, and `thin'. The roots of the present paper lie in an important (but little cited) paper of Kestelman [Kes], and a subsequent paper of Borwein and Ditor [BoDi]. There the setting is measure-theoretic, and one assumes sets measurable, but one can also proceed topologically, and assume sets to have the Baire property (to be `Baire'). In both contexts one has the sequence containment property at generically all points (that is, avoiding a `thin' exceptional set -- which may be null or meagre): typically, a subsequence of deviations from a location in the set, fixed according to a given sequence of deviations, stays within the set. Instead of deviations in this pointwise mode, as in [Kes], [BoDi] and Research Report LSE-CDAM-2007-23, here we consider functional deviations, again obtaining generic conclusions; these permit a form of fixed-point property to hold.


The problem addressed in this paper is that of orthogonally packing a given set of rectangular-shaped items into a minimum number of three-dimensional rectangular bins. We harness the computing power of the modern day computers to solve this NP-Hard problem that would be otherwise practically extremely difficult. The software tool that we develop using both heuristics and some knapsack problem approach, presents the solutions as a 3D graphical representation of the solution space. The visual and interactive ability of the simulation model provides a disciplined approach to solving the 3D Bin Packing Problem.


Many cephalopod species grow throughout their lifetime. Critically, this means that they lack an asymptotic phase of growth, when, for a substantial part of the lifetime, growth slows and body size increases minimally. Understanding the form of the growth curve requires an understanding of the growth processes operating at several biological levels including the relative growth of organs, muscle fibre production and growth, and at the level of proximal composition and protein synthesis. There are key differences in growth processes between fish and cephalopods; cephalopods have a sac-like body form that provides greater surface area for respiration, continuous production of new muscle fibres that ensures a supply of somatic material for growth, and high retention of synthesised protein. These characteristics provide process-orientated explanations for non-asymptotic growth in cephalopods. However, differences found in growth curves of laboratory-reared animals (two-phase growth curve) and of wild animals (single growth curve) suggests that future work will be needed to resolve this paradox. We need to determine the generality of growth processes observed to date, and how biotic and abiotic factors modify these processes during the lifetime of the animals.


This volume examines the problems of policy analysis, decision making and evaluation that arise in public and private administration. Featuring state-of-the-art information, it takes into account the technical, economic, environmental, and social factors involved in systems analysis. It contains 15 essays that present a comprehensive view of the day-to-day concerns of systems and policy analysts, and provides new insight into the aspects of systems analysis that are usful in planning and carrying out a systems analysis study.


As part of a Department of Energy International Nuclear Energy Research Initiative (I-NERI), the Dutch Nuclear Research and consultancy Group (NRG), the Belgian Nuclear Research Centre (SCK•CEN), Ghent University (UGent) in Belgium and the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA) are collaborating with Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) to perform and compare a series of thermal hydraulic simulations representative of a heavy liquid metal fast reactor fuel assembly. Such a widely spaced wire-wrapped fuel assembly is a complex configuration for which few flow data are available for verification and validation of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations.
For this benchmark a 19-pin wire-wrapped rod bundle with characteristics representative of the MYRRHA flexible fast research reactor, under design at SCK•CEN in Belgium, is modeled. The heat transport in the cladding of the fuel rods and the spacer wires is taken into account by conjugate heat transfer.
UGent, ENEA and NRG performed their Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) simulations with commercially available CFD codes. The high-fidelity ANL Large-Eddy Simulation (LES) was performed with Nek5000, used for CFD in the Simulation-based High-efficiency Advanced Reactor Prototyping (SHARP) suite.
The paper will show and discuss the comparison of the thermal and hydraulic RANS results and the reference Nek5000 LES results. The comparison with the LES results will indicate to which extent the current liquid metal modeling methods are sufficient and help to highlight remaining issues. The results of the study are very valuable in the design and licensing process for MYRRHA.


The use of frequency-dependent spectral element matrix (or exact dynamic stiffness matrix) in structural dynamics is known to provide very accurate solutions, while reducing the number of degrees-of-freedom to resolve the computational and cost problems. Thus, in the present paper, the spectral element model is formufor the axially moving Timoshenko beam under a uniform axial tension. The high accuracy of the pre-spectral element is then verified by comparing its solutions with the conventional finite element solutions and exact analytical solutions. The effects of the moving speed and axial tension on the vibration characteris-tics, the dispersion relation, and the stability of a moving Timoshenko beam are investigated, analytically and numerically.


This study investigated the effectiveness of utilizing acoustic measures as an objective tool in monitoring speech errors and providing visual feedback to enhance speech training and aural rehabilitation of children with hearing impairment. The first part of the study included a comprehensive description of the acoustic characteristics related to the speech deficits of a hearing impaired child. Results of a series of t-tests performed on the experimental measures showed that vowel length and the loci of formant frequencies were most relevant in differentiating between correctly and incorrectly produced vowels, while voice onset time along with measures of Moment 1 (mean) and Moment 3 (skewness) obtained from speech moment analysis, were related to consonant accuracy. These findings, especially the finding of an abnormal sound frequency distribution shown in the hearing impaired child's consonant production, suggest a link between perceptual deficits and speech production errors and provide clues to the type of compensatory feedback needed for aural rehabilitation. The second part of the study involved a multiple baseline design across behaviours with replication across three hearing impaired children to assess the efficacy of treatment with acoustic signals as visual feedback. Participants' speech articulations following traditional speech training and training using spectrographic and RMS displays as visual feedback (referred to as "visual treatment") were compared, with traditional non-visual treatment followed by visual treatment on one or two targets in a time-staggered fashion. Although no statistically significant difference on the experimental measures was found between the two training approaches based on perceptual assessment, some objective acoustic measures revealed more subtle changes toward normal speech patterns with visual treatment as compared to a traditional approach. Further acoustic-perceptual studies with a larger sample size and longer experimental period are needed to better understand the general and long-term effectiveness of visual treatment.


