Loneliness as a consequence of getting older negatively impacts on the health and well-being of men as they age. Having a purpose in life may mitigate loneliness and therefore positively impact on health and well-being. Limited research into loneliness and purpose in life has been undertaken in older men. This study seeks to understand the relationship between loneliness and purpose in life in a group of older men. Using data from a cross-sectional survey of 614 men aged 60 years and over living in New Zealand, bivariate and multivariate analyses were undertaken to examine the relationship between loneliness and purpose in life using a range of demographic, health, and social connection variables. Bivariate analysis revealed that being unpartnered and having low socioeconomic status, limited social networks, low levels of participation, and mental health issues were associated with loneliness. Multivariate analysis showed that having poor mental health and lower purpose in life were indicators of loneliness. Consequently, improving mental health and purpose in life are likely to reduce loneliness in at-risk older men. As older men are a heterogeneous group from a variety of sociocultural and ethnic backgrounds, a multidimensional approach to any intervention initiatives needs to occur.


divMotivation: A global effort is underway to identify drugs for the treatment of COVID-19 Since de novo drug design is an extremely long, time-consuming, and expensive process, efforts are underway to discover existing drugs that can be/divdivrepurposed for COVID-19 /divdivbr/divdivModel: We propose a machine learning representation framework that uses deelearning induced vector embeddings of drugs and viral proteins as features to predict drug-viral protein activity The prediction model in-turn is used to build an ensemble framework to rank approved drugs based on their ability to inhibit the three main proteases (enzymes) of the SARS-COV-2 virus /divdivbr/divdivResults: We identify a ranked list of 19 drugs as potential targets including 7 antivirals, 6 anticancer, 3 antibiotics, 2 antimalarial, and 1 antifungal Several drugs, such as Remdesivir, Lopinavir, Ritonavir, and Hydroxychloroquine, in our ranked list, are currently in clinical trials Moreover, through molecular docking simulations, we demonstrate that majority of the anticancer and antibiotic drugs in our ranked list have low binding energies and thus high binding affinity with the 3CL-pro protease of SARS-COV-2 virus /divdivbr/divdivDisclaimer: Our models are computational and the drugs suggested should not be taken for treating COVID-19 without a doctor's advice, as further wet-laresearch and clinical trials are essential to elucidate their efficacy for this purpose /div


Much of the rapid urbanization of China's cities has occurred at the expense of the existing urban fabric. Across the nation, whole city blocks have been replaced with new structures, requiring large numbers of buildings to be demolished while still serviceable. This curtailed lifespan of existing buildings not only comes with an economic cost, but results in loss of urban culture, wastes resources, degrades the environment, exacerbates pollution, and inflames social conflict and instability. For the purpose of evaluating the merits of building demolition, this study develops a decision support system (DSS) for building demolition in the China context from the perspective of sustainable urban renewal. The indicators of this system cover economic, social, environmental, and institutional aspects of sustainable development. Meanwhile, both the individual characteristics of buildings and the external or extrinsic indicators at the neighborhood, local, or city level are taken into account. Based on exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), 24 critical indicators containing qualitative and quantitative factors are identified. These indicators are classified into six parameters: (1) service performance; (2) economic impact; (3) social identity; (4) local development; (5) building location; and (6) building safety. Empirical results reveal considerations of local development to be of greatest significance with the value of standardized factor loading standing at 0.911, followed by service performance (loading = 0.870) and building location (loading = 0.863), with social identity (loading = 0.236) ranking substantially lower. The findings contribute to the practice of urban renewal and, in particular, provide practical guidance to the building demolition decision-making process.


We address the estimation problem for general finite mixture models, with a particular focus on the elliptical mixture models (EMMs). Compared to the widely adopted Kullback–Leibler divergence, we show that the Wasserstein distance provides a more desirable optimisation space. We thus provide a stable solution to the EMMs that is both robust to initialisations and reaches a superior optimum by adaptively optimising along a manifold of an approximate Wasserstein distance. To this end, we first provide a unifying account of computable and identifiable EMMs, which serves as a basis to rigorously address the underpinning optimisation problem. Due to a probability constraint, solving this problem is extremely cumbersome and unstable, especially under the Wasserstein distance. To relieve this issue, we introduce an efficient optimisation method on a statistical manifold defined under an approximate Wasserstein distance, which allows for explicit metrics and computable operations, thus significantly stabilising and improving the EMM estimation. We further propose an adaptive method to accelerate the convergence. Experimental results demonstrate the excellent performance of the proposed EMM solver.


This article describes the design and development of a Serving Robo which is considered as a possible solution to human automation. The robo technology will replace manual work throughout the world..In cafes, restaurants, hotels, and lodges, many individuals face a lot of problems due to abundant peak hours, the inconvenience of work and due to manual order processing these imperfections can be handled by using an electronic automation system called"Serving Robo" are used for ordering food, beverages, cleaning tables etc. The order from menu bar via kitchen is broadcasted on the wireless network. The menu bar includes LCD, Keypad, and Bluetooth module. When an individual places an order using the electronic menu bar. Using communication network the order is sent to kitchen and reception.Then food is handover to the individual. Keyword: LCD, Pathfinder, IR sensor, Obstacle Sensor, Bluetooth, Arduino.


In a short and artful essay that evoked a blaze of criticism, Martha Nussbaum urged us a few years ago to heed the ancient call for a virtuous and humane cosmopolitanism: if we are sincere in our societal commitment to justice, and genuine in our individual quest to lead a just and good life, then we must acknowledge the moral equality - the equal worth and equal dignity - of each and all of the world's inhabitants. This claim, if true and if seriously regarded, would have profound consequences. Individual, national and communal choices and actions, Nussbaum and her classical authorities say, must, to be just, be undertaken in full and equal regard for the consequences they impose upon all - not just upon our community, our tribe, our nation, our neighbors, or friends, those we see or hear from on a daily basis, or those to whom we have ties forged of blood, genes, geography, affection, common boundaries or shared traditions - but upon us all.


The 3D model of mine transforms into various 2D views with hidden line removal technique, and outputs these 2D views as the standard engineering drawings to guide the production and construction of mine. Due to the complexity and specificity of mine environment, those 2D views that the general blanking algorithms generated have a lot of uncertainties, so they don't meet the requirements of practical application. In order to meet the requirements of mining applications, according to the characteristics of mine environment, the paper designs and implements a hidden line removal algorithm, and applies it to 2D views automatic generations of digital mine, both the blanking result and accuracy satisfy the requirements of mining applications.


The Zimbabwe Military Museum in Gweru seems to be struggling to come out of the colonial shell in which it was established. The permanent collection on display represents the kind of legacy which elevates the white settler ideologies. Through objects on display, supported with English text panels, the Zimbabwe Military Museum documents and memorialises in a seemingly celebratory manner, the colonial dominance. The task of this paper is to advocate for a national museum that claims both the past and the present to construct a decolonised future for the local indigenous people. As public institutions whose purpose in life is to serve the public, museums in Zimbabwe need to seriously consider offering services that are meaningful and relevant to the local indigenous communities. For that noble obligation to be fulfilled, the local indigenous communities should be actively involved in museums' programmes and activities. Using the qualitative and quantitative methodologies the paper examines the Zimbabwe Military Museum's exhibitions, analysed the literature that goes with it and interviewed users and officials of the Zimbabwe Military Museum.


The list of Herpetology in Dongthap is presented in this article. Dongthap province is the province in the Mekong delta region of Southern in Vietnam . It is located at 10 o 10'02" - 11 o 11'00" N, 105 o 10'00" - 105 o 60'00" E. We collected specimens from August 2004 to June 2006 around 11 regions of Dongthap, the time of the discovery divided into 5 times: August 2004, June 2005, August 2005, Janurary 2006 and May 2006. Caolanh city, Sadec town and nine districts: Tanhong, Hongngu, Tamnong, Thanhbinh, Thapmuoi, Caolanh, Lapvo, Laivung, Chauthanh are places for collecting of specimens. A total 69 species, including 22 species of Amphibian and 47 species of Reptile were recorded in Dongthap province, belong to 43 genus, 18 families, 5 orders and 2 classes. In that, the Squamata: Colubridae, Limnonectes having the number of species is the most plentyful. 30 species of them are predominant in this area. There were 37 precious species. 19 species of them were listed in the Red Data Book of Viet Nam (2004), and 26 species in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals (2006), 11 species listed in CITES appendix II, 10 species listed in Governmental Degree No. 32/2006/ND - CP (dated 30/3/2006). 4 species of reptile were belong level CR: Crocodylus siamensis, Python molurus, Python reticulatus, Ophiophagus hannah. With 69 species were described above, 68 species were first recorded in Dongthap province and 34 species are popular (49.28% of the list).


Smoking is the world's leading cause of preventable illness and death (1). Accounting for 6 million deaths annually, 600,000 of smoking-related deaths occur in non-smokers exposed to second hand smoke (2). A major risk factor for six of the eight leading causes of death worldwide, smoking affects nearly every organ of the body (3). Smokers usually underestimate their risk of smoking-related diseases (4). Awareness of health concerns are a major motivator to quit (5,6). One in every two smokers will die from their addiction, however quitting substantially reduces this risk (7,8). Making an attempt to quit smoking and then sustaining abstinence are both equally important in ultimately succeeding quitting. Smokers frequently attempt quitting several times unsuccessfully before achieving long-term abstinence (9,10). Smokers who seek support in quitting are much more likely to quit than those who try to quit alone, and the most effective aid for achieving smoking cessation is medication (e.g., nicotine replacement therapy, or varenicline) coupled with tailored behavioral support from specialist stop smoking services, like the National Health Service Stop Smoking Services (NHS SSS) in the UK (11-13).


