Along with the contradiction between economic growth and resource depletion, the concept of economic development has changed to innovation, coordination, greenness, openness and sharing". The concept of green development focuses on the ecological environment, low-carbon development and the construction of green economic system. Under the background of green development, to guide the green upgrading of traditional industries and cultivate new green industries is the key to the restructuring of current industrial structure in China. However, how green credit acts on the upgrading of the industrial structure and its impact are still lacking systematic analysis. This paper reviews domestic and foreign literature to understand the main directions and progress of the research related to the optimization of green credit and industrial structure. And based on the current situation of green credit adjustment in China, this paper analyzes the impact of green credit on industrial structure upgrading by combing three mechanisms: capital formation, signal transmission, and feedback & credit generation. The relevant data is selected from 2004 to 2015 in China and 31 provinces and cities. Firstly, the relationship between the development of green credit and the upgrading of industrial structure is analyzed empirically through the gray relational analysis method, that is, China's green credit can indeed optimize the industrial structure. Followed by the regression model of panel data, it makes the regression analysis and comparative analysis of the effect of regional green credit on the adjustment of industrial structure in Eastern China, Central China and Western China.The conclusions are as follows: firstly, green credit affects the industrial structure mainly through the capital and capital channels of enterprises; secondly, the current situation in China shows that there is a relationship between green credit and the optimization of industrial structure; thirdly, the overall green credit adjustment of industrial structure in China has a significant effect on the upgrading of industrial structure; fourthly, the impact of green credit in the three major regions on the adjustment of industrial structure is different, and the positive effects of green credit on industrial structure adjustment in the eastern and western regions are more obvious than that in the central region. In our opinion, in the process of green transformation to promote industrial development, we should give full play to the role of governments, financial enterprises and real enterprises, adjust the credit structure based on the market orientation, rationally allocate green credit funds, promote the optimization and upgrading of industrial structure, and pay attention to the regional balance; at the same time, it is necessary to improve the connection between policy issuance and policy implementation and promote the effective role of green credit in the transformation and upgrading of the industrial structure.


PURPOSE
Portal measurement is becoming an important tool for in vivo dosimetric verification, and Calypso provides real-time tracking capability; however, when both work simultaneously, large interference arises for portal measurement. The purpose of this study is to investigate the interference of Calypso on portal measurement and mitigation of the interference by applying aluminum shielding over portal panels.

METHODS
For the same IMRT field and phantom setup, we acquired portal measurements at every 15 degree gantry angle, without and with Calypso, and for those measurements with Calypso, we also acquired portal measurements without and with aluminum shielding over the portal panels. The aluminum shielding consists of a layer of aluminum foil of 0.1 mm thickness covering the portal panel. The measurements without Calypso and without aluminum shielding were regarded as the reference images. All other measurements were regarded as the test images. We measured the deviation of the test images from the reference images by the amplitude difference and using the Gamma Index (3%, 3 mm).

RESULTS
With Calypso interference and without aluminum shielding, the signals are larger than the reference, and in some unfavorable gantry angles, the signals can be as much as 15% larger. With aluminum shielding, the interference was much reduced to ∼3% for those unfavorable angles, and the Gamma passing rate achieves 95% for most of the angles.

CONCLUSION
The Calypso interference on portal measurements is gantry angle dependent due to panel orientation and proximity with respect to the Calypso transducer. Shielding on the portal panel can largely reduce electronic interference, and it is anticipated that with an improved complete shielding over the entire portal panel, the interference could be further reduced.


In this paper we study generative modeling via autoencoders while using the elegant geometric properties of the optimal transport (OT) problem and the Wasserstein distances. We introduce Sliced-Wasserstein Autoencoders (SWAE), which are generative models that enable one to shape the distribution of the latent space into any samplable probability distribution without the need for training an adversarial network or defining a closed-form for the distribution. In short, we regularize the autoencoder loss with the sliced-Wasserstein distance between the distribution of the encoded training samples and a predefined samplable distribution. We show that the proposed formulation has an efficient numerical solution that provides similar capabilities to Wasserstein Autoencoders (WAE) and Variational Autoencoders (VAE), while benefiting from an embarrassingly simple implementation.


Stream crossings for skid trails have high sediment delivery ratios. Forestry Best Management Practices (BMPs) have proven to be effective for erosion control, but few studies have quantified the impact of various levels of BMPs on sedimentation. In this study, three skid-trail stream-crossing BMP treatments were installed on nine operational stream crossings (three replications) to evaluate the degree of sediment control associated with the different treatments. Treatments were: (1) slash, (2) mulch, and (3) mulch plus silt fence. Upstream and downstream water samples were collected daily at the stream crossings for 1 year following BMP installation. Samples were evaluated for total suspended solids. Both slash and mulch treatments applied to the stream crossing approaches after removal of temporary skidder bridges were effective at reducing the amount of sediment entering the stream after harvest. The mulch plus silt-fence treatment was the most expensive treatment, yet it allowed more sediment to enter the stream at the approach due to silt-fence installation disturbances. Thus BMP related disturbances should be minimized adjacent to a stream bank.


New Year and Christmas are widely represented in the world literature. This is both a special genre – a touching Christmas story, which is created according to certain canons, and traditional "scary stories", the action of which is timed to the "magic" period of Christmas, and a description of the merry winter holidays in Soviet children's literature, where the New year replaced the rejected Christmas. But not only the storytellers and romantics have left a description of the holidays they loved since childhood on the pages of their literary works. Poets, satirists, and realists had a hand here — quite a wide range of authors who described both the New Year holiday itself and everything that happens on Christmas. The ceremonies that took place during these holidays have a deep meaning. Therefore, the main purpose of the work is a comparative analysis of the descriptions of the Nativity and the Nativity in the works of Russian writers of the XVIII-XX centuries. The author analyses the works of Gogol, Tolstoy, Bulgakov, Starygin, Zaitsev. It has been established that Russian literature actively turned to Christmas and Christmas holidays in the nineteenth century. For example, A.S. Pushkin in "Eugene Onegin" contrasted Christmas with Christmas. It has been established that Christian motifs dominate heathenism in Gogol's Christmas tale. In the novel "War and Peace" by L.N. Tolstoy was able to subtly determine the originality of the Christmas mood in the popular understanding. It has been determined that in classical works of Russian literature, Christmas time appears more often than Christmas: the pagan tradition is "one's own", original, unlike Christian. The atmosphere is transmitted by writers more attractively than the Christmas one.


Alzheimer's Disease (AD) represents the most common type of dementia and is becoming a steadily increasing challenge for health systems globally. Inflammation is developing as the main focus of research into Alzheimer's disease and has been demonstrated to be a major driver of the pathologies associated with AD. This evidence introduces an interesting research question, whether chronic inflammation due to pathologies such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) could lead to a higher risk of developing dementia. In both IBD and RA, increased levels of the inflammatory biomarker C-reactive protein (CRP) can be highlighted, the latter being directly implicated in neuroinflammation and AD. In this meta-analysis both the association between chronic inflammatory diseases and elevated levels of CRP during midlife were investigated to examine if they correlated with an augmented risk of dementia. Moreover, the association between increased CRP and modifications in the permeability of the Blood Brain Barrier (BBB) in the presence of CRP is explored. The results displayed that the odds ratio for IBD and dementia was 1.91 [1.15-3.15], for RA it was 1.90 [1.09-3.32] following sensitivity analysis and for CRP it was 1.62 [1.22-2.15]. These results demonstrate a higher risk of dementia in patients presenting chronic inflammation and that exists an independent association with high CRP in midlife. This paper builds on published research that suggest a critical role for CRP both in stroke and AD and provides an analysis on currently published research on multiple diseases (IBD and RA) in which CRP is raised as well as chronically elevated. CRP and the associated risk of dementia and further research indicated that the monomeric form of CRP can infiltrate the BBB/be released from damaged micro-vessels to access the brain. This meta-analysis provides first-time evidence that chronic elevation of CRP in autoimmune diseases is directly associated with an increased risk of later development of Alzheimer's disease. Therefore, greater priority should be provided to the effective control of inflammation in patients with chronic inflammatory or autoimmune conditions and further long-term assessment of circulating CRP might inform of an individual's relative risk of developing dementia.


Many studies have noted that a strong sense of biographical disruption can
follow the onset of chronic illness. There has been limited research into
people's ways of managing this disruption in the longer term. This study
elicited life narratives from four women, who had experienced serious chronic
illness (such as cancer) for at least four years. The women joined the study
because they had identified themselves as discovering creative occupations
(such as textile arts) in the aftermath of diagnosis. Their narratives revealed
how creativity had become central to their subjective well-being, and physical
resilience. Their accounts document how immersion in creative occupations
permitted strong connections to be forged between former and current
identities, repairing the initial disruption that had been experienced, and
facilitating a strong sense of ability rather than impairment. The narratives in
which discovery of the creative occupation are described are often marked by
humour. This paper explores the multiple meanings that humour may serve in
the women's responses to the interview, and the choices that may be made
during narrative analysis. The participants appear, on the surface, to be living
very different lives from those that they had enjoyed when healthy, but their
accounts make strong connections between present and past roles, abilities and
interests, demonstrating a sense of biographical continuity.


