Abstract Taiban is a heavily shocked L6 chondrite showing opaque melt veins. Raman spectroscopy was used to characterize the high-pressure silicate assemblages in a thin section crossed by a shock-created 4 mm wide melt vein. Raman spectra using different excitation wavelengths allowed identification of mineral phases such as olivine, wadsleyite, ringwoodite, high-Ca clinopyroxene, majorite-pyrope, jadeite, maskelynite, and lingunite. Olivine is Fe depleted in contact with the ringwoodite, which suggests chemical fractionation during a solid-state olivine-ringwoodite transformation. Raman imaging revealed a close correlation between the blue ringwoodite color and the peak observed at 877 cm-1; this signal shows strong near-resonance Raman enhancement when measured with near-IR excitation lines (785 and 830 nm) close to the optical absorption bands of the ringwoodite. We propose that the blue color of the ringwoodite is due to a small amount of iron in fourfold coordination inside the spinel structure, and that yields the observed spectral features in differently colored ringwoodite. Under the formation conditions of the studied silicate pocket, all enstatite transformed to a majorite-pyrope solid solution, whereas the high-Ca clinopyroxene likely remained unchanged. Maskelynite grains in the margins of the pocket often contain lingunite or are totally transformed to jadeite. Based on static high-pressure results, the mineral assemblages in the pocket suggest peak pressure in the 17-20 GPa range with maximum temperature (Tmax) in the range 1850-1900 K as the formation conditions for this Taiban chondrite during shock.


Polymeric
carbon nitrides (pCN) have garnered immense attention, ranging from super-hard
materials to artificial photosynthesis, due to their exceptional chemical and optoelectronic
properties. The most studied C3N4 along with other
stoichiometric pCN, such as C3N, C2N and C3N5,
commonly employed a six-membered ring as the basic units; while the
five-membered rings are also popular in a myriad of natural and artificial
molecules with a more polarized framework and intriguing functionalities. Here,
we report a facile synthesis of C3N2 with a topological
structure of five-membered rings, endowing by far the narrowest the first
electronic transition energy (0.81 eV) in pCN family. The basic imidazole unit with
dangling bonds, resulting in an unusual electronic band of p-π conjugation and split
molecular orbitals, was
revealed in C3N2 by both experiments and density
functional theory calculations. Moreover, a NIR-responsive photoelectrochemical
(PEC) biosensor for non-transparent biosamples was constructed for the first
time using C3N2 with outstanding performance. This work would
not only open a new vista of pCN with different topological structures but also
broaden the horizon of their application, such as prospective in vivo PEC
bioassay.


DNA-peptide interactions are involved in key life processes, including DNA recognition, replication, transcription, repair, organization and modification. Development of tools that can influence DNA-peptide binding non-invasively with high spatiotemporal precision could aid in determining its role in cells and tissues. Here, we report on the design, synthesis and study of photocontrolled tools for sequence-specific small peptide-DNA major and minor groove interactions, shedding light on DNA binding by transcriptionally active peptides. In particular, photoswitchable moieties were implemented in the peptide backbone or turn region. In each case, DNA binding was affected by photochemical isomerization, as determined in fluorescent displacement assays on model DNA strands, which provides promising tools for DNA modulation.


Ribonucleoprotein structures and condensed chromatin (CCh) have been studied electron cytochemically in neurons of the rat cerebral sensomotor cortex at their reversible (injection of aminazine) and irreversible (postmortem and posttraumatic processes) alterations according to the hypochromic type. For the hypochromic neurons, revealed after aminazine administration, increasing metabolic activity in their plastic apparatus is specific: intensification of the nuclear-cytoplasmic transport of RNA (decreasing amount of interchromatin granules and fibrils), when the acid synthesis is preserved, presence of small fibrillized clumps (SC), perichromatin fibrils (PChF); nucleolar structure is specific for the stage of active functioning. At the postmortem and posttraumatic alterations of the neurons according to the hypochromic type, the functional activity of the system DNA--RNA--protein in them is inhibited: mainly, the transcriptive activity of nuclei decreases (PChF, SC disappear and CCh appear). Combination of these processes with development of hydrolytic changes (nonidentified electron opaque material appears, CCh clumps and perichromatin granules undergo fibrillization, ribosomes decrease in their number) reflects certain irreversible lesions of hypochromic neurons.


A Vehicular Ad Hoc Network (VANET) is a non-infrastructure based network that does not rely on a central administration for communication between vehicles. The flexibility of VANETs opens the door to a myriad of applications; however, there are also a number of computer communication challenges that await researchers and engineers who are serious about their implementation and deployment. Advances in Vehicular Ad-Hoc Networks: Developments and Challenges tackles the prevalent research challenges that hinder a fully deployable vehicular network. This unique reference presents a unified treatment of the various aspects of VANETs and is essential for not only university professors, but also for researchers working in the automobile industry.


Introduction There has been considerable debate questioning the efficacy of azithromycin for the treatment of genital chlamydia. We conducted a meta-analysis to compare the efficacy of 1 gramme azithromycin with 100mg doxycycline twice daily for seven days for the treatment of genital chlamydia infection. Methods Medline, PubMed, Embase and the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register were searched till end 2012. Inclusion criteria included (1) randomised controlled trial of azithromycin versus doxycycline for the treatment of urethral or cervical chlamydia, and; (2) evaluation of microbial cure within 3 months of treatment. Type of diagnostic test, duration of follow up, gender, patient status (all symptomatic versus both symptomatic/asymptomatic) and microbial cure were extracted. The primary outcome was difference in efficacy (doxycycline efficacy minus azithromycin efficacy) at final follow up. Meta-analysis calculated a pooled efficacy for each treatment and the difference in efficacy between treatments. Results Of 692 references identified, 23 trials met the inclusion criteria. 1065 individuals were treated with azithromycin and 850 with doxycycline; all studies reported efficacy within 6 weeks follow-up. Pooled cure rates were 96.2%(95% CI: 94.2%, 98.3%) for azithromycin and 98.1%(95% CI: 96.6%, 99.7%) for doxycycline. The pooled efficacy difference was 1.9%(95% CI: 0.4%, 3.4%) showing a small but significant difference in favour of doxycycline; there was negligible heterogeneity between studies (I2 = 1.9%, p = 0.44). There was no difference in efficacy in men (3.8%; 95% CI:-1.2%, 8.8%) or women (–0.9%; 95% CI: –5.3%, 3.6%). When stratified by type of test, efficacy was significantly higher for doxycycline in culture-based studies (1.8%; 95% CI: 0.4%, 3.3%), but not in NAAT-based studies (5.5%; 95% CI: –2.1%, 13.1%). Efficacy was higher for doxycycline in symptomatic men (6.3%; 95% CI: 3.0%, 12.3%), but not in symptomatic women (–4.5%; 95% CI: –14.9%, 5.9%). Conclusion These results suggest that doxycycline may be more effective than azithromycin for the treatment of urethral or cervical chlamydia infection, especially in symptomatic men.


This paper compares efficiency dynamics (steady state and convergence) between Islamic and conventional banks using parametric (stochastic frontier analysis) and non-parametric (classification trees) methods. Analysis is based on an unbalanced panel of Islamic and conventional banks from 23 countries over the period 1999 to 2014. We specify a β-convergence model with bank type shift (steady state efficiency) and slope dummies (efficiency convergence). Speed of convergence and steady state efficiency of the two types of banks are found to be similar in the initial parametric analysis. A classification trees framework is adopted to identify banking 'clubs' with respect to estimated efficiency steady states and convergence rates. This reveals variations between countries in terms of the convergence and steady states of the two types of banks: in some countries the two banking sectors have distinct models, while in others they do not.


A fluorescent dihydropyridine (DHP) derivative, ryodipine, was used to study structural characteristics of the DHP-sensitive Ca-channels in nerve terminals (synaptosomes) isolated from the rat cerebral cortex. It was found that an inductive resonance energy transfer from membrane proteins to ryodipine occurred in synaptosomal membranes. Two groups of membrane proteins differentially accessible to ryodipine were found by quenching of their own fluorescence. The percentage of group I proteins (20%) whose fluorescence was quenched by up to 1 microM ryodipine, was increased by 50% upon K(+)-depolarization and remained unchanged upon the addition of 100 microM Ni2+, whereas the addition of 100 microM Cd2+ prevented the increase induced by K(+)-depolarization. Nifedipine and nicardipine competed with ryodipine for the DHP receptor as evidenced by the change in percentage of group I proteins. The percentage of group II proteins (50% at 10 microM ryodipine) remained unchanged during various functional alterations of the synaptosomal membranes. Model experiments on proteoliposomes demonstrated that binding of ryodipine to synaptosomal membranes was due mainly to the hydrophobicity of DHP but not the ligand-receptor interaction. Nonetheless we that the membrane proteins-ryodipine system could be a qualitative test for the functional state of DHP-sensitive Ca-channels.


The value of gadolinium enhancement to enable detection of infarcted myocardium at T1-weighted magnetic resonance (MR) imaging was assessed in 84 patients after acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Five healthy subjects served as controls. All patients underwent MR imaging before and 20 minutes after administration of gadopentetate dimeglumine. Contrast enhancement of normal myocardium varied 7% +/- 4 after administration of gadopentetate dimeglumine. Mean intensity ratio after gadolinium enhancement in group 1 (imaging less than 1 week after AMI), group 2 (imaging 1-3 weeks after AMI), and group 3 (imaging 3-6 weeks after AMI) was significantly higher than before gadolinium enhancement. In group 4 (imaging more than 6 weeks after AMI), no significant difference was observed. After gadolinium enhancement, the intensity ratio was abnormally increased in 82% of the MR examinations in group 1, in 62% of group 2, in 58% of group 3, and in 12% of group 4. Gadolinium enhancement improved visualization of myocardial infarction at MR imaging up to 6 weeks after onset of symptoms and had a maximal effect within 1 week after AMI.


