From Puck to Appleby: Songs of Irish Travellers in England, incorporating Early in the Month of Spring 2 CDs, MTCD 325-26, Musical Traditions, 2003. [pounds sterling]16. Available From Musical Traditions, 1 Castle Street, Stroud, Gloucestershire GL5 2HD From Puck to Appleby is a superb double CD collection of songs of Irish Travellers in England from field recordings made by Jim Carroll and Pat Mackenzie. The recordings were made between 1973 and 1985. The CDs are crammed to capacity, providing fifty-five songs in 160 minutes. The collection also includes an excellent booklet, providing not only a background to the recordings, but the words to the songs and something of their history. The Irish Travellers were horse traders, travelling from Kerry to Yorkshire and beyond, season to season. However, by the 1970s, when Jim and Pat first met them, their traditional lifestyle had already more or less come to an end. Jim and Pat reveal that 'When we first made contact with the Irish Travellers in 1973, only one family we met had a pony.' It is clear without Jim and Pat's work that many of the songs and stories included in this collection would have been lost for ever. Katey Dooley, the younger sister of two of the Travellers, when asked for a song, summed up the situation by saying 'I'm sorry; it's a lot of years ago since I sing it. My daddy used to sing it and we young, but you see, we got modernised; we don't sing them now at all.' [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The first thing that you notice is that while all unaccompanied, intonation is perfect and rhythms steady. It is clear that the words are meant to be listened to. The singers are story-tellers, passing on their own family histories and culture. These were not songs meant as performances. They were for singing by the fireside in the intimacy of the family--perhaps after the pub had closed. There are some well known ballads in the collection--for example, 'Lady in her Father's Garden', 'The Factory Girl' and 'Barbary Ellen'. Travellers often sang songs common to the Irish ballad tradition. However, the collection also contains some rare gems of songs specific to the Travellers' own way of life. 'Pop's' (Johnny O'Connor's) lovely lilting rhythm in his rendition of 'Gum Shellac'--a song he wrote himself--is a good example. 'Pop's' was apparently an activist for Travellers' rights during the 1960s. 'Gum Shellac' proudly proclaims, 'We are the travelling people, like the Picts or Beaker folk.' 'The Rambling Candyman' is another good example of the Travellers' style of singing. Here 'Rich' Johnny Connors has put his own words to an earlier song, 'Travelling Candyman'. …


This paper considers the damping of waves propagating in high porosity (97%) open‐cell foams which are fully saturated by a viscous fluid. The technique of homogenization is applied on two spatial scales to the fluid‐foam system. The resulting equations are found to be those of Biot [M. A. Biot, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 28, 168–178 (1956)] but reduce to the simpler form given by Chase [D. M. Chase, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 65, 1–8 (1979)] when particular properties of the solid foam matrix are taken into consideration. A number of important material parameters are identified, and of particular significance is the measure of drag between the solid and fluid components. The results of numerical fluid flow experiments are used to obtain estimates of the damping coefficient. Comparisons are made with measurements of the steady state and frequency‐dependent damping coefficients, which are determined using specially constructed experimental rigs. [Published with the permission of the Contoller of Her Britannic Majesty's ...


In the paper which I had the honour to bring before the Society in the early part of last year, on Annelid jaws from the Palæozoic rocks of Canada and Scotland*, I ventured to express an opinion that these small bodies would be very likely found in rocks of similar age in this country. Since that time I have had the opportunity of searching various exposures of the Silurian rocks at Dudley, Much Wenlock, and Iron Bridge, in Shropshire, all well-known localities for Wenlock fossils ; and in each place I have discovered Annelid jaws more or less abundantly. In quarries at Stoke-Edith, and near Ludlow, the rocks of Upper Ludlow age also yielded these remains, though by no means so abundantly or in such a good state of preservation as the Wenlock rocks—a result perhaps rather owing to the less favourable character of the matrix for their preservation and to the more limited exposures of the rock-surfaces than to any deficiency in the number of the Annelids. Altogether, from the above-mentioned localities my search produced between two and three hundred specimens of these minute remains : but the greater number of these proved on examination to be only fragmentary specimens ; many perish in the process of cleaning them away from the matrix ; and thus only about one fourth of the total number are available for description. It is a matter of surprise that these fossils, occurring thus numerously in a district renowned as a classical hunting-ground for


Gliomas are the most common and malignant primary tumors of the brain and are commonly treated with radiation therapy. Despite modest advances in chemotherapy and radiation, survival has changed very little over the last 50 years. Radiation therapy is one of the pillars of adjuvant therapy for gliomas but despite treatment, recurrence inevitably occurs. Here we develop a mathematical model for the tumor response to radiation that takes into account the plasticity of the hierarchical structure of the tumor population. Based on this mathematical model we develop an optimized radiation delivery schedule. The efficacy of the optimized schedule is verified in a mouse model of pro-neural gliomas.


Objective. PaCO2 affects cerebral blood flow (CBF) and its regulatory mechanisms, but the effects of CO2 measurement technique on cerebrovascular parameters are unknown. In order to determine if the two most commonly used approaches, face mask (FM) or nasal cannulae (NC), are interchangeable or not, we tested the hypothesis that the use of FM versus NC does not lead to significant differences in CO2-related systemic and cerebrovascular parameters. Approach. Recordings of CBF velocity (CBFV), blood pressure (BP), heart rate, and end-tidal CO2 (EtCO2) were performed in 42 subjects during normocapnia (FM or NC) and 5% CO2 inhalation (FM) or hyperventilation (NC). Dynamic cerebral autoregulation was assessed with the autoregulation index (ARI), derived by transfer function analysis from the CBFV response to a hypothetical step change in BP. Main Results. Significant differences in physiological parameters were seen between FM and NC: EtCO2 (37.40 versus 35.26 mmHg, p  =  0.001) and heart rate (69.6 versus 66.7 bpm, p  =  0.001) respectively. No differences were observed for mean BP, CBFV or the ARI index. Significance. Use of FM or NC for measurement of EtCO2 leads to physiological changes and differences in parameter values that need to be taken into consideration when interpreting and/or comparing results in studies of cerebral haemodynamics.


—The use of licensed spectrum for wireless communication is driven by the need to control interference between different operators. However, with this mode of regulation, spectrum utilization is far from efficient and the growth of wireless networks is hindered by the shortage of free frequency bands and the vast investments for the acquisition of a license. In view of this situation, we present an alternative evolution path for the unobstructed growth of wireless networks and the efficient use of spectrum. The proposed architecture is based on the use of unlicensed spectrum and the open access of users to all public networks without prior contracts with operators. We highlight and discuss the inherent technical challenges that must be tackled before the proposed solution can be realized. Special attention is paid to the inherent need for alternative interference mitigation strategies.


Abstract:  We used historical patterns of deposition of mollusc shells to infer changes to inshore benthic assemblages in the southeastern Tasmanian region over the past 120 years. We identified and counted shells in slices embedded within 1m long 210Pb‐dated sediment cores were collected at 13 sites in water depths of 8–16 m. Declines in mollusc species richness and shell production occurred during the past century at all sites studied, with a mean decline per 5‐cm sediment slice from 21 species in 1890 to 7 species in 1990 and in shell abundance from 150 to 30 individuals over the same period. The time course of decline notably corresponded with the history of the scallop dredge fishery, presumably either because scallop dredging caused general declines in populations of mollusc species or because other factors caused a catastrophic regional decline in molluscs that included scallops. As a consequence, the fishery was forced to close. Of major concern is that losses had not previously been recognized but extended throughout the 100‐km coastal span of the study. Given that fishing and other anthropogenic impacts, as well as a lack of observational data, are virtually ubiquitous for the coastal zone, major recent losses in mollusc biodiversity may be globally widespread but have gone unnoticed.


Aims. Childhood maltreatment and a family history of a schizophrenia spectrum disorder (SSD) are each associated with social-emotional dysfunction in childhood. Both are also strong risk factors for adult SSDs, and social-emotional dysfunction in childhood may be an antecedent of these disorders. We used data from a large Australian population cohort to determine the independent and moderating effects of maltreatment and parental SSDs on early childhood social-emotional functioning. Methods. The New South Wales Child Development Study combines intergenerational multi-agency data using record linkage methods. Multiple measures of social-emotional functioning (social competency, prosocial/helping behaviour, anxious/fearful behaviour; aggressive behaviour, and hyperactivity/inattention) on 69 116 kindergarten children (age ~5 years) were linked with government records of child maltreatment and parental presentations to health services for SSD. Multivariable analyses investigated the association between maltreatment and social-emotional functioning, adjusting for demographic variables and parental SSD history, in the population sample and in sub-cohorts exposed and not exposed to parental SSD history. We also examined the association of parental SSD history and social-emotional functioning, adjusting for demographic variables and maltreatment. Results. Medium-sized associations were identified between maltreatment and poor social competency, aggressive behaviour and hyperactivity/inattention; small associations were revealed between maltreatment and poor prosocial/helping and anxious/fearful behaviours. These associations did not differ greatly when adjusted for parental SSD, and were greater in magnitude among children with no history of parental SSD. Small associations between parental SSD and poor social-emotional functioning remained after adjusting for demographic variables and maltreatment. Conclusions. Childhood maltreatment and history of parental SSD are associated independently with poor early childhood social-emotional functioning, with the impact of exposure to maltreatment on social-emotional functioning in early childhood of greater magnitude than that observed for parental SSDs. The impact of maltreatment was reduced in the context of parental SSDs. The influence of parental SSDs on later outcomes of maltreated children may become more apparent during adolescence and young adulthood when overt symptoms of SSD are likely to emerge. Early intervention to strengthen childhood social-emotional functioning might mitigate the impact of maltreatment, and potentially also avert future psychopathology.


