Abstract In this paper we summarize the present knowledge on bioalteration of basaltic glass from pillow lava rims of former oceanic crust, based on the study of four ophiolite complexes. These complexes range in age from Late Cretaceous to Mid-Proterozoic, and their metamorphic grades vary from non-metamorphosed to low greenschist- to low amphibolite-facies metamorphism. In the non-metamorphosed volcanic part of ophiolite complexes, in which undevitrified glass is still present in pillow lava rims and/or hyaloclastites, biogenerated textures are common. These textures (termed granular and tubular) are similar to those found in volcanic glass of recent to old (170 Ma) in situ ocean floor, and mimic microbes in terms of size and shape. In the metamorphic and completely recrystallized examples, the textural evidence of bioalteration is generally obliterated, although it may still be visible in little-deformed volcanic domains of low-grade greenschist-facies metamorphism. Where biogenerated textures are present, element mapping invariably reveals the presence of organic carbon, and sometimes nitrogen, sulphur and phosphorus. Carbon-isotope signatures (δ13C) in the pillow lava rims from all four investigated ophiolites show lower values than those of the adjacent crystalline parts. This phenomenon may be attributed to bio-induced fractionation of carbon isotopes during preferential bioalteration of the pillow lava glass, and may further represent a feature that seems to survive metamorphism and deformation.


This paper discusses the Failure Analysis methodology used to characterize 3D bonded wafers during the different stages of optimization of the bonding process. A combination of different state-of-the-art techniques were employed to characterize the 3D patterned and unpatterned bonded wafers. These include Confocal Scanning Acoustic Microscopy (CSAM) to determine the existence of voids, Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) to determine the roughness of the films on the wafers, and the Double Cantilever Beam Test to determine the interfacial strength. Focused Ion Beam (FIB) was used to determine the alignment offset in the patterns. The interface was characterized by Auger Spectroscopy and the precession electron nanobeam diffraction analysis to understand the Cu grain boundary formation.


The primary objective of the present study was to experimentally test the hypothesis that moral development could be fostered in first-grade children by reading them morality stories selected for their content similarity to the induction child-rearing techniques described by Hoffman and Saltzstein (1967). The induction technique involved instructing the child concerning the consequences of his misdeeds on others. In order to assess the treatment effect of the morality stories, the researcher developed the Moral Development Inventory (M.D.I.) for measuring level of moral development in first-grade children. This instrument, modeled after a guilt inventory used in the Hoffman and Saltzstein (1967) study, consisted of four Inventory Stories. Each story contained a protagonist the age of the subjects to be tested. In each story, the protagonist committed a misdeed known only to himself. In the administration of the instrument, the subject was asked to complete each Inventory Story by choosing from three possible endings, each ending corresponding to either high, medium, or low level of guilt. A pilot study (N = 316 first graders) confirmed that the instrument was suitable for use with first-grade subjects. The M.D.I, was then administered to 73 first graders in Walton County, Florida. A numerical score (R = 4-12) was obtained for each subject.


This research explores the development of organizational variation among early complex societies in Central Pacific Panama. Beginning around the onset of the Late Ceramic II period (AD 700-1522) strongly hierarchal societies emerged in multiple parts of this macroregion, such as the Rio Parita valley, and continued to develop until the sixteenth century. Social power within these societies was drawn from a wide range of different activities, but there is strong evidence to suggest that such power was drawn from the same general suite of activities in different regions, and at different points in time. Despite these similarities, however, there were other parts of Central Panama, such as the Rio Tonosi valley, where early complex societies also evolved, but that did not develop the strong levels of social hierarchy or engage in the same sorts of aggrandizing behavior that is documented in other regions. These societies interacted with and shared many important sociocultural characteristics with those that were more hierarchical, but for some reason seem do not seem to have developed systems of strong hierarchical organization.

This research set out to explore the factors that led to such variation by conducting a systematic, full-coverage regional-scale survey of the Rio Tonosi valley, so as to compare the settlement and demographic patterns that played out in this region to those of the Rio Parita valley, where regional survey has already been carried out. These results suggest that, despite exhibiting many strong similarities in demographic and social organization between AD 200 and 500, the trajectories of these two regions began to diverge sometime between AD 500 and 1000. This divergence seems to have been sparked by differential levels of regional demographic growth, coupled with differential levels of environmental risk that existed in these regions. These differences prompted early complex societies to organize their interaction in substantially different ways across the landscape, facilitating different sorts of activities and forms of social behavior, ultimately leading to the organizational variation that can be observed in the Late Ceramic II period.


It is necessary to classify the epileptic psychoses before starting a comparative study between psychopathological and electroencephalographic findings. The knowledge of the epileptic psychoses is at the moment too incomplete for a systematic order following aetiological or topic aspects. The traditionally system of epileptic psychoses distributes in chronic and episodic, phasic, especially circular, reversible and irreversible psychopathological manifestations. We differentiate psychotic states with or without disturbances of consciousness. Well-known in EEG studies of symptomatic and endogenic psychoses is, that in these psychoses the same clinical syndrom can be related to normal and to pathological electroencephalographic findings. This contradiction could often be explained when the activity of the psychoses was taken into consideration. The activity of the psychoses is to be determined by the duration, number, intensity and variability of the psychopathological symptoms. From his own investigations from 30 patients with schizophreniform epileptic psychoses, episode affective disorders and both depressive and manic psychoses, it could be shown, that normal EEGs are markedly infrequent. Most often they occur in subacute schizophreniform epileptic psychoses. The EEG of active and particularly of schizophreniform epileptic psychoses is most often characterized by simultaneous appearance of sharp waves, paroxysmal dysrhythmias and abnormal rhythm formations. Active schizophreniform psychoses correlate usually with abnormal rhythms. These abnormal rhythms ("parenrhythmien") diminish parallel with loss of activity of the psychotic process, are correspondingly seldom seen in subacute psychoses, and are not demonstrable in inactive psychoses. The experience of an alternating correspondence between epileptic psychoses and frequency of seizures could be confirmed. Language: de


The anatomy of the pterygopalatine ganglion (PPG) and its branches is related to pain syndromes Cluster headache (CH) and Sluder's neuralgia (SN). In order to gain more insight in these syndromes, we conducted an anatomical and clinical study of the PPG. A search for new neural structures in the PPF was performed through microdissection of human cadaveric PPF whole-mount preparations. A hitherto unknown nerve, which runs between the PPG and the ophthalmic nerve, was identified in all specimens. The nerve was classified as an orbital PPG branch, and may explain pain relief in the ophthalmic area after PPG blockage. Immunohistochemical techniques were used to characterize PPG branches, specifically orbital branches. Four PPF specimens were cryosectioned as a whole. In one specimen, the recently discovered neural structures were separately cryosectioned. Sections were stained for general, sympathetic and parasympathetic neural markers. The recently discovered orbital PPG branch is of a parasympathetic and sensory nature. In other orbital PPG branches, sympathetic fibres were demonstrated as well. This knowledge may add to understanding the symptomatology of facial pain and its therapy. The radiological anatomy of the PPF and its contents were described using magnetic resonance imaging at 7 Tesla (7T MRI). A human cadaveric PPF specimen was examined on 7 T MRI, and subsequently cryosectioned. MR images were compared with corresponding surface photos and on-tape collections of cryosections. 7T MRI provided excellent depiction of specifically smaller structures, that have previously been obscured. 7T MRI may provide an improved diagnostic and preoperative evaluation of the PPF. The clinical part of this thesis starts with a systematic review of SN literature. Based on the described symptoms, distinct SN criteria were formulated, which enable its recognition as a separate clinical entity. Considering its symptomatology, SN could possibly be a trigeminal autonomic cephalalgia. The effects of radiofrequency thermocoagulation (RFT) of the PPG on facial pain are described, following critical evaluation of diagnosis. We conducted a retrospective study of the clinical records of patients who underwent RFT of the PPG at a tertiary clinic. Diagnoses were re-evaluated after which the effect of RFT on facial pain was assessed. Seven patients out of fifteen had been diagnosed correctly. Nine out of fifteen patients showed pain relief after RFT. Positive results were present among patients with Sluder's neuropathy, atypical facial pain and CH. Hence, correct facial pain diagnosis is vital to assess the outcome of treatment strategies. The effects of microvascular decompression (MVD) of the PPG are described in three refractory CH patients. The pterygopalatine artery was ligated and a temporal muscle graft was placed between the artery and the ganglion. No differences were found between the pre and postsurgical period with respect to pain and quality of life. These data suggest that MVD of the PPG does not provide pain reduction or improvement of quality of life in patients with refractory CH. Recommendations for future research may include studies regarding pathophysiology and treatment on larger cohorts of SN patients, and further study on unexplained aspects of CH pathophysiology


The concept of continued and progressive coronary care rather than intermediate coronary care is proposed. At each clinical stage the patient may be at risk and his management needs to be planned appropriately--prevention of the development of coronary disease, prehospital care, acute coronary care, subacute coronary care, and late hospital stay. Meticulous continued care once the patient leaves the hospital and returns home may be needed for a long time. Although the benefit of an intermediate coronary care unit has not yet been proved, significant patient risk continues beyond 12 days of hospital admission. High risk patient subsets are emerging requiring careful continued monitoring and the ability to undertake emergency measures as needed, and this is particularly so in patients suffering large anterior infarction, in those with infarction associated with cardiac failure, when infarction is associated with fascicular block and other types of conduction disturbances, and in patients who continue with rhythm disturbances after their admission to the hospital. Electrocardiograph leads III and VI displayed simultaneously should be routinely monitored in patients with fascicular blocks and acute anterior infarction as a guide to instituting prophylactic transvenous pacemaking. The continuation of intensive patient care and monitoring beyond the usual 2 to 5 days in a coronary care unit allows early mobilisation of patients in safety, thus speeding their ultimate rehabilitation. There is, as yet, no satisfactory study documenting the need for intermediate coronary care units, but much presumptive evidence is available to indicate that this is so. A carefully controlled randomised study would be invaluable.


