: A collaborative practice was established at the University of Southern California/Kenneth Norris Jr. Cancer Hospital utilizing combined roles of the CNS and nurse practitioner. The role was created out of a specific need of the physicians of the gastrointestinal malignancy service. Increased administrative and clinical responsibilities necessitated another clinical expert to be readily available for the management of the acute care private practice patients. As a CNS for both the departments of medicine and nursing, my primary responsibilities are focused within the ambulatory care area. This paper presents the concept for this position, the professional and personal benefits, advantages and disadvantages, and recommendations for nursing practice.


The last 15 years of research related to atmospheric corrosion and the release of copper to the environment are shortly summarized. Brown and green patinas with high barrier properties for corrosion are gradually evolved on copper at atmospheric conditions. The corrosion process and repeated dry and wet cycles results in a partial dissolution of corrosion products within the patina. Dissolved copper can be released and dispersed into the environment via the action of rainwater, however the major part is rearranged within the patina during drying cycles. The majority of corrosion products formed have a poor solubility, very different from water soluble copper salts. The release process is very slow and takes place independent of patina color. Its extent has only a marginal effect on the adherent patina. Released copper rapidly interacts with organic matter and in contact with different surfaces already in the close vicinity of the building, such as drainage systems, storm water pipes, pavements, stone materials and soil systems. These surfaces all have high capacities to retain copper in the runoff water and to reduce its concentration and chemical form to non-available and non-toxic levels for aquatic organisms.


We can consider several kinds of subcontexts and discuss their relations with the enveloping context. These include theories and their lifting to outer contexts as discussed in [1]. Also there are contexts of initial segments and other parts of a sentence that give the referents of nouns, pronouns and other parts of speech. Next we have problem solving contexts which are created to formalize problems, e.g. the Amarel context for missionaries and cannibals. Finally, we will discuss database contexts that relate the contents of different databases as in [2].


Aims and Background Recombinant human erythropoietin (Epo) and granulocyte-colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) are used to stimulate hematopoiesis in patients with malignant diseases. These cytokines transduce their biological signal via the Epo receptor (EpoR) and G-CSF receptor (G-CSF-R) into the cell. We therefore investigated in human tumor cell lines the expression of these receptors in tumor cells as well as their response to Epo and G-CSF. Methods and Study Design The expression of EpoR and G-CSF-R mRNA was analyzed with reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). EpoR protein expression was further monitored with Western blot and immunocytochemistry analysis. The cellular response to various concentrations of Epo was evaluated using 3[H]-thymidine uptake, Northern blot of c-fos expression and tyrosine kinase activity assay. The proliferation after G-CSF incubation was analyzed with the MTS assay. Results In this study EpoR mRNA and protein were detected in various human tumor cell lines. Treatment with Epo did not influence the proliferation rate of examined EpoR-positive tumor cell lines. Epo did not stimulate the tyrosine kinase activity nor did it affect the c-fos mRNA in these cell lines. G-CSF-R mRNA was only detected in two myeloid cell lines. Treatment with G-CSF did not increase the proliferation of these cells. Conclusions These results demonstrate that Epo and G-CSF did not modulate the growth rate of examined receptor-positive tumor cell lines; the presence of the Epo receptor seems not essential for cell growth of these tumor cells in cell culture.


Permafrost regions are highly sensitive to climate
changes. To monitor key variables and to identify
environmentally relevant-processes is of topmost importance
in these environments. Beside data analysis
and map creation capabilities, Geographical Information
Systems (GIS) also comprise functionalities for
mobile data acquisition in the field, data transfer, data
monitoring, data description, as well as data sharing
and publication of data as WebGIS Services (Web
Map/Feature Services (WMS, WFS)). Due to their
excellent usability GIS technology and services are
very common in many scientific disciplines all over the
world, and since most data formats are standardized
data re-use and data interchangeability are guaranteed.
We visualize field-derived and remote sensing derived research data, collected within Russian and
German cooperation projects in the Lena River Delta,
Laptev Sea Region (Siberia) on a Web GIS Platform.
We visualize the locations of long-term discharge measurements
and of soil sampling for organic Carbon and
Nutrients. Geormorphological feature classes derived
from satellite data and publicly available environmental
data layers (e.g. vegetation, soils, and digital
elevation models) display the broader regional and
thematic context. AWI offers WebGIS services published
under http://maps.awi.de/awimaps/. The
WebGIS core components are ArcGIS for Server 10.3
and PostgreSQL databases 9.3 including Spatial Database
Engine (SDE).


The paper presents the results of a grade reports analysis for five sessions of a massive open online course "Data Management" at openedu.ru. For our research, we used clustering and classification in the R programming environment. Clustering showed the presence of four groups of course participants with nearly similar course results. These clusters were similar for all five sessions of the course we analyzed. We also showed it is possible to predict whether a participant completes the course or drops out, based on the test results during the first half of the course. The course lecturers can use the results to plan measures for keeping the students in the course. Also, such a type of analysis helps to understand the reasons why the students drop out of the course. The lecturers can take them into account to modify the course structure and learning content. This new knowledge about the course participants can be used during the next course sessions. We expect that for other courses with a similar structure, the clustering results will be also similar. The approach to predict whether a student drops out or completes the course used in the paper is applicable for other courses as well.


ABSTRACT The relationship between specific antibody profiles and tuberculosis (TB) state was investigated by measuring serum antibody levels to six Mycobacterium tuberculosis antigens in human subjects grouped into four diagnostic categories: active disease, inactive (past) tuberculosis, latent infection without radiographic chest abnormalities, and infection free. Statistical data analyses showed that the latter two groups were serologically indistinguishable and that active tuberculosis and inactive tuberculosis were characterized by different antibody profiles. Antibodies to the 38-kDa antigen, alanine dehydrogenase, and Rv2626c were associated with active TB, while antibodies to the 16-kDa antigen, ferredoxin A, and ESAT-6 were associated with inactive TB. Thus, the targets of the immune response vary with tuberculosis state. The correlation between bacterial antigen production and infection stage was investigated in mice infected with M. tuberculosis by bacterial transcription profiling. It was found that levels of transcripts encoding the six M. tuberculosis antigens varied during infection. Together, the data indicate that antigen composition of tubercle bacilli varies with stage of infection and that immunoprofiling can distinguish between tuberculosis states.


The UDS efficiency in lymphocytes of professionals chronically exposed to gamma/neutron radiation, as well as for a control cohort was estimated. A credible reduction of UV-induced UDS (KUV) index as compared to the control was demonstrated. This shows an invalid repair state of blood cells in professionals. As for the control cohort, the decreasing tendency of UDS index with age was found. The correlative analysis of UDS index dependence upon an absorbed dose (based on physical dosimetry data) revealed the trend towards repair index reduction along with a higher total absorbed doze, that is followed by UDS index coming onto a plateau. It was also demonstrated that after a sharp and/or accidental irradiation UDS index reduces as compared to permanent portioned irradiation. It was not observed the influence of smoking upon UDS efficiency in blood lymphocytes neither for control, nor for experimental group. The analysis of vitamin therapy of the both cohorts showed that such therapy raises UDS index of the control (i.e., non-professional) group. Besides, it was found out an additional positive effect of vitamin therapy, i.e. doze leveling in long-term perspective after irradiation. The most expressed KUV/doze correlation was characteristic for professionals, who do not take vitamins and do not smoke. This proves that in blood cells of professionals it is preserved a dependence of repair system invalidity upon the absorbed doze without similar external factors.


Objective: The objective of the study is to study the anti-hyperglycemic potential of Ethyl Acetate dissolved fraction of methanolic extract of Achyranthes aspera Linn. (EAAA) leaves on STZ induced diabetic rat model. Materials and Methods: Safety study of EAAA was carried out with different doses up to 2000 mg/kg. Hyperglycemia was developed in Sprague Dawley male (SD) rats by only one dose of streptozotocin 55 mg/kg in 0.1 M Citrate buffer by intraperitoneal route. Hyperglycemic rats were treated with EAAA 50,100mg/kg and Metformin 120 mg/kg body wt. Biological specifications such as glucose level in blood, insulin level in serum and glucose transporter (GLUT-2) protein expression were measured. In addition, histopathological study of pancreatic tissue was performed to check changes occurred in β-cell complex. Results: No mortality was observed during safety study. Weight of treated rats was found to be increased whereas glucose level in blood samples of EAAA treated rats were showed improvement as compare to control groups. The result shows up-regulation of serum insulin levels and small changes in the expression of GLUT-2 after 4-week treatment with the EAAA treatment. The presence of polyphenols in EAAA may have provoked ingestion of glucose by changing the glucose transporter. It has been identified by many researchers that herbal extracts which are rich in polyphenols are responsible for debilitating insulin resistance and thus restrain glucose uptake by expressing GLUT-2 in pancreatic cells of diabetic rats. Histological analysis demonstrated improvement in the structural decay of β-cells of pancreatic tissue. Conclusion: The results indicate the thinkable effect of EAAA in STZ-induced diabetic Rats.


Protein degradation has been measured in confluent monolayers of eleven lines of contact‐inhibited cells and ten transformed lines as the rate of release of trichloroacetic acid‐soluble radioactivity after prelabeling cell protein with [3H]leucine. Insulin, at concentrations from 10−12 M to 10−6 M, has been added at the beginning of the 4‐hour degradation period to detect selective effects of this hormone as an inhibitor of the inducible proteolysis occurring in serumfree medium. In addition insulin binding measurements have been performed on selected cell lines in an attempt to relate receptor properties to insulin action. Substantial effects of insulin are found in most cells with a selective inhibition at low insulin concentrations noted in several of the transformed lines. The difference in insulin sensitivity is not entirely definitive because temperature‐sensitive transformation mutants of NRK cells are not more sensitive to insulin at a temperature where they show the transformed phenotype. Although insulin receptors on different cell lines have similar binding properties, two of the hepatomas used, H35 and MH1C1, show inhibition of protein degradation at insulin concentrations where receptor occupancy is extremely low. Calvarial osteoblast‐like cells have a high rate of protein degradation which can be reduced by growth factors but not by insulin. The lack of an insulin response is a consequence of poor insulin binding to the cells. Insulin binds to the osteogenic sarcoma cells in substantial amounts. However, its normal action to inhibit the induced proteolysis is restricted because with these cells no increase of proteolysis occurs in serum‐free medium. Generally higher rates of protein degradation are observed in the contact‐inhibited lines than the transformed cells. We suggest that this difference may provide a selective growth advantage to transformed cells.


