Ab s t r Ac t Aim: In recent years, there has been an increase in research on herbal derivatives with regards to their medicinal use. This review aims to summarize the scientific reports on one such herb, Cosmos caudatus . Our primary focus is to highlight its pharmacological properties and their potential applications in the field of dentistry. Background: The vascular plant biodiversity of Southeast Asia is second to that of South America, with many of these plants being used for their traditional medicinal benefits. One such herb that is popular in Malaysia is C. caudatus , locally referred to as ulam raja. It is an edible herb, commonly served in the form of a salad and is also used in traditional medicine practices to boost blood circulation, increase strength of bones, reduce fever, treat infections, and improve skin texture. Recent scientific studies have reported numerous pharmacological benefits of C. caudatus ranging from being an antioxidant agent to having bone-protective properties. These properties are attributed to a rich source of biochemical compounds found in the herb. A PubMed and Science Direct database search was conducted revealing 25 papers relevant to our review of C. caudatus , describing its traditional uses, pharmacological uses, botanical description, and phytochemical description. Review results: Published studies have reported that C. caudatus has potent antioxidant properties. It has shown both antibacterial and antifungal activities. Extracts of C. caudatus are capable of acting as an antihypertensive and antidiabetic agent, in both human and animal models. It also plays a role as a bone-protective and bone-proliferative agent. Conclusion: C. caudatus has the potential of being greatly beneficial in treating various dental diseases due to its pharmacological properties. Clinical significance: There is need for further research into this abundant natural resource in order to explore its potential uses in clinical dentistry.


Battery packs of electric vehicles are prone to capacity, thermal, and aging imbalances in their cells, which limit power delivery to the vehicle. Spurred by this issue, we propose a new class of battery balancing systems, called hybrid battery balancing, capable of simultaneously equalizing battery capacity and temperature while enabling hybridization with additional storage systems, such as supercapacitors. Our research departs from the current research paradigm, which regards battery equalization and hybridization as two independent functions performed by two separated power converters. In contrast, our concept integrates these two functions into a single system, paving the way for a lower cost of power conversion in hybrid energy storage units. In exchange for reduced hardware costs, this integration of functions poses challenges to the design and control of the hybrid system, such as simultaneously coordinating a large number of power converters, enforcing actuation and safety constraints and making trade-offs between multiple technical and economic objectives. To handle these challenges, we developed constrained and hierarchical optimal control frameworks that rely on convex formulations as a means to obtain computationally efficient control algorithms. Through validation in small scale prototypes, we have demonstrated that this hybrid balancing concept can significantly decrease energy losses and battery stress while increasing a vehicle's range when compared with conventional balancing methods.


The objective of this study is to provide additional evidence of the utilization of Cold-Water Corals (CWC) and Submarine Canyons (SC) by fishes as areas for growing to maturity and to reproduce and thus for the classification of CWC as Essential Fish habitats (EFH). Data were collected with longline experimental surveys carried out during spring-summer and autumn-winter from 2010 to 2014, in different CWC sites distributed along the Apulian margin: Gondola Slide (GS), Bari Canyon (BC), Monopoli (Mn) and Santa Maria di Leuca (SML). In the present study the reproductive phase of Galeus melastomus, Conger conger, Helicolenus dactylopterus, Merluccius merluccius, Pagellus bogaraveo and Phycis blennoides s collected in the abovementioned CWC communities has been analysed with respect to fish size. Maturing and mature individuals as well as post-reproductive specimens of G. melastomus , H. dactylopterus and M. merluccius were observed in all the investigated CWC sites. Mature gonads were also found in the other three species, although the investigated period was outside their reproductive peak, indicating that these CWC sites act as spawning areas and therefore as a potential 'renewal network' for fish species exploited in the neighbouring fishing grounds. This provides a strong argument for the categorization of CWC as EFH in the design of management programs.


Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular parasite capable of invading any nucleated cell. Three main clonal lineages (type I, II, III) exist and murine models have driven the understanding of general and strain-specific immune mechanisms underlying Toxoplasma infection. However, murine models are limited for studying parasite-leukocyte interactions in vivo, and discrepancies exist between cellular immune responses observed in mouse versus human cells. Here, we develop a zebrafish infection model to study the innate immune response to Toxoplasma in vivo. By infecting the zebrafish hindbrain ventricle, and using high-resolution microscopy techniques coupled with computer vision driven automated image analysis, we reveal that Toxoplasma invades and replicates inside a parasitophorous vacuole to which type I and III parasites recruit host cell mitochondria. We show that type II and III strains maintain a higher infectious burden than type I strains. To understand how parasites are being cleared in vivo, we analyzed Toxoplasma-macrophage interactions using time-lapse and correlative light and electron microscopy. Strikingly, macrophages are recruited to the infection site and play a key role in Toxoplasma control. These results highlight in vivo control of Toxoplasma by macrophages, and illuminate the possibility to exploit zebrafish for discoveries within the field of parasite immunity.


One of the obstacles that can affect the productivity of goats is the threat of parasitic diseases in reared goats. Goats and sheep in Indonesia are susceptible to infestation of this digestive tract parasite due to the influence of the wet tropical climate which is very beneficial for survival and facilitates transmission. Gastrointestinal worms are often found in livestock which can cause a decrease in growth rate and health. Some of the food substances in livestock are consumed by worms, causing tissue damage in animals. This situation can also cause livestock to be more sensitive to various deadly diseases. As a result of intestinal worm infestation can reduce goat productivity. This study aimed to identify Moniezia, Sp in goat intestines in Indonesia. This research method is by using PCR, sequencing, and alignment of amino acids using Blast, the amino acid Moniezia benedeni in bovine intestines was analyzed using Swiss Prot software to determine the three-dimensional structure. The prediction of B cell epitope is conducted using IEDB software. To measure allergen levels and toxicity, this study uses AllerTop and ToxinPred software. The result shows that Moniezia benedini was found in goat intestines. Further research is needed on Moniezia benedeni so that it can be used as a diagnostic kit or vaccine seed.


Background Worldwide, nearly 3 million people die of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) every year. Integrated disease management (IDM) improves disease-specific quality of life and exercise capacity for people with COPD, but can also reduce hospital admissions and hospital days. Self-management of COPD through eHealth interventions has shown to be an effective method to improve the quality and efficiency of IDM in several settings, but it remains unknown which factors influence usage of eHealth and change in behavior of patients. Objective Our study, e-Vita COPD, compares different levels of integration of Web-based self-management platforms in IDM in three primary care settings. The main aim of this study is to analyze the factors that successfully promote the use of a self-management platform for COPD patients. Methods The e-Vita COPD study compares three different approaches to incorporating eHealth via Web-based self-management platforms into IDM of COPD using a parallel cohort design. Three groups integrated the platforms to different levels. In groups 1 (high integration) and 2 (medium integration), randomization was performed to two levels of personal assistance for patients (high and low assistance); in group 3 there was no integration into disease management (none integration). Every visit to the e-Vita and Zorgdraad COPD Web platforms was tracked objectively by collecting log data (sessions and services). At the first log-in, patients completed a baseline questionnaire. Baseline characteristics were automatically extracted from the log files including age, gender, education level, scores on the Clinical COPD Questionnaire (CCQ), dyspnea scale (MRC), and quality of life questionnaire (EQ5D). To predict the use of the platforms, multiple linear regression analyses for the different independent variables were performed: integration in IDM (high, medium, none), personal assistance for the participants (high vs low), educational level, and self-efficacy level (General Self-Efficacy Scale [GSES]). All analyses were adjusted for age and gender. Results Of the 702 invited COPD patients, 215 (30.6%) registered to a platform. Of the 82 patients in group 1 (high integration IDM), 36 were in group 1A (personal assistance) and 46 in group 1B (low assistance). Of the 96 patients in group 2 (medium integration IDM), 44 were in group 2A (telephone assistance) and 52 in group 2B (low assistance). A total of 37 patients participated in group 3 (no integration IDM). In all, 107 users (49.8%) visited the platform at least once in the 15-month period. The mean number of sessions differed between the three groups (group 1: mean 10.5, SD 1.3; group 2: mean 8.8, SD 1.4; group 3: mean 3.7, SD 1.8; P=.01). The mean number of sessions differed between the high-assistance and low-assistance groups in groups 1 and 2 (high: mean 11.8, SD 1.3; low: mean 6.7, SD 1.4; F1,80=6.55, P=.01). High-assistance participants used more services (mean 45.4, SD 6.2) than low-assistance participants (mean 21.2, SD 6.8; F1,80=6.82, P=.01). No association was found between educational level and usage and between GSES and usage. Conclusions Use of a self-management platform is higher when participants receive adequate personal assistance about how to use the platform. Blended care, where digital health and usual care are integrated, will likely lead to increased use of the online program. Future research should provide additional insights into the preferences of different patient groups. Trial Registration Nederlands Trial Register NTR4098; http://www.trialregister.nl/trialreg/admin/rctview.asp?TC=4098 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6qO1hqiJ1)


During orbital migration of a giant extrasolar planet via ejection of planetesimals (Murray et al.~1998), inner mean motion resonances can be strong enough to cause planetesimals to graze or impact the star. We integrate numerically the motions of particles which pass through the 3:1 or 4:1 mean motion resonances of a migrating Jupiter mass planet. We find that many particles can be trapped in the 3:1 or 4:1 resonances and pumped to high enough eccentricities that they impact the star. This implies that for a planet migrating a substantial fraction of its semi major axis, a significant fraction of its mass in planetesimals could impact the star. This process may be capable of enriching the metallicity of the star, and at a time when the star is no longer fully convective. Upon close approaches to the star the surfaces of these planetesimals will be sublimated. Orbital migration should cause continuing production of evaporating bodies, suggesting that this process should be detectable with searches for transient absorption lines in young stars. The remainder of the particles will not impact the star but can be subsequently ejected by the planet as it migrates further inwards. This allows the planet to migrate a substantial fraction of its initial semi-major axis via ejection of planetesimals.