Investigations in approximately 18,000 pigs showed that the incidence of a number of forms of chronic inflammation (pericarditis, pleurisy, pneumonia, inflammation of the tails and inflammation of the feet) was significantly higher in castrated boars than it was in gilts. These differences between castrated boars and gilts is mainly attributable to the changes in hormonal pattern, which result from castration.


Artificial neural networks (ANNs) were used for voxel‐wise parameter estimation with the combined intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) and kurtosis model facilitating robust diffusion parameter mapping in the human brain. The proposed ANN approach was compared with conventional least‐squares regression (LSR) and state‐of‐the‐art multi‐step fitting (LSR‐MS) in Monte‐Carlo simulations and in vivo in terms of estimation accuracy and precision, number of outliers and sensitivity in the distinction between grey (GM) and white (WM) matter. Both the proposed ANN approach and LSR‐MS yielded visually increased parameter map quality. Estimations of all parameters (perfusion fraction f, diffusion coefficient D, pseudo‐diffusion coefficient D*, kurtosis K) were in good agreement with the literature using ANN, whereas LSR‐MS resulted in D* overestimation and LSR yielded increased values for f and D*, as well as decreased values for K. Using ANN, outliers were reduced for the parameters f (ANN, 1%; LSR‐MS, 19%; LSR, 8%), D* (ANN, 21%; LSR‐MS, 25%; LSR, 23%) and K (ANN, 0%; LSR‐MS, 0%; LSR, 15%). Moreover, ANN enabled significant distinction between GM and WM based on all parameters, whereas LSR facilitated this distinction only based on D and LSR‐MS on f, D and K. Overall, the proposed ANN approach was found to be superior to conventional LSR, posing a powerful alternative to the state‐of‐the‐art method LSR‐MS with several advantages in the estimation of IVIM–kurtosis parameters, which might facilitate increased applicability of enhanced diffusion models at clinical scan times.


While differential object marking seems to be widespread and is well represented in the linguistic literature, differential subject marking appears to be much less common. Burmese is one example of a language that marks some, but not all subjects, depending on a number of pragmatic factors. This phenomenon is widespread in Tibeto-Burman languages, but Burmese apparently differs from these in not having an underlying ergative alignment or an agentive source of the subject marker, suggesting that there are other sources for DSM than the ones identified in the literature. This study looks at the functions of the marker ka with subjects in colloquial Burmese and discusses factors favoring its occurrence and possible paths of its development.


Water management and governance continues to rely on the scientific and engineering principles of the hydrologic cycle for decision-making on policies and infrastructure choices. This over-reliance on hydrologic-based, technocratic, command-and-control management and governance tends to discount and overlook the political, social, cultural, and economic factors that shape water-society relationships. This paper utilizes an alternative framework, the hydrosocial cycle, to analyze how water and society shape each other over time. In this paper, the hydrosocial framework is applied to stormwater management in the United States. Two hydrosocial case studies centered on rain and stormwater are investigated to highlight how stormwater management can benefit from a hydrosocial approach. The insights and implications from these case studies are then applied to stormwater management by formulating key questions that arise under the hydrosocial framework. These key questions are significant to progressing stormwater management to more sustainable, resilient, and equitable outcomes for environmental and public safety and health. This paper frames a conversation for incorporating the hydrosocial framework into stormwater management and demonstrates the need for an interdisciplinary approach to water management and governance issues.


Coleophomones, metabolites reported first in a Japanese patent in 1998 and then by
Merck in 2000 from a Coleophoma fungus, have antifungal and antibacterial
properties and inhibit bacterial cell-wall transglycosylase and human heart chymase.
Their unique molecular architecture contains a cyclic tricarbonyl moiety embedded in
an ll-membered macrocycle. In our synthetic strategy the reactive ~,~-tricarbonyl
structure is masked as an isoxazole to allow elaboration elsewhere in the molecule.
We have investigated two isoxazole based approaches to these targets: 1) via an
isoxazole ring with ketone or ester substituents; and 2) via a reduced benzisoxazole.
The formation of isoxazole building blocks for the two approaches was by nitrile
oxide l,3-dipolar cycloaddition. Several substituted phenylisoxazole diesters were
made from approach 1 successfully, however, the attempt for 6-membered ring
closure failed. For approach 2, a number of benzisoxazoles with different substituted
phenyl groups were made in moderate to good yield. The side chain additions towards
these building blocks have also been elaborated, and the formation of II-membered
macrocycles have been attempted by ring closing metathesis (RCM) with Grubbs II
catalyst.
Precursors for total synthesis of coleophomone A, B, C and D have been made.
Irradiation reactions have been used to prepare oxime precursors for coleophomone D
and use of co-solvent (HMAP and DMPU) was applied in the synthesis to alkylate the
benzisoxazole ring.


The development through the past two decades has shown increasing military and political tensions in, and a corresponding military structuralization of the Arctic, partly because of the fact that Arctic waters of both super-powers are geographically adjacent in this region, and partly because new warfare technology, notably with nuclear powered and armed submarines, has facilitated advanced missile launching opportunities in Arctic waters. The article outlines the legal and political structure of the Greenland Home Rule and argues that the Home Rule should have a decisive say in security policy matters, since this may draw further attention towards the global environmental risks and disaster following from nuclear or chemical contamination and increase the pressure for a peaceful future in the Arctic.


Ocean acidification caused by the rise of anthropogenic emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) is expected to influence many marine species, especially phytoplankton. Diatoms, a key group of phytoplankton, play vital roles in global carbon fixation and natural food webs. Currently, little is known about their adaptive responses to long‐term acidification. In this study, physiological and transcriptomic approaches were combined to explore the mechanisms by which Chaetoceros muelleri can endure long‐term acidification. Physiological changes were significantly affected by long‐term elevated partial pressure of CO2 (pCO2) levels. Drastic changes in lipid content and composition were observed under both short‐ and long‐term high‐pCO2 stresses. Changes in the transcriptome revealed that a wide range of cellular and metabolic processes were differentially affected. A global upregulation of genes involved in the Calvin cycle, glycolysis, fatty acid synthesis and nitrogen metabolism occurred under long‐term acidification. Thus, C. muelleri may have evolved new features to adapt to the elevated pCO2 level. Calvin cycle and nitrogen metabolic mechanisms may play roles in new molecular strategies to survive increasingly acidified waters in the future.


To help answer questions about conversational control behaviors across cultures, a collaborative team from the University of Texas at El Paso and the Institute for Creative Technologies collected and partially coded approximately ten hours of audiovisual multiparty interactions in three different cultures and languages. Groups of four native speakers of Arabic, American English and Mexican Spanish completed five tasks and were recorded from six angles. Excerpts of four of the tasks were coded for proxemics, gaze, and turn-taking; interrater reliability had a Kappa score of about 0.8. Lessons learned from the multiparty corpus are being applied to the recording and annotation of a complementary dyadic corpus.


This paper uses a unique new data set on nearly a thousand manufacturing firms in Brazil and India to investigate the determinants of ICT adoption and its impact on performance in both countries. The descriptive evidence shows that Brazilian firms on average use ICT more intensively than their Indian counterparts but changes over time have been rather similar in both places. Within countries ICT intensity is strongly related to size, ownership structure, share of administrative workers and education. The econometric evidence documents a strong relationship between ICT capital and productivity in both countries, even after controlling for several other factors, including firm-specific fixed-effects. The rate of return of ICT investment seems to be much larger than usually found in more developed countries. Specific types of organisational changes matter for the return of ICT, but only for high adopters. Firms report several constraints to ICT investment in both countries and power disruption seems to significantly depress adoption and returns to ICT expenditures in India. This may be indicative of the impact of a cluster of poor institutions and/or infrastructure on performance.


This paper describes a parallel piezoresistive cantilever that is composed of a force-sensing cantilever in addition to a reference cantilever for photoresponse compensation. Piezoresistive cantilevers have been applied in many cellular mechanical measurement studies because of their high sensitivity, high time resolution and ease of handling. However, the electrical resistance changes in response to the excitation light of the fluorescence microscope, which affects the cell measurements. We measured the I–V characteristics of a piezoresistive layer. These photoresponses occurred due to the internal photoelectric effect. We canceled the photoresponses using the reference cantilever. This paper demonstrates compensation of the cantilever photoresponse under irradiation at different angles, wavelengths and light intensities. As a result, the photoresponse could be decreased by 87%.


Spectrum sharing has received an increasing amount of attention in cognitive radio over the past few years as an effective method of alleviating the spectrum scarcity problem in wireless communications by allowing unlicensed users to use the same spectrum as the licensed users under the condition of protecting the latter from harmful interference using a received interference power constraint at the licensed receivers. In this paper, we study the outage capacity and the truncated channel inversion with fixed rate (TIFR) capacity of a sensing-enhanced spectrum sharing cognitive radio system under two different scenarios, namely with and without missed-detection interference power constraints for the protection of the primary users, for both Rayleigh and Nakagami-m fading channels. In our analysis, we consider various constraints on the capacity that include: (i) average transmit power constraints, (ii) peak interference power constraints, (iii) average interference power constraints and (iv) target detection probability constraints, and derive the power allocation strategy, as well as the TIFR and outage capacity for each scenario. Finally, we provide simulation results, which indicate that the sensing-enhanced spectrum sharing cognitive radio system can achieve higher outage and TIFR capacity compared to the conventional non-sensing spectrum sharing cognitive radio system.