Magnetohydrodynamical (MHD) dynamos emerge in many different astrophysical situations where turbulence is present, but the interaction between large-scale dynamos (LSDs) and small-scale dynamos (SSDs) is not fully understood. We performed a systematic study of turbulent dynamos driven by isotropic forcing in isothermal MHD with magnetic Prandtl number of unity, focusing on the exponential growth stage. Both helical and nonhelical forcing was employed to separate the effects of LSD and SSD in a periodic domain. Reynolds numbers ( ) up to ≈250 were examined and multiple resolutions used for convergence checks. We ran our simulations with the Astaroth code, designed to accelerate 3D stencil computations on graphics processing units (GPUs) and to employ multiple GPUs with peer-to-peer communication. We observed a speedup of ≈35 in single-node performance compared to the widely used multi-CPU MHD solver Pencil Code. We estimated the growth rates from both the averaged magnetic fields and their power spectra. At low LSD growth dominates, but at high SSD appears to dominate in both helically and nonhelically forced cases. Pure SSD growth rates follow a logarithmic scaling as a function of . Probability density functions of the magnetic field from the growth stage exhibit SSD behavior in helically forced cases even at intermediate . We estimated mean field turbulence transport coefficients using closures like the second-order correlation approximation (SOCA). They yield growth rates similar to the directly measured ones and provide evidence of α quenching. Our results are consistent with the SSD inhibiting the growth of the LSD at moderate , while the dynamo growth is enhanced at higher .


There is a great need for strategies to fill large bone defects, to treat non-healing bone fractures and to merge vertebrae. Local application of growth factors, such as BMP-2 (bone morphogenetic protein) is one of the promising strategies. BMP-2 plays an important role in inducing osteogenic differentiation of stem cells. It can induce large amounts of bone formation when applied locally in patients. However, in the clinical situation extremely high dosages of BMP are needed due to quick wash out and degradation by proteinases. These high dosages are likely the cause of side effects, that are frequently observed and which can be life threatening. As a result, application of BMP-2 is only justified in certain severe cases. In this thesis we investigate new methods in which prolonged BMP-2 presence can be accomplished. The goal is to induce a long-term delivery of low doses the specific protein, thereby mimicking it's natural presence as observed in fracture healing. Our research focuses on inducing bone formation by non-viral gene delivery, using the BMP-2 gene. We use non-viral strategies, as they are considered safe compared to viral strategies. First, we investigate the application of local non-viral gene delivery without the addition of cells. DNA coding for the BMP-2 gene is applied with the aim to stimulate the endogenous cells, which are present at the location of implantation, to produce BMP-2. We show that the cells present in situ are indeed able to take up the DNA and produce BMP. However, bone formation is not achieved. Second, we demonstrate that DNA-BMP-2 can be combined with DNA coding for other proteins from the BMP family: DNA-BMP-6 or -7. These combinations of DNA appear to lead to the formation of heterodimers with a much stronger osteogenic effect than BMP-2 homodimers. Third, we investigate gene delivery with cells. In this case, harvested cells from the patient that are treated with BMP genes and subsequently implanted at the desired location. As some cell types have large influence on the bone formation process, we compare bone stem cells with non-osteogenic cells. Against the expectation, we show in animal experiments that comparable amounts of bone formation are formed. From this we conclude that not only stem cells but also other cell types are suitable as BMP producers and that the actual bone formation takes mainly place by the patient's own cells. Lastly, our research focuses on the application of other, easier to harvest cells, such as adipose tissue cells or bone marrow cells. We show that it is possible to isolate these cells, treat them with the desired genes and implant them within the time frame of a few hours. The desired result, bone formation, is achieved. This makes the step toward the application of gene delivery within a single procedure small.


Home to one fifth of the world's waterbody, the Indian Ocean is abundant with a variety of mineral and biological resources. As the ocean space housing one of the world's busiest shipping routes, it is crucial that its natural resources and its environment are safeguarded. In ancient times, this ocean space has been an area of great cooperation, however, in present times the Indian Ocean has been largely confounded by distrust. The problem under study in this research was: even though the Indian Ocean Region is an extremely important and highly utilised ocean space that a vast majority of the world relies on, there is inadequate cooperation between the littoral states as well as the extra-regional states in ensuring the waterbody is safe. As such, the objectives of this research were to analyse why there is inadequate cooperation within the Indian Ocean Region; and to analyse how the Indian Ocean littoral countries and its users can cooperate with one another in ensuring maritime security cooperation. Primary sources for the qualitative research included policy documents and correspondence whilst secondary data included newspaper articles, reputed journals and websites. The data gathered from these sources were coded to derive the analysis in this research. As present challenges are diverse and dynamic, countries are singularly unable to ensure ocean spaces are safe unless they have shared intelligence and information from a variety of stakeholders. The paper argues that Maritime Domain Awareness enables intelligence sharing, as well as in exchanging capabilities and resources. In conclusion, there are many avenues for maritime security cooperation in the Indian Ocean such as by sharing capabilities, resources and skills. It can also cooperate to eliminate non-traditional security threats, which affects both the littoral states as well as the users of the Indian Ocean.


Wireless sensor networks (WSN) are a developing area in the health-care service industry today. The implementation of a high-reliable hardware platform to be employed in a WSN system is our major study in this paper. Generally, traditional layout rulers cannot meet the high requirements in the system for an unstable signal in un-ideal factors. Therefore, we propose and implement a hardware platform with high-reliability design in order to solve the study of the optimal layout rulers. During the design phase, our proposed design procedure can help us to analyze the signal propagation condition of the PCB (Printed Circuit Board) design by simulation software of the board level signal integrality. Moreover, better parameters of the layout rulers can be devised by this procedure. Using our proposed layout rulers to be applied to the design of the MPU schematics, a designer can effectively build the reliable hardware platform, and then promote the superior system performance. Also, such layout technologies are the major pursuit goal of the ODM manufacturers overall on the PCB design. Moreover, in the ZigBee wireless antenna design, we apply formulae in the literature and simulation software to analyze the characteristics of Serpentine-antenna and then design the PCB Serpentine-antenna with better performance. Then, better PCB layout rulers and better performance of ZigBee Serpentine-antenna design are employed here to realize our high-reliability hardware platform. From our experiments, we show that the system transmission distance not only can be over 18 meters without lost data but also is not affected by the power variation.


This paper studies the fluid flow and heat transfer characteristics of nanofluids as advance coolants for the cooling system of electric motors. Investigations are carried out using numerical analysis for a cooling system with spiral channels. To solve the governing equations, computational fluid dynamics and 3D fluid motion analysis are used. The base fluid is water with a laminar flow. The fluid Reynolds number and turn-number of spiral channels are evaluation parameters. The effect of nanoparticles volume fraction in the base fluid on the heat transfer performance of the cooling system is studied. Increasing the volume fraction of nanoparticles leads to improving the heat transfer performance of the cooling system. On the other hand, a high-volume fraction of the nanofluid increases the pressure drop of the coolant fluid and increases the required pumping power. This paper aims at finding a trade-off between effective parameters by studying both fluid flow and heat transfer characteristics of the nanofluid.


When hepatocytes are incubated with the chelator diamsar, two pools can be identified, which we have termed extractable and nonextractable. On entering the hepatocyte, 67Cu first associates with the extractable pool and, after approximately 2 h, moves to the nonextractable pool. Both pools demonstrate saturation and are filled as a function of Cu concentration and incubation time. Using the Michaelis-Menten equation, we have estimated the size of the pools after incubation with 67Cu for 30 min and 4 h. During this period the extractable pool decreases in size from 200 +/- 27 to 116 +/- 5 pmol/microgram DNA, whereas the nonextractable pool increases from 28 +/- 9 to 77 +/- 11 pmol/microgram DNA. Movement of Cu from the nonextractable pool to the extractable pool is slow and incomplete. Using [3H]diamsar, we demonstrate that uptake of the chelator is not rate limiting and probably does not occur by pinocytosis. Incubation with diamsar does not affect the activity of superoxide dismutase or cytochrome-c oxidase, although it does prevent the incorporation of 67Cu into ceruloplasmin. Incubation with zinc, which induces metallothionein, results in an increase in 67Cu associated with the nonextractable pool, suggesting that 67Cu-metallothionein constitutes at least part of the nonextractable pool.


P-Delta effect is secondary effect on structure .it is also known as, Geometric nonlinearity effect. As number of stories increases, P-Delta effect becomes more important. If the change in displacements, overturning moments and base shear is more than 10%, P-Delta effect should be considered in design. In this study, the P-Delta effect on high rise building and the change in P-Delta effect by including shear wall in building is studied. Linear static analysis (without P-Delta effect) and nonlinear static analysis (with P-Delta effect) on high rise buildings having different number of stories is carried out. For the analysis G+4, G+9, G+14, G+19, G+24, (i.e 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25storey) R.C.C. framed buildings without shear wall and G+4, G+9, G+14, G+19, G+24, G+29 and G+34 (i.e 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 and 35storey) R.C.C. framed buildings with shear wall are modelled. Earthquake load is applied on structure as per IS-18939(2002) for zone V of medium soil condition. Load combinations for analysis is set as per IS456(2000).All analysis is carried out in software ETABS. Bending moment, story displacement with and without P-Delta effect is calculated and compared for all models.


von Willebrand disease (VWD) is the most common inherited human bleeding disorder and is caused by quantitative or qualitative defects in von Willebrand factor (VWF). VWF is a secreted glycoprotein that circulates as large multimers. While reduced VWF is associated with bleeding, elevations in overall level or multimer size are implicated in thrombosis. The zebrafish is a powerful genetic model in which the hemostatic system is well conserved with mammals. The ability of this organism to generate thousands of offspring and its optical transparency make it unique and complementary to mammalian models of hemostasis. Previously, partial clones of zebrafish vwf have been identified, and some functional conservation has been demonstrated. In this paper we clone the complete zebrafish vwf cDNA and show that there is conservation of domain structure. Recombinant zebrafish Vwf forms large multimers and pseudo-Weibel-Palade bodies (WPBs) in cell culture. Larval expression is in the pharyngeal arches, yolk sac, and intestinal epithelium. These results provide a foundation for continued study of zebrafish Vwf that may further our understanding of the mechanisms of VWD.