This study investigated the extend to which the snail Columella edentula is more strongly associated with the small balsam Impatiens parviflora than with other plants in the herb layer of an oak-hornbeam forest, and to interpret the character of the interaction Impatiens parviflora - Columella edentula . Numbers of C. edentula and rates of colonization were compared on various plant species under natural and laboratory conditions. Seasonal variation in snail abundance on I. parviflora was observed on permanent plots. The leaf injuries caused by C. edentula were localized in respect of the morphological and anatomical structure of leaves. The results show that I. parviflora is one of the plant species of the herb layer that are most abundantly colonized by this snail in oak-hornbeam forest. Snail finds a plant particularly suitable as a place for resting. The most favoured attachment site is on the underside of the leaf, along the midrib, which provides the highest and relatively stable humidity, as well as protection from direct sunlight and predators. I. parviflora is also a food for the snails, but they do not eat these fragments of leaves where calcium carbonate is accumulated.


Abstract There have been two periods of change in the dynamics of bear population in the Eastern Carpathians. The first period lasted over 50 years, starting in the late 1940s and ending in the year 2001. The second period started in the early 21st century. The bear population reached its maximum - of about 1100 individuals - in the early 1970s. Over 85% of recorded bear deaths have resulted from poaching.


Resistance to thyroid hormone (RTH) is an uncommon inherited cause of hyperthyroxinemia with inappropriate TSH secretion. The syndromes are characterized by reduced target tissue responsiveness to circulating free thyroid hormones. The differential diagnosis to other diseases with similar laboratory results (high T4 with normal TSH) like familial dysalbuminemia or antibodies against iodothyronines or TSH is now possible with the appropriate use of new assays for free thyroid hormones. In the presence of thyrotoxic symptoms it may be difficult to differentiate the syndrome from a TSH-secreting pituitary tumour. Familial occurrence and a normal TSH-response to TRH that can not be suppressed by T3 are characteristic features of RTH, that may be helpful in that respect. The majority of RTH cases are dominantly inherited and have highly variable clinical signs and symptoms. There are, however, mainly two forms of the syndrome that have been shown to overlap clinically and biochemically, namely a generalised resistance (GRTH) and a more "selective" pituitary resistance to thyroid hormones (PRTH). The absence of thyrotoxic symptoms rather suggests GRTH, whereas thyrotoxic signs seem to be characteristic for PRTH. Following the cloning of thyroid hormone receptors, familial GRTH was shown to be tightly linked to the TR-(Thyroid hormone receptor)-beta gene locus. Molecular genetic studies have shown that even within a single kindred the same receptor mutation was associated with both, GRTH or PRTH, and therefore suggest that these two forms represent part of a variable clinical spectrum of a single genetic disorder.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


In this approach, flower-like cobalt with a hierarchical structure was applied as modifier for voltammetric determination of chlorpheniramine, which is an antihistaminic drug. The flower-like cobalt nanostructures were synthesized by using a simple chemical method. They have been characterized by using scanning electron microscopy and cyclic voltammetry. The carbon paste electrode modified with cobalt nanostructures shows an excellent electrocatalytic activity and sensitivity toward chlorpheniramine due to its unique properties such as high specific surface area and large pore volume. Potential sweep rate and pH effects on the response of the electrode for the oxidation of chlorpheniramine were investigated. Differential pulse voltammetry has been applied for quantitative determination of chlorpheniramine. A dynamic linear range was obtained in the range of 1.0 × 10–7–1.0 × 10–5 mol L–1, and the detection limit was estimated to be 8.0 × 10–8 mol L–1.


Background/aims Ectropion correction is a challenge in plastic surgery. Correction of the lower lid area, including restoration of the shape and position of lid margin, is the surgical goal. In this study, we describe a new surgical technique, the tarsal belt, for the correction of ectropion and evaluation of the effective outcome and complications of this procedure. Methods Between January 2008 and January 2012, a total of 42 patients aged between 48 and 75 years (average age 61.5 years) were treated with this technique. This procedure consists in a trans-tarsal mattress non-absorbable suture anchored to the periosteum of the lateral orbital rim, combined with a small wedge excision of a lateral portion of the tarsus close to the lateral canthal tendon. During the same period, 66 patients were treated with the standard lateral tarsal strip technique. Preoperative and postoperative Ectropion Grading Scale (EGS) was recorded to evaluate anatomical improvement. The average follow-up period was 24 months. Results Rate of success was 100% for involutional and cicatricial ectropions, 90% for lid retraction and 87.5% for paralytic ectropions. Anatomical success according to EGS scale was obtained in 41 patients. Recurrence of ectropion occurred in only one patient 6 months after the first surgery and required a further operation with a larger posterior lamella resection and new tarsal belt suture. Conclusions The tarsal belt seems to be effective to correct the horizontal and vertical instability of the lid. The suture supports the lower eyelid along the entire tarsal plate length and corrects the outward buckling of the tarsal plate.


abstract:The emotion of anger is complex and double-sided; anger is like fire, not only potentially destructive, but also potentially creative as it can alert us to transgression or injustice and energize us to work for change. Nevertheless, much of the discourse about anger within classical sources and Buddhist and Christian literature focuses primarily on the destructive potential in anger. This demonization of anger is a feminist concern because of the way anger has been gendered in Western culture: While anger in men can be appreciated as an expression of strength, anger in women is seen as evidence of female irrationality and inferiority. This paper argues that wholly negative assessments of anger depend upon a fallacious conflation of the emotion of anger with acts of aggression. This conflation informs the discussions of anger offered by Robert Thurman and Martha Nussbaum. Both acknowledge that there are (rare) experiences of anger that are free of aggression, but account for such supposed anomalies by positing a dichotomy between ordinary (bad, aggressive) anger and the purified (good, compassionate) anger of a saint or bodhisattva. But anger as it arises in human experience cannot be so neatly dichotomized into the utterly bad and the perfectly good. More realistic and helpful approaches to anger are found in the work of Audrey Lorde, Anita Burrows, and others who dare to honestly encounter and know their own anger without judgment or denial. These writers suggest that the work of "tending the fire" of anger with discernment and awareness is an essential, albeit daunting, spiritual task.


Introduction Grading the extent of degenerative change in tendon is an important aspect of tendinopathy research. The Bonar score1 has been widely used for this purpose since 2004. This method provides valuable guidelines for tendinosis assessment but is not without limitations, and many groups have made modifications to the original method.2 It is common for researchers to evaluate the area of highest morphological change, however the method of defining this area, and the implications of using different methods, have not been documented. In this study, we asked whether selecting the level of greatest morphological change using different aspects of the score (degree of collagen disruption, the level of cell morphological change, or the degree of vascularity) would lead to similar or different Bonar scores. Methods Human tendon from people undergoing gluteal tendon reconstruction or hip arthroplasty was assessed in each part of this study. Two researchers experienced in using the Bonar score systematically reviewed each domain of the Bonar score while viewing tendon sections. By consensus, the appropriate level of magnification used for each domain was determined. The need for polarisation was also reviewed. Additional clauses of pathological acellularity and avascularity were added to the third. Hyper and hypo cellularity were defined, and, modification of the vascularity and cellularity scores were confirmed. Two researchers, with a third to resolve disputes evaluated 32 sections of tendon. Each domain within the Bonar score was evaluated in each of the following areas: the area of worst collagen disruption; the area scoring the highest vascularity; and thirdly the area scoring the highest tenocyte morphology change. Results A total of 84 areas of tendon were evaluated. The total Bonar score was highest in the areas of most cellular morphological (CM) changes (mean, (SD) 14.4 (1.50)) then highest collagen disruption (CD: 13.0 (2.56)), and lowest for the area of vascularity (VS) (11.6 (1.68), (regression: CD vs TM p=0.008, CM vs VS p<0.001, CD vs VS p=0.013). Our review of this method found that collagen disruption should be assessed over the entire section using ×100 total magnification with polarisation. The field of view (FoV) with the highest level of disruption should be further evaluated to provide the section score. Conclusions and recommendations This paper provides clarification of, and recommendations on the use of the commonly used Bonar score. Cellularity is best assessed using one FoV×100. In human tissue, hypo-cellularity ≤20 nuclei per HPF, Hyper-cellularity ≥30 nuclei per HPF. Normal=20 to 30 nuclei per HPF. Cell morphology was best assessed at ×200 magnification, over four FoV. Vascularity should be assessed at ×400 magnification, up to 10 FoV, and Ground substance was best assessed at ×100. When evaluating a FoV, a 20% rule should be applied. That is, if 20% of the tissue can be scored at the highest level, this score is applied to the entire FoV. To provide accurate/reliable assessment, tendon sections should be viewed by a minimum, of two researchers, simultaneously, but independently with the final score decided either by consensus, or a third assessor. These results suggest that using the area of maximum tenocyte morphological changes provides a justifiable score that is representative of the worst degree of tendinosis in the specimen. We believe our modified Bonar score provides clearer definitions of each grade and also specifies the level of magnification for each domain, producing a more robust assessment tool. Further evaluation of the Bonar score's applicability to commonly used tendinopathy laboratory models should be carried out.