Best practice management of a clinic can be measured through the achievement of appropriate waiting time and consultation time. These are important, especially in dealing with stable common cases seen in primary care. Among important associated factors include the number of patients per day, which can be various according to different operating days. This study aims to measure the waiting time and consultation time of common cases seen in the university health clinic for two weeks duration. The 'time in' and 'time out' information was captured on the information sheet attached to the patient's registration slip. A descriptive analysis was done for common complaints, waiting time and consultation time duration. Kruskal-Wallis test was used to identify the association between different working days with waiting time and consultation time. The results revealed a good mean waiting time 11.93 min (SD, 9.99) and consultation time 10.54 minutes (SD, 8.78) for the clinic. Waiting time is significantly associated with different operating days (P value < 0.05). The clinic's waiting and consultation time is acceptable according to the target set by the Ministry of Health. However, further modification can be done to improve the time management of the clinic, specifically for the busy day.


It is argued that the problem with software engineering is not a lack of reuse, but a lack of widespread, systematic reuse. The reuse research community is focusing on formalizing reuse because it recognizes that substantial quality and productivity payoffs will be achieved only if reuse is conducted systematically and formally. The history of reuse, which is characterized by this struggle to formalize in a setting where pragmatic problems are the norm and fast informal solutions usually take precedence, is reviewed. Several reuse methods are discussed.<<ETX>>


ABSTRACT The association between obesity and mortality in the elderly remains controversial. To test the association between BMI and mortality, with the hypothesis of a mediation by low-grade inflammation (LGI), a prospective study design (median follow-up 7.8 years) was used on a sample of 4,970 elderly subjects (age ≥ 65 years) from the Moli-sani Study cohort. The association between BMI categories and overall or cause-specific mortality (hazard ratio, HR) was calculated by multivariable Cox regression. Dose-response relationship was tested using restricted cubic splines. Interaction between BMI and LGI, assessed through high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and INFLA-score, was also tested. In comparison with normal-weight, overweight was significantly associated with a 20% (adjusted HR = 0.80; 95%CI 0.67–0.95) reduced risk of total mortality, while severe obesity (BMI > 40) with an increased risk (HR = 1.81; 95%CI 1.13–2.93). Cubic spline curves showed a U-shaped relationship between BMI and total mortality (p value for nonlinear relationship = 0.001). Similar results were found for cardio-cerebrovascular and other causes mortality. Hs-CRP and INFLA-score were associated with an increased risk of total mortality in adjusted analyses. Mediation analysis did not show any effect of LGI on the association between BMI and mortality. However, after stratification for LGI under or below the population median, greater LGI increased the risk of mortality in obese elderly more than expected (p for interaction = 0.04). A U-shaped association between BMI and mortality was observed in Italian elderly subjects. While the association was independent of LGI levels, there was a significant interaction between BMI and LGI in increasing mortality risk in obese elderly individuals.


The color histogram is an important technique for color image database indexing and retrieval. In this paper, the traditional color histogram is modified to capture the spatial layout information of each color, and three types of spatial color histograms are introduced: annular, angular and hybrid color histograms. Experiments show that, with a proper trade-off between the granularity in the color and spatial dimensions, these histograms outperform both the traditional color histogram and some existing histogram refinements such as the color coherent vector.


Bait aversion is a behavioral avoidance phenomenon, whereupon some naturally and/or artificially (e.g. toxic baits) selected Blattella germanica genotypes become less responsive to or completely avoid certain phagostimulatory food ingredients. Cases of avoidance behaviors, including associative learning, in vertebrates and invertebrates are reviewed to provide insights and stimulate discussions on how the German cockroach may have developed its olfactory and gustatory means to discriminate these food components.


Novice teachers need to develop their professional judgment. Teaching is performed in the face of imperfect, complex but above all continuously emergent situations. These matters have not received adequate attention in theories relating to professional judgment and professionality in teaching or in the contemporary discourse of education policy. The purpose of this conceptual article is therefore to contribute to the understanding of teachers' judgment. By discussing empirical examples that indicate how sensing and knowing guide judgment, concepts are introduced that are intended to further the understanding of teachers' professional judgment; something that will hopefully benefit teacher education as well as practicing teachers.


In the 1940s, due to a shortage of professional counselors, combined with the hope of rehabilitation for the addict, there grew a belief that the recovered alcoholic could be trained to enter the field of addiction treatment as a paraprofessional. These early stages of addiction treatment and the emergence of the recovered substance abuser as a counselor fostered a discussion in the role played by the paraprofessional. This discussion subsequently encouraged an accumulation of literature during the early stages of substance abuse treatment in North America, which later began to diminish as the field moved forward towards the twenty-first century. This paper reviews the literature to examine the perceived potential risks for relapse associated with recovered addicts working in the addictions field. Potential risks for relapse discussed are the ex-addict's motivation for entering the addiction field, personal help from self-help groups may be lost once in the field, over involvement with clients, over involvement with work, over identification with clients and the repercussions of relapse. The paper also addresses the limitations of the studies conducted to date, provides recommendations for further research and proposes that this topic be explored using a qualitative approach, so that recovered counselors can construct their own narratives.


This report is a second assessment of the mLabs (mobile application labs) program following the 2014 assessment: Do mLabs Make a Difference? This second assessment focuses on essentially the same three questions as the first assessment. In September 2016, the infoDev mLab program engaged Sonjara, Inc. to perform this rapid assessment in Armenia (mLab Eastern Europe, South Caucasus, and Central Asia), Kenya (m:lab East Africa), Senegal (CTIC/mLab West Africa), and South Africa (mLab Southern Africa). This second assessment is based on an examination and visits to each mLab, with more than 160 field interviews and facilitated focus group discussions. The team analyzed more than 70 mLab-supported companies, conducting in-depth interviews with 59 mLabs start-ups as well as with mLab staff, investors, comparable start-ups, customers, and others in the ecosystem. The team also performed a review of documents, data, and materials provided by the mLabs and companies, as well as collecting leading practices and background research from industry and stakeholder sources. The report findings show that, since their launch in 2010 and since the 2014 assessment, mLabs have coevolved with their ecosystems, both influencing and being influenced by rapidly changing environments, marked by increased involvement by the private sector in both incubation and investment, and the rapid changes and improvements in technology infrastructure. The mLabs' impacts on start-ups, start-up customers and on the digital entrepreneurship infrastructure are discussed. Recommendations are given strengthening program management among other things.


Abstract. The article presents with the use of archive aerial photographs. The first task was to search and identify drainage detail from archive aerial photographs. The second task is to create procedures for processing aerial reconnaissance images (from WWII) to identify sites with potential pyrotechnic load. Both of these tasks are connecting by the effort to determine the internal orientation parameters of the cameras for using and easier calculation of exterior parameters by image correlation. Complete automation process searching of fiducial mark (FM) identification was implemented. The coordinates of all FM are calculated automatically from archive aerial photographs. In addition, the edges of the photographs are automatically found and a program was created to minimize of the cropping of the archive aerial photographs. The next part of the paper describes the procedures of averaging the values of the relative position of FM and transforming archive aerial photographs to a uniform dimension from a set of images taken with the same camera. The second part of the paper describes the process of creating a historical ortophoto with the standard calculation of bundle adjustment performed by an external process in the background of the OrthoEngine module using the Celery library installed as a python service. Finding of external image orientation parameters through bundle adjustment calculation are parameters, in the first, defined in the local system and then transformed into the national geodetic system of the Czech Republic. This entire section is available and free to use for on the internet. The third part of the article describes the practical procedure of the interpretation of archive and wartime photographs with aim of identification of the drainage detail and the procedures leading to the interpretation, identification, location and calculation of the position of unexploded air ammunition.


The article discusses care for the mentally ill, as it emerged and developed in Troms and Finnmark counties in 1891 - 1940. The main objective was to document how publicly supported private care functioned with respect to the well-being of the mentally ill and their situation. How mental illness was defined and perceived by close relatives, care providers, medical practitioners and public authorities was also assessed. Medical records written by district physicians have been central sources; other sources were records from the county council proceedings and public statistics on poverty and health. The private care arrangement was the dominant type of care for the mentally ill in the region throughout the period. This arrangement was subject to public supervision, but its functioning depended on periodic support from somatic institutions and even prisons. The study shows that private care was a well-functioning arrangement in many cases. The mentally ill were often included in the household work and daily-life practices on the farm. The private care system however displayed wide variations, as its quality depended on the care providers, district physicians and last but not least economic support from the local community.


SUMMARY p53 and p16 are both tumor suppressors. This article summarizes the current investigation status on their roles and interaction in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) to explore their potential as prognostic, predictive and therapeutic targets. There is significant evidence implicating that p53 mutation as a driver plays an important role in tumorigenesis and progression of TNBC. p53 mutations are more frequently observed in TNBCs compared with ER-positive breast cancers. The presence of a p53 mutation is associated with poorer prognosis in TNBC patients. The status of p53 protein expression divides TNBCs into two biologically distinct subgroups (p53-positive vs p53-negative); p53-positive tumors have more aggressive behavior. p53 has clinical prognostic utility and is a promising target candidate for directed therapy for TNBC patients. p16 appears to play a significant role in tumorigenesis of TNBC through the Rb/p16 dysfunction pathway. A high level of p16 protein expression is associated with ...


