Background Adherence to oral anticancer medication is important in cancer chemotherapy, with the advent of many oral anticancer regimens to ensure adequate cyto-logic response. Literature on adherence to oral anticancer therapy in India is very less. Materials and Methods This is a cross sectional analytical study consisting of all fit patients > 18 years of age taking oral anticancer therapy, with or without intravenous (IV) chemotherapy. Adherence was determined using Morisky–Green–Levine (MGL) scale, and factors affecting adherence details about cancer and treatment were obtained. All fit patients were recruited. Information was obtained using Tamil questionnaire and pro forma. Observation Of 152 patients, only 111 patients were found to be adherent to treatment. The mean age of the study population was 49.03 ± 13.48 years. Only 12.5% of patients were aware of the diagnosis, treatment, and outcome. The study population consisted mainly of patients with chronic myeloid leukemia, colorectal carcinoma, breast carcinoma, and stomach carcinoma, which amounted for 78.3% of the study population. Bivariate analysis concluded that duration of treatment, adverse drug reaction (ADR), duration of oral anticancer drug intake in a month, coadministration with IV anticancer drugs, and frequency of drug intake (anticancer drug) were significant factors affecting drug adherence. Multivariate analysis of the above variables was insignificant, but ADR tended toward significance. Conclusion Drug adherence plays a major role in treatment outcome in cancer patients. ADR was independently associated with decreased drug adherence. Key interventions which should include counseling and behavioral modifications will reduce nonadherence. Abstract


This study investigates the hydrology of Castle River in the southern Canadian Rocky Mountains. Temperature and precipitation data are analyzed regarding a climate trend between 1960 and 2010 and a general warming is identified. Observed streamflow has been declining in reaction to a decreasing snow cover and increasing evapotranspiration. To simulate the hydrological processes in the watershed, the physically based hydrological model WaSiM (Water Balance Simulation Model) is applied. Calibration and validation provide very accurate results and also the observed declining runoff trend can be reproduced with a slightly differing inclination. Besides climate change induced runoff variations, the impact of a vast wildfire in 2003 is analyzed. To determine burned areas a remote sensing method of differenced burn ratios is applied using Landsat data. The results show good agreement compared to observed fire perimeter areas. The impacts of the wildfires are evident in observed runoff data. They also result in a distinct decrease in model efficiency if not considered via an adapted model parameterization, taking into account the modified land cover characteristics for the burned area. Results in this study reveal (i) the necessity to establish specific land cover classes for burned areas; (ii) the relevance of climate and land cover change on the hydrological response of the Castle River watershed; and (iii) the sensitivity of the hydrological model to accurately simulate the hydrological behavior under varying boundary conditions. By these means, the presented methodological approach is considered robust to implement a scenario simulations framework for projecting the impacts of future climate and land cover change in the vulnerable region of Alberta's Rocky Mountains.


BACKGROUND
Because outcome for metastatic rhabdomyosarcoma remains poor with standard therapy, and because some patients with extensive unresectable metastatic rhabdomyosarcoma are unable to tolerate standard therapy with the associated large radiation fields, peripheral blood stem cell rescue (PBSCR) following high-dose chemotherapy was offered as consolidative therapy for patients with Stage 4/Group IV rhabdomyosarcoma.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
Eight patients with Stage 4/Group IV rhabdomyosarcoma were diagnosed from May, 1992, through November, 1994. Consolidative PBSCR following thiotepa 300 mg/M2 on days -7, -6, and -5; cyclophosphamide 1,500 mg/M2 on days -5, -4, -3, and -2; and carboplatin 600 mg/M2 on days -3 and -2 was offered to those patients who achieved a complete remission with multimodality therapy. Patients with extensive metastatic disease who did not receive full doses of radiation to all sites of disease remained eligible for high-dose chemotherapy and PBSCR.

RESULTS
Five of eight patients achieved a complete response. Four patients underwent PBSCR. One of the four patients is alive without evidence of disease 53 months post-PBSCR. All other patients died of progressive disease.

CONCLUSIONS
These results, along with the existing literature, show no advantage of high-dose chemotherapy followed by PBSCR as consolidative therapy for patients with Stage 4/Group IV rhabdomyosarcoma over standard dose chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery. For patients with extensive, unresectable disease at diagnosis who cannot receive radiation to all areas of disease based on concerns of marrow reserve, high-dose chemotherapy followed by PBSCR does not appear to provide adequate local control and cannot be offered as curative therapy.


Stratospheric temperature adjustment (STA) is often a significant component of greenhouse gas radiative forcing (RF), for both the most widely used definition of RF and effective radiative forcing. It is well established that the magnitude and sign of STA differs among greenhouse gases, being negative (at the tropopause) for CO2 increases (because it induces a cooling of the stratosphere) and positive for many halocarbons (because they induce a warming of the stratosphere); this effect is strongly related to the opacity (and hence the effective emitting temperature) of the troposphere at the wavelengths at which gases absorb. Here the spectral variation of STA is examined for the first time by systematically imposing a weak absorber in each of 300 bands of a narrow‐band radiation code. For this weak absorber, STA is negative for wavelengths greater than about 13 μm and positive in the 8‐ to 13‐μm "window" except in the vicinity of the 9.6‐μm ozone band. By combining narrow‐band and line‐by‐line model results, these findings are used to improve a widely used fast method to estimate radiative efficiency (RE, the RF per unit change in concentration) directly from laboratory measurements or theoretical calculations of halocarbon absorption cross sections; the new method reproduces detailed RE calculations to better than 1.4%. This is a significant improvement over a cruder method used to account for STA in RE tabulations in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's Fifth Assessment Report, which were used to calculate metrics such as the Global Warming Potential, for halocarbons and related substances.


To assume that a classroom is a place for interaction and a multivoiced arena is neither new norcontroversial. Today it is common that students are given more space on the conversational floor,in the name of democracy and dialogue-based pedagogy. However this does not mean that theteacher can abdicate from her or his responsibilities. On the contrary, a dialogical classroom requireshighly skilled teachers who know how to lead the classroom interaction and classroom activitiestoward the necessary goals in a constructive way. This article shows how important it is fora (high school) teacher to make conscious verbal choices in the interaction with students in orderto give them the best and most solid support during a writing project.The framework in this article is interactional analysis (activity analysis, CA, text analysis) froma sociocultural perspective. The analysis is carried out as a close study of the interaction during avideo-recorded writing project in a Swedish classroom.Keywords: writing development, classroom interaction, oral language education, teacher interaction,interactional sociolinguistics, conversation analysis, Swedish.


OBJECTIVES
To assess and compare the scientific pediatric production of Spanish authors in Pubmed and Journal Citation Reports (JCR) between 1996 and 2001.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
We reviewed the first 200 articles that appeared in PubMed between 1996 and 2001 on childhood ("newborn OR neonate OR children OR child OR infant") by Spanish authors (Spain [affiliation]). We compared the quality of study design, sample sizes, subject of the article, impact factor and the authors' specialty, using the chi-squared and/or Student's t-test. The factors related to publication in journals with an impact factor of more than 2 were analyzed using logistic regression analysis.

RESULTS
Only 35 % of the articles selected were performed exclusively in children. Between 1996 and 2001, Spanish pediatric publications included in the Journal Impact Factor increased by 37.5 %. The impact factor between these two years was similar (1.776 vs 1.823; p: NS). An impact factor of more than 2 was related to articles published in non-pediatric journals (OR: 3, 95 % CI: 1.17-7.69, p 0.018), publications including multiple regression analysis in the statistical analysis (OR: 3.27; 95 % CI: 1.12-9.56; p 0.028), multicenter studies (OR: 4.2, 95 % CI: 1.1-22.4, p 0.048) and articles on immunology or molecular biology (OR: 2.45; 95 % CI: 1.01-5.92; p 0.044).

CONCLUSIONS
In the last 5 years Spanish pediatric publications in journals included in the JCR increased by 37.5 %. We should promote publications with larger sample sizes, multicentric studies and those with high quality design (clinical trials and cohort studies).


In this paper, we present a disaggregated framework for the analysis of past and projected structural developments in the most relevant revenue and expenditure categories and the fiscal balance. The framework, in particular, distinguishes between the effects of discretionary fiscal policy and of macroeconomic and other developments and is sufficiently standardised to be used in multi-country studies. Here, it is applied to Belgium, Finland, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Portugal over the period 1998 to 2004. During this period the structural primary balance ratio clearly worsened in all countries except Finland. In Belgium, Italy and the Netherlands, both revenue and expenditure contributed to the deterioration of the structural primary balance. In Germany the large deterioration in revenue was partially offset by the decline in the structural primary expenditure ratio, while the opposite was true for Portugal. The analysis highlights the various factors that contributed to these developments.


We have used positron emission tomography (PET) to specify the cortical and subcortical structures activated following visual stimulation of the scotomatous field in a patient with an asymmetric bilateral developmental anomaly of the visual cortex. Computerized perimetry indicated a left visual field defect only although MRI and 18FDG-PET scans showed abnormalities in both occipital lobes. The visual stimuli were semicircular gratings moving in opposite directions on a dynamic random-dot background. They were specifically constructed to eliminate intra- and extraocular light scatter and to optimize the activation of extra-striate cortical areas and their projecting subcortical relays. For anatomical localization PET images were coregistered to the subject's MRI in Talairach coordinates. After subtraction of the baseline conditions from the stimulation conditions, a t-statistic map was created on a voxel-by-voxel basis. Stimulation of the scotomatous hemifield yielded significant activations of Brodmann cortical areas 18-19 and 47 as well as the pulvinar thalami of the left hemisphere, in addition to a less prominent activation in the right hemisphere. Stimulation of the intact hemifield produced significant activation of Brodmann cortical areas 30 and 47 of the left hemisphere. These results suggest that in the absence of area V1, residual vision observed in the blind hemifield could be mediated by a retinofugal pathway to extrastriate cortex via the pulvinar.


