This chart review examined the effects of a six-session cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) group in a sample of veterans diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) receiving residential PTSD treatment. Earliest-session scores on self-report sleep variables were compared to final-session scores among the 47 veterans who received at least five group sessions. Separate analyses were performed for the 39 veterans for whom the PTSD Checklist (PCL-M) scores before and after CBT-I were available, with change in the PCL-M score (10-point decrease or not) as a factor. Repeated-measures analyses of variance indicated significant improvements in the time awake after sleep onset, F(1, 46) = 4.17, p < .05; time in bed, F(1, 46) = 4.06, p < .05; sleep efficiency, F(1, 46) = 4.71, p < .05; and Insomnia Severity Index score, F(1, 46) = 38.8, p < .001. There were no significant effects for sleep onset latency or total sleep time. For veterans with available PCL-M scores, there were no significant interactions between PTSD score change and any of the sleep variables analyzed. These results add to the literature indicating that CBT-I is an effective treatment for insomnia with veterans diagnosed with PTSD. The suitability of CBT-I in residential treatment settings is also discussed.


SYNOPSIS: This paper investigates the impact of one form of board diversity on the incidence of financial restatement. More specifically, we hypothesize that there is a negative relation between female board presence (defined as whether or not a board has at least one female director) and the likelihood of a financial restatement. Our hypothesis is consistent with a female board presence contributing to the board's ability to maintain an attitude of mental independence, diminishing the extent of groupthink and enhancing the ability of the board to monitor financial reporting. Utilizing the U.S. General Accounting Office (U.S. GAO 2002) report on restatements, we construct a matched-pair sample of 278 annual (187 quarterly) restatement and 278 annual (187 quarterly) control firms. After controlling for other restatement-related factors, we find a significant association between the presence of at least one woman on the board and a lower likelihood of restatement. Our results continue to hold in annual rest...


This study analyzes how the colonial rice trade in prewar Japan affected its rice market, considering several government interventions in the two rice futures exchanges in Tokyo and Osaka. We explore the interventions in the futures markets using two procedures. First, we measure the joint degree of efficiency in the markets using a time-varying vector autoregression model. Second, we examine historical events that possibly affected the markets and focus on one event at a time. The degree of efficiency varies over time within our sample period (1881-1932). The observation, together with historical analysis, leads to the following conclusions: (1) the two major markets in Tokyo and Osaka were nearly efficient; (2) government interventions involving the delivery of imported rice from Taiwan and Korea often reduced futures market efficiency; finally, (3) this relationship continued as long as the quality difference between imported and domestic rice existed. The government interventions that promoted domestic distributions of the colonial goods resulted in confusion in the commodity markets, and decreased efficiency of the markets in the metropole.


In this research, we characterized the changes in the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) monthly total water storage anomaly (TWSA) in 18 surface basins and 12 principal aquifers in the conterminous United States during 2003–2016. Regions with high variability in storage were identified. Ten basins and four aquifers showed significant changes in storage. Eight surface basins and eight aquifers were found to show decadal stability in storage. A pixel-based analysis of storage showed that the New England basin and North Atlantic Coastal Plain aquifer showed the largest area under positive storage change. By contrast, the Lower Colorado and California basins showed the largest area under negative change. This study found that historically wetter regions (with more storage) are becoming wetter, and drier regions (with less storage) are becoming drier. Fourier analysis of the GRACE data showed that while all basins exhibited prominent annual periodicities, significant sub-annual and multi-annual cycles also exist in some basins. The storage turnover period was estimated to range between 6 and 12 months. The primary explanatory variable (PEV) of TWSA was identified for each region. This study provides new insights on several aspects of basin or aquifer storage that are important for understanding basin and aquifer hydrology.


BBC North West Tonight is preparing to use touch screen technology in news broadcasts after developing "a presenter's dream" with the University of Salford.

Researchers have worked with staff at the regional news programme to build MediaSurface, a bespoke touch screen for social media interaction.

Presenter Gordon Burns said he could not wait "to have another ago".

The BBC plans to use it in a live broadcast in the summer.

Staff at the university, who will be opening a base alongside the new home of BBC North at MediaCityUK later in the year, were commissioned by the BBC to develop an interactive way of including social media postings within programming.

Lecturer in Computer Science, Lee Griffiths, and undergraduate software engineering student, Adil Zaheer, were given the brief and delivered the touch screen to the BBC's Oxford Road studios for testing.

Mr Griffiths said that "interactive touch screens and surfaces are becoming commonplace and our touch surface application allows TV presenters to display and manipulate pictures and comments sent in by viewers".

"We have been experimenting with various touch screen technologies and we've come up with something we think will be really useful for Gordon Burns and his team.

"As far as we know this kind of media interaction on live TV has not been attempted before.

"We really believe that it can bring the presenters much closer to their viewers' opinions as news breaks."
'Visually exciting'

Having tested the application, Mr Burns said he had left the studio "literally buzzing".

"When you leave the studio with a real spring in your step after trying out a new piece of technology you know it's something special.

"The MediaSurface is a presenter's dream.

"Traditionally, we read out viewers' comments and tweets as well as showing some of the photos they've sent us.

"It gave me total control of the item, was visually exciting and was fun to do.

"I can't wait to have another ago, hopefully live on air."


There are no publications in our home scientific literature concerning nozological structure of the diseases of the lumbar part of the spine among elderly and senile people. Having used their own research experience of treatment 2102 patients with low-back pain, the authors revealed the percentage of various diseases and specified the peculiarities of their clinical tendency. All that will enable practice doctors to diagnose the diseases in proper time and to determine proper way of inquiry and treatment of elderly patients with low-back pain.


The fundamental principle upon which contemporary narratology is constructed is that narrative is an essentially divided endeavour, involving the story ('what really happened') and the discourse ('how what happened is presented'). For traditional criticism, the primary task of narrative discourse is essentially to convey the story as transparently as possible. Patrick O'Neill investigates the extent to which narrative discourse also contains the counter-tendency not to tell the story, indeed to subvert the story it tells in foregrounding its own performance. The systemic implications of this perspective for narrative and for narrative theory are examined within the conceptual framework provided by classical French narratology. O'Neill ultimately attempts both to expand and to problematize the structural model of narrative proposed by this centrally important tradition of narrative theory. O'Neill describes narrative as functioning in terms of four interacting levels: story, narrative text, narration, and textuality. Using a range of examples from Homer to modern European fiction, he discusses traditional narrative categories such as voice, focalization, character, and setting, and reinscribes them within the contextual space of author and reader to bring out narrative's potential for ambiguity and unreliability. He also discusses the implications of translation for narrative theory.


A substantial portion of chaparral shrublands in the southern part of California's Sierra Nevada Mountain Range has never had a recorded fire since record keeping began in 1910. We hypothesised that such long periods without fire are outside the historical range of variability and that when such areas burn, postfire recovery is weaker than in younger stands. We predicted that long fire-free periods will result in loss of shrub species and deterioration of soil seed banks, which, coupled with higher fire intensities from the greater accumulation of dead biomass, will lead to poorer postfire regeneration. The 2002 McNally Fire burned ancient stands that were as much as 150 years old, as well as much younger (mature) stands. Based on shrub skeletons in the burned area as a surrogate for prefire density, we found that ancient stands change in structure, owing primarily to the loss of obligate seeding Ceanothus cuneatus; other species appear to have great longevity. Despite the reduction in C. cuneatus, postfire shrub–seedling recruitment remained strong in these ancient stands, although some seed bank deterioration is suggested by the three-quarters lower seedling recruitment than recorded from mature stands. Total diversity and the abundance of postfire endemic annuals are two other response variables that suggest that these ancient stands are recovering as well as mature stands. The one area of some concern is that non-native species richness and abundance increased in the ancient stands, suggesting that these are more open to alien colonisers. It is concluded that chaparral more than a century old is resilient to such long fire-free periods and fire severity impacts are indistinguishable from those in younger chaparral stands.


and epigenetic characteristics, such as DNA methylation can respond to environmental changes and have been implicated in triggering these diseases. Therefore, we evaluated the relationship between colonic mucosal microbiota and DNA methylation in untreated pediatric IBD METHODS: The mucosal microbiota was studied by 454 pyrosequencing of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene and the fungal small subunit (SSU) ribosomal region in transverse colonic biopsy specimens from 26 controls, 16 untreated pediatric CD (15 treatment naı̈ve), and 6 UC cases (5 treatment naı̈ve). Genome-wide DNA methylation was examined by Infinium HumanMethylation450 BeadChip Kits in a subset of treatment naı̈ve samples (10 controls, 10 CD, and 4 UC). Validation of the DNA methylation results was performed on an independent cohort (12 controls, 5 CD, 5 UC) and by bisulfite-pyrosequencing of select loci. RESULTS: There was no consistent DNA methylation association with CD. However, UC had a large number of significant DNA methylation associations (4302 shared CpG sites between discovery and validation cohort; false discovery rate: FDR<0.01). The UC-linked methylation changes associated with genes involved in cell adhesion and communication, defense and immune responses. UC microbiota separated from controls and CD (P 1⁄4 0.048). The genus Faecal bacterium was increased in UC (U test P 1⁄4 0.013, FDR 1⁄4 0.24). UC associated DNA methylation changes correlated with bacterial taxa abundance at reads with incomplete or uncertain genus assignment belonging to the families Eubacteriaceae and Lachnospiraceae. CONCLUSION(S): UC associated DNA methylation and microbiota changes overlap at select loci and taxa. These findings may have etiologic, diagnostic and therapeutic relevance for IBD.