Background The onset of the covid19 pandemic has sparked heated debate among scholars on the relevance of lockdowns. There are those in favor of the lockdown and others who are critical of it. However, despite the increased interest in understanding the relevance of lockdowns, there still has not been much focus on its relevance in low income countries like Zambia. Thus with the help of the SRT, we set out to explore and document the local characterization of the lockdown by residents of Lusaka, Zambia.Methods A qualitative study in the form of interviews was conducted in Lusaka, Zambia involving a sample of 68 participants. Due to the lockdown measures that were in place during the study, the interviews were conducted via phone calls and the data collected were later analyzed by use of thematic analysis technique.Results The lockdown was on one hand lauded for slowing down the incidence rates, preventing fatalities, and for protecting the healthcare system from collapse. On the other hand, it was criticized for exacerbating poverty levels, unemployment rates, increasing the rate of mental health problems, aiding gender based violence, and intensifying political repression and corruption. The results speak to the complexity in the characterization of the lockdown as a response to covid19 in Zambia. This observation demonstrates the folly of viewing, applying and characterizing the covid19 lockdown as a 'one-size-fits-all' approach in Zambia.Conclusion Thus rather than definitely establishing the lockdown as an incontestable good, as it is depicted by some scholars or as useless by its critics, our findings instead demonstrate the diversity and complexity in how it is locally viewed by Zambians. The study provides grounds for caution on simplistic and binary characterization of lockdowns. It indicates the need for careful dialog between the designers of lockdowns and citizens in order to tailor such interventions to local realities in context-specific ways. It also shows that though the development of such interventions, all the various and complex elements it embodies must be taken into account in order to realize optimum outcomes.


The hypothesis that neural induction plays a role in the development of acetylcholine hot spots (high-sensitivity regions) was tested by electrophysiological mapping of the distribution of acetylcholine sensitivity of myotubes derived from aneural hindlimb buds of chick embryos. Hot spots were found. Therefore, hot spot development is not dependent on prior contact with nerve processes.


Introduction Interpret perceptions of Colombian health professionals concerning factors that obstruct and facilitate the introduction of rapid syphilis and HIV testing in prenatal care services. Methods A qualitative study based on semi-structured interviews was carried out. A convenience sample was selected with 37 participants, who included health professionals involved in prenatal care services, programs for pregnant women, clinical laboratories, and directors of health care units or centres, as well as representatives from regional departments and the Ministry of Health. Results Colombia does not do widespread screening with rapid syphilis and HIV tests in prenatal care. The professionals interviewed stated they did not have prior experience in the use of rapid tests—except for laboratory staff—or in the course of action in response to a positive result. The insurance system hinders access to timely diagnosis and treatment. Health authorities perceive a need to review existing standards, strengthen the first level of care, and promote comprehensive prenatal care starting with contracts between insurers and health service institutional providers. Participants recommended staff training and integration between health-policymaking and academic entities for updating training programs Conclusion The market approach and the characteristics of the Colombian health system constitute the main barriers to implementation of rapid testing as a strategy for elimination of mother-to-child transmission of syphilis and HIV. Measures identified include making changes in contracts between insurers and health service institutional providers, adapting the timing and duration of prenatal care procedures, and training physicians and nurses involved in prenatal care.


Acute bronchiolitis is the most common cause for hospitalisation in infancy with 2–3% of all UK infants admitted in their first winter.1 ,2 It has a substantial health economic burden with annual costs in the USA of over $0.5 billion for hospital care alone.3 In addition to short-term morbidity, there are also associated long-term consequences with 40–50% of those admitted subsequently enduring recurrent wheeze.4 ,5 The significant impact of bronchiolitis has led to an extensive search for effective therapies over the last half century since Reynolds' oft-quoted aphorism that "oxygen is vitally important in bronchiolitis and there is little convincing evidence that any other therapy is consistently, or even occasionally, useful".6

Nebulised hypertonic saline represents an attractive potential treatment for bronchiolitis. Hypertonic saline improves both mucous rheology (elasticity and viscosity) and mucociliary clearance in vitro7 ,8 with clinical studies in cystic fibrosis demonstrating beneficial effects on pulmonary exacerbation rates.9 Bronchiolitis has a number of pathophysiological features, including increased mucous production, airway oedema and mucous plugging, which could potentially be amenable to treatment with hypertonic saline.10

Since the first published trial of hypertonic saline from Israel in 2002,11 there have been almost 20 randomised controlled studies published of its use in bronchiolitis. Unfortunately, overall interpretation of these studies is hampered by factors that have repeatedly beleaguered bronchiolitis research. One of the principal difficulties is the lack of an internationally recognised bronchiolitis definition. In the UK, Australasia and some parts of Europe, the diagnosis is based on the presence of cough, tachypnoea and widespread inspiratory crackles.12 In North America and many other parts of the world, bronchiolitis is diagnosed when a young child has a first episode of wheeze with increased work of breathing in the presence of an …


Occupational exposure to microbial-contaminated machining fluids is associated with a variety of adverse pulmonary effects including chronic bronchitis and increased sputum production. We have previously demonstrated in F344 rats that inhaled endotoxin can increase the amount of stored intraepithelial mucosubstances (Vs) in the respiratory tract. The purpose of the present study was to examine the effect of endotoxin-contaminated machining fluid aerosols on mucous production. Rats were exposed to aerosols of pyrogen-free water, 1 or 10 mg/m3 used machining fluid, or 10 mg/m3 unused machining fluid for 3 hr/day for 3 days. Twenty-four hours after the final exposure, right lung lobes were lavaged and the nasal cavity and left lung were fixed in formalin. The amount of Alcian blue/periodic acid-Schiff-stained mucosubstances was determined by morphometry. Exposure to 10 mg/m3 used machining fluid (equivalent to 0.8 micrograms/m3 endotoxin) produced a significant increase in Vs in the epithelial lining of both the nasal septum and intrapulmonary airways. These changes in Vs were accompanied by a significant increase in total cells and neutrophils in the lavage fluid. No changes in stored mucosubstances or lavage parameters were found in animals exposed to 1 mg/m3 used machining fluid aerosols. A significant increase in Vs was observed in the nasal septum but not in the intrapulmonary airways of animals exposed to 10 mg/m3 unused machining fluids (no measurable endotoxin). These results suggest that in addition to endotoxin, nonendotoxin components of machining fluids may contribute to the increase in sputum and chronic bronchitis reported for workers exposed to machining fluid aerosols.


Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are a new class of porous organic materials, which are prepared with organic building units via strong covalent bonds. Their well-defined crystalline porous structures together with special functionalities have endowed COF materials with important potential in wide applications, such as gas storage, adsorption, optoelectricity, catalysis and chemical sensing. Particularly, the fluorescence properties and the sensing applications of COF materials have attracted wide attention of analysts. This critical review presents the important development in the design, synthesis and analytical application of fluorescent COF materials as well as the investigation of luminescence characteristics.


Peri-mortem treatment of the body and the fate of the soul after death throughout the English medieval period (c.600-1550) have been extensively studied. However, the post-depositional fate of physical remains has been largely neglected, despite there existing substantial excavated and documentary evidence for a variety of post inhumation disturbances, customs and practices. To date, these activities have consistently been interpreted on a purely functional basis. Consequently, incidences of disarticulated, disinterred skeletal material are routinely dismissed as simply representing the by-products of liturgical activities, and hence are assumed to be devoid of meaningful purpose.
This study catalogues and examines post-depositional disturbance and treatment of disarticulated remains, chronologically, from the advent of Christianity in England (c. 7th century), throughout the early medieval period (c. 7th to 11th century), into the later medieval period (c. 12th to mid-16th century), concluding with the Reformation
period (c. 1550-1600). Reviews and analyses of translations and elevations, charnel houses and developments in cemetery management were undertaken, with differences and similarities between the early and later medieval period noted and discussed. This analytical method demonstrates that disturbances before the 10th to 12th centuries were less structured than after, but significantly, that the majority of post-depositional activities and forms of disturbance originated in the earliest years of Christianity, and were sustained throughout the entire medieval period. This thesis considers how skeletal material was perceived by contemporary medieval people,
addresses modern attitudes and beliefs concerning archaeological disarticulated remains and discusses how these have influenced and hindered interpretations of
medieval post-depositional mortuary behaviour, beyond pragmatic explanations.
This research elucidated overwhelming evidence for misunderstood and frequently unrecognised medieval funerary practices where disarticulated, disturbed and disinterred skeletal remains were curated as opposed to being merely collected or conveniently relocated, and one where the dead were compassionately curated, both physically and spiritually, by the living.


Two lines of Friend virus (FV)-transformed mouse spleen cells have been analyzed in respect to their interferon production capacity: neither F4 cells, which liberate infectious FV when kept under tissue culture conditions, nor the thymidine kinase-deficient B8 cells, which do not produce significant amounts of FV, release detectable amounts of autogenous interferon into cell supernatants. However, interferon is produced in these cells in amounts comparable to that in L-929 cells when interferon induction is initiated with UV-inactivated Newcastle disease virus. Conversely poly(I) · poly(C), a potent interferon inducer in L-929 cells, proved ineffective in this capacity in F4 or B8 cells. When erythropoietic differentiation is induced in these cells by dimethyl sulfoxide, no autogenous interferon production occurs, but with NDV-induction a four- to fivefold increase of interferon production is observed. A similar elevation of interferon production is achieved during 5-bromodeoxyuridine stimulation of differentiation in the thymidine kinase-deficient B8 cells. The refractiveness against poly(I) · poly(C) displayed in unstimulated cells is not overcome at any stage of differentiation, indicating major differences of Newcastle disease virus and poly(I) · poly(C) induction mechanisms.


