PURPOSE
To determine the efficacy of neoadjuvant chemotherapy combined with regional hyperthermia (RHT) for local tumor control and overall survival (OS) in adult patients with retroperitoneal or visceral (RP/V) high-risk soft tissue sarcomas (HR-STS).

PATIENTS AND METHODS
From 1991 to 1997, 58 patients with HR-STS at RP/V sites were prospectively treated with four cycles of etoposide, ifosfamide, and doxorubicin combined with RHT followed by surgery, adjuvant chemotherapy, and radiation.

RESULTS
Objective response rate assessable in 40 patients was 13% (five partial responses). Including minor responses (n = 8), the radiographic response rate was 33%. The pathologic response rate assessable in 26 patients after surgical resection was 42%. Median OS was 31 months. At a median observation time of 74 months, 5-year probability of local failure-free survival (LFFS), distant metastasis-free survival, event-free survival, and OS were 25%, 51%, 20%, and 32%, respectively. Averaged minimum temperatures (T(min)) and time-averaged temperatures achieved in 50% (T(50)) and 90% (T(90)) of all measured tumor sites differed significantly between responders and nonresponders (T(min), 39.3 degrees C v 38.0 degrees C; P =.002; T(50), 40.9 degrees C v 40.3 degrees C; P =.038; T(90), 40.1 degrees C v 39.3 degrees C; P =.017). At 5-year follow-up, probability of LFFS (59% v 0%; P <.001) and OS (60% v 10%; P <.001) was significantly in favor of patients responding to neoadjuvant thermochemotherapy.

CONCLUSION
Response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy combined with RHT is predictive for an improved local tumor control resulting in a long-term survival benefit for patients with HR-STS at unfavorable RP/V sites; however, the impact of RHT has to be defined in a randomized phase III trial.


During the twentieth century, Austin Bradford Hill researched diseases and their causes in England and developed the Bradford Hill criteria, which comprise the minimal requirements that must be met for a causal relationship to be established between a factor and a disease. Hill also suggested that researchers should randomize clinical trials to evaluate the effects of a drug or treatment by monitoring large groups of people. In addition, Hill advocated for case-control studies, in which researchers compare a group of people with a medical condition to a group without that condition to investigate the condition's possible causes. Hill's own work with clinical trials and case-control studies helped him prove that smoking caused lung cancer. The Bradford Hill criteria have also been used to establish causal links between factors and cancer, including reproductive cancers such as human papillomavirus that causes cervical cancer.


Agricultural landscapes account for approximately 40% of global terrestrial area and this proportion tends to grow due to the increasing demand for fuel, food and other agricultural products. For successful crop production in the future, it is crucial to preserve the ecosystem services performed by biodiversity in these areas. Understanding how land use and landscape composition affect species distribution and ecosystem functions is key to achieve this objective. Organisms respond to habitat heterogeneity at different spatial scales, which needs to be considered in landscape studies. The temporal scale can also be meaningful, given that agricultural landscapes are highly dynamic environments and the frequent changes in land cover may affect ecological processes.
In this thesis we study local and landscape effects on plant-insect interactions, local diversity and community structure in changing landscapes. We focus on two landscape components that potentially influence insect communities and interactions: semi-natural habitats and oilseed rape fields (Brassica napus L.). Semi-natural habitats are stable environments that provide food and nesting resources constantly. Oilseed rape is a mass flowering crop that offers huge amounts of food resources in a short period of time.
We sampled landscapes using a grid design replicated in space and time. This multiscale approach allowed us to investigate:

(1) How different sampling designs can affect the estimate of biodiversity patterns.
(2) How the effect of landscape composition on a herbivore-parasitoid trophic interaction changes with time
(3) How landscape composition affects spatial community similarity at the landscape scale.
Chapter 1 introduces the topics covered in this thesis.
Chapter 2 shows how sampling whole landscapes can improve biodiversity estimates. Our aim was to determine how the predictability and stability of these estimates are affected by restricting sampling to only one habitat or to only few sampling points per area. We found that sampling organisms at a small spatial scale can influence the results of ecological studies when they use resources at large scales. Our results show that (i) the number of samples per study area affects the precision of parameter estimation and (ii) the selection of just one habitat type for sampling may generate biased estimates of species richness. Moreover, we observed that the spatial scale of best predictions of the species richness of organisms, which is the landscape sector experienced by organisms, changes with the sampled habitat type. We conclude that estimates obtained by sampling limited to one habitat type or with few replicates per area will often not be representative of the landscape-wide population or community. Therefore, caution should be taken when generalizing too widely from such restricted studies.
In Chapter 3, we apply multi-level generalized path analysis to understand how the dynamics of agricultural landscapes affects the tritrophic interaction between pollen beetles (Brassicogethes aeneus F), their host plant oilseed rape and their parasitoids. We investigate how the effect of landscape composition (percentage of oilseed rape fields and non-crop areas) on herbivore and parasitoid abundance depends on the temporal scale of observation and whether system dynamics showed interannual carry-over effects. We found that the effect of oilseed rape fields on beetle abundance changed with time from negative to positive. Parasitism had a negative effect on the number of pollen beetles, but only in areas with a low proportion of oilseed rape. Interestingly, our path analysis revealed that landscape composition affected herbivore abundance one or two years later, mediated by changes in parasitism. These results indicate an interannual carry-over effect on plant-herbivore-parasitoid interactions, as the insects are affected by landscape composition and top-down effects in previous years.
In Chapter 4, we study the effect of landscape composition on spatial community turnover of pollinators. We compared solitary bee and hoverfly communities, both of which provide important pollination services, yet often show contrasting responses to landscape context. Our grid design allowed us to sample whole landscapes and provided insights on the exchange of individuals between habitats. While the proportion of oilseed rape did not explain spatial community turnover for either taxon, the flowering period influenced the effect of semi-natural habitats, which promoted the homogenization of bee communities during oilseed rape flowering and of hoverfly communities after flowering. The transience of the effect indicates that this pattern was caused by increased movement of individuals between habitats. This spatial homogenization of the community can be important to stabilize pollination in crop fields and to promote community resilience after disturbances, which is of socio-economic importance in agricultural landscapes.
In summary, the different habitat types that compose heterogeneous agricultural mosaic landscapes can play different roles for tritrophic interactions and the structure of insect communities. Larger proportions of semi-natural habitats may increase stability of pollination and biological control by benefiting solitary bees, hoverflies and parasitoids. Mass flowering crops can influence insect communities and population densities, affecting ecosystem services both positively and negatively. This effect may be temporary, limited by the flowering period, or may extend to the following years, particularly for specialized insects, such as the pollen beetle and its parasitoids. This diversity of effects from different landscape components can be best investigated when all habitat types are sampled. Results originating from only one habitat type cannot be extrapolated to the whole landscape. In conclusion, landscape planning should take into consideration the movement of organisms between habitat types and through time in order to guarantee conservation of ecosystem services and crop yield.


Abstract Although athletes' transition from secondary to higher education (HE) has been subject of research before, no empirical data are available on the reasons leading to the decision to initiate the combination of elite sport and HE. Therefore, the study's main objective was to gain insight in the factors taken into consideration by athletes when deciding to initiate a dual career (DC) in HE. Fifteen Flemish elite athletes in secondary education (Mage = 17.8; 8 males, 7 females) participated in semi-structured interviews. The data were analysed using thematic analysis, with the Holistic Athletic Career model (HAC) and Push Pull Anti-push Anti-pull as guiding theoretical models. Results showed that many different considerations, related to different levels of development (i.e. athletic, psychological, psychosocial, academic/vocational, financial), can influence athletes' decision to initiate a DC in HE. DC support providers could use the findings (i.e. the multitude and variety of factors influencing athletes' decision to engage in a DC in HE) and the frameworks used in this study (i.e. the HAC model and Push Pull Anti-push Anti-pull framework) to support athletes in their decision process.


Globally, higher-than-expected pressure ulcer rates generally are considered a quality-of-care indicator. Nigeria currently has no national guidelines for pressure ulcer risk assessment, prevention, and treatment. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the pressure ulcer knowledge and the attitude of nurses regarding pressure ulcer prevention in a tertiary health institution in Nigeria. During a period of 2 months, nurses were recruited to complete a 25-item paper/pencil survey that included participant demographic information (6 items), pressure ulcer knowledge questions (11 items), and statements on participants' attitude toward pressure ulcer prevention (8 items). Data were entered manually into statistical analysis software, analyzed, and presented using descriptive statistics (frequencies and percentages). The majority of the 90 nurse participants were female (60, 66.7%), 45 (50%) were married, and 75 (83.3%) had 1 to 10 years' experience in nursing practice; 69 (76.7%) had received special training on pressure ulcer prevention. Overall, 58 (64.4%) nurses had correct pressure ulcer knowledge and 67 (74.4%) had a positive attitude toward preventing pressure ulcers. However, 56 nurses (62.2%) disagreed with regular rescreening of patients whom they deemed not at risk of developing pressure ulcer, and 70 (77.8%) believed pressure ulcer prevention should be the joint responsibility of both nurses and relatives of the patients. Thus, the majority of the 90 nurses knew the factors responsible for pressure ulcers and how to prevent them, but nurses need to be orientated to the fact that pressure ulcer risk screening of all patients with limited mobility is an integral part of their job and that it is important that nurses enlighten patients and their relatives on how to prevent pressure ulcers.