Total respiratory input (Zin) and transfer (Ztr) mechanical impedances were measured from 4-30 Hz in 9 patients with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and in 12 healthy subjects. Zin was obtained by applying a pressure input around the head to minimize transmural pressure across extrathoracic airway walls, and Ztr was obtained with a pressure input at the chest. In agreement with previous studies total respiratory compliance and inertance were decreased in patients, while effective input resistance was increased and exhibited a negative frequency dependence. Effective transfer resistance (Re(Ztr)) was also increased at all frequencies, and, in some patients, the Re(Ztr)-frequency curve was sigmoid in shape, which was never seen in normals. When Ztr was analysed with a six-coefficient monoalveolar model featuring tissue properties, alveolar gas compliance, and airways properties, the model fitted the data less closely in patients than in normals and, in the former, provided unrealistic coefficients. Such was also the case with a bialveolar model. A better fit with more realistic values for the coefficients was obtained in selected patients with a model where central and peripheral (Rp) airway resistance were separated by a shunt representing airway wall compliance (Cb): Cb was found to range from 0.029-0.062 l.kPa-1 and Rp represented 44-81% of total airway resistance.


1. Introduction In an essay on animal-related human behavior, the sociologist Clifton Bryant (1979) once made a plea for the study of "zoological crime." By this somewhat jarring term, Bryant referred to the violation of "animal related social norms... [which] may well be among the most ubiquitous of any social deviancy" (Ibid.: 412). Since that clarion call the study of "zoological crime" (or of "animal abuse," the term used here) has altogether failed to find a place in criminology. Scholarly studies of animal abuse remain virtually non-existent, and the topic is completely ignored in criminology textbooks. The few apparent exceptions remain segregated from the mainstream, marginalized either by the esoteric nature of their subject matter (Hawley, 1989; 1993) or else by their radical political viewpoint (Frank and Lynch, 1992: 82, 90-94). This essay is written in the belief that animal abuse should be placed firmly on the sociological agenda. My original strategy to remedy its neglect was to try to constitute the category of animal abuse as a coherent object of study. Yet the achievement of this task was abruptly thwarted by my discovery that, though the field of crimes against animals does not yet constitute a recognized, let alone a coherent, object of study, this is not to say that animals are never present in criminological discourse. I discovered that animals already provide a surprising amount of material for such diverse problems as, inter alia, the configuration of rural class relations in 18th-century England, the alleged links between crime and human nature, and the behavioral manifestations of children who are likely to be violent as adults. In what follows I identify the scripts and statuses with which animals are endowed in criminology. I describe seriatim four intellectual milieus in which animals can be found on those occasions when they enter criminological discourse. These I term, respectively: 1. Animals as criminals (and vice versa); 2. Animals and humans as partners in crime; 3. Analogies between animals and humans; and 4. Animals as objects. How do animals enter these milieus? Do they appear as authentic subjects, for example, or are they brought in as Cartesian automata that are mere appendages to humans? Are they viewed as sentient beings with innate rights or as edible meat awaiting slaughter? I will suggest that, when answered, some of these questions invite the charge that, as a discipline, criminology has been guilty of a thoroughgoing speciesism. I must stress that, though it is the discursive presence of animals in criminology that this essay addresses, my concern here is more with a description of the roles that nonhuman animals (henceforth "animals") occupy in criminology than with animal advocacy as such. That task I will undertake in an essay companion to this one. 2. Animals as Criminals (and Vice Versa) In parts of medieval Europe from approximately 1280 until as late as 1750, animals that had harmed humans were sometimes prosecuted and punished for their misdeeds (Beirne, 1994). Ideological confirmation of this seemingly bizarre practice was extracted from biblical dictates. Thus: "if an ox gore a man or a woman that they die, then the ox shall be surely stoned" (Exodus, xxi, 28). Its institutional enforcement was sanctioned both by folklore and by legal (especially Catholic) opinion, which agreed on the need to prosecute deserving animals in the medieval courtroom and, in appropriate cases, to execute them for their crimes. Domestic[ated] animals were tried in the secular courts and, if necessary, were exposed to the same terrors of public execution as were humans. Wild animals and "vermin" were tried in the ecclesiastical courts and, if found guilty, were subject to the curse of a malediction. The broad matrix of medieval animal trials has been described, and their origin and end debated, in a small English-language literature devoted to the subject (Evans, 1906; Westermarck, 1906, 1: 249-260; Frazer, 1923: 397-417; Kelsen, 1923: 3-8; Newman, 1978: 89-94; Finkelstein, 1981; Cohen, 1986; Oates, 1989; Beirne, 1994). …


Abstract Background: Oropharyngeal candidiasis (OPC) is the most common opportunistic infection among persons infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Once-daily miconazole 50 mg buccal tablet (MBT) is a novel delivery system using an extended-spectrum azole with potent in vitro activity against many Candida species, including some that may be resistant to other azoles. Methods: This phase 3, double-blind, double-dummy, multicenter trial evaluated 578 randomized patients with HIV infection and OPC. The study compared the efficacy and safety of MBT once daily with clotrimazole 10 mg troches (CT) 5 times daily for 14 days. The co-primary efficacy endpoints were clinical cure at test of cure (TOC) visit (days 17–22) in the intent-to-treat (ITT) and per protocol (PP) populations. Results: Clinical cure rate at TOC visit for MBT-treated patients was statistically noninferior to CT-treated patients in both the ITT (61% vs 65%) and PP (68% vs 74%) populations. Secondary endpoints, safety, and tolerability were similar between treatment groups. Conclusions: In this large trial, once-daily MBT was shown to be noninferior to CT 5 times daily in the treatment of OPC in HIV-positive patients. MBT offers an effective, safe, and well-tolerated topical treatment option for OPC administered as a convenient once-daily dose.


We consider the inclusion of the space of algebraic (regular) maps between real algebraic varieties in the space of all continuous maps. For a certain class of real algebraic varieties, which include real projective spaces, it is well known that the space of real algebraic maps is a dense subset of the space of all continuous maps. Our first result shows that, for this class of varieties, the inclusion is also a homotopy equivalence. After proving this, we restrict the class of varieties to real projective spaces. In this case, the space of algebraic maps has a 'minimum degree' filtration by finite-dimensional subspaces and it is natural to expect that the homotopy types of the terms of the filtration approximate closer and closer the homotopy type of the space of continuous mappings as the degree increases. We prove this and compute the lower bounds of this approximation of these spaces. This result can be seen as a generalization of the results of Mostovoy, Vassiliev and others on the topology of the space of real rational maps and the space of real polynomials without n-fold roots. It can also be viewed as a real analogue of Mostovoy's work on the topology of the space of holomorphic maps between complex projective spaces, which generalizes Segal's work on the space of complex rational maps.


Motivated by the possibility of guiding daughter ions from double beta decay events to single-ion sensors for barium tagging, the NEXT collaboration is developing a program of R&D to test radio frequency (RF) carpets for ion transport in high pressure xenon gas. This would require carpet functionality in regimes at higher pressures than have been previously reported, implying correspondingly larger electrode voltages than in existing systems. This mode of operation appears plausible for contemporary RF-carpet geometries due to the higher predicted breakdown strength of high pressure xenon relative to low pressure helium, the working medium in most existing RF carpet devices. In this paper we present the first measurements of the high voltage dielectric strength of xenon gas at high pressure and at the relevant RF frequencies for ion transport (in the 10 MHz range), as well as new DC and RF measurements of the dielectric strengths of high pressure argon and helium gases at small gap sizes. We find breakdown voltages that are compatible with stable RF carpet operation given the gas, pressure, voltage, materials and geometry of interest.


This paper is concerned with the identification, modelling and analysis of thin layered vaults, typical in the Catalan constructions of the XIX century. These special structures, also known as bovedas tabicadas, are characterized by very low thickness with respect to the medium surface dimensions and by the presence of different superimposed layers of bricks tied with mortar, are studied in order to individuate a coherent mechanical model for describing the material behaviour, to recognize the structural response utilizing as comparison adequate experimental results, and to extend the obtained results for the analysis of new vaults or for the restoration design of existing vaults. Firstly, the constitutive material is studied by effecting a compression and bending test on samples taken from a real structure. The characterization is made by considering alternatively the material as homogeneous or stratified. Once the constitutive behaviour of the materials and of the structural elements has been experimentally characterized, a semi inverse method for the identification of the optimum mechanical parameters of an equivalent homogeneous ideal material and of a stratified one, is adopted on the grounds of finite element analysis, reproducing the executed experimental tests. The comparison between the results obtained experimentally and the ones based on numerical tests allows us to make evaluations on the mechanical characteristics of the identified materials and proves that the stratified model better describes the behaviour of the real material. Further experimental tests have been made on a real vault and the related numerical analysis has developed making reference to the two material mechanical models. The obtained results are encouraging in the utilization of the stratified model.


The article is divided into three sections. The first section searches for the essence of object biographies and histories. The second section addresses the issue how understanding material culture influences the conceptualisation of the treated approach. In answer to this question the article presents the influence of the genealogy of archaeology's understanding of material culture and object histories in different periods of archaeological science. The third section brings a survey of the use of such an approach in scientific (archaeological, ethnological) literature and other literatures.


IgA pemphigus (IGAP) is a rare, distinct variant of pemphigus, currently classified, depending upon the histological features, immunofluorescence staining pattern and autoantibody profile, into two types: subcorneal pustular dermatosis (SPD) and intraepidermal neutrophilic IgA dermatosis. In a patient with a widespread blistering disease of the skin resembling SPD‐type IGAP, we demonstrate the coexistence of IgA reactivity to both epidermal (desmocollins 2 and 3) and basement membrane‐associated (BP180) proteins, suggesting the coexistence of atypical IGAP and linear IgA bullous dermatosis, respectively. This case, together with 20 previous reports of atypical IGAP, underscores the limitations of current classification schemes. Therefore, we suggest reclassifying these cases under the general term 'IGAP spectrum'.


