The geologic record preserves evidence that vast regions of ancient oceans were once anoxic, with oxygen levels too low to sustain animal life. Because anoxic conditions have been postulated to foster deposition of petroleum source rocks and have been implicated as a kill mechanism in extinction events, the genesis of such anoxia has been an area of intense study. Most previous models of ocean oxygen cycling proposed, however, have either been qualitative or used closed-system approaches. We reexamine the question of anoxia in open-system box models in order to test the applicability of closed-system results over long timescales and find that open and closed-system modeling results may differ significantly on both short and long timescales. We also compare a scenario with basinwide diffuse upwelling (a three-box model) to a model with upwelling concentrated in the Southern Ocean (a four-box model). While a three-box modeling approach shows that only changes in high-latitude convective mixing rate and character of deepwater sources are likely to cause anoxia, four-box model experiments indicate that slowing of thermohaline circulation, a reduction in wind-driven upwelling, and changes in high-latitude export production may also cause dysoxia or anoxia in part of the deep ocean on long timescales. These results suggest that box models must capture the open-system and vertically stratified nature of the ocean to allow meaningful interpretations of long-lived episodes of anoxia.


Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cells require effective water transport away from the cathode to ensure stable operation. Many existing water management strategies involve active methods, reducing system efficiency by introducing parasitic losses. In the present work, we report on the improved design and fabrication of a passive water management scheme involving UV-catalyzed porous polymer wicks. The design features two connected porous domains consisting of a methacrylate-based transport layer and polyvinyl alcohol storage layer.In our previous prototype, large water transport lengths (∼12 mm) prevented adequate removal of generated water. The capillary pressure drop across the two porous domains was insufficient to drive a flow rate matched to the rate of generation. Thus, the current design produces a shorter transport distance (∼3 mm) by developing a new vertical design. An independently produced SU-8 photolithographic mold is incorporated to improve the fabrication process.Copyright © 2014 by ASME


The Src homology 2-containing inositol phosphatase SHIP1 functions in hemopoietic cells to limit activation events mediated by PI3K products, including Akt activation and cell survival. In contrast to the limited cellular expression of SHIP1, the related isoform SHIP2, is widely expressed in both parenchymal and hemopoietic cells. The goal of this study was to determine how SHIP2 functions to regulate M-CSF signaling. We report that 1) SHIP2 was tyrosine-phosphorylated in M-CSF-stimulated human alveolar macrophages, human THP-1 cells, murine macrophages, and the murine macrophage cell line RAW264; 2) SHIP2 associated with the M-CSF receptor after M-CSF stimulation; and 3) SHIP2 associated with the actin-binding protein filamin and localization to the cell membrane, requiring the proline-rich domain, but not on the Src homology 2 domain of SHIP2. Analyzing the function of SHIP2 in M-CSF-stimulated cells by expressing either wild-type SHIP2 or an Src homology 2 domain mutant of SHIP2 reduced Akt activation in response to M-CSF stimulation. In contrast, the expression of a catalytically deficient mutant of SHIP2 or the proline-rich domain of SHIP2 enhanced Akt activation. Similarly, the expression of wild-type SHIP2 inhibited NF-κB-mediated gene transcription. Finally, fetal liver-derived macrophages from SHIP2 gene knockout mice enhanced activation of Akt in response to M-CSF treatment. These data suggest a novel regulatory role for SHIP2 in M-CSF-stimulated myeloid cells.


This paper attempts to define a rational choice of breeding strategies for the improvement of milk production in the Sudan involving Kenana, Butana, Friesian and crossbred dairy cows. In some major production traits, the Sudanese Butana and Kenana cattle compare favourably under average station management with some of the best breeds in tropical countries, and their performance does not fall far behind that of 50% crossbred cattle in the Sudan. Kenana and Butana could be used particularly in medium-intensive production systems. The local environment (high temperature, low feed quality and quantity, disease and parasitic challenge) can sustain only composite genotypes of a moderate level of Bos taurus blood. Their relative economic efficiency is yet to be considered. An economically viable use of Friesian cattle in central Sudan is an option only when adequate feeding management, hygiene, stockmanship, technical services and other types of infrastructure are available. A regional dairy breeding policy should be established that implements breeding programmes to produce dairy cattle suitable for particular eco-regions and production systems.


Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of the death worldwide. An increasing number of studies have found that autophagy is involved in the progression or prevention of CVD. However, the precise mechanism of autophagy in CVD, especially the myocardial ischaemia-reperfusion injury (MI/R injury), is unclear and controversial. Here, we show that the cardiomyocyte-specific disruption of autophagy by conditional knockout of Atg7 leads to severe contractile dysfunction, myofibrillar disarray and vacuolar cardiomyocytes. A negative cytoskeleton organization regulator, CLP36, was found to be accumulated in Atg7-deficient cardiomyocytes. The cardiomyocyte-specific knockout of Atg7 aggravates the MI/R injury with cardiac hypertrophy, contractile dysfunction, myofibrillar disarray and severe cardiac fibrosis, most probably due to CLP36 accumulation in cardiomyocytes. Altogether, this work reveals autophagy may protect cardiomyocytes from the MI/R injury through the clearance of CLP36, and these findings define a novel relationship between autophagy and the regulation of stress fibre in heart.


MOTIVATION
Next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies have enabled whole-genome discovery and analysis of genetic variants in many species of interest. Individuals are often sequenced at low coverage for detecting novel variants, phasing haplotypes and inferring population structures. Although several tools have been developed for SNP and genotype calling in NGS data, haplotype phasing is often done separately on the called genotypes.

RESULTS
We propose a dynamic Bayesian Markov model (DBM) for simultaneous genotype calling and haplotype phasing in low-coverage NGS data of unrelated individuals. Our method is fully probabilistic that produces consistent inference of genotypes, haplotypes and recombination probabilities. Using data from the 1000 Genomes Project, we demonstrate that DBM not only yields more accurate results than some popular methods, but also provides novel characterization of haplotype structures at the individual level for visualization, interpretation and comparison in downstream analysis. DBM is a powerful and flexible tool that can be applied to many sequencing studies. Its statistical framework can also be extended to accommodate broader scopes of data.

AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION
http://stat.psu.edu/∼yuzhang/software/dbm.tar.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION
Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.


The technical aspects of the biportal approach for postero-basal segmentectomy are described. The approach is a fissure-less one. The first and most important step is the identification and division of the postero-basal segmental vein in the posterior hilum of the lung. The division of the segmental vein is essential to expose the segmental bronchus, which is divided next. The segmental bronchus is in close relationship with the A10 segmental artery, which is divided next. The fissure is not violated in any of the steps presented in this technique. Finally the intersegmental plane is completed along the inflation-deflation line using endostaplers.


This paper examines the effects of firing costs in a dynamic general equilibrium model where firms face stochastic demand. It derives analytically two simple closed-form equations, one for the supply of labor, the other for its demand. These equations determine the comparative static effects of changes in firing costs on the labor market. When negative shocks are more likely to occur than positive shocks, and when the frequency of these shocks is high, firing costs have a substantial negative impact on aggregate employment. In addition, product market integration, as it has occurred in the formation of the European Union, induces firms to be more wary of future possible downturns and therefore intensifies the negative consequences of firing costs.


Biometrics are physical or behavioral characteristics that can be used for human identification. Security plays an increasingly important role in our daily life, and biometric technologies are becoming the solution to highly secure recognition and verification of identity. In this dissertation, we propose the ear as a biometric and investigate its potential with both 2D and 3D data.
Our work is the largest experimental investigation of ear biometrics to date. The data set used for our experiments contains 415 persons, each with images acquired on at least two different dates. Approaches considered include a PCA ("eigen-ear") approach with 2D intensity images and range images, a Hausdorff matching of edges from range images, and an ICP-based approach to matching the 3D data. Our experimental results demonstrate that the ICP-based approach outperforms the other approaches at a statistically significant level.
Furthermore, we develop the first fully automated biometric system using 3D ear shape. It is a complete automatic system starting with a raw 3D image, through automated segmentation of the ear, and 3D shape matching for recognition. The automatic system achieves a rank-one recognition rate of 97.6% on a 415-subject dataset. Our algorithm also shows good scalability of recognition rate with size of dataset. The results suggest a strong potential for 3D ear shape as a biometric.
In a biometrics scenario, gallery images are enrolled into the database ahead of the matching step, which provides the opportunity to build related information before the probe comes into the system. We present a novel approach, called "Precomputed Voxel Closest Neighbors", to reduce the computational time for shape matching in a biometrics context. The approach shifts the heavy computation burden to the enrollment stage, which can be done offline. Experiments in 3D ear and face biometrics demonstrate the effectiveness of the approach.
In addition, ear symmetry and partial ear shape experiments are investigated. The results indicate that most people's left and right ears are approximately bilaterally symmetric. However, some people have ears with recognizably different shapes. Experimental results with partial ear shape suggest that minor hair covering does not affect the performance substantially, but large hair covering will certainly reduce the recognition rate. This suggests that even in circumstances where the complete ear shape cannot be captured, partial shape has potential for recognition. This lends support for using ear shape as a biometric.
Our experiments use the biometric database collected at the University of Notre Dame. This data set is available to other research groups.


Abstract. High-intensity, long-duration continuous auroral electrojet (AE) activity (HILDCAA) events may occur during a long-lasting recovery phase of a geomagnetic storm. They are a special kind of geomagnetic activity, different from magnetic storms or substorms. Ionized particles are pumped into the auroral region by the action of Alfven waves, increasing the auroral current system. The Dst index, however, does not present a significant downward swing as it occurs during geomagnetic storms. During the HILDCAA occurrence, the AE index presents an intense and continuous activity. In this paper, the response of Brazilian equatorial ionosphere is studied during three HILDCAA events that occurred in the year of 2006 (the descending phase of solar cycle 23) using the digisonde data located at Sao Luis, Brazil (2.33° S, 44.2° W; dip latitude 1.75° S). Geomagnetic indices and interplanetary parameters were used to calculate a cross-correlation coefficient between the Ey component of the interplanetary electric field and the F2 electron density peak height variations during two situations: the first of them for two sets daytime and nighttime ranges, and the second one for the time around the pre-reversal enhancement (PRE) peak. The results showed that the pumping action of particle precipitation into the auroral zone has moderately modified the equatorial F2 peak height. However, F2 peak height seems to be more sensitive to HILDCAA effects during PRE time, showing the highest variations and sinusoidal oscillations in the cross-correlation indices.


