In the mid-1980s New Zealand embarked on a path of radical economic reform. The changes that occurred and are still occurring in New Zealand are in part, of external origin and came about from an opening of the domestic economy to wider forces thereby reincorporating New Zealand into the global economy. Le Heron and Pawson (1996) propose that in the 1990s, economic globalization -the process of integration, deepening and differentiation of economic activities throughout the world -has lead to new links and interactions. In seeking to identify the external and intemal forces leading to the development of new links and interactions between New Zealand and Northeast Asia (Japan, Taiwan and Korea), analysis is made of changes occurring within investment, production and trade connections. This thesis is informed by two bodies of literature: the world systems literarure stresses the development of intercountry relationships in an historical context, and political economy literarure links resource regimes to periods of capitalist accumulation. In order to remain active participants in the global economy New Zealand entreprises and industries are pursuing strategies of linking into the Northeast Asian economies. Two key economic sectors, agro-food and forestry, have been chosen for investigation in order to examine changes as New Zealand industries, enterprises and local regions seek to achieve greater integration into the Northeast Asian region. A re-articulation of production is occurring as New Zealand's agro-food sector is incorporated into a Northeast Asian food impon complex. Changing patterns of production and consumption are examined within the context of the food regime perspective. While new oppornrnities are increasing for New Zealand agro-food exporters, trade still reflects New Zealand's traditional export base of first and second food regime products from the beef and dairy sectors. The expansion of a fresh fruit and vegetable complex represents an emerging third regime. Since the mid-1980s the New Z,ealand forestry sector has become increasingly integrated into a national complex centered upon Japan. The dismantling of the national regulatory reglme introduced a number of foreign investors and subsequently led to the reorganisation of trade and production networks. Prior to this time, forestry exports to Northeast Asia were inconsistent, comprising mostly logs and low value products with processing occurring in JapanWhile unprocessed exports remain a significant composition of forestry trade there is a move away from Iow value products into more end-use-application specific production. This is accompanied by a shift in production facilities and an increase of economic surplus in New Zealand. Land based industries in the Hawkes Bay provide examples of local adaptations of production to agro-food and forestry complexes centred upon Northeast Asia. Integration into these complexes has facilitated access to new markets and resulted in increasing degrees ofadded value. This has only been possible in the context ofthe gradual relaxation of regulatory regimes that has occurred over the past two decades. In some cases, integration is an outcome of Northeast Asian ownership of New 7*aland, based nodes along the commodity chain. In others, it is an outcome of New 7*aland actors producing to meet 'site of consumption' demand. In spite of New Zealand's adjustments to globalisation, it essentially remains a semiperipheral production site.


Through a consideration of policy towards the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, this article examines the autonomy and effectiveness of the European Union (EU) as an actor. We discuss first the criteria by which autonomy and effectiveness can be judged and then consider these by reference to EU policy since the formation of the Quartet in 2002. We argue that the EU has been effective in articulating a consistent and clear set of policies on Israel-Palestine. While this has placed it on-side with US-led initiatives to foster a solution to the conflict, we regard such an alignment as consistent with EU autonomy. These findings allow us to make qualified but still positive comments on the emerging EU Global Strategy. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict certainly demonstrates the limitations of EU external action but in affirming its credentials as an autonomous partner of the United States, the EU is less ineffectual than some commentators claim.


An 18-year-old woman attempted suicide by ingesting 195 grams of aspirin. Initially, she was treated with oral multi-dose activated charcoal (MDAC) and a continuous IV infusion of sodium bicarbonate with potassium while awaiting hemodialysis (HD), because her 2-hour post-ingestion serum salicylate level was 674 mg/L. Treatment with HD, MDAC, and alkalinization with a sodium bicarbonate infusion achieved a serum salicylate nadir of 455 mg/L immediately after completing her first HD. Thereafter, her serum salicylate levels rose to 828 mg/L, indicating ongoing salicylate absorption. Therefore, she received whole bowel irrigation (WBI) and an additional course of HD. After her salicylate level had fallen to 410 mg/L at the end of her second HD, she received continuous venovenous hemodiafiltration (CVVHD) until her salicylate level was undetected. This case report documents ongoing salicylate absorption and worsening salicylism in spite of initial improvement during the patient's first HD. This was successfully treated with more HD and the addition of WBI and CVVHD. A MEDLINE review from 1966 to the present indicates that this is the first report documenting the use of CVVHD in salicylate toxicity.


This paper introduces a new resonant mass sensor that is based on a lateral extensional mode (LEM) piezoelectric resonator, and has a minimum detectable mass (MDM) of 10-15g in air at room temperature. The resonator with size of about 200×50×1 μm3has a quality factor (Q) of > 1,400 at 60MHz, and as small as 0.1ppm shift of its resonant frequency can be detected. The 0.1ppm detection capability corresponds to a mass uncertainty of only about 4.6fg. We have experimentally demonstrated a minimum detectable frequency shift of about ~ 1.6ppm due to an absorption of isopropanol vapor (73 fg) on the sidewalls of the parylene-coated LEM piezoelectric resonator.


Decision makers in safety-critical domains rely on data from dependable information systems. Traditional time- and safety-critical information systems, such as traffic management systems, have been using proprietary point-to-point data links, which are very dependable, but also time-consuming and costly to change due to the need to manually adapt a multitude of deployed systems. In this paper we introduce a model-driven architecture (MDA) system approach that describes explicitly stakeholder quality requirements on dependable data links between systems for decision support and generates new system versions that implement these requirements. The MDA approach is expected to a) improve the quality (assurance) of system requirements; b) support more explicit feedback on the quality of intermediate models during systems development; and c) provide better auditing capabilities of the systems development process. Based on an industry case study we describe the MDA concept of the system, the development process, and how software quality can be measured and improved.


Abstract. In a high-rainfall, landslide-prone region in this tropical mountain region, a landslide database was constructed from high resolution satellite imagery (HRSI), local reports and field observations. The landslide data was divided into training (80%) and validation sets (20%). From the digital elevation model (DEM), scanned maps and HRSI, twelve landslide conditioning factors were derived and analysed in a GIS environment: elevation, slope angle, slope aspect, plan curvature, profile curvature, distance to drainage, soil type, lithology, distance to fault/lineament, land use/land cover, distance to road and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI). Landslide susceptibility was then estimated using the frequency ratio method as applied on the training data. The detailed procedure is explained herein. The landslide model generated was then evaluated using the validation data set. Results demonstrate that the very high, high, moderate, low and very low susceptibility classes included an average of 86%, 7%, 4%, 3% and 1% of the training cells, and 84%, 7%, 5%, 3% and 1% of the validation cells, respectively. Success and prediction rates obtained were 90% and 89%, respectively. The sound output has discriminated well the landslide prone areas and thus may be used in landslide hazard mitigation for local planning.


Thin films of vinylidene fluoride with trifluoroethylene [P(VDF-TrFE)] copolymer have been deposited onto bare Si and SiO2 by spin casting from methylethylketone solutions. The structures and optical and electronic properties for P(VDF-TrFE) films after vacuum and forming gas annealing were studied. The degree of structural order and the crystallinity determined by X-ray diffraction were increased with the thermal annealing time. Ellipsometry spectroscopy were employed to investigate the changes in the thickness, refractive indices n, and the anisotropic properties. The results reflected that the n was increased with the thermal annealing time and temperature, and the anisotropy of the annealed films was strengthened with the annealing time and temperature. Metal-polymer-(oxide)-semiconductor capacitors were used to measure the static dielectric constant K and interfacial electronic properties of P(VDF-TrFE) on Si which the K increase with film thickness and thermal annealing. The interface at Al-P(VDF-TrFE) and/or P(VDF-TrFE)-Si affect the K value which is sensitive for films thinner than 120 nm. The Si-P(VDF-TrFE) interface quality determined using capacitance-voltage and current-voltage measurementswas found to be improved after forming gas annealed.


OBJECTIVE This study was designed to establish whether a ratio of three units of Dysport® is equivalent to one unit of Botox® for the treatment of cervical dystonia. METHODS Patients with predominantly rotational cervical dystonia, and a minimum of four previous Botox treatments, were randomised to receive either the clinically indicated dose of Botox or three times that dose in Dysport units. Study botulinum toxin was administered in a double blind fashion, to one or more clinically indicated muscles, at one or more sites per muscle. Patients returned for assessment two, four, eight, and 12 weeks after treatment. RESULTS A total of 73 patients (Dysport, 38; Botox, 35) were entered. The Dysport group received a mean (SD) dose of 477 (131) (range 240–720) Dysport units, and the Botox group received a mean (SD) dose of 152 (45) (range 70–240) Botox units. The mean (SEM) post-treatment Tsui scores for the Dysport group (4.8 (0.3)) and the Botox group (5.0 (0.3)) were not statistically different (p=0.66). The study had 91% power to detect a clinically significant difference of two points. Both groups showed substantial improvement in Tsui score by week 2 (mean (SD); Dysport, 46 (28)%; Botox, 37 (28)%), with a peak effect at week 4 (mean (SD); Dysport, 49 (29)%; Botox, 44 (28)%). A similar response profile was seen for other assessments of efficacy. The duration of effect, assessed by time to retreatment, was also similar (mean (SD); Dysport, 83.9 (13.6) days; Botox, 80.7 (14.4) days; p=0.85). During the study 22 of 38 (58%) Dysport patients reported 39 adverse events, and 24 of 35 (69%) Botox patients reported 56 adverse events (p=0.35). A global assessment of efficacy and safety considered that 29 of 38 (76%) Dysport patients and 23 of 35 (66%) Botox patients were treatment successes (p=0.32). CONCLUSION Patients with predominantly rotational cervical dystonia treated with the clinically indicated dose of Botox or three times that dose in Dysport units show similar improvements and do not have significantly different safety profiles.


