This paper describes the design strategy and implementation of a low-voltage pseudodifferential double-sampled timing-skew-insensitive sample-and-hold (S/H) circuit with low hold pedestal based on the Miller-effect scheme. The S/H circuit employs bootstrapped switches in order to facilitate low voltage operation. The design considerations for each building block are described in detail. The S/H circuit has been designed using a 0.35-/spl mu/m 2P4M CMOS technology and experimental results are presented. The 1.5-V S/H circuit operates up to a sampling frequency of 50 MHz with less than -54.6 dB of total harmonic distortion for an input sinusoidal amplitude of 0.8 V/sub pp/. In these conditions, a differential hold pedestal of less than 0.8 mV, 1.6 ns acquisition time at 0.8-V step input, and 0.8 V/sub pp/ full-scale differential input range are achieved.


This study is a comparative content analysis of news content of Aljazeera English (AJE) and BBC News on China's national political affairs in their online news editions from 1 January 2013 to 31 December 2014 after the assumption of power by Chinese president Xi Jinping. The study compares the patterns of news coverage by two international broadcasters in the context of Framing Theory as well as political and economic events of the times. The study followed the structural pattern of media content analysis mass media structure their content as an interpretation of reality for audiences, and the media content is created by a variety of factors that result in different versions of reality, such as political and economic factors. Two frames were identified in the news coverage by both the channels. AJE used cooperation frame to present news related to China's trade and investment deals, while confrontation frame was applied by BBC to show conflicts and disputes of China to global audience.


Accepted: 21/03/2014 Abstract Enzymes are an integral component of modern fruit juice manufacturing processes. Their main functions are to: increase extraction of juice from raw material, increase processing efficiency (pressing, solid settling or removal), and generate a final product that is clear and visually attractive. Juice extraction can be done by using various mechanical processes, which may be achieved through diffusion extraction, decanter centrifuge, screw type juice extractor, fruit pulper and by different types of presses. Enzymatic treatment prior to mechanical extraction significantly improves juice recovery compared to any other extraction process. Enzymatic hydrolysis of the cell walls increases the extraction yield, reducing sugars, soluble dry matter content and galacturonic acid content and titrable acidity of the products. Enzymatic degradation of the biomaterial depends upon the type of enzyme, incubation time, incubation temperature, enzyme concentration, agitation, pH and use of different enzyme combinations. The use of the enzymes like cellulases, pectinases, amylases alone and their combination can give better juice yield with superior quality of the fruit juice. The present article discusses the use of enzymes in fruit juice production focusing on the juice recovery, clarity and effect on the biochemical properties of the fruit juices.


Children's toys and baby items are a unique source of exposure to heavy metals in young children. It is a global health concern because of the potential risk heavy metals pose during the early years of childhood development. This study assessed the levels of six heavy metals (lead (Pb), manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), chromium (Cr), cadmium (Cd) and copper (Cu)) in eleven toys and seven baby items currently sold in Trinidad and Tobago. Samples were analysed using Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry (FAAS). The concentrations of Pb, Mn, Ni, Cr, Cd and Cu ranged from 2.63 to 34.45 mg/kg, 0.03 to 4.22 mg/kg, 2.28 to 16.95 mg/kg, 0.95 to 14.10 mg/kg, 0.002 to 4.14 mg/kg and 0.03 to 2.15 mg/kg, respectively. Two samples exceed the regulatory limit for lead and one exceeded the regulatory limit for cadmium set by the EU. The ingestion risk (ADD) for lead, nickel and chromium in toys and baby items ranged between 3 × 10-5 and 1.0 × 10-4, 3.1 × 10-5 and 2.3 × 10-4 and 1.0 × 10-5 and 2.0 × 10-4 respectively. The HQ values for lead, nickel and chromium in toys and baby items ranged between 0.0070-0.1150, 0.0015-0.0113, and 0.0036-0.0627, respectively, while the hazard index (HI) ranged between 0.0156 and 0.1447. The results suggest that these toys and baby items generally posed a low risk to children.

 Key words: Children toys, Trinidad and Tobago, health risk.


This volume presents the main lectures of the 21st Congress of the International Organization for the Study of the Old Testament (IOSOT) held in Munich, Germany, in August 2013. Seventeen internationally distinguished scholars present their current research on the Hebrew Bible, including the literary history of the Hebrew text, its Greek translation and history of interpretation. Some focus on archeological sources and the reconstruction of ancient Israelite religion while others discuss the formation of the biblical text and its impact for cultural memory. The volume gives readers a representative view of the most recent developments in the study of the Old Testament. Contributors are: Olivier Artus, Ehud Ben Zvi, Beate Ego, Irmtraud Fischer, Christian Frevel, Shimon Gesundheit, Timothy P. Harrison, Louis C. Jonker, James L. Kugel, Christoph Levin, Amihai Mazar, Steven L. McKenzie, Konrad Schmid, Yvonne Sherwood, Zipora Talshir, Akio Tsukimoto, and Jacques Vermeylen.


It is critical that the value of Extension family and consumer sciences as a broadly focused profession be recognized both in and out of Extension. Establishing universally recognized competencies and assuring that agents possess those capabilities are vital steps to securing and maintaining the integrity of the profession and its value to those it serves. University of Tennessee Extension has developed a process for assessing basic competencies of newly hired agents and responding to their competency gaps with targeted training.


Human sacrifice, as part of pre-Christian religious rites, is one of a number of violent attributes commonly associated with the Vikings both in post-Viking Age medieval written and visual sources and in popular imagination, the latter perhaps best exemplified by the 'blood eagle' as performed on Jarl Borg and King AElle of Northumbria in the popular television show Vikings. But is there any unequivocal contemporary evidence for human sacrifice? This paper will briefly discuss the problems of interpreting the evidence for human sacrifice, before concentrating on the evidence from Britain and Ireland. Despite the silence of contemporary insular written sources, it is found that there is one certain and other probable examples of human sacrifices in the archaeological records of England, Scotland, the Isle of Man, and Ireland. Amongst the probable examples is a new suggestion that human sacrifice occurred at Whithorn, the site of a Northumbrian bishopric and monastery, but now in southern Scotland. Discussion of Whithorn will be the focus of the article. The evidence for human sacrifice will be briefly discussed with regard to the active practice of Norse religious beliefs in Britain, and in the Scandinavian acculturation to indigenous practices, including Christianity, in the ninth and tenth centuries CE.


Objective The aim of this study is to compare the incidence of pulmonary embolism (PE) on computed tomography (CT) studies between younger and older patients to determine if there is an age-related bias for overutilization of CT pulmonary angiography (CTPA) in younger patients. Material and Methods Six hundred thirty-one consecutive CTPA cases for suspected acute PE between 11/10/2003 and 3/19/2004 were retrospectively studied. Of these 631 cases, 59 patients were found to have clots in the pulmonary arteries (ranging from central to subsegmental PA). CTPA was performed using multidetector CT at 1.25-mm collimation, 120 kVp, 320 mA. Patients were categorized by gender and age: A, less than 20 (n=11); B, 20 to 29 (n=44); C, 30 to 39 (n=59); D, 40 to 49 (n=90); E, 50 to 59 (n=120); F, 60 to 69 (n=114); G, 70 to 79 (n=104); H, 80 to 89 (n=72); I, 90 or more (n=21). The incidences of PE were calculated in each gender and age group. To compare the incidence of PE between younger and older groups, they were divided into 2 groups at the ages of 40 (<39 and ≥40), 50 (<49 and ≥50), and 60 (<59 and ≥60). Statistical analysis was performed using the χ2 test. Results The incidences of PE were 11.9% in males (A, 0%; B, 17.6%; C, 10%; D, 8.3%; E, 13.3%; F, 6.9%; G, 17.5%; H, 23.5%; I, 0%), 7.7% in females (A, 0%; B, 7.4%; C, 5.1%; D, 12.5%; E, 4.2%; F, 14.5%; G, 7.8%; H, 5.5%; I, 0%), and 9.4% in total patients (A, 0%; B, 11.1%; C, 6.8%; D, 11.1%; E, 7.5%; F, 10.5%; G, 11.5%; H, 9.7%; I, 0%). No significant differences in the incidences of PE were observed when patients were divided at the age of 40 (male, female, total; P=1.0, 0.6252, 0.7220), at the age of 50 (male, female, total; P=0.6748, 0.6879, 1.0), or at the age of 60 (male, female, total; P=0.8458, 0.7046, 0.6820). Conclusion No statistically significant difference in the incidence of PE was observed between younger and older patients. Our findings suggest that there is no age-related bias for overutilization of CT angiography (CTA) in younger patients.


The complex of measures on safety, considerable importance is the monitoring system and integrated the fight to reduce the number of air flight hazard species of birds (rooks, crows, magpies, hawks, etc.). Experience has shown that even periodic shooting does not give the desired effect, ie. A. The bird population is very mobile and able to move quickly scattered and maneuvering that practically negates all efforts for their physical elimination. The use of poisoned baits is prohibited and is ineffective, t. To. Various species of birds have different food preferences. Our research is devoted to finding a solution to this problem. As the main operational measures for scaring birds we offer the use of bio-acoustic instrument with a sound recording, effectively acting on air flight hazard species of birds, including corvids and Black Kite, which are not optional in many similar devices. Application of bioacoustics devices does not require an additional set of fireworks scare, but also an integral character of the device significantly increases the efficiency of the impact on birds and allows for a few minutes to eliminate concentrations of birds in large areas. The study analyzed information on aircraft collisions with birds, considered the scheme of air traffic, as well as the general plan for the landfill site, the Civil Aviation documents ornithological flight operations, carried out the operational test site survey. OAO Ekokompleks operates only in Barnaul licensed landfills for disposal of solid waste, located at the address: Barnaul, Cosmonavtov Prospekt, 74. The total area of the polygon - 328,679.7 square meters, the amount of dumping per year - 1800 thousand cubic meters Coordinates: 53 ° 23'24 "N, 83 ° 37'54" E. Availability of the current municipal landfill waste at a distance of 6.3 km from the aerodrome reference point Barnaul, in violation of the requirements of Claim 59 of the Federal Rules of use of air space of the Russian Federation of 11.03.2010 number 138. The conditions of surrounding environment determine the composition and behavior of birds, attending a training ground and pose a potential hazard to aircraft operations. On landfill dumping is carried out various types of waste, including food, are used by some species of birds as food. According to a preliminary survey, the main species of birds that use the landfill as a forage habitat - black kite, corvids - gray, crow, rook, jackdaw and gulls - silver and black-headed gull. Based on many years of observations and data analysis of the circumstances and consequences of collisions of Russian aircraft with birds stand air flight hazard species of birds, creating the greatest threat to flight safety. To the list of air flight hazard species include the black vulture, hooded crow, rook, magpie, jackdaw.