The authors study the autoregressive and moving average (ARMA) filter for lidar signal processing. After a short presentation of the atmospheric laser Doppler instrument project (ALADIN), they introduce the objective of this paper, which is to extract the Doppler frequency and to retrieve the spectral width of a noised lidar signal. A general presentation of ARMA filters and parametric adaptive algorithms (PAAs) is provided. Then they present results about the choice of the model, the Doppler frequency estimate, and the spectral width estimate. Finally, they study the possible estimate of SNR, which is biased by the first estimates (Doppler frequency and spectral width).


Many banks provide supply-chain finance solutions that might include insurance services that further mitigate trade risk such as the default of suppliers. This study proposes the development of an insurance model that uses the Black-Scholes-Merton Model (BSM) (1973) for default prediction and risk pooling management techniques as a way to reduce the risk due to supplier bankruptcy and estimate an insurance premium that banks can use to charge this service to their customers. In order to demonstrate the use of the proposed insurance model, a sample of companies is selected from the New York Stock ex-change and data for historical stock prices from the CRSP database (Center for Research in Security Prices) is collected in order to calculate the probability of bankruptcy of a sample of suppliers from different industries by using the BSM model. Twelve pools of companies of different sizes are created and a VBA program for Excel is developed in order to calculate probability of bankruptcy tables of companies belonging to the different pools. A Monte Carlo simulation to simulate the impact on risk and expected losses on the number of insurance policies sold is implemented with the use of simulation software. The results show that the simulation is useful to estimate the number of sold policies required in order to reduce the risk to a minimum level and predict with a high level of certainty the losses due to bankruptcy of suppliers. The expected losses for a risk pool can be used by a financial institution in order to price an insurance contract that hedges a company against the risk of default of suppliers.


The estimation of the entry capacity of roundabouts greatly varies between one method end another in their input requirements, model complexity and estimate accuracy. Several available models for the capacity estimation at approach entries of the roundabouts are tested here and compared for high traffic demand condition. The estimated entry capacities along with the actual entry demand are then compared for various gathered circulating flows. Two models for capacity estimate are developed for triple circulating lanes by triple and dual entry lanes. Thirteen roundabouts in Bahrain are used for the models' development and for the comparison purposes between the various tested methods. The geometric data were gathered from the actual drawings, scaled aerial photographs and from the field. The necessary traffic data were gathered during peak periods. Substantial differences in estimating capacities were observed between the various available international methods. This makes the judgment of accepting or rejecting the estimated capacity difficult. The developed model fell well in between the tested international models and matched the actual data reasonably well. The methods with complicated input parameters and extensive equations, as aaSIDRA, UK RODEL, French and Indian methods, did not prove to be better than much simpler ones like Swiss or Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) methods. The findings are quite essential for traffic planners in making judicious decisions regarding roundabouts' performance. There is a real need for a more consistent model for the capacity estimation of roundabouts.


"Humanistic health care" has a pleasant ring to it, but hospital employees, administrators, physicians, and trustees must support such an environment for it to have any real value.


Bi-Jacobi fields are generalized Jacobi fields, and are used to efficiently compute approximations to Riemannian cubic splines in a Riemannian manifold M. Calculating bi-Jacobi fields is straightforward when M is a symmetric space such as bi-invariant SO(3), but not for Lie groups whose Riemannian metric is only left-invariant. Because left-invariant Riemannian metrics occur naturally in applications, there is also a need to calculate bi-Jacobi fields in such cases. The present paper investigates bi-Jacobi fields for left-invariant Riemannian metrics on SO(3), reducing calculations to quadratures of Jacobi fields. Then left-Lie reductions are used to give an easily implemented numerical method for calculating bi-Jacobi fields along geodesics in SO(3), and an example is given of a nearly geodesic approximate Riemannian cubic.


It is well known that the ability to support predictable interprocess communication is of great significance to computer-integrated manufacturing and process control systems. In this paper, we propose a strategy for an industrial standard, the SP-50 FieldBus, to support both intracell and intercell realtime communications. We first describe our strategy in detail and show that it is compatible with the current FieldBus draft standard. Under our strategy, the capacity of each link is divided into two parts. The first part is managed by the local link active scheduler (LAS) for intracell (intralink) communication. The second part is managed by a proposed global network manager for intercell (interlink) communication. By dividing the link capacity in this way, our strategy allows for fast local intracell connection establishment, while supporting global intercell connections. Using two examples, one for typical manufacturing systems and the other for multimedia networking, we also demonstrate the power and utility of the proposed strategy as compared to token-passing protocols.


The purpose of this paper is to analyze the ways a Jewish woman uses different genres in telling her life story. Setting the narrative within its cultural and social contexts enables an examination of narrative as a life story, as well as a mode of creating and expressing changes in women's roles. In her story, the narrator chooses to present herself as a disciple of a religious male leader (a rabbi), a position which allows her to use traditionally male genres of narration. Treating the interactions between reported and authored speech, and the multiplicity of dialogues the narrative maintains, provides an understanding of the methods for implicitly challenging gender construction by contesting genre distribution. {Personal narrative, Genre, Gender, Israeli women, Change)


The principle of respecting individual autonomy has traditionally been the most powerful of the four conventional principles of Western bioethics (the others being beneficence, benevolence and justice). It is rarely trumped by other ethical considerations such as an individual's personal responsibility, collective duties or even by the utilitarian maximization of the overall happiness or utility of a society. The new biotechnology has set the concept of autonomy in a new context challenging our traditional views on rights, responsibilities and humanity as a whole.

Key concepts

The concept of autonomy is one of the main conventional principles in bioethics.

The new scientific developments challenge our traditional views on autonomy, rights and responsibilities.

The concept of humanity is challenged by the new biotechnology.

Bioethics studies provide normative guidelines which sometimes appear value neutral.

Negative and positive rights are both central in policy considerations related to the development and use of new biotechnology.

Keywords:

autonomy;
responsibility;
reproductive genetics;
rights;
duties


Data from faults with core recovery offshore Norway and from outcrops in study areas onshore demonstrate the development and continuity of smear along large (seismic-scale) faults. Smear along these faults is typically associated with thick (tens of metres) shale source layers and fault segments that are slightly offset, where the overlap between the segments creates an extensional dip relay. It is demonstrated that rock types other than shale, such as coal, siltstones and carbonates, may smear and thereby contribute to the low- permeable fault gouge. A critical threshold for the shale smear factor (SSF), given by the fault throw divided by the thickness of the shale source layer, is established to separate continuous and discontinuous smears. An SSF ≤4 is likely to correspond to a continuous smear along large faults and thereby to a sealing membrane on the fault surface. For small (subseismic) faults, a continuous smear can be maintained for both shale and coal source layers for much higher smear factors compared with large faults. The continuity of smear associated with small faults also displays a greater variation (SSF in the range of 1–50), to become less predictable than smear along large faults.


Genome-sequencing data coupled with the availability of genetic manipulation tools in diverse model organisms has rapidly advanced our understanding of the role of individual molecular players in biologicalZhang et al. describe a novel molecule Endosidin 2 (ES2) as a specific inhibitor for EXO70, a key player in exocytosis in both plants and animals. processes (1). Classical genetic approaches (using knockout mutants), although highly successful, are often hindered by the functional redundancy due to occurrence of multiple genes with similar functions. Additionally, loss-of-function mutants, which either lead to lethality or severe defects, hinder a proper understanding of the primary role of individual genes in biological processes. Such obstacles prompted the development of small chemical inhibitors to dissect biological pathways in an approach popularly known as chemical genomics (2). Use of chemical genomics overcomes several of the limitations posed by the classical genetic approaches. For example, simultaneous chemical targeting of several closely related genes in a family overcomes the obstacle of functional redundancy. The possibility to modulate the dosage and reversibility of chemical treatments also enables one to elucidate the primary function of indispensable players without causing long-term and severe developmental defects. Moreover, use of small molecules allows the possibility to perform local or tissue-specific applications, thus making it feasible to study specific developmental processes. Furthermore, the use of small-molecule inhibitors coupled with target identification has considerable promise in the area of drug discovery. The group of Natasha Raikhel has been one of the pioneers in the use of chemical genomics in plants and have demonstrated its use in identifying several novel compounds that can be used in analysis of endomembrane trafficking (3). In PNAS, Zhang et al. (4) describe a novel molecule Endosidin 2 (ES2) as a specific inhibitor for EXO70, a key player in exocytosis in both plants and …


Author in the contribution devote to research of authority and subordination in the family from the perspective of visual anthropology. Everyday family life is controlled by a set of culturally specific values and norms that determine the appropriate family ideology. Research of the family dynamics can provide the basic image of the various forms of relationships. Author realized research of power manifestations in the mountain village at the north of Slovakia which is characterized by frequent occurrence of the patriarchal family. The authority in the patriarchal family ideology is attributed to older men belonging to the paternal lineage; it is typically associated with patrilineality, patrilocality and focusing on ancestors. The question is how can we explore the subjective perception of authority in the case of children. It seems to be very helpful to apply the special projective technique – the family drawing test. Aim of this contribution is to show not only interface between theoretical concepts and practical collection of empirical data in the field, but also the interpretation of specific children's drawings. End-of-conference, author would like to highlight that anthropologist has to detect the specific socio-cultural environment of studied families, because its knowledge plays the key role in the complex interpretation of visual material.


