Background Interactions between antiretrovirals (ARVs) and transplant immunosuppressant agents (IS) among HIV-infected transplant recipients may lead to lack of efficacy or toxicity. In transplant recipients not infected with HIV, tacrolimus (TAC) trough levels (C0) or cyclosporine (CsA) drawn at C0 or 2 hours after dosing (C2) correlate with drug exposure (area under the curve [AUC]/dose) and outcomes. Because of ARV-IS interactions in HIV-infected individuals, and the high rate of rejection in these subjects, this study investigated the correlations between IS concentrations and exposure to determine the best method to monitor immunosuppressant levels. Methods This study prospectively studied 50 HIV-infected transplant recipients undergoing kidney or liver transplantation evaluating the pharmacokinetics of the IS in 150 studies over time after transplantation (weeks 2 to 4, 12, 28, 52, and 104). IS levels were measured with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry and AUC calculated using WinNonlin 9.0. Correlation analyses were run on SAS 9.2. Results CsA concentration at C4 correlated better with AUC than C0 or C2, and over time TAC concentration correlated better at C0 or C2. Conclusions It is suggested that C0 is acceptable for TAC monitoring, but poor predictability will occur at C0 with CsA. The low correlation of C0 with CsA AUC could be responsible for the higher rejection rates on CsA that has been reported in these subjects.


Municipal solid waste management constitutes one of the most crucial health and environmental problem facing African cities. Most cities spend 20-50% of their annual budget on solid waste management and only 20-80% of the waste is collected. This study examines the current status of municipal solid waste management within Federal Capital Territory Abuja (FCT Abuja) and aims to identify the current challenges and areas requiring improvement. The data collection is in stages, using an integrative approach via semi structured interview and field observations. The qualitative data was analyzed descriptively, while the quantitative data was analyzed using basic statistics. Bases on the finding it is concluded that municipal solid waste management is a serious issue due to its human health and environmental sustainability implications, that has yet to be properly address within the FCT Abuja.


: Maze-cum-activity cage is devised in order to record the activity shift patterns of incentive drive of rats. The main features of this instrument are its low cost, simplicity or recording system and evaluation of time shift patterns of the activity when animal is moving for preferential cues such as food, water socio-sexual environment provided in the cage during a 24 hour period.


Adolescents are often perceived by parents and teachers as future rebels, risky, materialistic, emotional, depressed, stubborn and rude. Furthermore, adolescents identical to storm and stress are characterized by high volatility in the face of the problem itself. Teenagers who are close to the religious life will be easier happier than those far from the religious life. This study aimed to explore the correlation of spirituality and happiness in the late teens to the 2nd generation students of Muhammadiyah University Tasikmalaya. This study uses bivariate correlational. Data retrieval through purposive sampling techniques, the student of the 2nd course of study Guidance and Counseling University of Muhammadiyah Tasikmalaya. The respondents of this study amounted to 53 people, consisting of 38 women and 15 men. The average age of respondents was 19.91 years, SD: 1.097. Spirituality has a significant correlation with happiness in the late teens students of Muhammadiyah University Tasikmalaya. The magnitude of the correlation is 0.673 (+ number), the higher the spirituality of the higher happiness in adolescents. Spirituality has a role amounted to 45.2% against happiness.


ABSTRACT Mus spicilegus is an outdoor species from southern-eastern Europe, adapted to agroecosystems. In the beginning of autumn, to spend the winter, mound-building mice build complex mounds. These mounds are built using accumulation of seeds covered with earth. This behavior is unique among mice species. However, there is evidence that at higher temperatures and a larger availability of food in winter, mice can optimize this particular behavior in direction to simpler constructions or even not build them at all. To clarify if mice display building activity under laboratory conditions we studied behavior of M. spicilegus in 5 intraspecific cage groups during autumn-winter period. The observations were carried out in 100 × 100 cm glass cages provided with earth and sawdust as bedding and straw and hay as nesting material. The groups were formed by 3–4 mice captured from a wild population in northern Bulgaria in early September of 2008, where mounds were already built. Mice were grouped according to the mound they belong to. The results showed that mound-building mice display high level of building activity, especially in the first month of their time in the laboratory. In majority of groups mice built domed nests made from straw and hay, where they lived together. Seeds in the cages were covered with earth, as far as that was possible. However, mice in some groups made burrows of simple design. Based on these findings it could be assumed that building behavior of M. spicilegus is genetically determined, but as microtine rodents M. spicilegus can be quite flexible in employing behavior to suit the local environment.


The effects of free fatty acids (FFA) on insulin receptor binding and processing (internalization, degradation, dissociation, and release) were examined in hepatocytes isolated from 12-week-old female rats. Animals were fasted for 24 h to deplete liver glycogen and lipid content. Cells were preincubated for 30 min or 3 h at 37 degrees C in media containing 10 mM lactate, 1 mM pyruvate, and 3.5 percent albumin with increasing concentrations of palmitate (0.00, 0.05, 0.2, 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 mM). Under these conditions palmitate is the primary substrate for cellular metabolism, and its major fate is oxidation. Equilibrium binding was determined after 18-20 h of incubation at 4 degrees C with radiolabeled insulin and increasing concentrations of unlabeled hormone. With increasing palmitate concentration, a dose-dependent decline in cell-surface insulin receptor binding was observed. Binding decreased by 35 percent and 44 percent after 30 min and 3 h of preincubation with 2 mM palmitate, respectively. This decrease was due to a reduction in insulin receptor number. Receptor-mediated insulin processing was evaluated in cells prelabeled at 4 degrees C with 125I (A14)-monoiodoinsulin at an insulin concentration of 100 pM and reincubated at 37 degrees C for up to 30 min. The amount of internalized insulin was decreased by preincubation of hepatocytes with palmitate. This decrease was proportional to the reduction in cell-surface insulin receptor density at palmitate concentrations of 0.05-0.5 mM, but was disproportionally greater at higher fatty acid concentrations. Receptor-mediated insulin degradation decreased at palmitate concentrations between 0.05 and 1.0 mM. At 2 mM, however, insulin degradation was enhanced. This enhancement was observed after 30 min or 3 h of exposure to the fatty acid. Dissociation and/or release of cell-associated internalized insulin was not influenced by the FFA exposure. The effects of FFA on hepatocyte insulin binding and processing were contingent upon cellular metabolism, since no changes were noted when cells were preincubated with palmitate at 4 degrees C under otherwise similar conditions. Thus the in vitro exposure of hepatocytes to FFA influences both receptor and postreceptor events mediating insulin metabolism. These effects may account for the altered hepatic insulin extraction and sensitivity that accompany abdominal obesity and its progression to diabetes.


BRIDGES Mathematical Connections in Art, Music, and Science For the past forty years Lawrence Edwards, a mathematician and scientist from Scotland, has observed on a daily basis subtle changes in the shape of buds. He has used projective geometry to deduce an invariant parameter that is a measure of the shape of the bud and has observed that every 14 days the bud expresses itself by changing its shape from a flattened to a more sharpened form. He has been able to show that for a particular species of bud the day of maximum expression correlates with the alignment of the Earth, moon and a planet particular to the species. For example the Oak correlates with Mars, the Beech with Saturn and the Knapweed with Jupiter. Furthermore each year the time at which the bud achieves its maximum shape change occurs one day per year earlier than the exact alignment of Earth, moon and planet until after seven years the alignment is again exact. These observations have no explanation within the scientific paradigm. However, the results have been replicated to a limited degree by others.


Bond strength is a key property to evaluate quality of cladding layer. According to the thickness of the cladding, surface cladding layer can be classified into two categories: thick and thin layer. The later is usually called thin film. Bond strength includes static and dynamic bond strength. As to thick cladding layer, main measuring methods of static bond strength are sticking extension method, interfacial indentation method, shearing method, fracture mechanics method. Contact fatigue method is the main measuring method of dynamic bond strength. As to thin film, main measuring methods of static bond strength are extension method, scratching method, indentation method, scraping method, bulge blister method, laser spallation method and so on. The main measuring methods of dynamic bond strength are facing contact rolling method and ball contact rolling method. The paper made overview on all above methods.


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High power lasers (> +21dBm) have gradually become the common solution for signal transmitting systems including regional cable television, Fiber To The Home (FTTH), and gigabit passive optical networks (G- PONs) due to their ability to generate signals that can be transmitted over long distances. However, if protective design is not implemented in the facility at the client side, users may be exposed to health hazards such as eye damage from these high-power lasers. High-power optical adapters with laser shutter use metal masks to prevent eye exposure to direct laser beams. They have progressively replaced conventional optical adapters and entered the market mainstream. Our study uses the Elastic-Plastic theory together with parametric design to investigate the effect of geometry on the initial spring-back angle of a laser shutter. Once the force stabilizes, the angles of the initial spring back are found to be the same as the simulated results for several attempts. In our study, it is observed that factors including the thickness of the metal masking plate, the initial design angle, the stiffness of the material and the boundary conditions have significant influence on the spring back angle. These can be used as references in design control.