With the introduction of driving automation, the driving task has become a shared task between driver and vehicle. Today, an increasing amount of driving tasks can be performed by the automation and the view of driver and automation acting as collaborative partners has been well established. Although this notion has been adopted in the research and design domains, means to assess the quality of the driver-automation interaction in a structured way are still lacking. Moreover, most design evaluations are usually addressed either from a technical stance or from a human factors viewpoint, which does not comply with a general acknowledged view of a unified driver-vehicle system. The aim of the current study is therefore to investigate the possibility to quantitatively evaluate the quality of the driver and vehicle cooperation. Seven dimensions indicative for the quality of cooperation are identified, based on a literature survey and expert input during focus groups. This work potentially supports road authorities, legislation, regulation and original equipment manufacturers to monitor, evaluate and design driver-vehicle cooperation.


The study used the innovation system approach to ascertain the intensity and trends of linkages among key actors in the climate change and food security innovation system in Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Liberia. Data were collected through the use of semi structured interview schedule, key informant interviews and focus group discussions (FGDs) and analyzed using percentages, mean scores and trend analysis. Only 1.8% of the
farmers from Nigeria, 2.5% from Sierra Leone and 0.7% from Liberia possessed special training on climate change adaptation and food security issues. The presence of local collaboration among actors was higher in Nigeria than in Sierra Leone and Liberia. There was nonexistence of overseas linkages with majority (89.0% for Nigeria; 98.0 for Sierra Leone and 96.8% for Liberia) of the farmers across the three countries. The intensity of linkages / collaborations existing among actors in the enterprise domain, in the three countries, outweighs that with other domains, with higher collaborations existing among the small-scale farmers and famers' associations. However, there was a perceived increase in the trend of linkage between farmers and R & D institutions in Nigeria between 2007 and 2009, with a linkage index of more than 2. There was also an increasing higher linkage index (of more than 2) between farmers and technology delivery institutions in Nigeria than in
Sierra Leone and Liberia, but a low linkage index of less than 2 between farmers and policy making bodies for all the countries. Poor generation of innovations over the past ten years and poor domestic support for climate change adaptation and food security in the West African sub-region were identified. The study points to the need to intensify the collaboration efforts, between local and foreign partners, as this will bring about the
generation of better and improved innovations on food security and adaptive measures.


This article examines the factors that lie behind Canada's success at earning the support of its newcomers. It examines the extent to which feelings towards Canada are grounded in immigrants' experiences in the host country, predispositions inherited from their lives prior to migration, and their comparative assessments of the host country and the country of origin. The findings indicate that although feelings towards Canada are partly shaped by post-migration factors, immigrants also interpret experiences in their new host country through the lens of their pre-migration experiences.


With increase in time-critical applications over the Internet, the need for differentiating services has become a major endeavor in research communities. One promising paradigm proposed to support such traffic diversity in the next-generation Internet is Optical Burst Switching (OBS). In the literature, two simple but efficient approaches namely, threshold and wavelength-based techniques have been investigated under the resource allocation-based QoS management scheme as solutions to overcome the bandwidth requirement in the backbone. However, to the best of our knowledge, the wavelength-based technique has not been analytically studied for any arbitrary number of service classes. In this paper, we generalize the wavelength-based technique to support any number of classes. Firstly, we present a novel mathematical model for the wavelength-based technique for real-time and non-real-time service classes. The proposed model is then extended to support any arbitrary number of classes. Simulations conducted at the switch level validate the model.


In this paper, an extended Generalized Stochastic Petri Net (e-GSPN) was proposed for effective modeling of complex container terminal logistics systems (CTLS). To cope with their complexity and implement rule based dynamic scheduling of CTLS, a special type of place called rule place and a special type of transition called decision transition are integrated in GSPN using object oriented approaches. Guided by this e-GSPN method, a simulation model was built as an example to illustrate the modeling approaches. According to actual operations in one container terminal of Shanghai port in China, we give a case study to analyze the relationships between decision rules and collisions.


Chain-shortening via beta-oxidation from the omega-end has been recognized as the major pathway for the degradation of the biologically active cysteinyl leukotrienes as well as LTB4. The metabolic compartmentation of this pathway was investigated in peroxisomal-deficient (Zellweger syndrome) and normal human hepatocytes. Leukotriene metabolism was studied in isolated hepatocytes by incubation with omega-carboxy-[3H]LTE4 as well as omega-carboxy-[3H]LTB4. Analysis was done by HPLC, UV-detection and radioactivity measurements. Incubation of normal hepatocytes with omega-carboxy-[3H]LTE4 or omega-carboxy-[3H]LTB4 resulted in the formation of the corresponding beta-oxidation products, whereas beta-oxidation derivatives were not detected as products formed by peroxisome-deficient human hepatocytes. These results underline the essential contribution of peroxisomes in the catabolism and inactivation of cysteinyl leukotrienes and LTB4 in humans.


We report on a technique that utilizes an array of galvanic microreactors to guide the assembly of two-dimensional colloidal crystals with spatial and orientational order. Our system is comprised of an array of copper and gold electrodes in a coplanar arrangement, immersed in a dilute hydrochloric acid solution in which colloidal micro-spheres of polystyrene and silica are suspended. Under optimized conditions, two-dimensional colloidal crystals form at the anodic copper with patterns and crystal orientation governed by the electrode geometry. After the aggregation process, the colloidal particles are cemented to the substrate by co-deposition of reaction products. As we vary the electrode geometry, the dissolution rate of the copper electrodes is altered. This way, we control the colloidal motion as well as the degree of reaction product formation. We show that particle motion is governed by a combination of electrokinetic effects acting directly on the colloidal particles and bulk electrolyte flow gener...


By using wormlike chain model, we have theoretically investigated the forceextension relations of semiflexible polymer chains constrained by a) a slab-like confinement, where the polymer chains are sandwiched between two parallel impenetrable walls; b) and a capped nanochannel confinement with a circular or rectangular cross-section, where chains are bounded in two directions. Brownian dynamics simulations, based on a recently developed generalized bead-rod (GBR) model (Wang and Gao, J. Chem. Phys., 2005, 123: 084906), are performed to verify the theoretical predictions on force-extension behavior of the confined polymer chains


Candida albicans is an opportunistic fungal pathogen of human present in mouth, skin, nails, mucous membranes of respiratory, gastrointestinal, female genital tract, etc. Vulvovaginal Candidiasis (VVC) is a common form of candidiasis seen in women, especially during the pregnancy and menstrual periods. Despite the high rate incidence, only limited number of therapy is available for this infection. Usually, VVC is treated by oral or topical anti-candida agents belonging to the category of fluoropyrimidines, polyenes, azoles and echinocandins. Inherent ability to react with other drugs restricted the use of fluoropyrimidines and polyenes, while most widely used drug, azoles, faces drug resistance by the pathogen. Even though, echinocandins are comparatively newer drug, there are reports of resistance against these groups in pathogenic Candida. This forces scientists to look for new form of drugs. Plants provide unlimited opportunities for new drug development because of the matchless availability of chemical diversity in the plant kingdom. Different bioactive secondary metabolites such as terpenoids, organosulfur compounds, isoquinoline alkaloid, flavonoids, fatty acids, lactone, naphthoquinone, phenolic compounds, etc. are distributed widely in various plant families. Many scientists have screened the ability of different plant species to inhibit Candida albicans and studied the mechanism of inhibition. This review compiles the names of reported plants, secondary metabolite present in them and mode of Candida inhibitory action of these compounds. Such a report would be useful for any drug discovery group to find out effective drug against pathogenic Candida.


Background: We assessed the mental health of individuals in the general population, during an initial period of easing of COVID-19 restrictions in the Republic of Ireland (RoI). Methods: Data were collected through a nationally representative cross-sectional telephone survey, during the first period of easing of restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic between May and July 2020. Mental health was examined using the Patient Health Questionnaire Anxiety Depression Scale. Poisson regression analyses were conducted to estimate risk ratios with robust variance estimation of the association between selected demographic factors and the risk of having depression and anxiety symptoms. Results: Of the 1,983 participants, 27.7% (n = 549; 95% CI: 0.26 - 0.30) reported depression and anxiety symptoms, while 74 (3.8%; 95% CI: 0.03 - 0.05) disclosed self-harm and/or suicidal thoughts. Females (RR: 1.60, 95% CI: 1.37 - 1.87, p < 0.0005), employed individuals who experienced a change in work status (RR: 1.50, 95% CI: 1.24 - 1.82, p < 0.0005), participants cocooning due to a health condition (RR: 1.34, 95% CI: 1.08 - 1.66, p< 0.01), participants who were self-isolating (RR: 1.25, 95% CI: 1.03 - 1.51, p=0.025) and moderate-heavy drinkers (RR: 1.27, 95% CI: 1.09 - 1.47, p<0.01) were at increased risk of depression and anxiety. Young people aged 18-29 years and those in the two lowest income categories were most likely to report self-harm and/or suicidal thoughts. Conclusion: As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, with further waves and associated restrictions, the impact on mental health in the population as a whole and in specific subgroups must be considered. Study protocol registration: doi.org/10.12688/hrbopenres.13103.2


Background: Little has been documented on the extent of the impact of work environment, interpersonal relationships, coping mechanisms and the burnout syndrome on medical workers in Kenya. Worldwide, medical workers have been found to be vulnerable to burnout syndrome, which in turn lowers the quality of their lives and health services provision.

Objective: To establish the prevalence rate of and factors associated with burnout syndrome among medical workers at the Kenyatta National Hospital, Nairobi.

Setting: Kenyatta National Hospital, Nairobi.

Design: Descriptive cross-sectional.
Subjects: Three hundred and forty five (345) medical practitioners and nurses with six or more months of work experience at Kenyatta National Hospital, Nairobi, Kenya.
Outcome measures: Prevalence rate, socio-demographic characteristics, factors associated with and influencing burnout syndrome among the medical workers at the Kenyatta National Hospital, Nairobi.

