Over the last decades, airport security technology has evolved remarkably. This is especially evident when state-of-the-art detection systems are concerned. However, such systems are only as effective as the personnel who operate them. Reliable and valid measures of screener detection performance are important for risk analysis, screener certification and competency assessment, as well as for measuring quality performance and effectiveness of training systems. In many of these applications the hit rate is used in order to measure detection performance. However, measures based on signal detection theory have gained popularity in recent years, for example in the analysis of data from threat image projection (TIP) or computer based training (CBT) systems. In this study, computer-based tests were used to measure detection performance for improvised explosive devices (IEDs). These tests were conducted before and after training with an individually adaptive CBT system. The following measures were calculated: pHit, d', /spl Delta/m, Az, A' p(c)/sub max/. All measures correlated well, but ROC curve analysis suggests that "nonparametric" measures are more valid to measure detection performance for IEDs. More specifically, we found systematic deviations in the ROC curves that are consistent with two-state low threshold theory of R.D. Luce (1963). These results have to be further studied and the question rises if similar results could be obtained for other X-ray screening data. In any case, it is recommended to use A' in addition to d' in practical applications such as certification, threat image projection and CBT rather than the hit rate alone.


An experimental passive infrared system was designed and developed to detect and monitor vehicular road traffic. The system uses infrared pyroelectric sensors to sense vehicles passing through its field of view. In conjunction with computerized signal processing and correlation techniques the sensor information can then be used to count the number of vehicles passing and compute their speed and length. Laboratory and field tests results indicate that this technology should be cost effective, weather resistant and have the potential for a variety of sophisticated traffic monitoring applications. >


In this study, the emerging methodology of linguistic ethnography is applied
to the under-researched setting of the adult numeracy classroom.
Students' naturally-occurring discourse is audio-recorded during
mathematical collaborative groupwork, and analysed to provide privileged
insights not always apparent through observing teacher-led interaction. In
particular, the "funds of knowledge" brought by students to their formal
learning is investigated, and findings are related to Bourdieu's concepts of
cultural capital and habitus, and Bernstein' theories of pedagogic discourse.
Participating students were found rarely to draw spontaneously on
numeracy funds of knowledge, and tended to ignore the supposedly "reallife"
contexts presented by traditional word problems. However, some
alternative activities did encourage students to relate classroom learning
more to out-of-classroom practices, and the implications of these for
pedagogy are discussed. The students were also found to draw on a broad
repertoire of linguistic resources to express uncertainty and anxiety; to
enhance group cohesion; to elicit contributions from other students; and to
ease interactions with humour. However, students additionally brought to
the classroom a "schooled habitus" which tended to constrain their
discourse and activities to curricular expectations. A categorisation of
students' knowledge contributions into "disruptive" and "conformative" is
proposed.
The study concludes that collaborative groupwork can be highly effective for
adult numeracy learners, with participating classrooms demonstrating high
rates of retention and achievement, but further research is urgently needed
to extend these benefits to students with disabilities, learning difficulties
and English as a second language. It further suggests that traditional word
problems are not effective in helping learners relate mathematical skills to
everyday numeracy practices.
However, in introducing innovative and potentially more effective
pedagogies, it is recommended that the schooled habitus of adults be taken
into account. In particular, pedagogies designed for children and young
people may not transfer unproblematically to adult classrooms.


Gravity waves play a crucial role in the dynamics of the middle atmosphere through the vertical transport of tropospheric energy and momentum. Despite the importance of gravity wave effects, nearly all general circulation models significantly underestimate gravity wave drag around the southern wintertime polar vortex, leading to large discrepancies from observed behaviour and a strong impediment to model progress. Here we use GPS radio occultation data from the COSMIC satellite constellation to investigate key properties of gravity waves in and around the southern polar vortex and over the gravity wave hot spot of the southern Andes/Drake Passage/Antarctic Peninsula. We also develop spectral analysis tools in order to further the capabilities of our data for this purpose. By analysing vertical profiles of atmospheric temperature from COSMIC, we find evidence of the meridional propagation of waves into the polar vortex from sources far to the north. We develop a new wavelet-based analysis technique for the quantitative identification of gravity waves in COSMIC profiles, and use it to investigate gravity wave intermittency over the hot spot region and around the edge of the polar vortex. We then estimate gravity wave momentum flux over the hot spot from closely-spaced pairs of COSMIC profiles. Finally, we develop a new two-dimensional spectral analysis method for the measurement of gravity wave amplitudes, horizontal wavelengths and directions of propagation from AIRS measurements, based upon the two-dimensional Stockwell transform. We show that, by using an alternative elliptical spectral window, we can dramatically improve the measurement of wave amplitude. We apply our two-dimensional Stockwell transform to AIRS measurements over the known gravity wave hot spots of South Georgia and the Antarctic Peninsula, measuring gravity properties and momentum fluxes with improved confidence, accuracy and rigour over current methods.


The study was designed to analyze the comparative profitability of alternate shrimp-crop farming and to determine the socioeconomic and environmental impacts of shrimp farming in coastal areas of Bangladesh. In shrimp growing areas, four different farming systems were studied - alternate shrimp-rice farming, alternate shrimp-salt farming, and year round shrimp or rice production in the shrimp farming areas. It was found that, combined economic returns from producing shrimp and salt was substantially higher than those of combined returns from shrimp and rice production under alternate shrimp-rice farming system. Shrimp and rice were also produced individually as year round crop. In year round shrimp farming per hectare production of shrimp was higher compared to the production of shrimp under alternate shrimp-crop farming but in terms of farm income, farmers producing year round shrimp earned lower income than the combined income earned from shrimp and salt production. Under the present farming system, farm income from year round rice production within the vicinity of shrimp growing areas was the lowest among the four different farming systems in the study areas. The results of the study clearly indicate that shrimp farming and other related activities accrued socioeconomic benefits to the shrimp farmers. The coastal communities including women had chances to improve their socioeconomic condition through their direct and indirect involvement in coastal aquaculture. The study revealed that the existing unplanned shrimp culture has adversely affected the production of cereal crops and vegetables, trees and plantation, poultry and livestock in shrimp growing areas. Shrimp farming has also negative effects on coastal environment and agro-ecosystem, which have moderately changed the bio-diversity in the study areas.


Thank you for downloading supervision an applied behavioral science approach to managing people. Maybe you have knowledge that, people have search numerous times for their favorite novels like this supervision an applied behavioral science approach to managing people, but end up in malicious downloads. Rather than reading a good book with a cup of coffee in the afternoon, instead they cope with some harmful virus inside their desktop computer. supervision an applied behavioral science approach to managing people is available in our book collection an online access to it is set as public so you can get it instantly. Our digital library spans in multiple countries, allowing you to get the most less latency time to download any of our books like this one. Kindly say, the supervision an applied behavioral science approach to managing people is universally compatible with any devices to read.


Perifix epidural catheters are printed in a concealed and automatic machine, in a continuous and set procedure. The manufacturing system does not, under normal circumstances, allow for such a mistake to happen. A theoretical explanation for a duplicate printing is a shortterm power supply cut in the printing machine. Over the years B. Braun has manufactured millions of epidural catheters and no such incident has been reported previously. We consider this finding as an isolated incident. It is with regret that the catheter passed through the quality control system and we apologise for any inconveniences caused.


Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to propose a unified definition of integrated palliative care (IPC), and to identify the elements that facilitate or hinder implementation of an integrated palliative care system (IPCS).

Design/methodology/approach
A scoping review of the conceptualization and essential elements of IPC was undertaken, based on a search of the PubMed, Scopus and ISI Web of Science databases. The search identified 79 unduplicated articles; 43 articles were selected for content analysis.

Findings
IPC is coordinated and collaborative across different health organizations, levels of care and types of providers. Eight key elements facilitate implementation of an IPCS: coordination, early patient identification, patient-centered services, care continuity, provider education and training, a standard implementation model and screening tool, shared information technology system, and supportive policies and funding. These elements were plotted as a "Circle of Integrated Palliative Care System Elements."

Practical implications
This paper offers researchers an inclusive definition of IPC and describes the essential elements of its successful implementation.

Originality/value
This study provides evidence from researchers on five continents, offering insights from multiple countries and cultures on the topic of IPC. The findings of this thematic analysis could assist international researchers aiming to develop a standard evaluative model or assess the level of integration in a health care system's delivery of palliative care.


We compared cuff to simultaneous direct intra-arterial pressure in 26 seriously ill patients, in order to: test the accuracy of oscillometric and auscultatory estimates of direct systolic pressure; test muffling and disappearance of sound as indices of direct diastolic pressure; gain insight into the timing of the different phases of Korotkoff sounds; and assess the local and general effects of cuff inflation on blood pressure. We found that conventional estimation of systolic blood pressure by auscultation of the first Korotkoff sound (K1) underestimates direct systolic pressure by an average of 16 to 17 mm Hg. Oscillometric pressure measurement provides a significantly better estimate than K1 but still underestimates by 7 to 8 mm Hg. These systolic cuff measurements are biased downward from direct values because of local cuff effect and cuff error. Diastolic cuff measurements deviate from direct values primarily because of a local cuff effect which produces an upward bias of 5 mm Hg at the point of sound muffling (K4), and 3 mm Hg at the point where sounds disappear (K5). We recommend oscillometric measurement of systolic pressure and K5 measurement of diastolic pressure as the best indirect estimates of blood pressure in critically ill patients.


Abstract : The Strategic and Critical Materials Stock Piling Act calls for the establishment of a National Defense Stockpile (NDS) and requires biennial reports to Congress on stockpile requirements and recommendations. IDA assists the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) in determining these requirements. IDA has developed an analytical process, the Risk Assessment and Mitigation Framework for Strategic Materials (RAMFSM), to identify potential shortfalls of critical materials and assess mitigation strategies. Identification of the likely number and severity of shortfalls--Step 2 of RAMF-SM--is accomplished using a suite of models and data. This summary provides an overview of the various Step 2 components. It can be used as a guide for verification or reproduction of the 2015 NDS Base Case (i.e., national security emergency planning scenario) Step 2 run.


