This article explores the phenomenon of "folie à deux"--an aberrant relationship between manager and subordinates that is characterized by shared delusions. Though most visible among public figures like Adolf Hitler, J. Edgar Hoover and Jim Jones, the problem also surfaces among private managers and their associates with dangerous implications for the firm. In folie à deux, the unusual behavior patterns of a manager in an isolated setting become mirrored by dependent subordinates, and the organization loses touch with its original goals and strategies. The author describes the dynamics of this phenomenon and details steps to remedy the situation. Once recognized, he suggests that the manager establish a trusting relationship with the instigator as a prelude to altering the behavior patterns, then transfer the subordinates and reorient the work climate so that independence and responsibility are encouraged. If the instigator is a powerful executive, the author suggests enlisting the support of a countervailing force, such as the government or a union, to guide the organization away from possible self-destructive adventures.


Abstract New farming systems and management options are needed in South Asia as the intensive rice–wheat production system is set to become increasingly unsustainable under climate change. In the current study, six cropping systems options/treatments varying in tillage, crop establishment method, residue management, crop sequence and fertilizer and water management were evaluated using a cropping systems model under current (1980–2009) and future (2030 and 2050) climate scenarios in the state of Bihar, India. The treatments were current farmers' practice (CP), best fertilizer and water management practices, zero tillage (ZT) with no crop residue retention, ZT with partial crop residue retention (ZTPR), future conservation agriculture-based rice–wheat intensive cropping system (FCS-1) and future conservation agriculture-based maize–wheat intensive cropping system (FCS-2). The results indicate that climate change is likely to reduce rice–wheat system productivity under CP by 4% across Bihar. All the crop management options studied increased yield, water productivity and net returns over that of the CP under the current and future climate scenarios. However, the ZTPR treatment gave significantly higher relative yield, lower annual yield variability and a higher benefit-cost-ratio than the other treatments across cropping system components and climate periods. Although all the new cropping system treatments had a positive yield implication under the current climate (compared to CP), they did not contribute to adaptation under the future climate except FCS-2 in wheat. It is concluded that adaptation to future climate must integrate both cropping system innovations, and genetic improvements in stress tolerance.


ABSTRACT The physiochemical properties of levofloxacin suggest that it is an agent which may exhibit altered pharmacokinetics in obese individuals. The purpose of this study was to describe the pharmacokinetics of a single 750-mg intravenous dose of levofloxacin in both hospitalized and ambulatory obese individuals. The hypothesis was that a standard dose of levofloxacin in obese individuals would achieve serum concentrations likely to be therapeutic. A single levofloxacin dose of 750 mg was infused over 90 min, and seven serial serum samples were subsequently obtained to evaluate the pharmacokinetics after the first dose. The peak concentrations of levofloxacin were comparable to those seen with normal-weight individuals. However, the area under the concentration-time curve and clearance were quite variable. Accelerated clearance was evident in the ambulatory obese individuals. Further investigation of the effects of obesity on the pharmacokinetics of levofloxacin is necessary to ensure optimal dosing.


In this paper, we show that by varying the voltages during two-step anodization the morphology of the hierarchical top-layer/bottom-tube TiO2 (TiO2 NTs) can be finely tuned between nanoring/nanotube, nanopore/nanotube, and nanohole–nanocave/nanotube morphologies. This allows us to optimize the photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting performance on the hierarchical TiO2 NTs. The optimized photocurrent density and photoconversion efficiency in this study, occurring on the nanopore/nanotube TiO2 NTs, were 1.59 mA cm−2 at 1.23 V vs. RHE and 0.84% respectively, which are the highest values ever reported on pristine TiO2 materials under illumination of AM 1.5G. Our findings contribute to further improvement of the energy conversion efficiency of TiO2-based devices.


Following a peace agreement with guerrillas in November 2016, Colombia has been transitioning from almost six decades of violence to a post-conflict period. In such a process, members of society must reestablish dialogue and learn to coexist. Based on a participatory art approach used during a science project that involved ex-combatants, community leaders and biology researchers, this paper presents research methods that combine art and design exercises to advance scientific knowledge. Participants contributed to and developed new ways of understanding biological knowledge. Their collaboration also forged mutual trust and progress toward peace in the region.


The production of
cells capable of expressing gene(s) of interest is important for a variety of
applications in biomedicine and biotechnology, including gene therapy and a
novel method of stem cell therapy in the various diseases. Achieving high
levels of transgene expression for the longer period of time, without adversely
affecting cell viability and differentiation capacity of the cells, is crucial.
In the present study, we investigated the efficiency of plasmid vector for the
production of transgenic cMSCs and examined any functional change of cells
after transfection. To do so first we have collected bone marrows from the
adult goats and cultured them for isolation of mesenchymal stem cells
(cBM-MSCs). These cells were characterized using MSC specific markers including
differentiation into osteocytes and adipocytes. Transfection with plasmid
vector did not adversely affect cBM-MSCs morphology, viability or differentiation
potential, and transgene expression levels were unaffected beyond passage 12th.
The results indicated that we have been able to generate transgenic caprine MSC
(tcBM-MSC) and transfection of cBM-MSCs using plasmid vector resulted in very
high and stable transfection efficiency. This finding may have considerable
significance in improving the efficacy of MSC-based therapies and their
tracking in animal model.


Wireless ad hoc networks are expected to provide broadband services parallel to their wired counterparts in near future. To address this need, MIMO (multiple-input-multiple-output) antenna techniques hold significant promise. Most previous work on capacity analysis of ad hoc networks is based on an implicit assumption that each link exclusively occupies a geometric area, referred to as exclusion region that characterizes the amount of spatial resource occupied by a link. When multiple antennas are deployed at each node, however, multiple links can transmit in the vicinity of each other simultaneously, as interference can now be suppressed by spatial signal processing. As such, the concept of "exclusion region" no longer applies. In this paper, we investigate link-layer throughput capacity of MIMO ad-hoc networks. In contrast to previous work, the amount of spatial resource occupied by each link is characterized by the actual interference it imposes on other links. To calculate the link-layer capacity, we first derive the probability distribution of post-detection SINR (signal to interference and noise ratio) at a receiver. The result is then used to calculate the number of active links and the corresponding data rates that can be sustained within an area. Our analysis shows that there exists an optimal active-link density that maximizes the link-layer throughput capacity. This will serve as a guideline for the design of medium access protocols for MIMO ad-hoc networks. To the best of knowledge, this paper is the first attempt to characterize the capacity of MIMO ad-hoc networks by considering the actual PHY-layer signal and interference model. The results in this paper pave the way for further study on network-layer transport capacity of ad-hoc networks with MIMO.


TWO on farm, replicated short staple variety demonstrations were established in 1996. Twelve varieties were evaluated on the Carpenter farm in Solomon and on the Colvin farm in Eden. Several new varieties were planted in both studies, including 2 varieties from Stoneville, 2 varieties from Australia and DP 35B, the Bt version of DP 5690. Delta Pine 5690 and DP 35B were the highest yielding varieties with yields of 1697 and 1220 pounds of lint per acre at the Solomon and Eden locations, respectively.


Modulation of renin-angiotensin system (RAS) by angiotensin-(1–7) (Ang-(1–7)) is an attractive approach to combat the detrimental consequences of myocardial infarction (MI). However Ang-(1–7) has limited clinical potential due to its unfavorable pharmacokinetic profile. We investigated effects of a stabilized, thioether-bridged analogue of Ang-(1–7) called cyclic Ang-(1–7) in rat model of myocardial infarction. Rats underwent coronary ligation or sham surgery. Two weeks thereafter infusion with 0.24 or 2.4 μg/kg/h cAng-(1–7) or saline was started for 8 weeks. Thereafter, cardiac morphometric and hemodynamic variables as wells as aortic endothelial function were measured. The average infarct size was 13.8% and was not changed by cAng-(1–7) treatment. MI increased heart weight and myocyte size, which was restored by cAng-(1–7) to sham levels. In addition, cAng-(1–7) lowered left ventricular end-diastolic pressure and improved endothelial function. The results suggest that cAng-(1–7) is a promising new agent in treatment of myocardial infarction and warrant further research.


Objective: To determine the association between major depression and suicidal ideation and the role of physical illness in this link among primary care patients. Method: More than 3,000 randomly selected primary care patients at eight sites across the United States completed the PRIME‐MD PHQ, a screen for mental disorders for use in primary care. Physicians independently diagnosed physical illnesses. Multiple logistic regression analyses were used to determine the relationship between PRIME‐MD depression, physical illness, and suicidal ideation. Results: Pulmonary disease was associated with an increased likelihood of suicidal ideation, even among patients without major depression [odds ratio = 1.9 (1.04, 3.4)]. There was evidence of statistical interaction between pulmonary disease and depression in increasing the odds of suicidal ideation. Specifically, patients with pulmonary disease without depression, those with depression without pulmonary disease, and patients with both pulmonary disease and depression had significantly increased odds of suicidal ideation with odd ratios of 1.9 (1.04, 3.4), 7.4 (5.6, 9.7), and 9.6 (5.1, 18.0), respectively. Conclusions: These data suggest that some physical disorders may be associated with increased suicidal ideation in primary care and may also play a role in the relationship between depression and suicidal ideation among primary care patients. Primary care physicians may wish to engage in an in‐depth evaluation of psychiatric problems, especially current suicidal ideation, among patients with specific ongoing physical illnesses.