Background: Neuropathic pain is a type of chronic pain resulting from injury to the peripheral or central nervous system. Moreover, lithium is the main medication used to treat bipolar (manic-depression) disorder and some recent studies have also confirmed the neuroprotective effects of lithium. Considering the most common cause of neuropathic pain, nerve injury, the present study was designed to evaluate the effect of lithium on neuropathic pain induced by partial ligation of sciatic nerve in rat.

Materials and Methods: This experimental study was conducted on 40 adult male rats. Neuropathic pain was induced by a partial sciatic nerve ligation model and animals were randomly divided into five groups: a control group that underwent the surgical procedure without sciatic nerve ligation and four experimental groups which received normal saline and different doses of lithium (5, 10 and 15 mg/kg, i.p.). Heat hyperalgesia, mechanical and cold allodynia were assessed at 3, 5, 7, 10 and 14 days after surgery.

Results: According to the results, lithium (5, 10 and 15 mg/kg) significantly reduced heat hyperalgesia and cold allodynia induced by partial sciatic nerve ligation (P<0.01), while it reduced mechanical allodynia only at high doses (10 and 15 mg/kg).

Conclusion: Lithium has an analgesic effect on neuropathic pain induced by partial ligation of sciatic nerve in rat. Further investigations would be needed to confirm the analgesic effect of lithium and its mechanisms of action in neuropathic pain.
Keywords: Lithium, Allodynia, Hyperalgesia, Rat,


Background DNA extraction is a routine step in many insect molecular studies. A variety of methods have been used to isolate DNA molecules from insects, and many commercial kits are available. Extraction methods need to be evaluated for their efficiency, cost, and side effects such as DNA degradation during extraction. Methodology/Principal Findings From individual western corn rootworm beetles, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera, DNA extractions by the SDS method, CTAB method, DNAzol® reagent, Puregene® solutions and DNeasy® column were compared in terms of DNA quantity and quality, cost of materials, and time consumed. Although all five methods resulted in acceptable DNA concentrations and absorbance ratios, the SDS and CTAB methods resulted in higher DNA yield (ng DNA vs. mg tissue) at much lower cost and less degradation as revealed on agarose gels. The DNeasy® kit was most time-efficient but was the costliest among the methods tested. The effects of ethanol volume, temperature and incubation time on precipitation of DNA were also investigated. The DNA samples obtained by the five methods were tested in PCR for six microsatellites located in various positions of the beetle's genome, and all samples showed successful amplifications. Conclusion/Significance These evaluations provide a guide for choosing methods of DNA extraction from western corn rootworm beetles based on expected DNA yield and quality, extraction time, cost, and waste control. The extraction conditions for this mid-size insect were optimized. The DNA extracted by the five methods was suitable for further molecular applications such as PCR and sequencing by synthesis.


Organization management in campus of Saun Sunandha Rajabhat University is required to be improved constantly in order to sustain its success in high level of competition of higher education in Thailand. The success of modern organization management needs every employee and manager to perform at higher level to produce better results of service and work performance. The purposes of this study were to investigate key success of modern organization management from the perspectives of university employees as well as to offer ways to enhance human capital of the university. To gain the important findings, the research chose the quantitative research method to generate results and was utilized with 150 university employees. The sample groups was determined by male and female with equal ratio. The questionnaires were designed and developed with a sample of groups of employees. The findings from with study can be reported that there were ten important key success which were leadership, communication, teamwork, working condition, clear goals and policy, support from high level management, positive environment, market compensation, relationship with other department, and relationship between manager and employees. The best way to enhance human capital was to update their knowledge and skill such as English, computer, and specific work related.


The establishment of the state of Israel in Palestine in 1948, and the forcible dispossession and destruction of the major part of Palestinian society from the conquered territories that this entailed, is today referred to as al-nakbah, the catastrophe, in Arabic. This article examines the nakbah as a concept that was first articulated and defined in a specific post-1948 Arab universe of discourse. It demonstrates how the notion of 1948-as-catastrophe was to be eventually eclipsed as a result of the defeat of the June War (1967) and how the nakbah's eventual reemergence in its contemporary Palestinian universe of discourse has led to meanings that we today associate with the (ongoing) Palestinian catastrophe. Although the notion of 1948-as-catastrophe is as old as the nakbah, the event as catastrophe and its atrocities only entered the English-language intellectual register in the 1990s as a result of Israeli "new" history and Palestinians' own attempts to revive memories of their pre-nakbah past. Through this discursive reading of the nakbah's six-decade-old shifting significations, this article therefore also explores the broader historical and sociological questions that revolve around power and knowledge when writing the history of the vanquished and the contemporary societies of the colonized.


Proceedings: AACR 104th Annual Meeting 2013; Apr 6-10, 2013; Washington, DC

Background: Cancer cells with stem cell-like properties (CSC) are resistant to chemotherapy and are believed to be the source of cancer recurrence. Aldehyde dehydrogenase enzymatic activity (ALDH), alone and in combination with the stem cell marker CD133, can be used to define a hierarchy of Ovarian Cancer Stem Cells (OvCSC). ALDH is functionally important for stem cells, regulating motile cellular metabolic functions and the biosynthesis of retinoic acid. ALDH agonists have been demonstrated to enhance 'stemness' in some tissues. We therefore sought to determine the impact of ALDH antagonist on OvCSC.

Methods and Results: We screened a variety of novel derivatives with confirmed or potential ALDH activity based on the molecular homology to the known ALDH inhibitor DEAB. Using the ALDEFLUOR assay and A2780 cancer cell line as a source of ALDH+CD133+ cells, we identified a lead compound 673 which effectively inhibits ALDH activity. Interestingly this compound also potently depletes CD133+ ovarian cancer cells. Supporting functional depletion of OvCSC, treatment of primary human ovarian tumor ascites cells with 673 resulted in 4-20 fold decrease tumor sphere formation. 673 treatment is highly synergistic with cisplatin both in-vitro and in-vivo as assessed by cell growth curves and tumor growth. Importantly, pre-treatment of tumor cells with 673 significantly reduced tumor in tumor initiation and growth rates. Finally, 673 is non-toxic to normal stem cells.

Conclusions: We have identified a novel ALDH inhibitor, 673, which depletes the ovarian cancer cells expressing CSC markers. CSC marker independent functional assays, with both cell lines and primary human ovarian cancer cells, indicate 673 is depleting OvCSC activity. Thus this may be a powerful new therapeutic approach to target CSC. Future studies will elucidate the molecular mechanism that underlies 673 OvCSC depletion activities as well as to identify a specific ALDH isoforms targeted in ovarian cancer.

Citation Format: Ilana Chefetz, Kun Yang, Scott D. Larsen, Ronald J. Buckanovich. Targeting ovarian cancer stem cells using a novel ALDH inhibitor. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 3731. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-3731


This article analyzes the effect of global financial crisis on subjective well-being and work conditions of the public and private sector employees. The study is based on the analysis of data of the 4th, 5th and 6th waves of the European Social Survey wherein populations of the majority of European countries (including Lithuania) were asked different questions about their life and work conditions. The empirical analysis is focused on the changes of subjective well-being and work conditions of the public and private sector employees during the global financial crisis. Analysis of the survey data showed that, overall, the global financial crisis seems to have an effect on the general cognitive and emotional subjective well-being. However, it had little or no effect at all on evaluations of health and material (financial) status. In Lithuania, unlike elsewhere in Europe, evaluations of material (financial) status showed considerable variation during the period of crisis. The study also revealed that employees of the private sector in Europe to a larger extent experienced changes of working conditions during the global financial crisis. In this regard, the case of Lithuania was again distinctive as a much larger share of Lithuanian respondents declared that they experienced wage cuts during the period of crisis, and it was a little more characteristic for the public sector. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.ppaa.15.3.16615


Transport gives rise to considerable C0 2 emissions, which are rising with little policy effect. Transport policy is a socio-technical regime ordered around the state funding large transport capital projects. This is supported by a professional skills and information structure that serves the logic of this regime. However, an innovative form of transport planning practice has tentatively emerged. Instead of the state implementing measures, it shifts to a supporting and enabling role with the devolution of responsibility to transport users. This is a very different rationale about what constitutes transport policy and its structures. This can be understood as a policy niche within the existing regime. This paper reports research on two areas that seek to apply this niche approach: travel planning and the Milton Keynes electric vehicle project. These research suggest that rather than the 'new' transport policy niche leading to regime transformation, it is appears to be migrating to other policy regime structures that are more compatible to its approach.


King Arthur: the very name summons visions of courtly chivalry and towering castles, of windswept battlefields and heroic quests, and above all of the charismatic monarch who dies but who one day shall return again. The Arthurian legend lives on as powerfully and enduringly as ever. Yet there is an aspect to this myth which has been neglected, but which is perhaps its most potent part of all. For central to the Arthurian stories are the mysterious, sexually alluring enchantresses, the spellcasters and mistresses of magic who wield extraordinary influence over Arthur's life and destiny, bestriding the Camelot mythology with a dark and brooding presence. Carolyne Larrington brings these dangerous women vibrantly to life. Here is Morgan-le-Fay, a complex sorceress of great cunning and skill, immortalised by Helen Mirren's Morgana in John Boorman's film "Excalibur". Here too are the mystical Lady of the Lake; the beguiling Viviane, Merlin's deadly nemesis; and Morgause, Queen of Orkney, mother to Mordred, Arthur's incestuously-conceived son and his bitterest foe. Echoing the search for the Grail by the knights of the Round Table, Larrington takes her readers on an intriguing quest of her own - to discover why Arthurian enchantresses continue to bewitch us. Her journey takes in the enchantresses as they appear in poetry and painting, in politics and the theatre, on the Internet and TV, in high culture and popular culture. Whether they be chaste or depraved, necrophiliacs or virgins, benevolent or filled with hatred, the enchantresses represent a strain of femininity which continually challenges male chivalric values from within. These women are survivors. They outlive the collapse of Camelot and all it stands for. And it is as archetypal manifestations of the feared, uncontainable Other that they continue to inspire admiration, fright and fascination in equal measure. "King Arthur's Enchantresses" makes a unique contribution to contemporary writing on the Arthurian myths. It will intrigue and delight anyone with an interest in mythology, religion, cultural history and medieval literature.


