Pieces of ventral prostate from adult C3H mice were cultivated in organ culture for 3 weeks. One group served as a control; another was treated for I week with methylcholanthrene or 9,1O-dimethyl-1,2-benzanthracene and for 2 additional weeks in normal medium. The pieces were pooled and dispersed with pronase into individual cells that were plated as cell cultures. The control cultures invariably died. The treated cells formed permanent lines that, on subcutaneous injection of from 1 to 2 X 10^6 cells into adult, unconditioned, male C3H mice, produced progressively growing, transplantable tumors. The tumors were mostly sarcomas, but included two anaplastic carcinomas. Malignant transformation in vitro has thus been achieved with carcinogenic hydrocarbons in this system.


The purpose of this research was to collect data in an effort to establish the status of health education in Kansas secondary schools. To meet this end, the questionnaire on the Status of Health Education in Kansas Secondary Schools, an instrument developed by this author, was mailed in April of 1980 to 380 high schools listed as members in the Kansas State High School Activities Association's 1979-1980 Membership Directory. Responses were received from 224 members (58.9%) of the sample group. These respondents were comprised of 72 (58.1%) of the state's 1A schools, 41 (64.1%) of the 2A schools, 37 (57.8%) of the 3A schools, 33 (51.6%) of the 4A schools, 17 (53.1%) of the 5A schools, and 22 (68.8%) of the 6A schools. One hundred thirty-five respondents (60 .3%) indicated their schools offer health education curriculums. Eighty-nine respondents (39.7%) indicated there was not a health education curriculum in their school. Analysis of data revealed only 43 schools (19.2%) actually teach health education as a separate part of their curriculum. Health education is taught as part of health related courses in 114 schools (17.1%). Seven schools (3.1%) do not offer health education at all. Chi square analysis of data was conducted in the following areas: 1. School classification versus content offerings. 2. School classification versus education level of teachers of health education. 3. School classification versus community resistance encountered toward health education. 4. Administrators' versus teachers' indications of the three most prevalent, and the three least prevalent problems. 5. Administrators' versus teachers' interest in results of this study, 6, Administrators' versus teachers' interest in results of this study with respect to whether or not their school offers a health education curriculum, The chi square test indicated significance at the .01 level in the area of school size and teacher preparation, It was found that 1A schools employ significantly more teachers with 1 to 18 hours in health education and significantly fewer teachers with Master's degrees in physical education including hours in health education, Significance at the .01 level was also noted when administrators ranked instructors attitudes as one of the three most prevalent problems in health education, While administrators ranked instructor's attitudes as a major problem in health education, both groups (administrators and teachers) ranked student attitudes as the number one problem. Chi square analysis again indicated significance at the .01 level when administrators' versus teachers ' interest in survey results were compared. Chi square analysis failed to indicate significant differences in the areas of: a) Content offering versus school classification; b) School classification versus indication of community resistance received toward health education; c) Administrators ' versus teachers' ranking of the three least prevalent problems in health education; and d) Administrators' versus teachers' interest in survey results with respect to whether or not their school offered health education curriculum.


Objective: To describe an outbreak of mediastinitis in heart transplant recipients. Design: Retrospective and contemporaneous cohort study. Setting: Urban tertiary-care university hospital with a large cardiac transplantation program. Patients: Heart transplant recipients. Interventions: Modifications of donor harvest technique; procedures aimed at decreasing skin and mucosal bacterial colonization; strict aseptic technique in the intensive care unit; and aggressive policing of established infection control practices. Results: In April 1999, mediastinitis rates among heart transplant recipients increased abruptly from a baseline of 6 cases per 100 procedures to sequential quarterly rates of 22, 31, and 50 cases per 100 procedures, whereas infection rates in other cardiac operations were unchanged. Bacteria causing these infections were multidrug-resistant "nosocomial" organisms. The epidemic occurred 2 months after a change in the United Network for Organ Sharing organ allocation algorithm. This change resulted in an increase in the duration of preoperative hospitalization from a median of 52 to 79 days (P = .008) and may have promoted prolonged hospitalization of patients with high illness severity. Aggressive multidisciplinary interventions were temporally associated with a return to preoperative mediastinitis rates without changing length of hospitalization prior to transplantation. Conclusions: Changes in organ allocation for transplant that prolong waiting time in the hospital and alter illness acuity may lead to increased rates of postoperative infection. Measures to limit bacterial colonization may be a helpful countervailing strategy.


Polyphenolic compounds are well known as a functional food with various bioactivities. However, less attention has been paid to the effect of phenolic antioxidants on the preservation of blood vessels. In this study, the possible effects of green tea polyphenolic compounds (GTPCs) on the longterm preservation of the human saphenous vein (HSV) were investigated under physiological conditions. HSV segments were pretreated with GTPCs (0.5 or 1.0 mg/mL) for 1 day and then incubated for 1, 2, 4, or 8 weeks. After incubation, cellular viability, endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) expression level, biomechanical properties, and vein histology were evaluated. When HSV segments were incubated without GTPC treatment, endothelial cell viability was significantly (p < 0.05) reduced with incubation time, and none of the endothelial cells expressed eNOS after 2 weeks. Furthermore, nontreated veins demonstrated appreciable inferiority in such mechanical properties as failure strength, elastic modulus, and compliance, compared with fresh veins. These results were confirmed by histological observations, which showed severe structural changes in nontreated veins. On the other hand, these phenomena were markedly prevented by preincubating veins with GTPCs (1.0 mg/mL) at 37 degrees C in a CO(2) incubator for 1 day. GTPC-pretreated veins could be preserved for at least 2 weeks under physiological conditions, retaining cellular viability and eNOS expression level and maintaining both biomechanical properties and vascular structures without any morphological alterations. These results demonstrate that GTPC treatment may be a useful method for preserving the HSV and could be exploited to craft strategies for the long-term preservation of other tissues under physiological conditions.


This book incorporates a selection of eight revised papers presented to the Conference on Managing Economic Crisis in East Asia, organized jointly by the Saw Centre for Financial Studies, NUS Business School, and the East Asian Institute, National University of Singapore, in November 2009. The chapters present a detailed analysis of the impact of the 2008-09 economic crisis in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea and Japan, and the stimulus packages that were swiftly put in place by the governments to mitigate the economic recession and to pave the way for a quick recovery. The success of the monetary and fiscal policy measures in engendering a strong economic recovery in these countries is also discussed in considerable depth. The book, with contributions from experts on the topics covered, will be extremely valuable to businessmen, analysts, academics, students, policy-makers and the general public interested in seeking a greater understanding of the global economic crisis.


We present algorithms for initializing a convolutional network coding (CNC) scheme in networks that may contain cycles. An initialization process for finding global encoding kernels (GEK) is needed if the network is unknown or if local encoding kernels are chosen randomly. During the initialization process every source node transmits basis vectors and every sink node gets the impulse response of the network. The impulse response is then used to find the GEK, which are needed for a decoding algorithm and to find the set of all achievable rates. We present two initialization algorithms that find the GEK and one algorithm that finds achievable rates from the GEK. In the first initialization algorithm it is assumed that we can perform a reset operation on the network at some fixed times, while the second algorithm does not operate under this assumption. Unlike acyclic networks, for which it is sufficient to transmit basis vectors one after another, the initialization of cyclic networks is more involved, as test symbols from different times interfere with each other and the impulse response is of infinite duration. Our algorithms use only a finite number of the initial values of the impulse response to find the full GEK. This is possible because a CNC scheme can be described by a state space representation and, using the Cayley-Hamilton theorem, it is possible to find its full impulse response from its initial values.


Nowadays, in globalization era, communication technology development is so fast and easier caused competition among companies with similar products. But it gave benefit to the consumer, that was various brand and price which could give alternatives in deciding product choices. It made the buyer face difficulty when choosing which product to buy, but the positive brand image in consumer's mind would took buying intention for consumer. Purposes to reach by the research
was to find out relation between CDMA Card brand image with buying intention for consumer.Population in this research was students of faculty of Psychology University of Muhammadiyah Malang. Samples used in the research amount 100 people taken by purposive sampling technique. That was sampling technique by the researcher since there found that samples chosen had special characteristic as the research purpose. Data collection technique used was brand image scale and buying intention scale. Data analysis technique used by Pearson's correlation product moment with SPSS version 13.00.
From data analysis there found r value = 0,778 and p = 0,000, this showed there was positive relation and significant between CDMA card brand and consumer's buying intention. Which means that more positive the CDMA brand image, higher the consumer's buying intention. The
determinant coefficient correlation showed that brand image had effective contribution to buying intention for 60,5% and rest of 30,5% caused by the other factors like price, service, and product quality which wasn't researched in this research.


This paper studies insider privatization in transition economies. We show theoretically that the underperformance of insider-privatized firms could be due to the manager-cum-owner's lack of incentives after privatization. A screening theory predicts that a firm's postprivatization incentives increase with the firm's buyout price. The empirical results show that the buyout price decreases with the degree of information asymmetry and that a firm's postprivatization performance increases with the buyout price. We also find that the performance of premium-paying firms converges with that of private firms after privatization; in contrast, heavily discounted firms perform indistinguishably from government-owned firms.