Abstract China's many conflicts over land acquisition highlight China's growing gap between rich and poor, between a small group of powerful land-hungry elites and the masses of powerless farmers. They show that despite the current stronger formal recognition of farmers' land use rights and the introduction of devolution and participatory processes including direct village elections, land tenure security is weak. Vague property rights, weak legal procedures for state land acquisition and low legal compensation requirements can only partly explain the continuing land abuses. The fundamental problem is the price gap between arable land and construction land in combination with weak checks and balances on local elites. At present farmers lack adequate formal legal mechanisms to defend their rights when faced with such land acquisitions. As a result, they have tried to use non-legal, factual, and often violent means to protect their interests, with mixed results. The case of peri-urban Kunming shows that mere institutional changes such as enhancing the law's procedures for acquisition and compensation, the introduction of direct village elections, the development of administrative law and political campaigns to punish abuses have so far not succeeded in enhancing tenure security. Only in areas where a fundamental economic change has occurred and farmers no longer solely depend on agricultural income have elections, petitions and protests been successful in changing practices and making local elites more accountable to the local population. This paper is based on prolonged fieldwork in peri-urban Kunming in Yunnan province during which local farmers, leaders, entrepreneurs and state enforcement officials were interviewed on ongoing land acquisition conflicts.


Controlling absolute stereochemistry in catalytic photochemical reactions is generally challenging owing to high rates of background reactivity. Successful strategies broadly rely on selective excitation of the reaction substrate when associated with a chiral catalyst. Recent studies have demonstrated that chiral Lewis acid complexes can enable selective energy transfer from a photosensitizer to facilitate enantioselective triplet state reactions. Here, we apply this approach to the enantioselective catalysis of a 6π photocyclization through the design of an iridium photosensitizer optimized to undergo energy transfer to a reaction substrate only in the presence of a chiral Lewis acid complex. Among a group of iridium(III) sensitizers, enantioselectivity and yield closely correlate with photocatalyst triplet energy within a narrow window enabled by a modest reduction in substrate triplet energy upon binding a scandium/ligand complex. These results demonstrate that photocatalyst tuning offers a means to suppress background reactivity and improve enantioselectivity in photochemical reactions.


While the existence of freshwater offshore aquifers under continental shelves has been known for decades, none discovered thus far straddles international boundaries. In the event that an offshore aquifer shared by two or more nations is identified and targeted for development, selection of a governance regime for the aquifer will present a unique challenge, although several current legal systems could provide guidance. The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea addresses maritime natural resources in formations such as the continental shelf. Well-established governance principles for development of offshore hydrocarbon reserves would also be relevant. While the law addressing transboundary land-based aquifers is still in a nascent stage, customary international water law has evolved over centuries and could provide guidance for offshore aquifers. This monograph explores principles, and proposes a governance regime for transboundary offshore aquifers.


Infant mortality was documented for the Federal Republic of Germany as well as for the individual Federal Laender (before German unification) during 1973 and 1988. 31 Cause-of-Death groups, 5 Age-of-Death groups, and both sexes were considered. During the observation period the infant mortality rate decreased to 1/3 of the value of 1973 and is now well below 1%. The temporal decrease of infant mortality is different with regard to causes of death, age of death, sex, and Federal Land: Infant mortality due to congenital malformations decreased to about one half within the observation period, but its relative contribution to all natural causes of death increased from about 20% in 1973 to about 30% in 1988.


In this article, I want to discuss the way metaphors take form as diegetic actions in Elfriede Jelinek's The Piano Teacher (1983) and Günter Grass's Too Far Afield (1995). In these texts, the reader must literally picture what metaphorical language usually only conceptually refers to. Both authors confront their readers with disturbing actions that are felt to be significant in some way; they resist straightforward interpretation and rather provoke affective reactions. This deliberate disturbance of metaphorical language can be understood as medial presence effects. They foreground the mediality and materiality of language and literature. The way literature performs and functions as a medium is made visible and perceptible.


A 20%Co/0.5%Re/γAl2O3 Fischer–Tropsch catalyst was poisoned by four potassium salts (KNO3, K2SO4, KCl, and K2CO3) using the aerosol deposition technique, depositing up to 3500 ppm K as solid particles. Standard characterization techniques (H2 chemisorption, BET, TPR) showed no difference between treated samples and their unpoisoned counterpart. The Fischer–Tropsch activity was investigated at industrially relevant conditions (210 °C, H2:CO = 2:1, 20 bar). The catalytic activity was significantly reduced for samples exposed to potassium, and the loss of activity was more severe with higher potassium loadings, regardless of the potassium salt used. A possible dual deactivation effect by potassium and the counterion (chloride and sulfate) is observed with the samples poisoned by KCl and K2SO4. The selectivity toward heavier hydrocarbons (C5+) was slightly increased with increasing potassium loading, while the CH4 selectivity was reduced for all the treated samples. The results support the idea that potassium...


The authors report the case of a 40 year old man undergoing left orchiectomy for Leydig cell tumour. Eight months later, the patient presented with a thrill in the left femoral triangle which angiography revealed to be due to a voluminous pelvic arteriovenous fistula arising at the expense of the left hypogastric artery, especially the arteries supplying the external genitalia. Surgical repair of the arteriovenous fistula was performed without prior embolisation. This haemorrhagic surgery was facilitated by the use of a blood recovery apparatus. The immediate postoperative course was uneventful and follow-up angiography one year later showed perfect stability of the result. This case offers an occasion to recall the risks of fistula during massive ligation of arteriovenous pedicles even in the case of small pedicles which should be treated with the same preventive approach as for the renal or splenic pedicle, i.e. separate ligation of the arterial and the venous element.


Rodents are often used for studying chronic pain mechanisms and developing new pain therapeutics, but objectively determining the animal's pain state is a major challenge. To improve the precision of using reflexive withdrawal behaviors for interpreting the mouse pain state, we adopted high-speed videography to capture sub-second movement features of mice upon hind paw stimulation. We identified several parameters that are significantly different between behaviors evoked by innocuous and noxious stimuli, and combined them to map the mouse pain state through statistical modeling and machine learning. To test the utility of this approach, we determined the pain state triggered by von Frey hairs (VFHs) and optogenetic activation of two nociceptor populations. Our method reliably assesses the "pain-like" probability for each mouse paw withdrawal reflex under all scenarios, highlighting the improved precision of using this high resolution behavior-centered composite methodology to determine the mouse pain state from reflexive withdrawal assays.


Summary Among 1,000 selected compounds and antibiotics tested against all or portions of the tumor spectrum (33 tumors), cytoxan was the most effective, having a marked inhibitory to complete inhibitory effect on 26 out of 33 tumors. Cytoxan (50 mg/kg/day for mice; 25 mg/kg/day for rats) had a destructive effect on well established 7-day-old Sarcoma T241, Carcinoma 1025, Lewis bladder carcinoma, Wagner and Ridgway osteogenic sarcomas, Mecca lymphosarcoma, and Leukemia L 4946 in mice; and Flexner-Jobling carcinoma, Walker carcinosarcoma 256, Jensen sarcoma, Iglesias sarcoma, Moore sarcoma No. 1, and Murphy-Sturm lymphosarcoma in rats. Repeated intraperitoneal injections of cytoxan had a moderate inhibitory effect on spontaneous mammary adenocarcinomas in mice and a slight inhibitory effect on well established sarcomas induced by methylcholanthrene in mice, but there was no complete tumor regression.


Humans are daily presented with tasks that they complete with little effort or even consideration of the planning that goes into the movement. Movements such as manual manipulation tasks are completed with ease, even though the complexities and years of learned behavior are largely hidden from the person. Digital human modeling (DHM) and specifically optimization-based posture and motion prediction methodologies have employed numerical methods in order to simulate/predict/analyze human movements. However, these movements are heavily constrained such that the planning of the motion/posture is explicitly provided in the formulation of the problem. This paper presents the addition of cognitive principles into the optimization-based posture and motion prediction formulations. The simulation/prediction of manual manipulation tasks is considered such that a single formulation can accomplish multiple tasks. It adopts a theory from cognitive psychology referred to as the end-state comfort effect in order to derive general constraints for the prediction of the initial and final posture states that frame the movement related to the manual manipulation task. It considers multiple tasks from the literature that have been heavily studied through experimentation in order to evaluate the efficacy of the formulation. The results show strong correlation with observations reported in the literature.


Based on the requirement of OECD countries to permit substantial inflows of immigrants to compensate for the effects of the demographic change, this paper explores the incentives of heterogeneous migrants to acquire host country specific cultural skills to improve their labor market outcomes. The theoretical results predict that the migrants` ambition in achieving such skills is increased if the scope of their respective cultural group is small, social permeability of migrants in the native society is large and individual integration costs are low. Based on these results, I study whether cultural heterogeneity among the migrant population is welfare enhancing for the native population. I find that as long as migrants do not differ too much with regard to their costs of learning the native culture, cultural heterogeneity is beneficial for the host economy. The model provides an explanation for the shift in the immigration policies of the traditional host countries throughout the twentieth century as well as the current immigration policies in the EU member states.


Inferring Gene Regulatory Networks (GRNs) is critical in describing the intrinsic relationship between genes in the course of evolution and discovering group behaviors of a certain set of genes. Recent development on high-throughput technique, microarray, provides researchers a chance to monitor the expression patterns of thousands of genes simultaneously. While increasing amount of microarray data sets are becoming available online, the integration of multiple microarray data sets from various data sources (e.g. different tissues, species, and conditions) for GRNs inference becomes very important in order to achieve more accurate and reliable GRNs modeling. This paper will review recent developments on integrating multiple microarray data sets and propose a new method to infer GRNs using multiple microarray data sets.


The aim of this article is to build a framework with which to compare the reality of household livelihoods and the models put forward by economists and policy makers. It applies Sen's framework of human flourishing to a real world situation with a view to developing the understanding of the relationships between household livelihoods and individual well being. In undertaking this, it contributes to the advancement of the capability approach. The article explores the institutional elements that embed individuals in the wider social relations of household, gender and economy in order to clarify the links between household endowments and individual flourishing. It tests and explores this framework through application to an analysis of microbusiness households in the rural north of England, where insecurity is almost invariably associated with running a business. The conclusions argue that it is impossible to understand the microbusiness enterprise as separate from the household within which it is located, and discuss the implications of this analysis for policy making.