The main purpose for this project was to, by varying the parameters temperature (400 ˚C and 500 ˚C), acid concentration (10%, 25% and 40%), relative impregnation (0.75, 1.35 and 2.0) and impregnation time (1 h, 2 h and 3 h), evaluate which parameters that affect the product. Also, an investigation was made to determine the interaction of the different parameters. This was done by analysing the properties of the AC with gas adsorption of gasoline and ammonia. Liquid adsorption was analysed with iodine number and the yield of the AC was calculated with two different methods.In general an increasing of the temperature and the impregnation time results in a higher iodine number and higher capacity to absorb gasoline in the produced activated carbon. When the conditions were too strong the iodine number and the capacity to absorb gasoline decreased. The pore structure of the activated carbon is destroyed by too strong conditions.The results were also analysed with a computer program to establish statistical evidence of influence from the parameters indicating that temperature has strong effect on iodine number of the produced activated carbon. If the AC from Caribbean Pine would be commercially produced the recommended design is to keep all parameters low. This is both cost effective and energy efficient.Based on the experimental results it was determined that the AC from Caribbean Pine is better suited for adsorbing gasoline compared with ammonia. Furthermore, the adsorption of gasoline is increasing with an increasing temperature. An industrial manufactured AC was compared with the AC produced from Caribbean Pine and it had a better liquid and gas adsorption showing that more research and optimization of AC from Caribbean Pine must be done before commercializing the product.A suggestion for further research is to use the time in the oven as a parameter to be varied in the experimental setup. This could be valuable in order to determine the influence of the time in the oven both concerning the yield but also the adsorption ability of the AC.


The PolarquEEEst scientific programme consists in a series of measurements of the cosmic ray flux up to the highest latitudes, well beyond the Polar Article Circle. It started in Summer 2018, when one telescope for cosmic rays was installed on a sailboat leaving from North Iceland, to circumnavigate the Svalbard archipelago and land in Tromsø. It collected data up to 82N, measuring with unprecedented precision the charged particle rate at sea level in these regions. During Fall of the same year and Spring 2019 the PolarquEEEst programme continued with a series of measurements performed using the same detector, which took place first in Italy, with the southernmost point reached at Lampedusa, and then in Germany, with the goal to measure the dependence of cosmic charged particle rate with latitude. Then, in May 2019, the PolarquEEEst collaboration accomplished another important result, installing a cosmic ray observatory for the detection of secondary cosmic muons at Ny Alesund, at 79N, made of three independent identical detectors positioned a few hundred meters from each other, and synchronized in order to operate together as a network. This configuration allows high precision measurements never performed before at these latitudes on a long term, also interesting for their connection with environmental phenomena. Here the various missions will be presented, and the latest results from the measurements performed will be shown.


Significance Ocean acidification (OA) threatens coral reef futures by reducing the concentration of carbonate ions that corals need to construct their skeletons. However, quantitative predictions of reef futures under OA are confounded by mixed responses of corals to OA in experiments and field observations. We modeled the skeletal growth of a dominant reef-building coral, Porites, as a function of seawater chemistry and validated the model against observational data. We show that OA directly and negatively affects one component of the two-step growth process (density) but not the other (linear extension). Combining our growth model with Global Climate Model output, we show that skeletal density of Porites corals could decline by up to 20.3% over the 21st century solely due to OA. Ocean acidification (OA) is considered an important threat to coral reef ecosystems, because it reduces the availability of carbonate ions that reef-building corals need to produce their skeletons. However, while theory predicts that coral calcification rates decline as carbonate ion concentrations decrease, this prediction is not consistently borne out in laboratory manipulation experiments or in studies of corals inhabiting naturally low-pH reefs today. The skeletal growth of corals consists of two distinct processes: extension (upward growth) and densification (lateral thickening). Here, we show that skeletal density is directly sensitive to changes in seawater carbonate ion concentration and thus, to OA, whereas extension is not. We present a numerical model of Porites skeletal growth that links skeletal density with the external seawater environment via its influence on the chemistry of coral calcifying fluid. We validate the model using existing coral skeletal datasets from six Porites species collected across five reef sites and use this framework to project the impact of 21st century OA on Porites skeletal density across the global tropics. Our model predicts that OA alone will drive up to 20.3 ± 5.4% decline in the skeletal density of reef-building Porites corals.


Modernity and Culture ,from the Mediterrutiean to the Indian Ocean, 189CL1920 is a path-breaking collection of essays examining aspects of the history of the Middle East and South Asia from about I880 to 1920. The product of three conferences, attended by many famous scholars working on the two regions, the volume is a major contribution to thc growing field of comparative history. In the words of the editors, Leila Tarazi Fawaz and C.A. Bayly: "to have meaning, comparative history must also be a history of connections; history, to distinguish itself from among other disciplines needs to account for change" ( I 6). Building on knowledge derived in the area .studies regime, Fawaz and Bayly sought to overcome the regional isolation that can be inherent in scholarship focused on a single world region. Fawaz and Bayly review critiques of area studies in academic research and teaching, noting the limits of the several sides of an ongoing dehate. This volume is clearly intended to move in a new direction, seeking "to prcscrvc and enhance the considerable gains in knowledge and theory that the area studies literature . . . represented" (h) , but to apply these to new concerns with globalization and identity formations. Themes of convergence and divergence are highlighted in both the introduction and several of the essays. Essays include studies of the Red Sea and its ports-the cities of Basra, Damascus, Aleppo, Haifa. Alexandria, and Izmir (Smyrna-illuminating various dynamics of change and continuity. The absence of similar studies in the Indian Ocean world is only partially remedied by Kenneth McPherson's survcy of port cities as nodes of change. Studies of Ottoman reform, journalism in Istanbul and Cairo, and printing in Cairo offer insights, but not perhaps aimed only at South Asia. C. A. Bayly's study comparing colonial views of Copts in Egypt and Muslims in India and Susan Bayly's highly suggestive analysis of French and British readings of racial identity both explicitly contribute to a comparative


Background. Neuropsychological studies have suggested that memory systems reliant on medial temporal lobe structures are impaired in patients with depression. There is less data regarding whether this impairment is specific to recollection memory systems, and whether clinical features predict impairment. This study sought to address these issues. Method. A computerized process-dissociation memory task was utilized to dissociate recollection and habit memory in 40 patients with past or current major depression and 40 age, sex and IQ matched non-psychiatric control subjects. The Cognitive Failures Questionnaire was used to assess patients' perceptions of day-to-day memory failures. Results. Patients had impaired recollection memory (t = 4·7, P<0·001), but no impairment in habit memory when compared to controls. Recollection memory performance was not predicted by indices of current mood state, but was predicted by self-assessments of impairment (β = −0·33; P = 0·008) and past number of depressions (β = −0·41; P = 0·001). There was no evidence that standard therapy with antidepressant medication either improved or worsened memory performance. Conclusions. The results confirm that patients with multiple past depressions have reduced function on recollection memory tasks, but not on habit memory performance. The memory deficits were independent of current mood state but related to past course of illness and significant enough that patients detected impairment in day-to-day memory function.


This study provides insights into
structure-property relationships of Nafion membranes swollen with organic
sorbates, revealing correlations between sorbate polarity, ionomer domain
structure, and ionic conductivity. Swelling, nanostructure, and ionic
conductivity of Nafion in the presence of short-chain alcohols and alkanes was
studied by infrared spectroscopy, X-ray scattering, and voltammetry. Nafion
equilibrated with alkanes exhibited negligible uptake and nanoswelling, while
alcohols induced nanoscopic- to macroscopic- swelling ratios that increased
with alcohol polarity. In mixed-sorbate environments including organics and
water, alcohols preserved the overall ionomer domain structure but altered the
matrix to enable higher sorbate uptake. Alkanes did not demonstrably alter the
hydrated nanostructure or conductivity. Identifying the impacts of organic
sorbates on structure-property relationships in ionomers such as Nafion is
imperative as membrane-based electrochemical devices find applications in
emerging areas ranging from organic fuel cells to the synthesis of fuels and
chemicals.


ConspectusAs renewable energy and CO2 utilization technologies progress to make a more significant contribution to global emissions reduction, carbon capture remains a critical component of the mission. Current CO2 capture technologies involve operations at point sources such as fossil fuel-based power plants or source-agnostic like in direct air capture. Each strategy has its own advantages and limitations, but in common, they all employ sorption-based methods with the use of sorbents strongly adhering to CO2. Amine solutions are the most widely used absorbents for industrial operations due to the robust chemical bonds formed between amines and CO2 under both dry and humid conditions, rendering excellent selectivity. Such strong binding, however, causes problematic regeneration. In contrast, purely physisorptive porous materials with high surface areas allow for the confinement of CO2 inside narrow pores/channels and have a lower regeneration energy demand but with decreased selectivity and capacity. The most promising solution would then be the unification of both types of sorbents in one system, which could bring about a practical adsorption-desorption process. In other words, the development of porous solid materials with tunable amine content is necessary to leverage the high contact surface of porous sorbents with the added ability to manipulate amine incorporation toward lower CO2 binding strength.To answer the call to uncover the most feasible amine chemistry in carbon capture, our group has devoted intense effort to the study of amine-based CO2 adsorbents for the past decade. Oriented along practicality, we put forth a principle for the design of our materials to be produced in no more than three synthetic steps with economically viable starting materials. Porous organic polymers with amine functionalities of various substitutions, meaning primary, secondary, and tertiary amines, were synthesized and studied for CO2 adsorption. Direct synthesis proved to be feasibly applicable for secondary and tertiary amine-incorporated porous polymers whereas primary-amine-based sorbents would be conveniently obtained via postsynthetic modifications. Sorbents based on tertiary amines exhibit purely physical adsorption behavior if the nitrogen atoms are placed adjacent to aromatic cores due to the conjugation effect that reduces the electron density of the amine. However, when such conjugation is inhibited, chemisorptive activity is observed. Secondary amine adsorbents, in turn, express a higher binding strength than tertiary amine counterparts, but both types can merit a strengthened binding by the physical impregnation of small-molecule amines. Sorbents with primary-amine tethers can be obtained via postsynthetic transformation of precursor functionalities, and for them, chemical adsorption is mainly at work. We conclude that mixed-amine systems could exhibit unprecedented binding mechanisms, resulting in exceptionally specific interactions that would be useful for the development of highly selective sorbents for CO2.


