Although researchers have achieved some success in effective nature of science (NOS) teaching, helping teachers teach NOS continues to be a great challenge. The development of an educative teachers' guide would provide support for NOS teaching. In this study, we explored the effects that a research-based guide had on affording elementary school teachers' NOS teaching and on improving their students' understanding of NOS, and investigated key features for designing a NOS teachers' guide. The design of the teachers' guide was based mainly on (1) criteria pertaining to educative curriculum materials, (2) previous research concerning teachers' guides as facilitators of science teachers, and (3) feedback from participants of NOS professional-development workshops. Our study sampled 10 teachers who implemented the NOS-curriculum material. Six of them (Group A) had NOS-learning experience, while the other four teachers (Group B) did not. Data sources included student outcomes on NOS, teachers' teaching performance of NOS instruction, an open-ended questionnaire, and transcripts of a focus-group interview. The results indicate that the teachers' guide enables teachers to perceive changes in their beliefs, knowledge, and intention with regard to integrating NOS into the curriculum. Group B exhibited NOS-teaching performance similar to that exhibited by Group A. Group B teachers are capable of improving students' understanding of NOS through the use of the guide. Three key features for designing NOS teachers' guides are: (1) explicitly indicating NOS teaching practice, (2) building pedagogical knowledge for NOS teaching, and (3) guiding teachers' reflection and learning.


Introduction: Human oral species colonize the teeth, tongue, oral mucosa, hard palate, carious lesions and periodontal pocket.
 Nowadays, antibiotic resistance and invasive fungal infections has become a worldwide problem in public health and biofilm
 forming plays a key role in these issues.
Aim: In this study, the augmented use of Iron oxide nanoparticles and their status as emerging therapeutic applicants has motivated
 researchers to the evaluation of the antibacterial and antibiofilm effects of these nanoparticles against different oral and dental
 pathogenic species isolated from immunodeficient patients.
Materials and methods: A total of 12 immunodeficient patients' samples were collected for this study using sterilized curettes.
 Microbial and fungal agents were isolated and identified using standard methods. Commercially obtained nanoparticles were
 examined using SEM and their size and structure were documented. Then, the multi-drug resistant strains were identified and the
 effects of IONPs on biofilm associated genes of these strains were evaluated using Real time PCR method.
Results: The age range of the participants was between 37 to 49 years with mean age of 43 ± 3.21 years. Finally, two multidrug
 resistant species of C. albicans and S. mutans were identified. RT-PCR examination showed down regulated ALS2 gene expression in
 C. albicans (-6.46-fold changes, p=0.007) and GtfB gene in S. mutans (-9.26-fold changes, p=0.001) as compared to a housekeeping
 gene upon exposure to NPs.
Conclusion: Iron oxide nanoparticles showed antibiofilm activities and effectively prevent multidrug resistant C. albicans and
 S. mutans strains to form biofilms. These findings suggest that IONPs could be embedded into matrices or materials used for
 fabrication of dentures, orthodontic appliances and dentistry devices to avoid colonization, adherence and biofilm formation of
 fungal and bacterial agents.


We characterize the differential privacy guarantees of privacy mechanisms in the large-composition regime, i.e., when a privacy mechanism is sequentially applied a large number of times to sensitive data. Via exponentially tilting the privacy loss random variable, we derive a new formula for the privacy curve expressing it as a contour integral over an integration path that runs parallel to the imaginary axis with a free real-axis intercept. Then, using the method of steepest descent from mathematical physics, we demonstrate that the choice of saddle-point as the real-axis intercept yields closed-form accurate approximations of the desired contour integral. This procedure—dubbed the saddle-point accountant (SPA)—yields a constant-time accurate approximation of the privacy curve. Theoretically, our results can be viewed as a refinement of both Gaussian Differential Privacy and the moments accountant method found in R ´ enyi Differential Privacy. In practice, we demonstrate through numerical experiments that the SPA provides a precise approximation of privacy guarantees competitive with purely numerical-based methods (such as FFT-based accountants), while enjoying closed-form mathematical expressions.


We investigate the problem of enumerating source signals impinging on an array of sensors in an information theoretic framework. The conventional Bayesian information criterion (BIC) does not yield satisfactory performance for this problem because it only considers the density of the observations. In order to remedy the limitations of the BIC, we propose a generalized Bayesian information criterion (GBIC) rule by incorporating the density of the sample eigenvalues or corresponding statistics. Such a density contains extra information and complements the density of the observations in constructing the GBIC. As a result, two different expressions for the GBIC are suggested. Simulation results validate the superiority of the proposed GBIC over the conventional BIC in terms of correctly determining the number of sources while their computational costs are comparable.


With the rapid development of virtual instrument technology and network technology, the networked virtual instruments appear great potential in remote measuring and diagnosing field. This paper first presents a measuring and diagnosing system for complicated electric equipments based on PXI/VXI networked virtual instruments, then analyze the architecture of the network and the hardware, software configurations. Currently, the system has been successfully implemented in a large, complicated electric equipment for measuring and diagnosing, and achieved good results.


This study examines cooperation networks in legislative decision-making in the European Union, and asks why certain pairs of member states cooperate more intensely than others. The analysis focuses on decision-making before and after the recent historic enlargements of the EU. Signaling theory and network theory provide the theoretical framework for this study. These theories make key propositions regarding the formation of political ties and have been applied to study politics in other political systems, notably the US Congress. Some variants of signaling theory posit that political actors are more likely to form a relationship if they have similar policy preferences. Signaling theory therefore explains variation in network ties with an individual-level variable. Network theory predicts that the likelihood of a tie between two actors depends on the presence of certain relationships with other actors. For instance, two actors are more likely to cooperate if they share many transitive linkages with other actors. Network theory therefore explains the occurrence of network ties among actors with characteristics of the network in which those actors are embedded. Our study integrates and analyzes two new datasets on legislative decision-making in the EU. The first dataset contains information on cooperation networks in the Council of Ministers, the most powerful legislative body in the EU. This dataset contains information on the presence of informal cooperation within each pair of member states in six different committees in the Council of Ministers (Coreper I and five working groups). The network data refer to three different time points: 2003, when the EU had 15 member states, 2006, when the EU had 25 member states, and 2009, when the EU had enlarged to 27 member states. The second dataset contains information on the policy positions of each of the member states on 331 controversial issues raised by 125 of the most important legislative proposals from the period 1999-2009. The preference data are used to construct measures of the similarity of member states' preference profiles in the policy areas dealt with by relevant committees.


This paper was written by a Working Group of the IEEE Power System Relay Committee to provide guidance to the industry to better coordinate generator protection with generator control. The paper discusses specific calculation methods that can be used to insure generator protection and excitation system control are fully coordinated. It also specifically addresses the coordination of relays with generator full load capability and machine steady state stability limits. Because of recent blackouts, NERC (North American Electric Reliability Council) is developing standards [1–3] for the coordination of generator protection and control. This paper provides practical guidance on providing this coordination.


Performances of stigmatized or transgressive identity have the potential to transform, at one and the same time, an individual's sense of identity, the character of specific places and spaces where identity is performed and seen and responded to, shared social norms of identity, and the legal rules governing identity and identity performances in specific territorial jurisdicitons. This Article addresses these linked identity processes, focusing on the performances of same-sex couples as married. This Article first introduces the idea of gender as performance and the concepts of place and discursive space, especially as these concern the visiblity of GLBTQ individuals and issues. It then asks the question 'Where is same-sex marriage?' It considers four approaches to this place/space question. They are based on territorial jurisdiction; an aterritorial nomos of discourse; the location of a specifc wedding or civil union; and the microperformances of couples as married in everyday life. With this discussion in mind, the Article argues that we too often overlook the function of the places and spaces in which people must interact around identity. 'Asking the place/space question' systematically would enrich our theory, doctrine, and practice. We might put to better use the insights of several disciplines that consider identity as microperformance. In addition, asking the place/space question illuminates how broad claims to 'equal citizenship' are brought to bear on specific controversies and interactions that exclude or stigmatize individuals. Marriage is one practice of citizenship, and exclusion from marriage creates a sense of second-class status. More generally, GLBTQ folk face exclusion or stigmatization in a wide variety of places and spaces. Their claims of a right to membership are mediated through a number of disparate legal doctrines that address specific acts of exclusion or stigmatization as they occur in various types of places and spaces. We can use the place/space question to develop a tiered description of the praxis of deploying an assortment of legal doctrines to challenge this host of specific acts of exclusion, in the service of an overarching sense of inclusive citizenship.


In this paper, the texture feature "coarseness" is modelled by means of fuzzy sets, relating representative coarseness measures (our reference set) with the human perception of this type of feature. In our study, a wide variety of measures have been analyzed, defining unidemsional and bidimensional fuzzy set for different combination of measures. The fineness human perception has been collected from polls filled by human subjects, performing an aggregation of their assessments by means of OWA operators. Using as reference set a combination of some measures, the membership function corresponding to the fuzzy set is modelled as the function which provides the best fit of the collected data.


Yam (Dioscorea spp.) cultivation has the potentials to greatly contribute to poverty alleviation and food security, in Cameroon. The full production potentials of yams have not been exploited, leaving Cameroon with an annual production of 648,407 metric tons (MT) at the sixth position, among the six countries of the West African yam zone, with 67.3 million MT. This review highlights research gaps in the yam production chain, which can be exploited to enhance production in the country. Subsistent yam cultivation takes place in all five agro-ecological zones of the country. Although with many fluctuations, yield and production quantities have recorded a marginal net increase, since 1961. Cameroon has nine cultivated and 17 wild species, exploited by Baka pigmies for food, but there is no established genebank, thereby exposing the genotypes to genetic erosion. Cultivated species are both indigenous and exotic, and traditional seed systems (sorting, junking, and milking) are exploited for seed procurement. Minisett technology is also gaining grounds. Yam processing is very limited, and, coupled with poor conservation facilities, contributes to elevated post-harvest losses. The yam marketing system is poorly organized, and hinders farmers from reaping optimum benefit from the activity. Other major constraints to yam production include high labour demand, pests and diseases, absence of improved seeds and research neglect. There is the need for concerted efforts involving all stake holders in the yam production chain to enhance yam production in Cameroon.

