The spin torque ferromagnetic resonance (STFMR) is one of the popular methods for measurement of the spin Hall angle, θSH. However, in order to accurately determine θSH from STFMR measurements, the acquired data must be carefully analyzed: The resonance linewidth should be determined to an accuracy of a fraction of an Oe, while the dynamical interaction leading to the measured response consists of the conventional field-induced ferromagnetic resonance (FMR), spintorque induced FMR, and of the inverse spin Hall effect (ISHE). Additionally, the signal often deteriorates when DC current is passed through the device. In this work we compare the STFMR method with two other FMR-based methods that are used to extract θSH. The first is a device-level FMR and the second is based on the ISHE. We identify artefacts that are caused by the noise floor of the instrumentation that make the measurement of θSH illusive even when the signal to noise ratio seems to be reasonable. Additionally, we estimate a 10% error in θSH that results from neglecting the magnetic anisotropies as in conventional measurements. Overall, we find the STFMR to be the most robust of the three methods despite the complexity of the interaction taking place therein. The conclusions of our work lead to a more accurate determination of θSH and will assist in the search of novel materials for energy efficient spin-based applications.


1. Purified myelin was incubated with snake venom or phospholipase A in the presence of or absence of trypsin at 37 degrees C, pH7.4, for different times. 2. Analysis of the myelin pellet obtained after centrifugation of the myelin sample incubated with snake venom or phospholipase A alone showed conversion of phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylserine into their corresponding lyso compounds. No significant loss of myelin protein was observed in these samples. 3. A marked digestion of basic proteins and proteolipid protein was observed from the myelin pellet when trypsin was present in the incubation mixture. 4. The digestion of basic protein and particularly of proteolipid from myelin suggest that phospholipases may make protein more exposed to proteolytic enzyme for its digestion. 5. The relevance of the co-operative effect of phospholipases and proteinases as a model system of the mechanism of myelin breakdown in degenerative brain diseases is discussed.


In this paper, a cooperative Linear Quadratic Regulator (LQR) problem is investigated for multi-input systems, where each input is generated by an agent in a network. The input matrices are different and locally possessed by the corresponding agents respectively, which can be regarded as different ways for agents to control the multi-input system. By embedding a fully distributed information fusion strategy, a novel cooperative LQR-based controller is proposed. Each agent only needs to communicate with its neighbors, rather than sharing information globally in a network. Moreover, only the joint controllability is required, which allows the multi-input system to be uncontrollable for every single agent or even all its neighbors. In particular, only one-time information exchange is necessary at every control step, which significantly reduces the communication consumption. It is proved that the boundedness (convergence) of the controller gains is guaranteed for time-varying (time-invariant) systems. Furthermore, the control performance of the entire system is ensured. Generally, the proposed controller achieves a better trade-off between the control performance and the communication overhead, compared with the existing centralized/decentralized/consensus-based LQR controllers. Finally, the effectiveness of the theoretical results is illustrated by several comparative numerical examples.


New technologies are evidently gaining access to daily school life. Considering new challenges, the educators search for new ways to update educational content in the 21st Century when learning paradigms are changing. Soon, the new technological tools and solutions become predominant and change the traditional approach to teaching and learning. The new technologies not only help the educators to provide the relevant educational content in an easier and diverse way, but also to organise the evaluation of the results. This is particularly important for the educational process, taking into account the relevant issues of the period. The article presents results of a survey. Participants of the survey were teachers who use the ActivInspire interactive evaluation system in their lessons. These teachers were the first to use this system in Lithuania. No studies on the experience in the use of the interactive evaluation system in Lithuania have been carried out before. During a school year, the teachers were writing reflections about their experience in using the interactive teaching tools in lessons: interactive whiteboard, electronic textbooks and the audience response system. Generally, the teachers had a positive opinion about the use of the interactive evaluation system in classroom. The teachers emphasized in particular the aspect of usefulness of the audience response system. In addition to the aspect of usefulness, other aspects marked by the teachers as important were those of attractiveness, time management and impact on learning. This experience of teachers in Lithuania in using the ActivInspire evaluation system in classroom is similar to the experience of teachers in other countries.


Deep Neural Networks are becoming the de-facto standard models for image understanding, and more generally for computer vision tasks. As they involve highly parallelizable computations, Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) are well suited to current fine grain programmable logic devices. Thus, multiple CNN accelerators have been successfully implemented on Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs). Unfortunately, FPGA resources such as logic elements or Digital Signal Processing (DSP) units remain limited. This work presents a holistic method relying on approximate computing and design space exploration to optimize the DSP block utilization of a CNN implementation on FPGA. This method was tested when implementing a reconfigurable Optical Character Recognition (OCR) convolutional neural network on an Altera Stratix V device and varying both data representation and CNN topology in order to find the best combination in terms of DSP block utilization and classification accuracy. This exploration generated dataflow architectures of 76 CNN topologies with 5 different fixed point representation. Most efficient implementation performs 883 classifications/sec at 256 × 256 resolution using 8 % of the available DSP blocks.


The goal of this study is to obtain accurate human dimension of current Chinese shape. Anthropometric data of adult male in GB1000088 is adopted as sample observation data in this paper. Based on similarity theory of human body and the correlation of human body static dimensions, by statistical analysis of the sample date, the regression equation is established which determines the relationship between measurement of each part of the male body and height, weight. The maximum measurement error is within 5% by comparing the measurement data with calculating dimension data obtained by regression equations established in the paper, which verifies the rationality and accuracy of the regression equations. Once parameters of height and weight are given, the regression equations can quickly and easily provide effective body dimensions data used to build crash simulation model specifically for Chinese and manmachine product.


The use of free and Open-Source Software (OSS) systems is gaining momentum. Organizations are also now adopting OSS, despite some reservations, particularly about the quality issues. Stability of software is one of the main features in software quality management that needs to be understood and accurately predicted. It deals with the impact resulting from software changes and argues that stable components lead to a cost-effective software evolution. Changes are most common phenomena present in OSS in comparison to proprietary software. This makes OSS system evolution a rich context to study and predict stability. Our objective in this work is to build stability prediction models that are not only accurate but also interpretable, that is, able to explain the link between the architectural aspects of a software component and its stability behavior in the context of OSS. Therefore, we propose a new approach based on classifiers combination capable of preserving prediction interpretability. Our approach is classifier-structure dependent. Therefore, we propose a particular solution for combining Bayesian classifiers in order to derive a more accurate composite classifier that preserves interpretability. This solution is implemented using a genetic algorithm and applied in the context of an OSS large-scale system, namely the standard Java API. The empirical results show that our approach outperforms state-of-the-art approaches from both machine learning and software engineering.


A multifunctional membrane for visual detection and enhanced adsorptive removal of lead ions in aqueous solution was prepared by immobilizing lead sensitive ligand, dithizone (DZ), on chitosan (CS) /cellulose acetate (CA) blend membrane. The prepared membrane can display visible color change (from yellow to red) as a response to lead ions in solutions; and at the same time, lead ions can be adsorptively removed by the amine groups on the membrane surface. Thus, the development provides a truly multifunctional membrane technology that can achieve optical warning as well as removal of lead ions simultaneously. Experimental results showed that the prepared membrane exhibited the advantages of quick response, easy naked-eye recognition and improved lead uptake capacity.


Women who have been subjected to surgical treatment for breast cancer may develop late sequelae in the area of operation on the chest wall and/or in the ipsilateral arm or shoulder after the immediate surgical discomfort has passed. As many patients seek treatment of their own accord by physiotherapists, we considered it relevant to evaluate the effect of two different physiotherapy regimes. We also wished to determine whether there was a possible relationship between occurrence of late sequelae and physical findings, carried out by means of a simple clinical examination based on physiotherapeutic methods of examination. Fifty-nine patients, 1-4 years postoperatively, were randomized to two different physiotherapy regimens. Patients were examined by a physician before and after the treatment, and they answered a questionnaire four times in all within the course of the investigation. The questionnaire covered six main late sequelae, as well as the degree of discomfort. Our investigation shows that many women experience late symptoms after surgical treatment of breast cancer, and that is possible in these patients, to demonstrate a reduction in strength in the ipsilateral extremity, reduced movement and increased muscle tone. Physiotherapy can improve the strength, movement and muscle tone in the operated extremity and also reduce the presence and severity of the late symptoms.


Preparation of the initial charge, crystal growth process and crystal quality assessment of langasite are described. The initial charge preparation is based on an original method named self-distribution high-temperature synthesis (SHS), which is applied for the first time to mixtures of lanthanum and silicon oxides and metallic gallium. Influence of the main growth conditions on the crystal quality is discussed. The advantages of using iridium as crucible material are shown. A value of the crystal size as big as 70 mm of diameter was reached. Crystal quality is evaluated to be high enough to produce monolithic 80 MHz filters.


Engel's study will be the definitive statement on one dimension of a very complex problem: the relations between Jews and their countrymen in occupied Poland.--"Central European History" "A superb piece of scholarship that is impeccably researched and most elegantly written as well.--Jan T. Gross, New York UniversityWithin this book, Engel concludes his exploration of the Polish government-in-exile's shifting responses toward the plight of European Jews during the Second World War. He focuses on the years 1943-45, the critical period after the free world became fully aware of Nazi Germany's plan to destroy the Jews, and shows that the Polish government-in-exile, with its vast underground organization, was a prime target of Jewish rescue appeals. This book is the sequel to Engel's "In the Shadow of Auschwitz," published in 1987.Originally published in 1993.A UNC Press Enduring Edition -- UNC Press Enduring Editions use the latest in digital technology to make available again books from our distinguished backlist that were previously out of print. These editions are published unaltered from the original, and are presented in affordable paperback formats, bringing readers both historical and cultural value.