Seventy-five surface (<4 cm) sediment samples were collected throughout Green Bay Cave System, Bermuda to investigate foraminiferal ecology and habitat variability in underwater coastal caves. This cave is ideal for studying different cave environments because it consists of an anchia-line cave environment connected to a submarine cave environment. Each sediment sample was analyzed for foraminifera, δ13Corg, C:N, organic matter content, CaCO3, and granulometry. Measurements of pH, salinity, dissolved oxygen, and temperature in the coastal aquifer distinguished the meteoric lens and saline groundwater. Q-mode cluster analysis on the foraminifera produced a dendrogram that segregates the anchialine and submarine cave environments, and subdivides each environment into distinct habitats consistent with local hydrogeology and sedimentology. The anchialine cave environment near the sinkhole is characterized by two groups of foraminifera: 1) the Meteoric Lens Assemblage living in the brackish meteoric lens within 60 cm of sea level, and 2) the Anchialine Cave Assemblage living in the saline groundwater. Helenina anderseni , Discorinopsis aguayoi , and other marsh foraminifera can persist in the brackish meteoric lens, which transitions into a more diverse assemblage dominated by Bolivina striatula and Rosalina globularis below the halocline. The boundary between the anchialine (terrestrially dominated) and submarine cave (marine-dominated) environments is demarcated by gross foraminiferal and sedimentary changes (δ13Corg from −24‰ to −18‰, C:N from 11.2 to 8.3) that correspond to the maximum point where terrestrial influences routinely impact the cave benthos. Three assemblages of foraminifera inhabit the submarine cave environment: 1) the Entrance Assemblage in the first ~60 m of the submarine cave, dominated by Quinqueloculina ; 2) the Circulated Submarine Cave Assemblage dominated by Spirillina vivipara and Triloculina oblonga , and 3) the Isolated Submarine Cave Assemblage dominated by Spirophthalmidium emaciatum . Planktic tintinnids suggest that tidally forced saline groundwater circulation is transporting more nutrients and particulate organic matter to the Circulated Submarine Cave Assemblage than the Isolated Submarine Cave Assemblage. These results indicate that coastal caves are partitioned into specific environments that can be further subdivided into habitats by groundwater masses, sediment fluxes (terrestrial versus marine), and groundwater circulation. This implies that that cave foraminifera can be useful paleohydrogeologic, paleoclimatic, and Quaternary sea-level proxies.


Abstract This study evaluated changes in energy expenditure in six to eight-year-old children after a two year pedagogical intervention on healthy habits. Methods: This was a longitudinal descriptive observational study in children at a private school in Bogotá. Outcomes: change in the average energy expenditure(Kcal/day) and time dedicated to physical activity. The children's physical activity(PA) was objectively assessed for six days using a multi-sensor device(Actiheart®). Results: A total of ten girls (52.63%) and nine boys (47.37%) were included. At the end of the follow-up, the energy expenditure had increased by 457.30 Kcal/day (p < 0.001), activities requiring <1.5 MET had decreased by 237.40 minutes (p < 0.001), and physical activity between 3–6 MET had increased by 88.90 minutes(p = 0.001). Conclusions: Children decreased their sedentary lifestyle and increased energy expenditure and physical activity, suggesting a possible change in them as a consequence of the intervention.


The goal of this work is to create a detailed three-dimensional (3D) digital breast phantom based on empirical data and to incorporate it into the four-dimensional (4D) NCAT phantom, a computerized model of the human anatomy widely used in imaging research. Twenty sets of high-resolution breast CT data were used to create anatomically diverse models. The datasets were segmented using techniques developed in our laboratory and the breast structures will be defined using a combination of non-uniform rational b-splines (NURBS) and subdivision surfaces (SD). Imaging data from various modalities (x-ray and nuclear medicine) were simulated to demonstrate the utility of the new breast phantoms. As a proof of concept, a simple compression technique was used to deform the breast models while maintaining a constant volume to simulate modalities (mammography and tomosynthesis) that involve compression. Initial studies using one CT dataset indicate that the simulated breast phantom is capable of providing a realistic and flexible representation of breast tissue and can be used with different acquisition methods to test varying imaging parameters such as dose, resolution, and patient motion. The final model will have a more accurate depiction of the internal breast structures and will be scaleable in terms of size and density. Also, more realistic finite-element techniques will be used to simulate compression. With the ability to simulate realistic, predictive patient imaging data, we believe the phantom will provide a vital tool to investigate current and emerging breast imaging methods and techniques.


The use of elements with high oxygen affinity such as Cr or Mn in PM steels has been met with skepticism although such grades are attractive options for structural applications. They require strict control of the used atmosphere during the sintering process. Various techniques such as photoacoustic spectroscopy (PAS) and continuous CO/CO2/H2O measurements have been implemented for atmosphere monitoring during sintering trials of Cr-alloyed steel powder. The used atmospheres were nitrogen-hydrogen blends (0,3,10 and 100% H2) as well as vacuum. The progress of the oxidation/reduction processes was also followed with thermogravimetric studies. The pressed and sintered samples were examined using optical and electron microscopy in combination with EDX in order to evaluate the formed reaction products. The presence of hydrogen, even in small amounts, is positive for the oxide reduction. Results show that careful adjustment of the used atmosphere leads to efficient production of steel components based on Cr - prealloyed powders.


The spectral and directional distribution of radiation intensity is measured, using a direct radiometric technique, at the exposed boundary of a packed bed of stainless steel spheres. The purpose of these measurements is to provide an experimental data base of radiation intensity with which to correlate intensity field solutions of the radiative transfer equation in participating media. The bed is considered to be one-dimensional, is optically thick, and has measured constant-temperature boundary conditions. Intensity exiting the bed is numerically simulated using a discrete ordinates solution to the radiative transfer equation, with combined mode radiation-conduction solution of the coupled energy conservation equation. Radiative properties for the bed are computed using the large size parameter correlated scattering theory derived by Kamiuto from the general theory of dependent scattering by Tien and others. The measured intensity results show good agreement with computed results in near-normal directions, though agreement in near-grazing directions is poor. This suggests that either radiative transfer near the boundaries of this medium might not be adequately represented by a continuous form of the radiative transfer equation, or that the properties derived from correlated scattering theory are insufficient. In either case, development of a more detailed radiation model for spherical packed beds appears warranted.


