Background A recent focus in the health sciences has been the development of personalized medicine, which includes determining the population for which a given treatment is effective. Due to limited data, identifying the true benefiting population is a challenging task. To tackle this difficulty, the credible subgroups approach provides a pair of bounding subgroups for the true benefiting subgroup, constructed so that one is contained by the benefiting subgroup while the other contains the benefiting subgroup with high probability. However, the method has so far only been developed for parametric linear models. Methods In this article, we develop the details required to follow the credible subgroups approach in more realistic settings by considering nonlinear and semiparametric regression models, supported for regulatory science by conditional power simulations. We also present an improved multiple testing approach using a step-down procedure. We evaluate our approach via simulations and apply it to data from four trials of Alzheimer's disease treatments carried out by AbbVie. Results Semiparametric modeling yields credible subgroups that are more robust to violations of linear treatment effect assumptions, and careful choice of the population of interest as well as the step-down multiple testing procedure result in a higher rate of detection of benefiting types of patients. The approach allows us to identify types of patients that benefit from treatment in the Alzheimer's disease trials. Conclusion Attempts to identify benefiting subgroups of patients in clinical trials are often met with skepticism due to a lack of multiplicity control and unrealistically restrictive assumptions. Our proposed approach merges two techniques, credible subgroups, and semiparametric regression, which avoids these problems and makes benefiting subgroup identification practical and reliable.


For a 3350 type head/disk interface, the amplitude spectrum of an experimental characteristic pulse deviates slightly from the idealized Lorentzian distribution in the signal bandwidth; but the phase spectrum of the experimental pulse is quite distorted from the desired linear phase, causing the widely observed asymmetrical time-domain waveform. A quantitative characterization and comparison are presented and individual transfer functions for ideal linear equalization are proposed. To remove the intersymbol interference, i.e., the linear portion of the distortion, from the playback signal of a high-density system, several cosine-power-law spectral candidates, with minimized noise enhancement and the capability of restoring amplitude loss and timing error, are explored. A unified relationship for the entire family of cosine-power-law spectral shapes and their bandwidth tradeoffs are identified, allowing for optimum read equalization at a tolerable signal-to-noise penalty. This is a useful tool for exploring practical density limitations of any given head/disk interface.


The Supreme Court has decided, for the first time in many years, to hear arguments in a patent licensing case. The dispute involves whether the "exhaustion doctrine"-the rule that a patentee's or licensee's sale of a product "exhausts" patent rights over the sold product-is still alive and kicking. LG Electronics bought a patent portfolio from Wang Labs and began trying to enforce it. LG negotiated a license with Intel that, by its terms, gave Intel the right to make, use, and sell microprocessors and chipsets embodying the patented technology, but purported to withhold the right of purchasers of Intel microprocessors and chipsets to practice that technology. The LG-lntel agreement required Intel to send notices to its customers warning them that Intel's patent license did not apply to them.


The dose-response relationship of the Vitamine-K-antagonist Phenprocoumon (Marcumar) was studied in a group of 11 children and 10 adults receiving anticoagulation postoperatively after mechanical valve replacement. The dose in children was found to be lineally correlated to the body surface area and similar to that in adults (saturation dose: 16.0 +/- 3.2 mg/m2; maintenance dose: 11.2 +/- 1.6 mg/m2/week). During the follow up period (265 patient months) one child died from mitral valve thrombosis, two children developed traumatic haematomas, and in one child interactions with 2 other drugs were observed. The incidence of thrombembolism or serious bleeding complications was 4.5 and 9.0 instances per 100 patient-years, respectively. The efficiency of prothrombin time control was established over a six months period and showed 70.3% of the values within, 23.% above, and 6.5% below the therapeutic range. During this period, the prothrombin time was measured 2.5 times per patient and month at the average. We conclude from our experience, that an anticoagulation therapy with Phenprocoumon can be performed in children with only mildly elevated risk of bleeding complications as effectively as in adults provided it is monitored closely.


The distributions and transfer energies of several molecules and atomic groups between water and a structured hydrophobic phase were calculated by the molecular dynamics method. The coefficients of oxygen diffusion in a tetradecane membrane were estimated. The transfer energy of charged atomic groups was found to correlate with changes in the Born solvation energy. The contributions of atoms to the transfer energy of functional groups were shown to be non-additive. The steered dynamics method for estimating the kinetic parameters of the penetration of molecules through interphase boundaries was developed. Heterogeneous microviscosity of a membrane was calculated for a hydrated l-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidylcholine bilayer. Effects of the chemical properties of penetrant molecule on its translocation through the membrane were studied.


CdS nanowires were synthesized with tetramethyl thiuram disulfide (TMTD) as a new sulphur source by a solvothermal method in ethylenediamine at 180°C for 24 h. The crystallinity, morphology and probable formation mechanism of CdS nanocrystals were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and selected area electron diffraction (SAED). The optical properties were investigated by ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-vis) and cathodoluminescence (CL). The results indicated that CdS nanocrystals were hexagonal and had a wire-like morphology with a diameter of 20 to 50 nm. There were blue shifts at the onset of absorption of the CdS nanowire, compared with the absorption of the bulk CdS. The cathodoluminescence (CL) implied that CdS nanowires possessed potential optical property in the visible region.


Debris clouds generated in hypervelocity tests using various thicknesses, 2A12 aluminum plates named "bumper", and 6.35-mm-diameter, 2017 aluminum spheres are presented and described. Impact velocities for these tests were between 2.23 km/s and 5.26 km/s. The morphological features such as components and shape, and the formation process of the debris clouds were discussed and compared with those presented by Piekutowski. As a result, the front element of debris cloud observed by Piekutowski was not evident in views of the debris clouds in this paper. A certain value of t/D ratio (bumper thickness to sphere diameter ratio), at two sides of which, the formation process of the internal structure of the debris cloud were different existed. The distance between the external bubble and the primary element decreased as the t/D increased regardless of impact velocity. The size and number of fragments in the debris clouds were not evaluated quantitatively, but described qualitatively.


The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) serves more than 26 million U.S. tax filers every year. The EITC is distributed annually at tax time; however, past research suggests that lump-sum disbursements leave households with a lack of funds to deal with financial emergencies throughout the year. Drawing upon the data from a pilot program conducted in 2014–2015 in Chicago, this study analyzes how advanced periodic payments help mitigate financial instability for EITC recipients. Interview participants relate that advanced periodic payments result in a reduction in perceived stress, lower levels of debt, fewer unpaid bills, and the ability to engage youth in extracurricular activities. The findings provide a unique perspective on the ways in which low-income households cope with financial instability and stress and suggest that payment frequency options can play a small but important role in the way in which the EITC operates as a support mechanism.


The role of volunteer activists in the success of election campaigning has undergone somewhat of a renaissance in the last decade or so. It is now becoming increasingly evident that having a strong volunteer activist base is central to winning elections, especially when the campaign is a close run affair. This then raises the important question of how to raise the volunteer armies necessary for such work. Indeed, there is a reasonably long standing literature on what might incentivise people to become active in political parties. However, there is relatively little work done on what party managers are able and willing to offer members as incentives for activism. Using new data from extensive interviews with professional party managers working in the central offices of political parties, this article explores the ways in which such party managers have worked to incentivise volunteer activists. From this data, it offers a new framework for encouraging volunteer activism through inclusive party organisations.


Collaborative autonomy of unmanned air-vehicles (UA) in harsh or contested environments is a challenging and increasingly important problem. While prior attempts have been made to perform collaborative autonomy, the high complexity of UA systems in general and the planning in particular, have resulted in centralized solutions that tend to be brittle and lack scalability, or in distributed approaches that incur high overheads and require over-simplifying assumptions. In contrast, we propose an approach that is an inherently scalable (linear in the number of tasks, per UA (parallelizable over the UAs) per update) and performs distributed joint task assignment and trajectory planning using local laws analogous to those in natural processes. More specifically, trajectories are planned using the artificial potential force method, with goals and neighbors modeled as attractive forces and hazards modeled as repulsive forces. Additionally, task assignments are regulated using dynamic "valences" that are associated with the goal positions of trajectory planning. This approach allows the incorporation of dynamics and feedback laws to guarantee equilibrium stability. When applied to a scenario of simulated communication networking in harsh environment, our results show that NICiTA is able to build a relay UA data network that has near perfect data-delivery ratio despite the presence of a nearby interferer.


Global rates and patterns of fecundity in marine epipelagic copepods were studied as a function of temperature, body weight of the female and concentration of chlorophyll a. We divided data into 3 groups: broadcast spawners, sac spawners (including calanoids, cyclopoids and harpacticoids) and poecilostomatoids; although the latter are sac spawners, they were treated separately, but data were too sparse to examine patterns. Fecundity was positively correlated with temperature and body weight in both broadcast and sac spawners. Michaelis-Menten relationships revealed that fecundity rates are significantly related to chlorophyll a (chl a) concentration for broadcasters, but not so for sac spawners. Broadcasting copepods have a maximum fecundity (f(max)) of 47 eggs female(-1) d(-1), with a half-saturation coefficient (K-m) of 2.4 mug chl a l(-1), for a body weight of 10 mugC individual(-1), when all data are adjusted to 15degreesC. In contrast, fecundity rates in sac spawners are ca. 5 eggs female(-1) d(-1). Of the broadcaster genera examined, Centropages spp. has the highest f(max) at 71 eggs female(-1) d(-1) (data corrected to 15degreesC), and Paracalanus spp. the lowest f(max) at 25 eggs female(-1) d(-1). In the sac-spawning Pseudocalanus spp. we found a significant relationship between fecundity and chl a, with an f(max) of only 7.8 eggs female(-1) d(-1), while for Oithona spp. no significant relationship was evident. By comparing in situ with laboratory food-saturated rates we were able to assess the degree to which fecundity is food-limited in the natural environment. The degree of food limitation increases with increasing temperature in sac spawners; at low temperatures (similar to5degreesC) in situ rates are similar to laboratory food-saturated rates, but at 25degreesC rates are 23% of laboratory food-saturation values. In nature, increasing food limitation with increasing temperature may be the result of greater food requirements to balance respiration demands, i.e. decreasing net growth efficiency in warmer situations. It may also be due to lower availability of suitable food in terms of quality or quantity with increasing temperature, possibly as a result of increased dominance of smaller phytoplankton size fractions (e.g. picoplankton) in warm waters. Food limitation in the environment may be more severe than these comparisons suggest, as laboratory food-saturated fecundity rates in broadcasters may be as low as 36% of the in situ maximum rates (fmax rates).