In this article, the authors appropriate the concept of adaptation within the framework of political ecology , in order to critically rethink the principle of biomimicry as a strategy capable of contributing to the construction of a sustainable society, in an era plagued by deleterious effects generated by the socioeconomic system. The article uses the concept of «sustainability» as an emancipatory practice not only intricate with environmental issues but mostly with political matters. A political ecology of adaptation should allow, then, to understand adaptation in terms of the political commitments involved and the social interests at stake. The authors propose an adaptation criterion that allows redesigning the technosphere to harmonize the biophysical processes and social development. These criteria are not only intended to provide solutions to the design problem , but also to contribute to overcome unequal geographical development and the cynicism that supports it. Keywords : Technological adaptation; technosphere; vulnerability; sustainable innovation; political sustainability


Background: Epidemiological studies have identified prenatal exposure to famine as a risk factor for schizophrenia, and animal models of prenatal malnutrition display structural and functional brain abnormalities implicated in schizophrenia. Methods: The offspring of the RLP50 rat, a recently developed animal model of prenatal famine malnutrition exposure, was used to investigate the changes of gene expression and epigenetic modifications in the brain regions. Microarray gene expression analysis was carried out in the prefrontal cortex and the hippocampus from 8 RLP50 offspring rats and 8 controls. MBD-seq was used to test the changes in DNA methylation in hippocampus depending on prenatal malnutrition exposure. Results: In the prefrontal cortex, offspring of RLP50 exhibit differences in neurotransmitters and olfactory-associated gene expression. In the hippocampus, the differentially-expressed genes are related to synaptic function and transcription regulation. DNA methylome profiling of the hippocampus also shows widespread but systematic epigenetic changes; in most cases (87%) this involves hypermethylation. Remarkably, genes encoded for the plasma membrane are significantly enriched for changes in both gene expression and DNA methylome profiling screens (p = 2.37×10–9 and 5.36×10–9, respectively). Interestingly, Mecp2 and Slc2a1, two genes associated with cognitive impairment, show significant down-regulation, and Slc2a1 is hypermethylated in the hippocampus of the RLP50 offspring. Conclusions: Collectively, our results indicate that prenatal exposure to malnutrition leads to the reprogramming of postnatal brain gene expression and that the epigenetic modifications contribute to the reprogramming. The process may impair learning and memory ability and result in higher susceptibility to schizophrenia.


We present a new approach to obtain low-cost and high-performance SiGe phototransistors in a commercial BiCMOS process. Photoresponsivity of 2.7 A/W was obtained for 850-nm detection due to the transistor gain, corresponding to 393% quantum efficiency. Responsivities of 0.13 A/W and 0.07mA/W were achieved for 1060 and 1310 nm with SiGe absorption. With V/sub ce/=2 V, we measure a -3-dB bandwidth of up to 5.3 GHz for phototransistors with a 4-/spl mu/m/sup 2/ active area and 2.0 GHz for phototransistors with 60-/spl mu/m/sup 2/ active area and finger contacts. This high-efficiency and high-speed phototransistor is an enabling device for monolithic receiver integration.


In orthodox seed management, the application of temperatures over 42oC is routinely associated with deterioration while biological behaviors in operations conducted under high temperatures are hardly ever studied. The results found, however, indicate the possibility of stationary drying of soybean seeds at 50oC, provided that the insufflated air flow intensity is considered, as well as the reduction of B. brizantha seed dormancy submitted to 85oC.


Stampede accidents usually take place in crowded areas in transfer stations, sports stadiums, shopping malls, religious places and other similar areas. One of the causes of stampedes is that people do not have enough distance to stop themselves when there are emergencies. Like vehicles, pedestrians also need stopping distance when they want to stop from a certain speed, especially in a sudden situation without any previous notice. People who could not stop in time crush into or step upon other people, and may trigger a stampede accident. Analysis of worldwide stampede accidents reveals the reasons for stampede accidents. In the following sections, this paper describes the experimental design, including variable definitions, measurement set-up and experiment processing. The process of data collection and the building of relationship models are presented, as well as some preliminary results. In the end, the application of this relationship of stopping distance and walking speed will be introduced.


Analyses of faculty citation activity usually focus on counts as a function of author characteristics, such as rank, gender, previous citation levels, and other factors influencing productivity and career path. Citation analyses of publications consider aspects, such as the number of authors, author reputation, author order, length of the title, methodology, and impact factors of the publication. While publication topics or discipline is considered important factors, they are more difficult to analyze, and therefore, performed less frequently. This article attempts to do that for the field of urban planning. Urban planning is multi-disciplinary and includes consideration of social, economic, technological, environmental, and political systems that shape human settlement patterns. It has been suspected that some topics are more "popular" and have larger audiences, therefore, are cited more often. Using nearly 15,000 urban planning publications, this article presents an analysis of topics to assess which are cited most frequently. The classification of publications was performed using a Support Vector Machine (SVM), a machine learning (ML) approach to text classification, using citation data from Google Scholar. The citation levels for the resulting categories are analyzed and discussed.


Many recent studies argue about the intertwined relation between motor knowledge and the mind of the listener or performer (Leman, 2007; 2010; Abril, 2011). According to some implications of the relationship between music and movement explored in previous studies, (Piras 2013; 2014; Piras, Fortuna & Maffioli 2015; 2016; 2017) the present research investigates the role of movement during the activities of listening according to Jaques-Dalcroze and Laban theories. L.M.A. (Laban Movement Analysis) focused on the motion factors of Time, Weight, Space, Flow (Laban, 1948). The starting questions of the present article are the following: Are there differences among the body performances with and without an object or a musical instrument? If so, what kind of differences could be noted? Could these differences be referred to the dalcrozian thought about the correspondence between Music and Movement, and to the Laban's motion factors? Could they be realized through a didactic activity useful both for musicians and dancers, starting from this kind of path? The method used to answer the question was: A sample composed of 4 children, aged 8, two of them studying music, and the other two studying dance, followed a common procedure. They were asked to perform music with movement in the following modes: (i) Only with movement; (ii) Movement with an object (a foulard); (iii) Movement with a little percussion instrument; (iv) Only movement. Questions were given to the children dealing with their way of thinking and interpreting music. The results confirm a starting hypothesis that an object could change a movement performance likewise in body activity with its musical relationship. The ability of the subjects to expand their vocabulary of movement according to its objectives, is manifested, together with the exploration of musical phrasing and the pleasure of movement in a Flow experience way.


A method for damage localisation has been developed, which is based on the phased array idea. Four arrays of transducers, instead of only one, are used to perform a beam-forming procedure. Each array consists of nine transducers placed along a line, which are able to excite and register elastic waves. The arrays are placed in such a way that the angular difference between them is 45º and the rotation point is the middle transducer, which is common for all the arrays. The idea has been tested on a square aluminium plate modelled by the Spectral Finite Element Method. Two types of damage were considered, namely distributed damage, which was modelled as stiffness reduction, and cracks, modelled as separation of nodes in selected finite elements. The plate is excited by a wave packet (5-cycle sine modulated by the Hanning window). The whole array system is placed in the middle of the plate. Each phase array in the system acts independently and produces maps of a scanned field based on the beam-forming procedure. These maps are made of signals that represent the difference between the damaged plate signals and those from the intact plate. An algorithm was developed to join all four maps. This procedure eliminates the necessity to analyse each map individually and also gives the possibility to extract common features only. It allows to remove ambiguity and helps to localise damage more precisely than in the case of a single map. The problem for damage localisation was investigated and exemplary maps confirming the effectiveness of the system proposed were obtained. The investigation is based exclusively on numerical data.


Although molecular recognition at the air-water interface has been researched for over 30 years, investigations on its fundamental aspects are still active research targets in current science. In this perspective article, developments and future possibilities of molecular recognition at the air-water interface from pioneering research efforts to current examples are overviewed especially from the physico-chemical viewpoints. Significant enhancements of binding constants for molecular recognition are actually observed at the air-water interface although molecular interactions such as hydrogen bonding are usually suppressed in aqueous media. Recent advanced analytical strategies for direct characterization of interfacial molecules also confirmed the promoted formation of hydrogen bonding at the air-water interfaces. Traditional quantum chemical approaches indicate that modulation of electronic distributions through effects from low-dielectric phases would be the origin of enhanced molecular interactions at the air-water interface. Further theoretical considerations suggest that unusual potential changes for enhanced molecular interactions are available only within a limited range from the interface. These results would be related with molecular recognition in biomolecular systems that is similarly supported by promoted molecular interactions in interfacial environments such as cell membranes, surfaces of protein interiors, and macromolecular interfaces.


Recently, Buffalo awoke to find that it had become the second-poorest major city in the nation, trailing only Detroit. We are also second in rate of abandoned properties, right behind St. Louis. Everyone agrees that we are a city in need of some economic development. But what type of economic development do we need? As debates about the casino and Bass Pro demonstrate, the answers to this question vary widely. Most observers, however, would probably agree that the current system is not working well and could benefit from vigorous public discussion and reform.


The new element in governance is social media. Inexorably, its fertile networks of shared information shift power from authorities to citizens and amateurs, including to the "unknown" experts in the "dorm rooms and edges of society" who drive innovation.

Tweets may bust trust and undermine authority, but can social media also be a tool for building consensus through deliberation and negotiation among interests? When it comes to governance, is crowd-sourcing any better than populism at generating collective intelligence instead of disruptive "dumb mobs?" Can networks aid the self-administration of society, or does that take institutions with governing authority?

In this section, leading Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, technologists and network theorists from Google, Microsoft and the MIT Media Lab join with political scientist Francis Fukuyama and top thinkers from Asia to address these issues.