Abstract
 Eight fen moss species (Aulacomnium palustre, Bryum pseudotriquetrum, Calliergonella cuspidata, Campylium stellatum, Climacium dendroides, Hamatocaulis vernicosus, Plagiomnium elatum and Tomentypnum nitens) were studied in order to assess their ability to survive long-term drought. The mosses differed significantly in their desiccation resistance. The highest survival rate was shown in the hummock moss species Climacium dendroides, Aulacomnium palustre and Tomentypnum nitens, with more than 10% of stems surviving after 20 weeks of desiccation. On the other hand, in Campylium stellatum and Plagiomnium elatum, almost no stem survived after 6 weeks without water supply. The remaining mosses (Hamatocaulis vernicosus, Calliergonella cuspidata and Bryum pseudotriquetrum) showed medium desiccation resistance, which differed little among species. After 12 weeks of desiccation, less than 10% of their stems were able to restore their growth. In general, most species displayed remarkable desiccation resistance, unexpected for species from permanently wet fen habitats.


In this paper, the non-linear tranverse vibration of an axially moving pile-yarn with time-dependent tension are investigated. The pile-yarn material is modeled as Kelvin-Voigt element. A partial-differential equation governing the transverse vibration is derived from the Newton's second law. The Galerkin method and the fourth order Runge-Kutta method are used to solve the governing non-linear differential equation. The effects of the transport speed, the tension perturbation amplitude and the damping coefficient on the dynamic behaviour of the system are numerically investigated.


Purpose
This paper aims to illustrate the usefulness of the proposed procedure to evaluate the Goods and Services Tax (GST) in India by applying it to provide evidence on optimal commodity tax rates.

Design/methodology/approach
In the optimal commodity tax literature, the commonly used Ramsey–Samuelson–Diamond–Mirrlees framework assumes invariance of budget allocation between pre- and posttax regimes and uses only the first-order conditions in the two-stage optimization procedure. This paper proposes an iterative method that overcomes the above limitations in obtaining the optimal tax rates.

Findings
It is found that the optimal commodity taxes are highly sensitive to the procedure used to estimate them. The resulting tax rates turn out to be close to the GST tax slabs. The results also show that on both absolute and relative measures, for all the selected states considered here and for All-India, the optimal tax systems are progressive for two chosen values of the inequality aversion parameter.

Originality/value
There is a very limited literature on the computational methodology to calculate optimal commodity taxes, and consequently, the evidence is quite scarce as well. In combining contributions to the computation of optimal taxes with empirical evidence, this paper fills a significant gap in the literature. The context of India gives it added value since the GST has recently been introduced in India, and to the best of the authors' knowledge, this is one of the first attempts at evaluating the Indian GST through the spectacles of optimal taxes.


The Ag-Pd/PLZT composites were prepared by the conventional electronic ceramics method. The electrical and mechanical properties of the composites were investigated. As the amount of doped Ag-Pd particles increased, the fatigue and mechanical properties of the composites were improved, and the dielectric and ferroelectric properties after electric fatigue dropped less. The results indicate that the fatigue process leaves less damage on the composites due to the Ag-Pd particles incorporation. It is proposed that the improvement of fatigue property may be attributed mainly to the improvement of mechanical property.


This study explored the impact of increased reading interventions (with a focus on strategy-based teaching) on Year 4 pupils' reading comprehension skills. An experimental group of 9 pupils participated in daily reading interventions from the beginning of January to the end of March to improve their competence in using the following comprehension strategies; inference, prediction, summarisation, and activating prior knowledge (from inside and outside of the text). The findings demonstrated that all pupils made progress in their reading comprehension ages and qualitative responses to reading comprehension questions, compared to 33% of pupils in the control group making progress. Over the course of the interventions, the pupils also demonstrated an increase in explicit use of strategies in their responses to comprehension questions. Although some pupils made more progress than others, the findings yielded from this study support the importance of helping struggling readers through increased reading interventions and explicit tuition.


The percentage of women utilizing maternal health care services in Nepal is relatively less than women in other South Asian countries. Moreover, large socio-economic and regional disparities have been the root causes for lower utilization of health care leading to increasing maternal mortality. Using a national representative sample of 9,475 women (2011) and 9,875 women (2016) from Nepal, I examine the impact of women empowerment in relation to prenatal care, place of delivery and postnatal care (3Ps) outcomes. A composite Women's Empowerment Index (WEI) based upon responses is also constructed to include three empowerment domains namely, attitude toward violence, social independence, and decision-making. Control variables explaining socio-demographic and economic factors are also added to the index. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) technique is used to calculate empowerment indicators and regression results are evaluated to estimate the 3Ps. Poisson regression model is used for selected survey years of each of the countries to examine the associations between women's empowerment and prenatal care visits controlling for other variables. Further, ordered probit model and probit model techniques are used to study the associations of women's empowerment with place of delivery and postnatal care respectively. Findings show that a large proportion of pregnant women have at least one ANC exposure but Nepal's average ANC coverage was 6 visits in 2011 and 7 visits in 2016, indicating that Nepal crosses the global benchmark for the minimum 4 ANC visits. Further, the trend toward significantly greater use of public health institutions is apparent with respect to several other variables. We observe much smaller effects for who makes decisions about household purchases, about woman's health, and about her family visits. Also, relatively low incidence of postnatal visits to health care institutions was observed in the analysis. Summarizing the categories of women's empowerment indicators in terms of linear combinations represented conveniently by a single principal component in each of the three cases, we find decision-making and independence factors to be significantly associated with postnatal visits whereas the violence factors to be insignificant in 2011 and barely significant in 2016.


Mohammed Hussein Bekele Dibaba 2 Yirga Wondu 3 1Department of Pharmacy, College of Health Sciences, Arsi University, Asella, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia; 2Department of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, Arsi University, Asella, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia; 3Department of Midwifery, College of Health Sciences, Arsi University, Asella, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia Background: Nonadherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) among people with HIV/AIDS can lead to drug resistance and death. Different studies have defined nonadherence, and it denotes at least onemissed dose of ARTwithin 28 days. One of the strategies to prevent nonadherence to ART could be peer education. However, published studieswhich test out whether or not peer education is effective for prevention of nonadherence to ARTamong adults living with HIVwere not available. Moreover, published studies on factors discussing the success of peer education against nonadherence to ARTwere not available, so we conducted this study. Objectives: To determine effectiveness of peer education against nonadherence to ART and identify factors influencing the effectiveness of peer education for prevention of nonadherence to ART among people living with HIV/AIDS in Arsi zone, Ethiopia. Methods: An institution based pre-post intervention studywas conducted. The intervention was giving peer education for three months. Frequencies and percentages were used to describe the data. Binary and multivariate logistic regressions were used to assess the variables. Results: The data was collected from 355 and 319 people with HIV/AIDS at preand postintervention stages, respectively. Experiencing an ART side effect, reminder to take ART, gender, marital status and monthly income were associated with nonadherence. More study participants who had not useda reminder to take ART service missed at least one dose of ART when compared to those who used a reminder to take ART service (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) =6.21; 95% CI=2.12–18.20). Conclusion: Experiencing a side effect of ART influenced effectiveness of peer education negatively while using reminder to take ART influenced effectiveness positively. Peer education is effective for reduction of nonadherence to ART if it is used with reminder to take ART. This study can be a base for further studies that should be conducted in various areas, since peer education can be influenced by sociodemographic and economic factors.


Abstract Pre-Variscan basement rocks from the Pyrenees provide evidence of several magmatic episodes with complex geodynamic histories from late Neoproterozoic to Palaeozoic times. One of the most significant episodes, consisting of several granitic and granodioritic bodies and volcanic rocks, mostly pyroclastic in nature, dates from the Late Ordovician period. In the Eastern Pyrenees, this magmatism is well represented in the Ribes de Freser and Núria areas; here, the Núria orthogneiss and the Ribes granophyre, both dated at c. 457–460 Ma, seem to form a calc-alkaline plutonic suite emplaced at different crustal levels. The presence of numerous pyroclastic deposits and lavas interbedded with Upper Ordovician (Sandbian–lower Katian, formerly Caradoc) sediments, intruded by the Ribes granophyre, suggests that this magmatic episode also generated significant volcanism. Moreover, the area hosts an important volume of rhyolitic ignimbrites and andesitic lavas affected by Alpine deformation. These volcanic rocks were previously attributed to late Variscan volcanism, extensively represented in other areas of the Pyrenees. Here we present the first five laser-ablation U–Pb zircon dates for this ignimbritic succession and two new ages for the Ribes granophyre. The ages of the ignimbrites, overlapping within error, are all 460 Ma, suggesting a genetic relationship between the plutonic and volcanic rocks and indicating that the Sandbian–Katian magmatism is much more voluminous than reported in previous studies, and possibly includes mega-eruptions linked to the formation of collapse calderas.