Spatio-temporal image correlation (STIC) is a new 3D technique allowing the acquisition of a volume of the beating fetal heart. It is the first reliable technique allowing a routine 4D fetal echocardiography. This paper reviews the principles of this new technique and its potential. Once a volume is acquired and stored, it can be rendered in different display modes. The volume information can be displayed as a multiplanar image (A, B, and C planes) and allows the visualisation of an "anyplane". The information in the volume can be used to reconstruct a 3D rendering of the heart according to an examiner-defined volume of interest. Some of these rendering modes are explained in this paper, such as surface rendering, minimum mode, inversion mode and glass body mode (combination of STIC with colour or power Doppler).


Summary: Results of reconstruction of ga stroschisis are presented. 27 consecutive pa tients operated upon during 1971 - 1980 are reviewed: 8 patients with primary clo sure, 19 patients reconstructed with a staged procedure (silon-pouch). It is concluded that both methods can be used, with low morta lity: 1 patient in each group. The use of silon-pouch resulted, however, in a longer period of total parenteral nutrition (46 vs 18 days) and hospital care (8 vs 43 days).


A nonlinear dynamics analysis mathematical model for the high-speed cylindrical roller bearing was built up. Dynamic performance parameters were got by Newton - Raphson method . The rotational velocity regularities of rollers were analyzed at different radial loads. The distribution of minimum oil-film thickness and contact load between rollers and bearing ring raceway were obtained. The results showed that number of loaded rollers increased with the increase of radial loads at a certain speed. Rollers slip seriously at lower radial loads. The rotation speed was low. The minimum oil-film thickness between loaded rollers and inner raceways was less than that of outer raceways. The results were compared with the results of SHARBERTH and comparison was made with testing results. It showed that the dynamic characteristics analysis method of high speed cylindrical roller bearing was accurate, reliable,simple and convenient for practical engineering application.


Abstract This article offers a cross-national analysis of the historical reception of the American war film The Battle Cry of Peace (J. Stuart Blackton and Wilfred North/Vitagraph, 1915) in the neutral countries of the Netherlands and Switzerland during World War I. Treating propaganda as a mode de lecture, the authors demonstrate how a fiction film that was originally intended as preparedness propaganda picked up very diverse and often conflicting meanings in cinema cultures outside the United States. In the eyes of its audiences, the film could have been qualified as 'entertainment' or 'propaganda', 'fiction' or 'fact' at the same time. When comparing the Dutch and Swiss reception contexts in more detail, it becomes clear that The Battle Cry of Peace was a popular film in both countries. However, the film made a different impact on its audiences on a national level. German propaganda officials in Switzerland considered the anti-German tendencies of the film highly problematic. This was hardly the case in the Netherlands. While The Battle Cry of Peace confronted Swiss audiences with their linguistic and cultural divide, here, the meaning of the film was generally tied into a unifying neutrality discourse. In both cases, however, a fact often neglected by contemporary (film) historians, cinema can be understood as an important agent in the public debate about the war outside the warring countries, as was acknowledged by individuals and institutions at the time.


Polymorphonuclear leucocytes (PMNs) play a protective role during Bacillus anthracis infection. However, B. anthracis is able to subvert the PMN response effectively as evidenced by the high mortality rates of anthrax. One major virulence factor produced by B. anthracis, lethal toxin (LT), is necessary for dissemination in the BSL2 model of mouse infection. While human and mouse PMNs kill vegetative B. anthracis, short in vitro half‐lives of PMNs have made it difficult to determine how or if LT alters their bactericidal function. Additionally, the role of LT intoxication on PMN's ability to migrate to inflammatory signals remains controversial. LF concentrations in both serum and major organs were determined from mice infected with B. anthracis Sterne strain at defined stages of infection to guide subsequent administration of purified toxin. Bactericidal activity of PMNs assessed using ex vivo cell culture assays showed significant defects in killing B. anthracis. In vivo PMN recruitment to inflammatory stimuli was significantly impaired at 24 h as assessed by real‐time analysis of light‐producing PMNs within the mouse. The observations described above suggest that LT serves dual functions; it both attenuates accumulation of PMNs at sites of inflammation and impairs PMNs bactericidal activity against vegetative B. anthracis.


The stop-loss reinsurance is one of the most important reinsurance contracts in the insurance market. From the insurer point of view, it presents an interesting property: it is optimal if the criterion of minimizing the variance of the cost of the insurer is used. The aim of the paper is to contribute to the analysis of the stop-loss contract in one period from the point of view of the insurer and the reinsurer. Firstly, the influence of the parameters of the reinsurance contract on the correlation coefficient between the cost of the insurer and the cost of the reinsurer is studied. Secondly, the optimal stop-loss contract is obtained if the criterion used is the maximization of the joint survival probability of the insurer and the reinsurer in one period.


BACKGROUND Preemptive analgesia, is obtained via aspartate antagonists and glutamate, neurotransmitters released during tissular injury. Objective Asses preemptive analgesia with dexmedetomidine and consumption of a postanesthesia analgesic. MATERIAL AND METHODS Male patients, 20-65 years ago were recruited after protocol review and informed consent was obtained. Patients were randomized in three groups, using dexmedetomidine as preemptive analgesia in inguinal hernioplasty. RESULTS Subjects had a mean age of 45.3 +/- 13.2 yrs. Among patients where dexmedetomidine was administered prior to anesthesia, three had, low heart frequency (60 bpm) and required that analgesia be given for 3.14 hrs. Among patients in whom dexmedetomidine was administered during transanesthesia, two registered low heart frequency (60 bpm.) and required analgesia for 2.27 hrs. In the control group, one patient had a heart frequency of 43 bpm; mean analgesic administration time was 39 minutes. There were no significant variations in arterial pressure. Statistical analysis included Anova, and Student's T-test to assess analgesia and initial time of analgesia consumption at p < 0.001. CONCLUSION Intravenous dexmedetomidine administered prior to anesthesia decreases pain intensity and consumption of postoperative analgesia.


Globalization leads to an intensification of worldwide social relations linking distant localities (Giddens, 1990), which will result in greater cultural diversity in educational settings. This article is based on the premise that this diversity can be leveraged into enhanced learning capabilities, which, following Ashby's law of requisite variety (1956), every system needs that is confronted with growing complexity and dynamism in its environment. However, whereas globalization enables closer contacts among different cultures; it does not inform us how to employ cultural differences. The challenge posed by globalization is therefore how to actually combine the varied ideas, knowledge, and skills of different cultures in such a way that diversity can indeed be seen as a constant source of critical inquiry, learning, and innovation? Furthermore, how can higher education institutions leverage diversity most productively and, in that way, help shape globalization? This article reports on how the Department of Information Management of the University of Amsterdam prepares itself for the effects globalization has and will have on higher education. This department has a long record of experimentation with education design and the organization of learning processes, both relating to regular bachelor and master programs as well as to postgraduate lifelong learning and continuing education initiatives. Out of these experimentations and innovations the learning by sharing framework has evolved that is based upon a social learning theory. The purpose of this article is to show how diversity can be leveraged through learning by sharing. The article is organized as follows. First, the mutual relationship between globalization and diversity is explored. Then, five categories of globalization implications for higher education are distinguished, which are all further detailed and explained. Next, the learning by sharing framework is presented as one bottom up response of one department that is increasingly facing the challenge of globa lization and leveraging diversity. Furthermore, three recent education initiatives of the Department of Information Management are discussed, showing how the five categories of globalization effects on higher education can be exploited in concrete educational settings. They also indicate that leveraging diversity is a learning process in itself. The lessons that can be derived from the three education initiatives are therefore explicitly discussed in the final section.


In this study, we propose new approach to create new scenario for new product design with data crystallization, where dummy items, corresponding to potential existence of unobservable events, are inserted to the given data. These dummy items and their relations with observable events are visualized by applying KeyGraph to the data with dummy items like the crystallization of snow where dusts are involved in the formation of crystallization of water molecules. For tuning the granularity level of crystallization structure to be visualized, the tool of data crystallization is integrated with human-interactive annealing where human's process of understanding significant scenarios and crystallization process by computer are combined. We applied this method for 106 technology patents about defects inspection systems and marking systems, and resulted in visualizing latent structures of technology in 106 patents with dummy nodes clearly in scenario maps by KeyGraph. For further assistance of human's process to understand the relation of dummy nodes with latent structures of technology, pictograms which contain drawings and short text file are applied and inserted into the scenario map. These pictograms narrowed an ambiguity of the relation among dummy nodes and latent structures of technology and aided the examinees creating effective scenarios for new product design in real business.


The book provides an account of the lives and experiences of a group of female intravenous drug users in Glasgow. Based on participant observations of the women in their own setting and in-depth interviews, it is the first full ethnographic account of the lifestyle of female drug users. It charts their entry into drugs, the various ways in which they provide for their drug use, their relationships with friends, partners, family members, and children as well as attitudes towards professionals such as social workers with whom they come into contact by virtue of their status as drug-using mothers. Finally, the efforts the women make to give up their use of drugs is examined, along with the reasons which make these endeavours difficult. The evidence suggests that, ironically, the lifestyle which evolves around their use of drugs offers an arena in which the women are able to find a degree of independence and purpose otherwise lacking in their lives and which makes their drug-using lifestyle attractive even when disadvantages become apparent.