Previously published Oligocene eustatic records are compared with observed stratigraphic architecture at the New Jersey continental margin in order to evaluate the stratigraphic response to eustatic change. Lower to mid-Oligocene sequence boundaries (33.8‐ 28.0 Ma) are associated with relatively long hiatuses (0.3‐0.6 m.y.), in which sedimentation in many places terminated during eustatic falls and resumed early during eustatic rises. Upper Oligocene sequence boundaries are associated with relatively short hiatuses (,0.3 m.y.), and provide the best constraints on phase relations between sea-level forcing and margin response. The interval represented by each upper Oligocene sequence varies in dip profile. At updip locations, landward of the clinoform rollover in the underlying sequence boundary, sedimentation commenced after the eustatic low and terminated before the eustatic high (with partial erosion of any younger record). At downdip locations, sedimentation within each sequence was progressively delayed in a seaward direction, beginning during the eustatic rise and terminating near the eustatic low. Combining data from all available boreholes, ages of sequence boundaries (correlative surfaces) correspond closely with the timing of eustatic lows, and ages of condensed sections (intervals of sediment starvation) correspond with eustatic highs.


Thirty-three enteric isolates from Australian (Escherichia coli only) and United Kingdom (U.K.) (Salmonella sp., Citrobacter spp., and E. coli) piggeries were characterized with respect to their copper resistance. The copper resistance phenotypes of four new Australian E. coli isolates were comparable with that of the previously studied E. coli K-12 strain ED8739(pRJ1004), in that the resistance level in rich media was high (up to 18 mM CuSO4) and resistance was inducible. Copper resistance was transferable by conjugation from the new Australian isolates to E. coli K-12 recipients. DNA similarity between the new Australian isolates and the pco copper resistance determinant located on plasmid pRJ1004 was strong as measured by DNA-DNA hybridization; however, the copper resistance plasmids were nonidentical as indicated by the presence of restriction fragment length polymorphisms between the plasmids. DNA-DNA hybridization and polymerase chain reaction analysis demonstrated DNA homology between the pco determinant and DNA from the U.K.E. coli, Salmonella sp., and Citrobacter freundii isolates. However, the copper resistance level and inducibility were variable among the U.K. strains. Of the U.K. E. coli isolates, 1 demonstrated a high level of copper resistance, 4 exhibited intermediate resistance, and 16 showed a low level of copper resistance; all of these resistances were expressed constitutively. A single U.K. C. freundii isolate, had a high level of copper resistance, inducible by subtoxic levels of copper. Transconjugants from one E. coli and one C. freundii donor, with E. coli K-12 strain UB1637 as a recipient, showed copper resistance levels and inducibility of resistance which differed from that expressed from plasmid pRJ1004.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


Developing and maintaining water control in paddy fields is difficult, costly and requires sufficient water reserves. Thus, even in the main rice growing area of Madagascar, the Alaotra lake region (800 metres above sea level), only 30 000 ha of paddy fields can be properly irrigated when over 70 000 ha will remain under poor water control. In these fields, traditional techniques based on irrigated cropping practices are very unreliable: late transplanting (which can be done only when sufficient water is available) and occurence of dry conditions at the end of the plant cycle lead to usually low yields (0.8 to 1 t/ha on average) and production is very unreliable (from nil, during the dry years to 3 t/ha when rains are favourable), which makes crop intensification very hazardous. For such situations, a change in paradigm is proposed: abandoning irrigated practice and making the choice of growing upland or poly-aptitude" rice varieties (SEBOTA) with agro-ecological practices adapted to the specific field water regime. (Resume d'auteur)


The anterior segment of the eye ball, i. e., cornea and conjunctiva, serves as the barrier to the external stimuli. Cornea is transparent and is a "window"of the light sense, while conjunctiva covers the sclera, the main part of the eyeshell. Fibrosis/scarring in cornea potentially impairs vision by the reduction of its transparency and the alteration of the regular curvature. Fibrotic reaction in conjunctiva is also of a clinical importance because inflammatory fibrosis in this tissue affects the physiology of the cornea and also of a problem post-eye surgery. In this review we discuss on the topic that is quite critical in vision. Although various growth factors are considered to be involved in, focus was put on the roles of transforming growth factorβ (TGFβ).


A flux dialysis method to measure unbound fraction (fu) of compounds with high protein binding and other challenging properties was tested and validated. This method is based on the principle that the initial flux rate of a compound through a size-excluding dialysis membrane is proportional to the product of the compound initial concentration, fu, and unbound dialysis membrane permeability (Pmem). Therefore, fu can be determined from the initial concentration and flux rate, assuming membrane Pmem is known. Compound initial flux rates for 14 compounds were determined by dialyzing human plasma containing compound (donor side) versus compound-free plasma (receiver side) and measuring the rate of compound appearance into the receiver side. Eleven compounds had known fu values obtained from conventional methods (ranging from 0.000013 to 0.22); three compounds (bedaquiline, lapatinib, and pibrentasvir) had previously qualified fu values (e.g., <0.001). Pmem estimated from flux rates and known fu values did not meaningfully differ among the compounds and were consistent with previously published values, indicating that Pmem is a constant for the dialysis membrane. This Pmem constant and the individual compound flux rates were used to calculate fu values. The flux dialysis fu values for the 11 compounds were in good agreement with their reported fu values (all within 2.5-fold; R2 = 0.980), confirming the validity of the method. Furthermore, the flux dialysis method allowed discrete fu to be estimated for the three compounds with previously qualified fu. Theoretical and experimental advantages of the flux dialysis method over other dialysis-based protein binding methods are discussed.


The role of multicultural teams in multinational and international organizations has significance in the present day globalized world. The utility of the multicultural teams is acknowledged not only by departmental managers and directors but also by the employees. However certain associated dysfunctional conflicts hinder the performance of multicultural teams. Faced with this scenario and with the current turbulent business environment, the purpose of this study was to establish the role of multicultural teams in improving efficiency in the organization. The research design employed in this study was a case study and 15 respondents were interviewed in Save the Children Kenya. Primary data was collected using an interview guide. The study used the content analysis method of data analysis. To ensure easy analysis, the data was tabulated and was presented by use of charts. Based on the findings, the study found out that both managers and multicultural team members are aware of the growing importance of multicultural teams, their role and impact on efficiency. It seems to be the case that multiculturalism in all forms of our social identity is beneficial as long the manager notices it and shares it with the team. However there are certain reservations as well. The study concluded that to improve efficiency of multicultural teams, organizations need to invoke cultural differences and built-in action strategies under the influence of cultural values which individuals bring along from different parts of the world. This includes the culture of home, work place, social, regional and national level or the places in the world where s/he lived. The study recommends that the organization should introduce courses, seminars and trainings on culture to staff in order for them to understand the cultural differences among team members.


This review focuses on the effect of flow fields on the orientation of block copolymer nanostructures in the melt and in solution. In particular, the alignment induced by strong shear fields or large extensional flows applied to model diblock and triblock copolymers is considered. The distinct orientation states of lamellar, hexagonal-packed cylinder, cubic micellar and bicontinuous cubic structures under different deformation conditions are summarized and the mechanisms of orientation are discussed.


In this study, the removal of mercury ions by cellulose of Acetobacter xylinum was
investigated in the synthetic and chlor-alkali wastewater. Biofilms of Acetobacter xylinum were
grown in laboratory column bioreactors. The biofilms were continuously treated with sterile
synthetic model wastewater or nonsterile, neutralized chloralkali wastewater.The extent of
adsorption was studied as function of pH, adsorbent dose and contact time. Efficiency of
mercury ion removal from chlor-alkali industry wastewater by aluminum sulfate and ferric
chloride was also determined. Under acidic condition the adsorption of mercury by cellulose
was quite low and increasing processing time more than 10min has no remarkably effect on the
adsorption rate. Adsorption capacity of cellulose under dynamic condition for chlor-alkali
wastewater was 65µg/g which was less than the value (80µg/g) that obtained from batch adsorption experiments for synthetic wastewater.


Thomas Kinsella stands apart in modern Irish poetry. His work, employing traditional and modernist elements in individual poems and open sequences, deals in a range of subjects from the most intense and psychic privacy to political satire and social commentary, from love and the enabling feminine to metaphysical speculation in a variety of earthly settings. Kinsella is a city poet. Born in Dublin in 1928, he attended University College, and entered the Irish Civil Service, but resigned from the Department of Finance in 1965 for a career in poetry in the United States. He published from the beginning with the Dolmen Press, later co-publishing his poetry and translations with Oxford University Press. His translations from the Irish include the Iron-Age prose epic "The Tain" and "Poems of the Dispossessed: 1600-1900". He is editor of the "New Oxford Book of Irish Verse".


Background/Aims No screening test for esophageal motility disorder (EMD) has been established, the objective of this study is to examine the potential usefulness of our newly developed "Onigiri esophagography" combined with an obstruction level (OL) classification system in screening for EMD. Methods A total of 102 patients with suspected EMDs who underwent both high-resolution manometry (HRM) and Onigiri esophagography between April 2017 and January 2019 were examined. The EMD diagnosis was performed based on the Chicago classification version 3.0 by HRM. Onigiri esophagography was performed using a liquid medium (barium sulfate) followed by a solid medium, which consisted of an Onigiri (a Japanese rice ball) with barium powder. The extent of medium obstruction was assessed by the OL classification, which was defined in a stepwise fashion from OL0 (no obstruction) to OL4 (severe obstruction). Results The patients with OL0 (32.3%), OL1 (50.0%), OL2 (88.0%), OL3 (100.0%), and OL4 (100.0%) were diagnosed EMDs by HRM. The area under the curve, as determined by a receiver operating characteristic analysis, for the OL classification was 0.86. Using the cutoff value of OL1, the sensitivity and specificity were 87.3% and 61.3%, respectively, while using a cutoff value of OL2, the sensitivity and specificity were 73.2% and 90.3%, respectively. Conclusion In conclusion, Onigiri esophagography combined with the OL classification system can be used as a screening test for EMDs with a cutoff value of OL1.