 Key words: Review, yam (Dioscorea spp.), production, Cameroon.


Recent field studies suggest that dissolved MnIII should be ubiquitous at oxic/anoxic interfaces in all natural waters and may play important roles in biogeochemical redox processes. Here, we uncovered environmentally relevant synthetic phosphonate-based chelators that solubilize (hydr)oxide-bound MnIII via ligand-promoted dissolution at circum-neutral pHs and that their ability to release aqueous MnIII can be predicted based on the chemical structure. For two (hydr)oxides (manganite and birnessite) reacting with excess concentrations of pyrophosphoric acid (PP), methylenediphosphonic acid (MDP), and phosphonoacetic acid (PAA), ligand-promoted dissolution is predominant from pH 6--8, initial dissolution rates and plateau concentrations for dissolved MnIII decrease in the order PP > MDP > PAA, and at pH 5, MDP reacts equally well (with birnessite) or more efficiently (with manganite) than PP, and PAA remains the least reactive chelator. For manganite reacting with an excess concentration of aminophosphonate/carboxylate-based chelators, the aminophosphonate-containing iminodimethylenephosphonic acid and glyphosate yield appreciable amounts of dissolved MnIII, but the aminocarboxylate-based methyliminodiacetic acid yields solely dissolved MnII via MnIII reduction.


The goal of this study was to quantify feeding-current generation processes in mid to late nauplii and early copepodites of the calanoid copepod Eucalanus pileatus. Using a high-speed microscale imaging system (HSMIS) to conduct both microvideography and micro-particle image velocimetry (µPIV), free-swimming nauplii of E. pileatus were shown to use a novel 'double draw-and-cut' continuous appendage beat pattern, which is nonreciprocal, to generate a vortical feeding current at a Reynolds number of ~0.8. The feeding current consists of a core flow towards the ventral surface and 2 laterally flanking viscous vortices reinforcing the core flow. This feeding current is spatially limited with an r-3 decay, potentially reducing predation by rheotactic predators. The feeding current displaces water at ~1.0 × 106 naupliar body volumes per day towards the mouthpart zone. This would result in a clearance rate providing sufficient food at a relatively high environmental food concentration. HSMIS videos revealed that E. pileatus nauplii combine their feeding current and swimming motion to displace algae towards their mouth for capture, and can react to an incoming alga at a 300-500 µm distance away from the nearest naupliar setae, indicating remote detection presumably via chemoreception. The r-3-decay naupliar feeding current is suggested to enhance chemoreception by more effectively elongating the algal phycosphere towards the nauplius. Compared with nauplii, E. pileatus early copepodites, being larger in size and negatively buoyant, beat appendages in a more complex, intermittent pattern to generate an r-1-decay feeding current for displacing more water, indicating a trade-off among feeding, predator avoidance, and alga perception.


Abstract This paper presents a study on the distribution of hawthorns and wild roses of the Middle Noteć River Valley region in north-west (NW) Poland. The main purpose of the study was to provide a full list of wild Crataegus and Rosa taxa growing in the examined area. Field studies (2016-2017) and formerly published data, made it possible to recognize 10 taxa (including one rose hybrid within the rank of species). Four new taxa were found in the explored area during studies. These were: Crataegus rhipidophylla Gand., C. ×macrocarpa Hegetschw., C. ×subsphaericea Gand. and Rosa ×subcanina (H. Christ) Vuk.


Aim: The purpose of this study was to investigate the intervention of flash glucose monitoring system (FGM) on the diabetes related distress among young type 1 diabetes. Methods: A 12 weeks prospective study was carried out among 187 children and adolescents (aged 13-19 years, 56.7% female) with T1D, who used conventional finger-pricking method for self-testing the glucose. The trial was conducted between March 2019 and July 2019. For carrying out the study, the FGM sensors were placed on each participant, at the baseline visit, by a trained diabetes educator. In addition, a trained interviewer handed over the 28-item T1-Diabetes Distress Scale (T1-DDS) questionnaire to each patient, at the baseline and at 12 weeks of the study in order to collected Diabetes Distress (DD) score. Results: In comparison to the baseline (finger pricks), the subdomains of DD such as: powerlessness (P = 0.0001), management distress (P = 0.0001), hypoglycemia distress (P = 0.0001), negative social perceptions (P = 0.0001), eating (P = 0.0001), physician distress (P = 0.0001), friend/family distress (P = 0.0001) and total T1-DDS score (P = 0.0001) were significantly decreased at 12 weeks after switching the patients from finger pricks to flash FGM. Similarly, after switching the patients to FGM, there were notable decrease were found on the clinical variable such as HbA1c at 12 weeks. After 12 weeks, we also observed significant decrease in hypoglycemia and interestingly, the frequency of glucose checking were increased among the FGM users. Conclusion: the findings of this study evidently illustrated that after switching the patients from finger pricks to flash FGM, significant improvement were observed on DD related clinical parameters. However, further studies are required, for ascertaining whether the prolonged and consistent use of the FGM system will result in improved outcomes. Disclosure M. Aldawish: None.


Gram-negative bacteria monitor lipopolysaccharide and outer-membrane protein status to detect and respond to problems. In Gram-negative bacteria, the integrity of the outer membrane is crucial for survival and is an important aspect of resistance to antibiotics. The biogenesis of the major components, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and outer-membrane protein (OMP), of the outer membrane begins in the cytoplasmic compartment, involves export across the inner membrane and transport through the periplasm, and finally requires active insertion into the outer membrane by specialized assembly machines. Lima et al. supply results for a model in which serious defects in LPS biogenesis also create problems for OMP biogenesis, thereby producing the two signals needed to activate the σE stress response pathway. S. Lima, M. S. Guo, R. Chaba, C. A. Gross, R. T. Sauer, Dual molecular signals mediate the bacterial response to outer-membrane stress. Science 340, 837–841 (2013). [Abstract] [Full Text]


U-net is an image segmentation technique developed primarily for medical image analysis that can precisely segment images using a scarce amount of training data. These traits provide U-net with a high utility within the medical imaging community and have resulted in extensive adoption of U-net as the primary tool for segmentation tasks in medical imaging. The success of U-net is evident in its widespread use in nearly all major image modalities from CT scans and MRI to X-rays and microscopy. Furthermore, while U-net is largely a segmentation tool, there have been instances of the use of U-net in other applications. Given that U-net's potential is still increasing, this review examines the numerous developments and breakthroughs in the U-net architecture and provides observations on recent trends. We also discuss the many innovations that have advanced in deep learning and discuss how these tools facilitate U-net. In addition, we review the different image modalities and application areas that have been enhanced by U-net.In recent years, deep learning for health care is rapidly infiltrating and transforming medical fields thanks to the advances in computing power, data availability, and algorithm development. In particular, U-Net, a deep learning technique, has achieved remarkable success in medical image segmentation and has become one of the premier tools in this area. While the accomplishments of U-Net and other deep learning algorithms are evident, there still exist many challenges in medical image processing to achieve human-like performance. In this thesis, we propose a U-net architecture that integrates a residual skip connections and recurrent feedback with EfficientNet as a pretrained encoder. Residual connections help feature propagation in deep neural networks and significantly improve performance against networks with a similar number of parameters while recurrent connections ameliorate gradient learning. We also propose a second model that utilizes densely connected layers aiding deeper neural networks. And the proposed third model that incorporates fractal expansions to bypass diminishing gradients. EfficientNet is a family of powerful pretrained encoders that streamline neural network design. The use of EfficientNet as an encoder provides the network with robust feature extraction that can be used by the U-Net decoder to create highly accurate segmentation maps. The proposed networks are evaluated against state-of-the-art deep learning based segmentation techniques to demonstrate their superior performance.


This study focuses, from a bilingual perspective, on how a Swedish national test is intended to promote critical literacy and language development in line with related aims in syllabuses for Swedish and Swedish as a second language. The material consists of reading and writing assignments and prescribed classroom preparations (including inspiration material). The method of analysis is Janks' model for critical literacy education, focusing on orientations to domination, diversity, access and design. The main findings are that aspirations to critical literacy are lacking in both the reading and writing assignments and in the prescribed classroom preparations. The directions for using the inspiration material do not mention discussing power relations and there are no directions for explicit pedagogy demonstrating how the language of the inspiration story can be analysed as regards power expressions or other word choices suitable for the theme of the writing assignments.


In this work we present a novel substrate-superstrate leaky-wave THz antenna loaded with an electrostatically biased graphene sheet within the substrate. The graphene sheet position is shown to significantly affect the dispersion and radiation properties of the fundamental leaky modes supported by the structure. An optimum position for the graphene sheet is numerically found in order to maximize the pattern directivity for broadside radiation. Furthermore, the possibility to angularly scan the beam at a fixed frequency by varying the chemical potential of graphene is investigated. Numerical results confirm the bias-scanning feature, with a quasi-constant narrow pattern beamwidth.


This article reports the findings from a national survey of self-transcendent (or inspiring) media audience members in the United States. Exposure to self-transcendent content is socially significant because, theoretically, it can orient users toward matters beyond themselves, ultimately promoting connections with others and altruistic behaviors. However, to date, little is known about the daily audiences for such fare. Four primary questions guided the investigation: (a) What are the media sources and contents identified as "inspiring" by the audience? (b) Who makes up the current U.S. audience for self-transcendent media content? (c) What personality traits and viewer characteristics are associated with self-transcendent media consumption? and (d) What prosocial and altruistic behaviors are associated with self-transcendent media consumption? To address these questions, a nationally representative survey (n = 3,006) was conducted. The findings are discussed in relation to the growing body of scholarship on positive media psychology.