This Article summarizes each of the dozens of amicus brief filed in McDonald v. City of Chicago, the case regarding the extension of the right to keep and bear arms to the states. That was perhaps the most interesting question at issue here, but there were others too, with activists, think tanks, politicians, and concerned citizens of all stripes filing 50 amicus briefs (fourth all-time). Many focused on the Due Process versus Privileges or Immunities issue, while others discussed the incorporation of rights generally - treating the debate over Fourteenth Amendment clauses as an academic technicality. Disappointingly, many of the respondents' amici insisted on re-litigating Heller, arguing about the meaning of the historic right to keep and bear arms and its relationship to militia service. One or more of petitioners' amici might similarly be criticized for running a Heller victory lap, essentially saying that the individual Second Amendment right is so important that it just has to be incorporated. And, of course, several amici got into a duel, as it were, over the social science evidence regarding effectiveness of gun bans and related issues. The amici (32 for the challengers to the handgun ban, 16 for Chicago, and two styled as not taking sides) not only echo the fundamental disagreement on the nature of the right to keep and bear arms and the role of the federal courts in protecting it, but extend it. Perhaps the most striking, and quite possibly influential, brief was provided by the "Constitutional Law Professors": anything that brings together conservative, progressive, and libertarian lions - e.g., Steven Calabresi, Jack Balkin, and Randy Barnett, respectively - merits serious consideration. (Full disclosure: I was involved in discussions surrounding that and several other briefs regarding the original understanding of the Fourteenth Amendment and how the Constitution protects rights against state usurpation generally - and of course I signed the Cato Institute's brief, which was principally authored by Timothy Sandefur of the Pacific Legal Foundation.) I hope that, when read in the light of the Court's opinions in the case, this Article can serve as a guide for counsel and parties in the litigation over how much states can regulate the right to keep and bear arms that has already been launched.


We considered the flattening of perturbed surface of a thin stress-free polycrystalline film with columnar microstructure deposited on rigid substrate. We show that the mass transport along the film/substrate interface and along the grain boundaries significantly contributes to the overall rate of surface flattening of the film. The diffusion along the film/substrate interface and along the grain boundaries is driven by the capillary stresses in the film. Using the approximation of small surface slopes, we calculated the distribution of capillary stresses in the film, and derived an explicit expression for the temporal behavior of the film topography. The initial distribution of the capillary stresses rapidly relaxes to the steady-state one that does not allow the accumulation of bending strain in the film. For the films with passivated or contaminated surfaces exhibiting reduced surface diffusivity the interfacial and grain boundary diffusion play a leading role in kinetics of surface flattening. The flattening process can be accelerated in this case by several orders of magnitude. The results of our work can be helpful in design of thin films and coatings with enhanced selfhealing capabilities.


This paper draws together discussions around public and private, represented talk, and
conviviality by showing how an interviewee uses linguistic features to frame instances of talk
as either "represented private talk" or "represented public talk". My empirical focus is an
interview that was recorded as part of fieldwork on leadership practices in the Indonesian
bureaucracy. In this interview with a department head it seems that he adds authenticity to
accounts of his leadership practices by performing them through represented talk. His use of
Javanese in instances of represented talk also helps index intimate social relations between
himself and his staff, while in some instances the combination of reference to place and
participants also helps to nest ideas of private within represented public talk.


This paper describes an extensive spectrophotometric study on several acid-base indicators immobilized, by means of a silylation process, on quartz powder and on controlled pore glass. The spectrophotometric properties of the immobilized indicators are at variance with those of the free indicators with respect to pH dependence and ranges. The different behavior of both types of indicators in the liquid and immobilized phases may be explained by both a modification in the electronic structure of the indicators and a distribution of the molecules on different sites. The differences among the spectrophotometric properties of the indicators, when these are immobilized on different solid supports, can be justified by taking into account the steric hindrance and the reactivity of the indicators. Particular attention was paid to the pH-sensitive bands and their position, keeping in mind that the investigated material could possibly be used as a transducer for pH fiber-optic sensors.


Gene-environment (GxE) interactions are traditionally understood as promoting the acquisition of mutations that drive multi-stage carcinogenesis, and in the case of inherited tumor suppressor gene defects, additional mutations required for cancer development. GxE interactions are traditionally understood to describe mechanisms whereby genetic risk factors modify the effects of environmental exposures to increase (or decrease) cancer risk, and are thought to be a major determinant of individual risk for this disease. Typically, GxE refers to an increased (or decreased) sensitivity to an environmental carcinogen owing to a specific germline alteration carried by exposed individuals, often as a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP). This is best illustrated in colon cancer where hereditary defects in DNA mismatch repair genes such as MSH2 decrease repair efficiency, enhancing the efficacy of genotoxic carcinogens, inducing microsatellite instability and predisposing to adenomatous polyposis coli (APC). The 'developmental origins of health and disease' (DOHaD) hypothesis provides an alternative model whereby environmental exposures during development increase susceptibility to disease in adulthood, not by inducing mutations, but by reprogramming the epigenome. We have recently found that epigenetic reprogramming contributes to DOHaD to function as a new type of GxE interaction where environmental exposures target the epigenome to increase cancer susceptibility (1). Studies in Eker rats with a defect in the Tsc2 gene first pointed to the fact that exposure to environmental estrogens during development could cooperate with a tumor suppressor gene defect to increase tumor suppressor gene penetrance (2). In this model, brief neonatal exposure to environmental xenoestrogens during uterine development significantly increased tumor incidence (i.e. gene penetrance), as well as tumor multiplicity and size. Neonatal xenoestrogen exposure also resulted in a reprogramming of estrogen-responsive gene expression, manifest as an increased expression of estrogen-responsive genes in the adult myometrium at 5 months of age, many months prior to tumor development (3). Thus, the interaction between increased estrogen responsiveness (reprogramming) and the defect in Tsc2 promoted the development of hormone-dependent leiomyoma, effectively increasing tumor suppressor gene penetrance. Importantly, in the absence of the tumor suppressor gene defect, environmental estrogen exposure alone failed to induce tumors even though gene expression was reprogrammed. Conversely, ovariectomy virtually ablated tumor development in genetically predisposed animals, indicating that in the absence of ovarian hormones, the tumor suppressor gene defect was not sufficient to induce tumorigenesis. This indicates it is the interaction of developmental reprogramming with the tumor suppressor gene defect that promotes tumorigenesis and increases tumor suppressor gene penetrance. Activation of PI3K/AKT signaling and phosphorylation of epigenomic "readers, writers and erasers" provides the mechanism by which environmental xenoestrogens disrupt the epigenetic machinery of a cell during developmental reprogramming (4). We showed that environmental estrogens bind to membrane-associated estrogen receptor (ER) to activate rapid, non-genomic (or more appropriately pre-genomic) ER signaling. Pre-genomic signaling by xenoestrogens activates PI3K signaling and the kinase AKT. Among the targets for this non-genomic signaling was the epigenomic "writer" enhancer of zeste homologue 2 (EZH2), a histone methyltransferase and member of the polycomb repressive complex. Phosphorylation of serine 21 of EZH2 by AKT inactivates EZH2, reducing the repressive H3K27me3 epigenetic methyl mark laid down by this "writer" in the developing uterus. These data identified activation of rapid non-genomic ER signaling as a direct mechanism by which environmental estrogens inappropriately activate kinases to modulate the activity of EZH2 and other epigenomic "readers, writers and erasers" to disrupt the cell's epigenetic machinery during developmental reprogramming (5). As a result of this developmental reprogramming, estrogen responsive genes in the uterus become hyper-sensitive to hormone, promoting development of hormone-dependent tumors. In Eker rats exposed neonatally to xenoestrogens, we found that over half of the estrogen-responsive genes examined in the adult uterus displayed an inappropriate, exaggerated response to steroid hormones: reprogrammed genes were over-expressed during the estrus cycle when estrogen levels were high, and remained elevated even during periods of the estrous cycle when hormones were at their nadir. As a result, the uterus acquired a "hyper-estrogenized phenotype" that cooperated with the Tsc2 tumor suppressor gene defect to promote tumor development and effectively increase tumor suppressor gene penetrance. Together, these data identify developmental reprogramming as a new type of GxE interaction that can cooperate with a genetic predisposition, not by inducing mutations, but by reprogramming the epigenome to modulate gene expression and promote tumor development. What does this mean for human health? In genetically susceptible individuals, developmental reprogramming represents a new type of GxE interaction that can promote tumor development by reprogramming the epigenome in a way that cooperates with a genetic predisposition to promote tumorigenesis. While existing data provide proof-of-concept that reprogramming of the epigenome can interact with a tumor suppressor gene defect to increase risk, it is likely that alterations in the epigenome can cooperate with other less penetrant, more prevalent genetic defects, such as SNPs, to similarly increase cancer risk. Importantly, the impact of developmental reprogramming on cancer susceptibility may not be evident for many years or even decades after the initial environmental exposure. As a result, our ability to recognize (and measure) specific environmental exposures that contribute to adult cancer risk is severely limited by studies that focus only on adult exposures. Identification of the epigenetic alterations induced by developmental reprogramming that cooperate with inherited genetic defects will open new avenues for developing biomarkers to identify individuals at increased cancer risk as a result of early life environmental exposures. Finally, additional insights into how developmental reprogramming increases cancer risk holds promise for interventions to reverse the impact of this type of GxE interaction. In contrast to germline alterations in tumor suppressor genes and cancer-associated SNPs, which are largely irreversible, epigenetic alterations induced by developmental reprogramming are potentially reversible with epigenetic therapies. By increasing our knowledge regarding how epigenetic reprogramming increases cancer risk, we may not only be able to better identify who is at increased risk from early life environmental exposures, but be able to develop interventions that can reverse the epigenetic effects of developmental reprogramming to decrease cancer risk associated with this type of GxE interaction. Citation Format: Cheryl Lyn Walker. Developmental reprogramming of cancer susceptibility. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Eleventh Annual AACR International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research; 2012 Oct 16-19; Anaheim, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Prev Res 2012;5(11 Suppl):Abstract nr PL01-03.