SUMMARYIntercellular communication is achieved at specialized regions of the plasma membrane by gap junctions. The proteins constituting the gap junctions are called connexins and are encoded by a family of genes highly conserved during evolution. In adult mouse, four connexins (Cxs) are known to be expressed in the vasculature: Cx37, Cx40, Cx43 and Cx45. Several recent studies have provided evidences that vascular connexins expression and blood pressure regulation are closely linked, suggesting a role for connexins in the control of blood pressure. However, the precise function that each vascular connexin plays under physiological and pathophysiological conditions is still not elucidated. In this context, this work was dedicated to evaluate the contribution of each of the four vascular connexins in the control of the vascular function and in the blood pressure regulation.In the present work, we first demonstrated that vascular connexins are differently regulated by hypertension in the mouse aorta. We also observed that endothelial connexins play a regulatory role on eNOS expression levels and function in the aorta, therefore in the control of vascular tone. Then, we demonstrated that Cx40 plays a pivotal role in the kidney by regulating the renal levels of COX-2 and nNOS, two key enzymes of the macula densa known to participate in the control of renin secreting cells. We also found that Cx43 forms the functional gap junction involved in intercellular Ca2+ wave propagation between vascular smooth muscle cells. Finally, we have started to generate transgenic mice expressing specifically Cx40 in the endothelium to investigate the involvement of Cx40 in the vasomotor tone, or in the renin secreting cells to evaluate the role of Cx40 in the control of renin secretion.In conclusion, this work has allowed us to identify new roles for connexins in the vasculature. Our results suggest that vascular connexins could be interesting targets for new therapies caring hypertension and vascular diseases.


In this article, a novel procedure for the frequency-domain solution of nonuniform transmission lines (NUTLs) is presented. The procedure is based on a recently proposed perturbative technique, which is proven to be computationally more efficient than standard solution approaches, which are based on line subdivision into uniform cascaded sections. With respect to the original perturbation technique, the procedure proposed here offers more flexibility, as it provides a representation of the NUTL under analysis in terms of $S$ and/or $T$ parameters at its ports. Moreover, it retains the same prediction accuracy at the price of a slight increase in computational burden, which can be mitigated anyway through parallel computing. Furthermore, even without ad hoc (parallel) implementations, the proposed procedure outperforms other approaches to solve differential lines with partially or fully repetitive geometries. Namely, it assures accurate prediction of output quantities with reduced simulation time. This is proven by three application examples, namely, two differential trapezoidal tabbed lines (one with interdigital tabs and one with facing tabs), and a differential microstrip line with a varying common-mode (CM) impedance (as such reducing CM noise). Comparison with full-wave simulations allows assessing the prediction accuracy of the proposed procedure. Comparison with the aforementioned transmission-line-based solutions allows appreciating the enhanced computational efficiency.


Abstract. Enhanced temperature-index distributed models for snowpack simulation, incorporating air temperature and a term for clear sky potential solar radiation, are increasingly used to simulate the spatial variability of the snow water equivalent. This paper presents a new snowpack model (termed TOPMELT) which integrates an enhanced temperature index model into a lumped basin scale hydrological model by exploiting a statistical representation of the distribution of clear sky potential solar radiation. This is obtained by discretising the full spatial distribution of clear sky potential solar radiation into a number of radiation classes. The computation required to generate a spatially distributed water equivalent reduces to a single calculation for each radiation class. This turn into a potentially significant advantage when parameter sensitivity and uncertainty estimation procedures are carried out. The model includes a routine, which accounts for the variability of clear sky radiation distributions with time, ensuring a consistent temporal simulation of the snow mass balance. Thus, the model resembles a classical temperature-index model when only one radiation class for each elevation band is used, whereas it approximates a fully distributed model with increasing the number of the radiation classes (and correspondingly decreasing the area corresponding to each class). TOPMELT is applied over the Aurino basin at S. Giorgio, a 614 km\\textsuperscript{2} catchment in the Upper Adige river basin (Eastern Alps, Italy) to examine the sensitivity of the snowpack model results to the temporal and spatial aggregation of the radiation fluxes.


Micro-technologies based on wirelessly powered and manoeuvred submillimeter device, i.e.,microrobots, are attracting growing attention. Their application in lab-on-a-chip systems, such as micromanipulation and in vitro cell sorting, is expected to steeply increase. However, the actuation, powering and control of microrobots are challenges that still need concrete solutions. Magnetic fields generally enable wireless navigation of microrobots, but proper control architectures and magnetic navigation systems are needed, depending on the specific task and on the level of interaction required to the user. Here we present a magnetic navigation platform intended for lab-on-a-chip applications and we address its usability with different levels of human involvement by using two control architectures: teleoperated and autonomous. We perform an experimental analysis to demonstrate that both architectures, enrolling different levels of interaction by the user, lead to reliable execution of the microrobotic task. First, we validate the open-loop response of the microrobotic system, and second, we evaluate the performance of the system by testing both control architectures with a standard mobility task. The results show that users can teleoperate the microrobot with 100% success rate, in 14.4±1.9s with a normalized spatial mean error of 0.60±0.13. Moreover, results show a fast decaying learning curve for the users involved in the study. Compared to this, when the navigation task is performed by the autonomous control, 100% success rate, a time of 8.0±0.5s and a normalized spatial mean error of 0.50±0.05 are obtained. Finally, we quantitatively demonstrate how both control methodologies enable very smooth movements of the microrobot, suggesting application for any task where repeatable and dexterous movements in liquid microenvironments are key requirements.


A geophysical ground magnetic survey was carried out in eastern part of Ilesa town located in the southwestern part of Nigeria. Total field magnetic data was recorded using a proton precision geometric magnetometer along fifteen traverses. This research focused on delineation of subsurface geological structures that are suitable for mineral potential. The field data collected was qualitatively and quantitatively interpreted. The residual magnetic values were in the range of about 80nT to -330nT. The magnetic source depth was estimated using Peters half slope method which gave a maximum depth to basement of about 160m. The lateral extent of interpreted lithologies was estimated using the analytical signal. The results generated were used to delineate geological structures and to target areas with mineral potential


This paper proposes a procedure for implementing efficient egalitarian equivalent allocations in an exchange economy, using the perfect equilibrium concept. This procedure is an extension of the "divide and choose" method in two ways: it is defined for more than two agents and the divider's advantage is removed by auctioning the role of divider among the agents (as in Crawford [1]).Thus, in contrast with other equilibrium concepts (Nash, dominant), the perfect one solves the efficiency-justice dilemma.


Chesapeake Bay, the largest estuary in North America, encompasses a wide range of nutrient loading and trophic levels from the rivers and upper Bay to the sea, providing an ideal natural environment in which to explore relationships between functional diversity, physical/chemical complexity and ecosystem function (e.g. nitrification). In this study, amoA gene fragments (encoding subunit A of the key nitrification enzyme, ammonia monooxygenase) were PCR‐amplified from DNA extracted from sediment cores collected at five stations spanning gradients of salinity, ammonium, nitrate, oxygen and organic carbon along the Bay and Choptank River, a subestuary of the Bay. Phylogenetic analysis of ∼30 amoA clones from each station revealed extensive diversity within the β‐Proteobacteria group of ammonia‐oxidizing bacteria (AOB), with the vast majority of sequences falling into coherent phylogenetic clusters distinct from sequences of cultivated AOB. Over 70% of the clones fell into two major phylogenetic clusters that appear to represent novel groups of Nitrosomonas‐like and Nitrosospira‐like amoA sequences that may be specific to estuarine and marine environments. Rarefaction analysis, estimators of genetic variation and dissimilarity indices all revealed differences in the relative amoA‐based diversity and/or richness among most of the stations, with the highest diversity at the North Bay station and the lowest at the mesohaline stations. Although salinity appears to play a role, no single physical or chemical parameter entirely explains the pattern of diversity along the estuary, suggesting that a complex combination of environmental factors may shape the overall level of AOB diversity in this dynamic environment.


High precision surfaces exhibit prominent capabilities for enhancing the imaging quality, expanding the visibility of equipment, simplifying structures, and reducing total costs of optical systems. Hence, they are regarded as essential optical surfaces for replacing traditional elements to modify optical systems, including space systems, optical inspection systems, and smart devices.
 Single point diamond turning (SPDT) and ultra-precision grinding have been adopted preliminarily to manufacture high-quality elements. However, these processes create sub-surface damage and tool marks on the work surface. To meet performance requirements, polishing is critical for post-processing to improve the quality of the products.
 MCF (Magnetic Compound Fluid) polishing, which is one of polishing methods using magnetic fields, is a processing method for finishing hard and brittle materials with high accuracy. Previous research has shown that MCF polishing is effective for hard and brittle materials. However, despite the high cost of the magnetic fluid that is a component of the MCF slurry, the MCF slurry used for polishing has been discarded. Another major issue was that unused MCF slurry could not be used due to drying. The purpose of this study is to recycle MCF slurry to solve this problem, and to develop high precision finishing technology. Therefore, in this study, a novel MCF polishing method using ultrasonic atomization is proposed, and the effects of α-cellulose on the MCF polishing are investigated. In addition, in order to make it possible to reuse the MCF slurry, In addition, experiments are conducted to enable reuse of MCF slurry.


Exercise is an important component in preparing for competition. Failure to properly train can lead to performance decrements, fatigue and injury. Scientific based sport conditioning programs are available for a variety of sports. However, there is lack of information concerning sport conditioning for motorcycle road racing. The purpose of this investigation was to conduct an initial study of body mass index (BMI), estimated cardiorespiratory fitness (VO2max) and exercise training patterns of expert and novice amateur motorcycle road racers. A total of 53 Western Eastern Roadracing Association (WERA) racers provided self-reported height, weight, age, gender, resting heart rate (RHR), physical activity habits, aerobic exercise training patterns and resistance exercise training patterns on an on-line survey. Height and weight was used to calculate BMI. Gender, age, RHR and habitual physical activity were used to estimate VO2max. The Global Physical Activity Questionnaire was employed to assess total physical activity (PA) in minutes per week. A supplemental survey was utilized to assess exercise training participation, frequency, duration, resistance exercise selection, repetitions and sets. An independent sample t-test was used to compare BMI and estimated VO2max between expert and novice racers. A Mann-Whitney u test was performed to compare Total PA. Pearson Chi-Squared tests were used to compare exercise training patterns.Expert racers had a significantly lower mean BMI (p<.05) compared to novice racers, 23.55 and 25.77, respectively . No significant difference was found in estimated VO2max between expert and novices racers, 46.65 ml/kg/min and 44.31 ml/kg/min, respectively. A significant difference (p<.05) was found in Total PA. Expert racers had a mean total PA of 1110 min/wk and novice racers had a mean total PA of 743 min/wk. A significant difference (p< .05) was established in one resistance exercise (i.e. lunges). Novices had a larger participation rate compared to expert racers in the lunge resistance exercise.The findings do not provide sufficient information to conclusively develop a sport-specific exercise program. However, this study provides preliminary data concerning anthropometric and fitness characteristics of motorcycle road racers. Additional research is necessary to fully understand characteristics associated with improved motorcycle road racing performance.