Sensory and motor symptoms of the limbs, motor restlessness and an urge to move only at rest are the characteristics of the restless legs syndrome (RLS), which often leads to severe sleep disturbances. The clinical diagnosis can be made on the basis of the typical history, normal neurological findings and, in some cases, a positive family history, and can be confirmed by polysomnography. The indication for treatment depends on the patient's discomfort and the severity of the sleep disturbances. L-DOPA is the treatment of first choice both in idiopathic and uremic RLS. A bedtime dose of 100-200 mg L-DOPA standard plus decarboxylase inhibitor is effective against mild and moderate sleep disturbances in RLS. Titration of the dosage and additional treatment with sustained-release preparations of L-DOPA should be applied individually. Opioids and dopamine agonists are effective alternative treatments in idiopathic RLS. Benzodiazepines are indicated only in individual cases. Besides L-DOPA, uremic RLS patients can be treated with opioids and benzodiazepines. Various approaches in the treatment of idiopathic and uremic RLS are reviewed and the practical management of therapy is outlined.


As an emerging system architecture, heterogeneous cloud radio access networks (H-CRANs) can improve system capacity, enlarge coverage, and enhance energy/spectral efficiency. Meanwhile, this newborn architecture also brings many open problems for traditional topics, including synchronization, channel estimation, and data detection. In this article, we present a comprehensive analysis on obtaining CSI in H-CRANs. Specifically, we recognize seven challenges in channel estimation that are caused by a large number of channel parameters, heterogeneity of access nodes in H-CRANs, and the time delays among different nodes. Several research directions for handling these challenges are also proposed, for example, array signal processing and channel compression can eliminate the number of channel estimates, while channel prediction and modification for high-speed railway communications and adaptive downlink array from uplink measurements excel in overcoming the non-reciprocity in channel parameters.


Objectives The aim of this study was to investigate the association between low job control at age 40 and hospitalisation from depression or suicide attempt among Swedish men 40–59 years of age. Methods The study is based on a cohort of 39,877 Swedish males, born 1949–51, with data on job control attributed from occupational titles collected from censusus information in 1990 (at ages 39–41). For the study we have used information on unfavourable social and behavioural factors collected at compulsory conscription for military training in 1969/70 (at 18–20 years of age), information on achieved education and civil status at ages 39–41, and follow up data on hospitalisation for depression (402 cases) and suicide attempt (226 cases) between the years 1991–2009. Results An increased relative risk of hospitalisation for depression (HR = 1.59 95% CI = 1.22–2.08) and of suicide attempt (HR = 3.28 95% CI = 2.24–4.82) were found among workers in the lowest job control quartile compared with those in the highest quartile. In multivariate analyses, adjusting for social and behavioural factors measured at age 18–20 (smoking, heavy alcohol consumption, psychiatric diagnoses, social misbehaviour) the increased relative risks in low control jobs was somewhat reduced. After also adjusting for achieved education and marital status no significantly increased relative risk remained for depression. Conclusion There was an association between low job control and suicide attempt. The results suggest that the association between low job control, measured as in this study, and severe depression was confounded by other risk factors accumulated over the life-course.


ABSTRACT Cellular automata (CA) models have been widely employed to simulate urban growth and land use change. In order to represent urban space more realistically, new approaches to CA models have explored the use of vector data instead of traditional regular grids. However, the use of irregular CA-based models brings new challenges as well as opportunities. The most strongly affected factor when using an irregular space is neighbourhood. Although neighbourhood definition in an irregular environment has been reported in the literature, the question of how to model the neighbourhood effect remains largely unexplored. In order to shed light on this question, this paper proposed the use of spatial metrics to characterise and measure the neighbourhood effect in irregular CA-based models. These metrics, originally developed for raster environments, namely the enrichment factor and the neighbourhood index, were adapted and applied in the irregular space employed by the model. Using the results of these metrics, distance-decay functions were calculated to reproduce the push-and-pull effect between the simulated land uses. The outcomes of a total of 55 simulations (5 sets of different distance functions and 11 different neighbourhood definition distances) were compared with observed changes in the study area during the calibration period. Our results demonstrate that the proposed methodology improves the outcomes of the urban growth simulation model tested and could be applied to other irregular CA-based models.


A set of boundary conditions defining an undistorted, non-rotating isolated horizon are specified in general relativity. A spacetime representing a black hole which is itself in equilibrium but whose exterior contains radiation admits such a horizon. However, the definition is applicable in a more general context, such as cosmological horizons. Physically motivated, (quasi-)local definitions of the mass and surface gravity of an isolated horizon are introduced and their properties analysed. Although their definitions do not refer to infinity, these quantities assume their standard values in the static black-hole solutions. Finally, using these definitions, the zeroth and first laws of black-hole mechanics are established for isolated horizons.


Increasing cost and scheduling pressures continue to drive satellite developers toward standard data networks for handling internal communications. This internal communication is significantly different than terrestrial data traffic. Satellite constraints impose requirements not present in terrestrial systems. Performance of candidate architectures against satellite data traffic is likely to produce some counterintuitive results. This paper proposes a worst case model of data traffic for satellites. This model is then used to compute the response of several data architectures against this traffic. The conclusion is that standard data architectures are capable of handling satellite traffic, but care must be taken to understand the interaction between traffic and architecture.


By ruthenium/acid dual catalysis, we present, for the first time, a transfer hydrogenative para-selective aminoalkylation of aniline derivatives with N-heteroarenes. Position-2 of the sterically less-hindered pyridine ring of the N-heteroarenes couples with various aniline derivatives at the site para to the amino group, affording a wide array of structurally modified anilines, a class of highly valuable compounds with the potential for discovery and further creation of functional molecules. The developed chemistry features operational simplicity, a readily available catalyst system, excellent functional group tolerance, and exclusive regioselectivity, which offers a significant basis to access novel aniline derivatives that are currently inaccessible or challenging to prepare with conventional approaches, and design new coupling reactions via a hydrogen transfer strategy.


: Cryosurgery of the oral region finds special application to the management of haemangiomas and leukoplakias together with certain carcinomas. Cryosurgery of bone and nerve in the region gives promise of a method which could avoid the need for excisional surgery in certain instances.


Most imaging systems today include a mosaic detector array in the focal plane. Optical designers of astronomical telescopes typically produce a design that yields a superb on-axis aerial image in the focal plane, and detector effects are included only in the analysis of the final system performance. Aplanatic optical designs (corrected for spherical aberration and coma) are widely considered to be superior to non-aplanatic designs. However, there is little merit in an aplanatic design for wide field applications because one needs to optimize some field weighted average measure of resolution over the desired operational field of-view (OFOV). Furthermore, when used with a mosaic detector array in the focal plane, detector effects eliminate the advantage of the aplanatic design even at small field angles. For wide fields of view, the focal plane is frequently despaced to balance field curvature with defocus thus obtaining better overall performance. We will demonstrate that including detector effects in the design process results in a different optimal (non-aplanatic) design for each OFOV that is even superior to an optimally despaced aplanatic design.


Objective There is considerable evidence of a cultural shift towards heavier alcohol consumption among university students, especially women. The aim of this study is to investigate the prevalence and correlates of hazardous alcohol consumption (HAC) among university students with particular reference to gender and to compare different modes of data collection in this population. Setting A large Irish university. Design A cross-sectional study using a classroom distributed paper questionnaire. Participants A total of 2275 undergraduates completed the classroom survey, 84% of those in class and 51% of those registered for the relevant module. Main outcome measures Prevalence of HAC measured using the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test for Consumption (AUDIT-C) and the proportion of university students reporting 1 or more of 13 adverse consequences linked to HAC. HAC was defined as an AUDIT-C score of 6 or more among males and 5 or more among females. Results In the classroom sample, 66.4% (95% CI 64.4 to 68.3) reported HAC (65.2% men and 67.3% women). In women, 57.4% met HAC thresholds for men. Similar patterns of adverse consequences were observed among men and women. Students with a hazardous consumption pattern were more likely to report smoking, illicit drug use and being sexually active. Conclusions The findings highlight the high prevalence of HAC among university students relative to the general population. Public policy measures require review to tackle the short-term and long-term risks to physical, mental and social health and well-being.