Gulf and South African countries have enormous potential for wind energy. However, the emergence of sand storms in this region postulates performance and reliability challenges on wind turbines. This study investigates the effects of debris flow on wind turbine blade performance. In this paper, two-dimensional incompressible Navier-Stokes equations and the transition SST turbulence model are used to analyze the aerodynamic performance of NACA 63415 airfoil under clean and sandy conditions. The numerical simulation of the airfoil under clean surface condition is performed at Reynolds number 460×103, and the numerical results have a good consistency with the experimental data. The Discrete Phase Model has been used to investigate the role sand particles play in the aerodynamic performance degradation. The pressure and lift coefficients of the airfoil have been computed under different sand particles flow rates. The performance of the airfoil under different angle of attacks has been studied. Results showed that the blade lift coefficient can deteriorate by 28% in conditions relevant to the Gulf and South African countries sand storms. As a result, the numerical simulation method has been verified to be economically available for accurate estimation of the sand particles effect on the wind turbine blades.


ABSTRACT The upper Jurassic Morrison Formation in the southern part of the San Juan Basin contains uniquely etched detrital garnets characterized by smooth, crystallographically controlled faceted surfaces. The etched garnets occur in relatively homogeneous Morrison sandstones in discrete stratigraphic zones that are bounded above and below by sandstones bearing unetched garnets. Diagenetic alterations associated with etched garnets include etched staurolite, skeletal plagioclase, regularly interstratified illite-smectite, iron-rich chlorite, ankerite, albite, diagenetically altered (organic-poor) uranium ore, and extensive secondary porosity. Etching of garnets and partial to complete dissolution of other aluminosilicate minerals were caused by high concentrations of organic acids generated during the maturation of epigenetic organic matter (predominantly type-III kerogen) in the Morrison Formation. The presence of authigenic phases that form near 100°C indicates that temperatures were high enough during diagenesis to cause the thermal degradation of kerogen. The subsequent release of reactive organic acids promoted a variety of water-rock reactions. This hypothesis was corroborated by experiments in which dicarboxylic acid solutions created facets on garnets identical to those developed on naturally etched Morrison garnets. The excellent complexing ability of organic acid anions accounts for the characteristic lack of alteration products on etched surfaces.


As part of the expanded research program in the Agricultural Estimates Division, Agricultural Marketing Service, United States Department of Agriculture, extensive plant observations were made over the old Cotton Belt during the 1954 season. The data were studied in relation to final yields so that similar observations, taken before harvest in the 1955 season, may be used to make experimental forecasts of yields. This paper summarizes the findings of the 1954 work and indicates how the results may be used in 1955. The results are in terms of average relationships for the region as a whole and should not be expected to apply to any one locality within the region.


Chief Justice Allsop, your Honours, ladies and gentlemen. My thanks to AMTAC and the Federal Court for arranging today's event, and to MLAANZ for including it in their annual conference program. AMTAC is to be congratulated for its initiatives promoting Australia a preferred venue for dispute resolution in maritime matters.

When Peter McQueen first asked me to deliver the AMTAC annual address, I felt honoured by the invitation but a little overawed at the scale of the topic. There are hundreds if not thousands of important maritime law cases, many of them with their roots in maritime arbitration. I imagined surveying reports of cases laid out as far as the eye can see; hence the reference to the 'crow's nest' in the title of this address.

The dilemma at hand is well described in a comment made by David Foxton QC, the biographer of the great maritime judge Lord Justice Scrutton. (1) In describing his task of mapping the contribution of that single eminent judge to the field of commercial and contract law, Foxton said:

It is difficult to do justice to the number and quality of judgments in commercial appeals over this period: any survey soon degenerates into a name checking of well-known cases, whose worth is well known to those already acquainted with them and impossible to communicate to those who are not. (2)

I wish to avoid the trap thus aptly described. I have therefore been selective. After some introductory comments about maritime arbitration, I will then take you to one aspect of the law particularly developed by maritime cases before the English courts and to which arbitration cases made a special contribution: namely the early development of the doctrine of frustration. (As we commemorate the 100th anniversary of significant events throughout the Great War, and given that many of the cases concern the interruptions posed by the Great War, it seems to me that such a reflection is timely.) I will then briefly survey the other maritime cases that have a broader significance in common law. I will conclude by looking 'over the horizon'.


Many of the features that distinguish the vertebrates from other chordates are derived from the neural crest, and it has long been argued that the emergence of this multipotent embryonic population was a key innovation underpinning vertebrate evolution. More recently, however, a number of studies have suggested that the evolution of the neural crest was less sudden than previously believed. This has exposed the fact that neural crest, as evidenced by its repertoire of derivative cell types, has evolved through vertebrate evolution. In this light, attempts to derive a typological definition of neural crest, in terms of molecular signatures or networks, are unfounded. We propose a less restrictive, embryological definition of this cell type that facilitates, rather than precludes, investigating the evolution of neural crest. While the evolutionary origin of neural crest has attracted much attention, its subsequent evolution has received almost no attention and yet it is more readily open to experimental investigation and has greater relevance to understanding vertebrate evolution. Finally, we provide a brief outline of how the evolutionary emergence of neural crest potentiality may have proceeded, and how it may be investigated. BioEssays 30:530–541, 2008. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) that is plaguing the world today surely carves a dark, unforgettable history. It has been declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO). This shows that it has spread worldwide, transcending every border, and then finally penetrating every corner of the world. Despite its small size (measured in nanometer), its influence is great enough in triggering stress. As various countries declare a state of Emergency, restricted movement order and lockdown, varying reactions like sorrow, anxiety, misperception and fear have been ignited in the society. All of these have cumulatively caused stress among them. This current review paper summarizes and discusses the published literature addressing mental health concerns linked to the COVID-19 pandemic. Studies show that excessive stress causes the failure in the individual's mental and physical systems. The issue here is how the situation at the workplace, post-COVID-19 is different from the previous situation. Thus, the psychological preparation of every member in the organization is crucial to face the challenges coming their way. The available literature showed consensus that the COVID-19 pandemic not only affects physical health, but also stress and well-being. In conclusion, emotional well-being must be emphasized through training and human resource development strategy to prepare and empower the mentality of the organizational members to address this stress.


Underwater vehicle plays an important role in ocean engineering. Depth control by fin is one of the difficulties for underwater vehicle in motion control. Depth control is indirect due to the freedom coupling between trim and axial motion. It is included the method of dynamic analysis and lift-resistance-coefficient experiment and theory algorithm. Considering the current speed and depth deviation, comprehensive interpretation is used in object-planning instruction. Expected depth is transformed into expected trim. Dynamic output fluctuation can be avoided, which is caused by linear mapping of deviation. It is steady and accurate for the motion of controlled underwater vehicle. The feasibility and efficiency are testified in the pool and natural area for experiments.


The computational Grid concept is gaining great popularity as the best way to deliver access to a wide range of distributed computing and data resources. But, as Grids move from an experimental phase to real production and their deployment in the Internet significantly increases, controlling the security of a Grid application becomes imperative. The most significant Grid security issue is that the different sites composing the Grid will generally be managed by different organizations each with their own security mechanisms and policies. This makes any communication security arrangement on the entities participating to the Grid generally more difficult than if they were on the same LAN. In this paper, we propose a novel network resource abstraction for delivering dynamic on-demand Virtual Private Overlay connection services, into large-scale Grid environments. Such facility provides to Grid applications an illusion of dedicated layer-2 LAN connections that are fully comparable to a private network in performance, reliability, security and Quality of Service, but also provide topology and control plane virtualization to ensure better isolation also at the protocol and address space level. It may represent a technological breakthrough that can transform the overall connection paradigm in modern Grids, by reducing infrastructure costs, with the elimination of private circuits and long-distance direct connections, and increasing network coverage and flexibility by leveraging the Internet usage. As a proof of concept, the proposed facility has been implemented in a Grid Information Service prototype which was successfully tested on a small dedicated testbed infrastructure.


Commentators and policymakers frequently propose new government agencies in response to novel or intractable problems. But agency genesis as a phenomenon has not been explored in any detail in the legal literature. New agencies can refocus public attention on the problems they regulate. They can attract new talent and bypass calcified or captured channels. But they are also costly, and there is no guarantee that they will be more successful than their predecessors.

This Article examines agency genesis at the state level. In the process, it expands recent thinking about the administrative separation of powers to the states. Setting up rivalries within the executive branch by creating additional agencies can be an effective tool for mitigating executive power. This is also vital in the states, which have experienced a documented expansion of gubernatorial power. Productive friction between state agencies can stem executive overreach, provide more points of access for the public, and improve the quality of agency decisionmaking.

State energy policy offers a compelling context in which to explore agency genesis and the administrative separation of powers. Energy agency creation in state government is a story of addition, beginning with public utility commissions in the early 1900s and culminating in the contemporary creation of new boards and bodies to manage the transition to a just, low-carbon energy economy. Drawing on the political science and public administration literatures, this Article explains the observed patterns of energy agency creation and analyzes their effects on state energy governance. It offers prescriptions for managing multiple agencies in the same policy domain. And it cautions that the allure of agency genesis should not preclude reform of existing institutions.