Nishitani Keiji (1900–1990) is well known as a leading representative of the Kyoto School. His main contributions are in the field of religious philosophy based on Mahāyāna Buddhism, especially Zen Buddhism, as his main works Religion and Nothingness (1961) and The Standpoint of Zen (1986) indicate. It may seem incongruous to associate Nishitani's name with a discussion on science and technology. But it was this relationship to science, that is to say, the relationship between religion and science, to which Nishitani mostly directed his interests which gradually led him to the study of technology itself.  In this article, I have relied on Nishitani's main work Religion and Nothingness to ascertain how he interpreted the conflict between religion and science in relation to nihility and then consider his insights on technology. The appearance of the mechanistic view of modern science connected with mechanical technology and the tendency toward the mechanization of man permeate increasingly not only the social structures but the inner life of man. At the same time, the individual is transformed into a subject in pursuit of his desires with a sense of meaninglessness. The nihility which modern science and technology produced ultimately turns into "emptiness" (空 Śūnyatā). The main concern here is how the problems of science and technology can be understood from the standpoint of "emptiness." Nishitani's work that I mentioned above, however, does not necessarily deal with this question directly. Thus, I chose another treatise from the same period, "Science and Zen" (1960), and approached the problem of science from the standpoint of emptiness. Nishitani quotes a Zen Buddhist discussion about the "big fire" of space. It considers the position of the real self in the big fire that extinguishes all things. This reference to the big fire in space seems metaphorical but it is also scientifically plausible. Death is also a scientific actuality in space from a certain perspective. To take this actuality seriously as a problem of existence means, "the existentializing of science" (科学を実存すること). It means to take outer space with its face of death as a place of death in the religious sense. This has been called "the Great Death" (大死) in Zen Buddhism, which is nothing other than conversion in a religious existence. At the same time, in this essay we learn Nishitani's perspective about nuclear power, which continues to trouble us today. We will also consider "originary imagination" (根源的な構想力) in his last treatise "Kū and Soku" ("Emptiness and Sameness") (1982) as a possibility for discussing technology in terms of emptiness.


Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is a heterogeneous disease with an extremely variable course. Survival after diagnosis can range from months to decades. As the pathogenesis of the disease is increasingly understood, we begin to unfold the molecular patterns that define the different prognostic subgroups and to develop strategies to predict the clinical course.


There is scant literature on the best approach to management of the congenital vertical talus with no new techniques described since the serial casting and minimally invasive surgical approach published by Dobbs et al. in 2006. There remain many questions such as what is the optimal surgical technique, what are the lower and upper age limits of various surgical procedures, what to do if casting or the minimally invasive technique do not reduce the talonavicular joint, and what are the optimal postoperative casting and bracing protocols? This manuscript summarizes an algorithmic approach to managing the CVT from casting to postoperative bracing. A stepwise algorithm is described that can be applied to a patient of any age with untreated, neglected, or recurrent deformity. Casting should always be attempted prior to surgery, and surgery should be performed with a deliberate à la carte approach to minimize complications.


CdTe quantum dots were grown in a borosilicate glass matrix by a two-step heat treatment process. Their average radius, size dispersion and number per unit volume (volume fraction) have been determined by using a simple absorption model based on the density matrix approach. The volume fraction of CdTe quantum dots in the strong confinement regime during normal growth stage is found to be proportional to the heat treatment time to the power of ∼1.4. A very low dispersion of 4.79% was obtained at the end of 6 h of heat treatment at 590 °C.


Being the product of a great vision of the founders of Hacettepe Medical School, Hacettepe Bulletine of Medicine/Surgery was first published in 1968, giving the start to an important voyage. The journal was among the earliest samples of journals of dean's offices of both medical and non medical schools; indexed in national and international catalogues. The journal served not only to publish high quality papers, but also to encourage next generations to work for the promotion of science.
Starting from 1983, the voyage continued under the name of Hacettepe Medical Journal and then changed the name to Acta Medica in 2012.
This time Acta Medica is taking a new adventure in an online form under the new web page. Feeling both the proud and the responsibility of being the continuation of this important mission, Acta Medica is now getting organized under the catchword of 'from the seniors to the students' with the theme of 'fidelity'. We thank to all previous editors and contributers. Besides continuing to be a journal of sharing and promoting medical sciences, we take the mission of bridging; between the seniors and the students or as the first editor mentions in this 'fertile soil' between the lands of the world or between the strong roots and the delicate leaflets.
We will try to take the adventure for a limited time, but the voyage will continue towards further, to the best…


An inorganic hybrid material was produced using a polysiloxane binder and metal-oxo-clusters which were derived from sol-gel precursors. The continuous phase is composed of an elastomeric polysiloxane functionalized with cycloaliphatic epoxide groups. Pendant alkoxy silane groups serve as a coupling agent to form a network between the metal-oxo-clusters and the crosslinked polysiloxane. Methyl, cyclopentyl, and cyclohexyl substituted polysiloxanes were formulated with a variety of sol-gel precursors (tetraethylorthosilicate oligomers, titanium(IV) iso-propoxide, zirconium(IV) propoxide, and zinc acetate). Phase-modulated FT-IR, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, solid state 29 Si NMR, and solid state 13 C NMR were used to investigate the internal structure of the mixed metal-oxo/silicon-oxo colloids prepared within the cured polysiloxane matrix. Results indicate that the cycloaliphatic groups inhibit the complete hydrolysis and condensation of the pendant triethoxysilane group and reaction of the sol-gel precursors. Analysis also indicated that the metal-oxo-clusters were comprised of mixed species of sol-gel precursors resulting in hetero-bonded (Si-O-Metal) colloids.


In the last couple of decades we assisted to a reappraisal of spatial design-based techniques. Usually the spatial information regarding the spatial location of the individuals of a population has been used to develop efficient sampling designs.
This thesis aims at offering a new technique for both inference on individual values and global population values able to employ the spatial information available before sampling at estimation level by rewriting a deterministic interpolator under a design-based framework. The achieved point estimator of the individual values is treated both in the case of finite spatial populations and continuous spatial domains, while the theory on the estimator of the population global value covers the finite population case only.
A fairly broad simulation study compares the results of the point estimator with the simple random sampling without replacement estimator in predictive form and the kriging, which is the benchmark technique for inference on spatial data. The Monte Carlo experiment is carried out on populations generated according to different superpopulation methods in order to manage different aspects of the spatial structure. The simulation outcomes point out that the proposed point estimator has almost the same behaviour as the kriging predictor regardless of the parameters adopted for generating the populations, especially for low sampling fractions. Moreover, the use of the spatial information improves substantially design-based spatial inference on individual values.


The article analyses the interaction between various forms of accountability on the basis of a case study of responses to the Federal Police of Argentina's practice of framing innocent victims. The failure of classic agencies of balance to establish accountability was compensated in this case by the creation of an ad hoc agency of oversight, an investigative commission established by the Attorney General, that interacted with social agents of accountability. The analysis points to the ambivalent role of the media in both supporting and exposing illegal police practices and shows that the cooperation between the commission and social actors was crucial to its success.


Plastic scintillators are used in scenarios where gamma-ray identification is necessary and can be scaled to large sizes for use in applications such as particle physics and nuclear security. In particular, modern plastic materials with the ability to detect neutrons via Pulse Shape Discrimination (PSD) are providing exciting new avenues of research for the field. The pulse shapes for these materials have characteristic decay time constants based on the radiation interaction causing scintillation emission. The materials exhibit this capability with volumes of a few cubic centimetres, but when scaled to larger volumes, the PSD performance diminishes. By identifying the cause of this deterioration, methods can be determined and implemented to increase PSD performance.
Through the course of the work reported on, methods for increasing the performance are identified. In one instance, the detector configuration should be chosen based upon the application. The accompanying PSD algorithm should be selected based on the configuration and application environment to achieve maximum performance. When designing the detector configuration, simulations should be used as a tool to help maximise performance. The simulations presented in this thesis have identified that pulse shapes change based on many aspects of the scintillation system. By modelling the light transport, it has been found that the emission direction of scintillation light alters the pulse shape decay times. The light arrives in different distributions based on the directionality. Moreover, these distributions change based on reflector type, the percentage reflectivity and location of the scintillation emission. PSD relies on differences in the decay time constants of pulse shapes. These factors outlined lead to additional time constants being convolved with the pulse shape. This creates variation in the PSD parameter calculated in the algorithms. This variation increases with the scintillator volume and is the cause of reduced performance with large-sized plastic scintillators.


Recent years have witnessed increased population mobility, both within and across countries. While internal migration which has resulted in rapid urban growth is of greater magnitude than international migration, it has received relatively less attention than the latter. The papers presented in this special issue draw attention to the fact observation that international migration has become more globalised and complex, with increasing mobility of different forms and involving a greater number of countries. The close association between migration and development has also been clearly demonstrated. While migrants may not always be welcomed, migration which is instrumental in the re-allocation of human resources in response to market forces, has contributed positively to places of origin and destination. However, there is still a need to improve on the management of migration and urbanisation. Efforts should be made to improve on data collection and analysis to guide policy formulation and implementation.


Objective: This study aimed to evaluate knowledge and attitudes of pharmacy students about diabetes mellitus.
Methods: A cross sectional study using self-administered questionnaire was conducted from 25th February to 15th March 2018 among pharmacy students of King Saud University. A total of 120 students were randomly recruited using a multistage sampling method and were invited to participate in the study.
Results: A total of 43.1% (n=50) of the students had a good knowledge about diabetes mellitus. Majority 74.2% (n=86) agreed that personal efforts will help to manage or control diabetes mellitus. Almost all of them (97%) described diabetes as a high blood sugar, about 96% of the students identified frequent urination, followed by frequent hunger 56%, frequent thirst 69% as main symptoms of the disease. Most students (70%) believed that diabetes mellitus is a genetic disorder. Most common complications mentioned by students were eye disease (65%), foot problem (62%), kidney diseases (59%) and cardiovascular diseases (42%).
Conclusion: The finding of this study indicate that students had an adequate knowledge and attitudes about diabetes mellitus, however there is a need for further improvement in knowledge and attitudes about diabetes mellitus prevention strategies and complications.