Placenta is a natural protective barrier for the unborn child and studying its status in patients with allergic diseases is particularly interesting. The purpose of the study: was to determine the placenta immunomorphology in women with well-controlled and poor controlled asthma and varying severity. Materials and methods: We conducted an immunomorphological analysis of 168 samples of placenta of women with asthma (N=138) with varying severity and control group (N=30), using specific serum cytokines against IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, fibrinogen, C3 fraction of complement, and monoclonal antibodies against IgA, IgM, IgG. Results: The presence of C3 fraction of complement (pathogenic immune complexes - PIC) and fibrinogen were significantly higher in cases with moderate and severe asthma (76.3% -78.9%). In area of PIC were also found IgA (60.5%), IgM (55,3%), IgG (71,1%), as well as IL-4 (71,1%), IL-6 (65 8%), IL-10 (57.9%). In the control group - single cases of fixation of these markers. Deposition of all these markers in placenta was significantly higher in cases of poor control of asthma especially in the 3 trimester. More than 80% of women with mild persistent asthma who used inhaled corticosteroids fixation of IgM and IL-4 was negative. In cases of moderate and severe asthma the same trend was observed in 60% of cases. Conclusion: The severity and poor control of asthma positively correlate with the presence of immune deposits in the placenta. Immune inflammation of placenta may be the reason of pregnancy complications. At the same time, adequate asthma treatment during pregnancy reduces the severity of this immune inflammation. All these factors may play role in the prenatal development of allergic phenotype of newborns.


N-type Mg3Sb2-based Zintl compounds are proved to be high-performance thermoelectric materials with multiple degenerate valleys and low lattice thermal conductivity. Here, we investigate the electronic band structure and the thermoelectric properties of n-type Mg3Sb2 using first-principles density functional theory. A high ZT of 3.1 at 725 K is obtained when the minimum lattice thermal conductivity and the optimal carrier concentration are reached. The calculated thermoelectric performance demonstrates that Mg3Sb2 possesses an isotropic character in thermoelectric transport. Furthermore, the calculated lattice thermal conductivity κL reveals that the unusually low κL in Mg3Sb2 predominantly originates from the large Grüneisen parameter γ.

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Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) ranks among the globally most important causes of infections in humans and is considered a dreaded hospital pathogen. Active and passive immunization against multi-resistant strains is seen as a potentially valuable alternative to antibiotic therapy. However, all vaccine candidates so far have been clinically unsuccessful. With an epitope-based immunization, scientists at Cologne University Hospital and the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF) have now described a new vaccination strategy against S. aureus in the Nature Partner Journal npj Vaccines.


The pioneering work of Jacques Angelier contributed largely to the formulation and dissemination of the crustal stress analyses and inversion techniques from, progressively raising them to the rank of standard tools in brittle structural analysis. Largely inspired by his abundant work, we developed the TENSOR computer program, initially to test and learn this new methodology 20 year ago. It rapidly evolved into a user friendly interactive program that was adopted by many for their crustal stress analysis, using both geological fault-slip data (faults with slip lines and fractures) and earthquake focal mechanisms. In 2004, a new Windows version (Win_Tensor) started to be developed, allowing further technical and user interface improvements. It is organized in linked data and processing sheets. Data can be entered in the data sheet by a direct controlled input, by copy-paste from an excel sheet, can be digitized from scanned stereonets and read directly from an appropriately formatted text file or excel sheet. They are converted into a standard format and assembled into subsets by the means of a Subset Index and a treeview Subset Manager. The processing sheet contains modules for rose diagrams, statistics, stress tensor determination by 3 different techniques (PBT, Right Dieder and Rotational Optimisation), Mohr diagrams and rotations. Both the PBT and the Right Dieder methods allow a direct estimation of the stress axes orientation and relative magnitude, respectively based on the average orientation of areas of p, b & t kinematic axes of all individual data and on areas of compression and extension associated to right dieders of all individual data combined in a single stereonet and representing the possible orientation of s1 and s3 stress axes. These two methods produce approximate results that are refined with the Rotational Optimisation procedure, during which a number of solutions are tested by calculating the resolved stress on fault planes in order to minimize a misfit function. This misfit function combines a first term that exploits the directional part of the resolved shear stress (orientation and sense) for minimizing a misfit angle and a second term using the resolved magnitudes for optimizing the resolved normal and shear stresses magnitudes to favor slip on the plane. A special care has been paid to the interactive procedures for data filtering and separation into homogenous subsets, allowing several starting points. A quality ranking procedure was also developed in collaboration with the World Stress Map project. Win-Tensor has been widely distributed and applied to geological and sismotectonic case studies in a large variety tectonic settings. More informations on: http://users.skynet.be/damien.delvaux/Tensor/tensor-index.html


In the present investigation a novel, scientific, simple, and reliable nail safety screening test based on Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy was developed for the screening of nail-friendly transungual drug permeation enhancers. In this test, nail clippings were treated with the permeation enhancer and their FTIR spectra were recorded and compared with FTIR spectrum of untreated nail clipping. With the help of three spectral parameters namely, peak purity index, peak intensity ratio, and peak-fitting analysis any type of structural alteration brought out by the permeation enhancer in the matrix of nail plate could be determined and nail safety could be readily assessed. The validity of the proposed method was established by studying the effect of eight different types of permeation enhancers, thioglycolic acid, salicylic acid, n-acetyl-l-cysteine, sodium sulfite, resorcinol, sodium hydroxide, oxalic acid, and hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin on the nail clippings. It was observed that thioglycolic acid, salicylic acid, sodium sulfite, resorcinol, sodium hydroxide, oxalic acid, and n-acetyl-l-cysteine severely damaged the nail plate keratin as evidenced by the significantly altered values of peak purity index, peak intensity ratio, and peak-fitting analysis, whereas hydroxylpropyl-β-cyclodextrin was found to be innocuous as the above three spectral parameters remained almost unaltered. This technique could be easily employed for screening nail-friendly drug permeation enhancers from the large pool of available chemical permeation enhancers during the preformulation stage of development of transungual drug delivery systems.


We study a method of laser-Compton cooling of electron beams. Using a Monte Carlo code, we evaluate the effects of the laser-electron interaction for transverse cooling. The optics with and without chromatic correction for the cooling are examined. The laser- Compton cooling for JLC/NLC at E 0 = 2 GeV is considered.


GPS receiver dynamic tracking error is an often misunderstood concept. Flight test results and field experiences have shown dynamics-induced errors that can be related directly to the receiver architecture. To evaluate the effects of multipath in airborne receivers, it is necessary to isolate multipath from receiver tracking errors. Separation of multipath and receiver tracking errors can be difficult, particularly for a highly dynamic receiver platform. This results from the fact that the two error sources can be similar in magnitude and frequency. Historically, receiver dynamic tracking error has often been ignored or overlooked when analyzing multipath data. This paper describes a controlled experiment that allows for the isolation of multipath and receiver tracking errors. The theory behind the dynamic tracking error phenomenon is described, along with the isolation technique. Data collection and analysis results are presented to confirm the viability of the technique.


Nature's ability to satisfy deep human needs is familiar to anyone who has hiked up a mountain, canoed a river, or hung a bird feeder outside the kitchen window. In Story Line, his groundbreaking work of narrative ecocriticism, Ian Marshall explores how natural surroundings inspired works of literature set along the Appalachian Trail. In his new work, Peak Experiences, Marshall sets out on a far more personal and at the same time far-reaching journey, to discover how our modern estrangement from the natural world has affected our mental well-being. Taking as his starting point the psychologist Abraham Maslow's "hierarchy of human needs" a pyramid familiar to anyone who ever cracked a textbook for Psych 101 Marshall asks how his own experience of deep satisfaction in nature may or may not fit Maslow's theory. In chapters focused on the needs identified by Maslow, Marshall finds evidence for the healing power of nature in literature and in his own experiences in the wild."I offer myself as test subject," Marshall writes: "recently divorced, a father sharing custody of two children, someone with a high regard for the written word, ... a little too stressed-out these days, no more self-actualized than the next person but just as curious about it and what I have going for me are a lot of well-read books, a good pair of broken-in hiking boots, and a thing for mountains."Embracing the exciting new field of ecopsychology, Marshall leads us on a personal and intellectual odyssey, from the dream mountain of Henry David Thoreau to the high slopes of John Muir's beloved Mount Shasta. Always, Marshall returns to his own challenges as father and reader, and to his own humble but rewarding mountain, Bald Eagle Ridge, in the Pennsylvania countryside outside his back door.Under the Sign of Nature: Explorations in Ecocriticism"


Contends that parallel production sub‐systems may be cost effective and, in some cases, they are the only technically feasible way to improve output quality. Operating in either a standby‐redundancy or an ongoing capacity, parallel production sub‐systems are likely to be most cost effective when placed in upstream operations, where the leverage effect on output quality is considerably higher. Although typical research in parallel systems assumes a known distribution to estimate the output reliability of the parallel configuration, explains how this study used a simulated production environment to develop a regression model for assigning parallel system components by monitoring their actual past performance, and was therefore distribution free. Applying variables monitored during a previous production run in which quality is measured in a binary manner (i.e. either as acceptable or unacceptable), the model was used to determine optimal pairs of parallel subsystems. Claims that this matching model was about 2.5 times more accurate than Markov analysis in predicting the output quality of a given pair of parallel systems. The inclusion of an additional variable in the regression resulted in the model explaining about 75 per cent of the output variability of the parallel configurations and thus could potentially predict quality in lieu of direct inspection.


Background: People with aphasia (PWA) experience a range of communication difficulties. Communicative deficits typically include problems with connected speech, or discourse. Improving communication success at the level of discourse is often a primary goal in aphasia rehabilitation. This investigation questions which skills should be targeted during aphasia rehabilitation in order to most efficiently result in discourse improvement. Most often, therapy has focused on sentence level skills (e.g., word-finding or syntax/grammar) because these are recognized as areas of impairment. However, Linnik et al. (2016) recently reported on a treatment that placed greater emphasis on suprasentence level skills (e.g., organization of ideas or coherence). Aims: The study aims to determine the sentence and suprasentence level impairments exhibited by people with aphasia when they were asked to retell the Cinderella story from memory. Moreover, this study aims to compare their performance to that of neurotypical participants. Specifically, areas of interest addressed throughout this investigation include: (1) the number of main concepts that the participants included when they retold the story, (2) the order in which the participants arranged the 5 story events, and (3) potential correlations between these components and the Western Aphasia Battery (WAB) test scores. Methods & Procedures: Transcripts were collected from 40 participants who were asked to retell the Cinderella story from memory. The 40 Cinderella story transcripts were composed of 20 controls and 20 PWA. These transcripts, as well as WAB test results, were collected from AphasiaBank (MacWhinney et al., 2011). The 40 transcripts were each individually coded and compared to a Main Concept (MC) list discourse task called "MCRules—Cinderella" (Richardson ANALYSIS OF A STORYTELLING DISCOURSE TASK FROM APHASIC AND NEUROTYPICAL SPEAKERS 3 & Dalton, 2015), which, is a document that AphasiaBank supplies. Data from the Cinderella transcriptions were then correlated to WAB test scores for participants with aphasia. Outcomes & Results: At large, the control participants included a greater percentage of the 34 main concepts than the aphasia participants did when they retold the story. The average percent of control participants who included each of the 34 main concepts was 50.88%; while, the average percent of aphasic participants who included each of 34 main concepts was 22.5%. Nonetheless, the neurotypical participants and aphasic participants demonstrated similarities in the specific main concepts that they chose to include when they retold the Cinderella story. There was a significant correlation (p=0.01) between the number of main concepts included by participants with aphasia and their WAB Word Fluency test scores. Results also showed that the aphasic participants made few errors and the controls made no errors in the order that 5 story events were introduced. Conclusions: This investigation concluded that in order to improve discourse skills, aphasia rehabilitation should focus on word fluency, as opposed to discourse organization. The reason for this conclusion was twofold: (1) the results do not show a significant difference between the control and the aphasic participants' performance on the order of events (discourse organization) portion of this investigation, and (2) the results do show a significant correlation between the WAB Word Fluency test scores and the number of main concepts that the aphasic participants included when they retold the Cinderella story, indicating potential similarities between the thought processes that are involved during a discourse task and a word fluency task. ANALYSIS OF A STORYTELLING DISCOURSE TASK FROM APHASIC AND NEUROTYPICAL SPEAKERS 4


We show that the identi fication results of fi nite mixture and misclassifi cation models are equivalent in a widely-used scenario except an extra ordering assumption. In the misclassi fication model, an ordering condition is imposed to pin down the precise values of the latent variable, which are also of researchers' interests and need to be identifi ed. In contrast, the identifi cation of fi nite mixture models is usually up to permutations of a latent index. This local identifi cation is satisfactory because the latent index does not convey any economic meaning. However, reaching global identi fication is important for estimation, especially, when researchers use bootstrap to estimate standard errors, which may be wrong without a global estimator. We provide a theoretical framework and Monte Carlo evidences to show that imposing an ordering condition to achieve a global estimator innocuously improves the estimation of fi nite mixture models. As a natural application, we show that games with multiple equilibria fi t in our framework and the global estimator with ordering assumptions provides more reliable estimates.


The effect of 16 weeks starvation and 6 weeks refeeding on the size and chemical composition of the hepatopancreas of 2 size classes of C. destructor (20-40 g and 40-60 g) maintained at 2 temperatures (10?C and 25?C) was investigated under laboratory conditions. The response to starvation was not influenced by size class. In fed animals, the wet hepatosomatic index (HSIw-%) and dry hepatosomatic index (HSId-mg/g) increased to 7% at week 2 and 36 mg/g at week 10 respectively, whereas in starved animals HSIw and HSId decreased to 2.6% and 3.6 mg/g at week 10 respectively. Hepatopancreas moisture (HM-%) of fed animals decreased to 51% after 10 weeks, whereas in starved animals it increased to a maximum of 81% after 2 weeks. In fed animals, hepatopancreas lipid (HL-mg/g), protein (HP-mg/g), and ash (HA-mg/g) reached a maximum of 30 mg/g at week 10, 7.8 mg/g at week 6, and 2 mg/g at week 4 respectively. Hepatopancreas carbohydrate (HNFE-mg/g) in fed animals fluctuated considerably. In starved animals, HL did not significantly change for the first 4 weeks, and a minimum of 0.5 mg/g occurred at week 8. In contrast, HP decreased for the first 2 weeks to 3 mg/g, and HNFE decreased for 4 weeks to 0.67 mg/g after which no significant change occurred. Ash levels in starved animals generally decreased for 12 weeks to 0.36 mg/g. Low temperature reduced the rate of utilization of hepatopancreas nutrients. About 7 months of starvation at 10?C is required for the hepatopancreas to become nutritionally depleted. Refeeding starved animals resulted in an increase in wet and dry hepatosomatic indices and all hepatopancreas nutrients and a decrease in hepatopancreas moisture. Complete recovery of the hepatopancreas of starved animals following refeeding, to levels recorded in the fed control animals, was recorded for the HSIW, HA, and HNFE. The various hepatopancreas condition indices used here are discussed in relation to their practical value and accuracy in predicting animal condition, and a classification is presented. The adaptive significance of hepatopancreas size and nutrient storage capacity is also discussed.


According to statistics and trend data, women continue to be substantially under- represented in the Australian professoriate, and growth in their representation has been slow despite the plethora of equity programs. While not disputing these facts, we propose that examining gender equity by cohort provides a complementary perspective on the status of gender equity in the professoriate. Based on over 500 survey responses, we detected substantial similarities between women and men who were appointed as professors or associate professors between 2005 and 2008. There were similar proportions of women and men appointed via external or internal processes or by invitation. Additionally, similar proportions of women and men professors expressed a marked preference for research over teaching. Furthermore, there were similar distributions between the genders in the age of appointment to the professoriate. However, a notable gender difference was that women were appointed to the professoriate on average 1.9 years later than mens. This later appointment provides one reason for the lower representation of women compared to men in the professoriate. It also raises questions of the typical length of time that women and men remain in the (paid) professoriate and reasons why they might leave it. A further similarity between women and men in this cohort was their identification of motivation and circumstances as key factors in their career orientation. However, substantially more women identified motivation than circumstances and the situation was reversed for men. The open-ended survey responses also provided confirmation that affirmative action initiatives make a difference to women's careers.


The present paper focused on the study of spectral–kinetic characteristics of luminescence in two batches of yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG):Ce-based phosphors synthesized in different years by two manufacturers: NPO "Platan" in Russia and "GrandLux" in the People's Republic of China (PRC). Upon studying the structural characteristics of the phosphors—elemental composition, morphology, and X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns—it was concluded that both types of YAG:Ce phosphors are highly imperfect. The presence of heterogeneities of different nature was accompanied by the introduction—to compensate for charges and elastic stresses—of intrinsic lattice defects during synthesis. There is a high probability of creating complex defects during phosphor synthesis. Luminescence properties (full width at half maximum (FWHM), spectral position of the emission peaks, excitation spectra of emission, emission decay time) are affected by the nearest environment of the luminescence center; whereas the degree of correlation of defects (distance between the components of the donor–acceptor pair) does not depend on the concentration of impurities, intrinsic defects, and their ratio. The results do not fit into the framework of existing ideas regarding the processes in phosphors as systems with widely distributed luminescence centers. The patterns obtained in the paper are discussed based on a hypothesis according to which a nanodefect phosphorus crystal phase is formed during the synthesis.


This paper discusses the nonlinear errors for a novel gap variation-type thick film capacitive micro-displacement sensor. The micro-displacement sensor is developed for measuring the PZT displacement based on the pattern of PZT deformation-force sensing-displacement. In theory, The capacitor detects the micro-displacement driven by the PZT ceramic,and the variation of capacitance can be transformed into real-time output voltage signals. In this process, there would be some nonlinear errors. Based on the structure and operational principle of the sensor, possible nonlinear errors and their causes are analyzed. Then targeted measures are adopted to deal with them. Results show that the sensor's linearity can be improved by effective compensating methods.


We describe a system that generates speaker-annotated transcripts of meetings by using a virtual microphone array, a set of spatially distributed asynchronous recording devices such as laptops and mobile phones. The system is composed of continuous audio stream alignment, blind beamforming, speech recognition, speaker diarization using prior speaker information, and system combination. When utilizing seven input audio streams, our system achieves a word error rate (WER) of 22.3% and comes within 3% of the close-talking microphone WER on the non-overlapping speech segments. The speaker-attributed WER (SAWER) is 26.7%. The relative gains in SAWER over the single-device system are 14.8%, 20.3%, and 22.4% for three, five, and seven microphones, respectively. The presented system achieves a 13.6% diarization error rate when 10% of the speech duration contains more than one speaker. The contribution of each component to the overall performance is also investigated, and we validate the system with experiments on the NIST RT-07 conference meeting test set.


We analyze the evolution of the scientific consensus on anthropogenic global warming (AGW) in the peer-reviewed scientific literature, examining 11 944 climate abstracts from 1991–2011 matching the topics 'global climate change' or 'global warming'. We find that 66.4% of abstracts expressed no position on AGW, 32.6% endorsed AGW, 0.7% rejected AGW and 0.3% were uncertain about the cause of global warming. Among abstracts expressing a position on AGW, 97.1% endorsed the consensus position that humans are causing global warming. In a second phase of this study, we invited authors to rate their own papers. Compared to abstract ratings, a smaller percentage of self-rated papers expressed no position on AGW (35.5%). Among self-rated papers expressing a position on AGW, 97.2% endorsed the consensus. For both abstract ratings and authors' self-ratings, the percentage of endorsements among papers expressing a position on AGW marginally increased over time. Our analysis indicates that the number of papers rejecting the consensus on AGW is a vanishingly small proportion of the published research. 2013 Environ. Res. Lett. 8 024024


Background: Measured reductions in lung function, as a result of COPD, use a measured current value and make comparisons to a determined 'normal' value arrived at using a regression equation based upon a patients height. Osteoporosis is a recognised co-morbidity in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and may cause excessive height loss resulting in the 'normal' values and disease progression being under-estimated. Purpose: The aim of the study was to examine the height variation in a cohort of COPD patients and controls over a 7-8 years period and evaluate its impact on estimates of lung function and hence COPD progression. Methods: In 1999-2002 we studied a cohort of primary care patients in Sunderland, UK with and without COPD and reexamined 104 (56 male) during 2007-2009. We calculated FEV1% predicted for actual and estimated height (armspan/1.03 and armspan/1.01 in males and females respectively). Results: In 1999-2002 the subjects were aged 62.6 ± 9.4 years, BMI was 26.4± 4.7 kg/m2, predicted FEV1 was 59.0 ±16.0, and mean actual height was 167.3±8.9cm. The actual height changed significantly (p<0.001) by 2cms over time in both genders. Whilst the overall classifications of the cohort did not change significantly when armspan was used to determine height and hence normal lung volume, individual cases did move to a classification of higher severity. Conclusions: The study suggests that current measured height may underestimate the degree of impairment of FEV1 and hence progression of COPD. The use of height, derived from armspan, may give a more accurate measure of 'normal' lung volumes and hence the degree of impairment.


Two decoding schedules and the corresponding serialized architectures for low-density parity-check (LDPC) decoders are presented. They are applied to codes with parity-check matrices generated either randomly or using geometric properties of elements in Galois fields. Both decoding schedules have low computational requirements. The original concurrent decoding schedule has a large storage requirement that is dependent on the total number of edges in the underlying bipartite graph, while a new, staggered decoding schedule which uses an approximation of the belief propagation, has a reduced memory requirement that is dependent only on the number of bits in the block. The performance of these decoding schedules is evaluated through simulations on a magnetic recording channel.


Cellular proteins called "restriction factors" can serve as powerful blockades to HIV replication, but the virus possesses elaborate strategies to circumvent these barriers. First, we discuss general hallmarks of a restriction factor. Second, we review how the viral Vif protein protects the viral genome from lethal levels of cDNA deamination by promoting APOBEC3 protein degradation; how the viral Vpu, Env, and Nef proteins facilitate internalization and degradation of the virus-tethering protein BST-2/tetherin; and how the viral Vpx protein prevents the premature termination of reverse transcription by degrading the dNTPase SAMHD1. These HIV restriction and counter-restriction mechanisms suggest strategies for new therapeutic interventions.


An experimental study on the thermal decomposition of formyl radicals (HCO) under high pressure conditions is presented for the first time. The experimental conditions covered in this study range from 1 to 140 bar of helium and temperatures between 590 and 800 K. Furthermore, the reaction was studied at 700 K and pressures from 1 to 14 bar of nitrogen to obtain information on the kinetics of the reaction under combustion conditions. An analysis of the pressure dependence of the rate constants shows that standard treatments like a Lindemann–Hinshelwood model or a master equation formalism are not able to describe the experimentally observed pressure dependence adequately. An isolated resonance model, however, which is based on calculated resonance lifetimes from H.-M. Keller, H. Floetmann, A. J. Dobbyn, R. Schinke, H.-J. Werner, C. Bauer and P. Rosmus (J. Chem. Phys., 1996, 102, 4983) allows for a description of the observed T- and p-dependence. Based on this model and our experimental data obtained in nitrogen as well as experimental results obtained by R. S. Timonen, E. Ratajczak, D. Gutman and A. F. Wagner (J. Phys. Chem., 1987, 91, 5325) in nitrogen we are able to give a simple expression for the rate constant at temperatures between 500 and 1000 K and pressures between 0.01 and 100 bar: k(T,[M]) = 3.3 × 109 × {[N2]/(1019 cm−3)}0.865 × exp{−(70.15 kJ mol−1)/RT} s−1. The uncertainty of the rate constant calculated by this expression is estimated to be 30%.


Summary

The intravenous administration of 0.75 gm glucose per kg and the measurement of serum glucose pretest and at 10, 20, 30, 60, 90 and 120 minutes constitute a satisfactory protocol for intravenous glucose tolerance testing of Rhesus (Macaca mulatta) and African Green (Cercopithecus aethiops) monkeys. No significant differences were noted between animals restrained with ketamine hydrochloride and those restrained with sodium pentobarbital, but the African Green males and females and the male Rhesus monkeys yielded significantly different results while being manually restrained.


Numerous factors affect cow efficiency, but the most important one is reproductive performance. Increased productivity generates less greenhouse gas emission per unit of product and this article gives an overview of breeding objectives, appropriate selection criteria and crossbreeding strategies to ensure climate smart beef production in changing environments. The three traits of importance to cow efficiency described in this article are: (1) weaning weight of the calf, (2) feed requirements to produce the calf and for this purpose the cow Large Stock Unit (LSU) units were estimated because it is linked to daily feed intake; and (3) the frequency at which a calf is produced, where inter-calving period (ICP) was used to estimate calving percentage. The relative contribution of the three traits towards cow efficiency was also investigated. Results indicate that cow efficiency increased in some breeds while it decreased in others. Inter-calving period has by far the biggest contribution to cow efficiency (44 – 51%), followed by weaning weight of the calf (32 – 33%). Cow weight, expressed in LSU had the smallest contribution (17 24%). A matter of concern is that the ICP of 10 breeds increased by 10 days or more from 1999 to 2008. Fertility is one of the important proxy indicators for adaptation. The question is whether these observations are an indication that climate change is starting to have an effect on beef production in South Africa. It is also reported that cow efficiency can be increased by up to 46% without additional herd costs to the farmer through properly designed crossbreeding systems, thereby promoting climate smart beef production systems and reducing the carbon footprint. As a way forward, breeding objectives to improve cow efficiency and fertility should be developed. In addition, early-in-life indicator traits in beef cows should be investigated to improve fertility. ________________________________________________________________________


Time-delay is frequently encountered in neural networks, and it is often a source of instability and oscillations in a system. It is very important to research the stability of delayed neural network, especially for global asymptotically robust stability of the neural network with time-varying delay. In the letter, a novel method is proposed in this note for global asymptotically robust stability of cellular neural networks with time-varying delay. New delay-dependent global asymptotically robust stability conditions of cellular neural network with time-varying delay is presented by constructing Lyapunov function and using linear matrix inequality (LMI). Finally, numerical examples are given to demonstrate the effect of the proposed method.


A common localization procedure in functional imaging studies includes the overlay of statistical parametric functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) maps or coordinates with neuroanato- mical atlases in standard space, e.g., MNI-space. This procedure allows the identi fi cation of speci fi c brain regions. Most standard MRI software packages include a wide range of atlases but have a poor coverage of the subcortex. We estimated that approximately 7% of the known subcortical structures are mapped in standard MRI-compatible atlases [1]. Here we provide a data description of a subcortical probabilistic atlas based on ultra-high resolution in-vivo anatomical imaging using 7 T (T) MRI. The atlas includes six subcortical nuclei: the striatum (STR), the globus pallidus internal and external segment (GPi/e), the subthalamic nucleus (STN), the substantia nigra (SN), and the red nucleus (RN). These probabilistic atlases are shared on freely available platforms such as NITRC and NeuroVault and are published in NeuroImage " Quantifying inter-individual anatomical variability in the subcortex using 7 T structural MRI " [2].


ABSTRACT Objective: To compare the efficacy and safety of ciprofloxacin otic solution 0.2% to polymyxin B-neomycin-hydrocortisone (PNH) otic solution in the treatment of acute diffuse otitis externa in children, adolescents, and adults. Methods: This was a randomized, parallel-group, evaluator-blind, active-controlled, multicenter, noninferiority study. The primary efficacy endpoint was clinical cure of otitis symptoms at the test-of-cure (TOC) visit. Clinical cure at the end-of-treatment (EOT) visit and percentages of patients with clinical improvement and resolution and/or improvement of otalgia at EOT and TOC visits were secondary efficacy endpoints. Results: A total of 630 patients were randomized to ciprofloxacin twice daily (n = 318) or PNH 3 times daily (n = 312) for 7 days. Ciprofloxacin was shown to be noninferior to PNH. The percentage of patients with clinical cure at the TOC visit was 86.6% with ciprofloxacin and 81.1% with PNH; the treatment difference was 5.6% in favor of ciprofloxacin (95% CI: −0.9 to 12.1). At the EOT visit, clinical cure was achieved in 70.0% and 60.5% of patients, respectively, with a treatment difference in favor of ciprofloxacin (9.5%, 95 CI: 1.2 to 17.9). In all secondary efficacy variables, ciprofloxacin and PNH showed similar results, including pain duration and resolution. The clinical cure rate for patients with baseline cultures showing P. aeruginosa was 87.5% in the ciprofloxacin group and 78.6% in the PNH group, a treatment difference of 8.9% in favor of ciprofloxacin (95% CI: 0.6 to 17.3); for patients with baseline cultures showing S. aureus, the clinical cure rate was 72.7% for the ciprofloxacin group and 75.9% for the PNH group (treatment difference of 3.1% in favor of PNH, 95% CI: −21.1% to 27.4%). Most adverse events were mild and unrelated to study medication in both treatment groups. A limitation of this study is the assessment of signs and symptoms at baseline and after treatment, which does not provide data to evaluate the interim response. Conclusions: Ciprofloxacin otic solution 0.2% was found to be noninferior to PNH. This efficacy, good tolerability, and ease of administration make ciprofloxacin otic solution 0.2% without a topical steroid an attractive option for the treatment of acute otitis externa.


To eliminate uncertainty for taxpayers and inconsistency from the courts, Congress passed the Tax Reform Act of 1986, which is applicable to "gifts" from employers to employees. Congress added three Internal Revenue Code provisions applicable to such gifts. First, Section 102 sets forth a general rule that property transferred by an employer to an employee shall not be excluded from the employee's gross income as a gift. Second, Section 74 potentially excludes certain retirement awards. Third, Section 274 limits an employer's deductions for such retirement awards. These three provisions should mark the end of many years of uncertainty for taxpayers and inconsistency on the part of the courts, Congress, and the Commissioner. At the same time, the new provisions, like any new legislation, give rise to new uncertainties.

Historically, uncertainty and inconsistency have characterized the tax treatment of gifts to employees. Courts, Congress, and the Internal Revenue Service have all contributed to the confusion over whether an employee may exclude from gross income the value of a gift from his employer, and whether the employer may deduct the cost of such a gift as a business expense. Even with the guidance provided in Commissioner v. Duberstein, holding that an excludible gift must proceed from "detached and disinterested generosity," courts continued to reach widely varying results in seemingly similar fact patterns.

Shortly after Duberstein was decided, Congress enacted a dollar limitation on the deductibility of gifts as a business expense. This implied that a gift might be both deductible by the donor and excludable by the doneee. Next, Congress adopted a blanket rule that transfers to employees are not excludable from the employee's gross income as gifts, which finalized the Tax Reform Act of 1986 and resolved much of the uncertainty that previously existed.


The paper deals with the problem of determining stability margin of linear continuous-time system with fuzzy parametric uncertainty. Non-symmetric multivariate membership functions with lp-constraints describing the uncertainty of characteristic polynomial parameters are considered. An elegant solution, graphical in nature, based on generation of Tsypkin-Polyak plot is presented.


The present study determined the effects of pre-slaughter ascorbic acid administration on some physiological indicators and meat quality traits of road transport-stressed lambs and kids. Eighteen lambs and 18 kids were divided into the following three groups: no transportation (T0), 3-h transportation (T3), and ascorbid acid administered at 125 mg/kg before 3-h transportation (T3+C). The liveweight loss and rectal temperature were similar, while there were significant differences among groups for some biochemical parameters in both lambs and kids. Glucose concentrations significantly increased after transportation in lambs (P = 0.005) and kids (P < 0.001). Ascorbic acid had significant effects on serum glucose of lambs. T3 lambs had higher glucose concentrations than did T0 lambs (P < 0.001), while T0 and T3+C lambs were found to have similar concentrations. Oxidative status in lambs and kids, as determined by serum malondialdehyde concentration, did not differ among groups. However, some meat quality traits were negatively influenced by transportation. T3 lambs had a significantly lower muscle glycogen concentration than did T0 and T3+C lambs (P = 0.018), while ultimate pH was similar among groups. Muscle glycogen concentration was significantly lower (P = 0.008) and ultimate pH was higher in T3 and T3+C kids (P = 0.028). T3 and T3+C groups had darker meat (L*) than did T0 groups both in lambs and kids, whereas a*, cooking loss and water-holding capacity were similar among groups. The effect of ascorbic acid on meat toughness was significant and shear force value in T0 lambs was lower than that in T3 lambs (P = 0.009), while T0 and T3+C lambs were found to have similar shear force values. Overall, the administration of ascorbic acid to lambs before transportation could partly reduce the adverse effects of road transportation stress, whereas its effects on kids were found to be insignificant.


Context. This paper presents an overview of the photometric data that are part of the first Gaia data release. Aims. The principles of the processing and the main characteristics of the Gaia photometric data are presented. Methods. The calibration strategy is outlined briefly and the main properties of the resulting photometry are presented. Results. Relations with other broadband photometric systems are provided. The overall precision for the Gaia photometry is shown to be at the milli-magnitude level and has a clear potential to improve further in future releases.


Abstract Pulmonary sequestration is a congenital bronchopulmonary malformation, characterized by a mass of nonfunctioning lung tissue which receives its blood supply from a systemic artery. This increased blood flow and the inflammation in the sequestrated segments are positive on PET imaging, arousing the suspicion of malignancy. We report two cases of PET-positive extralobar sequestration that presented in patients of middle age and were successfully treated with surgical resection, indicating the role of surgery and the false-positive PET-CT appearance of sequestration cases.


Satellites are expected to play an increasingly important role in providing broadband Internet services over long distances in an efficient manner. Most future networks will be hybrid in nature - having terrestrial nodes interconnected by satellite links. Security is an important concern in such networks, since the satellite segment is susceptible to a host of attacks, including eavesdropping, session hijacking and data corruption. In this article we address the issue of securing communication in satellite networks. We discuss various security attacks that are possible in hybrid satellite networks, and survey the different solutions proposed to secure data communications in these networks. We look at the performance problems arising in hybrid networks due to security additions like Internet security protocol (IPSec) or secure socket layer (SSL), and suggest solutions to performance-related problems. We also point out important drawbacks in the proposed solutions, and suggest a hierarchical key-management approach for adding data security to group communication in hybrid networks.


Summary: Binding of concanavalin A to the cell surface of developing Blastocladiella emersonii zoospores was explored by fluorescence microscopy, electron microscopy and radioactive labelling. After labelling with fluorescein isothiocyanate-conjugated concanavalin A, the fluorescence intensity of individual non-induced zoospores varied greatly. On the other hand, similarly labelled zoospores, induced with K+ ions for synchronous development, revealed a more even distribution of fluorescence intensity. The zoospore surface contained 4.3 × 107 concanavalin A binding sites per cell which were randomly distributed and closely attached to the surface. The affinity constants ranged from 7.5 × 107 M−1 to 3.5 × 105 M−1, while the Scatchard plot was typical of heterogeneous binding. Further developed cells, round cells and germlings contained 3.0 × 107 to 2.1 × 107 concanavalin A binding sites per cell which were mostly loosely associated patches protruding into the extracellular region. The affinity constants decreased appreciably compared with those measured at the zoospore stage. Specific concanavalin A binding characteristics appeared to correlate with the respective developmental stage of the zoospore.


The constant flux blanking plug is a downhole flow control device used in the separate layer water injection system of oil-field, its flow characteristic and reliability are the most important matters that people care about. So these performances of the constant flux blanking plug are analyzed by numerical methods here. The dynamic model of the constant flux blanking plug is established by bond-graph, then the simulation is made by the 20-SIM software. The influence of local flow field is studied by CFD (computational fluid dynamics), with which some different valve spools and pockets are compared. The discrete particles' trajectories are analyzed by the Lagrangian method, and the particle erosion rates of different materials are calculated with Bitter's erosion model. All the simulation data show that the structure and material have great influence on the flow control precision and reliability which need to improve at present. The simulation results are verified through ground or field tests in the end.


Twenty-seven cases of classical bronchial carcinoid were followed up for at least 10 years after curative resection. Surgery was conservative in 15 cases. True lymph-node metastases were identified at operation in two cases. Distant metastases were confirmed in two patients after 5 and 10 years, respectively. One died of unrelated cause 10 years, and the other is alive 19 years, postoperatively. Radiotherapy relieved bone pain in both cases, and chemotherapy halted disease progression in one of them. In immunostaining the original histologic material, all carcinoids expressed neuron-specific enolase, and most expressed chromogranin A, synaptophysin and serotonin. Demonstration of ACTH and related opiopeptides did not portend a more aggressive course or identify cases with nodal metastases. Despite their low malignant potential, long-term follow-up of bronchial carcinoids is warranted. Even in the rare cases of distant metastases, long-term survival seems to be the rule. The occasional presence of nodal metastases and/or demonstration of ACTH and other opiopeptides, while more frequent in neuroendocrine carcinomas, are not inconsistent with bronchial carcinoids and seemingly do not alter their overall favorable prognosis.


We propose an example-based approach for synthesizing diverse mesh animations. Provided a short clip of deformable mesh animation, our method synthesizes a large number of different animations of arbitrary length. Combining an automatically inferred linear blending skinning (LBS) model with a PCA-based model reduction, our method identifies possible smooth transitions in the example sequence. To create smooth transitions, we synthesize reduced deformation parameters based on a set of characteristic key vertices on the mesh. Furthermore, by analyzing cut nodes on a graph built upon the LBS model, we are able to decompose the mesh into independent components. Motions of these components are synthesized individually and assembled together. Our method has the complexity independent from mesh resolutions, enabling efficient generation of arbitrarily long animations without tedious parameter tuning and heavy computation. We evaluate our method on various animation examples, and demonstrate that numerous diverse animations can be generated from each single example.


Objectives. We sought to investigate longitudinal trends and risk factors for mental health diagnoses among Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. Methods. We determined the prevalence and predictors of mental health diagnoses among 289328 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans entering Veterans Affairs (VA) health care from 2002 to 2008 using national VA data. Results. Of 289328 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, 106726 (36.9%) received mental health diagnoses; 62929 (21.8%) were diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and 50432 (17.4%) with depression. Adjusted 2-year prevalence rates of PTSD increased 4 to 7 times after the invasion of Iraq. Active duty veterans younger than 25 years had higher rates of PTSD and alcohol and drug use disorder diagnoses compared with active duty veterans older than 40 years (adjusted relative risk=2.0 and 4.9, respectively). Women were at higher risk for depression than were men, but men had over twice the risk for drug use disorders. Greater combat exposure was associated with higher risk for PTSD. Conclusions. Mental health diagnoses increased substantially after the start of the Iraq War among specific subgroups of returned veterans entering VA health care. Early targeted interventions may prevent chronic mental illness. (Am J Public Health. 2009;99:1651‐1658. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2008.150284)


ABSTRACT Introduction Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for most lung cancers worldwide and has a poor prognosis at later stages; programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1) and programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) inhibitors have provided promising new treatment approaches for these patients. Tislelizumab, an anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody, was engineered to minimize binding to FcγR on macrophages to abrogate antibody-dependent phagocytosis, a mechanism of T-cell clearance and potential resistance to anti-PD-1 therapy. Tislelizumab has demonstrated clinical activity and is approved in China for treatment of previously treated classical Hodgkin lymphoma and previously treated metastatic PD-L1–high urothelial carcinoma. Areas covered This review summarizes the clinical efficacy, safety, and tolerability of tislelizumab in patients with NSCLC and examines the mechanism of action, pharmacokinetic, and pharmacodynamic profiles of tislelizumab. Expert opinion Tislelizumab has higher affinity to PD-1 than pembrolizumab and nivolumab, potentially due to its differential PD‑1 binding orientation. Tislelizumab demonstrated encouraging efficacy results, long duration of response, and a manageable safety profile across multiple clinical trials in advanced NSCLC. Ongoing trials of drug combinations (e.g. tislelizumab plus angiogenesis inhibitors, immune checkpoint inhibitors, or immune agonists) and examining efficacy across the severity of disease will provide opportunities to understand and feature tislelizumab in clinical practice.


A major challenge currently faced by the IT industry is the cost, time and resource associated with repetitive performance testing when existing applications undergo evolution. IT organizations are under pressure to reduce the cost of testing, especially given its high percentage of the overall costs of application portfolio management. Previously, to analyse application performance, researchers have proposed techniques requiring complex performance models, non-standard modelling formalisms, use of process algebras or complex mathematical analysis. In Continuous Performance Management (CPM), automated load testing is invoked during the Continuous Integration (CI) process after a build. CPM is reactive and raises alarms when performance metrics are violated. The CI process is repeated until performance is acceptable. Previous and current work is yet to address the need of an approach to allow software developers proactively target a specified performance level while modifying existing applications instead of reacting to the performance test results after code modification and build. There is thus a strong need for an approach which does not require repetitive performance testing, resource intensive application profilers, complex software performance models or additional quality assurance experts. We propose to fill this gap with an innovative relational model associating the operation"s Performance with two novel concepts – the operation"s Admittance and Load Potential. To address changes to a single type or multiple types of processing activities of an application operation, we present two bi-directional methods, both of which in turn use the relational model. From annotations of Delay Points within the code, the methods allow software developers to either fine-tune the operation"s algorithm "targeting" a specified performance level in a bottom-up way or to predict the operation"s performance due to code changes in a top-down way under a given workload. The methods do not need complex performance models or expensive performance testing of the whole application. We validate our model on a realistic experimentation framework. Our results indicate that it is possible to characterize an application Performance as a function of its Admittance and Load Potential and that the application Admittance can be characterized as a function of the latency of its Delay Points. Applying this method to complex large-scale systems has the potential to significantly reduce the cost of performance testing during system maintenance and evolution.


Perturbation analysis is applied to calculate the radiation loss from corrugated waveguides for TM polarized guided waves. It is shown that the radiated power is strongly dependent upon radiation angle. A significant drop in output radiation occurs for radiation normal to the waveguide. Numerical results for waveguide structures having rectangular and sinusoidal corrugation profiles are included.


ABSTRACT Oncolytic herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) viruses armed with immunomodulatory transgenes have shown potential for enhanced antitumor therapy by overcoming tumor-based immune suppression and promoting antitumor effector cell development. Previously, we reported that the new oncolytic HSV-1 virus, OncSyn (OS), engineered to fuse tumor cells, prevented tumor growth and metastasis to distal organs in the 4T1/BALB/c immunocompetent breast cancer mouse model, suggesting the elicitation of antitumor immune responses (Israyelyan et al., Hum. Gen. Ther. 18:5, 2007, and Israyelyan et al., Virol. J. 5:68, 2008). The OSV virus was constructed by deleting the OS viral host shutoff gene (vhs; UL41) to further attenuate the virus and permit dendritic cell activation and antigen presentation. Subsequently, the OSVP virus was constructed by inserting into the OSV viral genome a murine 15-prostaglandin dehydrogenase (15-PGDH) expression cassette, designed to constitutively express 15-PGDH upon infection. 15-PGDH is a tumor suppressor protein and the primary enzyme responsible for the degradation of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), which is known to promote tumor development. OSVP, OSV, and OS treatment of 4T1 tumors in BALB/c mice effectively reduced primary tumor growth and inhibited metastatic development of secondary tumors. OSVP was able to significantly inhibit the development and accumulation of 4T1 metastatic tumor cells in the lungs of treated mice. Ex vivo analysis of immune cells following treatment showed increased inflammatory cytokine production and the presence of mature dendritic cells for the OSVP, OSV, and OS viruses. A statistically significant decrease in splenic myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC) was observed only for OSVP-treated mice. These results show that intratumoral oncolytic herpes is highly immunogenic and suggest that 15-PGDH expression by OSVP enhanced the antitumor immune response initiated by viral infection of primary tumor cells, leading to reduced development of pulmonary metastases. The availability of the OSVP genome as a bacterial artificial chromosome allows for the rapid insertion of additional immunomodulatory genes that could further assist in the induction of potent antitumor immune responses against primary and metastatic tumors.


This thesis is concerned with experiments designed to identify materials to increase the utility of the Sellafield Ion Exchange Plant (SIXEP) process. Clinoptilolite, ZSM-5, vermiculite and kaolinite have been surface modified by grafting with APTES, TMSPE and TMSPETT ligands using varying grafting times (1-24 h), ligand concentrations (1-3 mmol) and solvents with different polarities (with dielectric constant between 1.9 80). Materials before and after grafting were analysed using long and short range techniques including elemental analysis (CHN), powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), solid state nuclear magnetic resonance (SSNMR) and infra-red (FTIR) spectroscopy. The amount of graft placed on the surface increased with reaction time for all materials as the amount of carbon per unit mass of the support, determined by CHN analysis, increased with time. C-H stretches were consistently observed in the FTIR of the grafted materials but no change was observed to the long range order in the PXRD pattern. 13C SSNMR showed that small solvent molecules such as acetone can become trapped in the material supports during grafting and long drying times are required to ensure that trapped solvent molecules do not contaminate the CHN analyses of the materials after grafting. Clinoptilolite and vermiculite consistently achieved higher grafting levels than ZSM-5 or kaolinite, with clinoptilolite (NDA) showing the greatest carbon content of 56.16 mmol of APTES per gram of clinoptilolite using hexane as the solvent. Despite a similar molecular weight, TMSPE consistently showed lower levels of grafting than APTES. APTES grafting levels were increased by using citric, phosphoric and nitric acid (1-3 mol L-1) to pre-treat the surface of the materials over different time periods (1-24 h) to improve the level of APTES graft. While the carbon content was higher for acid treated clinoptilolite (NDA) after grafting, in the case of the citric acid treatment, this increase maybe due to the formation of iron (III) citrate from the dissolution of poorly crystalline iron impurities in the clinoptilolite (NDA).
Ungrafted and grafted clinoptilolite, ZSM-5, vermiculite and kaolinite samples were investigated for their ability to sequester caesium, strontium, uranium and plutonium species. Absorption/desorption experiments were initially conducted on the ungrafted compounds using caesium and strontium cations to establish a baseline for the most abundant species in pond liquor. Caesium and strontium cations are trapped within the cages of clinoptilolite in an ion exchange reaction which places these ions on sites of the appropriate size and geometry for these species. Once ion exchanged, neither ion is desorbed from the clinoptilolite readily and they remain trapped inside the cage, irrespective of concentration of other species in solution. While vermiculite is also successful at removing both caesium and strontium cations, it is less successful in retaining them during desorption, with typically one third of the trapped ions being released back into solution. ZSM-5 and kaolinite have contrasting behaviour, due to few exchangeable cations, meaning caesium and strontium uptake is poor. Samples of clinoptilolite with different particle sizes and potassium content were compared and showed that smaller particles facilitated faster exchange. Grafting had a variable effect on the caesium/strontium cation uptake and release during absorption/desorption presumably as a result of the donors on grafted ligand interacting weakly with the large cations. Experiments using distilled water and synthetic liquor (carbonated sodium hydroxide), demonstrated uranium and plutonium species were extracted by all materials after grafting at concentrations in the SIXEP range. The most successful ligand/graft combination for plutonium at pH 7 was APTES grafted on clinoptilolite (10.79% carbon).


Content of free ammonia and glutamine amide nitrogen was increased but content of protein amide nitrogen was decreased in brain tissue after bilateral nephrectomy of rats causing development an experimental uremia; an increased synthesis of urea and activation of arginase were observed in liver tissue. Flavonoids robinine and hyperine decreased the content of free ammonia, increased the content of glutamine amide nitrogen as well as of protein amide nitrogen in rat brain; robinine decreased slightly the urea synthesis and the arginase activity in liver slices of the nephrectomized rats.


Knowledge about top predators' trophic ecology is crucial for defining their role in ecosystems, understanding habitat preferences, characterizing life stage-specific feeding habits, and evaluating their interaction with fisheries. In the northeastern Pacific, white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) occupy coastal habitats during the early life stages, including Bahía Sebastián Vizcaíno (BSV) in Mexico, which is a known nursery area. Although BSV presumably provides high prey abundance, the trophic ecology of immature white sharks is poorly understood. Carbon and nitrogen bulk stable isotope analyses (SIA) were used to explore the trophic relationship of early life stages with their potential prey and to infer dietary overlap with sympatric sharks, while SIA of amino acids were used to estimate trophic position. Muscle samples from young white sharks and inshore demersal prey commonly found in their stomach contents were sampled. Demersal prey and literature-derived isotope ratios for pelagic and offshore species were incorporated into mixing models with a Bayesian framework to estimate their contribution to white shark tissues. Nearshore demersal prey had the highest contribution for all life stages (between 35 and 47%), consistent with previous reports based on gut content analysis. The contribution of pelagic (between 26 and 37%) and offshore (between 14 and 32%) prey was smaller and suggests potential periodic changes in foraging grounds and the presence of a maternal-derived isotopic signature. A high contribution of demersal prey indicates a high level of interaction with local fisheries that target those species and catch white sharks incidentally and is consistent with immature shark movement patterns. Isotope ratios of two sympatric sharks, smooth hammerhead Sphyrna zygaena and copper sharks Carcharhinus brachyurus, were used to estimate the overlap in isotopic niche space. Immature white sharks had the smallest isotopic niche, while the highest was for copper sharks. Overlap was greatest between white sharks and hammerheads (∼45%), while overlap with copper sharks was limited (<20%), suggesting less potential for competition. Trophic position estimates were similar to those previously reported for the species. These results highlight the importance of coastal demersal prey heavily targeted by local fisheries for the diet of young white sharks and support the importance of BSV as a nursery habitat.