This thesis contributes to a vein of scholarship that has begun to challenge the assumption that the ubiquitous extra-literary use of 'epic' in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries has severed the word from its original literary meaning and rendered it meaningless. While it does not deny that epic now frequently connotes little more than size, length or grandeur, this study also demonstrates that, in the greater number of cases, epic has been appropriated in order to associate new referents with ideas or qualities that were considered characteristic of the epic poem in the early modern period, such as fable, compositional unity, sublimity, genius and encyclopaedism. Part philological study, part cultural history, it traces epic's origins as an extra-literary term to the eighteenth century, and explores how eighteenth-century phenomena, including the loosening of prescriptive criteria for literary genres and the emergence of mock-epic, precipitated a variety of different meanings and extra-literary uses of epic to flourish. Using examples sourced from a range of digital resources now available to map cultural discourse across this period, including Eighteenth-Century Collections Online, British Periodicals, Britain's parliamentary Hansard and the United States Congressional Record, it illuminates the persistence of these meanings and uses of epic in cultural contexts as diverse as visual art, political propaganda, extreme sport, environmental conservation and software design, and, in the process, recovers the idea of epic as an important and understudied influence upon Anglo-American culture from 1700 to the present. Furthermore, the study reveals not only that extra-literary
use of epic has consistently been motivated by the desire to invoke the ideas and ideals that (re)shaped definitions of the epic during the eighteenth century, but that such deployments of epic have also, with remarkable frequency, continued to perform the cultural functions of the epic poem: championing a particular culture and determining and shaping its history.


Proceedings: AACR Annual Meeting 2014; April 5-9, 2014; San Diego, CA

Chemotherapy- or radiotherapy-induced alopecia (CRIA) is a common side effect of adjuvant and metastatic chemotherapy regimens or radiotherapy treatments. The likelihood of alopecia depends on the types and modes of treatment modalities. In cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, the hair loss incidence is estimated to be 65%. Although CRIA is often assumed to be an unavoidable and transient side effect that can be dealt with using wigs, it is considered by the sufferers the most visible and emotionally distressing consequence of cancer therapies, giving negative repercussions on various aspects of quality of life (QOL). There are no approved pharmacologic treatments available for CRIA, and the outcome from scalp cooling devices are of variable quality.

Normal hair cycle mainly consists of growth phase (anagen), regression phase (catagen), shedding phase (telogen) and resting phase (telogen). In the course of CRIA, the rapidly growing and dividing cell populations in anagen phase are damaged by the systemic chemotoxic agents and undergo unwanted premature apoptosis, consequently inducing premature onset of catagen. Apoptosis is finely tuned by endogenous and exogenous factors. The extrinsic pathway is principally mediated by an apoptosis stimulus factor, Fas. The intrinsic pathway is essentially mitochondria dependent and executed by members of Bcl-2 (B cell lymphoma-2).

Bcl-2 level is depressed in the scalp of balding subjects, indicating a key role of apoptosis. A previous study using mouse model revealed that certain chemo-agent (e.g. cyclophosphamide) caused up-regulation of the pro-apoptotic protein p53 in root sheaths and hair matrix, sensitizing hair follicular cells to apoptosis. In contrast, p53-deficient mice showed neither hair loss nor abnormal apoptosis in hair matrix keratinocytes, most likely as a result of down-regulation of Fas and increased expression of the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2.

As Bcl-2 level in non-alopecia subjects has not been documented so far, we conducted a scalp biopsy study in order to measure the "normal" Bcl-2 level in non-alopecia subjects. We then compared the "normal" Bcl-2 level in non-alopecia subjects with the level of Bcl-2 in androgenetic alopecia (AGA) volunteers, before and after topical application of a GMP-grade botanical extract ("the Product"). It turned out that, after Product application, the level of scalp Bcl-2 was restored, towards normal level, consequently preventing early onset of the apoptosis-driven catagen phase.

Pharmacological inhibition of apoptosis pathways has been proposed to prevent chemotherapy induced alopecia. The outcome obtained from our studies have now made it possible to study the potential benefit from positive modulation of hair follicular cell apoptotic process in cancer patients suffering from unwanted hair loss due to chemo- or radiotherapy.

Citation Format: Jiawei Liu, Saad Harti. A novel topical candidate for chemotherapy and radiotherapy-induced alopecia (CRIA) through local modulation of apoptosis. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 5122. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-5122


Larger firms are more likely to use tax haven operations to exploit international tax differences. We study a tax game between a large country and a tax haven modeling heterogeneous monopolistic firms, which can shift profits abroad. We show that a higher degree of firm heterogeneity (a mean-preserving spread of the cost distribution) increases the degree of tax competition, i.e. it decreases the equilibrium tax rate of the large country, leads to higher outflows of its tax base and thus decreases its equilibrium tax revenue. Similar effects hold for a higher substitutability across varieties.


We investigate the multiorder parameter phase field model of Steinbach and Pezzolla [Physica D 134, 385 (1999)] concerning its ability to describe grain boundary premelting. For a single order parameter situation solid-melt interfaces are always attractive, which allows us to have (unstable) equilibrium solid-melt-solid coexistence above the bulk melting point. The temperature-dependent melt layer thickness and the disjoining potential, which describe the interface interaction, are affected by the choice of the thermal coupling function and the measure to define the amount of the liquid phase. Due to the strictly finite interface thickness the interaction range also is finite. For a multiorder parameter model we find either purely attractive or purely repulsive finite-ranged interactions. The premelting transition is then directly linked to the ratio of the grain boundary and solid-melt interfacial energy.


Global demand for energy is increasing exponentially, developing the need for renewable energy sources such as solar cells. Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC) use dye as the photoactive material, which capture the incoming photon of light and use the energy to excite electrons. These excited electrons then travel to a titanium dioxide (TiO2) layer, while the electrolyte in the cell closes the circuit by accepting the electrons and recycling them to the dye. Research in DSSCs has centered around improving the efficacy of photosensitive dyes. A fruit's color is defined by a unique set of molecules, known as a pigment profile, which changes as a fruit progresses from ripe to rotten. This project investigates the use of fresh and rotten fruit extracts as the photoactive dye in a DSSC. Dyes were extracted from cherries, plums, nectarines, peaches, kiwis, avocados, blueberries, and blackberries, both fresh and rotten. TiO2 coated electrodes were soaked overnight in the dyes and assembled into a DSSC using a graphite-coated counter electrode and an iodide-triiodide (3I-/I3-) electrolyte solution. The dye efficacy was determined by measuring the electric potential (voltage) with a multimeter. In fresh fruits, blackberries and blueberries produced the greatest potential. In most colors, the fresh dyes produced a greater potential than the rotten dyes. However, in kiwi, the rotten dye produced a greater potential than the fresh dye. In fruit crops, wastage levels are high due to quick rotting and market standards — the use of fruit-based dyes in DSSCs can convert this wastage to useful energy.


PURPOSE OF REVIEW
Safe and effective radiofrequency (RF) myocardial ablation requires real-time monitoring of lesion formation. Here, we review conventional and novel approaches proposed to guide titration of RF energy application.

RECENT FINDINGS
Conventional monitoring modalities, such as ablation electrode temperature, generator impedance, and tissue electrophysiological properties have been of limited value in predicting efficacy and safety of ablation. Therefore, several input-driven indices have been proposed to improve the quality and durability of RF ablation lesion while maintaining safety. These metrics predominantly incorporate RF power output, duration of RF application, and firmness and stability of electrode-tissue contact. More recently, novel catheters have enabled measuring local impedance at the catheter-tissue interface, which has been found valuable for real-time monitoring of RF lesion formation.

SUMMARY
It is likely that using the combination of multiple metrics would be required to improve the quality and safety of RF lesions, but further investigation is still required.


A cumulative dose, multiple-trial test procedure was developed in eight pigeons trained to discriminate among saline, 1.8 mg/kg morphine, and 10 mg/kg morphine. Initially, single-trial tests were used to evaluate stimulus effects of acute doses of morphine. Next, the lest procedure was altered so that cumulative doses were tested within a single session. Results from cumulative-dose tests of morphine were consistent with those from single-trial tests. The cumulative-dose test procedure was then used to characterize the high-dose and low-dose morphine training stimuli. The mu agonists etorphine, fentanyl, methadone and morphine dose-dependently evoked both low-dose and high-dose morphine-like effects, with a similar potency older (etorphine > fentanyl > methadone = morphine). In contrast, nalbuphine evoked only low-dose effects, consistent with low efficacy mu agonist activity. The kappa opiate U50,488H evoked saline-key responses, whereas the non-opiate ketamine evoked saline key responses in the majority of pigeons, but high dose and/or low-dose responding in others. Naltrexone dose-dependently antagonized both low-dose and high-dose stimulus effects of morphine, but not its rate-decreasing effects. Apparent pA2 values for naltrexone were 7,2 for low-dose stimulus effects of morphine, and 7.4 for high-dose effects. These characteristics suggest that stimulus effects of both low and high training doses of morphine are mediated by common, presumably mu opioid, receptor populations.