Introduction: The perioperative management of patients who are taking a direct oral anticoagulant (DOAC) for atrial fibrillation (AF) and require an elective surgery/procedure is uncertain. No studies have addressed the timing of perioperative DOAC interruption and resumption, and if perioperative heparin bridging and coagulation function testing are needed. The Perioperative Anticoagulant Use for Surgery Evaluation (PAUSE) Study hypothesized that a simple, standardized perioperative management strategy, based on DOAC-specific interruption and resumption intervals, that foregoes perioperative heparin bridging and coagulation function testing, is safe for patient care, with associated low rates of major bleeding (1%) and arterial thromboembolism (0.5%). We postulated that this management yields a high proportion of patients (>90%) with a minimal to no DOAC level at surgery/procedure.
 Methods: PAUSE is a prospective study with 3 parallel DOAC cohorts of patients with AF taking apixaban, dabigatran or rivaroxaban and requiring anticoagulant interruption for an elective surgery/procedure. Patients were managed using a standardized protocol based on DOAC pharmacokinetic properties, procedure-associated bleeding risk (Appendix 1) and creatinine clearance (CrCl). DOACs were interrupted for 1 day before and after surgery for a low bleed risk surgery and 2 days before and after a high bleed surgery; longer interruption was done in patients on dabigatran with a CrCl<50 mL/min (Figure 1). A blood sample was obtained just before the procedure to measure residual DOAC levels (Appendix 2). Heparin bridging and preoperative coagulation testing were not used to manage patients. Patient follow-up occurred weekly for 30 days post-procedure for the primary clinical outcomes of major bleeding and arterial thromboembolism (Appendix 3). The incidence (95% confidence interval [CI]) of clinical outcomes was determined for each DOAC cohort using an intention-to-treat (ITT) analysis (interrupted at least 1 DOAC dose) and per-protocol analysis (adhering to DOAC interruption and resumption protocol).
 Results: We enrolled 3007 patients from 23 sites in Canada, the U.S. and Europe (Appendix 4). The patient characteristics were (Figure 2): mean age 72.5 years; 66.1% male; 33.5% high bleeding risk surgery/procedure, with 1257 patients in the apixaban cohort, 668 in the dabigatran cohort and 1082 in the rivaroxaban cohort (Table 1). DOAC interruption and resumption intervals are shown in Table 2. The 30-day postoperative rate (95% CI) of major bleeding was 1.35% (0-2.00) in the apixaban cohort, 0.90% (0-1.73) in the dabigatran cohort and 1.85% (0-2.65) in the rivaroxaban cohort; the rate (95% CI) of arterial thromboembolism was 0.16% (0-0.48) in the apixaban cohort, 0.6% (0-1.33) in the dabigatran cohort and 0.37% (0-0.82) in the rivaroxaban cohort (Table 3). There were 2541 (84.5%) patients with preoperative DOAC levels measured: a level <50 ng/ml occurred in 90.5% of patients in the apixaban cohort, in 95.1% of the dabigatran cohort and in 96.8% of the rivaroxaban cohort. Of 1007 patients having a high bleeding risk procedure, 832 (82.6%) had DOAC levels measured: 98.8% had a level <50 ng/mL (Table 4). Rates of major bleeding and arterial thromboembolism in the per protocol analysis were comparable to those of the ITT analysis (Table 5).
 Conclusions: In patients with AF who were taking a DOAC (apixaban, dabigatran, rivaroxaban) and required anticoagulant interruption for an elective surgery/procedure, using a standardized DOAC-specific perioperative management strategy was safe for patient care, with associated low rates of perioperative MB (<2%) and ATE (<1%). Further, a high proportion of patients (>90% overall; 98.8% at high bleeding risk) had a minimal or no residual DOAC level at the time of the surgery/procedure. PAUSE is the largest study, to date, that addresses how to manage the common problem of perioperative DOAC management. It is likely to have a practice-changing impact and will inform future practice guidelines in perioperative care.
 Study Funding: CIHR (313156) and the H&S Foundation of Canada (G-14-0006136). Aniara-Hyphen Biomed (assays).
 Acknowledgments: We thank Drs. Walter Ageno, David Garcia, Lehana Thabane, Wendt Lim, Lori Linkins, William Ristevski, and Demetrios J. Sahlas. Also, Kayla Lucier, Grace Wang, Tara McDougall, and HRLMP and CRLB. Supported by CanVector and REDCap.

 Douketis: Bayer: Other: Advisory Board; Janssen: Consultancy; BMS: Other: Advisory Board; Biotie: Other: Advisory Board; Daiichi-Sankyo: Other: Advisory Board; Boehringer-Ingelheim: Consultancy, Other: Advisory Board, Research Funding; The Medicines Company: Other: Advisory Board; Sanofi: Consultancy, Other: Advisory Board; Astra-Zeneca: Other: Advisory Board; Portola: Other: Advisory Board; Pfizer: Other: Advisory Board. Spyropoulos:Janssen Scientific Affairs, LLC: Consultancy. Carrier:Bayer: Honoraria; Leo Pharma: Research Funding; Pfizer: Honoraria; BMS: Honoraria, Research Funding. Vanassche:Bayer: Consultancy; Boehringer Ingelheim: Consultancy; BMS/Pfizer: Consultancy. Verhamme:Bayer: Honoraria, Research Funding; Medtronic: Honoraria; Portola: Honoraria; Boehringer Ingelheim: Honoraria; Leo Pharma: Honoraria, Research Funding; BMS: Honoraria, Research Funding; Daiichi-Sankyo: Honoraria, Research Funding; Pfizer: Honoraria, Research Funding. Shivakumar:Pfizer: Honoraria; Servier: Honoraria; Bayer: Honoraria; LEO Pharma: Honoraria. Gross:Pfizer: Honoraria; Bayer: Honoraria; LEO Pharma: Honoraria; Servier: Honoraria. Lee:Pfizer: Consultancy, Research Funding; BMS: Research Funding; Servier: Honoraria; LEO Pharma: Consultancy, Research Funding; Bayer: Consultancy, Honoraria. Le Templier:BMS-pfizer: Honoraria. Wu:Leo Pharma: Honoraria; Pfizer: Honoraria; BMS-Pfizer: Honoraria. Coppens:Bayer: Honoraria, Other: Non-financial support, Research Funding; CSL Behring: Honoraria, Other: non-financial support, Research Funding; Uniqure BV: Research Funding. Arnold:Bristol Myers Squibb: Research Funding; UCB: Consultancy; Amgen: Consultancy, Research Funding; UCB: Consultancy; Amgen: Consultancy, Research Funding; Novartis: Consultancy, Research Funding; Bristol Myers Squibb: Research Funding; Novartis: Consultancy, Research Funding. Caprini:Alexion Pharmaceuticals: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Recovery Force: Consultancy; BMS: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Pfizor: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Janssen R&D: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Summer:Octapharma: Honoraria. Schulman:Daiichi-Sankyo: Honoraria; Bayer: Honoraria; Sanofi: Honoraria; Boehringer-Ingelheim: Honoraria, Research Funding.


Attempt to increase the mechanical properties of porous bioceramics, a dense/porous structured β-TCP bioceramics that mimic the characteristics of nature bone were fabricated. Experimental results show that the dense/porous structured β-TCP bioceramics demonstrated excellent mechanical properties with compressive strength up to 74 MPa and elastic modulus up to 960 MPa, which could be tailored by the dense/porous cross-sectional area ratio obeying the rule of exponential growth. The interface between the dense and porous bioceramics is connected compactly and tightly with some micropores distributed in the matrix of both porous and dense counterparts. The dense/porous structure of β-TCP bioceramics may provide an effective way to increase the mechanical properties of porous bioceramics for bone regeneration at weight bearing sites.


The geodynamic origin of the Neoproterozoic ophiolites of the Arabian-Nubian Shield exposed in the Eastern Desert of Egypt remains controversial. In this study, we present new geochemical and field data from the Fawakhir ophiolite and from some mélange blocks along the Qift-Qusier Road in order to constraint the tectonic evolution of this part of the Central Eastern Desert. The Fawakhir ophiolite contains most lithological units of a Penrose-type ophiolite sequence, and includes ultramafic rocks in the west overlain by isotropic gabbro, sheeted dikes and pillow basalt in the east. These ophiolitic units are enriched in LREE (light rare earth elements) and LILE (large ion lithophile elements) but depleted in high field strength elements (La/Smcn = 0.40–1.22, Th/Nbpm = 1.7–10.9, La/Nbpm = 1.4–6.6). Their magmas appear to have been derived from a depleted (N-MORB-like) mantle source, and their geochemical characteristics are comparable to those of the Izu-Bonin-Mariana forearc oceanic crust formed during the initiation of an intra-oceanic subduction zone. Pillow lava blocks in the eastern mélange have geochemical signatures similar to those of oceanic crust generated in back-arc basins. The decrease in the magnitude of mantle depletion and the change of the geochemical signature along the Qift-Qusier Road from a forearc in the west to a back-arc in the east suggest the formation of the Fawakhir intra-oceanic arc system over an east-dipping subduction zone. With continued subduction and arc migration, this intra-oceanic arc system finally collided with the passive margin of the West Gondwana (the Saharan craton), resulting in the accretion of the Fawakhir arc–forearc units. Following its tectonic accretion onto the West Gondwana continental margin, the Fawakhir ophiolite was intruded by calc-alkaline dikes, whose magmas were derived partly from partial melting of the sub-continental lithospheric mantle. These dikes have geochemical characteristics similar to those of modern active continental margin (Andean-type) rocks (La/Smcn = 2.13–2.48, Gd/Ybcn = 2.04–4.25, Th/Nbpm = 3.2–5.8, La/Nbpm = 2.5–4.9), suggesting that the West Gondwana passive margin (Atlantic-type) was converted to an Andean-type margin subsequent to the arc-continent collision. The inferred conversion of the Atlantic-type margin to an Andean-type colli margin resulted from the


Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), and solid-state 15N nuclear magnetic resonance (15N-NMR) spectroscopies were used to characterize the structure and relative strength of the interactions between metal sulfonate and amide groups in blends of lightly sulfonated polystyrene ionomers and an N-methylated polyamide, poly(N,N'-dimethylethylene sebacamide), and low molecular weight model complexes. The metal sulfonate groups, which aggregate in the neat ionomer, were dispersed by the polyamide in the blend as a consequence of a complexation that involved the sulfonate cation and both the carbonyl oxygen and the amide nitrogen of the polyamide. The FTIR and 15N-NMR spectra were consistent with a 2pz electron redistribution model for the complex, in which electrons migrate from the nitrogen to the metal ion through the carbonyl group. The sulfonate anion did not appear to particpate in the complex, but it remained in the vicinity of the metal cation. The strength of the ion−...


Facial expressions exhibit non-linear shape and appearance deformations with variations in different people and expressions. The authors present a non-linear factorised shape and appearance model for facial expression analysis and tracking. The novel non-linear factorised generative model of facial expressions, using conceptual manifold embedding and empirical kernel maps, provides accurate facial expression shape and appearance. It preserves non-linear facial deformations based on the configuration, face style and expression type. The proposed model supports tasks, such as facial expression recognition, person identification and global and local facial motion tracking. Given a sequence of images, temporal embedding, expression type and person identification parameters are iteratively estimated for facial expression analysis. The authors combine global facial motion estimation and local facial deformation estimation for large global and subtle local facial motion tracking. The authors employ local facial motion deformation estimation using a thin-plate spline for subtle facial motion tracking. The global shape and appearance model provides appearance templates for the estimation of local deformation. Experimental results using Cohen-Kanade AU-coded facial expressions demonstrate facial expression recognition using estimated personal style parameter, and facial deformation tracking using global and local facial motion estimation.