In this paper we consider bi-Cohen-Macaulay graphs, and give a complete classification of such graphs in the case they are bipartite or chordal. General bi-Cohen-Macaulay graphs are classified up to separation. The inseparable bi-Cohen-Macaulay graphs are determined. We establish a bijection between the set of all trees and the set of inseparable bi-Cohen-Macaulay graphs.


Objective Chemoradiation is the standard therapy for advanced stages of cervical cancer. In developing countries, where 80% of cervical cancers occur, this is not always available. Carbogen breathing and oral nicotinamide (CON) therapy, aimed at overcoming tumor hypoxia, has shown to improve treatment efficacy in some epithelial tumors. This study investigates the effect of CON during (chemo)radiation of advanced stages of cervical cancer on overall survival, local and regional control, and toxicity. Methods From December 2006 to February 2010, 139 patients with stage IB2 to IVA cervical cancer were nonrandomly assigned to receive radiotherapy (RT) or chemoradiation (CRT) with or without CON. Differences in overall survival, local and regional control after 1 year, and toxicity were assessed in 113 evaluable patients. Thirty-two patients received RT, 16 received CRT, 45 received CON-RT, and 20 received CON-CRT. Results The CON-RT and RT groups contained significantly more patients with a poor performance status and IIIB and IVA tumors. Despite these differences in baseline characteristics, overall survival and local and regional control at 1 year were not significantly different (P = 0.10 and P = 0.19, respectively). Toxicity scores also did not differ (P = 0.60 and P = 0.73 for acute and late toxicity). Conclusions Addition of CON to standard (chemo)radiation gives comparable survival and control rates. The effect of CON might be underestimated due to differences in baseline characteristics. Because chemotherapy cannot always be (completely) administered in low-resource settings, CON could be a worthy substitute. The CON treatment is feasible and safe.


Whilst the concept of sustainable livelihoods is increasingly central to the debate about rural development, poverty reduction and environmental management, developing economies may not be able to fully utilise the potential of ICTs for entrepreneurial development in its agricultural economies and resource-based industries. The paper reviews the ICT literature through the livelihood lens and seeks to understand how the framework is useful for informal micro-enterprises in contributing to entrepreneurial development as a route to poverty alleviation. Analysing the literature through the framework, the paper highlights that ICTs offer a strategy to achieve sustainable livelihoods by increasing access to a range of livelihood resources, structures and provide institutional linkages, while reducing vulnerabilities and dependence on physical/ natural resources. However, certain organisational, physical and human constraints may restrict the achievement of livelihoods outcomes within a specific context. To conclude, central to the framework, the author proposes how the framework may be extended through the capabilities vision to maximise the benefits that accrue from using ICTs in the informal economic sector.


The thin-walled structures are widely existed in complex machined parts, such as aircraft structural parts. The thicknesses of the thin-walled structures are hard to achieve because their machining is subject to deformation. Therefore, the machining features of complex parts are usually manufactured by several machining operations. In order to adjust the tool path according to the feedback of in-process inspection, a function block-based approach is proposed for real-time operation planning. After process planning, the sequenced ideal machining status of a dynamic feature is embedded in a function block. The deviation between the actual intermediate status and the ideal intermediate status of the dynamic features are computed as the event to trigger the function blocks to adjust the unexecuted operations. How the function blocks are designed and how they can achieve the operation adjustments are described in this paper.


Revalidation was first proposed by the General Medical Council in 1998 as a way to win back the trust of the British public after a series of medical scandals. The GMC, which regulates UK doctors, said it would ensure that all of the UK's 200 000 doctors were up to date and fit to practise. For the first time every competent doctor in the UK would be issued with a licence to practise. And every five years they would be required to prove that they had kept up to date and continued to perform to required standards or lose their licence.1

In the past the GMC has taken a reactive rather then proactive approach to doctors' performance. It followed up complaints made against doctors but did not routinely check competence. Deficiencies in the way the GMC regulated doctors came to light in 1995 after concerns emerged about three doctors running the paediatric cardiac service at Bristol Royal Infirmary.2 The GMC began discussing ways of modernising its methods, although revalidation was not universally accepted at first.

Two high profile cases of professional incompetence probably helped to accelerate a move …


A prospective study was made of 1,000 consecutive duplicate blood cultures obtained from sick children to evaluate the usefulness of sodium polyanethol sulfonate (SPS). With the small volumes of blood (1 to 5 ml) usually obtained for blood cultures in children, SPS did not increase the frequency of recovery of organisms judged to be associated with clinical infections, with the possible exception of Diplococcus pneumoniae. However, the use of SPS was associated with an increased frequency of recovery of organisms judged to be contaminants, such as Staphylococcus epidermidis and propionibacteria, possibly because SPS enhanced the recovery of a very small inoculum of skin bacteria.


Worldwide, the increasing challenges due to stormwater run-off in urban areas are well known. Authorities need to be prepared for emergency situations and have plans for preventive measures to avoid flooded properties and public grounds. Several studies highlight that homeowner's knowledge and awareness of their own flood risk, will lead to better protection and less damage. What is probably less focused is that preventive-measures within your own property will also help to reduce the flood risk for your neighbours settled at a lower site. Stormwater fee derived from the area model can be seen both as an instrument to motivate property owners to manage rainwater in a more sustainable way, and a way of financing public infrastructure related to stormwater. Many cities and states worldwide have already introduced area models as a basis for calculating stormwater fee at property level. There are many models which range from very simple and rough calculations to more complex and detailed. In some countries, e.g., USA, differentiated stormwater fees have been used for decades, while for example in Norway this is still a controversial topic. In this study, we will conduct a literature review of area models, which aim to describe what a single property should pay in stormwater fee. Which model is best, depends entirely on the goals you want to achieve. Based on the literature review, our understanding is that more attention will be paid on area models if there is a clear connection between instrument and goal. In this article we aim to categorize and group the different models and describe for which goals they are best suited.


Die Blechtrommel (1959) has inspired widely divergent readings, not least in respect of the aesthetic grounds that the novel offered for the social hope in the wake of Auschwitz. This article re-visits it against the backdrop of Grass's own recognition of the postwar author's—personal and collective—sense of complicity; and in that connection it considers how Die Blechtrommel embodies the dialectic of hope and despair more broadly characteristic of Grass's sense of postwar literary and political engagement. Its contention is that Theodor W. Adorno's conception of "Mimesis," as it is developed in Dialektik der Aufklä-rung (1944) andÄsthetische Theorie (1970), can provide a compelling account for Grass's aesthetic and ethical achievement. The article examines the senses in which Oskar embodies the dynamic of Mimesis, staking as he does a subversive ethical claim for his notorious drumming and sing-shattering. It then turns to showing how Grass's portrayal of the "bodily" reveals it as a meeting point of complicity, shame, and guilt—but also a faintly utopian site for a new social order. By thinking through these insights precisely with Mimesis in mind, we might begin to do justice to the elusive moment of hope in Grass's work. (RC)


Quality control is very important in the manufacturing process of cold tube-bending, but most of enterprises can only verify tube quality by the tube bending machine. Based on the platform of commercial software, an integrated system on CAD/CAPP/CAE for bending tube in power plants boiler is developed. The system is carried on re-development under the VC++ language environment, and data is transferred in Pro/E, Ansys and designing module through a reasonable data structure and interface. So we can share data and realize flexibility and standardization of the processing. The application result indicated that the integrated system can offer a whole set of solution from building a CAD model, forecasting tube bending quality and structure optimization by CAE methods to programming CAPP processes.


The drastic technological development we facing today has led to the pervasiveness of low-cost platforms with inherent tremendous functionality from one side and ease of use from the other. As consequence, the ubiquitous availability of these instruments has contributed, as we see it, to the reformation of the term of "tinkering". A cursory glance at a list of videos on YouTube to the query: "tinkering" or "arduino-based projects", might even give an idea of a certain subculture formation. Moreover, the variety of the free applied engineering apps, which may turn a smartphone into an oscilloscope or a signal generator for example, are to consider as well due to their obvious potential utility in research-oriented education. Together they form an extremely flexible, universal and potentially fruitful environment to keep STEM curriculum updated and represent a huge source for pedagogical ideas renewal and adjusting according to the state-of-the-art in emerging technologies. Thus, we argue that an appropriate mode to think and act in a "tinker-way", to orient oneself within the flow of today's technical possibilities become a relevant issue for both parties: educators and students. Undoubtedly, the specificity of scientific and research-oriented education implies a compulsory basic curricula to follow. The last is absolutely crucial to the formation of a solid professional mindset in every major. But to render theoretical knowledge active, problemand application oriented, more effective in the face of different multidisciplinary contexts, of course, is not an easy task. On that basis, we discuss the potentiality of tinkering as an auxiliary tool in such an endeavor. In particular, first, by re-determining tinkering in the context of STEM education, we that this phenomena, if adequately adopted, may be of significant value and profit. And secondly, on the example of several projects developed, we discuss the aspects of multidisciplinary potential of this approach which, unfortunately, is still insufficiently apparent, and therefore underestimated.