In the present study, we have investigated the possible changes in rat mesenteric artery vascular innervation function caused by chronic exposure to low doses of HgCl(2) (mercuric chloride), as well as the mechanisms involved. Rats were divided into two groups: (i) control, and (ii) HgCl(2)-treated rats (30 days; first dose, 4.6 μg/kg of body weight; subsequent dose, 0.07 μg·kg-1 of body weight·day-1, intramuscularly). Vasomotor response to EFS (electrical field stimulation), NA (noradrenaline) and the NO donor DEA-NO (diethylamine NONOate) were studied, nNOS (neuronal NO synthase) and phospho-nNOS protein expression were analysed, and NO, O(2)- (superoxide anion) and NA release were also determined. EFS-induced contraction was higher in the HgCl(2)-treated group. Phentolamine (1 μmol/l) decreased the response to EFS to a greater extent in HgCl(2)-treated rats. HgCl(2) treatment increased vasoconstrictor response to exogenous NA and NA release. L-NAME (N(G)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester; 0.1 mmol/l) increased the response to EFS in both experimental groups, but the increase was greater in segments from control animals. HgCl(2) treatment decreased NO release and increased O(2)- production. Vasodilator response to DEA-NO was lower in HgCl(2)-treated animals. Tempol increased DEA-NO-induced relaxation to a greater extent in HgCl(2)-treated animals. nNOS expression was similar in arteries from both experimental groups, whereas phospho-nNOS was decreased in segments from HgCl(2)-treated animals. HgCl(2) treatment increased vasoconstrictor response to EFS as a result of, in part, reduced NO bioavailability and increased adrenergic function. These findings offer further evidence that mercury, even at low concentrations, is an environmental risk factor for cardiovascular disease.


Abstract Data on prevalence, mechanisms of arrhythmogenesis and classification of atrioventricular (AV) nodal reciprocal tachycardia are presented. Clinical-electrocardiographical and electrophysiological features of typical and atypical forms of AV nodal reciprocal tachycardia are described. Main diagnostic measures are delineated and principles of tactical approach to management of patients with AV nodal reciprocal tachycardia presented. Indications to radiofrequency catheter ablation, and physical characteristics of radiofrequency interventions in the region of registration of AV junction slow part fibers potentials of lower isthmus of the right atrium are discussed. Data of analysis of comparative efficacy of pharmacological and interventional approaches to management of patients with AV nodal reciprocal tachycardia as well as spectrum of possible complications associated with surgery are also presented.


Apraxia of Speech (AoS) is a neurogenic speech disorder. A wide variety of behavioural methods have been developed to treat AoS. Various therapy programmes use musical elements to improve speech production. A unique therapy programme combining elements of speech therapy and music therapy is called Speech-Music Therapy for Aphasia (SMTA). In clinical practice, patients with AoS have experienced positive outcomes of SMTA; however, there was no evidence of this treatment's effectiveness. This thesis addresses that topic. First, a description of the literature on speech processing in healthy speakers and patients with AoS is described, followed by the treatment of AoS and various characteristics of music that may be involved in this treatment. Next, an instrument to evaluate the effect of SMTA has been developed to assess the effects of SMTA; the Modified Diadochokinesis Test (MDT) in which patients are requested to repeat syllables. The MDT has adequate psychometric properties, implying that it can be used to measure changes in speech motor performance after AoS treatment. Finally, an efficacy study of SMTA was performed in a small group of patients with AoS. Verbal communication in daily life improved in all participants and this improvement remained stable after treatment stopped. The general discussion chapter of this thesis explains the working mechanism of SMTA. SMTA provides an external musical frame directed to the dynamic process of speech motor control. The musical parameters melody, rhythm, meter, tempo and dynamics are related to a particular level of speech production: speech motor planning.


The concept of the New Ukrainian School is aimed at organizing effective inclusive education for students, in particular younger students with special educational needs, and their cooperation with healthy peers. The paper aims to theoretically justify and experimentally verify psycho-pedagogical conditions for teaching future primary school teachers how to interact with students' parents in inclusive practice. The experimental group (EG) involved 203 respondents and the control group (CG) 215 respondents, as well as 12 university teachers, 36 primary school teachers and 115 students' parents of students with/without special educational needs. The psycho-pedagogical conditions are determined as follows: developing future primary school teachers' motivational, values-based and responsible attitude to acquiring knowledge, abilities and skills needed for the interaction with students' parents in inclusive practice; using the opportunities of an educational environment in higher education institutions to develop future primary school teachers' certain competencies by improving and integrating the content of professional and specialized academic courses, applying innovative and traditional technologies of teaching and learning; focusing academic training and teaching placement towards improving the experience of future primary school teachers in interacting with students' parents in inclusive practice). The paper employs some author's methodologies (adapted to Raven's (1991) socio-pedagogical methodologies): surveys, interviews, student questionnaires, tests, assignments. The ratio between the levels of future primary school teachers' readiness to interact with students' parents in inclusive learning is the following: the experimental group – a high level 45.32%, an average level 41.87%, a low level 12.81%; the control group a high level 16.74%, an average level 36.75%, a low level 41.51%. The obtained results indicate some dynamic positive changes in the levels of EG respondents' readiness under the influence of the proposed psycho-pedagogical conditions.


Resources for the study of Chinese culinary history, featuring the Dr. Jacqueline M. Newman Chinese Cookbook Collection, a special collection at Stony Brook University.


Individual maize cultivars may react differently to fertilisation. Thus differential fertilisation levels can potentially have a marked influence on profitability of maize production and also on optimal cultivar selection. Fertilisation trials are not normally cultivardirected. The effect of fertilisation on a cultivar can thus not be directly determined. Adaptation regression lines of cultivars were used to determine economic optimum fertilisation levels for different maize cultivars at different locations. The conditions for such determinations are that the reaction of at least one cultivar on fertiliser must be known, and that the relationships between yields of different cultivars must be available. The variances between observed and predicted cultivar yields are relatively small. The proposed method should thus be satisfactory for the prediction of yields.


Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) are biomimetic synthetic receptors that possess two of the most important features of biological antibodies – the ability to recognize and bind specific target molecules. Owing to their easier preparation, lower cost, higher specifity and stability compared to antibodies, they have the potential to be widely applied for environemental and food analysis. Recently, MIPs also emerged in the biochemical field as diagnostic tools, chemicals traps to remove undesirable substance from the body, or drug delivery systems, where usually the combination of biocompatibility and degradability after its use is desirable. Here, we developed biochemically or enzymatically degradable MIPs, which have potential applications as activation-modulated drug delivery systems. In general, MIPs are prepared by radical polymerization of functional monomers and cross-linkers in the presence of a target molecule acting as template. Degradable MIPs were synthesized using cleavable cross-linkers containing a degradable group (disulfide bond or phosphate ester bond) or derived from a natural disaccharide. In the presence of a cleaving reagent (reducing agent or enzyme), the chemo or enzyme-sensitive bond could be cleaved, resulting in the degradation of the polymer matrix. The degraded polymers looses the binding sites structure resulting in the loss of recognition and binding capacity towards the target molecules, and thus in the release of bound molecules. These degradable MIPs provide new opportunities as "smart" vectors for controlled delivery of active molecules in biomedical applications. Finally, the biodegradation of the polymer backbone by bacteria was investigated.


Background: Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) is a common complication following surgery under spinal anesthesia. The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of metoclopramide–dexamethasone combination with ondansetron as prophylaxis against PONV in the routine gynecological surgeries amenable to subarachnoid block (SAB). Materials and Methods: Following institutional ethical approval, patients were randomly assigned to receive either ondansetron 4 mg or metoclopramide 10 mg plus dexamethasone 8 mg. All patients had a SAB with 3 ml of 0.5% hyperbaric bupivacaine plus 25 μg of fentanyl. The primary outcome was proportion of patients in both groups with PONV within 24 h from institution of the SAB. Secondary outcome included comparison of severity of PONV between the two study groups, incidence of side effects related to the study drugs (i.e., sedation, headaches, and movement disorder), and cost implication of the study drugs in both groups. Results: One hundred patients were recruited in this study. The overall incidence of PONV for the 24-h period was 10% (n = 5) and 12% (n = 6) for the ondansetron group and the combination group, respectively. Side effects of the study drugs were minimal and comparable in both groups. The cost-effectiveness ratio, evaluated based on the number of women completely free of nausea and vomiting in each group, was higher at ₦ 177.78 for group ondansetron compared to ₦ 113.63 for metoclopramide and dexamethasone combination group. Conclusion: Combined dexamethasone–metoclopramide had comparable clinical effectiveness with lower cost-effectiveness compared to ondansetron for the prevention of PONV in women undergoing myomectomy under SAB.


The Hortavaer intrusive complex, Norway, is a layered igneous complex that was assembled by multiple injections of magmas that ranged from gabbroic through granitic in composition. Layering is defined by intrusive sheets that range from 10 cm to 2 m in thickness. Geopetal structures associated with these sheets indicate that the complex underwent 90°–120° of postsolidification tilting, and subsequent exhumation and erosion have exposed an oblique, 6-km-thick section through the complex. The complex is heterogeneous: at the outcrop scale a range of igneous rock types is exposed and host-rock xenoliths and screens are common. The overall zonation is, from the base upward (west to east), syenite zone (sheets of fine- to coarse-grained syenite), sheeted zone (inter-layered syenitic and dioritic sheets), diorite zone (dioritic sheets with thin syenitic intercalations, massive to banded, clinopyroxene-rich cumulate rocks, scant olivine gabbro), eastern zone (dioritic sheets in predominant quartz-bearing monzonite and syenite), and the stratigraphically highest Kvingra alkaline granite. Although magmatic evolution was in batches, individual domains of the pluton and the overall magma evolution of the system display the pervasive influence of assimilation of carbonate-rich rocks, which resulted in the alkaline nature of the evolved magmas. Assimilative reaction between dioritic magmas and calc-silicate rocks resulted in partial melting of the calc-silicates and mixing of the Ca-rich melt into the host magma. Addition of Ca stabilized clinopyroxene (+ plagioclase) at the expense of olivine, which led to precipitation of clinopyroxene-rich cumulates and formation of syenitic residual magmas. Invasion of the calc-silicate rocks by silicate melts resulted in melanocratic garnet + clinopyroxene monzonitic and syenitic endoskarn and magmatic skarn. Because magmatic evolution involved assimilation of calc-silicate rocks and because melt-bearing skarns and clinopyroxene-rich cumulates formed within the complex, magmatic processes responsible for forming the range of rock types in the complex are interpreted to have operated in situ. This interpretation implies that the core of the complex is a zone in which intense reaction of mafic magmas with calc-silicate rocks occurred. Successive emplacement and loading of additional mafic magma onto these zones squeezed the syenitic magmas laterally into tabular intrusions, one zone of which crops out at the exposed base of the complex. Magma loading is also demonstrated by the presence of magmatic foliation parallel to sheet margins in some sheets but the absence of foliation in adjacent sheets. Waning stages of magma evolution were less influenced by assimilation of carbonate-rich rocks. Thus, late-stage magmas displayed silica enrichment and the presence of quartz in the uppermost syenites and monzonites. Ultimately, evolved magmas reached granitic compositions and accumulated in the highest level of the complex. Some granitic (feeder?) dikes extend into the center of the pluton, which indicates that formation of the granitic magmas was piecemeal and occurred in numerous parts of the complex, just as evolution of the less evolved part of the system occurred in batches.