The study aims to introduce a model agnostic, filter based framework for fair feature selection. While in the field of fairness, numerous models have been deployed to achieve fair and unbiased results but questions that arise are (i) How often the tasks are designed in association with fairness concepts? (ii) How often we check for dependency between protected attributes (also known as sensitive attributes; e.g. race, age, sex etc.) and other features in the data to assess fairness instead of employing an algorithm right away? (iii) How often we use a framework that yields a fair set of features? An obvious answer could be that fairness techniques and fairness criteria are not yet central to the industrial work and we tend to substitute temporary solutions for the sake of attaining accuracy in the results. Another reason could be that the classifier-independent methodologies are not available explicitly as an implementable solution in a straightforward setting. Fair ML is a field concerned with making data and prediction fair but comes with some level of trade-off between accuracy and fairness. Fairness is a subjective concept and has diverse definitions associated to it, it also depends on different scenarios concerning an individual or a group. The majority of technical fairness interventions are algorithmic, which makes them computationally expensive and complex to implement. Our goal is to answer the questions mentioned above by developing a model-agnostic, fast, and easily implementable feature selection framework based on task level formulations using information theory. This feature selection technique will focus on selecting a subset of features based on the reliance of protected attributes (race, sex, age etc.) on other random variables present in the data and maximal dependency of features with the target.


Oil exploration and production business decisions need accurate forecasts derived from a description of the subsurface combined with a statement of the uncertainty associated with that description. However, we commonly observe biases in the quantification of uncertainty due to cultural influence and overconfidence in our ability to estimate uncertainty, leading to disappointment when reality lies outside predictions. In tandem, a lack of insight into the value that uncertainty holds on the business case can lead to a mismatch between the effort expended on deriving a single "best" guess versus that on understanding the uncertainty range associated with that guess. Generating stochastic results around a "best technical case" can give a seemingly plausible range of uncertainty but typically fails to explore the uncertainty space.


This paper reviews various approach used in acoustic emission (AE) testing of structures so that further improvements can be realized in this important application of AE technology. In the past half century, many successful AE tests of structures have been completed, but quite often details remained private. Here, we attempt to organize the AE methodology in four steps. 1. Primary sources of brittle fracture, micro or macro cracks in contrast to secondary sources of friction or fretting, rust, etc. 2. Kaiser effects, arising from the irreversibility of AE, allow the detection of prior loading level and of damage states. 3. Source Location: This approach identifies the area of integrity loss. 4. Source Characterization: Combined AE parameters give good insight to the flaw types, but many other methods, including attenuation-corrected signal amplitude, signal frequency, waveform and wave propagation analysis and moment tensor analysis, may be useful. Avenues for better AE technology are suggested.


This article applies the idea of pivoting to teaching British history and cultural studies, both by focusing on a pivotal year's watershed events and by artfully telling a before-and-after story about a less noteworthy event. My teaching tool in this case was the year 1874, which was pivotal in the first sense of the word owing to Benjamin Disraeli's defeat of William Gladstone and the subsequent decline of laissez-faire and rise of imperialism. I discuss how I use that event as a pivot by referring back to the culture of voluntarism that had promoted Gladstone's popularity and to blind spots in Gladstonian liberalism that rendered him politically vulnerable in 1874. I then turn to my experience teaching a one-week unit on the British annexation of Fiji, which also occurred in 1874. In this unit I assigned some students to report on the career of the first governor of Fiji, Arthur Gordon, who governed five other British colonies before and after 1874, and I asked other students to present group reports on four different perspectives on Fiji that accompanied annexation, by a company promoter, a tourist, a missionary, and an adventure novelist.


ABSTRACT Citrobacter rodentium (formally C itrobacter freundii biotype 4280) is a highly infectious pathogen that causes colitis and transmissible colonic hyperplasia in mice. In common with enteropathogenic and enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EPEC and EHEC, respectively), C. rodentium exploits a type III secretion system (T3SS) to induce attaching and effacing (A/E) lesions that are essential for virulence. Here, we report the fully annotated genome sequence of the 5.3-Mb chromosome and four plasmids harbored by C. rodentium strain ICC168. The genome sequence revealed key information about the phylogeny of C. rodentium and identified 1,585 C. rodentium-specific (without orthologues in EPEC or EHEC) coding sequences, 10 prophage-like regions, and 17 genomic islands, including the locus for enterocyte effacement (LEE) region, which encodes a T3SS and effector proteins. Among the 29 T3SS effectors found in C. rodentium are all 22 of the core effectors of EPEC strain E2348/69. In addition, we identified a novel C. rodentium effector, named EspS. C. rodentium harbors two type VI secretion systems (T6SS) (CTS1 and CTS2), while EHEC contains only one T6SS (EHS). Our analysis suggests that C. rodentium and EPEC/EHEC have converged on a common host infection strategy through access to a common pool of mobile DNA and that C. rodentium has lost gene functions associated with a previous pathogenic niche.


A sheathed cytology brush, fashioned to be used during laparoscopy, is described for brushing the surface of the liver, spleen and peritoneum. The method has had no morbidity or complication in 100 consecutive patients. and has been highly successful in obtaining diagnostic cytological material from malignant neoplasms involving the liver (94%) and peritoneum (100%). In two cases, biopsies of tumor nodules were nondiagnostic, while brush cytology definitively documented malignancy. Because the brushing induces minimal trauma and is quick and simple to perform, it is suggested that brush cytology be considered a supplement to needle and forceps biopsies during laparoscopy. The stainless steel sheath on the brush eliminates concern over loss of cytologic material during brush withdrawal.


Summary: CD-HIT is a widely used program for clustering biological sequences to reduce sequence redundancy and improve the performance of other sequence analyses. In response to the rapid increase in the amount of sequencing data produced by the next-generation sequencing technologies, we have developed a new CD-HIT program accelerated with a novel parallelization strategy and some other techniques to allow efficient clustering of such datasets. Our tests demonstrated very good speedup derived from the parallelization for up to ∼24 cores and a quasi-linear speedup for up to ∼8 cores. The enhanced CD-HIT is capable of handling very large datasets in much shorter time than previous versions. Availability: http://cd-hit.org. Contact: firstname.lastname@example.com Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.


Purpose of reviewThe pathophysiology of ischemic acute renal failure is complex, incompletely understood and there are no specific therapies. Descriptive observations in human acute renal failure, as well as mechanistic studies in animals, have demonstrated an important pathophysiological role for leukocytes and leukocyte adhesion molecules. The purpose of this review is to summarize and interpret the recent advances on the role of T cells and leukocyte adhesion molecules in ischemic acute renal failure. Recent findingsEmerging data suggest that the T cell is involved in modulating the outcome of ischemic acute renal failure, as well as ischemic injury to other organs. These new data build on the established role of inflammation in acute renal failure, and identify novel therapeutic targets. In addition, identification of the role of the T cell in the immediate injury response extends current immunological models of T cell function. Studies on leukocyte adhesion in acute renal failure have now identified the selectins and their ligands as important components of the inflammatory response to ischemic injury. SummaryThe identification of T cells and new adhesion molecule pathways as modulators of ischemic acute renal failure offers novel and feasible therapeutic opportunities for both native and transplant acute renal failure. Rigorous clinical trials are required to translate these basic findings to the bedside. In addition, mechanistic studies are needed to elucidate the molecular mechanisms by which these pathways modulate kidney injury. The identification of T cell engagement in ischemic renal injury can also help explain long-standing observations linking alloantigen-independent and alloantigen-dependent renal damage.


A novel haplotype-based approach that uses Procrustes analysis and automatic classification was used to provide further insights into tomato history and domestication. Agrarian societies domesticated species of interest by introducing complex genetic modifications. For tomatoes, two species, one of which had two botanical varieties, are thought to be involved in its domestication: the fully wild Solanum pimpinellifolium (SP), the wild and semi-domesticated S. lycopersicum var. cerasiforme (SLC) and the cultivated S. l. var. lycopersicum (SLL). The Procrustes approach showed that SP evolved into SLC during a gradual migration from the Peruvian deserts to the Mexican rainforests and that Peruvian and Ecuadorian SLC populations were the result of more recent hybridizations. Our model was supported by independent evidence, including ecological data from the accession collection site and morphological data. Furthermore, we showed that photosynthesis-, and flowering time-related genes were selected during the latitudinal migrations.


Background and objectives: No previous studies have investigated the relationship between the optic nerve sheath diameter and raised intracranial pressure in pediatric patients or have evaluated the usefulness of optic nerve sheath diameter in ocular ultrasound and brain computed tomography/magnetic resonance imaging. This study aimed to meta-analyze the diagnostic performance of optic nerve sheath diameter for the diagnosis of raised intracranial pressure in pediatric patients. Methods: A database search of PubMed and EMBASE was performed to identify relevant studies. Bivariate modeling and hierarchical summary receiver operating characteristics modeling were performed to evaluate diagnostic performance. A pooled diagnostic odds ratio with a 95% confidence interval, not including 1, was considered informative. Subgroup analysis was performed according to the modality (ocular ultrasound vs brain computed tomography/magnetic resonance imaging). We performed meta-regression analyses for heterogeneity exploration. Results: Eleven studies involving 546 patients were included. According to pooled diagnostic odds ratios, optic nerve sheath diameter was informative for the evaluation of raised intracranial pressure (diagnostic odds ratio, 47; 95% confidence interval, 11–206). Optic nerve sheath diameter showed a pooled sensitivity of 0.88 (95% confidence interval, 0.79–0.94), a pooled specificity of 0.86 (95% confidence interval, 0.70–0.95), and an area under the hierarchical summary receiver operating characteristics curve of 0.93 (95% confidence interval, 0.91–0.95) for the diagnosis of raised intracranial pressure. According to the subgroup analysis, ocular ultrasound (sensitivity, 0.91 (95% confidence interval, 0.81–0.96); specificity, 0.86 (95% confidence interval, 0.65–0.96)) showed higher sensitivity and comparable specificity than optic nerve sheath diameter measured on brain computed tomography/magnetic resonance imaging (sensitivity, 0.75 (95% confidence interval, 0.51–0.99); specificity, 0.91 (95% confidence interval, 0.74–1.00)). On meta-regression analysis, the study design, number of patients, and reference standard were the sources of heterogeneity. Conclusion: Optic nerve sheath diameter may be a useful method for predicting raised intracranial pressure in pediatric patients. We recommend that the measurement of optic nerve sheath diameter should be performed using ocular ultrasound for a more accurate diagnosis of raised intracranial pressure in pediatric patients.