The objective of this work was to analyze the morphological, morphometrical, and histological characteristics of eggs of four triatomine bugs species still not studied, in order to understand phylogenetic aspects and to facilitate parameters used in taxonomy, with the purpose of a specific and generic characterization of these vectors in public health. The eggs of each species had come from the collections of the Laboratory of Triatomine bugs and Culicid mosquitoes of the Faculdade de Saude Publica - USP (Faculty of Public Health/USP). The morphologic studies were carried out through optic microscopy (OM) and scanning electronic microscopy (SEM). The eggs were measured with the help of the digital paquimeter Starrett® 727. In relation to histological measures, Microtome Leica RM 2145® was used. Similarities were evidenced in the exocorial architecture of the eggs when they were studied by OM and SEM. This similarity among the eggs suggests a recent speciation, probably derived from common ancestry, representing a monophyletic group. Some structures were also detected by the histological cuts. The study has contributed to the magnification and recognition in generic and specific terms of the Triatominae subfamily. These new data will be able to subsidize a better understanding to determine roles for each vector species and to facilitate parameters to be used in taxonomy.


Spectral clustering has gained importance in recent years due to its ability to cluster complex data as it requires only pairwise similarity among data points with its ease of implementation. The central point in spectral clustering is the process of capturing pair-wise similarity. In the literature, many research techniques have been proposed for effective construction of affinity matrix with suitable pair- wise similarity. In this paper a general framework for capturing pairwise affinity using local features such as density, proximity and structural similarity is been proposed. Topological Node Features are exploited to define the notion of density and local structure. These local features are incorporated into the construction of the affinity matrix. Experimental results, on widely used datasets such as synthetic shape datasets, UCI real datasets and MNIST handwritten datasets show that the proposed framework outperforms standard spectral clustering methods.


Objectives: Early hearing aid (HA) fitting and cochlear implants (CIs) aim to reduce the effects of hearing loss (HL) on spoken language development. The goals of this study were (1) to examine spoken language skills of children with bilateral HAs and children with bilateral CIs; (2) to compare their language skills to the age-norms of peers with normal hearing (NH); and (3) to investigate factors associated with spoken language outcomes. Design: Spoken language results of 56 Finnish children with HL were obtained from a nationwide prospective multicenter study. Children with HL comprised two groups: children with mild-to-severe HL who used bilateral HAs (BiHA group, n = 28) and children with profound HL who used bilateral CIs (BiCI group, n = 28). Children's spoken language comprehension, expressive and receptive vocabulary, and phonological skills were compared with normative values of children with NH at the age of three years. Odds ratio (OR) was calculated to compare proportions of children below age-norms in BiHA and BiCI groups. Factors associated with spoken language outcomes were modeled with analysis of covariance. Results: At the age of 3 years, 50%–96% of children with HL performed 1 SD or more below the mean of the normative sample of age-peers with NH in spoken language skills, depending on the language domain. Receptive vocabulary and phonological skills were the most vulnerable language domains. In receptive vocabulary, 82% of the children in the BiHA group and 50% of the children in the BiCI group scored 1 SD or more below the normative mean. The BiHA group was 4.4 times more likely to have poorer receptive vocabulary than the BiCI group. In phonological skills, 96% of children in the BiHA group and 60% of the children in the BiCI group scored 1 SD or more below the normative mean. The BiHA group was 18.0 times more likely to have poorer phonological skills than the BiCI group. The analysis of covariance models showed that unaided pure-tone average, PTA0.5–4 kHz, had a significant effect on spoken language comprehension in the BiHA group. For the BiCI group, age at HL diagnosis and age at CI activation had a significant effect on expressive vocabulary. High maternal level of education had a significant effect on language comprehension and expressive vocabulary and female gender on phonological skills. Conclusions: At the age of 3 years, especially receptive vocabulary and phonological skills caused difficulties for children with HL showing also considerable individual variation. Children with bilateral HAs seemed to be more likely to have poorer receptive vocabulary and phonological skills than children with bilateral CIs. A variety of factors was associated with outcomes in both groups. Close monitoring of spoken language skills of children with HL is important for ensuring similar opportunities for all children with HL and timely intervention, when needed.


For more than two decades, NASA deep space network (DSN) frequency and timing metrology has been a driving application for remote transfer of stable radio-frequency signals over fiber-optic cables. Precise, accurate, and stable signals are essential for deep-space communication and tracking, and syntonized and synchronized reference signals from atomic clocks calibrated to coordinated universal time must often be distributed over large distances. Fiber-optic technologies developed at the jet propulsion laboratory have resulted in several operational signal transport capabilities that enable precise spacecraft navigation and sensitive radio science experiments. These techniques are now finding further applicability in metrology applications to remotely compare ultra stable microwave and optical atomic clocks and for antenna array X- and Ka-band signal transport applications where temporal phase stability and alignment are critical. The pioneering DSN photonic link developments and capabilities are summarized, and a stabilized multiphotonic link architecture for ultrastable signal transport in antenna arrays is described.


We report the magnetic merging of ultracold atomic gases of 85Rb and 87Rb by the controlled overlap of two initially spatially separated magnetic traps. We present a detailed analysis of the combined magnetic-field potential as the two traps are brought together that predicts a clear optimum trajectory for the merging. We verify this prediction experimentally using 85Rb and find that the final atom number in the merged trap is maximized with minimal heating by following the predicted optimum trajectory. Using the magnetic-merging approach allows us to create variable-ratio isotopic Rb mixtures with a single laser-cooling setup by simply storing one isotope in a magnetic trap before jumping the laser frequencies to the transitions necessary to laser cool the second isotope.


WEB 2347 is a new hetrazepine which is superior to the previously described paf-antagonists WEB 2086 (apafant) and WEB 2170 (bepafant). This refers to both potency in vitro and in vivo (particularly after oral administration: e.g. the ED50 after oral administration is about 100 times less for WEB 2347 than for WEB 2086 to antagonize paf-induced hypotension in the rat) and duration of action (t1/2 = 41 h in the guinea pig and about 10 h in the rat after p.o. administration). Furthermore the role of paf in active anaphylaxis in vivo, even after repeated microshock, is strengthened.


Background and Objective: Nutritional imbalance, combined with endocrine abnormalities, may be involved in the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis (OA). This study was conducted to determine the association of OA with dietary factors, such as quantity and quality of nutrient intake. Methods: This case-control study enrolled 180 knee osteoarthritis (KOA) subjects who met the American College of Rheumatology definition of KOA, with an equal number of matched controls. Outcome measures, such as dietary nutrient intake and its frequency, were recorded using a food frequency questionnaire. Results: Compared to controls, cases were older individuals with a higher body mass index (BMI). Physical activity scores were lower in female cases compared to male cases and controls. A significantly higher intake of phosphorus and fat was observed in overall cases (fat in females only). A significantly lower intake of vitamin C and vitamin D was observed in overall cases and the significance of vitamin D persisted on gender-wise bifurcation. On multiple logistic regression analysis, the intake of vitamin D (odds ratio [OR] = 0.79) and vitamin C (OR = 0.97) was inversely associated with the presence of KOA in the observation group, especially in females. Generally, the intake of food servings/day, green leafy vegetables (GLVs), and fats/oils was higher, whereas the intake of fruits, milk/milk products, and meat/poultry was lower in cases compared to controls. Conclusion: Low intake of vitamin D and vitamin C is a possible risk factor for KOA. Certain food groups, such as fruits, milk/milk products, and meat/poultry are beneficial for KOA. Further studies are needed to elucidate the associations between diet and KOA.


The experimental and computational mechanistic details of the Pd(OAc)(2)/TEA-catalyzed aerobic alcohol oxidation system are disclosed. Measurement of various kinetic isotope effects and the activation parameters as well as rate law derivation support rate-limiting deprotonation of the palladium-coordinated alcohol. Rate-limiting deprotonation of the alcohol is contrary to the majority of related kinetic studies for Pd-catalyzed aerobic oxidation of alcohols, which propose rate-limiting beta-hydride elimination. This difference in the rate-limiting step is supported by the computational model, which predicts the activation energy for deprotonation is 3 kcal/mol higher than the activation energy for beta-hydride elimination. The computational features of the similar Pd(OAc)(2)/pyridine system were also elucidated. Details of the study illustrate that the use of TEA results in an active catalyst that has only one ligand bound to the Pd, resulting in a significant lowering of the activation energy for beta-hydride elimination and, therefore, a catalyst that is active at room temperature.


Expansive learning is a teaching–learning method adopted by the Department of Architecture of Universidad de las Américas Puebla, Mexico, to introduce architectural students to the field of landscape sensitizing. This approach has been especially valuable considering the particular cultural and natural values of the Mexican landscapes. In it, architectural students are introduced to co-configuration strategies along with co-working methods with the participation of specialists and local stakeholders and community on the "barefoot" bottom-up basis. The community of Tochimilco, Puebla, was selected as a case study through which students can learn how vulnerable rural landscapes and their natural environments can be protected, constructed, and developed. Therefore, studying natural landscape and environmental conditions of Tochimilco through data collection, fieldwork and student workshops was carried out to reinforce the understanding of landscape features, values, semiotics, and meanings in a Socio-Ecological System of landscape (SES) framework. In this context, the expansive learning processes revealed the potentiality of architectural students to become environmental facilitators for future design and planning projects to trigger sensitizing and comprehensive approaches. In these terms, architectural education prepares students to recognize and be aware of natural values, landscape narratives and the "barefoot" relationship between the landscape and the human being occupying and cultivating it.