The development of cost effective models of hospital care and discharge planning for people with HIV is a vital policy issue. However, almost no data exist evaluating cost and quality differences in alternate hospital models of care. This empirical study retrospectively evaluates social work discharge planning for patients with HIV disease in two hospital care models: a cluster AIDS unit and general inpatient site beds. The independent effect of each hospital model of care on length of stay is assessed in a multivariate analysis, controlling for level of care needs and other social and clinical factors. Results reveal that the cluster AIDS unit, where a specialized AIDS social work staff works in collaboration with the interdisciplinary AIDS team, is associated with a significant reduction in hospital length of stay for persons with HIV disease and complex discharge planning needs. These results support the hypothesis that discharge planning services, performed by specialized social workers, are a cost effective investment for hospitals treating patients with complex chronic conditions, such as AIDS. Further research should be developed to systematically evaluate the cost effectiveness of hospital-based social workers, using prospective experimental designs, in order to establish the net impact of social work discharge planning services on patient and family outcomes and institutional and social costs.


Abstract. Groundwater recharge processes in semi-arid climates are highly sensitive to spatial and temporal variability (event precipitation). However, in previous research, the spatial distribu-tion of recharge has received relatively little attention. This study differentiates recharge ac-cording to the following spatial characteristics: (a) soil type and soil condition, (b) land forms such as relief, vegetation and land use, and (c) lithology and hydrogeological characteristics of the subsurface rock formation. For the first time, this paper analyses and quantifies the specific recharge in the different individual rock formations of the Western Aquifer Basin (WAB). The WAB is a large transboundary karst aquifer that stretches from sub-humid to semi-arid climates from the recharge area in the West Bank Mountains to the Mediterranean Coast. The assessment is based on actual field data, including soil moisture and spring dis-charge in Wadi Natuf, a 103 km2 large sub-catchment in the West Bank slopes and mountain region, i.e. the recharge area of the WAB. A parsimonious soil moisture balance model was set up to calculate daily recharge rates from daily precipitation and evapotranspiration records over an extended period of 7 years (2003/2004–2009/2010). Unlike in most comparable studies, the simple but solid parsimonious soil moisture and percolation model and the budget calculations were based on actual quantitative field-observations, in contrast's daily deep percolation rates were compared with soil moisture field-data and in addition, by comparing major event recharge depths with daily spring discharge response. This combination of modelling and intensive field measurements, comprising eight different soil moisture measurement stations in six different litho-facies formations allowed identifying and quantifying the recharge characteristics of each formation at high spatial resolution, which is a first in the Western Aquifer. We found that recharge varies widely at the spatial dimension, ranging between 0 % and almost 60 % of annual rainfall. The spatially variable long-term average recharge coefficients were applied to other outcropping formations by a ranking procedure taking into account each of the three above spatial characteristics (landform, soil and geology). In addition to the recharge analysis, special emphasis was paid to the examination of the role of perched leaky aquifers positioned between the main regional Upper and Lower Aquifers. The particular geometry of the local aquifers, i.e. hills with well-defined aquifers, leaky aqui-tard bases and therefore well-defined catchment areas, allowed the quantification of the flow budget. By measuring and budgeting spring group discharge of each leaky sub-aquifer, for the first time also leakage coefficients could be calculated empirically. The methodology of this study is also applicable to comparable catchments and aquifers out-side the region. The resulting mean annual recharge coefficients allow the prediction of the spatial distribution of recharge at any given sub-catchment or management cell size, also beyond Wadi Natuf (in a follow-up paper).


Specifically designed for textile mills, this manual is intended to furnish a practical and useful interpretation of modern statistical quality control as applied to textile processes from fiber to finished fabric, and to present typical procedures applicable to an effective quality control program. The material is drawn from a wealth of actual mill applications obtained during the author's consulting work and represents experience in more than 40 mills.


Abstract Rheumatoid arthritis presents many challenges to those involved in its management. Concerns exist over the safety of interventions aimed at increasing aerobic capacity and muscle strength. The objective of this review was to evaluate the outcome of intensive exercise programmes for patients with rheumatoid arthritis on bone mineral density and disease activity. A search of six databases was conducted using relevant search terms. Papers investigating the effect of aerobic and/or strengthening programmes on patients with rheumatoid arthritis were included. Eleven papers out of 30 returned were included; four of these eleven papers had a low risk of bias. Findings from these studies indicated that exercise programmes for patients with rheumatoid arthritis do not increase disease activity, are safe, and slow down the loss of bone mineral in the hip. Results of this review highlight the safety and benefits of aerobic and dynamic strengthening exercise programmes for patients with rheumatoid arthritis.


Hypercholesterolaemia is a major risk factor related to atherosclerosis, and it may be influenced by our diet. This study addresses the impact of Lactobacillus rhamnosus BFE5264 (isolated from Maasai fermented milk) and Lactobacillus plantarum NR74 (from Korean kimchi) on the control of cholesterol absorption through down-regulation of Niemann-Pick C1-like 1 (NPC1L1) expression. Caco-2 enterocytes were treated with the live, heat-killed (HK) bacteria, bacterial cell wall extracts and metabolites; mRNA level and protein expression were measured. Caco-2 cells showed lower NPC1L1 expression in the presence of the live test strains than the control, elucidating down-regulation of cholesterol uptake, and were compared well with the positive control, L. rhamnosus GG. This effect was also observed with HK bacteria and cell wall fractions but not with their metabolites. The potential of some Lactobacillus strains associated with traditional fermented foods to suppress cholesterol uptake and promote its efflux in enterocytes has been suggested from these data.


The aim of this study was to characterize the phenotype of leukocytes infiltrating the duodenal mucosa of cats with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) by using immunohistochemistry and computer-aided morphometry to assess whether immunologic markers would aid in characterization of IBD. Frozen and formalin-fixed duodenal biopsies were collected from cats referred for investigation of chronic vomiting, diarrhea, or both (n = 34). Reference ranges were previously established by using duodenal samples from healthy cats (n = 16). No significant difference was found in the number of immunoglobulin G+ (IgG+) or IgA+ in either the villous lamina propria or the crypt lamina propria between cats with IBD and control cats. T cells (CD3+) increased in number from crypt to the tip of the villi in biopsies from both diseased (mean ± SD for each group was 18.8±6.6 and 17.7±4.2 cells/10,000μm2 in cryptal areas to 25.2±9.5 and 29.1±13.3 cells/10,000μm2 in villous areas) and healthy animals (17.9±3.9 cells/10,000μm2 in cryptal areas to 24.1±9.3 cells/10,000μm2 in villous areas) and no significant difference was found between diseased and control cats. By contrast, major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II expression by leukocytes with dendritic cell or macrophage morphology in the lamina propria was significantly greater in cats with IBD (13.3±4.2 cells/10,000μm2 in cryptal area; P= .016) than in healthy cats (11.9±3.0 cells/10,000μm2) and MHC class II expression by enterocytes also was more pronounced in these cats showing an overall intensity of expression of 7.1±4.0 cells/10,000μm2 in cats with IBD as opposed to 0.0±0.0 cells/10,000μm2 to 0.3±0.7 cells/10,000μm2 in healthy cats. These findings suggest that a subtle immunologic dysregulation occurs in spontaneously arising feline IBD.


This article describes the 1-year outcomes of youth transitioning out of a residential care facility in South Africa. Those outcomes are compared with both national data on youth in the general population and care leavers from the United Kingdom. Analysis of the outcomes of 52 care leavers showed that they had fairly secure accommodation, low levels of homelessness, and low levels of criminal involvement and substance abuse. However, care leavers were particularly vulnerable in their educational attainment and employment outcomes and ran the risk of being not in employment, education or training. This has economic and psychological consequences for youth, who are then forced to rely on others for their livelihood and it can increase their feelings of depression, isolation, and despondency. Results from this study provide insight into the challenges and needs of young people transitioning out of residential care, which provides guidance on what to prioritize for practice. This research has implications not only for improving the understanding of care leaving in South Africa and Africa, but also for the existing knowledge based on research internationally.


An increasing number of studies have seen the light over the last few decades concerning the epistemology of the book of Ecclesiastes. The extant research seems to be limited to try to find a suitable philosophical profile for Qohelet's concept of knowledge whilst ignoring a whole array of topics and theories in contemporary analytic epistemology. The available research thus reveals an 'inside-out' approach that is, reading Qohelet and then seeking to link his thought to a particular epistemological stance. In this study, however, an 'outside-in' approach is opted for that involves noting all the various issues in epistemology and then comparing each with what, if anything, Qohelet assumed in relation to the specific matter at hand.


Background: HIV/AIDS has a negative impact on child growth. Assessing the growth of infected children is an important part of the overall care of these children which in turn improves the monitoring and prognosis of the disease. The purpose of the study was to describe and compare the growth of children living with HIV with those not infected and to identify the associated factors. Method: This was an analytical case control study conducted in a pediatric hospital, Yaounde from January 25th to June 20th 2019. Our study population consisted of 164 children with an age range from 06 weeks to 19 years old of which we had 41 HIV-infected cases and 123 uninfected controls matched by sex and age plus or minus 02 months. Anthropometric parameters were measured according to the standards described by the WHO. The data was entered and analyzed using Epi info 3.5.4, WHO Anthro and WHO Anthropoplus softwares. The chi-square and the Fisher's exact tests were used to compare qualitative variables, with a significance threshold set at P less than 5%. Results: Of the 41 cases, 15 (36.6%) had at least one anthropometric index (weight for age, height for age, weight for height) -2 Z score versus 05 for controls (4.1%). 36.6% of cases had growth retardation (Height for age -2 Z score) compared to 4.1% in controls with a significant difference (p = 0.000). In 18.2% of cases, underweight was found (Weight for age -2 Z score) with a significant difference compared to controls (p = 0.000). Wasting was present in 10% of infected children (P = 0.240). We found 7.3% obesity/overweight in cases and 25.2% in controls (P = 0.003). We did not find any associated factor with growth disorders in our study. Conclusion: Infected children are smaller in weight and size. After multivariate analysis, there remained a significant difference between cases and controls regarding stunting, obesity and overweight. No factors studied were associated with the growth disorders detected, which suggests that growth disorders in children and adolescents living with HIV are due to the disease itself. Hence the need for health workers is to strengthen the prevention of mother and child transmission and the monitoring of the growth of HIV-infected children in order to improve the long-term prognosis.


Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to propose and empirically investigate the concept of networking capability (NC) for the management of supplier relationships and their dynamics in order to leverage product innovations. NC in the context of supplier relationships is conceptualized based on dynamic capabilities aimed at relationship initiation, relationship development, and relationship ending. Furthermore, the study tests the interaction of NC with relationship proclivity as an organizational feature, and analyzes latent classes of NC affecting product innovation.

Design/methodology/approach

This study brings together prior research on company routines related to inter-firm networking, the dynamic capability approach to strategy, and literature on inter-firm innovation. The study utilizes multiple informant survey data gathered from 156 firms operating in the automotive parts industry in Iran. Data are analyzed with partial least square structural equation modeling, as well as latent class analysis using finite mixture modeling (FIMIX-PLS).

Findings

This research provides evidence for the positive influence of NC with respect to supplier relationships on firm product innovation, as well as overall firm performance. Relationship proclivity is shown to amplify this effect. At the same time, the research illustrates that NC may be applied in different combinations in the context of supplier relationship portfolio management. Two mechanisms are tentatively identified: firms using "static optimization" focus mainly on supplier relationship development capabilities, while those using "dynamic optimization" utilize supplier relationship initiation and ending capabilities.

Research limitations/implications

This research focuses on one setting (i.e. the automotive parts industry in Iran). Further studies need to broaden these findings to other industries and countries, specifically those which show a different cultural make-up from Iran. Furthermore, this research indicates the existence of two distinct mechanisms as to how different aspects of NC impact product innovation. While it is reasonable to identify these mechanisms as networking "strategies," this study does not clarify whether this represents intended strategies by firms or relates to emerging capability patterns.

Practical implications

The study contributes to managerial knowledge by illustrating the need for a dynamic approach with regard to networking-related routines in supplier relationships in the context of product innovation. This study suggests that managers should devote equal attention to strengthening existing supplier relationships as well as to initiating new supplier relationships (e.g. screening for promising partners and signaling firm's relationship value to attract new counterparts) and managing non-performing supplier relationships (e.g. by developing routines to exit from those supplier relationships).

Originality/value

The paper contributes to a better understanding of dynamic approaches to networking with suppliers and their impact on product innovation from the perspective of the focal firm. It furthermore provides a fine-grained understanding of different latent classes of firms in terms of how they utilize networking capabilities.


Abstract Acute toxicity of 12 coal derived liquids representing 3 different technologies and 4 different severities of hydrotreatment has been examined with the Tetrahymena population growth bioassay. Tetrahymena were exposed to various concentrations of the organic materials and growth impairment was monitored. In addition, analyses of the major organic elements in the coal liquids are presented. Coal‐derived liquids have a greater heteroatom and aromatic content than do natural crude oils. Hydrotreatment, the catalytic addition of hydrogen, concomitantly reduces toxicity as well as heteroatom content and aromaticity. Regression analysis of log toxicity vs % weight of the major organic elements suggests hydrogen content may be a good indicator of relative toxicity of coal‐derived liquids.


Background: A human sebaceous gland culture system is very useful in studying the functions of the sebaceous glands at the cellular level. On the other hand, the success rates for culture systems and the experimental results from these human culture systems exhibit significant fluctuations, depending on the condition of the donor skin. Objective: The purpose of this study was to establish a stable culture system in order to investigate the functions of the sebaceous glands under uniform conditions. Methods: Sebaceous glands from the auricles of 5-week-old hamsters were isolated and seeded onto a 3T3 cell feeder layer. The proliferation, lipid production and response to androgens of these sebaceous-gland-derived cells (SGDC) were then examined. Results: The SGDC showed outgrowth, formed colonies and became confluent in a 35-mm dish culture after 14 days in primary culture. The amount of intracellular lipids significantly increased following the peak of the cell proliferation. The composition of the intracellular lipids from the hamster SGDC was identical to human SGDC, except that the hamster SGDC did not contain any squalene. Testosterone and 5α-dihydrotestosterone markedly stimulated the proliferation of these SGDC in a dose-dependent manner. Conclusion: This tissue culture system will be a useful tool for the study of sebaceous gland function at the cellular level.


— Mobile payment services are in widespread use in China, but with them come growing concerns about security. Although the security of mobile payment has been demonstrated, a sample of user experience derived from real world data must be collected to understand the complex use context. This study aims to contribute to the current research by providing qualitative data through in-depth semi-structured interviews. The research explores the user security experience in a variety of use contexts by investigating mobile payment services in a mature market. The findings showed that users view their security experience as composed both financial and privacy aspects. The key user experience for mobile payment security was divided into five components: online mobile transaction, in-store payment, peer-to-peer payment, payment interaction in the physical world, and the network environment. Useful elements were also identified for enhancing security experience for mobile payment. Investigating security experience and user needs when designing mobile payment systems in context will provide a more holistic picture of the security needs surrounding mobile payment.


There is a need to question the ways in which high schools construct students, essentially, as children. Such practices are reflected in the relations between teachers and students and in the rules pertaining to space and conduct within these institutions. Within contemporary writings about youth, stereotypes are prevalent along with attempts to fix the youngsters' identities on a hierarchy of developmental stages, which may be dated because of children's intense exposure to mass media "infotainment". Moreover, development continues throughout a person's life, and recent research suggests that the "distinction between adolescence and adulthood is a matter of cultural expectations and restrictions rather than a matter of intrinsic psychological characteristics" (Moshman, 1999, p. 118). As economies globalize, the effects upon education and work will become increasingly significant. Indeed, they are already being felt, as unemployment and the demands for higher skills force young people into protracted periods of learning. However, no one seems to question the incongruence of a situation in which, for at least 30 hours a week, young people who have to cope with the contradictions and uncertainties of life in a globalizing, postmodern world are forced to pretend to believe in outdated educational structures and attitudes that have little resonance in their lives outside of institutional walls. The following discussion explores some implications for literacy and the changing context of young people's lives. It is not an empirical study but rather a narrative that invites reflection upon our expectations of adolescents and our assumptions about their capacity to work in more egalitarian ways with teachers rather than as subordinates within the traditionally hierarchical power structures of schools.


Complementary color filter array (CCFA) is widely used in consumer-level digital video cameras, since it not only has high sensitivity and good signal-to-noise ratio in low-light condition but also is compatible with the interlaced scanning used in broadcast systems. However, the full-color images obtained from CCFA suffer from the color artifacts such as false color and zipper effects. These artifacts can be removed with edge-adaptive demosaicking (ECD) approaches which are generally used in rrimary color filter array (PCFA). Unfortunately, the unique array pattern of CCFA makes it difficult that CCFA adopts ECD approaches. Therefore, to apply ECD approaches suitable for CCFA to demosaicking is one of the major issues to reconstruct the full-color images. In this paper, we propose a new ECD algorithm for CCFA. To estimate an edge direction precisely and enhance the quality of the reconstructed image, a function of spatial variances is used as a weight, and new color conversion matrices are presented for considering various edge directions. Experimental results indicate that the proposed algorithm outperforms the conventional method with respect to both objective and subjective criteria.


This paper provides empirical analyses to understand the management of external technology sourcing using a novel dataset of new product development (NPD) projects in Japanese firms and focusing on the difference between bilateral and unilateral contract-based alliances. External technology sourcing takes various forms that can be divided into two categories: bilateral alliances, such as joint research and development (R&D), and unilateral alliances, such as licensing and commissioned R&D. The former style involves the dynamic process of joint R&D with a partner, whereas the latter involves the straightforward process of technology acquisition from a partner. In the first analysis in this paper, the determinants of the sourcing strategy for each contract type are investigated, and we find that bilateral contracts are more often used for exploratory projects, whereas in-house development is more often used for exploitation projects. Unilateral contracts are more relevant for projects mitigating contractual hazards. The second analysis looks into the relationship between the type of technology sourcing and its performance. We find that bilateral contract-based technology sourcing is more likely to lead to novel innovation than in-house development, but this difference in performance disappears when controlling for the type of NPD project and the firm's managerial resources.