Over the past few decades, the global phenomenology of political power has changed. Unlike what happened in the past, increasingly the practical applications of scientific discoveries are no longer immediately or exclusively used by the legally formalized political power. They are consumed and disseminated throughout civil society escaping from the old logic of the legitimate power or judicial power and generating a new political power, which could be defined as "glocal". All these new dynamics can be better understood through the lenses offered by past philosophical dialogues on the same topics and in this case we can enrich our perspective from a discussion, which was developed in mid-twentieth century Italy. In 1950, the formal establishment of the Société Européenne de Culture took place in Venice with the hope of building a bridge between West and East political Europe. Through constant reflection on the general development of European society, this cultural institution tried to focus on priorities regarding theory and practice, in order to foster cultural positions that could take ethical-political responsibilities regarding understanding, collaboration and peace. This commitment was theoretically founded on the concept of "politics of culture", formulated by Umberto Campagnolo and expressed in a session of the General Assembly in November 1951 and later in January of 1952, Norberto Bobbio gave notice of it in the "Rivista di Filosofia" ("Journal of Philosophy"), sharing the principles expressed by Campagnolo. The theoretical dialogue between the two philosophers intensified at the beginning of the 60s, when it became clear that the common civil commitment sprang from a different conception of philosophy and politics.


Background: achalasia cardia is a motor disorder that result from absence of esophageal peristalsis combined with loss of relaxation of lower esophageal sphincter. Aims: To analyze the safety of laparoscopic Heller's myotomy with particular regard to the technical difficulties encountered, complications, the learning curve and outcome. Patients and methods: This study was done at Al Sader Teaching Hospital, Basrah Iraq in the period from February 2013 to June 2016. Thirty-two patients were included in the study of both gender and of different ages who were subjected to laparoscopic Heller's myotomy for achlasia cardia. They were observed regarding the development of operative and early post-operative complications, improvement of their symptoms, development of late post-operative complications and recurrence rate. Results: All patients underwent laparoscopic Heller's myotomy with Dor fundoplication except one patient had Toupet fundoplication. The mean operative time was 87 minutes and the median hospital stay was four days. Intraoperative complications include mucosal perforation in 3 patients, vagus nerve injury in 3 patients, and pleural perforation in 2 patients. Post-operative complications include atelectasis in 3 patients, pneumonia in 1 patient, GERD in 1 patient, post-operative leak in one patient and mortality in one patient. All patients improved regarding dysphagia (100%) and weight gain achieved in (91.3%), chest pain improved in (59%) and regurgitation improved in (84.6%) of the patients. Conclusion: Laparoscopic Heller's myotomy is safe and effective method for treatment of achalasia cardia.


Transistors and diodes based on AlGaN/GaN are suitable candidates for high-voltage and high-speed electronics due to the GaN material properties such as wide bandgap, large breakdown field, high electron saturation velocity and good thermal conductivity. When thin AlGaN layer is grown epitaxially on GaN, it is typically under tensile stress. Consequently, we observe piezoelectric polarization, which is additional to the spontaneous polarization in these materials. The polarization induced sheet charge density forces free electrons to try to compensate for it. These charges accumulate at the heterojunction of AlGaN and GaN layers to create a Two-Dimensional Electron Gas. The electrons are confined to the interface due to band bending in the GaN, and in order to make a contact to them, it is necessary to pass through the AlGaN layer. Due to the complexity of AlGaN/GaN devices, they are not yet fully understood. This is especially true for the electrical contacts, where the relatively well characterized and described Au-containing metal stacks have to be replaced by Au-free stacks to allow production at scale. The mass production of GaN devices, required for consumer applications of GaN, makes it necessary to use existing Si fabrication facilities, where it is not allowed to use gold, as very low concentrations lead to strong performance degradation of Si devices. Therefore, it is crucial to investigate alternative metal stacks, such as for example TiW, as a replacement for gold. The aim of this thesis is to broaden the understanding of Ohmic and Schottky contact to AlGaN/GaN by means of material characterization techniques and novel electrical test structures. The research on the Ohmic contacts in this thesis aims at providing insight about the electrical transport mechanism from the metal to the 2DEG in the AlGaN/GaN heterostructures. An in-depth study of the nature of these contacts, with emphasis on the nature of the charge transport into the 2DEG, the reactions occurring at the interfaces between the metals and the GaN is presented. For this purpose, accurate measurement structures were designed and new characterization methods have been used. For the Schottky gate structures, metals and alloys with the required high work function were investigated. An in-depth study of the nature of the contact was made. Phenomena specific to the AlGaN/GaN, such as metal stack strain influence on the Schottky barrier and barrier height inhomogeneity was investigated.


Objectives We hypothesise that rising prevalence rates of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) increase infection risk and worsen outcomes among socially disadvantaged Indigenous Australians undergoing a rapid epidemiological transition. Design Available pathology, imaging and discharge morbidity codes were retrospectively reviewed for a period of 5 years prior to admission with a bloodstream infection (BSI), 1 January 2003 to 30 June 2007. Participants 558 Indigenous and 55 non-Indigenous community residents of central Australia. Outcome measures The effects of NCDs on risk of infection and death were determined after stratifying by ethnicity. Results The mean annual BSI incidence rates were far higher among Indigenous residents (Indigenous, 937/100 000; non-Indigenous, 64/100 000 person-years; IRR=14.6; 95% CI 14.61 to 14.65, p<0.001). Indigenous patients were also more likely to have previous bacterial infections (68.7% vs 34.6%; respectively, p<0.001), diabetes (44.3% vs 20%; p<0.001), harmful alcohol consumption (37% vs 12.7%; p<0.001) and other communicable diseases (human T-lymphotropic virus type 1, 45.2%; strongyloidiasis, 36.1%; hepatitis B virus, 12.9%). Among Indigenous patients, diabetes increased the odds of current Staphylococcus aureus BSI (OR=1.6, 95% CI 1.0 to 2.5) and prior skin infections (adjusted OR=2.1, 95% CI 1.4 to 3.3). Harmful alcohol consumption increased the odds of current Streptococcus pneumoniae BSI (OR=1.57, 95% CI 1.02 to 2.40) and of previous BSI (OR=1.7, 95% CI 1.1 to 2.5), skin infection (OR=1.7, 95% CI 1.1 to 2.6) or pneumonia (OR=4.3, 95% CI 2.8 to 6.7). Twenty-six per cent of Indigenous patients died at a mean (SD) age of 47±15 years. Complications of diabetes and harmful alcohol consumption predicted 28-day mortality (non-rheumatic heart disease, HR=2.9; 95% CI 1.4 to 6.2; chronic renal failure, HR=2.6, 95%CI 1.0 to 6.5; chronic liver disease, HR=3.3, 95% CI 1.6 to 6.7). Conclusions In a socially disadvantaged population undergoing a rapid epidemiological transition, NCDs are associated with an increased risk of infection and BSI-related mortality. Complex interactions between communicable diseases and NCDs demand an integrated approach to management, which must include the empowerment of affected populations to promote behavioural change.


Background and Objectives We evaluated the two-year clinical outcomes in patients with angiographically intermediate lesions according to the plaque burden and treatment strategy. Subjects and Methods We prospectively enrolled patients with angiographically intermediate lesions (diameter stenosis 30-70%) with an intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) minimum lumen area (MLA) <4 mm2 with 50-70% plaque burden of 16 Korean percutaneous coronary intervention centers. Patients were divided into medical therapy group (n=85) and zotarolimus-eluting stent group (ZES; Resolute) group (n=74). We evaluated the incidences of two-year major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE). Results A two-year clinical follow-up was completed in 143 patients and MACE occurred in 12 patients. There were no significant differences in the incidences of death (1.3% vs. 3.0%, p=0.471), target vessel-related non-fatal myocardial infarction (0.0% vs. 0.0%, p=1.000) and target vessel revascularizations (7.8% vs. 4.5%, p=0.425) between medical and ZES groups. Independent predictors of two-year MACE included acute myocardial infarction {odds ratio (OR)=2.87; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.43-6.12, p=0.014}, diabetes mellitus (OR=2.46; 95% CI 1.24-5.56, p=0.028) and non-statin therapy (OR=2.32; 95% CI 1.18-5.24, p=0.034). Conclusion Medical therapy shows comparable results with ZES, and myocardial infarction, diabetes mellitus and non-statin therapy were associated with the occurrence of two-year MACE in patients with intermediate lesion with IVUS MLA <4 mm2 with 50-70% of plaque burden.


ABSTRACT Studies to date of Chinese tourists as new consumers in the travel marketplace have been largely framed in the context of Western theories. This study initiates a qualitative inquiry to develop a conceptual framework for understanding Chinese tourists' motivations. The study is informed by Confucian doctrines and extant motivation theories, and substantiated by empirical findings from 79 in-depth interviews. Seen from the perspective of Confucianism, the framework illustrates that the motivations of Chinese tourists arise as a result of the gaps between the Way (the ideal end-state) and ways (the actual state). Tourism is a functional means to bridging multiple gaps perceived in inner as well as outer cultivation. Four conceptual themes are examined as propositions from the framework.