Rotating collectors and quartz microbalances (QMBs) are used in JET to provide time-dependent measurements of erosion and deposition. Rotation of collector discs behind apertures allows recording of the long term evolution of deposition. QMBs measure mass change via the frequency deviations of vibrating quartz crystals. These diagnostics are used to investigate erosion/deposition during JET-C carbon operation and JET-ILW (ITER-like wall) beryllium/tungsten operation. A simple geometrical model utilising experimental data is used to model the time-dependent collector deposition profiles, demonstrating good qualitative agreement with experimental results. Overall, the JET-ILW collector deposition is reduced by an order of magnitude relative to JET-C, with beryllium replacing carbon as the dominant deposit. However, contrary to JET-C, in JET-ILW there is more deposition on the outer collector than the inner. This reversal of deposition asymmetry is investigated using an analysis of QMB data and is attributed to the different chemical properties of carbon and beryllium.


Over the past few decades, many works have been devoted to designing simple chaotic systems based on analog electronic circuits. However, the same attention is not observed in digital chaotic systems. This paper presents a design of a digital chaotic system using a digit complement. This special case of fixed-point number representation allows us to reduce the silicon area and the number of logic elements to perform the arithmetic operations. The design presents a configurable number of bits, and it is based on the logistic map. The proposed circuit has been implemented on a reconfigurable hardware, FPGA Cyclone V, showing that the number of logic elements has been significantly reduced compared to other works in the literature.


In recent debates, morality or social norms have been proposed as an instrument to reduce conflict behavior. As the argument goes, moral people will not engage in socially not-tolerated behavior or, less so than amoral people. Analyzing this question in the framework of contest theory, we find that if morality can discriminate between appropriation and defense, it is an effective instrument to lower socially unwanted behavior and support the enforcement of property rights. If it cannot discriminate between these different conflict efforts, strategic effects due to a one-sided increase in morality might actually lead to total increased conflict effort in the economy.


Five hundred and fifty randomly selected healthy non-pregnant females and males aged 15 years and above were studied to determine the variation of blood pressure with body build and sex. Of the 550 respondents, 265 (48.2%) and 285 (51.8%) were males and females respectively while 60.2% were youths. Body build rose steadily with increasing age groups until middle age. In the males, it levelled up at the 6th decade of life while in the female this levelling up was at the 4th decade. Systolic and diastolic blood pressures rose with body build (p < 0.05). Body build was higher in those respondents with elevated blood pressure than in normotensives (p < 0.05). This community survey has demonstrated a similar pattern of variation of body build with blood pressure observed in European and American populations in a rural West African population.


PURPOSE
To apply voxelwise analysis of diffusion-tensor (DT) magnetic resonance (MR) tractography and T2-weighted MR lesion measurements to characterize intrinsic damage to the brain white matter (WM) tracts and the relation of this damage to the presence and location of focal lesions among the main clinical phenotypes of multiple sclerosis (MS).

MATERIALS AND METHODS
The study was conducted with institutional review board approval. Written informed consent was obtained from each participant. Brain dual-echo and DT MR images were obtained in 172 patients with MS (22 [13%] with clinically isolated syndromes [CIS] suggestive of MS, 51 [30%] with relapsing-remitting [RR] MS, 44 [26%] with secondary progressive MS, 20 [12%] with benign MS, 35 [20%] with primary progressive MS) and 46 healthy control subjects. Probability maps of the major brain WM tracts were produced. Between-group comparisons were assessed by using analysis of covariance.

RESULTS
Compared with the healthy control subjects, the patients with CIS had significantly increased (P < .001) mean diffusivity, axial diffusivity, and radial diffusivity in the majority of WM tracts. The primary progressive MS group showed diffuse increases in mean, axial, and radial diffusivity, with fractional anisotropy (FA) damage involving the majority of WM tracts. No relevant difference in diffusivity measures was found between the CIS and RR-MS groups. Compared with the benign MS group, the RR-MS group had reduced FA values in all WM tracts and decreased axial diffusivity in the majority of tracts. The secondary progressive MS group had pronounced damage to the majority of tracts and, compared with the benign MS group, pronounced FA alteration of the tracts relevant for motor impairment.

CONCLUSION
Voxelwise assessment of DT MR index abnormalities is a rewarding strategy for understanding the heterogeneity of clinical MS phenotypes.


Abstract : Pulse Detonation Engines (PDE) operating on liquid hydrocarbon fuels are limited to operating frequencies of 35 Hz due to long ignition times from a low energy ignition sources. This study shows ignition time of JP-8 can be nearly eliminated by igniting a thrust tube using a secondary detonation. A counter flow heat exchanger attached to a thrust tube utilized waste heat from the detonation process to heat JP-8 to supercritical conditions. The fuel flash vaporized when injected into the air stream of the engine. A detonation was produced by a spark in a 5 cm diameter, 1.37 m long tube. The detonation was then propagated in a 1.9 cm diameter crossover tube into the head of second thrust tube where a pressure transducer and hydroxyl (OH) sensor measured the combustion event. Branch detonation was performed over a range of equivalence ratios ranging from 1.05 to 1.3. Branch ignited thrust tubes have shown 40% improvement in deflagration to detonation transition (DDT) time and a slight improvement in DDT distance.


Despite increasing evidence that plant diversity in experimental systems may enhance ecosystem productivity, the mechanisms causing this overyielding remain debated. Here, we review studies of overyielding observed in agricultural intercropping systems, and show that a potentially important mechanism underlying such facilitation is the ability of some crop species to chemically mobilize otherwise-unavailable forms of one or more limiting soil nutrients such as phosphorus (P) and micronutrients (iron (Fe), zinc (Zn) and manganese (Mn)). Phosphorus-mobilizing crop species improve P nutrition for themselves and neighboring non-P-mobilizing species by releasing acid phosphatases, protons and/or carboxylates into the rhizosphere which increases the concentration of soluble inorganic P in soil. Similarly, on calcareous soils with a very low availability of Fe and Zn, Fe- and Zn-mobilizing species, such as graminaceous monocotyledonous and cluster-rooted species, benefit themselves, and also reduce Fe or Zn deficiency in neighboring species, by releasing chelating substances. Based on this review, we hypothesize that mobilization-based facilitative interactions may be an unsuspected, but potentially important mechanism enhancing productivity in both natural ecosystems and biodiversity experiments. We discuss cases in which nutrient mobilization might be occurring in natural ecosystems, and suggest that the nutrient mobilization hypothesis merits formal testing in natural ecosystems.


Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are considered rare, but they are one of the most common malignant mesenchymal tumors within the gastrointestinal tract, affecting 4,000 to 6,000 adults in the United States each year. Because gastrointestinal bleeding is often the initial symptom, a thorough and timely diagnostic workup is imperative to accurately diagnose a potentially deadly tumor. Endoscopic ultrasound is helpful when working through a differential diagnosis of subepithelial lesions and can help identify which mucosal layer the lesion originates from, as well as the density of the lesion; however, surgical resection is the standard of care for the treatment of a resectable nonmetastatic GIST. For recurrent GISTs, metastatic disease, or GISTs not amendable to resection, tyrosine kinase inhibitors are frequently used, with imatinib being used in the first-line setting. A multimodal treatment approach is often necessary to increase the chances of a permanent cure.


The aim of this Environmental Scan is to identify and describe the use of stereotactic ablative radiotherapy in Canada, the systems in place to manage the treatment of patients with oligometastatic cancer, and the barriers and facilitators to the implementation of this treatment. The findings are based on a literature review, 22 survey responses from stakeholders, and email- and video call-based follow-up consultations with select stakeholders. Ten Canadian jurisdictions were represented by the survey respondents, who were primarily radiation oncologists.
Stereotactic ablative radiotherapy for the treatment of oligometastatic cancer is currently being accessed in all Canadian provinces as a standard treatment option. Centres are primarily treating oligometastases in the lungs, bones (non-spine), lymph nodes, spine, and liver. Some cancer care centres have the capacity for stereotactic ablative radiotherapy to treat localized primary tumours but do not treat oligometastatic sites.
There is a variation in patient selection criteria and treatment guidelines across Canadian jurisdictions, with most facilities following institutional guidance for the processes required for patient prioritization and treatment. There is a lack of standardized consensus guidelines with common criteria.
Reported facilitators for the implementation of stereotactic ablative radiotherapy for the treatment of oligometastatic cancer include access to dedicated equipment and teams. Reported barriers to its implementation include the lack of standardized patient selection and treatment guidelines, and constraints in equipment and staff resources (including time).


Many books seek to explain the general principles of the criminal law. Crime, Reason and History stands out and alone as a book that critically and concisely analyses these principles and comes up with a different viewpoint: that the law is shaped by social history and therefore systematically structured around conflicting elements. Updated extensively to include two new chapters on loss of control and self defence and with an extended treatment of offence and defence, this new edition combines challenging and sophisticated analysis with accessibility.


Lack of funding for crisis training of security officers can be overcome if you obtain the support of other departments who will be the beneficiaries of such training. Here is how one security director obtained the funding she needed and turned this new capability into a marketing plus for the hospital.