There are inconsistent findings on the association between Helicobacter pylori anti-VacA antibodies and gastric cancer (GC) risk. The lack of optimally sensitive and specific methods to detect anti-VacA antibodies may partly be responsible for this discrepancy. The aim of this study was to compare the association between GC and the presence of anti-VacA antibodies using two different detection methods. A secondary analysis of sera collected in a hospital-based case-control study in three geographical areas of Mexico was performed. Anti-VacA antibodies were determined by a neutralization assay and an immunoblot assay in serum samples of 203 histologically confirmed GC cases and 430 age- and sex-matched controls. H. pylori IgG status was determined by immunoblotting and H. pylori CagA status data was available for this study. Unconditional logistic regression models were used to estimate the association between anti-VacA antibodies and GC by histological type (diffuse and intestinal). Anti-VacA seroprevalence was higher using neutralization compared with immunoblotting: 68.5 vs 44.3 % for cases and 60.5 vs 44.2 % for controls. A significant association between anti-VacA antibodies and diffuse GC was found using neutralization [odds ratio (OR)=1.69, 95 % CI 1.08-2.66], but the association did not remain significant after adjusting for CagA status (OR 1.37, 95 % CI 0.81-2.32). No association between anti-VacA antibodies and GC was found when using immunoblotting. Thus, the association between anti-VacA antibodies and GC partly depends on the detection method used. These results do not support an independent role for VacA in GC risk in the presence of CagA seropositivity and strengthen the importance of CagA as a potential risk factor for GC.


In relation extraction with distant supervision, noisy labels make it difficult to train quality models. Previous neural models addressed this problem using an attention mechanism that attends to sentences that are likely to express the relations. We improve such models by combining the distant supervision data with an additional directly-supervised data, which we use as supervision for the attention weights. We find that joint training on both types of supervision leads to a better model because it improves the model's ability to identify noisy sentences. In addition, we find that sigmoidal attention weights with max pooling achieves better performance over the commonly used weighted average attention in this setup. Our proposed method achieves a new state-of-the-art result on the widely used FB-NYT dataset.


This paper studies the relative entropy and its square root as distance measures of neighboring video frames for video key frame extraction. We develop a novel approach handling both common and wavelet video sequences, in which the extreme Studentized deviate test is exploited to identify shot boundaries for segmenting a video sequence into shots. Then, video shots can be divided into different sub-shots, according to whether the video content change is large or not, and key frames are extracted from sub-shots. The proposed technique is general, effective and efficient to deal with video sequences of any kind. Our new approach can offer optional additional multiscale summarizations of video data, achieving a balance between having more details and maintaining less redundancy. Extensive experimental results show that the new scheme obtains very encouraging results in video key frame extraction, in terms of both objective evaluation metrics and subjective visual perception.


Metal and ceramic flexure specimens were fabricated using a photopolymer-based rapid prototyping technique. Photosensitive resins (inks) were produced by dispersing 50 - 55 vol % metal or ceramic powders in a photopolymer resin. Laminates 0.2" thick were built up by repeated application of layers 3 - 10 mils thick followed by curing under a UV flood lamp with photomasks. The layered samples were thermally processed to remove the photopolymer binder and sintered to high density. Densities, microstructural characterization and flexure strengths are reported for silicon nitride, alumina, zirconia, stainless steel, and tungsten.


Background.
 It is assumed that cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) implies a lower risk of death and recurrence at short- and mid-term follow-up; however, few information exist on risk factors and outcome of thrombotic venous recurrence after CVT in the long run. We aimed to describe the 20-year recurrence of intra and extracranial venous thrombotic events after an index CVT in a large cohort.

 Methods.
 Among 412 consecutive patients, we analyzed 336 (81.6%) cases (82,7% women, mean age: 30.9 years, range: 14 to 83 years) registered from 1986 to 2010 in a third-level referral center of Mexico City, for whom complete information of recurrent events was available and who survived the acute phase of CVT.

 Results.
 In a median follow-up of 28 months (range 2 to 288 months), the recurrence rate of either systemic or intracranial venous thrombotic events was 6.8% (n=23): 2.7% of recurrent CVT, 3% lower-limb thrombosis and 1.1% pulmonary embolism). Recurrent venous events occurred by a median of 5 months (range: 1 to 113 months), with 78% cases recurring in the following year after index CVT. Nonetheless, recurrent CVT occurred within 5 months in 78% cases. None of the recurrent CVT events caused death, but 50% of pulmonary embolisms were mortal. In a Cox proportional hazards model adjusted for multiple confounders, baseline factors associated with an increased risk of recurrent intra or extracranial venous thrombosis were thrombosis of jugular veins [hazard ratio (HR): 5.13, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.39-18.9], diagnosis of anti-phospholipid syndrome (HR: 2.67, 95% CI: 1.01-7.07), mechanical ventilation (HR: 2.07, 95% CI: 1.08-3.93), and alcoholism (HR: 3.44, 95% CI: 1.12-10.58).

 Conclusion.
 Most venous recurrent events occur in the following year after index CVT. Recurrent CVT is not associated with a high mortality, but extracranial venous thromboembolisms can be fatal. This study is the largest to date on this topic.


In this paper, we focus our attention on the most relevant non-market risk in insurance, that is, lapse risk. It is basically linked to the behavior of policyholders facing various situations such as aging, actual economic condition, contract features, and so on. At the same time, policyholder's retention directly impacts the profitability of the product itself, thus the profitability of the company as a whole. Through the first part of our analysis, we will recognize some relevant lapse risk factors from a specific dataset including a number of explanatory variables. More importantly, the predictive results from the traditional logistic regression will be compared to those of a bagging classification tree, in order to select the most powerful model. Furthermore, the goal of the second part of the analysis is the valuation of the impact on the profitability of a specific insurance product based on the predicted lapse rates. We will observe how significant the policyholder behavior can be as soon as it is introduced within the profit valuation in a dynamic fashion.


Ca(2+) clearance in frog motor nerve terminals was studied by fluorometry of Ca(2+) indicators. Rises in intracellular Ca(2+) ([Ca(2+)](i)) in nerve terminals induced by tetanic nerve stimulation (100 Hz, 100 or 200 stimuli: Ca(2+) transient) reached a peak or plateau within 6-20 stimuli and decayed at least in three phases with the time constants of 82-87 ms (81-85%), a few seconds (11-12%), and several tens of seconds (less than a few percentage). Blocking both Na/Ca exchangers and Ca(2+) pumps at the cell membrane by external Li(+) and high external pH (9.0), respectively, increased the time constants of the initial and second decay components with no change in their magnitudes. By contrast, similar effects by Li(+) alone, but not by high alkaline alone, were seen only on 200 stimuli-induced Ca(2+) transients. Blocking Ca(2+) pumps at Ca(2+) stores by thapsigargin did not affect 100 stimuli-induced Ca(2+) transients but increased the initial decay time constant of 200 stimuli-induced Ca(2+) transients with no change in other parameters. Inhibiting mitochondrial Ca(2+) uptake by carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone markedly increased the initial and second decay time constants of 100 stimuli-induced Ca(2+) transients and the amplitudes of the second and the slowest components. Plotting the slopes of the decay of 100 stimuli-induced Ca(2+) transients against [Ca(2+)](i) yielded the supralinear [Ca(2+)](i) dependence of Ca(2+) efflux out of the cytosol. Blocking Ca(2+) extrusion or mitochondrial Ca(2+) uptake significantly reduced this [Ca(2+)](i)-dependent Ca(2+) efflux. Thus Ca(2+)-dependent mitochondrial Ca(2+) uptake and plasmalemmal Ca(2+) extrusion clear out a small Ca(2+) load in frog motor nerve terminals, while thapsigargin-sensitive Ca(2+) pump boosts the clearance of a heavy Ca(2+) load. Furthermore, the activity of plasmalemmal Ca(2+) pump and Na/Ca exchanger is complementary to each other with the slight predominance of the latter.


In recent years, the field of Pharmacology of Natural Products has demonstrated several bioactive compounds originating from vegetable samples. This fact is strictly related to scientific and technological developments, allowing the expansion of knowledge in the fields of chemistry and pharmacology applied to plant secondary metabolites. The data originated from these researches is expanding exponentially the possibilities of application of plants as a direct source for obtaining pharmaceuticals or inspiring the synthesis of new drugs from molecular structures discoveries. Within this context, the present study aimed to perform phytochemical analysis and evaluate the potential antifungal activity in vitro of 03 semi-purified fractions obtained from the rhizome of Typha domingensis Pers (Typhaceae) in cultures of Candida albicans, Candida glabrata, Candida parapsilosis and Candida tropicalis. The results showed antifungal activity of the semi-purified fraction of ethyl acetate (FrAcE) for the four species of Candida spp tested, with MFC values of 10 mg/mL. Phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of flavonoids in FrAcE, class of plant secondary metabolites with antifungal activity previously described. The data generated from this study may serve as support for further studies that might contribute to the development of new antifungal therapies based on the antifungal properties from the rhizome of Typha domingensis.


The paper presents a new approach for islanding detection in distributed generation (DG) using rate of change of phase angle difference (ROCPAD). The process starts with retrieving the voltage and current signals at the DG end and estimating the phasors (amplitude, phase, and frequency) using synchronous transformation based algorithm. The next step is to compute the phase angle difference and the ROCPAD for registering islanding detection. The proposed algorithm is compared with the widely used rate of change of frequency relays (ROCOF) and found working effectively in the situations where ROCOF fails. The proposed ROCPAD relay is tested on standard microgrid structures with possible variations in operating parameters and the results indicate that the ROCPAD relay can reliably detect islanding conditions in large microgrids.