Article abstractData from three placebo-controlled and 11 active-controlled studies of tizanidine were combined to permit analysis of the subsets, which were too small to evaluate within the individual studies. Overall analysis of placebo-controlled data confirms the effectiveness of tizanidine in reducing muscle tone in patients with spasticity of spinal cord origin. Subset analyses suggest that patients with more severe spasticity are more likely to respond, but age, sex, and race were not predictive of response. Comparisons of tizanidine with active controls showed no differences in efficacy compared with baclofen or diazepam. However, when compared with controls, patients treated with tizanidine did not experience increased weakness. Furthermore, patients tolerated tizanidine better than the control medications. More patients experienced adverse events during tizanidine treatment than did patients receiving placebo. The most common adverse events reported were dry mouth, somnolence, asthenia, and dizziness. Mild elevations in liver function tests were noted occasionally, but improved in all patients with dose reduction or withdrawal. Three patients from the double blind database reported formed visual hallucinations. All three cleared; two continued tizanidine, and one discontinued.


Introduction: Intraluminal thrombolytic therapy is the first step treatment of thrombotic malfunction of tunneled hemodialysis catheters (THC). The factors that affect catheter restoration and also catheter survival following thrombolytic therapy are not well described. In this study, we aimed to reveal the predictors that affect the success of the procedure and also present post-restoration catheter patency after intraluminal thrombolytic administration. Method: This retrospective study included 62 patients with tunneled THC thrombosis treated with alteplase between 2017 and2020 in the study center. Age, comorbidities, the use of antiplatelet and anticoagulants, a history of catheter thrombosis, time on dialysis, the duration of the catheter were investigated as possible predictors of procedural success. The independent predictive factors for procedural success were evaluated by using backward stepwise likelihood ratio logistic regression analysis. Primaryand assisted patencieswere presented with Kaplan-Meier graphs. Results: Thrombolityc was administered to 62 patients 102 times. The median primary patency from the first thrombolytic administration to a second catheter thrombosis was 9 months (range 1-20 months). The overall median patency was 12 months (range 2-23 months). The overall procedural success rate was 79.4% (81/102).Multivariate analyses revealed that a history of prior catheter thrombosis was the only risk factor for procedural success (OR: 0.49; 95% CI: 0.26-0.91; p = 0.004). The need for a second dwell time among patients with prior history of thrombolysis was significantly higher compared to patients without a history of catheter thrombosis (12/26 patients, 46.2% and 6/55 patients, 10.9%; respectively; p = 0.001). Conclusion: The success of thrombolysis in subsequent de novo THC thrombosis decreases in patients who previously required intraluminal thrombolytic administration. Identifying patient subgroups with a high risk for THC thrombosis may be useful to investigate effective secondary prevention strategies.


Globalization, namely integration of the world economy into a single market, has been unprecedently affecting every part of the world as technological development has allowed handful bussines effectively control local resourcess. Properity and advantages brought about by globalization, however, is not equally shared, as investment, growth and modern technologies are concentrated mainly in the developed countries. Moreover, developing countries including Indonesia are not only deprived but also excluded from it. Analysis of recent history in Indonesia presented in this article shows that integration into global market even created a deindustrialization process to take place. The level of unemployment and proverty is getting worse as Indonesia increasingly more integrated into the world economy.


In Utah during the 1960s, the cost of producing electrical energy was as much, or in some cases more, by hydroelectric generation than by plants using s team from coal fired boilers. The relatively high hydropower cost was generally attributed to maintenance and replacement costs associated with plants that had been built in the 1920s. Utah Power & Light Company during the 1960 period decided not to renew power licenses and to abandon many small hydroplants. Since 1973, rising coal and related fossil fuel costs have caused steam generation costs to accelerate and have made hydroelectric generation relatively more attractive. However, the capital cost of replacing deteriorated pipelines and restoring plants to production capability is high, and the prospect of large capital investment during periods of high interest rates creates a hesitancy to renovate existing or to construct new small hydro units. The cos t analy sis to rep lace abandoned p I ant s or to construct new plants has been geneJally based on restoring an existing configuration or building to design standards in use at the time of the original structure. The traditional design method was to design a pipeline on a flat slope with a relatively large pipe diameter. This method maximized head, but minimized the flow. The resultant energy was therefore less than the potential, but constant. This method also confined the variations in flow to a range that could be handled by a single, or at most two, variable geometry turbines. The flow point on the typical flow duration curve for western mountain streams where the ratio of maximum to minimum flow variation is 4 to 1 or less 1S at or near the 25 percent exceedance level. It is shown 1n this report that the same diameter pipeline as used in traditional design can be sloped to maximize the power output of the plant (powermax slope) and thus increase the annual energy production by 149 to 186 percent, the difference being dependent upon the amount of energy recovered by the static regain in pressure pipelines when flows are reduced below the maximum. This optimizes flow and head without changing the cost of the pipeline. The effect is to reduce the unit cost of energy produced. The higher flow at the powermax slope has a greater var1ability and will therefore require turbines with greater var1ability. It is demonstrated that multiple fixed geometry turbines sized in binary steps can effectively span flow variability ratios from 10 to 1 or greater and be installed at less cost than custom designed variable geometry units. Thus, designing at the


In the present study the sequential stages ofthe previously established binder bum out (BBO) route were characterized by obtaining precise shrinkage and weight loss measurements from interrupted runs. A DoE (Design of Experiments) approach was adopted to systematically investigate the effect of process variables; such as the heating rates during critical segments, part dimensions and environment (flowing nitrogen vs vacuum) on the shrinkage, weight loss and cracking during binder bum out. A stepwise TGA was performed to study the effect of ramp rate and dwell time on the kinetics of binder bum out, and an experiment was conducted to determine optimum wicking conditions. The results from this study have been used to maximize the weight loss and minimize the cracking during binder bum out cycle for FDC parts with different sizes.


The implementation of the development planning meeting (MUSRENBANG) in each region including the Malang district is often not optimal in the process so that the development development that is expected by the community through musrenbang does not have a good impact and does not give satisfaction to the residents. In the process of the Musrenbang, of course, it cannot be separated from the supervision and escort of the poor district government apparatus to begin with fiscal, program, process, legal and outgoing accountability in its implementation. So that the expectations of researchers through this paper can provide a brief summary of the accountability of the Musrenbang implementation process so far. This type of research uses a qualitative descriptive type of research. The results of this study on the implementation of policy formulation in the musrenbang in the poor district bappeda in the implementation process have been carried out well, directed, integrated and responsive to change, in accordance with what is already in the regent's vision and RPJM. However, this is also related to the supporting and inhibiting factors in the implementation process so far including among others citizen participation and the budget which are often the maximum constraints to the implementation of the musrenbang and insufficient budgets are also obstacles to its implementation.


Desynchronization of circadian rhythmicity resulting from rapid travel through at least 4 time zones leads to symptoms of jet lag syndrome. The most commonly experienced symptoms in normal individuals are sleep disorders, difficulties with concentrating, irritability, mild depression, fatigue, and gastrointestinal disturbances. There is strong evidence relating affective disorders to circadian rhythm abnormalities, such as occur in jet lag. Less convincing suggestions relate jet lag to psychosis. We presume, relying on the literature and our accumulated experience, that in predisposed individuals jet lag may play a role in triggering exacerbation of, or de novo affective disorders, as well as, though less convincing, schizophreniform psychosis or even schizophrenia. An illustrative case vignette exemplifies the possible relationship between jet lag following eastbound flight and psychotic manifestations.


CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM INVESTIGATION WITH RADIONUCLIDES: Second Annual Nuclear Medicine Seminar Compiled and Edited by Albert J. Gilson and William M. Smoak. (Pp. xv + 415; illustrated; price not stated) Thomas: Illinois. 1971. From the list of contributors in the introduction to this publication it is clear that the seminar attracted many well-known workers in the field of nuclear medicine. However, probably as a result of the fact that only two of these contributors are working outside the United States, some of the international controversies surrounding the practice of nuclear medicine in the investigation of the central nervous system have been omitted, both from the papers and the reports from the discussion panels. This is especially true in the section dealing with cerebral blood flow measurement. Part 1 of the proceedings consists of excellent papers reviewing the current thoughts on fundamental issues such as metabolic characteristics of brain tissue, the blood barrier concept, and cerebral spinal fluid dynamics. The report on the discussion at the end of this session brings to light some important practical problems associated with the techniques of isotope cisternography. Part 2 deals with the radio-pharmaceuticals used in central nervous system investigation. The only really surprising fact in this section is the over-estimation some workers continue to make concerning the usefulness of diffusible isotopes in the investigation of the cerebral circulation, in the clinical situation, despite strong evidence to the contrary. In considering instrumentation, the papers in Part 3 outline, in a qualitative way, how images are produced and the inherent limitations of the systems employed. The papers in Part 4 describe methods of measuring cerebral blood flow which can now almost be considered as classical. Very little is discussed concerning the sources of error inevitably associated with attempting to measure regional cerebral blood flow. As has become the custom most discussions focus on the analysis of the results with very little mention of the quality of information accepted at the patient-instrumentation interface. If this information is of poor quality, no amount of sophistication in the data analysis techniques will yield a result which will be of any real worth. Part 5 is concerned with various imaging techniques and ends with an extremely useful discussion on isotope cisternography and ventriculography. The clinical applications of the techniques previously discussed are dealt with in Part 6, which includes an interesting paper on non-radiation hazards to the patient of neurological diagnostic techniques. This publication attempts to present the current thinking, state of the art, and the controversies concerning the investigation of the central nervous system using radionuclides. In the main it succeeds admirably. However, a disturbing idea that the clinician alone should be concerned with the application and advancement of nuclear medicine pervades some of the papers. It is clear that the idea that the practice of nuclear medicine is better carried out by a multidisciplinary group has still not been accepted in the United States. Such a situation perhaps lends itself to the preoccupation with the analysis of data to the exclusion ofconcern over the limitations of the actual measurement. Nevertheless, this book contains so much useful information, which is an obvious result of a great deal of intellectual application to the use of radioisotopes in neurological science, that it must be considered a very worthwhile addition to the literature already written on the subject, and a book that every worker in the field will want to read.


Temperature change is one of key factors which should be taken into account in logistics during transportation or storage of many types of goods. In this study, a passive UHF RFID-enabled sensor system for elevated temperature (above 58°C) detection has been demonstrated. This system consists of an RFID reader and disposable temperature sensor comprising an UHF antenna, chip and temperature sensitive unit. The UHF antenna was designed and simulated in an IE3D software. The properties of the system were examined depending on the temperature level, type of package which contains the studied objects and the type of antenna substrate.


Lithium–sulfur batteries (LSBs) have been regarded as the supreme feasible future generation energy storage system for high‐energy applications due to the exceptional‐specific energy density of 2600 Wh kg−1 and theoretical‐specific capacity of 1675 mAh g−1. Nevertheless, some key challenges which are linked with polysulfide shuttling and sluggish kinetics of polysulfide conversion are the main obstacles in the high electrochemical performance of LSBs. Here, a molybdenum trioxide (MoO3) nanobelt catalytic layer is fabricated on the separator to solve these issues. The MoO3 layer shows strong chemical interaction with polysulfides by successfully blocking the polysulfides on the separator from shuttling and significantly accelerates the redox reaction of polysulfide conversion. Furthermore, the randomly arranged layers of MoO3 nanobelts possess enough porous networks that provide effective space for electrolyte infiltration and facile pathway for fast ion transportation. The resultant LSBs exhibit a very high initial capacity of 1377 mAh g−1. After 200 cycles at 0.5 C, the capacity is 684.4 mAh g−1 with the fading rate of only 0.251% per cycle. Additionally, the MoO3 modification provides good surface protection of lithium anode and depresses the lithium anode degradation.


Cryptococcus neoformans is a eukaryotic, heterobasidiomycetous yeast;pathogenic to mammalian hosts with an epiphytic and saprophytic modeof existence in the environment. The present study explores the diversity
among the pathogenic population of Cryptococcus neoformans serotypeA and to investigate mode of reproduction and degree of clonality intheir population structure in the geographic settings of southern India.In vitro crossing experiments were performed using the congenic strainsJEC20 (serotype D, MATa) and JEC21 (serotype D, MATa) are used astesters. These two strains differ only at the mating type locus. Thedetermination of mating type was analyzed using the two gene loci STE12 and STE20 PCR primer pairs, specific for mating type a and a. Results reveals that different regions of the genome have different phylogenetichistories with improved hybrid fitness.


The design of strategic deworming programs is one of the control options for fasciolosis, and needs to be supported by local epidemiology knowledge. To address this issue in Southwest Ethiopia, a study using tracer calf and crossectional study methods was made at an endemic area for the disease during 2006–2007. Coprology and necropsy examinations were used to collect information. Results showed that both Fasciola hepatica and Fasciola gigantica were abundant in the area with almost equal prevalence rates, and infections of animals occur during the wet season from May to October. The mean number of flukes recovered in the positive tracer calves ranged from 3.0 to 42.5 per animal, and the maximum worm count observed in an individual animal was 66 flukes. The overall prevalence of Fasciolosis in the extensively managed local breeds of cattle, yearling calves, sheep and goats was 74.8%, 55.3%, 35%, and 27.1%, respectively. A significant difference was observed in the prevalence of fasciolosis among cattle, yearling calves and sheep population, while no difference was observed among the goat populations of the five provinces. Based on the regional epidemiology of the disease, a twice yearly strategic deworming program has been devised to control the infection in the region.


Abstract This study examined the relationship between anxiety, social stress, and gambling behaviour among 1,044 high school students in grades 7 to 11. Adolescents completed questionnaires concerning their state, trait, and generalised anxiety, social stress, and gambling behaviour. Results reveal that adolescent probable pathological gamblers report more state anxiety, trait anxiety, and higher levels of social stress compared to non‐gamblers, social gamblers, and gamblers at‐risk for serious problems. Gamblers with high state and trait anxiety engaged in more severe gambling behaviours, greater substance abuse, reported different reasons for gambling, and endorsed more dissociation items. The results provide additional support for Jacobs' (1986) General Theory of Addictions. The implications for treatment and prevention programs are discussed.


The main types of existing Condition Monitoring methods (MCSA, GA, IAS) for electrical drives are
described. Then the steps for the design of expert systems are presented: problem identification and analysis, system specification, development tool selection, knowledge based, prototyping and testing. The employment of SOMA (Self-Organizing Migrating Algorithm) used for the optimization of ambient
vibration energy harvesting is analyzed. The power electronics devices are becoming smaller in size and consume less power so they are well suited for ambient vibration conversion systems for charging batteries or supplying power directly. The springless resonance mechanism has a mechanical part (mass, spring, damper), an electromagnetic energy converter (coils) and electrical load. SOMA is an artificial intelligence algorithm which is used to find the best combination of independent parameters to
optimize the device and obtain the maximum amount of electrical power. Future research will be done
to improve the quality factor of the model and to use it for a new harvester design for wireless
applications.


The synthesis and the catalysis in the HDS of DBT
reaction of nanostructured self-supported catalyst containing MoS2+x nanoplatelets have been investigated. Enhancement of higher activity observed
in sulfide catalyst sample (d) with respect to the ex situ and in situ references is more closely related to the morphology change of particles
(nanoplatelets). In this work, we suggest that certain structures present in
model catalysts maybe related to low dimensional structures and present a
theoretical study of two MoS2 clusters (one made of 34 atoms/cluster
and the second one made of 41 atoms/cluster), to these clusters seven sulfur
atoms were randomly located at the surface of the sulfur layer, in order to
simulate certain structures resembling arrow shaped nanoplatelets that were
found in a High Resolution TEM analysis performed in some MoS2 samples. Additionally, one of the goals is to enquire about the electronic
properties presented in such structures when the clusters terminated as Moor
S-edge and if it could be correlated to the catalyst behavior of these
compounds. To the 34 atoms/cluster Mo-edge yielded metallic behavior while the
second cluster the 41 atoms/ cluster S-edge yielded a semiconductor behavior
with a forbidden energy gap Eg of the order of @ 3.6 eV between the Valence and Conductions bands respectively. Moreover,
to the same clusters enunciated formerly, when the sulfur atoms
were located at the surface of the S-layer, for the first cluster (34
atoms/cluster) yielded a more metallic behavior, while the second one (41
atoms/cluster) yielded an isolator behavior. Our results agree with the
experimental and theoretical results presented by several groups in
different laboratories arriving to the conclusion that the S-Mo-S Mo-edge arrow
heads structures could be responsible to the enhancement of the catalytic
activity on the MoS2 studied samples.


This study was conducted to investigate problems faced by teachers and students in the teaching-learning process using English as the medium of instruction at the primary level. The study explored the teachers' competencies and students' abilities needed regarding the use of English as a medium of instruction. A survey research design was used to conduct the study. A questionnaire was administered to a sample of 380 randomly selected teachers of 350 primary schools of HazaraChi-Square Chi Square Goodness of Fit Test was used for the data analysis. Findings revealed that most primary school teachers found it difficult to teach different subjects using English as medium of instruction. Teachers did not seem to be able to provide a suitable learning environment for students in the EMI context. In comparison to students who did not seem to face substantial issues in understanding their lessons through EMI, teachers faced more difficulties in the effective use of EMI for their teaching. This could be linked to their lack of teachers' training for an EMI teaching environment. The study has important implications as the medium of instruction conundrum does not seem to go away in the Pakistani school education context in general and at the primary level of education in particular.


In past work, the criteria of Truth, Beauty, and Justice have been leveraged to evaluate models (Lave and March 1993, Taber and Timpone 1996). Earlier, while relevant, Justice was seen as the least important of modeling considerations, but that is no longer the case. As the nature of data and computing power have opened new opportunities for the application of data and algorithms from public policy decision-making to technological advances like self-driving cars, the ethical considerations have become far more important in the work that researchers are doing. While a growing literature has been highlighting ethical concerns of Big Data, algorithms and artificial intelligence, we take a practical approach of reviewing how decisions throughout the research process can result in unintended consequences in practice. Building off Gawande's (2009) approach of using checklists to reduce risks, we have developed an initial framework and set of checklist questions for researchers to consider the ethical implications of their analytic endeavors explicitly. While many aspects are considered those tied to Truth and accuracy, through our examples it will be seen that considering research design through the lens of Justice may lead to different research choices. These checklists include questions on the collection of data (Big and Survey; including sources and measurement), how it is modeled and finally issues of transparency. These issues are of growing importance for practitioners from academia to industry to government and will allow us to advance the intended goals of our scientific and practical endeavors while avoiding potential risks and pitfalls.