BACKGROUND
Obesity negatively impacts asthma control, but the inflammatory mechanisms are poorly understood.

OBJECTIVE
To explore which systemic inflammatory mediators mediate the effects of obesity on asthma control.

METHODS
The subjects with stable asthma (n = 108) underwent assessment of clinical characteristics, which included using The Asthma Control Questionnaire (ACQ)-6. Obesity was defined as a body mass index (BMI) of ≥30 kg/m2, overweight was defined as BMI between 25 to 29.9 kg/m2, and lean weight was defined as BMI < 25 kg/m2. Body composition, including fat mass (FM), visceral fat area (VFA), and percentage body fat (PBF) was analyzed by bioimpedance. Serum interleukin (IL) 4, IL-5, IL-8, IL-13, IL-17, chemokine (C-C motif) ligand (CCL) 17, CCL22, leptin, adiponectin, C-reactive protein (CRP), and interferon (IFN) gamma were measured by using ELISA. Linear regression models were fitted according to the Baron and Kenny procedures for mediation analysis.

RESULTS
FM (12.73 ± 3.95 versus 18.59 ± 2.95 versus 27.82 ± 5.17 kg; p < 0.0001), VFA (65.99 ± 23.17 versus 93.96 ± 10.28 versus 123.10 ± 18.34 cm2; p < 0.0001), PBF (23.86 ± 7.46 versus 30.74 ± 5.08 versus 36.21 ± 6.28 %; p = 0.0003) and ACQ-6 values (0.83 [0, 1.17]) versus 1.15 [0.50, 1.75] versus 1.33 [0.83, 1.83] score; p = 0.002) were different among lean (n = 52), overweight (n = 37), and obese (n = 19) subjects. Serum levels of leptin, IL-5, IL-13, IL-17, CCL17, CRP, and IFN-gamma in the obese group were significantly elevated compared with the subjects who were lean or overweight (all p < 0.05). The mediation analyses found that the effect of obesity, assessed by BMI, on ACQ-6 was significantly mediated through IL-13 and CCL17. Furthermore, IL-13 and CCL17 mediated the effects of body composition (FM, VFA and PBF) on ACQ-6. The effects of obesity assessed by body composition, but not by using BMI, on ACQ-6 were mediated by leptin.

CONCLUSION
Our mediation analysis confirmed that systemic inflammation biomarkers, such as leptin, CCL17, IL-4, and IL-13, mediated the effects of obesity on asthma control. This warrants prospective exploration in this distinct asthma phenotype in the future.


Anecdotal evidence suggests the Variety of Big data is one of the most challenging problems in Computer Science research today [1]. First, Big data arrives from a myriad of data sources, hence its shape and flavor differ. Second, hundreds of different Big data management systems support different APIs, storage/indexing schemes, and expose data to the users through their data model lens, each specific to their own system. All of these offer a significant impediment for Big data users who just want an easy to use interface to all relevant data regardless of its shape, format, size, and a back-end system used to store it. Naturally, these differences also complicate development of any analytical algorithms on top of large-scale, heterogeneous datasets. Here we describe HYBRID.POLY- a consolidated in-memory polystore engine [2], designed to support heterogeneous large-scale data and interactively process complex analytical work-loads. We execute and evaluate several popular analytical work-loads including Data Fusion, Machine Learning, and Music search at scale


The Solar Tower Atmospheric Cherenkov Effect Experiment (STACEE) is an atmospheric Cherenkov detector that detects astrophysical -rays using the showerfront-sampling technique. STACEE is a fully operational detector utilizing 1 GS/s Flash ADCs on all channels, providing important pulse height and timing information for discriminating between -ray and hadron events. We discuss showerfront reconstruction methodologies and gamma/hadron separation techniques that utilize the nanosecond timing and pulse height information provided by STACEE's Flash ADCs.


Bias in software systems is a serious threat to human rights: when software makes decisions that allocate resources or opportunities, may disparately impact people based on personal traits (e.g., gender, ethnic group, etc.), systematically (dis)advantaging certain social groups. The cause is very often the imbalance of training data, that is, unequal distribution of data between the classes of an attribute. Previous studies showed that lower levels of balance in protected attributes are related to higher levels of unfairness in the output. In this paper we contribute to the current status of knowledge on balance measures as risk indicators of systematic discriminations by studying imbalance on two further aspects: the intersectionality among the classes of protected attributes, and the combination of the target variable with protected attributes. We conduct an empirical study to verify whether: i) it is possible to infer the balance of intersectional attributes from the balance of the primary attributes, ii) measures of balance on intersectional attributes are helpful to detect unfairness in the classification outcome, iii) the computation of balance on the combination of a target variable with protected attributes improves the detection of unfairness. Overall the results reveal positive answers, but not for every combination of balance measure and fairness criterion. For this reason, we recommend selecting the fairness and balance measures that are most suitable to the application context when applying our risk approach to real cases.


Protein kinases are crucial to coordinate cellular decisions and therefore their activities are strictly regulated. We used ancestral resurrection to uncover a mechanism underlying the evolution of kinase control within the ERK family of Mitogen Activated Protein Kinases (MAPKs). Kinase activities switched from high to low intrinsic autophosphorylation at the transition from the ancestors of ERKs1-5 and ERKs1-2. A shortening of the loop between β3-αC and a mutation in the gatekeeper residue drove this transition. Molecular dynamics simulations suggested that the change in the β3-αC loop length affected kinase cis-autophosphorylation by altering the positioning of catalytic residues and by allowing greater flexibility in the L16 kinase loop. This latter effect likely synergizes with the known role of gatekeeper mutations in facilitating domain closure and thus kinase activation, providing a rationale for the synergy between the two evolutionary mutations. Our results shed light on the evolutionary mechanisms that led to tight regulation of a central kinase in development and disease.


A complete analysis was made for an isotropic hardening rate-type elastoplastic constitutive model with the logarithmic stress rate utilizing solid shafts torsion test in the large strain range. The deformation rate, the logarithmic spin, the Kirchhoff stress and the logarithmic stress rate of the Kirchhoff stress were obtained for the free-end solid shaft torsion test when considering Swift effect. Utilizing the results obtained from the solid shaft torsion test, the plastic rigidity function in the isotropic hardening elastoplastic constitutive model was determined at finite strain range. It was shown that the influence of Swift effect on finite strain constitutive model was related to the varying rate of axial deformation and the varying rate of radius deformation to shear strain, and the plastic rigidity function corresponding to the logarithmic stress rate was the same as that corresponding to the Jaumann stress rate when neglecting Swift effect. Solid shaft can achieve very large strain without buckling in torsion test. They can be used to accurately determine the large strain elastoplastic behavior [1-3]. Many researchers are interesting in the theoretical study and experimental study on large strain torsion deformation [1-7]. Jaumann objective stress rate is often adopted for study on constitutive models [1], but Nagtegaa J C [8] discovered that Jaumann stress rate may render oscillatory stress response for anisotropic kinematics hardening simple shear problem. After that, great interests focus on the issues of choosing an appropriate objective stress rate in rate type constitutive models. The expression of logarithmic stress rate with logarithmic spin can be found in Xiao H [9]. It had been proved that among all rate type elastoplastic constitutive models, only those with the newly discovered logarithmic stress rate fulfill the self-consistency criterion. In this paper, the parameter in large strain isotropic hardening elastoplastic constitutive model is determined with logarithmic rate of Kirchhoff stress utilizing solid shaft torsion test.


Wrestling is a sport and a spectacle, hybrid and comical. The staging is used to suggest excess, the rituals act as a mediator of transgression, the body is shown as a repository of suffering, dispute is used as a moral operative, and stereotype works as a cultural integrator. This article points out how, both in the past and the present, and in both France and the USA, television has taken hold of the simulated violence of wrestling to appeal to an audience made up of fans who are receptive to the rhetoric of the show and its edifying tales. As such, "the business of American wrestling" has standardized a model of fabrication that shapes an aesthetic view of combat and emphasizes its commercial logic. This has resulted in an entire generation's appetite for a stage culture that is broadcasted around the world.


(The Geotechnical & Structures Laboratory of the US Army Engineering Research & Development Center (ERDC) has a well characterized 45.6 MPa unconfined compression strength concrete, that is commonly used as the 'standard concrete' in many numerical simulations. The purpose of this manuscript is to compare the laboratory material characterization of this standard concrete with the corresponding material responses from the so called K&C Concrete Model, as implemented in LSDYNA Version 971 Release 5266 as *Mat_Concrete_Damage_Rel3 , i.e. Release III of the K&C Concrete Model. A key aspect of this comparison is that the model's default parameters, for an unconfined compressive strength of 45.6 MPa, are used in all the material characterization simulations. Thus the constitutive model inputs are trivial, yet the complex response for many different types of material characterization tests are adequately reproduced. Where the constitutive model response differs significantly from the laboratory characterization suggestions are provided for how model users could improve the comparison via additional model parameter calibration.