Helicobacter pylori is an important bacterial aetiological agent of gastroduodenal
diseases. H. pylori positivity is also a risk factor for gastric adenocarcinoma and MALT
lymphoma. Ironically, accumulating evidence demonstrates that H. pylori may protect
the human host against obesity and atopic disorders. We hypothesised that
disappearance H. pylori leads to changes in the human gut microbiome resulting in local
and systemic changes in metabolism that may contribute to eventual development of
undesirable metabolic and immunological disorders. This study was therefore, carried
out to investigate the implications of H. pylori eradication and the association with
metabolic and immunological disorders in a young healthy adult population. From 573
healthy adult volunteers (18-30 years-old) screened, the prevalence of H. pylori
infection was 9.9%. Eventually, 29 H. pylori-positive subjects were enrolled and
assessed during baseline followed by 6, 12 and 18 months post-H. pylori eradication.
Faecal metagenomics and lipidomics were used to evaluate the local effects following H.
pylori eradication on the gut microbiota and further metabolic, immunological and
plasma metabolomic studies were performed to reflect the systemic effects of H. pylori
eradication. The impact of H. pylori on the human gut microbiome pre- and post
eradication was investigated using 16S rRNA gene (V3-V4 region) sequencing and data
analysis using Qiime pipeline. The local and systemic effects of H. pylori, post
eradication, were examined through untargeted faecal lipidomics and plasma
metabolomics using liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS). The effect
of H. pylori eradication on meal-associated changes on gastrointestinal metabolic
hormones, cytokines and Immunolglobulin E (IgE) antibody level were evaluated using
a multiplex bead assay and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, correspondingly. The
microbial diversity was found to be similar pre- and post-H. pylori eradication with no
iv
significant differences in bacterial richness and evenness. Despite that, some changes in
the bacterial communities at the phylum and genus levels were notable, particularly the
decrease in relative abundance of Bacterioidetes and the corresponding increase in
Firmicutes following H. pylori eradication. The significant increase of short-chain fatty
acids (SCFA)-producing bacteria genera could also be associated with increased risk of
metabolic disorders. Faecal lipidomics and plasma metabolomics revealed that
eradication of H. pylori dramatically changed many global metabolite/lipid features,
with the majority of them being down-regulated. The influence of gut microbiota on
plasma metabolites profile was also demonstrated. These findings primarily implicate
the perturbation of gut microbiota following H. pylori eradication in host energy and
lipid metabolism which may eventually lead to the development of metabolic disorders.
Metabolic studies demonstrated that H. pylori eradication was associated with long-term
disturbance in active amylin, pancreatic polypeptide and total peptide YY both pre- and
post-prandially and glucagon-like peptide-1 post-prandially (p<0.05). An inverse
association between H. pylori infection and allergen specific-IgE antibodies (p<0.05)
was observed. The predictive metabolic signature of metabolic and immunological
disorders following H. pylori eradication may give us insights on complex interaction of
H. pylori with gut microbiota, the importance of biosis of the gut microbiota and their
implications in human health. In conclusion, eradication of H. pylori demonstrated
intricate and complex interactions between H. pylori and the gut microbiota in
modulating human health and therefore, a point to ponder upon future management of H.
pylori infection.


Early activation of the IL-12/IFN-gamma axis has been shown following Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis (S. Enteritidis) infection. We were interested to study whether IL-22 and IL-17A production is initiated early in response to S. Enteritidis. We demonstrate here that IL-22 was strongly elevated in the peritoneal lavage fluid and in serum already 1 day post-intraperitoneal infection (d.p.i.) of mice; not only IL-22 but also IL-17A was produced ex vivo by activated peritoneal exudate cells (PEC). Peritoneal gammadelta T cells were identified as cellular source of IL-17A. The early IL-22 production was completely IL-23-dependent. In contrast, IL-17A production was only partially IL-23-dependent. To investigate the local production of upstream cytokines important for induction of IL-22, IL-17A and IFN-gamma during salmonellosis, the production of IL-23 and IL-12 was studied. Elevated p19 and p40 mRNA levels were found in PEC at 1 d.p.i., whereas p35 mRNA levels were not changed. Besides, the T(h)17-promoting cytokines IL-6, IL-1beta and transforming growth factor-beta were produced in response to S. Enteritidis. However, IL-6 was not required for IL-22 or IL-17A production by PEC. By ex vivo analysis of PEC at 1 d.p.i., we show that the major producers of early IL-12/23p40 in the peritoneal cavity were dendritic cells (DC), whereas macrophages notably contributed to IL-6 production. Taken together, these data suggest that DC initiate early IL-22 production at the site of infection which may contribute to resistance against salmonellosis. Furthermore, we provide evidence that production of IL-22 and IL-17A is differentially regulated during infection.


Abstract
The present study was undertaken to examine the protective influence of the alcoholic leaf extract of Hibiscus sabdariffa (Linn) Malvaceae (an indigenous edible medicinal plant used in Ayurvedic and traditional Medicine in India, China and Thailand) (HSEt) on oxidative stress during ammonium chloride induced hyperammonemia by measuring the extent of oxidative damage as well as antioxidant status. The levels of tissue (liver and kidney) lipid peroxides and the antioxidants; superoxide dismutase, catalase, reduced glutathione and glutathione peroxidase were studied in hyperammonemic rats. Hyperammonemia was induced by daily intraperitoneal injections of ammonium chloride at a dose of 100mg/kg body weight for 45 days. Decreased levels of tissue lipid peroxidation accompanied with increased antioxidant levels in hyperammonemic rats were observed during oral administration of HSEt (250mg/kg body weight), which clearly shows the antioxidant property of HSEt. The study of induction of the antioxidant status is considered to be a reliable marker for evaluating the antiperoxidative effect of the medicinal plant. Our present findings show the protective role of HSEt against lipid peroxidation and suggest that HSEt possesses antioxidant potential that may be used for therapeutic purposes. The exact mechanism of action of the extract still has to be investigated and the isolation of its active constituents remains to be done.

Keywords: Hibiscus sabdariffa; hyperammonemia; oxidative stress; antioxidants; lipid peroxidation.


Since the mid 1990s, public sector reform has been a major part of the economic reform process in Samoa. Leading the reform were senior officials from the central departments (Ministry of Finance and the Public Service Commission) and eventually foreign assistance, mainly from the Australian Government in the form of financial resources and expertise (Amosa 2003). This foreign assistance was necessary for two main reasons: the reform was costly to implement, and it required extensive experience to manage its complexity. At the turn of the century, the rhetoric about the reform slowed, signaling the end of the financial assistance from donors and the departure of expatriates. The enthusiasm, momentum, focus and language are no longer the same. Much of what is said now is about sustaining the reform. Interestingly, this stage does not attract as much publicity and energy compared to the earlier years - yet it is of equal importance. Hence, this paper examines how authorities of central ministries in Samoa can sustain the public sector reforms by focusing on mechanisms that are now in place, as well as suggesting several courses of action for improvement.


This brief paper attempted to provide critical analysis on focusing small enterprise development as a primary strategy in economic development. Research in Taiwan, which employed survival technique method, proved that small and medium enterprises (with the number of workers ranged from 20 to 99) were indeed the most efficient business. However, it does not necessarily mean that Taiwan's strategy could be adopted in Indonesia. The main problem in Indonesia's context was the unfair business environment, which made most of the small and medium enterprises in Indonesia could not develop naturally. Moreover, research in determining small and medium enterprises efficiency level must be conducted longitudinal and covered different time frame.


A method for PTZ camera re-configuration oriented toward tracking applications and surveillance systems is presented. Pan, tilt, and zoom configurations are computed based on visual constraints given by a coverage model of the camera system. The visual constraints are transformed into geometric constraints by the coverage model, and the final pan, tilt, and zoom configurations are averaged by a consensus algorithm. The approach is defined in a multi-agent framework by designing a distributed algorithm that enables scalability of the system and cooperation between the cameras. Experimental results show successful camera handoff and target tracking.


Compressible turbulent flow over a modern gas turbine blade is modeled in this thesis using Large Eddy Simulation (LES) methods. CFD simulation of turbo-machinery flows is a challenging problem due to the high Reynolds and Mach numbers of such flows. Reynolds Averages Navier Stokes (RANS) methods that are currently used in industry to model such turbulent flows do not give satisfactory results specifically at off-design conditions and therefore there is a need to further improve the turbulence modeling in the CFD simulations. Herein, different variations of the LES method are investigated to simulate this compressible turbulent flow. LES methodologies consist of Smagorinsky, Dynamic Smagorinsky, and Implicit LES accompanied by Yoshizawa and Van Driest relations. In this work, a 3D unstructured tetrahedral Navier-Stokes solver is applied using a mixed finite-volume-finite-element method. LES terms are discretized using the finite-element method. Parallel computation is performed according to MPI standards. LES pressure distribution results have significant differences with the 3D RANS results. Much more discrepancy is expected in velocity profiles, shear stresses, and heat transfer characteristics. Considering pressure distribution results and compared to the currently used RANS models, LES results are fairly superior especially in the off-design conditions. LES results of this work are more superior to RANS results in the regions close to leading edge which contains very high strain in fluid elements and it is not satisfactorily resolvable using RANS. RANS results of [66] are superior to LES results of this work for the mid suction side at which the turbulence structures are not resolved well in LES where a separation leads to constant pressure distribution which is captured as an attached flow in LES. This might be due to not introducing fluctuations at LES inlet and also to not having enough mesh resolution. Both LES and RANS results have difficulty resolving the shock/boundary layer interaction on the rear suction side of the blade. This might also be cured in LES by improving the mesh at that region or using adaptation methods or enhancing the shock capturing characteristics of the flux calculation method. The deficiencies of the LES simulation are discussed and possible cures and future works are elaborated. This work aims at accomplishing the first step and providing a solid basis for future works on an intellectually challenging topic which is of high importance in academia and industry: Turbulence Modeling