Author(s): Parekh, Mihir (Surya) Kishore | Advisor(s): Davis, Angela Y; Spivak, Gayatri C | Abstract: Kant's notion of cosmopolitanism is influential to a range of topical issues, from multiculturalism and human rights to globalization and an ethical society. Cosmopolitanism promises a conception of the rational subject not constrained by commitments to the nation or the self. The universality of this conception has been challenged by feminist and critical race philosophers. The Cosmopolitics of Race, Gender, and Indigeneity in Kant offers a new approach towards investigating these promises and limits. By examining the deep background of the production of the rational subject, it argues that that there is a political-epistemological paradox at the heart of Kant's notion of cosmopolitanism. An impasse is generated between the pure, practical reason that motivates Kant's critical philosophy and the empirical framing of historical reason at play in accounts of political autonomy and cosmopolitan subjectivity. I claim that this paradoxical dimension of Kant's cosmopolitanism has not been sufficiently interrogated. The central argument of my project is that Kant treats this paradox through a complex movement of identity and difference between the concepts of the human and humanity. I demonstrate that exclusions of race, gender, and indigeneity are needed by Kant to establish this movement as coherent. Drawing on recent scholarship that combines philosophical analysis with a historical and literary approach, the dissertation's arc makes this argument across a series of discourses. Chapter 1 revisits the relationship of Kant's concept of race to his moral philosophy by placing Kant's notion of cosmopolitan destiny alongside an original moment in the 18th century invention of the concept of race. Chapters 2 and 3 argue the centrality of gender to ideas of cosmopolitan subjectivity by examining Kant's account of political autonomy alongside his participation in a discourse of gender in German civil society. Chapter 4 demonstrates the significance of indigeneity to Kant's cosmopolitan vision by exploring his use of source material from an influential polemic on indigeneity in the New World. This project concludes that discourses of race, gender, and indigeneity qualify inclusion in the constituency of a future cosmopolitan society and form the horizon upon which the impasse between epistemology and politics is elaborated.


The purpose of the article is to study the method of extrapolation, highlighting the effectiveness of the financial activity of JSC «ZAZ» and for its future development. In the process of analyzing and exploring the scientific work of many scientists, effectiveness of using the extrapolation method for
predicting performance was determined. As a result of research in the article analyzes the financial position of the enterprises of mechanical engineering in modern conditions, the efficiency of working capital in recent years determined. The feasibility of using the method of extrapolation in terms of instability of the market economy was investigated and proved. The forecast of working capital and total sales was made. It is offered to use in research the linear correlation coefficient of the pair, the method of least deviation, t – Student's criterion. Data obtained on the basis of the forecast enables
businesses to improve their performance, to compete at a high level with other entities to establish a system of sales, to avoid crises in the future, increase profits and develop programs to reduce costs. Prospects for further research in this area will improve and develop an integrated system of economic
methods on prediction performance of engineering enterprises based on current market position and variability of the environment.


IOP Publishing Limited ("IOPP") is retracting this paper following an investigation which resulted from a reader complaint. The paper makes a number of unsubstantiated claims and, in the opinion of IOPP, lacks scientific rigour, clarity and objectivity. Although the paper was subject to peer review via the conference organisers, unfortunately these issues were not identified on this occasion. IOPP also has concerns regarding the discriminatory tone and sentiment of the paper, which are not appropriate in a scientific journal. IOPP expresses its thanks to the readers and independent advisors who have shared their thoughts regarding this paper during the course of the investigation. Retraction published: 24 June 2021


Universally increased concern for sustainability, reduced carbon dioxide emissions and responsible use of resources has made governments and authorities upgrade related standards and regulations. There is no doubt, the sustainability strategies agreed and the regulations set by the authorities have a vital effect on restructuring construction industry practices. Being the most widely used construction material and therefore the most resource demanding material, concrete needs to be designed and produced responsibly. So the concrete industry has shown an 18% reduction in CO 2 emissions through the use of recycled materials and alternative fuels compared to 1990 baselines only until 2010. As the rest of the concrete industry, foamed concrete also contributes to sustainable construction effectively. Research has shown that recycled and secondary aggregate (RSA) materials can effectively replace primary aggregates or high carbon materials in foamed concrete either fully or partially, whilst maintaining the performance properties. Despite a number of risky factors such as high heterogeneity and water absorption capacity of the RSA materials used in foamed concrete, the key advantage arising from the use of these materials is their 0-3 mm particle sizes, which is not a suitable range for use in normal weight concrete. Furthermore, the study concluded that, foamed concrete can easily be recycled and used in the production of new foamed concrete.


This edited collection brings together international experts from the vibrant and growing field of geographies of children, youth and families.

Designed as an introduction to the topic, this book provides an overview of current conceptual and theoretical debates surrounding geographies of children, youth and families, and gives a wide range of examples of cutting-edge research from a variety of national contexts across the globe. The theme of 'disentangling the socio-spatial contexts of young people and/or their families' advances debates in the field by emphasising the context of young people's social agency.

Geographies of Children, Youth and Families is an invaluable course text for undergraduate and postgraduate students of geography and the social sciences, as well as being of interest to students and practitioners of education, youth work, social policy, and social work.


Impulse responses of the simple fields cat visual cortex were found to be modulated by gratings passing the field. The complex fields proved to be of three types: with modulated responses, unmodulated responses, and with modulated responses against unmodulated background. Amplitude-phase characteristic (APC) measured were inverse Fourier transformed to obtain the field's weighting function. Simultaneously the APC was reconstructed from the responses to edges and bars, with the use of the Fourier transform. Cross-comparison of the reconstructed APC and the WF showed that a RF has some linear properties but, strictly considered, is a non-linear system. Simple fields display the largest degree of linearity. The more complex field is the greater departures from linearity. As linear methods are inadequate for dealing with cortical RFs, their identification was performed in model experiments on a computer. The evidence obtained suggest that the RFs form a system of operators which perform the expansion of the image in non-classical pattern. Such an expansion can be termed quasi-Fourier-description.


In a follow-up to AES-143 #9832, this experiment employed a novel method that altered subjects' pinnae and examined the effects of modifying salient spectral cues on time-based vertical-oriented precedence in raised, lowered, and diagonal sagittal and medial planes. As suggested in the prior study, outcomes confirm perceptual interference from acoustic patterns generated via lead-lag signal interaction. Results provide clear physical and psychophysical evidence that reliable elevation cues may be rendered ineffective by stimuli such as those used in typical precedence-based experiments. Outcomes here demonstrate the salient and powerful influence of spectral information during lead-lag precedence-oriented tasks and suggest that prior research, in particular that concerned with so-called "vertical" precedence, may have been erroneously influenced by simple--yet profound-acoustic comb-filtering.


Significance Social connection is critical for our mental and physical health yet assessing and measuring connection has been challenging. Here, we demonstrate that a feature intrinsic to conversation itself—the speed with which people respond to each other—is a simple, robust, and sufficient metric of social connection. Strangers and friends feel more connected when their conversation partners respond quickly. Because extremely short response times (<250 ms) preclude conscious control, they provide an honest signal that even eavesdroppers use to judge how well two people "click." Clicking is one of the most robust metaphors for social connection. But how do we know when two people "click"? We asked pairs of friends and strangers to talk with each other and rate their felt connection. For both friends and strangers, speed in response was a robust predictor of feeling connected. Conversations with faster response times felt more connected than conversations with slower response times, and within conversations, connected moments had faster response times than less-connected moments. This effect was determined primarily by partner responsivity: People felt more connected to the degree that their partner responded quickly to them rather than by how quickly they responded to their partner. The temporal scale of these effects (<250 ms) precludes conscious control, thus providing an honest signal of connection. Using a round-robin design in each of six closed networks, we show that faster responders evoked greater feelings of connection across partners. Finally, we demonstrate that this signal is used by third-party listeners as a heuristic of how well people are connected: Conversations with faster response times were perceived as more connected than the same conversations with slower response times. Together, these findings suggest that response times comprise a robust and sufficient signal of whether two minds "click."


Objective: To discuss the possible etiology, pathogenesis and 'cure' of idiopathic sudden deafness (SD). Method: A review was made of different methods for the study of inner-ear physiology, especially its microcirculation, relating them to clinical evaluation and praxis for SD. Results: Cochlear blood flow (CBF) can be measured quantitatively with the microsphere method in animals. Direct qualitative measurements can be performed using the laser Doppler method. The CBF is partly autoregulated, but to a lesser degree than cerebral blood flow. Sympathetic stimulation decreases CBF up to 25%. Noise does not influence total CBF but seems to reduce blood flow in the lateral wall. Nicotinic acid, hemodilution and osmotic drugs increase the CBF proportionally. Carbogen increases the CBF but also creates acidosis. Treating patients with SD in accordance with these findings does not show any convincing effect compared to no treatment. Conclusion: More and more diseases have been identified which can have SD as a symptom. It is important to investigate to identify these treatable cases. Idiopathic cases should not be exposed to hazardous systemic medication or surgery. Local treatment through the round window will be the treatment modality for the future, but more basic research is necessary.