The paper deals with Power System State Estimation (PSSE) that plays essential role in modern dispatcher centres. The aim of the paper is to present results of original investigations on change of properties of PSSE when a symmetrical phase shifter is installed in a Power System (PS). The mentioned phase shifter is one of the types of phase shifters. Such the phase shifter is installed in the Polish Power System. In the paper, the following indices characterizing properties of PSSE are considered: the number of iterations in PSSE calculation, the conditionality of the solved equations and accuracy of estimation. The investigations are made using the IEEE 14-bus test system. The properties of PSSE are analysed when there is the phase shifter and when there is not such the device in PS for the polar and rectangular coordinate systems. The investigations are so organized to take into account possibly all space of states of PS. Results of the investigations show that there is noticeable change of the properties of PSSE as an effect of installation of the phase shifter in PS. In the paper, also such the cases are indicated, in which those changes are the smallest. DOI:  http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.eie.24.4.21473


The 2nd full-scale shoreline Oscillating Water Column (OWC) wave energy device to be constructed in the UK, LIMPET, has been completed on the island of Islay, Scotland. The LIMPET device comprises a rectangular inclined OWC that ducts the generated airflow through two contra-rotating Well's turbines, each coupled to a 250kW induction generator giving the device a 500kW maximum power output. This paper serves to provide an overview of the LIMPET device from conception to the current status and the initial operational experiences of running the plant.


Semantic variation in the cutting and breaking domain has been shown to be constrained across languages in a previous typological study, but it was unclear whether Japanese was an outlier in this domain. Here we revisit cutting and breaking in the Japonic language area by collecting new naming data for 40 videoclips depicting cutting and breaking events in Standard Japanese, the highly divergent Tohoku dialects, as well as four related Ryukyuan languages (Amami, Okinawa, Miyako and Yaeyama). We find that the Japonic languages recapitulate the same semantic dimensions attested in the previous typological study, confirming that semantic variation in the domain of cutting and breaking is indeed cross-linguistically constrained. We then compare our new Japonic data to previously collected Germanic data and find that, in general, related languages resemble each other more than unrelated languages, and that the Japonic languages resemble each other more than the Germanic languages do. Nevertheless, English resembles all of the Japonic languages more than it resembles Swedish. Together, these findings show that the rate and extent of semantic change can differ between language families, indicating the existence of lineage-specific developments on top of universal cross-linguistic constraints.


Testing standards have been written to establish minimum performance requirements for personnel dosimeters, radiation survey instruments and bioassay laboratory measurements. These standards were subjected to experimental evaluation and to a consensus review to ensure that the requirements were practical. Programs have been established, using the personnel dosimeter standards, to improve and control the performance of dosimeter processors. Similar implementation of performance testing of instruments will improve reliability of field measurements. Initiation of a program based on the bioassay standard will improve the accuracy, precision, and detectability levels for measuring radioactivity in occupationally exposed workers. Evaluating the performance of health-physics measurement tools will improve the accuracy and precision of measurement and add to our knowledge of personnel exposures. Performance testing will become a more widely recognized tool for maintaining high-quality programs, and the concept will be applied to other measurements as well.


In our quest for gamma-ray burst (GRB) progenitors, it is relevant to consider the progenitor evolution of normal supernovae (SNe). This is largely dominated by mass loss. We discuss the mass-loss rate for very massive stars up to 300M⊙. These objects are in close proximity to the Eddington Γ limit. We describe the new concept of the transitional mass-loss rate, enabling us to calibrate wind mass loss. This allows us to consider the occurrence of pair-instability SNe in the local Universe. We also discuss luminous blue variables and their link to luminous SNe. Finally, we address the polarization properties of Wolf–Rayet (WR) stars, measuring their wind asphericities. We argue to have found a group of rotating WR stars that fulfil the required criteria to make long-duration GRBs.


: Radiological investigation of the vertebral column in two patients with low-back pain (53-year-old woman and a 52-year-old man) revealed unusually marked osteoporosis and sintering fractures of the 3rd, and 1st and 4th lumbar vertebrae, respectively. Biochemical tests failed to provide any evidence about metabolic or endocrinological abnormality. Iliac crest biopsy showed mastocytosis. There were no skin changes in either patient. Additional examinations excluded involvement of any internal organs. Despite treatment with calcium, sodium fluoride, vitamin D3 and calcitonin in the woman, and aspirin and chromoglycinic acid in the man the osteoporosis has slowly progressed during the last 7 and 5 years, but the disease has remained limited to the skeletal system. In a case of unusually marked osteoporosis, mastocytosis should be included in the differential diagnosis even in the absence of urticaria pigmentosa.


In the wake of scandals involving lead toys, toxic toothpaste, poisonous pet food, and other dangerous products in recent years, policymakers have proposed a variety of strategies that purport to address safety concerns. Though many of these proposals would have salutary effects on consumer product safety, they do not provide, either individually or collectively, a full solution to the problem. This chapter offers a different proposal for addressing the challenges that global production poses for state-centered regulation of import safety. We argue that regulators should structure administrative penalties to make private importers regulate the foreign manufacturing processes from which they benefit.Specifically, we make the case that where U.S. regulators expect a threat to consumer protection from foreign goods and services, they should augment the legal penalties imposed against foreign and domestic partners in international trade that are within the reach of American authorities. This enhanced threat of legal liability would serve to ensure that these parties act as de facto regulators of the foreign activity from which they benefit, even when those activities themselves are beyond the reach of American law. Trade in domestic goods and services would not trigger the same penalties because these products face regulation of the production process that, in principle, achieves the desired level of safety.


Background: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has scarcely been researched in the elderly. There is no population-based information on prevalence and risk factors in older persons. Patients with PTSD are often not recognized or incorrectly diagnosed. As the disorder has great implications for the quality of life, a correct diagnosis and treatment are crucial. Increased knowledge on vulnerability factors for PTSD can facilitate diagnostic procedures and health management in the elderly. Methods: PTSD cases were found following a two-phase sampling procedure: a random selection of 1,721 subjects were screened and in 422 subjects a psychiatric diagnostic interview was administered. Prevalence of PTSD and subthreshold PTSD were calculated. Vulnerability factors regarding demographics, physical health, personality, social factors, recent distress and adverse events in early childhood were assessed. Results: 6-month prevalence of PTSD and of subthreshold PTSD was 0.9 and 13.1%, respectively. The strongest vulnerability factors for both PTSD and subthreshold PTSD were neuroticism and adverse events in early childhood. Conclusions: This is the first population-based study on PTSD in older persons. With a 6-month prevalence of almost 1% the disease is not rare. Comparisons with younger populations suggest some accumulation of cases among older people reflecting the chronic risk factors, which are found in this study: neuroticism and adverse events in early childhood.


Recently, the screens of TVs and computers are getting larger and larger. In accordance to that, surface plates of those, which are used during the production process, are also becoming bigger. These surface plates are required to be checked every certain period of duration. Therefore, an automatic measurement of straightness, that is highly accurate, and capable of measuring large area, is necessary. The straightness is the degree of difference from a straight line geometrically. It is one of the indexes to express machining precision. In Mechanical Engineering, the accuracy of processing side and the exactitude of the table and the surface plate, which are the bases of the processing side, decide the quality of products. There are a number of methods to measure the straightness. In this experiment, we use a straightness-measuring instrument, which moves a gauge parallel to the surface, and measure the values. Fig. 1 shows the appearance of straightness- measuring instrument. This straightness-measuring instrument is consisted of guide rail, carriage, and support blocks. During the actual measurement, the control of the carriage to connect the gauge is manually operated. This manual operation is simple, but measurement time and precision greatly depend on individual skill. In addition, measuring process requires good length of time with intensity, hence it causes the worker mental exhaustion. Therefore, if we can mechanically operate the carriage it will improve the accuracy and data collection will be easier. This research is aimed to mechanically operate the straightness-measuring instrument and measure consecutive positions in a short period of time. This report explains the design, production, and motion test of the automatic movement mechanism of the carriage.


Tangible physical systems are more intuitive than Intangible virtual Systems. Mixed reality systems are considered as an alternative to virtual systems, bringing advantages of tangible systems into an interaction. However, past research has mainly focussed on technical aspects of incorporating pervasive-ness and immersive-ness in the virtual systems. This paper reports on an empirical study of intuitive Interaction in a Mixed Reality game system for children and the design aspects that could facilitate intuitive Interaction in such systems. A related samples Friedman's test showed that the Mixed Reality game system demonstrated more intuitive interactions than non‐intuitive Interactions. A linear regression analysis
further established that the variation in intuitive Interaction in the Mixed Reality system could be statistically significantly explained primarily by physical affordances offered by the Mixed Reality system and to a lesser extent by the perceived
affordances in the system. Design guidelines to develop intuitive Mixed Reality systems are discussed. These guidelines should allow designers to exploit the wonders of advances in technology and at the same time allow users to directly
interact with the physical real world. This will allow users to access maximal physical affordances, which are primary contributors to intuitive interaction in Tangible and Mixed Reality systems.