This paper proposes for DS-CDMA cellular systems a forward-link power control scheme utilizing neighboring-cell pilot power in order to improve the quality of forward traffic channels and to increase traffic capacity. In this scheme, each mobile station measures pilot powers received from neighboring cells. Transmission power of the forward traffic channel is then controlled by base stations according to the pilot powers measured at the respective mobile station, and uniform service quality is provided to all channels. Simulation results show that the proposed scheme reduces outage and forced termination probabilities with a pilot power error of 1.5 dB, and increases capacity for the forced termination probability of 1% by 5% and 60% in the case of soft handover and hard handover.


1. Anodonta cygnea L. in captivity exhibits rhythmical behaviour as follows: (a) Periods of activity and quiescence alternate, with frequencies varying with different specimens from 3 to 30 per week. During the periods of quiescence the shell valves are completely adducted. During active periods the valves normally gape. (The 'slow' rhythm.) (b) During the active periods the adductor muscles show frequent rapid contractions followed by slow relaxations. This activity is also rhythmical, and has a frequency of up to 20 per hour. (The 'rapid' rhythm.) 2. The neuromuscular mechanism of these rhythms has been investigated, and it is shown that: (a) both adductor muscles participate in the rhythms; (b) the slow rhythm is a function of the unstriated portions of the muscles; (c) the rapid rhythm is a function of the striated portions of the muscles; (d) the rapid rhythm in each adductor muscle is controlled by its nearest ganglia; (e) the slow rhythm in each adductor muscle is controlled by the combined effect of the nearest ganglia, which tend always to produce a tonus, and the cerebropleural ganglia, which at intervals inhibit that tonus; (f) the control of the rhythms appears to be intrinsic in the nerve ganglia, and independent of peripheral stimulation. 3. The effect of morphine hydrochloride on Anodonta has been investigated, and it is shown that, in addition to a possible narcotic effect, it abolishes the tonus of the unstriated portions of the adductor muscles. 4. A reflex is described which leads to the relaxation of the tonus in the adductor muscles, and the commencement of a new period of activity. The stimulus is vibration and/or rotation. 5. On the basis of the above conclusions regarding Anodonta a hypothesis is put forward to account for certain facts about the contraction and relaxation of the adductor muscles of Mytilus.


Supply chain is a network of organizations that in connection with those upstream to downstream are involved in the processes and activities and they produce value to the final customer in the goods and provided services. This subject on its own figured new challenges out for them. The chain management is offering a complex of methods used in integrating the providers, producers, barns and stores in order to produce and offer the intended products on a specified amount, in a certain time and in a specified place. This caused the whole chain expenses be decreased, in addition the customers' needs be met with high service level. In this study, first of all the history of the emergence of supply chain and continue to components and elements and how the evolution of the green supply chain management will be discussed. The aim of this issues and literature related to green supply chain and understand its importance in the production of goods for all researchers, manufacturers and marketing.


Since the 1990s the inner city residential areas of CEE post-socialist cities have experienced substantial physical and social transformation. Previous studies have recorded a gradual rehabilitation of inner city housing stock and the displacement of lower status groups by middle and higher social status residents, but they have also shown that diverse social groups continue to live in the inner city. The scholarly emphasis on identifying the macro-scale factors that influence inner city change has resulted in a lack of studies considering micro-scale processes. We therefore herein attempt to address this gap in the literature by providing qualitative insight into the drivers of inner city dynamics at the level of the individual actors concerned. Our study is based on an investigation of two second-tier cities: Tartu in Estonia and České Budějovice in the Czech Republic. We found that, besides supply side factors which emphasise the conditions of urban spatial fabric, relocations to inner cities can best be explained by a combination of household socio-economic, life course and lifestyle factors. We also provide a typology of relocators to post-socialist inner cities, based on our findings.


: There are 5 known serotypes of bluetongue (BT) virus (BTV) in the US: 2, 10, 11, 13 and 17. The most recently discovered US serotype, BTV 2, was isolated from blood collected from cattle at Ona, Florida in 1982. Isolations were made from the September through November bleedings and from 1 pool of Culicoides insignis Lutz collected in October. Seventeen viral isolates were obtained by injecting the samples into embryonated chicken eggs (ECE) followed by serial passage onto BHK-21 cells. A single isolate was made from inoculation of pooled bovine blood into sheep. The isolates were shown to be Orbivirus-like particles by electron microscopy and were identified as BTV by indirect immunofluorescence tests. All the isolates were found to be serotype 2, however genome analysis using polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) identified 2 distinct electropherotypes. There were major differences between the 2 electropherotypes at least in genome segments 1, 5, 7, 8 and 9. The electropherotypes of viral isolates from bovine blood collected in September, 5 of those from the October bleedings, the insect isolate, and that from pooled blood were identical by PAGE and were designated Ona A. This electropherotype was also found to be indistinguishable from the prototype of the African serotype 2. The 2nd electropherotype, Ona B, included 3 of the viral isolates from the October bleedings and the single isolate from November. Ona A appeared to be closely related to the African prototype while Ona B may have resulted as a variant of Ona A after being subjected to a different environment. Both electropherotypes, however, appear to be stable forms of BTV serotype 2.


Background: There has been little study of whether family health history (FHH) tools used by individuals, families, and communities inspire measurable changes in communication and behavior. Objectives: The Community-Centered Family Health History (CCFHH) project was a collaborative endeavor among national and community-based organizations with an interest in genetics education and health. Using community- based participatory research principles as a foundation, CCFHH examined whether the Does It Run In the Family? toolkit, a set of two customizable booklets on health and genetics, encourages discussion and collection of FHH information across diverse communities. Methods: Five communities across the country measured the utility of customized versions of the Does It Run In the Family? toolkit. Each community partner recruited families, consisting of two or more blood relatives, to use the toolkit for 3 months, discuss it among their family members, and consider the implications of the health information. Pre- and postintervention surveys measured family communication about family history and disease risk and the use of FHH information in health care provider interactions. Results: After aggregate, cross-community analysis of individual responses, from pre- to post-toolkit use family members showed increases in communication about family history of disease risk (p < .05) and in awareness about FHH (p < .05). Conclusion: These findings indicate that diverse communities are receptive to FHH intervention, and tailored health educational materials can lead to increased conversations and awareness about health issues across communities.


The determination of performance metrics for novel building components requires that the tests are conducted in the outdoor environment. It is usually difficult to do this when the components are located in a full-scale building because of the difficulty in controlling the experiments. Test cells allow the components to be tested in realistic, but controlled, conditions. High-quality outdoor experiments and identification analysis methods can be used to determine key parameters that quantify performance. This is important for achieving standardised metrics that characterise the building component of interest, whether it is a passive solar component such as a ventilated window, or an active component such as a hybrid photovoltaic module. However, such testing and analysis does not determine how the building component will perform when placed in a real building in a particular location and climate. For this, it is necessary to model the whole building with and without the building component of interest. A procedure has been developed, and applied within several major European projects, that consists of calibrating a simulation model with high-quality data from the outdoor tests and then applying scaling and replication to one or more buildings and locations to determine performance in practice of building components. This paper sets out the methodology that has been developed and applied in these European projects. A case study is included demonstrating its application to the performance evaluation of hybrid photovoltaic modules.


This thesis investigates the practices of Arabic localisation as it presents a neglected area of localisation research, localising to a developing market. The thesis aims to establish a connection between localisation and Translation Studies, by exploring the ways in which this area can be theorised starting from the approaches developed by Lawrence Venuti (in particular the notions of foreignisation and domestication), and Christiane Nord (translation as interpersonal activity). Creating a theoretical framework which marries the cultural turn and functionalist approaches helps address the dynamics of Arabic localisation on both micro and macro levels. The thesis also aims to provide a holistic view of Arabic localisation, by considering translation processes and outcomes, and by attempting to understand how Arabic localisation is perceived by its target audience.

In order to achieve these goals, the thesis presents three case studies devoted, respectively, to the FIFA 15 video game, the Knorr website and the educational platform Blackboard Learn. It follows a mixed method approach to answer about the unique nature of each case study. This includes text analysis which covers each medium's localisation literature, the Arabic translated content of the selected products and related business articles. In addition, relevant online materials, such as gaming fora and Youtube gaming channels, are analysed to assess the response of the FIFA and Knorr target audience to the translation they receive. Due to the privacy of Blackboard Learn's content and users, access to a student's and an instructor's accounts were sought from an Arabic university, and a questionnaire was developed to assess quantitatively and qualitatively the Arabic users' response to the platform's Arabic localisation.

The significance of this thesis lies in its methodology and findings. Employing strategies from a range of backgrounds, academic, professional and social, produces a novel methodology for translation research and for addressing the complexity of the discipline of localisation, as well as understanding the effect of its technical and commercial aspects on translation practices and outcomes. By approaching localisation from a Translation Studies perspective, the thesis contributes to both disciplines. The thesis highlights the ways in which localising to a developing market is different from many of the practices discussed in the localisation literature. In addition, the context of Arabic localisation proves to be a fertile ground where Venuti's theory of foreignisation and domestication can be relocated, and the debate about it acquires new nuances.


OBJECTIVE
To develop a quantifiable behavioral test for identification of achromatopsic dogs based on visual performance.

ANIMALS
14 dogs.

PROCEDURES
A 3.6-m-long obstacle-avoidance course with 6 obstacle panels was developed from a preliminary 2.4-m-long course. Achromatopsic and visually normal control dogs were run through the course at 4 ambient light intensities (from dim to bright: 0.2, 25, 65, and 646 lux). Completion of 4 runs ranging from dimmest to brightest light intensity constituted 1 complete trial. Each dog underwent 3 trials. Transit times were measured and compared between dog groups and between light intensities by use of a generalized linear model and ANOVA.