Over the last decades, industrial and urban development and emisions of many hazardous organic compounds have threatened the ecological quality of marine and freshwater sediments. Sediments accumulate hydrophobic organic compounds (HOCs) such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and thus may pose serious risks to ecosystems and human health. Over the past years sediment treatment by sorbent addition such as activated carbon (AC) to achieve sequestration of HOCs in situ has been proposed as an alternative approach to traditional remediation technologies such as dredging and disposal. The present research was meant to explore ex situ extraction of sediment by granular AC (GAC) ('active stripping') as a novel approach in comparison to traditional in situ AC sediment remediation technologies using amendments of powdered AC (PAC) or GAC. Chapter 2 discusses the current state of the art in AC amendment technology as a method for sediment remediation. In this chapter, major knowledge gaps are revealed on sediment-AC-HOC interactions controlling the effectiveness of HOC binding such as AC type, particle size, dosage, sediment and sorbate characteristics,and efficiency of AC to reduce bioaccumulation in benthic invertebrates.In addition, the review discusses potential negative effects of AC on aquatic life. Finally, we discuss whether the effects of AC addition can be predicted using fate and transport models. Chapter 3 explores the potential of GAC in the context of ex situ sediment remediation technology. Since the added GAC would compete for the sorption of HOCs with natural sediment phases, its effectiveness would strongly depend on its dosage. Consequently, in this chapter we investigate the distribution coefficients for short-term sorption processes, and the optimal dosage level of GAC to be used in intensive sediment remediation. A suite of candidate GAC materials is screened for maximum efficiency in extracting PAHs from sediment with very high PAH and oil pollution levels within 24 h. The effectiveness of GAC is compared to a single-step solid phase extraction (SPE) with Tenax beads, Sorption data are interpreted in terms of aqueous phase concentration reduction ratios and distribution coefficients. Despite the considerable fouling of GAC by organic matter and oil, 50-90% of the most available PAH was extracted by the GAC during 28-d contact time, at a dose as low as 4%. A prerequisite for the application of active stripping with GAC in contaminatedsediment remediation is effective transport of pollutantsfrom the sediment to the GAC during the relatively short mixing stage. Therefore, in Chapter 4 kinetics of PAH transfer from sediment using GAC at a relatively low dose as a solid extraction phase kinetic parameters are obtained by modeling experimental sediment-GAC exchange kinetic data following a two-stage model calibration approach. Rate constants (k GAC ) for PAH uptake by GAC range from 0.44 to 0.0005 d -1 , whereas GAC sorption coefficients (K GAC ) range from 10 5.57 to 10 8.57 L kg -1 . These results show that ex situ extraction with GAC is sufficiently fast and effective to reduce the risks of the most available PAHs among those studied, such as fluorene, phenanthrene and anthracene. It is unclear how the GAC/sediment mixing step affects desorption kinetics of HOCs for instance by changing the sediment particle size distributions, and whether these factors may influence the effectiveness of ex situ GAC extraction technology. Chapter 5 presents the results of investigations on the effect of mixing intensity on the extraction rate of PAHs from contaminated sediment. Desorption data are interpreted using a radial diffusion model. Mixing caused the 161 µm particles originally present at a stirring rate of 200 rpm to decrease in size to 9 µm at a rate of 600 rpm. Desorption rate constants decreased with increasing PAH hydrophobicity but increased with the intensity of mixing. The results demonstrate that desorption of PAHs is significantly accelerated by a reduction of particle aggregate size caused by shear forces induced by mixing. So far, the remediation effectiveness and ecological side effects of AC application have been studied in the short term, and mainly in laboratory studies. However, it is still not clear to what extent these reduced pore water concentrations change over longer times and how they differ for chemicals and for different AC remediation scenarios under field conditions. Chapter 6 presents (pseudo-)equilibrium as well as kinetic parameters for in situ sorption of a series of PAHs and PCBs to powdered and granular activated carbons (AC) after three different sediment treatments: sediment mixed with powdered AC (PAC), sediment mixed with granular AC (GAC), and addition of GAC followed by 2 d mixing and subsequent removal ('sediment stripping') in the field. Remediation efficiency is assessed by quantifying fluxes towards SPME passive samplers inserted in the sediment top layer, which shows that efficiency decrease in the order of PAC > GAC stripping > GAC addition. Sorption was very strong to PAC, with log K AC (L/kg) values up to 10.5. Log K AC values for GAC ranged from 6.3 - 7.1 and 4.8 - 6.2 for PAHs and PCBs, respectively. Log K AC values for GAC in the stripped sediment were 7.4 - 8.6 and 5.8 - 7.7 for PAH and PCB. Apparent first order adsorption rate constants for GAC (k GAC ) in the stripping scenario were calculated with a first-order kinetic model and ranged from 1.6×10 -2 (PHE) to 1.7×10 -5 d -1 (InP). This study showed that sediment treatment with PAC is most effective and less prone to organic matter fouling and ongoing natural processes in the field. The effectiveness of GAC is higher in the 48 h sediment stripping scenario than in the GAC amendment approach. In Chapter 7 the effects of three different AC treatments (see above) on HOC concentrations in pore water, benthic invertebrates, zooplankton and fish (Leuciscus idus melanotus) are tested. The AC treatments result in a significant decrease in HOC concentrations in pore water, benthic invertebrates, zooplankton, macrophytes and fish. In 6 months, PAC treatment caused a reduction of accumulation of PCBs in fish by a factor of 20 bringing pollutant levels below toxic thresholds. All AC treatments supported growth of fish, but growth was inhibited in the PAC treatment, which is likely to be explained from reduced nutrient concentrations, resulting in lower zooplankton (i.e., food) densities for the fish. During the course of the field study, sediment stripping as well as sediment treatment with GAC turned out to be slower in reducing PCB bioaccumulation in biota, but the treatments were not harmful to any of the biota either. In the final chapter ( Chapter 8 ), overarching answers to the main research questions (see above) are formulated and an outlook regarding the actual use of ex situ GAC is provided.


Sixty patients with brain abscess were treated at the Neurosurgical Unit of the Department of Surgery, Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia between January 1990 and December 1996. A retrospective study was done and data were collected from the computerise d registry of the Record Unit of Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia. Good results were achieved in patients who were both treated surgically and medically. There were only twelve deaths in this group. The main factor that influences morbidity and mortality of brain abscess is the clinical presentation on admission. The mortality was high in patients treated solely by medical means. Death was common in patients who presented with acute onset of symptoms of less than one week duration and those with poor mental status. Brain abscess is common in the East Coast population of peninsular Malaysia, probably due in part to lower socioeconomic status. Efforts should be directed towards prevention of infection and early recognition and management.


Within the European Union (EU), subsidiary protection has been established a form of protection complementary to the refugee status. This hierarchy of international protection forms is clearly set out in the 2004 EU Qualification Directive and its 2011 Recast. The question nonetheless remains: to which extent subsidiary is and should be considered subsidiary to the refugee status? The present chapter approaches this question by examining the content of the two forms of protection, that is, the rights and benefits granted to refugees and subsidiary protection beneficiaries. Analysing the substantial modifications brought by the 2011 Recast Qualification Directive, it questions the rationale and relevance of the remaining differences in treatment between the two beneficiaries of international protection.


BACKGROUND
Smoking is prevalent among people in China. In this study, we examined the association between smoking and cognitive function in a representative sample of adults aged 45 years and older in China.

METHODS
We analyzed the baseline data of 16,892 participants from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study. We measured smoking based on smoking status (never, former, and current smokers) and pack years (one pack year equals 20 cigarettes per day for 1 year). We assessed cognitive function for visuospatial ability, episodic memory, orientation/attention, and overall cognitive function. Multivariate linear and logistic regressions were used to examine the independent association between smoking and cognitive function, controlling for sociodemographic factors, domestic partner status, physical health status, and depressive symptoms.

RESULTS
The study participants were, on average, 60 years old. The prevalence of former and current smoking in this population was 8.4% and 28.8%, respectively. Compared with nonsmokers, former and current smokers had better cognitive function (p < .0001). After controlling for covariates, only former smokers, compared with nonsmokers, have better orientation and attention (p = .04) and overall cognitive function (p = .01). Moreover, pack years are positively associated with orientation, attention (p = .04), and overall cognitive function among all participants (p = .02).

CONCLUSIONS
This study identified that, among middle-aged and older Chinese adults, former smokers had the highest cognitive function, especially attention and orientation, followed by never smokers and current smokers. When screening for cognition impairment among Chinese middle-aged and older adults, we should encourage them to quit smoking.