Abstract Since 2007, the EFSA PRIMo (Pesticide Residue Intake Model), an Excel‐based calculation spreadsheet, is the standard tool used at EU level to perform the dietary risk assessment for pesticide residues in the framework of setting and reviewing of maximum residue levels for pesticides under Regulation (EC) No 396/2005 and in the peer review of pesticides under Regulation (EU) No 1107/2009. The model was now updated with regard to food consumption data derived from some recent dietary food surveys. In addition, new functionalities were included in the calculation spread sheet to make the tool more user‐friendly and to allow automatic integration of the EFSA PRIMo in the workflows where dietary risk assessments are performed.


The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered an unprecedented crisis in the tourism industry. We study the impact of COVID-19 on global Airbnb booking activity regarding three factors: the initial Wuhan lockdown, local COVID-19 cases, and local lockdowns. Using reviews and cancellations as proxies for Airbnb bookings, we find that local lockdowns result in a 57.8% fall in global booking activities, with an 8.8% fall after the Wuhan lockdown. Every doubling of newly infected cases is associated with a 4.16% fall in bookings. The sensitivity of bookings to COVID-19 decreases with geographic distance to Wuhan, and increases with government stringency of lockdown policies as well as human mobility within a market. Using London, United Kingdom as a case study, we find private rooms experience over 20% more cancellations than entire homes, consistent with host fears of infection. On the supply side, we find stable listings volume and lower booking price. Hosts charge an infection risk premium of 5.2% for letting private rooms relative to entire homes.We also document hosts adopt a dynamic pricing strategy where dates in the near future have deeper discounts than those in more distant future, and professional hosts adjust prices to local COVID-19 cases more aggressively than non-professionals. Our study provides insights for hosts and policymakers to formulate recovery plans in a post COVID-19 economy.


There are large differences in health across neighborhoods in Sweden. To try to answer if there is a causal link between neighborhood conditions in childhood and youth health, I apply two different empirical strategies. First, I use population wide data on families living in different areas in Sweden, and estimate the effects of childhood neighborhood on youth health using data on families that move across the country. Since the choice of moving and where to live is endogenous, I exploit the timing of moves and estimate the effect of siblings' different exposure time to neighborhoods. The second approach utilizes a governmental policy that assigned refugees to their initial neighborhood in Sweden, potentially offering exogenous variation in neighborhoods and allowing me to study the effect of different neighborhoods on youth health. The findings from the two strategies together imply that there are significant neighborhoods effects on youth health, but that the effects are contemporaneous and there is no evidence of exposure time effects.


Examining the history leading to the adoption of the First Amendment sheds light on the speech and press clauses. Interpreting the First Amendment to protect the people against abridgments of free speech and press by all branches of the federal government as well as by state and local government -- despite the initial words, "Congress shall make no law" -- is supported by the history leading to its adoption. Neither Anti-federalists nor Federalists believed that the new Constitution gave the Executive or the Judiciary the power to abridge speech. Drafters saw the Executive's and Judiciary's roles as enforcing and interpreting the laws -- and they could not enforce or interpret a law abridging freedom of speech or press if Congress could not pass one. Evidence is scant as to why the drafters chose to use "abridging" rather than "prohibiting," "denying," or another term. A Madisonian reading equates "abridging" with government efforts to "cut short" messages; government-ordered brevity should not be traded for the fullness of freedom.


It is the first lacteal secretions in bovines after calving is called colostrums and plays very important role in immune booster for post natal calves' health. Cow colostrums contain basic nutrient such as carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamin, minerals, immunoglobulin and several biological molecules which are essential for specific functions. The calves which are born with weak immunity colostrums provide passive immunity and protect the calves from different infectious diseases. For proper growth and health of calves colostrums should be provided both in quantity and in quality.


This chapter provides a selective overview of some of the most relevant aspects of intergroup communication. We first introduce the topic by discussing the relationship between intergroup communication and social identity. In the second part, we then cover three language strategies (category labels, language abstraction, and metaphors) that different groups can adopt when communicating between and about groups. Category labels reveal social meaning well beyond mere classification, by triggering affective reactions and stereotyping, whereas language abstraction and metaphors play a central role in establishing and maintaining stereotypes and intergroup relationships. In the third part, we directly address specific social groups, including salient and relatively unambiguous social categories (i.e., gender and race) as well as more fluid categories (i.e., regional and social background as well as sexual orientation). The chapter provides a broad overview of linguistic strategies and of their specific use with selected social categories, together with suggestions for the development of future research and theorizing.


Problem. While parenting, in general, can be stressful, mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience chronic stress comparable to combat soldiers. Research suggests that respite care may potentially reduce stress among caregivers. However, greater understanding of this relationship is needed. The purpose of this integrative review is to examine the relationship between respite care and stress among caregivers of children with ASD. Sample and Eligibility. A final sample of 11 primary research reports were located using several databases. Articles were included that were: related to the focus of the review, written in English, and published within the last 10 years. Results and Conclusion. While most studies found that respite care was associated with lower stress, several found that respite care was associated with higher stress. One study found no association. A model is presented that contributes to a new understanding of this relationship. Overall, the results of this integrative review provide some evidence that respite care use may be associated with a decrease in stress among caregivers of children with ASD. However, due to the lack of consistency and quality across the studies, these findings much be interpreted with caution. Implications. Healthcare providers must recognize the importance of tailoring respite care services to the unique family needs. Additionally, policy changes and innovative ideas are needed to help improve the quality of respite care and help expand access. Finally, additional


Introduction: One of the main problems in esthetic dentistry is closing diastema between teeth with a direct technique without creating the black triangle (gingival embrasure lacking papilla). Black triangle will ruin the patients' smile and is not desirable. Composite resin used to close diastema should have adequate convexity from gingivo-incisal direction to avoid this problem. Various techniques have been introduced to close diastema, some of which are time-consuming or cannot provide proper contour. Case report: This article describes a case in which diastema between two teeth was closed with direct composite resin with minimum amount of time. Although closing diastema with direct composite depends on operator skill in most part, this technique is probably less dependent on operator skill compared to other techniques. Conclusion: Closing diastema between anterior teeth with composite resin with direct technique is conservative and timesaving, and the presented technique which provides adequate contour can be carried out very easily by many dental practitioners. Key words : Diastema, Anterior teeth, Direct composite.


The topic of manufacturing competitiveness has become a major concern of government, business, and academics in the U.S. over the past few years. While much has been written about the need for U.S. manufacturing firms to address current and future challenges, most of that has focused on prescriptions for "closing the gap" that has developed over the past several decades. Based on field studies at Hewlett Packard, Chaparral Steel, and several other U.S. companies, this article describes three modes or patterns of response that appear to cover the majority of U.S. firms. It explores in detail the actions taken by firms that have sought to exhibit leadership in manufacturing in the coming decade. The article Outlines the management processes and steps being followed as firms seek to do much more than simply "close the gap" and then specifies what will be required of a manufacturing-based firm desiring to be at the forefront of manufacturing competitiveness in the mid-1990s.


Home birth has emerged as a political issue in several states in the United States, and this essay examines two aspects of home births politics. First, legislative battles over home birth policy do not conform to our typical models of partisan (i.e., Democratic vs Republican) politics, and attempts at advocacy cannot rely on classical strategies of alignment with a dominant party in a state. Second, the debates over home birth have increasingly begun to parallel current partisan battles in their emotion and intensity with the related gridlock and reluctance to consider compromises that are often necessary to achieve policy goals. This essay calls for a greater willingness for all sides to approach home birth less as an ideological mission and more as a health policy challenge to support consumers interested in an integrated system of care.


This paper provides information about the asymptotic behavior of a one-dimensional Brownian polymer in random medium represented by a space-time Gaussian field W assumed to be white noise in time and function-valued in space. According to the behavior of the spatial covariance W, we give a lower bound on the power growth (wandering exponent) of the polymer when the time parameter goes to infinity: the polymer is proved to be superdiffusive, with a wandering exponent exceeding any $\alpha<3/5$.