Beginning with the nature of happiness, the philosophical roots of job-related affect are explored to inform contemporary understandings of the phenomenon. Various disciplines, theories, models and schools of thought are contextualised and related to job-related affective wellbeing. Seminal constructs of affective wellbeing are identified, along with issues involved in developing an integrated model of affective wellbeing in the workplace. A synthesis of the literature is given using a tripartite heuristic framework comprising categories of Dispositional, Activity and Telic. Each category explains the tenets of the most influential theories and debates their veracity. Finally, the key theoretical developments are integrated to provide linkages between the conceptual bases of these constructs.


We present a method to optimize the flat-band long-period fiber Bragg grating (FBG) in this letter. The method is based on the particle swarm optimization method and the matrix transmission method. The optimized refractive modulation profile does not introduce so many phase shifts and is easier to fabricate compared with that of layer-peeling method which introduces lots of ? phase shift at each zero point of apodization profile in designing for the same problem.


Nothing in the United States Constitution is today formally unamendable. Yet it is worth asking whether the Constitution requires some form of implicit unamendability in order to survive according to its own terms. In this paper, I inquire whether anything in the Constitution -- whose constitutional text, history and interpretation are rooted in the concept of popular sovereignty -- should be regarded as informally unamendable. I conclude that, if the Constitution is to remain internally coherent, the informal unamendability of the First Amendment's democratic rights may be a condition precedent to the Constitution's promise of robust democracy. I nevertheless express some doubt about how political actors might reliably enforce an informally unamendable First Amendment. I suggest in closing that the optimal function of unamendability in modern constitutionalism is its expressive capacity, specifically that unamendability is more effective as a declaration of importance than as a referent for judicial enforceability.


HVOF spraying process is widely used to improve component life in service due to the high bond strength of the coatings, which is a result of the high particle velocity upon impact, and consequent low coating porosity. However, many parameters can affect metallic coatings properties, especially unmelted particles and oxidation level. Flame parameters, such as calorific power, combustion ratio and temperature, are of prime importance. Moreover, the fuel gas employed in this spraying process can lead to various coating properties and deposition efficiency. The aim of this work was focused on the influence of some fuel gases, namely propane, propylene (LPG) and hydrogen, on stainless steel coating characteristics. A specific domain common for those three gases was determined in order to effectively compare those gases with the same flame parameters. Flame characteristics were computed using a simple model for all the fuel gases considered. Temperature as well as calorific power were fixed. For different substrate temperatures, obtained through a special CO2 cooling nozzle system, richness was varied from 1.4 to 1.6. Microstructure investigation as well as oxide content and microhardness measurements were conducted. For the same kinetic torch parameters, thickness-per pass gave an idea of the deposition efficiency. In the range studied, deposits properties were quite similar for both LPG fuel gases. Hydrogen led to better characteristics in term of oxide content, although its deposition efficiency was a bit lower. A general law was established to link oxide content within the coatings to the flame parameters. A reasonable regression analysis was obtained for all the coatings sprayed. The combination of cooling efficiency (i.e. CO2 flow rate) and flame characteristics (i.e. interaction of the particle in flight) led to a good correlation. These correlations were further verified by spraying another metallic powder, namely Inconel 625.


The aim of this study was to analyze the spatial pattern and sampling methods for Bertholletia excelsa. The inventory of exploration, by mapping Cartesian coordinates of all trees with dbh ≥ 20 cm, was carried out in an area of 1,000.31 ha. For the definition of the diametric structure, multivariate techniques were used: cluster and discriminant analysis. To analyze the spatial patterns, individuals were grouped into three levels: population, young individuals and adults; being the random deviation defined by the Ripley's K function. The forest inventories were simulated with a simple random sampling, systematic and adaptive, taking into account plots of 2,500 m2, with a sampling intensity of 15 % and an error range of 10 %. Comparisons between sampling methods were performed for the accuracy and precision. Four hundred and forty six trees were registered, of which 59 were young individuals and 387 were adults. A low number of trees in the early stages and a high number of individuals in the intermediate classes characterize the diametric structure. The spatial pattern of the adult population was aggregated, while the young individuals were randomly distributed. Systematic sampling is the best procedure to estimate the total number of individuals of B. excelsa; however, there is a need to investigate the effect of aggregation and size of the largest plots of 0.25 hectares on the estimates of adaptive cluster sampling.


The automated systems of partially automated vehicles can suddenly and frequently deactivate depending on the characteristics of the environment. Manufacturers are considering the possibility of mounting a visual indicator inside the vehicle to inform drivers about the reliability of automated systems. The present study was designed to evaluate the influence of reliability information and environmental conditions on drivers' judgment to the decision to deactivate the automated systems and take back control of the vehicle in partially automated cars. A total of 199 participants aged 19-67 years were exposed to 16 realistic scenarios describing situations in which a character is driving a partially automated vehicle. They had to rate their judgment of agreement with the character's decision to deactivate the automation, depending on the color of an indicator of proximity to the limit of automation (green: reliable vs. orange: close to the limit), the weather (very sunny vs. raining heavily), the quality of the road markings (clear vs. blurred), and the curvature of the road (straight vs. bends). The results revealed that all four factors influenced the decision to deactivate the automation. A complementary cluster analysis revealed that the results also needed to be interpreted in relation to the driver's profile (i.e., gender, trust in automated vehicles, and experience with automated vehicles). These findings suggest that user profiles should be considered when deciding whether to include an indicator of reliability in partially-automated vehicles.


The purpose of this study was to evaluate the nephroprotective effects of nine essential oils against nanobacteria-isolated fromhuman kidney stones in Swiss mice. We found evidenceof their inflammatory infiltration and accumulation in the renal tubules indicating that the kidney is a preferred site for mineralization by nanobacteria. Among all tested essential oils, dill, almond, cinnamon, sesame and olive were found to possess highly nephro-protective effect against nanobacteria-induced infection in mice. They prevented the nanobacterial-nephro-toxicity as evidenced by a significantly reduced (p i'£ 0.01) level of serumurea and creatinine.Moreover, the nephroprotective effects of the prior oils were confirmed by a reduced intensity of renal cellular damage, as evidenced by histological findings. Although, rocket, mint, clove and lettuce oils had no renal protective effect as the biochemical and pathological findings were significantly altered. The oils-treated sub-cultures from kidneys were negative for nanobacterial growth from dill, almond, cinnamon, sesame and olive treatments while the growth were positive for the rest of the tested oils. In conclusion, nanobacteria may be involved in the pathogenesis of nephrolithiasis and dill, almond, cinnamon, sesame and olive oils have a protective role against nanobacteria-induced nephrotoxicity in mice. iƒ" 2013 Trade Science Inc. - INDIA


sympathy. The author does not lead us into the intricacies of studies of cell metabolism and the like, but traverses briefly the attempts that have been made to penetrate the mystery of senescence. He describes quite enough of the processes of involution to make clear what happens to the machine, and points out in particular the vascular and endocrine changes that are significant, c·r ominous, depending on how one looks at the position. He rightly stresses the importance of capillary degeneration in the circulatory decline, and is cautiously sceptical of the endocrine substitutes for the fountain of youth. He points out, however, that the curve of accomplishment does not follow the same pattern in all as the years go by, and that in some walks of life particularly it is in the later years that fulfilment comes. He illustrates this by many references to the great deeds done by famous people in old age, and the book is adorned by four pairs of plates reproducing paintings by great artists, showing how the products of old age had a ripe mastery and understanding not attained fully in earlier years. This book is a melange of science and history, but it is most interesting to read for this reason. It is not sufficient, however, for the aging, a class including in the strictest sense most of the people in the world, to plan and to look forward to the years ahead as years of promise, nor for medical men and women to learn to handle old people with due physical and psychological understanding. It is necessary also for a community to help in the practical solution of that growing problem, what to do with aging people. It is not enough, Vischer makes clear, to give them comfort and diversion; they need activity, and by this a community can profit. He has been instrumental, as Lord Amulree points out in a preface, in establishing homes for aged people in Basle, where, thanks to the enlightened policy of the Canton authorities, hospital care is readily at hand, and, more important still, useful work may be carried out by the inmates as lay workers, if they so desire it and are able to do so. Vischer describes also practical contributions to the utilization of older people in industry, particularly in America, where he remarks that the voice of Pitkin was not one crying in the wilderness when he wrote his famous book "Life Begins at Forty". Movements have been started to attempt a better balance between the younger and older generations, not to appeal for sympathy for the older, but to show that it pays to employ elderly people.


Mammalian cells have evolved highly regulated defence pathways, which are activated in response to stress. The transcription factor Nrf2 is activated in response to chemical and oxidative stress and induces the expression of antioxidants and detoxification enzymes. Nrf2 activity is regulated by its cysteine-rich repressor protein Keap1, which facilitates Nrf2 degradation. In the presence of electrophilic compounds and/or oxidative stress, Keap1-mediated repression of Nrf2 is hindered, allowing the nuclear localisation of Nrf2 and the up-regulation of cell defence gene expression. The dysregulation of the Nrf2 pathway has been associated with many disease pathologies, and is a promising therapeutic target. Furthering our understanding of the chemico-biological triggers for Nrf2 activation may inform the design of novel Nrf2-inducers with increased efficacy and reduced toxicity. The modification of one or more cysteine residues in Keap1 by electrophiles is believed to be central to Nrf2 activation. Therefore, the aims of the studies in this thesis were to investigate the chemical modification of Keap1 cysteine residues by Nrf2-inducers and identify novel Keap1 binding proteins, which may play a role in the regulation of Nrf2 activity.