A morphological approach was used to quantify the transfer of gravel-sized (> 2mm) sediment from one river to the coast and its subsequent redistribution within the coastal zone. The study investigates sediment transport in wandering gravel-bed rivers, river mouth processes and sediment transport on gravel beaches. The research was largely field based and used results from repeat morphologic surveys of the lower, wandering gravel-bed reach of the River Spey, the Speymouth delta and gravel beaches of Spey Bay, north-east Scotland. The supply of gravel to the river mouth was episodic, with transport rates varying from 41 000 +/- 6 000 m3a-1 (1993-1994) to 6 000 +/- 4 000 m3a-1 (1997-1999). Transport rates were not directly related to flow conditions because the availability of sediment for transport was critical. Sediment was mobilised according to the recent local history of erosion, deposition and channel adjustment and not only the magnitude of the flood. Delivery to the coast of this episodic sediment supply was made more variable depending on the operation of the delta. A gravel spit complex extended westwards across the river mouth at a mean rate of 150 ma' between 1997 and 1999. This resulted in temporary storage of sediment in the extending spit which had implications for the downdrift coast. Cycles of accretion and erosion were created in the lee of the spit which were most significant at the river mouth before being propagated downdrift. Volumetric information obtained from successive beach profile surveys indicated that zones of accretion and erosion were spatially and temporally variable along the 16km coastline of Spey Bay. This variability was caused by the passage of pulses (or slugs) of sediment which moved alongshore in response to variations in sediment supply (e.g. episodic delivery of fluvial sediment, river mouth processes, beach feeding and storms). It is argued that gravel sediment moves alongshore as slugs by a given distance depending on the magnitude of storm events. Travel distances of ca. 2-3km were recorded following a major storm event in March 1998. This has important implications for the management of gravel beaches, as erosional zones (or "problems") are not static and vary in space and time. . Fluvial, deltaic and coastal volume changes were combined to estimate a short-term (3 year) sediment budget for the system. A medium-term budget (100 year) was also compiled from map analysis and river-modelling studies. Both budgets showed a net loss of sediment from the system, indicating a system that has been erosional for at least the last century.


Schramm-Loewner Evolution describes the scaling limits of interfaces in certain statistical mechanical systems. These interfaces are geometric objects that are not equipped with a canonical parametrization. The standard parametrization of SLE is via half-plane capacity, which is a conformal measure of the size of a set in the reference upper half-plane. This has useful harmonic and complex analytic properties and makes SLE a time-homogeneous Markov process on conformal maps. In this note, we show that the half-plane capacity of a hull A is comparable up to multiplicative constants to more geometric quantities, namely the area of the union of all balls centered in A tangent to R, and the (Euclidean) area of a 1-neighborhood of A with respect to the hyperbolic metric.


Layered structure with composition gradient between inner layer of alumina (Al2O3) and outer layer of zirconia ( ZrO2-3mol% Y2O3 ;TZ-3Y) was fabricated using a gel casting process for the inner layer and a dip coating process for the outer layer in an aqueous system. The interlayer with composition gradient was prepared by mixing the Al2O3 and TZ-3Y slips as a volume ratio. Dried green bodies of the inner layer were pre-sintered at 1100°C for 5hr. After pre-wetting the pre-sintered bodies, the dip coating was preformed with mixed slips. Two kinds of composition gradients in the interlayer were prepared to observe the effect of composition gradient on mechanical properties, with same thickness. One is continuous composition gradient from Al2O3 to TZ-3Y with 9:1 to 1:9 volume ratios, and the other is layered structure with 8:2, 6:4, 4:6, and 2:8 volume ratios of Al2O3 and TZ-3Y. After the dip coating with each mixed slip, the coated bodies were sintered at 1100°C for 1hr to prevent delamination between each layer. The last dip coating was performed with the TZ-3Y slip, and then sintered at 1600°C for 3hr. Microstructure and element analysis of the sintered bodies were observed using SEM. For measurement of flexural strength, a standard four-point banding test was conducted. Also, hardness and modulus were measured using micro- and nano-indentation techniques. The step-like gradient in microstructure and composition is achieved through the gel casting and dip coating processes, including a gradual change in H and E from the inner to outer layers.


Influence of annealing in molecular hydrogen as well as of treatment in hydrogen plasma (hydrogenation) on the electrical properties of NiSi2 precipitates in n- and p-type silicon has been studied by means of deep level transient spectroscopy (DLTS). Both annealing and hydrogenation gave rise to noticeable changes of the shape of the DLTS-peak and of the character of its dependence on the refilling pulse duration that according to [1] allows one to classify the electronic states of extended defects as "band-like" or "localized". In both n- and p-type samples DLTS-peak in the initial as quenched samples showed bandlike behaviour. Annealing or hydrogenation of n-type samples converted the band-like states to the localised ones but differently shifted the DLTS-peak to higher temperatures. In p-type samples, the initial "band-like" behaviour of DLTS peak remained qualitatively unchanged after annealing or hydrogenation. A decrease of the DLTS-peak due to precipitates and the appearance of the peaks due to substitutional nickel and its complexes were found in hydrogenated p-type sample after removal of a surface layer of 10-20µm.


The stress regime at subduction zones has been modelled using a visco-elastic, quadratic isoparametric finite element model. An isoparametric model is used because it performs more accurately than constant strain triangular elements (CST) and also allows curved sided elements to be introduced.A method for modelling the frictional sliding on Isoparametric fault elements has been developed by extending Mithen's (1980) CST model. The resulting method is suitable for modelling the deformation on both plane and listric, normal and thrust faults. Graben widths predicted by normal fault models agree with analytic solutions and this implies than Mithen's CST models failed to do so because they were too stiff. Application of this model to subduction zones demonstrates that the slab pull force induces tension in the subducting plate and compression in the overlying plate. Part of the lateral variation in stress which is observed at all subduction zones is therefore inferred to arise from the slab pull force. Differences in the magnitude of these stresses at different subduction zones may therefore be accounted for by local variations in the magnitude or dip of the slab pull force, and also by the extent of the coupling across the plate boundary. Various forces account for the stress regime in back arc regions. Tensional stress is generated by lateral density variations, and the heating and shearing caused by slab induced convection. Compressive stress, arising from the slab pull force, is superimposed upon this. The magnitude of the compression, however, is dependent upon the dip and size of the slab pull force and also the degree of mechanical coupling between the plates at the subduction zone fault. Local variations in the magnitude of the compressive stress may therefore explain why the stress regime is observed to be so variable in back arc regions, and is more commonly tension than compression.


Abstract Enfortumab vedotin (EV) is an antibody–drug conjugate with humanized anti-Nectin-4 antibody linked with a microtubule-disrupting agent called monomethyl auristatin E. Nectin-4 is a cellular adhesion protein that is overexpressed in urothelial cancer. EV was approved in December 2019 for patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial cancer who previously received platinum-based chemotherapy and immune checkpoint inhibitors. Here, we reviewed the clinical efficacy and safety data that led to the accelerated approval of EV for treating patients with metastatic urothelial cancer. Emerging clinical data on EV-based combinational therapeutic trials for metastatic urothelial cancer were also reviewed.


The present article investigates the effect of incorporation of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles in varied weight percentages into glass fiber-reinforced (GFR) epoxy composites through the evaluation of mechanical properties such as flexure strength, impact strength, and ultimate tensile strength of the composite. Thermogravimetric analysis for the fabricated composites has been taken up to evaluate the effect of ZnO nanoparticle on the thermal stability of the composite. The ZnO nanoparticle is loaded in different weight percentages ranging from 1 to 5 wt% and is dispersed uniformly in the epoxy resin through ultrasonication method. The required GFR epoxy-ZnO nanocomposites are fabricated through hand layup technique and cured through vacuum bagging method. The analysis of the obtained result indicate that ZnO has a negative impact on the mechanical properties such as flexure and tensile strengths, while it had a positive impact on the impact strength of the GFR epoxy-ZnO nanocomposites. These results indicate that ZnO has a greater affinity with the epoxy resin, which results in increase in matrix-dominated properties. The presence of ZnO nanoparticles result in the reduction of active sites for bond formation between the matrix and the glass fibers which tends to reduce the fiber-dominated properties such as tensile and flexure strength. The thermal responses of GFR epoxy-ZnO nanocomposites increased up to 2 wt% addition of ZnO nanoparticles, while at 5 wt% there was a reduction in the thermal response of the nanocomposite due to an increased steric hindrance


Studies in adult animal models of transient cerebral hypoxia-ischemia (HI) and ischemia suggest that morphologic evidence of neuronal death in some regions such as striatum appears early, while in other regions such as cerebral cortex and CA1 region of hippocampus it is delayed for few days and is referred to as delayed neuronal death (DND). Moreover, in some regions such as CA2/CA3 early 'reactive' neuronal changes occur that are potentially reversible. The aim of this study was to determine whether such changes may also occur in the developing brain. To that end, unilateral cerebral HI was produced in postnatal rats of 13, 21, and 30 days (p13, p21, p30) by right common carotid artery ligation and hypoxemia (breathing 8% O2), and their brains were examined at 24 h, 36 h, 72 h, and 96 h of recovery. The results suggest that: (i) DND is present in developing brain, but its regional distribution varies with animals' age. In cerebral cortex, it is more pronounced in p30 rats than in younger animals. In hippocampus, comparison of lesions of similar severity at different age groups shows a more pronounced DND in CA2/CA3 region of p13 rats than in older animals, but no significant differences exist in the degree of DND in CA1 neurons among different age groups. (ii) 'Reactive' neuronal changes characterized by reduction in Nissl staining and acidophilia of neuronal perikaryon with minimal nuclear abnormality are present at 24 h of recovery. These changes in some regions, such as in CA1 and cortex, progress to neuronal death, while in other regions such as in CA2/CA3 are potentially reversible. (iii) Recovery of reactive neurons in CA2/CA3 region is age dependent in that there is significant recovery in the older age groups, but not in p13 rats. The pathogenetic mechanisms of the reactive neuronal changes, the chain of events leading to DND or neuronal recovery, and the influence of age in these processes remain to be elucidated.