Methods: Proportionate allocation and simple random sampling strategy were used to recruit medical practitioners and nurses on the basis of qualifications, departments and distribution.

Results: The crude prevalence rate of burnout syndrome was 95.4%. All sociodemographic factors and work environment related factors were found to be strongly contributing to their burnout syndrome. The burnout syndrome for socio-demographic factors were in excess of 95.0 and 'self-factors' contributed 14.0%. Patients and their relatives contributed 40.5% while work environment contributed the largest proportion (55.5%) of the total scores for burnout intensity.

Conclusion: Burnout syndrome was found to be high among medical workers at KNH, Nairobi. The prevalence rate (95.4%) in this study was higher than that found in studies in other countries worldwide (66.0%). The major contributors to burnout intensity scores were work environment (56.0%), patients' relatives (41.0%) and self factors (14.0%).


The nanostructure of Ce doped OMS-2 plays a very important role in its catalytic property. We demonstrate by density functional theory (DFT) calculations that the unique nanostructure of the Ce ion substituted OMS-2 with Mn vacancy in the framework is beneficial for the improvement of catalytic activity, while the nanostructure of the Ce ion substituted OMS-2 without defects are detrimental to the catalytic activity. We establish a novel and facile strategy of synthesizing these unique Ce ion substituted OMS-2 nanostructure with Mn vacancies in the framework by hydrothermal redox reaction between Ce(NO3)3 and KMnO4 with KMnO4/Ce(NO3)3 at a molar ratio of 3 : 1 at 120 °C. Compared to pure OMS-2, the produced catalyst of Ce ion substituted OMS-2 ultrathin nanorods exhibits an enormous enhancement in the catalytic activity for benzene oxidation, which is evidenced by a significant decrease (ΔT(50) = 100 °C, ΔT(90) = 129 °C) in the reaction temperature of T50 and T90 (corresponding to the benzene conversion = 50% and 90%), which is considerably more efficient than the expensive supported noble metal catalyst (Pt/Al2O3). We combine both theoretical and experimental evidence to provide a new physical insight into the significant effect due to the defects induced by the Ce ion substitution on the catalytic activity of OMS-2. The formation of unique Ce ion substituted OMS-2 nanostructure with Mn vacancies in the framework leads to a significant enhancement of the lattice oxygen activity, thus tremendously increasing the catalytic activity.


A key step in workflow design is to determine the activity sequences, which are often driven by the dataflow constraints in a business process. Therefore, the literature has suggested that workflow design can start with dataflow analysis. However, no formalism exists for deriving activity sequences from a set of identified activities and their input and output data. In this paper, we formalize the problem of workflow design on the basis of dataflow analysis. We tackle the problem by using the concept of "activity relations" as an intermediate step for identifying the possible activity execution sequences from dataflow. We investigate how to derive activity relations from dataflow and discuss their implication in workflow design.


This study investigates the influence of strain state distribution on the accuracy of embedded optical fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) used as strain sensors. An optical fiber embedded parallel to adjacent structural fibers in a graphite epoxy quasi-isotropic [(90/ ±45/0)S]3 lay-up is evaluated with mechanical loading parallel to the fiber optic direction. Finite element analysis (FEA) is used to evaluate the fiber optic sensors' responses both in the far field and near field regions of the mechanical grips. Comparison between experimental fiber optic strains, strain gauges, and FEA provides good correlation in the far field with differences of less than 1%. However, in the near field region, some discrepancies are found and attributed to birefringence arising from complex strain states.


Between April 1982 and December 1997 24 patients with carcinoma of the anal margin were treated with radiation therapy (RT) (10 patients) or RT-chemotherapy (CT) (14 patients). External beam RT (EBRT) was delivered in 18 patients, combined with brachytherapy in 5 patients, while one patient was treated with brachytherapy alone. Inguinal nodes were irradiated in 17 patients. Chemotherapy was based on 5-fluorouracil and mitomycin-C. At 5 years, the overall survival rate was 56% and the locoregional rate was 69.5%. Anal sphincter was preserved in 16/24 treated patients. Grade 4 late complications were observed in 3 patients. This study reinforces the notion that radical RT +/- CT provides a high probability of cure and sphincter preservation in patients presenting with this rare condition. Major late toxicity is uncommon; a better adaptation of treatment technique to the individual clinical situation may prevent some of the more severe complications in the future.


We have created a 2D morphometric analysis of the developing mouse hindlimb bud. This analysis has provided two useful resources for the study of limb development. First, a temporally accurate numerical description of shape changes during normal mouse limb development. Second, a web-based morphometric staging system, which has the advantage of being easy to use, and with a reproducibility of about ±2 hours. It allows users to upload a dorsal-view photo of a limb bud, draw a spline curve and thereby stage the bud within a couple of minutes. We describe how the system is constructed, its robustness to user variation and illustrate one application: the accurate tracking of spatiotemporal dynamics of gene expression patterns.


Introduction: Sulcotrione is a herbicidal agent belonging to the family of triketones. Sulcotrione herbicides are used for weed control in maize and flax crops. To date, no cases of human poisoning had been reported in the literature linked to different herbicidal agents in the triketone family. We report here on two cases of the voluntary ingestion of this substance in the form of the branded product MikadoTM, which were recorded by the Angers Poison Centre. Case report: Both cases of voluntary ingestion constituted attempted suicide, and involved two men aged 30 and 37 years. Their symptoms linked to sulcotrione were limited to vomiting, despite elevated plasma concentrations of sulcotrione. In one case, hypertyrosinemia has been demonstrated. The outcome was favourable in both patients and at follow up, no ocular disorders were observed. In the second case, hypotension and transient renal failure could be linked to the concomitant ingestion of chlorophenoxy herbicides. Discussion: In animal toxicity studies, sulcotrione inhibit 4-hydro-phenylpyruvate dioxygenase leading to hypertyrosinemia and corneal opacities. In both cases, no ocular disorders were observed despite hypertyrosinemia in one case. These case reports were consistent with the animal toxicology findings concerning triketones, and particularly their relative safety in mammals following acute poisoning. However it seems prudent to monitor plasma tyrosine concentrations and to screen prospectively for corneal deposits if further acute intoxication events occur.


DYNAMIC FREQUENT ITEMSET MINING BASED ON MATRIX APRIORI ALGORITHM The frequent itemset mining algorithms discover the frequent itemsets from a database. When the database is updated, the frequent itemsets should be updated as well. However, running the frequent itemset mining algorithms with every update is inefficent. This is called the dynamic update problem of frequent itemsets and the solution is to devise an algorithm that can dynamically mine the frequent itemsets. In this study, a dynamic frequent itemset mining algorithm, which is called Dynamic Matrix Apriori, is proposed and explained. In addition, the proposed algorithm is compared using two datasets with the base algorithm Matrix Apriori which should be re-run when the database is updated.


Substantial research has examined urban middle class parents and their motivations for enrolling their children in city public schools. Less research, however, has explored how these types of parents view private schools and suburban public schools. Using in-depth interviews with parents and guided by the frameworks of rational choice and social identity theories, this paper explores this topic. Findings suggest that both instrumental and philosophical factors affect parents' perceptions of private schools and suburban public schools. Parents tended to be skeptical of the purported, superior quality of education in both private and suburban public schools. They also felt these schools offered neither advantages surrounding the social/peer climate, nor in college preparation. In addition, parents believed that enrolling their children in either private schools or suburban public schools would undermine their egalitarian and inclusive social and political values.


REVISITING THE "CURRENT-TRADITIONAL ERA": INNOVATIONS IN WRITING INSTRUCTION AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE, 1940-1949 by Katherine E. Tirabassi University of New Hampshire, May, 2007 Composition histories mainly focus on a study of "official" texts such as composition textbooks and administrative records to elucidate pedagogical and curricular practices in writing instruction. Yet in recent years, more studies have focused on archival research, on what John Brereton calls the "everyday fabric" of writing instruction. My dissertation project explores the "everyday fabric" of writing instruction during the 1940s at the University of New Hampshire (UNH), looking at archival records, 1940s disciplinary debates and pedagogical practices within and beyond the formal curriculum on the national and local levels, and interviews I conducted with UNH alumni about their curricular and extracurricular experiences while attending UNH during the 1940s. My study draws on primary sources to consider what I term institutional writing cultures that are shaped by external pressures, curricular choices, theoretical perspectives, extracurricular initiatives, and regional influences. R eproduced with perm ission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without perm ission. This institutional historical study highlights how the archival records of even one institution's writing culture can complicate the field's current views of the currenttraditional period and issues a challenge to some of the assumptions in composition studies about 1940s writing instruction. I argue that organizing writing theory and pedagogy in terms of periods can limit ways that we conceive of, study, and write about historical and current shifts in writing theory. This study also includes an argument for and an illustration of writing methodological descriptions for historical studies in composition as a means of engaging with and yet resisting the hegemony of a grand narrative and as a means of displaying the seams and gaps within historical narratives. The findings from my study illustrate that institutional writing cultures emerge from reciprocal relationships between the formal writing curriculum and the writing initiatives in the extracurriculum Overall, this dissertation demonstrates that the study of institutional writing cultures is a productive means of understanding and analyzing contradictions, connections and intersections among various sites of writing in localized contexts and a key starting place for future studies of regional trends in writing instruction. R eproduced with perm ission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without perm ission.