Micronutrient deficiency is a public health problem thought to affect a third of the
world's population. In Tasmania, selenium deficiency occurred in livestock, and it has
been hypothesised that the human population may be at risk of inadequate intakes.
There are few Australian studies of trace element status, and previous studies in
Tasmania have been very limited and have provided conflicting results.
The primary aim of this thesis was:
• To assess the selenium status of people in northern Tasmania;
• To identify factors that may influence selenium status in these people;
• To determine groups in this population that may be at increased risk of low
selenium status.
A secondary aim was to conduct an opportunistic study to assess the copper and zinc
status in the same population, and determine some of the factors which may be
associated with copper and zinc status in this population.
The main study was a cross sectional population study of approximately 500 subjects
randomly selected from the electoral roll in the northern Tasmania; this was
preceeded by a preliminary study which used a convenience sample from this same
geographical region, and some technical work on the assessment of copper and zinc
status.
Indices of trace element status measured included dietary intake, serum levels and
functional markers of status, such as glutathione peroxidase activity for selenium
status. This was linked with data on lifestyle habits, anthropometric measurements, dietary analysis for other nutrients, and the measurement of total antioxidant status
and lipid profiles.
Results from the preliminary research (n = 198) suggested that marginal selenium
status may be reasonably widespread in this population, and that certain gender/age
groups may also consume inadequate zinc. Hereditary haemochromatosis was not
observed to have a major effect on trace element status.
The population study on 498 subjects from the electoral rolls of north, north west and
north eastern Tasmania, suggested a high prevalence of marginal selenium status.
Northern Tasmanians had mean selenium intakes of 77.4 and 65.1 ug/d for men and
women respectively; with 27% of all subjects consuming inadequate amounts of
selenium as indicated by NH&MRC guidelines on dietary intakes.
Mean serum selenium was 1.13 umol/L; and hence a large proportion of the
population (80%) was estimated to have serum selenium concentrations below
threshold levels associated with selenoprotein requirements. The majority of subjects
also had serum selenium concentrations below the level suggested to offer
chemopreventative benefits for some cancers. Associations with a common
selenoprotein SNP were not found.
In investigations of zinc status, men in particular appeared at risk of inadequacy. Zinc
intakes were 12.6 and 10.9 mg/d for men and women respectively. Fifty two percent
of men consumed inadequate zinc compared to only 9% of women. Mean serum zinc
concentration was 13.0 umol/L and when compared to the WHO cut-off, 15% of all
men had low serum zinc; the prevalence of which rose in older age ranges.
Investigations of copper status suggested that copper deficiency was unlikely in this
population. Mean serum copper concentrations were 15.5 and 18.9 umol/L for men
and women respectively; well above the lower clinical reference range.
These findings indicate that many Tasmanians may have marginal selenium status, and
that particular population sub-groups may additionally be susceptible to inadequate zinc
status. Further research is required. However, with our increasing understanding of the
importance of these essential trace elements in maintaining health and for reducing
susceptibility to some chronic diseases, the findings are important. There is potential, to
be tested, that increased intakes could possibly benefit an aging Tasmanian population,
which leads the country in chronic disease rates.


Direct cell/cell communication occurs through gap junctions (GJ). We mapped GJ expression in secondary lymphoid organs and found, for the first time, a high density of connexin43 (Cx43) GJ in follicular dendritic cells (FDC) in close association with lymphocytes (Krenacs T. and Rosendaal M., J. Histochem. Cytochem. 1995. 43: 1125–1137). In this work, we used a combination of ultrastructural, immunocytochemical, molecular methods, and functional dye transfer experiments to study which germinal center cells are involved in direct cell/cell communication and how GJ expression is regulated during antigen responses. One week after injecting the footpad of mice with 50 μg lysozyme, Cx43 GJ were detected on elongated cells in the paracortex of their popliteal lymph nodes. Repeated challenge led to the formation of secondary follicles with enlarged FDC meshwork full of Cx43 GJ. This positive correlation may reflect an importance for GJ in the pattern formation of FDC and lymphoid follicles. In human tonsil, the density of GJ and FDC was highest in the light zone of germinal centers where the fate of B cells is thought to be decided. Cx43 colocalized with CD21 and CD35 antigens in the vicinity of desmosomal junctions on FDC embracing lymphocytes. Freeze‐fracture hallmarks of GJ of 200–400 nm were also found on FDC in the vicinity of desmosomal plaques. Furthermore, Northern blot analysis showed the consistent presence of Cx43 mRNA in human tonsil and spleen. Most Cx43 message was localized in situ to cells with FDC morphology and some to a few germinal center lymphocytes. To investigate functional cell coupling, we set up FDC/B cell cultures from the low density cell fractions of human tonsils. Cx43 plaques associated with lymphocytes were detected both on elongated FDC processes in early cultures (up to 4 h) and in established FDC/B cell clusters (between 4 and 24 h). In early cultures, we injected FDC with Lucifer Yellow, a fluorescent dye which passes through GJ: the dye spread into adjacent FDC and occasionally from FDC into CD19+ B cells. Based on these results, we propose that direct cell/cell communication through Cx43 GJ is involved in FDC/FDC and in FDC/B cell interactions. The functionally coupled FDC meshwork may serve as a communication channel synchronizing germinal center events. FDC may also deliver crucial direct signals through GJ involved in the rescue of high‐affinity B cell clones from apoptotic cell death.


Recently, there are increasing applications of molecular techniques for molecular diagnostics in bone studies. Bone is a mineralized tissue containing an abundant matrix, which makes RNA isolation difficult. The most common technique used for molecular diagnosis in bone disease is reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) sequence amplification assay. Currently, there is an in-creasing use of the branched chain DNA (bDNA) signal amplification technology. This article provides an overview of bDNA technolo-gy for molecular diagnostics in bone studies. Molecular diagnostic assays using bDNA technology for detection of gene expressions are sensitive, specific and reliable tools in the detection of genes involved in bone diseases such as osteoporosis.


Rationale: In the original 1974 in vivo study of ventilator‐induced lung injury, Webb and Tierney reported that high Vt with zero positive end‐expiratory pressure caused overwhelming lung injury, subsequently shown by others to be due to lung shear stress. Objectives: To reproduce the lung injury and edema examined in the Webb and Tierney study and to investigate the underlying mechanism thereof. Methods: Sprague‐Dawley rats weighing approximately 400 g received mechanical ventilation for 60 minutes according to the protocol of Webb and Tierney (airway pressures of 14/0, 30/0, 45/10, 45/0 cm H2O). Additional series of experiments (20 min in duration to ensure all animals survived) were studied to assess permeability (n = 4 per group), echocardiography (n = 4 per group), and right and left ventricular pressure (n = 5 and n = 4 per group, respectively). Measurements and Main Results: The original Webb and Tierney results were replicated in terms of lung/body weight ratio (45/0 > 45/10 ≈ 30/0 ≈ 14/0; P < 0.05) and histology. In 45/0, pulmonary edema was overt and rapid, with survival less than 30 minutes. In 45/0 (but not 45/10), there was an increase in microvascular permeability, cyclical abolition of preload, and progressive dilation of the right ventricle. Although left ventricular end‐diastolic pressure decreased in 45/10, it increased in 45/0. Conclusions: In a classic model of ventilator‐induced lung injury, high peak pressure (and zero positive end‐expiratory pressure) causes respiratory swings (obliteration during inspiration) in right ventricular filling and pulmonary perfusion, ultimately resulting in right ventricular failure and dilation. Pulmonary edema was due to increased permeability, which was augmented by a modest (approximately 40%) increase in hydrostatic pressure. The lung injury and acute cor pulmonale is likely due to pulmonary microvascular injury, the mechanism of which is uncertain, but which may be due to cyclic interruption and exaggeration of pulmonary blood flow.


Modern CFD simulations of combustion resolve simplified sub-models for droplet evaporation and combustion within a Lagrangian framework. Break-up effects like puffing and micro-explosions are usually neglected but, they eventually influence the evaporation and combustion behaviour of heavy fuel sprays. We are developing a Volume of Fluid (VoF)-based CFD solver that allows us to model single droplet differential evaporation with the break-up effects. Puffing/micro-explosion and droplet ejection proceed in three steps: nucleation of a bubble of a light component within the droplet, expansion/coalescence of the bubbles and finally eruption with sub-droplets formation. Our goal is to individually model each event and then combine them in a composite simulation. Henceforth we can get data in realistic conditions to be used in Lagrangian spray simulations. We identified three relevant features that are necessary to create a reliable representation: interface tracking, differential evaporation, and compressibility effect. The solver is based on the Volume of Fluid (VoF) technique and coded within the open-source OpenFOAM framework. VoF technique consists of transporting the volume fraction of one of the two phases (liquid or gas). The Navier-Stokes equations are solved for a single-phase but adapting the physical properties to the volume fraction value. A state-of-the-art method called iso-Advector was adopted to reconstruct the interface from the volume fraction field. The evaporation was implemented as a source term in the volume fraction equation, and the conservation equations were modified accordingly. In order to calculate the vapour and liquid physical properties, RKS equation of state (EOS) was implemented. The droplet was assumed to have 2 phases: light and heavy, having physical properties comparable to water and heavy fuel oil (HFO), respectively. The pressure closure equation was modified to handle large pressure differences during the internal evaporation of light components. The validation of the solver was performed through benchmark cases as multiphase shock-tube, droplet oscillation and boiling interface either with experimental works and analytical solutions. A single suspended droplet experiment was performed to measure the velocity of an ejected micro-droplet during puffing using a shadowgraphy technique. The code is able to predict ejection velocity within a 15% error, which seems to be promising. The present article documents part of the algorithm development and its validation. In particular, the step describing the ejection of the inner vapours is described.