Previous work carried out in this lab identified cysteine residues in Keap1 that are covalently modified by a panel of Nrf2-inducing compounds in recombinant Keap1 protein and in cells. Additionally, Nrf2 can be induced by glutathione (GSH) depletion in the absence of Keap1 adduct formation. We hypothesised that GSH depletion permits reactive oxygen species (ROS) to accumulate and oxidise Keap1 cysteine residues, thereby inducing Nrf2. To address this, we treated Keap1-V5 expressing HEK293T cells with Nrf2-inducing compounds. We used liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) to investigate the ability of these compounds to form adducts with Keap1 cysteine residues, or induce reversible/irreversible redox modifications of these residues. We show that compounds which form covalent adducts with Keap1 and deplete GSH (i.e. 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene) or do not deplete GSH (i.e. dexamethasone 2,1-mesylate) induce modifications of Keap1 that could be representative of oxidation. However compounds which do not form covalent adducts with Keap1 but cause oxidative stress (i.e. hydrogen peroxide), or GSH depletion (i.e. L-buthionine-sulfoximine), do not appear to cause oxidative-like modification of Keap1 cysteines. We therefore show that some Nrf2 inducers promote the formation of reversible and/or irreversible redox modifications of Keap1 which could be due to thiol oxidation, although this is not dependent on GSH depletion.

To further explore the modification of Keap1 cysteine residues by Nrf2 inducers, we investigated the ability of triterpenoids (TPs) to modify Keap1. TPs, in particular methyl 2-cyano-3,12-dioxooleana-1,9(11)dien-28-oate (CDDO-Me), are potent inducers of Nrf2 and are potential therapeutic agents. However, the mechanism of Nrf2 activation by TPs has not been fully elucidated using LC-MS/MS. We identify key cysteine residues in Keap1 which are adducted by a chemically-tuned TP (CDDO-Epoxide) in recombinant Keap1 and in cells expressing Keap1-V5. Additionally, we use an in silico modelling approach to visualise the binding orientations of CDDO-Epoxide with key Keap1 cysteine residues. Correlating the potency of a panel of TPs towards the Nrf2 pathway with their in silico propensity to bind covalently to the identified residues showed no relationship. However, we show significant positive correlation between the potency of these TPs towards Nrf2 and their in silico propensity to bind non-covalently in two cysteine-containing pockets (Cys-273, -288) in Keap1. These data reveal the specific sites of interactions between potent TP Nrf2 inducers and Keap1, and highlight the non-covalent binding of Keap1 by electrophiles as a potential mechanism of Nrf2 activation.

The function of Keap1 is regulated by interactions with binding partners, such as sequestosome1 (p62) which targets it for autophagic degradation, or PGAM5 which localises Keap1 to the mitochondria. We previously used an LC-MS/MS approach to identify p62 as a novel Keap1-binding partner in cells. Therefore, we reasoned that using the same experimental approach with a more sensitive MS system, we could identify additional Keap1-binding proteins. Specifically, we identified a large number of proteins that co-purified with Keap1-V5 from HEK293T cell lysates, of which 55 were found to contain a known Keap1 binding motif, such as the one found in Nrf2, p62 and PGAM5. Network analysis highlighted the potential link between Keap1/Nrf2 and the p53 cell survival pathway. We validated the LC-MS/MS data using a yeast 2-hybrid screen, which reveals HBS1L, RIC8A and PSMD3 as novel Keap1 binding partners, although the functional relevance of the interaction of these proteins with Keap1 requires further investigation.

In summary, the data presented in this thesis demonstrates that whilst the covalent modification of Keap1 cysteines is an important aspect of Nrf2 induction, the oxidation of Keap1 thiols may be an alternative mechanism. We identify key cysteine residues in Keap1 covalently modified by a potent TP Nrf2 inducer in recombinant protein and cells, but show that non-covalent modification of Keap1 may be involved in the process of Nrf2 activation by this class of compound. It will be important in future studies to determine how the modification of Keap1 cysteine residues is translated to the activation of Nrf2. Additionally, we identify putative novel Keap1 binding partners which may serve to regulate the activity of the Nrf2 pathway. Overall, these findings expand our understanding of the chemical and molecular interactions that govern the activity of Nrf2, and will therefore contribute to the ongoing efforts to target this pathway as a novel therapeutic strategy in numerous diseases.


Globalization has enabled the year-round availability of imported fresh produce in Toronto, supplementing the variety of locally grown produce in Ontario. Increased consumption of produce has led to more foodborne outbreaks, with E. coli O157:H7 as the second most frequent cause of illnesses. In this study, the levels of heterotrophic bacteria, coliforms, and generic E. coli were compared between three types of imported and local produce. Significantly higher levels (p<0.04) of heterotrophic bacteria were found in imported basil. Local romaine (p<0.01) and local spinach (p<0.001) contained significantly higher levels of coliforms. Local spinach also had a significantly higher (p<0.005) number of samples with coliform levels above 100 CFU/g. Although no statistical significance was found between the presence of E. coli and
origin of produce, the five imported samples positive for E. coli compared to zero local samples supports the hypothesis that imported produce is more susceptible to microbial contamination.


The thesis addresses the issues of sustainable development of small local businesses and their future linked to the creation of a furniture design company. This work is the meeting point of different needs, the need of small artisans to find new jobs to allow the development of their business, the desire to repopulate an area that in recent years has seen its population disappear and the hope of allowing new ways for young designers to emerge and establish themselves in the world of work. To support the success of the project, it was decided to directly involve small businesses and local artisan realities. The research question, on which the project focused, was to understand how the idea of a furniture design company could materialize in the near future. By defining as key points a production based on a cluster of artisans, the support of a community and the desire to create competitive products on the market. After an initial territorial analysis, aimed at identifying the potential of the area and understanding its social fabric, the attention turned to the search for the actors to be involved in the project, with whom there were numerous moments of comparison during the development. The result of the work is the formulation of a series of guidelines to follow, both in the design and production phase of the products, and during the design and organization phase of the brand. In conclusion, the economic feasibility assessment was carried out, a tool that highlighted how the systemic structure at the basis of the entire study allows the success of the project.


Fusilade (fluazifop-butyl), a selective postemergent herbicide for grass control, has gained widespread use in the landscape maintenance and nursery markets. Although the 1985 label for Fusilade 4E listed its use as being safe for over-the-top application to some 415 ornamental species and cultivars, foliar damage has been reported on some landscape ornamentals (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6). A new formulation, Fusilade 2000 (fluazifop-P-butyl), has been released and will replace the familiar 4E formulation. Svenson et al. (7) evaluated phytotoxicity of Fusilade 2000 on 22 container-grown ornamental species. No or no significant injury occurred on most plants evaluated; however, Photinia X fraseri, Prunus cerasifera 'Atropurpurea,' Prunus cistinea, and Spiraea X bumalda did show foliar distortion, chlorosis, and necrosis. To expand the information on potential phytotoxicity, Fusilade 2000 was applied (over-the-top) at 0.25 and 1.0 lbs ai. per acre in 30 gallons water per acre to 16 field-grown woody ornamental species (Table 1) in a replicated study in June 1985. There was no evidence of foliar damage at either rate of Fusilade 2000 at two or four weeks after application. Most of the species initiated normal new growth during the evaluation period. Fusilade 2000 appeared safe for use on all species evaluated at the rates tested.


Beef is the most commonly consumed red meat and a major source of protein for US consumers. High-quality beef products are sold with substantial premiums, but the specific beef attributes by which high-quality standards are determined remain ambivalent. Most attribute studies have focused on palatability characteristics such as tenderness, juiciness, fatness, or marbling. More recent research finds increasing consumer interest in beef attributes that are not directly taste-related, such as food safety, organic, environmental impacts, local production, or DNA traceability. However, these studies have focused on a single non-taste attribute. Questions remain as to which of those attributes might have more of an influence on consumer preferences for beef products and whether there are interactions between these attributes in terms of consumer willingness-to-pay (WTP) for the beef product in question. This study uses results from a national survey of consumers to examine how the presence of multiple quality indicators of attributes influence WTP for beef products, which of these attributes have a relatively greater impact on consumer choice, and how these impacts vary based on consumer demographics. A WTP space modeling framework is used to analyze the survey data, allowing for variability and scaling of preferences.


Bilateral rupture of the quadriceps tendon is a unique and uncommon injury. This is a report of such a case successfully treated. The treatment prescribed was surgical correction of the ruptured tendons. It is the opinion of the authors that with surgery complete rehabilitation of the knee is obtained with little or no morbidity. Report of a Case A 67-year-old white real estate dealer entered the hospital in June, 1956, because of inability to walk. He had been carrying a grill down the back stairs of his second-floor apartment and caught his right foot on a stair. He threw out his left leg but felt something give way, and his leg buckled from under him. He fell down to the next landing. He managed to get up, even though his left knee was painful and unstable. He again proceeded down the stairs. As he did, he felt pain and a


Although experiencing poor parenting has been linked to high-risk behaviors and negative outcomes among different populations, very little research has been conducted on whether inadequate parenting has the same detrimental consequences for homeless and high-risk young adults. As such, this article compares homeless and marginally housed young adults to see if the associations between poor parenting (e.g. lower monitoring, neglect and physical abuse) and negative outcomes including depressive symptoms, victimization, delinquency and substance use are similar for these two groups. The sample consisted of 199 homeless and high-risk young adults from the Midwestern United States. Multivariate results revealed that childhood sexual abuse was correlated with physical and sexual victimization and delinquency among marginally housed young adults. Among homeless individuals, neglect and physical abuse were associated with physical victimization and delinquency, respectively. Caretaker monitoring was linked with delinquency and substance use among both groups. Finally, caretaker substance misuse was related positively with higher levels of substance use, but only among marginally housed individuals. The results are discussed in terms of policy implications.