The study entitled "Analysis of Policy Pricing, Promotion, and Other Facilities Against Customer Satisfaction (Studies in
Pandanaran Hotel on Jl. Pandanaran No.58, Semarang)".
This study analyzes the pricing policy (X1), promotion (X2) and support facilities (X3) to customer satisfaction (Y). The population in
this study are the customers who use the hotel Pandanaran price, promotion and support facilities provided by the hotel.
Determination of the samples was done by using "purposive sampling" and the number of samples taken as many as 100 people. The
model used is regression analysis linearberganda. Previously, testing the validity and reliability, along with classic ujiasumsi of
research data.
The research results are: (1) The results of statistical calculations with multiple linear regression analysis can be shown by the
regression equation Y = 0.183 + 0.043 X1 + X2 + 0.599 X3 e. From the regression equation is known that the pricing policy,
promotion, and support facilities have a positive and significant impact on customer satisfaction. (2) The calculation of the
coefficient of determination 0.434 magnitude. This indicates that the pricing policy, promotion, and support facilities are able to
explain the variables of customer satisfaction at 43.4%. While the remaining 56.6% is explained by other variables not examined
such as customer satisfaction, promotion, support facilities, and more. (3) The hypothesis that has been done in this study were: A)
There are positive and significant influence on pricing policy of customer satisfaction. B) There are positive and significant
promotion of customer satisfaction. C) There is a significant and positive effect on customer satisfaction rates.


A study was carried out to assess the status and performance of human and animal
health disease surveillance systems in Tanzania using Ngorongoro district in Arusha
region, Tanzania as a case example. The acceptability and reliability of the use of
Android mobile phones in the "one health" community- based surveillance system
was assessed. The evaluation of the performance of the surveillance systems through
visiting and retrieval of disease surveillance forms submitted from the village health
facilities to the district medical office (DMO) and district veterinary office (DVO) in
Ngorongoro was carried out. A total number of 14 wards of Ngorongoro district were
visited and all livestock field officers (LFO) were interviewed. The study also
collected data from 13 health facilities, representing approximately 62% of all health
facilities in Ngorongoro district. It was further observed that there is poor
surveillance in both human and animal health sectors as evidenced by less than 50%
submission of reports to DMO/DVO. Major symptoms identified by the Community
Health Reporters (CHRs) included Diarrhoea (66.7%), coughing (50%), sores in the
mouth (44.4%) and headache (39%). In livestock, the major signs were coughing
(61%), lameness and sores in the mouth (33%), and swollen of lymphnodes (31%).
The acceptability of android phones was 57%, 77.8% and 75% for the communities,
human health officials and LFOs, respectively. Infrastructure problems, lack of
reliable transport and remoteness of livestock and human health facilities were
mentioned as the major challenges in disease surveillance in the study area. It can be
concluded that android mobile phones have the potential to improve surveillance
systems under 'one health' approach.


Inspiratory muscle training aims to preserve or improve respiratory muscle strength in children with neuromuscular diseases in order to prevent or minimise pulmonary morbidity. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of inspiratory muscle training on clinical outcomes and health-related quality of life in a child with advanced neuromuscular disease and severe pulmonary restriction. A one patient pre-test post-test study design was implemented. General function, spirometry, peak expiratory cough flow and health-related quality of life were measured at baseline and after a 6-week inspiratory muscle training programme. Inspiratory muscle strength (maximal inspiratory mouth pressure and sniff nasal inspiratory pressure) was measured every 2 weeks. The patient used a tapered flow threshold inspiratory training device (POWERbreathe K3) at an intensity of ± 30% of maximal inspiratory mouth pressure twice a day, 5 days per week. The non-ambulatory 10-year-old girl with type 2 spinal muscular atrophy initially had a forced vital capacity of 18% predicted and peak expiratory cough flow of 60 litres/minute. A substantial improvement was seen in inspiratory muscle strength between baseline and 4 weeks. Patient health-related quality of life improved and patient satisfaction was high, with a score of 9/10. The patient developed a lower respiratory tract infection towards the end of the inspiratory muscle training period. No other adverse events occurred. Improved inspiratory muscle strength and health-related quality of life was associated with inspiratory muscle training in a child with advanced spinal muscular atrophy. Controlled clinical trials are recommended to determine the safety and efficacy of inspiratory muscle training in children with advanced spinal muscular atrophy and severe respiratory muscle weakness to inform clinical practice.


Eastern Orthodox and Anglicans: Diplomacy, and the Politics of Interwar Ecumenism. By Bryn Geffert. (Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press, 2010, Pp. xi, 501. $60, cloth.) The author is to be congratulated for the massive amount of research that has gone into this history of the ecumenical efforts towards rapprochement between Anglicans and Orthodox in the period of the 1920s and 1930s, especially in the years between the two great world wars. Spanning over fifteen chapters with no less than a total of 1630 footnotes as well as twenty-seven illustrations, this extremely detailed coverage makes for tedious reading at times, but it does represent a significant amount of investigation in obscure sources both primary and secondary. The foci of this book rest mainly in England and Russia, and readers knowledgeable of the wider dimensions of Anglican relations with the Orthodox will look in vain for coverage of the considerable North American involvement in such matters, or for much detailed treatment of such American Episcopalians known for their pioneering work with the Orthodox as Lauriston Scaife, Edward West, Charles Reuben Hale, Isabel Florence Hapgood, William Chauncey Emhardt, Paul Anderson, Charles C. Grafton, Frank Gavin, and Edward Hardy. The background of that earlier, and very intense, crescendo in relationships of the Episcopal Church with the Orthodox was formed especially in the decades of the 1860s and 1870s under the sponsorship of the "Russo-Greek Committee" that was established by the General Convention of the Episcopal Church. Gelfert may be correct that English bishop John Wordsworth "established for the first time [1898] direct correspondence between the ecumenical patriarch and the archbishop of Canterbury" (20), but it needs to be said that the founding of the Russo-Greek Committee in America had already preceded and directly influenced the establishment of the similar committee in England. The author would have done well to acknowledge and build upon this precedent of efforts (and success) from the Episcopal Church, for in many ways this earlier period of diplomacy from America was the necessary and substantial precursor for the later developments chronicled in the present volume. Although the great strength of this book lies in its investigation of countless secondary sources, especially rescued from obscure periodicals, there are nonetheless just enough slips of the pen, so to speak, to make one wonder just how familiar the author is with Anglicanism itself. It must be said that the book suffers from a constant but ill-defined and very un-Anglican use of the term "confession" where the word "church" is probably intended. "Confession" is used not only to describe all the various separated churches of the west but also with reference to the Orthodox themselves, who are described as "lacking in confessional identity" ( 1 0) . To write of " confessions" that are "like-minded" to the Church ofEngland (75), or to write of "a given confession's ordere" (89), or of any single grouping of churches such as the Roman, or of all the non-Orthodox (e.g. 202, 231), or of the Christian east in contrast to the Christian west, as each being a "confession" (272) in any of these ways is both confusing and unhelpful, not the least because these churches do not normally employ such terminology to describe themselves. Also, there are other inaccuracies. The first archbishop of Canterbury was Augustine, not Matthew Parker (11). Henry VIII was not the "founder of the Church of England" (17). The "Book of Ordinations" (22) was not called that but is generally known as the English Ordinal. There was no "archbishop of Gloucester" (79), an erroneous description for Arthur Headlam who was bishop ofthat see (82). The same misunderstanding of British episcopal terminology is present in the reference to "Kenneth Brechin" (400). The first Book of Common Prayer was issued in 1549, not 1550 (122). There was never an archbishop of Can terbury named William Fisher (253). …


Bogotá, a megacity with almost 8 million inhabitants is prone to a significant earthquake hazard due to nearby active faults as well as subduction megathrust earthquakes. The city has been severely affected by many historical earthquakes in the last 500 years, reaching MM intensities of 8 or more in Bogotá. The city is also located at a large lacustrine basin composed of extremely soft soils which may strongly amplify the ground shaking from earthquakes. The basin extends approximately 40 km from North to South, is bounded by the Andes range to the East and South, and sharply deepens towards the West of Bogotá. The city has been the subject of multiple microzonations studies which have contributed to gain a good knowledge on the geotechnical zonation of the city and tectonic setting of the region. To improve our knowledge on the seismic risk of the city as one of the topics, we started a 5 years project sponsored by SATREPS (a joint program of JICA and JST), entitled "Application of state of the art technologies to strengthen research and response to seismic, volcanic and tsunami events and enhance risk management in Colombia (2015-2019)". In this paper we will show our preliminary results for the elaboration of a velocity model of the city. To construct a velocity model of the basin we conducted multi-sized microtremors arrays measurements (radius from 60 cm up to 1000 m) at 41 sites within the city. We calculated dispersion curves and inferred velocity profiles at all the sites. We combine these results with available gravity measurements within the city to obtain the initial velocity model of the basin. We also evaluated site effects in Bogota using records from the Strong Motion Network of Bogota.


Since costs related to feeding comprise determining part of production costs in aquaculture, as in any other branch of animal production, innumerable studies aimed to give information about the feed utilization were done also for fish. The great majority of literature discusses only the simplest indicators as feed conversion ratio (FCR), feed efficiency ratio (FER), protein efficiency ratio (PER) and productive protein value (PPV). One of the key research areas however that made possible the impressive growth of aquaculture in the last decades certainly was the extensive development of feeds based on sophisticated knowledge of nutrient requirements of more and more fish species. The main goal of this literature review was to focus on digestibility of nutrients, its measurement methods and to survey the main directions of contemporary research activity in this field.
In conclusion, determination of apparent digestibility coefficients (ADC) became an everyday practice of experimental methodology in fish nutrition studies, although there are no standardized methods, neither in marker use nor in feces collection, just to mention two from the most crucial questions. Testing and evaluating new alternative protein and energy sources to minimalize the use of fishmeal (FM) and fish oil (FO) needed to develop the requirement at ration level (RRL) method to determine adequate daily ration and also the diet replacement method (DRM) and ingredient replacement method (IRM) for ingredient inclusion in studies on digestibility. Metabolomics and nutrigenomics offer new ways of approximation in areas of primary importance in the future development of aquaculture.