In order to improve the readability of RFCs while supporting their
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The objective of this paper is to analyze the employment variation in primary sector between the years 2000-2009 in Brazil. We used the methodology of input-output through the structural decomposition of the employment variation divided into effects of employment intensity, technology, demand structure, demand growth and total net variation. The main results showed that between the periods studied, there was a decrease of 773 thousand jobs in the sector of Agriculture and Extraction. We also find that the Agriculture, Forestry and Lumbering, and Livestock and Fishing sectors were the responsible for the employment decrease through the intensity effect. Looking at the total job variation, we found out that a significant amount of jobs were created in the Oil and Natural Gas and Iron sectors. Despite of that, and mostly because these sectors have a minor participation in the Brazilian primary sector, this employment increase was not enough to counterbalance the job decrease in the other sectors.


Changes in white-winged dove (Zenaida asiatica) distribution and habitat use have occurred in Texas since the 1940s. Breeding populations are now common in urban areas throughout Texas. These changes have resulted in unique challenges for monitoring populations in urban environ - ments because of factors such as traffic, construction, and residential development. Delineating potential breeding habitat within urban areas may make surveys more efficient. Our objectives were to examine nest tree selection and identify habitat attributes associated with urban populations of white- winged doves. We conducted nest searches at 15 auditory-count survey points in Kingsville, Texas, in 2003 and documented trees used for nesting. We tested the relationship of white-winged dove density (n = 49 survey points) with associated fine-resolution (mesquite ( Prosopis glandulosa) density, favorable tree density, and total tree density) and course-resolution (% mesquite canopy cover, % shade tree canopy cover, % woody plant canopy cover, and % open lawn) habitat variables throughout Kingsville in 2005. We documented that white-winged doves selected for live oak (Quercus virginiana) and against mesquite for nesting. The strongest relationships we found with fine-resolution and course-resolution habitat variables were between white- winged density and favorable tree density (R 2 = 0.40; P < 0.001) and % shade tree canopy cover (R 2 = 0.57; P < 0.001), respectively. Densely-canopied trees such as live oak may be the best indicator of suitable nesting habitat in urban areas. These data can be useful in predicting potential white-winged dove habitat in urban areas and for refining survey protocol regarding allocation and distribution of survey effort.


GOES-R: Satellite Insight seeks to bring awareness of the GOES-R (Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite -- R Series) satellite currently in development to an audience of all ages on the emerging medium of mobile games. The iPhone app (Satellite Insight) was created for the GOES-R Program. The app describes in simple terms the types of data products that can be produced from GOES-R measurements. The game is easy to learn, yet challenging for all audiences. It includes educational content and a path to further information about GOESR, its technology, and the benefits of the data it collects. The game features action-puzzle game play in which the player must prevent an overflow of data by matching falling blocks that represent different types of GOES-R data. The game adds more different types of data blocks over time, as long as the player can prevent a data overflow condition. Points are awarded for matches, and players can compete with themselves to beat their highest score.


Abstract Between 01.01.2010 and 31.12.2011, we conducted measurements of air temperature and relative humidity at points located deep within forest area, along the edge of the forest in the immediate vicinity of a lake and in open terrain. The thermal and humidity conditions that have a stimulating effect on human well-being were determined for the selected locations by calculating the number of hot (tmax ≥ 25°C) and very hot days (tmax ≥ 30°C) as well as the number of frosty (tmax < 0°C) and very frosty days (tmin ≤ −10°C). The range of the stimulatory effect on human well-being by temperature was determined based on changes in the average night temperature and the amplitude of the daily air temperature. Stimulating humidity conditions were determined by comparing the the relative humidity to a reference value associated with a moist feeling and calculating the number of humid days (s ≥18.8 mbar).


In the majority of public schools across the nation, Black male youth are undergoing what can be deemed as "educational genocide" – the killing off of any chances for an equitable education. This dramatically decreases opportunities for Black male youth to develop into fully participating citizens in a democratic society. In many ways, race is the silent killer because it is frequently masked. Preservice teachers often take their cue for how to treat Black male students from existing stereotypes about Black males and media representations of them. In this article, we argue for the development of racial literacy in preservice teacher education programs as a pedagogical method to mitigate the misreading of Black male students in teacher candidates' fieldwork experiences and subsequently in their future classrooms. Our argument operates from the premise that in a time when diversity, multiculturalism, and inclusion are more widely recognized than ever before, the notion of race, and popular education films that depict race, still influence how teacher candidates view Black male students, and race remains a predictor for how these students experience school.


This article reflects on a set of target articles concerned with the use of quantitative procedures in interpretive research. The authors of those articles (Osatuke & Stiles; Westerman; and Yanchar) discuss ways that numerical procedures can be brought into interpretive studies, using illustrations from research programs on psychotherapy process, schools, law courts, and work life. Instead of the usual quantitative—qualitative distinction, I use Geertz's distinction between experimental science and interpretive science and Kidder and Fine's distinction between Big-Q and small-q research to reflect on several procedural and epistemological differences among target papers. The diversity of approaches under the umbrella of qualitative methods is described, along with some recent developments. Even though US psychology continues to mount stiff resistance against incorporating interpretive approaches into its knowledge-producing practices, such approaches are flowering in other parts of the world.


Humankind's increased longevity and the younger population's lack of time and space to adequately care for a growing elderly segment of society have given rise to this unique architectural field. To the functional requirements - including medical facilities and adapted furniture - which such spaces demand can now be added an increased awareness of the vital need for creating comfortable and attractive homes where community life is fostered while also guaranteeing individual privacy. The projects included show a particular sensitivity to the therapeutic value of natural light and wide-open spaces, while also successfully integrating functional aspects. Architectural commentary, full-colour photographs and ground plans help provide thorough understanding of each project.


Abstract The Almada Basin, located in the southern Bahia State segment of NE Brazil, shares a similar sedimentation history and stress regime with the other eastern Brazilian basins. But when considering the composition of the transitional crust, a remarkably different behaviour is observed between the Almada Basin and the other eastern Brazilian basins. The architectural elements of the basin such as the reflection Moho discontinuity, the oceanic and continental basements, and the sedimentary section, as well as the tectonic style, are discussed in this study using gravity, seismic, regional geology and well-drilling results. The Almada Basin is part of a continental rift system that developed during the Early Cretaceous, heralding the Gondwana break-up and subsequently evolving into a passive divergent margin. Deep seismic profiles show the progressive thinning of the continental crust but there is no clear evidence of mantle exhumation. The Almada Basin is the conjugate margin of the South Gabon Basin in West Africa. Although both basins display similar stratigraphic record and geological evolution, the rifting mechanism resulted in a considerable asymmetric break-up. The Almada Basin is floored by the Itabunas–Salvador–Curaçá Belt of the São Francisco Craton and is characterized by Palaeoproterozoic granulites in a high-angle east-dipping thrust fault regime. However, the South Gabon Basin lies on the Neoproterozoic West Congolian Belt that is made up of low- to medium-grade metamorphic rocks in a low-angle thrust tectonic regime. The Precambrian basement fabric of both the Almada and South Gabon basins is marked by lithospheric-scale discontinuities that controlled the implantation of the rift zone and the extension style during the Mesozoic. The strong basement structural inheritance can be recognized in both the geological and geophysical records. The key architectural elements of a volcanic margin, such as large igneous provinces, seaward-dipping reflectors and the basinal syn-rift magmatism, are not recognized in the Almada Basin. Although the South Atlantic margin is mostly volcanic in the southernmost segment, the presence of these two non-volcanic segments – the southern Bahia State and the southern Gabon – are important as a record of the differences in the geotectonic process that governed the formation of the South Atlantic divergent margins.


Increasing salinity in ground water, arable lands and many rivers of the southwest coastal area are important consequences of sea level rise as well as climate change. The scarcity of fresh drinking water was the very initial impact of salinity intrusion that possessed multidimensional threats on human existence. Thus, the current study is designed to know the potential problems caused by salinity intrusion and the protective measures and coping mechanisms adopted by coastal people for salinity. To meet the objectives, two southwest coastal villages Joynagar and Parjoynagar of Kamarkhola union at Dacope upazila in Khulna district of Bangladesh were selected purposively as over past few decades along with other southwest coastal areas these two villages were suffering from increasing salinity intrusion. A collection of qualitative techniques including case study, FGDs and KIIs were adopted to gather vivid data. The results of the study found that apart from physical and psychological health salinity intrusion also possessed adverse impact on social health. The very common physical problems include acidity, stomach problem, several skin diseases and psychological problems include hypertension. Besides, there happened social health problem because of the physical and psychological problem. For example, early marriage happened because salinity gradually changed the skin color from light to gray. However, the findings also presented that all preventive measures of community and authority were taken only for securing fresh drinking water instead of taking preventive measures for purifying washing and cooking water that led to several diseases and problems. In conclusion, it can be recommended that increasing freshwater reservoirs can be a suitable solution for salinity intrusion of the coastal areas.


Approximating radiance fields with discretized volumetric grids is one of promising directions for improving NeRFs, represented by methods like DVGO, Plenoxels and TensoRF, which achieve super-fast training convergence and real-time rendering. However, these methods typically require a tremendous storage overhead, costing up to hundreds of megabytes of disk space and runtime memory for a single scene. We address this issue in this paper by introducing a simple yet effective framework, called vector quantized radiance fields (VQRF), for compressing these volume-grid-based radiance fields. We first present a robust and adaptive metric for estimating redundancy in grid models and performing voxel pruning by better exploring intermediate outputs of volumetric rendering. A trainable vector quantization is further proposed to improve the compactness of grid models. In combination with an efficient joint tuning strategy and post-processing, our method can achieve a compression ratio of 100× by reducing the overall model size to 1 MB with negligible loss on visual quality. Extensive experiments demonstrate that the proposed framework is capable of achieving unrivaled performance and well generalization across multiple methods with distinct volumetric structures, facilitating the wide use of volumetric radiance fields methods in real-world applications. Code is available at https://github.com/AlgoHunt/VQRF.