Serum bile acid levels and distributions were studied every 6 mo in patients with primary biliary cirrhosis who were randomly assigned to receive ursodeoxycholic acid (13 to 15 mg/kg/day) (n = 73) or a placebo (n = 73) over a 2‐yr period. In the ursodeoxycholic acid group, ursodeoxycholic acid was the predominant serum bile acid at 6 mo and throughout the 2‐yr treatment period. The total concentration of endogenous bile acids decreased with a reduction in cholic acid (in the ursodeoxycholic acid group and the placebo group, respectively [mean :± S.E.]: 13.0 ± 2.2 and 12.6 ± 2.5 μmol/L at entry vs. 3.5 ± 0.6 and 9.0 ± 2.2 μmol/L at 2 yr; p < 0.002), chenodeoxycholic acid (in the ursodeoxycholic acid group and the placebo group, respectively: 12.1 ± 1.7 and 12.7 ± 2.3 μmol/L at entry vs. 5.8 ± 0.8 and 10.7 ± 2.2 μmol/L at 2 yr; p < 0.02) and 3β‐hydroxy‐δ5‐cholenoic acid. The concentration of deoxycholic acid did not change, whereas that of lithocholic acid increased significantly (in the ursodeoxycholic acid group and the placebo group, respectively: 0.63 ± 0.06 and 0.81 ± 0.12 μmol/L at entry vs. 1.26 ± 0.12 and 0.90 ± 0.15 μmol/L at 2 yr; p < 0.001). These changes were independent of the histological stage of the disease. Thus during ursodeoxycholic acid administration the liver was exposed to a lower level of endogenous bile acids and to an increased concentration of ursodeoxycholic acid. These changes in circulating bile acids and their beneficial effects could be explained by the following mechanisms: (a) initially, ursodeoxycholic acid would directly increase hepatocyte excretion of bile acids; (b) their return to the liver would then be limited by an inhibitory effect of ursodeoxycholic acid on their intestinal reabsorption; and (c) liver cell metabolism and functions would be improved by the sustained reduction in the concentration of endogenous bile acids and the predominant presence of ursodeoxycholic acid. (HEPATOLOGY 1993;17:599–604.)


Cluster headache is a trigemino-autonomic cephalgia with a low prevalence. Several population-based studies on its prevalence and incidence have been performed, but with different methodology resulting in different figures. We analysed all available population-based epidemiological studies on cluster headache and compared the data in a meta-analysis. The pooled data showed a lifetime prevalence of 124 per 100 000 [confidence interval (CI) 101, 151] and a 1-year prevalence of 53 per 100 000 (CI 26, 95). The overall sex ratio was 4.3 (male to female), it was higher in chronic cluster headache (15.0) compared with episodic cluster headache (3.8). The ratio of episodic vs. chronic cluster headache was 6.0. Our analysis revealed a relatively stable lifetime prevalence, which suggests that about one in 1000 people suffers from cluster headache, the prevalence being independent of the region of the population study. The sex ratio (male to female) is higher than published in several patient-based epidemiological studies.


Objective. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of Prominin-1 (CD133) in cancer cells and its potential value as a prognostic indicator of survival in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).Methods. Cancerous tissues and matched normal tissues adjacent to the carcinoma from 239 NSCLC patients were obtained immediately after surgery. Immunohistochemistry of tissuemicroarrayswas used to characterize the expression ofCD133 inNSCLCand adjacent tissues.The correlation ofCD133 expressionwith clinical characteristics and prognosis was determined by statistical analysis.Results. CD133 protein expression levels in both the cytoplasm and nucleus were significantly higher in NSCLC tissues compared with corresponding peritumoral tissue (P < 0.05). CD133 expression in the nucleus of NSCLC cells was related to tumor diameter (P = 0.027), tumor differentiation (P < 0.001), and TNM stage (P = 0.007). Kaplan-Meier survival and Cox regression analyses revealed that high CD133 expression in the nucleus was an independent predictor of poor prognosis of NSCLC, as was high cytoplasmic CD133 expression (P < 0.001). Conclusion. Our findings provide the first evidence that high expression of CD133 in both the nucleus and cytoplasm is associated with poor prognosis in NSCLC.


In recent years global general equilibrium (GE) models have been used to analyse policy issues such as trade liberalisation, regional integration and environmental policies. While a global CGE model is an excellent tool to perform a comprehensive analysis of such policies, it requires an enormous amount of data to calibrate or parameterise the model itself. Quality differences in the data sets might affect the results of the model simulation. Identifying and removing problems in the database is an important task for the effective use of a CGE model. In this paper, we suggest an approach to detect and remove major inconsistencies from the database of a CGE model. To illustrate, we examine and modify selected interindustry transactions in the GTAP version 5 database, a general equilibrium database of the global economy. The revised database was evaluated against the original by undertaking technical change and trade liberalisation experiments using Global Trade Analysis Project (GTAP) model. Results show that estimates using the modified database are more credible than those from the original database.


Due to the chaotic nature of multilayer perceptron training, training error usually fails to be a monotonically non-increasing function of the number of hidden units. An initialization and training methodology is developed to significantly increase the probability that the training error is monotonically non-increasing. First a structured initialization generates the random weights in a particular order. Second, larger networks are initialized using weights from smaller trained networks. Lastly, the required number of iterations is calculated as a function of network size.


ABSTRACT The research presented in this article focuses on support and opposition towards Europe in Italy. In particular, it aims to understand and explain the progressive growing opposition towards EU institutions within Italian public opinion. For decades, both Italian media and political parties have depicted Italy as one of the strongest pro-European countries. However, more recently, Italian public opinion started to look at Europe with more critical eyes, while the consensus of Eurosceptic parties grew. Although the downturn in Italian support for Europe appears evident, both its causes and consequences are largely under-investigated. The purpose of this paper is to fill in this analytical gap by looking at the origins of diffuse support for Europe in Italy. The analysis proceeds through a three-stage strategy, aiming to observe: 1) the explanatory factors of diffuse support in Italy, 2) the effects of the economic crisis on the sentiments of support and 3) the European identity of the Italian public. The data have been supplied by the Eurobarometer series since 1990 and analysed through logistic and linear models. Findings reveal the indirect effects of the current economic crisis on diffuse support for Europe in Italy, since trust towards the national government and perceptions of EU utility decrease for the effects of the recession.


BACKGROUND
Familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is an autosomal dominant inherited disorder; mutations in at least 20 genes have been associated. Brugada syndrome (BrS) is an autosomal dominant inherited disorder caused by mutations mainly in theSCN5Agene. A new clinical entity that consists of HCM, typical electrical instability of BrS and sudden death (SD), is described.

METHODSANDRESULTS
The family was constituted by 7 members, 4 of who presented clinical features of HCM and electrical instability of BrS. The clinical presentation of proband was ventricular fibrillation. All members were clinically evaluated by physical examination, 12-lead electrocardiography, 2-dimensional echocardiography, stress test, electrocardiogram Holter, flecainide test, and electrophysiological study. An integrated linkage analysis and next generation sequencing (NGS) approach was used to identify the causative mutation. Linkage with the α-tropomyosin (TPM1) gene on chromosome 15q22 was identified. The NGS study identified a missense mutation within theTPM1gene (c.574G>A; p.E192K), exactly located in a binding domain with polycystin-2 protein. No other pathogenic mutations were identified.

CONCLUSIONS
This is the first report of an association between HCM and BrS, and the first to use a combined approach of linkage and NGS to identify a causative mutation in SD. The present study expands the clinical spectrum of disorders associated with theTPM1gene and may be useful to report novel mechanisms of electrical instability in HCM and BrS.


The selection of an appropriate set of manipulated variables to control a set of specified outputs is an important aspect of MIMO system design. This paper details how genetic algorithms may be used to provide an automated optimisation procedure for the selection of the input-output pairings based upon the Relative Gain Array (RGA). Two examples are outlined to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed strategy.


The proteins characteristic of the whole period of differentiation constitute the main bulk of soluble proteins in the spermatogenic cells. Their content and enzymatic activity are subject to marked changes during spermatogenesis. The activity of glycolysis and pentose cycle enzymes is jointly changed; the fluctuations of enzymes of pyruvate oxidation and Krebs-cycle are in antiphase. Sorbitol dehydrogenase suffers marked activation in the late spermiogenesis. This process is facultative and is not expressed in the cells of young animals. It is suggested that the level of sorbitol dehydrogenase may serve as an index of biochemical maturity of late spermatids.


For this book, which he terms &dquo;a visual adventure book on bridges,&dquo; Graeme Outerbridge has photographed 45 great bridges in Europe and the United Staes. From graceful stone arch bridges that ceremoniously cross waterways in great European cities, such as the Rialto in Venice and the Pont Alexandre III in Paris, to the steel suspension bridges that span vast distances, such as the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco and the George Washington Bridge in New York, every variety of this beautiful and essential structure is included.