Poly(ethylene 2,5-furandicarboxylate) (PEF) is in the spotlight as a new emerging biobased polyester. Usually, PEF exhibits very slow and weak melt crystallization behavior. In this study, PEF synthesis via a transesterification polycondensation method catalyzed by 1,8-diazabicyclo[5.4.0]undec-7-ene (DBU) as an organic nonmetallic catalyst was attempted. PEF with a moderate molecular weight (intrinsic viscosity 0.54 dL g−1) and low diethylene glycol furandicarboxylate unit content (DEGF 1.7%) was successfully synthesized and the melt crystallization kinetics and melting behavior were investigated. The DBU-catalyzed PEF exhibited rapid melt crystallization in both nonisothermal and isothermal manners. At cooling rate of 10 °C min−1, a melt crystallization peak appeared around 158 °C with a crystallization enthalpy of 29 J g−1. DSC and WAXD results indicated a crystallinity of 27–34% after sufficient isothermal melt crystallization at 160–210 °C. A minimum of melt crystallization half time, 1.6 min, appeared at 160 °C. The equilibrium melting point of PEF was estimated to be 243 °C.


This LibGuide has been developed for the Huntingdon Spring 2012 Australia Seminar/Travel Experience led by Dr. Maureen K. Murphy and Prof. Eric A. Kidwell.


Two experiments were carried out to evaluate the effects of rosemary oil (RO) and trace mineral sources (MS) on the internal quality and lipid stability of brown layer eggs. The treatments consisted of diets supplemented with two trace mineral sources (inorganic or organic) and three levels (0, 100, or 200 mg kg-1) of rosemary oil (RO), and three egg storage times. Eggs were stored at a controlled temperature (CT; 25.0oC) in Experiment I and under refrigeration (RT; 5.0oC) in Experiment II. The following parameters were analyzed on days 0 (fresh), 15 and 30 of storage: malonaldehyde level (MDA), egg weight (EW), Haugh unit (HU), yolk index (YI), albumen and yolk pH, raw yolk color (RYC), and egg weight loss. Data were analyzed according to completely randomized design in a 2x3x3 factorial arrangement (MS x RO x storage time). In Experiment I, there was an interaction between treatments for EW, HU and ALBp. Dietary OTM inclusion improved the results for all analyzed variables. The addition of 200 mg kg-1 RO reduced MDA and increased HU, YI and RYC. In experiment II, 200 mg kg-1 of RO in the diet improved HU. The internal quality of eggs stored both at CT and under RT is adversely affected by increasing storage periods, but this effect can be minimized by the dietary supplementation of OTM and 200 mg kg-1 rosemary oil. The lipid stability of eggs stored at CT improves with the supplementation of OTM and 200 mg kg-1 rosemary oil, but not of eggs stored under refrigeration.


Flow unit characterization plays an important role in heterogeneity analysis and reservoir simulation studies. Usually, a correct description of the late ral variations of reservoir is associated with uncertainties. From this point of view, the well da ta alone does not cover reservoir properties. Because of large well distances, it is difficult to build the model of a heterogenic reservoir, but 3D seismic data provides regular sampling that can imp rove reservoir spatial description. In this study, seismic attribute analysis was used to predict flow zone indicator (FZI) values of a carbonate reservoir by using seismic and well log d ata. First, a 3D acoustic impedance volume was created as an external attribute for seismic data a nalysis. To improve the ability of FZI prediction, the maximum number of attributes from multiattribute analysis was computed by using a step-wise regression technique. To verify the results of mult iattribute technique, the cross plot analysis of multiattribute method was performed. It was found t hat the R 2 value of the correlation between the predicted and actual FZI is as high as 0.859 with a n average error value of 2.34 µm. The analysis of the results of multiattribute technique showed that it was an effective technique for FZI prediction i n hydrocarbon reservoirs. Such accuracy in building a 3D distribution of FZI provides a good insight into reservoir production zones. The results clearl y indicate that the methodology proposed herein can successfully be used to specify the locations of ne w wells for the purpose of future production or injection plans.


Users face the challenge of balancing the tension between disclosing and concealing personal information on social network sites. We argue that users handle this challenge by collectively establishing norms. Applying a focus group methodology, we analyzed which norms of self-disclosure exist among German Facebook users and the reference groups to which they referred, how they shape users' self-disclosure practices on Facebook, and how these norms and practices have changed over time. Descriptive norms manifested themselves mainly by referring to negative self-disclosure practices of relevant others, but the injunctive norms of self-disclosure were of great relevance to the participants. The participants stated that users should present themselves strategically, communicate consciously concerning their privacy, and not post about the private lives of others. Users can manage the context collapse on Facebook by adapting their communicative activities there to the norms they perceive within their reference groups.


Laser tracking systems represent the most promising technique for dynamic position measurement of industrial robots. The Institute of Flexible Automation at the Vienna University of Technology a new tracking algorithm has been developed. It is shown that using the knowledge of the actual position of the robot, a considerable improvement in tracking behavior is possible. A signal processor-based hardware system is used for the computation of the tracking algorithm and the position of the robot's end effector. Additionally, systematic errors that arise from unavoidable errors in the adjustment of mechanical parts, from errors of the sensors, and from dynamic errors can be compensated in real time. The application of a floating-point digital signal processor has made the proposed approach feasible. The features of the digital signal processor are exploited by an optimized software written in assembly code. >


This study investigated the occurrence of equine arteritis virus antibodies using neutralization test in 1,400 horses from Campinas and macro metropolitan paulista mesoregions located at Sao Paulo State, between 2007 and 2008. Eighty (5.7%) samples showed antibodies to virus (titers from 4 to 4,096). Among the 42 cities, 15 (35.7%) presented at least one seropositive animal to equine arteritis virus. Of the 238 farms analyzed 41 showed at least one seropositive animal. The occurrence was higher in sport horses like jumping horses, Quarter horses and was similar for female and male. The rate of seropositive was higher in animals older than 24 months of age. These results suggest the virus circulation among horse population in studied farms, and the need for continuing epidemiological surveillance studies.


Fluctuation scaling has been observed universally in a wide variety of phenomena. In time series that describe sequences of events, fluctuation scaling is expressed as power function relationships between the mean and variance of either inter-event intervals or counting statistics, depending on measurement variables. In this article, fluctuation scaling has been formulated for a series of events in which scaling laws in the inter-event intervals and counting statistics were related. We have considered the first-passage time of an Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process and used a conductance-based neuron model with excitatory and inhibitory synaptic inputs to demonstrate the emergence of fluctuation scaling with various exponents, depending on the input regimes and the ratio between excitation and inhibition. Furthermore, we have discussed the possible implication of these results in the context of neural coding.


Background: CD38 is a type II transmembrane glycoprotein widely expressed in many hematological malignancies including multiple myeloma. MOR202, a human IgG1 CD38 monoclonal antibody demonstrates cytotoxic activity. The main mode of action for MOR202-induced cell lysis is through antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity and antibody-dependent cell-mediated phagocytosis. MOR202 does not induce complement-dependent cytotoxicity, a suspected major contributor to infusion-related reactions (IRRs) observed with other monoclonal antibodies. MOR202 has demonstrated activity as monotherapy and synergy in combination with the immunomodulatory drugs lenalidomide (LEN) and pomalidomide (POM) in preclinical models of multiple myeloma.
 Methods: The primary objectives of this multicenter, dose-escalation phase I/IIa study in patients with RRMM (NCT01421186) are to evaluate the safety, and to determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD)/recommended phase II dose of MOR202. We present the primary analysis of safety and efficacy data from patient cohorts treated with MOR202 at doses of 4, 8 and 16 mg/kg q1w plus Dex (≤40 mg), or MOR202 at 8 or 16 mg/kg q1w plus LEN/Dex or POM/Dex. MOR202 infusion time was 2 hours for all three regimens, which was successfully reduced to 30 minutes for the majority of patients at the time of primary analysis (cutoff 31 Dec 2017).
 Results: As of 31 December 2017, 91 patients had been treated, 56 at the doses previously described: 18 patients were treated with MOR202 + Dex, 17 with MOR202 + LEN/Dex and 21 with MOR202 + POM/Dex. Before entering the study, patients had undergone a median of 3, 2 and 3 prior treatment lines, respectively. Notably all patients in the MOR202 + POM/Dex group were refractory to lenalidomide. The MTD of MOR202 was not reached. The combinations were generally well tolerated. In the 56 patients, grade ≥3 adverse events (AEs) were mainly hematological in nature. Two patients discontinued due to a MOR202-related AE (one a grade 4 thrombocytopenia and one a grade 3 bacterial infection complicated by acute kidney failure). IRRs to MOR202 (all grade 1 or 2) were observed in 4/56 (7%) patients. These mainly occurred during the first infusion. Twelve of 16 patients remaining on study at the time of primary completion received MOR202 as a 30 minute infusion without obvious safety concerns. In patients treated with MOR202 + Dex, 28% (5/18) showed a response: 3 partial responses (PRs) and 2 very good PRs (VGPRs). Higher response rates of 65% and 48% were observed in patients treated with MOR202 + LEN/Dex (11/17, 7 PRs, 2 VGPRs, 2 complete responses [CRs]) and MOR202 + POM/Dex (10/21, 5 PRs, 3 VGPRs and 2 CRs) respectively. Median time on study was 3.8 months for patients treated with MOR202 + Dex, 9 months for patients who received MOR202 + LEN/Dex and 4.7 months for those treated with MOR202 + POM/Dex. Longest response duration was 27.6 months (MOR202 + POM/Dex). Median progression-free survival was 8.4 months in patients treated with MOR202 + Dex, was not reached in those receiving MOR202 + LEN/Dex and was 17.5 months in those receiving MOR202 + POM/Dex.
 Conclusions: MOR202 administered as infusions as short as 30 minutes at doses up to 16 mg/kg with Dex or in combination with LEN/Dex or POM/Dex in heavily pretreated patients with RRMM showed a favorable safety profile, including good infusion tolerability. Promising efficacy and long-lasting tumor control were observed for MOR202 + Dex and in particular for MOR202 combined with LEN/Dex or POM/Dex.