During the last decade, the number of patients starting renal replacement therapy has increased for all ages, but the increase for patients over 65 years old has been particularly dramatic.

Objective:  The aim of our study was the analysis of the outcome of all the patients who were over 65 years of age at the time they started chronic hemodialysis, in our Center (n, 52).

Methods:  A total of 76 patients were treated by the chronic hemodialysis program of 251 Hellenic Air Force and VA General Hospital, between 1992 and 2002, while totally 309 patients were offered dialysis at this time. We found that 52 of them (68.4%) were over 65 years old [40 male (76.9%), 12 female (23.1%)].

Results:  Elderly patients manifest more often intradialytic complications, such as hypotensive episodes (28.8%) and arrhythmias (23.1%), due to their hemodynamic instability. Polypharmacy is a big deal for dialysis patients, especially elderly ones. Each patient was taking 9.1 PO and 1.9 IV medications on average, per day. Most of them (84.6%) required recombinant human erythropoietin. The most common co-morbid factors we observed in this population were cardiovascular diseases (36.5%), neurological problems, respiratory failure, bone disease, malignancy (17.3%), depression, malnutrition, and infections (30.8%). Deaths were often associated with more than one morbid factors. Survival and the quality of life in the elderly patients on hemodialysis are frequently acceptable. The 1, 3 and 5-year patient survival rates during 1990–2000 were 63.4%, 56.1%, and 26.8%.

Conclusion:  We believe that if there are no extracontraindications, elderly patients can benefit from hemodialysis, taking into consideration that we should adapt the therapy to the geriatric special needs.


This article, which was prepared for a spring 2007 conference at Cardozo Law School on "The Domestic Commander in Chief," considers constitutional and policy questions regarding congressional oversight of national security activities. The article focuses on what I call an "information funnel" approach. Such an approach involves funneling information only to discrete groups of people. For example, statutory provisions require that intelligence programs be shared with the congressional intelligence committees. Other statutory provisions permit certain narrowly defined covert actions to be reported only to the congressional leadership. The intended benefits of funneling are intuitive. Funneling plainly is directed toward balancing the respective advantages of secrecy and openness. It demands some inter-branch knowledge sharing without requiring full public or even full congressional access. This article agrees that funneling is a theoretically and practically important means of reconciling secrecy and openness needs but contends that funneling has not, in fact, been taken seriously enough. The purpose and utility of funneling have been under-explored, and funneling's propriety and implications thus are poorly understood. Questions remain, for example, over whether funneling requirements infringe on the separation of powers and thus need not always be obeyed. And it is uncertain what if anything should follow from information funneling - whether, for example, those with whom information is shared should be able to take some action in response to what they learn. This article uses the recent controversy about warrantless surveillance by the National Security Agency as a jumping-off point to explore these questions. Specifically, the article focuses on information exchanges between Congress and the executive branch about the program. Part I examines these exchanges as well as inter-branch discussions about the same. It concludes that two major problems that these incidents reflect are widespread uncertainty as to whether Congress constitutionally may force the President to disclose information and a lack of careful consideration as to how any information funneling requirements should work. Part II lays a theoretical foundation for improving governing statutes and congressional rules. Part II(A) explains that Congress has the constitutional authority to set information-sharing requirements between the executive branch and itself. Part II(B) discusses the complicated relationships between the respective benefits of secrecy and openness, an understanding of which should guide information sharing rules. Building on Part II's theoretical foundations, Part III suggests some answers to the questions raised in Part I as to how information funneling requirements should work.


In a previous retrospective study, we demonstrated that falls are common and often injurious in dominant spinocerebellar ataxias (SCAs) and that nonataxia features play an important role in these falls. Retrospective surveys are plagued by recall bias for the presence and details of prior falls. We therefore sought to corroborate and extend these retrospective findings by means of a prospective extension of this fall study. 113 patients with SCA1, SCA2, SCA3 or SCA6, recruited from the EuroSCA natural history study, were asked to keep a fall diary in between their annual visits to the participating centres. Additionally, patients completed a detailed questionnaire about the first three falls, to identify specific fall circumstances. Relevant disease characteristics were retrieved from the EuroSCA registry. 84.1% of patients reported at least one fall during a time period of 12 months. Fall-related injuries were common and their frequency increased with that of falls. The presence of nonataxia symptoms was associated with a higher fall frequency. This study confirms that falls are a frequent and serious complication of SCA, and that the presence of nonataxia symptoms is an important etiological factor in its occurrence.


Date of Award 8-2013 Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy Major Sociology Major Professor Jon Shefner Committee Members Paul K. Gellert, Harry F. Dahms, Jana Morgan Abstract In the 1980s and 1990s, the Latin American region experienced a profound shift in development ideologies that resulted in the creation of a new type of state: the Latin American neoliberal state. This state emerged in three stages: the stabilization stage— focused on balance of payments and austerity; the structural adjustment stage—which was more broadly and deeply focused on changing the structure and culture of society; and the institutional turn—which was an acknowledgment that the neoliberal state had not effectively dealt with poverty, inequality, or the quality of institutions that integrated market, society, and polity. Beginning in the early 2000s, an electoral shift to the left swept through the region and was characterized by antagonistic rhetoric towards neoliberal policies. This study compares the historical developments of Argentina, Ecuador, and Peru and shows that in cases where the neoliberal state was fully developed, the leftist shift either did not occur (Peru) during the 2000s, or where it did occur (Argentina) did not constitute a break with the neoliberal state but rather formed a fourth stage of neoliberalism. In this stage, the government sought to increase spending on some social programs but did so in ways that legitimated the wider neoliberal state rather than creating a new developmental model that would move beyond neoliberalism. Recommended Citation Rowland, Aaron Thomas, "How Left a Turn? Legacies of the Neoliberal State in Latin America. " PhD diss., University of Tennessee, 2013. https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss/2475  Download


5390 Introduction Polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1) is a critical regulator of the many stages of mitosis. Accumulating evidence indicates that over-expression of Plk1 correlates with clinical outcome. In this work, we evaluate for the first time, the expression of Plk1 in primary human nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) biopsies, and demonstrate its potential role as a therapeutic target. Experimental Procedures Plk1 expression was assessed using immunohistochemistry in 40 NPC archival samples linked to outcome data. Plk1 was targeted using siRNA to evaluate both functional significance, as well as its therapeutic potential in NPC. RNA interference was achieved using a pooled small interfering RNA (siPlk1) to knock down the expression of PLK1 in the Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV)-positive NPC cell line C666-1. Results Plk1 immunoexpression was observed in 28 of 40 specimens (70%), which in turn, was associated with a higher likelihood of recurrence (p=0.018). SiPlk1 (30nM) reduced C666-1 viability in a time and dose-dependent manner. The cytotoxic effect was enhanced with the addition of radiation (6 Gy), down to 15% viability at day 7. This cytotoxicity appeared to be mediated by apoptosis (33.5% at 48 hours), along with activation of caspases 3/7 (2.1-fold increase over control). Cell cycle analysis demonstrated an increase in the G2/M cell population to 30.6%. Immunofluorescence demonstrated the G2/M arrest being associated with aberrant spindle formation, resulting in mitotic arrest.Western blotting corroborated that down-regulation of Plk1 was associated with an increase in Cyclin B1 expression, consistent with the known downstream targets of Plk1. Finally, the therapeutic potential of Plk1 was assessed using an in vivo tumor-formation assay. Transfection of C666-1 cells with SiPlk1 delayed tumor formation by 44 days, compared to control mice. When combined with radiation (6 Gy), this resulted in a further delay in tumor development of up to 75 days, compared to the 60 days in the siCNTR-treated group. Conclusion Our data demonstrate over-expression of Plk1 in human NPC samples, which was associated with a higher risk of recurrent disease. In addition, targeting Plk1 was effective in reducing NPC survival both in vitro and in vivo, particularly when combined with ionizing radiation, indicating that Plk1 likely represents an important target for NPC therapy.


Background: Diabetes mellitus is characterized by absolute or relative insulin deficiency, hyperglycemia and development of diabetic specific micro vascular complications in retina, kidney and nerves. Micro vascular disease significantly contributes to increased morbidity and indirectly contributes to mortality through diabetic neuropathy. Pain may occur with either acute or chronic neuropathy. It results from small fibre damage. Lancinating, neuralgia - type will follow ectopic generation of nerve impulses, whereas chronic, burning pain is due to nerve is chaemia. Therapeutic laser (TL) is gaining much importance in reducing neuropathic pain Objective: To find out the effect of therapeutic laser in the management of diabetic neuropathy pain by comparing with regular medication. Methods: 50 patients were selected by using lottery method of simple random sampling procedure into two groups (Group A 25 and Group B 25) equally. Group A was treated with medications (oral hypoglycemic, analgesics and anti - depressant drugs) for four weeks. Group B was treated with TL for 10mins for 4 times a week for 4 weeks with a dosage of 4J/cm 2 . Their pre & post treatment values were extracted basing on modified Toronto clinical neuropathy score (mTCNS). Results: Both groups pre and post test values were extracted for four weeks and analyzed individually by using Wilcoxon signed rank test. Both groups showed variation in their scores individually. When compared between the groups by using Mann Whitney U - test, group B showed remarkable variation when compared with group A. Conclusion: TL has shown remarkable reduction in pain score of group B when compared with group A. TL is one of the best treatment modality in reducing neuropathic pain. Physiotherapists can gain access with this treatment to proliferate their practice in treating diabetic neuropathic pain. . [ Ethiop.J. Health Dev. 2019; 33(2):142-144] Key words: Diabetes mellitus (DM), diabetic neuropathy (DN), low level laser irradiation(LLLI), Mc Gill Pain Questionnaire(MPQ), modified toronto clinical neuropathy score (mTCNS).