This paper investigates whether the Dogs of the Dow (or "Dow Dogs") investment strategy is applicable to the Swedish stock market during the period 1996-2015. The strategy uses dividend yield as a way to identify undervalued stocks. Likely explanations to the strategy's performance are contrasted between the Overreaction Hypothesis from the field of behavioral finance and the Efficient Market Hypothesis (EMH) from financial economics. The paper follows the original method formed by John Slatter, but is however extended by adding adjustments for risk, transaction costs and taxes to reflect a more realistic market setting. Our empirical findings suggest that the Dow Dogs strategy barely beats the market by 0.02 Sharpe ratio unit points. The strategy's performance may be rather unimpressive, but it is interesting to acknowledge that the portfolio performed best during the market's worst downturns. To conclude, our results lack statistical significance and we cannot reject the null hypothesis of no abnormal returns.


Space and quantification are among the most fundamental concepts expressed in the world's languages. They are central to human activities and therefore find their way into languages. However, languages utilize different strategies to express these concepts, and the same linguistic expressions of space or quantification can be used to refer to different concepts. For example, in the classical distinction made by Talmy (1985), a path of motion can be expressed by a verb in "verb-framed" languages such as French, but in "satellite-framed" languages such as English this role is filled by verb particles.
Our research, following previous studies of space and quantification, attempts to raise and address the following questions: what variety of space and quantification expressions are found in the world's languages? What determines whether one strategy or another is used to express space or quantification in a given language? How does language type shape the formation and evolution of these expressions? How do these differences affect a speaker's worldview, or their ability to learn a different language? What historical processes did space and quantification expressions undergo in a language?
A group of researchers from Mainland China, Hong Kong, Japan, Europe, the United States and Australia gathered together to share ideas and discuss their progress. The aspects of language to be considered range from phonology and morphology to syntax and semantics, while different approaches include formal, historical, areal (linguistics), typological, cognitive, and second language acquisition.
This volume provides general linguistics readers with new data and analysis of languages spoken in China regarding various aspects of space and quantification, using different approaches. It is our hope that this will generate interest and debate on space and quantification in China and beyond.


Chandra spectroscopy of transient stellar-mass black holes in outburst has clearly revealed accretion disk winds in soft, disk-dominated states, in apparent anti-correlation with relativistic jets in low/hard states. These disk winds are observed to be highly ionized, dense, and to have typical velocities of ∼1000 km s−1 or less projected along our line of sight. Here, we present an analysis of two Chandra High Energy Transmission Grating spectra of the Galactic black hole candidate IGR J17091−3624 and contemporaneous Expanded Very Large Array (EVLA) radio observations, obtained in 2011. The second Chandra observation reveals an absorption line at 6.91 ± 0.01 keV; associating this line with He-like Fe xxv requires a blueshift of 9300+500−400 km s−1 (0.03c, or the escape velocity at 1000 RSchw). This projected outflow velocity is an order of magnitude higher than has previously been observed in stellar-mass black holes, and is broadly consistent with some of the fastest winds detected in active galactic nuclei. A potential feature at 7.32 keV, if due to Fe xxvi, would imply a velocity of ∼14, 600 km s−1 (0.05c), but this putative feature is marginal. Photoionization modeling suggests that the accretion disk wind in IGR J17091−3624 may originate within 43,300 Schwarzschild radii of the black hole and may be expelling more gas than it accretes. The contemporaneous EVLA observations strongly indicate that jet activity was indeed quenched at the time of our Chandra observations. We discuss the results in the context of disk winds, jets, and basic accretion disk physics in accreting black hole systems.


The Bcl-2 protein blocks a distal step in an evolutionarily conserved pathway for programmed cell death and apoptosis. The gene encoding this protein was first discovered because of its involvement in the t(14;18) chromosomal translocations commonly found in B-cell lymphomas, where it contributes to neoplastic cell expansion by preventing cell turnover due to programmed cell death. Overexpression of BCL-2 also occurs in many other types of human tumors, including cancers of the prostate, colon, and lung, and has been associated with chemoresistance and radioresistance in some types of malignancy. Conversely, expression of BCL-2 is frequently reduced in the circulating lymphocytes of persons infected with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), which are prone to apoptotic cell death. Since the discovery of Bcl-2 a decade ago, several other cellular and viral genes encoding homologous proteins have been identified, some of which suppress cell death akin to Bcl-2 (Bcl-XL, Mcl-1, A1/Bfl-1, Nr13, Ced-9, BHRF-1) and others which promote apoptosis (Bax, Bcl-Xs, Bak, Bik, Bad). Several of these Bcl-2 family proteins are capable of physically interacting with each other through a complex network of homo- and heterodimers. The expression of some of these other BCL-2 family genes becomes altered in human cancers, as well as in the setting of ischemia and some other pathological conditions, suggesting a potentially important role for these Bcl-2 homologs in human diseases characterized by either insufficient or excessive cell death. Despite intensive investigation, the mechanisms by which Bcl-2 and its homologs control cell life and death largely remain enigmatic. Knowledge about the specific domains in Bcl-2 family proteins that are required for interactions with other proteins and for function however is beginning to provide insights into the molecular mechanisms through which these proteins regulate the programmed cell death pathway in normalcy and disease.


The strong domestic need for oil in China requires further exploration in unconventional reservoirs, such as volcanic and shale oil reservoirs. Sweet zone identification is one of the most critical missions in formation evaluation. The complex mineralogy and the low porosity in unconventional reservoirs result in little contrast of resistivities between oil-producing zones and water zones. Reducing uncertainties affecting the type of fluid in the reservoir and its potential movability is key to defining the optimal landing zones for future horizontal drains.
 In conventional reservoirs, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) logging based on cutoff analysis is the optimum choice for evaluating the porosity and pore geometry of hydrocarbon bearing reservoirs. However, the routine single-dimension T2 measurement is not sufficient for fluid typing in unconventional reservoirs because of the overlap of signals of various fluids in the T2 domain. This contribution presents case studies from a new generation NMR tool providing continuous 2D T1-T2 measurements. The T1-T2 measurements enable separation and quantification of different fluids in the pores. Fluid typing can be done by integration of other wireline logs such as spectroscopy and dielectric.
 Case studies are presented from volcanic and shale oil reservoirs in Xinjiang Oilfield of PetroChina. In the volcanic reservoir case, dedicated 2D data analytics technic is used to extract relevant signals from 2D NMR T1-T2 measurements. An integrated workflow combining wireline borehole electrical image, nuclear spectroscopy, dielectric dispersion and NMR T1-T2 gives an insight into the fluid composition in the pore system. Besides accurate measurements of lithology independent porosity and pore geometry from NMR, T1-T2 specific measurement of clay bound water volume and total water volume match well with the same measurements estimated from nuclear spectroscopy and dielectric dispersion logs. It lowers the uncertainties on fluid types in the volcanic reservoir where resistivities fail to differentiate wet zones and oil zones. In the shale oil reservoir case, a reservoir producibility index (RPI) derived from the integration of NMR T1-T2, wireline borehole electrical image, and nuclear spectroscopy is shown to be quite efficient in sweet zone identification and ranking.
 This paper discusses a novel application of a new generation NMR T1-T2 logging method in unconventional reservoirs, which helps the operator ascertain the potential of these reservoirs. The oil zones identified by the new method have promising oil productions. The workflow illustrated in the two case studies can be applied and extended to other unconventional plays in China.


Most Software Transactional Memory (STM) research has focused on multi-core processors and small SMP machines; limited research has been aimed at the clusters, leaving the area of big SMP machines unexplored. Big SMP machine usually use Non-Uniform Memory Access (NUMA) to unburden the overloading between CPUs and the memory. In this paper, we evaluate several STM implementations on big SMP machine with cache coherent NUMA (ccNUMA) architecture. We found the remote memory access latency is the key factor influencing the STM performance. We also analyze the different design choices of STM. Finally, we conclude a specific design choice to achieve high performance in this domain.


BACKGROUND
Intradialytic hypotension (IDH) is a common clinical trait in hemodialysis (HD) which is caused by poor biocompatibility of the dialyzer membrane. Aiming to improve IDH, vitamin E-bonded polysulfone dialyzer (VPS-H) was evaluated in a pilot study.

METHODS
Eight IDH patients on standard HD were switched from their conventional high-flux dialyzers to VPS-H, and intradialytic blood pressure (BP) was monitored regularly for 10 months.

RESULTS
The results showed that hypotension of systolic BP (SBP), diastolic BP (DBP) and pulse pressure (PP) during the session were improved after changing the dialyzer. Notably, almost all the values recorded from 120 minutes into the session until the end of the treatment in the period between the second and tenth month after treatment were significantly different from the corresponding baseline values. Moreover, after 8 to 10 months, the SBP prior to a dialysis session was significantly reduced compared with baseline values. On the other hand, the pulse rate showed no difference throughout the study period.

CONCLUSIONS
This study provides early evidence of the beneficial role that vitamin E-bonded dialyzers may have in preventing IDH. Larger controlled trials are needed to confirm this original finding.


Since 2000 there has been an increasing focuses by the global investment community towards alternative investment classes, in particular real estate and infrastructure investments. Most of this demand is coming from institutional investors who are attracted by the long-term nature of these investments. Proponents of these alternative investment classes argue that they deliver favourable investment performance (such as enhanced risk-adjusted returns, predictable and stable income yields and attractive positive total return) against traditional investments such as general equities and fixed interest. This paper examines the historical return performance for real estate and infrastructure investment markets in Australia using econometric time series techniques. Attention is given to both the listed and unlisted markets. The paper attempts to highlight the varying nature between these two asset classes and outline their key drivers of performance. Their impact in a balanced portfolio is also assessed in terms of diversification benefits.


Microencapsulation technology is widely used in many industries recently because the stability of core material can be improved and the release characteristics can be modified. In this investigation, cinnamon oil was microencapsulated by simple coacervation. The size distribution is narrow and the mean diameter is 53.79 μm. The surface morphology of the resultant microcapsules was also characterized scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results showed that the rates of cinnamon oil released from microencapsulation were not only affected by relative humidity in the microenvironment around microencapsulated powder, but also affected by the temperature.