 Raab: Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; BMS: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria. Goldschmidt:Chugai: Honoraria, Research Funding; Mundipharma: Research Funding; Novartis: Honoraria, Research Funding; Sanofi: Consultancy, Research Funding; Bristol Myers Squibb: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Takeda: Consultancy, Research Funding; ArtTempi: Honoraria; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Amgen: Consultancy, Research Funding; Adaptive Biotechnology: Consultancy. Agis:Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Prothena: Consultancy, Honoraria; BMS: Consultancy, Honoraria; Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria. Ferstl:Janssen Cilag: Honoraria, Other: Travel EHA. Gramatzki:Affimed: Research Funding. Rollig:Bayer: Research Funding; Janssen: Research Funding. Weisel:Amgen, Celgene, Janssen, and Sanofi: Research Funding; Amgen, BMS, Celgene, Janssen, and Takeda: Honoraria; Amgen, BMS, Celgene, Janssen, Juno, Sanofi, and Takeda: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Jarutat:Morphosys AG: Employment. Weinelt:Morphosys AG: Employment. Winderlich:Morphosys AG: Employment. Peschel:Morphosys AG: Honoraria.


A rotary blood pump fuzzy logic flow controller without flow sensors was developed and tested in vitro. The controller, implemented in LabView, was set to maintain a flow set point in the presence of external pressure disturbances. Flow was estimated as a function of measured pump's delta P and speed, using a steady-state, nonlinear approximation. The fuzzy controller used the pump's flow estimate and delta P as feedback variables. The defuzzified control output manipulated the pump speed. Membership functions included flow error, delta P, and pump speed. Experimental runs in a mock loop (water/glycerin 3.5 cPs, 37°C), using the estimated flow, were compared with those using a Transonic flow meter for nine conditions of flow and delta P (4 to 6 L/min, 150 to 350 mm Hg). Pressure disturbances generated by a servo pinch valve ranged from ±23 to ±47 mm Hg. Results indicated that the fuzzy controller ably regulated the flow set point to within ±10% of the baseline even under large swings in pressure. There was no difference in controller performance between the ultrasonic flow measurement and the estimated flow calculation scenarios. These tests demonstrated that the fuzzy controller is capable of rejecting disturbances and regulating flow to acceptable limits while using a flow estimate.


A national cross-sectional survey was carried out in South Africa to gain an understanding of the perceptions and priorities of the likely members of a future social health insurance (SHI). More than 1,000 employees were interviewed in a variety of employment sectors, including state and parastatal organisations, formal and informal private sectors. This article reports on respondents' level of support for a compulsory contribution towards a hospital insurance scheme funding care at public sector hospitals in South Africa. The results showed that only 11 per cent of employees supported an SHI scheme if public hospitals remain as they are. Support increased to 53 per cent if preferential access to treatment was offered to those contributing to the scheme. Support was almost unanimous (87 per cent) if public hospitals were improved. The levels of support differed by current type of health insurance. Thus, support for a compulsory SHI tax to fund care in public hospitals was conditional upon either improving the hospitals or providing differential treatment to contributing members. If one or both of these conditions are not met, its long-term success will be compromised.


Light naphtha, which exhibits two-stage ignition, was induced from the intake manifold for ignition enhancement and a low ignitability fuel or water, which does not exhibit low temperature oxidation, was directly injected early in the compression stroke for ignition suppression in an HCCI engine. Their quantitative balance was flexibly controlled to optimize ignition timing according to operating condition. Ultra-low NOx and smokeless combustion without knocking or misfiring was realized over a wide operating range. Alcohols inhibit low temperature oxidation more strongly than other oxygenated or unoxygenated hydrocarbons, water, and hydrogen. Chemical kinetic modeling for methanol showed a reduction of OH radical concentration before the onset of low temperature oxidation, and this may be the main mechanism by which alcohols inhibit low temperature oxidation.


The rate of mucociliary transport (MCT) in dogs with an experimental pulmonary tuberculosis and concurrent suppurative endobronchitis (SEB) and just with the latter was measured. The treatment effect was achieved by an endobronchial radiation with a CO2-laser unfocused beam of 3.56 and 5.3 w/cm2 power density, and the dogs in the control group were subjected to an endobronchial introduction of furagin. A comparison of the endoscopic picture and MCT rate findings made it possible to believe that the latter index appeared to be more reliable than a visual inspection of the bronchial mucous membrane. An active specific process in the lungs brings about MCT rate inhibition while the concurrent SEB aggravates these changes to a great extent. The radiation of the bronchial mucous membrane with the CO2-laser unfocused beam produces an immediate positive effect on MCT rate normalization. Better results were observed at a power density of 3.56 w/cm2.


Over the last two decades or so, much research into new materials based on natural resources with high performance has been published. The growing significance of these materials is obvious from the growing number of publications. With increasing environmental concerns being raised in particular, this research has underscored green materials that are sustainable, renewable, and biodegradable. Since the use of non-biodegradable products is not sustainable, the utilization of materials which are biodegradable has become a crucial design parameter for expediting new market opportunities for the development of value-added materials based on sustainable environmental science and green chemistry. The addition of lignocellulosic fibers might help to improve the durability, biodegradability, physical, mechanical, and thermal properties of materials. In this chapter, the authors focus on celluloses as a bio-based filler and their modification as eco-friendly methods. Especially, the use of nanofibrillated cellulose, which is produced from lignocelluloses, has been growing exponentially, with its study as a low-carbon material because of its relatively easily achieved high specific surface area, high strength, and stiffness, lighter weight, and biodegradability. This cellulosic fiber has been studied intensively for fiber-reinforced polymer composites with outstanding reinforcing potential to replace glass and/or carbon fiber. Due to the hydrophilicity derived from hydroxyl groups in the structure and inherent tendency to form a strong network held through hydrogen-bonding, cellulose is difficult to disperse in almost all hydrophobic polymer matrices. Therefore, this chapter focuses on surface modification strategies to expand these applications. This work aims to investigate surface modification of cellulose using new greener strategies and to prepare the environmentally friendly next generation of fiber-reinforced plastics. Such lignocellulosic fibers shall be obtained from agro-wastes that are organic nature to produce eco-friendly materials. The development of these materials will play a significant role from economic and environmental points of view.


A 17-year-old male presented with thoracic myelopathy 12 months after a stab injury to the thoracic spine. The patient reported that symptoms and signs had gradually worsened in the 3 months prior to his examination. Magnetic resonance imaging depicted not only an extradural arachnoid cyst but severe spinal cord compression. The cerebrospinal fluid pressure and dynamics associated with herniation of the spinal cord resulted in the formation and enlargement of an extradural arachnoid cyst. The pressure effect of the cyst accounted for the thoracic myelopathy.


The control structure for automated vehicles in an Automated Highway System is based on the idea of multiple-surface sliding control. The "upper" surface determines a desired net torque while the "lower" surface determines the required throttle angle or brake pressure needed to achieve the desired torque. This paper presents an upper surface control law for performing longitudinal transition maneuvers. The maneuvers use desired velocity trajectories which are based on maintaining safety and comfort throughout the maneuver. The control law chosen is a sliding controller due to the non-linearities in the dynamics and the uncertainties in the parameters. Adaptive techniques were also implemented to help improve the velocity tracking. The controller was implemented on experimental vehicles and tested at highway speeds.


Emerging software-defined networking technologies enable more adaptive communication infrastructures, allowing for quick reactions to changes in networking requirements by exploiting the workload's temporal structure. However, operating networks adaptively is algorithmically challenging, as meeting networks' stringent dependability requirements relies on maintaining basic consistency and performance properties, such as loop freedom and congestion minimization, even during the update process. This paper leverages an augmentation-speed tradeoff to significantly speed up consistent network updates. We show that allowing for a small and short (hence practically tolerable, e.g., using buffering) oversubscription of links allows us to solve many network update instances much faster, as well as to reduce computational complexities (i.e., the running times of the algorithms). We first explore this tradeoff formally, revealing the computational complexity of scheduling updates. We then present and analyze algorithms that maintain logical and performance properties during the update. Using an extensive simulation study, we find that the tradeoff is even more favorable in practice than our analytical bounds suggest. In particular, we find that by allowing just 10% augmentation, update times reduce by more than 32% on average, across a spectrum of real-world networks.


Conservation biogeography is considered the Cinderella of biological conservation. Nevertheless biogeography provides the basis for establishing species distributions over space and time, therefore conservation priorities among areas and individual species. We demonstrate that there is no need to simplify analyses by using subsets of species (rare species, endemics) as surrogates. In doing so, we apply strict biogeographical techniques to determine butterfly impoverishment on three of the west Mediterranean's largest islands (Sardinia, Corsica and Sicily). The analyses performed on species, both collectively and individually, reveal that regional species richness in the Mediterranean zone can be largely predicted by latitude, altitude and latitudinal range (maximum minus minimum latitude), but that Sardinia and Corsica have clearly impoverished faunas. Logistic regression at individual species level demonstrates that several species, predicted to be present in these islands on the basis of their continental distributions, are actually absent. When compared with species that are present in these islands, such missing species are disclosed as having ecological traits which reduce their colonization capability. Probabilities of occurrence are calculated for each species on each island; they reflect the potential for each butterfly species to migrate to and colonise each island, and can be considered as a measure of conservation value. As such, species present on islands but having low immigration probabilities are predicted to represent isolated populations from the mainland that are unlikely to re-colonize the islands in the case of extinction. Island endemic species and races are shown to have lower occurrence probabilities compared to widespread species occurring on islands and illustrate the usefulness of occurrence probabilities for identifying isolated populations in need of conservation attention.