INTRODUCTION. Ureter lithiasis is a concern for physicians because frequently provokes an obstructive uropathy and a progressive deterioration of ipsilateral renal function and a high prevalence of pathological state that is why the hospitals can not give a surgical solution as quickly as possible. The objective of present research was to know the results of the shock waves extracorporeal lithotripsy (SWEL) using the MODULITH SLX-MX (STORZ) lithotriptor for treatment or ureteral lithiasis. METHODS. In present research 598 patients presenting with ureter radiopaque lithiasis, seen in the "Hermanos Ameijeiras" Clinical Surgical Hospital from January, 2007 to December, 2008, divided into four groups according to the calculus localization: in pyeloureteral joint (PUJ) (96), lumbar ureter (LU) (263), iliac joint (IJ) (40), pelvic joint (PJ) (199) analyzing its relationship with lithiasis surface, treatment sessions, complementary manoeuvres previous to lithotripsy, application of subsequent auxiliary procedures, definite resolution using other surgical technique and therapeutical effectiveness. Collimation was carried out by fluoroscopy. RESULTS. Most of calculi were located in the lumbar ureter and in the second place in pelvic ureter. The mean size of lithiasis was of 0,8 ± 0,5233 cm in the rank of 0,09-4 cm. The mean of sessions used was of 1,24 ± 0,531, in the rank of 0,09-4 cm. The mean of sessions used was of 1,24 ± 0,531, rank of 1-4. In 72 patients 12,04%) previous complementary manoeuvres were carried out and the more used one was the percutaneous nephrostomy (40; 6,6%). After SWEL it was necessary the conversion to other procedure for solution of 4,68% of the cases. The SWEL was effective in the 95,32% with better results in the UP (96,99%) and with worse results in the IJ (92,50%). CONCLUSIONS. The results were good using the MODULITH SLX-MX (STORZ) lithotriptor. The better results were obtained in the pelvic ureter and in general, it is possible to consider the SWEL as the first therapeutical choice of ureteral lithiasis.


This paper presents applications of polytopic approximation methods for reachable set computations using dynamic optimization. The problem of computing exact reachable sets can be formulated in terms of Hamilton-Jacobi partial differential equation (PDE). Numerical solutions, which provide convergent approximations of this PDE, have computational complexity, which is exponential in the continuous variable dimension. Using dynamic optimization and polytopic approximation, computationally efficient algorithms for overapproximative reachability analysis have been developed for linear dynamical systems by P. Varaiya (1998). In this paper, we show that these can be extended to feedback linearizable nonlinear systems, linear dynamic games, and norm-bounded nonlinear systems. Three illustrative examples are presented.


consistently higher expressed in UC than in CD. AMPs are generally highly expressed across all studies, with the notable exception of previously identified down regulation of DEFB1 and LEAP2. DEFB1 expression is strongly correlated with down regulation of PPARG (rho: 0.73), a protein known to be related to DEFB1 expression. Un-inflamed tissue from patients demonstrated minimal differences from healthy control. CONCLUSION(S): There is little evidence of reproducible differences between WGGE analysis of UC and CD. This suggests that once the inflammation is established, the two diseases follow a similar path with regard to mucosal gene expression. There is no observable difference in the Th subgroup involvement between UC and CD based on expression in colon mucosa. Th1/Th17 related expression, with little Th2 differentiation, dominated both diseases. The different IL23A expression between UC and CD suggests an IBD subtype specific role. AMPs are strongly overexpressed in IBD. This IBD WGGE study for the first time integrates external data sets, providing a sound background for further research on IBD pathobiology. This strategy proves powerful, and facilitates result interpretation and validation.


The concept of filtering analog signals was first introduced almost one hundred years ago, and has seen tremendous development since then. The majority of filters consist of electrical circuits, which are relatively easy to work with since the signals themselves are usually electrical, although there has been a great deal of interest in electromechanical filters. Electromechanical filters consist of transducers that convert the electrical signal to mechanical motion, which is then passed through a vibrating mechanical system, and then transduced back into electrical energy at the output. In either type of filter, electrical or electromechanical, the key component is the resonator. This is a two-degree-of-freedom system whose transient response oscillates at its natural frequency. In electrical filters, resonators are typically inductor-capacitor pairs, while in mechanical filters they are spring-mass systems. By coupling the resonators correctly, the desired filter type (such as bandpass, band-reject, etc.) or specific filter characteristics (e.g. center frequency, roll-off, ripple, etc.) can be realized. Even though mechanical filters are in general more complex than electrical filters, given the required transducers and the additional fabrication steps, they are desirable because of the extremely good resonator characteristics of mechanical systems, which can result in superior filter characteristics. Existing mechanical filter technology could be considered to be "macro-scale" (centimeters and up) and the design process has been somewhat of an art. There is interest in developing micro-scale filters that are well-integrated with electronics. This thesis discusses the overall design process of mechanical filters, bringing together information from the filter design literature that is somewhat spread out. An example of the design and analysis of a narrow-band mechanical filter with piezoelectric transducers is offered. This design was constructed and tested, and the results are also presented. Finally, the thesis also presents implications for designing mechanical filters at the micro-scale.


Cell fate determination has always fascinated scientists predominantly embryologists and challenged them to decipher master genes or networks of transcriptional factors which together with cell signaling cascades act as key regulators for the cell lineage allocation. With the rediscovery of the pluripotent precursor cells in an adult body and the possibility to induce pluripotency in somatic cells (iPSCs), as sources for alternative therapeutic options in translational medicine, this field has attracted high interest in medical research and application (1). iPSC have several advantages over embryonic stem cells such as avoiding tumor formation and to circumvent ethical concerns. Meanwhile the understanding of pluripotency has broadened thanks to abundant studies on converting ESC and somatic cells into another cell fate using predominantly transfection of a bunch of lineage specific transcription factors. While many studies focused on the regulation of ESC conversion less is known about the hierarchically organized network of transcriptional factors which determine the trophoblast lineage for placenta development.


The notion of social roles is a centerpiece of most sociological theoretical considerations. Regular equivalences were introduced by White and Reitz in [15] as the least restrictive among the most commonly used definitions of equivalence in social network analysis. In this paper we consider a generalization of this notion to a bipartite case. We define a pair of regular equivalences on a two-mode social network and we provide an algorithm for computing the greatest pair of regular equivalences.


We report that nicotine is responsible for both a blood-borne stimulation of the respiratory center and a direct effect on intrathoracic airway tone in dogs. We introduced cigarette smoke into the lungs of donor dogs and injected arterial blood obtained from them into the circulation of recipient dogs to show that a blood-borne material increased breathing and airway smooth muscle tone. Smoke from cigarettes containing 2.64 mg of nicotine was effective; that from cigarettes containing 0.42 mg of nicotine was not. Nicotine, in doses comparable to the amounts absorbed from smoke, also increased breathing and tracheal smooth muscle tension when injected into the vertebral circulation of recipient dogs. Finally, blockade of nicotine receptors in the central nervous system and in the airway parasympathetic ganglia inhibited the effects of inhaled cigarette smoke and intravenous nicotine on the respiratory center and on bronchomotor tone. We conclude that nicotine absorbed from cigarette smoke is the main cause of cigarette smoke-induced bronchoconstriction. It caused central respiratory stimulation, resulting in increased breathing and airway smooth muscle tension, and had a direct effect on airway parasympathetic ganglia as well.


Transient air-fuel ratio control for lean burn engines is essential to achieve improved fuel economy and strict federal emission regulations. Unlike conventional Spark Ignition (SI) engines, lean burn engines are no longer operating in a narrow band around stoichiometric resulting in a very challenging air-fuel ratio tracking problem. An approach to combine an input shaping method together with Linear Parameter Varying (LPV) feedback control is proposed in this paper to solve the transient air-fuel ratio tracking problem. LPV air-fuel ratio control has been shown to regulate the air-fuel ratio at steady state engine operating conditions, reduce the variability of the closed-loop system, reject disturbance and guarantee robustness and stability in the presence of variable time delays. In this paper, an input shaping method is used to reduce the cost of feedback, and thereby enhance the air-fuel ratio tracking performance during engine transient operations. The prefilter is designed based on the closed-loop dynamics resulting from the LPV design. A systematic input shaping prefilter design process is developed. The designed prefilter successfully extends the closed-loop air-fuel ratio tracking bandwidth. Simulation results using Federal Test Procedure (FTP) drive cycle data are used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the input shaping prefilter. Moreover, the designed prefilter is structurally simple and computationally efficient.


The isolations of active anticancer compounds from Solanum spirale Roxb., collected from Phayao Province, Thailand are rarely reported. The anticancer activities of hexane and methanol extracts of the leaves were investigated. The chloroform extract possessed anticancer activities against KB-Oral cavity cancer, MCF-7 breast cancer cell and NCI-H187-Small cell lung cancer with the IC 50 values of 42.73, 17.90, and 36.74 μg/ mL, respectively. But the hexane extract did not inhibit significant anticancer activity against three cancer cell lines. Lupeol, protocatechuic acid and trans-cinnamic acid have been isolated from the chloroform extract of this medicinal plants. Their structures were characterized on the basis of spectroscopic analysis. The anticancer activities of the isolated compounds were also evaluated in vitro against three cancer cell lines. Only lupeol compound inhibited significant anticancer activity against KB-Oral cavity cancer with the IC 50- value of 26.73 μg/mL, whereas protocatechuic acid and trans-cinnamic acid did not exhibit anticancer activity. The hexane, chloroform extracts and the isolated compounds did not show cytotoxic activity against the African green monkey kidney cell line. The hexane and chloroform extracts also inhibited antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus with the MIC values were in the range between 375-1500 μg/mL. All isolated compounds showed equal antibacterial activity against E. coli with the MIC of 250 μg/mL, and trans-cinnamic acid showed better antibacterial activity against S. aureus with the MIC of 250 μg/mL than lupeol and protocatechuic acid. This is the first report decribes the isolation and structure elucidation of lupeol, protocatechuic acid and trans-cinnamic acid together with their anticancer, cytotoxic and antibacterial activities from this medicinal plant.