In experiments with (CBA x C57BL/6)F1 mice, the effect of radiation on rosette formation between thymus macrophages (Th-MPh) and thymocytes (Thc) was studied on days 1, 4, 12, 30, and 60 following gamma irradiation with doses of 0.5, 2, 4, and 8 Gy. The influence of supernatants of thymus epithelial cells (EC) on the rosette formation was estimated. Gamma irradiation with doses of above 2 Gy was shown to cause a dose-dependent inhibition of rosette formation of Th-MPh with Thc in vitro. Recovery of rosette-forming ability of Th-MPh was observed on day 60 of the experiment. Two types of rosette-forming Th-MPh were identified: RFMPhII with low rate of binding to Thc and RFMPhII with high rate of binding to Thc. Radiation affects mainly the RFMPhII content. With radiation doses of 4 and 8 Gy no complete restoration of RFMPhI was observed on day 60. The total population of rosette-forming Th-MPh was restored on day 60 mainly due to cells with low rate of rosette formation. The EC supernatant promoted rosette formation of exposed Th-MPh with Thc. The effect was maximum at early times following irradiation of Th-MPh with a dose of 4 Gy.


A cold storage facility had been reroofed in 2003 (investment of $600,000) that required the removal of existing insulated roof and replaced with a 20 year modified bitumen roof. After six years, the facility posed a safety hazard due to the ice formations inside the cold storage facility. The source of the problem was not known. The traditional process of using a professional designer, a certified contractor, receiving a manufacturer's warranty, and having the roof inspected by the local government inspector could not assist the owner and the FM resolve the complex problem. The facility manager (FM) decided to utilize a non-traditional Best Value (BV) Performance Information Procurement System (PIPS) to identify and resolve the problem. The main difference of the system is that the best value vendor and not the owner determines the final scope. This paper documents the BV PIPS approach and the resulting performance. An inspection five years later verified the performance of the Best Value approach and showed the value of the installed sprayed polyurethane (SPF) roofing system.


Gas hydrates are solid crystalline compounds that contain water and gas molecules, and can be considered to be a natural occurring phenomena located in enormous amounts around the world. Particle growth and agglomeration of gas hydrates that leads to plugging of a pipeline can delay production significantly and even damage equipment. The increase in use of enhanced oil recovery (EOR) techniques causes more water to be produced. Therefore, research on a high water cut system contributes to understanding plugging formation mechanisms. This thesis presents two numerical experiments using computational fluid dynamics (CFD), which are conducted with a three-dimensional EulerianEulerian approach using the simulation software Star-CCM+. In addition, mesh independence and validation of the simulations were also performed. The main objectives of the numerical experiments were to: determine and interpret the particle size distribution (PSD) of hydrate particles in a tank with different stirring rates caused by an impeller using a 5-phase CFD model, study particle growth and hydrate formation using a 2-phase CFD-PBM model, and do an analytical analysis of particle diameter size with different stirring rates using various methods. The reasearch was inspired by the work of Herri et al.[1], where they found an increasing particle diameter size with the stirring rate. The analytical analysis revealed that almost all methods used resulted in too large values of particle diameter. However, a trend of decreasing particle diameter size with stirring rate could be seen. Furthermore, the exception was the method using an implicit relation developed by Zerpa et al. [2], which was in coherence with the values from Herri et al. [1], and showed a decreasing particle diameter size with stirring rate. The result of the numerical simulations using a 2-phase CFD-PBM model, showed that particle growth and particle diameter size increased with lower stirring rate, which are in coherence with the analytical analysis in this thesis. A possible explanation could be at a lower stirring rate, more particles gather in the top area of the tank, where both concentration of methane and growth rate are largest at this point. Therefore, particles may grow bigger around the top boundary of the tank. This reveals an opposite trend compared to the simulation model done by Herri et al. [1], and the results from the 2-phase CFD-PBM model do not appear to be in qualitative agreement.


Young male forensic psychiatric patients have been studied and the prevalence of acute and chronic flunitrazepam (FZ) abuse with the objective of relating the abuse to personality traits was mapped. Sixty male non-psychotic forensic psychiatric patients were interviewed about their FZ abuse. In order to obtain measures on their personality traits the subjects completed a number of self-report inventories. Moreover, the subject's psychiatric diagnoses and sentences were obtained by studying their files. These patients differed from subjects from a normal population in many personality traits, suggesting psychiatric/psychological vulnerability. Thirty per cent of the subjects were acute FZ abusers. The frequency of previous admission to a forensic psychiatric assessment, actual sentences of robbery, weapons offenses, narcotic-related offenses, and other crimes (such as theft) among the FZ abusers deviated significantly from criminal non-FZ abusers. No differences in personality traits were, however, found between the groups. The FZ abusers were classified into three groups, two of them based on the stated reasons for the abuse ("Fear reducers" and "Anxiety reducers"), and one containing abusers who had suddenly decided to stop the abuse ("Warning takers"). The mean T score on the Karolinska Scales of Personality socialization scale was significantly higher (p < .05) for Fear reducers than it was for Anxiety reducers. Legal decisions leading to the immediate withdrawal of the drug from the market are needed. Patients with anxiety- and sleep disorders can be treated with other drugs or with behavioural treatment programmes.


For host materials, a high triplet energy level and bipolar charge transport ability are crucial properties to achieve high performance phosphorescent organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs). A unique host material, 2,2′-bis(1-phenyl-1H-phenanthro[9,10-d]imidazol-2-yl)biphenyl (BP-DPPI), was designed and synthesized by introducing two phenanthroimidazole groups onto the lateral o,o′-positions of a biphenyl skeleton. The highly twisted molecular conformation endows the compound with excellent thermal stability with a glass transition temperature of 170 °C and a high triplet energy of 2.72 eV. In addition, BP-DPPI exhibits bipolar carrier transport ability for holes and electrons. The green phosphorescent OLED with BP-DPPI as a host material exhibited a maximum external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 26.6% and a power efficiency (PE) of 92.7 lm W−1. More importantly, the device shows low efficiency roll-off, retaining a high EQE value of 23.6% at the routinely practical luminance of 1000 cd m−2.


Digitalization is one of the main grounds for discussion in the textile manufacturing industry. As in other creative fields, digitalization in textile design has brought craftsmanship together with work using digital tools and mechanical processes to creatively embed advanced knowledge in structural design and this dualism is even stronger in the field of knitwear design. For years, knitting technologies have been considered far from creativity and entirely delegated to the expertise of technicians, and design education has often focused on fostering artistic expression by teaching highly creative manual/mechanical processes. In the ongoing shift towards digitalization and the challenges of Industry 4.0, research and education in knitting design must redefine the programming of industrial machines as a tool for designers to push their experimental creativity together with their technical knowledge. This article reports an investigation made by the authors in the two different contexts of the School of Design of Politecnico di Milano and of the Swedish School of Textile in Borås. Using the method of constructive alignment (Biggs, J. B. & Tang, C. S., 2011), the investigation set up a comparison of two practice-based methods for training designers in programming industrial knitting machines. The authors mapped the teaching, learning activities and expected learning outcomes specific for each course and analysed quintessential aspects that occur in the learning process in the transition from manual to digital tools. The research had the aim of understanding what kind of knowledge should be transferred, in which way and with which purpose, to make programming an integral and effective part of the learning process for knit designers. The data collected have been used to highlight similarities and differences between the two programmes, identify impactful items and open future research that could foster improvements with shared solutions.


When I was working in the Random House archives at Columbia Rare Book & Manuscript Library in New York, I discovered a series of letters exchanged among William Faulkner, his editor Robert Haas, and a young aspiring writer James Culpepper. These letters can be found in a box labeled "General Correspondence; Col-Daz," among rejection letters sent by Random House to aspiring writers. Tire correspondence of Faulkner, Haas, and Culpepper in the Random House archives is completed by a small cache of letters held in the Brodsky collection at Southeast Missouri State University. I have been able to identify a total of twenty-six letters, dated from January 6 to September 24, 1949. (1) An exhaustive search of all relevant sources shows that nobody has ever commented on or published these letters. In the late 1940s, Culpepper attempted to secure Faulkner's patronage in order to sell his own writings to Random House. Culpepper had a very high opinion of his work and was determined to become a literary star. However, he was well aware that the rise to fame would not be easy; not only did he live in Atlanta, Georgia, far from the literary centers of the East Coast, but he was also unemployed and under pressure from his wife and family to start making a living. In several of his letters, Culpepper reminded Faulkner that fame does not happen magically. When Faulkner himself was a young writer, he had been helped by the more experienced Sherwood Anderson. Culpepper stopped at nothing to make sure that Faulkner got his message; he went to Faulkners home unannounced and posed as a journalist, he repeatedly threatened to visit again if Faulkner failed to help him, and he also wrote to Estelle Faulkner to ask for assistance. At this point, Faulkner started to worry for the safety of his wife and daughter, and he reluctantly agreed to help Culpepper with the publication of his novel. In a letter to Haas, however, Faulkner explained that he was being blackmailed by Culpepper and discouraged Random House from publishing the manuscript. A form letter of rejection was subsequently sent to Culpepper, who reacted angrily. On March 8, 1949, he wrote: "If I were the wife of some great writer, or his sister, or his drinking companion, or if I drank champagne in New Yirk (sic) with the literary crowd in some Fifth Avenue apartment--it would be different: anyone down here knows that." (2) It is difficult to evaluate Culpepper's claim to literary talent. His manuscript is not in the archive for Random House returned it to the author. There is evidence that the publisher never ordered a reader's report. We know only two things about Culpepper's first novel: its length (210 pages) and its title: Jack Shall Have Jill (a line from Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream). Culpepper eventually decided to write a second novel. In September, he told Haas that he was going to stay for some time in Oxford, Mississippi. (3) With this letter, all traces of Culpepper disappear from our view. Of course, Faulkner had many reasons to dismiss an intrusive and bothersome young man such as James Culpepper. But his general indifference to aspiring writers deserves closer scrutiny. Drawing on previously unknown archival documents, my article highlights Faulkner's refusal to follow the example of his own mentor, Sherwood Anderson, in helping young writers get published and noticed. Convinced that all good writers were eventually published, he showed no interest in the "have-nots" of the literary world. My central argument is that Faulkner's dealings with would-be authors such as Culpepper exemplify his postwar image as a self-made writer who kept away from literary groups. The strange case of James Culpepper should therefore be read in the context of the Cold War at a time when Faulkner celebrated the ideology of individualism and rejected any kind of literary communities. My article is complementary to Lawrence Schwartz's study of the Faulkner revival of the late 1940s. …