Slow Wallerian degeneration (Wld(S)) mutant mice express a chimeric nuclear protein that protects sick or injured axons from degeneration. The C-terminal region, derived from NAD(+) synthesizing enzyme Nmnat1, is reported to confer neuroprotection in vitro. However, an additional role for the N-terminal 70 amino acids (N70), derived from multiubiquitination factor Ube4b, has not been excluded. In wild-type Ube4b, N70 is part of a sequence essential for ubiquitination activity but its role is not understood. We report direct binding of N70 to valosin-containing protein (VCP; p97/Cdc48), a protein with diverse cellular roles including a pivotal role in the ubiquitin proteasome system. Interaction with Wld(S) targets VCP to discrete intranuclear foci where ubiquitin epitopes can also accumulate. Wld(S) lacking its N-terminal 16 amino acids (N16) neither binds nor redistributes VCP, but continues to accumulate in intranuclear foci, targeting its intrinsic NAD(+) synthesis activity to these same foci. Wild-type Ube4b also requires N16 to bind VCP, despite a more C-terminal binding site in invertebrate orthologues. We conclude that N-terminal sequences of Wld(S) protein influence the intranuclear location of both ubiquitin proteasome and NAD(+) synthesis machinery and that an evolutionary recent sequence mediates binding of mammalian Ube4b to VCP.


The power production of the Lillgrund wind farm is determined numerically using large-eddy simulations and compared with measurements. In order to simulate realistic atmospheric conditions, pre-generated turbulence and wind shear are imposed in the computational domain. The atmospheric conditions are determined from data extracted from a met mast, which was erected prior to the establishment of the farm. In order to allocate most of the computational power to the simulations of the wake flow, the turbines are modeled using an actuator disc method where the discs are imposed in the computational domain as body forces which for every time step are calculated from tabulated airfoil data. A study of the influence of imposed upstream ambient turbulence is performed and shows that higher levels of turbulence results in slightly increased total power production and that it is of great importance to include ambient turbulence in the simulations. By introducing ambient atmospheric turbulence, the simulations compare very well with measurements at the studied inflow angles. A final study aiming at increasing the farm production by curtailing the power output of the front row turbines and thus letting more kinetic energy pass downstream is performed. The results, however, show that manipulating only the front row turbines has no positive effect on the farm production, and therefore, more complex curtailment strategies are needed to be tested. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


The present study provides additional data on the distributional range of six alien foraminiferal species in living assemblages from Greek coastal areas (Aegean Sea, Eastern Mediterranean). Amphistegina lobifera LARSEN 1976, Sorites orbiculus (FORSK L 1775) and Coscinospira hemprichii EHRENBERG 1839 are well established in Greek coastal areas, whereas Triloculina fichteliana D'ORBIGNY 1839, Planogypsina acervalis (BRADY 1884) and Cymbaloporetta plana (CUSHMAN 1924), are recorded for the first time in this paper. The occurrence of these species in a number of sites in the Aegean Sea establishes their presence in the Eastern Mediterranean.


EDRS Price MF-$0.25 HC-$0.85 Descriptors-*Beliefs, *College Students, *Higher Education, *Values In order to examine the relationship between the values of college students and related nonacademic variables, 4005 students were asked to express political, religious, and philosophic preferences and state their socioeconomic background. There were 5 available choices for each variable. These variables were then measured against the same students' answers to a 20-item questionnaire ranging from "purpose of science" o "man's responsibility." Data is presented on the significant differences within each variable for each polyphasic values inventory item and the significant differences from the norm group toward liberalism or conservatism for each of the groups (political, religious, philosophic or socioeconomic) on each polyphasic values inventory item. It was found that Republicans. Protestants and realists were the most conservative of all groups and on most items the conservative groups did not deviate from the norm nearly as much as groups which were more liberal than the norm. These groups were quite large in contrast to the liberal groups which were quite small. Three groups were very liberal compared to the norm: Socialists, existentialists and those with no religious preference. But an examination of the interrelationships arliong these 3 groups indicated that, for the most part, 1 group is not heavily composed of students from either of the other 2. Pragmatists, idealists and those in the "none of these" philosophic group showed no definite conservative or liberal pattern and were only significantly 'different from the norm on a few items. The 5 socioeconomic groups


The range of macrofibre twist states that can be achieved by various strains of Bacillus subtilis has been examined as a function of two variables: growth temperature and medium composition. Two graphic techniques were utilized to organize and compare data which pertain to the complex phenotypes of macrofibre mutants. The steady state twist states of strains were determined by qualitative examination. Structures were produced at each of the extremes of temperature and medium composition. Patterns obtained from a graphical representation of these data permitted the strains to be grouped into three classes: (A) strains in which helix-hand inversion could be triggered by nutrition at both 20 degrees or 48 degrees C, and by temperature in either medium; (B) strains in which a more limited set of conditions could induce inversion, and (C) strains which were restricted to either the right- or left-hand domain of twist states. Genetic factors governing these patterns were examined. Quantitative measurements of static twist were obtained over the entire temperature and media range, providing a detailed picture of the dependence of twist upon these environmental influences. Although the macrofibre twist state phenotype (as a function of both variables over the entire range of conditions) of each strain was unique, common features were discernible in all strains. Although some strains were limited to a single helix hand under all conditions studied, none were found to be restricted to a single twist state.


The clinical benefits of chemotherapy are commonly offset by insufficient drug exposures, narrow safety margins, and/or systemic toxicities. Over recent decades, a number of conjugate-based targeting approaches designed to overcome these limitations have been explored. Here, we report on an innovative strategy that utilizes HSP90 inhibitor–drug conjugates (HDC) for directed tumor targeting of chemotherapeutic agents. STA-12-8666 is an HDC that comprises an HSP90 inhibitor fused to SN-38, the active metabolite of irinotecan. Mechanistic analyses in vitro established that high-affinity HSP90 binding conferred by the inhibitor backbone could be exploited for conjugate accumulation within tumor cells. In vivo modeling showed that the HSP90 inhibitor moiety was required for selective retention of STA-12-8666, and this enrichment promoted extended release of active SN-38 within the tumor compartment. Indeed, controlled intratumoral payload release by STA-12-8666 contributed to a broad therapeutic window, sustained biomarker activity, and remarkable degree of efficacy and durability of response in multiple cell line and patient-derived xenograft models. Overall, STA-12-8666 has been developed as a unique HDC agent that employs a distinct mechanism of targeted drug delivery to achieve potent and sustained antitumor effects. These findings identify STA-12-8666 as a promising new candidate for evaluation as novel anticancer therapeutic. Mol Cancer Ther; 14(11); 2422–32. ©2015 AACR.


Abstract Existing studies on electoral turnout in times of economic crisis have predominantly focused on disadvantaged voters. However, during the recent economic crisis, turnout among highly educated citizens has strongly declined as well. Existing resource-based theories of political participation cannot account for this. This article suggests that the anticipation of government inefficacy is an important driver of abstention among highly educated. Where governments are severely constrained, these citizens anticipate that the hands of future governments will be tied. Hence they are more likely to abstain out of frustration or rational calculations. The study uses the recent economic crisis as test case, as it entails particularly acute constraints on several European governments. The cross-sectional and longitudinal evidence – based on ESS survey data and different measures of government constraint in 28 European countries – provides ample support for the argument.


Background: Active mobilization is a key component in fast-track surgical strategies. Following major surgery, clinicians are often reluctant to mobilize patients arguing that circulatory homeostasis would be impaired as a result of myocardial stunning, fluid shift, and autonomic dysfunction. Aims: We examined the feasibility and safety of a mobilization protocol 12-24 h after elective cardiac surgery. Setting and Design: This observational study was performed in a tertiary nonacademic cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit. Materials and Methods: Over a 6-month period, we prospectively evaluated the hemodynamic response to a two-staged mobilization procedure in 53 consecutive patients. Before, during, and after the mobilization, hemodynamics parameters were recorded, including the central venous oxygen saturation (ScvO 2 ), lactate concentrations, mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR), right atrial pressure (RAP), and arterial oxygen saturation (SpO 2 ). Any adverse events were documented. Results: All patients successfully completed the mobilization procedure. Compared with the supine position, mobilization induced significant increases in arterial lactate (34.6% [31.6%, 47.6%], P = 0.0022) along with reduction in RAP (−33% [−21%, −45%], P < 0.0001) and ScvO 2 (−7.4% [−5.9%, −9.9%], P = 0.0002), whereas HR and SpO 2 were unchanged. Eighteen patients (34%) presented a decrease in MAP > 10% and nine of them (17%) required treatment. Hypotensive patients experienced a greater decrease in ScvO 2 (−18 ± 5% vs. −9 ± 4%, P = 0.004) with similar changes in RAP and HR. All hemodynamic parameters, but arterial lactate, recovered baseline values after resuming the horizontal position. Conclusions: Early mobilization after cardiac surgery appears to be a safe procedure as far as it is performed under close hemodynamic and clinical monitoring in an intensive care setting.


Abstract. The inhabited zone of the Ugandan Rwenzori Mountains is affected by landslides, frequently causing loss of life, damage to infrastructure and loss of livelihood. This area of ca. 1230 km2 is characterized by contrasting geomorphologic, climatic and lithological patterns, resulting in different landslide types. In this study, the spatial pattern of landslide susceptibility is investigated based on an extensive field inventory constructed for five representative areas within the region (153 km2) and containing over 450 landslides. To achieve a reliable susceptibility assessment, the effects of (1) using different topographic data sources and spatial resolutions and (2) changing the scale of assessment by comparing local and regional susceptibility models on the susceptibility model performances are investigated using a pixel-based logistic regression approach. Topographic data are extracted from different digital elevation models (DEMs) based on radar interferometry (SRTM and TanDEM-X) and optical stereophotogrammetry (ASTER DEM). Susceptibility models using the radar-based DEMs tend to outperform the ones using the ASTER DEM. The model spatial resolution is varied between 10, 20, 30 and 90 m. The optimal resolution depends on the location of the investigated area within the region but the lowest model resolution (90 m) rarely yields the best model performances while the highest model resolution (10 m) never results in significant increases in performance compared to the 20 m resolution. Models built for the local case studies generally have similar or better performances than the regional model and better reflect site-specific controlling factors. At the regional level the effect of distinguishing landslide types between shallow and deep-seated landslides is investigated. The separation of landslide types allows us to improve model performances for the prediction of deep-seated landslides and to better understand factors influencing the occurrence of shallow landslides such as tangent curvature and total rainfall. Finally, the landslide susceptibility assessment is overlaid with a population density map in order to identify potential landslide risk hotspots, which could direct research and policy action towards reduced landslide risk in this under-researched, landslide-prone region.