The root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne arenaria race 1) causes significant economic losses throughout the peanut (Arachis hypogaea) production areas of the southern U.S. Chemicals for control of this pest are becoming increasingly limited, and there are no peanut cultivars with resistance. Seven moderately resistant plant introductions have been identified; however, less than 25% of the germplasm collection has been examined for resistance based on nematode reproduction. The objectives of this work were to examine an additional 1000 plant introductions for resistance to the peanut root-knot nematode and to compare the most resistant introductions to previously reported sources of resistance. Preliminary greenhouse screening trials were conducted to rate severity of root galling and amount of egg mass production. Seventeen accessions were selected based on a mean egg mass rating of less than or equal to three. These selections were reevaluated in additional greenhouse and field experiments to quantify levels of resistance and to directly compare these sources of resistance to those previously reported. Eight accessions had a significantly higher level of resistance (lower egg mass rating) than Florunner; however, none had a significantly higher level of resistance than those previously reported. Results of this study identified additional sources of resistance which may provide unique genes for resistance. In addition, two of these new sources of resistance (PI 298848 and PI 311265) exhibited significantly higher yield than those previously identified when grown in soil heavily infested with M. arenaria


Abstract A vegetation inventory of the Varden Conservation Area has revealed 338 species of vascular plants of which 17.5% (59 species) are not native to Pennsylvania. Small populations of two species of concern were discovered: Wild red currant (Ribes triste -PE) and ginseng (Panax quinquefolius - PV). The predominant natural plant community is hemlock (white pine) - northern hardwood forest at 141 acres. Conifer plantations occupy 50 acres. Wetland communities occur along Middle Creek and in swales and depressions in more upland areas. Palustrine forest types include red maple - blackgum palustrine forest and hemlock - mixed hardwood palustrine forest. Shrub dominated wetlands fall into the category of highbush blueberry - spiraea palustrine shrublands. Hayfields occupy 49 acres. Over browsing by deer is evident in forested areas throughout in the form of sparse shrub layers, herbaceous layers dominated by hay-scented fern, and sparse representation of many forest wildflower species. Recommendations include increased efforts to reduce deer density and adoption of hayfield management practices to encourage grassland birds. Targeted invasive species control and avoidance of any further fragmentation of forested areas, which are already bisected by utility rights-of-way, is also recommended. In addition, opportunities should be sought to expand the conservation area by acquiring adjacent forest and wetland areas .


Background This study aims to evaluate admission blood glucose level (BGL) in patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) as a risk factor for a major adverse cardiac event (MACE) on presentation and up to 30 days post discharge. Admission BGL is a prognostic indicator in patients with confirmed acute coronary syndrome (ACS). It is unclear if admission BGL improves the diagnosis and stratification of patients presenting to the ED with suspected ACS. Methods This study is an analysis of data collected from a prospective observational study. The study population consisted of ED patients from Brisbane, Australia and Christchurch, New Zealand. Patients were enrolled between November 2007 and February 2011. Admission BGL was taken as part of routine admission blood with fasting status unknown. The primary end point for this study was a MACE at presentation and up to 30 days post discharge. Logistic regression analyses examined the relationship between admission hyperglycaemia and MACE. A hyperglycaemic threshold of 7 mmol/L was chosen based on WHO standards. Results A total of 1708 patients were eligible. A MACE was identified in 336 patients (19.7%) within 30 days. Of these 98 had confirmed unstable angina and 232 had non-ST elevation myocardial infarction. Hyperglycaemia was identified in 476 (27.9%) patients with 147 (30.9%) having a MACE. Admission BGL >7 mmol/L was demonstrated as an independent predictor of a MACE (OR1.51 CI 1.06 to 2.14). Gender, age, hypertension, dyslipidaemia, family history, ischaemic ECG and positive troponin remained important factors. Conclusions Admission BGL is an independent risk factor for a MACE in patients with suspected ACS. Hyperglycaemia should be considered a risk factor for MACEs and consideration be given to its inclusion in existing diagnostic tools.


We propose a multi-band film antenna comprising offset fed dipole elements using an inkjet printer for machine-to-machine (M2M) applications. The proposed antenna is based on a folded offset-fed dipole antenna structure and is constructed from a Polyethylene terephthalate sheet. The point of the proposed approach is to employ a tapered element in order to broaden the bandwidth in a high band including W-CDMA (Bands I, II, IV, and V) and LTE (Band 1). The proposed antenna achieves operation in multiple frequencies in a low band including LTE (Band 28), GSM 900 (E-GSM 900), and W-CDMA (Band VI), and in the high band. We achieve a compact antenna with the Voltage Standing Wave Ratio (VSWR) (≤2) bandwidth of 31.2% in the low band, and a VSWR bandwidth (≤2) of 14.5% in the high band. The proposed antenna has omni-directional patterns in all operating bands. In addition, we utilize an inkjet printing fabricating process using a home-use inkjet printer with a conductive ink cartridge. Frequency characteristics are analyzed using a simulator based on the method of moments, and the validity of the numerical results is shown based on measured VSWR characteristics of the prototype antenna. The proposed antenna can be affixed onto a variety of equipment and is low cost. Therefore, the proposed antenna is well suited to M2M applications.


In this work, a theoretical study of the temperature effect on two-dimensional solid/solid phononic crystal structure composed of square array of Epoxy rods embedded in Tungsten matrix with sub micrometer geometries have been done. Moreover, an ultrasonic wave switch based on two-dimensional phononic crystal is theoretically investigated. For this case, the possibility of tuning the position and width of phononic band structures in megahertz range has been observed utilizing the analyses of the band structure by finite element method. The numerical results for the case of periodic Tungsten/Epoxy structure with square lattice show that the frequency position and width of the absolute band gap strongly depends on the temperature and change prominently when the temperature change from 25°C to 35°C .The strong dependence on temperature and periodicity of designed phononic crystal prove that the structure could be suitable enough for thermal switching. So, according to the simulation results and calculations the design of an acoustic wave 1×2 switch for the specific frequency of f=1.48MHz at room temperature has been reported.


Objective: To describe briefly the physiology, the anatomy and the reproductive management of the ram.
Design/Methodology/Approach: Review of the anatomy, physiology and general considerations for an adequate reproductive management of the ram.
Results: The ram presents a less seasonal reproductive activity than the female and its reproductive behavior is easier to observe. However, it is in the fall, the reproductive season of seasonal sheep, when their behavior is much more complex and complete. It begins with smelling the external genitals of the female, goes through the flehmen response and ends with mating, intromission and ejaculation. It is necessary to consider the anatomical and physiological aspects of the ram and its meticulous management to avoid reproductive failures in the flock. Frequently, the rams are less important for the flock's handler during the season of reproductive rest. Monitoring their diet and parasite and disease control is necessary to keep them apt for reproduction. The evaluation of the reproductive aptitude of the ram before mating is convenient and can be planned as part of its management; and once mating begins, considering the adequate proportion of rams/females, in addition to monitoring their performance during this event.
Study Limitations/Implications: To consider that the ram shows a good capacity for mating, capacity for service, libido, quality of semen, since it is responsible for a proportion of lamb production.
Findings/Conclusions: Reproduction in sheep is regulated by the photoperiod, genetic potential, nutritional status, health status and other factors, which are important both in the ram and in the female. Some sheep breeds have potential of prolificacy; a good reproductive management of the ram can influence these factors and increase the reproduction rate in the flocks.


The University of Texas at San Antonio Center for Archaeological Research (UTSA-CAR) contracted with Adams Environmental, Inc. to provide archaeological services to Capital Improvement Management (CIMS) of the City of San Antonio (COSA) related to the archaeological investigation of selected areas of San Pedro Springs Park in San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas. The CAR conducted archaeological testing at this National Register Site, 41BX19, from early December 2013 to mid-January of 2014. The goals of archaeological investigations were to identify and investigate any proto-historic and historic archaeological deposits associated with Colonial Period occupants of the area, including evidence of the first acequia and associated dam, and the location of the first presidio and villa. In addition, CAR was tasked with the investigation of any prehistoric cultural deposits encountered. This project was performed by staff archaeologists from the CAR. It was conducted under Texas Antiquities Permit No. 6727, with Dr. Steve Tomka serving as Principal Investigator (PI), and Kristi Nichols and Stephen Smith serving as Project Archaeologists. Dr. Tomka departed from UTSA shortly after the completion of fieldwork. At that time, Dr. Raymond Mauldin of CAR assumed PI responsibilities for the project. One hundred and eleven shovel tests, eleven 1-x-1 m test units, two 50-x-50 cm units, two backhoe trenches, and several auger holes were excavated during this effort. Minimal artifactual evidence of colonial occupants was noted during the archaeological investigations. Several Native American bone tempered sherds that could reflect either Late Prehistoric Leon Plain or Goliad ware were recovered. However, no Spanish Majolicas or lead glazed wares were uncovered, and no gunflints were identified in the lithic assemblage. Due to various utility lines and other obstructions, backhoe trenches to search for the acequia and associated dam could not be excavated. It is likely that areas proposed for investigation of the acequia and associated dam have been disturbed by aforementioned utility lines as well as earlier construction within the park. No evidence of the specific location of the first presidio or villa was located. Shovel testing and test units revealed the presence of historic and prehistoric use of the park, though mixing of historic and prehistoric material, as well as other disturbances (e.g., rodents), was common in the deposits. However, there was an increase in prehistoric material with depth as revealed in shovel testing results. Shovel testing located Feature 1, a burned rock feature that possibly was associated with a sheet midden, as well as several areas with high densities of prehistoric materials. Test excavations, based on these shovel tests, suggest that Feature 1 is a discrete feature that lies below a widespread, low-density distribution of burned rock. Shovel testing also identified a high-density cluster of lithic, bone, and burned rock. The excavation of a 1-x-1 m test unit (TU 4) in this area produced over 4,000 pieces of debitage, with over 50% of this total coming from three levels. Burned rock, a variety of tools, faunal material, and charcoal were present throughout these levels. Temporal placement of deposits relied on artifact typologies (e.g., ceramic types, lithic projectile points, lithic tool types) as well as two charcoal and four bone collagen radiocarbon dates. Artifact typologies suggest occupation as early as the Early Archaic as reflected by a possible Guadalupe tool. A series of Late Archaic Points (Castroville, Frio, Marcos, and Montell) and Late Prehistoric point forms (Edwards, Perdiz, and Scallorn) are present from several areas. In addition, a possible Middle Archaic La Jita point was recovered. The bone tempered Native American wares could date as early as AD 1250, though they could also reflect proto-historic or colonial age materials. Other ceramics primarily suggest a mid-nineteenthto midtwentieth-century occupation. Using the midpoints of the 1-sigma distribution, calibrated radiocarbon dates show use of San Pedro Park from as early as 100 AD (CAR 345; 1905 +/22 Radiocarbon Years Before Present [RCYBP]) to as recently as the early twentieth century. The more recent end of that range is a function of two late dates from two different areas of the park. The first of these is on a bison bone (CAR 344) that returned a date of 158 +/23 RCYBP. The second is on a bone consistent with a bison-sized animal (CAR 346) that produced a date of 155 +/23 RCYBP. The corrected, calibrated dates for these two samples range from AD 1670 to the early 1940s using the 1-sigma spread. The wide range of these dates is related to the flat calibration curve late in time. However, the most probable date range (ca. 36% probability) for these two dates is between AD 1729 and 1779, with a roughly 48% probability that they date prior to AD 1779. Limited testing suggests that, with a few specific exceptions, the upper 30-40 cm of San Pedro Park is extensively disturbed. However, though some disturbances are present, at least three areas have materials in what appears to be good context. These include material dating to the Late Archaic, Late Prehistoric, and possibly the Proto-historic or Colonial Period. Based on historic maps, previous work, and the current investigation, CAR proposes a series of management areas for San Pedro Park. If work in these management areas follows these suggestions for various limits on subsurface impacts, CAR recommends that


Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women, responsible for over half a million deaths in 2020. Almost 75% of FDA-approved drugs are mainly nitrogen- and sulfur-containing heterocyclic compounds, implying the importance of such compounds in drug discovery. Among heterocycles, thiazole-based heterocyclic compounds have demonstrated a broad range of pharmacological activities. In the present study, a novel set of 1,3-thiazole derivatives was designed and synthesized based on the coupling of acetophenone derivatives, and phenacyl bromide was substituted as a key reaction step. The activity of synthesized compounds was screened against the proliferation of two breast cancer cell lines (MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231). Almost all compounds exhibited a considerable antiproliferative activity toward the breast cancer cells as compared to staurosporine, with no significant cytotoxicity toward the epithelial cells. Among the synthesized compounds, compound 4 exhibited the most potent antiproliferative activity, with an IC50 of 5.73 and 12.15 µM toward MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells, respectively, compared to staurosporine (IC50 = 6.77 and 7.03 µM, respectively). Exploring the mechanistic insights responsible for the antiproliferative activity of compound 4 revealed that compound 4 possesses a significant inhibitory activity toward the vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 (VEGFR-2) with (IC50 = 0.093 µM) compared to Sorafenib (IC50 = 0.059 µM). Further, compound 4 showed the ability to induce programmed cell death by triggering apoptosis and necrosis in MCF-7 cells and to induce cell cycle arrest on MCF-7 cells at the G1 stage while decreasing the cellular population in the G2/M phase. Finally, detailed in silico molecular docking studies affirmed that this class of compounds possesses a considerable binding affinity toward VEGFR2 proteins. Overall, these results indicate that compound 4 could be a promising lead compound for developing potent anti-breast cancer compounds.


We describe 5 cases with a rare combination of young‐onset, slowly progressive cerebellar ataxia and cervical dystonia. Two were sporadic, whereas the other 3 were familial, including 2 from one family. The age of onset of these cases was between 16 and 37 years. The presenting symptom was cervical dystonia and/or dystonic head tremor in 3 patients and hand or lower limb tremor in 2. In 2 cases, cervical dystonia and/or dystonic head tremor developed approximately 6 to 10 years before cerebellar dysfunction, and in three they developed at the same time. Apart from cervical dystonia, there was mild dystonic limb involvement in 2 cases, but generalized dystonia was not seen. Cerebellar ataxia was slowly progressive. A literature search showed 10 cases of cervical dystonia associated with genetically undetermined (n = 5) or genetically proven (n = 5) spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA). When the genotype was known, these patients had either SCA3, 6, 7, or 12. However, our 5 cases (or their first‐degree relatives) tested negative for SCA1, 2, 3, 6, and 7, and in the 4 cases (or their first‐degree relatives) tested for SCA12, the result was negative. We propose that this rare phenotype manifesting as a combination of cerebellar ataxia and cervical dystonia may represent one or more new, as yet uncharacterized, genotypes of inherited young‐onset spinocerebellar ataxia. © Movement Disorder Society


Statins are generally well-tolerated, but can induce myopathy. Statins are associated with impaired expression of PGC-1β in human and rat skeletal muscle. The current study was performed to investigate the relation between PGC-1β expression and function and statin-associated myopathy. In WT mice, atorvastatin impaired mitochondrial function in glycolytic, but not in oxidative muscle. In PGC-1β KO mice, atorvastatin induced a shift from oxidative type IIA to glycolytic type IIB myofibers mainly in oxidative muscle and mitochondrial dysfunction was observed in both muscle types. In glycolytic muscle of WT and KO mice and in oxidative muscle of KO mice, atorvastatin suppressed mitochondrial proliferation and oxidative defense, leading to apoptosis. In contrast, mitochondrial function was maintained or improved and apoptosis decreased by atorvastatin in oxidative muscle of WT mice. In conclusion, PGC-1β has an important role in preventing damage to oxidative muscle in the presence of a mitochondrial toxicant such as atorvastatin.


Ulukisla oil shale in Turkey was pyrolysed at varying heating rates by thermogravimetric analysis. Kinetic analysis was undertaken at the decomposition steps of pyrolysis using the Coats & Redfern kinetic method. In addition, activation energies and reaction orders of the steps were calculated. Moreover, structural analysis of the oil shale sample was carried out by FTIR spectrometry, X-Ray diffractometry and XRF spectrometry.


The oldest rooks of which we have any representatives in this area are the great mass of green slates and grit and conglomerate which form the floor of Chapel-le-dale, and of Ribblesdale for about half a square mile near Horton. These so much resemble the old volcanic series described under the general title of "Green Slates and Porphyry" in the Lake District, and agree so well with them in their relation to the rocks with which they are associated, that, in default of any evidence to the contrary, they have been referred to the same horizon.

The rock consists, as far as the finer parts are concerned, of fine felspathic dust: the grit is composed chiefly of grains of quartz and pink orthoclase in a greenish matrix consisting of finer grit and the same material as the slate. There are also, but rarely, beds of breccia much like those in the Borrowdale Series. Iron pyrites occurs in beautifully perfect cubes, and as dendrites in the slates, while the iron pervades the whole as a green silicate which is especially conspicuous in some of the more crystalline quartz veins.

No fossil has ever been found in their equivalents in Cumberland; and, though these Yorkshire beds are more promising than those of the Lake District, no fossil has yet been recorded from them. The black marks seen on some faces of rock in the slate quarry north of Ingleton, which by their outline suggested graptolites, are merely segregations of mineral matter; while ...


This important book presents the latest research from around the globe on the developments in higher education in areas such as interteaching, the socio-economic demand for higher education, improving visual teaching materials, online learning, anthropology of education, etc. The phenomenal expansion of higher education systems in the second half of the twentieth century has resulted in an interest in the factors influencing the decision of young people to pursue tertiary education. The demand for higher education is commonly considered to be subject to a great number of influences, the most important of which fall under the following categories of variables: social/familial, psychological/individual, economic/occupational, and structural/institutional.


We suggest that the force F exerted upon a chiral molecule by light assumes the form F=a∇w+b∇h?> under appropriate circumstances, where a and b pertain to the molecule whilst w and h are the local densities of electric energy and helicity in the optical field; the gradients ∇?> of these quantities thus governing the molecule's centre-of-mass motion. Whereas a is identical for the mirror-image forms or enantiomers of the molecule, b has opposite signs; the associated contribution to F therefore pointing in opposite directions. A simple optical field is presented for which ∇w?> vanishes but ∇h?> does not, so that F is absolutely discriminatory. We then present two potential applications: a Stern–Gerlach-type deflector capable of spatially separating the enantiomers of a chiral molecule and a diffraction grating to which chiral molecules alone are sensitive; the resulting diffraction patterns thus encoding information about their chiral geometry.


Introduction: In recent years, the rate of sexually transmitted diseases is increasing particularly among women as vulnerable group. Sexual health status among married women of reproductive age is one of the most important public health issues that its sensitivity has been less studied and researched. This qualitative study was performed with aim to evaluate the importance of sexual health education in married women of reproductive age. Methods: This qualitative study was performed using content analysis approach in Rasht at 2014. The participants were selected purposefully. Data were collected through 18 individuals' in-depth interviews and 1 focus group discussions with married women of reproductive age and 6 key informants. All interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed. Data were analyzed using conventional content analysis and MAXQDA software. Results: In the analysis of the participant's views and experiences, the main reasons for the importance of the sexual health education among married women of reproductive age were categorized in five themes including: inadequate knowledge about sexual issues, the lack of scientific and reliable sexual health resources, damages related to new techniques, risk factors for sexual health, and the consequences of inadequate sexual health education. Conclusion: The sexual health education for married women of reproductive age is necessary to increase sexual knowledge and prevent of sexual health threatening factors. Therefore, codification of sexual health education in primary health care programs is recommended.