We examined the uncertainty of the two-dimensional (2D) resistivity method using conceptual cavity models. The experimental cavity study was conducted to validate numerical model results. Spatial resolution and sensitivity to resistivity perturbations were also assessed using checkerboard tests. Conceptual models were simulated to generate synthetic resistivity data for dipole-dipole (DD), pole-dipole (PD), Wenner–Schlumberger (WS), and pole-pole (PP) arrays. The synthetically measured resistivity data were inverted to obtain the geoelectric models. The highest anomaly effect (1.46) and variance (24,400 Ω·m) in resistivity data were recovered by the DD array, whereas the PP array obtained the lowest anomaly effect (0.60) and variance (2401 Ω·m) for the shallowest target cavity set at 2.2 m depth. The anomaly effect and variance showed direct dependency on the quality of the inverted models. The DD array provided the highest model resolution that shows relatively distinct anomaly geometries. In contrast, the PD and WS arrays recovered good resolutions, but it is challenging to determine the correct anomaly geometries with them. The PP array reproduced the lowest resolution with less precise anomaly geometries. Moreover, all the tested arrays showed high sensitivity to the resistivity contrasts at shallow depth. The DD and WS arrays displayed the higher sensitivity to the resistivity perturbations compared to the PD and PP arrays. The inverted models showed a reduction in sensitivity, model resolution, and accuracy at deeper depths, creating ambiguity in resistivity model interpretations. Despite these uncertainties, our modeling specified that two-dimensional resistivity imaging is a potential technique to study subsurface cavities. We inferred that the DD array is the most appropriate for cavity surveys. The PD and WS arrays are adequate, while the PP array is the least suitable for cavity studies.


The telecommunications industry went through growing pains in the past that hold some interesting lessons for the growing distributed generation (DG) industry. The technology shifts and stakeholders involved with the historic market transformation of the telecommunications sector mirror similar factors involved in distributed generation today. An examination of these factors may inform best practices when approaching the conduits necessary to accelerate the shifting of our nation's energy system to cleaner forms of generation and use. From a technical perspective, the telecom industry in the 1990s saw a shift from highly centralized systems that had no capacity for adaptation to highly adaptive, distributed network systems. From a management perspective, the industry shifted from small, private-company structures to big, capital-intensive corporations. This presentation will explore potential correlation and outline the lessons that we can take away from this comparison.


This paper examines labor contracts as a form of insurance contracts. It assumes that workers are risk averse with the time perspective (or planning period) of a worker combining a period of T distinct spells t, with length of a spell being the same for all workers (a spell might be a year for example). Workers are assumed to differ only according to their time perspective: For example some workers planning period may consist of only one spell (T=1), while for others it may be three spells (T=3). The analysis starts with the assumption that workers are hired on a neoclassical spot contract at the beginning of each spell . Then it shows that, if workers objective is to maximize the sum of their incomes over all spells in their planing period, income risk that derives from the uncertainty of employment caused by stochastical business cycles in each spell will be more threatening to workers with a shorter time perspective T than to those with a longer time perspective. Therefore, if a firm offers an institutionalized contract that bears no employment risk and covers the worker´s individual planning period T, the worker´s willingness to pay risk premiums by wage concessions decreases, the longer is his planning period. On this pure risk theoretical point of view, the firm will prefer workers with short individual planning periods in order to maximize their insurance premiums. Thus this paper contradicts the common argument that long term contracts are advantageous to firms.


Objective: Tinea pedis is the most common superficial fungal infection of the foot. Although light microscopic characteristics of tinea pedis have already been described and are well known, electron microscopic data is still lacking. In this study, we aimed to examine the ultrastructural changes in the epidermis of patients diagnosed with tinea pedis. Material and Methods: Biopsies were taken from the lesions between the toes of patients with untreated tinea pedis and from healthy volunteers with no fungal infections. The materials obtained were prepared for electron microscopy and examined by transmission electron microscope. Results: The ultrastructural examination revealed the following changes: (1) Disturbances in the form and organization of keratinocytes; (2) Irregular distribution and interlacing of tonofilament bundles in keratinocytes; (3) Disruption of desmosomes and detachment of adjoining keratinocytes; (4) Excessive widening of intercellular spaces between keratinocytes; (5) Dilatation of intercellular spaces between basal cells; (6) Degranulation of melanocytes in the stratum basale; (7) Migration of lymphocytes and polymorphonuclear leukocytes between keratinocytes in the stratum spinosum; (8) Degradation of basal lamina; (9) Pericapillary edema in the apillary dermis. Conclusion: The ultrastructural findings in tinea pedis are described and related to the clinical symptoms and histopathologic features of the disease.


Venomous snake bite and subsequent coagulopathy is a significant source of morbidity and mortality worldwide. The gold standard to treat coagulopathy caused by these venoms is the administration of antivenom; however, despite this therapy, coagulopathy still occurs and recurs. Of interest, our laboratory has demonstrated in vitro and in vivo that coagulopathy-inducing venom exposed to carbon monoxide (CO) is inhibited, potentially by an attached heme. The present investigation sought to determine if venoms derived from snakes of the African genera Atheris, Atractaspis, Causus, Cerastes, Echis, and Macrovipera that have no or limited antivenoms available could be inhibited with CO or with the metheme-inducing agent, O-phenylhydroxylamine (PHA). Assessing changes in coagulation kinetics of human plasma with thrombelastography, venoms were exposed in isolation to CO or PHA. Eight species were found to have procoagulant activity consistent with the generation of human thrombin, while one was likely fibrinogenolytic. All venoms were significantly inhibited by CO/PHA with species-specific variation noted. These data demonstrate indirectly that the heme is likely bound to these disparate venoms as an intermediary modulatory molecule. In conclusion, future investigation is warranted to determine if heme could serve as a potential therapeutic target to be modulated during treatment of envenomation by hemotoxic enzymes.


Downcore cyclic variation in high-resolution nannofossil abundance records from mid-Pliocene equatorial Atlantic ODP Sites 662 and 926 demonstrate the direct response by several Pliocene taxa (notably Discoaster, Sphenolithus and Florisphaera profunda) to orbitally forced climatic variation. In particular, these records display strong obliquity and precessional signals reflecting primarily high latitude, Southern hemisphere changes influencing upwelling intensity and local low-latitude, insolation-driven climatic changes (via the productivity and/or turbidity influence of Amazon-sourced terrigenous material) at Sites 622 and 926 respectively. In seasonal studies of coccolithophorid assemblages, only part of the variation observed can be explained by abiotic processes, so it is perhaps not surprising that in this study few Pliocene nannofossil taxa demonstrate significant correlations with each other or with physical environmental parameters. Only some variance in nannofossil abundances can be explained by the primary controls of temperature and productivity. The rest is attributed to nonlinear responses to climatic changes; biotic processes such as grazing, predation, viral infection and competition, and/or, abiotic factors for which there is no readily available proxy (e.g. salinity). The lack of strong, consistent intra- and inter-relationships of the nannoflora and the environment reflects an ecologically complex, differentiated original community producing a complex integrated signal transmitted into the fossil record.


Since the availability of protease inhibitors in 1997, there has been a great change in antiretroviral therapy but also new long term side effects have emerged, mainly metabolic changes such as hypertriglyceridemia, hypercholesteremia and hyperglycemia. Besides, fat redistribution has been observed. Fat wastes in the face and limbs but accumulates in the adipose tissue of the dorsocervical and abdominal region and the breasts. The mechanism of these changes remains unclear. For therapy a protease inhibitor free therapy or lipid lowering drugs may be tried. 29 of our 224 patients developed lipodystrophy. 27 of these patients had been treated with a protease inhibitor (17 patients with indinavir); 2 of the patients had never received protease inhibitors.


Functional properties and antioxidant activities in vitro and hypoglycaemic and hypolipidemic activities in vivo of protein hydrolysates prepared from muscle of grey triggerfish (Balistes capriscus) were investigated. Baliste protein hydrolysates (BPHs) were obtained by treatment with crude enzyme preparations from Bacillus mojavensis A21 (BPH-A21), crude enzyme extract from sardinelle (Sardinella aurita) viscera (BPH-S) and crude enzyme extract from Zebra blenny (Slaria basilisca) viscera (BPH-Z). The protein hydrolysate BPH-A21, BPH-S and BPH-Z contained high protein content 87.61%, 74.53% and 54.18%, respectively. The protein hydrolysates had an excellent solubility and possessed interfacial properties, which were governed by their concentrations. Analysis of amino acid composition revealed that Baliste capriscus protein hydrolysates (BPHs) were valuable sources of essential amino acids and rich in lysine and Arginine, which is one of the active ingredients for blood glucose control by inducing insulin release in both rats and humans. Treatment of alloxan-induced diabetic rats (AIDR) with BPHs revealed a significant inhibition of α -amylase activity in serum, as well as a reduction of blood glucose and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels in diabetic rats. Further, BPHs also decreased significantly the triglyceride (TG), totalcholesterol (TC) and LDL-cholesterol (LDL-c) levels in the serum and liver of diabetic rats, while they increased the HDL-cholesterol (HDL-c) level, which helped to maintain the homeostasis of blood lipids. Furthermore, BPHs exhibited potent protective effects against heart attack markers by reversing myocardial enzyme serum back to normal levels. BCPHs may also a marked decrease in the level of serum bilirubin as well as in the activities of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT). These beneficial effects of BPHs were confirmed by histological findings in the hepatic and pancreatic tissues of diabetic rats. Indeed, they avoid lipid accumulation in the hepatocytes and protect the pancreatic β-cells from degeneration. Overall, the findings of the current study indicate that BPHs significantly attenuated hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia in AIDR. The antioxidant activities of protein hydrolysates at different concentrations were evaluated using various in vitro antioxidant assays, including 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH.) radical method, reducing power assay, chelating activity, β-carotene bleaching and DNA nicking assay. All protein hydrolysates showed varying degrees of antioxidant activity. BPH-Z had the highest DPPH radical scavengingactivity (95% at 40 mg/ml) and higher ability to prevent bleaching of β-carotene than BPH-S and BPH-A21 (p<0.05). However, BPH-S exhibited the highest metal chelating activity (76,24% at 0,4 mg/ml) and the strongest protection against hydroxyl radical induced DNA breakage (p<0.05).


The zinc-finger transcription factor GLI3 is a key regulator of development, acting as a primary transducer of Sonic hedgehog (SHH) signaling in a combinatorial context dependent fashion controlling multiple patterning steps in different tissues/organs. A tight temporal and spatial control of gene expression is indispensable, however, cis-acting sequence elements regulating GLI3 expression have not yet been reported. We show that 11 ancient genomic DNA signatures, conserved from the pufferfish Takifugu (Fugu) rubripes to man, are distributed throughout the introns of human GLI3. They map within larger conserved non-coding elements (CNEs) that are found in the tetrapod lineage. Full length CNEs transiently transfected into human cell cultures acted as cell type specific enhancers of gene transcription. The regulatory potential of these elements is conserved and was exploited to direct tissue specific expression of a reporter gene in zebrafish embryos. Assays of deletion constructs revealed that the human-Fugu conserved sequences within the GLI3 intronic CNEs were essential but not sufficient for full-scale transcriptional activation. The enhancer activity of the CNEs is determined by a combinatorial effect of a core sequence conserved between human and teleosts (Fugu) and flanking tetrapod-specific sequences, suggesting that successive clustering of sequences with regulatory potential around an ancient, highly conserved nucleus might be a possible mechanism for the evolution of cis-acting regulatory elements.


Galvanic anode technology has in recent years come to the fore as a cost-effective method of successfully mitigating the corrosion of reinforcing steel in concrete structures. Developments in the field of cathodic protection have included the introduction of a novel Hybrid anode system, which uses the same sacrificial anode to pass a short-term impressed current before being connected to the steel directly to provide a long-term galvanic current. Galvanic and hybrid technologies are often seen as less powerful solutions in the treatment of reinforcement corrosion, and the test methodologies which determine the efficacy of cathodic protection systems favour impressed current technologies.

The work completed has investigated the application of traditional and novel corrosion assessment techniques to laboratory samples to assess the protection offered by the hybrid treatment methodology in both treatment phases. In addition, the response of both galvanic and hybrid anodes to environmental conditions has been recorded and assessed before being discussed in the context of steel protection criteria. Finally, an investigation is presented into the on-site deterioration of commercially pure titanium feeder wire installed as part of the hybrid anode system and potential solutions to the problem have been documented.

The research undertaken found that the hybrid anode system is capable of protecting steel in challenging, aggressive environments. This was confirmed by steel corrosion rate and indicative steel potential measurements. The responsive behaviour investigation showed that the current output of galvanic and hybrid anodes responds rapidly to changes in the corrosion risk posed to the steel and that this has a direct effect on anode system lifetimes. An assessment of the polarisation-based protection criteria applied to steel in concrete has found that the standard inhibits the use of responsive behaviour, and that revisions which consider the present risk of steel corrosion by considering the corrosion current resulting from the relative aggressivity of the concrete environment would be more valid in their application. A cathodic protection system based on the concepts of pit re-alkalisation and pH maintenance can fully utilise galvanic anode responsive behaviour.

It was discovered that the deterioration of commercially pure titanium feeder wire seen on site installations was due to anodising in the presence of chloride media which had the potential to lead to pitting corrosion. The pitting risk varied depending on the duration of the treatment and proximity to the installed anode. An anodically grown oxide delayed the onset of corrosion in aqueous KBr solution, but did not significantly increase the pitting potential.


Objectives. To examine trends in paramedic rhythm misidentification rates in the use of adenosine for presumed paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (PSVT) over a ten-year period, and to determine variables associated with rhythm misidentification. Methods. The authors conducted a retrospective analysis of all cases in which paramedics treated presumed PSVT with adenosine from 1993 to 2002. Rhythm strips were categorized as narrow or wide-complex and regular or irregular. Appropriate use of adenosine was defined as narrow-complex regular tachycardia with no visible P waves and rate greater than 140 beats/min. Results. The authors studied 224 patients with a mean age of 60 years (range, 15–94 years); 157 (70%) were female and predominantly white. The majority (54%) of patients had initial heart rates of 161–200 beats/min. Forty-nine percent of the patients had a previous history of PSVT. Inappropriate use of adenosine occurred in 45 (20%) cases. Misidentification rates per year ranged from 9% to 31% with the lowest rate occurring after a targeted education program on tachydysrhythmias. An initial heart rate of <160 beats/min (χ2 = 14.81, p < 0.001) and absence of a medical history of either fast heart rate or palpitations (χ2 = 11.35, p = 0.001) were associated with inappropriate use of adenosine. Conclusion. Paramedics in this emergency medical services system are more likely to use adenosine appropriately for patients with initial heart rates of >160 beats/min and a history of rapid heart rate or palpitations. Further studies are required to identify factors associated with rhythm interpretation errors in the prehospital setting as well as to evaluate error reduction strategies.


UNLABELLED
BACKGROUND. One important objective of Anales Españoles de Pediatría (An Esp Pediatr) is to be included in Journal Citation Reports-Science Citation Index and the main step to achieve this is to increase the scientific quality of this Spanish journal. Bibliometric indicators are important tools used to determine the quality of scientific publications.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
A bibliometric study of all the original articles published in An Esp Pediatr in 2001 (n 76) was performed; bibliometric indicators were classified into quantitative and qualitative (statistical analyses and level of scientific evidence). The results were compared with the original articles published in the journal from 1994 to June 2000 (n 733) and with the original articles published in Pediatrics in 2001 (n 276).

RESULTS
The differences found in An Esp Pediatr between the two study periods were the following in 2001: greater collaboration between epidemiologists and/or biostatisticians in the authorship of articles (19.7 %), increased complexity of statistical analyses (statistical accessibility > 7 in 25 %) and greater use of evidence-based methodological concepts (19.7 %). However, no improvement was found in the scientific evidence (evidence was good in only 1.4 % and average in 25.7 %). Other aspects of interest were a lower number of original articles (due to an increase in other types of articles, such as Letters to the Editor or Special Articles) and a greater percentage of articles on evidence-based medicine or articles using its methodology. The differences in bibliometric indicators of quality found between An Esp Pediatr and Pediatrics continued to be considerable: statistical accessibility, evidence-based methodological concepts and scientific evidence (for example, good evidence was 22 times more frequent in Pediatrics).

CONCLUSIONS
The scientific quality of An Esp Pediatr improved in 2001 compared with that of previous years, but the differences found between this journal and the gold standard of Pediatrics are still considerable. We found greater interest in articles related to the new scientific paradigm of evidence-based medicine, which uses the medical literature more effectively to guide medical practice.


The finding by Kachman et al. that consultations have decreased at their institution is an interesting and important observation.1 In contrast, our study found that more than a third of hospitalists reported an increase in consultation requests.2 There may be several explanations for this discrepancy. First, as Kachman et al. suggest, there may be differences between hospitalist perception and actual consultation use. Second, a significant variability in consultation may exist between hospitals. Although our study examined four institutions, we were unable to examine the variability between them, which requires further study. Third, there may be considerable variability between individual hospitalist practices, which is consistent with the findings reported by Kachman et al. Finally, the fact that our study examined only nonteaching services may be another explanation as Kachman et al. found that hospitalists on nonteaching services ordered more consultations than those on teaching services. These findings are consistent with a recent study conducted by Perez et al., who found that hospitalists on teaching services utilized fewer consultations and had lower direct care costs and shorter lengths of stay compared with those on nonteaching services.3 This finding raises the question of whether consultations impact care costs and lengths of stay, a topic that should be explored in future studies.


The kraft process is a complex system with many variables, and though the process is fairly well understood, there is still much we do not know. This thesis examines some aspects of the kraft process that could prove to be of interest for the pulp and paper industry, specifically, the impact of wood chip impregnation and of the chemical structure of xylan on spruce kraft pulp. The intent is to suggest modifications to the kraft process as it is used today. The effect of wood chip impregnation varies with the prevalent conditions, and increases the effect of the subsequent kraft cook. Longer impregnation at a lower temperature was found to increase screened pulp yield, reduce shives content, make it possible to reach a certain kappa number at a lower H-factor, and make it possible to reach a certain kappa number at a lower total alkali consumption. Xylan has previously been found to have a strength-enhancing effect on pulp, and the chemical structure of the xylan in question was found to be the main strength-enhancing factor. For spruce xylan, the structure that provides the largest increase in strength is not the same as the structure that increases the yield the most. Removing xylan was determined to have a negative impact on pulp strength. Xylan extracted from agro waste can be used as an additive to increase pulp strength. This could be viable, especially when combined with the production of green plastics from hemicelluloses extracted from the agro waste. A suggested configuration of a future pulp mill is presented, incorporating the following modifications to the now standard kraft cooking system:impregnation at a lower temperature for a longer time;extracting xylan-enriched black liquor at an early stage of the impregnation or cook, and adding this liquor at a late stage of the cook;terminating the cook at a higher kappa number;increasing oxygen delignification to compensate for the increased kappa number at the end of the cook, keeping the kappa number constant going into the bleaching plant; andadding agro-waste xylan during oxygen delignification.