Background Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a major health problem in the western world. Current treatment with interferon (IFN) and ribavirin (RBV) is able to produce a sustained virological response in approximately 50% of patients with genotype-1. Telaprevir (TPV) represents a change in the treatment of HCV. Purpose To describe the proportion of patients who had undetectable plasma HCV-RNA at week 4 and 12 of treatment, the haemoglobin and platelets level during treatment and the most frequently reported adverse events. Materials and Methods We conducted a retrospective study of all patients who started triple therapy in 2012. We collected demographics (age and sex), genotype, pre-treatment response, haemoglobin, platelets, plasma HCV-RNA at weeks 0, 4 and 12 and reported adverse events. Results Since January 2012, 9 patients began treatment with RBV+IFN+TPV with a mean of age of 49 (SD:6.2). 89% were male. Genotype-1a was predominant (95%). Five patients were previous non-responders, three were relapsers and one was missing. The mean haemoglobin at weeks 0, 4 and 12 was 15.5 (SD:1.2), 13.0 (SD:1.7), and 11.3.(SD:1.9) mg/dl respectively and the mean platelets at week 0, 4 and 12 were 217 (SD:142.4), 132 (SD:46.2) and 121 (SD:33.9) respectively. The mean of plasma HCV-RNA at the beginning was log 6.55 (SD:0.39). At week 4, 8 patients (88.9%) had undetectable plasma HCV-RNA and 1 had to discontinue treatment (HCV-RNA: log5.63). At week 12, 7 patients had undetectable plasma HCV-RNA. One patient had to discontinue treatment due to severe anaemia. The most frequent adverse event was anaemia (89%); in two cases it was even necessary to administer erythropoietin. Other adverse events were rash, fatigue and haemorrhoids. Conclusions Our rate of undetectable plasma HCV-RNA at week 4 is high (89%) which allowed TPV to be suspended at week 12 and RBV+IFN treatment to be shortened to 24 weeks. Anaemia was the major serious adverse event reported. No conflict of interest.


From the vantage point of nearly sixty years devoted to research and the writing of history, J. H. Elliott steps back from his work to consider the progress of historical scholarship. From his own experiences as a historian of Spain, Europe, and the Americas, he provides a deft and sharp analysis of the work that historians do and how the field has changed since the 1950s. The author begins by explaining the roots of his interest in Spain and its past, then analyzes the challenges of writing the history of a country other than one's own. In succeeding chapters he offers acute observations on such topics as the history of national and imperial decline, political history, biography, and art and cultural history. Elliott concludes with an assessment of changes in the approach to history over the past half-century, including the impact of digital technology, and argues that a comprehensive vision of the past remains essential. Professional historians, students of history, and those who read history for pleasure will find in Elliott's delightful book a new appreciation of what goes into the shaping of historical works and how those works in turn can shape the world of thought and action.


This paper evaluates China's exchange rate policy and current account surplus in the context of its rapid development. Recognizing that external imbalances reflect divergent national production and expenditure growth within both China and its trading partners, it contends that yuan exchange rate undervaluation against major currencies is central to any explanation of global imbalances. This misalignment artificially assists China's output growth and limits its household consumption, thereby slowing the rise in China's living standards. Meanwhile, due to currency misalignment, China's industrialized trading partners, most notably the United States and European Union, simultaneously experience larger bilateral current account deficits with China, lower output, lower saving and higher investment than otherwise. Further significant appreciation of China's exchange rate would simultaneously reduce China's huge trade surplus and the bilateral deficits of its trading partners, thereby alleviating international trade tensions.


The major drawback of a microstrip patch antenna is it's narrow bandwidth characteristics. One method that has been investigated to increase bandwidth is the addition of a parasitic element to the microstrip patch antenna. In an active microstrip patch antenna, variable bandwidth can be achieved by varying the spacing between the antenna and the parasitic element, which is fixed to a dielectric plate. In this study, an actuator is developed, tested and employed on an actual microstrip patch antenna and it's parasite. Since a relatively large displacement (1 cm) is needed, this mesoscale actuator is comprised of stacked Rainbow actuators. This study takes advantage of the fact that, for antennas operating at higher frequencies, smaller absolute displacements will result in significant percentage changes in antenna bandwidth. The use of the parasite and the active system accounted for up to a factor of five increase in antenna bandwidth. Various control techniques were employed to counteract the effects of hysteresis and creep on the actuator. Because the use of metal components can degrade antenna performance, emphasis was placed on synergy in the design process.


The sensitivity of KATP channels to high-affinity block by sulfonylureas and to stimulation by K+ channel openers and MgADP (PCOs) is conferred by the regulatory sulfonylurea receptor (SUR) subunit, whereas ATP inhibits the channel through interaction with the inward rectifier (Kir6.2) subunit. Phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) profoundly antagonized ATP inhibition of KATP channels expressed from cloned Kir6.2+SUR1 subunits, but also abolished high affinity tolbutamide sensitivity. By stabilizing the open state of the channel, PIP2 drives the channel away from closed state(s) that are preferentially affected by high affinity tolbutamide binding, thereby producing an apparent loss of high affinity tolbutamide inhibition. Mutant KATP channels (Kir6.2[ΔN30] or Kir6.2[L164A], coexpressed with SUR1) also displayed an "uncoupled" phenotype with no high affinity tolbutamide block and with intrinsically higher open state stability. Conversely, Kir6.2[R176A]+SUR1 channels, which have an intrinsically lower open state stability, displayed a greater high affinity fraction of tolbutamide block. In addition to antagonizing high-affinity block by tolbutamide, PIP2 also altered the stimulatory action of the PCOs, diazoxide and MgADP. With time after PIP2 application, PCO stimulation first increased, and then subsequently decreased, probably reflecting a common pathway for activation of the channel by stimulatory PCOs and PIP2. The net effect of increasing open state stability, either by PIP2 or mutagenesis, is an apparent "uncoupling" of the Kir6.2 subunit from the regulatory input of SUR1, an action that can be partially reversed by screening negative charges on the membrane with poly-l-lysine.


Traditional techniques used in the reliability analysis of engineering systems have limitations. Paper-and-pencil based analysis is prone to human error and simulation based techniques cannot be computationally one hundred percent accurate.

An alternative to these two traditional approaches is modeling and analysis of reliability of systems using formal methods based techniques such as probabilistic theorem proving. Probabilistic theorem proving using higher-order logic can be used for modeling and analysis of reliability of engineering systems provided a certain reasoning infrastructure is developed. The developed infrastructure can include random variables, their probabilistic and statistical properties, and basic reliability theory concepts such as survival and hazard functions. This thesis describes state-of-the-art research in reliability analysis using theorem proving. It also describes the main contributions of this thesis which include: the formalization of statistical properties of continuous random variables, the formalization of multiple continuous random variables and the formalization of the basic notions of reliability that can be applied to single and multiple component systems. Engineering applications of the formalization are presented that illustrate the usefulness of our formalization infrastructure. These applications include reliability analysis of electronic system components such as a capacitor and an underground power transmission cable. We also present the reliability analysis of an automobile transmission using our higher-order logic formalization.

To the best of our knowledge, for the very first time, the use of theorem proving based infrastructure enables formal reliability analysis of engineering systems that is computationally one hundred percent accurate and sound. The analysis is performed using real and true random variables. We show that the results presented in this thesis are general and can be applied to many reliability engineering problems.


This article features intravaginal microbicides available in various forms, such as gel, suppository, cream, film or sponge, preventing HIV infections and other sexually transmitted disease (STD) pathogens. Microbicides also vary in their action by boosting the body's natural defense, by killing or inactivating STD pathogens, or by creating a protective barrier between the virus and the vaginal wall. Despite the potential of these products to prevent HIV and other STDs, large pharmaceutical companies are hesitant to invest in them because they assume that the only market would be in the developing world. The Global Campaign for Microbicides and HIV/STD Prevention Alternatives for Women was launched having the priority goal of educating individuals about female condoms and microbicides as promising technologies that deserve more attention and investment. While microbicides are not available yet, the use of condom still provides the best protection against HIV/STDs.


Three simple, economical, precise, and accurate methods are described for the simultaneous determination of Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TE) and Emtricitabine (EM) in combined tablet dosage form. The first method is ratio derivative spectra, second is first-order derivative spectrophotometry and third is absorption corrected method. The amplitudes at 271.07 and 302.17 nm in the ratio derivative method, 224.38 and 306.88 nm in the first order derivative method were selected to determine Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TE) and Emtricitabine (EM), respectively, in combined formulation. Beer's law is obeyed in the concentration range of 3-21 μg/ml for TE and 2-14 μg/ml for EM for first two methods and range for third method was 6-30 μg/ml of TE and 4-20 μg/ml of EM. The percent assay for commercial formulation was found to be in the range 98.91%–101.72% for both the analytes by the proposed three methods. Absorption corrected method was successfully applied to carry out dissolution study of commercial tablet formulation by using USP II dissolution test apparatus. The methods were validated with respect to linearity, precision, and accuracy. Recoveries by proposed methods were found in the range of 99.06 %-101.34 % for both the analytes.