Decision processes to improve pedagogical designs have been commonly based on the superficial comparison between learning design and students' results. This article focuses on proposing other ways of analysing the learning experience in higher education by exploring the (1) "participant's declared performance" (PDP) as a collection of complex data, as well as (2) the qualitative visual network analysis (VNA), as a sustainable technique, to be used for untangling the learning activity. For this purpose, a mixed-method naturalistic case study of a pre-service teacher training course in a Spanish university, run by one professor and with the participation of 58 students, is presented. Materials collected included course design documentation regarding tasks and performance roles, students' blog posts and satisfaction questionnaires. Findings demonstrate that the joint analysis of various elements – including PDP and VNA – shows the correspondence between learning design and student's experiences. It also highlights prominent design aspects and weaknesses and provides insights for improving the learning design in future course editions. The reflection on PDP and VNA's use is an opportunity to provide, feasibly and sustainably, qualitative information for educators to research their pedagogical practices.


Abelson murine leukemia virus (A-MuLV) is a replication-defective retrovirus that transforms lymphocytes of the B-cell lineage. This virus is a recombinant between the parental Moloney murine leukemia virus and a cellular gene termed C-abl. By analysis of a series of mouse x Chinese hamster hybrid celllines containing various mouse chromosomes, we have mapped the C-abl gene to mouse chromosome 2.


Differential phase-shift keying (DPSK) has attracted significant attentions in research and development during the last several years. An overview of DPSK for high spectral efficiency optical transmission is presented in this paper. The advantages of DPSK in terms of receiver sensitivity and tolerance to fiber nonlinearity will be discussed in detail. A simplified method for estimating the performance of phase-shift keying in numerical simulations is explained. Results of experimental and numerical investigations of several phase shift keying formats, including polarization division multiplexing and multilevel encoding, will be reviewed. Finally, methods for further enhancing performance of phase-shift keying in long-haul transmissions, specifically the compensation of nonlinear phase jitter, are presented.


Economic historians' Divergence debates since 2000 have asked a different question from that asked by Angus Maddison. The issue has become "when did countries' contemporaneous purchasing powers diverge?", not "when did countries' productivity grow at different rates?" The two questions have different answers, especially before 1914. Using pre-1914 prices to compare real purchasing powers on six continents, this article sketches some historical geography of the departures from the conventional Maddison estimates. One underlying reason for the divergence between projections back from 1990 and direct price comparisons from long ago is that before the great 1870-1914 wave of trade globalization, consumer staples were not traded over great distances, and regions specialized in narrow luxury trade. Inter-continental price ratios for subsistence goods thus varied more widely than since 1914. The new measures open up a new economic history of international differences in purchasing power before 1914. Northwest Europe was further ahead of Asian countries than earlier measures have shown. The discrepancy stems from a Gerschenkron effect, magnified before 1914 by Engel effects as well as by Balassa-Samuelson. Yet Northwest Europe was behind America and Australia across the nineteenth century, consistent with the same accounting framework but not with Maddison's estimates.


Cognitive reserve is the name given to the latent variable that describes individual differences in the ability to offset cognitive decline in old age. This thesis attempts to provide mechanistic explanations for two major aspects of cognitive reserve. These are neural compensation and neural reserve. Furthermore, behavioural experiments carried out as part of this investigation have extended the knowledge of existing theories as to the age invariance of neural compensation and the relationship between language, other more traditional proxies of cognitive reserve, and executive control. The results of these studies carried out in this thesis have demonstrated a biologically viable mechanism for the monitoring of task demand with resultant control of interhemispheric communication as a method of compensation. Further, this aspect of neural compensation was not found in younger participants. The neural network model in this thesis demonstrated differences over age in the spacing of representations for bilingual and monolingual networks as well as demonstrating increased inhibition in the bilingual network as a result of a negative relationship between weights from the tags of each language to nodes in the hidden layer. Finally, regression analysis using data from two large scale behavioural experiments demonstrated a minimal influence of bilingual language use on performance in executive control tasks. The models in this thesis provide an insight into the mechanisms behind cognitive reserve whilst supporting empirical results. Further, the results from the neural network model allowed predictions to be made with regard to the performance of bilinguals in dual category retrieval tasks. The lack of a relationship between bilingualism and cognitive control is supported by emerging research in the area and suggests that the functionality underlying cognitive reserve may be better described by biological rather than cognitive processes.


The European Court of Human Rights appears to be increasingly applying procedural-type review. This means that the Court looks into the quality of the decision-making process of the national legislative, executive or judicial authority to determine whether there has been a violation of the European Convention on Human Rights. This paper addresses the questions whether and to what extent this procedural approach of the Court can be regarded as a more neutral approach towards the political choices of the European States, when compared to an approach where the Court looks into the substantive balance struck in the national authorities' decisions. For analysing the potential neutrality of procedural-type review, this paper develops a theoretical framework on the basis of Martti Koskenniemi's theory on the neutrality of international law. On the basis of this framework, it concludes that although procedural-type review as an abstract review method could be considered as a relatively neutral approach of the Strasbourg Court towards the political choices of States, in practice the approach loses much of its initial neutral potential.


tachosil patch. The advancement of the surgery leads us to look for alternatives that are easy to perform and that shorten surgical times, the total or partial incision of the peyronie plate plus tachosil graft leads us to obtain surgical results with a success rate of 83.8%. Tachosil is a sealing fi brin patch that is placed over the wound made, then covered with a compress moistened with warm saline for three minutes. Treat- ment of Peyronie's disease with Vivostat. Activated autologous fi brin is also being used as a sealant. During anesthetic induction, 120 ml of blood from the patient is obtained to which citrate is added, subse-quently it is put for 25 minutes in the processor unit and a solution of 5 to 6 ml of autologous fi brin is obtained ready for use. We make some transverse incisions in the plate without having to resect it, later with the help of the vivostat applicator we fi ll the incisions made with the autologous fi brin solution we have obtained. Regardless of the surgical technique used, all patients should undergo penile rehabilitation with the help of vacuum device or an extender, to avoid shrinkage and shortening. CONCLUSIONS: There is no single approach to peyronie disease, it depends on the surgical skills of the surgeon and the involve- ment of the patient to achieve success and deglove the penis. We then mobilize the neurovascular bundle laterally. A double Y/double Lamda tunica incision is made. We then place our graft followed by closure. Our patients are discharged same day with 7 days of antibiotics with follow-up in 1 month. RESULTS: A successful penile plaque incision and grafting was performed with resolution of curvature and the hourglass deformity. Our patient was discharged the same day with 1 month follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: PIG is the surgical treatment of choice for those with > 60 (cid:6) curvature and good baseline erectile function, hourglass or hinge deformities, and/or severe penile shortening. Penile rehab is important to maximize baseline function. Currently no incision type or grafting material has shown superiority. for of the penile length. CONCLUSIONS: It is imperative to use a meticulous technique during the grafting and removal of a plication caused by Peyronie's disease. In this video we demonstrated the step-by-step guide for a health professional to perform this procedure. When done in this fashion patients can be alleviated from the symptoms of PD. our standard technique using permanent to repair bilateral distal anchoring Frankenstein pump revision technique where different brand device component may be utilized to replace the original device pump to ease device in fl ation. RESULTS: permanent suture suc- cessfully corrects severe GH or in fl atable PP. Using different brand components to revise PP pump can be done without compromise to mechanical function. highest satisfaction rates of all ED treatment modalities; however, 7-8% of patients will require reoperations. Mechanical failure, infection, erosion, and extrusion are some of the common indications for reoperations. Our video highlights our IPP revision approach that is aimed to lower the risk of future cylinder extrusion/displacement. We also share a rare case of a retained rear tip during device explanation. METHODS: Our video demonstrates our standard technique of obtaining corporal exposure, performing distal corporotomies to explant the cylinders, and utilizing long-acting sutures to prevent future device


To compete with other digital images, holograms must go beyond the current range of source-image types, such as sequences of photographs, laser scans, and 3D computer graphics (CG) scenes made with software designed for other applications. This project develops a set of innovative techniques for creating 3D digital content specifically for digital holograms, with virtual tools which enable the direct hand-crafting of subjects, mark by mark, analogous to Michelangelo's practice in drawing, painting and sculpture. The haptic device, the Phantom Premium 1.5 is used to draw against three-dimensional laser- scan templates of Michelangelo's sculpture placed within the holographic viewing volume.


Urban areas cause a set of environmental challenges, which come from the consumption of natural resources and the generation of waste and pollution. These aspects contribute to the development of social and economic imbalance, which continues to grow while demanding new solutions. Therefore urban planning and architecture needs a new and flexible approach, introducing methods and techniques which can adjust to diverse situations and imply different solutions. Architectural design assumes a central role, more relevant than the technological aspects or performances: the design begins from the urban scale, reaches the architectural composition level, for shapes and orientations, and the restoration of the existing building heritage, and finally incorporates also the technological aspects. It allows us to avoid globalizing space solutions and architecture languages, towards an approach that focuses on the specific context. The UNIVPM DICEA department has developed two different scientific researches aiming to detect sustainable models and methods of intervention within the modern city: a) a regulation to evaluate the energetic and environmental quality of Public Residential Buildings for the city of Civitanova Marche; b) a structural document finalized to urban instruments' innovation, for what concerns the city of Fabriano. These two levels have two factors in common: 1) Both focus on cities in a transitional stage; places that express the inadequacy of modern urban planning's techniques involving sustainability, which pursue the dynamics of a territory's transformation but fail to manage them. 2) Both are based on the same procedure used to methodize the suggested solutions; buildings' features become strategic, and so do their orientation and volume, in order to define the energy performance levels. It consists of the invention of a table of combination sets for urban and architectural solutions, which shows all the steps required, from the administrative system to the technical and design guidelines.