The Relationship Between Limited Partner Availability, Masculine Ideologies, and Condom Use by Diakima Y. Thomas MPH, Walden University, 2011 BS, Florida A&M University, 2005 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Public Health Walden University June 2019 Abstract One in every 4 people living with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) are women. TheOne in every 4 people living with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) are women. The leading cause of infection is heterosexual contact. The purpose of this quantitative, correlational study was to examine the relationship between gender ratio perception and masculine ideology and a woman's decision to use condoms during her sexual activity. The theory of gender and power and the theory of planned behavior served as the theoretical frameworks for this study. The perceptions of gender ratios, as measured by the Gender Ratio Imbalance Beliefs and Behaviors Scale (GRIBBS) subscale, GRIBeliefs, and masculine ideologies, as measured by the Gender Role Beliefs Scale (GRBS), served as independent variables, while condom use behaviors, as measured by the Gender Ratio Imbalance Beliefs and Behaviors Scale (GRIBBS) subscale, GRIBehaviors, served as the dependent variable. Covariates included demographic factors, as well as behavioral factors. A purposeful, convenience sample (n=55) via the Walden University research pool was utilized, enabling researchers to use readily available data that represented college educated women. Descriptive statistics, independent t-tests, correlational analysis, as well as multiple linear regression were used to examine the aforementioned perceptions of study participants. Correlation analyses and multiple regression indicated no statistically significant correlations between gender ratio imbalance, masculine ideology, and condom use, while controlling for race, employment status, religion, religious devoutness, sexual orientation, relationship status, STD history (self), and partner STD history. Social change is indicated via the results illustrating the possible empowerment of women regarding their sexual health. The Relationship Between Limited Partner Availability, Masculine Ideologies, and Condom Use by


The essay proposes a reinterpretation and revaluation of Henry Blake Fuller's 1919 novel Bertram Cope's Year and argues that it deserves permanent currency within the canon of gay fiction. My reinterpretation and revaluation of it is based on the premise that readings of it over the past 50 years (since Edmund Wilson's 1970 essay on Henry Blake Fuller's fiction in the New Yorker) have failed to understand its representation of homo-sexuality. Criticism of the novel has been based on post-Stonewall assumptions of what a 'gay novel' should be and what cultural work is should perform. The post-Stonewall paradigm of the gay novel is that it is a coming-of-age story, a Bildungsroman, focused on a protagonist who, through a process of self-discovery, arrives at an acceptance and affirmation of his sexual identity. The prototype is Edmund White's A Boy's Own Story, with E. M. Forster's Maurice a precursor. To appreciate Bertram Cope's Year, we must, I argue, abandon post-Stonewall presuppositions of what we should expect from a gay novel. Bertram Cope's Year is not a coming-of-age novel. Rather it is a comic novel formed from Fuller's successful fusion and subversion of the romantic comedy, the comedy of manners, and the campus novel. Bertram Cope is a comic hero who ultimately triumphs over the efforts of a college town, presided over the matchmaking socialite Medora Phillips, to marry him to one of the three young ladies in her circle. He is rescued from this unwanted marriage by his boyfriend, who arrives to save him from the unwanted marriage. Fuller successfully exploits the conventions of the comic novel to tell a story that anticipates one of the aspirations of the gay liberation movement half a century later. As such, it deserves permanent currency.


The temporal structure of speech is altered dramatically when a person uses sign language and speaks aloud simultaneously (i.e., simultaneous communication or SC). Notable among these temporal alterations are durational increases of vowels, pause times between words, and voice onset times. Temporal aspects of speech play a pivotal role in the perception of certain phonemic contrasts in spoken English. For example, cues for the perception of final consonant voicing are carried in the vowel that precedes the final consonant. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of increased segment durations associated with speech produced during SC on final consonant voicing perception. Eight skilled SC users produced naturally spoken words that differed only in the voicing characteristic of the final consonant. The words were recorded under two conditions: (a) speech alone and (b) SC. Digital editing was used to remove the final consonant. The digitally altered words were played to 20 listeners who, in a forced‐choice paradigm, circled the word they thought they heard. The listeners accurately identified final consonant voicing of 69.2% of the target words produced in the speech alone condition and 77.0% of the target words in the SC condition, a nonsignificant difference.


Community surveillance found the 2019–2020 A(H1N1)pdm09 predominant influenza season in Israel to be a high‐intensity season with an early and steep morbidity peak. To further characterize disease severity in the 2019–2020 season, we analyzed a cohort of hospitalized patients with laboratory‐confirmed influenza from this season (n = 636). Quantitative polymerase chain reaction was performed on clinical samples to detect the presence of influenza. Demographic, clinical, and laboratory data were retrieved via electronic health records and MDClone. Electronic health records were accessed to obtain data on intensive care unit patients, missing data and for data verification purposes. Univariate analysis was performed to compare demographic, comorbidity, and clinical characteristics across the three influenza strains. The A(H1N1)pdm09 predominant 2019–2020 influenza season in Israel was characterized by an early and steep morbidity peak, vaccine delays and shortages, and with the A(H3N2) and B/Victoria strains disproportionately targeting children and young adults, most probably due to reduced immunity to these strains. A greater proportion of children <5 years infected with A(H3N2) and B/Victoria developed severe influenza compared with those infected with A(H1N1)pdm09. Our study emphasizes the vulnerability of infants and young children in the face of rapidly evolving influenza strains and underscores the importance of influenza prevention measures in this population.


The Mendelian disorders of the epigenetic machinery are genetic disorders that involve disruption of the various components of the epigenetic machinery (writers, erasers, readers, and remodelers) and are thus expected to have widespread downstream epigenetic consequences. Studying this group may offer a unique opportunity to learn about the role of epigenetics in health and disease. Among these patients, neurological dysfunction and, in particular, intellectual disability appears to be a common phenotype; however, this is often seen in association with other more specific features in respective disorders. The specificity of some of the clinical features raises the question whether specific cell types are particularly sensitive to the loss of these factors. Most of these disorders demonstrate dosage sensitivity as loss of a single allele appears to be sufficient to cause the observed phenotypes. Although the pathogenic sequence is unknown for most of these disorders, there are several examples where disrupted expression of downstream target genes accounts for a substantial portion of the phenotype; hence, it may be useful to systematically map such disease-relevant target genes. Finally, two of these disorders (Rubinstein-Taybi and Kabuki syndromes) have shown post-natal rescue of markers of the neurological dysfunction with drugs that lead to histone deacetylase inhibition, indicating that some of these disorders may be treatable causes of intellectual disability.


The civil war in Burundi (1993-2005) caused a massflow of refugees into neighboring countries as well as a large number of internally displaced persons. In fact, half of the population was displaced at least once during the course of the conflict. The aim of this study is to explore to what extent migration during the conflict impacted fertility outcomes. Using retrospective data on birth and residential histories at the mother-year level from a nationally representative survey conducted in August 2002, we examine the impact of war and migration on the probability of first births and on birth spacing. A parametric survival regression model is adopted to predict the hazard of having an additional child on a sample of about 4,500 Burundian women. Our results suggest that the risk of an additional pregnancy is higher in years of forced displacement of the mother, whereas it is lower in the case of residence in the forced displacement site. We do not find a statistically significant effect different from no migration in the years that the women voluntary migrated. Fertility however sharply increases once the women resided in the migration site.


Carrageenan (CGN) is a naturally occurring fiber isolated from various species of red seaweeds (class Rhodophyceae). It has been safely consumed for hundreds of years and today is approved for use in the food industry as a food additive by regulatory agencies around the world. Unfortunately, some researchers have used misleading and incorrect interpretations of early studies to suggest that food-grade CGN (Mw = 200,000 to 800,000 Da.) is not safe for human consumption. These researchers reference studies conducted with the acid-hydrolysis products of CGN, which include degraded carrageenan (d-CGN; Mw = 20,000 to 40,000 Da.) and poligeenan (PGN; Mw = 10,000 to 20,000 Da.), as evidence of the potential adverse health effects of high Mw CGN. While PGN and d-CGN have been shown to have adverse effects in vivo, the same is not true for CGN. Both PGN and d-CGN are made in the laboratory under harsh conditions of low pH (< 2.0) and high temperature (80°C), and have distinctly different physical, chemical and toxicological profiles than CGN. Studies have shown that d-CGN and PGN are not formed in vivo after ingesting CGN, nor are d-CGN and PGN used as food additives. Yet these differences between d-CGN/PGN and CGN are either not understood or are ignored by many authors in the published literature and the adverse effects observed with d-CGN and PGN are being used to question the safety of CGN. This has caused significant confusion in the literature and with regulators. Here we review the physical, chemical and toxicological properties of CGN, d-CGN and PGN. We then review the ingestion of CGN, how the formation of d-CGN and PGN does not occur in vivo. Finally, we discuss recent review providing a prime example of how some publications use misinformation to suggest CGN is unsafe for ingestion.


Systems engineering principles and processes have grown out of the need to effectively manage complex programs, many of them for the acquisition of operational military systems. These multi-billion dollar programs truly benefit from the application of structured systems engineering principles, and the supporting processes have been finetuned to maximize their benefit in a requirements driven environment. Research and development efforts, on the other-hand, have typically avoided application of structured processes, primarily due to a perception that such structure inhibits the creative processes that are so crucial to the discovery and development of new technologies. This paper proposes that systems engineering principles and creative discovery are not mutually exclusive environments, and that, in fact, appropriately tailored systems engineering processes can enable and enhance scientific discovery. An example of this concept will be presented for the principles of risk management, including application to basic research, applied research and development, and technology demonstrations.


Momordica charantia L. is a herbaceous climbing plant in the genus Momordica of family Cucurbitaceae. It is to study the chemical constituents of Momordica charantia L. leaves and establish the method for determination of their total saponin content. Momordica charantia L. leaves are isolated and purified by silica gel and Sephadex LH-20 column chromatographies, and the resulting compounds are structurally elucidated by NMR spectroscopy. Total saponins in Momordica charantia L. leaf extract are quantitatively determined by spectrophotometry with Momordicin I as the standard substance. Five compounds are isolated from the 80% ethanol extract of Momordica charantia L. leaves, which are identified as Momordicin I (1), Momordicin IV (2), Aglycone of Momordicoside ?(3), Aglycone of Momordicoside L (4) and Karavilagenin D (5), respectively. Total saponins have a good linear relationship with the absorbance within a range of 0.005~0.025 μg, recovery is 100.27%, and RSD= 1.20% (n= 6). The isolated compounds are all triterpenoids. The present quantitative determination method is simple, fast and accurate, which can be used as the method for determination of triterpenoid content in Momordica charantia L. leaves.