This paper draws its inspiration from Artemisia Gentileschi, who was both a survivor of rape and a painter of rape. It argues that in the work of Jean-Luc Nancy, images of violence structurally oppose physical occurrences of violence by reestablishing the importance of the victim of violence, and by bringing violence back into the realm of meaningful speech. Nancy's thought indicates that artists in general, and Artemisia Gentileschi in particular, can resist the force of violence through the artistic depiction of violence.


X-ray fluorescence (XRF) data from a series of high-pressure–high-temperature (HPHT) wells drilled in the Shearwater Field, UK Continental Shelf (UKCS) are presented. These data comprise a total of 789 samples across a series of eight study wells. Chemical stratigraphy was utilized in conjunction with other geological data (i.e. well logs, ditch cutting descriptions and biostratigraphic analyses) to aid real-time stratigraphic placement. Systematic changes in geochemical composition were identified and used to build a chemostratigraphic zonation to aid delineation of lithostratigraphic boundaries. The application of chemical stratigraphy provided a valuable source of data, particularly through critical 'drill-in-liner' sections that are devoid of conventional logging while drilling (LWD) data. The identification of key geochemical zones and provision of a synthetic gamma-ray (Synth GR) profile were utilized in the placement of key casing points and identification of challenging top reservoir picks (Fulmar Formation). These data also served as a backup during LWD tool failure resulting from excessive temperatures. The successive addition of geochemical data accumulated with each well-site exercise permitted continued refinement of the zonation framework, with derived Synth GR profiles exhibiting an extremely close relationship with subsequent wireline logs. Chemical stratigraphic data are shown to be robust and repeatable within the Shearwater Field, enabling close stratigraphic control through critical sections, whilst also providing a low-cost backup in the event of conventional logging tool failures.


Computed tomography (CT) is an imaging modality widely used for medical diagnosis and treatment. CT images are often corrupted by undesirable artifacts when metallic implants are carried by patients, which creates the problem of metal artifact reduction (MAR). Existing methods for reducing the artifacts due to metallic implants are inadequate for two main reasons. First, metal artifacts are structured and non-local so that simple image domain enhancement approaches would not suffice. Second, the MAR approaches which attempt to reduce metal artifacts in the X-ray projection (sinogram) domain inevitably lead to severe secondary artifact due to sinogram inconsistency. To overcome these difficulties, we propose an end-to-end trainable Dual Domain Network (DuDoNet) to simultaneously restore sinogram consistency and enhance CT images. The linkage between the sigogram and image domains is a novel Radon inversion layer that allows the gradients to back-propagate from the image domain to the sinogram domain during training. Extensive experiments show that our method achieves significant improvements over other single domain MAR approaches. To the best of our knowledge, it is the first end-to-end dual-domain network for MAR.


We report a case of a giant intrathoracic tumor successfully resected via clamshell incision and lower door open thoracotomy. A 62-year-old woman presented with cough and dyspnea on exertion. A chest computed tomography (CT) revealed a giant mass occupying nearly whole of the right hemithorax. Since the tumor infiltrated deeply into the lung parenchyma, we performed a right pneumonectomy. The 1st thoracotomy was performed at 4th intercostal clamshell incision. Then we divided lower sternum vertically and opened the right lower chest wall laterally. These procedures provided wide operative view from the apex to the diaphragm and excellent access to hilar constructions, and enabled enbloc resction of giant tumor with the right lung. The resected specimen was 25×19×12 cm in size, 2,830 g in weight, and histologically diagnosed as a malignant solitary fibrous tumor. We conclude that this approach is effective for excision of giant intrathoracic tumor.


Diabetes mellitus is a group of metabolic chronic diseases characterized by high blood sugar levels with multi-system complications. The objective of this study was to assess the risk factors for developing type-2 diabetes mellitus over time in their random blood sugar and to obtain better predictive model for type 2 diabetes patients' random blood sugar (RBS) level in the University of Gondar Comprehensive Specialized Hospital. A retrospective cohort study with a total of 330 diabetic patients who have been active in the follow-up treatment for at least 3 times in three month interval in the hospital from February 2014 to February 2016 was conducted. Linear mixed effects model for longitudinal data were employed to measure the changes in RBS level. The results revealed that the linear distribution trend in the mean RBS level accounted for 79% of the variability in the data and the mean RBS level decreased over time. Age, residence, family history, alcohol intake, dietary type, BMI, treatment, exercise and education status were the significant factors for the change in mean RBS level of the diabetes patients over time. The study also confirmed that among the factors of RBS level included in the study, meat dietary type, patients who do not perform exercise, and body mass index (BMI) were positively correlated with the RBS level while the rest were negatively correlated. It was significant for the patients to do daily self-care activities to prevent long term complications. The government should also contribute to the education of communities to spread awareness creation and enhance prevention mechanisms of diabetes.

 Key words: Diabetes mellitus, blood sugar, linear mixed effect, longitudinal data analysis, random blood sugar (RBS).


Scholarly and public debates about criminal appeals have largely taken place in an empirical vacuum. This study builds on our prior empirical work exploring defense‐initiated criminal appeals and focuses on criminal appeals by state and federal prosecutors. Exploiting data drawn from a recently released national sample of appeals by state prosecutors decided in 2010, as well as data from all appeals by federal prosecutors to the U.S. Courts of Appeals terminated in the years 2011 through 2016, we provide a detailed snapshot of noncapital, direct appeals by prosecutors, including extensive information on crime type, claims raised, type of defense representation, oral argument, and opinion type, as well judicial selection, merits review, and relief. Findings include a rate of success for state prosecutor appeals about four times greater than that for defense appeals (roughly 40 percent of appeals filed compared to 10 percent). The likelihood of success for state prosecutor‐appellants appeared unrelated to the type of crime, claim, or defense counsel, whether review was mandatory or discretionary, or whether the appellate bench was selected by election rather than appointment. State high courts, unlike intermediate courts, did not decide these appeals under conditions of drastic asymmetry. Of discretionary criminal appeals reviewed on the merits by state high courts, 41 percent were prosecutor appeals. In federal courts, prosecutors voluntarily dismissed more than half the appeals they filed, but were significantly less likely to withdraw appeals from judgments of acquittal and new trial orders after the verdict than to withdraw appeals challenging other orders. Among appeals decided on the merits, federal prosecutors were significantly more likely to lose when facing a federal defender as an adversary compared to a CJA panel attorney.


Summary The study presents an overview of the results of the "coping with stress" team coming from the Institute of Child Psychology and Pathopsychology. The variety of results does not allow abrief summary, but the conclusions, research examples and references are to understand the strategies and results of the scientific work of the research team, which are discussed in the text. Key words: Coping with stress, coping strategies, personality, Big Five Research on coping with stress in the Research Institute for Child Psychology and Pathopsychology in Bratislava The onsets of researches on coping processes following the conception of R. S. Lazarus' (1960) transaction theory were in 1984-85, when this issue started to be dealt with by a small group of our Institute's workers (J. Senka, M. Zvalovâ, E. Medved'ovâ). The tendency to contribute to the knowledge of this important issue and to find means to utilize findings on information finally gave birth to gradual formation of three projects accepted for solution by the Scientific Grant Agency of Ministry of Education of SR and Slovak Academy of Sciences. The first of them, Mental and Social Sources of Coping Processes at School (Senka, 1993) was worked at between 1994-1996; the second, Coping Strategies of Children and Youth in School Achievement Context (Senka, 1996; Medved'ovâ, 200Oa) between 1997-1999; and the third, Stress Sources and Coping Sources of Children and Adolescents (Medved'ovâ, 1999a) is planned for 2000-2002. The first research stage of this issue at our Institute (1984-1993) can be understood, in a certain sense, as a certain pre-preparation. The research focused on exploration of conceptual, theoretical and methodological issues of coping (which, obviously, persists until now); however, the emphasis on adjustment mechanisms and effectiveness of coping was more highlighted and we (conceptually as well) alternatively used the term mental resistance. After 1994, the research follow-up of coping took on both extensive and intensive expansion. A new team was created of which the key members continued to be E. Koubekova, T. Kovac, E. Palenfk and E. Medved'ova until now. Tt was lead by J. Senka, the author, coordinator and initiator of the first steps to the solution of this issue in our Institute, but he died in 1998 after a grim disease (a lot of attendents of Danubian Psychologists Meetings surely do remember our jolly collegue). In the contribution, we try to present briefly at least basic results that we obtained in the solution of the issue within the scope of grant projects - that is, since 1994. It is not possible to mention every important finding here; colleagues should forgive subjectivity in the selection, possible inaccuracies, or overlook further certainly not very relevant findings. The study of foreign literature shows continuous non-agreement in the research of this issue and application of more conceptual models. So far, no theory for explanation of stresscoping processes in children and adolescents has been developed, hence many researches are based upon empirical base, or upon concepts developed for adults. We, too, have raised our expectations in relation to R. S. Eazarus' and S. Folkman's (1984) concept; however, we took account of considering a developmental level, too, and bigger dependence of children and adolescents on adults. Measuring variables of coping mirrors this condition, so it is based upon methodologies for adults; it reflects on a pertinent theory, it is based upon empirical information, or it is a combination of more models (Senka, 1995a). We translated, adjusted and used several measures that showed the existence of mostly four basic categories of coping: active strategies (problem-solving), support-seeking strategies, distraction strategies, and avoidance strategies (Medved'ova, 1998b). In researching on preferences of concrete coping strategies and in finding out their effectiveness, we obtained results (Medved'ovâ, 1995a, 1996a, 1997b, 1998b, 2000b) that show very high variability not only in dependence on the used conceptual coping model and to its relevant measures, but also in dependence on age, gender, type of stress situation and its subjective experiencing. …