OBJECTIVE
To explore whether patients' pain experiences and orthodontists' assessments of their patients' pain levels are consistent and whether orthodontists are aware of their patients' use of pain medication.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Survey data were collected from 116 adolescent patients (44 male, 72 female; aged 10 to 19 years; mean age, 14.27 years) and from their orthodontic care providers.

RESULTS
While only 18.0% of these patients agreed that they had pain during their last orthodontic appointment, 58.5% indicated that they experienced pain for a few days after their appointment. On average, dentists underestimated the patients' pain during the last appointment (rated on a 5-point scale, with 1 indicating no pain: providers = 2.01 vs patients = 2.28; P = .042), immediately after the last appointment (1.93 vs 2.34; P = .005), and 1 day (1.77 vs 2.53; P < .001) and 2 days (1.57 vs 2.19; P < .001) after the previous appointment. Only 26.5% of the patients used pain medication immediately following and 1 day after the last appointment. Providers underestimated the amount of medication used.

CONCLUSION
Orthodontists underestimated the degree to which orthodontic treatment caused pain for their patients and their patients' use of pain medication.


In this paper we defend the thesis that the notion of life, in Foucault's work, is not only the historical correlate of power and knowledge practices. Foucault argues a Vitalist ontological position, however intermittent and not at all explicit. The source of this philosophical choice in Foucault is not Nietzsche or Deleuze, but it coincides in many respects with the non-essentialist Vitalism of Georges Canguilhem. First, we compare Canguilhem and Foucault's relation to the Kantian tradition, in its critical and transcendental aspects. Secondly, we confront the notion of life on the philosophical proposals of Canguilhem and Foucault. Finally we analyze the canguilhemian origin of the normalization foucauldian concept. This affiliation also regards the concept of biopolitics, referred to a power that acts on life, imitating its operation. This rooting of the thought of Foucault in the Vitalism of his master resolves two internal tensions in the path of the first: the justification of movements of revolt and self-formative character of subjectivity.


Three incomplete thecae of the stylophoran Lagynocystis cf. pyramidalis (Barrande, 1887) are described from the Upper Ordovician of the Baltic Paleobasin for the first time. These specimens of Lagynocystis are the first records of this genus from the Ordovician outside peri-Gondwana, thus significantly expanding its paleogeographical distribution of this genus. Due to the preservation of the specimens the microstructure of the stereom is studied for the first time in this genus.


The combination of a solid and a liquid insulation is the most frequently used insulating system in high voltage apparatus, where components have to be insulated and loss heat has to be dissipated. The requirements on the liquid part of the insulating system are not only the electric and dielectric performance but also the performance regarding environmental requirements and dehydration capability as well as low inflammability. The use of ester liquid, partly or totally replacing mineral oil, reduces the risk of environmental pollution, increases the lifetime of the component and reduces the fire risk. Furthermore the capability of ester liquid to assimilate a higher amount of water in comparison to mineral oil without reducing its electric strength reduces the breakdown endangerment during cold start and allows the operation of the component at higher temperatures. The contribution presents a comparison of the performance of ester liquid and mineral oil as well as oil/ester mixtures concerning the electric behaviour and covers the whole range of blends between ester liquid and mineral oil. The dielectric parameters like dissipation factor and permittivity have been measured for the whole mixture range in order to evaluate the performance of the complete insulating system regarding the compatibility of the liquid insulation with different types of paper.


BACKGROUND
Overloads of reactive oxygen species in diabetes are associated with a number of pathological conditions, such as endothelial damage, which plays an important role in the initial stage of atherosclerosis. Plasma soluble thrombomodulin (sTM) and von Willebrand factor (vWF) have been found to be important markers of endothelial dysfunction.

MATERIAL/METHODS
33 male Wistar rats were used for this experiment. All rats received standard rat chow and water. 25 rats were made diabetic by intra peritoneal injection of streptozotocin (STZ) (65 mg/kg) and divided into three groups. Group I was allowed free access to food and water, Group II received 30 mg vitamin C daily, and Group III received a-tocopherol in a dose of 600 mg/kg body weight.

RESULTS
At the end of the experimental period, there was significant elevation of sTM, vWF, fibrinogen, systolic blood pressure, and mean arterial blood pressure (MAP); however, there was a significant decrease in serum HDL cholesterol in the diabetic group in comparison to controls. Administration of antioxidants (vitamin C and a-tocopherol) caused attenuation of the endothelial damage, as vitamin C administration caused a significant decrease in sTM, vWF, fibrinogen and increased HDL-cholesterol, while a-tocopherol caused a significant decrease in vWF and sTM. Both vitamin C and a-tocopherol caused a significant decrease in systolic blood pressure and mean arterial pressure.

CONCLUSIONS
Our results suggest that administration of antioxidants may ameliorate the risk of thrombo-embolism in diabetes associated with hypertension.


Objective: The main purpose of this study is to apply the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) approach to model the health status in rural and urban society in West Sumatera, Indonesia. Methods: The data set was taken from Primary Health Research that was conducted in the year 2013 in Indonesia. In this study, SEM was applied to 3677 respondents from urban area and 3134 respondents from rural area who lived in West Sumatera, a propince in Indonesia. The survey involved the gathering of information on the respondent's socio-demography, lifestyles, mental health condition, and biomarkers. Results: After fitting the data to the hypothesis model, this study highlighted that the health status model for urban area and rural area were different. For urban area's model, socio-demography and mental health condition were found to have a significant direct effect on the health status. However, lifestyle had an indirect effect on the health status, as mediated by the socio-demography. Meanwhile for rural area's model, this study found that socio-demography, lifestyle and mental health had significant direct effect on the health status. Conclusions: Both proposed model fitted the data well based on the indicators of goodness-of-fit. Thus, this study proved that SEM was pertinent to be applied for constructing the health status on individual.


Similarity-based image hashing represents crucial technique for visual data storage reduction and expedited image search. Conventional hashing schemes typically feed hand-crafted features into hash functions, which separates the procedures of feature extraction and hash function learning. In this paper, we propose a novel algorithm that concurrently performs feature engineering and non-linear supervised hashing function learning. Our technical contributions in this paper are two-folds: 1) deep network optimization is often achieved by gradient propagation, which critically requires a smooth objective function. The discrete nature of hash codes makes them not amenable for gradient-based optimization. To address this issue, we propose an exponentiated hashing loss function and its bilinear smooth approximation. Effective gradient calculation and propagation are thereby enabled; 2) pre-training is an important trick in supervised deep learning. The impact of pre-training on the hash code quality has never been discussed in current deep hashing literature. We propose a pre-training scheme inspired by recent advance in deep network based image classification, and experimentally demonstrate its effectiveness. Comprehensive quantitative evaluations are conducted. On all adopted benchmarks, our proposed algorithm generates new performance records by significant improvement margins.


Population-based studies of hypertension in Brazil were reviewed. Nineteen studies were identified, all employing cross-sectional study designs. The majority of these studies were conducted in the south and southeast regions of the country, although increasing mortality from cardiovascular diseases is now a nationwide problem in Brazil. Except for Amazonian Indians, age and blood pressure were positively correlated in the studies reviewed. Men generally had higher blood pressures than women up to age 50; studies consistently reported that blacks, or groups combining blacks and mulattoes, had higher blood pressures than whites. Methodological problems that characterize many of these studies were noted, and some suggestions for future research were offered.


Hematopoietic stem cells have typically been defined as pluripotent cells with self-renewal capacity. Recent studies have shown striking differences in the mean length of telomeric repeat sequences at the end of chromosomes from human hematopoietic cells at different stages of development. The most likely explanation for these observations is that hematopoietic stem cells, like all other somatic cells studied to date, lose telomeric DNA upon each cell division. In this review, limitations in the replicative potential of hematopoietic stem cells are discussed in the context of possible clinical use of such cells for transplantation and gene therapy.


Recent studies on pressure-induced structural changes in silicate glass (melt) by various spectroscopic techniques are reviewed. The following changes have been observed with increasing pressure; reduction of Si-O-Si angle, change in Qn distribution, and formation of high-coordination Si (Siv and SiVI). Systematic change of high-coor-dination Si with pressure and composition reveals that high-coordination Si is produced by consuming non-bridging ox-ygens in alkali-silicates. The importance of Siv for dynamic process is discussed.


Most Management Information Systems (MIS) careers in the future are likely to involve systems that operate internationally. Systems will be globally integrated, and many of today's students will have opportunities to participate in projects in other countries. Even those who remain in one country throughout their careers, however, will need to be aware of the differences in language and culture between areas of the world. The MIS curriculum is already overcrowded, so it is difficult for developers to include sufficient international content. This paper describes some techniques for embedding international content within existing courses in contrast to treating international information systems as a separate topic.


The Quantum Cookbook provides a unique bridge between popular exposition and formal textbook presentation, based on derivations of the iconic equations of quantum mechanics. This is a book for curious readers with some background in physics and sufficient mathematical capability. It aims not to teach readers how to do quantum mechanics but rather helps them to understand how to think about quantum mechanics. Each derivation is presented as a 'recipe' with listed ingredients, including standard results from the mathematician's toolkit, set out in a series of easy-to-follow steps. The recipes have been written sympathetically, for readers who—like the author—will often struggle to follow the logic of a derivation which misses out steps that are 'obvious', or which use techniques that readers are assumed to know. The simple truth is that quantum mechanics did not suddenly materialize overnight in the minds of its creators, fully formed, complete with all its axioms and principles. It was instead tortured from much more familiar classical physical descriptions, over a period of decades, as physicists struggled to interpret a series of ever more baffling experimental results. Only later was a much higher level of abstraction introduced into quantum mechanics, in an attempt to establish a secure mathematical foundation that would eradicate all the confusing classical misconceptions inherited from its birth and early childhood. Whilst there are some obvious exceptions, for the most part these derivations are triumphs of physical intuition over mathematical rigour and consistency.