The Morrison Formation of the Western United States is famous for the dinosaurs and other fossils that have been excavated from its beds. It was deposited during the Late Jurassic in a semi-arid, savannah-like environment. The Morrison Formation is remarkably extensive, with outcrops across eight states; however attempts to correlate between Wyoming and the Colorado Plateau have proven difficult. The goal of this research is to determine the origin of carbonate rocks from the Morrison Formation beds exposed on the Spring Creek Preserve in southeastern Wyoming, and to assess their potential for lithostratigphic correlations. A wide range of research techniques were employed, ranging from macroscopic observations in the field to geochemical and isotopic analyses. Field relationships and macro- and microtextures of nodular and calcareous units are consistent with carbonate mineral deposition of freshwater lacustrine muds and the development of palustrine limestones, nodules and calcrete as the micritic muds were exposed and desiccated. Strontium isotope data suggest that the nodules developed from alteration of nearby lacustrine carbonates with little exogenous input. The thickness and level of development of the nodular carbonate units below the mid-Morrison unconformity at 42 m and observed in nearby localities suggests an extended period of subaerial exposure and desiccation in the study area during middle Morrison time. If the presence of these palustrine carbonates found throughout Wyoming is the result of a synchronous regional lake-level lowstand, it is plausible that this nodular horizon correlates to the Mid-Morrison paleosol unconformity identified Utah and Colorado. The strontium isotope composition of a belemnite from the underlying Sundance Formation corresponds to a Late Jurassic Oxfordian age (161-157 million years ago) for this unit and places a maximum age for the Morrison Formation in the Spring Creek Reserve study area.


The South Asian Diaspora numbers just under 30 million people worldwide, and it is recognized as the most widely dispersed diaspora. It is, moreover, one which of late has seen phenomenal growth, both due to natural increase and the result of a continued movement of professionals and labourers in the late 20th and early 21st century from the subcontinent to countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and Singapore.

This book uses the concept of transnational networks as a means to understand the South Asian diaspora. Taking into account diverse aspects of formation and development, the concept breaks down the artificial boundaries that have been dominating the literature between the 'old' and the 'new' era of migration. Thereby the continued connectedness of most historic South Asian settlements is shown, and the fluid nature of South Asian identities is explored.

Offering a unique and original insight into the South Asian diaspora, this book will be of interest to academics working in the field of South Asian Studies, Diaspora and Cultural Studies, Anthropology, Transnationalism and Globalisation.


The purpose of the study was to examine factors related to retirement preparation of older and younger cohorts of thebaby boomers using a criterion of having investment assets greater than 25% of net worth. Using the 1989 Survey of Consumer Finances, logit analyses showed that being white and expecting a large inheritance were positively related to meeting the guideline for younger boomers. The older cohort of the baby boomers had increased likelihood of meeting the guideline if the household head was in good health, was male, and had pension coverage. For both cohorts, as age and education increased, it was more likely that households would meet the guideline for retirement preparation.


Unhealthy behaviors contribute to the development of diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and psychiatric disorders. Most often these behaviors develop in the teenage years. This thesis addresses the following topics: (1) How do health-related behaviors cluster and affect health in adolescents, (2) how do they affect their school performances and (3) are they improved by a Health Promoting School intervention that applies a Whole School Approach? Firstly, it was studied how health-related behaviors cluster, or co-occur, within adolescents. In this thesis several overarching behavioral patterns/clusters were deduced from a range of health-related behaviors. It was demonstrated for example that smokers are more likely to drink alcohol and use cannabis than non-smokers and that spending more time watching TV, playing video games or using the internet would often go hand in hand with less physical exercise and poor nutrition habits. Such behavioral clustering has important implications for designing interventions, because when behaviors cluster, it might indicate that they share underlying causal factors. Therefore, targeting behaviors simultaneously, or 'in clusters', is likely to result in more effective and feasible interventions. In addition, we demonstrated that a broader perspective is needed in health promotion. Thus far, the focus has mainly been on improving conventional health behaviors such as smoking and healthy nutrition. In this thesis it was shown that non-conventional health topics such as bullying or screen time use also significantly affect adolescents' psychosocial and physical well-being and should be included structurally in health promotion interventions. Health Promoting School interventions are becoming increasingly comprehensive and organizationally demanding. Therefore, in order for such interventions to be feasible, mutual benefits to health and school outcomes are needed to give schools an incentive to invest. Therefore, we studied the effects of health-related behaviors on adolescents' school performance. Generally, students' performances declined when involved in drinking alcohol, peer bullying, and excessive and/or compulsive screen time use (TV, computer use, gaming). Their performances improved when partaking in team sports. Most of these effects were dependent on contextual factors and often mediated by students' psychosocial problems, social situations and demographics. Overall, it was shown that health-related behaviors affected students' school performances. Therefore, more collaboration between schools and the health sector concerning Health Promoting Schools would be mutually beneficial. Thirdly, the effects and feasibility of Health Promoting School interventions that apply a Whole School Approach were evaluated. This approach combines evidence-based health education methods with a healthy school policy, healthy school environment and partnerships with students' social environment. Promising results were shown via a systematic literature review and via a pilot and experiment study of a Dutch Health Promoting School example that used the Whole School Approach (Utrecht Healthy School). Alcohol use, smoking, excessive TV and internet use, and bullying were reduced in the pilot, while students' psychosocial health improved. In the experiment study results were modest, but still students' BMI and excessive internet use were reduced. Furthermore, lessons learned were identified to guide implementation of comparable interventions. Lastly, a complementary evaluation of implementation processes is needed in order to properly interpret the quantitative findings when evaluating Health Promoting School interventions.


Photoluminescence (PL) and excitation PL measurements have been performed at different temperatures in a number of lattice-matched GaAs/In0.49Ga0.51P quantum wells, where the uctuations of the potential energy are comparable with the thermal energy of the photocreated carriers. Two samples with different well widths allow to observe a series of anomalous e ects in their optical response. The observed effects are related to the disorder in the interface, characterizing uctuations in the confinement potential energy. It is proposed that the carrier relaxation processes occur either at the local minima or at the absolute minimum of the confinement potential, depending on the ratio of the thermal energy and the magnitude of the potential fluctuations.


Retrosynthesis prediction is one of the fundamental challenges in organic synthesis. The task is to predict the reactants given a core product. With the advancement of machine learning, computer-aided synthesis planning has gained increasing interest. Numerous methods were proposed to solve this problem with different levels of dependency on additional chemical knowledge. In this paper, we propose Retroformer, a novel Transformer-based architecture for retrosynthesis prediction without relying on any cheminformatics tools for molecule editing. Via the proposed local attention head, the model can jointly encode the molecular sequence and graph, and efficiently exchange information between the local reactive region and the global reaction context. Retroformer reaches the new state-of-the-art accuracy for the end-to-end template-free retrosynthesis, and improves over many strong baselines on better molecule and reaction validity. In addition, its generative procedure is highly interpretable and controllable. Overall, Retroformer pushes the limits of the reaction reasoning ability of deep generative models.


Relatively prudent foreign policy maneuvers stole the headlines in 2019, overshadowing Pakistan's downward economic spiral and political decay. The Imran Khan government made the most of extra-regional strategic opportunities with the US and China while weathering a collapsing bilateral relationship with India. Officials struggled to arrest a mounting economic crisis. The state further accelerated the long-term corrosion of Pakistan's political institutions with threats to federalism, suppression of opposition elements, and greater space for the military at the expense of civilians.


Abstract Hemosuccus pancreaticus is defined as upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage from the ampulla of Vater via the pancreatic duct. It is a rare disease, with non-specific presentation, challenging to diagnose and difficult to treat, with high mortality rates in untreated patients with massive bleeding. Given the intermittent nature of the bleeding, delays in diagnosis frequently occur. Timely diagnosis and treatment seem to result in markedly reduced mortality, therefore we emphasize the diagnostic contribution of imaging techniques by presenting the case of a patient with chronic pancreatitis in whom computed tomography established the diagnosis of blood in the Wirsung duct and contrast-enhanced ultrasound brought its added value by excluding the active bleeding.