Keywords: Intuitive Interaction; Mixed Reality Systems; Tangibles; Child Computer Interaction


In the present paper, we propose a new framework for the construction of meaningful dictionaries for sparse representation of signals. The dictionary approach to coding and compression proves very attractive since decomposing a signal over a redundant set of basis functions allows a parsimonious representation of information. This interest is witnessed by numerous research efforts that have been done in the last years to develop an efficient algorithm for the decomposition of signals over redundant sets of functions. However, the effectiveness of such methods strongly depends on the dictionary and on its structure. In this work, we develop a method to learn overcomplete sets of functions from real-world signals. This technique allows the design of dictionaries that can be adapted to a specific class of signals. The found functions are stored in a tree structure. This data structure is used by a tree-based pursuit algorithm to generate sparse approximations of natural signals. Finally, the proposed method is considered in the context of image compression. Results show that the learning tree-based approach outperforms state-of-the-art coding technique.


BACKGROUND
The standard treatment for symptomatic Chiari malformation (CM) I is foramen magnum decompression (FMD) to facilitate cerebral spinal fluid flow through the foramen magnum, improve intracranial compliance, and alleviate symptoms (commonly headache). This procedure has a variable success rate, with a significant proportion of patients having persistent symptoms after surgery.

OBJECTIVE
To investigate intracranial pressure (ICP) hydrodynamics in symptomatic surgery-naïve patients with CM I and symptomatic patients who have had prior FMD.

METHODS
We undertook a retrospective, observational cohort study, extracting data from our departmental ICP database. Patients with untreated ("Virgin") Chiari malformations (VCM), patients with previous "failed" FMD (ie, with persistent classical Chiari symptoms) (fFMD) and a normal control group, all with existing continuous ICP monitoring date were included. Median ICP (mICP) and median pulse amplitude (mPA) were compared between the groups.

RESULTS
A total of 33 CM patients (22 VCM and 11 fFMD) and 42 normal controls were included for analysis. mICP did not differ significantly between the normal control, VCM, and fFMD groups. mPA in the VCM and fFMD groups was significantly higher than the control group (P < .01 and P < .05, respectively).

CONCLUSION
In this cohort, patients with persistent symptoms after FMD have persistently impaired intracranial compliance, similar to patients who have not undergone surgery at all when compared with a control group. The reasons for this are not clear, and further research is required to establish the causation and optimum management for failed FMD.


This paper describes the optimal design of ductile fiber reinforced cementitious composite (DFRCC) under fatigue loading. First of all, fatigue tensile experiments of the DFRCC under constant strain amplitude were conducted, and the degradation of bridging stress was measured. The test results were employed to verify the micromechanics-based theoretical model developed in this research. The model accounts for the loss of fatigue ruptured fibers of which fatigue rupture is based on S-N relationships. According to the parametric study from the theoretical model, we found that the optimal choice of design variables, such as fiber length, is varied according to the maximum strain level and the number of cyclic loading. Therefore, it is required to design DFRCC optimally under given loading conditions to make the most of its excellent material properties and the developed model enables such a design.


Before the First World War, Belgium participated in a global wave of foreign direct investment. After the war, a shift towards the Belgian colony of the Congo was observed. With regard to these investments, it is commonly argued that higher (expected) profit rates were a strong incentive, although others propose that the colonial powers lost money on their colonial possessions. We measure ex post performance in terms of the time-weighted rate of return by making use of a new database of Congolese stocks and compare the Congolese data with a Belgian sample. Returns on Congolese stocks were much higher, at least until country risk became a reality.


Wild animals in human-dominated landscapes are exposed to a broad range of human activities and infrastructure that have the potential to alter their fitness and behaviour. Understanding wildlife responses to human disturbance is an important conservation goal, particularly when the fate of many wildlife populations depends on their capacity to coexist with humans. Most field studies have focussed on the effects of one type of disturbance only (i.e. a single disturbance type per study), however in heavily human-modified habitats animals must often deal with numerous different types of human activity and infrastructure, and less is known about whether different types differentially affect animal behavioural responses.
This study examined the responses of 5 wild Barbary macaque (Macaca sylvanus) groups in Ifrane National Park, Morocco, to a range of human activities and infrastructure on a short-term behavioural scale (individual focal follows) and a longer-term spatio-temporal scale (individual scan sampling). Using a series of GLMMs I first compared pre-, during-, and post- human-macaque encounter levels of escape, affiliative, and self-directed behaviours (behaviours that may serve as components of a coping strategy) to determine whether different encounter types differentially affect macaque behavioural responses. Using logistic regression to estimate resource selection functions I then examined the behaviour-specific habitat use of macaques to determine whether (and how) different types of human activity and infrastructure influence habitat selection within home ranges.
Two broadly consistent responses to human encounters were observed; the first in association with potentially threatening encounters (those that involved/potentially involved dogs), and the second with potentially rewarding encounters (those that involved human provisioning). In response to potentially threatening encounters macaques made extensive use of escape behaviours, varied use of affiliative behaviours, and limited use of self-directed behaviours. In response to potentially rewarding encounters, macaques made use of escape, affiliative, and self-directed behaviours.
Three broadly consistent patterns of habitat selection/avoidance were observed in response to human activities and infrastructure within macaque home ranges. Macaques exhibited a general spatial preference for areas close to roads and a general spatial avoidance of both open areas (i.e. with no tree cover) and areas close to herding routes. Macaques also selected/avoided potentially threatening and rewarding areas (i.e. shepherd herding routes and provisioning loci) on a flexible temporal scale, only using
potentially threatening areas when the probability of a human encounter was low, and preferentially using rewarding areas only when the risk/benefit balance associated with human provisioning was most heavily in their favour.
The results of this study highlight the value of considering the effects of multiple different types of human activity and infrastructure (at different spatio-temporal scales) on wildlife behaviour and welfare, and of assessing human impact on habitat selection separately for different types of behaviour. Such detailed studies on the effects of human activities on wild animal populations can enhance our understanding of, and ability to manage, the impacts of increasing human expansion into wildlife habitat.


A large number of small-scale enterprises growing, dealing and marketing seed emerged during the economic reforms of the 1980s in Ghana. The enterprises are dynamic and able to produce and market seed, despite limits on the availability of capital. This paper examines the nature of small-scale maize and cowpea seed enterprises in the two regions of Brong Ahafo and Ashanti and describes how actors in the system learn about seed quality and the trustworthiness of people they are dealing with. It explores how farmers get access to seed and how they obtain information on what they are buying and whom they are dealing with. The growers interviewed in the study accounted for 25 per cent of formal seed production in Ghana in 1997. Finance for seed production comes from the grower's personal income, loans from friends or family and, in a few cases, from banks. Credit given by seed dealers is also important. There are no legal contracts, so credit arrangements are based on trust, social pressure and coercion. Seed dealers range in size, managing between one and four stores. Some also play a wholesale role, working through agents who take seed on credit. Seed dealers buy from a number of growers and obtain information on seed supply from sources including Ministry of Food and Agriculture seed inspectors acting unofficially. Growers and dealers must find ways to acquire the latest price information as prices can change at short notice when demand is high. Half of the dealers buy some of their seed on credit. Growers give credit to dealers especially if there is a reciprocal agreement involving the dealers financing the grower, but needs to be built up before credit is offered. Dealers known to growers sometimes act as guarantors for other dealers. The case of seed enterprises in Ghana throws light on how entrepreneurs obtain information and how they build up trust based on working relations, existing links and intermediaries. Public policy needs to consider the social and economic factors underpinning the seed industry. Enterprises can reduce the transaction costs of obtaining information by building links with other enterprises. The strategies and the social capital they draw on is shaped by pre-existing knowledge, networks and social contacts. Transaction costs can be reduced by making information available to seed enterprises. Government workers, especially seed inspectors play an important, though unofficial, role in brokering information.


In this paper, we noticed an interesting phenomenon under a stochastic model of TCP Reno. It was found that in Reno the expectation of the time-average window size equals the average local maximum window size. We analyzed that phenomena and give both theoretical explanations and simulation results to support our finding.


This paper demonstrates settling of an isolated permeable circular particle in 2D, which corresponds to an infinite cylinder in 3D, in a viscous, incompressible fluid contained within a two-dimensional channel. The fluid-structure interaction problem considered here is simulated numerically using the immersed boundary method wherein, the added mass is formulated using Boussinesq's approximation. This has been possible since the density of the particle is slightly greater than the density of the fluid. The paper has demonstrated both analytically and numerically that the settling velocity of a permeable cylinder is greater than that of an impermeable cylinder and it increases with increasing permeability. The effect of channel walls, the so called wall effect, on a permeable particle, located initially along the centreline, is investigated. It is found that the wall-effect on the settling velocity decreases as the permeability of a particle increases. Furthermore, for a given permeability the wall effect on terminal settling velocity was found to decrease with decreasing fluid viscosity. In addition to such, the settling dynamics of a particle initially located at an off-centre location has been studied for different viscosity and permeability values. It is shown that numerical results reproduce the expected behaviour qualitatively.


Background: Sensitive and specific instruments are required to screen for cognitive impairment (CI) in busy clinical practice. The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) is widely validated but few studies compare it to tests designed specifically to detect mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Objective: Comparison of two "MCI specific" screens: the Quick Mild Cognitive Impairment screen (Qmci) and MoCA. Methods: Patients with subjective memory complaints (SMC; n = 73), MCI (n = 103), or dementia (n = 274), were referred to a university hospital memory clinic and underwent comprehensive assessment. Caregivers, without cognitive symptoms, were recruited as normal controls (n = 101). Results: The Qmci was more accurate than the MoCA in differentiating MCI from controls, area under the curve (AUC) of 0.90 versus 0.80, p = 0.009. The Qmci had greater (AUC 0.81), albeit non-significant, accuracy than the MoCA (AUC 0.73) in separating MCI from SMC, p = 0.09. At its recommended cut-off (<62/100), the Qmci had a sensitivity of 90% and specificity of 87% for CI (MCI/dementia). Raising the cut-off to <65 optimized sensitivity (94%), reducing specificity (80%). At <26/30 the MoCA had better sensitivity (96%) but poor specificity (58%). A MoCA cut-off of <24 provided the optimal balance. Median Qmci administration time was 4.5 (±1.3) minutes compared with 9.5 (±2.8) for the MoCA. Conclusions: Although both tests distinguish MCI from dementia, the Qmci is particularly accurate in separating MCI from normal cognition and has shorter administration times, suggesting it is more useful in busy hospital clinics. This study reaffirms the high sensitivity of the MoCA but suggests a lower cut-off (<24) in this setting.