In today's globalized world, the main goal is to improve the education system to provide the country in the future with highly qualified and competitive professionals who are able to learn new approaches to professional activities, promote digitalization and use innovative technologies.Based on the analysis of scientific and pedagogical and special literature, the author considers the levels of training, namely the initial level (short cycle) of higher education; first (bachelor's) level; second (master's) level; third (educational-scientific / educational-creative) level; scientific level ".The focus is on the principles presented in the Memorandum on the Continuing Education Process of the European Union - new basic knowledge and skills for all; increase investment in human resources; innovative teaching and learning methods; new system of evaluation of received education; development of mentoring and counseling; bringing education closer to the place of residence, as well as the principles of continuous training of future teachers, namely: multilevel professional educational programs; additionality of basic and postgraduate professional education; maneuverability of professional educational programs; continuity; sequences; connection with life.These principles confirm that the level of competitiveness of the state on the world stage increasingly depends on the quality of specialists, the level of their competence. That is why it is time to use continuing education to achieve this goal and as a result it is necessary to rethink the goals and functions of education as a system, the tasks of its individual parts.The study also found that the term multilevel learning is associated with about twenty related ones such as: lifelong learning, lifelong learning, learning for the elderly, and so on.


Asthma is one of the most common diseases in developed nations. A pathognomonic feature of asthma is episodic aggravations of the disease; these exacerbations can be life-threatening and contribute to a significant proportion of the public health burden of asthma. In the emergency department, successful management of asthma exacerbations requires early recognition and intervention before they become severe and potentially fatal. This review summarizes the pathophysiology, stabilization and assessment, diagnosis and treatment, and disposition and outcomes for asthma. Figures show the management of asthma exacerbations in the emergency department and hospital, pooled odds ratio comparing inhaled corticosteroids and oral corticosteroids with oral corticosteroids alone following emergency department discharge, and an asthma discharge plan at the emergency department. Tables list current asthma prevalence among selected demographic groups in the United States, risk factors for fatal asthma exacerbations, differential diagnosis of asthma exacerbations, and dosages of drugs for asthma exacerbations.

This review contains 3 figures, 16 tables, and 88 references.
Key Words: Asthma, allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis, gastroesophageal reflux disease, sinus disease, breathlessness, shortness of breath


Dolomite is an important constituent of many economically important gas and oil reservoir rocks. Studies conducted in modern environments combined with microbiological laboratory experiments have shown that microbes and their extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) play an important role for the formation of primary dolomite at Earth's surface conditions. These studies showed that, at low temperature, Mg is incorporated into the carbonate mineral exclusively in the presence of specific organic molecules. However, because the organic molecules involved in the mineralization process rarely survive metamorphism and are usually not preserved in the carbonate mineral, identifying microbial dolomite in ancient rocks represents a challenging task. It remains, as yet, unclear what percentage of sedimentary dolomite is a primary microbially mediated precipitate vs. a secondary replacement product that formed during diagenesis or at high temperatures during metamorphism. A useful approach for evaluating the microbial origin of ancient dolomite is that of searching for microfossils and other microstructures of biological origin associated with the dolomite crystals. Here, we present the results of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) investigations of various ancient sedimentary dolomites. Several investigated samples include abundant filamentous microstructures that we interpret to be mineralized EPS. In some cases, these filaments form a well-structured alveolar pattern, whose architecture appears too complex to be the result of an abiotic process. In order to reinforce our interpretation, we also investigated modern biofilms, which include microstructures of EPS that are morphologically identical to the mineralized and preserved EPS in ancient dolomites. In some rare cases, we also found microfossils (i.e. mineralized cells) in close spatial association with the dolomite crystals. These occurrences are remarkable, considering that it is commonly thought that only chert has the potential of preserving the soft tissues constituting microbial cells. Although we cannot prove conclusively that the fossilized cells and EPS mediated the formation of the adjacent dolomite crystals, our results indicate that dolomite formation took place in environments where microorganisms and biofilms were an important component of the depositional setting. The "microbial factor", which has been proven to be essential for the precipitation of dolomite at low temperature in modern environments, may, therefore, have also been active during the formation of these ancient carbonates.


We develop Graph-Coupled Hidden Markov Models (GCHMMs) for modeling the spread of infectious disease locally within a social network. Unlike most previous research in epidemiology, which typically models the spread of infection at the level of entire populations, we successfully leverage mobile phone data collected from 84 people over an extended period of time to model the spread of infection on an individual level. Our model, the GCHMM, is an extension of widely-used Coupled Hidden Markov Models (CHMMs), which allow dependencies between state transitions across multiple Hidden Markov Models (HMMs), to situations in which those dependencies are captured through the structure of a graph, or to social networks that may change over time. The benefit of making infection predictions on an individual level is enormous, as it allows people to receive more personalized and relevant health advice.


While million people lack access to food or some nutrients, up to one-third of food is never consumed, especially fruit and vegetables, naturally rich in phytonutrients. Fruit and vegetables waste and loss arise at all steps of the food chain from production to consumption. The access to phytonutrients is also threatened with climate changes that impact both yields and the composition of harvested organs. Finding trade-offs between yield and quality along the food chain appears necessary to improve crop sustainability and to limit losses. Processing tomato is a good target to address these challenges: it is a major crop and an important source of phytonutrients notably phenolic compounds and carotenoids, and it represents an intensive production in terms of water use. Two examples of integrated analyses will be given. First, we will focus on pre-postharvest relationships and the ability of tomatoes to be processed into purees. We investigated fruit quality in response to water supply, genotypes and ripening stage, and we assessed their impact on puree obtained from hot break and cold break processes. We found that fruit growth and quality were weakly impacted by moderate water insufficiency during growth. A reduction of water supply from 100% to 60% of the evapotranspiration strongly impacted plant growth but had little impact on fresh fruit yield and increased the water use efficiency by 20%. Second, we address the accumulation of carotenoids in ripe tomato in response to water insufficiency in two genotypes. A medium water deficit (- 0.5 MPa soil water potential while permanent wilting point is estimated at -1,5 MPa) at the beginning of fruit development impacted the fruit composition at maturity. The dry matter contents increased up to 23% while an interaction between genotype and water regime was found for carotenoid contents which may affect tomato health value.


Low-Middle-Income-Countries (LMICs) are beginning to adopt national health data warehousing (NHDWs) for making strategic decisions and for improving health outcomes. Given the numerous challenges likely to be faced in establishment of NHDWs by LMICs, it is prudent that evaluations are done in relation to the data warehouses (DWs), in order to identify and mitigate critical issues that arise. When critic issues are not identified, DWs are prone to suboptimal implementation with compromised outcomes. Despite the fact that several publications exist on evaluating DWs, evaluations specific to health data warehouses are scanty, with almost none evaluating NHDWs more so in LMICs. This paper uses a systematic approach guided by an evaluation framework to identify critical issues to be considered in evaluating Kenya's NHDW.


The suitability of Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs) for pollutant degradation was recognised in the early 1970s and much research and development work has been undertaken to commercialise some of these processes.

AOPs have shown great potential in treating pollutants at both low and high concentrations and have found applications as diverse as ground water treatment, municipal wastewater sludge destruction and VOCs control.

Advanced Oxidation Processes for Water and Wastewater Treatment is an overview of the advanced oxidation processes currently used or proposed for the remediation of water, wastewater, odours and sludge.

The book contains two opening chapters which present introductions to advanced oxidation processes and a background to UV photolysis, seven chapters focusing on individual advanced oxidation processes and, finally, three chapters concentrating on selected applications of advanced oxidation processes.

Advanced Oxidation Processes for Water and Wastewater Treatment will be invaluable to readers interested in water and wastewater treatment processes, including professionals and suppliers, as well as students and academics studying in this area.

ISBN: 9781843390176 (Print)

ISBN: 9781780403076 (eBook)


Title Provision of guideline-based care for drug-resistant tuberculosis in South Africa: Level of concordance between prescribing practices and guidelines. Objective We examined the influence of individual and site characteristics on the concordance between prescribed treatment regimens and recommended standardized regimen according to national guidelines for patients with drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) in South Africa. Methods Participants were 337 youth and adults treated for DR-TB between November 2014 and August 2016 at ten DR-TB treatment sites in Eastern Cape and KwaZulu Natal provinces, South Africa. Logistic regression was used to determine individual and system characteristics related to concordance at treatment initiation between the prescribed treatment regimens in terms of medication composition, dosage, and frequency and guideline-based standardized regimen that included four oral and one injectable medications. Results The sample was 19% (n = 64) youth (15–24 years), 53% (n = 179) male, 73% (n = 243) HIV coinfected, and 51% (n = 169) with prior history of TB treatment. Guideline medications were correctly prescribed for 88% (n = 295) of patients, but only 33% (n = 103) received the correct medications and doses. Complete guideline adherence to medications, doses, and frequency was achieved for 30% (n = 95) of patients. Younger age, HIV coinfection, and rural treatment setting were associated with the prescription of correct medications. Conclusion Most individuals are prescribed the correct DR-TB medications, yet few individuals receive correct medications, dosages, and frequencies. Further study is needed to examine the root causes for treatment guideline deviations and opportunities for improvement.


In her teen and young adult years, Brianna Riley was lost in the quagmire of the occult, even becoming a Wiccan high priestess. It ultimately left her disheartened and despondent. But when she cried out for the truth, God made sure she found it. Today she is actively involved with her local Foursquare church in Chesapeake, Va.