In this paper, I examine an early writing by Richard Ruiz, "The Empowerment of Language-Minority Students" (Ruiz, 1997). , I revisit its thesis and retraced its argument in light of past experiences and more current developments related to language, culture, "voice," and minority student empowerment. I also reflect on the "privatization" strategy that Ruiz offered for consideration, which for me had raised many questions when I first read it, as it still does today. I surmise that his words reflected angst over emerging political debates over the control and use of public resources for bilingual education and multicultural approaches were certain to pose additional challenges for students' voice and agency, without which student empowerment would be pushed further out of reach.


To comprehend speech sounds, listeners tune in to speech rate information in the proximal (immediately adjacent), distal (nonadjacent), and global context (further removed preceding and following sentences). Effects of global contextual speech rate cues on speech perception have been shown to follow constraints not found for proximal and distal speech rate. Therefore, listeners may process such global cues at distinct time points during word recognition. We conducted a printed-word eye-tracking experiment to compare the time courses of distal and global rate effects. Results indicated that the distal rate effect emerged immediately after target sound presentation, in line with a general-auditory account. The global rate effect, however, arose more than 200 ms later than the distal rate effect, indicating that distal and global context effects involve distinct processing mechanisms. Results are interpreted in a 2-stage model of acoustic context effects. This model posits that distal context effects involve very early perceptual processes, while global context effects arise at a later stage, involving cognitive adjustments conditioned by higher-level information. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).


Ecological catastrophe has challenged the contemporary novel to find forms that convey the scale and affective conditions of life amid looming planetary devastation. While sincere tragedy has been the dominant mode and tone of the novel's approach, recent scholarship has explored the possibilities of the comic, which presents its own limitations and ethical problems. This article argues that Margaret Atwood's Oryx and Crake moves past these limitations of genre and tone through engagements with the more complicated tragicomic sensibility of Samuel Beckett. The tragicomic first offers Atwood a mode that better conveys the complexity of mixed possible fortunes and futures amid ecological catastrophe while it also better evokes the strange, often contradictory affects of life in the Anthropocene. Yet Atwood sees greater promise in Beckett's tragicomedy beyond his mere endurance of unchangeable existential conditions. She instead repurposes the tragicomic for the ecological and political needs of the contemporary to produce "survival laughter," an attitude that recognizes the tragic conditions of catastrophe but simultaneously uses comedy to protect the psyche from despair in the face of devastation. Unlike Beckett's laughter that merely endures entropic decline, Atwood's survival laughter opens the possibility for dynamic, creative action oriented to the hope of transformation and flourishing, even amid seemingly total loss. Through tragicomic survival laughter, Atwood moves the ecological novel beyond its dominant mode of sincere tragic disaster while also avoiding the pitfalls of pure comedy to instead imagine more integrated and realistic forms of ecological resilience that powerfully combine mitigation and adaptation.


Brain autoantigens in the blood of 200 schizophrenic patients were investigated. It was established that the introduction of brain autoantigens caused the formation of antibrain antibodies in the animals. The brain autoantigen, limitted by the species, is also present, and there is a possibility of autoimmunization by each of them. It is shown that the autoantigen which is connected with the species of the brain, is stable to organic dissolvent activity in the paranoid form of schizophrenia (87.5%) and in the malignant and shift-like form (20%). In the other forms of schizophrenia and also in epilepsy and viluy encephalitis its inactivation is marked. The qualitative heterogeneity of brain autoantigen in different forms of schizophrenia is suggested.


Wireless Sensor Networks are widely used in many fields, such as environmental monitoring and natural exploring.Sensor nodes are deployed in the region, forming the multi-hop wireless network for the communication. Normally each sensor consists of a sensing device, embedded processor and low-power radio transmission. They consume power from a battery. The communication protocol for wireless sensor networks need to consider the energy efficiency as a first factor, for extending the network lift –time. In this thesis we propose a MAC protocol which is energy efficient as well as suitable for a WSN containing mobile nodes. The performance of the proposed protocol has been compared with LEACH-C protocol. It outperforms LEACH-C in terms of average energy consumption, packet delivery ratio and network life time.


William Francis Thompson (1888–1965) was a preeminent fishery scientist of the early to mid twentieth century. Educated at Stanford University in California (B.A. 1911, Ph.D. 1930), Thompson conducted pioneering research on the Pacific halibut, Hippoglossus stenolepis, from 1914 to 1917 for the British Columbia Provincial Fisheries Department. He then directed marine fisheries research for the State of California from 1917 to 1924, was Director of Investigations for the International Fisheries Commission from 1924 to 1939, and Director of the International Pacific Salmon Fisheries Commission from 1937 to 1942. He was also Director of the School of Fisheries, University of Washing-ton, Seattle, from 1930 to 1947. Thompson was the founding director in 1947 of the Fisheries Research Institute at the University of Washington and served in that capacity until his retirement in 1958. He was a dominant figure in fisheries research of the Pacific Northwest and influenced a succession of fishery scientists with his yield-based analysis of fishery stocks, as opposed to studying the fishes'environment. Will Thompson was also a major figure in education, and many of his former students attained leadership positions in fisheries research and administration.


One hundred and fifty seven 'Tiroler Kreuzer', a medieval currency from the county of Tyrol/Austria, were analysed in order to determine their place of mintage. The silver coins were produced during the 15th century in the mints of Merano (South Tyrol) and Hall (North Tyrol) but they have no marks or punches which would allow a clear distinction. Energy-dispersive x-ray fluorescence analysis (EDXRF) was applied without sampling in order to determine the silver contents and also minor (Cu, Pb, Bi) and trace elements (Fe, Au, Hg, Ni). Owing to corrosion processes, which changed the chemical composition of the surfaces of the coins, investigations of cross-sections were necessary using energy-dispersive x-ray microanalysis in a scanning electron microscope (SEM/EDX) to determine the stage of corrosion and the Ag concentration of the core of the coins. The results showed differences of up to 50% between the composition of the core and the surface. Finally, proton-induced x-ray emission (PIXE) at an external proton beam was applied, in order to detect also Ni, an element which could not be measured by either EDXRF or SEM/EDX in the ppm range. The data show a clear difference in the Ni content between the coins from Merano (∼0.1% Ni) and Hall (∼0.01% Ni). Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Village gazetteers are among the most important primary sources for the study of Chinese village history and development. Gazetteers contain copious information on a village's administration, economy, culture, education, dialect, etc. that often cannot be found elsewhere. Contemporary Chinese Village Gazetteer Data (CCVG Data, 数字村庄) is a project initiated by the University Library System to collect data from village gazetteers and present it in open-access datasets, supporting teaching and research on Chinese village history and development. The data coverage period is 1949 to the present, though the final year of coverage for each village varies due to varying gazetteer compilation and publication dates. There are 18 datasets included in CCVG Data: Gazetteer Information; Village Information; Natural Environment; Natural Disasters; Year of First Availability; Last Names; Ethnic Groups; Population and Migration; Military, Politics and Management; Economy; Family Planning; Education. All are available for free download. For user's convenience, CCVG Data is bilingual (Chinese/English). Data collection began in August 2018; by January 2020, data on 800 villages had been collected and entered into a customized platform to create the datasets. CCVG Data's goal is to collect and input data on 2,500 to 3,000 villages by the end of 2021. Data will be updated every four to six months, with updated datasets offered in .csv format for download. A website supporting this dataset, including a data dictionary, information on the data structure, citation information, as well as a CCVG Data Map is established.

村志是研究中国乡村历史及发展的最重要的原始文献之一,因为它包含了关于村庄管理,经济,文化,教育,方言等大量材料,且这些材料往往是在其他地方找不到的。Contemporary Chinese Village Gazetteer Data (CCVG Data 数字村庄) 项目由匹兹堡大学图书馆系统原创和开发,旨在从村志中提取数据,以支持中国村庄历史和发展的教学和研究。数据覆盖期为1949年至每部村志编辑和出版的年份。 18个数据集包括村志信息,村庄信息,自然环境,自然灾害,首次拥有年,姓氏,民族,人口与人口迁移,军事、政治和管理,经济,计划生育,教育等等,供用户免费下载。为方便使用,此数据集提供中英两种语言。截至2020年1月底,800个村庄的数据被提取并被输入定制平台。CCVG数据项目的目标是在2021年底之前完成2,500至3,000个村庄的数据提取和输入工作。每四到六个月将更新一次数据,并提供CSV格式下载入口。CCVG数据网站已经创建,包括数字村庄地图、使用者手册、数据结构、如何引用等内容。


This article examines the origins, development and purpose of Sir Julian Corbett's account of the controversial battle of Jutland. Naval Operations is seen as an extended analysis of how British strategy was intended to work and why it had failed on this occasion. The argument was carefully constructed to explain the failure without challenging the underlying pattern. Corbett used Trafalgar to claim that the battle of Jutland had ultimately achieved its aim, under the able command of Admiral John Jellicoe, but made it clear that Vice-Admiral David Beatty's actions hampered a more decisive outcome. Naval Operations was written to support post-war naval education and doctrine development and to connect the First World War with past practice. The text was publicly disowned by the Board of Admiralty, which had failed to have it modified to meet the demands of the newly promoted First Sea Lord, Earl Beatty, and the Battle Cruiser Fleet officers on his staff. Corbett was correct on all the contested points, while Beatty's attempt to alter this and other official texts raised important questions about the nature and purpose of official history.