Hysteresis phenomena of four basic food compounds (amylose, amylopectin, casein, and cellulose) were studied after 9 days equilibration in descicators at 28oC. Adsorption experiments started from 2% moisture content and desorption from wetted samples with excessive moisture. In starch and protein, the hysteresis occurred in the middle range of the sorption isotherm in the range of 10 - 90% RH and no hysteresis at the lowest and highest ranges of RH. While in cellulose hysteresis started at about 10% RH and was increasing to the saturated RH. Analyses of stratified bound water using sorption isotherm data revealed that from the four samples, the desorption monolayer and secondary bound water fractions were higher than those of adsorption. However, the tertiary bound water fractions of desorption were lower than those of adsorption, except from the cellulose sample . Key words : Hysteresis, isotherm, starch, protein, and cellulose


Alaska Natives have experienced less than ideal conditions for engaging in management of their homeland commons. During the first 100 years after the Treaty of Cession of 1867, Alaska Natives received limited recognition by the United States. The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971 (ANCSA) was signed into law by President Richard Nixon after tedious negotiations by Alaska Natives, the United States Congress, and special interest groups. As part of the settlement, 12 regional corporations and over 200 village corporations were established to receive fee title to 40 million acres of land and a cash settlement of $962.5 million for lands lost. This arrangement has been considered by some as an act of social engineering to assimilate Alaska Natives into a capitalist economy. In spite of the goal of assimilation, Alaska Natives have utilized ANCSA to strengthen their indigenous identity and revitalize their cultural traditions. This paper examines the innovative efforts of Alaska Natives to successfully manage their commons despite the introduction of new and foreign institutions. Since the passing of ANSCA, Alaska Natives have cultivated good skills to navigate and modify legal systems and engage bureaucracies with considerable success. More than 36 years after the passage of ANCSA, most Alaska Native homelands remain intact in ways not previously imagined. Village corporations have used a number of legal methods to allocate land to shareholders, manage ownership of stocks, and contribute to the Alaska economy. ANCSA provided no special aboriginal rights for harvesting and management of fish and wildlife. Resultant rural-urban conflicts have been confronted with a novel mix of agency-Native cooperation and litigation. Although aspects of the arrangement are not ideal, the conditions are not hopeless. Our paper explores the hypothesis that while formal institutions matter, informal institutions have considerable potential to generate innovative solutions that overcome formal institutional shortfalls. We draw on the experiences of Native corporations in several regions of Alaska, with a focus on Bean Ridge Corporation (BRC), the village corporation which owns lands in and around the community of Manley Hot Springs, Alaska. Programs to distribute corporate earnings, address trespassing, and maintain cultural traditions are described.


Norman R. Hertzer, M.D. Department of Vascular Surgery The Cleveland Clinic Foundation 9500 Euclid Avenue Cleveland, Ohio 44106 Two hundred sixteen of a series of 1000 patients initially presenting for elective surgical treatment of peripheral vascular disease underwent coronary bypass as a staged or simultaneous procedure, while bypass was warranted but never performed in 35 others who were documented by angiography to have severe coronary artery disease (CAD). Myocardial revascularization was associated with an approximate 10-fold reduction in the early mortality of vascular reconstruction, and these differences were statistically significant among hypertensive patients (p=0.045) and non-diabetics (p =0.018). During a mean follow-up interval of 4.6 years, fatal cardiac events occurred in 3.7% of patients with normal coronary arteries or mild to moderate CAD, in 12% of those receiving coronary bypass, and in 26% of the group with severe, uncorrected CAD. The protection from cardiac-related death offered by myocardial revascularization was most apparent among men (p =0.023), hypertensives (p =0.05), and nondiabetics (p =0.031). Cumulative 5-year survival after coronary bypass in men (76%) and nondiabetics (78%) exceeded that for comparable women (60%) and diabetics (43%). Because of their low operative risk (0.7%), superior 5-year survival (81%), and few late cardiac deaths (6.3%) following coronary bypass, nondiabetic men appear to have the most to gain from a comprehensive approach to associated CAD preceding peripheral vascular operations.


The authors present the first YBa2Cu3O7-x-Pb tunnelling measurements using window-type tunnel devices. YBa2Cu3O7-x (YBCO) thin films are grown in-situ by dual Ar+ ion beam sputtering. Tunnel barriers are formed on a chemically etched YBCO surface. Tunnelling dV/dI(V) characteristics show reproducible weak gap-like structure 4.4±0.4 meV and 22±2 meV, the latter giving a 2Δ/kBTc value of about 6.5


We explore the role of cognitive dissonance in dictator and public goods games. Specifically, we motivate cognitive dissonance between one's perception of "fair treatment" and self-interested behaviour by having participants answer a question about fairness. Utilizing two manipulations (reminding participants about their answer to the fairness question and publicly reporting aggregate answers to the question), we find that there is greater cognitive dissonance and behavioural change when there is a social component (i.e., reporting of aggregate answers). When a participant's answer to the fairness question is private, there is less dissonance and hence no behavioural change.


ABSTRACT Traditionally, the online retailer has adopted the wholesale pricing model to work with heterogeneous manufacturers, that is, the retailer buys the products from the competitive manufacturers and then resells them to customers. Recently, the increasing prevalence of online retailing has given rise to a novel agency pricing model; that is, the manufacturers sell their products directly to customers on the retailer's platform, and the retailer charges a commission fee for each sale. Meanwhile, customer loyalty is an important determinant of long-term business success for the retail platform. Considering the customer with loyalty, this paper investigates how the chosen pricing model (wholesale pricing model or agency pricing model) affects the online retailer's profit, industry profit, consumer surplus, and social welfare. We find that the latter model always leads to a lower retail price and higher consumer surplus. More important, we also show that the industry profit and social welfare increase when the online retailer switches from the former model to the latter one. However, the online retailer's profit critically depends on customer loyalty. Specifically, when customer loyalty is strong enough, the online retailer should adopt the agency pricing model. Otherwise, the wholesale pricing model dominates.


: Animals and plants protect themselves against invading pathogenic microorganisms by expressing a plethora of cationic antimicrobial peptides on exposed surfaces. These highly charged peptides, some of which are constitutively expressed and present on the cell surface at all times, and some which are expressed following induction by a specific insult, interact with and rapidly eliminate a wide variety of microbial invaders, including Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, fungi and protozoa. Although these peptides are highly toxic to microbial cells, binding to and rapidly lysing the microbe within a few minutes, they are innocuous to host cells at the minimal inhibitory concentration dose range. Highly charged cationic peptides of this class offer the possibility of taking advantage of Nature's natural and highly evolved mechanism to protect an organism from attack by a microorganism, and to develop these novel peptides for biopharmaceutical use against a growing and deadly invasion of novel and rapidly evolving microbes that are resistant to the current antimicrobial armamentaria.