We examine the use of constraint propagation for populating indoor game levels with enemies and other objects.  We introduce a notion of path constraints, which bound some function over the possible paths a player might take, and show how to efficiently place objects while guaranteeing path constraints.  This allows the system to guarantee that power-ups are balanced to the number of enemies occurring in the level, that they're placed early enough to be useful, that keys are not hidden behind the doors they are intended to unlock, and so on. We describe a constraint solver based on interval methods that allows natural processing of numeric constraints and show that it is efficient enough to be used even on very low-end platforms.


IgE antibodies are key mediators of antiparasitic immune responses, but their potential for cancer treatment via antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) has been little studied. Recently, tumor antigen-specific IgEs were reported to restrict cancer cell growth by engaging high-affinity Fc receptors on monocytes and macrophages; however, the underlying therapeutic mechanisms were undefined and in vivo proof of concept was limited. Here, an immunocompetent rat model was designed to recapitulate the human IgE-Fcε receptor system for cancer studies. We also generated rat IgE and IgG mAbs specific for the folate receptor (FRα), which is expressed widely on human ovarian tumors, along with a syngeneic rat tumor model expressing human FRα. Compared with IgG, anti-FRα IgE reduced lung metastases. This effect was associated with increased intratumoral infiltration by TNFα+ and CD80+ macrophages plus elevated TNFα and the macrophage chemoattractant MCP-1 in lung bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. Increased levels of TNFα and MCP-1 correlated with IgE-mediated tumor cytotoxicity by human monocytes and with longer patient survival in clinical specimens of ovarian cancer. Monocytes responded to IgE but not IgG exposure by upregulating TNFα, which in turn induced MCP-1 production by monocytes and tumor cells to promote a monocyte chemotactic response. Conversely, blocking TNFα receptor signaling abrogated induction of MCP-1, implicating it in the antitumor effects of IgE. Overall, these findings show how antitumor IgE reprograms monocytes and macrophages in the tumor microenvironment, encouraging the clinical use of IgE antibody technology to attack cancer beyond the present exclusive reliance on IgG. Cancer Res; 77(5); 1127-41. ©2017 AACR.


Protection of the amino acid moiety using 9-BBN is an effective method to enable side chain manipulations in synthesis of complex amino acids. We investigated the standard, mild method for deprotection of the 9-BBN group in methanolic chloroform, and found that it relies on a slow oxidation mediated by molecular oxygen. Building on this insight, we have developed a method that allows for a fast and selective deprotection using simple peroxy acid reagents. After Fmoc protection, products were isolated in >90 % yield for a series of amino acid derivatives, including a galactosylated derivative of hydroxylysine.


OBJECTIVES--To examine if car painters who work with polyurethane paints that contain hexamethylenediisocyanate (HDI) and hexamethylenediisocyanate biuret trimer (HDI-BT) develop acute as well as chronic impairment of lung function. METHODS--In this study data were reanalysed from two earlier studies on a group of car painters to see if a decrease in lung function within the week is a marker of vulnerability in those workers. Data on changes in forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) within the week were available for 20 car painters who were also examined six years later. RESULTS--10 men showed a decline in FVC within the week. There were no significant differences in age, duration of employment, exposures during the follow up period, or smoking between car painters who had decline in lung function within the week and car painters who had not. A significant correlation was found between the change in FVC within the week and the long term (six year) change in FVC, standardised for the effects of aging and smoking, and adjusted for the number of peak exposures. CONCLUSIONS--The results suggest that the decrease in FVC within the week might serve as a guide to identify car painters at risk of a further decrement in lung function above the effects of aging, smoking, and exposure.


Pembina Pipeline Corporation (Pembina) monitored three active interacting [1] landslides utilizing arrays of remote real-time GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) sensors to assist in the confirmation of safe continued pipeline operation. Each case study utilized remote sending high-precision real-time GNSS sensors to monitor landslides of varying movement rates, from slow-moving landslides which could be condition-monitored for many years, to fast-moving landslides which required pipeline mitigation within months.
 The first case study was Henderson Creek near Grande Prairie AB, which utilized remote real-time GNSS sensors to monitor over one meter of rotational slope movement in 6 months; both a conventionally-buried pipeline, and a temporary above-ground pipeline bridge were monitored before a permanent HDD replacement mitigation was completed. Sensors were installed on the temporary pipeline, the bridge, as well as shallow ground installations. The second case study was Athabasca River north slope near Ft McMurray AB, which utilized remote real-time GNSS sensors to monitor an above-ground pipeline in a slow-moving valley-scale landslide over a period of several years. The third case study was Smoky River east slope near Grande Cache AB, which utilized remote real-time GNSS sensors to monitor a rapidly-moving landslide on a conventionally-buried pipeline, which has plans for an HDD replacement mitigation in the near future.
 To verify the results of the GNSS sensors, each of these three landslide sites were monitored utilizing multiple technologies which showed close correlation with the remote real-time GNSS sensors, including conventional ground surveys, monitoring pin surveys, SIs, and repeated ILI IMU caliper runs. The GNSS monitoring system was precise enough to detect operational changes of the above-ground pipelines, including filling of the pipeline with product, suspected changes in internal pipeline operating pressure, and pipeline expansion and contraction due to temperature changes from night to day and winter to summer.
 Pembina successfully utilized a remote real-time GNSS monitoring system to allow greater assurance of safe continued pipeline operation at three separate moving slopes, until either a slope movement threshold was reached, or mitigation was completed. This paper highlights that pipeline operators can remotely condition-monitor their confirmed or suspected interacting pipelines in landslides with accuracy using remote real-time GNSS, on a real-time continuous basis as part of their Geohazard Management Program.


Utilization of biogas from cow manure as a fuel alternative for power plants is done through an anaerobic process. A pilot plant with biogas production of 7 m 3 /day has been installed at Pesantren Saung Balong. Biogas is used for everyday purposes such as cooking and lighting, and used as pure biogas with 2.500 Watt scale generator. Biogas produced with the rate of 0.080 m 3 /hr. Biogas produced during the measurement (450 minutes) is 0.604 m 3 . With these data it is predicted that within a day (24 hours) biogas which can be generated is equal to 1.92 m 3 . Meanwhile, consumption of biogas to the generator with 1.047 W load is 0.019 m3/minutes, the generator will operate for approximately 101.05 minutes or 1.68 hours. Thus electricity that can be saved is 1.759 kWh per day or 52.77 kWh per month and electricity cost that can be saved that is equal to Rp.40.896/month.


The effect of B. danysz on the Ehrlich mouse carcinoma was described in a previous report (1936). Hyperemia and other changes, which were interpreted as being of a regressive nature, were observed in the tumors following intratumoral injection of this highly pathogenic microorganism.

The experiments to be described in this paper deal with the attempt to immunize mice against infection with B. danysz by inoculation of a vaccine of that organism, the study of tumor transplants in these animals, and the reaction of the animals as well as the tumors to the injection of virulent B. danysz as compared to that of immunized but non-tumor-bearing animals. The effect of intraperitoneal injections of toxin and heat-killed cultures of B. danysz on the Ehrlich mouse carcinoma was also studied.

Torrey and Kahn (1927), during their studies of the effect of proteolytic anaerobes on tumors, attempted to immunize rats actively and passively against B. histolyticus . They then noted the effect of this microorganism on the Flexner-Jobling carcinoma which had been transplanted in these animals. The immunization had no effect on tumor growth, but subsequent injection of cultures of B. histolyticus directly into the tumor apparently caused regression in a number of instances. However, this procedure was not more effective than the injection of B. histolyticus into the tumors of non-treated animals.

Lewin (1928) reported that non-specific protein therapy increased the resistance of animals to tumors, for transplants grew poorly in rats and mice that had been subjected to such treatment previous to transplantation. Uhlenhuth (1937), however, found that non-specific protein therapy had no effect on the course of transplanted tumors in mice or rats.


Learn the core theory and explore real-world networking issues with this richly illustrated example-based textbook. It provides an accurate view of modern networks through detailed coverage of the most relevant networking technologies, with no unnecessary extras. Carefully designed, affordable laboratory exercises based on open-source software networking tools are included for hands-on practice with real networking devices. Numerous case studies and examples further link theory to practice, whilst the topologies, tools and configurations needed to carry out practical exercises are provided to guide students through each task. Its bottom-up approach is easy for students to follow and perfect for lab-oriented courses.


OBJECTIVES
To identify and characterize US early childhood caries (ECC) programs.

METHODS
A 39 question online survey was fielded to 245 ECC programs identified from the literature and peer programs. The 101 respondents (41 percent response rate) reported their program's geographic reach, type, areas of focus, target populations, approaches, affiliations, providers, goals, costs, and funding.

RESULTS
Half of the programs affiliate with formal early childhood social service or nutrition programs. Almost all characterize their work as risk reduction, disease suppression, or arrest. In descending order, programs describe their approaches as educating parents, addressing family-level health behaviors, utilizing pharmacological approaches with fluoride varnish or silver nitrate, delivering education to health professionals, and conducting research. A majority of programs target urban, poor, and low-income populations. Although little more than a third of programs utilize a logic model, most collect evaluation data and believe their program to be "very" or "somewhat" replicable. Programs tend to depend on multiple funding sources and be largely reliant on grants with foundations as the leading source of support followed by federal grants, state/local grants, and governmental programs such as Head Start.

CONCLUSIONS
Programs demonstrate attempts at ECC prevention and management through holistic approaches predicated on behavioral theory, cariology science, and public health principles. Partnerships created by these programs provide unique opportunities to promote oral health. Various strategies could potentially leverage systemic changes in the delivery of dental care for young children.