The score of Kurt Weill's Zeitoper, Der Zar läßt sich photographieren (1928), is void at its centre: the musical and dramatic climax, the 'Tango Angèle', only exists as a gramophone recording, played on stage, while the orchestra falls silent. Just as the perennial themes of love and death are relentlessly updated in this farcical opera into their anti-metaphysical modern-day equivalents – sex and political assassination – so the music avails itself of modern media to bring across its McLuhanesque point: the medium is the message. The sound medium matters in two ways: first, the gramophone emphatically teleports the tango – a fashionable and sexually loaded dance – into the realm of opera; second, the recorded performance constitutes its exclusive musical reality. As if to underscore this point, parts and score of the 'Tango Angèle' were lost shortly after Weill produced the recording for the première: only the recording remained. This article reconstructs the nexus between popular music, modern sound media and operatic aesthetics in Weimar Germany: while the recording is an expression of Zeitoper's demand for radical up-to-dateness, the sound of the record, paradoxically, locks it forever in 1928. A relatively obscure work nowadays, Der Zar remains perhaps the most far-reaching response to the Opernkrise of the mid-1920s, reconfigured here as a crisis of musical writing.


ABSTRACT There is a growing body of literature indicating that lexical retrieval training can result in improved naming ability in individuals with neurodegenerative disease. Traditionally, treatment is administered by a speech-language pathologist, with little involvement of caregivers or carry-over of practice into the home. This study examined the effects of a lexical retrieval training programme that was implemented first by a clinician and, subsequently, by a trained caregiver. Two dyads, each consisting of one individual with anomia caused by neurodegenerative disease (one with mild cognitive impairment and one with logopenic primary progressive aphasia) and their caregiver, participated in the study. Results indicated medium and large effect sizes for both clinician- and caregiver-trained items, with generalisation to untrained stimuli. Participants reported improved confidence during communication as well as increased use of trained communication strategies after treatment. This study is the first to document that caregiver-administered speech and language intervention can have positive outcomes when paired with training by a clinician. Caregiver-administered treatment may be a viable means of increasing treatment dosage in the current climate of restricted reimbursement, particularly for patients with progressive conditions.


This article argues that Georg Simmel's ideas on secrecy can shed new light on current debates around the relevance or otherwise of privacy as a protection against surveillance interventions. It suggests an interactional approach to privacy, and considers it as a dynamic process which redefines the boundary between what information should be disclosed and what information should be concealed in every social interaction. Simmel argues that this "natural" process relies on the identification of the interlocutor: her psychological/emotional involvement in the relationship, her social position in society and the representation of her expectations. Recent empirical examples show that this interactional perspective may have the potential to reconcile differing privacy accounts, by linking theoretically different levels that are factually distinct: privacy as a collective fact, as a contextual integrity, and as an individual fact.


This paper studies the numerical simulations for the Cahn-Hilliard equation which describes a phase separation phenomenon. The numerical simulation of the Cahn-Hilliard model needs very long time to reach the steady state, and therefore large time-stepping methods become useful. The main objective of this work is to construct the unconditionally energy stable finite difference scheme so that the large time steps can be used in the numerical simulations. The equation is discretized by the central difference scheme in space and fully implicit second-order scheme in time. The proposed scheme is proved to be unconditionally energy stable and mass-conservative. An error estimate for the numerical solution is also obtained with second order in both space and time. By using this energy stable scheme, an adaptive time-stepping strategy is proposed, which selects time steps adaptively based on the variation of the free energy against time. The numerical experiments are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the adaptive time-stepping approach.


In this article I draw examples from the broader terrain of academic and popular literature, news media, television, and film to explore questions regarding representations of Samoans, and especially Samoan men, in the United States. The mediated accessibility of Samoans, via televised sports and entertainment, combines with their relative geographic and demographic inaccessibility to produce popular images of a population that the vast majority of Americans know very little about. Such representations are gendered in particular ways, such that the archetypal Samoan body in US popular discourse is now masculine, rather than feminine. I discuss how popular representations of Samoan men may be similar to representations of black men—the latter so central to discourses of race in the United States—as well as how are they different, particularly in light of the discursively slippery histories of representing Pacific peoples as both noble and ignoble "savages." The main narrative component of discourses about Samoan men, body size, is critically engaged; additionally, the article argues that the added element of (indigenous) culture—thought to be outside or anterior to Western modernity—grant to Samoans an exoticness not normally granted to black Americans. This essay attempts to expose, engage, and examine these active processes of representation and myth creation—what visual theorist Clyde Taylor might term mythogenesis—to better understand the discursive terrain that Samoans negotiate, often ambivalently in the United States.


The neurotransmitter GABA is the main inhibitory neurotransmitter of the CNS. It is estimated that 20-50% of all neuronal synapses are GABAergic. Distinct types of GABA receptor have been identified (GABA(A), GABA(B) and GABA(AOr) [GABA(C)]). The GABA(A) and GABA(AOr) variant found in the retina receptors (informally termed GABA(C)) are physiologically related in that they are both ligand (GABA)-gated chloride ion channels. The GABA(B) receptor mediates its response by modulating Ca(2+) and K(+) ion channels, which then trigger coupled G-proteins. These receptors have not succumbed to x-ray structural analysis at a suitable resolution to determine the nature of GABA binding. However, knowledge of how GABA binds is important for the design of novel agonists and antagonists, and the development of neuropharmaceutical agents. Comparison of the relative agonistic efficacy of the (R)- and (S)-enantiomers of 3-fluoro-GABA has been used as a method to probe the binding conformation of the neurotransmitter binding to target proteins. The analysis relies on the stereoelectronic influence of the C-F bond interacting with the ammonium group of GABA, an electrostatic interaction that favors solution conformers where the substituents come close (gauche rather than anti). This article describes how comparative analysis of these enantiomers has been used to assess the conformation of GABA binding to GABA(A) and the GABA-metabolizing enzyme, GABA transaminase.


We sought to determine the role of verbless sentences across the writing process. We compared two corpora: a longitudinal corpus of social reports and a transversal corpus of diary entries and letters. An examination of successive draft reports revealed that verbless sentences were present in incipient versions, but subsequently grew into full sentences or even paragraphs. They served as reminders - condensed syntactic and semantic content intended to be expanded into full text. Similarly, verbless sentences contained in the diary entries were swiftly worked up into full sentences in letters relating the same events as the diary. We hypothesize the existence of a pragmatic constraint differentiating between self-addressed texts (incipient versions, personal diaries) and other-addressed texts (final reports, letters)


The use of ratiometric fluorescence polarization (RFP) as a functional parameter in monitoring cellular activation is suggested, based on the physical phenomenon of fluorescence polarization dependency on emission wavelengths in multiple (at least binary) solutions. The theoretical basis of this dependency is thoroughly discussed and examined via simulation. For simulation, aimed to imitate a fluorophore-stained cell, real values of the fluorescence spectrum and polarization of different single fluorophore solutions were used. The simulation as well as the experimentally obtained values of RFP indicated the high sensitivity of this measure. Finally, the RFP parameter was utilized as a cytometric measure in three exemplary cellular bioassays. In the first, the apoptotic effect of oxLDL in a human Jurkat FDA-stained T cell line was monitored by RFP. In the second, the interaction between cell surface membrane receptors of human T lymphocyte cells was monitored by RFP measurements as a complementary means to the fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) technique. In the third bioassay, cellular thiol level of FDA- and CMFDA-labelled Jurkat T cells was monitored via RFP.


Sequences of the internal transcribed spacers (ITS) of nuclear rDNA were obtained for a broad range of dendrobium orchids for phylogenetic analysis using parsimony. A progressive approach was used to identify functional outgroups for analysis of all taxa in Dendrobium sect. Dendrocoryne. Our first, broadest analysis confirmed the results of other workers that Dendrobium sensu lato includes a major Australasian clade and a sister Asian clade. In the Australasian clade, the New Zealand species D. cunninghamii (=gen. Winika, Clements et al. 1997) was identified as the sister group to a well supported clade that includes the genera Cadetia, Diplocaulobium and Flickingeria, and Dendrobium sects Grastidium, Latouria, Spatulata, Australorchis (=gen. Australorchis), Rhizobium (= gen. Dockrillia) and Dendrocoryne. Sect. Dendrocoryne is probably polyphyletic, with two species, D. aemulum and D. callitrophilum (=gen. Tropilis), outside the main group and sect. Rhizobium (= gen. Dockrillia) nested within it. Sect. Australorchis (= gen. Australorchis) is possibly the sister group to the clade of Rhizobium plus the main group of Dendrocoryne. Thelychiton (a genus reinstated for several species in Dendrocoryne) is polyphyletic, given that Tetrabaculum (=D. tetragonum complex) and Dockrillia fall within the same clade. The splitting of the Australasian dendrobiums into various genera by other authors is excessive and unnecessary, and alternative taxonomic treatments are offered here for debate. Our study included accessions for all varieties in the following three widespread eastern Australian species: D. speciosum, D. kingianum and D. tetragonum. Each of these species showed significant sequence divergence between particular geographic regions, but some varieties had identical sequences. The splitting of D. speciosum into 11 species is not supported. We identified pseudogenes in the ITS region for D. fleckeri and D. finniganense, which appear to have evolved before these two species diverged, but support their sister relationship. Sequences for D. callitrophilum and D. (Grastidium) baileyi (the latter from GenBank) also appear to be pseudogenes, and these taxa need further study.


Ontologies are used by domain experts for knowledge representation in an unambiguous manner. After the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) has recommended Web Ontology Language (OWL) for representing ontologies on the web, a large number of domain ontologies have been developed. This represented knowledge in the form of OWL can not only be used by other people but also by software applications. Although representing knowledge in a structured form like OWL is important, reasoning with OWL ontologies holds the key to many applications. Several OWL reasoners (Racer, FaCT++, Pellet, etc.) have been developed to serve the purpose. However, reasoning with some ontologies can be computational so expensive that reasoners practically becomes unusable. The thesis discusses facilitating reasoners by finding the smallest construct of an ontology that causes reasoners to be unusable.