Required flow rates for cardiopulmonary bypass depend on the patient's body surface area and temperature. At 37°C, flow of 2.2 L/m2 per minute is required for adequate perfusion. Oxygen consumption is reduced, however, by 50 per cent for every 10°C drop in temperature. At 20°C, a 30-minute period of circulatory arrest can be safely tolerated. A guide to the adequacy of tissue perfusion can be achieved by measurement of the mixed venous oxygen saturation. Some degree of hypothermia is used in most operations, because this provides a margin of safety in the event of unexpected cessation of flow. Although arterial perfusion pressure does not necessarily equate to tissue perfusion, a perfusion pressure of greater than 50 mm Hg is recommended. Higher perfusion pressures are used in the presence of generalized atherosclerosis, especially when renovascular or cerebrovascular disease is present. It is imperative that the surgeon has a sound working knowledge of the bypass circuit, a specific plan for the conduct of cardiopulmonary bypass during the procedure, and clear communication with the other members of the operative team.


The anterior latissimus dorsi (ALD) muscle of chickens is a slow tonic muscle, while the posterior latissimus dorsi (PLD) is a fast twitch muscle. These muscles on opposite sides of a 3-week-old chick were removed, minced and replaced in the site of the other muscle and left to regenerate. The regenerating muscles were examined at various periods from 4 days onwards and their contractile properties were found to resemble those typical of the muscle they replaced and not the original muscle. The regenerating muscles from 8 days onwards displayed the morphological features of the control muscles in the contralateral site. By 14 days, differentiation was almost complete and neuromuscular junctions were seen. It is suggested that the physiological and morphological characteristics of a muscle are determined by its position and possibly also by its innervation.


A 4-year retrospective chart review of patients whose vascular access for hemodialysis was via a polytetrafluorethylene (PTFE) or a bovine graft revealed that cumulative patency differed little between the two groups. The average graft life was 27 months. Those with vascular access through the forearm, particularly with a loop type of graft, fared the best. Recurrent thrombosis was a serious problem. For this the authors recommend elective graft replacement followed by a "rest period" of 2 to 3 weeks. Failing grafts should be repaired as directed by fistulographic findings. Polytetrafluoroethylene seems to be safer, if not more reliable, than the bovine graft. Rupture and life-threatening hemorrhage did not occur with PtFE.


Introduction WHO's reference classifications, ICD and ICF have traditionally served as standards for disease, health and disability related data. To meet the requirements of health (and disability) information systems in the 21st century WHO classifications need to represent the knowledge digitally in a coherent semantic structure. The knowledge representation in a classification requires that the information entities need to be identified with clear attributes and values and put into the context of an overall information model. Aims To identify how we can possibly build mechanisms for meaningful data exchange in health information systems and discuss the prospects and implications for digital systems for public health. Results Digitalization of health and disability information system is an emerging need around the world. The transition from an analogue (and usually unsystematic information compilations) to digital health information system is a common observed trend which is expected to gain dominance in forthcoming decades. The information communication technology (ICT) developments have created multiple work streams to this field which are usually summarized as e-health. Further to the digital technology, the need to define and provide the content standards is a shared responsibility of the both content and technology stakeholders: one needs to define the content in a analogue form first, then convert into a digital application. Each health information rubric should be operationally defined and then be digitally represented in computerized information systems. To achieve this aim ontology as a computer science provides the scientific discipline and practical tools to define entities with their attributes and values. Creating the ontological basis for classifications will enable to represent the underpinning knowledge structure in an operational way; describe the logical rules as to how they relate to each other, identify measurable properties and provide a basis to share information both digitally and among humans irrespective of linguistic differences. In this way, health and disability information can be harmonized and aggregated at both individual and population levels. Conclusions Formalized knowledge representation will allow for better construction of health and disability information, enable research and policy making by allowing meaningful exchange aggregation of data from multiple sources and enable science based decision-making.


Focusing on Dvorak's eventful stay in the United States from 1892 to 1895, this book explores the world behind the public legend, offering fresh insights into the composer's music. We see the traditional image-that of a simple Czech fellow with a flair for composing symphonic and chamber music-give way to one of a complex figure writing works filled with hidden drama and secret programs. In his cogent examination of Dvorak's state of mind, Michael B. Beckerman, a noted scholar of Czech music, concludes that the composer suffered from a debilitating and previously unexplored anxiety disorder during his American sojourn. Using Dvorak as a model, he argues convincingly that the biographical images we carry of composers condition the way we approach their music. New Worlds of Dvorak also presents us with a wealth of new information about the origins of the composer's "New World" Symphony, its strong relationship (in the face of Dvorak's denials) to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's epic poem The Song of Hiawatha, the Hiawatha opera that the composer envisioned but did not write, and the "Negro themes" that Dvorak claimed as a strong influence on his American works. Along the way we are introduced to a cast of characters that could easily spring from the pages of a novel. First there is Jeannette Thurber, a wealthy New Yorker who founded a music conservatory and persuaded Dvorak to direct it. We meet Henry T. Burleigh, a black composer of art music, who sang African American spirituals to Dvorak. Among the critics of the day who wrote endlessly about the Czech composer and his "American" symphony, we meet James Huneker, who derided Dvorak's claim that his music was American, even though Huneker himself played a major role in acquainting Dvorak with African American songs. We learn that Huneker was not quite the villain he has been made out to be in the Dvorak saga. We also meet the newspaperman James Creelman, who was nurtured under Pulitzer and Hearst and was an early proponent of "yellow journalism," in which the journalist plays an active role in the story being reported. Finally, we meet Henry Krehbiel, who became a friend of Dvorak's and who saw the music critic as mediator between the musician and the public, arousing interest and paving the way to popular comprehension of concert music. In this forceful reinterpretation of the composer's personality and work, readers will gain a rich new view of Dvorak that will deepen their understanding of his works, especially the "New World" Symphony and the other compositions dating from his American years. "After having done extensive research on Dvorak and writing my novel Dvorak in Love, I thought I knew everything there was to know about the composer. Now Michael Beckerman's brilliant New Worlds of Dvorak shows me the size and number of gaps in my knowledge...The CD included with the volume ...makes it easy even for readers with not much musical education to follow Beckerman's arguments and thus experience the pleasant shock of discovering the deepest and subtlest aspects of Dvorak's great and beloved works." -Josef Skvorecky "Ingeniously conceived, thoroughly and skeptically researched, entertainingly written, and graced by a wealth of lovely audible examples, this book somehow succeeds in being both an important work of revisionist scholarship that specialists in the field will need to consider carefully and a delightful meditation on music loved by many that deserves-and will attract-a wide general readership." -Richard Taruskin, Class of 1955 Professor of Music, University of California, Berkeley


Objective: Quantitative assessment of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) from radionuclide cardiac imaging study has both diagnostic and prognostic value in coronary artery disease (CAD). Gated SPECT blood pool imaging (GSBPI) and gated SPECT myocardial perfusion imaging (GSMPI) are two technically comparable radionuclide methods for non-invasive measurement of LVEF. While the former is a gold standard the latter is popular as it provides a wider array of information. This study was carried out to bridge the lack in the existing body of evidence regarding assessment of agreement of between GSBPI and GSMPI for measurement of LVEF in CAD. The objective of this study is to validate the LVEF measurements from routine GSMPI as a valuable parameter for clinical decision making through assessment of agreement between GSMPI and GSBPI performed in a short interval, in same patient having CAD. Patients and Methods: A total of 28 patients (three female) was observed with a mean age of 54.5 ± 8.5 years during February to May 2012. All patients underwent GSBPI and GSMPI with a gap of three to seven days in between. LVEF measured by GSBPI performed at rest was compared with LVEF measured in rest phase of one day stress-rest GSMPI. Agreement analysis was done with Bland Altman plot. Results: Mean LVEF measurements show an apparent overall slight underestimation by GSBPI (54.8.9±25) in comparison to GSMPI (56.9±25). Bland Altman plots show that the differences between GSBPI and GSMPI for measurement of LVEF at rest in same patient fall within two SD of the mean difference. This finding remained similar while further categorization of study patients was done on basis of ranges of LVEF, end diastolic volume (EDV), end systolic volume (ESV), infarct size and regional wall motion abnormality (RWMA). Conclusions: There was overall significant agreement between GSMPI and GSBPI for measurement of LVEF in CAD in this small study. This agreement remains significant irrespective of ranges of LVEF, EDV, ESV, infarct size and RWMA. Bangladesh J. Nuclear Med. 19(2): 128-134, July 2016


This paper presents a lateral control system for the autonomous navigation vehicle that was developed and tested by Robotics Centre of Ecole des Mines do Paris in France. A robust lane detection algorithm was developed for detecting different types of lane marker in the images taken by a CCD camera mounted on the vehicle. that is a software framework far developing vision and data fusion applications, especially in a car was used for implementing lane detection and lateral control. The lateral control has been tested on the urban road in Paris and the demonstration has been shown to the public during IEEE Intelligent Vehicle Symposium 2002. Over 100 people experienced the automatic lateral control. The demo vehicle could run at a speed of 130km1h in the straight road and 50km/h in high curvature road stably.