Ancient trees are important habitats, confer vital ecological roles and function as cultural legacies. Old trees with large girth are keystone structures in various ecosystems. We aim to present which species amongst the greatest Hungarian trees (and some other phanerophyte plants) are damaged by polypores (the most important agents of wood decay), Agrobacterium tumefaciens (usually causing root tumour) or ivy (competing against the native vegetation and causing windthrow damage) and at what extent and frequency; and whether there is a relationship between these types of damage and the origin of the species (native or adventive) or its situation (solitary or surrounded by other trees). We measured 2,000 trees, belonging to 29 native and 43 non-native species. Polypore infection could be detected in 12.2% of the observed 531 settlements, 22.8% are damaged by Agrobacterium and 29.6% by ivy, while 51.2% by other types of pests and diseases. Altogether, one third of the observed 2000 ancient or veteran trees suffered from one or more types of damage. A total of 33.5% of the native species (519 specimens out of 1550) and 28.7% of the adventives (129 trees out of 450) are damaged by any (or more than one) of the mentioned infections or ivy. Mostly, damage occurred to those old trees that stand in a park or forest, while the single (solitary) trees were usually healthy. The most infected regions are the western and south-western counties, while the Northern Hungarian Mountain Range is much less affected, despite its great sample size. Low damage was detected in the Great Hungarian Plain, but the number of sample areas and veteran trees was also low here. The damage to old trees remains without any management or healing in Hungary, since the only effective solution would be prevention.


Briefly mentioned in 1915 by the palaeontologist Répelin, the mosasaurid Liodon asiaticum Répelin, 1915 was found by a missionary to Africa, Father Ruffier, in Late Cretaceous strata near Jerusalem (without further details on the exact provenance). This material was never described in detail, figured, or revised and was recently rediscovered in the collections of the Muséum d'histoire naturelle of Marseille (Provence, southern France). Here we describe and figure for the first time this material, which now includes more specimens than the original lot mentioned by Répelin, and we propose new systematic assignments for the identified specimens. First of all we demonstrate that the five original vertebrae briefly described by Répelin represent a composite assemblage and are not diagnostic at the specific level. Thus Liodon asiaticum should be considered a nomem dubium. The most complete and diagnostic specimen belongs to a Mosasaurini (Mosasaurinae) incertae sedis, close to Mosasaurus Conybeare, 1822 and Plotosaurus Camp, 1951, as shown by the unique configuration of its frontal-parietal-postorbitofrontal complex. The two other specimens are identified as indeterminate Mosasaurinae. The study of several groups of microfossils (calcareous nannofossils, planktonic foraminifera and palynomorphs) found in the white chalk preserved with most of the bones constrains the age of these mosasaurid remains to the lower part of the middle Campanian (C. plummerae (Gandolfi, 1955) / G. rosetta (Carsey, 1926) and CC18 / UC14-15a Zones). This corresponds to the local Mishash Formation that crops out extensively East of Jerusalem (Mount of Olives and surroundings). Father Ruffier probably collected these bones in one of the outcrops of this formation, possibly not very far from where he worked and lived (Saint-Anne Community in Jerusalem). These chalky levels, common in the Middle East, represent a shallow and rather open marine environment, possibly near-shore.


Galectin-3 is an adhesion/growth-regulatory protein with a modular design comprising an N-terminal tail (NT, residues 1-111) and the conserved carbohydrate recognition domain (CRD, residues 112-250). The chimera-type galectin interacts with both glycan and peptide motifs. Complete (13)C/(15)N-assignment of the human protein makes NMR-based analysis of its structure beyond the CRD possible. Using two synthetic NT polypeptides covering residues 1-50 and 51-107, evidence for transient secondary structure was found with helical conformation from residues 5 to 15 as well as proline-mediated, multi-turn structure from residues 18 to 32 and around PGAYP repeats. Intramolecular interactions occur between the CRD F-face (the 5-stranded β-sheet behind the canonical carbohydrate-binding 6-stranded β-sheet of the S-face) and NT in full-length galectin-3, with the sequence P(23)GAW(26)…P(37)GASYPGAY(45) defining the primary binding epitope within the NT. Work with designed peptides indicates that the PGAX motif is crucial for self-interactions between NT/CRD. Phosphorylation at position Ser6 (and Ser12) (a physiological modification) and the influence of ligand binding have minimal effect on this interaction. Finally, galectin-3 molecules can interact weakly with each other via the F-faces of their CRDs, an interaction that appears to be assisted by their NTs. Overall, our results add insight to defining binding sites on galectin-3 beyond the canonical contact area for β-galactosides.


Knowledge of the feeding ecology of fish is essential for understanding the functioning of freshwater communities. Here we report on an analysis of the diet of Pachyurus bonariensis Steindachner, 1879, a freshwater sciaenid. Fish were collected bimonthly from December 1999 to January 2002 at three locations along the Ibicui River in the Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil. At each location, the specimens were collected in both lentic and lotic environments. The stomachs of 324 fish were analysed for contents and fullness. The main items were Ephemeroptera, Diptera (larvae), Trichoptera and Odonata. Annelida, plant matter, Decapoda, Diptera (pupae), Coleoptera and Mollusca were present in small amounts. The fish consumed smaller amounts of food in winter than in other seasons. The most important source of dietary variation for P. bonariensis was the ontogenetic, related to intrinsic biological characters. However, spatial variation was also found, suggesting that this species can adapt its diet to environmental changes. Although P. bonariensis showed ontogenetic and spatial variations in the main items consumed, the main items were always insects, characterising P. bonariensis as a fish with an insectivorous feeding habit in the Ibicui River.


We consider a family of higher-dimensional non-commutative tori, which are twisted analogues of the algebras of continuous functions on ordinary tori and their Toeplitz extensions. Just as solenoids are inverse limits of tori, our Toeplitz non-commutative solenoids are direct limits of the Toeplitz extensions of non-commutative tori. We consider natural dynamics on these Toeplitz algebras, and we compute the equilibrium states for these dynamics. We find a large simplex of equilibrium states at each positive inverse temperature, parametrized by the probability measures on an (ordinary) solenoid.


Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have identified about 30 different susceptibility loci associated with high grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) risk. We sought to identify potential susceptibility genes by integrating the risk variants at these regions with genetic variants impacting gene expression and splicing of nearby genes. We compiled gene expression and genotyping data from 2,169 samples for 6 different HGSOC-relevant tissue types. We integrated these data with GWAS data from 13,037 HGSOC cases and 40,941 controls, and performed a transcriptome-wide association study (TWAS) across >70,000 significantly heritable gene/exon features. We identified 24 transcriptome-wide significant associations for 14 unique genes, plus 90 significant exon-level associations in 20 unique genes. We implicated multiple novel genes at risk loci, e.g. LRRC46 at 19q21.32 (TWAS P=1×10−9) and a PRC1 splicing event (TWAS P=9×10−8) which was splice-variant specific and exhibited no eQTL signal. Functional analyses in HGSOC cell lines found evidence of essentiality for GOSR2, INTS1, KANSL1 and PRC1; with the latter gene showing levels of essentiality comparable to that of MYC. Overall, gene expression and splicing events explained 41% of SNP-heritability for HGSOC (s.e. 11%, P=2.5×10−4), implicated at least one target gene for 6/13 distinct genome-wide significant regions and revealed 2 known and 26 novel candidate susceptibility genes for HGSOC. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE For many ovarian cancer risk regions, the target genes regulated by germline genetic variants are unknown. Using expression data from >2,100 individuals, this study identified novel associations of genes and splicing variants with ovarian cancer risk; with transcriptional variation now explaining over one-third of the SNP-heritability for this disease.


Estimating covariance matrices is a problem of fundamental importance in multivariate statistics. In practice it is increasingly frequent to work with data matrices X of dimension n x p, where p and n are both large. Results from random matrix theory show very clearly that in this setting, standard estimators like the sample covariance matrix perform in general very poorly. In this "large n, large p" setting, it is sometimes the case that practitioners are willing to assume that many elements of the population covariance matrix are equal to 0, and hence this matrix is sparse. We develop an estimator to handle this situation. The estimator is shown to be consistent in operator norm, when, for instance, we have p ? n as n → oo. In other words the largest singular value of the difference between the estimator and the population covariance matrix goes to zero. This implies consistency of all the eigenvalues and consistency of eigenspaces associated to isolated eigenvalues. We also propose a notion of sparsity for matrices, that is, "compatible" with spectral analysis and is independent of the ordering of the variables.


INTRODUCTION
The importance of cancer staging is determined by how accurately it can predict prognosis, and how useful it is for treatment decisions. Compared to other malignancies, multiple myeloma (MM) staging proved more challenging because of unreliable prognostic factors and wide-ranging life expectancy. As traditional MM staging continues to evolve, it requires reassessment of its prognostic and predictive value.

AREAS COVERED
The studies that included prognostic and predictive value of MM stages from 1975 through 2023 were selected for this review using PubMed, MEDLINE platforms. The history and evolution of MM staging are revisited, including its role in predicting survival, treatment planning and potential practical implications for the future. The role of MM staging for oncological practice and patient counseling is discussed.

EXPERT OPINION
The utility of the traditional MM staging remains unsatisfactory because it lacks a strong connection with the disease biology, prognosis or treatment planning. Additionally, it demonstrates a modest value for patient counseling because individual prognosis is subject to under- or overestimation, and the median survival or survival rates are difficult concepts to grasp. Although the role of MM stages may change in the future, the current research upholds the notion that MM staging benefits more medical research and clinical trials than oncological practice.