Recently, we reported a novel protein of the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) superfamily, named vascular endothelial cell growth inhibitor (VEGI), which is expressed predominantly in endothelial cells. When a secreted form of this new protein was overexpressed in mouse colon cancer cells, the growth of tumors formed by these cells in black mice was inhibited. We now report that recombinant VEGI inhibits the proliferation of endothelial cells but not that of other types of cells examined. The protein also inhibits formation of capillary‐like structures by endothelial cells in collagen gels, and the growth of capillaries into collagen gels placed on the chick chorioallantoic membrane. The anticancer potential of VEGI was examined in a breast cancer xenograft tumor model in which the cancer cells were co‐injected with Chinese hamster ovary cells overexpressing a secreted form of the protein. The co‐injection resulted in potent inhibition of xenograft tumor growth. Our findings are consistent with the view that VEGI is an endothelial cell‐specific negative regulator of angiogenesis. Int. J. Cancer 82:131–136, 1999. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


Sol-gel–synthesized nano zinc oxide (ZnO) is introduced as a cure activator in carbon black (CB)– and silica-filled natural rubber (NR) composites. The performance of sol-gel–synthesized nano ZnO was systematically compared with conventional ZnO for various filled NR composites in terms of cure, mechanical, aging, and thermal properties. At a filler loading level of 40 parts per hundred parts of rubber (phr), only 1 phr nano ZnO provided a better cure rate index and tensile strength as compared with 5 phr conventional ZnO in CB-filled NR composites. On the other hand, at a 40 phr filler loading level, the cure and mechanical properties of the 1 phr nano ZnO cured NR/silica composite were comparable with the properties of the 5 phr conventional ZnO cured NR/silica composite. At the same filler loading level, both 1 phr nano ZnO and 5 phr conventional ZnO had a similar effect on the thermal stability of NR/CB and NR/silica composites. As a whole, 1 phr sol-gel–based nano ZnO could be used as an efficient cure activator instead of 5 phr conventional ZnO in CB- and silica-filled NR composites with successive reduction of ZnO level.


One of the main challenges facing researchers in the field of multiple Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (multi-UAVs) Search and Rescue (SAR) missions is how to best distribute between the rescue and search tasks to fulfill the urgent need of finding and rescuing victims. The critical nature of the mission, incomplete situational awareness of the environment and the constrained timeframe necessitate adaptive control and swift elasticity in UAV allocation between the search and rescue tasks. This paper introduces a bio-inspired algorithm for task allocation in multi-UAV search and rescue missions based on locust behavior. The locust species was chosen as it represents an extreme example of adaptive control and high plasticity in behavior to respond to internal and external stimulus. To evaluate the proposed algorithm, we designed a strictly controlled experimental framework, to prove the potential role of the proposed algorithm in such missions by providing a high net throughput and an efficient communication scheme.


Antibiotics are designed to inhibit the growth of or kill bacteria. Of the many classes of antibiotics that have been synthesized two particular classes of antibiotic have been frequently detected in the natural environment, namely the tetracyclines and sulfonamides. Following use, these compounds can enter the environment via the application of animal manures or domestic seawage sludge to land as a fertiliser or from wastewater treatment plant effluents. Once in the environment the compounds can persist and, depending on their properties, are distributed around the different environmental media (i.e. surface waters, groundwaters, soils and sediments). Several studies have suggested that tetracyclines and sulfonamides may have significant impacts on microbial function in the natural environment. However most of these studies have used existing standardised test procedures and/or unrealistic exposure conditions. The aim of the current study therefore was to develop a more environmentally realistic test system for assessing the effects of antibiotics on aquatic microbial communities and to apply this to assess the potential impacts of a sulphonamide and a tetracycline antibiotic on aquatic microbial communities. The developed system, which was an aquatic microcosm composed of fresh river water, return line treated sewage and OECD synthetic sewage, was initially used to assess the effects of 3, 5-dichlorophenol, an OECD reference toxicant. Effects of DCP were seen within the concentration range that is considered valid by other standard microbial toxicity tests, such as OECD method 209 (3.2-32 mg/L). Since the developed system was able to quantify effects on aquatic microbial communities, it can be seen as being more environmentally relevant than existing standard tests, which rely on testing single microbial species or sludge communities. The test system was then used to test the effects of chlortetracycline (CTC) and sulfamethoxazole (SMX) on multisubstrate utilization. Following addition of the study antibiotics, effects were observed for both antibiotics on total substrate utilization and on the utilization of specific, ecologically relevant end-points (such as nutrient cycling and polymer degradation) also. Effects were also observed on the structure of microbial communities and on the functional diversity of substrate utilization (especially in the case of SMX exposure) and these effects generally persisted for up to 3 d after addition of the study compounds at a lower concentration of 0.1 mg/L for both compounds. The results indicate that both antibiotics were inhibiting various aspects of substrate utilization, most of which were related to ecologically relevant processes that occur in the aquatic environment. The results also suggest that SMX and CTC exposure result in changes in the community structure of ecologically relevant groups of microbes (such as bacteria involved in the nitrogen and carbon cycle bacteria). Microbial communities that were exposed to CTC and SMX showed a varying degree of recovery, although more long term effects were seen in SMX exposures; functional effects were observed for the duration of the exposure. It was hypothesized that the observed recovery may have been caused by the selection of antibiotic resistance in the exposed communities. Culture based resistance studies showed that there was a significant temporal rise in CTC resistance at all CTC concentrations, but not SMX resistance, across the dose range. In addition, a greater number of distinct microbial morphotypes could be isolated from combined microcosms on day 7 compared with day 1. An increase in CTC and SMX resistance in control exposures was also observed. In addition, distinct resistant morphotypes developed in both dosed and undosed microcosms on day 7 of the study. Furthermore, the results of a series of different culture based experiments suggested that multidrug resistance was present in morphotypes that were isolated from dosed and control microcosms. These data therefore suggest that multidrug resistance was present at the start of the exposure and may also have been co-selected by exposure to CTC and SMX. In general, CTC and SMX show signs that they may pose a risk to the environment and possibly the wider health of humans and animals.


Background and Aims: Clinical adrenal insufficiency has been reported with doses of inhaled fluticasone proprionate (FP) >400 μg/day, the maximum dose licensed for use in children with asthma. Following two cases of serious adrenal insufficiency (one fatal) attributed to FP, adrenal function was evaluated in children receiving FP outwith the licensed dose. Methods: Children recorded as prescribed FP ⩾500 μg/day were invited to attend for assessment. Adrenal function was measured using the low dose Synacthen test (500 ng/1.73 m2 intravenously) and was categorised as: biochemically normal (peak cortisol response >500 nmol/l); impaired (peak cortisol ⩽500 nmol/l); or flat (peak cortisol ⩽500 nmol/l with increment of <200 nmol/l and basal morning cortisol <200 nmol/l). Results: A total of 422 children had been receiving FP alone or in combination with salmeterol; 202 were not investigated (137 FP within license; 24 FP discontinued); 220 attended and 217 (age 2.6–19.3 years) were successfully tested. Of 194 receiving FP ⩾500 μg/day, six had flat responses, 82 impaired responses, 104 were normal, and in 2 the LDST was unsuccessful. Apart from the index child, the other five with flat responses were asymptomatic; a further child with impairment (peak cortisol 296 nmol/l) had encephalopathic symptoms with borderline hypoglycaemia during an intercurrent illness. The six with flat responses and the symptomatic child were all receiving FP doses of ⩾ 1000 μg/day. Conclusion: Overall, flat adrenal responses in association with FP occurred in 2.8% of children tested, all receiving ⩾1000 μg/day, while impaired responses were seen in 39.6%. Children on above licence FP doses should have adrenal function monitoring as well as a written plan for emergency steroid replacement.


Coronary microvascular function and blood flow responses during acute exercise are impaired in the aged heart but can be restored by exercise training. Coronary microvascular resistance is directly dependent on vascular smooth muscle function in coronary resistance arterioles; therefore, we hypothesized that age impairs contractile function and alters the phenotype of vascular smooth muscle in coronary arterioles. We further hypothesized that exercise training restores contractile function and reverses age-induced phenotypic alterations of arteriolar smooth muscle. Young and old Fischer 344 rats underwent 10 wk of treadmill exercise training or remained sedentary. At the end of training or cage confinement, contractile responses, vascular smooth muscle proliferation, and expression of contractile proteins were assessed in isolated coronary arterioles. Both receptor- and non-receptor-mediated contractile function were impaired in coronary arterioles from aged rats. Vascular smooth muscle shifted from a differentiated, contractile phenotype to a secretory phenotype with associated proliferation of smooth muscle in the arteriolar wall. Expression of smooth muscle myosin heavy chain 1 (SM1) was decreased in arterioles from aged rats, whereas expression of phospho-histone H3 and of the synthetic protein ribosomal protein S6 (rpS6) were increased. Exercise training improved contractile responses, reduced smooth muscle proliferation and expression of rpS6, and increased expression of SM1 in arterioles from old rats. Thus age-induced contractile dysfunction of coronary arterioles and emergence of a secretory smooth muscle phenotype may contribute to impaired coronary blood flow responses, but arteriolar contractile responsiveness and a younger smooth muscle phenotype can be restored with late-life exercise training. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Aging impairs contractile function of coronary arterioles and induces a shift of the vascular smooth muscle toward a proliferative, noncontractile phenotype. Late-life exercise training reverses contractile dysfunction of coronary arterioles and restores a young phenotype to the vascular smooth muscle.


Erbium quinolinolates, commonly assumed to be mononuclear species with octahedral co‐ordination geometry, have been proposed as promising materials for photonic devices but difficulties in obtaining well defined products have so far limited their use. We report here the conditions to obtain in high yields three different kinds of pure neutral erbium quinolinolates by mixing an erbium salt with 8‐quinolinol (HQ) and 5,7‐dihalo‐8‐quinolinol (H5,7XQ: X = Cl and Br): i) the trinuclear complex Er3Q9 (1) which is obtained with HQ deprotonated by NH3 in water or ethanol/water mixtures; ii) the already known dimeric complexes based on the unit [Er(5,7XQ)3(H2O)2] [X = Cl (2) and Br (3)]; iii) the mononuclear [Er(5,7XQ)2(H5,7XQ)2Cl] [X = Cl (4) and Br (5)] complexes, obtained in organic solvents without base addition, where the ion results coordinated to four ligands, two deprotonated chelating, and two as zwitterionic monodentate oxygen donors. These results represent a further progress with respect to a recent reinvestigation on this reaction, which has shown that obtaining pure and anhydrous octahedral ErQ3, the expected reaction product, is virtually impossible, but failed in the isolation of 1 and of the neutral tetrakis species based on H5,7XQ ligands. Structural data provide a detailed description of the molecules and of their packing which involves short contacts between quinoxaline ligands, due to π–π interactions. Electronic and vibrational studies allow to select the fingerprints to distinguish the different products and to identify the presence of water. The structure/property relationship furnishes a satisfactory interpretation of the photo‐physical properties. Experimental evidence confirms that the most important quenchers for the erbium emission are the coordinated water molecules and shows that the ligand emission is significantly affected by the π–π interactions.