Five out of six people receive at least one antibiotic prescription per year. However, the ever-expanding use of antibiotics in medicine, agriculture, and food production has accelerated the evolution of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which, in turn, made the development of novel antibiotics based on new molecular targets a priority in medicinal chemistry. One way of possibly combatting resistant bacterial infections is by inhibiting the copper transporters in prokaryotic cells. Copper is a key element within all living cells, but it can be toxic in excess. Both eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells have developed distinct copper regulation systems to prevent its toxicity. Therefore, selectively targeting the prokaryotic copper regulation system might be an initial step in developing next-generation antibiotics. One such system is the Gram-negative bacterial CusCFBA efflux system. CusB is a key protein in this system and was previously reported to play an important role in opening the channel for efflux via significant structural changes upon copper binding while also controlling the assembly and disassembly process of the entire channel. In this study, we aimed to develop novel peptide copper channel blockers, designed by in silico calculations based on the structure of CusB. Using a combination of magnetic resonance spectroscopy and various biochemical methods, we found a lead peptide that promotes copper-induced cell toxicity. Targeting copper transport in bacteria has not yet been pursued as an antibiotic mechanism of action. Thus, our study lays the foundation for discovering novel antibiotics. Author Summary Herein, we apply a novel approach for the development of a new generation of antibiotics based on copper toxicity. In cells, copper ions are double-edge swords. On the one hand, various enzymes depend on them as cofactors for catalysis, but on the other hand, they are highly toxic. Thus, cells have developed sophisticated regulation systems to very precisely control copper concentration. Prokaryotic organisms are more sensitive to copper than eukaryotic systems, and therefore they employ additional copper transporters that have no homology in the eukaryotic cells in general and specifically in the human cell. Here, we suggest to take advantage of this fact, by developing inhibitors against one of the bacterial copper transporter: CusCBA. The adaptor protein within this transporter, CusB, plays a critical role in the opening of the whole transporter. We designed a peptide that interfere with its proper function and assembly, and therefore inhibits the opening of the transporter upon copper stress. This study lays the foundation for designing better and novel antibiotics.


Introduction: Around the world, scientists are racing hard to understand how Covid-19 epidemic is spreading and growing, thus trying to find ways to prevent it before medications come to pass. Many different models have been proposed so far correlating different factors. Some of them are too localized to indicate a general trend of the pandemic while some others have established transient correlations only.Methods: Hence, in this study, a 4P model has been proposed based on four probabilities (4P) which has been found to be true for all affected countries taking Bangladesh as a case. Efficiency scores have been estimated from survey analysis not only for governing authorities on managing the situation (P(G)) but also for the compliance of the citizens ((P(P)). Since the immune responses of all the people are not uniform to a specific pathogen, the probability of a person getting infected ((P(I)) after being exposed has also been estimated. And the vital one is the probability of Test Positivity ((P(T)) which is a strong indicator of how effectively the infected people are diagnosed and isolated from the rest of the group that affects the rate of growth.Results and Conclusion: All the four parameters have been fitted in a non-linear exponential model that partly updates itself periodically with everyday facts. Along with the model, all the four probabilistic parameters are engaged to train a recurrent neural network using Long-Short Term Memory neural network and the followed trial confirmed a ruling functionality of the 4Ps.


Amines are among the most important compounds due to their wide applications in several areas of importance. Among the numerous synthetic methodologies, this review provides a comprehensive summary of the preparation of amines involving homogeneous transition metal catalysed hydrosilylation methodologies including the reduction of imine, amide, nitro and nitrile derivatives. In addition, challenging tandem reactions such as reductive amination or the use of CO2 as a C1-building block in N-methylation of amines will also be discussed.


Non-intrusive load monitoring (NILM) is a method of detecting the current energy consumption of a building using a single set of sensors on the main building supply. This is in contrast to intrusive monitoring where end use devices are sensed. Building on techniques of previous works, it will be shown that NILM can be implemented on currently available commercial devices and provide meaningful feedback both to the user and supplying utility. Limitations of inexpensive commercial devices such as resolution and measurement accuracy are a challenge. An algorithm currently under development, specifically developed for the low resolution of inexpensive commercial sensor packages, will be discussed and demonstrated. This information can then be used to verify the effectiveness of various smart grid initiatives in addition to other energy saving protocols such as weather proofing and energy efficient appliances. In addition, this information can be used to select devices for distributed control by analyzing not only the type of device but also the real world operating characteristics.


This paper presents a cost-efficient video multicast method for live video streaming to heterogeneous mobile terminals over a content delivery network (CDN), where CDN consists of a video server, several proxies with wireless access points, and overlay links among the server and proxies. In this method, the original video sent from the server is converted into multiple versions with various qualities by letting proxies execute transcoding services based on the users' requirements, and delivered to mobile terminals along video delivery paths. To suppress the required computation and transfer costs in CDN, we propose an algorithm to calculate cost-efficient video delivery paths which minimizes the sum of the computation cost for proxies and the transfer cost on overlay links. Our basic idea for deriving cost-efficient delivery paths is to place transcoding service on different proxies in load-balancing manner, and to construct a minimal Sterner tree from all transcoding points of requested qualities. The overall goal of the placement is the balance between computation and transfer cost. Through simulations, we show that our algorithm can calculate more cost-efficient video delivery paths and achieve lower request rejections than other algorithms.


PURPOSE
In 1993, the Family Medicine Center (FMC) at the Medical Center of Delaware (MCD) implemented a performance improvement (PI) program to increase rates of adult preventive care. This program included adoption of evidence-based preventive care guidelines, education of physicians and nurses regarding these guidelines, development of a flow sheet for tracking preventive care on office charts, and adoption of a policy of nurse review to alert physicians of which preventive services are due. The purpose of this study was to determine whether this PI program had a positive impact on the delivery of preventive care to female patients of the FMC.

METHODS
A retrospective chart review was conducted for 280 female patients of the FMC ages 40-75. We determined the percentage of women who had received appropriate screening for breast and cervical cancer as well as appropriate immunizations, according to the guidelines of the US Preventive Services Task Force. These percentages were compared for the three year time periods before and after the PI program was implemented (July, 1990-June, 1993 and July, 1993-June, 1996).

RESULTS
Prior to implementation of the PI program, PAP smears were completed in 65.3 percent of women, mammograms in 70.3 percent, breast exams in 44.2 percent, flu shots in 29.6 percent and tetanus shots in 15.5 percent. After the program, these percentages increased for all preventive services, especially PAP smears which increased by 12 percent and tetanus shots which tripled. After the program, the rate of flu shots was still low at 37 percent.

CONCLUSIONS
After implementation of a PI program at the FMC, performance of preventive care for female patients improved for both cancer screening and immunizations. This improvement suggests that an office-based strategy can improve performance of preventive care, especially if it incorporates the active involvement of nursing staff. However, there is still room for further improvement, notably with completion of flu shots. These improvements will likely require additional strategies, such as computerized tracking systems and preventive care reminders to patients.


This thesis presents a method for performing tracking and estimation of head position and orientation by means of template based particle filtering. The implementation is designed to withstand high levels of occlusion and noise, and allow for system dynamics to be accounted for. To accelerate the computation, GPGPU techniques are used to enable the GPU to function a co-processor, resulting in real-time performance. A method is devised for dynamic creation of feature points used in the particle filter. Furthermore, the graphics pipeline is used to overlay and visualize the tracking, as well as play a key role in the dynamic template functionality. Finally, a benchmarking system is suggested and developed for carrying out controlled evaluation of tracking methods in general.


Objectives: To determine the influence of age, year of graduation, and video game experience on baseline laparoscopic psychomotor skills. Study design: Cross‐sectional. Sample Population: Licensed veterinarians (n = 38) and registered veterinary technicians (VTs) (n = 49). Methods: A laparoscopic box trainer was set up at the 2016 Ontario Veterinary Medical Association (OVMA) and the 2016 Ontario Association of Veterinary Technicians (OAVT) conferences held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Participants volunteered to perform a single repetition of a peg transfer (PT) exercise. Participants were given a short demonstration of the PT task prior to testing. A Spearman's rank correlation (rs) was used to identify associations between baseline psychomotor skills and self‐reported surgical and non‐surgical experiences collected via survey. Mann‐Whitney U tests were used to compare PT scores in veterinarians and VTs. A P‐value of < .05 was considered significant. Results: The mean age of participants was 36 years (range 21‐67) and the majority were female (83%). In veterinarians, PT scores were highest in the most recent graduates (P = .01, rs = 0.42), and PT scores increased with self‐reported VG experience (P = .02, rs = 0.38). PT scores correlated inversely with age (P = .02, rs = −0.37). No associations were observed in VTs (P > .05). Veterinary technicians that frequently used chopsticks scored higher than those without chopstick experience (P = .04). Conclusions: Age and year of graduation correlated inversely, while self‐reported VG experience correlated positively with laparoscopic psychomotor skills of veterinarians, when assessed on a simulator. The use of chopsticks may contribute to the acquisition of psychomotor skills in VTs.