OF DISSERTATION RENAL HUMORAL, GENETIC AND GENOMIC MECHANISMS UNDERLYING HERTIABLE HYPERTENSION In spite of significant progress in our knowledge of mechanisms that control blood pressure, our understanding of the pathogenesis of hypertension, its genetics, and population efforts to control blood pressure, hypertension remains the leading risk factor for mortality worldwide. It's estimated that 1 out of every 3 adults has hypertension. Hypertension is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease and stroke, and is considered a primary or contributing cause of death to more than 2.4 million US deaths each year. Although spontaneous hypertension has been the subject of substantial research, many critical questions remain unanswered. To investigate mechanisms underlying spontaneous hypertension, a unique rodent breeding approach was used to isolate nuclear and mitochondrial genes contributing to the disease. By diluting the nuclear genome of the Spontaneously Hypertensive Rat on a normotensive Brown Norway background while maintaining the SHR mitochondrial genome, I investigated both intrinsic and extrinsic mechanisms of the kidney and its relationship to hypertension. Chapter 2 documents the dominance of the hypertensive phenotype in our rodent colony, despite the dilution of the nuclear genome of the SHR. Chapter 3 presents data indicating that the renin-angiotensin system, particularly the location and abundance of the AT1 receptor may play an important role in the manifestation of spontaneous hypertension. Chapter 4 presents that rats in our rodent colony exhibited normal pressure-natriuresis and kidney function; however, hypertensive rats had a reduced ability to sense orally ingested sodium chloride, thus necessitating chronic elevations of arterial pressure in order to maintain sodium balance. This chronic pressure-natriuresis relationship shifts the renal function curve to the right, thus sustaining elevated blood pressure. Chapter 5 presents data that genes important for oxidative phosphorylation may play a critical role in the development of hypertension. Both nuclear and mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation genes were downregulated in hypertensive rats compared with normotensive rats. Data presented in every chapter highlights the importance of the kidney in the pathogenesis of hypertension. Humoral, genetic and genomic mechanisms of the kidney appear to play a dominant role in the development and maintenance of the disease.


Ghana has a chequered history when it comes to fashioning out an appropriate legal framework aimed at promoting and protecting foreign direct investment (FDI). Since Independence in 1957, Ghana has enacted various FDI laws geared toward attracting adequate and appropriate FDI to meet her developmental goals. However, not much is written on the subject. This book seeks to contribute to the debate on FDI regulation in Ghana and Africa. It analyses the domestic investment laws of Ghana, focusing on the various protections and incentives they offer foreign investors. This book questions whether incentives by themselves are sufficient to attract FDI. This book also analyses Ghana's Bilateral Investment Treaties (BITs) in relation to how they affect the application of domestic law and regulation. The contribution of the book lies in its examination of the relationship between BITs and domestic law on investment. It argues that notwithstanding BITs, the relevance and effect of domestic law on regulation of investments cannot be underestimated. Trade and Investment Attorneys, Investors, Arbitrators, Teachers, Students, Judges and Policymakers will definitely find the book very useful.


Having knowledge about the states of a system is an important component in most control systems. However, an exact measurement of the states cannot always be provided because it is either not technically possible or only possible with a significant effort. Therefore, state estimation plays an important role in control applications. The well-known and widely used Kalman filter is often employed for this purpose. This paper describes the implementation of nonlinear Kalman filter algorithms, the extended and the unscented Kalman filter with square-rooting, in the programming language C, that are suitable for the use on embedded systems. The implementations deal with single or double precision data types depending on the application. The newly implemented filters are demonstrated in the context of semi-active vehicle damper control and the estimation of the tire–road friction coefficient as application examples, providing real-time capability. Their per-formances were evaluated in tests on an electronic control unit and a rapid-prototyping platform.


The published peat:coal compaction ratios range from 1.1:1 to 60:1 and from 1.1:1 to 11:1 for lignites. These probably represent realistic end-member values for the degree of compaction during the transformation of peat into lignite and then to coal. Hence, in many cases, the obtained values of the compaction ratio are under- or overestimated with reference to the entire coal seam. This study focuses on the changes of thickness between a peat bed and the resulting lignite seam. The fundamental question is how many times the thickness of the peat bed, prior to covering the mire by the overburden, was greater than the present-day thickness of the lignite seam. The majority of methods reported in this paper cannot be used directly to quantify the amount of compaction of the lignite seam. In this context, the only category of methods which allow a direct estimation of the peat:lignite compaction ratio are the so-called stratigraphic methods. Therefore, based on comparison of the initial peat bed thickness with lignite seam thickness, the most accurate peat:lignite compaction ratio ranges from 2:1 to 4:1.


Co2-xCuxOy (x=0.0, 0.2, 0.4) Samples were prepared by solid-state reaction method and the effect of Cu substitution on the thermoelectric properties was investigated. The presence of Cu element improved the grain size and electrical conductivity, but Seebeck coefficients were reduced by Cu substitution. It was found Cu substitution is an effective way to improve the thermoelectric performance system at high temperature.


The multi-class classification algorithms are widely used by many areas such as machine learning and computer vision domains. Nowadays, many literatures described multi-class algorithms, however there are few literature that introduced them with thorough theoretical analysis and experimental comparisons. This paper discusses the principles, important parameters, application domain, runtime performance, accuracy, and etc. of twelve multi-class algorithms: decision tree, random forests, extremely randomized trees, multi-class adaboost classifier, stochastic gradient boosting, linear and nonlinear support vector machines, K nearest neighbors, multi-class logistic classifier, multi-layer perceptron, naive Bayesian classifier and conditional random fields classifier. The experiment tested on five data sets: SPECTF heart data set, Ionosphere radar data set, spam junk mail filter data set, optdigits handwriting data set and scene 15 image classification data set. Our major contribution is that we study the relationships between each classifier and impact of each parameters to classification results. The experiment shows that gradient boosted trees, nonlinear support vector machine, K nearest neighbor reach high performance under the circumstance of binary classification and minor data capacity; Under the condition of high dimension, multi-class and big data, however, gradient boosted trees, linear support vector machine, multi-class logistic classifier get good results. At last, the paper addresses the development and future of multi-class classifier algorithms. Povzetek: V prispevku je podan pregled klasifikatorjev z več razredi.


The CIO Institute formed in January 2002 is a subsidiary of the nonprofit Eastern Technology Council, an organization that focuses on supporting business in the greater Philadelphia metropolitan area. The CIO Institute members are ask to contribute chapters to a best practice volume for IT. The resulting volume revealed three major categories of IT best practices that can make your IT group a positive force in the enterprise. This article excerpts, analyzes, and represents these CIOs' collected wisdom, as represented in the book, entitled CIO Wisdom II: More Best Practices (2005)


The purpose of this document is to provide a discussion of the
potential problems of using private, RFC 1918, or non-globally
routable addressing within the core of a Service Provider (SP)
network. The discussion focuses on link addresses and, to a small
extent, loopback addresses. While many of the issues are well
recognised within the ISP community, there appears to be no document
that collectively describes the issues. This document is not an
Internet Standards Track specification; it is published for
informational purposes.


Subcutaneous infusion, or hypodermoclysis, is a technique whereby fluids are infused into the subcutaneous space via small-gauge needles that are typically inserted into the thighs, abdomen, back, or arms. In this review, we provide an overview of the technique, summarize findings from studies that have examined the use of subcutaneous infusion of fluids for hydration or nutrition, and describe the indications, advantages, and disadvantages of subcutaneous infusion. Taken together, the available evidence suggests that, when indicated, subcutaneous infusion can be effective for administering fluids for hydration or nutrition, with minimal complications, and has similar effectiveness and safety to the intravenous route. Of note, subcutaneous infusion offers several advantages over intravenous infusion, including ease of application, low cost, and the lack of potential serious complications, particularly infections. Subcutaneous infusion may be particularly suited for patients with mild to moderate dehydration or malnutrition when oral/enteral intake is insufficient; when placement of an intravenous catheter is not possible, tolerated, or desirable; at risk of dehydration when oral intake is not tolerated; as a bridging technique in case of difficult intravenous access or catheter-related bloodstream infection while infection control treatment is being attempted; and in multiple settings (eg, emergency department, hospital, outpatient clinic, nursing home, long-term care, hospice, and home).


In March 2002 the Department of Trade and Industry established a task team to review the legislation that has an impact on consumer credit. This resulted in a detailed report containing proposals for a new regulatory framework for consumer credit. Subsequently, in June 2005 the National Credit Bill was tabled in Parliament. Measures aimed directly at resolving over-indebtedness in the form of debt rearrangement are introduced by the Credit Bill. The report also highlighted weaknesses in the current insolvency legislation especially with regard to available debt relief measures for consumers. It should, however, be noted that the 2000 Insolvency Bill inter alia provides for an alternative to insolvency proceedings in the form of a pre-liquidation composition. This article examines the interaction between current and proposed insolvency and consumer protection legislation with regard to debt relief measures for consumers. The question arises whether the current and the proposed debt relief measures, when introduced, will not overlap unnecessarily. Furthermore, the question whether these measures will provide adequate relief to deal with current demands is also addressed. The South African Law Reform Commission when proposing the pre-liquidation composition in the Insolvency Bill, did not indicate whatits relationship should be with the administration order procedure in terms of section 74 of the Magistrates Courts' Act. The question is therefore whether a need for administration orders will still exist if the proposed legislation relating to the preliquidation composition is introduced. Lastly, as South African law does not offer debt relief to debtors who have no income and no assets, proposals by the Department of Trade and Industry in the United Kingdom for a non-court based scheme of debt relief aimed at such debtors (the so-called "NINA" cases) are investigated in order to supply guidelines for South African law reform in this regard. It is submitted that the proposals in the Credit Bill on debt re-arrangement could assist debtors to manage their debt in certain circumstances. It is furthermore suggested that a combination of the proposed pre-liquidation composition and a modified administration order procedure could offer the necessary debt relief in situations where a debtor, apart from his debt in terms of a credit agreement, alsohas other outstanding debts. Finally, it is submitted that the "NINA" scheme could offer some guidance for the reform of South African law regarding debt relief to debtors who have no income and no assets.