As widely recognized, human mankind stands before the most challenging problem of preventing anthropogenic climate change. As a response to this, the European Union advocates an ambitious climate policy mix. However, there is no consensus concerning the impact of stringent environmental policy on firms' competitiveness and profitability. From the traditional 'static' point of view there are productivity losses to be expected. On the other hand, the so called Porter hypothesis suggests the opposite; i.e., due to 'dynamic' effects, ambitious climate and energy policies within the EU could actually be beneficial to firms in terms of enhanced profitability and competitiveness. Based on Sweden's manufacturing industry, our main purpose is to specifically assess the impact of the CO2 tax scheme of Sweden on firms' profit efficiency. The empirical methodology is based on stochastic frontier estimations and, in general, the results suggest we can neither reject nor confirm the Porter hypothesis across industry sectors. Therefore, we do not generally confirm the argument of stringent environmental policies having positive dynamic effects that potentially offset costs related to environmental policy.


A new semi-organic nonlinear optical thiosemicarbazide cadmium acetate (TSCA) material has been synthesized. TSCA single crystals were grown from aqueous solution by slow evaporation method. The solubility of TSCA has been determined for various temperatures. The grown crystals were characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction (XRD), FTIR, UV-Vis., thermal and second harmonic generation (SHG) analysis. Single crystal XRD study has been carried out to identify the lattice parameters. FTIR studies confirm the functional groups present in the grown crystal. Optical transmission studies have confirmed that the grown crystal is highly transparent. Thermogravimetric and differential thermal analyses reveal the good thermal stability of the material. The SHG conversion efficiency of TSCA was determined using Kurtz powder technique and found two times that of potassium dihydrogen orthophosphate (KDP).


Neurofilaments, 10 nm in diameter, from the axoplasm of the squid Loligo pealei have been isolated by a combination of sonication and Millipore filtration. The presence of neurofilaments during the isolation procedure was confirmed by negative staining and transmission electron microscopy. By use of this technique, which results in minimal or no chemical alteration of the native neurofilament proteins, it was shown that actin (43,000 daltons) and tubulin (56,000 daltons) are physically separable from intact neurofilaments. The neurofi- lament-rich retentate contained two major proteins of 200,000 and 63,000 daltons and larger polypeptides.


In this paper we study a reduced continuous model describing the local evolution of high grade gliomas - a lethal type of primary brain tumor - through the interplay of different cellular phenotypes. We show how hypoxic events, even sporadic and/or limited in space may have a crucial role on the acceleration of the growth speed of high grade gliomas. Our modeling approach is based on two cellular phenotypes one of them being more migratory and the second one more proliferative with transitions between them being driven by the local oxygen values, assumed in this simple model to be uniform. Surprisingly even acute hypoxia events (i.e. very localized in time) leading to the appearance of migratory populations have the potential of accelerating the invasion speed of the proliferative phenotype up to speeds close to those of the migratory phenotype. The high invasion speed of the tumor persists for times much longer than the lifetime of the hypoxic event and the phenomenon is observed both when the migratory cells form a persistent wave of cells located on the invasion front and when they form a evanecent wave dissapearing after a short time by decay into the more proliferative phenotype.
Our findings are obtained through numerical simulations of the model equations. We also provide a deeper mathematical analysis of some aspects of the problem such as the conditions for the existence of persistent waves of cells with a more migratory phenotype.


Analyzing high-resolution longitude-velocity (LV) diagrams of the Galactic Center observed with the Nobeyama 45-m telescope in the CO and CS line emissions, we obtain a central rotation curve of the Milky Way. We combine it with the data for the outer disk, and construct a logarithmic rotation curve of the entire Galaxy. The new rotation curve covers a wide range of radius from r ∼ 1 pc to several hundred kpc without a gap of data points. It links, for the first time, the kinematical characteristics of the Galaxy from the central black hole to the bulge, disk and dark halo. Using this grand rotation curve, we calculate the radial distribution of surface mass density in the entire Galaxy, where the radius and derived mass densities vary over a dynamical range with several orders of magnitudes. We show that the galactic bulge is deconvolved into two components: the inner (core) and main bulges. Both the two bulge components are represented by exponential density profiles, but the de Vaucouleurs law was found to fail in representing the mass profile of the galactic bulge.


This work investigates handover in hybrid light fidelity (LiFi) and wireless fidelity (WiFi) networks (HLWNets). In such a network, the handover process becomes challenging due to two main factors: i) the relatively short coverage range of a single access point (AP), and ii) the largely overlapping coverage areas of different networks. As a result, HLWNets are susceptible to frequent handovers. To reduce the handover rate, the concept of handover skipping (HS) was introduced, which enables handovers between non-adjacent APs. However, conventional HS methods rely on knowledge about the user's trajectory, which is not readily available at the AP. In this paper, a novel HS scheme is proposed on the basis of reference signal received power (RSRP) and its rate of change, with an adaptive network preference adopted. Since RSRP is commonly used in the existing handover schemes, the proposed method requires no additional signalling between the user and the AP. Simulation results show that the new method can effectively reduce unnecessary handovers, especially those between LiFi and WiFi. Compared to the standard and trajectory-based handover schemes, the proposed method improves network throughput by up to about 120% and 30%, respectively.


The equilibrium geometry and 48 vibrational normal-mode frequencies of the neutral and cationic ground state and the cationic first excited states of naphthalene isomers were calculated and characterized in the adiabatic representation by using the complete active space self-consistent field (CASSCF) and second order perturbation theory (CASPT2). Photoionization-efficiency (PIE) spectrum of molecular beam conditions in energy range 8 - 11 eV were determined by Kaiser et al. and they were analyzed using time-dependent density functional theory calculations (TDDFT). CASSCF calculations and PIE spectra simulations by one-photon excitation equations were used to optimize the cationic excited (D1) and neutral ground (S0) state structures of naphthalene isomers. The photoionization-efficiency curve was attributed to the S0  D1 electronic transition in naphthalene, and a curve origin was used at 8.14 eV. The ionization-induced geometry changes of the bases are consistent with the shapes of the corresponding molecular orbitals. The displaced harmonic oscillator approximation and Franck-Condon approximation were used to simulate the PIE curve of the D1  S0 transition of naphthalene, and the main vibronic transitions were assigned for the ππ* state. It shows that the vibronic structures were dominated by one of the xxx active totally symmetric modes, with v8 being the most crucial. This indicates that the electronic transition of the D1 state calculated in the adiabatic representation effectively includes a contribution from the adiabatic vibronic coupling through Franck-Condon factors perturbed by harmonic oscillators. The present method can adequately reproduce experimental PIE curve in the molecular beam condition.


Contents of biomorphics (ecomorphological systematics), which is suggested to consider as one of the parts of biological systematics, is characterized briefly. Basic principles of elaborating of classification of biomorphs (life forms) are exposed, and their relations to those being elaborated by other parts of systematics (phylogenetics, typology, phenetics etc) are shown.


Preliminary reliability and validity data are reported on a new, brief measure of psychiatric symptomatology. The Symptom Assessment–45 Questionnaire (SA-45) is a 45-item, patient self-report symptom inventory derived from the original Symptom Checklist-90-R (SCL-90), using cluster analytic methods. The SA-45 consists of nine 5-item scales assessing each of the same symptom domains as its parent instrument with no item overlap across domains. The vast majority of the internal consistency reliabilities for the SA-45's nine scales were in the .70s and .80s across different age and patient status samples. As expected, both adolescent and adult patient samples generally differed significantly from nonpatient control samples, and patients at treatment follow-up differed significantly from patients at intake. Moreover, depressed patients with and without psychotic features differed significantly on three scales. A cluster analysis generally supported the nine-scale structure of the inventory, but it failed to consistently support the distinction between the Paranoid Ideation and Interpersonal Sensitivity scales. Limitations to the study are noted, but overall, the initial findings support the use of the SA-45 in clinical settings. Suggestions for needed future research are presented.


This title provides a comprehensive, unified tutorial covering the most recent advances in the emerging technology of free-space optics (FSO), a field in which interest and attention continue to grow along with the number of new challenges. This book is intended as an all-inclusive source to serve the needs of those who require information about the fundamentals of FSO, as well as up-to-date advanced knowledge of the state-of-the-art in the technologies available today. This text is intended for graduate students, and will also be useful for research scientists and engineers with an interest in the field. FSO communication is a practical solution for creating a three dimensional global broadband communications grid, offering bandwidths far beyond what is possible in the Radio Frequency (RF) range. However, the attributes of atmospheric turbulence and scattering impose perennial limitations on availability and reliability of FSO links. From a systems point-of-view, this groundbreaking book provides a thorough understanding of channel behavior, which can be used to design and evaluate optimum transmission techniques that operate under realistic atmospheric conditions. Topics addressed include: FSO Physical and Statistical Models: Single/Multiple Inputs/Outputs Understanding FSO: Theory and Systems Analysis Modulation and Coding for Free-Space Optical Channels Atmospheric Mitigation and Compensation for FSO Links Non-line-of-sight (NLOS) Ultraviolet and Indoor FSO Communications FSO Platforms: UAV and Mobile Retromodulators for Free Space Data links Hybrid Optical RF Communications Free-space and Atmospheric Quantum Communications Other related topics: Chaos-based and Terahertz (THz) FSO Communications


The intraneuronal ionic composition is an important determinant of brain functioning. There is growing evidence that aberrant homeostasis of the intracellular concentration of Cl− ([Cl−]i) evokes, in addition to that of Na+ and Ca2+, robust impairments of neuronal excitability and neurotransmission and thereby neurological conditions. More specifically, understanding the mechanisms underlying regulation of [Cl−]i is crucial for deciphering the variability in GABAergic and glycinergic signaling of neurons, in both health and disease. The homeostatic level of [Cl−]i is determined by various regulatory mechanisms, including those mediated by plasma membrane Cl− channels and transporters. This review focuses on the latest advances in identification, regulation and characterization of Cl− channels and transporters that modulate neuronal excitability and cell volume. By putting special emphasis on neurons of the olivocerebellar system, we establish that Cl− channels and transporters play an indispensable role in determining their [Cl−]i and thereby their function in sensorimotor coordination.