Background It is important to know the preferences of the users on the design of the medicines storage area to optimise resources and avoid errors that reach the patient. Purpose To find out the preferences of the chief nurses on the design and functioning of the medicines storage area in hospital wards Materials and methods The authors interviewed 25 chief nurses from May to June of 2011. They were asked to name the most important characteristics that a medicines storage area needs to have. Then they had to rate them (1 to 10) according to the importance. Results A total of 15 specifications were grouped in 4 categories: Classification, Stock and replacement, Safety and Structure. The most requested specifications were the following: 1.-Medicines arranged in alphabetical order (9.37, Classification) 2.-Medicines included and stocks suitable for the needs of the hospital ward and daily replacements (9.36, Stock and replacement). 3.- Medicines containers should be labelled with the name of the drug and the trade name (9.25, Safety). 4.- Big and legible labels (9.10, Safety). 5.- Medicines classified by route of administration (9.02, Classification). 6.- Medicines storage area located near the nurses' work station (8.94, Structure). 7.-Visual code (symbols or colours) on the label to indicate the medicines close to expiry, route of administration, storage conditions, high risk medicines, etc. (8.75, Safety). 8.- The logistics department should provide daily information about replacing the medicines and the reasons for the lack of medicines (8.67, Stock and reinstatement). 9.- More versatile medicines containers (8.46, Structure) 10.-Logistics department should review the expiry date of the medicines every three months (8.00, Stock and reinstatement). Conclusions The safety dimension was the most valued. The most frequently mentioned categories were safety and structure.


This work considers binding of function units, operating at multiple voltages, in a post-scheduling scenario. The main aim is to minimize the power consumption due to switching activities on the physical adders and multipliers etc. To achieve this, switching activities on the function units are gathered through profiling the data-flow graph of the design by employing random input patterns. The problem of binding is then transformed into a graph-theory problem and solved for optimization of power consumption. Two approaches are considered in this work: a greedy approach, and an optimal approach. Cases are considered when all the resources are operating at the same voltage, as well as, when resources are operating at possibly different voltages.


We present a morphology study of intermediate-redshift (0.2 < z<1.2) luminous infrared galaxies (LIRGs) and general field galaxies in the GOODS fields using a revised asymmetry measurement method optimized for deep fields. By taking careful account of the importance of the underlying sky-background structures, our new method does not suffer from systematic bias and offers small uncertainties. By redshifting local LIRGs and low-redshift GOODS galaxies to different higher redshifts, we have found that the redshift dependence of the galaxy asymmetry due to surface-brightness dimming is a function of the asymmetry itself, with larger corrections for more asymmetric objects. By applying redshift-, infrared (IR)-luminosity- and optical-brightness-dependent asymmetry corrections, we have found that intermediate-redshift LIRGs generally show highly asymmetric morphologies, with implied merger fractions ∼50% up to z = 1.2, although they are slightly more symmetric than local LIRGs. For general field galaxies, we find an almost constant relatively high merger fraction (20%–30%). The B-band luminosity functions (LFs) of galaxy mergers are derived at different redshifts up to z = 1.2 and confirm the weak evolution of the merger fraction after breaking the luminosity–density degeneracy. The IR LFs of galaxy mergers are also derived, indicating a larger merger fraction at higher IR luminosity. The integral of the merger IR LFs indicates a dramatic evolution of the merger-induced IR energy density [(1 + z)∼(5−6)], and that galaxy mergers start to dominate the cosmic IR energy density at z ≳ 1.


Background In 2011, the Centre Hospitalier de Valenciennes Emergency Department (ED) treated an average of 140 patients per day, and 38.8% of these patients were hospitalised. Thus, 54 patients a day were eligible for medicines reconciliation at admission. A previous study showed that the medicines reconciliation of 46.4% of the patients admitted at the Centre Hospitalier de Valenciennes ED was incorrect, and that pharmacists' involvement could improve information gathering about home medicines. During the study, pharmacists did not find any discrepancies with home meds or any drug-related problems (DRPs) in 38.2% of the patients. Pharmacists did not add value for these patients. Separately, the Centre Hospitalier de Valenciennes pharmacy has automated the drug dispensing process. As a result, pharmacy technicians have expressed their reluctance to only work with a machine, fearing they might lose part of their skills in medicines management. Before this problem arose, it has been proposed that technicians take part in medicines reconciliation in the ED. Purpose To assess which tasks could be conducted by a pharmacy technician in medicines reconciliation. Materials and Methods Technicians were present at the ED with a pharmacist. Technicians conducted standardised procedures, such as contacting the community pharmacy or assessing patients' compliance according to scores, and reported the conclusions to the pharmacist. Results Pharmacy technicians had a strong incentive to get involved, as it refreshed their knowledge of medicines management. Moreover, it helped pharmacist to reconcile more patients in the ED, and to focus on patients with DRPs. However, pharmacy technicians need to be trained on how to detect DRPs, such as therapeutic escalation, and on how to conduct a patient interview. Conclusions Involving pharmacy technicians in medicines reconciliation may help the pharmacist in the ED, and allow the technicians to keep up their medicines management skills. No conflict of interest.


ABSTRACT This study aimed at investigating the regulatory system of bacteriocin synthesis by Lactobacillus plantarum strains in vegetables and fruits in a model system. Sterile and neutralized cell-free supernatant (CFS) from L. plantarum strains grown in MRS broth showed in vitro antimicrobial activities toward various indicator strains. The highest activity was that of L. plantarum C2. The antimicrobial activity was further assayed on vegetable and fruit agar plates (solid conditions) and in juices (liquid conditions). A regulatory mechanism of bacteriocin synthesis via quorum sensing was hypothesized. The synthesis of antimicrobial compounds seemed to be constitutive under solid conditions of growth on vegetable and fruit agar plates. In contrast, it depended on the size of the inoculum when L. plantarum C2 was grown in carrot juice. Only the inoculum of ca. 9.0 log CFU ml−1 produced detectable activity. The genes plnA, plnEF, plnG, and plnH were found in all L. plantarum strains. The genes plnJK and plnN were detected in only three or four strains. Reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography purification and mass spectrometry analysis revealed the presence of a mixture of eight peptides in the most active fraction of the CFS from L. plantarum C2. Active peptides were encrypted into bacteriocin precursors, such as plantaricins PlnJ/K and PlnH and PlnG, which are involved in the ABC transport system. A real-time PCR assay showed an increase in the expression of plnJK and plnG during growth of L. plantarum C2 in carrot juice.


This mentoring program was conducted because we found several issues faced by teachers of inclusive schools. Some of which are the difficulty in detecting a child's special needs and the psychological issues that affect students' learning, as well as the lack of teacher's ability in constructing learning programs that suits the child's needs. This condition causes inadequacy in providing educational services, which are often unsuitable for students with special needs studying at inclusive schools. Therefore, the learning capabilities of students with special needs are not optimized. This program aims to increase the quality of education services for children with special needs who are studying at inclusive elementary schools. The mentoring involves two elementary schools located in the Special Region of Yogyakarta. Research results: a) formulation of Identification Tool for Children With Special Needs, which include Observation Sheet for Children With Special Needs and Psychological Impediment Detection Sheet for Children With Special Needs as instruments for identifying students' special needs and psychological impediments that can be used by teachers in inclusive schools; b) observation using impediment detection sheet for children with special needs conducted was helpful for teachers when understanding students' psychological characteristics; c) teachers are able to better understand characteristics of children with special needs; d) trainings on Individual Learning Plan (ILP) benefited teachers, by helping teachers to formulate ILP based on specific psychological characteristics and needs of the students; e) the school acquires the profiles of children with special needs.


Augmented Reality (AR) is considered as one of the most significant technologies in the field of computer graphics and is utilized for many applications. In this paper, we have presented a comprehensive survey for cultural heritage using Augmented Reality systems. This survey describes the main objectives and characteristics of Marker-less Augmented Reality Systems through presenting up-to-date research results in this area. We describe the marker-less technologies in the area of AR, indoor marker-less AR, outdoor marker-less AR, real-time solutions to the tracking problem, real-time registration, cultural heritage in AR, 3D remonstration techniques, as well as presenting the problems in each research.


Acute guttate psoriasis (AGP) is considered an uncommon variant of psoriasis (PsO), characterized as a widespread eruption of erythematous, psoriasiform papules, and plaques on the trunk, extremities, and scalp. Predisposing factors include a family history of PsO, variation in the main PsO susceptibility gene HLA-Cw*0602, and previous infection with viruses or acute β-hemolytic Streptococcus A program focused on controversies and recent advances in understanding AGP was presented at the Group for Research and Assessment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis (GRAPPA) 2022 annual meeting. Topics included an overview of clinical presentation and natural history, predisposing genetic and environmental factors, and the recent molecular profiling that supports classification of AGP as a form of PsO. Early molecular profiling studies using proteomic signatures have suggested similarities between AGP and contact dermatitis, but recent studies using gene expression profiling and gene set enrichment scores demonstrate that AGP is more similar to chronic PsO. The expression of regulatory immune pathways seen with AGP suggests potential for early and sustained remission if the disease is suppressed by targeted treatments. Published case reports documenting clinical improvement of AGP with biologics that antagonize interleukin (IL)-12/23, IL-23, and IL-17 support the role of the IL-23/IL-17 axis in AGP, similar to that in PsO. Data supporting the use of antibiotics and other therapeutic agents for AGP are lacking, and randomized controlled trials are needed. Trial design for AGP is challenged by the low incidence, tendency for spontaneous remission, lack of validated end points, and the need for long-term follow up.


The effects of a world oil price shock on U.S. agriculture are analyzed in an economywide environment. We use an input-output model to analyze the direct and indirect cost linkages between energy and other sectors of the economy. Then, to allow sectoral output adjustment and the effects on the U.S. current account, we use the U.S. Department of Agricultural/Economic Research Service Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) model to analyze the sectoral effects under three different macro adjustment scenarios. The effects on agriculture are not limited to the direct and indirect energy costs and government support programs for agricultural also matter.