In a world of 'Big Data', data visualization allows the viewer to explore curated data; the creator to quickly convey complex information; and advocates to vividly display their view of a better world. Fields as disparate as journalism, environmental advocacy, and development assistance are taking advantage of these data-filled times. A similar movement can be described for the realm of human rights advocacy— although at a much smaller scale. Human rights advocates have been increasingly using data to better understand rights violations and to communicate their findings and messages to targeted audiences, from the general public to policymakers and judicial bodies. While the use of data and visualization among human rights advocates is becoming more common, innovations are being taken up unevenly, and advocates admit that choices about approaches and techniques are largely based on anecdotal evidence. This article introduces the results of preliminary research into some of these questions that are the product of collaboration between researchers from a school of engineering and a school of law. It provides an initial assessment of the field, presenting the results of a study examining the use of data visualization and other visual features by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch through content coding and expert interviews. It then offers the findings of two crowdsourced user studies into pressing questions in the visualization field which hold promise for human rights advocates seeking to communicate their messages through data visualization, and concludes by suggesting further areas for research.


Microfluidic devices made from polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) have diverse biomedical applications. However, due to the poor printability of PDMS, current three-dimensional (3D) printing techniques are rarely used to fabricate microfluidic devices. This study aims to investigate a fumed silica-PDMS suspension that can function as a matrix bath for embedded 3D printing (e-3DP) purposes, making it technically feasible to print microfluidic chips with complex embedded channels via low-cost extrusion 3D printing. The rheological properties, mechanical properties, transparency, and filament fidelity of the fumed silica-PDMS suspension have been systematically studied. It is found that the addition of fumed silica particles can effectively change PDMS from a viscous solution to a yield-stress suspension with suitable rheological properties for e-3DP. Also, the mechanical properties of the crosslinked fumed silica-PDMS are enhanced with an increased concentration of fumed silica. Although the transparency of PDMS has been lessened by mixing it with fumed silica particles, the visibility of the printed microfluidic chips is still acceptable. The filament fidelity has been studied by embedded printing filaments using a sacrificial ink in the fumed silica-PDMS suspension. Finally, two representative microfluidic chips for biomedical applications have been successfully printed to validate the effectiveness of the proposed fumed silica-PDMS suspension-enabled e-3DP method.


Brazilian Environmental Authority (IBAMA) adopted EPA rules for discharging drill cuttings from O&G operations. EPA method describes procedures to evaluate toxicity using Leptocheirus plumulosus. Despite being an exotic species, Brazilian laboratories keep L. plumulosus cultures. Otherwise, Grandidierella bonnieroides is widely distributed in Brazilian estuaries is successfully cultured and sensitive to many toxicants.
 The present study was carried out to evaluate the effects of three non-aqueous drilling fluids (NAF) and two synthetic based drilling muds (SBM) spiked to natural sediment on the amphipods. Reference toxicant experiments were also performed using C16C18 internal olefin or a C16C18 internal olefin SBM of similar density.
 Sediment was collected in Jabaquara beach, RJ and transferred to the laboratory in chilly bins. After sieving, it was kept at 4 ± 2 °C until spiking for no longer than 60 days. Spiking procedures and whole-sediment tests were set up following the methods described in EPA method 1644 and Brazilian Standards. Amphipods were exposed to 5 concentrations of SBM and NAF spiked sediment plus controls for 4 and 10 days, respectively, in static system.
 In NAF tests using G. bonnieroides the average LC50 obtained were 3.53 g.kg-1dw (n= 7; SD=1.63; CV= 46.07%), 1.33 g.kg-1dw (n= 6; SD=0.69; CV= 52.15%) and 0.56 g.kg-1dw (n= 7; SD=0.24; CV= 42.69%) for olefin, ester and paraffin, respectively, while L. plumulosus showed an average LC50 of 1.66 g.kg-1dw (n= 6; SD=1.30; CV= 78.10%), 0.60 g.kg-1dw (n= 5; SD=0.22; CV=35.81%) and 0.26 g.kg-1dw (n= 6; SD=0.13; CV= 50.50%), respectively. The average LC50 obtained in SBM 1 (11.6 ppg) tests using G. bonnieroides was 139.78 mL.kg-1dw (n= 3; SD= 69.47; CV= 49.70%) and for SBM 2 (9.9 ppg) the LC50 was 132.97 mL.kg-1dw, while L. plumulosus showed an average LC50 of 94.79 mL.kg-1dw (n= 2; SD= 92.33; CV= 97.41%) LC50 of 34.82 mL.kg-1dw, respectively, for SBM1 and SBM2. In olefin tests using L. plumulosus, SBM 2 test using G. bonnieroides and SBM 1 tests using both species, STR ≤ 1 were obtained, meeting the EPA criteria for drilling cuttings discharge. Although G. bonnieroides has shown to be less sensitive than L. plumulosus to the NAF and SBM, the method using G. bonnieroides as test species demonstrated to be suitable for this purpose and presented similar variability than the same method using L. plumulosus.


Drawing and Detailing with SolidWorks 2008 is written to educate and assist students, designers, engineers, and professionals in the drawing and detailing tools of SolidWorks. Explore the learning process through a series of design situations, industry scenarios, projects, and objectives targeted towards the beginning to intermediate SolidWorks user. Work through numerous activities to create multiple-view, multiple-sheet, detailed drawings, and assembly drawings. Develop Drawing templates, Sheet formats, and Custom Properties. Construct drawings that incorporate part configurations, assembly configurations, and design tables. Manipulate annotations in parts, drawings, assemblies, Revision tables, and Bills of Materials. Apply your drawing and detailing knowledge to over thirty exercises. The exercises test your usage competency as well as explore additional topics with industry examples. Advanced exercises require the ability to create parts and assemblies. Drawing and Detailing with SolidWorks 2008 is not a reference book for all drafting and drawing techniques. The book provides examples to: Start a SolidWorks session and to understand the following interfaces: Menu bar toolbar, Menu bar menu, Drop-down menus, Context toolbars, Consolidated drop-down toolbars, System feedback icons, Confirmation Corner, Heads-up View toolbar, Document Properties and more. Apply Document Properties to reflect the ASME Y14 Engineering Drawing and related Drawing Practices. Import an AutoCAD file as a Sheet format. Insert SolidWorks System Properties and Custom Properties. Create new SolidWorks Document tabs. Create multi-sheet drawings from various part configurations and develop the following drawing views: Standard, Isometric, Auxiliary, Section, Broken Section, Detail, Half Section (Cut-away), Crop, Projected Back, with a Bill of Materials and a Revision Table and Revisions. Insert and edit: Dimensions, Feature Control Frames, Datums, Geometric Tolerancing, Surface Finishes, and Weld Symbols using DimXpert and manual techniques. Create, apply, and save Blocks and Parametric Notes in a drawing. Table of Contents Introduction Project 1 - SolidWorks 2008 Interface Project 2 - Drawing Templates and Sheet formats Project 3 - Drawing Views Project 4 Fundamentals of Detailing Project 5 Assembly Drawings Project 6 Applied Geometric Tolerancing and Other Symbols Appendix Index


HARMAJA , H. 1974: Tarzetta pusilla n . sp. and T . spurcata (Pers.) n . comb. from Finland. Karstenia 14 : 116120. The author describes the new species Tarzetta pusilla Harmaja (Pezizales) and makes the new combination Tarzetta spurcata (Pers. ) Harmaja as he considers Pe::iza spurcata Pers. distinct from T. catinus (Pers.) Korf & Rogers. The apparently only existing original specimen of P. spurcata is nominated as the neotype. The two Tarzetta species treated in the paper differ from the rest of the species of the genus through their entangled paraphyses, which possess branches and proliferations, especially at the tips which are mostly enlarged and profusely notched with branchlets, often to such a degree that they are in fact deformed. T . pusilla, T. spurcata and T. catinus differ from each other on the basis of characters of of the apothecium, spores, paraphyses. and anatomy. Differences between these three species may also lie in the habitat ecology and distribution. T. spurcata IS reported from Finland f01 the first time, and the seven specimens representing this species among the Finni h Tarzetta material are listed, all the collecting localities lying in the southernmost part of the country.


Against the increase of the phenomenon of violent extremism leading to terrorism, many prevention practices and de-radicalization tools have been promoted at European level. Doubt, however, raise on the effectiveness of such models. The expert Sergio Bianchi, in "Radicalisation: no prevention without juridicalisation", made a comparison among various tools used throughout European prisons, concluding that current models of radicalization prevention present contradictions of various kinds, which pose serious problems to the effectiveness of the model and the resulting implications for the democratic stability of members countries. This document is an extract of the paper published by Bianchi, summarising his main points and ideas.


The movement of large masses, originating from hydrological and oceanographic variations, causes detectable
variations in gravity and surface deformation. These may be detected by satellite gravimetry and a network
of permanent GPS stations respectively. Alternatively, additional information on ocean bottom pressure(OBP)
variations may be retrieved from simulations.
Joint inversions offer a way to combine different data sources in order to obtain improved estimates of surface loading. This technique can be used to compensate for weaknesses in one dataset, by the strengths of the others. But what happens when one datasets is taken out of the equation?
Here, we compute a joint inversion using a GPS+GRACE+OBP combination. Additionally, we purposely
deteriorate the solution by removing either data from GRACE or OBP. The accuracy and resolution of the
solutions is discussed. Furthermore, regions are identified where the restricted inversion is consistent with the full inversion, and where the results show strong hydrological signals.


BACKGROUND
The mucus layer protects the gastrointestinal mucosa from mechanical, chemical, and microbial challenge. Mucin 2 (MUC-2) is the most prominent mucin secreted by intestinal epithelial cells. There is accumulating evidence that subepithelial myofibroblasts regulate intestinal epithelial cell function and are an important source of prostaglandins (PG). PG enhance mucin secretion and are key players in mucoprotection. The role of bacterial fermentation products in these processes deserves further attention.