Author(s): Kim, Moonsil Lee | Advisor(s): Barbieri-Low, Anthony J | Abstract: This dissertation analyzes the food redistribution systems of the Qin and Han periods, finding accordance and discordance among ideologies, policies, and their implementation. During the Qin and Han periods, food was given by the emperor to his subjects through various redistribution systems: salaries, rations, relief, gifts, and feasts. In chapters one to four, I introduce each form of food redistribution that directly or indirectly influenced food consumption and the dietary conditions of people of various statuses: officials, soldiers, elders, widows, victims of natural disaster, and convicts. Using recently excavated documents, received texts, and archaeological remains, I analyze what ancient Chinese people of various statuses experienced under the governmental food system, which pursued moral justification and political, social, and economic benefits both for the rulers and the ruled. The first chapter investigates the regulations on grain storage in the central and local governments, using the Shuihudi Qin legal texts. The "Statutes on Granaries" and the "Statutes on Food rations at Conveyance Stations" are compared to administrative documents from Liye and Xuanquan to prove that there were significant discrepancies between these statutes and the actual distribution of food. Chapter two examines the reconstructed salary list and the "Statutes on Bestowals" from Zhangjiashan to see how the idea of discriminatory distribution was reflected in the salary system of the Han and how the system was maintained in spite of the problem of too little salary for the lower officials. The military salary system, which was combined with the ration system, and imperial gift food are examined in the context of a solution to secure the food supply to military families on the frontier and to the lower salary-grade officials. Chapter three concerns the food distributed to commoners, especially those in distress or danger. This chapter analyzes the welfare food distributions for the aged, female heads-of-household, and victims of natural disaster. I suggest that comfort-food and relief-food policies were actually geared toward pursuing social stability by saving able-bodied peasants and preventing social mobility, rather than having been designed simply to demonstrate filial piety in an emergency situation. Chapter four deals with ancient Chinese feasting as a method of food redistribution. This chapter examines the two different styles of feasting, the yan Nc feast and the pu aT feast, by applying current anthropological theories of feasts to the roles of ancient Chinese feasts. After theoretical examination, the economy of leftover food after ritualistic feasting is analyzed based on recently discovered documents from Liye. I argue that by using the leftovers and byproducts, the rulers fed people of inferior status who suffered from poor dietary conditions. The food redistribution system in early imperial China was ideally designed to benefit all people under heaven "equally" within the framework of the social hierarchy, meanwhile providing extra resources to those of lower status and to people in distress. However, the ideology of the regulations and their actual implementation were frequently out of sync, as laws were applied flexibly and human greed worked every possible step of food redistribution.


MAP perturbation models have emerged as a powerful framework for inference in structured prediction. Such models provide a way to efficiently sample from the Gibbs distribution and facilitate predictions that are robust to random noise. In this paper, we propose a provably polynomial time randomized algorithm for learning the parameters of perturbed MAP predictors. Our approach is based on minimizing a novel Rademacher-based generalization bound on the expected loss of a perturbed MAP predictor, which can be computed in polynomial time. We obtain conditions under which our randomized learning algorithm can guarantee generalization to unseen examples.


Dry Land Asia is the largest arid and semi-arid region in the northern hemisphere that suffers from land desertification. Over the period 1982–2011, there were both overall improvement and regional degeneration in the vegetation NDVI. We analyze future climate changes in these area using two ensemble-average methods from CMIP5 data. Bayesian Model Averaging shows a better capability to represent the future climate and less uncertainty represented by the 22-model ensemble than does the Simple Model Average. From 2006 to 2100, the average growing season temperature value will increase by 2.9 °C, from 14.4 °C to 17.3 °C under three climate scenarios (RCP 26, RCP 45 and RCP 85). We then conduct multiple regression analysis between climate changes compiled from the Climate Research Unit database and vegetation greenness from the GIMMS NDVI3g dataset. There is a general acceleration in the desertification trend under the RCP 85 scenario in middle and northern part of Middle Asia, northwestern China except Xinjiang and the Mongolian Plateau (except the middle part). The RCP 85 scenario shows a more severe desertification trend than does RCP 26. Desertification in dry land Asia, particularly in the regions highlighted in this study, calls for further investigation into climate change impacts and adaptations.


The role of governments in business and society research has remained underexplored, and recent studies have called for further investigations of mechanisms of government intervention. In response to this call, this article studies how nation branding communication can govern businesses toward sustainability by providing qualifications for sustainable business, legitimizing these qualifications, and attaching national aspirations to business conduct that meets these qualifications. A comparative exploratory analysis of the nation branding materials of Denmark and Finland shows that while the two nations qualify business sustainability in similar ways, differences exist in the legitimization of business sustainability and the national aspirations attached to sustainable business conduct. Both countries emphasize principles of efficiency and renewability in their sustainability qualifications. However, while Finland clearly seeks to attract firms to the local business environment to increase exports and improve the local economy, Denmark ascribes more heterogeneous value to sustainable business.


The performance of a conically scanning satellite instrument for the measurement of cloud ice was studied. The instrument measures radiances in 12 channels placed around the 183, 325 and 448 GHz water vapour lines and the 243, 664 and 874 GHz window channels, and is designed to provide estimations of ice water path (IWP), the equivalent sphere diameter (DME), and the median ice mass height (ZME). Overall median relative errors of around 20% for IWP, 33 µm for DME, and 240 m for ZME for a midlatitude winter scenario, and 17% for IWP, 30 µm for DME, and 310 m for ZME for a tropical scenario were found. Detection limits (relative retrieval error reaching 100%) of around 2 gm−2 were estimated for both scenarios. The performance of a five‐receiver instrument, where either the 664 or 874 GHz channel is dropped, was close, but with increased errors for very thin and high clouds. A trade‐off between having the 874 GHz receiver or two infrared channels at 10.7 and 12 µm emerged, as very similar performance was found between the six‐receiver instrument and the five‐receiver instrument with the infrared channels. Another trade‐off between receiver selection and noise was also apparent, with some of the four‐receiver selections operating at half noise levels being able to compete with the standard six‐receiver instrument. Dual‐polarized measurements were also tested, but they did not significantly improve the retrievals of IWP or DME. Copyright © 2007 Royal Meteorological Society


Recent literature on hybridity has provided useful insights into how professionals have responded to changing institutional logics. Our focus is on how shifting logics have shaped senior medical professionals' identity motives and identity work in a qualitative study of hospital consultants in the United Kingdom's National Health Service. We found a binary divide between a large category of traditionalist doctors who reject shifting logics, and a much smaller category of incorporated consultants who broadly accept shifting logics and advocate change, with little evidence of significant ambivalence or temporary identity 'fixes' associated with liminality. By developing a new inductively generated framework, we show how the identity motives and identity work of these two categories of doctors differ significantly. We explore the underlying causes of these differences, and the implications they hold for theory and practice in medical professionalism, medical professional leadership and healthcare reform.


New records in Tanzania of the Vulnerable Jackson's mongoose Bdeogale jacksoni expand its distribution by over 900 km to the south. During two independent camera-trap surveys over 3 years B. jacksoni, one of Africa's most cryptic small carnivores and previously thought to be endemic to Kenya, was recorded in forests of the Udzungwa Mountains. All records were highly localized within Matundu forest, at a maximum of 2.65 km apart. Most of the records (73%) were between 19.00 and 00.00, confirming that the species is primarily nocturnal. Conservation recommendations include further ecological research, genetic analyses, surveys in other Eastern Arc and ground-water dependent forests, and greater protection for Matundu.


(+)-alpha-phenylglycine are significant contaminants at pharmaceutical intermediates production. To study processes for the destruction of contaminant L(+)-alpha-phenylglycine in acid aqueous solution we have investigated the transient species using both laser flash photolysis. The OH· reaction with L(+)-alpha-phenylglycine process was investigated and formed polymer. Furthermore, the results of steady-state analysis suggested that L(+)-alpha-phenylglycine removal was found to be more efficient with increasing applied dose. L(+)-alpha-phenylglycine, decreased by 44.50%, using a dose of 14kGy.


Understanding how sediment transport and storage will delay, attenuate, and even erase the erosional signal of tectonic and climatic forcings has bearing on our ability to read and interpret the geologic record effectively. Here, we estimate sediment transit times in Australia's largest river system, the Murray-Darling basin, by measuring downstream changes in cosmogenic 26Al/10Be/14C ratios in modern river sediment. Results show that the sediments have experienced multiple episodes of burial and reexposure, with cumulative lag times exceeding 1 Ma in the downstream reaches of the Murray and Darling rivers. Combined with low sediment supply rates and old sediment blanketing the landscape, we posit that sediment recycling in the Murray-Darling is an important and ongoing process that will substantially delay and alter signals of external environmental forcing transmitted from the sediment's hinterland.


Welcome to the Critical Thinking LibGuide. This guide has been developed to support Huntingdon College's QEP and more specifically the development of the PACT (Practicing the Art of Critical Thinking) course.


This paper proposes a functional testing approach for safety properties formalized as hybrid automata. We first propose a formalism inspired from the concept of operational profile to specify test requirements for hybrid automata. We propose an associated parametric adequacy criterion that measures to what extent a given test suite satisfies these requirements. We also develop a set of hypothesis under which the proposed criterion can be evaluated when testing from a black box system when time is discretized and some signals of the automaton are not observable on the concrete system under test. We finally present the HyATT tool prototype that was developed to implement the proposed approach, and report practical feedback of applying it on a case study.