Federated learning (FL) rests on the notion of training a global model in a decentralized manner. Under this setting, mobile devices perform computations on their local data before uploading the required updates to improve the global model. However, when the participating clients implement an uncoordinated computation strategy, the difficulty is to handle the communication efficiency (i.e., the number of communications per iteration) while exchanging the model parameters during aggregation. Therefore, a key challenge in FL is how users participate to build a high-quality global model with communication efficiency. We tackle this issue by formulating a utility maximization problem, and propose a novel crowdsourcing framework to leverage FL that considers the communication efficiency during parameters exchange. First, we show an incentive-based interaction between the crowdsourcing platform and the participating client's independent strategies for training a global learning model, where each side maximizes its own benefit. We formulate a two-stage Stackelberg game to analyze such scenario and find the game's equilibria. Second, we formalize an admission control scheme for participating clients to ensure a level of local accuracy. Simulated results demonstrate the efficacy of our proposed solution with up to 22% gain in the offered reward.


Since the mid-1990s, the introduction of new public hospital payment systems to improve the efficiency of Spanish hospitals within the context of managed competition has been debated. Blended systems, which recognize the importance of the activity performed, as well as the role of the hospital in the public health system, have emerged as the best-matched tools both in risk assignment and in efficiency-economic feasibility dialectic. In this article, the payment method used in Catalonia since 1997 is analyzed and contrasted with that introduced in Andalusia in 1998. The evaluation focuses on the instruments used to incorporate the mixed model in the two different settings. On the one hand, the capacity of diagnosis related groups (DRGs) to define hospital product cost is limited. Furthermore, DRGs require numerous adjustments before introduction into Spain. On the other hand, structural level can be defined through the Grade of Memberships in Catalonia and the Basic Centers in Andalusia. We also analyze the introduction of the different methods into Spain and their adaptation to the Catalan and Andalusian environments. The transition periods seem not to have led to a definitive solution and have served to highlight the fragility of the instruments used and of the use that has been made of them. We conclude that the introduction of new tools to improve hospital efficiency through payment systems was precipitate and, to a certain extent, naive. Public hospital payment systems can be considered to be effective when they manage to allocate resources over a period of time. Ensuring the efficiency of public hospitals implies daily work on the part of each hospital and the information systems generated by regional health systems and will not be achieved through external financial tools poorly adapted to the setting in which they are applied.


Two prominent features of globalization in recent decades are the remarkable increase in trade and in migratory flows between industrializing and industrialized countries. Due to restrictive laws in the receiving countries and high migration costs, the increase in international migration has involved mainly highly educated workers. During the same period, technology in developed countries has become progressively more skill-biased, increasing the productivity of highly educated workers more than less educated workers. This paper extends a model of trade in differentiated goods to analyse the joint phenomena of migration and trade in a world where countries use different skill-specific technologies and workers have different skill levels (education). We calibrate the model to match the features of the Western European countries (EU-15) and the new Eastern European members of the EU. We then simulate the effects of freer trade and higher labor mobility between the two regions. Even in a free trade regime the removal of the restrictions on labor movements would benefit Europe as a whole by increasing the GNP of Eastern and Western Europe. Interestingly, we also find that the resulting skilled migration (the so-called "brain drain") from Eastern European countries would not only benefit the migrants but, through trade, could benefit the workers remaining in Eastern Europe as well.


The in vitro antipseudomonal activity of eight cephalosporins with alpha-oxyimino-aminothiazolyl or aminothiadiazolyl group in the 7 beta-side chain and the quaternary ammonium moiety in the 3-position was evaluated. The order of antipseudomonal potency of these cephalosporins was as follows: cefaclidine > or = FK-518 > cefluprenam = cefozopran > or = ceftazidime > or = cefepime > cefpirome > or = cefoselis. Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains derepressed for the chromosomally mediated beta-lactamase (cephalosporinase) production were relatively susceptible to cefaclidine and FK-518, but were resistant to six other cephalosporins. P. aeruginosa strains producing the OXA-1-like penicillinase were resistant to cefaclidine, cefepime, and cefpirome, whose frequency was still lower. The higher antipseudomonal activity of these compounds than that of cefotaxime and some differences in activity among these compounds were suggested to result from cephalosporinase stability due to their low affinity for enzyme coupled with resistance to enzyme hydrolysis, assuming that the outer membrane permeation rates of compounds and their affinities for essential penicillin-binding proteins were almost the same. The aminothiadiazolyl cephalosporins showed higher antipseudomonal activity than the corresponding aminothiazolyl counterparts. This was also suggested to result from the same hypothesis as described above.


A new method for designing separable denominator 2-D IIR digital filters with linear phase in the passband is proposed. This method is based on the model reduction of a linear phase FIR filter using 2-D impulse response gramians. The implementation of these filters using fixed point arithmetic is also considered and an algorithm for obtaining a low roundoff noise structure with high computational efficiency is presented. The resulting 2-D IIR digital filter has four advantages: (i), linear phase characteristics; (ii), low global roundoff noise; (iii), high computational efficiency; (iv), and no overflow oscillations (limit-cycle free) under the saturation overflow nonlinearity.


Evidence suggests that altered maternal nutrition increases susceptibility to the metabolic syndrome in adult offspring. An increase in the prevalence of metabolic syndrome has been linked to an increase in incidence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which can range from fatty liver (steatosis), to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and fibrosis. Since mitochondrial dysfunction impairs fatty liver homeostasis, increases reactive oxygen species and triggers lipid peroxidation mitochondrial dysfunction it is a likely candidate for NAFLD disease progression. To investigate the effect of maternal nutrition on mitochondrial dysfunction and development of NASH, we determined changes in electron transport chain (ETC) enzyme complex activity in liver tissue from mouse offspring that were exposed to a high fat or control diet both pre and post-natally Female C57 BL/6J black mice were randomly assigned to either a high fat diet (HF- 45% kcal fat, 20% kcal protein, 35% kcal carbohydrate, n =10) or standard laboratory chow diet (C- 21% kcal fat, 18% kcal protein, 63% kcal carbohydrate, n = 10). Dams were fed 4 weeks prior to conception, during gestation and lactation. At weaning the offspring were assigned either HF or C diet, generating 4 experimental groups: HF/HF (n= 12), HF/C (n = 12), C/HF (n = 12), C/C (n = 12), which represents prenatal/postnatal diet respectively. Offspring food intake and weights were recorded at weekly intervals. Locomotor activity and blood pressure was measured at 13 weeks of age. At 15 weeks offspring were killed and tissues were weighed and collected. Hepatic mitochondrial complex (I, II/III, and IV) activity was measured by spectrophotometer following addition of relevant cofactors (rotenone, antimycin reduced cytochrome c respectively). Results were standardized using citrate synthetase activity. Histological analysis of liver specimens stained with haematoxylin and eosin (H and E) were used to determine levels of steatosis. In liver tissue from both the HF/C and HF/HF offspring mitochondrial complex I, II/III and IV activity was significantly reduced when compared to both the C/C and C/HF (p < 0.05) groups. The greatest decrease was observed with Complex I, where a 3.2 and 3.7-fold reduction in activity levels were seen HF/HF offspring (p < 0.05) and HF/C offspring (p < 0.05) respectively, compared to C/C offspring. This data implies that the pre-natal exposure to a HF diet impairs complex activity and mitochondrial function. Steatosis was visible in liver sections from C/HF and HF/HF animals, and there was an inflammatory infiltrate in sections from the HF/HF group. This data provides preliminary evidence to suggest that exposure to a HF diet in utero may contribute to disease progression of NASH.


Percutaneous coronary angioplasty is a minimally invasive procedure aimed at unclogging a coronary artery with a low complication rate (with a serious complication rate of 3% to 7% and a mortality rate of 1.2%). Device entrapment during PCI is a rare but life-threatening complication that occurs in < 1% of PCIs and balloon entrapment comes second after coronary guidewires. We present the case of 68-years-old man, smoker, hypertensive and type2 diabetic that presents angina with evidence of ischemia on myocardial tomoscintigraphy and in whom the radial coronary angiography reveals a tight calcified mid LAD stenosis. During his PCI and after dilatation with an NC balloon 2.5 × 12 the latter refuses to deflate and remains trapped in the lesion with the appearance of pain and ST-elevation despite several attempts to dilute the product in the inflator and to burst it by overexpansion. Traction on the balloon resulted in the deep intubation of the guiding-catheter, which comes in contact with the trapped balloon, and the rupture of the latter's hypotube, which remains inflated at the site of the lesion and mounted on the 0.014 guidewire. We put a second 0.014 guidewire distally in the LAD and twisted with the distal part of the first guidewire, then we introduced a second balloon 2.0 × 20 over the second guidewire until the distal part of the guiding-catheter and inflated to trap the stucked balloon. We gradually removed this emergency assembly that allowed us to retrieve the trapped balloon. The control injection revealed a thrombotic occlusion of the LAD treated by thrombectomy and anti-GPIIbIIIa followed by a DES 2.75 × 28 placement. The patient was discharged 48 hours later with a good LVEF. The possible balloon entrapment mechanisms are an acute recoil of a highly calcified lesion with compression of the incompletely deflated balloon, which seems to be the case in our patient, strangulation of the proximal balloon end by the guiding-catheter if the balloon is removed before complete deflation and break or bend of the hypotube. The solutions in case of undeflatable balloon entrapment are to dilute the product in the inflator, to burst it by overexpansion, to pierce it through a stiff guidewire (or through its other end on a Microcatheter or OTW balloon), to cut its outer part and let it empty passively, to introduce a second guide-wire and perform a Buddy-Balloon or to transfer the patient to Surgery. Material entrapment remains a rare but life-threatening complication, its eviction requires the choice of material size and gentle manipulations (small balloons in the event of a calcified lesion) and its management uses different techniques, the choice of which depends on the clinical and anatomical situation.