In 1997, greenhouse-produced transplants of watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) developed water-soaked lesions on leaf petioles and main stems. As disease progressed, petioles and stems became necrotic and shriveled, and exuded a sticky, translucent tan liquid. Symptoms spread to leaves, which wilted and collapsed. Affected transplants eventually died. Although fruiting bodies were not observed on diseased plants, a fungal agent was consistently isolated from symptomatic tissues. When incubated under lights (12 h light/12 h dark cycle), isolates on potato dextrose agar produced numerous pycnidia with hyaline, cylindrical, one-septate conidia with mean dimensions of 5.6 × 2.8 μm. Under the same incubation conditions, isolates on V8 juice agar produced sparse ostiolate pseudothecia with bitunicate asci and hyaline, oval, one-septate ascospores with mean dimensions of 12.0 × 4.0 μm. Based on these characters, the isolates were identified as Didymella bryoniae (anamorph Phoma cucurbitacearum) (1,2). Pathogenicity was tested by producing conidial inocula of representative isolates and inoculating wounded cotyledons, true leaves, and petioles of watermelon (cv. Sangria), and wounded true leaves and petioles of cucumber (Cucumis sativus cv. Premier Hybrid) (3). Sterile, distilled water was applied to corresponding wounded tissues of control plants. All plants were kept in a humid chamber for 4 days. After 6 (watermelon) to 10 (cucumber) days, inoculated plants exhibited water-soaked lesions followed by necrosis, petiole and leaf wilting, and shriveling of tissues. Pycnidia were observed on cucumber plants after 18 days. The pathogen was reisolated from all inoculated plants and identified as D. bryoniae. Control plants developed no disease symptoms. In addition, agar plugs colonized with the watermelon isolates were placed onto cucumber fruit that were wounded slightly with a sterile scalpel. Fruit were incubated at 22 to 24°C in humid chambers and after 2 days sunken, circular lesions developed. The same pathogen was reisolated from the margins of fruit lesions. Wounded control fruit received sterile agar plugs and did not develop any symptoms. This is the first documentation of gummy stem blight on watermelon transplants in California. References: (1) W. F. Chiu and J. C. Walker. J. Agric. Res. 78:81, 1949. (2) A. P. Keinath et al. Phytopathology 85:364, 1995. (3) A. J. Wyszogrodzka et al. Euphytica 35:603, 1986.


Summary Modern Wireless Mobile Network offers higher data rate, Quality of Service (QoS) and ability to roam across multiple heterogeneous wireless networks; several issues to be considered for further research and development. A handoff technique is the one of the several issues in Modern wireless mobile networks. An analytic model has been previously developed for evaluating the performance of handoff algorithms based on (i) Relative Signal Strength(RSS) measurements, i.e., the difference of signal strength from two Base Stations (BSs) (ii) Absolute Signal Strength(ASS) which is the averaged value of the received signal level from current serving BS measured by the mobile unit. In this paper we have extended this analysis by including an additional criterion based on the speed of the Mobile Node (MN) which reduces handoff latency in Mobile Networks. Better Base Station has been identified by using Better Base Station Selection Protocol (BBSSP). Based on the estimated round trip time, handoff signaling delay has been calculated. The information obtained from above and using speed of the MN, handoff is initiated in prior to support seamless communication. The model is compared with Double threshold points, BBSSP, IA and IA with BBSSP. The simulation results are sufficiently accurate by comparison studies of simulation.


In this short note we summarize some of the work of our thesis, which is also reported elsewhere in detail. We have examined the one loop quantum corrections to the W pair production in the electron positron annihilation in the context of supersymmetric electroweak theory. We have adopted the On Mass Shell Renormalization scheme of Sakakibara and previously demonstrated the consistency of this scheme. The relevant analytic results are written out. A complete computer program for these corrections has been developed. This program has been checked in several ways to ensure against errors over the life of the calculation where many subtle cancellations are involved. The major aim of our work was to calculate the Supersymmetric Quantum Flavor Dynamics (SQFD] one loop radiative corrections to the process e+e- -> W+W-. The addition of the particles due to Supersymmetry [SUSY] tend to increase the amount of one loop corrections on the order of 8%. With an accurate measurement at LEP II, one can, in principle, detect such a deviation away from the Standard Model [SM].


With the spread of mobile Internet, users have increased opportunities to retrieve content from the content producer via the application in mobile information-centric network. For security consideration, the content data must be encrypted and the content producer must be authenticated. Content data is signed by the producer and delivered to the requester via the public-key cryptography. A Certificate Authority (CA) generally verifies the binding between public-key and the producer identity. However, CA verification is not suitable in a mobile information-centric network where connection to a CA cannot be guaranteed. In this paper, we propose a social network based security scheme to verify the public-key and producer identity binding. The proposed scheme is evaluated on an artificial social network model first and is then validated on a real social network data.


Background
Type B aortic dissection is a life-threatening acute aortic condition often with acute ischemic signs or symptoms. With initial management focusing on alleviating malperfusion and pain, and avoiding propagation of dissection or rupture both systolic blood and pulse pressure should be reduced initially by an aggressive medical approach. In the setting of persistent signs of complications endovascular strategies have replaced open surgery and led to a fourfold increase in early survival and better long-term outcomes.

Methods
An electronic health database search was performed on articles published between January 2006 and July 2017. Publications were included in this review if (I) the index aortic pathology was type B aortic (distal) dissection; (II) when medical management, open surgical replacement or thoracic endovascular aortic repair were among those options; (III) when at least one of all basic outcome criteria such as survival, spinal cord ischemia and cerebrovascular accident was reported; (IV) when ≥15 serial patients were included. A total of 62 studies were eligible and analysed.

Results
Our manuscript has summarized data collected over 12 years on management specific outcomes in the setting of distal aortic dissection and provides an up-to-date interpretation of the published evidence. For complicated cases, treated acutely, the 30-day or in-hospital mortality was 7.3% when managed by endovascular means, whereas the pooled rate for 30-day or in-hospital mortality was 19.0% when subjected to open repair. For acute uncomplicated type B dissection usually treated with blood pressure lowering medications, the pooled 30-day or in-hospital mortality rate was 2.4%. Survival rates at 5 years averaged at 60% (40% mortality). Freedom from any aortic event ranged from 34.0% to 83.9%, underlining an inherent risk of progression and late complications. For chronic complicated type B dissection, the rates of stroke, paraplegia and operative mortality following endovascular repair ranged from 5% to 13%, 2% to 13% and 2 to 13%, respectively, while 5-year survival rates after open repair ranged from 60% to 90%. In chronic uncomplicated type B dissection almost 90% of patients survive initial hospitalization and were subjected to medical management with a 5-year survival of 50-80%. However, up to 20-55% of medically treated patients develop aneurysmal degeneration after 5 years with an unknown risk of rupture.