Results of the 2006 Iowa Crop Performance Tests for alfalfa, barley, corn, oat, soybean, triticale, and winter wheat are now available. For those wanting to download a copy of the bulletins, visit the Iowa Crop Improvement Association (ICIA) Web site or the Iowa State University (ISU) Extension Distribution Center (EDC) online store. Published bulletins may be requested by contacting ICIA at (515) 294-6921 or EDC at (515) 294-5247. Disciplines Agricultural Education | Agricultural Science | Agriculture | Agronomy and Crop Sciences This article is available at Iowa State University Digital Repository: http://lib.dr.iastate.edu/cropnews/1360 Crop performance test bulletins now available Results of the 2006 Iowa Crop Performance Tests for alfalfa, barley, corn, oat, soybean, triticale, and winter wheat are now available. For those wanting to download a copy of the bulletins, visit the Iowa Crop Improvement Association (ICIA) Web site [1] or the Iowa State University (ISU) Extension Distribution Center (EDC) online store [2]. Published bulletins may be requested by contacting ICIA at (515) 2946921 or EDC at (515) 2945247. ICIA's crop performance testing program is a cooperative effort with the Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station at Iowa State University and Iowa State University Extension. The program offers unbiased, thirdparty information to Iowa growers on commercial seed they can purchase. Information on the adaptation and performance of hybrids and varieties is offered for alfalfa, barley, corn, oat, soybean, triticale and wheat in the following publications: 2006 Iowa Crop Performance TestsAlfalfa and Other Forages (AG 0084) provides an analysis of alfalfa, other legumes, and orchardgrass yield trials that are conducted annually by Iowa State University and the Iowa Crop Improvement Association. 2006 Iowa Crop Performance TestsOat and Barley (PM 1645) contains information from yield trials of oats and barley conducted by Iowa State University and ICIA. In 2006, 22 spring oat varieties were tested at five locations in Iowa. 2006 Iowa Crop Performance TestCorn (PM 0660) now conveniently combines information from six corn districts in Iowa into one publication. This year we evaluated 390 hybrids, under 42 brand names, in 900 districtbyhybrid combinations. 2006 Iowa Crop Performance TestSoybeans (AG 0018) provides results of soybean yield trials that are conducted annually by Iowa State University and ICIA. The bulletin contains information farmers need to select the best varieties or brands for their production conditions. 2006 Iowa Crop Performance TestsWinter Wheat and Winter Triticale (AG 0006). Triticale is a grain derived from crossing wheat with rye and is grown primarily for animal feed as either a grain or forage crop. The winter triticale test studied 12 named triticale varieties and one winter wheat check planted at Ames, Sutherland, and Crawfordsville. The triticale performance was up considerably relative to last year. Keven Arrowsmith is managing editor of ICM newsletter and extension communications specialist with responsibilities in pest management and the environment. This article originally appeared on page 259 of the IC496(27)  December 18, 2006 issue.


: There are several methods available for the internal fixation of the Austin bunionectomy. By carefully forming a Kirschner wire into the shape of a staple, fixation of the neck osteotomy is maintained. The method is simple, fast, and reliable, and it requires no additional instrumentation.


This study was to examine the effects of four fungal polysaccharides, namely exo-polysaccharide (EPS), water-extracted mycelia polysaccharide (WPS), sodium hydroxideextracted mycelia polysaccharide (SPS), and hydrochloric-extracted mycelia polysaccharide (APS) obtained from the endophytic fungus Bionectra pityrodes Fat6, on the sprout growth and flavonoids production of Fagopyrum tataricum. Without obvious changes in the appearance of the sprouts, the exogenous polysaccharide elicitors notably stimulated the sprout growth and functional metabolites accumulation, and the stimulation effect was mainly depended on the polysaccharide species along with its treatment dose. With application of 150 mg/l of EPS, 150 mg/l of WPS and 200 mg/l of SPS, the total rutin and quercetin yield of buckwheat sprouts was effectively increased to 49.18 mg/(100 sprouts), 50.54 mg/(100 sprouts), and 52.27 mg/(100 sprouts), respectively. That was about 1.57- to 1.66-fold in comparison with the control culture of 31.40 mg/(100 sprouts). Moreover, the present study revealed the accumulation of bioactive flavonoids resulted from the stimulation of the phenylpropanoid pathway by fungal polysaccharide treatments. It could be an efficient strategy for improving the nutritional and functional quality of tartary buckwheat sprouts applied with specific fungal elicitors.


Objective To describe our experience in the management of patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the temporal bone (TBSCC) and to identify factors predictive of outcome. Study Design Retrospective study. Setting Quaternary referral otology and skull base center. Patients A total of 45 consecutive patients with histologically confirmed TBSCC were treated surgically at our institution between 1993 and 2011. Patients were divided into 5 stage I (11.1%), 6 stage II (13.3%), 15 stage III (31.1%), and 19 stage IV tumors (42.2%) according to the University of Pittsburgh modified TNM staging system. Interventions Twenty-one patients underwent lateral temporal bone resection, and 24 underwent subtotal temporal bone resection. Postoperative radiotherapy was performed in 27 cases. Results The 5-year disease-specific survival (DSS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) for patients with early-stage disease (Stages I and II) was 100%. The 5-year DSS and RFS rates for patients with advanced disease (Stages III and IV) were 65.1% and 59.6%, respectively. On univariate analysis, factors that had a significant effect on both DSS and RFS were advanced Pittsburgh stage, presence of facial nerve palsy, positive tumor margins, and invasion of the fallopian canal, medial wall, middle ear, mastoid, temporomandibular joint, jugular bulb, and dura. Multivariable analysis identified only dural involvement as an independent predictor for both DSS and RFS. Conclusion In this study, the Pittsburg staging system allowed an estimation of the prognosis. In fact, the prognosis of TBSCC was strictly correlated to tumor stage. The poor prognosis of advanced stage tumors underlines the importance of early diagnosis. Surgery with or without adjuvant radiotherapy remains the standard of care in the treatment of TBSCC.


I. CONGRESS MUST HAVE BROAD ACCESS TO INFORMATION FROM THE EXECUTIVE II. CONGRESSIONAL ACCESS TO CERTAIN TYPES OF INTELLIGENCE A. Complete Access to the "Analytic Products" of the Intelligence Agencies B. Intelligence Committees: Broad Access to "Operational Information" C. Operational Information Constituting Core Intelligence Matters to which Congress Must Have Full Access III. PRESIDENTIAL DENIALS OF INTELLIGENCE INFORMATION: WITHOUT CONSTITUTIONAL BASIS A. Executive Privilege B. "Unitary Executive" Theory: An Independent Constitutional Basis to Withhold? 1. The "Removal Power" Theory 2. An Even More Expansive Theory 3. The Bush White House Goes Even Further IV. THE INADEQUACY OF ASSERTIONS OF COMITY AND SECRECY A. The Failure of President Obama's Assertion of a History of Comity B. Current Rules Protecting Secrecy are Adequate V. THE WEAKNESS OF EXISTING STATUTES GOVERNING CONGRESSIONAL ACCESS TO INTELLIGENCE A. Full Access Critical for the Exercise of Constitutional Duties B. Greater Access for the Intelligence Committees and Less Discretion for the President C. The Weakness of the Current Regime Governing Notification of Covert Action Programs VI. GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR REFORM: THE CONSTITUTIONAL PRINCIPLE OF "FULL ACCESS". CONCLUSION INTRODUCTION Students of U.S. government are taught that there has been a decades-long trend of American presidents successfully claiming more and broader powers for the executive branch, particularly when faced with threats from abroad. (1) Since World War II, we have lived through years of war and years of presidential assertions that only they can truly keep us safe. Proponents of expansive executive power have made these arguments more aggressively since September 11, 2001, claiming that the Framers gave the President vast plenary powers to protect the nation, some of which were inchoate and only fully revealed themselves after the 9/11 attacks. (2) Perhaps skeptical of its own ability to protect the American people in times of danger, and paralyzed by the political optic of seeming to object to the use of "strength against our enemies," Congress has acquiesced in the area of national security even if, as has often been the case, it has meant compromising its own core Article I powers. (3) Is it true that the Framers strongly favored executive power, and expected Congress to yield its own expressed and implied powers whenever our country is faced with a dangerous world? In a charming quip in Federalist No. 69, (4) Alexander Hamilton, the leading proponent among the Framers of a strong executive, reassured his readers that the President would not have overly broad power, and scoffed at the notion that his "unitariness" would serve to enhance that power: [T]he executive authority, with few exceptions, is to be vested in a single magistrate. This will scarcely, however, be considered as a point upon which any comparison can be grounded; for if, in this particular, there be a resemblance to the king of Great Britain, there is not less a resemblance to the Grand Seignior, to the khan of Tartary, to the Man of the Seven Mountains, or to the governor of New York. (5) And James Madison, in Federalist No. 48, observed that each branch should jealously guard its own authority: After discriminating, therefore, in theory, the several classes of power, as they may in their nature be legislative, executive, or judiciary, the next and most difficult task is to provide some practical security for each, against the invasion of the others. What this security ought to be is the great problem to be solved. (6) Nevertheless, a debate about the Framers' intent regarding the proper balance of power among the branches has become little more than an amusing academic parlor game, for the shift in power from the second half of the twentieth century until today is easily observable, and shows no signs of abating. …


Our ability to map humanity's influence across Earth has evolved, thanks to powerful computing, a network of earth observing satellites, and new bottom-up census and crowd-sourced data. Here, we provide the latest temporally inter-comparable maps of the terrestrial Human Footprint, and assessment of change in human pressure at global, biome, and ecoregional scales. In 2013, 42% of terrestrial Earth could be considered relatively free of anthropogenic disturbance, and 25% could be classed as 'wilderness' (the least degraded end of the human footprint spectrum). Between 2000 and 2013, 1.9 million km2 - an area the size of Mexico - of land relatively free of human disturbance became highly modified. The majority of this occurred within tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannah, and shrubland ecosystems, but the rainforests of Southeast Asia also underwent rapid modification. Our results show that humanity's footprint is eroding Earth's last intact ecosystems, and greater efforts are urgently needed to retain them.


"The seedling represents the most critical stage in the life of a tree. Conditions of seeding and germination may be entirely favourable, and natural seedlings may appear in countless quantities at the beginning of the rainy season, only to disappear largely or entirely within a comparatively short period of time owing to various causes, such as drought, bad soil aeration, competition with weed, shade, or other factors." "If the requirements of the seedling of any species are well understood, the problem of the natural reproduction of that species is to a great extent solved, while the subsequent treatment of the crop is usually a comparatively simple matter. The whole system of management of a forest crop is fundamentally influenced by the steps necessary to establish reproduction, and it will therefore be readily realized that no branch of silviculture is of more importance than the study of the requirements of the seedlings of forest trees. Again, problems of invasion, succession, and gregariousness have to be approached from the point of view of the seedling, for it is the establishment of the young plant that determines to a great extent, if not wholly, the occurrence of existing forest crops of various types, and in like measure regulates the transition from one type to another from place to place or during the course of time."