In Europe, 260,000 km2 of soils already suffer erosion by water. This worrying level of land degradation is expected to increase in the context of climate change, with situations particularly critical in mountainous environments. As any multi-use resources, there is also a growing human pressure on mountainous rivers. Data is required to obtain a better understanding of the cycles of deposition and erosion and of the respective contributions of natural and human-induced processes to fine, cohesive sediment fluxes. When placed in suspension in rivers, cohesive materials are principally transported as flocs. The quantity of suspended solids exported downstream depends mainly of their morphometric properties, including: size, shape and effective density. Once eroded on hillslopes, the conveyance of fine sediment particles on continental surfaces requires the maintenance of particles in suspension by nearbed turbulence and its advection downstream by the mean flow. Traditional Rouse profile relationships do not readily hold for highly concentrated riverine suspensions (~10 g/l), where processes such as flocculation, hindered settling and stratification interplay. This study aims at improving sediment transport parameterisation, by examining the kinetics of fine soil aggregates (size, settling velocity, density), once immersed in a turbulent flow. Particle properties of three Mediterranean materials (clay loam soil, black marl and molasse, all sampled in Badlands environments) were tested in the grid stirred experiment following the protocol previously used by Gratiot and Manning (2004). Hydrodynamic properties were monitored with ADV and turbidity sensors. For each soil, three sediment loads (1.5; 5; 10 g.l-1) representative of flood conditions were tested. Aggregate properties were obtained after sampling at four depths above the grid, using the LabSFLOC – Laboratory Spectral Flocculation Characteristics – technique (Manning, 2006) and laser techniques. These acquisition heights are associated with the corresponding turbulence dissipation rates G of 1.5, 3, 7 and 19 s-1. Flocculation rates and dynamics are reported and discussed.


In this study, we devised an easy and simple approach to synthesize a composite of flower-like cobalt–nickel–tungsten–boron oxides (Co–Ni–W–B–O) that were doped with reduced graphene oxide (rGO); the composite was designed for supercapacitor applications. A Co–Ni–W–B alloy was first deposited on rGO through one-pot chemical reduction in an ethanol solution at room temperature. The resulting Co–Ni–W–B alloy self-oxidized in air on the rGO surface. The Co–Ni–W–B–O/rGO composites resembled three-dimensional flowers with a high surface area; they also exhibited superior electrochemical performance when compared to most previously reported electrodes based on nickel–cobalt oxides. Furthermore, the Co–Ni–W–B–O/rGO composite prepared in an ethanol solution showed much higher electrochemical performance than the composite prepared in water. The Co–Ni–W–B–O/rGO electrode showed an ultrahigh specific capacitance of 1189.1 F g−1 at 1 A g−1 and exhibited a high energy density of 49.9 W h kg−1 along with remarkable cycle stability (10 000 cycles with 80.7% capacitance retention at 15 A g−1), which is promising for its application in energy storage devices.


The eastern  Andean orogenic front at 36oS shows unique attributes when compared to neighbor segments, from an anomalous eastward development of the orogenic front area due to the uplift of a zone of reduced topography in the foothills constituting a  pre-Andean belt, to the occurrence of great Late Oligocene to Early Miocene within-plate series. The study of this eastern pre-Andean belt from extensive field mapping and analysis of seismic lines reveals a complex evolution that encompasses  a pre-Late Oligocene stage of exhumation prior to the Late Oligocene-Miocene within-plate volcanic products which  are coetaneous with an extensional relaxation phase, and one last period of contractional deformation that uplifted the  pre-Andean sector in Miocene times. This last stage of orogenic construction is associated with synorogenic strata that  show coarsening up sedimentary cycles with an eastward provenance. Contractional mechanisms involved deep ramps  rooted into the basement, some of which are linked to inverted Late Oligocene-Miocene normal faults, to shallower  detachments located in the Upper Cretaceous and Miocene incompetent layers.


A System of Training for General Practice, Occasional Paper 4. D J Pereira Gray pp 29 £2.75 London: Journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners 1977 At intervals, the Journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners publishes Occasional Papers which review in some depth subjects of special interest. The fourth of these occasional papers reviews the theory, aims, methods and assessment of vocational training for general practice. The book is easy to read and contains useful examples to illustrate some of the teaching methods. It is unfortunate that the author includes two examples of the callous behaviour attributed to teachers in a London teaching hospital. Such examples are likely to occur occasionally but it is neither useful nor edifying to generalize from them. With this exception the work is of high quality and will prove very useful to all those engaged in vocational training. DC MORRELL Professor ofGeneral Practice St Thomas' Hospital Medical School


Based on Fermi's golden rule and the theory of Boltzmann collision term approximation, taking into account all the scattering mechanisms contributed by ionized impurity, acoustic phonon and intervalley phonon, the model of total scattering rate of strained Si/(100) Si1-xGex is established. Simulating of the scattering models with Matlab software, it was found that the total scattering rate of electron in strained Si/(100) Si1-xGex decreases obviously with the increasing stress when Ge fraction x is less than 0.2 and the values continue to show a constant tendency, and that the total electron scattering rate of strained Si/(100) Si1-xGex decreases about 57% at most comparison with one of unstrained Si. The result can provide valuable references to the research of electron mobility of strained Si materials and the design of NMOS devices.


To analyze a fine scale environmental and community heterogeneity is a somewhat daunting task, mainly due to a great sampling effort required and an almost inevitable spatial dependence between samples imposed by their close spatial proximity. Spatial autocorrelation in data, in turn, leads to inflation of Type I error rates, which makes the tests of significance invalid. This might be particularly serious when identifying environmental variables associated with ecological patterns. In this study we address a relatively simple question: which environmental variables are the best predictors of fine scale community structure within the forest understory when controlled for spatial autocorrelation of model residuals? Taking an advantage of our regular sampling design, we adopted the eigenvector-based spatial filtering approach, a method convenient for its applicability in the familiar multiple regression framework. We collected data in three oak and hornbeam dominated forest sites located in south-eastern part of the CzechRepublic. At each site we established a set of one hundred 2 × 2 m plots covering an extent of 1 ha. In each plot, we recorded species composition of herb understory and measured a set of environmental variables characterizing topographical, soil and light conditions. To deal with spatial autocorrelation of both species composition and environmental variables, a set of spatial filters (Moran's eigenvector maps) was generated using eigenvector decomposition of connectivity matrix and incorporated into partial RDA models along with environmental predictors. The three sites differed both in the amount of variation explained by environmental factors (R2adj = 0.23–0.02) and the relevant environmental factors themselves. The most important variables were soil pH, phosphorus, topography and light. When accounted for the spatial dependence, some of the selected variables lost their significance. However, the models combining more variables remained significant.


Background & objectives: Bisphenol A is as environmental and toxic pollutant that releases from industries and at low concentration can be dangerous. Therefore, the aim of this study is the investigation of bisphenol A adsorption by modified azolla. Methods: This study was conducted in laboratory scale. The prepared Biomass Azolla was crushed and pulverized by standard ASTM sieves with range of 10-18 mesh. The effects of various parameters on adsorbents performance were investigated. The isotherms and kenitics models were used to describe the adsorption data.The chemical composition and solid structure of biomass Azolla were analyzed by Scanning Electronic Microscopy (SEM). Measurement of the surface area was carried out by N2 gas via BET isotherm and Belsorb software. The concentration of Bisphenol A was measured by HPLC. Results: Predominant Chemical composition of Biomass is C and O with 34 m/g surface area. The maximum Bisphenol A removal was observed in pH =3, biomass dose of 12 g/L and contact time of 90 min. The Bisphenol removal percentage decreased from 98 to 44 at 90 min when the concentration of Bisphenol was increased from 10 mg/L to 100 mg/L. The Langmuir and pseudosecond order model provided the best fit for the experimental data. The maximum adsorption capacity was calculated to be 9.6 mg/g. Conclusion: The result of present work shows that the Azolla can be used as an effective and better adsorbent for removing of phenolic compound from industrial waste water.


Emerging and endemic animal viral diseases continue to impose substantial impacts on animal and human health. Most current and past molecular surveillance studies of animal diseases investigated spatio-temporal and evolutionary dynamics of the viruses in a disjointed analytical framework, ignoring many uncertainties and made joint conclusions from both analytical approaches. Phylodynamic methods offer a uniquely integrated platform capable of inferring complex epidemiological and evolutionary processes from the phylogeny of viruses in populations using a single Bayesian statistical framework. In this study, we reviewed and outlined basic concepts and aspects of phylodynamic methods and attempted to summarize essential components of the methodology in one analytical pipeline to facilitate the proper use of the methods by animal health researchers. Also, we challenged the robustness of the posterior evolutionary parameters, inferred by the commonly used phylodynamic models, using hemagglutinin (HA) and polymerase basic 2 (PB2) segments of the currently circulating human-like H3 swine influenza (SI) viruses isolated in the United States and multiple priors. Subsequently, we compared similarities and differences between the posterior parameters inferred from sequence data using multiple phylodynamic models. Our suggested phylodynamic approach attempts to reduce the impact of its inherent limitations to offer less biased and biologically plausible inferences about the pathogen evolutionary characteristics to properly guide intervention activities. We also pinpointed requirements and challenges for integrating phylodynamic methods in routine animal disease surveillance activities.