RESULTS
At the 3 highest light intensities, the achromatopsic dogs needed significantly more time to pass through the obstacle course than the control animals. Compared with the mean transit time at the lowest light intensity, mean transit times were 2.6 times as long at 25 lux, 3.2 times as long at 65 lux, and 5.7 times as long at 646 lux. The achromatopsic dogs had signs of increasing difficulty navigating around the obstacle panels with increasing light intensities; this was not the situation for the control dogs.

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE
A 3.6-m-long obstacle-avoidance course with 6 movable obstacle panels allowed identification of achromatopsic dogs at ambient light intensities >or= 25 lux based on transit times. This test could be helpful in the evaluation of new cone photoreceptor specific treatments.


Introduction: Biochemistry, as well as other subjects related to molecular area, have several abstract and difficult concepts to be understood, therefore, many educational innovations have been developed, highlighting the digital games. The digital games feature a playful and motivational character that encourages students during the concepts learning, with a different way to learning the concepts studied. Objectives: The objective of this study was the development of a computer game focused on the concepts of ATP formation, including the glycolytic pathway, Krebs cycle and Electron Transport Chain, as well as aspects related to the regulation, and evaluate the usability of it, as well as some evidence of its educational potential. Material and methods: The development of the game followed the following steps: definition of the subject; understanding of game developer (it was chosen the GameMaker); storyboard creation of the game; prototyping, implementation and usability testing. For the evaluation, inspection usability was performed (without involving end users) and subsequently the cognitive route and the usability questionnaire (the latter two with students of the discipline of Biochemistry). Results: The game approached the energy metabolism in three phases: the glycolytic pathway, Krebs cycle and electron transport chain. Each phase has a different purpose, with some questions about the ways. To complete the game, you must correctly answer the questions, avoid the obstacles and achieve the goals of each phase. After usability testing, it found that users could, in a playful manner, actively interact with the content addressed and, through the difficulties presented in the game, had the opportunity to expand and review their knowledge. Conclusions: The game was identified as a motivating and innovative proposal for  teaching, and it had good usability for undergraduate students. The ludic worked as a pedagogical practice encourages student for learning and may assist in the construction of knowledge.


Rifted margins show an apparent discrepancy between the amount of extension measurable from faults and the amount of crustal or lithospheric thinning determined from wide-angle data or subsidence. This extension discrepancy has been interpreted in terms of depth-dependent stretching in which the upper crust is extended and thinned far less than the rest of the lithosphere. Here I show that at those nonvolcanic margins where the velocity structure is well known, the upper and lower crust appear to thin equally toward the margin, implying that the discrepancy is not due to depth-dependent stretching, but more likely due to unrecognized polyphase and top basement faulting.


Isotretinoin is a retinoid that is approved for the treatment of cystic acne. There has been a growing interest in the possible relationship between isotretinoin use and increased risk of depression and suicide. The issue, however, remains controversial. This review examines the available evidence on this association, including published case reports, studies of challenge-rechallenge, reports to government agencies of isotretinoin-related adverse events involving suicide and depression, and possible biological mechanisms of action. Given the evidence to date, clinicians are advised to counsel their patients about the risk of depression and suicide as possible side effects of isotretinoin use, and to administer self-report questionnaires during treatment to screen for the development of depression. Further epidemiological and neurobiological studies are needed to assess the possible relationship between isotretinoin administration and depression and suicide.


With the advent of liquid chromatography, identification and quantitation of thiazides by use of milder, non-destructive techniques will be at our disposal. Alternative methods, however, are available. The scheme of analysis presented here--i.e. initial screening with a sensitive but nonspecific colorimetric technique, identification and confirmation with thin-layer chromatography and gas chromatography, and quantitation by gas chromatographic techniques--is a realistic approach to the analysis of diuretics in tissue.


This study introduces the theory of asphalt aging with infrared adsorption spectrum. Qualitative and quantificational comparisons are carried out between Karamay asphalt ultraviolet radiation aging, after which asphalt turns from sol-type to gel-type and other aging types. The variance ratio of absorbance A at 1700 cm-1 in infrared spectrum chart is consistent with the tendency of asphalt's three general indexes, including penetration, ductility and softening point. The oxidation speed of ultraviolet radiation aging is 1.80~6.23 times that of thermal aging. In addition,the process of photo-oxidation, the order of carbonyl content in different asphalt samples, the influence of ultraviolet radiation on long term aging of asphalt and other useful information has been gained for better and further researches in this field.


Urban villages play an important role in providing affordable housing to urban migrants in Chinese cities. They are considered as supplementary to the dual rural-urban system in China. Of central importance to studying urban villages is how the morphology of these informal settlements affects urban life. It is essential for urban planners and designers to examine the morphology of urban villages. This paper, therefore, investigates the morphology of urban villages using the case study of Dayuan Village in Guangzhou, China. The morphology of this urban village is tested against four main elements of urban morphology: urban density, accessibility, functional mix, and urban interface. Our results revealed that the type of street within the urban village has considerable influence on accessibility, functional mix, and urban interface. Regarding urban density, our results show that buildings' height is not influenced by the centrality of buildings nor land value; however, it is likely that it is affected by planning agreements between the village committee and the local government. Land coverage does not comply with the planning regulation for residential districts. Regarding accessibility analysis, the number of entrances to streets is influenced by the type of street under analysis. The distribution of different types of functional mix is also affected by the type of street within the urban village. The buildings with a mix of 'live/visit' are concentrated along the formal streets and primary inner streets. The mono-functional use of 'live' and the bi-functional mix of 'live/work' are mostly located in the secondary inner streets. Regarding urban interface, our results demonstrate that the formal streets have an interface with considerable porosity, and that this can contribute to the livelihood of the immediate area.


In recent years, labor arbitration has been subjected to the criticism that it has become the captive of practitioners who have deprived it of informality of process and speed of decision. Instead, the critics allege, arbitration proceedings have become increasingly formal, technical, and expensive. Often such criticisms fall short of facing the basic issue of the function of arbitration in labor-management relations. As the author of this discussion sees this issue, the labor relations community has much to gain in the development of arbitration as a judicial system based on a 'common law' of labor relations. Current dissatisfaction with arbitration, he argues, will diminish as orderly rules and standards of procedure develop and reliance on precedent, cautiously applied, increases. (Author's abstract courtesy EBSCO.)


ABSTRACT Background: Older adults with subjective cognitive impairment (SCI) experience increased affective symptoms, reduced engagement in a range of activities, as well as more functional problems when compared to those without SCI. These associations suggest that SCI may be detrimental to older adults' quality of life (QoL). The purpose of this paper is to advance understanding of the SCI–QoL relationship through a comprehensive review of the empirical literature relating SCI and QoL. Methods: A systematic literature review was conducted in CINAHL, PsycINFO, and PubMed per the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses criteria. Eligible articles were appraised using the weight of evidence (WoE) framework to evaluate methodological quality, methodological relevance, and topic relevance. A narrative synthesis of results was conducted, based on conceptual definitions of QoL. Results: Eleven articles were identified that met eligibility criteria. WoE ratings ranged from low to high scores. Studies reviewed reported that the presence, greater frequency, or greater severity of SCI is associated with lower QoL regardless of methodological quality rating, sample characteristics (e.g. geographic location, clinical vs. community settings), study design (e.g. cross-sectional vs. longitudinal), and operationalization of SCI or QoL. Conclusion: Across studies, QoL was negatively associated with SCI. However, a frequent limitation of the reviewed literature was the mismatch between the conceptual and operational definitions of SCI and QoL. Similarly, SCI measures varied in quality across the reviewed literature. This suggests future empirical work should focus on the appropriate strategies for conceptually and operationally defining these constructs.