The U.S. Geological Survey collects, analyzes, and disseminates information about the material flows associated with mineral extraction and use. This publication focuses on the flows associated with the smelting of copper concentrates. Copper is one of the core commodities in modern and developing economies. One cost paid for placing it in service is the significant, though manageable, set of environmental effects associated with the smelting process. Through a detailed assessment of smelting technologies, covering approximately two-thirds of world capacity, this research quantifies the unwanted by-products associated with copper production. The conversion of one kilogram (kg) of copper concentrate from its in-ground condition (ore) into economic service generates an average landscape footprint comprised of 210 kg of mine waste, 113 kg of mill tailings, 2 kg of slag, and 2.3 kg of sulfur-bearing co-product. The corresponding air releases per kg of copper include 0.5 kg of carbon dioxide and 0.2 kg of sulfur dioxide. Because copper concentrates are a traded worldwide, the ecological footprint described above can be allocated among the countries that smelt and export copper and to the countries that import and use it. This report also highlights the relationship between exporting and importing countries.


Background—Atrial flutter (AFL) and atrial fibrillation (AF) frequently coexist in the same patient. Recently it has been demonstrated that the triggers for both AF and AFL may originate in the pulmonary veins (PVs). We hypothesized that in patients with both AF and typical AFL, pulmonary vein–left atrial junction (PV-LAJ) disconnection may eliminate both arrhythmias. Methods and Results—Consecutive patients with documented symptomatic AF and typical AFL were randomly assigned to have PV-LAJ disconnection combined with cavotricuspid isthmus (CTI) ablation (group 1, n=49) or PV-LAJ disconnection alone (group 2, n=59). Within the first 8 weeks after ablation, 32 of the group 2 patients had typical AFL documented, whereas none was seen in group 1. Twenty of these 32 converted to sinus rhythm after initiating antiarrhythmic drugs (AADs). Twelve were cardioverted, and AADs were started. After 8 weeks, all AADS were stopped, and only 3 patients continued to have recurrent sustained typical AFL that was eliminated by CTI ablation. Beyond 8 weeks of follow-up, 7 patients in group 1 and 6 patients in group 2 (14% and 11%, respectively) continued to have AF. Ten of these 13 patients underwent a repeat PV-LAJ disconnection procedure and were cured. The remaining 3 remained in normal sinus rhythm while taking AADs. Conclusions—In patients with both AFL and AF, PV-LAJ disconnection alone may be sufficient to control both arrhythmias. CTI block reduced early postablation recurrence of arrhythmias, which in the majority of patients reflects a short-term clinical problem.


Lichens are biologically diverse and ecologically important. They infuse a botanic garden with character, and are sensitive indicators for the health of our environment. Their continued recolonization of botanic gardens should be celebrated, yet is frequently greeted with trepidation. Acknowledging the under-played significance of lichens and other cryptogams, PlantNetwork organized a conference on Mosses, Ferns and Lichens in Gardens (September 2007). This article summarizes a talk presented at the PlantNetwork conference. It discusses the role of lichens in botanic gardens, and also includes general themes (aesthetics, monitoring and education) which may be applied across other cryptogam groups, for example mosses, liverworts, ferns and non-lichenized fungi.


Cyclotella is a commonly encountered name in the diatom literature. The name is attached, however, to a historically vaguely defined and polyphyletic genus whose taxonomy and systematics remain muddled despite numerous taxonomic treatments. One recent chapter in this history concerns species informally known as the " Cyclotella comta " group, which have one or more rimoportulae on the valve face. These species were grouped into a new genus, Puncticulata , a name that has been applied inconsistently since its introduction. The name Puncticulata eventually was shown to be illegitimate, as some species had once been classified within Handmannia , which had nomenclatural priority. An inventory of names within Cyclotella sensu lato revealed that both Puncticulata and Handmannia are later synonyms of Lindavia . We identify a rimoportula positioned on the valve face as a synapomorphy for a group of taxa with the Cyclotella comta and C . ocellata bauplans (including Pliocaenicus ), and accordingly, we transfer taxa with this synapomorphy into the genus Lindavia .


Guide to support History 333: The Holocaust: History and Memory of the Nazi Genocide taught by Anika Walke (Spring 2014)


The mountain lady's slipper ( Cypripedium mon- tanum Douglas ex Lindl. is a large and charismatic perennial orchid once widely distributed in montane regions of the northwestern United States. This native North American orchid is a member of a genus that has been highly prized by collectors worldwide. Cypripedium is now among the most endangered plant genera in the world. As evidence of threats to its survival, a decade ago


A sizable literature has grown up in recent years focusing on two-sided markets in which economies of scale combined with complementarities between a platform and its associated `software' or `services' can generate indirect network effects (that is positive feedback between the number of consumers using that platform and the utility of an individual consumer). In this paper we introduce a model of `porting' in such markets where porting denotes the conversion of `software' or `services' developed for one platform to run on another. Focusing on the case where a dominant platform exists we investigate the impact on equilibrium and the consequences for welfare of the ability to control porting. Specifically, we show that the welfare costs associated with the `control of porting' may be more significant than those arising from pricing alone. This model and its associated results are of particular relevance because of the light they shed on debates about the motivations and effects of actions by a dominant platform owner. Recent examples of such debates include those about Microsoft's behaviour both in relation to its operating system and its media player, Apple's behaviour in relation to its DRM and iTunes platform, and Ebay's use of the cyber-trespass doctrine to prevent access to its site.


Argentina's empresas recuperadas por sus trabajadores (worker-recuperated enterprises, ERTs) are formerly investor- or privately-owned businesses in crisis ultimately taken over and re-opened by their employees, most commonly as worker cooperatives. Since 2002, the Programa Facultad Abierta (Open Faculty Program) of the Faculty of Philosophy and Literature at the University of Buenos Aires has carried out a series of national studies of Argentina's ERTs. The aim of this article is to present the conclusions of the fourth survey of Argentina's ERTs carried out by the Facultad Abierta. This survey focused on ERTs that emerged between March 2010 and December 2013, providing the most complete and up-to-date database of the characteristics of Argentina's ERTs, and showing evidence of a wave of new worker-recuperated enterprises emerging in the postcrisis years, especially since 2010. The key findings presented in this article include: the political economic reasons for the emergence of ERTs; the characteristics of the growing ERT movement today as compared to earlier ERTs; the nature of the conflicts and issues leading to the creation of Argentina's new ERTs; a critical analysis of new legal frameworks for ERT firms, comparing and contrasting them to older legal outlets for their formation; and the involvement of unions with Argentina's ERTs.


In this paper we present the results of our search for and study of z ≳ 6 galaxy candidates behind the third Frontier Fields (FFs) cluster, MACS J0717.5+3745, and its parallel field, combining data from Hubble and Spitzer. We select 39 candidates using the Lyman break technique, for which the clear non-detection in optical make the extreme mid-z interlopers hypothesis unlikely. We also take benefit from z ≳ 6 samples selected using the previous FF data sets of Abell 2744 and MACS 0416 to improve the constraints on the properties of very high redshift objects. We compute the redshift and the physical properties such emission lines properties, star formation rate, reddening, and stellar mass for all FF objects from their spectral energy distribution using templates including nebular emission lines. We study the relationship between several physical properties and confirm the trend already observed in previous surveys for evolution of star formation rate with galaxy mass and between the size and the UV luminosity of our candidates. The analysis of the evolution of the UV luminosity function with redshift seems more compatible with an evolution of density. Moreover, no robust z ≥ 8.5 object is selected behind the cluster field and few z ∼ 9 candidates have been selected in the two previous data sets from this legacy survey, suggesting a strong evolution in the number density of galaxies between z ∼ 8 and 9. Thanks to the use of the lensing cluster, we study the evolution of the star formation rate density produced by galaxies with L > 0.03 L ⋆ , and confirm the strong decrease observed between z ∼ 8 and 9.


Promoting health equity is a fundamental public health objective, yet health disparities remain largely overlooked in studies of vectorborne diseases, especially those transmitted by ticks. We sought to identify health disparities associated with Lyme disease and human monocytic ehrlichiosis, two of the most pervasive tickborne diseases within the United States. We used general linear mixed models to measure associations between county-level disease incidence and six variables representing racial/ethnic and socioeconomic characteristics of counties (percent white non-Hispanic; percent with a bachelors degree or higher; percent living below the poverty line; percent unemployed; percent of housing units vacant; per capita number of property crimes). Two ecological variables important to tick demography (percent forest cover; density of white-tailed deer) were included in secondary analyses to contextualize findings. Analyses included data from 2,695 counties in 37 states and the District of Columbia during 2007–2013. Each of the six variables was significantly associated with the incidence of one or both diseases, but the direction and magnitude of associations varied by disease. Results suggested that the incidence of Lyme disease was highest in counties with relatively higher proportions of white and more educated persons and lower poverty and crime rates; the incidence of human monocytic ehrlichiosis was highest in counties with relatively higher proportions of white and less educated persons, higher unemployment rates and lower crime rates. The percentage of housing units vacant was a strong positive predictor for both diseases with a magnitude of association comparable to those between incidence and the ecological variables. Our findings indicate that racial/ethnic and socioeconomic disparities in disease incidence appear to be epidemiologically important features of Lyme disease and human monocytic ehrlichiosis in the United States. Steps to mitigate encroachment of wild flora and fauna into areas with vacant housing might be warranted to reduce disease risk.


Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) dislocation(luxation) occurs when the condyle moves out of the glenoid fossa upon mouth opening and is locked anteriorly to the articular eminence. The dislocation leads to protective contraction or spasm of masticatory muscles, which reinforces the locked state, with or without pain. Usually, the episodes are triggered by any activities that lead to wide mouth opening such as yawning, laughing, and prolonged, excessive mouth opening during a dental or medical exam. It is a distressing and embarrassing situation for the patient. Repetitive dislocation of TMJ is defined as recurrent or habitual TMJ luxation. There are many treatment modalities available ranging from conservative approach to surgical approach. However, conservative approaches usually offer only a temporary solution and they have significant failure rate. Surgical approaches are available with varying degrees of success. Eminectomy is the most predictable surgical treatment for recurrent TMJ luxation. Herein, we report a case of a 47-year old male patient who was diagnosed with bilateral recurrent TMJ luxation that was successfully treated through bilateral eminectomy.


Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has created a global pandemic infecting over 230 million people and costing millions of lives. Therapies to attenuate severe disease are desperately needed. Cenicriviroc (CVC), a C-C chemokine receptor type 5 (CCR5) and C-C chemokine receptor type 2 (CCR2) antagonist, an agent previously studied in advanced clinical trials for patients with HIV or nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), may have the potential to reduce respiratory and cardiovascular organ failures related to COVID-19. Inhibiting the CCR2 and CCR5 pathways could attenuate or prevent inflammation or fibrosis in both early and late stages of the disease and improve outcomes of COVID-19. Clinical trials using CVC either in addition to standard of care (SoC; e.g., dexamethasone) or in combination with other investigational agents in patients with COVID-19 are currently ongoing. These trials intend to leverage the anti-inflammatory actions of CVC for ameliorating the clinical course of COVID-19 and prevent complications. This article reviews the literature surrounding the CCR2 and CCR5 pathways, their proposed role in COVID-19, and the potential role of CVC to improve outcomes.


We report the discovery and confirmation of the planetary system TOI-1288. This late G dwarf harbours two planets: TOI-1288 b and TOI-1288 c. We combine TESS space-borne and ground-based transit photometry with HARPS-N and HIRES high-precision Doppler measurements, which we use to constrain the masses of both planets in the system and the radius of planet b. TOI-1288~b has a period of $2.699835^{+0.000004}_{-0.000003}$ d, a radius of $5.24 \pm 0.09$ R$_\oplus$, and a mass of $42 \pm 3$ M$_\oplus$, making this planet a hot transiting super-Neptune situated right in the Neptunian desert. This desert refers to a paucity of Neptune-sized planets on short period orbits. Our 2.4-year-long Doppler monitoring of TOI-1288 revealed the presence of a Saturn-mass planet on a moderately eccentric orbit ($0.13^{+0.07}_{-0.09}$) with a minimum mass of $84 \pm 7$ M$_\oplus$ and a period of $443^{+11}_{-13}$ d. The 5 sectors worth of TESS data do not cover our expected mid-transit time for TOI-1288 c, and we do not detect a transit for this planet in these sectors.


The problem of tracking multiple moving speakers in indoor environments has received much attention. Earlier techniques were based purely on a single modality, e.g., vision. Recently, the fusion of multi-modal information has been shown to be instrumental in improving tracking performance, as well as robustness in the case of challenging situations like occlusions (by the limited field of view of cameras or by other speakers). However, data fusion algorithms often suffer from noise corrupting the sensor measurements which cause non-negligible detection errors. Here, a novel approach to combining audio and visual data is proposed. We employ the direction of arrival angles of the audio sources to reshape the typical Gaussian noise distribution of particles in the propagation step and to weight the observation model in the measurement step. This approach is further improved by solving a typical problem associated with the PF, whose efficiency and accuracy usually depend on the number of particles and noise variance used in state estimation and particle propagation. Both parameters are specified beforehand and kept fixed in the regular PF implementation which makes the tracker unstable in practice. To address these problems, we design an algorithm which adapts both the number of particles and noise variance based on tracking error and the area occupied by the particles in the image. Experiments on the AV16.3 dataset show the advantage of our proposed methods over the baseline PF method and an existing adaptive PF algorithm for tracking occluded speakers with a significantly reduced number of particles.


The concept of row(column) transposed matrix and row(column) antisymmetric matrix are introduced and analyzed,which leads to some new results.In addition,the formula of the rank factorization of row(column) antisymmetric matrix is given,which makes calculation easier and accurate.


To slow climate change down, a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions is crucial. Part of the solution could be the electrification of cars, but market penetration is progressing slowly so far. It is still unclear to what extent specific user groups, e.g., without private parking/charging space, are willing to buy BEV in the long term. The present study is a first step to holistically measure the existing findings on perceived barriers in terms of their importance and to transfer them into a vehicle ownership model. In a two-stage approach, potential factors influencing the purchase decision were first ranked (MaxDiff), followed by a focus on some of the most relevant factors and a more precise measurement in decision simulations (ACBC). Even though this study is only an intermediate step towards a holistic model, the results show that building charging infrastructure is important for the purchase decision but not a panacea, as vehicle parameters such as range or acquisition costs are equally or more important. Furthermore, it becomes evident that a dependence on public charging infrastructure alone is seen more negatively for the purchase of an e-vehicle than the use of gas stations for vehicles with combustion engines, which leads to the conclusion that market penetration among users without the possibility of charging at home or at work will be slow or even non-existent given the current state of technology.


AND MANAGEMENT SUMMARY During the summer of 1982 the eastern half of Lyndon B. Johnson State Historical Park was surveyed and sites tested. The work was sponsored by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and performed by Center for Archaeological Research and the Division of Behavioral and Cultural Sciences, The University of Texas at San Antonio. The Principal Investigator was Joel D. Gunn. The field work was conducted by the field course in archaeology from the University of Texas at San Antonio. Members (listed in the Acknowledgments section) of the Anthropology Laboratory class assisted the Principal Investigator with laboratory analysis. Most of the sites were shallow or deflated and of limited information value except for their location in the overall settlement pattern. Excavation of 41 GL 21, Hop Hill (Gunn and Mahula 1977a), was completed. An old stream channel was found in the bedrock under the site. It was filled with occupation debris from the Late Archaic. The site may have been used as an overlook to an adjacent ford in the Pedernales River. At the confluence of the Pedernales River and Williams Creek (Moccasin Confluence) at the east end of the park a very important site was found. Moccasin Confluence consists of two segments divided by Williams Creek. The west segment (41BC71) is a deeply stratified alluvial site with a Holocene sequence. Whether the sequence is continuous through the Holocene remains to be determined. The levels are extremely thick in the Middle and Early Holocene. The location, at three sources of varying sediments, indicates that the site could be a very sensitive geological barometer of Holocene climate, a hypothesis that seems to have merit based on analysis of sediment grain size composition and IPF analysis of sediment chemistry. The site is very rich in chronological diagnostics and is of great potential for studying environmental and cultural process in the Edwards Plateau region. Analysis of artifact wear patterns, points, flake size and frequencies, and mollusks indicates the site was inhabited over long periods of time, sometimes with a fair amount of intensity. Nomads apparently visited the site at the beginning of each cultural period and eventually settled there until their culture was disrupted. The site is recommended for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places. The site (41BC63) on the east bank of Williams Creek outside the park, considered to be the eastern segment of Moccasin Confluence, was tested enough to show that it has a dense burned rock midden. It is assumed to represent a shift of occupation locus to the east side of the creek during the Middle Archaic.


Japan is one of the most earthquake-prone countries in the world, as well as experiencing other natural disasters arising from its geography, physiography and weather. The country has frequently experienced major disasters and it has been pointed out that it could be struck by large-scale earthquakes in the future, in areas such as the Nankai trough and Chishima trenches, and directly below Tokyo. Against this backdrop, the Japan Water Works Association (JWWA) has used its organizational strength to develop a mutual support system for recovery from disasters. In this paper the mutual support system's mechanism is described with an explanation of how JWWA developed it through its activities in recent disasters like the Great East Japan and Kumamoto earthquakes, in 2011 and 2016 respectively.


1.I These test methods cover the quantitative determination of total oxygen in gasoline and methanol fuels by reductive pyrolysis. 1.2 Precision data are provided for 1.0 to 5.0 mass % oxygen in gasoline and for 40 to 50 mass % oxygen in methanol fuels. 1.3 Several types of instruments can be satisfactory for these test methods. Instruments can differ in the way that the oxygen-containing species is detected and quantitated. However, these test methods are similar in that the fuel is pyrolyzed in a carbon-rich environment. 1.4 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as the standard. The values given in parentheses are for information only. 1.5 This standard does not purport to address all o f the safety concerns, ~f any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability o.f regulatory limitations prior to use.


In the structure of the title compound, C28H16O6·H2O [systematic name 3,11-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)-4,12-dioxapentacyclo[18.104.22.168,5.013,17.09,18]octadeca-1(16),2,5(18),6,8,10,13(17),14-octaene-7,15-diol monohydrate], the hopeahainol C molecule lies about an inversion center with the solvent water molecule located on a crystallographic twofold axis. Hopeahainol C is an oligostillbenoid compound and was isolated from the bark of Shorea roxburghii G. Don. The five central fused rings are essentially planar with an r.m.s. deviation of 0.0173 (3) Å. The 4-hydroxyphenyl ring is twisted with respect to this plane, with the dihedral angle between the phenyl ring and the fused-ring system being 41.70 (10)°. The crystal features intermolecular O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds. These interactions link the hopeahainol C molecules into chains along the b axis. Water molecules are located interstitially between the hopeahainol C molecules linked by O(water)—H⋯O(hydroxy) and O(hydroxy)—H⋯O(water) hydrogen bonds. π–π interactions are also observed with centroid–centroid distances of 3.6056 (17) and 3.5622 (17) Å. Short O⋯O contacts [2.703 (2)–2.720 (3) Å] are also present in the crystal.