The leaching of lead sulfate in aqueous diethylenetriarnine (dien) is pH dependent with a maximum leaching capacity at pH 11.6. Chloride and nitrate ions suppress the leaching of lead by dien; however, addition of sulfate ion does not diminish the leaching capacity of aqueous dien for lead sulfate. Indeed, addition of sulfate ion significantly increases the solubility of lead chloride and nitrate in aqueous dien. The presence of carbonate ions in the leachant (dien) converts lead sulfate into insoluble lead compounds plumbonacrite, leadhillite and lanarkite, and thus preventing further leaching by dien.

Depending on the precipitant, lead is precipitated as hydrocerussite, cerussite or NaOH.2PbCO2, but not as lead dihydroxycarbonate, Pb(OH)2.PbCO2 .

The major cause of deactivation of recycled dien appears to be protonation of dien during the precipitation of lead using carbon dioxide. pH adjustment using sodium hydroxide restores the leaching capacity of the dien solution. Alternatively, sodium carbonate can be used as precipitant, and a procedure for the precipitation of lead using sodium carbonate is suggested to overcome the undesired protonation of dien.

The kinetics of precipitation of lead carbonates was studied and it was shown that dissolution of carbon dioxide in aqueous dien, followed by addition to a solution of lead ions, leads to slow precipitation. The slowness was attributed to the slow, reversible formation of carbamate by reaction of carbon dioxide with dien. Direct passing of carbon dioxide into a lead dien sulfate solution gives a precipitation rate greater than for the addition of carbon dioxide solution but less than for the In addition of sodium carbonate solution.

Crystalline lead diethylenetriarnine sulfate and lead diethylenetriamine nitrate have been synthesised and physical properties recorded. The X-ray diffractogram of lead diethylenetriamine sulfate is presented.

A simple gas volumetric apparatus has been designed for rapid determination of total carbonate and bicarbonate in a wide range of solids and solutions. The apparatus has been tested to determine 0.12 1 mmol (7 - 6 0 mg) CO2^2- , and reproducible results have been obtained.

The use of sodium chloride as a potentiornetric breaking reagent has been found to compare favourably with sodium iodide in the titration of dien.

Direct titration of lead by ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid following dissolution of lead sulfate in aqueous dien was found to provide a simple and accurate analysis for lead in the presence of sulfate.


The kinetics of the iron electrodeposition reaction from a plating bath containing trivalent iron ions is investigated in the present work. The electrochemical reaction is stated to proceed via the formation of relatively stable intermediates: Fe(II) ions. Only a part of the total amount of Fe(II) ions formed at the first stage of Fe(III) discharge is reduced further, producing metal iron. The effect of polyhexamethyleneguanidine hydrochloride (with an average molecular weight of 1000) on the iron deposition is ascertained. The presence of polymer additive in the iron electrolyte appreciably affects the rate of iron deposition, while the polymer additive does not influence the rate of Fe(III) ions discharge. The effect of polyhexamethyleneguanidine on the rate of iron electrodeposition is discussed in terms of the influence of the oligomer on the aggregative stability of the Fe(OH)$_{3}$ sol formed in the near-electrode layer.


: The article is dedicated to the 80th anniversary of sanatorium "Arkhangelskoe" celebrating in October 2013. Since October 16th, 1933 sanatorium is a military health resort, in 1934 sanatorium was named for "Sanatorium for command personnel of the Red Army". In 1935-1936 such prominent commaders as V.K. Blyukher, A.I. Egorov, A.I. Kork, M.N. Tukhachevskiy, G.M.Shtern, A.V. Khrulev, I.E. Yakir took rest in the sanatorium. Today organization of treatment and diagnostic services in the sanatorium meets modern requirements of medical science. Diagnostics includes the following methods: bicycle ergometry, medical treadmills, ECG and ABP monitoring, rheoencephalography, oscillography, ultrasonic diagnosis, monitoring of lipid and carbonaceous metabolism, blood coagulation and anticoagulation, enzymes, electrolytes and also bacteriologic, immunologic and serological tests. The following treatment methotds are used: climatotherapy, clinical nutrition, exercise therapy, spa treatment, balneo- and fangotherapy. Also methods of magnetotherapy, lasertherapy, ultrasonic therapy, hyperbaric oxygenation, phytotherapy and halotherapy are used.


The purpose of this paper is to present some approaches which could be used in small and medium sized companies (SMEs) to improve social behaviour of managers and staff, learning methods and content used in education of entrepreneurs and SME staff. It is known that a social and diversity oriented manager behaviour supports company productivity and retaining of skilled staff. Very important is to prepare young entrepreneurs in this context besides the achieving of skills like leading, coordination, organisation and creativity. Vocational education and training of entrepreneurs should enable the integration of people with special needs i.e. by mentoring. Conclusions of studies and projects coordinated by the author show that issues like problem-based learning, informal and social learning, diversity, mentoring by intensive use of social media can contribute to growth and innovation in SMEs and to increase the motivation of staff. These conclusions and the approaches presented in this paper will be used in two ongoing European projects especially orientated towards grow and innovation in SMEs.


The Tracker detector took data with cosmics rays at the Tracker Integration Facility (TIF) at CERN. First on-line monitoring tasks were executed at the Tracker Analysis Centre (TAC) which is a dedicated Control Room at TIF with limited computing resources. A set of software agents were developed to perform the real-time data conversion in a standard format, to archive data on tape at CERN and to publish them in the official CMS data bookkeeping systems. According to the CMS computing and analysis model, most of the subsequent data processing has to be done in remote Tier-1 and Tier-2 sites, so data were automatically transferred from CERN to the sites interested to analyze them, currently Fermilab, Bari and Pisa. Official reconstruction in the distributed environment was triggered in real-time by using the tool currently used for the processing of simulated events. Automatic end-user analysis of data was performed in a distributed environment, in order to derive the distributions of important physics variables. The tracker data processing is currently migrating to the Tier-0 CERN as a prototype for the global data taking chain. Tracker data were also registered into the most recent version of the data bookkeeping system, DBS-2, by profiting from the new features to handle real data. A description of the dataflow/workflow and of the tools developed is given, together with the results about the performance of the real-time chain. Almost 7.2 million events were officially registered, moved, reconstructed and analyzed in remote sites by using the distributed environment.


Abstract Sleep is a tranquil process that contributes substantially to our overall health and well-being. Yet sleep creates certain vulnerabilities. These sometimes require urgent management decisions for prehospital emergency medical services and on-call medical providers alike. Some of these emergencies may be directly due to sleep itself, whereas others may result from sleep disorders or a lack of sleep. And then some medical emergencies may occur during sleep by chance. Yet for some of these emergencies, sleep does not necessarily play a benign role. Sleep can mask the emergency—causing a delay in detection, confusion in the diagnosis, or even impede treatment. Finally, some disorders will mimic sleep and thus elude detection. Understanding these core principles will enable medical practitioners to optimize care for patients in emergency situations.


What we call "nuclear magnetic resonance" (NMR) was developed simultaneously but independently by Edward Purcell and Felix Bloch in 1946. The experimental method and theoretical interpretation they developed is now called "continuous-wave NMR" (CWNMR). A different experimental technique, called "pulsed NMR" (PNMR), was introduced in 1950 by Erwin Hahn. Pulsed NMR is used in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Purcell and Bloch won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1952 for NMR; more recently NMR was the subject of Nobel Prizes in Chemistry in 1991 and 2002. We have both NMR setups in the advanced labs: one is a variation of the CWNMR method, and the other is a pulsed NMR system.


Colon cancer (CRC) is an immunogenic tumor and adaptive immunity may play a role in inhibiting disease relapse. A vaccine to boost cellular immunity in CRC patients could prevent disease recurrence, but there have been few defined immunogenic proteins identified as vaccine candidates. TVG has shown that overexpressed tumor associated proteins, abundant in the cancer state but expressed at basal levels in normal cells, can be immunogenic. We hypothesized that ideal candidate antigens would be ones already validated as prognostic markers in multivariate analysis. We performed a directed literature review using search words e.g. colon cancer, prognosis, biomarker, multivariate analysis. We selected a panel of eight proteins based on (1) incidence of expression, (2) independent predictor of poor prognosis, (3) independent predictor of early disease recurrence, and (4) known biologic function in CRC pathogenesis. Using a web based algorithm program developed by TVG, we identified peptides that were predicted to be high affinity binders across multiple HLA DR alleles; characteristics we have shown to be associated with native epitopes of self tumor antigens. We selected and synthesized 19 peptides predicted to be the highest binders. We evaluated the potential immunogenicity of peptides with 1. IFN-g ELISPOT assays using PBMC from CRC patients and normal controls and 2. specific IgG antibody response with ELISA using sera from CRC patients and normal controls. We quantitated antigen gene expression using qPCR in cell lines representing microsatellite unstable (MSI), chromosome unstable (CIN) and CpG island methylator phenotype (CIMP) colorectal cancer. The eight proteins are: CDC25B, COX-2, EBAG9, EGFR, Fascin-1, IGF-1R, PRL-3 and VCP. Two of the eight proteins had already been shown to be human tumor antigens. For all candidate antigens there was a greater IFN-g response in CRC patients than in controls; for three proteins, this difference reached statistical significance. Six proteins were positive by ELISA. Seven antigen genes were overexpressed relative to normal colon. We conclude that: 1. biologically relevant CRC associated proteins can be identified that are associated with prognosis, 2. epitopes predicted to bind multiple DR alleles, derived from candidate antigens, elicit T cell responses greater in CRC patients than in normal controls, 3. there was an overexpression of candidate genes across three different CRC phenotypes, and 4. these antigens may represent novel immunologic targets for CRC. Citation Information: Cancer Prev Res 2010;3(12 Suppl):A32.