Contents: Volume I: Introduction Part I An Introduction: The genesis of public health ethics, Ronald Bayer and Amy L. Fairchild Rethinking the meaning of public health, Mark A. Rothstein From old to new public health: role tensions and contradictions, Anita Goraya and Graham Scambler Health promotion development in Europe: achievements and challenges, E. Ziglio, S. Hagard and J. Griffiths. Part II And Bioethics: Public health ethics: mapping the terrain, James F. Childress, Ruth R. Faden, Ruth D. Gaare, Lawrence O. Gostin, Jeffrey Kahn, Richard J. Bonnie, Nancy E. Kass, Anna C. Mastroianni, Jonathan D. Moreno and Philip Nieburg Ethics and public health, forging a strong relationship, Daniel Callahan and Bruce Jennings Broadening the bioethics agenda, Dan W. Brock How infectious diseases got left out - and what this omission might have meant for bioethics, Leslie P. Francis, Margaret P. Battin, Jay A. Jacobson, Charles B. Smith and Jeffrey Botkin Public health ethics: from foundations and frameworks to justice and global public health, Nancy E. Kass Ethics and infectious diseases, Michael J. Selgelid. Part III The Historical Debate:The importance of social intervention in Britain's mortality decline c.1850-1914: a re-interpretation of the role of public health, Simon Szreter The rise of surveillance medicine, David Armstrong. Part IV Research Issues: Ethical principles for the conduct of human subject research: population-based research and ethics, Larry Gostin Protection of research subjects: do special rules apply in epidemiology?, A.M. Capron Children in HIV/AIDS clinical trials: still vulnerable after all these years, Carol Levine Protecting communities in research: philosophical and pragmatic challenges, Charles Weijer Sick individuals and sick populations, Geoffrey Rose. Part V Public Health and Autonomy: Should public health respect autonomy?, Spencer A. Hall Obligatory precautions against infection, Marcel Verweij. Part VI Questions of Governance: Governance, microgovernance and health, Scott Burris Globalization and cholera: implications for global governance, Kelley Lee and Richard Dodgson Beyond communicable disease control: health in the age of globalization, Dyna Arhin-Tenkorang and Pedro ConceiA ao Strengthening governance for global health research, Kelley Lee and Anne Mills. Part VII Public Health and Human Rights: Is there a government in the cockpit: a passenger's perspective, or global public health: the role of human rights, Sofia Gruskin Medicine and public health, ethics and human rights, Jonathan M. Mann Global disparities in health and human rights: a critical commentary, Soloman R. Benatar. Part VIII Surveillance and Privacy: The limits of privacy: surveillance and the control of disease, Ronald Bayer and Amy Fairchild. Part IX Prevention and Its Limits: Individual and collective considerations in public health: influenza vaccination in nursing homes, Marcel Verweij The precautionary principle, epidemiology and the ethics of delay, Elihu D. Richter and Richard Laster The precautionary principle also applies to public health actions, Bernard D. Goldstein. Part X Confinement and Liberty: Cuba's quarantine of AIDS victims: a violation of human rights,? David W. Johnston Controlling AIDS in Cuba: the logic of quarantine, Ronald Bayer and C. Healton The politics of AIDS: compulsory state powers, public health and civil liberties, Larry Gostin Name Index. Volume II: Introduction: Part I The SARS Crisis: SARS: political pathology of the first post-Westphalian pathogen, David P. Fidler China's response to SARS, Ruotao Wang Ethics and SARS: lessons from Toronto, Peter A. Singer, Solomon R. Benatar, Mark Bernstein, Abdullah S. Daar, Bernard M. Dickens, Susan K. MacRae, Ross E.G. Upshur, Linda Wright and Randi Zlotnik Shaul. Part II HIV and AIDS: A global political economy approach to AIDS: ideology, interests and implications, Kelley Lee and Anthony B. Zwi. Part III Bioterrorism: Rights and dangers: bioterrorism and the ideologies of public health, Ronald Bayer and James Colgrove Critical biological agents: disease reporting as a tool for determining bioterrorism preparedness, Heather H. Horton, James J. Misrahi, Gene W. Matthews and Paula L. Kocher Bioterrorism law and policy: critical choices in public health, James G. Hodge Jr Blinded by bioterrorism: public health and liberty in the 21st century, George J. Annas Quarantine redux: bioterrorism, AIDS and the curtailment of individual liberty in the name of public health, Wendy E. Parmet Bioethics and the national security state, Jonathan D. Moreno Public health: a neglected counterterrorist measure, Richard Horton. Part IV Avian Flu: Pandemic influenza: public health preparedness for the next global health emergency, Lawrence O. Gostin Preparing for an influenza pandemic: ethical issues, Jaro Kotalik. Part V Climate Change: Climate change, human health and the post-cautionary principle, Lisa Heinzerling. Part VI Tobacco Control: The ethics of smoking, Robert E. Goodin Smokers' rights to health care: why the 'restoration argument' is a moralising wolf in a liberal sheep's clothing, Stephen Wilkinson Using litigation to make public health policy: theoretical and empirical challenges in assessing product liability, tobacco and gun litigation, Timothy D. Lytton. Part VII Vaccination: Mass immunization programmes: some philosophical issues, Tim Dare Public communication, risk perception and the viaibility of preventive vaccination against communicable diseases, Thomas May The determination of 'best interests' in relation to childhood vaccinations, Angus Dawson Ethical issues for vaccines and immunization, Jeffrey B. Ulmer and Margaret A. Liu. Part VIII Public Health and Genetic Health: From genes to public health: the applications of genetic technology in disease prevention, Muin J. Khoury and the Genetics Working Group Public health and the 'new' genetics: balancing individual and collective outcomes, Evan Willis Genetic screening from a public health perspective: some lessons from the HIV experience, Scott Burris and Lawrence O. Gostin Biobanking: international norms, Bartha Maria Knoppers Harnessing the benefits of biobanks, Lori B. Andrews Genetic exceptionalism and legislative pragmatism, Mark Rothstein. Part IX Public Health and Equity: Ethical issues in the use of cost effectiveness analysis for the prioritisation of healthcare resources, Dan W. Brock Health equity and social justice, Fabienne Peter Health by association? Social capital, social theory and political economy of public health, Simon Szreter and Michael Woolcock. Part X Public Health and the Developing World: Rethinking medical ethics: a view from below, Paul Farmer and Nicole Gastineau Campos The injustice of unsafe motherhood, Rebecca J. Cook and Bernard M. Dickens Public health in developing countries, Sarah Macfarlane, Mary Racelis and Florence Muli-Musiime Justice and medical research: a global perspective, Solomon R. Benatar A global health fund: a leap of faith?, RuiarA- Brugha and Gill Walt The new international health regulations: an historic development for international law and public health, David P. Fidler and Lawrence O. Gostin Name Index.


Preferential Trade Agreements (PTAs) have acquired greater importance in recent years as the stalemate in the multilateral trading negotiations persists. The intellectual property provisions in these agreements - often called "TRIPS-plus" as they go beyond the requirements of the WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property (TRIPS) - have received considerable attention particularly in relation to development and public interest objectives.However, less is known about the actual implementation of IP obligations in PTAs. This issue paper aims to bridge this research gap by analyzing how PTAs have influenced IP regimes in developing countries and the challenges these countries face in implementing these obligations.In this regard, the paper finds that PTAs are clearly drivers of significant IP reform in developing countries and that the implementation challenge for these countries is real and complex. The challenge does not only arise because of the higher standards of IPR protection under PTAs but also because of the sometimes narrow scope for interpretation when transposing these obligations into domestic law. In addition, the implementation itself, whether through literal transposition of the law or through adaptation, leads to different outcome depending on the implementing country's legal system and how stakeholders respond to the changes.The paper posits that implementation does not stop with the transposition of international trade obligations into the domestic legal system. Rather, it continues with the need to modify laws and enforcement practices. In essence, PTAs become "live" agreements that must be actively managed over time.One lesson that emerges is that countries engaged in PTAs negotiations should bear in mind the possible implementation challenges and the considerations set forth in the paper. After signing the PTAs, the implementation process requires a detailed examination of the nature of obligations and adequate use of any flexibility available and, where necessary, further elaboration of concepts and legal terms.Finally, the paper identifies the need for further country-specific examination and consideration of ways to manage the implementation and transposition of PTA standards into domestic law, adopting additional complementary mechanism, as well as addressing institutional capacity constraints. The implementation by developed country partners of the provisions that might be beneficial to developing countries, such as the technology transfer provisions in the EU-CARIFORUM agreement, also requires further assessment.


Instantaneous frequency estimation of signals in a high noise environment is analyzed in the paper. An algorithm based on Ant colony optimization and Wigner distribution is proposed for solving the considered estimation problem. The proposed approach has been applied and tested on mono-component frequency-modulated signals. Numerical examples are given in order to demonstrate the algorithm's performances in the analyzed framework.


The term high content screening (HCS) has become synonymous with imaging screen using automated microscopes and automated image analysis. The term was coined a little over 10 years ago, since then the technology evolved considerably and has established itself firmly in the drug discovery and development industry. Both the instruments and the software controlling the instruments and analyzing the data have come to maturity so that the full benefits of high content screening can now be realized. Those benefits are the capability of carrying out phenotypic multi-parametric cellular assays in an unbiased, fully automated and quantitative fashion. Automated microscopes and automated image analysis are being applied at all stages of the drug discovery and development pipeline. All major pharmaceutical companies have adopted the technology and it is in the process of being embraced broadly by the academic community. This review aims at describing the current capabilities and limits of the technology as well as highlight necessary developments that are required to exploit fully the potential of high content screening and analysis.


Previous studies have investigated the role of the Pacific meridional mode (PMM), a climate mode of the mid-latitudes in the Northern and Southern Hemisphere, in favoring the development of the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO). However little is known on how ENSO can influence the development of the PMM. Here we investigate the relationship between ENSO and the South Pacific Meridional Mode (SPMM) focusing on strong SPMM events that follows strong El Niño events. This type of events represents more than 60% of such events in the observational record and the historical simulations of the CESM Large ensemble (CESM-LE). It is first shown that such a relationship is rather stationary in both observations and the CESM-LE. Our analyses further reveal that strong SPMM events are associated with a coastal warming off northern central Chile peaking in Austral winter resulting from the propagation of waves forced at the equator during the development of El Niño events. The time delay between the ENSO peak (Boreal winter) and this coastal warming (Austral winter) can be understood in terms of the differential contribution of the equatorially-forced propagating baroclinic waves to the warming along the coast. In particular, the difference in phase speeds of the waves (the high-order mode the wave the slower) implies that they do not overlap along their propagation south of 20°S. This contributes to the persistence of warm coastal SST anomalies off Central Chile until the Austral summer following the concurrent El Niño event. This coastal warming is favorable to the development of strong SPMM events as the South Pacific Oscillation become active during that season. The analysis of the simulations of the Coupled Intercomparison Project phases 5 and 6 (CMIP5/6) indicates that very few models realistically simulate this ENSO/SPMM relationship and associated oceanic teleconnection.


We describe the use of a recursive least-squares approach for calibration of the characteristic frequency of an optical tweezer. Unlike commonly used off-line calibration methods, the RLS algorithm does not require data averaging to reduce the effects of Brownian motion. We use computer simulations to demonstrate that the RLS algorithm can be used to efficiently calibrate the characteristic frequency of a trapped, 10-micron diameter polystyrene bead. However, experimental results suggest that applying the RLS method to an actual optical tweezer system is more difficult because of the measurement errors and laboratory noise.


Abstract. Using the fifth Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5) model simulations and two observational datasets, the surface temperature trends and their discrepancies have been examined. The temporal-spatial characteristics for the surface temperature trends are discussed. Different from a constant estimated linear trend for the entire simulation period of 1850–2012, a dynamical trend using running linear least squares fitting with the moving 10 yr time windows are calculated. The results show that the CMIP5 model simulations are generally in good agreement with the observational measurements for the global scale warming, but the temperature trends depend on the temporal change and the regional differences. Generally, contrary to the small discrepancies on the global scale, the large discrepancies are observed in the south- and north-polar regions and other sub-regions.