Science journalism is a specialized form of journalism predominantly covering issues such as science, medicine, and technology; it only professionalized in the second half of the 20th century. For many people, print, audiovisual and online media are the main source they use to get to know something about these fields; hence, science journalism has an important role for the society. However, when looking at science journalism and the research in that area more closely, then a variety of different approaches paint a rather dark picture. Firstly, there is a lot of research criticizing science journalism and science journalists. What these studies focus on is science journalists' work and role for the society, their routines and practices, their reporting on specific scientific issues, as well as the relationship between journalists and scientists. Secondly, in some countries, science journalism seems to be in a crisis due to increasing digitization and changing media landscapes. Science journalism is declining in these countries and many journalists have lost their jobs. However, assessing the quality and appropriateness of science journalism should be based on journalistic and not on scientific criteria, and these criteria should be used when trying to describe what science journalism is and what not, how science journalism operates and how not, and how best to describe the role science journalism has for the society. In addition, although increasing digitization may change routines and practices of science journalists, these specialized journalists may be able to adapt to new media landscapes and still maintain their important role for the society as the most disinterested source that informs about science, medicine, and technology.


Good performance of driving power supply is the key to achieve high-precision positioning of the piezoelectric ceramic. In this paper, mainly from the expansion of power channel, lower ripple and interference, reducing the volume and temperature control of amplifier such aspects, developed PZT multi-channel power supply based on PA93 power amplifier, and completed the corresponding experiments of the calibration characteristics. By testing, the output voltage of eight channels shows good linearity, the nonlinear error is less than 0.05%. the resolution is 6mv, the static ripple voltage is less than 9mV, the power bandwidth could be 5kHz, the continuous output current could be 1.5A, the voltage variation is less than 0.01% after eight hours continuous working. The volume of power supply is only 280*260*120mm, the power supply could satisfy the requirements of PZT driving.


Soft rubber actuators are very useful in applications involving humans, such as in medicine and reflexology. Additionally, they are useful in industrial devices because of their softness. However, many soft rubber actuators are driven by pneumatic power, and the power source is usually bulky. This makes the application of soft rubber actuators difficult. In this study, we propose a novel small power source for soft rubber actuators, which uses the gas/liquid phase change phenomenon of the actuator working fluid. When fluids change their phase between liquid and vapor, a large volume change occurs. We assume that this volume change is sufficient to drive a single soft rubber actuator. We fabricated a prototype of an actuator comprised entirely of silicone rubber via a molding process. Using the first prototype, we confirmed that the actuator can be driven by the gas/liquid phase change of the actuator fluid. Then, we fabricated a second prototype that includes a cartridge heater inside its body. We applied an electronics coolant fluid to this actuator. From the results of several experiments, we confirmed that the actuator produced amaximumoutput force of 405 mN. When the actuator was driven by the gas/liquid phase change, its trajectory was almost the same as that when driven by air pressure. Hence, the proposed pressure source maintained the characteristics and advantages of the soft rubber actuator. We believe that a pressure source using the gas/liquid phase change phenomenon of a working fluid will mitigate the problems of the driving system of soft rubber actuators.


Pay phone, also known as public telephone, is very vulnerable to fraudulent abuse. Rotor pay phone is determined as most prone set to fraud. TM Berhad estimates loses millions of ringgit each year due to fraudulent activities. To help in battling the growing worldwide problem of pay phone fraud, a fraud detection system was developed.
The system is developed in order to cater many types of frauds, commonly happen to Rotor pay phone in Malaysia such as line tapping, line cutting, shorting and grounding fraud. It does not deteriote voice quality of pay telephone or introduces significant delay during normal pay phone operation such as dialing, conversation and metering signal.
The system comprises of two sets of fraud detection modules; Anti Fraud Device 1 (AFD1) and Anti Fraud Device 2 (AFD2). AFD1 is installed inside pay phone set,whereas AFD2 is installed in TM exchange. The system is based on a signal exchange between AFD1 and AFD2. When the pay phone handset is off-hook, the AFD1 and AFD2 will communicate with each other to detect any fraud. As soon as fraud is detected, the line will be terminated by AFD2.
The system has been tested successfully using TM Berhad line infrastructure. The results obtained shows the system can caters most of pay phones which are located in urban areas. This will help TM Berhad to greatly reduce loses due to fraud.


Mutants of Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans strain Y4 defective in the capsular-like serotype b-specific polysaccharide antigen (SPA) were constructed by inserting the transposon Tn916. Southern blot analysis suggested that the transposon was inserted into a variety of different sites on the chromosome. Whole cells from two mutants (strains ST1 and ST2) lacked reactivity with a monoclonal antibody to SPA of A. actinomycetemcomitans Y4 (mAb S5) in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, but those from another nine mutants (e.g. strains ST3 and ST5) reacted very weakly with mAb S5. Immunodiffusion tests showed that mAb S5 or rabbit antiserum against whole cells of strain Y4 produced a fused precipitin band with purified SPA and autoclaved extract from strain Y4, but no precipitin band with autoclaved extracts from these four mutants. The hydrolysate of autoclaved extract from strain Y4 contained equal amounts of rhamnose and fucose, component sugars of SPA. The hydrolysates of autoclaved extracts from strains ST1 and ST2 contained a trace amount of rhamnose, but not fucose. Those of autoclaved extracts from strains ST3 and ST5 contained a trace amount of fucose, but not rhamnose. All of these SPA-defective mutants reacted with a mAb to lipopolysaccharide of strain Y4. The cell hydrophobicity of SPA-defective mutants was higher than that of the parent strain. These mutant clones will be useful for analysing the gene complex responsible for the synthesis of SPA of A. actinomycetemcomitans and the regulation of expression of the polysaccharide.


Inflammatory pseudotumours of the lungs have rarely been reported. These have been described as a benign entity of unknown origin and are often locally invasive requiring extensive pulmonary resection. We present a 12-year-old boy with fever and massive haemoptysis who was found to have a well defined left-sided paracardiac mass lesion on chest X-ray and CT scan thorax. A CT-guided fine needle aspiration cytology was reported as inflammatory pseudotumour. As a result of recurrent episodes of massive haemoptysis during admission the child underwent an emergency left posterolateral thoracotomy and excision of the mass along with a left pneumonectomy. The biopsy of the mass was conclusive. Postoperatively the child was ventilated over night and was extubated the next day. He has been doing well on follow-up. Based on our case report and on other similar reports it would appear that the primary treatment of inflammatory pseudotumors of the lung is surgical. Complete resection is the key to prevent recurrence and the prognosis is excellent following surgery. q 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.


: Thirty six nurses divided into three groups were asked in a series of three questionnaires to evaluate patients' needs for post-operative narcotic pain relief. Using a decision-analytic procedure, which combined a version of the Delphi technique and the multi-attribute utility approach, the six most salient criteria in order of priority were identified. These criteria were then tested in the clinical situation using a series of scenarios. A difference between how nurses purportedly evaluated patients' needs for narcotic pain relief and what they actually did in hypothetical clinical situations was found. The theoretical implications of these results are discussed.