Systems thinking can help you tame the complexity of real-world problems by providing a structured way of balancing a broad, overall view with the selection of the right level of detail, truly allowing you to "see the forest for the trees". Only by taking a broad view can we avoid the twin dangers of a silo mentality-in which a fix 'here' simply shifts the problem to 'there'-and organisational myopia-in which a fix 'now' gives rise to a much bigger problem to fix 'then'. Seeing the Forest for the Trees will give you all the tools and techniques you need, with many practical examples as diverse as managing a busy back office, negotiating an outsourcing deal and formulating business strategy.


This paper aims to highlight aspects regarding the body weight distribution on the inferior limbs so as to render objective the youth's deficient attitudes. The study's objective is to compare the plantar pressure parameters in static and dynamic balance for subjects with scoliosis and healthy subjects. It is considered that subjects with scoliosis attitude have a different map of the plantar pressure than healthy ones. The presented data in this study are initials, the research being underway. Research is conducted according to the schedule: pretest-kinetic application programs- posttest. Postural assessment is performed with the purpose of diagnosing the mechanical loads deviations from the pelvis and spine in order to optimize the kinetic programs by basketball specific means. The introduction of the basketball means in the kinetic programs was made in order to diversify the classic exercises for prevention /recovery of the deficient spine attitudes. The techniques process of the basketball game, seen as a associated means of physical therapy, represents an innovative approach to postural prevention. In this regard, PedarX system was used, which measures the interaction between the foot, shoe and ground through sensors. The data transmitted are observed in real time on the screen, followed by an analysis of the data. The Pedar X system adds dates regarding distribution of the foot pressures to kinematics analysis. These pieces of information are particularly useful in evaluation of the dynamics movement, also posture. The results obtained showed that the shape of the plantar surface and of the stability area size in scoliosis subjects is modified compared to the plantar pressure map for healthy subjects.


In this paper we propose a temporal synchronization method using opportunistic signals for wireless networks. Instead of broadcasting a dedicated broadband signal throughout the network for synchronization, high-bandwidth opportunistic signals already existing in the environment can be used. To avoid the necessity that all the nodes in the network are able to decode the opportunistic reference signal, a central node should receive the reference signal and then sends it again to all other nodes. Using ideas from the compressed sensing (CS) area, the high-bandwidth reference signal to be transmitted can be compressed efficiently before being sent to the other nodes, while still achieving an accurate correlation function compared to the low bandwidth reference signal scenario. In this way, only a low-bandwidth signal needs to be transmitted. Numerical results demonstrate that the proposed compressed technique achieves a similar performance at a much lower cost compared to using the high-bandwidth opportunistic signal directly.


As sustainable building becomes more and more prevalent in the construction industry, builders and homeowners are experimenting more with different kinds of building materials. The focus of this paper is on reclaimed wood. One can find reclaimed wood almost anywhere, in an old barn, lumber yards, basically any place that has valuable wood that is not being used. This wood is then taken to a mill and cleaned up. Imperfections are removed, nails are taken out, and any finish that will be used is applied. Reclaimed wood has grown in popularity in construction projects over the last few decades. The rustic, antique feel that the wood has draws in contractors and homeowners alike. This paper looks to explore the different ways to incorporate reclaimed wood into residential or small commercial construction projects, examining both the cost-effectiveness and the sustainability of different kinds of reclaimed wood projects. Having personally worked with reclaimed wood on different kinds of projects, I wanted to provide more information on how to best use this unique material.


Studies have been made on total spike activity in the cortex of 3 of 41 days old rabbits. It was shown that in newborn rabbits periodic spindle-like outbursts of high amplitude potentials present typical primary activity of the cortex. This form of activity may be observed both in resting and moving animals. After eye opening, especially beginning from the 16th day, periodic outbursts of high amplitude potentials are observed only during behavioural manifestations of sleep or under nembutal narcosis. During maturation of the cortex, periodic pattern and frequency composition of the outbursts do not undergo any significant changes. Probably, "sleeping spindles" in mature brain are genetically associated with the primary spindle-like activity in the immature cortex, being produced by the same mechanism as the primary spindles in immature cortex.


The dargah at Bababudhan hills has today become a site of self-identification, exclusion and tensions among groups in the State of Karnataka (South India). This paper seeks to explore the complex interactions between individuals and communities in terms of the changing dynamics of religion, ritual practices and religious identities in the context of the post-colonial secular, liberal nation state. An attempt is made here to make sense of the ways in which worship works its way through contemporary demands at the shrine.


Different distribution maps can be obtained for the same species if localities where species are present are mapped at different times. We analysed the accumulation of information over time for a group of dung beetle species in the Iberian Peninsula. To do this, we used all available information about the distribution of the group as well as data on selected species to examine if the process of discovery of species distribution has occurred in a climatically or spatially structured fashion. Our results show the existence of a well‐defined pattern of temporal growth in distributional information; due to this, the date of capture of each specimen can be explained by the environmental and spatial variables associated to the collection sites. We hypothesize that such temporal biases could be the rule rather than the exception in most distributional data. These biases could affect the weighting of environmental factors that influence species distributions, as well as the accuracy of predictive distribution models. Systematic surveys should be a priority for the description of species geographical ranges in order to make robust predictions about the consequences of habitat and climate change for their persistence and conservation.


Acute respiratory distress syndrome is characterized by a diffuse inflammatory reaction of lung parenchyma induced by a direct insult to the alveolar epithelium (pulmonary acute respiratory distress syndrome) or an indirect lesion through the vascular endothelium (extrapulmonary acute respiratory distress syndrome). The main therapeutic strategy for acute respiratory distress syndrome is the ventilatory support. However, mechanical ventilation can worsen lung injury. In this context, a protective ventilatory strategy with low tidal volume has been proposed. The use of low tidal volume reduced the mortality rate of acute respiratory distress syndrome patients, but result in hypercapnic acidosis. The current article presents a review of literature on the effects of permissive hypercapnia in acute respiratory distress syndrome. To that end, we carried out a systematic review of scientific literature based on established criteria for documental analysis including clinical and experimental articles, using as data bases MedLine, LILACS, SciELO, PubMed, Cochrane. Hypercapnic acidosis has been considered by some authors as a modulator of the inflammatory process of acute respiratory distress syndrome. However, clinical and experimental studies on the effects of hypercapnic acidosis have shown controversial results. Therefore it is important to better elucidate the role of hypercapnic acidosis in acute respiratory distress syndrome.


Rotavirus infected monkey kidney cells (LLC-MK2) have been labelled with 35S-methionine in the presence of actinomycin D. The cells have been lysed with SDS and the polypeptides separated by discontinuous polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Rotavirus polypeptides began to appear 4 to 5 h p.i.; incorporation was maximum at 8 h, but all the polypeptides were still being made 15 to 18 h p.i. Tissue culture adapted calf rotavirus particles were labelled with 35S-methionine and the polypeptides compared with cell associated rotavirus polypeptides. There were four inner coat, four outer coat and three non-structural polypeptides. Several of the outer coat polypeptides have altered mol. wt. on maturation. The polypeptides of rotavirus from seven species (human, pig, calf, lamb, mouse, foal and rabbit) have been compared and their mol. wt. calculated. The polypeptides fell into the same relative groupings for each virus, but there were variations in the mol. wt. of most comparable polypeptides. The polypeptides of tissue culture adapted and non-adapted calf rotavirus from the same original isolate varied only in one of the non-structural polypeptides.


Hydrogels are an important class of biomaterials that can absorb large quantities of water. In this study, changes in hydration of natural hydrogels (agar, chitosan, gelatin, starch, and blends of each with chitosan) during storage and rehydration were studied by using near‐infrared hyperspectral imaging (NIR‐HSI). Moisture content was calculated based on changes in sample weight during hydration. The NIR‐HSI data were acquired by using a push‐broom system operating in diffuse reflectance in the wavelength range 943 to 1650 nm. A novel synthesis method was developed to enable common preparation of each hydrogel. Mean spectra obtained from the hyperspectral images were analyzed, and predictive models for moisture content were developed by using partial least squares regression. Models were compared in predictive performance by using an independent validation set of data. The optimal model in predictive performance was a 1 latent variable partial least squares regression model developed on second derivative and mean centered pseudo‐absorbance data in the wavelength range 943 to 1272 nm. This model was applied to pixel spectra from samples in the validation set to inspect spatial variations during dehydration and rehydration. Challenges associated with NIR‐HSI of hydrogels with a large variation in moisture content are discussed.


A central goal of synthetic biology is to design sophisticated synthetic cellular circuits that can perform complex computations and information processing tasks in response to specific inputs. The tremendous advances in our ability to understand and manipulate cellular information processing networks raises several fundamental physics questions: How do the molecular components of cellular circuits exploit energy consumption to improve information processing? Can one utilize ideas from thermodynamics to improve the design of synthetic cellular circuits and modules? Here, we summarize recent theoretical work addressing these questions. Energy consumption in cellular circuits serves five basic purposes: (1) increasing specificity, (2) manipulating dynamics, (3) reducing variability, (4) amplifying signal, and (5) erasing memory. We demonstrate these ideas using several simple examples and discuss the implications of these theoretical ideas for the emerging field of synthetic biology. We conclude by discussing how it may be possible to overcome these limitations using "post-translational" synthetic biology that exploits reversible protein modification.