Conclusions
Currently, the less invasive strategy of endovascular repair (as compared to open surgery) provides improved 30-day or in-hospital survival in the setting of complicated acute type B aortic dissection and may seek broad application. Open surgical aortic reconstruction should be left to experienced aortic centres if endovascular management is not an option.


Introduction The outcome of persistent atrial fibrillation (PeAF) ablation remains suboptimal and procedures may be long and painful. Little evidence is available on outcome for procedures under general anaesthetic (GA) compared to conscious sedation (CS). We performed a single-centre observational study to assess whether use of GA in PeAF ablation improved outcome and was cost-effective. Methods 292 patients undergoing first ablation procedures for PeAF by radio-frequency point-by-point technique under CS (n=220) or GA (n=72) were followed. End points were freedom from recurrence of atrial arrhythmia and freedom from listing for repeat ablation at 18 months. Clinical assessments, 12 lead ECGs and 24 hour Holter monitors were obtained at baseline and at 3, 6, 12 and 18 months. Results Baseline characteristics were not significantly different between groups. Freedom from atrial arrhythmia was higher in patients under GA rather than CS (63.9% vs 42.3%, HR 1.87, 95% CI: 1.23 to 2.86, p=0.002) (figure 1A). There was no difference in procedure time and ablation time between groups. There were no complications resulting from use of GA; 5 cases under CS were hindered by airway problems, agitation or pain. Significantly fewer GA patients were listed for repeat procedures (29.2% vs 42.7%, HR 1.62, 95% CI: 1.01 to 2.60, p=0.044 (figure 1B)). Of patients who had arrhythmia recurrence but did not undergo repeat ablation, main reasons were: only occasional recurrences of paroxysmal AF (PAF) (39%), feeling subjectively better despite continuing AF (20%), or low chance of success from further procedures (17%) (figure 2). Multivariate Cox regression analysis found a higher freedom from atrial arrhythmia with use of GA, as well as for decreasing age, normal LA size and decreasing time in AF pre-procedure. Decreasing age and use of GA increased the likelihood of freedom from listing for repeat ablation. A PeAF procedure under GA in our institution is slightly more expensive than under CS (£4406.68 vs £4115.15), but due to lower redo rates, the cost after a maximum of two procedures is lower with GA, with an average saving of £178.88 per patient. Conclusions Using GA to perform PeAF ablation is both clinically and financially effective. Patient immobility leads to improved accuracy of mapping and catheter stability, and optimises lesion quality. Ablating during apnoea has been shown to improve contact force (1) and a single previous study has demonstrated better outcomes for paroxysmal AF ablation under GA (2). However GA may be of particular use for PeAF, where more extensive substrate ablation may be employed, procedures last longer and DCCV is often required. References . Kumar S, et al. Heart Rhythm2012;9:1041–1047. . Di Biase L, et al. Heart Rhythm2011;8:368–372.Abstract 34 Figure 2Abstract 34 Figure 1


In this investigation we tried to transfer plasmid encoded silver and antibiotic resistance genes from Acinetobacter baumannii BL54 to E. coli k12 J53.2 and Pseudomonas (a soil microflora) by conjugation and transformation in different soil microcosms and study the survival of the isolated bacterium in each soil. Clay loam, fine clay, sandy and clay soils were collected from different area of mahrashtra in India. Microcosm was developed for each type of soil in the glass tube (150 x 25 mm) with 2 g soil moistened with 1 ml 0.5% sterile saline. The conjugation frequency was lowest in sterile clay soil with frequency of 0.2 x 10-6, while, it was maximum in clay loam soil with frequency of 0.6 x 10-6. Similarly, in non-sterile soil microcosms, the rate of conjugation was highest in clay loam soil with frequency of 0.09 x 10-6 while was lowest in sandy soil (0.03 x 10-6). Rapid death of the organisms was observed within 9 days of incubation in presence of selection in sandy soil, while in fine clay, survival of the organisms was extended beyond 11 days. The Pseudomonas transformant survived for more than 40 days in presence of selection. From above results it can be concluded that plasmid mediated silver and antibiotic resistant genes were transferred in different soil by conjugation process. However, the rate of conjugation was affected by soil type. Soil transformant considerably survived in fine clay containing high amount of organic carbon and neutral pH as compared to sandy soil.

 Key words: Conjugation, soil type, survival, plasmid, Acinetobacter baumannii.


The Preparatory Committee (PrepCom) of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) was in session between March 18 and April 5, 1991. The Project on the Processes of International Negotiation (PIN) sent two observers to the session. Many issues were discussed and debated among the national delegations. One of them, presented in detail for the first time, was Agenda 21, a program to coordinate action on environmental and developmental issues after the 1992 UNCED conference.

The joint purpose of this working paper is to witness the generation of a new formula -- an agreement in principle -- concerning Agenda 21 and to provide guidance and recommendations to the Secretariat on how to handle this issue to achieve an early convergence of interests among the national delegations. First, the paper presents initial reactions to the Agenda 21 proposal that PIN observed at the meeting. Based upon these reactions, the goals of Agenda 21, and a conceptual understanding of how stable formulas are generated, a range of options for the further development of an Agenda 21 proposal is derived. These options contain what may be a workable formula for Agenda 21 -- one that can be debated and hopefully accepted by the national delegations. Finally, a set of next steps is presented.

This working paper is the product of a larger study of issue and coalition dynamics in the prenegotiation phase of UNCED. Within that study, this paper serves the purpose of documenting and analyzing the development of a new and important issue for the PrepCom -- the generation of a substantive formula for Agenda 21. While the content of such a formula is being developed, the paper also begins to analyze the initial behavioral development of national perspectives, preferences, and interests concerning this issue. It is hypothesized that these perspectives will eventually result in the formation of coalitions in the context of Agenda 21.