Women constitute forty six (46) percent of the economically active population in South Africa. Although both South African, African men and women are well represented in the economically active population, questions arise when it comes to their presence and effective representation at higher decision-making levels. Indeed, while African men and White women are present, White men dominate in top management. Through a gender analysis of current data on the labour force, this paper examines women"s representation in top decision-making for all employers (government and business) in South Africa. In discussing the trends, the paper highlights gender disparities in the advancement of women into top decision-making positions. The analysis further explores and identifies areas that need redress in bridging the gender divide in top management not only because of employment equity requirements, but also for the good business sense it makes to include women in leadership. The contribution of this paper lies in its identification of the barriers to women's advancement in business leadership and the recommendations for policy and practice both at the micro- (firm) and macro(national-) levels.


Self-organization of connection patterns within brain areas of animals begins prenatally, and has been shown to depend on internally generated patterns of neural activity. The neural structures continue to develop postnatally through externally driven patterns, when the sensory systems are exposed to stimuli from the environment. The internally generated patterns have been proposed to give the neural system an appropriate bias so that it can learn reliably from complex environmental stimuli. This paper evaluates the hypothesis that complex artificial learning systems can benefit from a similar approach, consisting of initial training with patterns from an evolved pattern generator, followed by training with the actual training set. To test this hypothesis, competitive learning networks were trained for recognizing handwritten digits. The results demonstrate how the approach can improve learning performance by discovering the appropriate initial weight biases, thereby compensating for weaknesses of the learning algorithm. Due to the smaller evolutionary search space, this approach was also found to require much fewer generations than direct evolution of network weights. Since discovering the right biases efficiently is critical for solving large-scale problems with learning, these results suggest that internal training pattern generation is an effective method for constructing complex systems


The aim of the paper is to identify relationship between interfunctional coordination (IFC) and customer services. This is the first empirical research in this area. Electronic components manufactures and electric equipment manufacturers realized the research in the Czech Republic. Manufacturers comply with the Czech industry classification CZ-NACE 26 and CZ-NACE 27. The segments are extremely important for the Czech industry nowadays, especially because of many companies being subcontractors for the car industry and mechanical engineering. The questionnaire in the form of the Likert scale was prepared to gather information about customer services. The respondents were usually directors or managers, e.g. employees with high competence and knowledge of the customer services in this particular market. Total of 60 SME were included in the survey. The data were collected from February to November 2014. Spearman coefficient test was used to verify the relation between IFC and customer services. The main findings show: (1) Significant relationship exists between IFC and the development of new products and services according to customer needs; (2) Partly significant relationship exist between IFC and the quality of provided products and customer services in manufacturing; (3) No significant relationship exists between IFC and the special service offers for VIP customers. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.ee.27.5.14300


Purpose Noticing that moderately to severely incompetent physicians (as measured by a standardized assessment of physician competence) did not improve after traditional remedial continuing medical education (CME), the authors investigated the effects of a polyvalent, intensive, prolonged educational intervention on five physicians' competence. Method The five physicians participated in a CME program that lasted three years and consisted of individualized review, ongoing small-group and evidence-based discussions, simulated patients and role playing, formal chart review, and peer review. At the end of the program, the physicians were reassessed. Results Only one physician improved; another remained the same, and three deteriorated. Conclusion Successful remediation of severely incompetent physicians is uncertain at best, even with prolonged, intensive CME that incorporates modalities thought to be effective in changing physicians' behaviors. Alternative educational techniques may need to be developed for this select population. Conversely, there may be reasons that preclude improvement even with optimal techniques.


We analyzed drainage-basin geometry in part of the southeastern Mississippi Embayment near the New Madrid seismic zone in order to detect areas of lateral stream migration that could indicate recent tectonism. Toward this goal, a field of drainage-basin asymmetry vectors was generated from a digital terrain model and compared to geologic structure, lithofacies, seismicity, remotely sensed lineaments, and major drainage divides. Transverse topographical drainage-basin asymmetry (T-index) results define geomorphic domains in northern Mississippi (33° to 35°N, 88.5° to 90.25°W) that may reflect deep crustal blocks bounded by active faults or flexures. T-index measurements (a proxy for lateral stream migration) of more than 4500 second-order drainage basins produced a two-dimensional field of 282 spatially averaged vectors from which we interpreted 12 domains. Some domain boundaries correspond to mapped faults of two Paleozoic fault systems in our study area, the northeast-striking Mississippi Valley graben system and the northwest-striking Ouachita thrust belt and foreland faults. Several other prominent domain boundaries may be previously unmapped faults (flexures?) parallel to these systems. This interpretation is supported by satellite image analysis of the northeastern study area, which reveals lineaments consistent with our domain boundaries that have strikes that reflect the regional subsurface structural grain.


Two separate experiments using the Differential Decay Curve Method have been performed to extract mean lifetimes of excited states in 106 Cd. The inedium-spin states of interest were populated by the Mo-98(C-12, 4n) Cd-106 reaction performed at the Wright Nuclear Structure Lab., Yale University. From this experiment, two isomeric state mean lifetimes have been deduced. The low-lying states were populated by the Mo-96(C-13, 3n)Cd-106 reaction performed at the Institut fur Kernphysik, Universitat zu Koln. The mean lifetime of the I-pi = 2(1)(+) state was deduced, tentatively, as 16.4(9) ps. This value differs from the previously accepted literature value from Coulomb excitation of 10.43(9) ps.


Normal and malignant cells show differences in cell membrane lipid fluidity (CMF) which influence the expression of membrane receptors and may interfere with cell function. Friend virus (FLV) and Moloney virus (MLV) infected hematopoietic and lymphoid cells were monitored for CMF (fluorescence polarization) and for transferrin (TFC) and thymic (Thy) receptors (FITC-labelled monoclonal antibodies). CMF was modulated with cholesterol hemisuccinate (CHS), phospholipids (PL) and DMSO. Erythropoietic stem cells exhibit an increased persistent CMF within minutes after FLV infection; transferrin receptors are expressed, yet no hemoglobin is synthesized. CHS rigidification reduces TFC expression with differentiation of cells and hemoglobin synthesis, yet transformed cell populations do not react uniformly. Thymic lymphocytes, instead, do not exhibit changes in Thy expression upon CHS treatment although cell membranes become rigidified. Separate experiments showed these cells not being "transformed" per se but blocked in differentiation because of viral destruction of thymic epithelial cells with loss of thymopoietin in vivo. Thus viral cell transformation is followed by non-rigid but persistent membrane fluidization interfering with only selective receptor expression.


Purpose: The RapidArc technique, which increases the treatment efficiency with reduced monitor units (MU), has been increasingly applied clinically. However, the small isolated fields and the highly irregular field shapes are challenging for conventional dose calculation algorithms employed in commercial treatment planning systems (TPS). Owing to the ability to handle heterogeneity and small fields, Monte Carlo simulation has been recognized as the benchmark method for radiotherapydose calculation. This study aims to demonstrate the performance of TPS calculation on head and neck, abdomen, and pelvis RapidArc treatments using Monte Carlo simulations.Method and Materials: To simplify the simulation process, Monte Carlodose computation was based on the reconstructed fluence distributions between control points. The dosimetric features of the MLC including rounded leaf ends, intra‐leaf transmission and the tongue and groove effect were included in our simulation. Ten RapidArc patients with different treatment sites were recruited for this retrospective study. The dose distributions and the dose volume histograms (DVH) calculated by the Monte Carlo simulations were compared with TPS calculations. Results: The isodose comparisons between TPS and Monte Carlo simulation showed good agreement except for the highly heterogeneous region and extremely complex treatment geometry. For the DVH comparison, overall, the mean dose of the PTV calculated by the Monte Carlo agreed with the TPS calculation to within 2%. The dose to the critical organs calculated by the TPS was higher than that by Monte Carlo simulations.Conclusion: This study evaluated ten patients treated by the RapidArc technique to demonstrate the performance of the TPS dose calculation for different treatment sites. It is suggested that for the treatment sites with severe heterogeneity, Monte Carlo simulations are necessary.


BACKGROUND
Vertebral metastases are associated with significant pain, disability, and morbidity. Open surgery for fracture stabilization is often inappropriate in this cancer population due to a poor risk-benefit profile, particularly if life expectancy is short. Vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty are appealing adjunctive procedures in patients with malignancy for alleviation of intractable pain. However, these patients have a higher risk of serious complications, notably cement extravasation.

STUDY DESIGN
We prospectively evaluated clinical results of polyetheretherketone (PEEK) implant (Kiva) assisted vertebroplasty performed in malignant painful osteolytic lesions at risk for cement extravasation due to vertebral wall involvement.

SETTING
Department of Interventional Radiology, Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment, Candiolo, Turin, Italy

METHODS
Forty patients (22 women; mean age 66.8 ± 12.4), suffering from a painful spine malignancy with vertebral wall involvement not responding to conventional therapies and without surgical indications, underwent vertebral augmentation with Kiva intravertebral implant for pain palliation. The procedure was performed with moderate sedation and local anesthesia under combined digital fluoroscopy and computed tomography guidance. After the coil-shaped PEEK implant was deployed within the vertebral lesion, bone cement was injected under continuous digital fluoroscopic control. Patients were discharged from the hospital the next procedural day. The Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for pain, Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), analgesic requirement, and use of external brace support were evaluated to determine efficacy. The primary end-point was safety and efficacy at one month after the procedure. However, all the patients were scheduled to be followed-up at month 3, 6, and every 6 months thereafter. Follow-up was prospectively evaluated in all patients after Kiva with clinical interviews. The Institution's Internal Review Board approved this study.