Introduction: The home of an older person can impact on their physical and mental health. Social housing (rental housing provided on a subsidised basis to people who cannot afford housing from their own resources) for older people in Ireland includes standard design dwellings, and purpose-built "sheltered housing" where residents have access to additional supports on site. It was important that older people's views on the relative merits of both models of social housing were ascertained, to aid future housing and social care planning in Ireland. Theory/Methods: A mixed-methods research design, using quantitative and qualitative methodologies, was employed. A survey was performed of tenants (aged ≥60) of a large, not-for-profit, Irish housing association, living in standard (representative sample; n=413) or sheltered social housing (census survey; n=415). Assistance was provided to complete surveys by telephone if required. Six focus-groups were conducted, three each with standard and sheltered scheme tenants, in Cork, Dublin, and Longford, to explore themes further. Results: Overall, 380 surveys were returned (46.0% response rate, standard housing; 48.4%, sheltered). Thirty-one people, aged 60-96, participated in focus groups. Tenants in standard houses reported more disability/illnesses, worried more about the future (especially the risk of falls), felt less safe at home, and were more lonely. However, few wanted to move. Residential care was negatively viewed and most were unaware of sheltered housing schemes. Conversely, older people in sheltered housing were more satisfied with the physical design of their home and reported more positive outcomes than older people in standard housing, including improved quality of life following a move to sheltered accommodation. Perceived safety and security, social contact (neighbours and staff), and on-site support were highly regarded. Discussion: Older people had poor knowledge about housing and support options, and felt a move to alternative accommodation would be stressful, but those who had made the move were very satisfied. For all older people, facilitation of pet ownership, bathroom adaptations and safe outdoor spaces (for social contact in a neutral space) were important aspects of a "good" house. Conclusions: Sheltered housing, in which multiple homes are provided within one complex with onsite support, provides significant benefits for social integration and well-being, but does require a move from the person's home, which was negatively considered by those in standard social housing.  Lessons learned: Future social housing designs should be flexible, i.e. adaptable to the needs of the tenants over time to allow "ageing in place", and should offer a range of house layout options, to allow tenants to choose a home most suitable to their personal lifestyle / support needs. Older people need information to inform housing choices, and support when considering a change of abode. Limitations: This research was performed with older people in a single (although national) social housing scheme.  Suggestions for future research: A key objective of future research should be to ascertain whether sheltered housing can facilitate ageing-in-place and whether it mitigates the need to move into residential care, and a cost analysis of this.


A system for the NDI' testing of the integrity of conposite materials and of adhesive bonds has been developed to meet industrial requirements. The vibration techniques used were found to be applicable to the development of fluid measuring transducers. The vibrational spectra of thin rectangular bars were used for the NDT work. A machined cut in a bar had a significant effect on the spectrum but a genuine crack gave an unambiguous response at high amplitudes. This was the generation of fretting crack noise at frequencies far above that of the drive. A specially designed vibrational decrement meter which, in effect, measures mechanical energy loss enabled a numerical classification of material adhesion to be obtained. This was used to study bars which had been flame or plasma sprayed with a variety of materials. It has become a useful tool in optimising coating methods. A direct industrial application was to classify piston rings of high performance I.C. engines. Each consists of a cast iron ring with a channel into which molybdenum, a good bearing surface, is sprayed. The NDT classification agreed quite well with the destructive test normally used. The techniques and equipment used for the NOT work were applied to the development of the tuning fork transducers investigated by Hassan into commercial density and viscosity devices. Using narrowly spaced, large area tines a thin lamina of fluid is trapped between them. It stores a large fraction of the vibrational energy which, acting as an inertia load reduces the frequency. Magnetostrictive and piezoelectric effects together or in combination enable the fork to be operated through a flange. This allows it to be used in pipeline or 'dipstick' applications. Using a different tine geometry the viscosity loading can be predoninant. This as well as the signal decrement of the density transducer makes a practical viscometer.


Dual drive gantry machines are widely used in industry for manufacturing. However, the non-synchronised movement of the dual drive may lead to deterioration in contouring accuracy, and traditional control architectures commonly used in machining cannot explicitly bound the contouring error to meet a desired tolerance. In this paper, we propose a model predictive control architecture based on switched linear time invariant control-oriented models, that is able to guarantee a two-dimensional contouring tolerance in the presence of uncertainty arising from imperfect drive synchronisation. To develop the controller, we introduce a high-fidelity model for the dual drive gantry machine and identify its parameters using data from an industrial machine, and systematically reduce it to a control-oriented model. The performance and computational tractability of the proposed approach is demonstrated using high fidelity simulations.


The aim was to determine the levels and activities of the oxidative stress markers in erythrocytes, plasma, and urine after a flat cyclist stage. Eight voluntary male professional trained-cyclists participated in the study. Exercise significantly increased erythrocyte, leukocyte, platelet, and reticulocyte counts. The exercise induced significant increases in the erythrocyte activities of catalase (19.8%) and glutathione reductase (19.2%), while glutathione peroxidase activity decreased significantly (29.3%). Erythrocyte GSSG concentration was significantly increased after exercise (21.4%), whereas GSH was significantly diminished (20.4%). Erythrocyte malondialdehyde levels evidenced a significant decrease 3 h after finishing the stage (44.3%). Plasma malondialdehyde, GSH and GSSG levels significantly decreased after 3 hr recovery (26.8%, 48.6%, and 31.1%, respectively). The exercise significantly increased the F2-isoprostane concentration in urine from 359 ± 71 pg/mg creatinine to 686 ± 139 pg/mg creatinine. In conclusion, a flat cycling stage induced changes in oxidative stress markers in erythrocytes, plasma, and urine of professional cyclists. Urine F2-isoprostane is a more useful biomarker for assessing the effects of acute exercise than the traditional malondialdehyde measurement.


Summary

Eight white pine species are widely distributed among the forests of western Canada and the United States. The different forest communities with these species contribute biodiversity to the western landscape. The trees themselves provide various ecosystem services, including wildlife habitat and watershed protection. White pine communities range in elevation from lower to upper treeline, in successional stage from seral to climax, and in stand type from krummholz to closed-canopy forest. Many white pine species are moderately to strongly fire-dependent for regeneration; several species are extreme stress tolerators and persistent on harsh sites. Among the white pines are the oldest-living trees, the world's largest pines, species dependent on birds for seed dispersal, species important for grizzly bear habitat and species of high commercial timber value. The principal threats to white pine populations are blister rust (Cronartium ribicola, pathogen), fire suppression, succession, mountain pine beetle and climate change. Severe population declines in several white pine species are attributed to losses caused by these factors acting either alone or together, and sometimes in concert with logging and other land-use changes. The importance and particular interactions of these threats vary by region and species. For example, many northern and western populations of whitebark pine are seriously declining from a combination of mountain pine beetle outbreaks and severe blister rust infestations. As whitebark pines provide many keystone services on high-elevation sites, their loss would impact forest composition and structure, succession, biodiversity, and ecosystem services. Although there are serious challenges to science-based management and conservation (especially in remote American wilderness areas), prompt and effective intervention promoting regeneration of blister rust-resistant white pines could mitigate these severe impacts.


In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, accumulation of the non-reducing disaccharide trehalose is triggered by various stimuli that activate the heat-schock response. Several studies have shown a close correlation between trehalose levels and tolerance to heat stress, suggesting that trehalose may be a protectant which contributes to thermotolerance. In this study, we have examined mutants defective in genes coding for key enzymes involved in trehalose metabolism with respect to the heat-induced and stationary-phase-induced accumulation of trehalose and the acquisition of thermotolerance. Inactivation of either TPS1 or TPS2, encoding subunits of the trehalose-6-phosphate synthase/phosphatase complex, caused an inability to accumulate trehalose upon a mild heat-shock or upon initiation of the stationary phase and significantly reduced the levels of heat-induced and stationary-phase-induced thermotolerance. Deletion of NTH1, the gene coding for the neutral trehalase, resulted in a defect in trehalose mobilization during recovery from a heat shock which was paralleled by an abnormally slow decrease of thermotolerance. Our results provide strong genetic evidence that heat-induced synthesis of trehalose is an important factor for thermotolerance induction. In an accompanying study [Hottiger, T., De Virgilio, C., Hall, M. N., Boller, T. & Wiemken, A. (1993) Eur. J. Biochem. 219, 187-193], we present evidence that the function of heat-induced trehalose accumulation may be to increase the thermal stability of proteins.


Sovereignty is a vital concept to Native people. The concept of cultural sovereignty may seem a bit ambiguous to legal scholars who are trained to see Native sovereignty as a function of federal Indian law doctrine. Native peoples' cultural and spiritual values are abstracted from this concept, and the Supreme Court frames the content of Native sovereignty according to Western jurisprudential ideals. Cultural sovereignty requires us to frame the content of Native sovereignty through a Native jurisprudential lens. We started with the premise that it is up to Native people to articulate the affirmative content of their inherent sovereignty. We sought to examine the spiritual and traditional content of Native sovereignty, as well as its contemporary expression. The third part offers perspectives on the strategies necessary to reclaim political and cultural sovereignty for Native peoples. Today, politicians attempt to convince the Native Hawaiians that they are not a kingdom, but merely a group of Native people that should be content with recognition by the federal government. It is my hope that the many perspectives offered by the authors to this Symposium will inspire further dialogue on the content of Native sovereignty.


In certain situations, observations are collected on a multivariate time series at a certain temporal scale. However, there may also exist underlying time series behavior on a larger temporal scale that is of interest. Often times, identifying the behavior of the data over the course of the larger scale is the key objective. Because this large scale trend is not being directly observed, describing the trends of the data on this scale can be more difficult. To further complicate matters, the observed data on the smaller time scale may be unevenly spaced from one larger scale time point to the next. The existence of these multiple time scales means that it may be more appropriate to view the observations as coming from multiple, shorter multivariate time series occurring at each large scale time point as opposed to a single, long multivariate time series. Approaching the problem by examining the smaller scale time series separately, and then modeling the resulting estimates over the larger time scale, will provide an alternative to previous methods of dealing with similar situations while also producing additional information on the behavior of the data on the smaller observable time scale.