The importance of privatisation and other forms of market liberalisation as tools of economic and political policy is well documented, and the concepts continue to command
prominence in a large number of economies across the globe. Most academic research undertaken to date has focussed upon its macro-economic motivations, the importance
of regulation, and increasingly assessments of the economic benefits of instituting privatisation programmes. The literature indicates a dearth of empirical research on the managerial aspects of privatisation: the strategic responses of the companies emerging from such privatisation programmes, and the key influences which have shaped their strategic responses. In general, the industries which have witnessed privatisation have tended to be former state owned enterprises, or industries of strategic importance, where
low performance standards and quality failures have been characterised as being endemic.Clearly, there is a real need to learn from existing responses, so that models of best
practice can be established to smooth the transition of organisations encountering strategic reorientation, and to prevent the development of new sets of operating difficulties. In
addition, the literature suggests that existing managerial models which aim to provide business decision makers with viable strategic responses to changing circumstances have
not been adequately tested in non-traditional market conditions such as those experienced by companies following a major privatisation.
Accordingly, this study aims to identify the content of corporate and business level strategy among a sample of recently privatised former public utilities: the Regional
Electricity Companies of England and Wales, and to understand the nature of the strategi~drivers which have helped to shape these strategic responses. In so doing, the research aims to create an understanding of the suitability of a range of corporate and business strategy combinations for application in a partially regulated environment, in order to
enable a company: to identify and pursue the appropriate strategies in pursuit of competitive advantage; manage its relationships with a variety of strategic drivers; to fulfil its public service obligations; and in so doing to navigate a potentially uncertain environment in a time of profound change.
In addition, the study aims to review a series of existing managerial models in the light of the experiences of the RECs, and determine the degree of confidence that can be said to exist in their applicability in non-traditional market situations. In particular, the thesis comments upon the applicability of the Miles and Snow typology of organisational
strategy, structure and process in a regulated environment, and suggests some tentative amendments. This research is identified as being primarily exploratory, based as it is upon
a study of a single industry. While the author has confidence in the validity of the findings, this thesis is intended to be the first stage in an extended research project which would see
these findings subjected to rigorous verification in a wider sample of companies of this type. As discussed earlier, the need for research of this nature at this time is identified as
being compelling due to the current proliferation of privatisation programmes, the severity of the problems that they are trying to resolve, and the unique position of UK industry to provide recommendations based upon practical experience.
The research utilises a broadly phenomenological method. An extensive review of the literature revealed not only limitations in existing knowledge, but the work of various authors in identifying the available corporate and business level strategic options available to organisational decision makers. These lists of options provided a broad framework for the identification and gathering of data, and its inductive interpretation. The process of data collection was undertaken initially using a form of content analysis of published sources, against a framework derived from the literature and a series of exploratory interviews. From this process a series of observations, in the form of tentative propositions, were drawn. These propositions were then tested deductively using multiple in-depth interviews within three case study companies and the degree of confidence in
each proposition established. The case study companies were selected on the basis of their ability to represent the industry as a whole, based upon their current approach to
growth; the research having earlier identified three distinct sub-groupings of behaviour in respect of strategies for growth.
The research resulted in a number of key findings. Firstly, that despite expectations that differing patterns of strategic response would emerge following market liberalisation, the
companies remaining within the industry appear to have gravitated towards three basic generic responses; broadly defined as concentrated growth, organic market development,
and market development by acquisition. Consequently, there is a large degree of strategic symmetry although tactical differences do remain. Secondly, that the importance of
regulation as a driver of strategy can not be underestimated, even in those parts of the industry which are theoretically free from regulatory influence. The findings suggest even
allowing for the importance of regulation, other factors such as ownership, leadership, as well as other external and internal factors all need to be accounted for. The general
conclusion here was that the impact of strategic drivers was situational. Thirdly, that companies have little or no flexibility in their choice of the business/competitive strategy that they pursue, with a combination of market regulatory and consumer expectancy factors dictating their terms of competition. Finally, the research suggests a need for the
amendment of the Miles and Snow typology before it is applied in regulated environments, as well as suggesting that a degree of caution is exercised in the use of some other
established and externally verified managerial models. The research produces a wide range of recommendations for further study. These recommendations concern (a)
verification of conclusions drawn by the research and (b) exploration of issues which emerged during the research process.
The research extends the existing literature's understanding of strategic content decisions among companies adapting to situations of strategic reorientation. It provides numerous examples of the responses organisations followed to a variety of strategic drivers, and identifies options which have been identified as viable in the UK energy industry as it currently stands. The research fills a number of gaps identified within the literature in relation to: the nature of organisational responses to strategic change; the relationship
between strategic content and strategic drivers; the ability of long standing managerial models to perfonn in non-traditional market situations; and most importantly the viability of strategic responses in regulated environments.
There are a number of limitations which can be identified within the research. The qualitative nature of the research reflects a reliance upon interpretive analysis and opinion, either by the author or the industry managers who provide the majority of the primary data. However, the author has striven at all times for objectivity and has utilised techniques such as triangulation of data sources and collection methods to ensure
objectivity. In addition, the focus upon a single industry may be viewed as a limitation upon the applicability of the findings to a wider business audience. However, in both of these cases, the author argues that the exploratory nature of the research and the acknowledgement of the need for, and intention to pursue, external verification overcomes any concerns that may exist in relation to these possible limitations.
The thesis comprises thirteen chapters. Chapter One introduces the study by providing a brief critique of the literature and establishes the study's aims and objectives.Chapters Two and Four provide a review of the relevant literature in relation to the general management literature and the literature concerning issues relating to privatisation. The methodology and research design are outlined in Chapter Three. The remaining chapters present the analysis and interpretation of data in two stages: the preliminary stage in Chapters Five to Seven, which is summarised in Chapter Eight; and the primary stage in
Chapters Nine to Eleven, summarised in Chapter Twelve. The thesis is concluded in Chapter Thirteen where the major findings and recommendations for future study are
annotated.


As critical care is critical, the demands for patient monitoring are high. The methods need to function properly over a large variety of possible physiological conditions in an environment full of sources for technical artifacts, and they need to support clinical reasoning. Several iterations are usually required in the method development to meet these demands. First, the proposed method is developed and tested with simulated or optimal test data on a proof-of-principle basis. When this level is passed, the method needs to be tested offline with more realistic and nonoptimal data. Only after passing these levels may clinical trials be conducted. Usually, these developments require a significant period of time. Availability of extensive, well-characterized, and well-documented real physiological data during critical care would potentially reduce the amount of time required for the first phases of the method development. Such databases would also enable bench validation of any new methods and objective comparison between different methods. Recently, there have been some attempts to collect large signal databases during critical care. In this article, we aim to discuss the special requirements for collecting signal databases in critical care and to summarize the main features of the existing databases.


The use of specific remineralizing agents in toothpastes may help to prevent caries and treat dentinal sensitivity. In this study, applied nanotechnologies were used to develop a filler for toothpastes with remineralizing properties. Carbonate hydroxyapatite nanocrystals, with size, morphology, chemical composition and crystallinity comparable with that of dentine, were synthesized in mild condition. The remineralizing effect was studied with a scanning electron microscopy putting materials onto the slices of dentine previously demineralized with ortophosphoric acid. The application of the materials showed the progressive closure of the tubular openings of the dentine with plugs within 10 minutes and a regeneration of a surface mineral layer within 6 hours. This rates of remineralization seems to be compatible with the development of toothpastes with remineralizing effect.


This Article is a follow-up to a previous article, Networks of Fairness Review in Corporate Law (Fairness). After an overview of the fundamentals of the fairness standard and network theory, Fairness deployed network and statistical analyses to conduct an empirical study of the fairness doctrine as articulated by the Delaware Supreme Court and the Delaware Court of Chancery. This initial analysis focused on the fairness standard for one principal reason: it is considered to be the most plaintiff-friendly standard of review, in marked distinction to the well-known business judgment rule (BJR). But there are also four other prominent standards of heightened scrutiny in Delaware jurisprudence, each of which purports to protect plaintiffs beyond the BJR: Unocal/Unitrin with respect to defensive measures in the face of a change-in-control transactions, Revlon in the context of auctioning a change-in-control, Blasius where the shareholder franchise might have been violated, and the Zapata "two-step" which sometimes requires a court to exercise its business judgment in the context of presuit demand. Despite the intuition of commentators that such standards get watered down, they had yet to be explored in a systematic fashion.Building on the work in Fairness, this Article seeks to perform a network analysis of these heightened standards of review. The discussion is structured into three principal sections. Part I outlines what these standards of review are and what they purport to do. Part II describes the empirical methods used - from data gathering to analysis to the display of results. It culminates in four network maps, one for each standard. Finally, Part III considers the implications of the analysis, with a focus on whether these heightened standards offer more than rhetorical solace to shareholder-plaintiffs.


We aimed to present the Therapy-Activity-Class Tracking (TAC) system that is a user-friendly design, which includes identifying data in specific modalities (e.g., name and discipline of clinician/group leader, individual attendance) and provides a behavioral-rating section that assesses the quality and quantity of the individual's behavior during class. The TAC system produces not only information that supports individualized clinical decisions, but also outcome data to compare an institution's performance with that of peer organizations in an effort to improve quality and accountability. Also, we aimed to evaluate the validity of behavior rating scales of the TAC system. Archival clinical data from a sample of 126 participants (mean age 38.34 years, SD 12.48) who met criteria for DSM-IV diagnosis of schizophrenia spectrum disorders or bipolar disorder were analyzed to examine validity of the six behavioral rating scales of the TAC system. Behavior ratings from the TAC system demonstrated that adaptive behavior ratings, that is, attention, participation, and spontaneity, were positively correlated with each other and negatively correlated with maladaptive behaviors, that is, withdrawal, disruptive behavior, and bizarre behavior. Additionally, behavior ratings from the TAC system showed a high level of concurrent validity with treatment utilization and subscales of the Nurses' Observational Scale for Inpatient Evaluation (NOSIE-30). The system has been successfully utilized for both administrative and clinical purposes to facilitate recovery and rehabilitation in the context of evidence-based practices within an inpatient setting.


NF-κB factors are cardinal transcriptional regulators of inflammation and apoptosis, involved in the brain programing of systemic aging and in brain damage. The composition of NF-κB active dimers and epigenetic mechanisms modulating histone acetylation, finely condition neuronal resilience to brain insults. In stroke models, the activation of NF-κB/c-Rel promotes neuroprotective effects by transcription of specific anti-apoptotic genes. Conversely, aberrant activation of NF-κB/RelA showing reduced level of total acetylation, but site-specific acetylation on lysine 310, triggers the expression of pro-apoptotic genes. Constitutive knockout of c-Rel shatters the resilience of substantia nigra (SN) dopaminergic (DA) neurons to aging and induces a parkinsonian like pathology in mice. c-rel−/− mice show increased level of aberrantly acetylated RelA in the basal ganglia, neuroinflammation, accumulation of alpha-synuclein, and iron. Moreover, they develop motor deficits responsive to l-DOPA treatment and associated with loss of DA neurons in the SN. Here, we discuss the effect of unbalanced activation of RelA and c-Rel during aging and propose novel challenges for the development of therapeutic strategies in neurodegenerative diseases.


We provide molecular dynamics simulation of heat transport in one-dimensional molecular chains with different interparticle pair potentials. We show that the ther mal conductivity is finite in the thermodynamic limit in the chains with the potential, which allows for bond dissociation. The Lennard-Jones, Morse and Coulomb potentials belong to such type of potentials. The convergence of the thermal conductivity is provided by phonon scattering on the locally stretched loose interatomic bond s at low temperature and by the many-particle scattering at high temperature. On the other hand, the chains with the confining pair potential, which does not allow for the bond dissociation, posses anomalous (diverging with the chain length) thermal conductivity. We emphasize that the chains with the symmetric or asymmetric Fermi-Pasta-Ulam potential or with the combined potentials containing parabolic confining potential all exhibit anoma lous heat transport.