Chirality in molecular opto-electronics is limited sofar to the use of optically active liquid crystals and a number of optical phenomena are related to the helical macroscopic structure obtained by using one enantiomer, only. In this paper, the use of chirality in nonlinear optics and optical switching is demonstrated. The additional options offered by the combination of circularly polarized light and chiral molecules gives rise to the observation of Second Harmonic Generation from centrosymmetric crystals of a racemic mixture. This phenomenon is due to the existence of optical activity in the hyperpolarizability. Chiroptical switching is observed in inherently dissymmetric molecules, that can undergo a photochemical isomerization of a strongly dextrorotatory isomer into a strongly laevorotatory isomer. Using circular dichroism the switching between these two pseudo-enantiomers can be monitored accurately.


Inspired by insects' visual brains, this paper presents original modelling of a complementary visual neuronal systems model for real-time and robust collision sensing. Two categories of wide-field motion sensitive neurons, i.e., the lobula giant movement detectors (LGMDs) in locusts and the lobula plate tangential cells (LPTCs) in flies, have been studied, intensively. The LGMDs have specific selectivity to approaching objects in depth that threaten collision; whilst the LPTCs are only sensitive to translating objects in horizontal and vertical directions. Though each has been modelled and applied in various visual scenes including robot scenarios, little has been done on investigating their complementary functionality and selectivity when functioning together. To fill this vacancy, we introduce a hybrid model combining two LGMDs (LGMD-1 and LGMD-2) with horizontally (rightward and leftward) sensitive LPTCs (LPTC-R and LPTC-L) specialising in fast collision perception. With coordination and competition between different activated neurons, the proximity feature by frontal approaching stimuli can be largely sharpened up by suppressing translating and receding motions. The proposed method has been implemented in ground micro-mobile robots as embedded systems. The multi-robot experiments have demonstrated the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed model for frontal collision sensing, which outperforms previous single-type neuron computation methods against translating interference.


BACKGROUND
Primary congenital glaucoma (PCG) manifests within the first few years of a child's life and is not associated with any other systemic or ocular abnormalities. PCG results in considerable morbidity even in developed countries. Several surgical techniques for treating this condition, and lowering the intraocular pressure (IOP) associated with it, have been described.

OBJECTIVES
To compare the effectiveness and safety of different surgical techniques for PCG.

SEARCH METHODS
We searched CENTRAL (which contains the Cochrane Eyes and Vision Group Trials Register) (The Cochrane Library 2014, Issue 6), Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid MEDLINE In-Process and Other Non-Indexed Citations, Ovid MEDLINE Daily, Ovid OLDMEDLINE (January 1946 to June 2014), EMBASE (January 1980 to June 2014), (January 1982 to June 2014), PubMed (January 1946 to June 2014), the metaRegister of Controlled Trials (mRCT) (www.controlled-trials.com), ClinicalTrials.gov (www.clinicaltrials.gov), the WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP) (www.who.int/ictrp/search/en). We did not use any date or language restrictions in the electronic searches for trials. We last searched the electronic databases on 23 June 2014.

SELECTION CRITERIA
We included all randomized and quasi-randomized trials in which different types of surgical interventions were compared in children under five years of age with PCG.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
We used standard methodological procedures specified by The Cochrane Collaboration.

MAIN RESULTS
We included a total of six trials (four randomized and two quasi-randomized) with 102 eyes in 61 children. Two trials were conducted in the USA and one trial each in Egypt, Israel, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia. All trials included children aged younger than one year when diagnosed with PCG, and followed them for periods ranging from six months to five years.No two trials compared the same pair of surgical interventions, so we did not perform any meta-analysis. One trial compared trabeculotomy versus goniotomy; a second trial compared combined trabeculectomy-trabeculotomy with mitomycin C versus trabeculectomy-trabeculotomy with mitomycin C and deep sclerectomy; a third trial compared combined trabeculotomy-trabeculectomy versus trabeculotomy; a fourth trial compared one goniotomy versus two goniotomies; a fifth trial compared trabeculotomy versus viscocanalostomy; and the sixth trial compared surgical goniotomy versus neodymium-YAG laser goniotomy. For IOP change and surgical success (defined by IOP achieved), none of the trials reported a difference between pairs of surgical techniques. However, due to the limited sample sizes for all trials (average of 10 children per trial), the evidence as to whether a particular surgical technique is effective and which surgical technique is better still remains uncertain. Adverse events, such as choroidal detachment, shallow anterior chamber and hyphema, were reported from four trials. None of the trials reported quality of life or economic data.These trials were neither designed nor reported well overall. Two trials were quasi-randomized trials and judged to have high risk of selection bias; four trials were at unclear or high risk for performance bias and detection bias; and we judged one trial to have high risk of attrition bias due to high proportions of losses to follow-up. Due to poor study design and reporting, the reliability and applicability of evidence remain unclear.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS
No conclusions could be drawn from the trials included in this review due to paucity of data. More research is needed to determine which of the many surgeries performed for PCG are effective.


Covering over decade of projects, Don't Shrink Me to the Size of a Bullet: The Works of Hiwa K provides the first comprehensive account of the artist's practice to date. Edited by Anthony Downey, with a foreword by Heike Catherina Mertens and Krist Gruijthuijsen, the volume includes essays by Lawrence Abu Hamdan, Natasha Ginwala, Bonaventure Soh Bejeng Ndikung, Aneta Szylak, and a conversation between the artist and Bakir Ali. A series of texts have been prepared and revised by the artist, and he has also included a collection of anecdotes that recount gossip, stories, jokes, personal insights, conundrums, and aphorisms garnered from multiple sources. These have all been translated into Kurdish for the first time. The volume is fully illustrated and will contain extended notes on the works.

Don't Shrink Me to the Size of a Bullet offers context and background to Hiwa K's works from 2005 onwards, including Arbeitsplatz (Workspace) (2005), Cooking with Mama (2005–ongoing), Inappropriation (2009), and Country Guitar Lessons (2005–11), all of which either utilized or subverted spaces within an art institution. Other projects, such as Moon Calendar (2007), This Lemon Tastes of Apple (2011), and Do You Remember What You Are Burning? (2011), focus on historical events in Kurdistan and, more broadly, Iraq; while issues of migration and the fraught experiences associated with forced exile are explored in Pre-Image (2010). The historical and geopolitical realities of immaterial and material exchange come to the fore in Qatees (2009), Chicago Boys: While They Were Singing, We Were Dreaming (2010), It's Spring and the Weather Is Great So Let's Close All Object Matters (2012), My Father's Colour Periods (2013), and The Bell Project (2014–15). More recent works, such as Existentialism in Kurdistan (Raw Materiality 01) (2016–ongoing), call attention to the impact of neoliberal dogma on Kurdistan and its all too imminent impact on the region's population, economic history, and cultural practices. In the spirit of the artist's work, this volume will introduce a new audience to his projects and offer additional insights for those who already know it.


Although matriocality has faded somewhat as a topic in cultural anthropology, interest in the concept has revived in Mediterranean studies. Recent work in the northwest corner of Iberia (north/central Portugal and Spanish Galicia) reveals a highly matrifocal family structure. This anomalous pattern seems linked in some yet-undefined way with a prevailing emphasis on female dominance in this part of the Mediterranean world. Yet in the rest of the Iberian peninsula matrifocal families do not correlate with female power; in fact, the opposite is true. For example, in southern Spain, matrifocality coexists with male dominance and machismo within an honor-and-shame value system. This paper compares a village in central Portugal with one in Andalusia in an attempt to gain insight into this Iberian conundrum.(Matrifocality, gender, family, Iberia, honor and shame) First coined by Smith (1956) to describe black Caribbean families, the term "matrifocal" has had a checkered career in anthropology. Ethnographers have applied it to a bewildering variety of peoples; the Javanese (Geertz 1961),the Igbo of Nigeria (Uchendu 1965), Portuguese fisherfolk (Br[phi]gger 1992), and urban black Americans (Stack 1974),to name just a few. Like other promiscuous neologisms, the word has undergone numerous semantic vagaries since its inception. Nancy Tanner (1974) tried to provide a workable definition, employing three heuristic criteria. The first of these is that the mother is "structurally, culturally, and affectively central" to family life. Second, this mother-centrality is "legitimate." Finally, the "priority emphasis" in the society is put upon the mother-child relationship, the conjugal nexus being relegated to secondary importance (see also Gonzalez 1970). Naturally, not everyone favors the word matrifocal or accepts these criteria. Yanagisako (1977) and Cole (1991:62) prefer "women-centered kinship networks" because this phrase includes female relations outside the kindred and thus transcends the stereotype of a matriarchy based on the black urban American model. Writing about northern Portugal, Brettell (1986:9) substitutes "matri - centric" and "matri - centrality" for similar reasons. Also for Portugal, Willems (1962:70-71) introduces the odd term "matripotestal" to convey the sense of women being in authority within the family. Playing down the mother-child dyad, he thus adds a political or power connotation - about which more later. One may already see inherent methodological problems in this semantic diversity, not to mention capricious hyphenating. Still, some agreement emerges based on a reading of the literature. To summarize, matrifocal may be taken to refer, first, to families in which the mother is central both structurally and affectively, and second (if only inferentially), to a distribution of authority in which women have a strong position relative to men. In such families, the husband/father has a reduced role, being physically and emotionally distant or entirely absent. Thus matrifocality often appears in association with heavy male emigration, seasonal unemployment, or (male) economic insecurity. It also occurs where there is high incidence of illegitimacy, as in northern Portugal (O'Neill 1987:235). These features are summarized by Cook (1992:156) as "low male salience." Because the mother is more available in these families, she is also - by male default if not complicity - more active in family decision - making (Tanner 1974:155). However, this does not mean she is dominant over her husband when he is around. For example, Belmonte (1989:87) calls the Neapolitan slum family "mother-centered, father - ruled," a description that works wherever fathers are peripatetic or evanescent but not acquiescent. Matrifocal also has to be distinguished from cognates like matrilineal and matrilocal; it must not be confused with "matriarchal" as in Bachofen's Das Mutterrecht. Oddly enough, despite the recent growth in mother - entered families, one rarely encounters the term today in anthropology. …


The report examines the actual normative regulation in the Development of Academic Staff in the Republic of Bulgaria Act. On basis of the analysis and retrospection of former solutions the authors make conclusions about the problems in its application and motivate the necessity of actualization of the regulation.