The naive Bayes classifier greatly simplify learning by assuming that features are independent given class. Although independence is generally a poor assumption, in practice naive Bayes often competes well with more sophisticated classifiers. Our broad goal is to understand the data characteristics which affect the performance of naive Bayes. Our approach uses Monte Carlo simulations that allow a systematic study of classification accuracy for several classes of randomly generated problems. We analyze the impact of the distribution entropy on the classification error, showing that low-entropy feature distributions yield good performance of naive Bayes. We also demonstrate that naive Bayes works well for certain nearly-functional feature dependencies, thus reaching its best performance in two opposite cases: completely independent features (as expected) and functionally dependent features (which is surprising). Another surprising result is that the accuracy of naive Bayes is not directly correlated with the degree of feature dependencies measured as the class-conditional mutual information between the features. Instead, a better predictor of naive Bayes accuracy is the amount of information about the class that is lost because of the independence assumption.


The magnetism and superconductivity of the new heavy fermion compounds CeTIn5 (T = Co, Rh and Ir) are investigated by applying fluctuation exchange approximation to an orbital degenerate Hubbard model. The superconducting phase with dx2−y2 symmetry is found to appear next to the antiferromagnetic phase with increasing the orbital splitting energy. The present theory suggests that the orbital splitting energy plays a key role as a controlling parameter for the quantum phase transitions in the heavy fermion system.


Abstract. Global tropospheric ozone reanalyses constructed using different state-of-the-art satellite data assimilation systems, prepared as part of the
Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS-iRean and CAMS-Rean) as well as two fully independent reanalyses (TCR-1 and
TCR-2, Tropospheric Chemistry Reanalysis), have been intercompared and evaluated for the past decade. The updated reanalyses (CAMS-Rean and TCR-2) generally show substantially
improved agreements with independent ground and ozone-sonde observations over their predecessor versions (CAMS-iRean and TCR-1) for diurnal,
synoptical, seasonal, and interannual variabilities. For instance, for the Northern Hemisphere (NH) mid-latitudes the tropospheric ozone columns (surface to
300  hPa ) from the updated reanalyses show mean biases to within 0.8  DU (Dobson units, 3 % relative to the observed column) with respect to the
ozone-sonde observations. The improved performance can likely be attributed to a mixture of various upgrades, such as revisions in the chemical data
assimilation, including the assimilated measurements, and the forecast model performance. The updated chemical reanalyses agree well with each other
for most cases, which highlights the usefulness of the current chemical reanalyses in a variety of studies. Meanwhile, significant temporal changes
in the reanalysis quality in all the systems can be attributed to discontinuities in the observing systems. To improve the temporal consistency,
a careful assessment of changes in the assimilation configuration, such as a detailed assessment of biases between various retrieval products, is
needed. Our comparison suggests that improving the observational constraints, including the continued development of satellite observing systems,
together with the optimization of model parameterizations such as deposition and chemical reactions, will lead to increasingly consistent long-term
reanalyses in the future.


St Bridget of Sweden (1303-73) began to experience supernatural revelations as a lady-in-waiting at the Swedish court in 1335. After her husband's death she left the court and founded a monastery for nuns and monks which became the basis of the Brigettine Order. Her visions continued after she left Sweden for Italy in 1349, and she spent the rest of her life in pilgrimage and religious activities. The visions, some of the Passion and others concerned with political and religious events of her day, were recorded in Latin by her spiritual directors, as the "Liber Celestis". The mystical equivalent of a medieval manual for preachers, the work points to what was best and worst in late medieval spirituality. It was several times translated into Middle English but the only translation hitherto available has been the partial and truncated version published in 1929. The present work is a critical edition of one of the two complete Middle English translations of the "Liber", contained in British Library MS Claudius BI. This first volume consists of the text and a brief introduction to the "Liber".


A technique for measuring, with total optical isolation, the inhibition between two individual receptor units in the Limulus lateral eye is described. The extracellular responses of pairs of units were recorded, using light piping microelectrodes. The inhibitory coupling between two units was found to be nonlinear and describable by a simple hyperbolic equation written in terms of saturation rate (S), half saturation (H), and threshold (ft). By plotting reciprocal frequencies, the data could be linearized and compared for different pairs of units. The magnitude of inhibition (in terms of S and H) was found to decrease monotonically as the anatomical distance between receptors increased. An electrical model of the inhibitory system was developed which accounts for many of the properties of the observed inhibitory interactions. Using the equations from the model and the experimental data, it is shown that the "electrical distances" (which are computed in terms of space constants lambda) of the inhibitory synapses from the impulse- generating region of the test unit are directly related to the anatomical distance between receptors. It is also shown that "synaptic strength" is relatively constant with separation. The electrical distances of the inhibitory synapses range from about 0.1lambda to 0.25lambda for adjacent units to greater than 0.5lambda for units seven to nine receptors away. It is concluded that the nonlinear character of the inhibitory coupling is attributable to synaptic effects, and that the decrease of inhibition with distance between receptors is caused primarily by an increase in the electrical distance of the inhibitory synapses from the test unit.


Despite recent recommendations urging stronger connections between teacher education programs and their communities, few studies have examined the potential of community service learning (CSL) within science teacher education. The paper aims to: understand how CSL is conceptualized in preservice science teacher education contexts; identify the various ways that CSL is integrated within courses; examine stated outcomes for preservice science teachers, and; explore how research on CSL has been carried out in science teacher education. To better inform science teacher education, the authors embarked upon a research synthesis of relevant articles within preservice science teacher education. Six main findings emerged from the synthesis: (1) different science teacher education programs define CSL similarly, (2) preservice science teachers' engagement with CSL is primarily reported as being beneficial, (3) mixed outcomes are reported in preservice teachers' self-efficacy, confidence, and attitudes toward teaching science, (4) challenges, if reported, tend to be from the perspective of preservice teachers, (5) several common teaching strategies are employed to support the CSL experience, and (6) case study is the most typical research methodology for studying CSL, where the researchers are the instructors of their own CSL courses. These findings are significant for the ongoing development of science teacher knowledge and programmatic directions for the integration of community in science teacher education.


PURPOSE
Evaluation of Maspin marker in TCC of urine bladder, its grade, and stage, and also to compare Maspin expression in normal transitional cell epithelium and TCC in patients admitted to Modarres Hospital from 2009 to 2012.

MATERIALS & METHODS
Paraffin blocks of bladder tissue, from total number of 76 patients with TCC, and normal epithelium were included. Slides were prepared, and stained by Immunohistochemical staining method for Maspin marker, and assessed by two independent pathologists.

RESULTS
Maspin marker expression had been reduced in bladder tissue with TCC, which corresponded to the grade and stage. Normal urothelial mucosa was strongly Maspin-positive, while the intensity of staining in TCC was reduced as both the grade and stage were increased.

CONCLUSION
Maspin expression, by Immunohistochemistry method, is reduced in TCCs of the urinary bladder. There was a meaningful reverse relationship between the intensity of Maspin expression and tumor stage. It can be suggested that evaluation of the Maspin marker can be helpful as a prognostic factor and also to determine the low and high grade TCC in difficult cases.


I'm not a government employee or a drug pusher
and I don't cycle patients through my office like a factory treadmill,
or go on golfing trips with Big Pharma,
or drive a Mercedes Benz like a fat cat.
And I don't know the latest CNN medical recall, or how a
fat loss drug from Walmart works
Although I am certain that Health Canada is working on it!

I have gone to university for over a decade … with over $100 000 in debt,
I have delayed many things in my life to achieve my MD
And I honor the Hippocratic Oath, not the Hypocritical Oath.

I can proudly display my rod of Asclepius and my white coat,
I believe in health promotion, not morbidity and mortality rounds,
Primary then secondary prevention
And that Tommy Douglas is the greatest Canadian of all time.

Universal health care is a right,
William Osler belongs to Canada,
And a doctor is a physician
not a chiropractor, nor a dentist!
Canada has the second highest life expectancy
The lowest percentage of MRIs in the G8
And the highest quality medical marijuana in North America

My name is Dr. Joe …
And … I … Am … A … Doctor! Thank you.


This paper describes two Fortran utilities for multiprecision computation. The first is a package of Fortran subroutines that perform a variety of arithmetic operations and transcendental functions on floating point numbers of arbitrarily high precision. This package is in some cases over 200 times faster than that of certain other packages that have been developed for this purpose.
The second utility is a translator program, which facilitates the conversion of ordinary Fortran programs to use this package. By means of source directives (special comments) in the original Fortran program, the user declares the precision level and specifies which variables in each subprogram are to be treated as multiprecision. The translator program reads this source program and outputs a program with the appropriate multiprecision subroutine calls.
This translator supports multiprecision integer, real, and complex datatypes. The required array space for multiprecision data types is automatically allocated. In the evaluation of computational expressions, all of the usual conventions for operator precedence and mixed mode operations are upheld. Furthermore, most of the Fortran-77 intrinsics, such as ABS, MOD, NINT, COS, EXP are supported and produce true multiprecision values.