Although the fertilization effect on soil microbial communities have been studied extensively, its influence combined with plastic-film mulching on seasonal variations of bacterial communities remains unknown. High throughput sequencing was used to explore seasonal bacterial communities in a longterm fertilization experiment that commenced in 1987. Non-fertilization and the application of manure combined with nitrogen fertilization significantly (P<0.05) increased bacterial abundance at phylum level without film mulching in July and with film mulching in October. Also, the relative abundance of dominant bacterial groups in October exceeded those in July. Nitrogen fertilization (N) significantly (P<0.05) decreased soil bacterial diversity and richness with or without film mulching compared to nonfertilization controls during July and October. Plastic film mulching and long-term manure fertilization significantly (P<0.05) increased bacterial diversity and richness as well as the relative abundance of dominant bacterial groups. Statistical analysis revealed that soil pH was the main driving force influencing bacterial groups. In conclusion, our results highlight the relative importance of long-term application of manure fertilization and plastic film mulching on seasonal variations of bacterial diversity and structure. This finding also highlights the relevance of soil pH as the main deterministic abiotic factor for soil bacterial community structure regardless of film mulching.


Background Poor quality diets high in fat, salt and sugar and low in fruit and vegetables play important roles in the aetiology of obesity and chronic diseases. Many dietary interventions assume relationships between cooking, diet and health, and surmise that a key solution for promoting health is developing cooking skills. However, evidence to support this proposition is lacking, as is evidence regarding the most appropriate targeting of such interventions. This study aimed to systematically review the health and social determinants and outcomes of home cooking. Methods Home cooking was defined as the combination of actions required for preparing hot or cold foods at home, including combining, mixing and often heating ingredients. Studies were included if they were published in English in a peer-reviewed journal; focussed mainly on home cooking; and presented post 20th Century data on participants from high/very high human development index countries. Interventional study designs, which have previously been reviewed, were excluded. Nineteen electronic databases covering health, psychology, economics and social sciences were searched, using systematically devised search strings. Key journals and websites were hand searched. 10% records retrieved were independently double screened at title/abstract, and all at full text. Data extraction and quality appraisal were undertaken in duplicate. Quality appraisal was carried out using the Effective Public Health Project tool (quantitative) and a checklist by Smith et al., 2009 (qualitative) and themes summarised using narrative synthesis. Results A total of 13,341 unique records were retrieved, and 853 full texts screened. Overall 38 studies met the inclusion criteria, the majority cross-sectional in design. All quantitative studies were rated overall weak in quality appraisal; qualitative studies were rated more highly. A conceptual model was developed, mapping determinants of home cooking to layers of influence including non-modifiable, individual, community and cultural factors. Evidence suggested links between key determinants, which included gender, time availability, personal relationships, and culture/ethnicity. Putative outcomes of home cooking were at an individual level and largely related to dietary benefits, with potential health impacts. Conclusion Determinants of home cooking appear more complex than simple skill acquisition, and potential positive associations between cooking, diet and health require further longitudinal research to establish cause and effect. The current evidence base is limited by reliance on primarily cross-sectional studies; high risk of bias; and authors' relatively limited conceptualisation of potential determinants and outcomes of home cooking. Public health policy makers and practitioners should avoid focussing exclusively on cooking skills whilst researchers explore these uncertainties.


The surface accuracy of a large parabolic antenna is an important indicator to evaluate the quality of the antenna. It not only directly affects the antenna's aperture efficiency, thereby determining the shortest wavelength that the antenna can work, but also affects the main lobe width and side lobe structure of the antenna pattern. Microwave holography is an important method for parabolic antenna profile detection. In this article we adopt a new algorithm to adjust the panels for the large radio telescope with an active main reflector through the TM65 m antenna's aperture phase profile. The panels of the TM65 m radio telescope is in a radial pattern with 14 rings. Each corner of the panel is fixed on the screw of the actuator to move up and down, and the adjacent corners of the four panels share an actuator. We use the method of plane fitting to calculate the adjustment value of every panel's corner. But one actuator, which simultaneously controls the common corner of the adjacent panels, will have different adjustment values according to the different plane fitting equation based on adjacent panels. In this paper, the adjustment value of the adjacent panels'crosspoints are constrained to be equal to the constraint condition to calculate each actuator's adjustment value of the TM65 m radio telescope. Through multiple adjustments and application of the new algorithms, the accuracy of the TM65 m antenna reflector profile has been improved from the original 0.28 mm to the current 0.19 mm.


Since the ether lipid anticancer drugs are membrane targeted, we examined the effect of membrane lipid structural alteration on their cytotoxicity. Enrichment with docosahexaenoic acid increased the sensitivity to the thioether lipid BM 41.440, compared to control cells enriched with oleic acid. The effect was dependent upon drug concentration, time, and the extent of cellular fatty acid enrichment. Other polyunsaturated fatty acids had a similar effect, which was proportional to the degree of unsaturation of the molecule inserted. Depletion of cellular glutathione with buthionine sulfoximine increased the sensitivity to ether lipid, but prooxidants such as Fe2+ and antioxidants such as vitamin E had little effect. The addition of serum to the incubation medium markedly diminished the cytotoxicity of ether lipids for cells modified with both docosahexaenoic acid and oleic acid, probably due to binding of the drug to serum components. The toxicity of another ether lipid, 1-O-octadecyl-2-O-methyl-rac-glycero-3-phosphocholine, was not affected appreciably by membrane alteration. Drug uptake studies with a radiolabeled BM 41.440 analogue, 1-[3H]hexadecylthio-2-ethyl-rac- glycero-3-phosphocholine, demonstrated no difference in transport at early time points and no difference in accumulation up to 60 min. We conclude that increases in cellular and/or membrane fatty acid polyunsaturation heighten the cytotoxic effect of a membrane-active ether lipid. The effect is not due to a change in drug transport or accumulation. It may be related to a change in oxidative events. These observations provide further confirmation of the membrane being the target of ether lipid action, using biochemical rather than morphological techniques. Most importantly, this observation offers a potential innovative approach to therapy.


Background Various instruments are currently used for disease activity and outcome assessment in psoriatic arthritis (PsA). Some measures attempt to incorporate the total spectrum of psoriatic disease manifestations [eg, minimal disease activity (MDA)] while others focus on arthritis assessments [eg, disease activity index for PsA (DAPSA)]. Whether in patients (pts) with PsA it is sufficient to primarily consider joint disease aspects remains unclear. Objectives To compare DAPSA remission and low disease activity (LDA) with MDA and very low disease activity (VLDA) for the presence of residual abnormalities of the respective composing variables. Methods This post hoc analysis included pts with PsA receiving adalimumab (ADA) in one of two multicenter studies: ADEPT was a 24-week (wk), randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial; ACCLAIM was a 12-wk, open-label study conducted in Canada in care settings that reflected usual practice. Frequencies of DAPSA remission/LDA and MDA/VLDA were summarized, and the individual PsA manifestations within these states were assessed. DAPSA was summed from the following continuous variables: swollen (66) and tender (68) joints, pt global assessment (PtGA, cm), pt pain (PP, cm), and C-reactive protein (CRP, mg/dL). DAPSA remission was defined as ≤4 and DAPSA LDA as >4 and ≤14. MDA criteria were as follows: ≤1 tender, ≤1 swollen joint, ≤1 entheseal point, PP ≤15mm, PtGA ≤20mm, HAQ ≤0.5, and PASI ≤3. MDA was calculated as fulfilling 5 of the 7 criteria, and VLDA calculated as fulfilling all 7 criteria. Data were as observed. Results Among 151 pts receiving ADA in ADEPT, 33 (22%) each achieved DAPSA remission and LDA at wk 24, and 20 (14%) and 11 (7%) achieved MDA and VLDA, respectively. Pts achieving DAPSA LDA appeared to mirror those in MDA, with the exception of experiencing numerically higher PP, PtGA, and PASI scores at wk 24 (Table). Pts in DAPSA LDA did experience numerically lower SJC when compared with the MDA achievers, and, like MDA achievers, displayed little residual enthesitis. Only VLDA, but not MDA, could match the stringency of DAPSA remission, a finding that was confirmed through analysis of the ACCLAIM cohort. However, VLDA allowed for numerically higher residual PP and PtGA levels when compared with DAPSA remission. Importantly, residual enthesitis did not differ among pts achieving DAPSA remission or VLDA. Irrespective of disease activity assessment, pts receiving ADA displayed little to no radiographic progression. Conclusions In the ADEPT and ACCLAIM cohorts, pts who achieved DAPSA remission or VLDA demonstrated similar outcomes with respect to the individual components of both scores, despite the omission of several of these within the DAPSA. Given the DAPSA's continuous nature, its use may offer a good alternative to fulfillment of the VLDA criteria, but these results require confirmation in different pt populations. Acknowledgements AbbVie: study sponsor, contributed to design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, and abstract writing, review, and approval. Medical writing: Ben Wolfe of AbbVie. Disclosure of Interest J. Smolen Grant/research support from: AbbVie, Inc., Consultant for: AbbVie, Inc., D. Aletaha Grant/research support from: AbbVie, Inc., Pfizer, Grünenthal, Merck, Medac, UCB, Mitsubishi/Tanabe, Janssen, and Roche, Consultant for: AbbVie, Inc., Pfizer, Grünenthal, Merck, Medac, UCB, Mitsubishi/Tanabe, Janssen, and Roche, D. Gladman Grant/research support from: AbbVie, Inc., Amgen, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celgene, Eli Lilly, Janssen, Pfizer, Novartis, and UCB, Y. Zhang Shareholder of: AbbVie, Inc., Employee of: AbbVie, Inc., F. Ganz Shareholder of: AbbVie, Inc., Employee of: AbbVie, Inc.


In the tropics, the tropopause is exceptionally cold and air entering the stratosphere is dehydrated down to a few parts per million leading to the extreme dryness of Earth's stratosphere. Deep convection typically detrains a few kilometers below the tropopause, but the few storms that may reach up to the tropopause could have an outsize effect on water vapor, other chemically important trace species, and clouds. However, little progress has been made to quantify the role of these storms due to challenging conditions for observations, and computational limitations. Here we provide the first global observational estimate of the convective ice flux at near tropical tropopause levels by using spaceborne lidar measurements and pioneering a method to convert from lidar measurement to ice flux information. Our estimate indicates that the upward ice flux in deep convection dominates moisture transport almost all the way up to the cold point tropopause.