- Secret images in Conventional visual secret sharing are hidden in shares that are either encoded and stored in digital form or printed on transparencies. The shares can be meaningful images or noisy like image, which may arouse suspicion and may be intercepted. Thus VSS Schemes are risky for the participants who are involved and even for the secret. In order to counter the above problem natural image based VSS Scheme is used that shares the secret image through various communication media to safeguard the participants and the secrets. In (n, n) NVSS scheme, one Secret image is shared over n-1 randomly selected natural images (natural shares) and one noise like image .The secret image and natural shares (in print form) generates the noise like image. The Natural Shares are commonly found and diversity of their selection drastically reduces the suspicion. The system may be made more efficient by introducing the concept of Encryption then Compression(ETC) unlikely the concept of compression then Encryption(CTE).After generating the noise like image by encryption ,it is hidden the compressed and transmitted. The process is reversed at the receiver end. Thus combination of (n, n) NVSS Scheme and ETC gives excellent solution for transmission risk problem.


Peak expiratory flow (PEF) measurements are increasingly recommended in childhood asthma management. However, few data are available on the temporal relationship between the onset of upper and lower respiratory tract symptoms and significant falls in PEF. We wanted to determine whether falls in PEF constitute a sensitive marker for clinical episodes of respiratory morbidity. We therefore analysed data on daily PEF and respiratory symptom recording from a 12 month longitudinal study in 192 children aged 7 and 8 yrs with current respiratory symptoms. Outcome measures were number of and relationship between: 1) episodes of fall in PEF (defined as a fall in PEF for more than 2 days to < 1.5 SD below individual mean morning PEF); and 2) upper and lower respiratory tract symptom events (defined as a respiratory symptoms score of > 3 units within three consecutive days). One hundred and eight six of the 192 children completed the study. For the group as a whole, the mean number of PEF episodes per subject was 3.5, and the mean number of symptom events 8.9, with 29% of symptom events being temporally associated with a PEF episode, and 40% of PEF episodes not being accompanied by a symptom event. Forty nine percent of PEF episodes were preceded by at least two consecutive days of either upper or lower respiratory symptoms. We conclude that falls in PEF alone were not a sensitive marker for episodes of respiratory morbidity. On almost half of the occasions where PEF did fall, morbidity could have been detected at least 2 days earlier using symptom reporting.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


Background: Orthogonal radiographs of the proximal humerus are challenging to obtain because the patient's body mass can impede a quality lateral view and positioning of the shoulder can cause fracture displacement and patient discomfort. We describe a novel radiograph, the clear view (CL), taken 90° to the scapular Y (SY), developed with the goal to minimize pain and reduce radiation exposure. Evaluate the ability to accurately evaluate proximal humerus fracture displacement utilizing the CL in comparison to the standard available x-rays and assess pain score when obtaining the CL. Methods: Eleven independent observers at different levels of experience evaluated angulation and translation of three proximal humerus fractures: two cadaveric fractures and a third fracture in a 15-year-old to determine intra-observer correlation (ICC). Each fracture underwent the traditional radiographic series of anteroposterior (AP) in internal rotation (IR), AP in external rotation (ER), true axillary lateral (AX), SY, and transthoracic lateral (TRANS) plus computed tomography (CT). CL was obtained on the two cadaver fractures. Pain scores based on the Wong-Baker FACES Pain Scale were assessed for individual radiographic projections in thirteen patients with proximal humerus fractures. Results: ICC was >0.6 for all measures. True fracture angulation was underestimated a majority (>75%) of the time in all radiographic views, TRANS (p<0.001) and AX (p<0.049) views had the least amount of error. Moreover, measures of translation were both underestimated and overestimated in all views, but the most accurate measures of translation were obtained with IR, ER, and CL views. Pain scores ranged from 0-1.2 when the CL was obtained. Conclusions: Our study demonstrates that proximal humerus fracture angulation is often underestimated and translation is difficult to measure regardless of view utilized. However, the clear view, when combined with the AP view offers an orthogonal, reproducible, valid measure of displacement and causes minimal patient discomfort.


We show that the threshold of stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) from single micro-droplets increases with the bandwidth of the pulsed excitation laser radiation. SRS thresholds were experimentally investigated for two droplet sizes and two excitation bandwidths. For the narrowband excitation, a frequency doubled Nd:YAG laser with a central wavelength of 532 nm, a full width half maximum (FWHM) bandwidth of 0.05 nm and a repetition rate of 10 Hz was used. For the comparison with the broadband excitation, a dye resonator containing Rhodamine 6G being pumped by the Nd:YAG laser was utilized with a central wavelength of 566 nm and a FWHM bandwidth of 4 nm. Droplets of 89 and 116 µm diameters, respectively, were illuminated by a vertical light sheet. If the broadband excitation is applied instead of the narrowband excitation - for both droplet sizes - the pulsed excitation energies can be increased by a factor of approximately 5 before the SRS threshold is reached. The multiplication register of an emCCD detector was used to detect low signals. The gain factor of the detector was calibrated and adapted to different excitation energies and signal intensities. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


To realize organic nonlinear optical (NLO) chromophores with optimized ground-state polarization and very large molecular optical nonlinearities, a novel series of heterocycle-based electronically gradient dipolar chromophores were designed and synthesized. These chromophores are featured by their same strong electron acceptor (i.e., 2-dicyanomethylene-3-cyano-4,5,5-trimethyl-2,5-dihydrofuran, TCF) and the same length of π-conjugation, but different electron donors (e.g., dialkylamine and dianisylamine), different (hetero)aromatics with varying electron densities (i.e., pyrrole, thiophene, and benzene) as the auxiliary donor, and electron-poor 1,3-heteroaromatic thiazole with different regiostructures (e.g., either electron-poor C2, "matched", or electron-rich C5, "un-matched", is connected to the acceptor) as the auxiliary acceptor, which allows for a systematic fine-tuning of the ground-state polarization. The gradient electronic structures and optical properties of these NLO chromophores were carefully characterized by 1H NMR, CV, UV-vis, and Hyper-Rayleigh scattering experiments. All the NLO chromophores exhibited very large static molecular first hyperpolarizabilities (β0) in the range of 450–960 × 10−30 esu, which showed significant dependence on the gradient electronic structures. Upon using electron-rich heteroaromatic cycle as the auxiliary donor, "matched" thiazole as the auxiliary acceptor, and/or dianisylamine as the electron donor, substantially enhanced β were obtained. Theoretical studies were carried out to understand the structure-property relationships, which showed that multiple states excitations contributed to the β values of this series of NLO chromophores. TGA investigations showed excellent thermal stability for most of the resulting NLO chromophores, with on-set temperatures for thermal decomposition higher than 250 °C. The very large β0 values coupled with the high thermal stability indicates good application potential of this series of NLO chromophores.


Abstract. The annual surface mass balance records of the Lemon Creek Glacier and Taku Glacier observed by the Juneau Icefield Research Program are the longest continuous glacier annual mass balance data sets in North America. Annual surface mass balance (Ba) measured on Taku Glacier averaged +0.40 m a−1 from 1946–1985, and −0.08 m a−1 from 1986–2011. The recent annual mass balance decline has resulted in the cessation of the long-term thickening of the glacier. Mean Ba on Lemon Creek Glacier has declined from −0.30 m a−1 for the 1953–1985 period to −0.60 m a−1 during the 1986–2011 period. The cumulative change in annual surface mass balance is −26.6 m water equivalent, a 29 m of ice thinning over the 55 yr. Snow-pit measurements spanning the accumulation zone, and probing transects above the transient snow line (TSL) on Taku Glacier, indicate a consistent surface mass balance gradient from year to year. Observations of the rate of TSL rise on Lemon Creek Glacier and Taku Glacier indicate a comparatively consistent migration rate of 3.8 to 4.1 m d−1. The relationship between TSL on Lemon Creek Glacier and Taku Glacier to other Juneau Icefield glaciers (Norris, Mendenhall, Herbert, and Eagle) is strong, with correlations exceeding 0.82 in all cases. doi:10.5065/D6NZ85N3


From the foregoing there emerge a small number of reasonably well confirmed observations: (a) on the basis of similarity (though not identicality) of subjective and behavioural effects, cross-tolerance, and some structure-activity considerations, psychotomimetics form a pharmacological class of hallucinogenic materials whose common properties deserve further investigation; (b) there exist important differences in both chemical structure and in behavioral effects amongst these compounds, and there is little likelihood of finding a simple, unitary explanation of their mechanism of action; (c) a second and reasonably distinct class of hallucinogenic chemicals is formed by those anticholinergic substances which induce delirious states; (d) psychotomimetics appear to exert effects principally upon aminergic systems of the brain, whereas deliriants appear to act principally upon cholinergic systems; (e) the degree to which a molecule can assume the configuration of all or part of the structure of LSD partially predicts hallucinogenic eotency in the case of psychotomimetics, but not in the case of deliriants; (f) investigation of some submolecular properties of psychotomimetics yields the conclusion that electron donation plays an important part in drug-receptor interaction for these substances; (g) no known psychotomimetic fails to diminish 5-HT turnover in brain; (h) psychotomimetics activate the ECoG and cause behavioural alerting if and only if connections between medulla and midbrain are intact; in this respect they differ from all known non-hallucinogenic activators; (i) several psychotomimetics depress the firing rates of some raphe neurons; in the case of LSD, the mechanism appears to be 5-HT antagonism; (i) LSD antagonizes 5-HT excitations in some raphe, reticular, and cortical neurons; no antagonism of 5-HT depressions has been observed; data on other psychotomimetics in this respect is lacking; (k) LSD has non-specific depressant effects on neurons at many locations in the brain; (l) LSD increases the spontaneous firing rates of retinal ganglion cells; (m) LSD has an inhibitory effect upon transmission through the lateral geniculate nucleus, but so do several non-hallucinogenic substances.