This note discusses the problem of designing fault tolerant compensators that stabilize a given system both in the nominal situation, as well as in the situation where one of the sensors or one of the actuators has failed. It is shown that such compensators always exist, provided that the system is detectable from each output and that it is stabilizable. The proof of this result is constructive, and a worked example shows how to design a fault tolerant compensator for a simple, yet challenging system. A family of second order systems is described that requires fault tolerant compensators of arbitrarily high order.


This study assessed the implementation of public preschool education in rural areas, with special reference to Mbeya District, Tanzania. The objectives of the study were; to find out the effectiveness of implementing the public preschool education within Mbeya rural District; to assess the enrollment rate for preschool in the past four years compared to Mbeya City; to examine the general public awareness on the importance of preschool education and to suggest the recommendations to improve the public preschool services in providing quality education. The study employed both qualitative and quantitative approaches. It was a case of 158 primary schools in Mbeya District. The sample size involved 200 respondents, which included districts education officers, districts academic officers, ward education councilors, head teachers, prominent persons, village chairpersons, teachers, pupils and parents. They were selected through stratified simple random, systematic and purposive sampling techniques. Primary data were mainly collected through questionnaires and interview method while secondary data was collected through documentary review. Parents of children attending preschools in Mbeya District participated in a survey by filling through questionnaires given to them. The results of the survey reveal that the status and learning environment of the preschools are poor. The preschool cannot maintain the required standards due to poor support from education stakeholders. A monthly fund from the Government to school is not enough to cover the expenses of primary and preschools. The community would like to see the improvement of teaching and learning environment of preschools present in Mbeya District. The introduction of preschools within primary schools aimed on preparing children for primary education.


Training a deep neural network model usually requires multiple iterations, or epochs, over the training data set, in order to better estimate the parameters of the model. However, in continual learning, this process results in catastrophic forgetting which is one of the core issues of this domain. Most proposed approaches for this issue try to compensate for the effects of parameter updates in the batch incremental setup in which the training model visits a lot of samples for several epochs. However, it is not realistic to expect training data will always be fed to model in a batch incremental setup. This paper proposes a chaotic stream learner that mimics the chaotic behavior of biological neurons and does not updates network parameters. In addition, it can work with fewer samples compared to deep learning models on stream learning setup. Our experiments on MNIST, CIFAR10, and Omniglot show that the chaotic stream learner has less catastrophic forgetting by its nature in comparison to a CNN model in continual learning.


Background: Alpha-glucosidase inhibition was found to be an effective strategy in the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus, a disorder of multiple factors mainly defined by abnormality in either or both insulin secretion or its required function in the body. Objective: The core purpose of the study was to predict the active moieties from a pool of pharmacologically important phytoconstituents for alpha-glucosidase inhibition property using the prediction of activity spectra of substances (PASS) software. Methods: PASS is valuable software which is used in this study for the prediction of alpha-glucosidase inhibition activity of different selected constituents. Canonical Simplified Molecular-Input Line-Entry System is used in the prediction of the activity which is obtained from the PubChem website. The predicted activity was compared with the marketed standard drug, acarbose. Results: It was found that among the screened compounds, rutin, isoquercitrin, and hyperoside are having highest probable activity (Pa) value of 0.858, 0.842, and 0.842, respectively. These phytoconstituents showed less predicted activity against alpha-glucosidase inhibition, as compared to acarbose with Pa of 0.958. Conclusion: Rutin, isoquercitrin, and hyperoside showed good Pa against alpha-glucosidase inhibition, and these phytoconstituents can be further investigated for the same activity using in vitro and in vivo techniques and hence might become future drugs as alpha-glucosidase inhibitors.


To elucidate the intrinsic broadband infrared (IR) emission properties of active galactic nuclei (AGNs), we analyze the spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of 87 z ≲ 0.5 Palomar-Green (PG) quasars. While the Elvis AGN template with a moderate far-IR correction can reasonably match the SEDs of the AGN components in ∼60% of the sample (and is superior to alternatives such as that by Assef), it fails on two quasar populations: (1) hot-dust-deficient (HDD) quasars that show very weak emission thoroughly from the near-IR to the far-IR, and (2) warm-dust-deficient (WDD) quasars that have similar hot dust emission as normal quasars but are relatively faint in the mid- and far-IR. After building composite AGN templates for these dust-deficient quasars, we successfully fit the 0.3–500 μm SEDs of the PG sample with the appropriate AGN template, an infrared template of a star-forming galaxy, and a host galaxy stellar template. 20 HDD and 12 WDD quasars are identified from the SED decomposition, including seven ambiguous cases. Compared with normal quasars, the HDD quasars have AGNs with relatively low Eddington ratios and the fraction of WDD quasars increases with AGN luminosity. Moreover, both the HDD and WDD quasar populations show relatively stronger mid-IR silicate emission. Virtually identical SED properties are also found in some quasars from z = 0.5 to 6. We propose a conceptual model to demonstrate that the observed dust deficiency of quasars can result from a change of structures of the circumnuclear tori that can occur at any cosmic epoch.


The objective of this study was to assess the current use of social media tools within Canadian otolaryngology-head and neck surgery (OHNS) programs and to assess the interest within these programs to integrate social media for networking, social, and educational programs. A prospective study from September 2013 to February 2014 was performed involving residents and faculty in Canadian OHNS programs. A 26-item questionnaire was created and sent to staff and resident physicians who met the study inclusion criteria using an online survey tool (http://surveymonkey.com). There were 101 respondents for a 10% response rate. More than half (58.4%) of respondents reported use of social media for personal and/or professional matters. Residents and junior faculty physicians 39 years and younger were more likely to have social media accounts and used them more frequently than their older counterparts. Among staff physicians, pediatric otolaryngologists had the highest rate of use, and otologists exhibited the lowest rate. Cellular phones were the most commonly used devices to access social media sites. Fewer than 35% of social media users failed to separate their personal and professional accounts. Although OHNS trainees and practicing physicians identified the potential benefits of social media tools in their specialty, most were unsure how to apply these tools to their practice. Ours is the first study to assess social media use in OHNS. Otolaryngologists are currently using social media; however, their application as a communication and educational tool in otolaryngology remains to be defined.


We examined the role of spatial frames of reference in memory. Participants first verified verbal descriptions of visual scenes and spatial relations among objects. The intrinsic and relative frames of reference (FoR) were used in the descriptions with varying degrees of frequency (availability) and veridicality (reliability). Descriptions in the two reference frames could either be equally distributed in terms of validity or were biased towards one of the two spatial frames. Participants' performance on the memory task was sensitive to priming from the spatial FoRs and their information distribution characteristics. These findings provide evidence that spatial frames of reference can influence spatial memory and that this influence depends on the frequency of use of a given frame of reference and on the frequency with which it is associated with valid and reliable information.


Introduction Respiratory viruses causing lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) are a major cause of hospital admissions in children. Since the course of these infections is unpredictable with potential fast deterioration into respiratory failure, infants are easily admitted to the hospital for observation. The aim of this study was to examine whether systemic inflammatory markers can be used to predict severity of disease in children with respiratory viral infections. Methods Blood and nasopharyngeal washings from children <3 years of age with viral LRTI attending a hospital were collected within 24 hours (acute) and after 4–6 weeks (recovery). Patients were assigned to a mild (observation only), moderate (supplemental oxygen and/or nasogastric feeding) or severe (mechanical ventilation) group. Linear regression analysis was used to design a prediction rule using plasma levels of C reactive protein (CRP), serum amyloid A (SAA), pentraxin 3 (PTX3), serum amyloid P component and properdin. This rule was tested in a validation cohort. Results One hundred and four children (52% male) were included. A combination of CRP, SAA, PTX3 and properdin was a better indicator of severe disease compared with any of the individual makers and age (69% sensitivity (95% CI 50 to 83), 90% specificity (95% CI 80 to 96)). Validation in 141 patients resulted in 71% sensitivity (95% CI 53 to 85), 87% specificity (95% CI 79 to 92), negative predictive value of 64% (95% CI 47 to 78) and positive predictive value of 90% (95% CI 82 to 95). The prediction rule was not able to identify patients with a mild course of disease. Conclusion A combination of CRP, SAA, PTX3 and properdin was able to identify children with a severe course of viral LRTI disease, even in children under 2 months of age. To assess the true impact on clinical management, these results should be validated in a prospective randomised control study.


The chapter starts out with a reminder of the essential distinction between objective, prescriptive, and subjective norms. It goes on to summarize the main historical stages in the emergence of a standard in metropolitan France, its expansion in scope, and the rise of multi-centric norms beyond the Hexagon, illustrated with the vowel inventories typical of Belgian French, Swiss French, Midi French, Central-African French, and Laurentian French. The second half of the chapter shifts from a production-oriented to a perception-oriented approach to the spoken norm, and reports the results of recent studies in French perceptual dialectology, some of which were carried out within the PFC project (Phonology of Contemporary French). It concludes that Reference French(es) do exist, but may vary depending on the communities and the objectives at stake.


The Embassy of Peace promotes a family-like business occupied in the business of Peace and the doing of the Will of God. Its main purpose is to potentiate the spiritualisation of the human species and facilitate the attainment to God Consciousness on a global scale. There are historical and prophetic records that can function as a roadmap for Global Peace and increasing scientific evidence, especially in the fields of neuroscience and genetics, which may provide a pathway to a greater synthesis for Global Peace. These two avenues for Peace (prophetic and scientific) can lead to the development of different concepts, and help to bring out latent ideals, associated with living organisms and organisations, the members of which share a common destiny – Global Peace.