Introduction: There is no consensus chemotherapy regimen with concurrent radiotherapy (RT) for inoperable stage IIIA/B non–small-cell lung cancer. This trial evaluated pemetrexed with carboplatin (PCb) or cisplatin (PC) with concurrent RT followed by consolidation pemetrexed. Methods: In this open-label, noncomparative phase II trial, patients with inoperable stage IIIA/B non–small-cell lung cancer (initially all histologies, later restricted to nonsquamous) were randomized (1:1) to PCb or PC with concurrent RT (64–68 Gy over days 1–45). Consolidation pemetrexed monotherapy was administered every 21 days for three cycles. Primary endpoint was 2-year overall survival (OS) rate. Results: From June 2007 to November 2009, 98 patients were enrolled (PCb: 46; PC: 52). The 2-year OS rate was PCb: 45.4% (95% confidence interval [CI], 29.5–60.0%); PC: 58.4% (95% CI, 42.6–71.3%), and in nonsquamous patients was PCb: 48.0% (95% CI, 29.0–64.8%); PC: 55.8% (95% CI, 38.0–70.3%). Median time to disease progression was PCb: 8.8 months (95% CI, 6.0–12.6 months); PC: 13.1 months (95% CI, 8.3–not evaluable [NE]). Median OS (months) was PCb: 18.7 (95% CI, 12.9–NE); PC: 27.0 (95% CI, 23.2–NE). The objective response rates (ORRs) were PCb: 52.2%; PC: 46.2%. Grade 4 treatment-related toxicities (% PCb/% PC) were: anemia, 0/1.9; neutropenia, 6.5/3.8; thrombocytopenia, 4.3/1.9; and esophagitis, 0/1.9. Most patients completed scheduled chemotherapy and RT during induction and consolidation phases. No drug-related deaths were reported during chemoradiotherapy. Conclusions: Because of study design, efficacy comparisons cannot be made. However, both combinations with concurrent RT were active and well tolerated.


English has always occupied a key position in China's education. The quality of English education depends largely on the quality of the English teaching force. Improving the overall quality of Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) teachers entails advancing both their teaching and research competence. This study, with its focus on Chinese TEFL teachers working in a higher education institution, was set up in a context where Chinese higher education colleges are being transformed into universities and research is becoming a crucial aspect of all teachers' work. This small-scale case study investigated a group of Chinese TEFL teachers' perceptions about research and their individual and workplace characteristics that influenced their research endeavours. The findings revealed that Chinese TEFL teachers recognised the significance of research for teaching, professional growth and career advancement. However, lack of individual characteristics such as research and disciplinary knowledge, confidence in research and intrinsic motivation impeded their research efforts. Their institution and departments seemed to encourage research; yet, more specific financial and academic support to start and sustain their research endeavours is required. This study's findings provide implications for both individual teachers and their institutions to engage TEFL teachers more actively in research.


The integration of multiple classifiers promises higher classification accuracy and robustness than can be obtained with a single classifier. We address two problems: (a) automatic recognition of human faces using a novel fusion approach based on an adaptive LVQ network architecture, and (b) improve the face recognition up to 100% while maintaining the learning time per face image constant, which is an scalability issue. The learning time per face image of the recognition system remains constant irrespective of the data size. The integration of the system incorporates the "divide and conquer" modularity principles, i.e. divide the learning data into small modules, train individual modules separately using compact LVQ model structure and still encompass all the variance, and fuse trained modules to achieve recognition rate nearly 100%. The concept of Merged Classes (MCs) is introduced to enhance the accuracy rate. The proposed integrated architecture has shown its feasibility using a collection of 1130 face images of 158 subjects from three standard databases, ORL, PICS and KU. Empirical results yield an accuracy rate of 100% on the face recognition task for 40 subjects in 0.056 seconds per image. Thus, the system has shown potential to be adopted for real time application domains.


Conducted within the hospice setting, this unique study assessed the prevalence of altered taste perception and its potential relationship with nutritional status in a group of 56 advanced cancer patients who had not received any recent radiotherapy or chemotherapy, compared to 46 age matched healthy controls. An assessment was made of the impact of altered taste perception on quality of life in this group of cancer patients. Taste perception was objectively measured using the International standard for sensory appraisal (lSOI991) and nutritional status assessed using upper arm anthropometry, bioelectrical impedance analysis, weight and hand grip dynanometry. A 3-day weighed intake technique was used to estimate dietary intake, and quality of life assessment was based on the Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale (Zigmund and Snaith, 1983). Results indicate that cancer patients exhibited lower 'bitter' thresholds (increase bitter taste sensitivity) compared to age matched controls an effect which was not related to tumour type. Results of this study also highlight the impact that changes in taste perception have on quality of life, which is pivotal in the appropriate management of altered taste perception in palliative care. Heightened olfactory perception was also evident in cancer patients exhibiting heightened gustatory perception. Biochemical analysis suggests that Tumour Necrosis Factor a and associated acute phase response may be associated with increased bitter taste sensitivity. Within the cancer group, heightened bitter perception was associated with a reduced protein intake. These results have demonstrated that in a terminally ill group, dietary management should focus on altered taste perception, aiming to maximise quality of life. Based on these results, a 4-week intervention was undertaken using omega 3 fatty acid (fish oil capsules) in a subsequent group of advanced cancer patients, aimed at manipulating the acute phase response and TNFα production. This demonstrated no changes in taste perception. However, the intervention was associated with attenuation of weight loss and an alteration in fatty acid composition of lipid membrane. These preliminary results suggest the value of further studies to investigate the effects of omega 3 fatty acids on taste perception and other associated symptoms in cancer patients. Moreover, the challenges to recruitment and retention of patient in studies in the terminally ill are highlighted.


This book provides a self-study program on how mathematics, computer science and science can be usefully and seamlessly intertwined. Learning to use ideas from mathematics and computation is essential for understanding approaches to cognitive and biological science. As such the book covers calculus on one variable and two variables and works through a number of interesting first-order ODE models. It clearly uses MatLab in computational exercises where the models cannot be solved by hand, and also helps readers to understand that approximations cause errors a fact that must always be kept in mind


Medical advances are constantly increasing survival rates of individuals experiencing traumatic accidents and infants born with disabilities. Medical advances have also significantly increased the life expectancy of individuals living with disabilities as well as the general population. Along with these factors, baby boomers are growing the elderly population. All of this will cause the number of individuals with disabilities to increase exponentially over the next several decades. Many of these individuals will need assistance to complete their daily activities. Research has shown that when applicable, assistive technology by itself is more beneficial than human assistance or a combination of both human assistance and assistive technology. Dogs are a form of technology humans have been developing for thousands of years. Also, they have lived so closely with humans for so long, they have evolved an ability to understand human cues, gestures, facial expressions, etc. Because of this, their immense loyalty, desire to please, and ability to overcome social barriers, dogs are an ideal assistive technology for some individuals with disabilities.It was hypothesized that wheelchair users partnered with service dogs would score higher on quality of life indicators than wheelchair users not partnered with service dogs. Two hundred and fourteen individuals were included in a cross-sectional study. To be included in the study, subjects had to be 18 years of age or older and use a wheelchair for 75 percent of their mobility needs. Ninety-nine subjects partnered with service dogs for at least 14 months but less than 8.5 years were compared to one hundred fifteen subjects not partnered with service dogs. Quality of life indicators were number of hours of paid and unpaid assistance, mobility, physical independence, social integration, occupation, economic self-sufficiency, self-esteem, depression, and loneliness.The service dog group scored significantly higher on mobility although this group was comprised of significantly more individuals with severe disabilities and used almost significantly more hours of paid assistance. The service dog group outperformed the comparison group on nearly every other indicator although not to a significant degree. These results are similar to those in previous studies on the service dogs.


Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a common cause of neurological disability in young adults. The TRIBUNE study provides a detailed exploration of costs in relation to relapses and disease severity, and assesses the quality of life impact on MS patients in terms of utilities, fatigue and activities of daily living (ADL). Methods: Patients in five European countries (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom) completed a self-administered web-based questionnaire capturing information on demographics, disease characteristics and severity (EDSS), co-morbidities, relapses, resource consumption, utilities, fatigue, and activities of daily living. Results: In total, 1261 MS patients completed the questionnaire. More than half of the patients (68%) had the relapsing–remitting form of the disease; 87% of the sample reported receiving MS treatments. Costs were higher with advancing disease severity; for mild patients (EDSS score ≤ 3) the costs ranged between €13,534 and €22,461 across countries; for moderate (EDSS score 4 – 6.5) between €28,524 and €43,948; for severe (EDSS ≥ 7) between €39,592 and €65,395. Relapses were also associated with increasing costs; the difference in the cost per patient per year for relapsing–remitting patients with EDSS score ≤ 5 that did experience at least one relapse during the past 12 months and those who did not ranged between €3321 and €9430. The quality of life of patients decreased with disease progression and existence of relapses. Conclusion: The TRIBUNE study provides an important update on the economic burden of MS in an era of more widespread use of disease-modifying therapies. It explores the cost of MS linked to relapses and disease severity, and examines the impact of MS on additional health outcomes beyond utilities such as ADL and fatigue.


Due to the inherent multiple-voicedness of the genre of novel, novelists, via taking oppositional textual positions, can create twofold narratives which serve to convey two different intentions simultaneously, the direct intention of the character who is speaking and the refracted intention of the author. Such narratives could be created through using the disguise of carnivalesque character whose discourse is intentionally dialogized by means of an ironic discourse which embeds a potential unfolded dialogue of two (opposing) world views. Austen draws on such potential inherent in novelistic discourse by creating carnivalesque characters, layering of masquerades, and multiple mimesis to disguise her real intention. Following Bakhtin's theories of dialogism and carnivalesque, the present research investigates Austen's Emma through tracing carnivalesque character, extremely mocked by the objective narrator in the novel, who serves to disguise the real intention of the author and to create a double-voiced discourse leading the readers towards a double reading of the narrative