In accordance with Article 6 of Council Decision 2005/387/JHA on the information exchange,
risk assessment and control of new psychoactive substances.


Background: Managing symptom clusters instead of single symptoms could be more beneficial in cancer care. Psychoeducational intervention (PEI) has been highlighted as a promising symptom intervention, but the effect of PEI in the management of cancer symptom clusters remains unknown. Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of PEI on managing symptom clusters in patients with cancer. Methods: Six databases were searched, together with hand searching, to identify eligible randomized controlled trials from the year 2001 to July 2014. Data selection, quality appraisal of studies, and data extraction were conducted independently by 2 reviewers. Data were synthesized by use of a systematic narrative approach, and meta-analysis was conducted when this was possible. Results: Four eligible studies involving 343 cancer patients were included in the review. The methodological quality of the studies was generally fair. Symptom clusters seemed to improve with the provision of PEI. Meta-analysis shows significant improvement in functional performance. Conclusions: The evidence that PEI could alleviate cancer symptom clusters is encouraging but inconclusive in this review. Future well-designed investigations testing some commonly used PEI such as progressive muscle relaxation and patient education on various types of cancer symptom clusters are warranted. Implications for Practice: This review suggests a promising role of PEI in managing cancer symptom clusters. Healthcare providers should increase their awareness of managing symptom clusters using PEI to yield more effective and efficient cancer care.


Smart Grids require a clear understanding of consumer demand patterns. Classification of consumers according to their demand pattern is required for the effective planning of tariffs, eligibility for demand-side management (DSM) programs, energy production and transmission, as well as for security purposes. We propose a framework for classification of consumer load patterns using a hybrid system with a parameter estimation model, a clustering model and an artificial neural network (ANN). The proposed model provides an effective unbiased classification method. The process starts with generating a training data set from existing consumers without a priori classification. The raw load data is processed through a parameter estimation model and a clustering algorithm to generate a training data set with distinct impartial classification clusters. The training data is fed to an ANN for learning. Once the load patterns are learned, the model can be used to further classify new consumers into a demand pattern. The ANN provides fast and accurate clustering performance without underlying assumptions about shape or class. An analysis of the optimal number of clusters is presented. Results indicate that clusters with distinguishable characteristics are achieved and we demonstrate how regulators can make use of this method in demand curtailment planning.


Klebsiella pneumoniae is the third most common cause of nosocomial infections and leads to tremendous burden on health care spending and infection control, due to multiple drug resistance to the majority of present-day antibiotics. Elucidating the role of diverse innate immunity control mechanisms and signaling pathways in Klebsiella pneumoniae host response is essential in public health importance for developing new therapeutic antibiotic-alternatives. There is currently a gap in the research literature about the role of Follistatin-like protein 1 in infectious diseases. In this study, we establish that innate mechanisms can play a protective role in a Klebsiella pneumoniae pulmonary infection murine model via decreased secreted glycoprotein Follistatin-Like 1 Protein (FSTL1). Using a FSTL1 hypomorphic in vivo mouse model, we discovered that deficiency in FSTL1 production leads to significantly lower Klebsiella pneumoniae infectious burden (p<0.005) in a lung infection model. We additionally assessed gene expression by real-time qPCR that this lower burden was associated with differences in pro-inflammatory cytokine signaling, as expression of il7a, il1b, and csf3 were all significantly upregulated in FSTL1 hypomorphic mice compared to C57B6 wildtype controls. We further identified that FSTL1 hypomorphic mice express significantly higher γδ T cell receptor components, trdc (p<0.001) and trv4 (p<0.005), as well as increased populations of γδ T cells with significantly higher in IL-17A cytokine production (p<0.05) via flow cytometry analysis. These phenotypes were not able to be phenocopied in FSTL1 conditional knockout mice or the FSTL1 neutralizing antibody experimental model, suggesting that FSTL-1 hypomorph mice, uniquely, have increased γδ T-cells populations that likely are essential for control of infection. Our study provides evidence that deficient FSTL1 production in genetic and developmental mouse model can protect against Klebsiella pneumoniae lung infection. If this discovery is translational to the human condition, it could signify further research into FSTL1 protein as a host-oriented broad-spectrum drug target is warranted.


Gene and cell therapies have the potential to revolutionize the treatment of incurable diseases which are often debilitating, if not fatal. Compelling clinical successes and recent drug approvals have fueled ongoing investments in this exciting area of therapeutic research, with over 1000 therapies in clinical trials at the end of 2019 [1]. Despite the forward momentum in the clinic, challenges remain to be solved in order to make these novel drugs accessible to larger patient populations. As it stands now, downstream recoveries are as low as 5-30% for viral vector production, depending on the process [2]. Manufacturing capacity, production yields, and supply chain logistics continue to be an area of focus for improvements to ensure customers get safe and affordable therapies. The key to improvement and success is implementing high quality process design and process parameters to ensure robustness and reproducibility. What tools and checks can be implemented to ensure constant product and process control?


Generalising robustly to distribution shift is a major challenge that is pervasive across most real-world applications of machine learning. A recent study highlighted that many advanced algorithms proposed to tackle such domain generalisation (DG) fail to outperform a properly tuned empirical risk minimisation (ERM) baseline. We take a different approach, and explore the impact of the ERM loss function on out-of-domain generalisation. In particular, we introduce a novel meta-learning approach to loss function search based on implicit gradient. This enables us to discover a general purpose parametric loss function that provides a drop-in replacement for cross-entropy. Our loss can be used in standard training pipelines to efficiently train robust models using any neural architecture on new datasets. The results show that it clearly surpasses cross-entropy, enables simple ERM to outperform some more complicated prior DG methods, and provides state-of-the-art performance across a variety of DG benchmarks. Furthermore, unlike most existing DG approaches, our setup applies to the most practical setting of single-source domain generalisation, on which we show significant improvement.


There is growing evidence that tacit collusion can be autonomously achieved by machine learning technology, at least in some real-life examples identified in the literature and experimental settings. Although more work needs to be done to assess the competitive risks of widespread adoption of autonomous pricing agents, this is still an appropriate time to examine which possible remedies can be used in case competition law shifts towards the prohibition of tacit collusion. This is because outlawing such conduct is pointless unless there are suitable remedies that can be used to address the social harm. This article explores how fines and structural and behavioural remedies can serve to discourage collusive results while preserving the incentives to use efficiency-enhancing algorithms. We find that this could be achieved if fines and remedies can target structural conditions that facilitate collusion. In addition, the problem of unfeasibility of injunctions to remedy traditional price coordination changes with the use of pricing software, which in theory can be programmed to avoid collusive outcomes. Finally, machine-learning methods can be used by the authorities themselves as a tool to test the effects of any given combination of remedies and to estimate a more accurate competitive benchmark for the calculation of the appropriate fine.


The authors have developed an apparatus for varying an electrode force of a spot welding machine. This is equipped with a servomotor by which we can change rotation instantaneously from normal to reverse and vice versa, and also has a display by which we can monitor the change in the electrode force. Lap resistance spot welding was performed on cold rolled steel (SPCC) and temporal changes of the electrode force were compared with those by a conventional process. In the conventional process the electrode force changed complexly with the elapsed time and the changes were divided into three kinds depending on welding current. When we decreased the initial electrode force than that in the conventional process good welds could be obtained even in lower welding current and the decrease in the thickness of the welds could be lowered. In this case the temporal changes of the electrode force could be explained during the expansion and shrinkage of the welds, though the electrode force changed complexly depending on the initial electrode force and welding current.


The present study introduces NOMspectra, a Python package for processing high resolution mass spectrometry data on complex systems of natural organic matter (NOM). NOM is characterized by multicomponent composition reflected as thousands of signals producing very complex patterns in high resolution mass spectra. This complexity sets special demands on the methods of data processing used for analysis. The developed NOMspectra package offers a comprehensive workflow for processing, analyzing, and visualizing information-rich mass spectra of NOM and HS including algorithms for filtering spectra, recalibrating, and assigning elemental compositions to molecular ions. Additionally, the package includes functions for calculating various molecular descriptors and methods for data visualization. A graphical user interface (GUI) has been developed to make a user-friendly interface for the proposed package.


The pediatrician presented with an adolescent complaining of recurrent or chronic pain should assess the antecedents, sustainers and consequences of the pain syndrome. Particular attention should be paid to the developmental tasks of adolescence and the presence of psychosocial stress in the adolescent's family, school, peer relationships or community. Regardless of its etiology, effective management of recurrent or chronic pain in adolescence involves a balance of cognitive, behavioral and pharmacologic interventions.