Institutional practices evolve to fill gaps in all constitutional blueprints. One of the underappreciated features of the initial constitutional settlement of authority over war was the accountability of the Executive through the process of budgetary authorization, and the corresponding need for Congress to answer to the citizenry for the tax implications of military expenditures. This political accountability is more complex than often described, consisting not merely of the division of the "declare war" and "commander in chief" clauses of Article I and Article II, but also of the temporal limitation of the budgetary power for the army and a variety of practical and political obstacles to the president going it alone in warfare. The thesis of this Article is that critical features of the ensuing constitutional equilibrium, which largely controlled the war power even in the absence of formally declared hostilities, have come undone as a result of the declining social and economic costs of modern forms of warfare, the development of the permanent and socially insular standing army, and the rise of its associated military-industrial complex as an independent institutional actor. The combination of an enormous permanent military budget and the elimination of conscription has eroded the effectiveness of the institutional division of authority over war that emerged in the earliest days of the Republic. This broader phenomenon of constitutional disequilibrium, in which constitutional doctrines and settlements prove dependent on the existing state of technology and institutional arrangements, in turn highlights the difficulty of managing today's warfare in a fashion that avoids executive unilateralism.


Outcomes for cardiac arrest (CA) are currently poor, even when CA is experienced in hospital. While the gold standard for treatment is extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is most often used to treat cardiac arrest. We propose a fundamental change in ECMO technology to increase access by reducing the amount of highly trained personnel required to perform this treatment. Additionally, we propose a design in which ECMO functionality is combined with functionality of an intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) in order to further reduce cardiac workload in cases of cardiac arrest and cardiogenic shock.


We Perceive, by the last London Atlas, that scrapbooks and albums are going entirely out of fashion in England. This is one of those foreign examples, which, we trust, will be enthusiastically followed here. We give this information thus early for the government of misses in their teens, scribblers of sonnets, etchers of small designs, and, in short, all aiders and abetters of such abominations. Anonymous, The New York Mirror (1835) We are all Scrap-books; and happy is he who has his pages systematized, whose clippings have been culled from sources of truth and purity, and who has them firmly Pasted into his Book. E.W. Gurley, Scrapbooks and How to Make Them (1880) [1] In a how-to manual on scrapbooking published in 1880, E.W. Gurley conferred great value on a scrapbook by playfully suggesting that "we are all scrapbooks;" our lives are a series of events that are selected, clipped, and pasted firmly into our memories. Gurley's fifty-six page manual was a comprehensive guide to keeping scrapbooks of all types, purporting to contain "full instructions for making a complete and systematic set of useful books" (n.p.). The little volume prescribed scrapbooking for anyone who reads; Gurley argues that the farmer and the politician, the teacher and the student, the mother and the child, all have something to gain from selecting and arranging printed scraps for self-education. Scrapbooks are suggested as a remedy for the overabundance of the printed word, a way to stimulate critical thinking and reading, and, when practiced as a family activity, a means to a "pleasanter" home and "an advanced standing in society" (13). Gurley's book was only one of many books and articles that addressed the importance of the everyday practice of scrapbooking in the nineteenth century. However, despite the enormous popularity of scrapbooking both then and today, we have only recently begun to account for this widespread rhetorical practice that, by the end of the nineteenth century, was increasingly associated with women and valued accordingly. [2] In the last twenty years, a handful of scholars have examined scrapbooking practices, typically by concentrating on individual scrapbooks. The typical study examines how a particular author, usually a woman, composes a scrapbook to shape and express her identity. For example, Tucker, Ott, and Buckler's 2006 edited volume The Scrapbook in American Life collects a wide array of scholarship on scrapbooks including essays on a "secret" scrapbook of a nineteenth century prostitute (Bowers), scrapbooks kept by three generations of South Carolina plantation women (LeClerq), and scrapbooks prepared by a young, small town girl during the Depression (Melvin). There are several exceptions to this general trend. A few scholars have worked with groups of books in order to illustrate the various subgenres of the scrapbook to articulate their particular qualities and conventions: Rodris Roth investigates the sub-genre of the scrapbook house, and Ellen Gruber Garvey examines trade card scrapbooks, though in both cases the studies still focus largely on identity formation. Such work has been a valuable recovery of an important everyday rhetorical activity conducted by men and women alike, and in fact, Tucker, Ott and Buckler's edited collection does have two articles that touch on scrapbooking activity by men, "Between Person and Profession: The Scrapbooks of Nineteenth Century Medical Practitioners" by Katherine Ott, and another by Susan Tucker on "Telling Particular Stories: Two African American Memory Books" (one of which was composed by a man). Although scrapbooking studies have repeatedly noted the association between women and scrapbooks, none have really investigated in a sustained way how scrapbooks acquired their gendered perception to the extent that men would now rarely admit to making one and none have considered what the implications of this gendering are for our own scholarship. …


In the High-Luminosity LHC, planned to start with Run 4 in 2026, the ATLAS experiment will be equipped with the Hardware Track Trigger (HTT), a dedicated hardware system able to reconstruct tracks in the silicon detectors with short latency. This HTT will be composed of about 700 ATCA boards, based on new technologies available on the market, like high-speed links and powerful FPGAs, as well as custom-designed Associative Memory ASIC (AM), which are an evolution of those used extensively in previous experiments and in the ATLAS Fast Tracker (FTK). The HTT is designed to cope with the expected extreme high luminosity in the so called "L0 only" scenario, where HTT will operate at the L0 rate (1 MHz). It will provide good quality tracks to the software-based High-Level-Trigger (HLT), operating as coprocessor. It will allow for a reduction of the HLT farm size by a factor of 10, by lightening the load of the software tracking. All ATLAS upgrade projects are also designed for an evolved, so-called "L0/L1" architecture, where part of HTT is used in a low-latency mode (L1Track), providing tracks in regions of ATLAS at a rate of up to 4 MHz, with a latency of a few micro-seconds. This second phase poses very stringent requirements on the latency budget and to the dataflow rates. All the requirements and the specifications of this system have been assessed. The design of all the components has been reviewed and validated with preliminary simulation studies. After these validations are completed, the development of the first prototypes will start. In this paper we describe the status of the design review, highlighting the technical challenges and required specifications, towards the preparation of the first slice tests with real prototypes.