'Abstraction' has been often identified as a key element in social change. Analyses, however, have often conflated the ideas of abstraction as 'object' and as 'process'. This paper discusses two maps drawn by or on behalf of Kubo men, of the interior lowlands of southern Papua New Guinea. They were drawn in the context of recent exposure to a vast Liquefied Natural Gas project initiated on the land of their neighbours and both, as abstractions from new observations and experiences, were intended as assertions of rights to land. They derived, however, from entirely different logics: one more compatible with 'Western' understandings of ownership, the other more in keeping with earlier Kubo understandings of belonging. By reference to these maps, we consider the role of abstraction in social change and argue that while, as object, abstraction is relative as a process it is universal.


Many educationists advocate the use of Web-based learning (WBL) as a platform to deliver information. Although thousands of WBL environments have been developed, most of them are tutorial-based. A guided inquiry approach offers an alternative as it allows the users to explore the environment based on a given problem. This study investigated the effectiveness of two learning approaches in a WBL environment (guided inquiry, GIA and tutorial, TuA) on the achievement of students with different cognitive styles (field independent, FI and field dependent, FD). The findings revealed that: (1) the GIA group performed significantly better than the TuA group, (2) the FI students performed significantly better than the FD students, and (3) the FI students in the GIA group performed significantly better than the FI students in the TuA group. These findings suggest that guided inquiry has the potential to be an effective learning approach in a Web environment


This article addresses one question: how is the coronavirus outbreak and its management in China reported in the UK media in general, and on the Internet in particular? It does so by examining how the online versions of the BBC, the Guardian and the Daily Mail reported on the coronavirus outbreak in China, but more importantly, on how China handled it, over a 20-week timeframe. The sentiment analysis and thematic analysis show that although the selected media are of different types in the United Kingdom, the themes and topics are not substantially different from each other. This implies that the general media-consuming public in the United Kingdom would regard China's handling of the virus as largely negative or neutral. However, the ways of discussing and presenting those topics were subject to variation between the publications, which in turn is reflected in the attitudes and perceptions of their readers.


This book has been completely revised and updated to include a discussion of the financial crisis and the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010. The statutory supplement has also been updated, includes Titles III, VI, and portions of Title X of Dodd-Frank, and the statutory provisions are cross-referenced to Dodd-Frank sections which amend them. The new edition of the book contains an extensive discussion of the financial crisis and the regulatory responses to it. Chapters also cover such hot topics as bank failures, derivatives, insurance, and international banking.


How do task-oriented search engine users recognize ads as goal-relevant when they are only lightly scanning the search results? An overlap between consumers' query language and ad text was found to be the most important predictor of ad click-through in this situation, and the second most important otherwise. Advertisers are advised to be sensitive to task orientation and have separate ads for high and low, particularly mirroring consumers' words in high task situations rather than relying on their own lexicon. Short term memory already populated with query words is quicker to recognize relevance when the ad uses the same words.


Design engineers are challenged with two separate entities: the chip and package designs. Because system-in-package integrates multiple dies into a package, design engineers should have a tool to easily combine the two entities. This article demonstrates a seven-die SiP design that implements a chip-and-package codesign platform using available EDA tools


Congenital anomalies are rare in infancy following maternal varicella during pregnancy. Abnormalities do occur, however, and form a specific pattern including cicatrical skin lesions, atrophic limb, low birth weight, and chorioretinal scarring. We saw an infant who had immunologic evidence of varicella-zoster virus contact in utero, microphthalmos of one eye, and chorioretinal scarring of the fellow eye. Ophthalmologists confronted with such ocular anomalies in children should inquire about the possibility of maternal varicella during pregnancy. Conversely, infants born of mothers known to have had varicella during pregnancy should be examined for fundus abnormalities.


Poultry slaughterhouses consume a substantial quantity of potable water during processing of live birds. Subsequently, high strength poultry slaughterhouse wastewater (PSW) is generated at different stages during poultry product processing. In this study, a Static Granular Bed Reactor (SGBR) was used to treat the PSW from a poultry processing facility in the Western Cape, South Africa. The performance of the SGBR was primarily evaluated for chemical oxygen demand (tCOD) removal with the kinetics of the treatment process for PSW being evaluated using both the Grau second-order and the modified Stover-Kincannon models to predict the effluent COD. The overall treatment efficiency averaged >80% when the SGBR was operated at steady state for 110 days' experimental trial. On the basis of the experimental results, the predicted values of the tCOD concentration using the Grau second-order and modified Stover Kincannon model were inconsistent with the experimental data indicating an insignificant correlation with predicted tCOD concentration being higher than the experimental data. The high variation between the modelled and experimental data based on both the Grau second order and modified Stover-Kincannon model was observed at higher organic loading rates when the reactor was fed with undiluted influent, phenomena attributed to tCOD entrapped inside the SGBR, especially during periods of clogging caused by the accumulation of suspended solids in the underdrain.


Component-based software engineering promises to provide structure and reusability to embedded-systems software. At the same time, microkernel-based operating systems are being used to increase the reliability and trustworthiness of embedded systems. Since the microkernel approach to designing systems is partially based on the componentisa-tion of system services, component-based software engineering is a particularly attractive approach to developing microkernel-based systems. While a number of widely used component architectures already exist, they are generally targeted at enterprise computing rather than embedded systems. Due to the unique characteristics of embedded systems, a component architecture for embedded systems must have low overhead, be able to address relevant non-functional issues, and be flexible to accommodate application specific requirements. In this paper we introduce a component architecture aimed at the development of microkernel-based embedded systems. The key characteristics of the architecture are that it is has a minimal, low-overhead, core but is highly modular and therefore flexible and extensible. We have implemented a prototype of this architecture and confirm that it has very low overhead and is suitable for implementing both system-level and application level services.


Printable materials and technologies to realize low-cost dye-sensitized solar cell fabricated on thin plastic substrates are reviewed. Mesoscopic conductive materials and pastes that enable low-temperature coating of electrochemically active films for photoanode and conterelectrode are described in aspects of material preparation, electrochemical and photovoltaic behavior, and stability of the plastic electrode. Performance of plastic solar cells and modules are discussed with respects to the structure and thickness of the non-sintered mesoporous films, light-harvesting functions of dyes, and optimization of electrolyte compositions. Commercial advantages of the lightweight, flexible cell in power generation are also introduced based on proof-of-concept tests with large-area modules.


The mouse auditory cortex (ACtx) contains two core fields – A1 and AAF – arranged in a mirror reversal tonotopic gradient. The best frequency (BF) organization and naming scheme for additional higher-order fields remain a matter of debate, as does the correspondence between smoothly varying global tonotopy and heterogeneity in local cellular tuning. Here, we performed chronic widefield and 2-photon calcium imaging from the ACtx of awake Thy1-GCaMP6s reporter mice. Data-driven parcellation of widefield maps identified five fields, including a previously unidentified area at the ventral posterior extreme of the ACtx (VPAF) and a tonotopically organized suprarhinal auditory field (SRAF) that extended laterally as far as ectorhinal cortex. Widefield maps were stable over time, where single pixel BFs fluctuated by less than 0.5 octaves during a one-month imaging period. After accounting for neuropil signal and frequency tuning strength, BF organization in neighboring layer 2/3 neurons was intermediate to the heterogeneous salt and pepper organization and the highly precise local organization that have each been described in prior studies. Multiscale imaging data suggest there is no ultrasonic field or secondary auditory cortex in the mouse. Instead, VPAF and a dorsoposterior field (DP) emerged as the strongest candidates for higher-order auditory areas.


Using data collected on the general public, health, safety and welfare agencies and organizations, and businesses in the San Francisco Bay Area we describe what people thought and did in response to receiving an informational newspaper insert about revised probabilities for the next damaging Bay Area earthquake. Our findings suggest that the insert was relatively successful in reaching all groups, that Bay Area residents are making earthquakes a permanent part of local culture, and sufficient knowledge may be in-hand with which to effectively and productively manage public earthquake predictions.


Diamond coatings on pure titanium substrates are of interest for tribological and biomedical implants. However, due to the different thermal expansion coefficients of the two materials, the complex nature of the interlayer formed during diamond deposition, and the difficulty in achieving very high nucleation density, it is hard to deposit adherent thin diamond layers on titanium. The aim of the present research was to successfully produce smooth and well adherent nanocrystalline diamond (NCD) film on a pure Ti substrate using the microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition (MWPCVD) method. The influence of Argon addition to CH4/H2 plasma on the crystallinity, morphology and growth of the diamond film deposited by MWPCVD was investigated using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), Xray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectroscopy.


This work proposes a scheme to expedite the process of finding the contour of an object. Regardless of the image size or whether if the target area is closed-end, the user only needs to select two initi al points near the boWldaries of an object to search for its contour. TlDle spent in manually selectin g the initial points would then be greatly reduced. By using the dynamic direction prediction to further analyze the neighboring points near the boWldary points, the proposed scheme effectively reduces the computational complexity. Furthennore, the drawback of being easily interfered with nois es, as seen in the conventional segmentation schemes, is also improved in the proposed scheme. Hence, the scheme proposed herein can be widely used for various applications of image segmentation to achieve high-speed and reliable performances.


The changes in observed densities of bird species in a suburban environment in Groenkloof, Pretoria were monitored over five years. The populations of fourteen species were found to increase during the study period and six species were found to decrease. The Amethyst Sunbird Nectarinia amethystina was found to be predominantly a non-breeding migrant, and strong evidence for seasonal movements by part of the Karoo Thrush Turdus smithi population was produced. Daily movements in and out of the study area are described for some species, most notably the Red-collared Widowbird Euplectes ardens. The Grey-headed Bush Shrike Malaconotus blanchoti apparently became established as a resident of the suburban habitat during the study period. The medium term changes in density of woodland species were found to be on average significantly smaller than those at a rural site 100 km north of the study site.