It is shown that quantitative X‐ray imaging of planed, frozen‐hydrated, biological bulk samples that have not been etched is possible. X‐ray imaging represents a better alternative to static beam (selected area) analysis of fractured frozen‐hydrated samples. This procedure avoids the undesirable necessity of etching planed frozen‐hydrated samples to provide an interpretable electron image. Qualitative oxygen and carbon X‐ray images, which can be acquired in a short time, can be used for distinguishing morphological features and remove the requirement for electron images. In test samples of frozen‐hydrated albumin, containing salts, analyses by X‐ray images compared well with static beam (selected area) analyses from the same samples. An example of an analysis of frozen‐hydrated insect Malpighian tubules is given in which the response to ouabain treatment was analysed. In this example X‐ray imaging showed that ouabain resulted in a significant increase in cytoplasmic and luminal Na and a significant decrease in cytoplasmic and luminal K. X‐ray imaging also showed that there was a significant increase in cellular water content. The presence of a potassium gradient in soybean root nodules was also demonstrated. The use of standard deviation images for processing low count images increases analytical precision but results in underestimates of the true concentrations.


To further evaluate the causality between endogenous pyrogen (EP)-induced fever and cyclic adenosine-3',5'-monophosphate (cyclic AMP) level, the effects of sodium salicylate (SS) on the febrile response and increased levels of cyclic AMP in both cerebrospinal fluid (c.s.f.) and plasma during EP-induced fever in rabbits were observed. The results suggest that cyclic AMP is probably involved in the central mediation of EP-induced fever and that increased concentration of cyclic AMP in c.s.f. associated with EP-induced fever is not the result of temperature elevation but appears to be caused by the increased synthesis in the central nervous system. In addition it is confirmed that blood is impossibly a contributory source of increased cyclic AMP in c.s.f. during EP fever, and that SS may act subsequent to the increase in cyclic AMP.


An emerging trend in system design is to implement complex system management functions in firmware (FW). This changing design scenario requires support for verifying FW in the context of its hardware (HW) environment. As shown in previous work, there is value in a unified HW-FW model for driving the verification tasks. This model can help identify specific commonly-occurring interaction patterns between the HW and FW. These patterns enable pruning the verification search space as demonstrated in previous work in automating FW test generation using concolic testing. In this work, we introduce a bounded model checking (BMC)-based methodology for FW verification. Although BMC is effective for finding bugs by unrolling the underlying transition system up to some bound, it requires a completeness threshold on the bound to ensure complete verification. We show how commonly occurring FW code patterns can be exploited, using inexpensive static analysis techniques, to determine this completeness bound. Further, we show how this bound analysis, combined with the interaction patterns in the unified HW-FW model, is used to sequentialize the concurrent FW and HW code, i.e., to derive a sequential program that represents the parallel interaction of the FW and HW. This enables the direct application of standard software model checkers such as CBMC on this sequentialized program. We have automated this process by implementing: (i) a static completeness bound analyzer on top of the tool Frama-C, and (ii) a sequentializer to generate code for verification by the CBMC model checker. We evaluate the resulting tool using three real FW benchmarks, each consisting of a Linux device driver and its interacting QEMU-emulated HW code with multiple correctness properties. We successfully computed the BMC completeness bounds for 41 out of 46 properties and completed model checking for 12 out of 16 FW transactions.


Square-like nano-CeO2 mingled with Ce(OH)3 was successfully synthesised via a hydrothermal route using CeCl3·7H2O as cerium source, N2H4·H2O as mineraliser, and ethylenediamine as complexant. The as-synthesised nanoparticles were characterised by X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, Raman scattering, photoluminescence spectra (PL), and magnetisation measurements. It was found that nano-CeO2 has a fluorite cubic structure, and there are defects and vacancies in the sample. PL spectrum showed excellent near-UV emission. M–H curve exhibited excellent room-temperature ferromagnetism with saturation magnetisation of 0.0300 emu/g, coercivity of 73.706 Oe, and residual magnetisation of 2.37 × 10−3 emu/g, which can be mainly associated with the surface Ce4+/Ce3+ pairs and oxygen vacancies in the nano-CeO2.


It is of vital importance to find genetic variants that underlie human complex diseases and locate genes that are responsible for these diseases. Since proteins are typically composed of several structural domains, it is reasonable to assume that harmful genetic variants may alter structures of protein domains, affect functions of proteins and eventually cause disorders. With this understanding, the authors explore the possibility of recovering associations between protein domains and complex diseases. The authors define associations between protein domains and disease families on the basis of associations between non-synonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms (nsSNPs) and complex diseases, similarities between diseases, and relations between proteins and domains. Based on a domain-domain interaction network, the authors propose a 'guilt-by-proximity' principle to rank candidate domains according to their average distance to a set of seed domains in the domain-domain interaction network. The authors validate the method through large-scale cross-validation experiments on simulated linkage intervals, random controls and the whole genome. Results show that areas under receiver operating characteristic curves (AUC scores) can be as high as 77.90%, and the mean rank ratios can be as low as 21.82%. The authors further offer a freely accessible web interface for a genome-wide landscape of associations between domains and disease families.


MapReduce-based data processing platforms offer a promising approach for cost-effective and Web-scale processing of Semantic Web data. However, one major challenge is that this computational paradigm leads to high I/O and communication costs when processing tasks with several join operations typical in SPARQL queries. The goal of this demonstration is to show how a system RAPID+, an extension of Apache Pig, enables more efficient SPARQL query processing on MapReduce using an alternative query algebra called the Nested TripleGroup Algebra (NTGA). The demonstration will offer opportunities for users to explore NTGA-Hadoop query plans for different SPARQL query structures as well as explore relationships between query plans based on relational algebra operators and those using NTGA operators.


In equatorial regions, equatorial electrojet (EEJ) echoes often overlap with blanketing sporadic E (Esb) echoes. Also, Esb events could be classified as rare events over the Jicamarca Radio Observatory (JRO). For that reason, Esb identification is a big challenge for current software. Until now, the conventional method identifies Esb echoes visually. In this work, an innovative approach for automatic identification and observation of Esb events is presented. We developed an algorithm and implemented the first software to identify Esb events using image processing techniques and machine learning algorithms getting a sensitivity of 89%. We proposed a new criterion to identify Esb events taken into account the normal tendency of the F-layer minimum frequency due mainly to absorbance of the D region. We report the results of the first statistical study of Esb occurrence over JRO (11.95° S, 76.87° W and dip angle $\sim$ 1°) using the Digital Portable Sounder (DPS) - 4 Digisonde data from 2001 to 2018. We found Esb occurs mainly during the December solstice and also during minimum solar years. We observe the occurrence of Esb with a main peak at 1600 LT and a second peak around 0800 - 0900 LT. Furthermore, we obtained the ΔH between Jicamarca and Piura to measure the intensity of EEJ and counter electrojet (CEJ) and its behavior in time when Esb occurs. Finally, we discuss possible conditions that favor the formation of Esb.


Although a lot of interface crack problems were previously treated, few solutions are available under arbitrary material combinations. This paper deals with a single edge interface crack as well as a double edge interface crack in a bonded plate. Then, the effects of material combination on the stress intensity factors are discussed. A useful method to calculate the stress intensity factor of interface crack is presented with focusing on the stresses at the crack tip calculated by the finite element method. Then, the stress intensity factors are indicated in charts under arbitrary material combinations. Specifically, some necessary skills as refined mesh and extrapolations of the stress intensity factors are used to improve the accuracy of the calculation. It has been proved that the values shown in this paper have at least 3-digit accuracy. For the edge interface crack, it is found that the dimensionless stress intensity factors are not always finite depending on Dunders' parameters , . For example, they are infinite when . And they are finite when , and zero when .


Organisations require their information on a timely, dynamic, friendly, centralised and easy-to-access basis for analysing it and taking correct decisions at the right time. Centralisation can be achieved with data warehouse technology. On-line analytical processing (OLAP) is used for analysis. Technologies using graphics and maps in data presentation can be exploited for an overall view of a company and helping to take better decisions. Geographic information systems (GIS) are useful for spatially locating information and representing it using maps. Data warehouses are generally implemented with a multidimensional data model to make OLAP analysis easier. A fundamental point in this model is the definition of measurements and dimensions; geography lies within such dimensions. Many researchers have concluded that the geographic dimension is another attribute for describing data in current analysis systems but without having an in-depth study of its spatial feature and without locating them on a map, like GIS does. Seen this way, interoperability is necessary between GIS and OLAP (called spatial OLAP or SOLAP) and several entities are currently researching this. This document summarises the current status of such research.


Research into the management of dyslipidaemia has increasingly focussed on the importance of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels. It is well known that low levels of HDL are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular events. Recent data have highlighted the anti-atherogenic actions of HDL such as anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidative activities, and of course, reverse cholesterol transport. This latter observation may explain certain effects on atherosclerotic plaques, in particular the observation that plaque regression can occur when treatments augment HDL-C levels. This review will outline the beneficial effects of HDL, along with the detrimental effects of other lipoproteins involved in atherosclerotic processes. This manuscript will also describe the therapeutic effects of nicotinic acid, a treatment that raises HDL-C levels. Studies show that using nicotinic acid as a monotherapy or in combination with other agents halts plaque progression and translates as a significant reduction in cardiovascular events.


ABSTRACT Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) are an urgent public health concern. Rapid identification of the resistance genes, their mobilization capacity, and strains carrying them is essential to direct hospital resources to prevent spread and improve patient outcomes. Whole-genome sequencing allows refined tracking of both chromosomal traits and associated mobile genetic elements that harbor resistance genes. To enhance surveillance of CREs, clinical isolates with phenotypic resistance to carbapenem antibiotics underwent whole-genome sequencing. Analysis of 41 isolates of Klebsiella pneumoniae and Enterobacter cloacae, collected over a 3-year period, identified K. pneumoniae carbapenemase (KPC) genes encoding KPC-2, −3, and −4 and OXA-48 carbapenemases. All occurred within transposons, including multiple Tn4401 transposon isoforms, embedded within more than 10 distinct plasmids representing incompatibility (Inc) groups IncR, -N, -A/C, -H, and -X. Using short-read sequencing, draft maps were generated of new KPC-carrying vectors, several of which were derivatives of the IncN plasmid pBK31551. Two strains also had Tn4401 chromosomal insertions. Integrated analyses of plasmid profiles and chromosomal single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) profiles refined the strain patterns and provided a baseline hospital mobilome to facilitate analysis of new isolates. When incorporated with patient epidemiological data, the findings identified limited outbreaks against a broader 3-year period of sporadic external entry of many different strains and resistance vectors into the hospital. These findings highlight the utility of genomic analyses in internal and external surveillance efforts to stem the transmission of drug-resistant strains within and across health care institutions. IMPORTANCE We demonstrate how detection of resistance genes within mobile elements and resistance-carrying strains furthers active surveillance efforts for drug resistance. Whole-genome sequencing is increasingly available in hospital laboratories and provides a powerful and nuanced means to define the local landscape of drug resistance. In this study, isolates of Klebsiella pneumoniae and Enterobacter cloacae with resistance to carbapenem antibiotics were sequenced. Multiple carbapenemase genes were identified that resided in distinct transposons and plasmids. This mobilome, or population of mobile elements capable of mobilizing drug resistance, further highlighted the degree of strain heterogeneity while providing a detailed timeline of carbapenemase entry into the hospital over a 3-year period. These surveillance efforts support effective targeting of infection control resources and the development of institution-specific repositories of resistance genes and the mobile elements that carry them. We demonstrate how detection of resistance genes within mobile elements and resistance-carrying strains furthers active surveillance efforts for drug resistance. Whole-genome sequencing is increasingly available in hospital laboratories and provides a powerful and nuanced means to define the local landscape of drug resistance. In this study, isolates of Klebsiella pneumoniae and Enterobacter cloacae with resistance to carbapenem antibiotics were sequenced. Multiple carbapenemase genes were identified that resided in distinct transposons and plasmids. This mobilome, or population of mobile elements capable of mobilizing drug resistance, further highlighted the degree of strain heterogeneity while providing a detailed timeline of carbapenemase entry into the hospital over a 3-year period. These surveillance efforts support effective targeting of infection control resources and the development of institution-specific repositories of resistance genes and the mobile elements that carry them.


Headstarting is a recovery strategy for sea turtle populations. It requires captive handling of hatchlings, which are transferred from nesting beaches with low percentages of hatching success. Providing adequate nutritional resources for hatchlings is costly but important, as it influences growth rates of young turtles. Assessing the potential of commercial diets as option for promoting healthy growth and reducing the costs of maintenance for captive Hawksbill Turtles, we evaluated the viability of two commercial feeds on the growth rates of the Hawksbill Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata). We fed turtles to satiation twice a day between the sixth and tenth month of age. Individuals fed with fish flour meal (n=20) exhibited average body mass and straight carapace length (SCL) growth rates of 2.45±1.39 g.day-1 and 0.04±0.02cm.day-1, respectively. The turtles fed with squid flour meal (n =13) displayed growth rates of 3.35±1.11 g.day-1 and 0.04±0.01 cm.day-1. These differences, associated with the low avidity of the specimens for these pellets, may be due to the food characteristics, particularly the size, flotation capability and palatability of the food. However, the presence of amino acids and vitamins in these compounds, and their low cost, can make them viable as a supplementary item suggesting the use of commercial foods only as a dietary supplement.


A numerical study on the indoor thermal environment served a novel air source heat pump powered bed-based space radiation heating (ASHP-BBSH) system is reported in this paper. This novel system combines the merits from a Chinese Kang, or a heated bed, widely used in northern rural China and a standard ASHP system, which can provide localized space heating via both convection and radiation to maintain a comfortable indoor thermal environment, at reduced energy use. In this novel bed-based system, a bed is heated and thus used as a radiator for providing space heating at both daytime and nighttime. In this paper, firstly, a numerical model for a bedroom with a heated bed was firstly built and a manikin with simplified dimensions and physiological shape sitting on the heated bed has been added to the numerical model. Secondly, using the model, the relationships between indoor thermal environment and a number of influencing factors, including the bed surface temperature, heating area were numerically studied. Thirdly, a comparison between the novel system and a standard ASHP system was numerically conducted to demonstrate the advantages of the novel bed-based space heating system. The numerical results show that compared with a standard ASHP system, a better thermal comfort level and higher energy saving potential can be achieved by applying the ASHP-BBSH system. Necessary parameters for the system design and operation in the follow-up experimental work were provided.


Storytelling, art and craft can be considered aesthetic expressions of identities. Kalahari identities are not fixed, but fluid. Research with present-day Kalahari People regarding their artistic expression and places where it has been, and is still, practised highlights that these expressions are informed by spirituality. This article explores this idea via two Kalahari case studies: Water Stories recorded in the Upington, Kakamas area, as well as research on a specific rock engraving site at Biesje Poort near Kakamas. The importance of the Kalahari People's spiritual beliefs as reflected in these case studies and its significance regarding their identities and influence on social change and/or community development projects is discussed. The article thus highlights ways in which spirituality can be considered in relation to social change projects that are characterised by partnerships between local community, non-government and tertiary education representatives and researchers and that highlight storytelling as an integral part of people's spirituality.


Path dependence theory, within the institutions context, means that the path of institutions promulgated within a system historically determines the nature of institutions that will ensue within the same system in the present and in the future. The paper makes use of a newly constructed index of institutions quality, and addresses three related questions; the existence of path dependence in institutions, the interdependence and causality between political and economic institutions, and lastly the interdependence between economic development and institutions. In addressing the first question, I use unit root tests to test the hypothesis that institutions promulgated during colonial times still influence institutions promulgated during the post colonial era. I also test for interdependence between institutions in Nigeria using an error correction model in analysing the extent of interdependence between political and economic institutions. Lastly, I test the critical juncture hypothesis—which argues that better institutions lead to economic development and the modernisation hypotheses—which argues that economic development leads to better institutions. The results show support for early path dependence in both political and economic institutions. I also find evidence in support of interdependence running from economic to political institutions. Lastly, there is evidence of a long-run association between institutions and economic development, with the evidence supporting the critical juncture hypothesis, more than the modernisation hypothesis.


Typhoid accounts for 8% of pediatric admissions to the Aga Khan University Hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. Over a 4-year period (1986-1989), 355 children had typhoid documented by culture of blood or bone marrow. Strains of Salmonella, resistant to ampicillin, chloramphenicol, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole accounted for 20% of these cases. Compared with children infected by drug-susceptible strains of Salmonella, children with multiresistant infection were generally sicker at presentation and were more likely to be assessed as appearing "toxic" (P less than .001), as having disseminated intravascular coagulation (P less than .01), and as exhibiting hepatomegaly (P less than .01). The mortality was 4.2% among children with multiresistant infection and 1.4% among those infected with strains susceptible to ampicillin, chloramphenicol, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole; the higher mortality in the former group was probably due to a longer duration of illness (P less than .05) and to ineffectual oral antimicrobial therapy before hospitalization.