An attempt has been made to develop a methodology to predict the uniform or non-uniform thickness of a coating material on a homogeneous solid material. At first the effects of variation of (uniform and non-uniform) coating thickness, on the heat transfer (by conduction) through the coated body have been rigorously investigated. A solid square steel block coated with copper (of various coating thicknesses) has been considered as the sample problem. A constant heat flux has been maintained at the bottom side where, the other three sides kept at constant temperature. The temperature profile built at the bottom side of the square block is different for different (uniform or non-uniform) coating thickness. Depending on the statistical parameters (Mean, Standard Deviation, Skew-ness and Kurtosis) extracted from the temperature profile (which has been found through CFD analysis), it may possible to predict the thickness of the coating. Two cases namely: uniform varying thickness and non-uniform varying thickness have been considered in the present problem. The training and test data have been collected using 2D conduction analysis with Finite Volume Method (FVM) in a fully automated way. Feed-Forward Neural Network (NN) with Back-Propagation Algorithm is used to predict the coating thickness. The NN has been modelled using 'C' programming Language in LINUX operating system. A Genetic Algorithm (GA) has also been coded (using 'C' programming language in Linux operating system) to optimize the performance of the NN. The above described methodology based on thermal analysis can also be used in thermography or in other prediction problem.


With the development of the latest technologies and changes in market demand, the wireless multi-sensor system is widely used. These multi-sensors are integrated in a way that produces an overwhelming amount of data, termed as big data. The multi-sensor system creates several challenges, which include getting actual information from big data with high accuracy, increasing processing efficiency, reducing power consumption, providing a reliable route toward destination using minimum bandwidth, and so on. Such shortcomings can be overcome by exploiting some novel techniques, such as clustering, data fusion, and coding schemes. Moreover, data fusion and clustering techniques are proven architectures that are used for efficient data processing; resultant data have less uncertainty, providing energy-aware routing protocols. Because of the limited resources of the multi-sensor system, it is a challenging task to reduce the energy consumption to survive a network for a longer period. Keeping challenges above in view, this paper presents a novel technique by using a hybrid algorithm for clustering and cluster member selection in the wireless multi-sensor system. After the selection of cluster heads and member nodes, the proposed data fusion technique is used for partitioning and processing the data. The proposed scheme efficiently reduces the blind broadcast messages but also decreases the signal overhead as the result of cluster formation. Afterward, the routing technique is provided based on the layered architecture. The proposed layered architecture efficiently minimizes the routing paths toward the base station. Comprehensive analysis is performed on the proposed scheme with state-of-the-art centralized clustering and distributed clustering techniques. From the results, it is shown that the proposed scheme outperforms competitive algorithms in terms of energy consumption, packet loss, and cluster formation.


Thin-section multi-detector row computed tomographic (CT) colonography is a powerful tool for the detection and classification of colonic lesions. However, each step in the process of a CT colonographic examination carries the potential for misdiagnosis. Suboptimal patient preparation, CT scanning protocol deficiencies, and perception and interpretation errors can lead to false-positive and false-negative findings, adversely affecting the diagnostic performance of CT colonography. These problems and pitfalls can be overcome with a variety of useful techniques and observations. A relatively clean, dry, and well-distended colon can be achieved with careful patient preparation, thereby avoiding the problem of residual stool and fluid. Knowledge of the morphologic and attenuation characteristics of common colonic lesions and artifacts can help identify bulbous haustral folds, impacted diverticula, an inverted appendiceal stump, or mobile polyps, any of which may pose problems for the radiologist. A combined two-dimensional and three-dimensional imaging approach is recommended for each colonic finding. A thorough knowledge of the various pitfalls and pseudolesions that may be encountered at CT colonography, along with use of dedicated problem-solving techniques, will help the radiologist differentiate between definite colonic lesions and pseudolesions.


UNLABELLED: A new instrument for the measurement of choroidal blood flow in the fovea is presented. It is based on the laser Doppler method and a confocal optical system with an indirect detection of the Doppler shifted light. METHOD: The intensity of the laser beam (785 nm) at the cornea is 90 microW. Measurements were obtained from a normal population of 21 subjects under resting conditions without dilating the pupil. RESULTS: The reproducibility of the choroidal blood flow, based on 5 measurements of 10 s each in 5 randomly selected subjects, is 9%. The minimum detectable change for a statistical significance of p < or = 0.05, based on a population of 21 subjects and 10 s measurements, is 9%. CONCLUSION: This new compact instrument appears to be suitable for the investigation of the physiology and pharmacology of choroidal blood flow and the effect of age-related macular degeneration.


We identified a novel stop codon mutation in the myophosphorylase gene in a Greek patient with typical symptoms of McArdle's disease. This is the first genetic study of myophosphorylase deficiency in a Greek family, showing that the proband was a compound heterozygous for the common ''caucasian'' mutation (R49X) and a new nonsense mutation (Y52X), both within exon 1. The new point mutation, a C-to-G transversion at codon 52, converts an encoded tyrosine to a stop codon. Our study confirms that the R49X is also present in the Greek population. The Y52X may represent a private mutation or a common mutation among Greeks. Our data further expand the already remarkable genetic heterogeneity of McArdle's disease. The prevalence of the Y52X mutation in Greek patients with McArdle's disease remains to be determined. D 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.


PURPOSE
Follow-up practices for patients who have undergone surgical resection of esophagogastric malignancies are variable and poorly documented. To better understand practice, a questionnaire was used to survey surgeons and medical oncologists to determine whether any consensus exists.

METHODS
An opt-in online questionnaire was sent to esophagogastric surgeons and medical oncologists via the membership lists for the Australian and New Zealand Gastric and Oesophageal Surgery Association (ANZGOSA), the Australian Gastro-Intestinal Trials Groups (AGITG), and the Medical Oncology Group of Australia (MOGA). The questionnaire proposed five clinical scenarios and provided a range of follow-up options for each scenario. Clinicians were asked to indicate which best matched their clinical practice.

RESULTS
Most clinicians follow patients for at least 3-5 years following resection of gastric or esophageal cancer. In total, 52% perform routine surveillance imaging, with individual scenarios not altering this. Tumor markers are infrequently used. Endoscopy and routine blood tests are used by around half the respondents.

CONCLUSION
There was little consensus about the use of investigations to monitor patients following esophagogastric cancer surgery. Choices do not follow guidelines or evidence. The identified patterns of postoperative surveillance practice appear not to be evidence based, and generally do not match recently published Australian guidelines.


Aims To estimate whether parental socio‐economic status (SES) is associated with adolescent drinking, and the degree to which a possible association may be accounted for by various parental factors. Design and setting Cross‐sectional Norwegian school survey from 2006 (response rate: 86%). Participants Students aged 13–14 years (n = 5797), 15–16 years (n = 6613) and 17–18 years (n = 5351), of whom 51% were girls. Measurements Parents' education was our main SES indicator, and we distinguished between low (7%) and middle/high (93%) educational level. The outcomes comprised past‐year drinking and intoxication. We also applied measures on general parenting, parents' alcohol‐related permissiveness and parental intoxication. The main analyses were conducted using Poisson regression. Findings Parents' education had no statistically significant impact on alcohol use among the 17–18‐year‐olds, while 13–16‐year‐olds with low educated parents had an elevated relative risk (RR) of both drinking [RR = 1.21, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.13–1.29] and intoxication (RR = 1.32, 95% CI = 1.21–1.44). The RRs became statistically insignificant when including all the parental factors as covariates in the regression models. Among adolescents who had consumed alcohol, low parental education was related to more frequent drinking (RR = 1.24, 95% CI = 1.11–1.38) and intoxication episodes (RR = 1.42, 95% CI = 1.22–1.66). Again, the RRs became statistically insignificant when we accounted for all the parental factors. This pattern was replicated when we applied an alternative indicator for low parental SES. Conclusions Adolescent drinking in Norway appears to be related inversely to parents' social standing. The elevated risk of low socio‐economic status vanishes when general parenting, alcohol‐related parental permissiveness and parents' drinking are accounted for.


Background: Young adult mortality is very significant in South Africa due to the influence of HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis (TB), Injuries and Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs). Previous analyses have mainly focused on assessing the time effect of age and period separately. However, health outcomes often depend on three-time scales, namely age, period, and cohort, which are linearly interlinked. Using Age-Period-Cohort (APC) models, this study estimated the time effects of age, period, and cohort on HIV and TB mortality among young adults in South Africa. Methods: HIV and TB mortality data and mid population estimates were obtained from Statistics South Africa for the period 1997 to 2015. Mortality data are based on deaths reported to the Department of Home Affairs where the underlying cause of death was HIV or TB based on the 10th revision of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-10) definition. Observed HIV/AIDS deaths were adjusted for under-reporting, misclassification, and systematic proportion from ill-defined natural deaths. Three-year age, period, and birth cohort intervals for 15-64 years, 1997-2015 and 1934-2000 respectively were used. The Age-Period-Cohort (APC) analysis using the Poisson distribution was used to compute the effects of age, period, and cohort on mortality due to TB and HIV. Results: A total of 5, 825,502 adult deaths were recorded from the period 1997 to 2015 of which, 910,731 (15.6%) and 252,101 (4.3%) were attributed to TB and HIV, respectively. For both observed mortality rate and estimated relative effects, concave down associations were found between TB, HIV mortality rates and period, age with peaks, at 36-38 and 30-32 years, respectively. A downward trend and inverted V-shape between TB and HIV mortality by birth cohort was found, respectively. Conclusions: The study found an inverse U-shaped association between TB-related mortality and age, period, and general downward trend with a birth cohort for deaths reported between 1997 and 2015. A concave down relationship between HIV-related mortality and age, period, and inverted V-shaped with birth cohort was found. Our findings have shed more light on HIV and TB mortality rates across different age groups, the effect of changes in the overall TB and HIV management and care on the mortality rates, and whether the mortality rates depend on the year an individual was born.