This paper discusses the role that vocational education and training (VET) in ICT subject areas plays in contributing to the gender and social class structuring of ICT occupations, focusing in particular on education and employment data from the UK. The paper also makes reference to similar data about ICT VET in Germany and Japan to argue that the new areas of 'soft' ICT skills – in education and in occupations have become feminised, and channel women into low skilled and low paid work. Unlike university level ICT education, which has opened opportunities for women and students coming from families with no experience of higher education, sub-degree level ICT VET seems to be continuing to reproduce gender and socioeconomic class within and through ICT occupations. I argue that those concerned with gender equity research and interventions in ICT need to work with an analysis that disaggregates what are now appearing to be quite different skills sets, and different career opportunities often misleadingly conflated under the umbrella term 'ICT'. I also argue for better analytical models for the gendering of ICT than those offered by the 'leaky pipeline' or 'critical mass' models, and for new analyses that would incorporate both a structural analysis and new ways of looking at women's choices, such as Hakim's 'orientation to work'.


During November 2018–April 2019, an 11-station very high frequency (VHF) Lightning Mapping Array (LMA) was deployed to Córdoba Province, Argentina. The purpose of the LMA was validation of the Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM), but the deployment was coordinated with two field campaigns. The LMA observed 2.9 million flashes (≥ five sources) during 163 days, and level-1 (VHF locations), level-2 (flashes classified), and level-3 (gridded products) datasets have been made public. The network's performance allows scientifically useful analysis within 100 km when at least seven stations were active. Careful analysis beyond 100 km is also possible. The LMA dataset includes many examples of intense storms with extremely high flash rates (>1 s−1), electrical discharges in overshooting tops (OTs), as well as anomalously charged thunderstorms with low-altitude lightning. The modal flash altitude was 10 km, but many flashes occurred at very high altitude (15–20 km). There were also anomalous and stratiform flashes near 5–7 km in altitude. Most flashes were small (<50 km2 area). Comparisons with GLM on 14 and 20 December 2018 indicated that GLM most successfully detected larger flashes (i.e., more than 100 VHF sources), with detection efficiency (DE) up to 90%. However, GLM DE was reduced for flashes that were smaller or that occurred lower in the cloud (e.g., near 6-km altitude). GLM DE also was reduced during a period of OT electrical discharges. Overall, GLM DE was a strong function of thunderstorm evolution and the dominant characteristics of the lightning it produced.


Objective Congenital heart block (CHB) is a life threatening heart condition where the fetal atrioventricular conduction system is disrupted. The block may occur during fetal development after placental transfer of autoantibodies from Ro/SSA positive mothers. The association with maternal Ro/SSA antibodies is well established; however the recurrence risk is only 11-20% despite persisting autoantibodies in the mother, suggesting that additional factors other than the maternal autoantibodies determine disease development and fetal outcome. We hypothesized that the fetal genetic composition is a major factor influencing susceptibility to CHB, and therefore conducted a genome-wide association study to map potential genetic risk loci involved in CHB pathogenesis. Methods Genotyping of 561,490 SNP markers was accomplished in DNA samples from 389 individuals of 104 Swedish Caucasian families with at least one case of congenital heart block and a maternal serum positive for Ro/SSA autoantibodies. A family-based association analysis was performed using the transmission disequilibrium test (PLINK). The Cochran–Mantel–Haenszel statistical test was used to investigate SNP associations with CHB in index cases (n=88) compared to Swedish Caucasian population-based healthy controls (n=1710). Results A family-based analysis (n=348) revealed 37 SNP markers with a p value of PGWAS family ≤9.88×10−5 (OR 0.18–6.50) associated to congenital heart block. In a case-control analysis between the index cases and population-based healthy controls 6 of the 37 SNP markers were confirmed. The CHB risk loci are located at the chromosomal positions 1p31.3, 2q35 and 3p25.1 and genes encoded within these regions are involved in cellular stress responses, energy metabolism and tissue repair. Conclusion Our study identifies three novel genetic risk loci associated with development of CHB after exposure to maternal Ro/SSA autoantibodies. Functional exploration of the genes encoded within these risk loci will help to shed light on the cellular mechanisms underlying CHB pathogenesis.


Here the spinel Li4Ti5O12/C composites were prepared by a modified high temperature solid-state reaction. The as prepared Li4Ti5O12/C composites showed enhanced electrochemical lithium insertion performance in reversible capacity and rate capabilities. The improved electrochemical properties are attributed to the reduced grain size and the improved electronic conductivity caused by the pyrolytic carbon incorporated into the spinel Li4Ti5O12 particle. The spinel Li4Ti5O12/C composites with improved electrochemical properties may find versatile applications in various energy storage devices.


One particular discontinuity encountered in microstrip circuitry, the end effect of microstrip lines, is discussed. Experimental data of the end effect of 10 microstrip lines are plotted and compared with previously published data. Results reported here are consistent with that which is known about the edge effect of uniform microstrip transmission lines.


Customization is an increasing trend in fashion product industry to reflect individual lifestyles. Previous studies have examined the idea of virtual footwear try-on in augmented reality (AR) using a depth camera. However, the depth camera restricts the deployment of this technology in practice. This research proposes to estimate the 6-DoF pose of a human foot from a color image using deep learning models to solve the problem. We construct a training dataset consisting of synthetic and real foot images that are automatically annotated. Three convolutional neural network models (DOPE, DOPE2, and YOLO6d) are trained with the dataset to predict the foot pose in real-time. The model performances are evaluated using metrics for accuracy, computational efficiency, and training time. A prototyping system implementing the best model demonstrates the feasibility of virtual footwear try-on using a RGB camera. Test results also indicate the necessity of real training data to bridge the reality gap in estimating the human foot pose.


Wilhams syndrome is a developmental disorder characterized by impaired visuospatial constructive cognition, mental retardation, and congenital heart disease. In a recent study of Williams disease families with severe visuospatial constructive impairment, Frangiskakis et al. (1) observed deletion mutations of chromosome 7 g 11.23 involving two genes, elastin (ELN) and LIM-kinase 1 (LIM-kl), which encodes a novel protein kmase strongly expressed in the brain. Noting that ELN mutations cause cardiac disease


Apolipoprotein (apo) E3 and apoAI are exchangeable apolipoproteins that play a dominant role in regulating plasma lipoprotein metabolism. ApoE3 (299 residues) is composed of an N-terminal (NT) domain bearing a 4-helix bundle and a C-terminal (CT) domain bearing a series of amphipathic α-helices. ApoAI (243 residues) also comprises a highly helical NT domain and a less structured CT tail. The objective of this study was to understand their structural and functional role by generating domain swapped chimeras: apoE3-NT/apoAI-CT and apoAI-NT/apoE-CT. The bacterially overexpressed chimeras were purified by affinity chromatography and their identity confirmed by immunoblotting and mass spectrometry. Their α-helical content was comparable to that of the parent proteins. ApoE3-NT/apoAI-CT retained the denaturation profile of apoE3 NT domain, with apoAI CT tail eliciting a relatively unstructured state; its lipid binding ability improved dramatically compared to apoE3 indicative of a significant role of apoAI CT tail in lipid binding interaction. The LDL receptor interaction and ability to promote ABCA1-mediated cholesterol efflux of apoE3-NT/apoAI-CT was comparable to that of apoE3. In contrast, apoAI-NT/apoE-CT elicited an unfolding pattern and lipid binding ability that were similar to that of apoAI. As expected, DMPC/apoAI-NT/apoE-CT discoidal particles did not elicit LDLr binding ability, and promoted SR-B1 mediated cellular uptake of lipids to a limited extent. However, apoAI-NT/apoE-CT displayed an enhanced ability to promote cholesterol efflux compared to apoAI, indicative of a significant role for apoE CT domain in mediating this function. Together, these results indicate that the functional attributes of apoAI and apoE3 can be conferred on each other and that NT-CT domain interactions significantly modulate their structure and function.


Blood pressure rises soon after administration of immunosuppressive regimens using cyclosporin A, These changes lead to widespread vasoconstriction and increased risk for atherosclerosis. Changes in blood pressure are commonly associated with disturbed circadian regulation and may produce rapidly developing target injury, including intracranial hemorrhage, left ventricular hypertrophy and microangiopathic hemolysis. Mechanisms underlying this disorder are complex and include altered vascular endothelial function. Vasodilators such as prostacyclin and nitric oxide are suppressed, whereas vasoconstrictors, including endothelin, are increased. Changes in the kidney include vasoconstriction, reduced glomerular filtration and sodium excretion. When blood pressure effects are combined with the effects of glucocorticoids and weight gain, changes in cholesterol and triglycerides magnify the risk for atherosclerotic disease. Effective therapy depends upon rigorous blood pressure control and administration of vasodilating agents with attention to the interactions with cyclosporin A. Effective blood pressure control and lipid management is an important component in the long-term management of transplant recipients.


Alluvium deposited in a reservoir from 1937 to 1976 records the sediment-yield history of a small (2.8 km 2 ), high-relief basin in semiarid southern Utah. Stratification in the alluvium shows that sediment was deposited in the reservoir only 21 times in 38 yr, a runoff recurrence interval of 1.8 yr. Thus, on average, the particular combination of rainfall intensity, duration, and antecedent moisture conditions producing runoff did not recur often. On the basis of the volume of beds in the reservoir fill, sediment yield of individual runoff events averaged 2500 m 3 /km 2 (5.3 a-ft/mi 2 ) with slightly less than one order of magnitude variation. This low variation is not expected of small basins and probably resulted from limited hillslope sediment supply, suggesting that transport processes were more rapid than weathering processes. Sediment yield, therefore, was evidently controlled by the availability of freshly weathered material.