Aims & objectives: This study examines environmental factors intervening into risk evaluation of pick-pocketing (a surreptitious non-violent theft of objects from a person's bag or pockets) and investigates the extent of fear of crime, an underlying mechanism for psychological well-being, in two different sites in Lisbon, Portugal.Context & background literature: A significant body of research has revealed that general public's evaluations of risk of crime occurrence rarely coincide with the reality of criminal events. Brantingham & Brantingham (1991) further suggest that these evaluations are related to ecological labels (physical and social environmental features) rather than actual crime rates. This has been confirmed by Sautkina (2004) regarding pick-pocketing risk evaluation in Paris and Moscow. Method of inquiry or argument: Two sites were chosen in the centre of Lisbon: Alfama (pick-pocketing 'cold spot') and Praca do Comercio ('hot spot'). In both sites, interviews were conducted with passers-by (N=91) to examine: 1) pick-pocketing risk evaluations in situ; 2) explanations passers-by give to their risk evaluations. We hypothesized that dilapidation (more evident in Alfama) would reduce perceptions of efficient social control and lead to fear of crime (Taylor, 1987) and "high" pick-pocketing risk evaluations. Alfama's highly dense street infrastructure, offering a poor prospect and few escape issues, would as well increase fear of crime (Nasar & Fisher, 1993). On the contrary, environmental characteristics of Praca do Comercio (open prospect, presence of numerous escape issues) along with its relaxing atmosphere (Moser & Lidvan, 1992) would enhance perceptions of safety.Findings & conclusions: Results show that pick-pocketing risk is evaluated as "high" in both sites. For Praca do Comercio, this can be explained by respondents' lack of familiarity with the place, and by a presence of potential major stressors - a high social density and noise. In Alfama, such risk evaluation can be explained by participants' awareness (65% are local residents) of criminality-related problems existing inside the area. This awareness however, could have a positive effect for residents, since knowledge about surrounding environment provides a sense of control - an important feature for ensuring psychological well-being. Regarding "low" risk evaluations, in Alfama, the factor of strong social bonds (Alfama's residents may be seen as one of Lisbon's subcultures) manifests the presence of a high degree of social control, while it may also help to reduce any detrimental effects for the psychological health. As for Praca do Comercio, explanations are based upon an individualistic perspective: perceptions of efficient formal social control and of environmental disaffordances for pickpockets. Thus, strong social bonds within a place may play an important role in perceptions of safety, putting aside and making less important physical features, whereas in places where a great number of strangers meet, and where social bonds are weaker, physical environment becomes consequently more important for perceptions of safety. Applicability to the field & the work to done next: Alfama is, nowadays, included into city's major regeneration project. Any future regeneration schemes there, and on areas similar to Alfama, should consider how the physical layout could be altered towards an improved sense of safety and perception of efficient formal social control, without causing any disruption to environmental characteristics that enhanced the creation of strong social bonds in the first place.


The diagnosis of an underlying chronic myeloproliferative disorder (CMPD) is often problematic in patients with primary extrahepatic portal vein obstruction (EHPVO) or Budd‐Chiari syndrome (BCS); indeed, conventional clinical and hematological parameters usually yield insufficient information. To assess the diagnostic contribution of the gain‐of‐function mutation V617F of the JAK2 gene, 93 patients with EHPVO or BCS were investigated. JAK2 V617F was identified in 35.6% of 73 patients with EHPVO and in 40% of 20 patients with BCS. Taking the JAK2 mutation as a test with the highest positive predictive value for the diagnosis of CMPD, conventional clinical‐hematological parameters had a sensitivity for CMPD lower than 48%. Bone marrow (BM) histology provided a diagnosis of CMPD in 41/74 (55.4%) patients, with a sensitivity of 93.5%. Clonality of hematopoiesis as assessed by granulocyte X‐chromosome inactivation was present in 65.1% of 43 informative female patients, with a sensitivity of 86.6%. By resolving the sensitivity bias of the JAK2 mutation with the results of BM histology and clonality assay, CMPD was diagnosed in 53% of patients with EHPVO or BCS. In conclusion, CMPD is the major cause of primary EHPVO or BCS. JAK2 V617F is a very reliable and noninvasive molecular marker for CMPD and should be used as a first test for diagnosis. (HEPATOLOGY 2006;44:1528–1534.)


This paper presents new methods for phase and magnitude interpolation and demonstrates their usefulness in reconstructing images from a limited number of frequency samples. A collection of multiscale frequency domain sampling geometries are developed based on the partition of the spectrum into low-, medium-, and high-frequency blocks. A nonstationary statistical approach is introduced that is based on adaptively selecting the best stochastic model in each frequency block. To develop effective models, the magnitude spectrum is preprocessed using a logarithmic transformation. Phase interpolation requires preprocessing by an appropriate phase unwrapping method. The new stochastic interpolation method is compared against cubic spline, bilinear, and nearest neighbor interpolation methods. Image reconstruction results are presented for sampling rates that retain 6.01% to 28.91% of the 2-D fast Fourier transform (FFT) samples. Image interpolation methods are compared based on the peak signal-to-noise ratio and the mean structural similarity index for satellite images of rural, natural, and urban images. The results indicate that the stochastic (Kriging) interpolation approach provides the best rural image reconstructions using just 6.01% of the 2-D FFT samples. Bilinear interpolation also gave excellent reconstructions for natural and urban images. For natural and urban images, stochastic interpolation gave the best magnitude-only interpolation results.


A number of post-larval and juvenile chrysopetalid polychaetes were made available for study from experimental wooden panels collected in deep waters of the western Atlantic Ocean. Benthic post-larvae of 10 to 11 segments possess a large rounded prostomium with eye spots, two pairs of larval dorsal and ventral cirri and cilia tufts associated with sites where notopodia are developing on segment 2. Juveniles of 12 to 30 segments exhibit reduction in size of prostomium; gradual loss of eye pigment; loss of larval cirri; development of notopodia of segment 2 and subsequent torsion of neuropodia of segment 2 dorsally. Juveniles display distinctive petaloid notosetal paleae and notosetal patterns unlike the narrow, pointed paleae and notosetal patterns observed in adults. Observed setal change is linked to hypothetical life strategies of Strepternos didymopyton. Possible origins and function of paleate setal change is discussed.


BACKGROUND
In a previous study on the effect of electro-acupuncture (EA) in combination with a paracervical block (PCB) as an analgesic method during oocyte aspiration in IVF treatment, EA appeared to increase the pregnancy rate. This study was designed to test the hypothesis that EA as an analgesic during oocyte aspiration would result in: (i) a better IVF pregnancy rate than with alfentanil; (ii) peroperative analgesia that was as good as that produced by alfentanil; (iii) less postoperative abdominal pain, nausea and stress; and (iv) a reduction in the use of additional analgesics. Neuropeptide Y (NPY) concentrations in follicular fluid (FF) were analysed when possible.

METHODS AND RESULTS
In this prospective, randomized, multicentre clinical trial, 286 women undergoing oocyte aspiration were randomly allocated to the EA group (EA plus a PCB) or to the alfentanil group (alfentanil plus a PCB). No significant differences were found between the EA and alfentanil groups in any of the IVF variables. NPY concentrations in FF were significantly higher in the EA group compared with the alfentanil group. No correlation between pregnancy rate and NPY concentrations was found in either analgesic group. Both EA plus a PCB and alfentanil plus a PCB induced adequate peroperative analgesia during oocyte aspiration evaluated using the visual analogue scale. After 2 h, the EA group reported significantly less abdominal pain, other pain, nausea and stress than the alfentanil group. In addition, the EA group received significantly lower amounts of additional alfentanil than the alfentanil group.

CONCLUSION
EA does not improve pregnancy rate in the present clinical situation. The observation that NPY concentrations in FF were higher in the EA group may be important for human ovarian steroidogenesis. The analgesic effects produced by EA are as good as those produced by conventional analgesics, and the use of opiate analgesics with EA is lower than when conventional analgesics alone are used.


Almost all modern imperative programming languages include operations for dynamically manipulating the heap, for example by allocating and deallocating objects, and by updating reference fields. In the presence of recursive procedures and local variables the interactions of a program with the heap can become rather complex, as an unbounded number of objects can be allocated either on the call stack using local variables, or, anonymously, on the heap using reference fields. As such a static analysis is, in general, undecidable.
In this paper we study the verification of recursive programs with unbounded allocation of objects, in a simple imperative language for heap manipulation. We present an improved semantics for this language, using an abstraction that is precise. For any program with a bounded visible heap, meaning that the number of objects reachable from variables at any point of execution is bounded, this abstraction is a finitary representation of its behaviour, even though an unbounded number of objects can appear in the state. As a consequence, for such programs model checking is decidable.
Finally we introduce a specification language for temporal properties of the heap, and discuss model checking these properties against heap-manipulating programs.


Abstract. Computerized path planning, not constrained to transportation networks, may be useful in a range of settings, from search and rescue to archaeology. This paper develops a method for general path planning intended to work across arbitrary distances and at the level of terrain detail afforded by aerial LiDAR scanning. Relevant information about terrain, trails, roads, and other infrastructure is encoded in a large directed graph. This basal graph is partitioned into strongly connected subgraphs such that the generalized diameter of each subgraphs is constrained by a set value, and with nominally as few subgraphs as possible. This is accomplished using the k-center algorithm adapted with heuristics suitable for large spatial graphs. A simplified graph results, with reduced (but known) position accuracy and complexity. Using a hierarchy of simplified graphs adapted to different length scales, and with careful selection of levels in the hierarchy based on geodesic distance, a shortest path search can be restricted to a small subset of the basal graph. The method is formulated using matrix-graph duality, suitable for linear algebra-oriented software. Extensive use is also made of public data, including LiDAR, as well as free and open software for geospatial data processing.