Computer-Aided Design systems offer considerable potential for improving
design process efficiency. To reduce the 'ease of use' barrier hindering full
realisation of this potential amongst general mechanical engineering
industries, many commercial systems are adopting a Feature-Based Design
(FBD) metaphor. Typically the user is allowed to define and manipulate the
design model using interface elements that introduce and control parametric
geometry clusters, with engineering meaning, representing specific product
features (such as threaded holes, slots, pockets and bosses).
Sculptured products, such as golf club heads, shoe lasts, crockery and sanitary
ware, are poorly supported by current FBD systems and previous research,
because their complex shapes cannot be accurately defined using the
geometrically primitive feature sets implemented. Where sculptured surface
regions are allowed for, the system interface, data model and functionality are
little different from that already provided in many commercial surface
modelling systems, and so offer very little improvement in ease of use,
quality or efficiency.
This thesis presents research to propose and develop an FBD methodology and
system suitable for sculptured products. [Continues.]


Dedicated photometric and spectroscopic surveys have provided unambiguous evidence for a strong stellar mass-size evolution of galaxies within the last 10Gyr. The likely progenitors of today's most massive galaxies are remarkably small, disky, passive and have already assembled much of their stellar mass at redshift z=2. An indepth analysis of these objects, however, is currently not feasible due to the lack of high-quality, spatially-resolved photometric and spectroscopic data. In this paper, we present a sample of nearby compact elliptical galaxies (CEGs), which bear resemblance to the massive and quiescent galaxy population at earlier times. Hubble Space Telescope (HST ) and wide-field integral field unit (IFU) data have been obtained, and are used to constrain orbit-based dynamical models and stellar population synthesis (SPS) fits, to unravel their structural and dynamical properties. We first show that our galaxies are outliers in the present-day stellar mass-size relation. They are, however, consistent with the mass-size relation of compact, massive and quiescent galaxies at redshift z=2. The compact sizes of our nearby galaxies imply high central stellar mass surface densities, which are also in agreement with the massive galaxy population at higher redshift, hinting at strong dissipational processes during their formation. Corroborating evidence for a largely passive evolution within the last 10Gyr is provided by their orbital distribution as well as their stellar populations, which are difficult to reconcile with a very active (major) merging history. This all supports that we can use nearby CEGs as local analogues of the high-redshift, massive and quiescent galaxy population, thus providing additional constraints for models of galaxy formation and evolution.


Cardiac muscle fibers are made up of individual cells joined end to end; it has been suggested that the action potential must be conducted from cell to cell by some specialized mechanism. The alternative is that the electrical resistance is low at the junctions between the cells, so that the fiber behaves like a cable. The shape and time course of the foot of the action potential and the conduction velocity in the frog ventricle fit the predictions made from the cable theory.


We consider the problem of grouping items into clusters based on few random pairwise comparisons between the items. We introduce three closely related algorithms for this task: a belief propagation algorithm approximating the Bayes optimal solution, and two spectral algorithms based on the non-backtracking and Bethe Hessian operators. For the case of two symmetric clusters, we conjecture that these algorithms are asymptotically optimal in that they detect the clusters as soon as it is information theoretically possible to do so. We substantiate this claim for one of the spectral approaches we introduce.


The impact of quantified self data on Healthcare. Guest lecturer at GSMS PhD congres 'Create your Future, Discover Talent' Martijn de Groot (1975) is a medical biologist (MSc) with a background in teaching (MEd) and medical science (PhD). After his PhD research he has worked as a researcher, teacher and developer of higher education programs for the University Medical Center Groningen, the Premedical University and the Hanze University of Applied Sciences Groningen. He has a special interest in the integration of technology and biology and ambition to bridge the gap between medical sciences and health care education. He is one of the co-founders of the Quantified Self Institute, which was launched in 2012. In his current job as program leader of the Quantified Self Institute he works on the development of personalized science and self-tracking with interest for applied scientific research, higher education and entrepreneurship.


This book is the sixth in the series of the Color Atlas of Ophthalmic Surgery . This volume satisfies the atlas nature of the series as the format uses a large page size and numerous illustrations composed mostly of clear line drawings that stand alone or coordinate with good-quality color photographs. Surgical procedures are chronicled in a stepwise fashion with the color photographs or with accompanying line drawings, as necessary. The book is well organized into grouped chapters on basic subjects, trauma, and chapters pertaining to the lacrimal system, the eyelid, and the orbit. The book concludes with a chapter on biopsy techniques of the temporal artery—an unusual treat. The chapters are also well organized and, where possible, are divided into sections on evaluation, surgical indications, surgical techniques, postoperative care, and complications. There are numerous bold-faced headings and subheadings that make rapid browsing for the surgeonpossible. The layout is effective, with


In this paper, we present a new interconnect delay model called fitted Elmore delay (FED). FED is generated by approximating Hspice delay data using a curve fitting technique. The functional form used in curve fitting is derived based on the Elmore delay model. Thus, our model has all the advantages of the Elmore delay model. It has a closed form expression as simple as the Elmore delay model and is extremely efficient to compute. Interconnect optimization with respect to design parameters can also be done as easily as in the Elmore delay model. In fact, most previous algorithms and programs based on the Elmore delay model can use our model without much change. Most importantly, FED is significantly more accurate than the Elmore delay model. The maximum error in delay estimation is at most 2% for our model, compared to 8.5% for the scaled Elmore delay model. The average error is less than 0.8%. We also show that FED can be more than 10 times more accurate than the Elmore delay model when applied to wire sizing.


Students who have undergraduate research opportunities tend to have higher identification as a scientist, also known as science identity. Furthermore, students with higher science identity are better prepared for advanced science education, compared to students with lower science identity. The current studies seek to examine predictors of undergraduate students' intentions to pursue graduate school. In the first study, underrepresented students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields who attended the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students (ABRCMS) filled out a survey that assessed their research confidence and intentions to pursue graduate school. Students who attended ABRCMS more often and had higher research confidence from attending were more likely to intend to pursue a research degree in graduate school. In study two, undergraduate students completed a survey with items measuring research confidence, science identity, and academic selfefficacy. All variables significantly predicted students' intentions of pursuing graduate education, with science identity being the strongest predictor. Results suggest that students' undergraduate research experiences and ability to view themselves as scientists prepares them for further education and increases their intentions of pursuing graduate education. Exposure to undergraduate research opportunities, like ABRCMS, is especially important in providing underrepresented groups a sense of belonging in STEM fields. Greater sense of belonging and stronger identification with science can increase the number of underrepresented students who pursue STEM fields, which can lead to more advances in science. Senate District 23 House District 106


Fruit of Allanblackia floribunda is an active ingredient in the pharmaceutical industry. Fruit production in the species is hindered by incidence of pathogenic fungi leading to economic loss. This study was conducted to investigate micro-fungi species associated with leaf spot of A. floribunda. Field surveys were carried out in natural stands containing matured  A. floribunda trees  located at Owu Ikija, Ogun State (6.80°N, 4.03°E) and Benin, Edo State (6.29°N and 5.58°E) in Southern Nigeria. Diseased leaf samples were collected during wet and dry seasons. Pure cultures of fungal isolates obtained from the leaf samples were examined to determine their cultural and morphological characteristics. Percentage incidence of micro-fungi in each location was estimated. Leaves of healthy seedlings were sprayed with 104 conidial/ml spore concentration of fungal isolates to determine their pathogenicity. Fourteen fungal species were isolated from leaves of A. floribunda across the two sites. Aspergillus spp., Macrophomina phaseolina, Penicillium species, Pestalotia palmarum, Rhizopus nigricans and Trichoderma pseudokoningii were isolated from both sites during both seasons. Fusarium oxysporum, Lasiodiplodia theobromae, Penicillium javanicum and Pythium aphanidermatum were present at Owu Ikija while Colletotrichum capsici, C. coccodes and Curvularia lunata were present at Benin with fungal incidence of 12.5, 12.5 and 4.17%, respectively. P. palmarum had modal fungal incidence (35.29%) at Benin followed by T. pseudokoningii at Owu-Ikija with frequency value of 18.75 and 17.54%, respectively. P. palmarum was the most prevalent out of all micro-fungi species associated with A. floribunda in all locations. Pathogenicity test was negative for all tested isolates, variety of micro-fungi are associated with A. floribunda.

 Key words: Allanblackia floribunda, fruit, fungal isolates, leaf samples, pathogenicity.


OBJECTIVES
To analyze emergency department (ED) presentations after naltrexone-accelerated detoxification.

METHODS
This was a retrospective cohort analysis of patient presentations to Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital Emergency Department over a six-month period (November 2000 to April 2001).

RESULTS
During the six-month study period, 42 patients presented to the ED after naltrexone-accelerated detoxification. This represented 7% of patients treated at a single clinic over the same period. Presentation occurred within 24 hours in 40% of cases and within 48 hours in 74%. Clinical features on presentation included gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms (vomiting, 60%; abdominal pain, 55%; diarrhea, 45%), central nervous system [CNS] symptoms (excessive drowsiness, 55%; agitation requiring sedation, 50%), and respiratory symptoms (tachypnea, 33%; respiratory difficulties, 19%). Gastrointestinal symptoms were managed adequately with supportive therapy in most cases (intravenous fluids; antiemetics). Agitation sometimes required large doses of intravenous benzodiazepines (up to 730 mg in 44 hours), one-to-one nursing, and security staff. Two of 14 patients presenting with predominantly CNS disturbance required intubation (14%). Mean in-hospital stay for all patients was 18 hours (range 1 to 92 hours).

CONCLUSIONS
A few patients undergoing outpatient naltrexone-accelerated detoxification during a six-month period subsequently required ED management. The clinical features encountered in this group of patients can be subdivided into GI or CNS predominance, with different management strategies. Most presentations can be managed in the ED or an associated observation ward, but departmental resources must be available for one-to-one nursing and security personnel. Patients presenting with agitation should be sedated with benzodiazepines; large doses may be required. Close monitoring of respiratory function is mandatory, and advanced airway management may be required.


: The author reports on self-experienced, reboxetine-induced sexual dysfunction (prolonged orgasm of reduced intensity) and seminal emission after defecation. Both disorders were accompanied by pain and ceased within two days after discontinuation of the drug.