GB virus B (GBV-B) is closely related to hepatitis C virus (HCV), infects small non-human primates, and is thus a valuable surrogate for studying HCV. Despite significant differences, the 5′ nontranslated RNAs (NTRs) of these viruses fold into four similar structured domains (I-IV), with domains II-III-IV comprising the viral internal ribosomal entry site (IRES). We previously reported the in vivo rescue of a chimeric GBV-B (vGB/IIIHC) containing HCV sequence in domain III, an essential segment of the IRES. We show here that three mutations identified within the vGB/IIIHC genome (within the 3′NTR, upstream of the poly(U) tract, and NS5A coding sequence) are necessary and sufficient for production of this chimeric virus following intrahepatic inoculation of synthetic RNA in tamarins, and thus apparently compensate for the presence of HCV sequence in domain III. To assess the mechanism(s) underlying these compensatory mutations, and to determine whether 5′NTR subdomains participating in genome replication do so in a virus-specific fashion, we constructed and evaluated a series of chimeric subgenomic GBV-B replicons in which various 5′NTR subdomains were substituted with their HCV homologs. Domains I and II of the GBV-B 5′NTR could not be replaced with HCV sequence, indicating that they contain essential, virus-specific RNA replication elements. In contrast, domain III could be swapped with minimal loss of genome replication capacity in cell culture. The 3′NTR and NS5A mutations required for rescue of the related chimeric virus in vivo had no effect on replication of the subgenomic GBneoD/IIIHC RNA in vitro. The data suggest that in vivo fitness of the domain III chimeric virus is dependent on a cooperative interaction between the 5′NTR, 3′NTR and NS5A at a step in the viral life cycle subsequent to genome replication, most likely during particle assembly. Such a mechanism may be common to all hepaciviruses.


From 1837 to 1901, in Asia, China, Canada, Africa, and elsewhere, military expedition were constantly being undertaken to protect resident Britons or British interests, to extend a frontier, to repel an attack, avenge an insult, or suppress a mutiny or rebellion. Continuous warfare became an accepted way of life in the Victorian era, and in the process the size of the British Empire quadrupled. But engrossing as these small wars are-and they bristle with bizarre, tragic, and often humorous incident-it is the officers and men who fought them that dominate this book. With their courage, foolhardiness, and eccentricities, they are an unforgettable lot.


: The result of 596 laser endoscopic operations in 368 patients with tracheobronchial tumor was analyzed. In 175 (47.5%) patients the complete recanalization of stenosis was noted, in 119 (32.4%)--partial and in 74 (20.1%)--treatment was uneffective. In 9 (3.4%) patients the complications occurred.


: Laying pullets dosed with aflatoxin B1 showed a significant decrease in egg production at aflatoxin levels of 0.7 mg per kg body weight per day or higher. When the dose was 5 mg/kg, production ceased after three days. At 1.0 or 0.7 mg/kg, no effect on production was apparent until four to five weeks after the 14-day dosing period. No aflatoxin B1 could be detected chemically in eggs during dosing or for 10 weeks following dosing.


The role of spawning salmonids in altering river bed morphology and sediment transport is significant, yet poorly understood. This is due, in large part, to limitations in monitoring the redd-building process in a continuous and spatially extended way. A complementary approach may be provided through the use of a small seismic sensor network analysing the ground motion signals generated by the agitation of sediment during the redd-building process. We successfully tested the viability of this approach by detecting and locating artificially generated redd signals in a reach of the Mashel River, Washington State, USA. We then utilize records of 17 seismic stations, in which we automatically detected seismic events that were subsequently manually checked, yielding a catalogue of 45 potential redd-building events. Such redd-building events typically lasted between 1 and 20 min and consisted of a series of clusters of 50–100 short energetic pulses in the 20–60 Hz frequency range. The majority (>90%) of these redd-building events occurred within 11 days, predominantly during the early morning and late afternoon. The seismically derived locations of the signals were in agreement with independently mapped redds. Improved network geometry and installation conditions are required for more efficient detection, robust location and improved energetic insights into redd-building processes in larger reaches. The passive and continuous nature of the seismic approach in detecting redds and describing fish behaviour provides a novel tool for fish biologists and fisheries managers, but also for fluvial geomorphologists, interested in quantifying the amount of sediment mobilized by this ecosystem engineer. When complemented with classic approaches, it could allow for a more holistic picture of the kinetics and temporal patterns (at scales from seconds to multiple seasons) of a key phase of salmonid life cycles. © 2020 The Authors. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd


Millennials and Generation X (Gen-X) are the fastest-growing market segment in Indonesia. The study aims to discover the salient values of those generations and to investigate their value differences. Data were obtained via questionnaires from 200 respondents of each generation. The questionnaires measure the importance of the values of each generation, consisting of nine values from the List of Values established by Kahle (1986), namely Sense of belonging, Excitement, Being well respected, Fun and enjoyment, Security, Self-fulfillment, Self-respect, Warm relationships with others, and Sense of accomplishment. This study employed factor analysis to identify sets of values representing their underlying values. This method resulted in three inherent values of Gen X and two of Millenials. Gen X shows the importance of Achievement, Family enjoyment, and Social relationship. Meanwhile, the Millennials are conspicuous by the values of Social recognition and Self-pleasing. Companies that choose Gen X as their target market can use their above-mentioned values to be expressed in their marketing strategies. Meanwhile, those who choose Millennials may use the two inherent values of this generation. This study fills a research gap on the characters of the emerging young generation segments in the country that can be adopted to generate market segment characters in the country.
Acknowledgment This work was funded by a research grant from the Universitas Padjadjaran, Indonesia.


There is no single immunoelectron microscopical method for invariably effective localization of both intracellular and extracellular antigens. We describe a simple and practicable immunogold technique that can be used to localize various skin basement membrane zone antigens at the ultrastructural level. Small pieces of skin were incubated with primary antibodies recognizing epitopes on a range of basement membrane zone-related antigens (two different lamina lucida-associated antigens, laminin, type VII collagen, fibrillin and keratin 14). This was followed by incubation with 1-nm colloidal gold-conjugated secondary antibody and subsequent silver intensification. The specimens were then processed for transmission electron microscopy. Precise immunolocalization with good ultrastructural preservation was achieved for all basement membrane zone antibodies tested. The results of basal cell keratin immunostaining showed that this microscopic approach could also be applied to some extent in the characterization of intracellular antigens. This immunoelectron microscopy technique provides a useful approach to the study of macromolecules at the basement membrane zone.


Palmerston Island is a tiny isolated community in the Pacific. Over the past 140 years it has developed a unique linguistic and cultural identity, influenced by England, the Cook Islands, and more recently New Zealand. The islanders strongly identify with England and consider themselves very different from the rest of the Cook Islands, to which Palmerston Island officially belongs. This paper explores the relationship between Palmerston Islanders' conceptions of themselves and their linguistic ideologies. It is shown that the construction of linguistic and social norms is not entirely subconscious: the community is aware of the different origins of lexical items, and the cultural and social affiliations signalled by different linguistic choices. Subconscious co-evolution of culture and language also takes place and appears likely to be responsible for the substrate influences of Cook Island M ori in both realms.


This paper establishes the process in which resilience leads to obsolescence requires a close link between information literacy in one's sector (industrial and economic) and the ability to anticipate changes (technical and sectoral). Based on an industrial case study, in the automotive manufacturing sector, it is intended to be an engineering analysis in industrial technology with the aim of demonstrating that there is a new axis of reflection, allowing a better performance of the company. This research applies to the life cycles that we have defined and which are sections of the global life cycle. Links are demonstrated between the economic risks to the different types of obsolescence. This article addresses a new research axis in business intelligence, for the benefit of a better technological and industrial management, but also, a new source of data collection to predict market developments, support decision making and the implementation of strategic development plans.


Food is mankind's most basic need. A recent global survey revealed that the single most important problem in the world--in developed and developing countries alike--was the high cost of living, and of food, its major component. In a world where many are starving, undernourished, malnourished or suffering from deficiency diseases, the problems of food quality and safety must be given special attention. Many developed countries have already made food a priority and created effective systems of consumer protection for food. But a number of developing countries are still struggling with the best way to control food problems. This paper will deal primarily with food and consumer protection problems in Asia and the Pacific region, but the solutions offered are universal.


Due to the absence of evident absorption features and low concentrations, the copper (Cu) concentration in plant leaves has rarely been estimated from hyperspectral remote sensing data. The capability of remotely-sensed estimation of foliar Cu concentrations largely depends on its close relation to foliar chlorophyll concentration. To enhance the subtle spectral changes related to chlorophyll concentration under Cu stress, this study described a wavelet-based area parameter (SWT (605−720), the sum of reconstructed detail reflectance at fourth decomposition level over 605−720 nm using discrete wavelet transform) from the canopy hyperspectral reflectance (350−2500 nm, N = 71) of Carex (C. cinerascens). The results showed that Cu concentrations had negative and strong correlation with chlorophyll concentrations (r = -0.719, p < 0.001). Based on 1000 random dataset partitioning experiments, the 1000 linear calibration models provided a mean R2Val (determination coefficient of validation) value of 0.706 and an RPD (residual prediction deviation) value of 1.75 for Cu estimation. The bootstrapping and ANOVA test results showed that SWT (605−720) significantly (p < 0.05) outperformed published chlorophyll-related and wavelet-based spectral parameters. It was concluded here that the wavelet-based area parameter (i.e., SWT (605−720)) has potential ability to indirectly estimate Cu concentrations in Carex leaves through the strong correlation between Cu and chlorophyll. The method presented in this pilot study may be used to estimate the concentrations of other heavy metals. However, further research is needed to test its transferability and robustness for estimating Cu concentrations on other plant species in different biological and environmental conditions.