This paper reviews the impact of opportunistic behavior in a partnership or the buyer-seller relationship. This study strives to present an integrated general model of opportunistic behavior (IGMOB) to provide a conceptual understanding of opportunistic behavior from the perspective of relationship marketing theory. Various scientific articles from leading journals were re-examined, in particular articles  discuss opportunistic behavior. In particular, the causes and consequences of opportunistic behavior were identified, then analyzed their relationships with performance. Based on previous empirical studies, a conceptual understanding was constructed by inserting various relationships among important concepts related. In the context of the relationships between the partners, various studies found that opportunistic behavior has a negative trait for a relationship. There are fifteen factors causing the emergence of opportunistic behavior were identified in this study: temporary relationships (temporality), cultural similarity, formalization, governance, equity-based cooperation, mutual influence, atmosphere of tolerance, mutual respect, satisfaction, length of relationship, flattery, cynicism, deceitful tendencies, and relativity. The study also identified six factors that could be affected by this opportunistic behavior: trust, commitment, cooperation, intention to  extent the relationship, knowledge sharing, and guanxi. This study seeks to understand conceptually about the causes and effects of opportunistic behavior in building long-term partnerships between the partners based on a review of current literature. The conceptual model is successfully constructed in this study should be reviewed  through various empirical studies.


This article confronts debates about extended and concentrated urbanization with Indigenous claims to time and space. It does so in part by discussing the degree to which notions of extended and concentrated urbanization allow us to understand the dynamics of pipeline politics in Canada, notably Indigenous claims leveled at infrastructure projects. It argues that Lefebvre-inspired research is both promising and insufficient in this regard. Their promises can only be realized provided one considers urban research as mediation (between everyday life and the social order), contextualize urbanization as a product of non-linear histories through which 'city' and 'non-city' are transformed or reinstituted as socio-spatial forms, and take seriously imaginaries that may not only contest but also refuse the expansion of the urban field. Meeting these conditions is not possible without resorting to other, non-Lefebvrean approaches that help us understand the settler-colonial aspects of Canadian urban history and grasp the inter-national dimensions of Indigenous politics. Finally, opening up Lefebvre scholarship to considerations of settler colonialism is impossible without the distinct relational theories of time and space that inform radical Indigenous theories (and some pipeline struggles). Indigenous claims in or against urbanization thus represent a limit case of urban research.


Purpose: What are the current research topics being studied by higher education professors in the area of operations management in Spain with regard to the learning of their students? Are the approaches that support these investigations adequate?Design/methodology/approach: For the analysis, we have selected 25 publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals published by Spanish authors in 2017, and we have encoded them using Atlas.ti.Findings: Most of the research centers on a very basic type of approach to learning, which reproduces the type of research typically conducted more than 40 years ago (type 1). For this reason, we propose an example of how to convert type 1 research questions into type 2 or 3 questions.Originality/value: This paper collects and summarizes the main works on learning research carried out by members of ACEDEDOT and published in 2017, identifying themes, methods, levels of teacher conception and focus on the type of student learning. We intend to use this information to create a map of the current situation and propose possible suggestions to implement evidence-based instruction on operations management.


The knowledge that is now emerging from genomics of man and pathogens and from biochemical and structural biology programs has the potential to accelerate drug discovery. Genome sequences, and most recently non-synonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms and somatic mutations, when taken together with structural and functional information on the gene products, can provide insights into the relationship of human genetic variation and disease. This is also helpful in identifying new targets for drug discovery; it is an exploration of biological space. High-throughput biophysical and structural analyses can be used to investigate the chemical molecules that proteins might bind; this is an exploration of chemical space. I will argue that this is best achieved by structure-guided and fragment-screening techniques, which inform not only lead discovery but also optimization of candidate drug molecules. My lecture will describe a multidisciplinary approach with physical, computational, chemical and biological techniques. I will describe recent developments both identifying targets and in making new medicines in academia through research programmes funded by the Gates Foundation, Wellcome Trust and EU and in a spin-out company (Astex Pharma). I will discuss applications in cancer and TB.


Our previous studies have demonstrated: 1) that i.v. quinpirole (LY171555), a selective dopamine D2 receptor agonist, has a dose-dependent pressor effect in conscious rats which is mediated by activation of sympathetic outflow and vasopressinergic activity, and 2) that the activity of central dopaminergic neurons is reduced in deoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA)/NaCl hypertensive rats. To elucidate the role of central and peripheral dopaminergic systems in the pathogenesis of DOCA/NaCl hypertension, we examined the effects of quinpirole on mean arterial pressure, heart rate, plasma norepinephrine, epinephrine, arginine vasopressin and atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) in conscious 4-week-old DOCA/NaCl hypertensive and normotensive control rats. Quinpirole (1 mg/kg i.v.) increased mean arterial pressure in both groups, but the pressor response was attenuated in DOCA/NaCl rats. Paradoxically, quinpirole-induced increments in plasma norepinephrine, epinephrine and arginine vasopressin were greater in DOCA/NaCl rats. In addition, quinpirole induced a 2-fold increase in plasma ANP (P less than .01) in both DOCA/NaCl and control rats. Pretreatment with domperidone (2.5 mg/kg i.v.), a peripherally acting dopamine D2 antagonist, enhanced the maximum pressor response to quinpirole in both groups, restored the quinpirole-induced pressor response to control levels in the DOCA/NaCl rats and blocked the stimulatory effect of quinpirole on ANP release in both groups. These data indicate that peripheral dopamine D2 receptors modulate ANP secretion in the rat. The observation that the quinpirole-induced increment in plasma ANP was enhanced in DOCA/NaCl rats supports the hypothesis that the blunted pressor response to quinpirole in this model is related to enhanced ANP release.


Faces generated using generative adversarial networks (GANs) have reached unprecedented realism. These faces, also known as"Deep Fakes", appear as realistic photographs with very little pixel-level distortions. While some work has enabled the training of models that lead to the generation of specific properties of the subject, generating a facial image based on a natural language description has not been fully explored. For security and criminal identification, the ability to provide a GAN-based system that works like a sketch artist would be incredibly useful. In this paper, we present a novel approach to generate facial images from semantic text descriptions. The learned model is provided with a text description and an outline of the type of face, which the model uses to sketch the features. Our models are trained using an Affine Combination Module (ACM) mechanism to combine the text embedding from BERT and the GAN latent space using a self-attention matrix. This avoids the loss of features due to inadequate"attention", which may happen if text embedding and latent vector are simply concatenated. Our approach is capable of generating images that are very accurately aligned to the exhaustive textual descriptions of faces with many fine detail features of the face and helps in generating better images. The proposed method is also capable of making incremental changes to a previously generated image if it is provided with additional textual descriptions or sentences.


The purpose with this study is to explore how consumers explain the attitude-behaviour gap in the field of environmental consumerism. For this qualitative research, constructionism as an ontological approach was chosen to reach the purpose. Further, phenomenological philosophy has been the interpretative approach and in order to reach rich and nuanced empirical material focus groups were chosen as the procedure for this research. From the study it can be concluded that four themes were prominent as explanations for the attitude-behaviour gap: price, lack of information, values and beliefs and marketing communication. The first two can to some extent be overcome through marketing communication, however they all indicate that lack of motivation is an explanation for the attitude-behaviour gap.


Image texture is one of the aspects of the characterization of images that is important in image synthesis as well as analysis. Typically, the textural properties of an image are spatially variable and change with other image characteristics such as the local average graytone or the gradient of the image. A space-variant texture metric for halftone images is proposed that allows the identification and quantification of the images' spatially dependent texture characteristics, whereby texture elements are used to characterize the texture. Further, a method for the synthesis of halftone images with the control of spatially variable texture characteristics by incorporating the metric in a halftoning algorithm is presented. The procedures for image analysis and synthesis are described and examples are given.


In traditional assessments on voltage sag are simply assumed that the duration obeys some distribution of random or is a constant value. In order to obtain a more accurate assessment of voltage sag, the more accurate duration of voltage sags are needed. The duration of voltage sag caused by fault is depended on the fault clearing time of the protection system. Time characteristic of stepped current protection and protection scope of instantaneous current protection are taken into consideration, the two demarcation points of the protection operation on line are determined, the protection operation time of every segment is analyzed. An example is simulated by PSCAD/EMTDC software, and it is shown that more reasonable assessment is obtained by precise duration of voltage sag.


In Pennsylvania, the imposition of mandatory minimum sentences presents an important opportunity to examine relatively "pure" prosecutorial discretion over sentencing outcomes. The authors present a multilevel analysis of the prosecutorial decision to apply a mandatory minimum among mandatory-eligible offenders sentenced for drug crimes or as repeat, "three-strikes" offenders. They find that prosecutors' decisions to apply the mandatory minimum are significantly affected by the type and characteristics of offenses and guideline sentence recommendations, prior record, mode of conviction, and gender. They also find that Hispanic males are more likely to receive mandatory minimums and that Black–White differences in mandatory application increase with county percentage Black. The authors frame and interpret their analysis and findings in light of the uncertainty reduction theory of prosecutorial discretion, the view of courts as communities, and an integrative focal concerns perspective on criminal justice decision-making.


Objective: The purpose of the present study is to quantitatively evaluate psychological factors (depression, anxiety and stress) on four different moments of pregnancy.
Study design: The presence of depressive, anxiety and stress symptoms and their severity were evaluated at 12, 20, 32 and 37 weeks of gestation, in 47 pregnant women aged between 20 and 39 years, using the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scales. Factor analysis was performed on the full 42 items of the scales. We used the Wilcoxon test to compare the different moments of evaluation.
Results: scores higher than the normal level were found for 19.1% (at 12 weeks), 12.8% (at 20 weeks), 21.3% (at 32 weeks) and 17% (at 37 weeks) of women in the case of depression, for 21.3% (at 12 weeks), 29.8% (at 20 weeks), 48.9% (at 32 and 37 weeks), of women in the case of anxiety, and 27.7%. (at 12 weeks), 29.8% (at 20 weeks), 36.2% (at 32 and 37 weeks) of women in case of stress.
Conclusion: We found out that stress and anxiety increased during pregnancy while depressions decreased at 20 weeks of gestation and increased again during the 3rd trimester.