RESULTS
Median pre-treatment VAS of 10 (range 6 - 10) significantly (P < 0.001) dropped to one (range 0 - 3), with all patients achieving a clinically relevant benefit on pain at one month. Differences in pre- and post-treatment analgesic therapy were significant (P < 0.001). All patients no longer use an external brace after Kiva. In 7 out of 43 (16.3%) treated vertebrae a bone cement leakage was detected.

LIMITATIONS
This is a not randomized study. Participants were limited to 40 patients.

CONCLUSION
The Kiva System potentially represents a novel and effective minimally invasive treatment option for patients suffering from severe pain due to osteolytic vertebral metastases.


Thirty-seven cases of gastrointestinal (GI) tract diseases proven by operation and pathology were analysed according to gray scale ultrasonographic and radiographic manifestations and diagnoses. The authors consider that X-ray examination remains the first choice for detection of GI diseases; additional information may be obtained through sonography by displaying internal structure of the lesions, extent of tumor infiltration and metastasis if present. Sonography examination can supplement the roentgen findings. Therefore, combination of both methods will improve the accuracy of diagnosis of GI diseases.


This study sought to identify differences in strategies used for teacher recruitment and retention by successful and non-successful rural high schools. According to data from the 2003-2004 Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS), small towns and rural areas in the central U.S. states did have relatively more difficuly in recruiting teachers than did larger communities. However, when the successful and unsuccessful school districts were compared on the strategies and benefits included in the SASS, the only difference was with signing bonuses, which were offered significantly more often in the unsuccessful group than the successful group. The researchers also interviewed seven principals identified as successful by their state agencies. Their responses revealed minimal reliance on the strategies addressed in the SASS. however, there was some alignment between many of the strategies they did use and the three approaches investigated in previous research: grow-your-own, using federal funding opportunities, and using targeted incentives.


Skeletal muscle proteins are constantly being synthesized and degraded, and the net balance between synthesis and degradation determines the resultant muscle mass. Biochemical pathways that control protein synthesis are complex, and the following must be considered: gene transcription, mRNA splicing, and transport to the cytoplasm; specific amino acyl-tRNA, messenger (mRNA), ribosomal (rRNA) availability; amino acid availability within the cell; the hormonal milieu; rates of mRNA translation; packaging in vesicles for some types of proteins; and post-translational processing such as glycation and phosphorylation/dephosphorylation. Each of these processes is responsive to the need for greater or lesser production of new proteins, and many states such as sepsis, uncontrolled diabetes, prolonged bed-rest, aging, chronic alcohol treatment, and starvation cause marked reductions in rates of skeletal muscle protein synthesis. In contrast, acute and chronic resistance exercise cause elevations in rates of muscle protein synthesis above rates found in non-diseased rested organisms, which are normally fed. Resistance exercise may be unique in this capacity. This chapter focuses on studies that have used exercise to elucidate mechanisms that explain elevations in rates of protein synthesis. Very few studies have investigated the effects of aging on these mechanisms; however, the literature that is available is reviewed.


This thesis studies sustainable tourism and climate change with discourse analysis by addressing two special issues of the Journal of Sustainable Tourism, published in 2006 and 2010. Based on social constructionism assumptions, discourse theory assumes knowledge as "power-constructed reality" with the usage of language, that is, discourses. The formation of discourse thereby can be analyzed based on the texts presented. Likewise, the knowledge presented in the papers, namely the content of the special issues, is treated as empirical data containing discourses worthy of identifying and discussing. With the analytical elements proposed by Dryzek (1997), the discourse identified by the thesis suggests that the nature of sustainable tourism and climate change is that of sustaining the tourism industry with concerns for climatic resources change and GHG emission reduction. Moreover, the discourse identified is claimed to contain the features of some mainstream thinking such as neoclassical economics. Lastly, the change of the discourse identified is interpreted as a result of social practices.


Introduction: The literature of orphan drugs and rare diseases between 2000 and 2014 is reviewed. The overall structure of its intellectual landscape is characterized in terms of thematic concentrations of co-cited references and emerging trends of surging keywords and citations to references through a scientometric review – a quantitative study of scientific literature. Areas covered: The review is based on two sets of bibliographic records retrieved from the Web of Science. The core dataset, consisting of 9461 original research articles and review papers, was constructed from a topic search. The expanded dataset, consisting of 82,765 articles and reviews, was constructed by citation expansion. Expert opinion: The study has revealed three broad categories of research. The research policy category focuses on the strategic and integral role of the study of orphan drugs and rare diseases in a wide-ranging societal context, including optimizing the allocation of resources and setting appropriate evaluation standards. The basic research category focuses on understanding the complex biological and genetic mechanisms of rare diseases. The disease-specific research category focuses on specific rare diseases with clinical and therapeutic goals. The study has revealed the fundamental role of genetic variation in linking a diverse range of rare and complex phenotypic patterns. The field would benefit from more comprehensive reviews of all three categories as a whole and disseminating findings and technical advances across various specialties. Finally, building stronger connections between the study of rare diseases and the study of more common diseases is recommended for all three categories.


The presence of mycotoxins, in particular aflatoxin B1, can cause significant health problems as well as severe societal economic losses, and is, therefore, regulated with respect to maximum acceptable concentration in various feedand foodstuffs. International regulatory authorities have begun to recognise the importance of representative sampling, but sampling guidelines are only partly in compliance with the Theory of Sampling. In particular, practical guidance regarding sampling, including correct design and operation of sampling devices, including explanations on how to develop sufficient sampling protocols are lacking in current guidelines. These are critical practicalities of major importance, especially when dealing with trace concentrations and/or concentrations that are irregularly distributed—as is the case for mycotoxins. Furthermore, heterogeneity characterisation, which is a necessary requirement to be able to develop valid sampling protocols or validation assessments of existing sampling operations, is currently not mentioned in the existing guidelines. The present paper focuses on heterogeneity characterisation with respect to sampling of mycotoxins for 1-D and 3-D feed lots (a full analysis of all critical practicalities in sampling mycotoxins is published elsewhere). Structural guidelines for correctly designing experimental heterogeneity characterisations are presented, allowing evaluation of sampling representativeness and determination of optimal number of increments per composite sample.


Barack Obama, former president of the United States, had once revealed that Indian epics Mahabharata and Ramayana have a special place in his heart. He wrote in his book titled The Promised Land that "India always held a special place in my imagination. Maybe it was because I had spent a part of my childhood in Indonesia listening to the epic Hindu tales of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata..." Mahabharata is one of the incredible epics where several world administrators beget wisdom from it. This paper assesses a critical view of our nation India through Mahabharata. The paper also analyses the epic as a perfect piece of literature, picturing Indian culture's origin in Mahabharata's canvas. Sage Vaisampayana, the disciple of Vyasa, recites Mahabharata for the first time to King Janamejaya at his sarpasatra in Takshasila, modern Pakistan. Later at Naimisaranya, on the Gomti river banks near Lucknow, it was narrated by Ugrasravas, showing how the epic was stored, memorized, and transmitted orally during different historical periods. During a conclave of sages headed by Saunaka, at Naimisaranya, Ugrasrava Sauti, son of Lomaharsana, again narrates the Mahabharata.


The Indonesian government has launched an initiative to restore degraded peat swamp forests across various provinces in the country, in response to extensive damage resulting from deforestation, drainage and fires. Monitoring is important for evaluating the success of restoration activities, but has so far been challenged by the expense of equipment, which limits the possibilities of undertaking large-scale monitoring, as well as demonstrating restoration impact at local scale. Community-based monitoring systems have been proposed as an alternative to conventional systems, involving the local community so as to decrease costs, increase monitoring area coverage, and measure the impact of restoration activities on ground water levels and soil moisture. This study explored the potential to involve the local community in monitoring the impact of peatland restoration activities, with technological support to log measurements of ground water levels and peat moisture into online database systems.


We conducted a longitudinal survey of public response to the economic crisis to understand the trajectory of risk perception amidst an ongoing crisis. A nation‐wide panel responded to seven surveys beginning in late September 2008 at the peak of the crisis and concluded in October 2009. At least 600 respondents participated in each survey, with 413 completing all seven surveys. Our online survey focused on perceptions of risk (savings, investments, retirement, job), negative emotions toward the financial crisis (sadness, anxiety, fear, anger, worry, stress), confidence in national leaders to manage the crisis (President Obama, Congress, Treasury Secretary, business leaders), and belief in one's ability to realize personal objectives despite the crisis. We employed latent growth curve modeling to analyze change in risk perception throughout the crisis. Our results suggest that, in general, people's perceptions of risk appear to decrease most rapidly during the initial phase of a crisis and then begin to level off. Negative emotion about the crisis was the most predictive of increased risk perception, supporting the notion of risk as feelings. Belief in one's ability to realize personal objectives was also predictive. Confidence in national leaders, however, was not predictive of perceived risk. Finally, our results demonstrate that groups may experience a crisis differently depending on a combination of personal characteristics such as gender, income, numeracy, and political attitude. Risk management and communication should work in sync with these mechanisms and differences across groups.


The goal of this paper is to propose a new method to generate multiple-choice items that can make creating quality assessments faster and more efficient, solving a practical issue that many instructors face. There are currently no systematic, efficient methods available to generate quality distractors (plausible but incorrect options that students choose), which are necessary for multiple-choice assessments that accurately assess students' knowledge. We propose two methods to use technology to generate quality multiplechoice assessments: (1) manipulating the mathematical problem to emulate common student misconceptions or errors and (2) disguising options to protect the integrity of multiple-choice tests. By linking options to common student misconceptions and errors, instructors can potentially use multiple-choice assessments as personalized diagnostic tools that can target and modify underlying misconceptions. Moreover, using technology to generate these quality distractors would allow for assessments to be developed efficiently, in terms of both time and resources. The method to disguise the options generated would have the added benefit of preventing students from working backwards from options to solution and thus would protect the integrity of the assessment. Preliminary results are included to exhibit the effectiveness of the proposed methods.