In this study, 8% hydrogen (H2) in argon (Ar) and carbon dioxide (CO2) gas nanobubbles was produced at 10, 30, and 50 vol.% of ethanol aqueous solution by the high-speed agitation method with gas. They became stable for a long period (for instance, 20 days), having a high negative zeta potential (−40 to −50 mV) at alkaline near pH 9, especially for 10 vol.% of ethanol aqueous solution. The extended Derjaguin, Landau, Verwey, and Overbeek (DLVO) theory was used to evaluate the nanobubble stability. When the nanobubble in ethanol alkaline aqueous solution changed to an acidic pH of around 5, the zeta potential of nanobubbles was almost zero and the decrease in the number of nanobubbles was identified by the particle trajectory method (Nano site). The collapsed nanobubbles at zero charge were detected thanks to the presence of few free radicals using G-CYPMPO spin trap reagent in electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy. The free radicals produced were superoxide anions at collapsed 8%H2 in Ar nanobubbles and hydroxyl radicals at collapsed CO2 nanobubbles. On the other hand, the collapse of mixed CO2 and H2 in Ar nanobubble showed no free radicals. The possible presence of long-term stable nanobubbles and the absence of free radicals for mixed H2 and CO2 nanobubble would be useful to understand the beverage quality.


This paper focuses on one of the most prominent manifestations of humorous communication in the present era – Internet-based humor. It explores both the content of Internet humor and the various forms that it takes. A content analysis of 400 humorous texts from eight salient humorous websites shows that the Internet functions both as a 'carrier' of old humor types such as jokes and cartoons and as a 'generator' of new humor types. The new types are defined and analysed in the light of three characteristics of the Internet: Interactivity, multimedia and global reach. Whereas interactivity is expressed in the humorous texts in a very limited way, the features of multimedia and global reach are more visible. The results point to a prominence of the visual humorous forms over the verbal forms, as well as to a global dominance over the local. This supremacy of the global is evident in the analysis of the humorous topics: Globally oriented topics such as sex, gender and animals are much more popular than locally oriented topics such as ethnicity and politics. This does not mean, however, that the humorous texts reflect a universal set of values. Not only are the vast majority of the texts in English, but they also reflect the values and priorities of Western, capitalist and youth-oriented cultures.


Frequency Domain Linear Prediction (FDLP) represents an efficient technique for representing the long-term amplitude modulations (AM) of speech/audio signals using autoregressive models. For the proposed analysis technique, relatively long temporal segments (1000 ms) of the input signal are decomposed into a set of sub-bands. FDLP is applied on each sub-band to model the temporal envelopes. The residual of the linear prediction represents the frequency modulations (FM) in the sub-band signal. In this paper, we present several applications of the proposed AM-FM decomposition technique for a variety of tasks like wide-band audio coding, speech recognition in reverberant environments and robust feature extraction for phoneme recognition.


Abstract:In 1949 the United Steelworkers of America (USWA) successfully bargained for a pension and social insurance system, opening the door for social insurance and pension bargaining across organized labor throughout the post–World War II era. Indeed, the explosion of security bargaining after World War II facilitated the growth of America's unique but flawed public-private welfare system. Many historians have viewed labor's postwar turn to collective bargaining in a negative light and have argued that due to the weakening of labor's political power in the immediate postwar era, labor abandoned its progressive postwar vision and instead opted for a more insular, less socially oriented agenda achieved at the bargaining table. This argument still holds true, but a close inspection of the USWA's postwar work highlights a more nuanced picture. The USWA was one of the few labor unions to challenge the constitutionality of the antilabor Taft-Hartley Act (1947). The union's fight against Taft-Hartley came into conflict with the union's dire need to bring longterm security to its members, especially after many steel corporations began arbitrarily terminating steelworkers at age sixty-five in 1946. Ultimately, the issue of delivering long-term security to USWA members overshadowed the union's effort to defeat Taft-Hartley. This article focuses on the USWA's effort to bring long-term security to its members from 1946 to 1949 and looks at the postwar retiree crises in steel, the weakness of the public and private welfare systems in that era, the Inland Steel decision, the USWA's challenge to Taft-Hartley, and 1949 bargaining.


The aim of this article has been to create a general survey of some of the seemingly most common polearms in Sweden towards the end of the middle Ages, to date their general occurrence and to compare them with the contemporary European military development. Text sources, pictorial evidence and archaelogic finds are considered. Firstly, a peculiar kind of spear – the "Shaft sword" (Stavsvard) – was a part of the infantry armament in all groups of society (i.e. noble retainers and their retinues, burgers and peasants). Archaeologic evidence suggests that these weapons were actually made from reused sword blades, just as the German landsknecht Paul von Dolnstein attests when on campaign in Sweden in 1502. Almost all of the references to this weapon are grouped around 1500-1520, which indicates a fairly narrow time span for the use of this specific type of weapon. Further, the type does not seem to have any equivalent on the continent and is assumed to be a fairly regional weapon. It is unknown whether it was also used in Norway or Denmark. Secondly, war hammers (Polyxor) seem to have been around for a longer period and there is evidence of its use from early 15th century and up to the mid-16th century. The term "Polyxa" is borrowed from the continental word pollaxe, but late medieval Swedish sources imply that the Swedish term was rather a collective name for several similar weapons – in a few cases proper pollaxes, but much more commonly the infantry war hammer, which was of similar shape but without an actual axe head – similar to the Luzern-hammer. Just like the shaft sword the war hammer was common in all groups of society, also frequently used by the peasantry. The fact that the different types of weapons were not restricted to specific social groups – and common all over late medieval society – might be explained due to the fact that a large proportion of the Swedish peasantry was allodial and took an active part in the warfare side by side with the nobles and burgers. Thirdly, the halberd (hillebard) appears in the sources around 1500 in the hands of noble retinues and burgers. Only one picture ascribes it as a peasant weapon. But there is no trace of it in the sources before 1500, and apparently it was introduced rather late in Sweden compared to the continent. Forth, the pike (spets) is not mentioned as a Swedish infantry armament before 1520, and thereafter only appears in the new royal companies – not in local society. In the 1520ies and 1530ies the king Gustav Vasa tried to adapt the Swedish forces to the German standard, arming them to an extent with halberds and pikes. During the Dacke feud in 1542–1543 this armament was largely abandoned in favour of crossbows and firearms. During the Russian war 1555-1557 halberds and pikes was reintroduced as defence against the Russian cavalry. The appearance and development of these weapons in late medieval Norway is fairly unknown to the author. Therefore, hopefully this article might encourage some Norwegian research on the matter in order to develop Scandinavian comparisons.


A compilation of 37 fossiliferous Phanerozoic marine deposits interpreted to represent ancient hydrothermal vent or cold seep habitats reveals that articulate brachiopods, particularly rhynchonellides and terebratulides, were relatively common constituents of these chemosynthetic settings from the Devonian through the Early Cretaceous but were rare in such paleoenvironments from the Late Cretaceous to the present. Late Devonian vent and seep settings were dominated by rhynchonellides ( Dzieduszyckia, ?Eoperegrinella ) morphologically similar to Cretaceous seep-restricted Peregrinella, all of which are purported to be closely related phylogenetically. Bivalve genera with extant chemosymbiotic descendants first appeared in vent-seep deposits during the Late Jurassic and were prevalent therein after the Early Cretaceous. These bivalves include members of five families (Vesicomyidae, Mytilidae, Solemyidae, Thyasiridae, Lucinidae); lucinids and thyasirids are the dominant groups represented. Ancient hydrothermal vent and cold seep settings may provide clues to delineate better which factors (e.g., biotic interactions, differential recovery following the Permian-Triassic mass extinction) have influenced overall evolutionary patterns of dominance among brachiopods and bivalves through the Phanerozoic.


The Earth is surrounded by the ionosphere and magnetosphere that can roughly be seen schematically as two concentric shells. These two composed and inhomogeneous structured shells around the Earth selectively affect electromagnetic (EM) waves propagation. Both ionosphere and magnetosphere interact also with particles and waves coming from external sources, generating electromagnetic phenomena that in turn might become sources of EM waves. Conversely, EM waves generated inside the ionosphere remain confined at various altitudes in this region, up to a so-called critical frequency limit, depending on frequency, EM waves can escape out of the ionosphere and magnetosphere or get through. The EM waves generated inside the magnetospheric cavity mainly originate as a result of the electrical activity in the atmosphere. It is well known that also man-made sources, now widely spread on Earth, are a fundamental source of EM waves; however, excluding certain frequencies employed in power distribution and communication, man-made noise can be dominant only at local scale, near their source. According to recent studies, EM waves are also generated in the Earth's lithosphere; these waves were sometimes associated with earthquake activity showing, on the Earth's surface, intensities that are generally orders of magnitude below the background EM noise. In this review paper, we illustrate EM waves of natural origin and discuss their characterization in order to try discriminate those of lithospheric origin detectable at or near the Earth's surface.