I show that malaria misdiagnosis, common in resource-poor settings, decreases the expected effectiveness of an important new therapy – since only a fraction of treated individuals have malaria – and reduces the rate of learning via increased noise. Using pilot program data from Tanzania, I exploit variation in the location and timing of survey enumeration to construct reference groups composed of randomly chosen, geographically and temporally proximate acutely ill individuals. I show that learning is stronger and adoption rates are higher in villages with more misdiagnosis. Subsidizing diagnostic tools or improving initial targeting of new technologies may thus accelerate uptake through learning.


The effector pathways recruited for host defense in both the nonimmune and the immune host are specific and generate an array of beneficial functions, but they can also be detrimental to the host if the response is misdirected or excessive. A maladjustment in function of these effector systems so as to contribute to pathologic states of hypersensitivity is not to be viewed as an excessive physiologic response but rather as an involuntary response to an insult extrinsic to the system and of such a nature as to violate the usual mechanisms for maintaining integrity of the host. My growing awareness of the physiologic rather than the pathologic potential of two such systems, namely the mast cell-eosinophil axis, which is situated at portals of possible host penetration by hostile elements, and the alternative complement pathway which distinguishes self from nonself by biochemical rather than immunochemical means, prompts me to emphasize their homeostatic functions.


We present a new method for spatiotemporal assignment and scheduling of energy harvesters on a medical shoe tasked with measuring gait diagnostics. While prior work exists on the application of dielectric elastomers (DEs) for energy scavenging on shoes, current literature does not address the issues of placement and timing of these harvesters, nor does it address integration into existing sensing systems. We solve these issues and present a self-sustaining medical shoe that harvests energy from human ambulation while simultaneously measuring gait characteristics most relevant to medical diagnosis.


The film approach to history in this paper I want to consider the film as source material for history in the sense that palimpsest and parchment, hieroglyph and rune, clay tablet and manorial roll are source materials—fragments, sometimes fragments of fragments, often defaced by time, and applied to purposes of historical reconstruction rarely contemplated by the original authors. For the most part I shall not be particularly concerned with the various philosophies of history—whether it is the job of the historian to lay material dispassionately before the student so that he can make up his own mind about what happened in the past, or to digest source material in order to arrive at the truth—that is, what the historian may hope is the whole incontrovertible real truth, or to digest source material, as Macaulay and Carlyle digested it, in order to justify something in contemporary life or thought. All that need be said here for the moment is that films can be used, as other historical source material can b...


The three-dimensional structure of a complex of an Fab from a murine IgG2b(lambda) antibody (NC10.14) with a high potency sweet tasting hap- ten, N-(p-cyanophenyl)-N'-(diphenylmethyl)-N"-(carboxymethyl)guan idine (NC174), has been determined to 2.6 A resolution by X-ray crystallography. This complex crystallized in the triclinic space group P1, with two molecules in the asymmetric unit. In contrast to a companion monoclonal antibody (NC6.8) with a kappa-type light chain and similar high affinity for the NC174 ligand, the NC10.14 antibody possessed a large and deep antigen combining site bounded primarily by the third complementarity-determining regions (CDR3s) of the light and heavy chains. CDR3 of the heavy chain dominated the site and its crown protruded into the external solvent as a type 1' beta-turn. NC174 was nested against HCDR3 and was held in place by two tryptophan side-chains (L91 and L96) from LCDR3. The diphenyl rings were accommodated on an upper tier of the binding pocket that is largely hydrophobic. At the floor of the site, a positively charged arginine side-chain (H95) stabilized the orientation of the electronegative cyano group of the hapten. The negative charge on the acetate group was partially neutralized by a hydrogen bond with the phenolic hydroxyl group of tyrosine H58. Comparisons of the modes of binding of NC174 to the NC6.8 and NC10.14 antibodies illustrate the enormous structural and mechanistic diversity manifest by immune responses.


Robotics is an excellent tool for teaching science and technology, so current approaches in educational robotics mostly focus on these domains. However, besides engineering we also need social sciences, design and business approaches in robotics. Crazy Robots is a top-down approach to educational robotics from the product developer's perspective. Curiosity, creativity, persistence, and teamwork are in focus. In three consecutive workshops at five high schools, children aged 11-13 work through three incisive phases of product development: "ideation", "prototyping", and "evaluation". The approach follows the educational goals of empowering children, providing a structure for creative processes, and teaching the product perspective (top-down). Feedback from teachers and students reflects the positive achievements of the concept. Keywords— robotics in school, project-based learning,


Information fusion aims to develop intelligent approaches of integrating information from complementary sources, such that a more comprehensive basis is obtained for data analysis and knowledge discovery. Our Protein Biological Unit (ProtBuD) database is the first database that integrated the biological unit information from the Protein Data Bank (PDB), Protein Quaternary Server (PQS) and Protein Interfaces, Surfaces and Assemblies (PISA) server, and compared the three biological units side-by-side. The statistical analyses show that the inconsistency within these databases and between them is significant. In order to improve the inconsistency, we studied interfaces across different PDB entries in a protein family using an assumption that interfaces shared by different crystal forms are likely to be biologically relevant. A novel computational method is proposed to achieve this goal. First, redundant data were removed by clustering similar crystal structures, and a representative entry was used for each cluster. Then a modified k-d tree algorithm was applied to facilitate the computation of identifying interfaces from crystals. The interface similarity functions were derived from Gaussian distributions fit to the data. Hierarchical clustering was used to cluster interfaces to define the likely biological interfaces by the number of crystal forms in a cluster. Benchmark data sets were used to determine whether the existence or lack of existence of interfaces across multiple crystal forms can be used to predict whether a protein is an oligomer or not. The probability that a common interface is biological is given. An interface shared in two different crystal forms by divergent proteins is very likely to be biologically important. The interface data not only provide new interaction templates for computational modeling, but also provide more accurate data for training sets and testing sets in data-mining research to predict protein-protein interactions. In summary, we developed a framework which is based on databases where different biological unit information is integrated and new interface data are stored. In order for users from the biology community to use the data, a stand-alone software program, a web site with a user-friendly graphical interface, and a web service are provided.


One hundred eighty-four red-fruited tomato accessions from various origins were screened in Puerto Rico in 1981 for shelf-life of ripened fruit; 13 were found to have exceptionally long life (16 weeks or more). From these, six lines were selected and crossed with Kewalo from Hawaii and F 1 , F 2 and F 3 generations as well as BC 1 and F 2 of BC 1 , were grown. Long shelf-life was controlled by several genes in these crosses, and discrete ratios were not obtained. Among the hybrids longest shelf-life was found in individuals of F 2  families. Both recessive and dominant genes were segregating. Individual plants with fruit of exceptional shelf-life were obtained even in the most advanced generations. Pedigree selection is suggested as a useful technique for concentrating the genes for long shelf-life in o standard variety. Pure lines can then be crossed to combine genes from different sources. Minor genes for long shelf-life in homozygous pure lines may prove more useful than simple dominant genes in hybrids.


: Hepatic tissues in 58 human embryos, 5-12 week-old have been investigated. At that time hemopoiesis is mainly presented by erythropoiesis. Ultrastructure of the hepatic parenchymal cells and that of the hemopoietic cellular elements have been studied. The cultural system used makes it possible to maintain hemopoiesis in the explants for 3.5 weeks. Under the conditions of cultivation in the organic culture, certain changes in architectonics of the explants are observed. As the time of the cultivation increases, the ultrastructure of the hepatic parenchymal cells, which make the hemopoiesis-inducing microenvironment, undergo further changes. A gradual substitution of erythropoiesis for granulomonocytopoiesis takes place.


Today, museum visits are perceived as an opportunity for individuals to explore and make up their own minds. The increasing technical capabilities of Augmented Reality (AR) technology have raised audience expectations, advancing the use of mobile AR in cultural heritage (CH) settings. Hence, there is the need to define a criteria, based on users' preference, able to drive developers and insiders toward a more conscious development of AR-based applications. Starting from previous research (performed to define a protocol for understanding the visual behaviour of subjects looking at paintings), this paper introduces a truly predictive model of the museum visitor's visual behaviour, measured by an eye tracker. A Hidden Markov Model (HMM) approach is presented, able to predict users' attention in front of a painting. Furthermore, this research compares users' behaviour between adults and children, expanding the results to different kind of users, thus providing a reliable approach to eye trajectories. Tests have been conducted defining areas of interest (AOI) and observing the most visited ones, attempting the prediction of subsequent transitions between AOIs. The results demonstrate the effectiveness and suitability of our approach, with performance evaluation values that exceed 90%.


Recent debates over microfinance regulatory frameworks have misunderstood an important instrument: repayment frequency. Despite recent laws mandating lower microfinance repayment frequency under the banner of consumer protection, this Comment argues that repayment frequency is unable to protect borrowers beyond what substantive anti-coercion rights and procedural law can, and have begun to, accomplish. Moreover, repayment frequency, because of its link to meetings in group lending schemes, can produce social capital among borrowers, a byproduct that has been ignored in regulatory debates. By using a more holistic framework to measure financial regulation's effects, this Comment recommends reconsidering laws forbidding weekly repayment.