Abstract The Sport Programme, initiated by municipal administrators and managed by a social entrepreneur, is a Swedish sport-based intervention promoted as a response to social problems of crime and segregation in a targeted urban area. The article examines the manager and coaches' presentation of the programme with respect to how pedagogical governing techniques are assumed to promote social change and how desirable citizen subjects are constructed for social inclusion. A variety of statements are analysed from a governmentality perspective. It is concluded that, although problems are assumed to be caused by structural segregation, the intervention targets individual change and risk management. Presumably, subjects are provided with motivational powers that are shaped by role models and applied in 'choosing the right track', navigating among risks and averting problems and exclusion. By representing problems as risks, avoidance is formed as an individual opportunity. This technology of individual agency is aimed at shaping motivated, responsible and self-governing citizen subjects, thus representing subjects as being responsible for their own welfare and inclusion. With respect to sport as a means of responding to social problems, the article provides reflections on and empirical accounts of the conditions of welfare provision and social work under advanced liberalism.


Solution-synthesized thermoelectric nanostructured materials have the potential to have lower cost and higher performance than materials synthesized by solid-state methods. Herein we present the synthesis of ultrathin PbTe nanowires, which are compressed by spark plasma sintering at various temperatures in the range of 405-500 °C. The resulting discs possess grains with sizes of 5-30 μm as well as grains with sizes on the order of the original 12 nm diameter PbTe nanowires. This micro- and nanostructure leads to a significantly reduced thermal conductivity compared to bulk PbTe. Careful electron transport analysis shows suppressed electrical conductivity due to increased short-range and ionized defect scatterings, while the Seebeck coefficient remains comparable to the bulk value. The PbTe nanowire samples are found unintentionally p-type doped to hole concentrations of 2.16-2.59 × 10(18) cm(-3). The maximum figure of merit achieved in the unintentionally doped spark plasma sintered PbTe nanowires is 0.33 at 350 K, which is among the highest reported for unintentionally doped PbTe at low temperatures.


In order to redefine the effectiveness of 5‐fluorouracil (5‐FU) as palliative therapy in patients with metastatic colorectal carcinoma, and to compare the effectiveness of 6‐thioguanine (6‐TG) with that of 5‐FU, we studied 176 patients with metastatic colorectal carcinoma in a randomized prospective trial (SEG 79GI268). The pretreatment performance status of all patients was greater than 50% (ambulatory), and there was an equal distribution of patients with favorable pretreatment characteristics into each of the treatment regimens. Complete responses were only seen to 5‐FU, but were obtained in only 3% of instances. The overall complete plus partial response rates were not different for 5‐FU (8%) versus 6‐TG (3%), or for patients who had shown prior progression on chemotherapy and who then received 6‐TG in a nonrandomized fashion (7%). The time to tumor progression on each of the treatment programs was similar, 1.0 months. Survival was also similar in each regimen in the randomized study (6.3 months for 5‐FU versus 7.9 months for 6‐TG). However, survival was only 4.8 months for patients with previously drug‐resistant tumors treated with 6‐TG in the nonrandomized arm. in 16 patients failing 6‐TG who then received 5‐FU, there were no objective responses. Similarly, in patients failing 5‐FU on this study who then received 6‐TG, there were no responses in nine patients. Dose‐limiting toxicity was observed in 40% to 51% of patients, and consisted of myelosuppression, vomiting, or diarrhea. It is concluded that 5‐FU is a minimally effective agent in a very small number of patients with metastatic colorectal carcinoma. The drug 6‐TG is equally ineffective in this setting. Alternative treatment programs to the systemic use of 5‐FU should be considered in patients requiring palliative chemotherapy.


BACKGROUND: Though cooperative trial groups use different treatment protocols for newly diagnosed childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), all achieve high cure rates. The healthcare utilization and costs associated with different treatment strategies have not been rigorously compared. Minimizing utilization and costs may increase quality of life and decrease health system burden. We compared Children's Oncology Group (COG) and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI)-based treatment.
 METHODS: We identified all children diagnosed with ALL in pediatric cancer centers in Ontario, Canada between 2002 and 2012 through the Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario Networked Information System (POGONIS), a provincial pediatric cancer registry. Detailed data on demographics, disease risk factors (e.g. cytogenetics, minimal residual disease), treatment (e.g. treatment protocol, start and end date of each therapy phase) and events (relapse/progression, death, second cancer) were captured via chart abstraction. Treatment protocols were categorized as either based on COG or DFCI trials. Linkage to population-based health services databases identified all outpatient and emergency department (ED) visits, hospitalizations, and physician billings. Healthcare utilization-associated costs were determined through validated costing algorithms. Chemotherapy-associated costs were calculated separately using local prices. All administered doses of asparaginase (ASNase), including E. Coli, PEG-ASNase, and Erwinia ASNase were recorded. Event-free survival (EFS), overall survival (OS), healthcare utilization rates, and costs were compared between COG and DFCI-treated patients while adjusting for demographics and disease-factors using appropriate regression models. Healthcare-associated costs, ASNase costs, and total chemotherapy costs (2018 Canadian dollars) were compared.
 RESULTS: The study cohort included 802 patients, 146 (18.2%) of whom were treated on DFCI-based protocols. Median follow-up did not differ between between COG and DFCI patients; nor did EFS or OS. When adjusted for all demographic and disease-related variables, COG patients experienced significantly higher rates of ED visits [rate ratio (RR) 1.3, 95% confidence interval (95CI) 1.1-1.5; p=0.01]. Neither hospitalization rates nor rates of inpatient days differed between the two groups of patients. However, rates of outpatient visits were 60% higher among DFCI patients (RR 1.6, 95CI 1.5-1.7; p<0.0001).
 The median healthcare-associated cost in the first 5 years following initial diagnosis was $193,700 among COG patients [interquartile range (IQR) 149,200-272,700] compared to $288,000 among DFCI patients (IQR 233,300-407,300; p<0.01), mainly attributable to the cost associated with outpatient visits. In adjusted analyses, DFCI-associated costs were 70% higher (RR 1.7, 95CI 1.5-1.9; p<0.0001).
 The median ASNase-related cost was similar between COG and DFCI patients [$21,100, IQR 14,800-35,400 vs. $19,900, IQR 15,600-39,900; p=0.91]. The median total chemotherapy cost was higher among COG patients ($29,100, IQR 20,300-50,300 vs. $22,400, IQR 17,300-42,600; p<0.001]. However, ASNase and total chemotherapy costs were highest in DFCI patients treated with PEG-ASNase instead of E. Coli ASNase (N=36), reflecting contemporary practice. Among such patients, median ASNase-related costs were $45,200 (IQR 7,000-68,500) and median total chemotherapy costs were $48,000 (IQR 11,000-73,400) (p=0.004 and p=0.09 vs. COG patients).
 CONCLUSIONS: Though COG and DFCI protocols are associated with equivalent EFS and OS, patterns of healthcare utilization differ with the former associated with a 30% increase in the rate of ED visits and the latter associated with a 60% increase in the rate of outpatient visits. Overall, healthcare utilization-associated costs were increased in DFCI-treated patients. Though ASNase costs historically did not differ, the shift to PEG-ASNase is associated with higher ASNase and total chemotherapy costs on DFCI protocols. Decreases in PEG-ASNase cost and the ability to administer intravenous or intramuscular chemotherapy at home would decrease overall healthcare utilization and costs, and mitigate differences between COG and DFCI protocols. These results can inform efforts to decrease burden on both families and health systems.