Project-based learning (PBL) is a well-known methodology for engineering design education due to a number of benefits it is claimed to offer. This paper presents the initial offering of a first-year engineering PBL unit at Griffith University in Australia. An evaluation of student perceptions of the unit revealed that students generally enjoyed the experience, with the oral presentation aspect receiving the lowest satisfaction rating. There was no significant difference in the ratings between any demographic grouping, suggesting that all students were able to participate in, and experience, the unit in essentially the same way. The best aspects of the unit and those aspects needing improvement were similar to the findings of other investigations documented in the literature. It is proposed that future offerings of the unit will reduce the number of design projects from three to two per semester and will attempt more sophisticated individualisation of marks for group work activities.


Previous research has reported that diets high in protein and sulfur decreased uterine pH in cattle. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of high N and high S intake on uterine pH. Holstein (n = 15) and Angus-cross (n = 5) heifers (337.5 ± 8.4 kg of BW) were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 diets: control (CON; 13.4% CP and 0.17% S); high nitrogen (HN; CON plus urea supplement); high sulfur (HS; CON plus calcium sulfate); or both high nitrogen and sulfur (HNS). Diets were individually fed at 2.6% of BW on a DM basis using Calan gates and estrus was synchronized to occur on d 13 (d 0 = start of dietary treatment). Blood samples were collected on d –2 and daily (d 1 to 28) at 1400 h to determine concentrations of plasma urea nitrogen (PUN), sulfate (d 1, 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, and 28), and progesterone. Uterine pH was measured on d 16, 20, 24, and 28 (d 3, 7, 11, and 15 of the estrous cycle). There was a treatment, time, and treatment by time interaction (P < 0.01) on concentrations of PUN. There was an effect of treatment (P < 0.01) on concentrations of sulfate, with concentrations being increased in HS compared with CON, HN, and HNS (P < 0.01), and HNS increased compared with CON (P < 0.01) and HN (P < 0.01). Uterine pH was increased in HN and HNS compared with CON (P < 0.02), whereas HS was not different from any treatment (P > 0.11). There was no effect of time (P = 0.26) or treatment by time interaction (P = 0.71) on uterine pH. In summary, uterine pH was increased in HN and HNS compared with CON, whereas HS was intermediate and was associated with increased concentrations of PUN.


BACKGROUND
A new galenic form of cyclosporin A has been developed, based on microemulsion technology. The bioavailability of the compound is relatively independent of food intake and bile flow. It was the purpose of this prospective clinical trial to study the safety of the microemulsion form of cyclosporin A.

METHODS
Three hundred and two renal transplant patients, stratified according to transplant age, were switched from the conventional to the new microemulsion formulation of cyclosporin A. A 1:1 conversion ration was used. Measurements included CsA levels, S-creatinine, liver enzymes, uric acid, and blood pressure. Measurements were performed at baseline and on days 4, 8, 15, 29 and months 3, 6 and 12 after conversion. Dose adjustments were performed to achieve through levels of 80-120 ng/ml.

RESULTS
Within the 12-month observation period the cyclosporin dose was reduced by 14.7% (from 204 +/- 60 mg/day at baseline to 174 +/- 51 mg/day after conversion, P < 0.001). Acutely, i.e. by day 8, 1:1 dose conversion resulted in a modest increase of mean drug through levels (from 114 ng/ml at baseline to 120 ng/ml, P < 0.01). This increase was accompanied by an increase in serum creatinine concentration, a decrease in calculated creatinine clearance, and an increase in uric acid values (P < or = 0.05). Liver enzymes remained unchanged while systolic and mean arterial blood pressure decrease (P < 0.05). After 1 month, drug through levels had decreased to baseline (112 ng/ml) and remained there until month 6. They were significantly lower after 12 months (102 +/- 33 ng/ml), P <0.001). Creatinine clearance values increased to above baseline at 6 and 12 months. Within the 1-year period there occurred 24 (= 8%) episodes of biopsy proven rejection and seven episodes of cyclosporin-attributed nephrotoxicity.

CONCLUSIONS
The 1:1 conversion from conventional cyclosporin A to the microemulsion formulation s efficacious and safe, but an initial dose reduction of 10% is advised in patients with through levels in the high-normal range.


The various Artin approximation theorems assert the existence of power series solutions of a certain quality Q (i.e., formal, analytic, algebraic) of systems of equations of the same quality Q, assuming the existence of power series solutions of a weaker quality Q′ < Q (i.e., approximated, formal). The results are frequently used in commutative algebra and algebraic geometry. We present a systematic argument which proves, with minor modifications, all theorems simultaneously. More involved results, such as, e.g., Popescu's nested approximation theorem for algebraic equations or statements about the Artin function, will only be mentioned but not proven. We complement the article with a brief account of the theory of algebraic power series, two applications of approximation to singularities, and a differential-geometric interpretation of Artin's proof.


In the control of batch distillation columns, one of the problems is the difficulty in monitoring the compositions. This problem can be handled by estimating the compositions from readily available online temperature measurements using a state estimator. In this study, a state estimator that infers the product composition in a multicomponent batch distillation column (MBDC) from the temperature measurements is designed and tested using a batch column simulation. An extended Kalman filter (EKF) is designed as the state estimator and is implemented for performance investigation on the case column with eight trays separating the mixture of cyclo-hexane, n-heptane and toluene. EKF parameters of the diagonal terms of process noise covariance matrix and those of measurement model noise covariance matrix are tuned in the range where the estimator is stable and selected basing on the least IAE score. Although NC-1 temperature measurements is sufficient considering observability criteria, using NC measurements spread through out the column homogeneously improves the performance of EKF estimator. The designed EKF estimator is successfully used in the composition—feedback inferential control of MBDC operated under variable reflux-ratio policy with an acceptable deviation of 0.5–3% from the desired purity level of the products.


Third-party leasing is now part and parcel of new contractual forms that have appeared with the development of commerce. Moreover, progress in new technologies has given birth to computer contracts. In the same way that the originality of third-party leasing has stimulated thinking on the legal nature of this operation in Civil law, the technical complexity of considerations due under computer contracts has brought about the adoption of clauses specifically adapted to this type of covenant. Since the third-party lease is used to finance the acquisition of computer equipment, the ensuing note attempts to analyse the legal consequences of two converging enigmas. Briefly stated, third-party computer leasing is characterized by the distinction between hardware and software (of which the latter does not in principle lend itself to leasing operations), the particular importance of obligations on guarantees by the supplier with regard to the user, and to the presumption of technical ignorance on the part of the user. The second of these characteristics is normal in third-party leases and the last occurs frequently in computer contracts.


Despite of the fact that the history of Initial Coin Offering (ICO) is short, new modification of it has already suggested. According to the ICORating, in the second half of 2018, the profitability of investments in blockchain startups decreased by 22%, and 58% of ICO projects announced in Q4 2018 were not able to raise more than 100,000 USD. Moreover, in Q4 2018 40% of projects with previously announced ICOs have already deleted their social network accounts and websites. The founder of Ethereum Vitalik Buterin (2015), who started the first ICO, proposed a new way of decentralized fundraising called DAICO in 2018. This new model will include elements of Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAO), and its purpose will be to minimize the difficulties and risks associated with the ICO. At the same time, in 2018 another model of financing appeared called Initial Exchange Offering (IEO) in order to minimize risks, problems of liquidity and the postponement of the listing of the tokens at the end of tokensale step. More than 70 IEOs listed on ICObench with average rating of 3.6 and 42 IEOs have been ended and raised $266 million in total. Nevertheless, there three types of tokens 95% of ICO projects are utility-based token. This makes ICO comparable to crowfunding. In order to be more attractive for investors the focus on a new wave of ICO projects is on the security type of tokens. The security token is any cryptocurrency that pays dividends, profits, shares or interest or invests in any other asset that also generates profits. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) use the Howey Test and concludes the securities token are securities in contract to classical utility token of ICO projects. In order to back by real assets and follow the SEC's guidance on compliance, issuance, and trading new model is called Security Token Offering (STO) and differs from ICO. All three new models are a new focus for small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) and investors. The absence of any type of academic works emphasizes the relevance and scientific novelty of the forthcoming research. The contribution to the existing literature is the systematization of information and comparison analyses of ICO, DAOICO, IEO and STO by method of case study.


Objective The aim of this 2NN pharmacokinetic substudy was to investigate the population pharmacokinetics of nevirapine and efavirenz. Methods Treatment-naive, HIV-1-infected patients received nevirapine (once or twice daily), efavirenz or a combination with lamivudine and stavudine. Blood samples were collected on day 3 and weeks 1, 2, 4, 24 and 48. Using non-linear mixed effects modelling, pharmacokinetics of nevirapine and efavirenz and factors involved in the inter-individual variability were investigated. Results Clearance of nevirapine in the induction phase (<14 days) and at steady state (>28 days) were 2.02 l/h and 2.81 l/h, respectively. Volume of distribution and absorption rate constant were 77.0 l and 1.66 h-1, respectively. Clearance of nevirapine was lower in females (13.8%) and in patients with hepatitis B (19.5%). Patients from South America and Western countries had higher clearance of nevirapine compared with Thai and South African patients. The clearances of efavirenz in the induction phase and at steady state were 7.95 l/h and 8.82 l/h, respectively. The volume of distribution and absorption rate constant were 418 l and 0.287 h-1, respectively. Concomitant use of nevirapine increased clearance of efavirenz (43%). Patients from Thailand had lower clearance than the rest of the population. Conclusions The population pharmacokinetics of nevirapine and efavirenz were assessed in the 2NN trial. For both drugs, an induction phase was distinguished from the steady-state phase. Gender, hepatitis B and geographical region were involved in the variability of the pharmacokinetics of nevirapine. Region and concomitantly used nevirapine were determinants of the pharmacokinetics of efavirenz.