In the context of the yawning abyss of ignorance and speculation which separates biochemical and behavioural data, the contribution of these few observations on psychotomimetics may be regarded as vanishingly small. Clearly, neither the serotonin nor the sensory system hypothesis gives a full account of the effects of these drugs. A few reasonably sure facts can, however, provide empirical bases for further investigation. For example, the odd and until recently unsuspected fact that neurons in the raphe nuclei both contain 5-HT and can be excited by 5-HT applied to their membranes allows an explanation of the slowed 5-HT turnover induced by psychotomimetics in terms of the postsynaptic, anti-5-HT effects of these drugs. Since there is very good evidence that the raphe nuclei form part of an inhibitory lower brainstem system, and since separation of the lower brainstem from the midbrain abolishes the ECoG-activating effects of psychotomimetics, it is very likely that both the ECoG-activating and the 5-HT turnover effects of psychotomimetics result from lower brainstem, anti-5-HT actions. The relation of these lower brainstem actions, however, to perceptual and cognitive functions—that is, the relation between the serotonin and sensory system theories—remains hypothetical until it is shown that the lower brainstem effects have an impact upon more rostral sensory systems. There appear to be no very strong reasons for assuming that these raphe and reticular effects are sufficient in themselves for the induction of psychotic functioning, and therefore it is to be hoped that the demonstrated effects of psychotomimetics on diencephalic and telencephalic structures—for example the retina, the lateral geniculate nucleus, the cortex, the hippocampus and amygdala—will attract further investigation. An explanation of psychotomimetic action must in the end relate drug effects to events at specified neural sites. In this regard, the application of recent improvements in histochemical technique for the study of more discrete brain areas ought to be rewarding. Microelectrophoresis, which allows under some circumstances reasonably quantitative dose-response studies of the impact of a drug on the physiological functioning of single neurons, can profitably be combined in experimental design with techniques of sensory physiology; in this regard the experiments of Satinsky (188) and Tebecis (224) are models, although dose-response studies were not attempted. Also, it would be useful to have dose-response data on more global effects of psychotomimetics, for example on temperature, activity, autonomic activity, and ECoG rhythms. Finally, it must be remembered that many of the general statements on psychotomimetic drug actions rest upon data regarding a single drug, lysergic acid diethylamide, and that the hypothesis implicit in these generalizations require confirmation from experiments with the methoxylated amphetamines, indolealkylamines, and other lysergic acid derivatives before they can be admitted to the pharmacological archives.


In the treatment of violent-aggressive behavior, four major groups of drugs emerged: 1. Major tranquilizers in the treatment of aggressive-violent behavior associated with psychotic syndromes. 2. Anti-epileptic drugs such as diphenylhydantoin and barbiturates in the treatment of aggressive-violent behavior within the epileptic syndrome. 3. Psychostimulants in the treatment of aggressive behavior of adolescents and children within behavior disturbances. 4. Anti-male hormones such as cyproterone acetate in the treatment of violent-aggressive behavior associated with pathological sexual hyperactivity. Whereas each category of drug is predominantly effective in one type of aggressive syndrome, it may also be effective in other conditions as well. Aggression as a result of a personality disorder is most difficult to treat with drugs.


PURPOSE
We aimed to evaluate the frequency and extent of coronary atherosclerotic plaques in patients with a coronary artery calcium (CAC) score of zero and establish the demographic characteristics and the cardiovascular risk factors that affect the formation of atheromatous plaques.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Coronary computed tomography (CT) angiography was performed in 288 cases with a CAC score of zero. The plaques that were detected using coronary CT angiography were categorized into two groups: nonsignificant (<50%) and significant (≥50%). Based on the coronary CT angiography results, the patients who had plaque and those who did not have plaque were compared in terms of the demographic characteristics and the presence of cardiovascular risk factors.

RESULTS
Noncalcified plaques were detected in 50 cases (17.4%) on CT angiography, of which six cases (2.1%) had significant stenosis. The plaques were localized most frequently (38.2%) in the proximal left anterior descending artery. When all the plaques considered 50% of the plaques were localized in the proximal segments, 42.7% were in the mid-segments, and 7.3% were in the distal segments. Hypertension was a significant risk factor for coronary artery disease in both genders, and smoking was a significant risk factor in females. Additionally, diabetes mellitus was a borderline significant risk factor in both genders.

CONCLUSION
In patients with a CAC score of zero, the frequency of noncalcified plaques is too high to be ignored. The distribution of these plaques in the coronary artery is similar to calcified plaque localizations. Patients who have a CAC score of zero and cardiovascular risk factors need to be evaluated with additional tests for the detection of noncalcified plaques.


Combustion behavior in a radial microchannel with a gap of 2.0 mm and a diameter of 50 mm was experimentally investigated. In order to simulate the heat recirculation, which is an essential strategy in microscale combustion devices, positive temperature gradients along the radial flow direction were given to the microchannel by an external heat source. A methane–air mixture was supplied from the center of the top plate through a 4.0 mm diameter delivery tube. A variety of flame patterns, including a stable circular flame and several unstable flame patterns termed unstable circular flame, single and double pelton-like flames, traveling flame and triple flame, were observed in the experiments. The regime diagram of all these flame patterns is presented in this paper. Some characteristics of the various flame patterns, such as the radii of stable and unstable circular flames, major combustion products and combustion efficiencies of all these flame patterns, were also investigated. Furthermore, the effect of the heat recirculation on combustion stability was studied by changing the wall temperature levels.


In Process-Oriented Case-Based Reasoning (POCBR), experiential knowledge from previous problem-solving situations is retrieved from a case base to be reused for upcoming problems. The task of retrieval is approached in previous work by using Graph Neural Networks (GNNs) to learn workflow similarities which are, in turn, used to find similar workflows w.r.t. a query workflow. This paper is motivated by the fact that these GNNs are mostly used for predicting the similarity between two workflows (query and case), while the retrieval in CBR is only concerned with the ranking of the most similar workflows from the case base w.r.t. the query. Thus, we propose a novel approach to extend the GNN-based workflow retrieval by a Learning-to-Rank (LTR) component where rankings instead of similarities between cases are predicted. The main contribution of this paper addresses the changes to the GNNs from previous work, such that their model architecture predicts pairwise preferences between cases w.r.t. a query and that they can be trained using labeled preference data. In order to transform these preferences into a case ranking, we also describe rank aggregation methods with different levels of computational complexity. The experimental evaluation compares different models for predicting similarities and rankings in case retrieval scenarios. The results indicate the potential of our ranking-based approach in significantly improving retrieval quality with only small impacts on the performance.


This article proposes a simple run-out table cooling control algorithm for an existing hot strip mill. The control system was designed to minimize the retrofit cost and to utilize existing equipment. Special consideration includes response times of top and bottom cooling headers, top header opening sequence, prediction of finisher speed, and strip element tracking. A six-dimensional look-up table was generated for feedforward control using an offline mathematical model which was identified and verified by rolling data. The feedforward loop was designed to obtain the target coiling temperature while the feedbackward loop was applied to attenuate cooling disturbance due to real-time changes of rolling parameters and prediction errors of the mathematical model.


Objectives: This research work proposes a methodology for estimating the energy consumption of tasks by considering processor and memory usage. Methods: To facilitate energy efficiency in CPU, the mobile devices may be operated at different frequencies during the execution of tasks. This research work applies CPU frequency scaling as its base to achieve energy efficiency. Besides, it also considers energy consumption during memory access while making the offloading decision. Findings: The proposed approach uses energy consumption during computation as well as memory access as its metric to conceive the offloading decision. Additionally, the proposed energy model is simulated and the results are concluded that there is a considerable amount of energy saving in mobile devices due to computation offloading to nearby mobile devices or cloud resources. Applications: To save energy decide which application in mobile as energy consume considered as model. The models work as code offloading in MATLAB and determine by two level genetic algorithms. The efficiency of proposed model is evaluated by a simulation and average energy result can be concluded for a mobile device.


Because several peptides originally found in the pituitary as within the central nervous system have been localized in lymphoid tissues and because somatostatin (somatotropin-release-inhibiting hormone, SRIH) can act on cells of the immune system, we searched for this peptide in lymphoid organs. We demonstrated that SRIH mRNA exists in lymphoid tissue, albeit in smaller levels than in the periventricular region of the hypothalamus, the brain region that contains the highest level of this mRNA. SRIH mRNA was found in the spleen and thymus of male rats and in the spleen, thymus, and bursa of Fabricius of the chicken. Its localization in the bursa indicates that the peptide must be present in B lymphocytes since this is the site of origin of B lymphocytes in birds. The SRIH concentration in these lymphoid organs as determined by radioimmunoassay was greater in the thymus than in the spleen of the rat. These concentrations were 50 times less than those found in the periventricular region of the hypothalamus, the site of the perikarya of SRIH-containing neurons. In the chicken, as in the rat, the concentration of SRIH was greater in the thymus than in the spleen; it was present in the bursa of Fabricius, also in higher concentration than in the spleen. Fluorescence immunocytochemistry revealed the presence of SRIH-positive cells in clusters inside the white pulp and more dispersed within the red pulp of the spleen of both the rat and the chicken. The thymus from these species also contained SRIH-positive cells within the medulla and around the corticomedullary junction. In the chicken, there were large clusters of SRIH-positive cells in the medullary portion of each nodule of the bursa of Fabricius. Preabsorption of the primary antiserum or replacing this antiserum with normal rabbit serum verified the specificity of staining. Sequential immunostaining of the same sections from rat spleen using first SRIH antibody and subsequently a monoclonal antibody against a rat B-cell surface antigen revealed the presence of SRIH immunoreactivity in some, but not all, B cells. Other cell types in spleen not yet identified also stained positively with the SRIH antibody but were not reactive to monoclonal antibodies to rat Thy-1.1, a marker for all the thymic T lymphocytes. The possibility that SRIH is present in other populations of cells in the spleen cannot be ruled out. Sequential immunostaining of the same sections of rat thymus revealed the presence of SRIH immunoreactivity in a small population of T lymphocytes in the medulla, as revealed by the Thy-1.1 marker. The SRIH-positive cells were nonimmunoreactive when exposed to the B-cell marker; however, the possibility that SRIH is present in other cells was not investigated. Thus, our results indicate that SRIH is synthesized and stored in cells of the immune system. SRIH may be secreted from these cells to exert paracrine actions that alter the function of immune cells in spleen and thymus.