 No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


Reproductive efficiency is crucial to the sustainability of any swine herd. A female's ability to contribute to the herd earlier, longer, and more proficiently impacts her individual performance characterizing her sow lifetime productivity. Factors that impact a female's reproductive performance vary from genetic to environmental influencers such as seasonal infertility. Age at puberty onset represents a useful tool to identify sow lifetime productivity. To determine the positive influence of age at puberty onset, physical and physiological measurements taken on a group of gilts were used to identify the potential correlation with a gilt's age when puberty is achieved. Vulva development after postnatal day 95 and body weight on postnatal day 75 showed to be correlated to a gilt's ability to achieve puberty earlier or later than their counterparts. While age of puberty onset can increase reproductive performance, environmental factors such as heat stress can negatively impact a female's reproductive performance. Heat stress is a major contributing factor to seasonal infertility and is associated with decreased farrowing rates, litter performance, and wean-to-estrus intervals. Mitigating the effects of heat stress is key to increasing a female's reproductive success. To determine how heat stress affects reproductive performance as well as how gilts adapt to stress periods, females that were either tolerant or susceptible to pre-pubertal heat stress were identified, and their response during post-pubertal heat stress periods were evaluated. A gilt's response to pre-pubertal heat stress has a positive correlation to her response to post-pubertal heat stress. Reproductive measures of fetal weight and crown-rump length were decreased in gilts susceptible to heat stress while corpora lutea diameter was increased in heat stress tolerant gilts when exposed to heat stress during breeding.


In this study, mixed microalgal culture dominated by Chlorella vulgaris and Scenedesmus armatus was grown in Anaerobic Liquid Digestate (ALD) at different NaCl concentrations ranging between 0 and 100 mM. Highest lipid and carbohydrate amounts were observed as 38.4 and 36.2%, respectively, when the salinity was 50 mM NaCl. However, the protein content was drastically decreased to 12.8% with increased NaCl concentration. Furthermore, the algal biomass was subsequently decreased along with the total chlorophyll amount with increased NaCl concentration. Algal species showed diverse response to salinity stress and demonstrated a cost‐effective approach towards the cultivation of mixed microalgae within digestate and provided insight that ALD and/or other wastewaters can be diluted with seawater instead of tap water in the future studies. This study could be further converted into biofuels because of an increase in lipid content along with the digestate treatment, which will help to valorize ALD and bring into economy.


Why do host-country governments offer tax holidays to foreign multinational firms that establish local subsidiaries? This paper shows that a tax holiday has the effect of preventing the foreign firm from monopolizing the local market. This pro-competitive effect stems paradoxically because a tax holiday makes the multinational firm temporarily a "tougher" competitor and induces local firms to delay entry into the market. Removing the threat of imminent rivalry assures the multinational firm of greater profitability and prompts it to abandon the costly entry-deterring strategy. In contrast, a permanent and uniform tax reduction tends only to strengthen the foreign firm's incentive to monopolize the host-country market.


Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) recognize RNA virus infection via TLRs and consequently produce vast amounts of type I IFN. Because nucleic acid-sensing TLRs reside in the intracellular membrane compartment, it is presumable that pDCs do not require cytoplasmic viral replication to recognize the infection. By checking Newcastle disease virus (NDV) RNA abundance in GFP+ and GFP− pDCs from Ifna6gfp mice, we found that NDV replication was not detected in IFN-producing pDCs. GFP+ pDC was induced in response to replication-incompetent NDV. In contrast, the replication-incompetent NDV failed to induce IFN-producing pDCs in type I IFNR-deficient mice. The lack of IFNR signaling led to the replication of NDV and the subsequent RIG-I-like helicase-dependent IFN-α production in pDCs. These results showed that detection of viruses via TLRs together with a type I IFN feedback system circumvents the requirement for viral replication-dependent recognition in pDCs.


Use of marmosets in biomedical research has increased dramatically in recent years due, in large part, to their suitability for transgenic applications and utility as models for neuroscience investigations. This increased use includes the establishment of new colonies and involvement of people new to marmoset research. To facilitate the use of the marmoset as a research model, we provide an overview of issues surrounding the ethics and regulations associated with captive marmoset research, including discussion of the history of marmosets in research, current uses of marmosets, ethical considerations related to marmoset use, issues related to importation of animals, and recommendations for regulatory oversight of gene-edited marmosets. To understand the main concerns that oversight bodies have regarding captive biomedical research with marmosets, we developed a brief, 15-question survey that was then sent electronically to academic and biomedical research institutions worldwide that were believed to house colonies of marmosets intended for biomedical research. The survey included general questions regarding the individual respondent's colony, status of research use of the colony and institutional oversight of both the colony itself and the research use of the colony. We received completed surveys from a total of 18 institutions from North America, Europe, and Asia. Overall, there appeared to be no clear difference in regulatory oversight body concerns between countries/regions. One difference that we were able to appreciate was that while biomedical research with marmosets was noted to be either stable or decreasing in Europe, use was clearly increasing elsewhere.


Insomnia is an important public health burden and is the most ubiquitous sleep disorder in the general population, requiring accurate diagnosis and effective treatment. Sleep hygiene and cognitive behavioural therapy form the foundation of management. In addition, various pharmacological entities are at hand to augment insomnia disorder. Acute insomnia requires short-term management with appropriately indicated hypnotic agents, while chronic sleeping difficulties benefit more from antidepressants. This article informs the reader about the currently available sleeping agents in South Africa, and may not include more effective or potent agents used in other parts of the world that are not yet accessible for local prescription.