The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) published Recommendations for a Safe Infant Sleeping Environment; however, parents still report frequent use of dangerous infant sleep practices. An online computer program was developed and piloted to investigate whether parents could be taught to create safe sleep environments using online training. Computerized safe sleep environments created by parents of children 0 to 23 months were assessed for compliance with the AAP Sleep Recommendations. Using a pre- and posttest design, the present study investigated the effectiveness of online instructions (adapted standard of care) and a computerized behavioral skills training package, which included instructions, modeling, rehearsal, and feedback. Additional pre- and posttests assessed parents' ability to identify sleep risks in 3 pictures to assess generalization of skills learned. Overall, participants demonstrated significant improvements from pre- to posttest across both treatment conditions on the creation of a safe sleep environment and on the free response identification of risks in 3 sleep environments. Performance did not significantly differ between the treatment groups. Results suggest considerable promise for technology-aided approaches in training parents to create a safe sleep environment.


The Communicational Phenomenon plays on obvious role in modern life, since the means of Communications are the essential elements in organizing the processes of relationships between individuals and the groups, and they are, in fact like mirrors that reflect the realities of the societies and the countries, and when the originations, societies, countries, and the cultures, have become the subject to be covered, then, here appears the worry and fear that indicates the danger of these means, and their powerful effect, and the sensitivity in which people deal with them according to their visualizations, benefits, and their personal culture and social interests. This fear may push us in a way to be biased towards a certain thought or an idea, so it will be better if we could get rid of all these imaginations, and deal, squarely. With events, because visualization may be far away from reality. Reality is a complicated issue, and it is not easy to be understood, and in many ways looks very much like maps that guide us along a long road of complicated labyrinths of wonder. The pre- Conceived idea of how things go or work in this world, depend on our perception and imagination, and these visions are the base on which the theories are built, and from this points comes the definition of perception: a conceivable work that we feel towards something before it becomes an organized, complete entity, and this is what is called the theory; and this means the world – view in the modern term.


This paper analyzes the problem of change detection in very high resolution (VHR) multitemporal images by studying the effects of residual misregistration [registration noise (RN)] between images acquired on the same geographical area at different times. In particular, according to an experimental analysis driven from a theoretical study, the main effects of RN on VHR images are identified and some important properties are derived and described in a polar framework for change vector analysis. In addition, a technique for an adaptive and unsupervised explicit estimation of the RN distribution in the polar domain is proposed. This technique derives the RN distribution according to both a multiscale analysis of the distribution of spectral change vectors and the Parzen windows method. Experimental results obtained on simulated and real multitemporal data sets confirm the validity of the proposed analysis, the reliability of the derived properties on RN, and the effectiveness of the proposed estimation technique. This technique represents a very promising tool for the definition of change-detection methods for VHR multitemporal images robust to RN.


This study explores whether negative stereotypes about aging contribute to memory loss in old age. The research participants consisted of old and young Chinese hearing, American Deaf, and American hearing individuals. Members of the mainland Chinese and the American Deaf cultures were recruited on the basis of the belief that they would be less likely than hearing Americans to be exposed to and accept negative stereotypes about aging. The expected results were (a) an interaction in which the 3 groups of younger Ss would perform similarly on the memory tasks, whereas the older Deaf and older Chinese participants would outperform the older American hearing group and (b) a positive correlation between view toward aging and memory performance among the old Ss. The data supported both hypotheses. The results suggest that cultural beliefs about aging play a role in determining the degree of memory loss people experience in old age.


No part of this series may be reproduced in any form or by any means without prior written permission of the publisher. PDS Wp Wp With the increasing diversity of many-core processors, it becomes more and more difficult to guarantee performance portability with a unified programming model. The main reason lies in the architecture disparities, e.g., CPUs and GPUs have different architectural features from each other, which leads to the differences in performance optimization techniques. Thus, it is of great necessity to abstract performance-wise key features from many-core processors. In this paper, taking the Intel's Xeon Phi as a case study, we present a two-stage comparative approach to abstract key features. Our approach needs a reference processor and is executed at both the application level and the microbenchmark level. We select multiple benchmarks from the Parboil benchmarks and measure the performance differences to identify performance factors. Further, we perform an in-depth analysis to identify the key features with microbenchmarks. Finally, we briefly discuss a use case in our optimizing framework.


Abstract Objective: The aim of the study was to examine treatment continuation and satisfaction over 1 year among women receiving nomegestrol acetate (NOMAC)/oestradiol (E2) combined oral contraception (COC) in real-world clinical practice. Methods: The 17β-Estradiol and Nomegestrol Acetate (BOLERO) Study is an observational, non-interventional, prospective, multicentre cohort study of premenopausal women (aged 18–50 years) who received prescription NOMAC/E2 (2.5 mg/1.5 mg) for contraception during routine clinical practice. Assessments were carried out at enrolment and at 3, 6 and 12 months. Probability of treatment continuation through 12 months (primary outcome) was examined using Kaplan–Meier survival analysis. Secondary outcomes included treatment satisfaction, menstrual cycle-related symptoms, libido and adverse events (AEs). Results: Of 298 enrolled women, 292 were evaluable. The probability of NOMAC/E2 continuation through 12 months was 73.7% (95% confidence interval [CI] 68.0%, 78.5%). Satisfaction with NOMAC/E2 increased from 56.9% (37/65) of women at initial evaluation to 89.2% (58/65) of women at 12 months. Physician ratings at 12 months showed satisfactory to very satisfactory in 84.0% (168/200) of women. Libido was not affected. Menstrual cycle-related symptoms significantly declined from enrolment (6.04 ± 4.32) to 3 months (3.25 ± 3.05) and 12 months (2.62 ± 2.74; p < .0001). Treatment-related AEs were reported by 38.7% (113/292) of women. Conclusion: The real-world experience of women receiving NOMAC/E2 indicated very good treatment continuation, high satisfaction and significantly improved menstrual cycle-related symptoms.


The equations governing traveling-wave interaction between an electron beam and a slow-wave circuit are formulated in terms of amplitudes of circuit mode and slow and fast space charge modes. The resulting equations are solved to find expressions for the matrix which relates the mode amplitudes at the output of the traveling-wave coupler to the mode amplitudes at the input. The properties of this matrix are discussed and numerical values given for Kompfner Dip. Matrices for velocity jumps and drift regions are also given, and the characteristics of couplers which are preceded by or followed by a drift region and velocity jump are discussed. It is shown that necessary and sufficient conditions for the removal of beam noise from the fast space-charge wave by any lossless coupler are that, for a circuit input, there be no circuit output (M11 = 0) and no slow space-charge wave output (M21 = 0). These results are then applied to the design of fast space-charge wave couplers for longitudinal beam type parametric amplifiers.


Cationic starch was prepared from maize starch, with 3-chloro-2-hydroxypropyltrimethyl ammonium chloride used as cationic reagent, by our specific solvent process, which was different from dry procedure. In conventional solvent process, the solvents were hydrophilic and sodium hydroxide was employed as catalyst. Metal sodium as a substitute for sodium hydroxide in the synthesis of high DS (degree of substitution) cationic starch could be obtained using dioxane as solvent. A L9(34) orthogonal analysis was used in this work and results suggested the best combination of the reaction condition was A2B2C1, where the reaction time, temperature and weight of metal sodium were 2 h, 80 °C and 0.5 g, respectively. FTIR spectra revealed a special peak (1450 cm-1) of cationic starch confirming the existence of cationic groups in cationic starch. In a model of neutralizing the anionic groups, it revealed that the content of 0.8% (w/w) cationic starch was the optimum dosage.


Recently, the rapidly increasing demand for cutting of large-sized flat workpieces calls for the emergence of large waterjet cutting mathine tools. Multi-bridge waterjet cutting machines are one of the perferred solutions. However, there must be an overlap between the work areas of any pair of adjacent bridges with a workhead in a multi-bridge  machine to ensure that no dead zones exist when cutting. It means that a pair of adjacent bridges may collide with each other over the superposed processing area and results in damages or a breakdown of the machine. It is an interference problem that a multi-bridge machine suffers from. This paper proposes a novel coordination policy to avoid interference. In the policy, the dimensional overlap of any two adjacent bridges is transformed into those of their processing time. By shifting the processing time sequences to eliminate the time overlaps so as to avoid collision between the two corresponding bridges. Subsequently, to enhance reliability of the system, a GA-based optimization algorithm cooperated with the coordination policy is explained to schedule the multiple cutting paths of a multi-bridge machine to minimize the total of latent coordination. The presented method is applied into a case to show its validity.


ABSTRACT Covariance of phosphate content of carbonate rocks and inferred paleosalinity was studied from a core interval characterized by cyclic carbonate rock alternating with anhydrite. Phosphate content of limestone was found to have an inverse relationship to inferred salinity. Inferred paleosalinity was based upon the following: fossil sequences within the carbonates, containing Texagryphaea, established normal marine salinities; anhydrite (originally gypsum) and thin-bedded laminated limestone and dolomite indicated a saline environment. A total of thirteen cyclic carbonate rock alternations with anhydrite were studied. The core, from the Lower McKnight Formation, Comanchean (Cretaceous), South Texas, records periodic influxes of seawater into the marginal evaporitic McKnight basin where dilution of the brine induced an increase in pH. This enhanced the dissociation of HPO4-2 to PO4-3 resulting in elevation of phosphate uptake by calcium carbonate and an increase in total phosphate measured in limestone.


Nearly half of women in South Asia will experience some form of violence within their homes and communities. The We Can campaign aims to reduce the social acceptability of violence at regional, national and community level in six countries of South Asia by changing popular ideas, beliefs and practice. The objective is to mobilise 5 million voluntary change agents (change makers) who will work to influence a further 10 people each. The purpose of the Review was to provide Oxfam and the We Can campaign team with an assessment (based on a limited snapshot view) of the achievements, learning and challenges of the first year of the campaign, which has focused on identifying change agents and developing their capacity to influence.