Ceramic materials included in the group of advanced materials are increasingly used in different fields of science and technology as well as in everyday life. Hydroxyapatite ceramics (HAp, HA), based on calcium phosphates, i.e. chemical compounds being a constituent of natural bone, is found to be one of the best implantation materials for bone surgeries and dentistry. Due to poor mechanical properties of hydroxyapatite ceramics, the attempts are made to modify HA materials in order to extend the scope of current applications. It is also necessary to maintain high biocompatibility and bioactivity. Reported investigations encompassed comparison of functional properties of HA and HA+ZrO2 coatings (modified with 8%wt. Y2O3) as well as coatings remelted with laser beam. Microstructural and phase analyses of the coatings before and after remelting were carried out. In order to determine biocompatibility of the coatings after plasma spraying and remelting, corrosion resistance testing was also performed in Ringer's solution.


Presented as part of the "Leading Change Lean Consortium Event" on September 11, 2012 from 8:30 a.m.-12 p.m. at the Academy of Medicine, Atlanta GA.


Abstract A gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric (GC/MS) method for analysis of delta 1-tetrahydrocannabinol (delta 1-THC) in human fat samples is described. The fat sample, obtained from heavy marihuana users 1 week before and 4 weeks after smoking, is homogenized in hexane + 2-propanol, centrifuged, and the supernatant mixed with Lipidex 5000. The solvent is evaporated and the dried gel is packed in a glass column. delta 1-THC is eluted from the column with methanol + water + acetic acid, diluted with water and the eluent is passed through a bed of Octadecylsilane-bonded silica. After washing and drying, the retained delta 1-THC is eluted with hexane, derivatized with N-methyl-N-(t-butyl-dimethysilyl)trifluoroacetamide (MTBSTFA) and finally purified by HPLC on an Octadecyl Sl 100 column in methanol. The amount of delta 1-THC is determined by GC/MS, using selected ion monitoring, and a deuterated internal standard. The recovery of delta 1-THC is about 80%, and the concentration of delta 1-THC in the fat samples analysed ranged between 0.4 and 193 ng/g wet tissue.


Recent evidence has shown that monetary policy has a neutral real effect in the long run. Exploiting the short-run trade-off between inflation and unemployment creates an inflation bias which can be eliminated at a high economic and social cost. Hence, the only variable that could be controlled by the monetary authority in the long run is the inflation rate. This indicates that the monetary policy's role should be placed on achieving the goal of price stability. This thesis considers two monetary regimes with a quantitative target for the goal of price stability. It consists of four separate yet related empirical studies on inflation targeting and a fixed exchange rate system.
First, we assess the institutional preconditions for adopting inflation targeting: central bank independence and transparency, in Jordan, where the credibility of low inflation is imported from abroad. These institutional requirements are assessed based on the experience of two inflation targeters that act as a benchmark of the study: New Zealand and the UK, in their first year of implementing the framework. The chapter addresses the institutional challenges of adopting inflation targeting when a country faces a macroeconomic trilemma of exchange rate stabilisation. The assessment of central bank independence, using the index of Mathew (2003), indicates that the central bank of Jordan is not independent as stated by the central bank's personal legislations. The central bank is also not fiscally independent; non-securitised and securitised lending is offered at no cost to cover the expenditure of the central government as well as the public corporations. The assessment of central bank transparency using the index of Eijffinger and Geraats (2006) shows that although providing the market with more transparent policies will not be infeasible, given the enhancement in the level of central bank independence, the central bank should clarify the policy changes and any inclination of preferences and release all relevant macroeconomic data to the public. Comparing the overall results to the two inflation targeters, the study recommends the need to grant the central bank more personal independence and induce more fiscal discipline which entails non-moneterisation of the government deficit in order to build a domestic reputation for the goal of price stability.
Second, the interest rate pass through is examined within its intermediate lag of action to shed light on the credibility of monetary policy in Jordan, where the reputation of low inflation is imported through a fixed exchange rate system to the U.S dollar. The Johansen approach is performed to estimate the long-run degree of pass-through along with the speed of adjustment to disequilibrium. The parsimonious conditional dynamic model of Hendry and Doornik (1994) is employed to connect the short-run and long-run effect, and to estimate the mean lag of adjustment under (a)symmetric market response.
The results are compared to that of two inflation targeting countries at time proceeding building the credibility of price stability domestically: New Zealand and the UK. This is to show how far Jordan is from building a domestic reputation for the goal of price stability.
The empirical findings suggest that the interest rate pass-through in Jordan is weak and slow and the symmetric mean lags in the loan and deposit market are highly sticky. In addition, a deviation from symmetry is found in the loan market, where the mean lag is sticker to decreasing, which indicates the existence of non-competitive pricing behaviour in the market. Comparing the results to the two inflation targeters, the study suggests that Jordan needs to move to a more resilient exchange rate arrangement, provided the need for an intensive reform in economic constitutions and institutions.

Third, we examine the credibility of the current experience of a pegged exchange rate system to the US dollar in eleven emerging market economies: Bahamas, Bahrain, Barbados, Belize, Egypt, Jordan, Oman, Kuwait, Lebanon, Qatar and Venezuela, over the annual span from 1996 to 2012. Based on the first generation-demand mismanagement models, the second generation of currency crises and the empirical works on the European Monetary System crisis, two proxies reflecting the market agents' realignment expectations are employed: the interest rate differential and the exchange rate market pressure index.
The two proxies are regressed on a set of macro-fundamentals derived from the theory and empirical work of currency crises and gathered from the IMF-IFS and the World Bank Indicators. The analysis is based on unbalanced panel data models: fixed effects and first difference GMM. We construct different setups to consider the small sample size at hand and the nexus between current account and money stock as in the notion implied by the monetary approach to balance of payments, in which a balance of payments deficit results from excessive domestic credit creation. When interest rate differential is used as a proxy for the credibility, both panel models provide evidence that inflation differential is the main driving force for generating realignment expectations, and explains why anchoring interest rates in not feasible for soft fixed exchange rate targeting countries. This result is consistent with the empirical findings on the credibility of the European Monetary System before the collapse. However, when the exchange rate market pressure index is used as a proxy for the credibility, none of the fundamentals appear significant in explaining the realignment expectations. When we examine the credibility in the countries which have not experienced a shift in monetary regime during the study period: Bahamas, Bahrain, Barbados, Belize, Jordan, Oman, the estimation of the fixed effects model suggests that inflation differential is a vital factor of the credibility. The deterioration in current account and the reserve adequacy also appear to be important indicators for expecting realignment from the parity condition in these countries.

Fourth, we investigate the relationship between inflation and inflation uncertainty under inflation targeting and a fixed exchange rate system and examine the role of both regimes in lowering inflation rate and inflation uncertainty. We utilise monthly data on consumer price index obtained from the IMF-IFS for the period 01:1980-06:2014 and construct different GARCH in mean models. The findings suggest that the hypotheses of Cukierman and Meltzer (1986) and Friedman (1977) and Ball et al. (1990) are valid under the two monetary regimes, that is, inflation uncertainty increases inflation and inflation generates inflation uncertainty, respectively. The results provide evidence that both regimes could reduce inflation uncertainty; however, it could be argued that the impact of exchange rate targeting on inflation uncertainty holds as long as the possibility to renege on the fixed parity commitment is not perceived by the market. The results also indicate that inflation targeters have been successful at reducing the inflation rate and inflation persistence more than fixed exchange rate targeting countries, where the regime has no impact on lowering average inflation and inflation inertia.


IL-13 is a key mediator of allergic inflammation. Its diverse functions are mediated by a complex receptor system including IL-4Rα, IL-13Rα1, and IL-13Rα2. IL-4Rα and IL-13Rα1 form a high-affinity signaling heterodimer. IL-13Rα2 binds IL-13 with high affinity and has been found to exist in membrane and soluble forms. Soluble IL-13Rα2 has been postulated as a critical endogenous modulator of IL-13 responses. However, the mechanism of generation for the soluble form remains unclear. We present the initial study that a mechanism for generation of the soluble form is alternative splicing and that alternative splicing yields a distinct form of soluble IL-13Rα2. We found that several mouse organs expressed two IL-13Rα2 transcripts, the 1152-bp transcript encoding the full-length protein and the 1020-bp transcript lacking exon10, which encodes the transmembrane region. Deletion of exon 10 (ΔEx10) caused a frameshift resulting in a different amino acid sequence from position 327 to position 339 and early termination. Constructs encoding both splice variants were transfected into WEHI-274.1 cells. Transfectants expressing the full-length transcript had IL-13Rα2 on the cell surface but produced minimal soluble IL-13Rα2 in the supernatants. In contrast, transfectants expressing the ΔEx10 transcript displayed no membrane IL-13Rα2 but secreted high levels of soluble IL-13Rα2 capable of inhibiting IL-13 signaling. Both variants bound IL-13, but the ΔEx10 variant displayed ∼2-fold increase in IL-13 binding activity. Expression of the two IL-13Rα2 transcripts was differentially regulated in vivo in an experimental allergic asthma model. Thus, alternatively spliced variants of IL-13Rα2 may have a distinct biologic function in vivo.