Discriminant analysis consists of assigning an individual to two (or more) distinct populations, on the basis of observations of several characters of the individuals and a sample of observations of these characters from the populations. R. A. Fisher suggested a linear function of variables representing different characters, called linear discriminant function, for classifying an individual into one of the two populations. E. I. Altman adapted this approach to identify bankruptcy risk of corporations. Altman's model of bankruptcy was estimated for various countries, thereby for Polish economy. Some results of estimation and interpretation of Altman's model for Polish economy are presented in the paper. Methodological problems of discriminant analysis, especially fulfilling the basic assumptions, the analytical form of the discriminant function, the stability of the model and the estimation problems are also discussed.


Objectives
The Centre for Child and Family Research, Loughborough University is undertaking a longitudinal study of
children identified as suffering, or likely to suffer, significant harm before their first birthdays. The overall
objective is to collect evidence that supports decisions concerning which children require permanent out of
home placements (such as adoption) and which can safely remain with birth parents. However, a further focus
of the study is to explore those factors which affect a parent's capacity to change and overcome adversity.
Methods
The study, involving ten local authorities, followed 57 children up to the age of three. Thirty-seven children
were subsequently followed until the age of five years and researchers are continuing to trace the children,
now aged seven to eight years. The study uses mixed methods: data were collected from social work files,
interviews with social workers and teachers, and annual interviews with parents and carers. Using this data,
each child was classified at identification for the study, aged three and aged five years according to his or her
level of risk of maltreatment or its recurrence, with particular weight given to parents' capacity to change.
Results
At entry to the study, seven percent of children were classified as being at low risk of harm. By the age of
three years, this figure had increased to 37%, suggesting that a number of parents had managed to make
significant changes to their lives. The data suggest a range of factors involved in the positive changes made
by parents in the study. A number of parents also experienced what they described as 'wake-up calls', which
acted as a catalyst for change.
Conclusions
The study shows how the parents of some children, who had at one time been assessed as being at risk of
significant harm, have been able to overcome adversity and make sufficient positive change to their lives to
enable them to care safely for their children. The study identifies a range of factors affecting their ability to
make changes, for instance, the ability to develop supportive networks, being able to acknowledge risky
behaviours and coming to terms with the removal of older children.


Recently the construct of transactive memory systems (TMSs) has been the focus in a number of studies. The TMS provides a group of people with an expertise map and processes to retrieve information from the most reliable source in a timely fashion. While most research has analysed the factors behind the creation of a TMS, a few have looked into characteristics, which analyse the retrieval of information from a TMS in real life teams. These studies reveal that factors related to the awareness of other's expertise and its importance for team members to accomplish work related tasks play a role when seeking advice. However, individual factors, which have an impact on knowledge sharing behaviour, were not included in these studies. For this reason, this study places the TMS within a wider framework to analyse the impact of individual factors on information search from the TMS. To analyse the impact of individual factors on the frequency of information search, two teams were analysed. A survey was conducted to create scores representing the awareness team members have of each other's expertise, how important they judge this knowledge to accomplish their tasks and how extravert each team member is. Those individual characteristics were combined to create a TMS profile for each participant. Subsequently, the influence these profiles have on the network position and information search was analysed. The results reveal that team members who score high on knowing and valuing are more often sought out for information than other team members. In addition, if the main communication channel is face-to-face contact, extraversion has an impact on information search.


The simulation of a multi-pass shell-and-tube reactor requires the solution of a nonlinear two-point boundary-value problem. Six nonlinear ordinary differential equations describing the production of ethanolamines in 1–2 and 1–4 shell-and-tube reactors are solved numerically using both a quasi-linearization algorithm and a classical shooting method. Despite the presence of five unknown initial values, the shooting-method approach proved superior for this particular problem. The simulation revealed that for exothermic reactions the optimum tube-side temperature profile (and therefore the minimum-size reactor) was most closely approached by designing for the lowest overall heat transfer coefficient and cooling-water flow rate and highest inlet cooling-water temperature, subject to the constraint of a maximum-reaction mixture temperature.


Estimating the 3D motion of an object from a sequence of projections is of paramount importance in a variety of applications in control and robotics. Although "visual motion estimation" is an old problem, only recently tools from control and estimation theory have hinted at acceptable solutions. Moreover, the problem raises a number of issues of system theoretic interest, such as nonlinear estimation and identification on topological manifolds and observability in a projective geometric framework. In this paper we analyze a formulation of the visual motion estimation problem in terms of identification of nonlinear implicit systems with parameters on the so-called "essential manifold"; the estimation is performed either in the local coordinates or in the embedding space of the parameter manifold.<<ETX>>


This paper comes to fill a gap in watermarking theory, analyzing the exact performance of the scalar Costa scheme (SCS) facing additive Gaussian attacks when the usual approximation of high-resolution quantization is not valid, thus taking into account the host statistics. The analysis is focused on the assessment of the probability of error, showing new results, an although it is valid in a general scenario, its practical interest is increased when SCS is used in conjunction with the so-called spread-transform. The accomplished reformulation of the problem also permits to show that the achievable rate of SCS is never worse than that of classical spread-spectrum-based methods, as it was thought so far, and allows to establish interesting links with spread spectrum and the Improved Spread Spectrum method.


Based on the electro-optical property of liquid crystal (LC), an eye controlling anti-glare detector is designed in this paper. According to the transmission characteristics of SONY- LCX029 materials, the principle and working mode of anti-glare are described. The detector can get the object's images by eye-controlling focus (ECF) module and exposure metering module. The LC can change each pixel's transmission with the reasonably designed control circuit so that the glare is restrained. An experiment of SONY-LCX029 LCD (liquid crystal display) transmission changes with the gray level proved that the transmission of the LCD changes from 1.28% to 25.60%, reducing 2 orders of magnitude of strong light at least.


Bronchodilator responsiveness has been associated with a subsequent accelerated decline in forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1). Therefore, bronchodilator responsiveness and total serum immunoglobulin E(IgE) levels were assessed in 184 adult first-degree relatives of probands with severe early-onset chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and a control group. Greater bronchodilator responsiveness was found among current smokers or exsmokers who were first-degree relatives of early-onset COPD probands than in currently or exsmoking controls, expressed as increase in FEV1 as a percentage of baseline (5.8+/-8.1 versus 2.9+/-5.1%, p<0.01), absolute increase in FEV1 from baseline (120+/-130 versus 60+/-110 mL, p<0.05), and increase in FEV1 as a percentage of the predicted value (3.6:4.1 versus 2.2+/-3.9%, p<0.05). However, elevated total serum IgE levels were not found in first-degree relatives of early-onset COPD probands compared with control subjects. The increased bronchodilator responsiveness among currently smoking/exsmoking first-degree relatives of early-onset COPD probands suggests that these individuals may have enhanced susceptibility to the detrimental effects of cigarette smoking.


In Digital Image Processing, Median Filter is used to reduce the noise in an image. The median filter considers each pixel in the image and replaces the noisy pixel by the median of the neighbourhood pixels. The median value is calculated by sorting the pixels. Sorting in turn consists of comparator which includes adders and multiplier. Multiplication is a fundamental operation in arithmetic computing systems and is used in many DSP applications such as FIR Filters. The adder circuit is used as a main component in the multiplier circuits. The Carry Save Array (CSA) multiplier is designed by using the proposed adder cell based on multiplexing logic. The proposed adder circuit is designed by using Shannon theorem. The multiplier circuits are schematised and their layouts are generated by using VLSI CAD tools. The proposed adder based multiplier circuits are simulated and results are compared with CPL and other circuit designed using Shannon based adder cell in terms of power and area and the intermediate state involved in the circuit is eliminated. The proposed adder based multiplier circuits are simulated by using 90nm feature size and with various supply voltages. The Shannon full adder circuit based multiplier circuits gives better performance than other published results in terms of power dissipation and area due to less number of transistors used in Shannon adder


The interactions between zirconia (ZrO2) powder and three Algerian hydrated kaolinitic clays were studied at high temperatures. The analysis by X-ray diffraction of the prepared products allowed to follow the different phase developments during heat treatment and to identify the parameters controlling the zirconia conversion into zircon (ZrSiO4). It was found that ZrSiO4 formation, occurring at temperatures above 1150°C, is enhanced by the presence, in the clays, of fusing impurities such as K, Fe, Ca, and Mn, and by a decrease in zirconia particle size. A reactional mechanism, involving zirconia, a flux, and cristobalite is proposed. Moreover, the effect of zirconia additions on sintering was studied. It was also found that the increase in the porosity ratio of the final products for zirconia levels above 20 wt% was governed by a decrease in the flux amount, due to its lower clay content. Finally, it was shown that ceramics obtained by sintering at 1400°C for 2 h of a mixture of 38 wt% of fine zirconia powder and 62 wt% of the more reactive clay were mainly constituted of zircon and mullite.


Plasmapheresis combined with immunosuppression dramatically improved the survival of patients with Goodpasture's disease in the late 1970's. The presence of circulating pathogenic autoantibodies in this disease provided a logical rationale for the use of plasma exchange therapy. Careful analysis of the response to treatment has suggested that patients presenting with a serum creatinine < 600 mumol/I have the most benefit from plasma exchange. Subsequently plasmapheresis has been tried in a variety of other nephritides, predominantly those causing rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis, with variable success. Initial studies failed adequately to distinguish patients with a number of quite distinct causes of crescentic nephritis. However it has become clear that plasma exchange significantly improves the outcome of patients with pauci-immune crescentic glomerulonephritis who present with severe renal failure requiring dialysis, but not those with less severe renal disease.


Inhaled sympathomimetics, studied extensively for treatment of asthma, have been found to be safe from cardiac arrhythmias. We discuss a case report of albuterol used with a spacer device that induced atrial fibrillation. We review relevant literature.