This paper addresses the integrated circuit industry needs for non-isothermal simulation in device reliability analysis, initial input factor sensitivity analysis and their software implementation. The key reliability issues are the hot-electron induced oxide damages and electro-static discharge (ESD) damages. The main purpose of this work is to provide a design aid tool to improve device reliability and performance. The reliability simulator developed in this work not only predicts designed device reliability, but also provides some information about the effect of manufacturing variations on reliability. This is accomplished by combining the statistical methodology with existing technology computer aided design (TCAD) tools. The design of experiment (DoE) technique can be successfully employed to analyze the effect of manufacturing variations on the SOT device reliability. As an example, the reliability analysis and the statistical analysis have performed on SOT MOS devices (partially depleted and fully depleted SOT) and submicron bulk-Si MOSFET's to verify the applied modeling method.


The emergence of radio frequency identification (RFID) and web services technology enables the innovation in business and application integration, but it also generates the complexity in the business process. It raises several concerns such as reduced understandability, inflexibility, and increased exceptions leading to processes requiring more time to be developed, tested and maintained. There is a need to develop effective performance models that can serve as a means for comparing alternative processes at the design stage. In this work, we formulate an analytical model based on queuing theory to predict the service duration time within the web services environment. The implementation for this performance model provides the business processing time in spare parts supply chain. The result would aid in the estimation the business process service time of comparing processes.


years until our own recent study.2 Lesions of this type occurring in preterm infants may not be associated with massive subdural haemorrhage. This alone suggests that the reported incidence of intracranial birth trauma is a gross underestimate. The forms of damage seen most frequently in the normally formed newborn brain at necropsy are vascular lesions involving haemorrhage or ischaemic necrosis.3 Such damage, if not manifestly of traumatic origin, is usually ascribed to "anoxia," as is cerebral palsy in survivors. Anoxia is indeed the final mechanism leading to almost all forms of death, but would hardly be accepted as an adequate explanation for adult deaths due to strangulation, coronary thrombosis, or lung cancer. If the clinician (be he obstetrician or paediatrician) wishes to solve the problems of the causation of cerebral palsy he will have to gain a greater awareness of the danger of cranial birth trauma and must begin to take the cerebral circulatory physiology of the fetus and newborn infant seriously. He will need to consider the implications of pressures and flows in the cerebral circulation and the effects on them of changes in cranial pressure, arterial pressure, and acid-base status. Until he does so, there is perhaps some basic logic in the attitude that he is to blame for braindamaged babies. If the defects are all the fault of the manufacturer it is incumbent on the retailer to prove it. J S WIGGLESWORTH


This study attempted to establish the factors influencing the choice of competitive strategies in
organizations, through a census of Nyeri Central District transport Saccos. Organizations, in
choosing the competitive strategies to adopt are faced by a number of factors which they should
consider, among them being the organizational resources and capabilities, environmental
dynamics, organizational leadership and the culture of an organization. In Nyeri Central District,
there exists several registered transport Saccos trying to offer the most preferred service to the
diverse groups of customers. This has led to these Saccos adopting different competitive
strategies, and the researcher was seeking to establish the factors that influence their decisions.
The researcher reviewed past literature that is related to the study. The researcher I then
conducted a census data collection procedure of all the twenty four registered transport Saccos in
Nyeri central District using self administered questionnaires targeting the General Managers and
the Chairpersons of these SACCOs. The total population of the study was forty eight, after which
data was analyzed using descriptive method. The analyzed information was then presented using
frequency tables, percentages, charts and graphs. Conclusions were then drawn based on the
findings and recommendations made appropriately. The findings revealed that organizational
resources, environmental dynamics, organizational leadership and culture strongly influenced the
choice of competitive strategies adopted by the transport SACCOs in Nyeri Central District.
Adoption of modern information technology among SACCOs was strongly recommended among
other recommendations.


Introduction: Trastuzumab has significantly improved survival outcomes for women with HER2 over-expressing early breast cancer. Observed short term cardiac toxicity appears reversible in the majority of cases and confidence in the long term safety is growing. Despite this, reported follow-up from adjuvant trastuzumab clinical trials does not extend beyond six years. If trastuzumab causes myocardial cell death with loss of cardiac reserve in addition to reversible myocardial stress alone, this may lead to an increased long term risk of congestive heart failure (CHF). The future incidence of this possible late cardiac toxicity remains uncertain. The aim of this study is to quantify the consequences of scenarios of late cardiac toxicity on the survival benefit and cost-effectiveness of adjuvant trastuzumab for women treated for HER2 over-expressing early breast cancer. Methods: A cost-utility analysis was performed using a discrete-state time-dependent semi-Markov model to calculate expected costs and benefits over the lifetime of an average cohort of women with HER2 over-expressing early breast cancer when treated with or without one year of adjuvant trastuzumab. The perspective was the UK NHS. Scenarios across the full range of possibility were explored along with estimates based on expert opinion to determine the impact of possible long-term cardiac toxicity on life-expectancy, quality of life and treatment costs. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis was used to characterise uncertainly around expected outcomes. Results: With a willingness-to-pay threshold of £30,000 (GBP) per quality adjusted life-year, trastuzumab is cost-effective if the lifetime increased risk of CHF is no more than three times the average level expected in an anthracycline treated population of women diagnosed with HER2 overexpressing early breast cancer (figure 1). Life-expectancy gains from using adjuvant trastuzumab persist even if there is a high consequent lifetime risk of congestive cardiac failure (figure 2). Conclusion: The use of adjuvant trastuzumab remains the optimal clinical and economic treatment strategy even if its use leads to moderately increased levels of cardiac disease in later life. This study supports current confidence in its cost-effectiveness and safety. Long-term follow-up after current and future adjuvant breast cancer trials is essential in to reduce the uncertainty around these estimates. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2010;70(24 Suppl):Abstract nr P5-12-02.


The aim of this book is to teach us how to better understand political ads (telespots) by attuning ourselves to their video rhetoric--their themes and stories, atmosphere and characterization, feelings and images, and their use of popular genres--from film to fiction, from MTV to game shows. Video Rhetorics is both a call for, and an example of, a new kind of political analysis. Supplemented with Hot Spots: Multimedia Analyses of Political Ads, a sixty-minute video of multimedia advertising studies, the book presents lucid analyses of particular campaign ads to illustrate how music, text, metaphor, genre, image, color, delivery, tempo, and location all combine to "orchestrate" political meaning. The authors also show readers how to comprehend dynamics of contemporary political life that remain mysterious within traditional accounts of how citizens learn about politics. In the authors' view, electronic politics is here to stay, like it or not, and we cannot afford simply to dismiss or condemn political ads.


Despite its small size, the popliteus is a major stabilizer of the knee. The popliteus is involved in both the closed chain phase and open chain phase of the gait cycle. During the closed chain phase, which is when the foot is in contact with the ground, the muscle externally rotates the femur on the tibia. In the open chain phase, or swing phase of the limb, the popliteus acts to internally rotate the tibia on the femur.[1] The popliteus is accompanied by the tibialis posterior, flexor digitorum longus, and flexor hallucis longus forming the deep posterior compartment of the leg. It forms the base of the popliteal fossa and is the only muscle of either the deep posterior or superficial posterior fossa to act solely on the knee joint as a posterolateral stabilizer. Often overlooked as a critical stabilizer of the knee joint, the popliteus can commonly be involved in posterolateral corner injuries of the knee. These injuries typically occur secondary to a varus force or direct blow to the knee (from medial to lateral). Diagnostic imaging of choice is magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for evaluation and dysfunction. MRI can also point to other related issues within the knee. An iatrogenic popliteal injury may result in a future poor functional outcome and is critical to address, particularly following knee reconstruction surgery. Patients with anatomically smaller knees may also be at increased risk for popliteal injury.[2]


the play. Though not always presented very clearly, the material is fascinating, beginning with Pirandello's simultaneous attempts both to sell scenarios to the new Italian studios and to explore what he saw as the dehumanizing significance of the medium in his avant-garde novel Sigira! (Shoot!), on which he began work as early as 1904. But Pirandello and Film will really be studied for the extensive Six Characters material it reprints. He and his many collaborators tried to extend the play's exploration of creativity to embrace the new art form and almost inevitably they brought Pirandello himself into the cast. Another great lost project to screen in the private cinema of your mind.


This study examines social attitudes towards homosexuality in two Central-Eastern European neighbouring countries – Romania and Hungary – with many common points, but that do differ in their religious traditions.
Our main research question is whether the main religious denomination can influence social attitudes towards homosexuality, after controlling for all the important individual level variables (gender, age, education, type of settlement, family status, employment background, and attitudes related to family and gender norms). Among the examined variables we especially focus on the religious ones since the dominant denominations are different in these otherwise similar societies.
The empirical base of our study comprises two longitudinal databases: the European Social Survey (ESS) and the European Values Study (EVS). We use data from two ESS rounds (of 2006 and 2008) and three EVS rounds (of 1990, 1999 and 2008). Since Romania participated only in the 3rd and the 4th rounds of the ESS (in 2006 and 2008), the Romanian results from 2008 are the most recent ones.
We apply descriptive statistics and regression models. Our main conclusion is that belonging to the Orthodox Church had a more negative effect on social attitudes towards homosexuality than belonging to the Catholic Church (as previous studies have also found).