The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's 1997 National Asthma Education and Prevention Program (NAEPP) classifies asthma severity on the basis of lung function and symptoms, and most clinicians use either or both of these measures to assess patients. Severity-based stratification of patients provides a useful framework for therapeutic decision making, but this approach should not be adopted without an understanding of its delimitations and challenges. Accurate assessment of asthma severity is crucial in ensuring the patient's health and well-being. The consequences of misappraisal of patients' clinical status include unnecessary prescription of medication when severity is overestimated and failure to intervene with resulting deterioration of asthma control—possibly culminating in death— when severity is underestimated. This review reveals that applying the NAEPP's severity-based classification of patients with asthma in clinical practice can be challenging, particularly in the care of patients at the mild end of the asthma severity continuum. The variable nature of asthma, the poor concordance among measures of asthma severity, and patients' tendency to underreport their asthma symptoms can contribute to inaccurate severity assessments, which can lead to inappropriate therapeutic choices, such as undertreatment. Undertreatment of the patient with mild asthma can be as dangerous as undertreatment of patients with more severe disease. By keeping the challenges associated with severity-based stratification of patients top-of-mind, healthcare providers may be better able to overcome them in clinical practice. (Adv Stud Med. 2003;3(5A):S372-S378)


Visual internal urethrotomy with the help of suprapubic urethroscopy and rectal digital palpation is an effective method of treating impassable urethral stricture. This technique was used to treat 25 male patients with completely obstructed membranous urethral stricture and three female patients with total obliteration of the urethra. The technique is relatively easy and safe and has produced satisfactory results. This procedure should be the management of choice when the impassable urethral segment is shorter than 2.5 cm. It is also very effective and safe in treating urethra stricture in females.


The motor system of the moth Manduca sexta is completely remodeled during the pupal-adult transformation (PAT). It is stable until the formation of the pupal stage (0% PAT), but larval motor end plates become disrupted by 5% PAT and are lost by 10% PAT, at the time that the muscle has begun to degenerate. Most of the axonal arbor is retracted by 15% with the first signs of adult sprouts appearing by 20% PAT, coinciding with proliferative activity in the remains of the larval muscle. Extensive growth of the axonal arbor begins after 30% PAT, with an initial phase of rapid longitudinal growth (35–50% PAT) and then the production of short transverse branches that then form sprays of end plates (50–70% PAT). Growth and maturation of the end plates occupies the remainder of metamorphosis. Neuromuscular metamorphosis was interfered with by systemic or local treatment with a mimic of the insect juvenile hormone. The results of these treatments suggest that some aspects of the removal of larval axonal branches requires cues from the target. For the sprouting response, the rapid longitudinal growth over the muscle appears to be due to ecdysteroids acting directly on the cell body of the motoneuron. By contrast, the subsequent production and maintenance of transverse sprouts and the corresponding end plates may be an indirect response to stimulation of muscle growth and differentiation by ecdysteroids.


A transportation system with low pressure drop using spiral flow has been developed. With this system, ceramic balls were transported at the rate of 190kg/h in a 15.0m long pipeline that was composed of a 5.0m vertical section and a 10.0m horizontal section with 34.0mm diameter. The pressure drop was dramatically decreased by about 40% from 6.91×102 [Pa/m] to 3.88×102 [Pa/m] as compared with the typical method. The particles movement was observed at the vertical section to discuss the low pressure loss. The particles moved as rotating without touching the inner pipe wall. The device to produce spiral flow is a nozzle with an annular slit, attaching to the conical cylinder. Pressurized fluid is forced through the side of the device into the buffer area and then through the angled annular slit into the conical cylinder. Due to the Coanda effect of this annular jet attaching to the nozzle wall, the flow downstream develops a spiral structure with steep axial velocity distribution and high stability that is much more ordered than typical turbulent flow. To accomplish the high performance transportation, particles should not touch the pipe inner wall. The requirements can be responded by the steep axial velocity profile and swirling motion of the spiral flow with large free vortex region.


The overactive bladder (OAB) is a highly prevalent condition characterized by the combination of urgency and frequency with or without urge incontinence. The pathophysiology is multifactorial; the background is complicated and not yet fully understood. The basic diagnostic workup comprises symptoms assessment, targeted physical examination, urine analysis, post-void residual urine estimation which mostly allows to make a working diagnosis and to find out which patients can be treated also by the nonspecialist. The bladder diary is an optimal diagnostic instrument with a lot of information, whereas urodynamics are expensive and somewhat unverified in their value. The symptom-focused diagnosis is absolutely sufficient to start nonoperative therapy for OAB symptoms. The OAB presents a treatment challenge, as the management of OAB patients is not standardized. An algorithm should include an initial period of at least 6 weeks of conservative therapy consisting of antimuscarinic drugs in combination with behavioral therapy including pelvic floor exercises. If this combination is not successful, the primary diagnosis should be questioned and additional diagnostic tests may be required. If the therapy is successful after 8 weeks, a continuation should be considered in case the symptoms occur after stopping pharmacological therapy. Further therapy depends on the severity of the initial symptoms, the presence of side effects and the motivation of the patient. If pharmacotherapy is not successful or additional therapy desirable, electrical neuromodulation can be added for another period of 6 weeks for up to 3-6 months considering firstly non-invasive therapeutic modalities before recommending invasive sacral neuromodulation. Neuromodulation should be discussed before more invasive procedures, such as bladder augmentation, are considered. There are potentially promising new therapies on the horizon for the OAB. The use of intravesical agents, which decrease the afferent-sensory input, may herald a new therapeutic paradigm for the treatment of the OAB. Refinements in the techniques and the delivery vehicle for electrical stimulation may offer an even less invasive method of neuromodulation. Finally, ongoing research in biotechnology and tissue engineering may produce a functional, stable, compatible tissue substitute suitable for bladder augmentation. The objectives are (1) to define the overactive bladder, (2) to understand the prevalence of the overactive bladder and its impact on the quality of life, (3) to review the basic evaluation of the patient with symptoms suggestive of the overactive bladder and how to differentiate the overactive bladder from other types of urinary dysfunction, and (4) to understand the rationale for and the approach to therapy for the overactive bladder.


The European Accessible Information Network (EUAIN) is currently examining issues relating to accessible content processing. With the support of key European publishers, it has been possible to begin to identify key trends in accessible content processing which are likely to be of some importance in the coming years. This paper also describes some related standards activities and identifies a need for accessibility to be embedded within content creation and production processes at the earliest stages.


Abstract:"Suffering is that arduous, infrequent opening without reservations to the anomalous that resides within us, to that inexhaustible heteronomy that constitutes us and from which we try to escape by seeking shelter in intolerance for what is different, in submission to dogma, through servitude to the similar" (Kovadloff, 2008, p. 11).This article addresses the theme of suffering in relation to the capacity for agency by examining the experiences of a parish priest who played a key role in the emergence of Christian Base Communities in the central-western region of Mexico, particularly on the southern periphery of Guadalajara, Jalisco, during the 1970s, 1980s, and early 1990s. Padre Juan's involvement led him to promote political and organizational process grounded in reclaiming "the preferential option for the poor." Christian Base Communities in Guadalajara functioned as catalysts of a diverse range of collective actions, while also serving as venues for ongoing conflict between conservative and progressive clergy responding to the proposal of a Church "incarnated in social reality" put forth by the Second Vatican Council. Padre Juan's adherence to this alternative movement has come with the consequences of persecution, exclusion, and punishment. His stances and practices have resulted in continual conflict with the Church hierarchy, placing him in a position of suffering, but hopeful, interconnectedness with the religious institution.


Immunochemical study of blood sera from mice immunized with rabbit immunoglobulins (AT1) to herpes simplex virus type I (HSV-I) detected antiidiotypic antibodies AT2 in five of them (antiID). The affinity-purified antiID were shown to induce in syngeneic mice production of antibody (AT3) interacting with HSV-I antigen. In vitro, antiID (AT3) were shown to neutralize the virus activity. Analysis of the results suggests that the antiID imitate the antigenic properties of HSV-I and can induce specific immune response.


This research aims at investigating the impact of the identity change on consumption. An identity change is defined as the acquisition of a new identity after a life change event. For instance after the birth of the first child the new identity as parent is acquired and a woman can define herself as a mother. Despite marketing research recognizes that individuals' identity is unstable and susceptible to change, the investigation of the identity change is still in its infancy. Furthermore, marketing research did not investigate the contextual effect of the new as well as the old identity on individuals' reaction toward identity-marketing. In order words, whether people show a more favorable reaction toward product related to their new or their old identities after an identity change is still unclear. In order to answer this question, five studies are conducted. Results show that when the new identity substitutes the old one, people show a more positive reaction toward new-identity related products, while when the new identity is added to the old ones, people show a more positive reaction toward old-identity related products. This is the case also when the new identity accounts for high levels of identification (study three) and when the old identity is squeezed by the new one (studies four and five). A new concept, the identity strain, is then introduced and discussed.


This PhD by practice comprises a body of work accompanied by written critical commentary. A six part collage composition produced over a period of three years is the core of this project, dimensions 4900 x 1524 mm. The research project interrogates creative studio practice with the specific intention of articulating the artistic thinking of collagegrids and to present this to a wider audience. Identified as mutually exclusive or conflicting discourses in the history of art, grids and collage exist in parallel, each having its own discourse, strategy and associations. This PhD project investigates the interplay between collage and grids in collagegrids practice, interrogating the through of thinking through art, where the insights lie in how they function together, in the how rather than the what of art practice. The project methodology is hybrid, employing Active Documentation of the PhD iteration of collagegrids to record the processes, theoretical, personal and practical involved in a 'complexity of overlap' of practice. It utilises contextual study with which to elucidate the mode of constructive composition at the crux of collagegrids and to situate the practice and its conceptual framework in the wider field of knowledge. The project, collagegrids: thinking it through argues for a materially anchored thinking process, a non-linear logic of association, where meaning lies in the links and connections made in resolving tensions that arise in the juxtaposition of difference. This argument is made by testing theories of cognition through the new domain of collagegrids. By correlating existing research methods the project forms a new paradigm for artistic research, which recognises both empirical and embodied philosophies, and uses a connective model in the presentation of the exegesis. Finally it articulates a fundamentally constructive way of world-making, introducing to the linguistically based theory of metaphor, a materially anchored cognitive processing of artwork, which is a new contribution to thinking and telling the cognition of creative practice.


Abstract. High uncertainties affect black carbon (BC) emissions, and, despite its important impact on air pollution and climate, very few BC emissions evaluations are found in the literature. This paper presents a novel approach, based on airborne measurements across the Paris, France, plume, developed in order to evaluate BC and NOx emissions at the scale of a whole agglomeration. The methodology consists in integrating, for each transect, across the plume observed and simulated concentrations above background. This allows for several error sources (e.g., representativeness, chemistry, plume lateral dispersion) to be minimized in the model used. The procedure is applied with the CHIMERE chemistry-transport model to three inventories – the EMEP inventory and the so-called TNO and TNO-MP inventories – over the month of July 2009. Various systematic uncertainty sources both in the model (e.g., boundary layer height, vertical mixing, deposition) and in observations (e.g., BC nature) are discussed and quantified, notably through sensitivity tests. Large uncertainty values are determined in our results, which limits the usefulness of the method to rather strongly erroneous emission inventories. A statistically significant (but moderate) overestimation is obtained for the TNO BC emissions and the EMEP and TNO-MP NOx emissions, as well as for the BC / NOx emission ratio in TNO-MP. The benefit of the airborne approach is discussed through a comparison with the BC / NOx ratio at a ground site in Paris, which additionally suggests a spatially heterogeneous error in BC emissions over the agglomeration.


This paper describes the design and implementation of a model-based sonar servoing control scheme for Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs). The proposed controller is designed for autonomous surveillance of underwater structures and it is robust against external disturbances and parametric uncertainties in the AUV dynamic model. The sensor suite includes a Multi-beam Imaging Sonar which provides measurements to a RANSAC-based algorithm for structure detection and pose estimation of the vehicle with respect to the structure. The sonar-based pose estimation is properly fused with the rest of the state measurements provided by a navigation module and the resulted state vector is incorporated as feedback to the controller. The proposed control scheme has analytically guaranteed stability and convergence properties, while its applicability and performance are experimentally verified using the Nessie VI AUV in the presence of external disturbances (medium height waves).


Background: Hand knob infarction is a well-known stroke entity. Based on very limited data, embolic stroke mechanism has been considered the most frequent cause; however, prognosis is considered good. We wanted to shed more light on this phenomenon by assessing a cohort of patients referred to a general hospital stroke unit. Methods: Every subject admitted to our stroke unit with an acute isolated hand paresis in the period from 2007 to 2012 was identified prospectively. Patients who had suffered from a stroke in the hand motor cortex or an adjacent area explaining the acute loss of hand function were included in the study. The Trial of Org 10172 in Acute Stroke Treatment criteria were used to classify subtypes of stroke according to etiology. The patients were followed up during autumn 2012. Results: Seventeen subjects were admitted, but in 2 of them symptoms were transitory and magnetic resonance imaging was negative. Two patients were excluded due to persisting sensory deficits. The remaining 13 (11 males and 2 females) patients with an average age of 62.9 (±13.4) years were included, representing 1.5% of all ischemic strokes diagnosed at the stroke unit in the given period. All patients were right-handed, and the dominant hand was affected only in 4 (31%). The average Medical Research Council's scale score was 3.1 (±1.4) on admission, and classified as bad. On follow-up, which occurred on average 29.8 (±19.8) months after the stroke, the score was 4.6 (±0.4) and was classified as fair to good. No patient experienced a new stroke. The outcome was good to excellent in 10 patients (77%). Two patients died (15%), 1 of probable cardiac arrest and 1 of unknown cause. One patient did not participate in the follow-up. The majority of patients had evidence of both small artery (77%) and large artery (85%) disease. On average, there were 1.6 (±0.4) new ischemic lesions per patient. Six patients had a solitary lesion (46%). In 5 of them, small artery occlusion was considered the probable stroke mechanism. In 4 cases, the stroke was of undetermined etiology. Three patients had atrial fibrillation, and in 2 of them cardioembolism was the probable stroke mechanism. Two patients with definite large artery atherosclerosis underwent carotid endarterectomy, and 1 of them had comorbid atrial fibrillation. Conclusion: Strokes causing isolated hand paresis seem to have a heterogeneous etiology. Prognosis regarding hand function is good, but long-term outcome depends on stroke etiology and secondary prophylaxis.


A research was conducted to identify and to descript nematode worm genera as parasite from gastrointestinal tract of local consumption frogs. Fifty five adult Fejervarya cancrivora and seventy Limnonectes macrodon were collected from three subdistricts in Bogor Residence; Caringin, Cibatok, and Cimanggis. The research was also carried out to quantify prevalence nematode that infest both of frogs and to observe relationship between prevalence level and resource area also spesies of its. Nematode generas which found in F. cancrivora were identified as Amplicaecum, Camallanus, Aplectana, Cosmocerca, Cosmocercella,and Spinicauda. The same generas infested L. macrodon for exception Camallanus. Fejervarya cancrivora nematode prevalence level was higher than L. macrodon in all subdistricts. Its prevalence level weren't influenced by resource area. But, there was significant correlation between prevalence level and species of frogs (α=0,01 and α=0,05). The differences of gastrointestinal nematode infestation are related to differences in habitat and food type of frogs also life cycle of nematodes.


This study proposes a three-dimensional size detection system for inerratic magnetic sheets according to specific size parameter requirements, such as the volume of the industrial micro magnetic sheet. Based on the noise interference generated by the corresponding detection environment of the magnetic sheet, a hybrid filtering method for the inerratic magnetic sheet is also proposed here, which effectively implements denoising filtering. In the image edge detection module, the edge detection operator most suitable for detecting image edge extraction is selected, and in order to realize the inerratic shape detection in Hough transform, the measurement function of size parameters (including the top surface radius, tilt angle of the profile and top surface, profile thickness, and volume) for the micro cylinder magnetic sheet are designed and implemented. Measurement data, gathered through repeated experiments, builds a more effective detection system for magnetic sheet size than traditional methods at the millimeter level.


Background: The safety and efficacy of warfarin depend on maintaining the international normalized ratio (INR) in an established range. Objective: The purpose was to determine whether a coordinated pharmacist-led approach improved percentage of INRs in therapeutic range in comparison to a physician-led anticoagulation management service (AMS). Methods: A retrospective chart review was conducted for patients at a multisite primary care organization. INR data for patients receiving warfarin management by a physician were collected from December 1, 2009 to May 31, 2010. These were compared to INR results from December 1, 2010 to May 31, 2011, during which patients received warfarin management from a pharmacist. The primary end points were percentage of INRs within a goal range of 2.0 to 3.0 and an expanded goal range of 1.8 to 3.2 for the physician-led group versus the pharmacist-led group. Results: The percentage of INR results within the goal range (2.0-3.0) was greater among patients in the pharmacist-led group (n = .130) than the physician-led group (n = 96; 57.5% vs 50.0%, respectively; P = .0004). The percentage of INR results <1.5 (7.3% vs 5.1%) and >3.5 (11.4% vs 7.1%) was also statistically significant in favor of the pharmacist-led AMS, with P values of .03 and .0004, respectively. Conclusion: A pharmacist-led AMS improved the percentage of INRs in range, with significantly less out-of-range results.


A new novobiocin-susceptible species of the genus Staphylococcus, Staphylococcus pasteuri, is described on the basis of the results of a study of seven strains isolated from human, animal, and food specimens. DNA relatedness experiments (S1 nuclease method) showed that these strains form a homogeneous genomic species related at DNA homology levels of 2 to 13% to 27 type strains representing known Staphylococcus species. The use of a method based on rRNA gene restriction site polymorphism provides clear-cut distinction between this new species and Staphylococcus warneri, which is the most similar species phenotypically. The type strain of the new species is strain BM9357 (= ATCC 51129).


Abstract. In February and March of 2011, the Global Hawk unmanned aircraft system (UAS) was deployed over the Pacific Ocean and the Arctic during the Winter Storms and Pacific Atmospheric Rivers (WISPAR) field campaign. The WISPAR science missions were designed to (1) mprove our understanding of Pacific weather systems and the polar atmosphere; (2) evaluate operational use of unmanned aircraft for investigating these atmospheric events; and (3) demonstrate operational and research applications of a UAS dropsonde system at high latitudes. Dropsondes deployed from the Global Hawk successfully obtained high-resolution profiles of temperature, pressure, humidity, and wind information between the stratosphere and surface. The 35 m wingspan Global Hawk, which can soar for ~ 31 h at altitudes up to ~ 20 km, was remotely operated from NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base (AFB) in California. During the 25 h polar flight on 9–10 March 2011, the Global Hawk released 35 sondes between the North Slope of Alaska and 85° N latitude, marking the first UAS Arctic dropsonde mission of its kind. The polar flight transected an unusually cold polar vortex, notable for an associated record-level Arctic ozone loss, and documented polar boundary layer variations over a sizable ocean–ice lead feature. Comparison of dropsonde observations with atmospheric reanalyses reveal that, for this day, large-scale structures such as the polar vortex and air masses are captured by the reanalyses, while smaller-scale features, including low-level jets and inversion depths, are mischaracterized. The successful Arctic dropsonde deployment demonstrates the capability of the Global Hawk to conduct operations in harsh, remote regions. The limited comparison with other measurements and reanalyses highlights the potential value of Arctic atmospheric dropsonde observations where routine in situ measurements are practically nonexistent.


This paper presents numerical simulation of a Spring-loaded Inverted Pendulum (SLIP) for analyzing the stability of robot hopping. In general, the SLIP is extensively used when the most simplified model is considered for a running animal or robot. It is because the conceptual model captures the essential hopping behavior in the sagittal plane. In the case of this paper, the conceptual model is adopted for the stability study for a robotic hopping machine. Due to the dynamical complexity of the hopping machine, the most simplified model is desired. Furthermore, the equations of motion are not integrable and analytical solutions cannot be obtained under the dynamical condition that the robot's leg is in contact with the ground. To avoid these mathematical problems, therefore, numerical simulation is performed. The phase plane and space plots of the vertical position of the SLIP are obtained using simulation results, and the stability of robot hopping is discussed in the context of the limit cycle.


Abstract Several master faults in the North Sea basin tend to flatten to give low dips at depth, and in this sense form detachments in the rift system. Such low angle faults are identified in the western flank of the Viking Graben (Tampen Spur area), where they occur as both intra- and supra-basement detachments. Interference between detachments and steeper faults results in ramp-flat-ramp geometries. In the eastern part of the Gullfaks fault block, a supra-basement detachment is probably associated with anomalously high late Jurassic extension in the Gullfaks Field area. The low-angle Gullfaks detachment also helps explain the presence of sets of parallel east-dipping faults (domino systems), a common feature in the collapsed hanging wall to low-angle detachments. Similar detachments probably exist beneath the Gullfaks Sør block and SE of the Visund fault block. All of these are interpreted as late Jurassic collapse structures directly related to active late Jurassic extensional tectonics. Strong indications of intra-basement detachments are also found in the Tampen Spur area. These detachments are formed by major normal faults that flatten in the basement, as seen beneath the Visund fault block. This geometry may to some extent be related to fault rotation during repeated phases of extension in the Palaeozoic-Early Mesozoic period. However, abrupt flattening of some of the faults in the basement indicates that the master faults follow some of the many pre-existing mechanically weak zones in the basement, primarily low-angle Devonian extensional shear zones or Caledonian thrusts.


Due to their inherent BW capacity, optical interconnect (OI) offers a means of replacement to
BW limited copper as bottlenecks begin to appear within the various interconnect levels of
electronics systems. Low-cost optically enabled printed circuit boards are a key milestone on
many electronics roadmaps, e.g. iNEMI. Current OI solutions found in industry are based upon
optical fibres and are capable of providing a suitable platform for inter-board applications
especially on the backplane. However, to allow component assembly onto high BW
interconnects, an integral requirement for intra-board applications, optically enabled printed
circuit boards containing waveguides are essential.
Major barriers to the deployment of optical printed circuit boards include the compatibility of
the technique, the cost of acquiring OI and the optical power budget. The purpose of this PhD
research programme is to explore suitable techniques to address these barriers, primarily by
means of laser material processing using UV and IR source lasers namely 248 nm KrF
Excimer, 355 nm UV Nd:YAG and 10.6 µm IR CO2. The use of these three main lasers, the
trio of which dominates most PCB production assembly, provides underpinning drive for the
deployment of this technology into the industry at a very low cost without the need for any
additional system or system modification. It further provides trade-offs among the suitable
candidates in terms of processing speed, cost and quality of waveguides that could be achieved.
This thesis presents the context of the research and the underlying governing science, i.e.
theoretical analysis, involving laser-matter interactions. Experimental investigation of thermal
(or pyrolitic) and bond-breaking (or photolytic) nature of laser ablation was studied in relation
to each of the chosen lasers with regression analysis used to explain the experimental results.
Optimal parameters necessary for achieving minimum Heat Affected Zone (HAZ) and
surface/wall roughness were explored, both of which are key to achieving low loss waveguides.
While photochemical dominance – a function of wavelength and pulse duration – is desired in
laser ablation of photopolymers, the author has been able to find out that photothermallyprocessed
materials, for example at 10.6 µm, can also provide desirable waveguides.
Although there are literature information detailing the effect of certain parameters such as
fluence, pulse repetition rate, pulse duration and wavelength among others, in relation to the
etch rate of different materials, the machining of new materials requires new data to be
obtained. In fact various models are available to try to explain the laser-matter interaction in a
mathematical way, but these cannot be taken universally as they are deficient to general
applications. For this reason, experimental optimisation appears to be the logical way forward
at this stage of the research and thus requiring material-system characterisation to be conducted
for each case thereby forming an integral achievement of this research.
In this work, laser ablation of a single-layer optical polymer (Truemode™) multimode
waveguides were successfully demonstrated using the aforementioned chosen lasers, thus
providing opportunities for rapid deployment of OI to the PCB manufacturing industry.
Truemode™ was chosen as it provides a very low absorption loss value < 0.04 dB/cm at 850
nm datacom wavelength used for VSR interconnections – a key to optical power budget – and
its compatibility with current PCB fabrication processes. A wet-Truemode™ formulation was
used which required that optical polymer layer on an FR4 substrate be formed using spin
coating and then UV-cured in a nitrogen oxygen-free chamber. Layer thickness, chiefly
influenced by spinning speed and duration, was studied in order to meet the optical layer
thickness requirement for multimode (typically > 9 µm) waveguides. Two alternative
polymers, namely polysiloxane-based photopolymer (OE4140 and OE 4141) from Dow
Corning and PMMA, were sparingly utilized at some point in the research, mainly during laser
machining using UV Nd:YAG and CO2 lasers.
While Excimer laser was widely considered for polymer waveguide due to its high quality
potential, the successful fabrication at 10.6 µm IR and 355 nm UV wavelengths and at
relatively low propagation loss at datacom wavelength of 850 nm (estimated to be < 1.5
dB/cm) were unprecedented. The author considered further reduction in the optical loss by
looking at the effect of fluence, power, pulse repetition rate, speed and optical density on the
achievable propagation but found no direct relationship between these parameters; it is
therefore concluded that process optimisation is the best practice. In addition, a novel in-plane
45-degree coupling mirror fabrication using Excimer laser ablation was demonstrated for the
first time, which was considered to be vital for communication between chips (or other suitable
components) at board-level.


The emergence of Islamic viewpoints on economic issues under the
umbrella of Islamic economics has captivated much interest especially in its practical
manifestation in Islamic banking and finance. In light of the failure of mainstream
economics to address many pressing issues, and hence the need for alternative views,
this paper offers assessments of Islamic economics whether (i) it is relevant to this
need, (ii) it has progressed to the extent that it has been made to become relevant, and
(iii) it is also in need of reform. While I argue that Islamic economics is relevant, it falls
short of expectations on the second issue. The major reasons being: (a) the lack of
progress in Islamic economics theory, (b) the similarity of Islamic economic practices
in the forms of Islamic finance to conventional finance, and (c) its limited ability thus
far to embrace multi-perspective views. On the basis of these, I conclude that Islamic
economics is also in need of reform.


There have been many reports of cases in which chronic increases in the numbers of natural killer (NK) cells have been reported. Whether this is reactive or neoplastic in nature has been debated. We report the first case of an aggressive NK cell leukemia in an adult with establishment of an NK cell line. A 70-year-old man had two spontaneous episodes of jejunal perforation and one month later developed a severe febrile illness with moderate splenomegaly. Hemoglobin was 13.1 g/L, and WBC count was 1.8 X 10(9)/L with 2% large granular lymphocytes (LGLs). Platelet count was 143 X 10(9)/L; prothrombin time (PT) and partial thromboplastin time (PTT) were normal. Bone marrow was infiltrated with 25% to 30% LGLs; serum lysozyme was normal. Serum LDH was initially 1,191 U/L and rose to 6,408 (normal 240 to 525 U/L). Ten days later, the WBC count increased to 99.9 X 10(9)/L with 70% LGL cells; the PT and PTT increased, and the platelet count dropped. No bacterial or viral cause of fever was identified. The cells from peripheral blood were LGLs that stained positively for acid phosphatase. All of the LGLs reacted with a monoclonal antibody reactive with NK cells (LEU-11b). Functionally, the patient's peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMs) demonstrated 100 times more lytic activity against K562 tumor cell lines than did normal PBMs. The patient's PBMs were propagated in vitro. The cultured cells showed the morphological, cytochemical, immunological, and functional characteristics of NK cells. In addition, partial trisomy involving chromosome 1 q with duplication in regions of q21 through q31 was observed in all metaphases analyzed. The extra chromosome 1q with duplication in regions q21 through q31 was translocated to the p-terminal of chromosome 5. One percent to 5% of normal PBMs comprise NK cells; in most cases, leukemias arise from normal phenotypic counterparts. This case demonstrated that aggressive NK cell leukemia may occur in adults. In addition, the chromosomal abnormalities suggest that this is not a reactive process but a malignancy.


This paper proposed a feasible system for language identification (LID) and designed four different GMM-training approaches to improve the system performance by accuracy recognition rates. In our experiment, we used these model-training approaches to evaluation on the system performance, which utilizes Linear Prediction Cepstrum Coefficients (LPCC) and Gaussian Mixture Model (GMM), rely on a 10-language task. From all the results, we found an optimal approach for training GMM in LID system, which achieves high accuracy of 85.25%, and indicated that different GMM-training approaches have different performances for LID system, but an advisable training method that proposed in our paper can greatly improve the system performance.


Fiduciary guarantee is one of the specific material guarantees that develops in practice. Since the promulgation of the provisions of Law No. 42 of 1999 concerning Fiduciary Guarantees, officially the fiduciary obtains certainty regarding the mastery of moving objects in the hands of the debtor. One certainty regulated by Law No. 42 of 1999 concerning Fiduciary Assurance is a matter of execution where creditors can choose the execution model that is considered to be the most beneficial for both parties. One of the rights of the creditor if he considers the debtor to be in breach of promise is to make a direct withdrawal to the debtor of the object of guarantee and if necessary requesting the assistance of the security apparatus is a breakthrough and convenience provided by the provisions of Article 30 of Law No. 42 of 1999 concerning Fiduciary Guarantees. This direct withdrawal will certainly be a problem if the object of collateral is used for productive purposes which results in the debtor not being able to run his business because he has lost the object of guarantee in a fiduciary agreement. This study aims to identify, understand and analyze the ratio legis of fiduciary guarantee execution as stipulated in article 30 of Law No. 42 of 1999 concerning justice-based Fiduciary Guarantees and the form of regulation of protection of the rights of debtors with productive credit towards the execution of fiduciary guarantees according to the provisions of article 30 of Law No. 42 of 1999 Of Justice-based Fiduciary Guarantees. This study is normative research by carrying out several approaches, namely the legislative approach, case approach, historical approach, and comparative approach. The results of this review reveal that the beginning of the purpose of the Act No. 42 of 1999 concerning Fiduciary Guarantees is in the context of fulfilling capital through an object as a guarantee object, but in its development credit is also intended for satisfying needs or non-productive, so that the treatment between productive credit and productive credit is necessary where productive loans should be provided (stay ) or the opportunity to be able to pay off the debt, even though the distribution limit has ended or in other words the creditor does not directly use his right to execute the object of fiduciary collateral directly as stipulated in article 30 of Law No. 42 of 1999 concerning Fiduciary Guarantees without providing the opportunity for productive debtors to repay their debts. Keywords : Fiduciary, Productive Credit, Execution. DOI : 10.7176/JLPG/83-09 Publication date :March 31 st 2019


Aortic rings of Sprague-Dawley rats developed reproducible contractions in Ca-free, nominally Mg-free (2 microM), Na-free, K solution, but not in Ca-free, nominally Mg-free, K-free, Na solution. Further reduction of the residual Mg by 0.5 mM EDTA in the above solutions potentiated this K-induced contraction and allowed the development of a relatively small contraction in Na-rich medium, respectively. The amplitude of EDTA-enhanced, K-induced contraction was almost the same as the amplitude of contraction induced in K-rich ([K] = 142 mM), Ca-containing (2.5 mM) solution. Such K-induced contraction was completely inhibited by 38 mM Na and by 3 mM of Mg (and Ni or Cd). Nifedipine (1 microM) also inhibited aortic smooth muscle contraction produced in K-EDTA, Ca-free solution. Modulators of Ca in sarcoplasmic reticulum (ryanodine, caffeine and norephinephrine), Ca-ionophore (A-23187) and protein kinase C inhibitor (Calphostin C) had no effect on EDTA-enhanced, K-induced contraction. It was suggested that K-induced contraction in rat aorta is not dependent on the increase in cytosolic Ca following membrane depolarization, is not a result of the release of Ca from intracellular stores, and is not due to change of Ca sensitivity upon the activation of protein kinase C. We propose that the competition of K for Mg and Na at external binding sites on the plasma membranes of the smooth muscle cells is primarily responsible for the development of vascular contraction.


Farmed fish sometimes escape and enter natural environments, where they mix with wild fish populations and can have negative effects. Marking farmed fish is a prerequisite for the identification of the origin of escapees and for guiding technical investigations to determine the cause of an escape event and improve farming practices. We tested transgenerational marking with enriched stable isotopes to assess its effectiveness as an accurate, feasible and cost-effective marking method for Atlantic salmon Salmo salar grown in sea-cage aquaculture. We injected a combination of 7 stable isotopes (134Ba, 135Ba, 136Ba, 137Ba, 86Sr, 87Sr and 26Mg) at 4 different concentrations (2, 0.2, 0.02 and 0.002 μg g−1 broodfish) into the abdominal cavity of female Atlantic salmon broodstock. Marking success was assessed in the otoliths of the resulting yolk sac larvae using laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Marking was 100% successful with Ba isotopes at concentrations as low as 0.002 μg and for Sr isotopes at 2 μg, when at least 3 wk had passed between the day of injection and spawning. Our results demonstrate that 63 unique fingerprint marks can be made at a low cost using enriched isotopes of Ba (US$0.0002−0.002 mark−1) and Sr (US$0.05−0.13 mark−1). Compared to other mass marking techniques, transgenerational marking of farmed salmon is an economically feasible method for tracing escapees with similarly low costs to delivery by egg bathing or vaccines, and an order of magnitude or more lower than other conventional marking methods.


Strong forces of competition and globalisation have created awareness and an urgency to focus on how an organisation controls and nurtures its intellectual capital. The knowledge concept and its management have gained currency and momentum as technology has enabled thoughts and ideas to be more easily generated and distributed. The knowledge management debate has relevance for all stakeholders involved in healthcare. As a contribution to this debate, this paper describes various knowledge domains at the different levels of healthcare organisations. The paper uses Polanyi's knowledge framework to identify issues that need to be considered to ensure knowledge can be progressively applied to the continuous improvement of health services whilst safeguarding the rights of individuals. Knowledge management has received the attention of academics and managers over the years with varying degrees of intensity and enthusiasm. This paper will first provide a brief background on the subject. This background will provide a basis on which to examine knowledge management from a health perspective. A framework suggesting knowledge domains will be introduced to enable discussion on the issues that healthcare managers face in gaining a better understanding of the dynamics of knowledge flows in the health environment. The purpose of the paper is to provide a conceptual basis that will stimulate future research and discussion on how knowledge is managed in a healthcare setting.


In this work the spectroscopic performance of a pnCCD detector in the ultra-hard energy range between 40 and 140 keV is tested by means of an energy-dispersive Laue diffraction experiment on a GaAs crystal. About 100 Bragg peaks were collected in a single-shot exposure of the arbitrarily oriented sample to white synchrotron radiation provided by a wiggler at BESSY II and resolved in a large reciprocal-space volume. The positions and energies of individual Laue spots could be determined with a spatial accuracy of less than one pixel and a relative energy resolution better than 1%. In this way the unit-cell parameters of GaAs were extracted with an accuracy of 0.5%, allowing for a complete indexing of the recorded Laue pattern. Despite the low quantum efficiency of the pnCCD (below 7%), experimental structure factors could be obtained from the three-dimensional data sets, taking into account photoelectric absorption as well as Compton scattering processes inside the detector. The agreement between measured and theoretical kinematical structure factors calculated from the known crystal structure is of the order of 10%. The results of this experiment demonstrate the potential of pnCCD detectors for applications in X-ray structure analysis using the complete energy spectrum of synchrotron radiation.


The notion of finding a solution that is approximately optimal with high probability was recently introduced to the field of heuristic search,formalized as Probably Approximately Correct Heuristic Search, or PAC search in short. A big challenge when constructing a PAC search algorithm is to identify when a given solution achieves the desired sub-optimality with the required confidence, allowing the search to halt and return the incumbent solution. In this paper we propose two novel methods for identifying when a PAC search can halt. Unlike previous work, the new methods provided in this paper become more knowledgeable as the search progresses. This can speedup the search, since the search can halt earlier with the proposed methods and still keeping the desired PAC solution quality guarantees.Experimental results indeed show a substantial speedup of the search in comparison to the previous approach for PAC search.


The use of spectrofluorimetry to determine the fluorescent derivative of the insecticide promecarb, following hydrolysis to the corresponding phenol in basic media and subsequent coupling with the labelling agent dansyl chloride, is described and discussed. A study of media of different basicity and of different temperatures for both reactions gave optimum conditions of 20 min for the hydrolysis reaction and 10 min for the labelling reaction at 55 degrees C in 0.05 mol dm-3 sodium hydrogen carbonate solution with a reagent to insecticide ratio of 12:1. The effect of the solvent on the formation of the dansyl derivative and on the extraction process was studied using nine and seven solvents, respectively. The use of a mixture of acetone and water (50 + 50, v/v) and an extraction into cyclohexane gave the best results. The minimum detectable concentration of promecarb in the experimental assays was 100 ng ml-1. The error and relative standard deviation at a concentration level of 0.6 micrograms ml-1 were 9.7 and 10.9%, respectively. Air samples containing promecarb at different concentration levels were analysed.


The Symphony study showed that at 1 year posttransplant, a regimen based on daclizumab induction, 2 g mycophenolate mofetil (MMF), low‐dose tacrolimus and steroids resulted in better renal function and lower acute rejection and graft loss rates compared with three other regimens: two with low‐doses of cyclosporine or sirolimus instead of tacrolimus and one with no induction and standard cyclosporine dosage. This is an observational follow‐up for 2 additional years with the same endpoints as the core study. Overall, 958 patients participated in the follow‐up. During the study, many patients changed their immunosuppressive regimen (e.g. switched from sirolimus to tacrolimus), but the vast majority (95%) remained on MMF. During the follow‐up, renal function remained stable (mean change: −0.6 ml/min), and rates of death, graft loss and acute rejection were low (all about 1% per year). The MMF and low‐dose tacrolimus arm continued to have the highest GFR (68.6 ± 23.8 ml/min vs. 65.9 ± 26.2 ml/min in the standard‐dose cyclosporine, 64.0 ± 23.1 ml/min in the low‐dose cyclosporine and 65.3 ± 26.2 ml/min in the low‐dose sirolimus arm), but the difference with the other arms was not significant (p = 0.17 in an overall test and 0.077, 0.039 and 0.11, respectively, in pair‐wise tests). The MMF and low‐dose tacrolimus arm also had the highest graft survival rate, but with reduced differences between groups over time, and the least acute rejection rate. In the Symphony study, the largest ever prospective study in de novo kidney transplantation, over 3 years, daclizumab induction, MMF, steroids and low‐dose tacrolimus proved highly efficacious, without the negative effects on renal function commonly reported for standard CNI regimens.