We investigate the X-ray emission from accretion shocks in classical T Tauri stars, due to the infalling material impacting the stellar surface. Several aspects in both observations and models of the accretion process are still unclear: the observed X-ray luminosity of the post-shock plasma is below the predicted value, the density vs temperature structure of the shocked plasma, with increasing densities at higher temperature, is opposite of what expected from simple accretion shock models. To address these issues we performed numerical magnetohydrodynamic simulations describing the impact of an accretion stream onto the stellar surface and considered the local absorption due to the surrounding medium. We explored the effects of absorption for different viewing angles and for the He-like line triplets commonly used for density diagnostic. From the model results we synthesize the X-ray emission from the accretion shock, producing maps and spectra. We perform density and temperature diagnostics on the synthetic spectra, and we directly compare our results with the observations. Our model shows that the X-ray fluxes detected are lower than expected because of the local absorption. The emerging spectra suggest a complex density vs temperature distribution proving that a detailed model accounting for a realistic treatment of the local absorption is needed to interpret the observations of X-ray emitting accretion shocks. 200 Accretion shocks: X-rays


Background and aim Thrombocytopenia has been linked to an increased risk of major intraventricular-periventricular haemorrhage (IVH-PVH) in preterm neonates. Recent studies observing neonatal thrombocytopenia found no causative relationship between severe thrombocytopenia and major haemorrhage, but confirmation whether IVH-PVH is a cause or effect of thrombocytopenia is lacking. We aimed to determine the temporal relationship between the timing of major bleeding and significant thrombocytopenia (platelet count <100 x109/L) in neonates with major IVH-PVH. Methods Retrospective review of all neonates admitted to our neonatal unit between 01/01/2005 and 31/12/2010 who had major IVH-PVH. We analysed case notes, haematology results, and cranial ultrasonograms to determine, where possible, the timing of each infant's IVH-PVH based on acute clinical symptoms, significant fall in haemoglobin concentration, and appearances on ultrasonograms. We recorded platelet counts from up to 3 days before and 7 days after the major IVH-PVH. Results Complete data were available for 48/64 (75%) neonates in the 6-year study period. 22/48 (46%) neonates already had major IVH-PVH evident on their very first ultrasonogram and therefore had no definite pre-bleed platelet count available. 26/48 (54%) neonates with an initial normal ultrasonogram had major IVH-PVH on subsequent ultrasonography, with the haemorrhage occurring at a median postnatal age of 27 hours. Of these, only 3/26 (12%) were already significantly thrombocytopenic before their IVH-PVH (pre-bleed platelet count range: 53-75×109/L), 21/26 (81%) became significantly thrombocytopenic post the IVH-PVH (with median nadir post-bleed platelet count 40 x109/L [range: 7-99×109/L]), and only 2/26 (8%) maintained a platelet count of >100 x109/L in the wake of the major IVH-PVH. Of 22 infants with definite pre- and post-bleed platelet counts available, the median fell from 146 x109/L pre-bleed (range 40-318×109/L), to a nadir of median 46 x109/L post-bleed (range 7-252×109/L). Conclusion Most preterm neonates who develop major IVH-PVH become significantly thrombocytopenic as a direct consequence of the bleeding event. These data imply that prophylactically transfusing platelets to thrombocytopenic neonates in an attempt to prevent major intraventricular haemorrhage is belated.


In this paper, a methodology to process fringe patterns is presented. The core of the signal processing technique is the use of the direction information, which is a modulo quantity that locally indicates the direction along which fringes grow at a maximum rate. By using this information, it was possible to perform adaptive and direction/orientation-based operations on fringe images to remove unwanted effects (mainly distortions at the image borders), to enhance the contrast, and to extract the phase information encoded. The method has been applied on shadow-moire interferograms with carrier fringes in order to measure the surface of small objects. The developed algorithm allows processing of fringes whose phase information is not monotonically increasing everywhere and to more accurately estimate the phase itself. The results from two experimental fringe patterns are presented. These results are compared with the measurements that are performed by means of a conoscopic system that is used as a reference. Hence, it was possible to calculate the uncertainty of the performed measurements. Aside from the possibility of decoding fringe patterns that present closed fringes, the proposed method provides measurements that are characterized by an uncertainty that is more than halved compared with Fourier-based methods.


In this paper, we propose to use procedural ani- mation of a human character to enhance the interpretation of music. The system consists of a procedural motion generator which generates expressive motions according to music features extracted from a music input, and uses Dynamic Programming (DP) to segment a piece of music into several music segments for further planning of character animations. In the literature, much animation research related to music uses reconstruction and modification of existing motions to compose new animations. In this work, we analyze the relationship between music and mo- tions, and then use procedural animation to automatically gen- erate expressive motions for the upper body of a human charac- ter to interpret music. Our experiments show that the system can generate appropriate motions for music of different styles and allow a user to modify system parameters to satisfy his/her visual preferences.


The general objective of the study is to characterize the woody vegetation of 05 agroforestry parkland in the Sudano-Sahelian zone of Cameroon. A total of 40 floristic surveys of 200  20 m were carried out. A total of 33 species in 20 families and 31 genera were recorded. The dendrometric survey method enabled us to characterize the vegetation of the agroforestry parks. The dendrometric parameters and indices calculated according to the agroforestry parks vary from one park to another. Thus, density varies from 108±2.98-223±8.01 individuals/ha, recovery from 6.11±0.21-10.12±0.31%, basal area from 6.54±1.12 to 10.05±1.87 m²/ha, biovolume from 20.09±2.22-38.54±3.76 m3/ha, total height from 2.11±0.01-5.06±0.04 m, natural regeneration rate from 2.11±0.52-7.40±1.09%. The Shannon index varies from 1.36±0.20-2±0.29 bits, Pielou index from 0.14±0.07-0.35±0.18 and Simpson index from 0.82±0.02-0.97±0.03. The species with the highest SIV and SIR are Combretum glutinosum, Combretum adenogonium, Sclerocarya birrea, Prosopis africana, Entada africana, Anacardium occidentale, Burkea africana, Maytenus senegalensis, Ficus glumosa. The Mimosaceae, Caesalpiniaceae, Combretaceae show a high representativeness in relation to their family importance value. The diameter structure showed a predominance of young individuals and the height structure showed a predominance of individuals of class [4-6 m]. These results can be used as a reference in monitoring the vegetation dynamics of agroforestry parks subject to recurrent droughts and anthropogenic pressures. This study provides a better understanding of the vegetation in agroforestry parks in order to better manage these plant resources.


The problem of remote‐controlling a mobile robot through the Internet with its associated bandwidth constraints is addressed in this paper. Our solution combines a novel communication and processing module with a unique sensor layout and a flexible control architecture to achieve a range of capabilities from traditional teleoperation to point‐and‐click autonomy. Careful management of the available bandwidth enables a demonstration of these capabilities between nodes with 20,000 km separation while also providing real‐time three‐dimensional (3D) models of the environment through the Internet. A spatially oriented compression algorithm, integral to efficient bandwidth management, is also presented. Experiments establish the effectiveness of the extended situational awareness in improving the efficiency and accuracy of driving a mobile robot through a cluttered environment over the existing 2D map or video streaming methods. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


In welded steel structures, the fatigue failure sometimes occurs at the weld joints. The present maintenance is done by the watching of workpeople and the detection of the minute damage is very difficult. This study has investigated the way of detecting fatigue damages in some welded structural components. The examined structural components are beam-pillar joint test components and bead welding specimens. As a result, it has been confirmed that fatigue damages, which occur from the weld toe, can be detected with the monitoring of strain change near the weld toe.


To evaluate summer/fall Chinook (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) migration and movement patterns as part of the planning process for the Colville Confederated Tribes' planned Chief Joseph Hatchery, we radio tagged 291 adult Chinook that migrated above Wells Dam in 2005. The primary objectives of this study were to 1) identify whether the passage time of Chinook through the Wells Dam was related to spawning time and location, 2) if the proposed hatchery ladder was suitably placed to attract returning adults, and 3) identify areas where Chinook may be captured using selective fishing gears. Both spawning location and spawning ground arrival date are related to passage date at Wells Dam but a relationship between spawning date and passage date at Wells was not observed. Earlier-arriving Chinook were more likely to migrate to the upper Okanogan and Similkameen rivers while later-arriving Chinook were more likely to migrate to the lower Okanogan River or remain in the mainstem Columbia River. Most radio tagged Chinook migrated up the Okanogan River when the temperature dropped below 20 degrees Celsius. However, there were tagged Chinook that migrated into the Okanogan River despite water temperatures of 20-25 degrees Celsius, temperatures typically considered lethal for salmonids. Data were collected so that in the future, genetic analysis can be used to further evaluate potential population differences. Broodstock collection for the planned hatchery will use selective fishing methods. As a result, radio tag detections from fixed and mobile surveys were used to identify areas where fish aggregate. During 2005, suitable fishing gears were also identified. These gear/location combinations will be tested in the next two years for their ability to capture salmon with little harm and in good condition so that broodstock may be collected and species of concern, such as steelhead trout (O. mykiss) may be released with little harm. Based on the results of this study, the ladder placement for the planned hatchery is suitable. Many Chinook hold at the base of Chief Joseph Dam and move back and forth between this area and the Colville Trout Hatchery, which is near the confluence of the Columbia and Okanogan Rivers. The proposed ladder position on the right side (north shore) of the Columbia River should draw in adults that hold in this area. Although 87.9% of the fish in this area spent time on both sides of the river, most fish (70.1%) were first detected on the right bank, indicating they moved into the area from the right bank (north shore) of the river. Further, although fish were found on both sides of the river throughout the study period, significantly more fish were found on the right bank. Once the hatchery is built and holds juvenile salmon, the ladder should provide additional incentive to adult Chinook as a chemical attractant. Many radio tagged fish (41.8%) remained in the mainstem Columbia, indicating that deepwater spawning may be presently occurring in the area between Wells and Chief Joseph dams. Historic data describes spawning occurring in this area. As a result of this study, potential spawning areas have been identified for future investigation.


Unethical behavior seems to be increasing exponentially in every facet of today's business environment. Property and production deviance are just two of the unethical behaviors exhibited by employees. According to a study conducted by S. Nonis and C. Swift (2001), students who engage in dishonest acts in college classes are more likely to engage in dishonest acts in the workplace. Research conducted during the three year period 2002 - 2005 by Don McCabe in conjunction with The Center for Academic Integrity at Duke University reveals that 70 percent of the 50,000 undergraduate students surveyed admit to some cheating (McCabe 2005). This article reports the results of a student survey documenting the self-reported cheating habits of business and non-business majors and their reported involvement in deviant activities in the workplace. The research indicates that a higher percentage of non-business majors report cheating on tests and homework than business majors and students who cheat in high school and/or college are more likely to engage in certain deviant behaviors in the workplace. In addition, the article also compares the percentage of students engaging in property and production deviance with the results of an earlier study by R. C. Hollinger and J. P. Clark examining workplace deviance among employees in the retail sector.