Article 2 (1) states the Marriage Act, marriage is valid if it is done according to the law of each religion and belief. Furthermore, Article 2 (2) states every marriage is recorded in accordance with the legislation in force. Thus a marriage must comply with religious law and positive law. Statements about the validity of marriages taking place before Act No. 1 of 1974 concerning marriage and run other regulations. Solutions that marriage is not recorded can be reached by way of itsbat nikah propose marriage to the Religious Courts under Article 7 Compilation of Islamic Law (KHI). According to Article 7 paragraph (1) KHI marriages under Islamic law can only be proven with Marriage Certificate made by the Registrar of Marriage Officer. On the one hand Regulation Legislation Indonesia expressed registration of marriage is the only evidence of the occurrence of marriage, but on the other side of the law provide a way out for people who can not prove their marriage with the street Determination of Marriage (Itsbat nikah). Itsbat nikah as the authority of the PA need for legal protection should be equivalent law or legal rules included in the sort order legislation.Keywords: Implementation of Itsbat nikah, Religious Courts Authority, Marriage Not Recorded.


Recent theoretical studies have suggested that host range in herbivorous insects may be more restricted by constraints on information processing on the ovipositing females than by trade–offs in larval feeding efficiency. We have investigated if females from polyphagous species have to pay for their ability to localize and evaluate plants from different species with a lower ability to discriminate between conspecific host plants with differences in quality. Females of the monophagous butterflies Polygonia satyrus, Vanessa indica and Inachis io and the polyphagous P. c–album and Cynthia cardui (all in Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae) were given a simultaneous choice of stinging nettles (Urtica dioica) of different quality. In addition, the same choice trial was given to females from two populations of P. c–album with different degrees of specificity. As predicted from the information processing hypothesis, all specialists discriminated significantly against the bad quality nettle, whereas the generalists laid an equal amount of eggs on both types of nettle. There were no corresponding differences between specialist and generalist larvae in their ability to utilize poor quality leaves. Our study therefore suggests that female host–searching behaviour plays an important role in determining host plant range.


Polo-like kinases (Plks) are a family of serine/threonine protein kinases that regulate multiple stages of mitosis. Expression and distribution of polo-like kinase 1 (Plk1) were characterized during porcine oocyte maturation, fertilization and early embryo development in vitro, as well as after microtubule polymerization modulation. The quantity of Plk1 protein remained stable during meiotic maturation. Plk1 accumulated in the germinal vesicles (GV) in GV stage oocytes. After germinal vesicle breakdown (GVBD), Plk1 was localized to the spindle poles at metaphase I (MI) stage, and then translocated to the middle region of the spindle at anaphase-telophase I. Plk1 was also localized in MII spindle poles and on the spindle fibers and on the middle region of anaphase-telophase II spindles. Plk1 was not found in the spindle region when colchicine was used to inhibit microtubule organization, while it accumulated as several dots in the cytoplasm after taxol treatment. After fertilization, Plk1 concentrated around the female and male pronuclei. During early embryo development, Plk1 was found to be in association with the mitotic spindle at metaphase, but distributed diffusely in the cytoplasm at interphase. Our results suggest that Plk1 is a pivotal regulator of microtubule organization and cytokinesis during porcine oocyte meiotic maturation, fertilization, and early embryo cleavage in pig oocytes.


Bio-based polyols from epoxidized soybean oil and different fatty acids were successfully prepared using a solvent-free method in order to investigate the effect of the polyols' OH numbers on the thermal and mechanical properties of the polyurethanes prepared using them. Epoxidized soybean oil/epoxidized linseed oil was ring-opened by methanol/glycol followed by saponification to prepare polyhydroxy fatty acids. These fatty acids and epoxidized soybean oil were then used for further solvent-free ring-opening reactions with DBU as catalyst, which facilitated the carboxylic ring-opening. Gel permeation chromatography revealed that a molar ratio of carboxylic acid from polyhydroxy fatty aicds and epoxy group of 0.5 : 1 resulted in optimized polyols containing the smallest amounts of residual starting materials. The obtained polyols had varying OH numbers and the acquired polyurethane films were comprehensively characterized. With increasing OH number of the polyols the PUs displayed an increase in crosslinking density, glass transition temperature (Tg), tensile strength and Young's modulus, and a decrease in elongation and toughness. This work provides Supporting Information on the effect of OH number of polyols obtained via a solvent-free ring-opening method on the mechanical and thermal properties of polyurethanes, of particular interest when designing PU products for specific purposes. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015, 132, 41213.


Abstract A richly furnished grave of an elite woman from the Hallstatt period was discovered close to the Heuneburg, the earliest proto-urban settlement north of the Alps. Dendrochronological analysis of timbers from the grave chamber dates the burial to 583 BC, the earliest of a series of such burials north of the Alps and a key anchor in the absolute chronology of the Early Iron Age in Europe. The woman was adorned with gold, bronze, jet and amber jewellery; gold filigree objects, amber fibulae and items of horse-head armour suggest close connections south of the Alps. An infant female burial close to the main grave included gold jewellery made for a child but similar to that of the woman.


In August 2022, LastPass suffered two cyberattacks that breached customer data and encrypted passwords. LastPass acknowledged the attacks, but their communication was not transparent enough. In November 2022, a follow-up attack compromised customer data further. LastPass communicated that this was a low-risk attack and that customers did not need to take any action. However, in December 2022, LastPass admitted the actual scale of the breach, and that all customer vaults were compromised. It is important to note that every company suffers frequent attacks, but the proper security posture under this type of attack is to assume that everything will eventually get compromised. The incident makes a case for why companies should always deploy additional defenses, such as employing security keys, to stay secure in the long term.


The informed consent process allows the patient or legal guardian to participate in and retain autonomy over the medical service received. Obtaining informed consent may also decrease the practitioner's liability from claims associated with miscommunication. The aim of this study was to assess knowledge and practices of general dental practitioners (GDPs) regarding informed consent. 118 GDPs in Belgaum city, Karnataka, India, were given questionnaires asking for information on their knowledge and practices related to informed consent. The questions covered general information, treatment-specific issues and the consent process. 80 responses were received out of which 44 were complete. 63.6% of GDPs reported that they obtained written consent. All of them reported that they obtained only general consent. 4 of them obtained written consent in the local language. 37 said they gave a detailed explanation of the procedure. 3 said they did not inform their patients on radiation exposure. Dentists should upgrade their knowledge regarding legal jurisprudence and legal medicine to avoid any litigation.


The Shine-Dalgarno (SD) sequence motif facilitates translation initiation and is frequently found upstream of bacterial start codons. However, thousands of instances of this motif occur throughout the middle of protein coding genes in a typical bacterial genome. Here, we use comparative evolutionary analysis to test whether SD sequences located within genes are functionally constrained. We measure the conservation of SD sequences across Gammaproteobacteria, and find that they are significantly less conserved than expected. Further, the strongest SD sequences are the least conserved whereas we find evidence of conservation for the weakest possible SD sequences given amino acid constraints. Our findings indicate that most SD sequences within genes are likely to be deleterious and removed via selection. To illustrate the origin of these deleterious costs, we show that ATG start codons are significantly depleted downstream of SD sequences within genes, highlighting the potential for these sequences to promote erroneous translation initiation.


A deconstruction of the role of peace support operations suggests that they sustain a particular order of world politics that privileges the rich and powerful states in their efforts to control or isolate unruly parts of the world. As a management device it has grown in significance as the strategic imperatives of the post-industrialized, capitalist world have neutered the universal pretensions of the United Nations. Drawing on the work of Robert Cox and Mark Duffield, this essay adopts a critical theory perspective to argue that peace support operations serve a narrow, problem-solving purpose – to doctor the dysfunctions of the global political economy within a framework of liberal imperialism. Two dynamics in world politics might be exploited to mobilize a counter-hegemonic transformation in global governance. First, a radical change in the global trade system and its problematic institutions will create opportunities to emancipate the weak from economic hegemony. Second, future network wars are likely to require increasingly subtle and flexible teams, similar to disaster relief experts, to supply preventive action, economic aid and civilian protection. This might only be achieved by releasing peace support operations from the state-centric control system, and making them answerable to more transparent, more democratic and accountable multinational institutions.


Case Presentation A 6-year-old black girl was admitted to the hospital for evaluation of an erythematous lower left leg, fever, and a limp. The patient denied muscle weakness, sore throat, and joint complaints except for left ankle pain. No identifiable history of trauma existed, although the patient reported being bitten by ants on her lower extremities 1 week earlier. A radiograph of the left ankle showed no fracture or periosteal elevation, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP), and antistreptolysinO (ASO) titers were all within normal limits. Intravenous clindamycin for presumed staphylococcal cellulitis was started, with fever persisting over the next 2 days. On the third hospital day, dermatology was consulted to evaluate bullae that began to appear over the erythematous lower leg. Further questioning revealed a history consistent with lymphatic insufficiency in the left leg. Specifically, recurrent leg swelling episodes were reported for which the patient had once undergone a negative work-up for deep venous thrombosis. One year prior to the current presentation, the patient had been treated for a similar episode of ''cellulitis'' in the same leg. Additionally, chart review revealed that an oropharyngeal rapid streptococcal screen performed in the emergency department on the day of admission had been positive. Physical exam revealed several tense vesicles and bullae within the background of a well-demarcated, brightly erythematous plaque on the left leg (Figs. 1 and 2). The leg was tender, warm, and indurated with pitting edema and left inguinal adenopathy. Several discrete excoriated, crusted papules were present on the right lower extremity with at least one on the left. An aerobic culture of blister fluid did not reveal a causative organism. Based on the history, physical exam, photos, and laboratory data: