Four hundred active venture capital firms across the United States were surveyed by e-mail in September and October 2001; 80 or 20% of the firms responded and completed the survey. Their answers offer insight into the changing attitudes towards private equity in response to the changing economic environments of the past year.


Costs and effectiveness of pre- and postoperative home physiotherapy for total knee replacement: a randomised controlled trial. Total knee replacement (TKR) is a common effective intervention for knee osteoarthritis (OA) with potential to further improve patient outcomes. There is a lack of evidence assessing physiotherapy within the TKR care pathway; previous studies lack statistical power and measures of health related quality of life (HRQoL). Pre- and postoperative home physiotherapy rehabilitation for TKR has not previously been evaluated as an alternative to NHS hospital outpatient rehabilitation. Objective To assess the costs and effectiveness of pre- and postoperative physiotherapy at home for unilateral total knee replacement (TKR). Design This was a pragmatic RCT comparing patient reported HRQoL, and NHS costs of home physiotherapy pre- and postoperatively for TKR with usual hospital outpatient postoperative physiotherapy. Setting 160 Sheffield knee OA patients awaiting TKR, randomly allocated to an intervention (home care) group (n=80) or a control (usual care) group (n=80). Intervention Individual home physiotherapy assessment and treatment; 3 sessions preoperatively, continuing for maximum 6 sessions postoperatively, supplemented by advice on self- directed exercise routines. Usual Care 8 to 10 knee classes postoperatively; average 10 patients with 2 physiotherapists and one assistant, individual treatments for up to 15 minutes and an exercise circuit in the outpatient gym, supplemented by advice on self-directed exercise routines. Outcome Measures (OCM) Western Ontario McMaster Osteoarthritis index (WOMAC) and Short Form 36 health survey (SF-36) questionnaires measured at trial entry and 12 weeks post TKR. Primary OCM; WOMAC pain dimension scores. A patient satisfaction questionnaire was used and NHS resource use also assessed. Results 116 participants completed follow up, well matched by group with a 98% questionnaire response rate. 45 (28.1%) participants withdrew, 24 (15%) due to TKR cancellation, 2 patients died. There was no significant difference in primary OCM post TKR between groups (p = 0.53) or in any other dimension of the WOMAC or SF- 36. Participants were equally satisfied with physiotherapy in both groups (86%). The home group had a significantly greater mean number of physiotherapy sessions (8.7 sessions vs 3.5 sessions, p=0.001). Home physiotherapy for TKR was significantly more expensive per patient than hospital outpatient physiotherapy (£197.9 vs £61.5, mean difference = -£136.5; p=0.001) The hospital group had additional transport costs, (mean £38.7). There was no significant difference in consumption of other NHS services or in total NHS costs per patient between groups; £5,376 (intervention group) vs £5,372 (control group). Conclusions This study demonstrated the effectiveness of home physiotherapy for TKR, but home care was more intensive and expensive than usual hospital care; additional preoperative home physiotherapy did not improve patient outcomes. The cancellation rate for TKR was high and supports the need for clearer selection criteria with greater consideration of co-morbidity and willingness to undergo surgery. Investigation of whether a less intensive individualised physiotherapy intervention at home would deliver expected patient group outcomes and individual rehabilitation goals is important if a more cost- effective home physiotherapy programme were to be provided for TKR patients.


In April 1988, an outbreak of gastroenteritis occurred among employees in a large company in Helsinki, Finland. A retrospective cohort study, using a self-administered questionnaire, was carried out to ascertain the cause and extent of the outbreak. To meet the case definition, employees had to have had diarrhoea and/or vomiting since 2 April, 1998. A subanalysis was made in the biggest office, consisting of 360 employees, of whom 204 (57%) completed the questionnaire. Of these 108 (53%) met the case definition. Employees who had eaten raspberry dressing were more likely to meet the case definition than those who had not (Attack Rate (AR) 65% versus AR 18% Relative Risk, (RR) 3·7, 95%, Confidence Intervals (CI) 2·0–6·7). Four stool specimens obtained from affected kitchen staff who had all eaten the raspberry dressing and who had all become ill simultaneously with the employees were positive by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for calicivirus. The data suggest that the primary source of the outbreak was imported frozen raspberries contaminated by calicivirus.


This paper presents a SAT-based method for control flow graph reconstruction from executable code. The key idea of the technique is to express the semantics of each basic block in a program using Boolean logic, followed by inferring pre- and postconditions for each block through interleaved forward and backward analysis. In particular, the technique relies on register-wise value-set abstractions, which are subsequently refined using alternating forward and backward analyses. Experimental evidence shows that this approach, despite being sound, recovers the control flow graph precisely for different real-world benchmarks.


In the submillimeter wave region, we have studied the modulation of self-resonant modes in NbCN/MgO/NbCN Josephson junctions (detectors). The tuning mechanism is based on the quasiparticle injection via an overlaid tunnel junction (injector). From the current-voltage characteristics of detectors, the maximum shift of resonant frequencies /spl Delta/f and Q factors due to electrode loss at the injected state Q/sub inj/ have been estimated to be /spl Delta/f/f(0)=0.11 and Q/sub inj/=100 at 470 GHz, where f(0) is the resonant frequency without quasiparticle injection. It is found Q/sub inj/ decreases with increase of the injector bias voltage.<<ETX>>


CYSTIC hygromas of the neck continue to present a problem and a challenge to surgeons, especially from the standpoint of management. Hygromas are benign, multilocular, cystic tumors of lymphatic origin with a lining of endothelium, and although they have been recognized as a pathological entity for many years, the medical literature on this subject has been limited. It is our purpose to review briefly the background of cystic hygromas and to offer suggestions in management based on experiences with eight cases in the past four years. There have been many theories and explanations for these growths. In 1843 Wernher 1 described them as new growths and gave a good description of their clinical course. However, it was not until the monumental work of Sabin 2 on the development of the lymphatic system that the real basis for cystic hygroma formation was established. According to Sabin's theory, a capillary plexus is


In this paper, a natural convection indirect solar cabinet dryer has been fabricated to study the drying behaviour of ginger rhizomes in terms of its convective heat transfer coefficient and moisture removing rate (% db). Various experiments were conducted during the months of March and April 2014 at Guru Jambheshwar University of Science and Technology, Hisar (295'5''N, 7545'55''E), India. Experimental data obtained were used to evaluate the Nusselt number constants using linear regression method. Considering these constants, the average value of convective heat transfer coefficient was obtained and observed to decrease with increase in mass of ginger samples and progression of drying days with variation from 0.59 to 5.42 W/m C for different mass of ginger samples. The moisture removing rate was reported to increase with increase in mass of ginger samples and decreases significantly with the progression of drying days. The average collector efficiency was also observed to vary from 14.97 to 16.14% under increasing and decreasing trends of solar radiations from morning to noon and noon to evening respectively. Modified page model was reported best for describing the drying behaviour of different mass of ginger samples. The experimental error in terms of percent uncertainty ranged from 29.19 to 46.25%.


Patients with diabetes and/or insulin resistance syndrome are at increased risk for developing cardiovascular disease. The UKPDS raised a great debate about the relative importance of hyperglycemia in the development of cardiovascular disease. Recently, several epidemiologic studies have suggested that high postprandial blood glucose levels are associated with a significant risk for the development of cardiovascular disease well as a grave prognosis for these patients during acute coronary events. In addition, a number of reports reinforce the thesis that postprandial hyperglycemia is a risk factor for mortality. Our review summarizes the current knowledge on the relation between blood glucose, insulin levels, and cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, relating these data to the new World Health Organization and American Diabetes Association classification of disturbed glucose metabolism.


Cocaine, a widely abused psychostimulant, inhibits the dopamine transporter (DAT) by trapping the protein in an outward-open conformation, whereas atypical DAT inhibitors such as benztropine have low abuse liability and prefer less outward-open conformations. Here, we use a spectrum of computational modeling and simulation approaches to obtain the underlying molecular mechanism in atomistic detail. Interestingly, our quantum mechanical calculations and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations suggest that a benztropine derivative JHW007 prefers a different stereoisomeric conformation of tropane in binding to DAT compared to that of a cocaine derivative, CFT. To further investigate the different inhibition mechanisms of DAT, we carried out MD simulations in combination with Markov state modeling analysis of wild-type and Y156F DAT in the absence of any ligand or the presence of CFT or JHW007. Our results indicate that the Y156F mutation and CFT shift the conformational equilibrium toward an outward-open conformation, whereas JHW007 prefers an inward-occluded conformation. Our findings reveal the mechanistic details of DAT inhibition by JHW007 at the atomistic level, which provide clues for rational design of atypical inhibitors.


Over the past 15 years, a distinctive facial granuloma has emerged as a clinical and histological entity. Recently, Johnson, Higdon, and Helwig have given a complete review of the disease and discussed 15 new cases. It is the purpose of this communication to present briefly a typical case, and to report a failure either to find a viral agent responsible, or to stimulate the production of a lesion on a nonfacial area. Report of a Case A 24-year-old white man developed a small, purplish, asymptomatic papule on the left side of his forehead during 1955. The lesion slowly enlarged. In June, 1959, a small papule developed more centrally on the forehead. When seen at the USAF Hospital, Lackland, in December, 1959, he was noted to have a purplishred, irregularly elevated, rubbery plaque measuring 3X2 cm. on the left side of his forehead, and a similar papule measuring 0.5 cm.


The basic principles of DNA genealogy and the mutation rate constants for haplotypes of Y chromosome are considered. They are exemplified with 3160 haplotypes, 2489 of those in the 67 marker format, with 55 DNA lineages, 11 of them having documented confirmed common ancestors. In total, they cover 8 haplogroups and the time range from 225 to ca. 8000 years before present. A series (including 67 marker, 37 marker, 25 marker, 16 marker mostly of the Y filer haplotype panel, 12 marker, as well as the "slowest" 22 marker and its subset of 6 marker haplotypes) were calibrated using documented genealogies (with a number of lineages which allegedly descended from some legendary and/or mythical historical figures that were examined and verified employing the calibration plots). The study principally confirms a number of previously made or assumed theoretical foundations of DNA genealogy, such as a postulated stochastic character of mutations in non-recombining parts of DNA, the first-order kinetics of mutations in the DNA, the same values of the mutation rate constants for different haplogroups and lineages, and the principles of calculating timespans to the most recent common ancestors taking into account corrections for back (reverse) mutations.


In 1992, at the UN International Conference on Water and the Environment in Dublin, delegates adopted the principle that 'women play a central part in the provision, management and safeguarding of water'. While this principle has been largely accepted at policy level in international development, it has proved harder to put into practice. Gender training for engineers and allied professionals was treated as a socioeconomic issue and not part of mainstream infrastructure and basic public service provision. As part of a 3-year study into this area and a series of subsequent training courses, a team of engineers and training professionals has developed new conceptual approaches to training engineers, focusing on the practical application of the Dublin principle. The study looks at the concepts of relevance, engagement and practical skills required to deliver infrastructure services to the whole of society.


Pipeline systems range from the very simple to very large and quite complex ones. They may be as uncomplicated as a single pipe conveying water from one reservoir to another or they may be as elaborate as an interconnected set of water distribution networks for a major metropolitan area. Individual pipelines may contain several kinds of pumps at one and or at an intermediate point; they may deliver water to or from storage tanks. A system may consist of a number of sub-networks separated by differing energy lines or pressure levels that serve neighbourhoods at different elevation, and some of these may have pressurised tanks so that the pumps need not operate continuously. In order that these transfer systems will adequately fulfil their intended functions, they may require the inclusion of pressure reducing or pressure sustaining valves. These days an understanding of some particular numerical method
and the ability to implement them on a computer, for obtaining solutions for a large problem is a vitally needed skill. Computations associated with engineering practice have changed dramatically in the past quarter century from the estimation of a few key values by using a slide rule to the generation of pages of computer output that are the result of detailed simulations of system performance. In the steady state analysis and design of networks, a large system of non-linear equation must be solved. In these work a computer program has been developed which carries out the regular simulation of steady state pressure and flow in pipe system. The computer program is written in C Language, to solve the basic pipe system equations using linear method. Basically the program reads input data defining the parameter for each pipe and each junction in the network. Connecting node number is the only geometric data in put for each pipe. From this data, the basic system equations are generated and solved.


This paper proposes formulating conceptual-stage vessel design optimization problems as geometric programs, which can be transformed into convex optimization problems. Convex optimization offers significant advantages in efficiency, reliability and automation potential over the general nonlinear optimization approach typically used in naval architecture. Focusing on battery-electric vessels, geometric program compatible models are derived for lithium-ion cells, power converters, propulsion motors and propellers. Preliminary hull form development, stability calculation and structural design are also presented in the context of geometric programming. The modeling approach is applied to study optimal battery sizing for a coastal bulk carrier sailing in varying operational conditions. Using open-source software tools, the battery sizing problem is solved in less than a second on a standard desktop computer. Local sensitivity information encoded by optimal dual variables reveals that increasing the cell discharge upper bound by 1% decreases the optimal total number of cells by more than 1%. On the other hand, the sensitivities of cell volume and maximum discharging current parameters are zero, indicating that the constraints involving these parameters do not govern the solution.


Although it is seen by many as a form of leisure and recreation, gambling can have serious repercussions for individuals, families, and society as a whole. The harmful effects of gambling have been studied for decades in an attempt to understand individual differences in gambling engagement and the life-course of gambling-related problems. In this publication, the authors present a comprehensive, internationally relevant conceptual framework of "harmful gambling" that moves beyond a symptoms-based view of harm and addresses a broad set of factors related to population risk, community, and societal effects. Factors included in the framework represent major topics relating to gambling that range from specific (gambling environment, exposure, types, and resources) to general (cultural, social, psychological, and biological). The framework has been created by international, interdisciplinary experts in order to facilitate an understanding of harmful gambling. It reflects the state of knowledge related to factors influencing harmful gambling, and serves a secondary purpose as a guide for the development of future research programs and education of policy makers on issues related to harmful gambling.


In the late 'fifties Robert John Bragg, a young man of twenty-five, retired from the sea, where he had been serving as an officer in the merchant navy, and purchased with some monies that had been left to him the farm called Stoneraise Place at Westward, near Wigton, in Cumberland. Plere he settled down to a farmer's life. In 1861 he married Mary Wood, the daughter of the Vicar of the parish of Westward, and the next year, on 2 July 1862, William Henry Bragg, later to be President of the Royal Society, was born. Fortunately there are available certain notes dealing with his early life which Bragg himself prepared some time before his death.1 These contain many vivid little pictures which, besides giving us intimate glimpses of those early days, will, by their manner of telling, recall the man to those who knew him, and give to those who did not something of his direct and unaffected charm of style. Thus, of his mother he says, T do not remember my mother very well, as she died when I was barely seven. Just a few scenes remain. I think she must have been a sweet and kind woman. I remember how one day I was sitting on the kitchen table, and she was rolling pastry, and how I suddenly found I could whistle: and how we stared at one another for a quiet moment amazed and proud of the new accomplishment. . . .' Of the school at Market Harborough, in Leicestershire, to which he went at the age of seven, he writes, 'Uncle William had in 1869 succeeded in re-establishing the old grammar school in Market Harborough. It is a quaint structure raised on wooden pillars. The butter market used to be held underneath it. The newly appointed master, Wood by name, was an able man, I believe: and the school grew. I was one of the six boys with which it opened after a long interval. Perhaps it was because of my uncle's connexion with the school that at the end of the first year I was given a scholarship of £8 a year exempting me from fees.


In this paper, we explore what may happen when people who are ostensibly "well" bring data from digital self-tracking technologies to medical consultations. On the basis of a fictional case narrative, we explore how multiple "voices", in a Bakhtinian sense of the term, inscribed in the selftracking devices are activated, negotiated, evaluated and re-imagined in the context of care. The digital metrics "speak" precision, objectivity and urgency in ways that challenge conventional, normative understandings of doctors' professional role and the patient-doctor relationship. Our theorizing is firmly grounded in our professional experience and informed by recent research on self-tracking, Mol's research on the ways in which technology has become integral to medical care, Bakhtinian theory and medical professionalism, and it contributes to current professional debates regarding medical overuse and its potential to harm patients. Further research is needed to illuminate the consequences of digital self-tracking technologies for patient-professional consultations in practice. Digital consumer health 2


With the advent of big data phenomenon in the world of data and its related technologies, the developments on the NoSQL databases are highly regarded. It has been claimed that these databases outperform their SQL counterparts. The aim of this study is to investigate the claim by evaluating the document-oriented MongoDB database with SQL in terms of the performance of common aggregated and non-aggregate queries. We designed a set of experiments with a huge number of operations such as read, write, delete, and select from various aspects in the two databases and on the same data for a typical e-commerce schema. The results show that MongoDB performs better for most operations excluding some aggregate functions. The results can be a good source for commercial and non-commercial companies eager to change the structure of the database used to provide their line-of-business services.


A mathematical model describing the electrophysiology and ion handling of cardiomyocytes is a complement to experimental analysis predicting drug-induced proarrhythmic potential in humans as proposed by Comprehensive in vitro Proarrhythmia Assay (CiPA). While CiPA endorses the use of the O'Hara Rudy (ORd) model, which was developed to simulate electrophysiology of human adult ventricular cardiomyocytes (hAVCMs), to predict drug-induced proarrhythmias; the human induced pluripotent stem cell derived-cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) was proposed for experimental verifications. The hiPSC-CMs, especially cultured in 2D culture dishes, are inherently different from hAVCMs exhibiting different ion channel density and an immature sarcoplasmic reticulum function. To reconcile this mismatch, we have developed a mathematical electrophysiology model of an hiPSC-CM by incorporating differences in gene expressions of ion channels, pumps and receptors in hiPSC-CMs against those found in hAVCMs. This model can be used to model any hiPSC-CM cell line where expression data has been obtained and replaces the background currents for K+ and Na+ in the ORd model with the known ultra-rapid K+ channel and hyperpolarization activated K+/Na+ channel currents. With this new model, three batches each from two different hiPSC-CM cell lines are compared to experimental data of action potential duration. This mathematical model recapitulates a ventricular-like action potential morphology with a Phase 2 plateau lasting a few hundred milliseconds. However, the resting membrane potential is not as depolarized (−65 to −70 mV) as that of hAVCM (-80 mV). The elevated resting membrane potential matches experimental data previously and is thought to keep rapid sodium channels from triggering membrane depolarization instead being replaced by an overexpression of L-Type Ca2+ channel current. This model is a key step in identifying the variability between different hiPSC-CM lines and even batches of the same line, opening the door to realizing analysis of patient specific preparations in the future.


Tailoring carotenoids by plant carotenoid cleavage dioxygenases (CCDs) generates various bioactive apocarotenoids. Recombinant CCD1 has been shown to catalyze symmetrical cleavage of C40 carotenoid substrates at 9,10 and 9′,10′ positions. The actual substrate(s) of the enzyme in planta, however, is still unknown. In this study, we have carried out RNA interference (RNAi)-mediated repression of a Medicago truncatula CCD1 gene in hairy roots colonized by the arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungus Glomus intraradices. As a consequence, the normal AM-mediated accumulation of apocarotenoids (C13 cyclohexenone and C14 mycorradicin derivatives) was differentially modified. Mycorradicin derivatives were strongly reduced to 3% to 6% of the controls, while the cyclohexenone derivatives were only reduced to 30% to 47%. Concomitantly, a yellow-orange color appeared in RNAi roots. Based on ultraviolet light spectra and mass spectrometry analyses, the new compounds are C27 apocarotenoic acid derivatives. These metabolic alterations did not lead to major changes in molecular markers of the AM symbiosis, although a moderate shift to more degenerating arbuscules was observed in RNAi roots. The unexpected outcome of the RNAi approach suggests C27 apocarotenoids as the major substrates of CCD1 in mycorrhizal root cells. Moreover, literature data implicate C27 apocarotenoid cleavage as the general functional role of CCD1 in planta. A revised scheme of plant carotenoid cleavage in two consecutive steps is proposed, in which CCD1 catalyzes only the second step in the cytosol (C27 → C14 + C13), while the first step (C40 → C27 + C13) may be catalyzed by CCD7 and/or CCD4 inside plastids.


Early and accurate memory size estimation of Electronic Control Units (ECUs), which are dedicated embedded systems providing major software functionalities, is essential for automotive industry. Usually, experts using their expert judgments perform the estimations. Software functional size measures, which attempt at measuring the size by capturing the amount of functionality, have become popular in software industry particularly for effort estimation and project management purposes due to their availability early in the project lifecycle. This study investigates the potential usage of COSMIC Function Points as a predictor of memory size in comparison to expert opinion methods through conducting a case study in Renault.


Usually, university research has focused its efforts on criteria such as validity, reliability and objectivity that reflect the idea of the "mechanistic" man. The trend that was generated by this has led to the exclusion of those categories that may not be subject to such conditions, in particular, so-called vulnerable people such as women, children, and people with disabilities. With the development of different approaches to knowledge, we are witnessing a paradigm shift in the ability to discuss traditional approaches and the opening up of new knowledge possibilities. Despite many studies, although designed to give a voice, they still reflect the limitations and mindset of the traditional approach. For example, research is often conducted on people with disabilities but through the caregiver, or through proxy advisory professionals. Another indicator of the old tradition of research is the partial absence of studies that involved researchers and vulnerable according to a "symmetric approach". This work intends to present a municipal service built in co-design between different subjects, in which university research, practical experience of social services, schools, voluntary associations and social cooperatives, cooperate in a way non-hierarchical, in accordance with the references of the "inclusive research".


Dopaminergic neurons of the substantia nigra pars compacta are autonomous pacemakers. This activity is responsible for the sustained release of dopamine necessary for the proper functioning of target structures, such as the striatum. Somatodendritic L-type Ca2+ channels have long been viewed as important, if not necessary, for this activity. The studies reported here challenge this viewpoint. Using a combination of optical and electrophysiological approaches in brain slices, it was found that antagonism of L-type Ca2+ channel effectively stopped dendritic Ca2+ oscillations but left autonomous pacemaking unchanged. Moreover, damping intracellular Ca2+ oscillations with exogenous buffer had little effect on pacemaking rate. Although not necessary for pacemaking, L-type channels helped support pacemaking when challenged with cationic channel blockers. Simulations suggested that the insensitivity to antagonism of L-type channels reflected the multichannel nature of the pacemaking process. The robustness of pacemaking underscores its biological importance and provides a framework for understanding how therapeutics targeting L-type Ca2+ channels might protect dopaminergic neurons in Parkinson's disease without compromising their function.


This communication examines the effect of the surface morphology of polycrystalline copper on electroreduction of CO(2). We find that a copper nanoparticle covered electrode shows better selectivity towards hydrocarbons compared with the two other studied surfaces, an electropolished copper electrode and an argon sputtered copper electrode. Density functional theory calculations provide insight into the surface morphology effect.


Open source licensing determines how open source systems are reused, distributed, and modified from a legal perspective. While it facilitates rapid development, it can present di culty for developers in understanding due to the legal language of these licenses. Because of misunderstandings, systems can incorporate licensed code in a way that violates the terms of the license. Such incompatibilities between licensing can result in the inability to reuse a particular library without either relicensing the system or redesigning the architecture of the system. Prior e↵orts have predominantly focused on license identification or understanding the underlying phenomena without reasoning about compatibility in a broad scale. The work in this dissertation first investigates the rationale of developers and identifies the areas that developers struggle with respect to free/open source software licensing. First, we investigate the di↵usion of licenses and the prevalence of license changes in a large scale empirical study of 16,221 Java systems. We observed a clear lack of traceability and a lack of standardized licensing that led to di culties and confusion for developers trying to reuse source code. We further investigated the di culty by surveying the developers of the systems with license changes to understand why they first adopted a license and then changed licenses. Additionally, we performed an analysis on issue trackers and legal mailing lists to extract licensing bugs. From these works, we identified key areas in which developers struggled and needed support. While developers need support to identify license incompatibilities and understand both the cause and implications of the incompatibilities, we observed that state-of-the-art license identification tools did not identify license exceptions. Since these exceptions directly modify the license terms (either the permissions granted by the license or the restrictions imposed by the license), we proposed an approach to complement current license identification techniques in order to classify license exceptions. The approach relies on supervised machine learners to classify the licensing text to identify the particular license exceptions or the lack of a license exception. Subsequently, we built an infrastructure to assist developers with evaluating license compliance warnings for their system. The infrastructure evaluates compliance across the dependency tree of a system to ensure it is compliant with all of the licenses of the dependencies. When an incompatibility is present, it notes the specific library/libraries and the conflicting license(s) so that the developers can investigate these compliance warnings, which would prevent distribution of their software, in their system. We conduct a study on 121,094 open source projects spanning 6 programming languages, and we demonstrate that the infrastructure is able to identify license incompatibilities between these projects and their dependencies.


The lysis gene region of phage 21 contains three overlapping reading frames, designated S21, R21, and Rz21 on the basis of the analogy with the SRRz gene cluster of phage lambda. The 71-codon S21 gene complements lambda Sam7 for lysis function but shows no detectable homology with S lambda in the amino acid or nucleotide sequence. A highly related DNA sequence from the bacteriophage PA-2 was found by computer search of the GenBank data base. Correction of this sequence by insertion of a single base revealed another 71-codon reading frame, which is accordingly designated the SPA-2 gene and is 85% identical to S21. There are thus two unrelated classes of S genes; class I, consisting of the homologous 107-codon S lambda and 108-codon P22 gene 13, and class II, consisting of the 71-codon S21 and SPA-2 genes. The codon sequence Met-Lys-(X)-Met...begins all four genes. The two Met codons in S lambda and 13 have been shown to serve as translational starts for distinct polypeptide products which have opposing functions: the shorter polypeptide serves as the lethal lysis effector, whereas the longer polypeptide acts as a lysis inhibitor. To test whether this same system exists in the class II S genes, the Met-I and Met-4 codons of S21 were altered in inducible plasmid clones and the resultant lysis profiles were monitored. Elimination of the Met-1 start results in increased toxicity, and lysis, although not complete, begins earlier, which suggests that both starts are used in the scheduling of lysis by S21 and is consistent with the idea that the 71- and 68-residue products act as a lysis inhibitor and a lysis effector, respectively. In addition, the R gene of 21 was shown to be related to P22 gene 19, which encodes a true lysozyme activity, and was also found to be nearly identical to PA-2 ORF2. We infer that the 21 and PA-2 R genes both encode lysozymes in the T4 e gene family. These three genes form a second class lambdoid R genes, with the lambda R gene being the sole member of the first class. The existence of two interchangeable but unrelated classes of S genes and R genes is discussed in terms of a model of bacteriophage evolution in which the individual gene is the unit of evolution.


In this paper a 1-V supply, 15-bit ΔΣ ADC design for audio applications is presented. The second order CIFB ΔΣ modulator with a 3-bit internal quantizer is adopted. The design of noise transfer function (NTF) is discussed from the viewpoint of mitigating the quantization noise mixture effect. A single-capacitor summing circuit is proposed which eliminates additional amplification or deliberate reference scaling. Nonideal effect due to parasitic capacitance is discussed. With proper modulator architecture, the design of building blocks is relaxed. Low gain amplifier with high power efficiency can be adopted which saves power. The decimator is implemented with cascade subfilters. Time multiplexing of arithmetic resources is employed for low hardware cost. Fabricated in 0.18 μm CMOS, the prototype ADC achieves 91.3 dB peak SNDR with 16 kHz. The modulator dissipates 190 μW and the decimator consumes 170 μW. The core area of the ADC is 0.5 mm2. The modulator occupies 0.3 mm2 and the decimator occupies 0.2 mm2.


Polyether(bisurethane-bisurea-bisamide)s (PEUUA) based on poly(tetramethylene oxide) (PTMO) were synthesized by chain extension of PTMO endcapped with a diisocyanate (DI), and a diamine-diamide extender. The prepolymers were PTMOs with molecular weights between 1270 and 2200 g mol-1, either endcapped with 4,4-diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI), 2,4-toluene diisocyanate (2,4-TDI), or 1,6-hexane diisocyante (HDI) and with a low content of free diisocyanate (<0.1 wt %). The diamine-diamide (6A6) extender was based on hexamethylene diamine (6) and adipic acid (A). In this way, segmented polyurethanes with monodisperse rigid segments (DI-6A6-DI) were obtained. The PEUUAs were characterized by DSC as well as temperature-dependent FTIR and DMTA. The mechanical properties of the polymers were evaluated by compression set and tensile test measurements. The polyurethanes with monodisperse rigid segments displayed low glass transition temperatures, almost temperature-independent rubbery plateaus and sharp melting temperatures. The crystallinities of the hard segments were 70-80% upon heating and 40-60% upon cooling. The rate of crystallization was moderately fast as the supercooling (Tm - Tc) was in the order 36-54°C. The polyurethanes based on HDI had a much higher rubber modulus as compared to the MDI and 2,4-TDI-based polymers, because of a higher degree of crystallinity and/or a higher aspect ratio of the crystallites. The HDI residues are flexible and not sterically hindered and could therefore be more easily packed than MDI or 2,4-TDI residues. Polyurethanes with monodisperse DI-6A6-DI hard segments have interesting properties


Introduction: Clinical studies on the effect of systemic conditions on periodontal diseases have shown that some systemic deficiencies may provide grounds for the onset of periodontal diseases. One of these systemic problems is osteoporosis, which may be a risk factor for the onset and exacerbation of periodontitis. This study tends to evaluate periodontal indices in osteoporotic menopausal women and compare them with healthy controls.

Materials and Methods: In this case-control study, participants included 45-75 year-old menopausal women referred to rheumatology wards of the Khatamolanbia Clinic and Shahid Sadoughi Hospital in Yazd; their bone density was determined by DEXA-scan and by imaging the femoral-lumbar bone. Thirty patients with osteoporosis and 30 subjects with normal BMD were selected. Then, informed consent was obtained for participation in the study. During the clinical examinations, tooth loss (TL), plaque index (PI), gingival recession, pocket probing depth (PPD), clinical attachment lost (CAL), and tooth mobility (TM) were measured to evaluate the periodontal status. These clinical examinations were performed to determine the periodontal status by catheter, mirror and probe.

Results: During the evaluation, there was no significant difference in PPD, PI, TM, gingival recession, and CAL between case and control groups (p-value>0.05); that is, osteoporosis has no effect on above factors. These periodontal factors are almost the same in both healthy and patient groups. In the case of missing teeth, the following results were obtained: the mean of missing teeth was 22.173% of the total teeth in the case group and 18.583% of the total teeth in the control group. In the study of the missing teeth in the case and control groups, there was a significant relationship between case and control groups (p-value=0.025).

Conclusion: In fact, since periodontal disease is multifactorial and microbial plaque is the main cause, osteoporosis is considered as a predisposing factor in exacerbation or persistence of periodontal disease. In patients with osteoporosis, usually pathological fractures, hormonal changes, and aging lead to reduced physical activity and affect the oral health, which leads to manifestation of periodontal disease. But this disease increases tooth loss by changing the shape and structure of bone trabeculae and weakening them. Osteoporosis does not seem to be a deterministic factor in incidence of periodontal disease, since it affects bone quality rather than bone quantity.


Book synopsis: Now that Soviet style socialism has collapsed upon itself and liberal capitalism offers itself as the natural, necessary and absolute condition of human social life on a worldwide scale, this book insists that the potentially emancipatory resources of a renewed, and perhaps reconstructed, historical materialism are more relevant in today's world than ever before. Rather than viewing global capitalism as an eluctable natural force, these essays seek to show how a dialectic of power and resistance is at work in the contemporary global political economy, producing and contesting new realities and creating conditions in which new forms of collective self determination become thinkable and materially possible. It will be vital, topical reading for anyone interested in international relations, international political economy, sociology and political theory.


OBJECTIVES
Subclinical hypothyroidism (SH) is characterized by normal serum free T4 (fT4), free T3 (fT3) levels and increased serum thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) levels.The aim of this study was to assess the validity of tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) in evaluating cardiac effects of SH and to demonstrate the improving effects of L-thyroxin(L-T4) on TDI parameters.

METHODS
Twenty-seven patients with SH and 22 healthy controls were evaluated by standard echocardiography and TDI. TDI-derived systolic velocities [isovolumic myocardial acceleration (IVA), peak myocardial velocity during isovolumic contraction (IW), peak systolic velocity during ejection period (Sa)] and diastolic indices (peak early (Ea) and late diastolic (Aa) velocities, Ea/Aa, E/Ea ratios and Tei index) were measured. After restoring euthyroidism, all measurements were repeated.

RESULTS
At baseline, left ventricular (LV) systolic velocities (IW and IVA) and diastolic indices were significantly impaired in the SH group. After L-T4 therapy, left ventricular systolic and diastolic functions were improved. Right ventricular (RV) systolic velocities were similar between the study group and the healthy controls but diastolic functions were impaired in the SH group, at baseline. Tei index of the RV was improved after L-T4 therapy. RV IVA remained unchanged after hormone replacement therapy.

CONCLUSIONS
SH is associated with biventricular systolic and diastolic dysfunction. IVA which is an accurate estimate of subclinical systolic dysfunction, was significantly impaired in the left ventricle and had improved after L-T4 therapy. We found that IVA is able to detect early effects of subclinical hypothyroidism on LV systolic functions and L-T4 therapy can improve ventricular functions.


Objective: understanding the care practices of health professionals caring for older adults living with cancer in outpatient treatment. Methods: a qualitative research conducted in a hematology oncology outpatient clinic in southern Brazil. A semi-structured interview was conducted with 15 older adults. Data were submitted to thematic analysis. Results: a category of care practice of health professionals amongst older adults living with cancer emerged with two subcategories: disclosure of the disease diagnosis and authoritarian educational practices. Conclusion: despite the existence of legal instruments made available to users of healthcare services, healthcare professional practices are still based on asymmetric relationships through which they place themselves as the only ones responsible for the care of the older adults, demanding adherence to their prescriptions without question, and disregarding the older adult's care of themselves.


This paper proposes a new speech recognition scheme for foreign out-of-vocabulary words embedded in native-language speech. To recognize foreign names frequently observed in news speech or in translation speech, we adopted a hierarchical language model that had been successfully applied to OOV words covering native vocabularies. In this hierarchical language model, OOV vocabularies are modeled as a word-class model in the upper-layered model, and their statistical phonotactic constraints are modeled in the lower-layered model. Since extra statistics are needed to cover foreign words and their pronunciation differences, we have introduced two techniques. The first is to combine translation target language models and translation source statistics of OOVs using the hierarchical language model. The second is to automatically generate recognition target pronunciations from original pronunciations by syllable-to-syllable mapping. To confirm the validity of this recognition scheme, we have conducted speech recognition experiments using English speech including Japanese personal names as OOV words. The proposed method outperformed the existing algorithm using a lexicon consisting of all the words in the training set. Surprisingly, it achieved better OOV recognition results than the non-OOV condition where all the proper names in the test set are registered in the lexicon.


BACKGROUND AND AIM OF THE STUDY
Echocardiography or cinefluoroscopy are standard modalities for evaluating implanted mechanical valve prostheses. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the validity of multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) with three-dimensional image reconstruction in a cine mode (four-dimensional (4D)-CT) for evaluating the functional and morphological findings of implanted mechanical valves.

METHODS
A total of 37 patients who had received 45 implanted mechanical valves was studied using electrocardiogram-gated (16- or 256-row) MDCT. The mean age of patients at the MDCT examination was 65.1 +/- 10.1 years (range: 0.5-85 years). The series included 18 aortic and 27 mitral mechanical valves, in addition to 36 bileaflet valves and nine monoleaflet valves. Fifteen patients had atrial fibrillation, and seven had permanent pacemaker implantation. Volume-rendering 3D and multiplanar reformations were obtained, and valve leaflet movement was evaluated using reformatted images in a cine mode (4D images). The quality of mechanical valve leaflet visualization was scored on a four-grade scale (Leaflet index), and the level of artifact was also scored (Artifact index).

RESULTS
There were two stuck-valve patients who required emergency surgery. Stuck mechanical leaflets could be visualized using 4D-CT. In all of the bileaflet mechanical valves the valve leaflet motions were visualized with 4D images. In contrast, in four of nine valves with monoleaflet valves the opening and closing angles could not be visualized because of radio-opacity of the leaflet. The median Leaflet index was 3.7 +/- 0.8, and the median Artifact index 3.0 + 0.8. The Leaflet and Artifact indices were significantly lower in monoleaflet valves (p < 0.0001, p = 0.0037, respectively). When using 256-row MDCT the Artifact index was superior to that achieved with 16-row MCDT, but was without statistical difference (p = 0.0654).

CONCLUSION
Functional and morphological evaluations of mechanical valves with 4D-MDCT is promising in patients with bileaflet mechanical valves. However, the evaluation of monoleaflet valves is limited.


Students have different learning preferences of receiving, processing and internalizing knowledge and skills. If the learning environment is advantageous to the learning styles of the students, there is a higher chance that the students can achieve the intended learning outcomes. Previous research on understanding the learning styles of students suggests that the use of learning style models helped teachers design effective instruction and could help students better understand their own learning preferences. Felder and Silverman (1988) proposed a learning style model, which was designed to capture the important learning style differences among engineering students. The model categorised learning preferences into four dimensions, namely, active/reflective, sensing/intuitive, visual/verbal, and sequential/global (Felder and Spurlin, 2005). After identifying the learning styles of the students, corresponding teaching strategies can then be developed for more effective learning. This research was an preliminary investigation of learning styles of engineering students studying vocationally oriented higher diploma programmes in Hong Kong. Data from over 140 students in two engineering programmes was collected and analysed to identify the learning characteristics of students. It was found that the sample students were marginally reflective, predominately sensing, visual, and sequential learners. Observations from the analysed data provided valuable information for teachers to design more effective teaching strategies.


In order to overcome the defect of traditional engine condition monitoring only depending on single parameter, this paper establishes the five-level condition monitoring alert system with fuzzy neural network (FNN) which is good at settling uncertain and complicated problems. Firstly, optimal monitoring parameters are selected from three aspects of ferrography, vibration and performance parameters. With sufficient historical data, limit values of parameters and reliable five-level condition monitoring standards are maintained and established by statistical analysis. Then fuzzy membership functions are applied to transform practical data into fuzzy data. Finally the structure of neural network is designed and trained by sample data. The model is tested with original data and proved to be more effective and reliable to engine condition monitoring.


An approach to produce polymer nanoparticles with tailored characteristics to accommodate different nanoformulation applications is presented. Polymer nanoparticles are made from the collapse of polyelectrolytes in the presence of counterions and/or different solvents. The size, hydrophobic/hydrophilic character, as well as surface interaction characteristics of collapsed polyelectrolyte nanoparticles can be controlled by varying the degree of crosslinks and the degree of chemical modification of the parent polyelectrolyte chain. Depending on the characteristics of the polymer nanoparticle (i.e. size, hydrophobic/hydrophilic character, degree of crosslinking, etc.) different molecules like dyes, pigments, agricultural and pharmacological active ingredients, and aromatics can be loaded into the polymer nanoparticles. Polymer nanoparticles made with this approach are typically smaller in size (10-50 nm) than those achievable using other methods. Data illustrating the different characteristics of the polymer nanoparticles and the interactions of the polymer nanoparticles with different active ingredients will be presented.


Image segmentation is a fundamental task in image analysis responsible for partitioning an image into multiple sub-regions based on a desired feature. Active contours have been widely used as attractive image segmentation methods because they always produce sub-regions with continuous boundaries, while the kernel-based edge detection methods, e.g. Sobel edge detectors, often produce discontinuous boundaries. The use of level set theory has provided more flexibility and convenience in the implementation of active contours. However, traditional edge-based active contour models have been applicable to only relatively simple images whose sub-regions are uniform without internal edges. Here in this paper we attempt to brief the taxonomy and current state of the art in Image segmentation and usage of Active Contours.


Slow cooling of hot foods is a common pathogen proliferation factor contributing to restaurant-related outbreaks. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) model Food Code provides guidelines on the time and temperatures needed for proper cooling and recommends several methods to facilitate rapid food cooling. Restaurants continue to struggle with proper cooling even given these guidelines (Hedeen & Smith, 2020). Research summarized in this guest commentary indicates that portioning foods into containers with a depth of <3 in. and ventilating the containers during the cooling process promote rapid cooling. Restaurant operators and health department inspectors could use these cooling methods to maximize cooling efforts. Additionally, a simple method (using a mathematical equation) could help restaurant operators and inspectors to estimate the cooling rates of foods. This simple method uses only two food temperatures taken at any two points in the cooling process (using the equation [Log(T1 - Tdf) - Log(T2 - Tdf)]/δt) to estimate whether the food is expected to meet FDA cooling guidelines. This method allows operators and inspectors to identify foods unlikely to meet FDA guidelines and take corrective actions on those foods without having to monitor food temperatures for the entire cooling process, which typically takes 6 hr. More research is underway to further refine aspects of this method.


How do Community Based Organisations (CBOs) in Burma and the Philippines participate in the construction of political legitimacy through their engagement in local and international politics? What can this tell us about the agency of non-state actors in international relations? This thesis explores the practices of non-state actors engaged in political resistance in Burma and the Philippines. The everyday dynamics of political legitimacy are examined in relation to popular consent, political violence, and the influence of international actors and norms. The empirical research in this thesis is based on a grounded theory analysis of in-depth semi-structured interviews with a wide cross-section of spokespeople and activists of opposition groups from Burma, and with spokespeople of opposition groups in the Philippines. The research covers community-based organisations with broad memberships, including women's organisations, student and youth groups, ethnic minority and indigenous groups, and trade unions. The thesis demonstrates that CBOs exercise a range of tactics in forming political relationships in local and international contexts, and emphasises the role of learning processes in the interaction of local and international norms in the course of political change.


Liver cells respond to copper loading upregulating protective mechanisms. However, to date, except for liver content, there are no good indicators that identify individuals with excess liver copper. We hypothesized that administering high doses of copper to young (5.5 mg Cu · kg⁻¹ . d⁻¹) and adult (7.5 mg Cu · kg⁻¹ . d⁻¹) capuchin monkeys would induce detectable liver damage. Study groups included adult monkeys (2 females, 2 males) 3-3.5 y old at enrollment treated with copper for 36 mo (ACu); age-matched controls (1 female, 3 males) that did not receive additional copper (AC); young monkeys (2 female, 2 males) treated from birth with copper for 36 mo (YCu); and young age-matched controls (2 female, 2 males) that did not receive additional copper (YC). We periodically assessed clinical, blood biochemical, and liver histological indicators and at 36 mo the hepatic mRNA abundance of MT2a, APP, DMT1, CTR1, HGF, TGFβ, and NFκΒ only in adult monkeys. After 36 mo, the liver copper concentration was 4-5 times greater in treated monkeys relative to controls. All monkeys remained healthy with normal routine serum biochemical indices and there was no evidence of liver tissue damage. Relative mRNA abundance of HGF, TGFβ and NFκB was significantly greater in ACu than in AC monkeys. In conclusion, capuchin monkeys exposed to copper at doses up to 50 times the current upper level enhanced expression of genes related to inflammation and injury without clinical, blood biochemical, or histological evidence of liver damage.


The provision of infrastructure in developing countries is traditionally a preserve of government discharged through state-owned monopolies. This arrangement enables the government to charge tariffs below cost recovery as a way of protecting consumers. Unfortunately, the state utilities are generally run inefficiently, relying on the public budget for both capital and operational expenditure. Private sector players have gradually started to engage in the provision of infrastructure in recent years. Working alone or in co-operation with government, these players have offered a viable alternative for securing financial resources by using well-structured project finance structures and expertise for efficient delivery of services, such as roads, water, electricity and hospitals. The private sector participation has resulted in fiscal relief as funding sources are broadened to include domestic and offshore capital markets. It has also been accompanied by necessary sector reforms, such as legislative amendments to protect private property, allowing private players to invest in the respective infrastructure domains. Consumers" perceptions have been mixed, largely due to resultant higher costs of services. In Tanzania, the Tanzania Electricity Supply Company (TANESCO), a vertically-integrated state monopoly, is responsible for generation, transmission, distribution and retailing of electricity. As sole provider, TANESCO has woefully failed to serve the estimated demand of about 1 200MW. Lack of adequate funding for new capital investment and maintenance of the existing network has seriously curtailed output to just over 500MW – less than half of installed capacity. This situation has been compounded by drought on the predominantly hydro-based generation. Transmission losses have also worsened electricity delivery. The result is that only 14 percent of the urban and about two percent of the rural population had electricity access as at 2010. Sector reforms introduced in the 1990s allowed independent power producers (IPPs) to set up fuel and gas-fired generation facilities and selling output to TANESCO under Power Purchase Agreements. Worsening electricity shortages have forced the Ministry of Energy and Minerals to engage more IPPs on an emergency basis at very exorbitant feed-in tariffs. Other smaller-scale private generators have also entered the deregulated generation sector using the regulatory framework set up by the Energy and Water Utilities Regulatory Authority (EWURA). Various generation technologies are used and off-grid installations have enabled potential consumers beyond the national grid to have access. This study presents perceptions on challenges faced by private sector investors and financiers in participating in electricity generation. The findings highlight the apparent lack of appetite by financiers to underwrite long-term infrastructure projects. Furthermore, the capital markets are not developed sufficiently to meet the capital needs of private investors who see opportunity in the largely unserved electricity market. The results of the study help to show that the challenges of providing sufficient and affordable electricity in Tanzania cannot be addressed within the context of Stellenbosch University http://scholar.sun.ac.za


Important institutions deserve a historical record and at the same time have the obligation to provide their constituents with an account of their purpose and achievements. The World Health Organization (WHO) is such an institution and it has recently published a record of its third decade, reviewing its activities from 1968 to 1977.

Based almost entirely on WHO publications, this is an invaluable summary of what happened within the Organization during those years. This book provides brief notes on the contemporary activities of all the departments, programmes, World Health Assembly decisions, Executive Board meetings, Expert Committee discussions and other matters concerning the Organization and world health. It helps the reader see rapidly what was happening then and saves him or her from consulting the mountain of Official Records, a search that could still be done easily as all the recorded facts are fully referenced. Being a "record of records", as the author states, this book is a digest that provides researchers, staff and health ministries with a handy information tool about WHO, in particular about its third decade.

But this facility also constitutes its relative weakness. In its care to summarize the records, there is no attempt for analysis nor a search for trends, interrelationships or interactions. This obviously was a deliberate decision, as it is stated that "the advantages of hindsight have been firmly resisted" and "no effort has been made to look forward in time to assess successes or failures". This singular approach to history is a marked departure from the original idea of the 10-yearly volumes. In the first issue (1948–1958), the then Director-General noted that "… an effort has been made not only to review the history of these past ten years but also to place the events of that period against the background of previous achievements, and to indicate the broad lines along which future activities could develop". The present volume's limitation to a "record of records" does provide the bones and material for a history but does not write the history of this now historically mature sexagenarian Organization.

The 14 chapters of the book touch upon the entire field of WHO's work, some more extensively than others. The highlights of the decade are well recorded and the initial steps for smallpox eradication rightly receive special mention. Perhaps the best rendition is in the epilogue, which gives an excellent account of Alma-Ata: the international conference on primary health care that, paradoxically, falls outside the decade in question. It provides inspiration and sufficient analyses to make one yearn for more and to make it worth owning the book.


A case of falciparum malaria in Tonga occurring in a tourist is reported and discussed with the emphasis on awareness of imported diseases to the Pacific.


Estimating a visual evoked potential (VEP) from the human brain is challenging since its signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is generally very low. Visual evoked potentials are conventionally extracted from the spontaneous brain activity by collecting a series of time-locked electroencephalogram (EEG) epochs and performing ensemble averaging on these samples to improve the SNR. However, this multi-trial averaging contributes to loss of distinctive physiological information which may prove useful for thorough optical pathway conduction assessment, disease diagnosis, and other fields of study such as psychology and pharmaceuticals. As such, a VEP estimation scheme based on a single VEP trial which minimizes the information loss and reduces VEP recording time, is highly desirable. In this thesis, two novel variations of generalized subspace approaches (GSAs) have been proposed to estimate VEP's P100, P200 and P300 latencies from colored EEG noise. The proposed methods decompose and decorrelate the corrupted VEP space into signal and noise subspace; VEP enhancement is achieved by removing the noise subspace and estimating the clean VEPs only from the signal subspace. Since EEG is colored noise, implicit and explicit pre-whitening of the corrupted VEP waveform are performed in the proposed algorithms, to resolve diagonalization problems and achieve full VEP space decorrelation. Furthermore, the computation of a proper subspace dimension vital to the optimum extraction of VEPs has been included in GSAs. With the diagonalization and subspace dimension problems resolved, the proposed GSA techniques ultimately form a comparable VEP latency estimation system. Three single-trial approaches for VEP latency estimation proposed by various authors have also been evaluated and compared with GSAs. The results of comprehensively simulated data involving SNR from 0 to -11 dB indicate that the GSA schemes outperform the other three methods. The GSA estimators produce the lowest failure rate and average errors, and their performance is relatively independent of the given SNR in contrary to the other methods. The results of fifty real patient data further confirm that both GSAs are better estimators compared to the other studied techniques. With the favorable performance demonstrated by the outcome of the simulated and real patient data, both GSAs have the potentials to be used not only as biomedical signal estimators from the brain, but also as general purpose estimators in any other fields where SNR values are relatively low.


In this study, we discussed the effects on the thermal comfort of super high-rise residences that how effected by the high thermal capacity structural components. We considered different building orientations, structures, and insulation methods. We used the dynamic simulation software THERB (simulation of the thermal environment of residential buildings). It can estimate the temperature, humidity, sensible temperature, and heating/cooling load for multiple buildings. In the past studies, we examined the impact of air-conditioning loads (hereinafter referred to as AC loads) on the interior structural parts and the AC-usage patterns of super-high-rise residences. Super-high-rise residences have more structural components such as pillars and beams than do ordinary apartment buildings. The skeleton is generally made of concrete and steel, which have high thermal-storage capacities. The thermal-storage capacity of super-high-rise residences is considered to have a larger impact on the AC load and thermal comfort than that of ordinary residences. We show that the AC load of super-high-rise units would be reduced by installing insulation on the surfaces of interior walls that are not usually insulated in Japan. Keywords—High-rise Residences, AC Load, Thermal Comfort, Thermal Storage, Insulation Patterns


In 1911, approximately 2000 pelicans were slaughtered on a group of islands within the Coorong lagoon in South Australia. The islands were a favoured nesting site, and a group of people had waited until the eggs hatched to kill both adult and young birds in order to collect the maximum payout from a 1 penny bounty that had been put on the head of each pelican by the South Australian Fisheries Department. The killings prompted advocates of bird protection, particularly ornithologists, to seek security for the rookeries against future raids by leasing the islands. A range of other interests became entangled in this decision, as some ornithologists also sought to prevent local Aboriginal people from harvesting bird eggs in the area. Examining these events and their consequences, this article has two related goals. The first goal is to show the role of animals and their environments in co-shaping legal geographies. The second is to examine the contours and histories of competing ideas about protection, killing, and private property that shaped the legal geography of the Coorong.


We revisit the harmonic approximation (HA) for a large Josephson junction interacting with some charge qubits through the variational approach for the quantum dynamics of the junction-qubit coupling system. By making use of numerical calculation and analytical treatment, the conditions under which HA works well can be precisely presented to control the parameters implementing the two-qubit quantum logical gate through the couplings to the large junction with harmonic oscillator Hamiltonian.


ABSTRACT Although alkaline phosphatases are common in a wide variety of bacteria, there has been no prior evidence for alkaline phosphatases in Mycobacterium smegmatis. Here we report that transposon insertions in the pst operon, encoding homologues of an inorganic phosphate transporter, leads to constitutive expression of a protein with alkaline phosphatase activity. DNA sequence analysis revealed that M. smegmatis does indeed have a phoA gene that shows high homology to other phoA genes. The M. smegmatis phoA gene was shown to be induced by phosphate starvation and thus negatively regulated by the pst operon. Interestingly, the putative M. smegmatis PhoA has a hydrophobic N-terminal domain which resembles a lipoprotein signal sequence. The M. smegmatis PhoA was demonstrated to be an exported protein associated with the cell surface. Furthermore, immunoprecipitation of PhoA from [14C]acetate-labeled M. smegmatis cell lysates demonstrated that this phosphatase is a lipoprotein.


The exoplanet field has been evolving at an astonishing rate: nearly two thousand planets have been detected and many more are awaiting confirmation. Astronomers have begun classifying these planets by mass, radius and orbital parameters, but these numbers tell us only part of the story as we know very little about their chemical composition. Spectroscopic observations of exoplanet atmospheres can provide this missing information, critical for understanding the origin and evolution of these distant worlds. Currently, transit spectroscopy and direct imaging spectroscopy are the most promising methods to achieve this goal. Ground and space-based observations (VLT, Keck Observatory, IRTF, Spitzer Space Telescope, HST) of exoplanets have shown the potentials of the transit method. However, the instruments used in the past ten years were not optimised for this task: the available data are mostly photometric or low resolution spectra with low signal to noise. The interpretation of these --- often sparse --- data is generally a challenge. With the arrival of new facilities (GPI, SPHERE, E-ELT, JWST), and possibly dedicated space instruments such as the Exoplanet Characterisation Observatory (EChO), many questions needed to be tackled in a more systematic way. The focus of this thesis is to provide a theoretical framework to address the question of molecular detectability in exoplanet atmospheres with current and future facilities. The atmospheric components and their spectroscopic signals depend strongly on the planetary temperature and size, therefore I have simulated a significant sample of planets out of a range of sizes and temperatures, to describe comprehensively the chemical compositions that can be expected in those exotic worlds. Such simulations were convolved through instrument simulators to assess performance and limitations of current and future facilities. While my study has been inspired by transit spectroscopy with a hypothetical EChO-like space-based instrument, the methodology and results of this thesis are applicable to observations with other instruments and techniques.


ABSTRACT We detected biosynthetic activity for aflatoxins G1 and G2 in cell extracts of Aspergillus parasiticusNIAH-26. We found that in the presence of NADPH, aflatoxins G1 and G2 were produced fromO-methylsterigmatocystin and dihydro-O-methylsterigmatocystin, respectively. No G-group aflatoxins were produced from aflatoxin B1, aflatoxin B2, 5-methoxysterigmatocystin, dimethoxysterigmatocystin, or sterigmatin, confirming that B-group aflatoxins are not the precursors of G-group aflatoxins and that G- and B-group aflatoxins are independently produced from the same substrates (O-methylsterigmatocystin and dihydro-O-methylsterigmatocystin). In competition experiments in which the cell-free system was used, formation of aflatoxin G2 from dihydro-O-methylsterigmatocystin was suppressed whenO-methylsterigmatocystin was added to the reaction mixture, whereas aflatoxin G1 was newly formed. This result indicates that the same enzymes can catalyze the formation of aflatoxins G1 and G2. Inhibition of G-group aflatoxin formation by methyrapone, SKF-525A, or imidazole indicated that a cytochrome P-450 monooxygenase may be involved in the formation of G-group aflatoxins. Both the microsome fraction and a cytosol protein with a native mass of 220 kDa were necessary for the formation of G-group aflatoxins. Due to instability of the microsome fraction, G-group aflatoxin formation was less stable than B-group aflatoxin formation. The ordA gene product, which may catalyze the formation of B-group aflatoxins, also may be required for G-group aflatoxin biosynthesis. We concluded that at least three reactions, catalyzed by the ordA gene product, an unstable microsome enzyme, and a 220-kDa cytosol protein, are involved in the enzymatic formation of G-group aflatoxins from eitherO-methylsterigmatocystin or dihydro-O-methylsterigmatocystin.


China released its first national urbanization plan in March 2014. The plan outlines a bold move to grant urban hukou (household registration) to 100 million people, mostly migrants, in the next six years. If successfully implemented, the plan will help China to achieve genuine urbanization and alleviate some major social and economic problems. It has also brought forth a new vision of urbanization with an emphasis on the human aspects. This article presents a preliminary evaluation of the new plan.


Recent advances in technologies such as image digitization, storage and transmission caused the number of digital images to increase tremendously. Therefore, contentbased image classification and retrieval system has been the subject of many multimedia data mining research works in recent years. Image mining deals with the extraction of implicit knowledge, image data relationship or other patterns not explicitly stored in the image databases. The main objective is to emphasize on efficient image transformation and retrieval for fast image recognition. Image mining deals with the extraction of image patterns from a large collection of images, whereas the focus of computer vision and image processing is in understanding and/or extracting specific features from a single image.


[Excerpt] In The Promise and Limits of Private Power, Richard Locke analyzes and evaluates private sector corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives on working conditions in global supply chain factories. The book synthesizes findings from a multi-year project that has already generated several important articles on various aspects of supply chain labor dynamics. The book is structured around a strong central theme. Corporate codes of conduct and other private, voluntary steps indeed can have some positive effects on working conditions in supply chain factories, but results are mixed. They are not sufficient for sustained improvements. Public regulation through effectively enforced legal standards must be part of the equation. In sum, "private voluntary regulation can best succeed when 'layered' on and interacting with public (state) regulation."


An anniversary issue provides an inescapably inviting opportunity to reflect on the past, evaluate the present, and contemplate the future. Eschewing the self-congratulatory rhetoric of traditional anniversary celebrations, we have devoted this 20th anniversary issue of RIPE to contributions that critically examine the academic discipline of international political economy, focusing on our collective challenges and limitations as much as on our achievements. As every author knows, it is the thoughtful, constructive, and above all critical review that ultimately pushes us to produce better scholarly work. The global financial crisis mandates such a reassessment, as did the fall of communism that birthed this journal. [First paragraph] (This abstract was borrowed from another version of this item.)


Providing local communities with authority to manage school resources is a popular education policy in the developing world. However, recent studies suggest that this type of intervention has limited impact on student learning outcomes. To investigate how communities can effectively utilize school resources, we conducted a randomized experiment in Niger by providing school grants and training for school committees to increase communities' awareness of student learning and improve resource management. The result shows that, when the training was conducted with grant provision, communities increased activities that enhanced student effort, and student test scores in math and French remarkably improved, particularly for low-performing children. As a secondary effect of the training, parents, who have realized their children are not learning the basics at school, increased their contribution to school committees and their support for children's home study. These results suggest that sharing information and knowledge with communities and raising their awareness is a key to enhancing effectiveness of community participation and school grants policy.


Field studies of Cordilleran metamorphic core complexes indicate that meteoric fluids permeated the upper crust down to the detachment shear zone and interacted with highly deformed and recrystallized (mylonitic) rocks. The presence of fluids in the brittle/ductile transition zone is recorded in the oxygen and hydrogen stable isotope compositions of the mylonites and may play an important role in the thermomechanical evolution of the detachment shear zone. Geochemical data show that fluid flow in the brittle upper crust is primarily controlled by the large‐scale fault‐zone architecture. We conduct continuum‐scale (i.e., large‐scale, partial bounce‐back) lattice‐Boltzman fluid, heat, and oxygen isotope transport simulations of an idealized cross section of a metamorphic core complex. The simulations investigate the effects of crust and fault permeability fields as well as buoyancy‐driven flow on two‐way coupled fluid and heat transfer and resultant exchange of oxygen isotopes between meteoric fluid and rock. Results show that fluid migration to middle to lower crustal levels is fault controlled and depends primarily on the permeability contrast between the fault zone and the crustal rocks. High fault/crust permeability ratios lead to channelized flow in the fault and shear zones, while lower ratios allow leakage of the fluids from the fault into the crust. Buoyancy affects mainly flow patterns (more upward directed) and, to a lesser extent, temperature distributions (disturbance of the geothermal field by ~25°C). Channelized fluid flow in the shear zone leads to strong vertical and horizontal thermal gradients, comparable to field observations. The oxygen isotope results show δ18O depletion concentrated along the fault and shear zones, similar to field data.


This article examines trends in family attitudes and values across the last 4 decades of the 20th century, with particular emphasis on the past 2 decades. The article focuses on attitudes toward a wide range of family issues, including the roles of men and women, marriage, divorce, childlessness, premarital sex, extramarital sex, unmarried cohabitation, and unmarried childbearing. More generally, the article considers trends in 3 broad contemporary values: freedom; equality; and commitment to family, marriage, and children. Five data sets are used for the article: Monitoring the Future, General Social Survey, International Social Science Project, Intergenerational Panel Study of Parents and Children, and the National Survey of Families and Households. These 5 data sets reveal substantial and persistent long-term trends toward the endorsement of gender equality in families, which may have plateaued at very high levels in recent years. There have also been important and continuing long-term trends toward individual autonomy and tolerance toward a diversity of personal and family behaviors as reflected in increased acceptance of divorce, premarital sex, unmarried cohabitation, remaining single, and choosing to be childless. At the same time, marriage and family life remain important in the cultural ethos, with large and relatively stable fractions of young people believing that marriage and family life are important and planning marriage and the bearing and rearing of children.


To identify novel non-invasive biomarkers for improved detection, risk assessment and prognostic evaluation of cancer, expression profiles of circulating microRNAs are currently under evaluation. Circulating microRNAs are highly promising candidates in this context, as they present some key characteristics for cancer biomarkers: they are tissue-specific with reproducible expression and consistency among individuals from the same species, they are potentially derived directly from the tumour and therefore might correlate with tumour progression and recurrence, and they are bound to proteins or contained in subcellular particles, such as microvesicles or exosomes, making them highly stable and resistant to degradation. The present review highlights the origin of circulating microRNAs, their stability in blood samples, and techniques to isolate exosomal microRNAs, and then addresses the current evidence supporting potential clinical applications of circulating miRNAs for diagnostic and prognostic purposes.


Inverted formin 2 (INF2) encodes a member of the diaphanous subfamily of formin proteins. Mutations in INF2 cause human kidney disease characterized by focal and segmental glomerulosclerosis. Disease-causing mutations occur only in the diaphanous inhibitory domain (DID), suggesting specific roles for this domain in the pathogenesis of disease. In a yeast two-hybrid screen, we identified the diaphanous autoregulatory domains (DADs) of the mammalian diaphanous-related formins (mDias) mDia1, mDia2, and mDia 3 as INF2_DID-interacting partners. The mDias are Rho family effectors that regulate actin dynamics. We confirmed in vitro INF2_DID/mDia_DAD binding by biochemical assays, confirmed the in vivo interaction of these protein domains by coimmunoprecipitation, and observed colocalization of INF2 and mDias in glomerular podocytes. We investigated the influence of this INF2_DID/mDia_DAD interaction on mDia mediated actin polymerization and on serum response factor (SRF) activation. We find that the interaction of INF2_DID with mDia_DAD inhibited mDia-mediated, Rho-activated actin polymerization, as well as SRF-responsive gene transcriptional changes. Similar assays using the disease-causing E184K and R218Q mutations in INF2_DID showed a decreased effect on SRF activation and gene transcription. The binding of INF2_DID to mDia_DAD may serve as a negative regulatory mechanism for mDias' function in actin-dependent cell processes. The effects of disease-causing INF2 mutations suggest an important role for this protein and its interaction with other formins in modulating glomerular podocyte phenotype and function.


OBJECTIVE
To demonstrate how family medicine has been recognized and integrated into primary health care systems in contrasting contexts around the world and to provide an overview of how family physicians are trained and certified.

COMPOSITION OF THE COMMITTEE
Since 2012, the College of Family Physicians of Canada has hosted the Besrour Conferences to reflect on its role in advancing the discipline of family medicine globally. The Besrour Papers Working Group, which was struck at the 2013 conference, was tasked with developing a series of papers to highlight the key issues, lessons learned, and outcomes emerging from the various activities of the Besrour collaboration. The working group comprised members of various academic departments of family medicine in Canada and abroad who attended the conferences.

METHODS
An initial search was conducted in PubMed using a family medicine hedge of MeSH terms, text words, and family medicine journals, combined with text words and terms representing low- and middle-income countries and the concept of family medicine training programs. A second search was completed using only family medicine terms in the CAB Direct and World Bank databases. Subsequent PubMed searches were conducted to identify articles about specific conditions or services based on suggestions from the authors of the articles selected from the second search. Additional articles were identified through reference lists of key articles and through Google searches. We then attempted to verify and augment the information through colleagues and partners.

REPORT
The scope of family medicine and the nature of family medicine training vary considerably worldwide. Challenges include limited capacity, incomplete understanding of roles, and variability of standards and recognition. Opportunities for advancement might include technology, collaboration, changes in pedagogy, flexible training methods, and system-wide support.


The scope of this study is to explore relationships between ocean bottom pressure variations and oceanic climate changes. We analyzed ocean bottom pressure data at stations PG1 and PG2 obtained from the Long-Term Deep Sea Floor Observatory off Kushiro-Tokachi by JAMSTEC, satelliteobserved sea surface height (SSH) data provided by AVISO, and conductivity-temperature-depth (CTD; i.e., temperature and salinity vertical profile) data at a repeated observation line (A-line) from 2004 to 2013. The result shows that ocean bottom pressure variations at PG1 and PG2 are almost in phase in most of the analysis period, but from the early 2006 to the end of 2007, are quit discrepant. Expecting a peculiar hydrographic feature at the occasion, CTD data along the A-line in January 2007 are analyzed. A lenticular eddy was found to exist in a layer between 1500 and 3000 dbar. Probably due to the baroclinic eddy feature, ocean bottom pressure at PG2 is not in phase with the SSH, in contrast to PG1. The present results imply that oceanic temperature and salinity observations like CTD, in addition to SSH, are required to understand the mechanism of ocean bottom pressure changes.


Mg0.33Zn0.67Ofilms were prepared on quartz glass substrates by Sol-Gel method. Structures and optical properties of Mg0.33Zn0.67Ofilms were studied. The results of XRD analysis indicates that the Mg0.33Zn0.67Ofilm is hexagonal wurtzite structure and the lattice constants a and c are 0.3265nm and 0.5218 nm respectively. Lattice constants a and c of the Mg0.33Zn0.67O film increased because of the addition of Mg. The image of SEM shows that the Mg0.33Zn0.67O film is homogeneous and its average grain size is about 40nm. The absorption spectrum of the sample reveals that the absorption edge of Mg0.33Zn0.67O film located at 312.3nm and the corresponding forbidden band width is 3.97eV. is by three peaks ,which located at 383.9nm,442.6nm and 532.9nm respectively,constitute the luminescence spectrum of the film. The excitation peak located at 379.9nm.


The measurement of personal exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMFs) is important for epidemiological studies. RF-EMF exposure can be measured using personal exposimeters that register RF-EMFs over a wide range of frequency bands. This study aimed to measure and describe personal RF-EMF exposure levels from a wide range of frequency bands. Measurements were recorded from 63 participants over an average of 27.4 (±4.5) hours. RF-EMF exposure levels were computed for each frequency band, as well as from downlink (RF from mobile phone base station), uplink (RF from mobile phone handsets), broadcast, and Wi-Fi. Participants had a mean (±SD) age of 36.9 ± 12.5 years; 66.7% were women; and almost all (98.2%) from urban areas. A Wi-Fi router at home was reported by 61 participants (96.8%), with 38 (61.2%) having a Wi-Fi enabled smart TV. Overall, 26 (41.3%) participants had noticed the existence of a mobile phone base station in their neighborhood. On average, participants estimated the distance between the base station and their usual residence to be about 500 m. The median personal RF-EMF exposure was 208 mV/m. Downlink contributed 40.4% of the total RF-EMF exposure, followed by broadcast (22.4%), uplink (17.3%), and Wi-Fi (15.9%). RF-EMF exposure levels on weekdays were higher than weekends (p < 0.05). Downlink and broadcast are the main contributors to total RF-EMF personal exposure. Personal RF-EMF exposure levels vary according to day of the week and time of day.


In this paper, we investigate a principled approach for defining and discovering probabilistic mappings between two taxonomies. First, we compare two ways of modeling probabilistic mappings which are compatible with the logical constraints declared in each taxonomy. Then we describe a generate and test algorithm (called ProbaMap) which minimizes the number of calls to the probability estimator for determining those mappings whose probability exceeds a certain threshold. Finally, we provide an experimental analysis of this approach.


This thesis examines how far clowning can be used to augment the aims and effects of a Brechtian theatricality. To do so, it first establishes a series of characteristic processes for the identification and analysis of clowning, based on the author's own clown training with John Wright and Philippe Gaulier. It then explores the nature of Brecht's interest in the clowns Charlie Chaplin and Karl Valentin and their influence on his thinking. Next, it
examines how far Brecht's interest in clowns and clowning can be seen inscribed in the texts of his plays and how far that clowning enables the aims of his theatre to be realised. Then it looks at a specific example of Brecht production, the author's production of Mr Puntila and His Man Matti, to examine how far what has been seen in theory in fact works in practice. And finally, it moves beyond Brecht but remains in the Brechtian tradition, by examining the show Can of Worms, directed by the author for Strange
Bedfellows theatre company and asking how far a pure clown show can achieve Brechtian effects.

Throughout, the thesis is concerned to establish how far the specific incidences of clowning examined accord with particular effects of the Brechtian theatre, most significantly Gestus,d ialectics and the VerfremdungseffekItt. concludest hat clowning is a form particularly well suited to the pursuit of these processes.


Objective: To assess the nutritional status of school going children in Rural Block Hajin. Methods: School children from various primary and middle level educational facilities from a rural health block were surveyed during the School Health Program. Height and weight was measured following standard procedures. MS Excel and Interactive statistics page were used for analysis of data. Results: Both mean weight and height were higher in females than males. The overall prevalence of under nutrition was 19.2%. The prevalence of underweight was lowest in 5 year female (0.0%) and highest in 6 year male (21.5%). For Stunting 7 year males recorded the lowest (0.0%) and 12 year males the highest (28.5%) prevalence. The highest and lowest prevalence of wasting was recorded in 6 year old females (2.56%) and 9 year old males (24.6%) respectively. Prevalence of thinness was lowest in 13 year old females (14.2%) and highest in 13 year old males (47.1%).Conclusion: The nutritional status of school age children in this health block are comparatively better even though a large number of children still fall below the cutoff for various nutritional indicators.


There have been significant changes to the sugar industry's regulatory regime over the past five years. New investment is flowing into all sectors of the industry. Consumers have benefited by rationalisation of the white sugar industry. The raw sugar industry is undergoing a period of sustained expansion. There is a resurgence of confidence in the industry and surrounding rural communities. The industry is making an important contribution to export earnings and the national economy. In short, the sugar industry is a tale of government policy success.


Shoulder pain is a common complaint in clinical practice. The usual form of treatment is based on nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), rest, rehabilitation and, as an alternative, a local injection into the joint. Due to the lack of oral medication and the lack of evidence, it is necessary to use different nonsurgical therapeutic alternatives. Pulsed radiofrequency produces a temporary nondestructive blockage being the most common technique in the management of shoulder pain. The application of pulsed radiofrequency on the suprascapular nerve has proven to be an effective method in the treatment of shoulder pain, with a decrease in pain that allows the rehabilitation of patients. The axillary or circumflex nerve provides motor innervation mainly to deltoids with branches to the teres minor, provides sensitive innervation to the lower, lateral, and anterior articular capsule, and innervates the humeral head and upper humeral neck. It has a cutaneous branch, which contributes sensitivity of the skin on the deltoids. Combined pulsed radiofrequency on the suprascapular nerve and on the circumflex nerve has been scarcely studied with very few references in the literature. The joint treatment by pulsed radiofrequency technique on suprascapular nerve and circumflex nerve can provide a complete and lasting relief of this pathology.


The article describes the problems international students encounter during psychophysiological adaptation. As the modern higher education system is characterized by academic mobility, and international students from countries with quite different geoclimatic and cultural traditions have to undergo an adaptation period, the problem under study is topical. The study was conducted at Kharkiv National Medical University (Ukraine) in 2020/2021. The research involved 1st, 2nd and 3rd-year international students (from 50 countries). The peculiarities of international students' psychophysiological states were assessed during the stages of initial adaptation, stable adaptation and final adaptation. This study aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of the factors of the natural and socio-pedagogical environment that affect the psychological adaptation process of international students. The present study provides new information on the acclimatization patterns of international students who study in Ukraine, as well as its functional significance on selected performance measures. General theoretical methods, research methods and methods of statistical data processing have been employed. The results reveal that the destabilizing factors that negatively affect international students' adaptation process include frequent hypothermia, dietary changes, inadequate and irregular food intake, insufficient physical activity and excessive mental stress. Practical recommendations to decrease these negative factors are proposed.


Aim:Neonatal central vascular access (CVA) represents a daily practice in neonatal intensive care unit. Low birth weight (LBW) neonates pose a challenge to anesthetists who try the landmark technique to cannulate central veins. We reported our experience of open surgical cutdown (OSC) to insert catheters through right internal jugular vein (IJV) and assessed feasibility, operative time, durability of line, and postoperative complications of this technique. Methods:A total of 660 LBW neonates needed CVA and underwent OSC of right IJV because of medical and surgical indications. We reported operative time, whether anesthesia or sedation, whether in the theater or at the bedside, difficulties, complications and duration of line, and causes of failure. Transverse neck incision was made 1 cm above the medial third of the clavicle, right IJV was identified, venotomy was performed, and catheter was inserted. Results:A total of 660 LBW neonates had CVA in right IJV, ligation of vein occurred in the first 30 cases but later venotomy was repaired. Mean operative time was 11.3 min. No injury of the right carotid artery or vagus was reported. None had postoperative pneumothorax. Overall, 542 cases had lines until they were discharged. A total of 43 cases needed redo. Thirty-five cases had line-associated infection and 40 lines were thrombosed. Conclusion:OSC of right IJV was feasible and had lower complication rates.


The experience with simultaneous performance of the operations on the bile ducts and other organs in 802 patients, including 109 who underwent simultaneous operations on 2 or several organs for pathogenetically unrelated diseases (lethality--1.9%), 662--combined interventions on the anatomically and functionally connected organs for main disease and its complications (lethality 29%), is summarized. Simultaneous performance of the operations ensures the effective and radical surgical treatment.


Contracts may be subject to strategic default, particularly if public enforcement institutions are weak. In a lab experiment, we study behavior in a contract farming game without third-party enforcement but with an external spot market as outside option. Two players, farmer and company, may conclude a contract but also breach it by side-selling or arbitrary payment reductions. We examine if and how relational contracts and personal communication can support private-order enforcement. Moreover, we investigate whether company players offer price premiums to extend the contract's self-enforcing range. We find mixed evidence for our private ordering hypothesis. Although contract breach can be reduced by relational contracts, direct bargaining communication does not additionally improve the outcome. Price premiums are offered if other enforcement mechanisms are absent, but turn out to be only an "allurement". Most subjects are not willing to sacrifice short-term gains in favor of a well-functioning relationship that (as we show) would be beneficial for both contract parties in the long run.


Here are resources from our library that you may find useful for Ms. Bradley's and Ms. McDougal's assignment on point of view.


The mechanism by which turbidity currents propagate and cause sedimentation in closed-end channels such as pier slips and residential canals was studied in laboratory experiments. Two similar flumes were used, each consisting of a main channel carrying fine-grained sediment-laden flow and an orthogonally placed closed-end channel with a gated entrance. Characteristics of the turbidity current and sediment deposition in the closed-end channel were investigated following gate opening. Behavioral similarities as well as basic differences between turbidity current and non-settling gravity currents were observed. Several properties, e.g. suspension concentration, showed exponential-type decay with distance. The ratio of sediment settling velocity to the densimetric velocity was found to be a significant parameter for comparing results from tests using different sediments. Sediment influx rate through the entrance was found to be proportional to 3/2 power of suspension concentration at the entrance. This relationship yields a simple method to calculate the amount of sedimentation in the channel.


Over the past 30 years there has been an increasing interest in curriculum innovation in medical schools in North America, the United Kingdom, Netherlands, and Australia. Since the introduction of problem-based learning at McMaster University in Canada in 1969, several medical schools throughout the world have adopted problem-based learning as the educational and philosophical basis of their curricula. Several studies have shown that problem-based learning is an important educational strategy for integrating the curriculum, motivating the students and helping them to identify their learning issues and set their own learning goals. However, there is a great deal of concern regarding what problem-based learning means and the advantages of problem-based learning over traditional curriculum have not been clearly addressed. In this review, a broad range of the definitions of problem-based learning have been addressed and the rationale for problem-based learning and its educational objectives are discussed.