While exceptions to a regularity might be rare, categories that have exceptions are not. Previous studies on learning categories that have exceptions suggested special status of exceptional items in memory (e.g. Palmeri & Nosofsky, 1995, Sakamoto and Love, 2004). However, this might be true only for a special kind of exceptions – those that call for forming complex binding structures, and could be learned only if they are fully memorized. In the two experiments in this study, we show that memory for exceptions is not better than memory for regular category members (Experiment 1). On the contrary, both children and adults had better memory for the features of regular items (Experiment 2). In addition, adults, but not 4year-olds, showed better memory for the rule than for probabilistic features. The overall results challenge the idea of the special status of exceptions in memory.


Radiocarbon dating of the two LSU Campus Mounds (16EBR6) indicates that the construction of one, Mound B, began at ∼11,000 BP, making Mound B the oldest known and intact manmade structure in the Americas. The age analyses presented here are based on thirty one 14C dates. The older (deeper) parts of both of the LSU Campus Mounds contain many thin, burned ash lenses, suggesting that the Mounds may have been used for ceremonial or cremation purposes. These ash layers are composed mainly of phytoliths, bio-silicate (SiO2) structural compounds in plants that remained after burning of these plants. Analysis of the abundant ash lenses indicates that the plants burned were mainly C4 hydrophilic grasses that are dominated by 90-98% reed and cane plants. The ash layers also contain microscopic fragments of burned, large mammal osteons (bone). The layers of reed and cane phytoliths, containing very small numbers of osteons, are indicative of very hot fires. This finding supports the argument that the fires were used for ceremonials or cremations. No ash beds later than 5,000 BP are known from either LSU Campus Mound A or B, although at ∼800 calBP, a wooden post (now charcoal) was planted and burned on the top of Mound B. It appears that construction of Mound B began during the climate amelioration that followed the Younger Dryas climate event, which ended at ∼11,700 BP. Construction of Mound A appears to have begun at ∼9,500 calBP. Building of the LSU Campus Mounds shows a hiatus when climate deteriorated during the 8200 Climate Event, which defined the end of the Holocene Greenlandian Stage and the beginning of the Northgrippian Stage. Construction began again at ∼7,500 BP, when both mounds continued construction until ∼6,000 BP, with one apparently anomalous date in Mound A at ∼5,100 calBP.


The partitioning locus STB of the selfish plasmid, the 2μm circle, of Saccharomyces cerevisiae is essential for the propagation of this multi-copy extra-chromosomal DNA element with nearly chromosome-like stability. The functional competence of STB requires the plasmid-coded partitioning proteins Rep1 and Rep2 as well as host-coded proteins. Host factors that associate with STB in a Rep1- and Rep2-dependent manner also interact with centromeres, and play important roles in chromosome segregation. They include the cohesin complex and the centromere-specific histone H3 variant Cse4. The genetically defined point centromere of S. cerevisiae differs starkly from the much more widespread epigenetically specified regional centromeres of eukaryotes. The particularly small size of the S. cerevisiae centromere and the association of chromosome segregation factors with STB raise the possibility of an evolutionary link between these two partitioning loci. The unusual positive supercoiling harboured by the S. cerevisiae centromere and STB in vivo in their functional states, unveiled by recent experiments, bolsters the notion of their potential descent from an ancestral plasmid partitioning locus.


This article outlines the strategies for economic and community development in a neighborhood in Chicago, mainly composed of Puerto Rican migrants, that has been experiencing gentrification since the 1990s. This paper argues that the Puerto Rican leadership has attempted, with some degree of success, to promote economic development in the form of businesses and institutions that reproduce the Puerto Rican culture in a commercial district known as Paseo Boricua without resulting in the displacement of the pre-existing community. This has been made possible by a community plan, which balances projects aimed at creating jobs with social interests. In particular, this research explores the elements of that plan, along with other strategies, which have contributed to the prosperity of Paseo Boricua, as well as some of the challenges the district confronts. This research is based on 4 and a half years of ethnographic work with an organization of community leaders named the Puerto Rican Agenda. Besides ethnographic methodology, the study is based on interviews, focus groups and surveys.


Ad-hoc political advisory committees are appointed to solve political problems and they can have a relatively large impact on the policy-process. The legitimacy of these committees is contested because they can form a closed venue for interactive governance or interest representation by their constitution, working process, access or use of knowledge. Although political advisory committees are rather common in Dutch politics nearly no insights exist on their functioning and impact. These committees are installed for certain societal or political arguments in reaction to specific circumstances. So the reasons why they are appointed and the context differ, hence they play different roles and produce different outputs (facts, agenda, advice next step). This diversity will be described by a typology based on the type of issue and task. In policy-processes in which advisory committees come into play three decision phases exist with different arenas and processes. Committees have an intermediate role between societal stakeholders, science and politics. In different committees the interest representation have a different priority and form. In the three phases different mechanisms are effective as influence strategies for interest representation. An overview will be presented of all committees appointed in The Netherlands the last two decades for rural affairs and fisheries: the policy issue, reasons for appointing them, chair and constitution, task, working mode, output and impact. More specific the process of interest representation is analysed for four committees, each representing a committee-type. It turns out that the type of issue the committee is appointed for, the type of network used and the access for interest groups is stipulated by the tradition already present in the policy field. Based on this the legitimacy of these committees is discussed. These findings are relevant for other interactive governance processes where political entrepreneurs try to influence the outcome of a policy process


This article studies the international integration of the national stock markets of sixteen European countries. The international financial market is represented by two indices: a European index and a World index. The methodology of co-integration, used in this article, is the proper econometrical solution for the treatment of non-stationary series as those used in the present research. Complementarily, co-integration offers the possibility of distinguishing the long-term and the short-term interdependence, which very important when the variables are financial market indices. The empirical tests in this research have shown that both European and non European international factors are necessary to explain the international integration of the national stock markets under analysis.


This article highlights the characteristics of articles on project success published between 1986 and 2004 in the Project Management Journal (PMJ) and the International Journal of Project Management (IJPM). The analysis covers references, concepts like project management success, project success, success criteria, and success factors; features of the samples, data collection, and analysis techniques used; and professional disciplines. The results show that research on project success is characterized by diversity except in epistemological and methodological perspectives. The article suggests a shift to project, portfolio, and program success and concludes with a discussion on the traditional state of the research, criticizes its assumptions, and offers alternative metaphors and recommendations for future research.


The paper first assesses regional and ethnic group differences in social trust and memberships in both Canada and the United States. The ethnic categories people choose to describe themselves are as important as regional differences, but much less important than education, in explaining differences in trust. Respondents who qualify their nationality by any of seven adjectives, a feature more prevalent in the United States than in Canada, (black, white, Hispanic and Asian in the United States; French, English and Ethnic in Canada) have lower levels of trust than those who consider themselves Canadians or Americans either first or only. The dispersion of incomes across states or provinces has been dropping in both countries, but faster in Canada than in the United States. The 1980s increase in regional income disparity in the United States has no parallel in Canada. In neither country is there evidence that per capita economic growth is faster in regions marked by high levels of trust. However, U.S. migrants tend to move to states with higher perceived levels of trust, thus contributing to higher total growth in those states. The economic responsiveness of migration appears to be even stronger in Canada than in the United States, despite the much more extensive systems of fiscal equalization and social safety nets in Canada.


Sialic acid (Sia) is a highly important constituent of glycoconjugates, such as N- and O-glycans or glycolipids. Due to its position at the non-reducing termini of oligo- and polysaccharides, as well as its unique chemical characteristics, sialic acid is involved in a multitude of different receptor-ligand interactions. By modifying the expression of sialic acid on the cell surface, sialic acid-dependent interactions will consequently be influenced. This can be helpful to investigate sialic acid-dependent interactions and has the potential to influence certain diseases in a beneficial way. Via metabolic glycoengineering (MGE), the expression of sialic acid on the cell surface can be modulated. Herein, cells, tissues, or even entire animals are treated with C2-modified derivatives of N-acetylmannosamine (ManNAc). These amino sugars act as sialic acid precursor molecules and therefore are metabolized to the corresponding sialic acid species and expressed on glycoconjugates. Applying this method produces intriguing effects on various biological processes. For example, it can drastically reduce the expression of polysialic acid (polySia) in treated neuronal cells and thus affects neuronal growth and differentiation. Here, we show the chemical synthesis of two of the most common C2-modified N-acylmannosamine derivatives, N-propionylmannosamine (ManNProp) as well as N-butanoylmannosamine (ManNBut), and further show how these non-natural amino sugars can be applied in cell culture experiments. The expression of modified sialic acid species is quantified by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and further analyzed via mass spectrometry. The effects on polysialic acid expression are elucidated via Western blot using a commercially available polysialic acid antibody.


ABSTRACT Organizations are under increasing pressure from governments and stakeholders to reduce carbon emissions from their business operations for climate change mitigation. Universities are not exempt from this challenge and are operating in a complex external environment, not least responding to the UK government's Climate Change Act 2008 (80% carbon reductions by 2050 as per 1990 baseline). In 2012–2013, the UK Higher Education (HE) sector consumed 7.9 billion kWh of energy and produced 2.3 million tonnes of carbon emissions. This indicates the scale of the challenge and carbon management is central to reduce carbon emissions. However, effective processes for implementing and embedding carbon management in organizations in general, and universities in particular, have yet to be realized. This paper explores the critical success factors (CSFs) for embedding carbon management in universities and, more widely, in organizations. This exploratory study adopted a mixed-methods approach including the content analysis of universities' carbon management plans alongside semi-structured interviews in the UK HE sector. The paper identifies six key factors for successfully embedding carbon management that are pertinent not just for the HE sector, but to organizations broadly: senior management leadership; funding and resources; stakeholder engagement; planning; governance and management; and evaluation and reporting.