In ancient India, the people were divided into four classes namely; Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras. The Shudras were considered as untouchables, and were excluded all together from the society. After thousands of years, with the help of many social movements, a revolution was brought up. Mahatma Gandhi, B.R Ambedkar, J.L Nehru, and many other freedom fighters confronted the caste system and when our constitution was being framed, a special provision was made under Article 46, Article 15(4), Article 16(4) and few others for the uplifting of these backward classes.The government under prime minister V P Singh, on the basis of the findings of second backward class commission reserved 27% seats for socially & backward classes on 13th August 1990. The decision caused a civil disturbance throughout India, and there was a huge loss of persons and property. Public Interest litigation was filed in the supreme court of India and decided in Indira Sawhney v/s Union of India AIR 1993 SC 477 in favor of the union of India, although certain regulations were imposed upon the reservations.This reservation of seats in educational institutes and government jobs has faced the most opposition in the recent times. The protagonists of the reservation system say that affirmative action compromises for the discrimination of past policies, which have left a legacy of unequal caste representation in the society. Those who opposes the reservations says that it is against their right to equality, and even though there was injustice against the lower caste people in the past, but that does not mean that reverse discrimination is the way to heal it.The main objective of this research is to discover if the present system of reservations in India is justified. Since, the issue of affirmative action, is directly related to the question as to "What is Equality?" it was considered necessary to answer that question first. The research takes into account mainly three concepts, namely, 'Libertarianism' by Robert Nozick, 'Nicomachean ethics' by Aristotle, and 'A Theory of Justice' by John Rawls along with others, to figure out 'what is equality?'. However, this part of the research has a limitation, since it is an ethical approach, which is relative, and not everyone may agree with the conclusion, however a proper reasoning is provided as a justification for the conclusion reached. The research paper considers various statistics provided by Census of India, National Sample Survey Organization (NSSO), and other data provided by the union and state ministries, to figure out the present situation of backward classes, and the implementation of reservation policies. The research paper, apart from the theories and statistics, also records and considers the statements of few people who are directly or indirectly affected by the reservation policies (backward people, students and their parents, etc.) in order to really know, how the reservation policies effects the citizen of the country, and how far have they actually succeeded.In the end, it was established that affirmative action promotes equality in opportunity, but the implementation in India has failed to show any desirable result, it has rather become a tool for political parties to fill their vote banks, the backward class people still suffers, and untouchability still persists.Although the research is focused on the sociological analysis of affirmative action implemented in India, it has a much generalized approach in reasoning, and even a part of the conclusion states the repercussions of affirmative action in general, apart from being specifically for India.The research paper suggest some political and social reforms to be implemented in future, so that affirmative action can bring positive result, and helps in establishing an egalitarian society. Even though the title suggests so, the research paper is not aimed at justifying affirmative action, but only makes a persuasive argument for accepting and implementing affirmative action for the overall benefit of the society.


All people agree with the idea that the family is the main and natural cellular for building and for protecting societies, but the dependance of the most contries on the beneficial parameters when they issue their laws, leads to hid the real meaning of the family, which may be formed nowadays without marriage, or it emerges through homosexual, further that, the loss of the society's good characteristics leads to separate this cellular (if we suppose it is existed), and leads to the increase of the family's aggressiveness and the spread of incest among the family members, in addition to that, leads the miss use of the family members' rights.
For all these reasons, every country should lead and control some concerning the family, for avoiding tyranny, for extending and recognizing the noble characteristics, and for gioring the natural right to the family members. that's why we find that protecting family begins from its organization through the family's law, which indicates both the rights and duties of people. But in most cases it becomes difficult to apply this law, and for that we intend to the penal way, in which the state enters through applying the punishment law, that's characterized by the preventative feature, and here we notice that not all the protective rights in the family law are maintained by penal rules, because the punishment law protects only the ideal rights within societies.
Our problematic which we wont to trait through this search, is that the Algerian legislature might trait the subject of the family's crimes by the punishment law which is brought from the French law, where as the Algerian family is followed by the family law which is brought from the Islamic rules.
So, does the Algerian legislature succeed in treating and solving the family's crimes according to the origins of both the punishment and family laws?
Whit other word, do the crimes which happened inside the family conserving in the punishment law corresponding whit the Algerian family's nature?
That's what we'll try to answer and to indicate through this search in which we depend on the analysis of the Algerian punishment law texts, in view of what is came in the Islamic rules as good parameters.


Image classification with deep learning of convolutional neural networks (CNN) for sliced snapshots of filler morphologies in rubber materials are examined. The sliced snapshots are generated from the filler morphologies modeled by reverse Monte Carlo analysis from USAXS data of rubber composites obtained in the large synchrotron radiation fa-cility SPring-8. In the present paper, we considered an image classification problem into 3 classes, which are fillers in the end-modified SBR and the non-modified SBR, and randomly placed points. We evaluated effects of area size and number of the used snapshots for training process on generalization ability for images which are independent from the training. The examined area sizes are (250 nm) 2 , (500 nm) 2 , and (1,000 nm) 2 . The examined numbers are 500, 2,000, and 8,000 per class. Here, the used architecture of CNNs consists of 4 convolution layers, 4 max-pooling layers and 3 fully-connected layers, where dropout on the fully-connected layers are used for the training. We found that the area sizes larger than (500 nm) 2 and the number larger than 2,000 per class are required for good image classification. We also confirmed the generalization ability of this deep learning method is better than that of the support vector machine (SVM) for HOG (histogram of oriented gradient) descriptors.


We study the High Dynamic Range (HDR) imaging problem using two Low Dynamic Range (LDR) images that are shot from dual-lens systems in a single shot time with different exposures. In most of the related HDR imaging methods, the problem is usually solved by Multiple Images Merging, i.e. the final HDR image is fused from pixels of all the input LDR images. However, ghost artifacts can be hardly avoided using this strategy. Instead of directly merging the multiple LDR inputs, we use an indirect way which enhances the main image, i.e. the short exposure image IS, using the long exposure image IL serving as guidance. In detail, we propose a new model, named MIEHDR CNN model, which consists of three subnets, i.e. Soft Warp CNN, 3D Guided Denoising CNN and Fusion CNN. The Soft Warp CNN aligns IL to get the aligned result ILA using the soft exposed result of IS as reference. The 3D Guided Denoising CNN denoises the soft exposed result of IS using ILA as guidance, whose result are fed into the Fusion CNN with IS to get the HDR result. The MIEHDR CNN model is implemented by MindSpore and experimental results show that we can outperform related methods largely and avoid ghost artifacts.


Although the role of Toll-like receptors in extracellular bacterial sensing has been investigated intensively, intracellular detection of bacteria through Nod molecules remains largely uncharacterized. Here, we show that human Nod1 specifically detects a unique diaminopimelate-containing N-acetylglucosamine–N-acetylmuramic acid (GlcNAc-MurNAc) tripeptide motif found in Gram-negative bacterial peptidoglycan, resulting in activation of the transcription factor NF-κB pathway. Moreover, we show that in epithelial cells (which represent the first line of defense against invasive pathogens), Nod1is indispensable for intracellular Gram-negative bacterial sensing.


Experiments were performed in vitro on six normal thin ventricular epicardial tissue strips and 10 strips removed from the infarcted regions of dogs 21-60 days after experimental myocardial infarction. Conduction was evaluated by mapping activation sequences at 40-45 sites over an area of 1 x 2 cm during pacing at a basic cycle length of 2,000 msec. The amplitude and length of recorded electrograms were also determined at each site. After control recordings, heptanol, which increases gap junctional resistance, was added to the tissue bath at concentrations ranging between 0.2 and 1.0 mM. In contrast to its effect on normal tissues, heptanol caused 75 of 260 previously active sites in the infarcted tissues to become inactive. The affected sites were located in areas of very slow conduction and/or adjacent to areas of preexisting conduction block. In addition, heptanol decreased the length and degree of fractionation of electrograms recorded in slowly conducting regions of the infarcted tissues. The magnitude of the decrease in electrogram length following heptanol was related to the degree of electrogram abnormality during control as reflected in the ratio of electrogram length to amplitude. Heptanol shortened electrograms by causing local conduction block, which eliminated some components of the fractionated electrograms. In an additional eight epicardial strips removed from the infarcted region, 0.5 mM heptanol had only a slight effect (10.7% decrease) on the maximum rate of membrane depolarization. Thus, heptanol does not act primarily by way of depressing the fast inward current. We conclude from heptanol's effects on conduction and electrogram characteristics that slow and dissociated conduction in the infarcted region is due to an abnormality in gap junctional distribution between surviving cells and/or an abnormality in individual gap junctional function.


This comment explores the relation between geoeconomics and geopolitics from a critical realist, strategic-relational, and cultural political economy perspective. We disambiguate the 'geo-' family of concepts; introduce a more complex view of sociospatiality that enables a taxonomy of approaches to geopolitical analytical objects and inquiries; and illustrate this from China's Belt and Road Initiative seen as a complex geopolitical imaginary and linked modes of multi-spatial metagovernance.


This paper discusses findings from an evaluation of an advocacy scheme for parents whose children were subject to child protection proceedings including a pilot project where co-operation between parents and professionals was an issue. Encouraging findings of parents' experiences of being heard, being able to listen, and, in some cases, to act on concerns about their children's welfare are outlined. Three case studies offer accounts of practices that are gendered and occur against a backdrop of ethnic disadvantage. The paper suggests that current debates about reform need to recognize the need to support parents to manage intimidating systems.


Folding uncertainty in theoretical models into Bayesian parameter estimation is necessary in order to make reliable inferences. A general means of achieving this is by marginalizing over model uncertainty using a prior distribution constructed using Gaussian process regression (GPR). As an example, we apply this technique to the measurement of chirp mass using (simulated) gravitational-wave signals from binary black holes that could be observed using advanced-era gravitational-wave detectors. Unless properly accounted for, uncertainty in the gravitational-wave templates could be the dominant source of error in studies of these systems. We explain our approach in detail and provide proofs of various features of the method, including the limiting behavior for high signal-to-noise, where systematic model uncertainties dominate over noise errors. We find that the marginalized likelihood constructed via GPR offers a significant improvement in parameter estimation over the standard, uncorrected likelihood both in our simple one-dimensional study, and theoretically in general. We also examine the dependence of the method on the size of training set used in the GPR; on the form of covariance function adopted for the GPR, and on changes to the detector noise power spectral density.