The governance of urban wastewater treatment works goes beyond the daily maintenance and upkeep of such systems. The governance includes interested and affected parties (stakeholders) further afield than the immediate proximity of the plant. As the concept might imply, governance would be an activity that is the purview of government only. This is not the case. Individuals and communities living downstream from such infrastructure and scientists can also become part of governance, either voluntarily or by default. Because of the wide range of stakeholders involved in the governance of wastewater infrastructure, we need to understand how and to what extent they influence governance. More so, it will be important to look also into the consequences of their actions while directly or indirectly governing wastewater infrastructure. In order to move beyond the traditional conceptualisation of governance as a government activity, this paper will utilise the ethos of analytic eclecticism and in particular six theories to investigate and widen our understand-ing of urban wastewater treatment governance. The six theories are (1) everyday international political economy, (2) interactive governance, (3) liberal pluralism, (4) interest group corporatism, (5) interest group pluralism and (6) psychological constructivism. This will, I hope, assist practi-tioners in formulating better policies as well as implementing them. The case study area is urban wastewater treatment in the Greater Sekhukhune District Municipality located in South Africa's Limpopo Province. The Municipality faces a number of governance challenges like skills scarcity, a large geographic area to provide services to, rapid socio-economic development because of the mushrooming of platinum mines and a diversity of communities and other actors to providing services. The six theories all indicate different facets the actors employ or are affected by during the governing process. By employing the six theories, it becomes apparent that linear cause and effect relationships between the actors and the issue are impossible. It also shows that predicting the outcome of certain aspects, like the role of individuals, is impossible. It does paint, however, a fuller picture of what is happening in reality.

Keywords: analytic eclecticism, wastewater, Olifants River, Greater Sekhukhune District Municipality, theory, governance, individuals


Amish and Mennonites have a long standing heritage of caring for each other within the community and family setting using natural, herbal medicines and therapies. For several decades, in numerous Anabaptist communities across the United States, a burns and wounds treatment has been popularized by the training of hundreds of lay caregivers. Little is known outside these communities about the experiences of these caregivers dedicated to providing burns and wounds care. The aim of this study was to describe the lived experience of caregivers who use the Burns & Wounds ointment (B&W) and burdock leaf treatment. Twelve caregivers (eight women and four men) who provide care in five states were interviewed. They ranged in age from 34 to 55 years with eight to 12 years of care. Data were analyzed manually by content analysis. Four major themes provide a rich, in-depth description. Rewarding work with heavy responsibility and decisive action then waiting to heal are accounts of personal commitments to caregiving. Selfreliance along with collaboration portrays family and community involvement. Treatment disallowed versus negotiated support describes caregivers' interactions with health care professionals. The use of the B&W burdock treatment is embedded in the cultural beliefs of these lay caregivers attending to their own, using natural products when possible, while respecting health care professionals' knowledge and abilities. They believe their treatment reduces the need for skin grafts, high doses of analgesics, and cost. Their wish is for medical supervision of their patients, including vital signs and hydration, while they provide wound care.


Infectious complications are the most frequent cause of death in cancer patients. Broad-spectrum antibacterial therapy is dictated by the polymicrobial nature of infections encountered in gynecologic oncology and is imperative in the empiric therapy of febrile granulocytopenic patients. In addition, the potential for infectious complications after radical pelvic surgery to remove malignancies has influenced most gynecologic oncologists to recommend prophylactic antibiotics. However, the choice of appropriate antibacterial therapy in gynecologic oncology patients is complicated frequently by impaired renal function secondary to cancer chemotherapy or associated with age in this generally elderly population. In addition, the potential cost- and time-saving advantages of simplified antibacterial regimens have resulted in a reexamination of the standard aminoglycoside-containing multiple-drug regimens. The efficacy and safety of monotherapy with broad-spectrum beta-lactam antibiotics or beta-lactam-antibiotic/beta-lactamase-inhibitor combinations, such as ticarcillin/clavulanate, remain to be confirmed in gynecologic oncology patients. The broad spectrum of ticarcillin/clavulanate, including gram-negative and -positive aerobic and anaerobic bacteria, seems plausible for the treatment of these potentially devastating infections.


The present study was attempted to know the impact of the farmers training programmes conducted in eight districts of Odisha during the year 2007-11.These training programmes each of seven days duration were organized by Directorate of Water Management, Bhubaneswar with major theme of the trainings "scaling-up of water productivity in agriculture for livelihoods". To assess the impact of trainings, questionnaire surveys covering 25-30% of farmers trained during the training programmes were carried out after a gap of minimum one year period. The findings implied that farmers showed significant improvement in their overall awareness (70.10%), attitude (68.27%) and skill (64.91%). The overall knowledge gain of the farmers on different scientific techniques for enhancing water productivity in agriculture was found to be significant and the adoption of these techniques by the farmers were found to be satisfactory level. Thus, trainings had motivated the farmers for adopting the modern techniques in order to get more production and farm income per drop of water.


The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of PAVEd for Success, comprehensive preliteracy program guidelines to support the development of foundational preliteracy skills in 4 year olds. Prekindergarten teachers received professional development on variables of the program that included a summer institute, after-school workshops, and classroom support from preliteracy specialists. Children were assessed at prekindergarten entry, following the implementation period and at the end of the school year. Vocabulary knowledge, phonological awareness, and alphabet knowledge were assessed during the prekindergarten year, and early literacy indicators and early decoding skills were assessed at the end of the kindergarten year. While all experimental variables showed some benefits to the development of children's preliteracy skills, only the full program benefited children who entered the prekindergarten program at risk for reading difficulties. The program participants benefited in early literacy and decoding skills when compared to controls. Implementation by teachers with support and sustainability of program features without support was also evaluated. Teachers were most likely to implement and sustain program features which shared consistency with some prior literacy focus and when they were able to integrate program features across the curriculum. This research suggests that long-term change in the literacy skills of young children will involve complex and multifaceted approaches to preliteracy development.


Although zeolites and related materials combine nanoporosity with high thermal stability, they are difficult to modify or derivatize in a systematic way. A highly porous metal coordination polymer [Cu3(TMA)2(H2O)3]n (where TMA is benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxylate) was formed in 80 percent yield. It has interconnected [Cu2(O2CR)4] units (where R is an aromatic ring), which create a three-dimensional system of channels with a pore size of 1 nanometer and an accessible porosity of about 40 percent in the solid. Unlike zeolites, the channel linings can be chemically functionalized; for example, the aqua ligands can be replaced by pyridines. Thermal gravimetric analysis and high-temperature single-crystal diffractometry indicate that the framework is stable up to 240 degreesC.


An Index of Drinking Water Adequacy (referred to as IDWA-I in this paper) was first proposed in 2007 for 23 member countries of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), and formed part of the Asian Water and Development Outlook (AWDO), 2007 brought out by the ADB. IDWA-I was obtained by averaging 5 separate component indicators referring to capacity to buy water, extent of resource availability, amount of water used, water quality (indicated by a proxy variable, namely the death rate due to diarrhoea) and the percentage of people with access. This paper reports the main results of IDWA-I and IDWA-II, in which we replace general access with specific access via home connection, after discovering the relatively weak correlation between the two types of access. Because of the dominating influence of the other common components, IDWA-I and IDWA-II are highly correlated indicators. The two, however, bring out diverse relative ranks for different countries.


These images, now available in higher-resolution formats owing to the continued support of the partner libraries, are now part of Cambridge Digital Library https://cudl.lib.cam.ac.uk/collections/scriptorium. Also included are the detailed descriptions of the manuscripts, and other supporting information featured in the original Scriptorium site. Researchers interested in obtaining rights to re-use Scriptorium images should do so via Cambridge Digital Library.


In a tape system, the core of the reel-to-reel and track-following servomechanisms is the servo channel, which processes the servo signal generated by a servo reader reading a timing-based servo pattern. The servo channel estimates essential servo parameters, including tape velocity, head lateral position, and longitudinal tape position. The achievable precision of the various estimates determines how densely data can be placed on tape. In this paper, the architecture and the design of a high-performance synchronous servo channel (SSC) are presented. The channel performance is evaluated by means of analytical bounds on the estimation error, simulations, and experimental results, which demonstrate that the proposed servo channel is instrumental to achieve head positioning with nanometer accuracy and reliable detection of longitudinal position information in tape systems. Methods for the estimation of servo parameters with enhanced precision and of dynamic tape-to-head skew by dual SSCs operating on adjacent servo bands are also presented and their performance evaluated.


Aims Precision medicine requires accurate technologies for drug administration and proper systems pharmacology approaches for patient data analysis. Here, plasma pharmacokinetics (PK) data of the OPTILIV trial in which cancer patients received oxaliplatin, 5-fluorouracil and irinotecan via chronomodulated schedules delivered by an infusion pump into the hepatic artery were mathematically investigated. Methods A pump-to-patient model was designed in order to accurately represent the drug solution dynamics from the pump to the patient blood. It was connected to semi-mechanistic PK models to analyse inter-patient variability in PK parameters. Results Large time delays of up to 1h41 between the actual pump start and the time of drug detection in patient blood was predicted by the model and confirmed by PK data. Sudden delivery spike in the patient artery due to glucose rinse after drug administration accounted for up to 10.7% of the total drug dose. New model-guided delivery profiles were designed to precisely lead to the drug exposure intended by clinicians. Next, the complete mathematical framework achieved a very good fit to individual time-concentration PK profiles and concluded that inter-subject differences in PK parameters was the lowest for irinotecan, intermediate for oxaliplatin and the largest for 5-fluorouracil. Clustering patients according to their PK parameter values revealed two patient subgroups for each drug in which inter-patient variability was largely decreased compared to that in the total population. Conclusions This study provides a complete mathematical framework to optimize drug infusion pumps and inform on inter-patient PK variability, a step towards precise and personalized cancer chronotherapy. Author summary Accuracy and safety of infusion pumps remain a critical issue in the clinics and the development of accurate mathematical models to optimize drug administration though such devices has a key part to play in the advancement of precision medicine. Here, PK data from cancer patient receiving irinotecan, oxaliplatin and 5-fluorouracil into the hepatic artery via an infusion pump was mathematically investigated. A pump-to-patient model was designed and revealed significant inconsistencies between intended drug profiles and actual plasma concentrations. This mathematical model was then used to suggest improved profiles in order to minimise error and optimise delivery. Physiologically-based PK models of the three drugs were then linked to the pump-to-patient model. The whole framework achieved a very good fit to data and allowed quantifying inter-patient variability in PK parameters and linking them to potential clinical biomarkers via patient clustering. The developed methodology improves our understanding of patient-specific drug pharmacokinetics towards personalized drug administration.