Purpose To test the hypothesis that hepatic triglyceride content is associated with subclinical vascular impairment and is not confounded by various cardiometabolic risk factors. Materials and Methods This study was approved by the institutional review board, and all participants gave written informed consent. In this cross-sectional analysis of baseline measurements of the Netherlands Epidemiology of Obesity study, a population-based cohort study, 1899 participants (52% men; mean age, 55 years ± 6 [standard deviation]) underwent magnetic resonance (MR) spectroscopy and MR imaging to assess hepatic triglyceride content, aortic pulse wave velocity (PWV), and visceral fat. Carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) was acquired and measured by trained research nurses according to standard procedures. Multivariate regression analyses were used to study associations of hepatic triglyceride content with total and regional aortic PWV and carotid IMT while adjusting for several possible confounding factors, including the metabolic syndrome. Results Total aortic PWV (mean difference, 0.5 m/sec; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.3, 0.7) and carotid IMT (mean difference, 37 μm; 95% CI: 25, 49) were higher in participants with hepatic steatosis. After adjusting for various covariates, a 10-fold increase in hepatic triglyceride content was associated with an increased mean aortic PWV of 0.19 m/sec (95% CI: 0.03, 0.36) in total and an increased mean aortic PWV of 0.42 m/sec (95% CI: 0.03, 0.81) in the abdominal segment. A 10-fold increase in hepatic triglyceride content was also associated with an increased mean carotid IMT of 15 μm (95% CI: 0, 29) but not after additional adjustments for visceral and total body fat. Conclusion In this relatively large population-based cohort study, hepatic triglyceride content was associated with aortic pulse wave velocity and carotid IMT. These associations were only partly explained by the metabolic syndrome and visceral adiposity, suggesting a possible specific contribution of hepatic steatosis to subclinical vascular impairment. © RSNA, 2017 Online supplemental material is available for this article.


The number of neutrophils in the blood and tissues is controlled by constitutive apoptotic programmed cell death and clearance by phagocytes such as macrophages. Here, we found that calpains cleave the X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis (XIAP) in vitro, producing fragments that are unable to inhibit caspase-3. These fragments were detected in normal neutrophils but were unstable and rapidly degraded. Calpain inhibition delayed tumor necrosis factor-α-induced apoptosis of normal neutrophils, consistent with a role for calpains in regulating the onset of apoptosis. Interestingly, neutrophils from three patients with chronic neutrophilic leukemia, a rare syndrome characterized by accumulation of mature neutrophils, exhibited decreased μ-calpain expression, diminished calpain activity, and impaired XIAP degradation. Neutrophils from these patients displayed a delay in spontaneous, Fas-stimulated, and tumor necrosis factor-α-induced apoptosis. These observations suggest that calpain-mediated XIAP degradation contributes to initiation of apoptosis in normal neutrophils and dysfunction of this regulatory pathway can lead to pathological neutrophil accumulation.


This paper explores the extraction and detection processes of quorum sensing molecules such as N-aceyl homoserine lactone compounds (AHL) from marine Vibrio harveyi . The spent culture of V. harveyi was solvent partitioned for AHL, rotary evaporated and re-suspended in 50% acetonitrile then detected with reporter strain using Luminometer. Furanone was tested for antagonism against V. harveyi and an inhibitory zone of 9.0 ± 0.25 mm was observed. When, V. harveyi grew in Lysogeny broth (LB) with furanone, the growth was decreased from 0.2 to 0.03 optical density (OD) in 16 h. In control, V. harveyi growth was increased from 1.33 to 2.3 OD. When furanone was challenged against V. harveyi among shrimp post larvae, the cumulative percentage mortality was increased in the control from 0.85 to and 80% for the period of 5th to 30th days. But in the treatment tank the mortality varied from 0.53 to 1.26, 5.51, 8.17, 10.72 and 13.37% till the 30th day. The differences in the cumulative percentage mortalities in the treatment tank were 0.32, 2.34, 28.63, 51.50, 59.20 and 66.71% respectively as compared to the control. The results suggest that furanone can be used as non-antibiotic agent to control shrimp disease caused by V. harveyi. Key words : Vibrio harveyi , detection of N-aceyl homoserine lactone compounds (AHL), furanone, antagonism, shrimp larviculture.


This paper proposes a boosting-like method to train a classifier ensemble from data streams. It naturally adapts to concept drift and allows to quantify the drift in terms of its base learners. The algorithm is empirically shown to outperform learning algorithms that ignore concept drift. It performs no worse than advanced adaptive time window and example selection strategies that store all the data and are thus not suited for mining massive streams.


The use of a directional terminal antenna on a wireless link can enhance received power by as much as the antenna gain. In local scattering, however, the enhancement will be smaller. We call this decrement the gain reduction factor, /spl Delta/. We present a statistical model of /spl Delta/ for fixed suburban paths at 1.9 GHz, based on angle-of-arrival measurements in New Jersey. Our results address the influences of antenna height, antenna beamwidth, distance and season.


Connexins26 and -32 are subunit proteins of gap junctions that are coexpressed in hepatocytes and several tissues but individually expressed in other cells. Molecular cloning of both corresponding mouse genes revealed similar genomic organization, i.e., each gene consists of two exons with the complete coding region located in the second exon. The first exon of each gene is preceded by a TATA-less promoter region. The promoter of the mouse Cx26 gene has at least two transcription start sites and is located in a very GC-rich region which is reminiscent of promoters of house-keeping genes. Putative consensus sequences for a metal response element, the transcription factor NFkappaB, and several GC-boxes were found within 600 bp upstream of the Cx26 transcription start sites. The promoter region of the mouse Cx32 gene contains two putative binding sites for the transcription factor HNF-1 and consensus motifs for NF-1 as well as NFkappaB within 680 bp upstream of the main transcription start site. Thus the sequence comparison of mouse Cx26 and Cx32 promoter regions provides hints for possible consensus elements that could control individual expression as well as common regulation of these gap junction genes in various tissues. Cx26 mRNA is much more abundant in adult mouse skin than in adult kidney and liver where Cx32 transcripts are relatively strongly expressed.


l-Arginine (Arg) appears to have a beneficial effect on the regulation of nutrient metabolism to enhance lean tissue deposition and on insulin resistance in humans. The observed safe level for oral administration of Arg is ∼20 g/d, but higher levels have been tested in short-term studies without serious adverse effects; however, more data are needed in both animal models and humans to fully evaluate safety as well as efficacy. The primary objective of this review is to summarize the current knowledge of the safety, pharmacokinetics, and effectiveness of oral Arg in adults. Arg supplementation has been used safely in vulnerable populations, such as pregnant women, preterm infants, and individuals with cystic fibrosis. Several recent studies have shown beneficial effects of Arg in individuals with obesity, insulin resistance, and diabetes. Collectively, the data suggest that Arg supplementation is a safe and generally well-tolerated nutriceutical that may improve metabolic profiles in humans.


The aim of the given article is to consider a number of actual issues of development of the Russian higher school and vocational training, through the material presented in the book «History of higher school in Sverdlovsk region» by S. S. Nabojchenko. 1. Respect for historical-pedagogical experience at realisation of principal reforms in education is essential. The cumulative consideration both positive, and the negative facts and results of vocational training allows to project an appropriate planning chart of educational reforms and to avoid frequency of missteps of the past. 2. The analysis of activity of Councils of rectors of high schools shows that the given association carries out the important mission on creation of edifice system of socially-government higher education as on regional and federal levels. 3. Reflecting on «a brain drain» problem, authors fairly specify in current contradiction: on the one hand, Russian employers are not satisfied with graduates of the Russian high schools, at another point – many of them, going abroad, Проблемы высшего образования (статья-рецензия на книгу С. С. Набойченко «История высшей школы Свердловской области» (Екатеринбург: АМБ, 2013)) Образование и наука. 2015 No 2 (121) 29 quite successfully cope there with the professional duties with a degree in their field. This fact raises some questions about the common statement about bad quality of preparation in our high schools. The problem of quality of preparation of experts is supplemented with a problem of quality of working conditions. 4. An application training Master's degree program is offered by the authors of the presented article as one of the possible means of the problem solution of professional formation of the person at a postgraduate stage.


Training convolutional networks (CNNs) that fit on a single GPU with minibatch stochastic gradient descent has become effective in practice. However, there is still no effective method for training large networks that do not fit in the memory of a few GPU cards, or for parallelizing CNN training. In this work we show that a simple hard mixture of experts model can be efficiently trained to good effect on large scale hashtag (multilabel) prediction tasks. Mixture of experts models are not new [7, 3], but in the past, researchers have had to devise sophisticated methods to deal with data fragmentation. We show empirically that modern weakly supervised data sets are large enough to support naive partitioning schemes where each data point is assigned to a single expert. Because the experts are independent, training them in parallel is easy, and evaluation is cheap for the size of the model. Furthermore, we show that we can use a single decoding layer for all the experts, allowing a unified feature embedding space. We demonstrate that it is feasible (and in fact relatively painless) to train far larger models than could be practically trained with standard CNN architectures, and that the extra capacity can be well used on current datasets.


AIM
To study the expression of neurokinin-1 receptor (NK-1R) and neurokinin-2 receptor (NK-2R) in distal ileum of acute necrotizing pancreatitis (ANP) and to evaluate the relationship between expression of these two receptors and intestinal mucosal damage.

METHODS
A total of 130 adult Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into two groups: the rats in ANP group (n=80) were induced by the retrograde intraductal infusion of 30 g.L(-1) sodium taurocholate. And the rats in normal control group (n=50) received laparotomy only. Sacrifices were made 6 h, 12 h, 24 h and 48 h later in ANP and normal control group after induction respectively. Intestinal mucosal permeability was studied by intrajejunal injection of 1.5 mCi radioactive isotope (99m)Tc-diethlene triamine pentacetic acid (DTPA) and the radioactivity of (99m)Tc-DTPA content in urine was measured 6 h, 12 h, 24 h and 48 h after induction. Then the pancreas and intestine were prepared for pathology. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to determine the mRNA expression of NK-1R and NK-2R, and Western blot was used to investigate the protein level of NK-1R and NK-2R.