Based on prior investigations and the request from a collaborative research partner, UIQ Technology, an investigation to develop an improved and more informative fault classification scheme was launched. The study investigates the level of agreement, a prerequisite for using a fault classification, between classifiers in an industrial setting. The method used is an experimental approach performed in an industrial setting for determining the agreement among classifiers facilitating for example Kappa statistics for determining the agreement. From the study it is concluded that the agreement within the industrial setting is higher than obtained in a previous study within an academic setting, but it is still in need of improvement. This leads to the conclusion that the experience within industry as well as the improved information structure in relation to the previous study aids agreement, but to reach a higher level of agreement, additional education is believed to be needed at the company.


The hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS3.4A protease, which is essential for viral replication, is considered one of the most attractive targets for developing novel anti-HCV therapies. However, discovery of potent and selective small-molecule inhibitors of HCV NS3.4A protease as oral drug candidates has been hampered by the shallow substrate-binding groove of the protease. Serine trap warheads have been used to covalently anchor inhibitor scaffolds and to increase their affinity to the protease. This review will examine the evolution of covalent inhibitors of the HCV NS3.4A protease from early aldehyde molecules to alpha-ketoamide inhibitors. Kinetic and structural studies of alpha-ketoacid and alpha-ketoamide inhibitors revealed an unusual mechanism of binding in the catalytic site. Optimization of alpha-ketoamide scaffolds by scientists at Vertex and Eli Lilly led to the discovery of VX-950, a novel, potent, selective inhibitor of HCV NS3.4A protease. VX-950 possesses excellent antiviral activity in both HCV replicon cells and human fetal hepatocytes infected with HCV-positive patient sera. In addition, VX-950 exhibits a favorable pharmacokinetic profile in several animal species and demonstrates potent inhibition of the HCV NS3.4A protease activity in a mouse model. In a recent phase 1b clinical trial, VX-950 was able to rapidly reduce the plasma viral load of patients chronically infected with genotype 1 HCV by a mean approximately 3 log(10) in 2 days. The median viral load reduction was 4.4 log(10) for the best dose group after 14 days of dosing. The pre-clinical profile and early clinical data of VX-950 will be discussed in this review.


Predicting the log of the partition coefficient P is a long-standing benchmark problem in Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationships (QSAR). In this paper we show that a relatively simple molecular representation (using 14 variables) can be combined with leading edge machine learning algorithms to predict logP on new compounds more accurately than existing benchmark algorithms which use complex molecular representations.


On 25 September 1998 a moderate-size m bLg 5.2 earthquake occurred in northwestern Pennsylvania, near the Ohio border. Early source analyses suggested an unusual, non-double-couple component to the faulting mechanism, but subsequent checks of the near-real-time solutions suggested the non-double-couple component may have been an artifact. We investigate the size of the non-double-couple faulting component, improve mechanism and depth estimates for the Pymatuning event, and explore the reason(s) why early estimates contained large non-double-couple source components. We conclude that the non-double-couple component, while possible, is unnecessary and can be interpreted as a consequence of small amplitude features in near-nodal Rayleigh waves. We show that the Pymatuning earthquake can be explained with a pure double-couple faulting mechanism, corresponding to a near-vertical, mostly strike-slip fault with planes striking 110° and 13°, with dips of 70° and 71° and rakes of 20° and 159°. The estimated moment is 5.6 × 10 22 dyne-cm ( M w = 4.5). Regional waveforms constrain the depth of the event to be shallower than 7.5 km, and a short period teleseismic P waveform from northwest Russia suggests a shallower 2-4 km source. The roughly east-west- or north-south-striking vertical strike-slip mechanism agrees well with existing estimates of the stress field and is similar to the 1986 eastern Ohio earthquake mechanism.


The introduction of advanced techniques and technology in radiotherapy has greatly improved our ability to deliver highly conformal tumor
doses while minimizing the dose to the adjacent organs at risk. Despite these tremendous improvements there remains a general concern about doses to normal tissues outside the target volume. As patients live longer after treatment, there is increased opportunity for late effects including second cancers and cardiac toxicity to manifest. Complicating the management of these issues, there are unique challenges with measuring, calculating, and reducing non-target doses that many medical physicists may have limited experience with. Task Group (TG) 158, measurement and calculation of doses outside the treatment volume from external-beam radiation therapy was created to provide guidance for physicists in terms of assessing and managing non-target doses. This education session would highlight the major topics included TG-158.
The principal objective for this session will be to provide guidance for medical physicists in terms of assessing and managing non-target doses.
Learning Objectives:
1.
To highlight major concerns with non-target radiation and provide a rough estimate of doses associated with different treatment approaches in clinical practice.
2.
To discuss (a) uses of dosimeters and phantoms for measuring photon, electron, and neutron
doses and (b) the use of calculation techniques (including Monte Carlo) for dosimetric evaluations.
3.
To highlight techniques that may be considered for reducing non-target doses and summarize TG158 recommendations for both clinical and research practice.


Emergency situations such as wildfires, water floods, or even terrorist attacks require continuous communication between the coordination centres, the several on-the-field teams, and their respective devices to properly address the adverse circumstances. From a technological point of view, this can be best seen as a live Ubiquitous Sensor Network—composed of human beings (e.g., first responders, victims) and devices (e.g., drones, environmental sensors, radios)—with stringent and special communication requirements in terms of flexibility, mobility, reliability, bandwidth, heterogeneity, and speed of deployment. However, for this specific use case, most of the already deployed and well-known communication technologies (e.g., satellite, 4G/5G) might become unusable and hard to repair due to the associated effects of the disaster itself. The purpose of this paper is (1) to review the emergency communications challenges, (2) to analyse the existing surveys on technologies for emergency situations, (3) to conduct a more updated, extensive, and systematic review of the emergency communications' technologies, and (4) to propose a heterogeneous communication architecture able to communicate between moving agents in harsh conditions. The proposed approach is conceived to link the relocating agents that constitute a Ubiquitous Sensor Network spanning a large-scale area (i.e., hundreds of square kilometres) by combining Near Vertical Incidence Skywave technologies with Drone-Based Wireless Mesh Networks. The conclusions derived from this research aim to set up the fundamentals of a rapidly deployable Emergency Communications System inspired by the Ubiquitous Sensor Network paradigm.


In recent years, deep learning approaches have gained significant interest as a way of building hierarchical representations from unlabeled data. However, to our knowledge, these deep learning approaches have not been extensively studied for auditory data. In this paper, we apply convolutional deep belief networks to audio data and empirically evaluate them on various audio classification tasks. In the case of speech data, we show that the learned features correspond to phones/phonemes. In addition, our feature representations learned from unlabeled audio data show very good performance for multiple audio classification tasks. We hope that this paper will inspire more research on deep learning approaches applied to a wide range of audio recognition tasks.


We compare the probability of different warming rates to their mentions in IPCC reports through text mining. We find that there is a substantial mismatch between likely warming rates and research coverage. 1.5 °C and 2 °C scenarios are substantially overrepresented. More likely higher end warming scenarios of 3 °C and above, despite potential catastrophic impacts, are severely neglected.


Across languages, back is produced earlier and more frequently than front. This asymmetry has been attributed either to a conceptual/semantic asymmetry in the early meanings of these locatives (with back being more basic than front; conceptual immaturity account) or to the fact that Back configurations are inherently more 'noteworthy' than Front configurations (pragmatic account). Here, we tested the two accounts. In Study 1, children and adult speakers of English and Greek described Front/Back motion events. In Study 2, adult speakers of 10 additional languages described the same events. Despite cross-linguistic differences, speakers of all age and language groups typically used more Back than Front adpositions; furthermore, they often encoded Back information in occlusion verbs (e.g. hide) but no such verbs were available for Front. Thus, the front/back asymmetry is not due to children's conceptual immaturity but should be linked to pragmatic factors that also shape adult spatial language production cross-linguistically.


Bacterial root rot of sugarbeet (Beta vulgaris) caused by Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp. dextranicum is a disease problem recently described in the Intermountain West region of the United States. To ameliorate the impact of bacterial root rot on sucrose loss in the field, storage piles, and factories, studies were conducted to establish an assay for identifying host resistance. In 2006 and 2007, 21 commercial cultivars were evaluated in a petri dish laboratory assay. Root slices were inoculated with L. mesenteroides and the diameter of the rotted area was measured after 72 and 96 h. The cultivars were arranged in a randomized complete block design with 4 replications. With 2006 roots after 96 h, the average rot diameter ranged from 16 to 34 mm (LSD = 5) depending on cultivar. With 2007 roots after 96 h, the average rot diameter ranged from 10 to 48 mm (LSD = 7) depending on cultivar. The cultivar ranking between years was correlated at 72 (r = 0.47, P = 0.03) and 96 (r = 0.43, P = 0.05) h. The assay allowed for reliable cultivar separation regardless of whether one, two, three, or four roots were used per replication. The laboratory assay has the potential to allow host resistance to bacterial root rot caused by L. mesenteroides to be improved in sugarbeet.