Parasites have detrimental effects on their hosts' fitness. Therefore, behavioural adaptations have evolved to avoid parasites or, when an individual is already in contact with a parasite, prevent or minimize infections. Such anti-parasite behaviours can be very effective, but can also be costly for the host. Specifically, ectoparasites can elicit strong host anti-parasite behaviours and interactions between fleas (Siphonaptera) and their hosts are one of the best studied. In altricial bird species, nest fleas can negatively affect both parent and offspring fitness components. However, knowledge on the effects of fleas on precocial bird species is scarce. Research on geese in the Canadian Arctic indicated that fleas have a negative impact on reproductive success. One possible hypothesis is that fleas may affect female incubation behaviour. Breeding females with many fleas in their nest may increase the frequency and/or duration of incubation breaks and could even totally desert their nest. The aim of our study was to 1) determine if a similar negative relationship existed between flea abundance and reproductive success in our study colony of Arctic breeding barnacle geese Branta leucopsis and 2) experimentally quantify if such effects could be explained by a negative effect of nest fleas on female behaviour. We compared host anti-parasite and incubation behaviour between experimentally flea-reduced and control nests using wildlife cameras and temperature loggers. We found that flea abundance was negatively associated with hatching success. We found little experimental support, however, for changes in behaviour of the breeding female as a possible mechanism to explain this effect.


440 Volume 42, Number 3 Pernot meticulously researched primary sources, including club records at the Chicago History Museum, as well as newspapers and pertinent secondary works to fashion a lively account of the team's early successes. Key figures such as William Hulbert, Albert Spalding, Mike "King" Kelly, Adrian "Cap" Anson, and Frank Chance are given their due, but the book is more than a mere recitation of names and annual accounts. The team history is contextualized with social and political events within the city, as well as the rivalries with the emergence of the Chicago White Sox of the American League and the shortlived Whales of the Federal League. The book consists of twentyfour brief chapters, consisting of three to twelve pages each. Current Cubs' fans might take heart in the knowledge that the team once dominated the National League. Then known as the White Stockings, the Cubs won the initial National League pennant in 1876 and five more pennants by 1889. From 1906 to 1910, the team appeared in four World Series, winning two and establishing the still existing record of 116 wins in a season in 1906. Pernot documents more than onthefield successes, describing the role of the media and political networking in the team's ascendance, though historians might lament that he presents no particular theoretical approach to fashion his narrative. He does, however, expand upon historiographical issues in a chapter on the lexicology of baseball terminology that has produced idioms in the English language. In this discussion, he draws attention to the civic rivalries between Chicago and New York and the ownership of the phrase "out of left field." The author also details the turnofthetwentiethcentury battle between team ownership and nearby homeowners who erected rooftop grandstands and sold the seats to fans, a prelude to the current legal confrontations over the same issue. Pernot also points out that the fan loyalties that continue to split the city between Cubs and White Sox fans were already apparent in the 1906 World Series in which the two teams faced each other. Regardless of their league standing, the two teams continued to face each other in a City Series for several years that assured local bragging rights for the fans and annual profits for the owners. Although the book does not offer much in the way of new knowledge or contrasting historical interpretations for scholars, it is a wellwritten and entertaining read, filled with copious illustrations and photos that might sustain the rabid Cubs' fan base as they "wait until next year." —Gerald R. Gems North Central College


Nowadays, an increasing number of applications use deserialization. This technique, based on rebuilding the instance of objects from serialized byte streams, can be dangerous since it can open the application to attacks such as remote code execution (RCE) if the data to deserialize is originating from an untrusted source. Deserialization vulnerabilities are so critical that they are in OWASP's list of top 10 security risks for web applications. This is mainly caused by faults in the development process of applications and by flaws in their dependencies, i.e., flaws in the libraries used by these applications. No previous work has studied deserialization attacks in-depth: How are they performed? How are weaknesses introduced and patched? And for how long are vulnerabilities present in the codebase? To yield a deeper understanding of this important kind of vulnerability, we perform two main analyses: one on attack gadgets, i.e., exploitable pieces of code, present in Java libraries, and one on vulnerabilities present in Java applications. For the first analysis, we conduct an exploratory large-scale study by running 256515 experiments in which we vary the versions of libraries for each of the 19 publicly available exploits. Such attacks rely on a combination of gadgets present in one or multiple Java libraries. A gadget is a method which is using objects or fields that can be attacker-controlled. Our goal is to precisely identify library versions containing gadgets and to understand how gadgets have been introduced and how they have been patched. We observe that the modification of one innocent-looking detail in a class – such as making it public – can already introduce a gadget. Furthermore, we noticed that among the studied libraries, 37.5% are not patched, leaving gadgets available for future attacks. For the second analysis, we manually analyze 104 deserialization vulnerabilities CVEs to understand how vulnerabilities are introduced and patched in real-life Java applications. Results indicate that the vulnerabilities are not always completely patched or that a workaround solution is proposed. With a workaround solution, applications are still vulnerable since the code itself is unchanged.


It has been observed that the activity of programming is not a linear progression, but a complex hopping between many threads(1). It appears that remembering all the necessary threads, and directing attention appropriately, may exceed the limits of human working memory(2). This paper describes work in progress to design and create a tool which models and supports programmers' mental activity by external assistance to their working memory, both for gathering of information and for direction of attention. It presents some initial findings from the use of a prototypical implementation, and puts forward some suggestions for experiments based around the tool.


Abstract. Many river basins have a weak in-situ hydrometeorological monitoring infrastructure. However, water resources practitioners depend on reliable hydrological models for management purposes. Remote sensing (RS) data have been recognized as an alternative to in-situ hydrometeorological data in remote and poorly monitored areas and are increasingly used to force, calibrate, and update hydrological models. In this study, we evaluate the potential of informing a river basin model with real-time radar altimetry measurements over reservoirs. We present a lumped, conceptual, river basin water balance modeling approach based entirely on RS and reanalysis data: precipitation was obtained from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Multisatellite Precipitation Analysis (TMPA), temperature from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecast's (ECMWF) Operational Surface Analysis dataset and reference evapotranspiration was derived from temperature data. The Ensemble Kalman Filter was used to assimilate radar altimetry (ERS2 and Envisat) measurements of reservoir water levels. The modeling approach was applied to the Syr Darya River Basin, a snowmelt-dominated basin with large topographical variability, several large reservoirs and scarce hydrometeorological data that is located in Central Asia and shared between 4 countries with conflicting water management interests. The modeling approach was tested over a historical period for which in-situ reservoir water levels were available. Assimilation of radar altimetry data significantly improved the performance of the hydrological model. Without assimilation of radar altimetry data, model performance was limited, probably because of the size and complexity of the model domain, simplifications inherent in model design, and the uncertainty of RS and reanalysis data. Altimetry data assimilation reduced the mean absolute error of the simulated reservoir water levels from 4.7 to 1.9 m, and overall model RMSE from 10.3 m to 6.7 m. Model performance was variable for the different reservoirs in the system. The RMSE ranged from 10% to 76% of the mean seasonal reservoir level variation. Because of its easy accessibility and immediate availability, radar altimetry lends itself to being used in real-time hydrological applications. As an impartial source of information about the hydrological system that can be updated in real time, the modeling approach described here can provide useful medium-term hydrological forecasts to be used in water resources management.


Dietary restriction (DR: food restriction without malnutrition) is often considered as a nearly universal means to extend longevity in animal species and we could make the hypothesis that DR could increase longevity in humans. Some authors support the opinion that DR has already increased longevity in Okinawa inhabitants, and thus that DR can increase longevity in humans. The purpose of this article is to stress that no data on humans with a normal body mass index (neither overweight nor obese) indicate that DR can increase life span and health span, particularly because the results observed in Okinawa inhabitants can probably be considered as showing mainly deleterious effects of malnutrition rather than positive effects of DR. Since DR does not appear to increase human life span, studies testing for the effect of DR in humans should focus on the health effects of a mild DR in overweight and obese people, rather than in normal-weight people.


BACKGROUND
The relationship between the serum levels of Vitamin D and the severity of RA is a subject of great interest for the future therapeutic strategies. Although the evidence on the relationship between hypovitaminosis D and early RA is contradictory, preliminary data suggest that the serum levels of vitamin D are inversely associated with the disease activity.

AIM
the main objectives of this study include: (1) to analyze the serum levels of vitamin D in patients with RA in comparison to healthy controls; (2) to investigatea possible correlation with disease activity.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
This was a retrospective, comparative study conducted on 37 subjects suffering from RA and a group of 21 healthy matched controls. The following were determined in all studied subjects: erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), white blood cells (WBC), hemoglobin (Hb), platelets (PLT), serum calcium (Ca), serum phosphorus (Phos), and serum 25 hydroxy-vitamin D. Moreover, in the RA group the IgM-Rhematoid Factor (RF) and anti-citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPA) (immune-enzymatic method) were assessed. The Disease Activity Score of 28 joints (DAS28) was calculated for the RA patients.

RESULTS
We observed that vitamin D deficiency is more common in RA patients than in healthy controls. No significant correlation between 25OHvitD and DAS28-ESR was found in our study cohort.

CONCLUSIONS
There is no significant association of serum 25(OH)D with disease severity in a Western Romanian cohort with RA. However, this result could have implications for the disease management, as patients with RA could be supplemented with vitamin D even in the absence of disease activity.