RESULTS
In ANP rats, serious histologic damages in intestinal mucosa were observed, and the radioactivity of (99m)Tc-DTPA in urine increased significantly in the ANP group. RT-PCR revealed that NK-1R and NK-2R mRNA level was overexpressed in the distal ileum of ANP as compared with the normal control group. Western blot discovered stronger NK-1R (14-fold increase) and NK-2R (9-fold increase) immunoreactivity in the intestinal mucosa of ANP rats. Moreover, the overexpression of NK-1R was associated with mucosal pathological score (r=0.77, P<0.01) and intestinal permeability (r=0.68, P<0.01) in ANP rats.

CONCLUSION
NK-1R and NK-2R contribute to disrupted neuropeptides loop balance, deteriorate intestinal damage, and are involved in pathophysiological changes in ANP.


A thermophilic, anaerobic, spore-forming, dissimilatory Fe(III)-reducing bacterium, designated strain SR4T, was isolated from sediment of newly formed hydrothermal vents in the area of the eruption of Karymsky volcano on the Kamchatka peninsula. Cells of strain SR4T were straight-to-curved, peritrichous rods, 0.4-0.6 micron in diameter and 3.5-9.0 microns in length, and exhibited a slight tumbling motility. Strain SR4T formed round, refractile, heat-resistant endospores in terminally swollen sporangia. The temperature range for growth was 39-78 degrees C, with an optimum at 69-71 degrees C. The pH range for growth was 4.8-8.2, with an optimum at 6.3-6.5. Strain SR4T grew anaerobically with peptone as carbon source. Amorphous iron(III) oxide present in the medium stimulated the growth of strain SR4T; cell numbers increased with the concomitant accumulation of Fe(II). In the presence of Fe(III), strain SR4T grew on H2/CO2 and utilized molecular hydrogen. Strain SR4T reduced 9,10-anthraquinone-2,6-disulfonic acid, sulfite, thiosulfate, elemental sulfur and MnO2. Strain SR4T did not reduce nitrate or sulfate and was not capable of growth with O2. The fermentation products from glucose were ethanol, lactate, H2 and CO2. The G + C content of DNA was 32 mol%. 16S rDNA sequence analysis placed the organism in the genus Thermoanaerobacter. On the basis of physiological properties and phylogenetic analysis, it is proposed that strain SR4T (= DSM 12299T) should be assigned to a new species, Thermoanaerobacter siderophilus sp. nov.


Introduction The hemochorial placenta provides a critical barrier at the maternal–fetal interface to modulate maternal immune tolerance and enable gas and nutrient exchange between mother and conceptus. Pregnancy outcomes are adversely affected by diabetes mellitus; however, the effects of poorly controlled diabetes on placental formation, and subsequently fetal development, are not fully understood. Research design and methods Streptozotocin was used to induce hyperglycemia in pregnant rats for the purpose of investigating the impact of poorly controlled diabetes on placental formation and fetal development. The experimental paradigm of hypoxia exposure in the pregnant rat was also used to assess properties of placental plasticity. Euglycemic and hyperglycemic rats were exposed to ambient conditions (~21% oxygen) or hypoxia (10.5% oxygen) beginning on gestation day (gd) 6.5 and sacrificed on gd 13.5. To determine whether the interaction of hyperglycemia and hypoxia was directly altering trophoblast lineage development, rat trophoblast stem (TS) cells were cultured in high glucose (25 mM) and/or exposed to low oxygen (0.5% to 1.5%). Results Diabetes caused placentomegaly and placental malformation, decreasing placental efficiency and fetal size. Elevated glucose disrupted rat TS cell differentiation in vitro. Evidence of altered trophoblast differentiation was also observed in vivo, as hyperglycemia affected the junctional zone transcriptome and interfered with intrauterine trophoblast invasion and uterine spiral artery remodeling. When exposed to hypoxia, hyperglycemic rats showed decreased proliferation and ectoplacental cone development on gd 9.5 and complete pregnancy loss by gd 13.5. Furthermore, elevated glucose concentrations inhibited TS cell responses to hypoxia in vitro. Conclusions Overall, these results indicate that alterations in placental development, efficiency, and plasticity could contribute to the suboptimal fetal outcomes in offspring from pregnancies complicated by poorly controlled diabetes.


1. The changes in blood glucose, plasma noradrenaline and plasma renin activity were measured in 11 normal subjects and in six tetraplegic subjects with a transection of the cervical spinal cord (preganglionic sympathectomy), in response to acute insulin-induced hypoglycaemia (0.15 unit/kg). 2. After hypoglycaemia, a pronounced rise in plasma noradrenaline was observed in the normal subjects but was absent in the tetraplegic group; plasma renin activity increased markedly in both groups. 3. It is concluded that the stimulation of renin release in response to hypoglycaemia can occur independently of any activation of the sympathoadrenal system.


Renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar, have vast potential to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and greenhouse gas emissions in the electric sector. Climate change concerns, state initiatives including renewable portfolio standards, and consumer efforts are resulting in increased deployments of both technologies. Both solar photovoltaics (PV) and wind energy have variable and uncertain (sometimes referred to as intermittent) output, which are unlike the dispatchable sources used for the majority of electricity generation in the United States. The variability of these sources has led to concerns regarding the reliability of an electric grid that derives a large fraction of its energy from these sources as well as the cost of reliably integrating large amounts of variable generation into the electric grid. In this report, we explore the role of energy storage in the electricity grid, focusing on the effects of large-scale deployment of variable renewable sources (primarily wind and solar energy).


Six cases of clinically evident sciatic or peroneal nerve palsy occurred in a consecutive series of 380 total hip arthroplasties (THA). An additional eight cases of peroneal nerve palsy due to pressure from Thomas splint or tight bandages were seen. Factors apparently causing nerve palsy were significant lateralization and lengthening in four cases and dislocation of the hip in one case. The cases with neuroapraxia of the peroneal nerve were seen from the third to the fifth day of Thomas splint immobilization. EMG studies were conducted in all six group 1 patients; at the end of one year the results were good in two cases, fair in three cases, and poor in one case. The results suggest that limb lengthening should be limited to 4 cm to minimize this complication. It was also seen that patients with peroneal nerve palsy due to local compression do well, though some are bothered by mild residual dysesthesia over the dorsum of the foot. In contrast, patients with sciatic nerve palsy do not have such a good outlook.


Motorcycle-taxi drivers in Kisoro, a rural district of Uganda, observed various processes around them which they termed "development" or "modernity". But they also, in many ways, felt excluded from these processes. Through a combination of text and my own painted images, the aim here is to share as many nuances as possible of my interpretations of these drivers' observations. I argue for the use of images to assist in describing visual experiences, and I compare and discuss the potentials of paintings and photographs, suggesting that paintings can clarify the ever-present subjectivity in social science-related research more expressively than photographs. In addition, I propose that paintings can bring the reader-viewer closer to the experiences of the informants. I conducted anthropological fieldwork among these drivers – locally referred to as Boda Boda drivers – and other workers of similar socioeconomic status in 2017. These young adults, most of them men, waited for more beneficial developments, while struggling to handle their current positions as more or less excluded spectators. In addition to identifying what my informants would need to feel fully included in the modernisation of their society, I discuss ways of improving research-related painting in order to involve informants further in this practice as well.


"Back to Methuselah" (A Metabiological Pentateuch) is a 1921 series of five plays and a preface by George Bernard Shaw. The five plays are: "In the Beginning: B.C. 4004" (In the Garden of Eden); "The Gospel of the Brothers Barnabas: Present Day"; "The Thing Happens: A.D. 2170"; "Tragedy of an Elderly Gentleman: A.D. 3000"; and, "As Far as Thought Can Reach: A.D. 31,920". The plays were published with a preface titled The Infidel Half Century, and first performed in 1922 by the New York Theatre Guild at the Garrick Theatre.


This article aims to critically examine the status of global administrative law within the already widely acknowledged notion of global constitutionalism. While global constitutionalism describes the processual "constitutionalization" of an increasingly globalized world through the values emerging from cross-border regulatory cooperation, the global regulatory process at the heart of global administrative law appears to take the place of 'We the People' as the creative force behind global constitutionalism. Contrary to the domestic/national context, the identitarian relationship between global administrative law and global constitutional law suggests the unity of global legality, whether it be called administrative law or constitutionalism. This article tries to establish that this 'identitarian unity' between administrative law and constitutional law in the global context leads to theoretical as well as normative fragmentation between global administrative law and global constitutionalism. On the one hand, global administrative lawyers focus on the global coordination or rationalization of administrative policies without paying sufficient attention to their impacts on the development of global constitutionalism. On the other hand, by premising global constitutionalization on the practices of global regulation, global constitutionalists overlook the problems inherent in global administrative law itself. As a result, the analysis shows that the status quo of global administrative law can only be maintained by "outsourcing" the fundamental challenges to global constitutionalism.


Micropore-rich activated carbon with high surface area and pore volume was prepared by alkali activation of azulmic carbon (AZC) precursor as nitrogen-doped carbon; AZC was a carbonized product from azulmic acid. We successfully loaded a large amount of sulfur (S) into micropores of the activated AZC. Our two kinds of activated AZC (BET surface area: 1,747 and 2,319m2g−1) can include S up to 55 and 62wt%, respectively. The former activated AZC including S can be charged and discharged with lithium (Li) ion transfer stably and reversibly in glyme-based and carbonate-based electrolytes. The latter activated AZC can be charged and discharged in a glyme-based electrolyte. These different characteristics are due to a difference in fine pore structure between them. Our microporous activated AZC with high S loading is promising material as positive S electrode for rechargeable Li-S batteries. © The Electrochemical Society of Japan, All rights reserved.