The aim of this study was to look for the presence of IgG, IgM, and IgA antibodies against two widely consumed foods, wheat and milk, in a relatively large number of specimens. As wheat, milk, and their antigens have been found to be involved in neuroimmune disorders, we measured the co-occurrence of their antibodies against various neural antigens. We assessed the reactivity of sera from 400 donors to wheat and milk proteins, GAD-65, cerebellar, MBP, and MOG. Statistical analysis showed significant clustering when certain wheat and milk protein antibodies were cross-referenced with neural antibodies. Approximately half of the sera with antibody elevation against gliadin reacted significantly with GAD-65 and cerebellar peptides; about half of the sera with elevated antibodies against α + β-casein and milk butyrophilin also showed antibody elevation against MBP and MOG. Inhibition studies showed that only two out of four of the samples with elevated cerebellar or MOG antibodies could be inhibited by gliadin or α + β-casein, confirming individual variation in epitope recognition. We conclude that a subgroup of blood donors, due to a breakdown in immunological tolerance, may react and produce significant levels of antibodies (p-values less than 0.05) against wheat and milk antigens that cross-react with different neural antigens, which may have broader implications in the induction of neuroimmune reactivities.


This paper presents a new persuasive technology that uses a corpus stored in a database to generate learning objects for tutoring of self-directed learning. The technology was developed within the European Union project EuroPLOT 2010-2013 in order to drive effective learning through technology with, in, and around a corpus application. The paper argues that a corpus can generate learning objects, but a theory of Persuasive Technology must to be applied to optimise the design for learning. The paper presents Bible Online Learner as the implementation of this new architecture for persuasive corpus-driven learning, persuading the learner to focus on the form of the text through the interface and then guiding the learner into practice authentic forms. The corpus used is a database of the Hebrew Bible created by the EepTalstra Centre for Bible and Computer at the VU University in Amsterdam for and called ETCBC4.


In the field of Combinatorial Optimization, the resolution to optimality of large instances of optimization problems through the use of Branch-and-Bound algorithms require a huge amount of computational resources. Nowadays, such resources are available from computing grids, which are sets of computing nodes geographically distributed over multiple sites. These parallel environments introduces multiples challenges related to the scalability, the heterogeneity of resources and the fault tolerance. Most of the existing approaches for the Branch-and-Bound algorithm are based on the Master-Slave paradigm where a central entity shares work units among slave entities in charge of processing them. Such an architecture represents an obstacle to scalability. In this thesis, we propose to face the challenges of grid environments and overcome this limitation by proposing an innovative and fully distributed approach based on the Peer-to-Peer paradigm. This architecture is based on a unique type of entity, a peer which is in charge of exploring its own local work pool and broadcasts global information to the network. We provide mechanisms to deal with the main tasks of the Branch-and-Bound algorithm : the load balancing, the diffusion of the best solution and the detection of the termination. Along with extensive experiments conducted on the Flow-Shop Scheduling Problem using the Grid'5000 Experimental Grid, we propose a formal proof of the correctness of our approach.In addition to this, we tackle a central issue when designing a Peer-toPeer application : the impact of the P2P network topology on the performance of our approach. This aspect is often ignored in most of existing works, where only a predefined organization is chosen for the peers. The obtained results showed that the approach allows to deploy computing networks at extreme scales, involving hundreds of thousands of computing cores. Our final contribution consists in a Fault-Tolerant approach to deal with the dynamicity of the network (the volatility of computational resources). Results indicate that it faces efficiently various real-case and failure-intensive situations.


Risk is part of every business decisions.  Risk Management helps enterprises whether to take or avoid some risks that related to their objectives. Risks are by their very nature dynamics, fluid and highly interdependent so that they cannot be broken into separate components and managed independently. Enterprises operating in today's volatile environment require a much more integrated approach to managing their portfolio of risks that is Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) SOAR. Methodology can be used to implement an effective ERM framework. This paper focuses on the application of the SOAR process to risks associated with strategic objectives.  The further explanation will contain the elaboration of SOAR concepts, process and example. Key words: ERM, SOAR, strategic objective, risk drivers, controls, metrics


The expression of the zeste gene varies through the life cycle of the fly. Its transcription is most abundant in maternal RNA, declines to very low levels during larval growth, but rises again in late third instar larvae and pupae. Using transposons containing a zeste-lacZ gene, we found a corresponding variation in the tissue distribution of zeste from stage to stage. Nearly ubiquitous expression of the zeste-lacZ gene is found in late embryos and first instar larvae, but disappears almost completely except in brain and gonads by third instar larva. Shortly before pupation expression rises again in imaginal discs, Malpighian tubules, and salivary glands and again becomes nearly ubiquitous in pupae. zeste continues to be expressed in adult brain and gonads. We constructed flies carrying a zeste gene controlled by the heat shock promoter and studied the distribution of zeste protein in their polytene chromosomes as well as those of wild-type flies. Using affinity-purified anti-zeste antibodies, we find that wild-type salivary gland chromosomes contain about 60 strong bands of zeste immunofluorescence at specific cytological locations. After heat induction of larvae containing the hs-zeste gene, many hundreds of bands appear. These results suggest the involvement of zeste in the expression of a wide variety of genes at different developmental stages.


Sec3p is a component of the exocyst complex that tethers secretory vesicles to the plasma membrane at exocytic sites in preparation for fusion. Unlike all other exocyst structural genes, SEC3 is not essential for growth. Cells lacking Sec3p grow and secrete surprisingly well at 25 degrees C; however, late markers of secretion, such as the vesicle marker Sec4p and the exocyst subunit Sec8p, localize more diffusely within the bud. Furthermore, sec3Delta cells are strikingly round relative to wild-type cells and are unable to form pointed mating projections in response to alpha factor. These phenotypes support the proposed role of Sec3p as a spatial landmark for secretion. We also find that cells lacking Sec3p exhibit a dramatic defect in the inheritance of cortical ER into the bud, whereas the inheritance of mitochondria and Golgi is unaffected. Overexpression of Sec3p results in a prominent patch of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) marker Sec61p-GFP at the bud tip. Cortical ER inheritance in yeast has been suggested to involve the capture of ER tubules at the bud tip. Sec3p may act in this process as a spatial landmark for cortical ER inheritance.


We report on the seeded growth of fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO) polycrystalline transparent conducting oxide (TCO) thin films on float glass using a novel two-step chemical vapour deposition (CVD) method. Aerosol-assisted CVD (AACVD) was used to grow a seed layer to direct and promote full film growth via an atmospheric pressure CVD (APCVD) overlay. The method allowed for reproducible control over morphology and denser, rougher, higher-performing TCO at a relatively low growth temperature (500 °C). Growth promotion depended on seeding time with an optimal seeding time being present, below which morphology control and conformal coverage was unavailable. The film properties and functional characteristics were characterised by SEM, AFM, XRD, XPS, UV-Vis-Near IR transmittance-reflectance and Hall Effect probe measurements. Highly transparent and electrically conductive films, comparable to commercial materials and with high roughness and low transmission haze values indicate the process yields high quality films with a controllable morphology that can be tuned to desired application. The versatile method provides a route towards the morphological control of high-quality FTO thin films with high optical clarity and low-emissivity properties and can be readily extended to a variety of different substrates and metal oxide materials.


While aging remains one of the most significant risk factors for development of Alzheimer disease (AD), increasing evidence strongly points to the potential roles of cerebrovascular and white matter abnormalities in the disease development. A better understanding of the manner in which these abnormalities contribute to disease progression can be achieved by in vivo characterization of AD related pathologies. To this end, MR based techniques serve as effective non-invasive tools to longitudinally monitor changes in AD brain. In this thesis, a variety of MR based techniques were optimized and employed to longitudinally monitor the AD progression in transgenic mouse models of the disease at 9.4T and 17.6T. In Chapter 2, age-dependent blood flow alterations were examined in a Tg2576 mouse model of Alzheimer's disease using MR angiography at 17.6T. AD is linked to abnormalities in the vascular system. In Chapter 3, in vivo T2 changes were longitudinally monitored in the corpus callosum, of the Tg2576 mice. In Chapter 4, age-dependent regional brain T1 and T2 changes in healty mice were established at 17.6T. In vivo imaging of these mouse models at ultra-high magnetic field strengths can permit a better understanding of the underlying cellular mechanism of AD.


A homology-built structural model of 17beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase from the fungus Cochliobolus lunatus, a member of the short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase family, was worked out using the known three-dimensional structure of trihydroxynaphthalene reductase (EC 220.127.116.11) from Magnaporthe grisea as a template. Due to 61% sequence identity, the model also revealed a similar backbone trace. On the basis of qualitative thin-layer chromatography and comparative kinetic tests of the activity toward various potential steroid substrates, we conclude that androgens are more efficiently converted than estrogens. Their specific oxidoreduction predominantly occurs at the C17 position while no significant conversion at C3 and C20 was determined. Additionally, a thousand times effective inhibition by 5-methyl-(1,2,4)-triazolo[3,4-b]benzothiazole and no activity toward 2,3-dihydro-2,5-dihydroxy-4H-benzopyran-4-one indicate distinct specificies of 17beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase from the fungus C. lunatus and trihydroxynaphthalene reductase. The results of the analysis of progress curve measurements for the forward and backward reactions are consistent with the Theorell-Chance reaction mechanism also predicted from the structural model. In accordance with these results, 4-androstene-3,17-dione was docked into the enzyme active site using molecular modeling and dynamics calculations.