Theories indicate that individuals with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) avoid imagining threatening scenarios that have not occurred. Cognitive exposure to these images is a component of treatment; however, few studies have examined its efficacy. The current study assessed the impact of cognitive exposure and varying exposure content on GAD symptoms and cognitive processes. Forty-eight individuals with GAD were assigned to three sessions of : (1) variable exposure (VE), (2) consistent exposure (CE), or (3) neutral control writing (NC). Emotional activation was assessed during each session. Outcome measures were administered at pretest and 1-week follow-up. The CE condition showed improvements in GAD symptoms and cognitive processes, the VE condition showed less belief that their worse worry would occur, and the NC condition showed reduced GAD symptoms and interpretation bias. Emotional activation decreased across session in the CE condition; however, this did not predict outcomes. The theoretical and clinical implications are discussed.


Elevated AR expression or mutations in tumor cells, causing resistance to first generation AR antagonist agents, are considered the main driver of castration resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). MDV3100, a more potent AR antagonist ( 5x vs bicalutamide) without residual agonism, has demonstrated excellent efficacy in CRPC patients and has been approved by FDA for treating CRPC in clinic. More recently, AR antagonists demonstrated anti-tumor activities in preclinical AR+ breast cancer models and are being tested in clinical trials. Although MDV3100 is generally well-tolerated, there is a need to eliminate the clinically observed CNS AE9s ( 1% incidences of seizure) and revserse the resistance to MDV3100 in CRPC patients. Suzhou Kintor previously reported a preclinical candidate compound Proxalutamide (GT0918), a potent androgen receptor (AR) antagonist with ability to down regulate AR protein level in prostate cancer cells. In biochemical assay, GT0918 more potently inhibits androgen binding with AR9s ligand binding domain than Bicalutamide (11.4x) and MDV3100(3.5x). In both hormone-sensitive (LNCaP) and CRPC (C4-2) cancer cells, GT0918 demonstrated stronger potency to block AR function of gene transcription than Bicalutamide (∼5-10) and MDV3100(2-5x) while maintaining full antagonism in CRPC cells. GT0918 impairs androgen stimulated AR translocation to cell nuclei hence blocks its binding DNA and shuts down the downstream oncogenic signaling. Moreover, GT0918 induced AR down regulation in prostate cancer cells. As the AR up-regulation remains to be the main driver of CRPC resistance, its feature of AR down regulation may enable GT0918 to retain efficacy against CRPC that have developed resistance to current AR-blockage treatments. In vitro, GT0918 not only inhibits proliferation of hormone-sensitive CaP cells, but also more potently inhibits proliferation of CRPC cells than MDV3100 (6.5x). In addition, GT0918 inhibits the growth of AR positive breast cancer cells. In contrast, GT0918 has minimum effects on the growth of AR-negative CaP cells (PC-3 and DU145), indicating it is a selective AR pathway inhibitor. In vivo, GT0918 demonstrated good anti-tumor efficacy among hormone sensitive, CRPC and AR+ breast cancer animal models with efficacious drug exposure lower than MDV3100. ADME profile was optimized for once a day dosing schedule in human to reduce drug accumulation as seen in MDV3100. IND-enabling GLP toxicology studies have been completed for GT0918, which was well-tolerated with minimum safety findings except for the effects expected from anti-androgens. Toxicokinetic studies confirmed the drug exposures in toxicology studies were significantly higher (rat: 11; dog: 25x) than the exposure required for maximum efficacy. No seizure was observed across all the animal safety studies. An IND application has been filed for starting Phase I clinical trial to test the selective AR pathway blocker GT0918 in patients. Citation Format: Youzhi Tong, Chunyun Chen, Juan Wu, Jiangtao Yang, Huihui Zhang, Xiaojun Wu, Yanmei Duan, Wei Gao, Weidong Qian, Xiaoxia Niu, Lili Mi, Chuangxing Guo. Proxalutamide (GT0918), a potent androgen receptor pathway inhibitor. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 614. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-614


Purpose: the aim of this explorative study is to examine how radical technical innovations, such as Industry 4.0 change projects, can be implemented more successfully in the Netherlands. We propose that the effects of leaders' and employees' emotional intelligence (EI) positively contributes towards employee support for adoption of radical technical innovations. We assume that greater employee support increases the probability to adopt radical technical innovations such as I4.0 projects.
Design/methodology/approach: Two leading technical industrial companies in the process of I4.0 innovation projects were analysed. A mixed-method approach was employed: a multi-level, exploratory field study to develop in-depth insights into I4.0 adoption and employee support. Multiple surveys (n = 20), and semi-structured interviews were performed with leaders at two hierarchical levels (n = 6) and work-floor level employees (n = 8). The quantitative results were analysed through correlation, independent sample T-tests, and regression analyses. Subsequently the findings from the semi-structured interviews and the multilevel quantitative analysis were triangulated to answer the research question.
Findings/practical recommendations: The results show that when employees, team leaders, and high-level leaders score high on EI, and when management and organisational support is high, this relates to a high radical technical innovation support among employees. Practical recommendations include a measurement of employees' EI in view of radical technical innovations; training and education on EI relates to a higher adoption for radical technical innovations.
Limitations: Since this is an explorative study, a small sample size was expected and found. The EI topic had proven resistance among employees and the majority of Dutch contacted organisations appeared not fully I4.0 ready and were therefore not applicable for this study
Originality/value: The main contribution of this research is to connect and broaden the understanding how leaders' and employee's emotional intelligence contribute to employee's support of Industry 4.0/ radical technical innovation projects. The relation between leaders and employee's emotional intelligence has been addressed before and, similarly, Industry 4.0 is a current wide expanded, however not fully understood topic in literature and practice. This study explores an entire new research topic, relationships, and undiscovered territory.
Keywords: Industry 4.0, Smart Industry, Technology Support, Multilevel Leadership, Emotional Intelligence, Employee Resistance to Change.


Background Brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels are elevated in patients with repaired Tetralogy of Fallot (rTOF), the clinical significance of which remains uncertain. Methods and results Ninety consecutive adults (≥16 years) with rTOF (mean age 32.7±11.3 years, 64% men) were prospectively recruited from a single tertiary centre, together with 15 age-matched and gender-matched controls. Patients with rTOF had elevated BNP (8.9 (5.9–14.6) vs 5.4 (2.2–7.5) pmol/L; p<0.01), and BNP activation was common even in asymptomatic patients. Also, atrial natriuretic peptide (6.9 (4.0–9.9) vs 3.3 (1.0–4.0) pmol/L; p<0.01), endothelin-1 (1.14 (0.94–1.48) vs 0.75 (0.44–0.93) pmol/L; p<0.01) and renin (55.0 (45.5–66.5) vs 18.6 (12.0–22.7) pmol/L; p<0.01) were elevated at baseline compared with controls. Interactions between BNP with endothelin-1, cardiothoracic ratio and right atrial area were evident. Eight deaths occurred over a median follow-up of 10 years. On Cox regression analysis, BNP emerged as a strong predictor of death (HR 1.16 per 10 pmol/L, 95% CI 1.05 to 1.29; p<0.01). Survival receiver operating curve analysis revealed an optimum cut-off of BNP ≥15 pmol/L (=52 pg/mL), above which BNP was related to significantly increased mortality (HR 5.40, 95% CI 1.29 to 22.6; p<0.01); absolute mortality at 5 years 19% vs 3% in patients with BNP ≤15 pmol/L. BNP was also a predictor of sustained arrhythmia (HR 2.06 per 10 pmol/L, 95% CI 1.32 to 3.21; p<0.05). Conclusions Neurohormonal activation is present in adults with rTOF including asymptomatic patients. BNP level ≥15 pmol/L is associated with a fivefold increased risk of death. These data suggest that BNP measurement in patients with rTOF should be incorporated in the periodic risk stratification assessment of these patients under lifelong follow-up.


The ORL-1 receptor has recently been cloned and is implicated in a wide variety of physiological and pathophysiological processes. Toward the goal of elucidating important features of the receptor-bound conformation of the endogenous ligand, nociceptin (NC), several conformationally constrained analogues were prepared. Either alpha-aminoisobutyric acid (Aib) or N-methylalanine (MeAla) were inserted as replacement(s) for Ala7, Ala11, or Ala15 in the native NC sequence (FGGFTGARKSARKLANQ). In vitro assays measuring human ORL-1 receptor affinity (competition binding against [3H] NC), functional potency ([35S]GTP gamma S), and efficacy (as compared to NC) were performed for each new peptide. The receptor affinities of the Aib-containing peptides generally matched NC, showing K(i)'s in the range of 0.1-0.5 nM. By comparison, the receptor affinities of the MeAla-containing peptides were significantly diminished. Peptide 14 (FGGFTG[Aib]RKS[Aib]RKLANQ-NH2), which contains two constrained alanine residues (positions 7 and 11) and a C-terminal amide modification, was found to be a very potent agonist with K(i) = 0.05 nM and EC50 = 0.08 nM in the human ORL-1 assays. The data support a hypothesis that the receptor-bound form of NC might adopt an amphipathic helix in the "address" segment of the sequence.