Transplacental transport of maternal immunoglobulin G (IgG) to the developing fetus is extremely important in the protection of the newborn from infection. Although the exact mechanisms of the selective and active transfer of IgG across the placental barrier are not fully understood, receptors for the Fc part of IgG (FcgammaRs) in the placenta are believed to play a key role. Several known Fc receptors, FcgammaRI, FcgammaRII, FcgammaRIII and FcRn (neonatal FcR), demonstrate heterogeneous expression patterns in placenta. Immunohistochemical analysis shows the expression of FcgammaRI on Hofbauer cells in stromal tissue, FcbetaRII on Hofbauer cells and fetal blood endothelium, FcgammaRIII on Hofbauer cells and trophoblasts, and FcRn on syncytiotrophoblasts and endothelial cells. Recent studies provide evidence for important associations among these receptors and transcytosis of IgG, as well as scavenger mechanisms for clearing immune complexes in the placenta during pregnancy.


We offer a novel contribution by examining the impact of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) disclosure quantity and quality on firm value. We use a sample of 171 non-financial firms listed in the Saudi stock market for the period 2013-2014. We complement and extend the work of Hasseldine, Salama and Toms (2005) by measuring the quantity and quality of CSR disclosure and examining their impact on firm value. To measure CSR disclosure quality, we following Beest el al (2009) and capture all qualitative attributes of information quality as defined in the conceptual framework of the IASB (2010 a). We use a CSR disclosure index to measure the quantity of disclosure.Our analysis shows a positive association between CSR disclosure quality and quantity and market capitalisation. However, we did not find the same results when we use either Tobin's Q or Return on Assets (ROA) as proxies for firm value. This suggests that both CSR disclosure quantity and quality have the same impact on firm value. However, the significance of this impact depends on whether the authors use market capitalisation, Tobin's Q or ROA.


Abstract Cervical myelotomy utilizing the anterior approach and the operating microscope in a patient with an acute spinal cord injury is described. The procedure overcomes the technical difficulties previously encountered. The ease with which the hemorrhagic gray matter may be separated from the normal gray and surrounding white matter is emphasized.


Corporate reputation may also be a critical factor in responding to a crisis. Reputation may be seen to arise as an output of different activities in the professions.Reputation is a set of collectively held beliefs about a company's ability to satisfy the interest of its various stakeholders. Corporate reputation also is: Observers' collective judgments of a corporation based on assessments of the financial, social, and environmental impacts attributed to the corporation over time. The organization which doing a good job managing their corporate reputations stressed the factors as distinctiveness, focus, consistency, identity, and transparency. Corporate reputation has more benefits such as to raise financial and equity market performance, to affect a firm's workforce composition, to support the persistence of above-average profits, to increase firm's performance, and so on. Without a clear and commonly agreed upon definition, however, it is difficult to move forward in this field of study. Corporate reputation can be a key contributor to an organization's success and it can just as easily be a contributing factor to an organization's failure.


The selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor fluvoxamine reduces responding for ethanol at lower doses than responding for food when each is available in separate components or separate groups of rats. However, when both are available concurrently and deliveries earned per session are equal, this apparent selectivity inverts and food-maintained behavior is more sensitive than ethanol-maintained behavior to rate-decreasing effects of fluvoxamine. Here, we investigated further the impact that concurrent access to both food and ethanol has on the potency of fluvoxamine. Fluvoxamine (5.6–17.8 mg/kg) potency was assessed under conditions in which food and ethanol were available concurrently and response rates were equal [average variable intervals (VIs) 405 and 14 s for food and ethanol, respectively], as well as when density of food delivery was increased (average VI 60 s for food and VI 14 s for ethanol). The potency of fluvoxamine was also determined when only ethanol was available (food extinction and average VI 14 s for ethanol) and under multiple VIs (VI 30 s for food and ethanol) wherein either food or ethanol was the only programmed reinforcement available during each component. Fluvoxamine was less potent at decreasing ethanol self-administration when food was available concurrently {ED50 [95% confidence limit (CL): 8.2 (6.5–10.3) and 10.7 (7.9–14.4)]} versus when ethanol was available in isolation [ED50: 4.0 (2.7–5.9) and 5.1 (4.3–6.0)]. Effects on food were similar under each condition in which food was available. The results demonstrate that the potency of fluvoxamine in reducing ethanol-maintained behavior depends on whether ethanol is available in isolation or in the context of concurrently scheduled food reinforcement.


Objective: to assess the impact of the deployment of "Stork Network" (Rede Cegonha) in hospitalizations in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Methods: a retrospective cross-sectional study with 283 medical records of newborns hospitalized in neonatal intensive care unit before and after the implementation of Stork Network, correlating data from pregnant women with the babies' conditions. Results: after the implementation of Stork Network, the percentage of pregnant women who performed six or more visits to the hospital increased 6.5% and the diagnosis of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy reduced 10.8%. It was also noted reduction of one week in the mean gestational age of babies and 14.4% reduction in the percentage of babies weighing ≥2500 grams. The number of deaths during hospitalization increased from 2.4% to 14.5%. Conclusion: the goal of performing screening and monitoring of risk pregnancies was reached, however, the reduction of neonatal mortality rate is still challenging.


Hasidic Art and the Kabbalah presents eight case studies of manuscripts, ritual objects and folk art developed by Hasidic masters in the mid-eighteenth to late nineteenth centuries, whose form and decoration relate to sources in the Zohar, German Pietism, and Safed Kabbalah.


This series of work explores the use of the figure within the constructed photographic image by re-enacting the figurative subjects of art works and cinema. The photographic images re-configure these subjects by locating them in new contexts, but at the same time retaining key elements of the figures portrayed, such as their gender, positioning and actions. The figure, a common motif in landscape painting, has played a prominent role in my work, which has drawn upon the Romantic figures featured in the works of artists such as Caspar David Friedrich. In this series I seek to harness the allegorical agency of the figure in landscape painting, whilst locating it within other settings. 'The Wordless Exchange', makes specific reference to cinema, taking as its focus the film work of Raoul Ruiz. This image reconstructs a scene from his 1979 work, 'Hypothesis of the Stolen Painting', a narrative constructed through a series of tableaux vivants (theatrical performance art which translates as, 'living pictures', consisting of formally staged, re-enacted images, using live, statuesque actors). The title of this work suggests a possible connection between the figure, depicted within the interior, and an unseen subject, located in the exterior space beyond the picture frame. The exterior space, partially visible through windows from which the figure scrutinises the unseen subject, is representative of landscape. This photograph is linked to an earlier work, 'Vantage Point' (2005) in its use of the figure to highlight the presence of what may lie beyond the picture plain. In another work, the title, 'Rocks, Forest Descending', relates to a number of art historical references, in particular Marcel Duchamp's 1912 painting, 'Nude Descending a Staircase no.2', which has also been referenced in works by Gerhard Richter and Jeff Wall. Duchamp's painting is also echoed in the work's central subject of a young female descending a set of mossy steps in an outdoor location. This exterior scene depicts an autumnal landscape, drawing upon the allegorical motifs found in the Landscape paintings of the Fountainebleau artists of the 18th & 19th Century, which are also referenced in the title of this work. Though these photographs could be read as unrelated, possible connections can be drawn between them. The male figure scrutinises a landscape beyond the window he looks through, where the female figure may be present, a proximity which could be evocative of the male gaze. 'Rocks, Forest, Descending' (2008) was one of a series produced as part of AHRC funded research project, 'Reconsidering Landscape in Contemporary Photography', 2008 - 2009. Details: Series of two works entitled, 'Rocks, Forest, Descending' (2008) 122 cm x 152 cm, 'The Wordless Exchange' (2010), colour lightjet photographic prints measuring 122 cm x 152 cm, edition of three.


Employment of heterotrophic culture of microalgal foods in the hatchery-based seed production of oysters is still controversial because some algae produced using the method appear to loose sterols, a key nutritional factor for bivalve growth. We traced the changes in sterol content of Tetraselmis suecica growing under photoautotrophic and heterotrophic conditions with the aid of gas chromatography (GC) and GC-mass spectrometry. The photoautotrophic T. suecica at the mid-logarithmic growth phase contained six major (cholesta-5,22-dien-3β-ol, ergost-5-en-3β-ol, cholest-5-en-3β-ol, 24-methylcholesta-5,22-dien-3β-ol, 24-methylcholesta-5,24-dien-3β-ol, and 24-ethylchlolesta-5,24-dien-3β-ol) and two minor sterols (24-methylcholesta-5-en-3β-ol and 24-ethylchlolesta-5en-3β-ol). In the comparison of algal growth and sterol level, photoautotrophic alga appeared to need higher amounts of major sterols for cell growth over heterotrophic alga. These findings, that heterotrophic alga needed less amount of sterols for growth, may have significant implications in the introduction of the method in bivalve hatcheries. We also reviewed the sterolic properties of the alga obtained from heterotrophic method with respect to bivalve aquaculture.


The urban rail based Transit Joint Development (TJD) has become one of the most important financing channels for constructing urban rail transit systems in China. Compared to the extensive research and application in planning field, the implementation of TJD still faced some difficulties such as organizational model selection, distribution of benefits and so on. In the 1980s and 1990s, the United States, Japan and Hong Kong developed a series of TJD practices and they formed three kinds of TJD mode: Public-Private Partnership, Enterprise Oriented, and Franchise. Empirical evidences have shown that differences among three modes are mainly reflected in the selection of implementation agency, allocation of functions and distribution of benefits. Then these distinctions will cause various impacts on the scale, cycle, form and operational management of TJDs. The conclusions of this research could provide valuable experience to the ongoing work of TJD in Chinese mega cities.