AIMS
We therefore determined whether the effect of short chain fatty acids (SCFA) on MUC-2 expression involves intermediate PG production.

METHODS
Both mono- and cocultures of epithelial cells and myofibroblasts were used to study the effects of SCFA on MUC-2 expression and PG synthesis. Cell culture supernatants were used to determine the role of myofibroblast derived prostaglandins in increasing MUC-2 expression in epithelial cells.

RESULTS
Prostaglandin E(1) (PGE(1)) was found to be far more potent than PGE(2) in stimulating MUC-2 expression. SCFA supported a mucoprotective PG profile, reflected by an increased PGE(1)/PGE(2) ratio in myofibroblast supernatants and increased MUC-2 expression in mono- and cocultures. Incubation with indomethacin revealed the latter to be mediated by PG.

CONCLUSIONS
SCFA can differentially regulate PG production, thus stimulating MUC-2 expression in intestinal epithelial cells. This mechanism involving functional interaction between myofibroblasts and epithelial cells may play an important role in the mucoprotective effect of bacterial fermentation products.


Aim  Niche-based distribution models are often used to predict the spread of invasive species. These models assume niche conservation during invasion, but invasive species can have different requirements from populations in their native range for many reasons, including niche evolution. I used distribution modelling to investigate niche conservatism for the Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus Skuse) during its invasion of three continents. I also used this approach to predict areas at risk of invasion from propagules originating from invasive populations.

Location  Models were created for Southeast Asia, North and South America, and Europe.

Methods  I used maximum entropy (Maxent) to create distribution models using occurrence data and 18 environmental datasets. One native model was created for Southeast Asia; this model was projected onto North America, South America and Europe. Three models were created independently for the non-native ranges and projected onto the native range. Niche overlap between native and non-native predictions was evaluated by comparing probability surfaces between models using real data and random models generated using a permutation approach.

Results  The native model failed to predict an entire region of occurrences in South America, approximately 20% of occurrences in North America and nearly all Italian occurrences of A. albopictus. Non-native models poorly predict the native range, but predict additional areas at risk for invasion globally. Niche overlap metrics indicate that non-native distributions are more similar to the native niche than a random prediction, but they are not equivalent. Multivariate analyses support modelled differences in niche characteristics among continents, and reveal important variables explaining these differences.

Main conclusions  The niche of A. albopictus has shifted on invaded continents relative to its native range (Southeast Asia). Statistical comparisons reveal that the niche for introduced distributions is not equivalent to the native niche. Furthermore, reciprocal models highlight the importance of controlling bi-directional dispersal between native and non-native distributions.


The Journal of Critical Thought and Praxis has traditionally published interviews with individuals who have strong connections to our special issue topics. We believe that interviews are important ways to contribute to the conversation surrounding critical issues in social justice. This interview features Dr. Ginetta Candelario, whose recent visit to Iowa State University offered the opportunity for the editorial team to discuss her research and interests in Latinx Studies.


Autophagy is activated in response to a variety of cellular stresses including metabolic stress. While elegant genetic studies in yeast have identified the core autophagy machinery, the signaling pathways that regulate this process are less understood. AMPK is an energy sensing kinase and several studies have suggested that AMPK is required for autophagy. The biochemical connections between AMPK and autophagy, however, have not been elucidated. In this report, we identify a biochemical connection between a critical regulator of autophagy, ULK1, and the energy sensing kinase, AMPK. ULK1 forms a complex with AMPK, and AMPK activation results in ULK1 phosphorylation. Moreover, we demonstrate that the immediate effect of AMPK-dependent phosphorylation of ULK1 results in enhanced binding of the adaptor protein YWHAZ/14-3-3ζ; and this binding alters ULK1 phosphorylation in vitro. Finally, we provide evidence that both AMPK and ULK1 regulate localization of a critical component of the phagophore, ATG9, and that some of the AMPK phosphorylation sites on ULK1 are important for regulating ATG9 localization. Taken together these data identify an ULK1-AMPK signaling cassette involved in regulation of the autophagy machinery.


This project is a simulation of the redesign of Vaxjo Lakers ice hockey club brand identity. A conversation about Co-branding and participatory design to include fans and people in general to take part in designing the brand identity of the club they support. My role as designer is to test, examine and analyse to come up with design methods and tools (Create your own logo website) that will enable fans and everyone to design their own version of the Vaxjo Lakers identity. In order to connect and create a bridge between club and fans that are willing to take part in such project, this will result of creating designs that would be more relevant to the image of the club that fans imagined.


Neural crest cells obtained from Japanese quail and grown in vitro without other embryonic tissues differentiate into adrenergic cells. These cells show intense catecholamine-specific histochemical fluorescence, and some have long, varicose neuronal processes. Ultrastructural examination shows two populations of cells, one with small (about 90 nm) dense-core vesicles resembling principal sympathetic neurons and the other with larger (about 150 nm) dense-core granules resembling chromaffin or small intensely fluorescent cells. Neuronal cells without adrenergic characteristics are also present. These results are compatible with the hypothesis that a population of cells determined along neuronal lines exists in the neural crest prior to migration.


MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been reported as potentially being useful
biomarkers for various diseases including cancer, diabetes mellitus, heart
disease, neurological disease and age-related diseases. In the present study,
we aimed to determine whether the expression levels of circulating miRNAs in
serum were changed with aging or sex. Serum samples from seven elderly males
(69.86 ± 1.77 years old) and females (72.43 ± 1.49 years old), and six young
males (26.17 ± 0.83 years old) and females (23.17 ± 1.52 years old) were obtained
from the subject's forearm at rest. The expression levels of circulating
miR-146a and miR-20a in serum were determined by real-time TaqMan PCR. There
were no differences in the expression levels of miR-146a between all groups.
There was a significant interaction in this main effect where miR-20a levels
were significantly lower in elderly male subjects when compared to young male
subjects with no difference observed in young or elderly female subjects (p = 0.004 and p = 0.971, respectively). These results suggest that not all the
miRNAs in the circulation are influenced by the effect of aging, but only some
miRNAs may be selectively changed by the effect of aging.


This report presents the results of a short programme of fieldwork targeted towards the investigation of the archaeological and geographical setting of the Chamak copperplate charter. This inscription, unearthed in the modern village of Chamak in 1868, records the grant of land to a group of Brahmins living in the village of 'Charmaka'. These have long been assumed to be the same place, but the archaeological contexts of the find spot of the charter had never been explored. Preliminary surveys in and around Chamak have revealed a considerable amount of archaeological material, which is presented here.


Since Poland joined the EU in 2004 there has been a significant amount of case study research focusing on the impact of this large migrant group on the UK economy. However, there has been less comparative research completed, particularly when the comparison is of Polish migrant samples across different spaces. Using qualitative data collected in three case study locations – urban, peri-urban and rural- in the South Wales region, this article has two main aims. First, given the proximity of the case study locations, the article highlights the diversity of the Polish migrant characteristics through the samples used. Second, it compares the variations amongst the labour market trajectories of the Polish migrants in each sample. Through trajectories created from the data, the findings from this article point to the English language development of the migrants as the catalyst for progression in the Welsh labour market across all three cases.


Energetic electrons from the magnetosphere deposit their energy in the atmosphere and lead to production of nitric oxide (NO) in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere. We study the atmospheric NO response to a geomagnetic storm in April 2010 with WACCM (Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model). Modeled NO is compared to observations by Solar Occultation For Ice Experiment/Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere at 72–82°S latitudes. We investigate the modeled NOs sensitivity to changes in energy and chemistry. The electron energy model input is either a parameterization of auroral electrons or a full range energy spectrum (1–750 keV) from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/Polar Orbiting Environmental Satellites and European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites/Meteorological Operational satellites. To study the importance of ion chemistry for the production of NO, WACCM‐D, which has more complex ion chemistry, is used. Both standard WACCM and WACCM‐D underestimate the storm time NO increase in the main production region (90–110 km), using both electron energy inputs. At and below 80 km, including medium‐energy electrons (>30 keV) is important both for NO directly produced at this altitude region and for NO transported from other regions (indirect effect). By using WACCM‐D the direct NO production is improved, while the indirect effects on NO suffer from the downward propagating deficiency above. In conclusion, both a full range energy spectrum and ion chemistry is needed throughout the mesosphere and lower thermosphere region to increase the direct and indirect contribution from electrons on NO.


INTRODUCTION Research data services have been adopted by many academic libraries. This study tracked the changes in research data management services and staffing among Association of American Universities (AAU) libraries over the past 5 years and compared them to the libraries' goals for research data management (RDM) in their strategic plan. METHODS This quantitative study examined libraries at the 60 U.S. AAU institutions. In order to examine longitudinal changes, portions of Briney et.al. (2015a) were used as a basis for measuring data librarian staffing and services. These trends were compared to the contemporary strategic priorities of libraries interviewed by Meier (2016), as well as against strategic plans of 2014 and 2019 available online. RESULTS & DISCUSSION While there have been modest increases in libraries in the sample population offering data services, most of those gains have been among the libraries that did not consider RDM a priority in 2014. Interestingly, some of the libraries that mentioned RDM as a priority in 2014 have lost data librarian positions. Over half of the libraries in this study now provide or support a data repository. Many library strategic plans that mentioned RDM as an explicit goal 5 years ago now no longer mention it. CONCLUSION Data librarian positions, data services, and data repositories have now become common features of large research university libraries. However, research data services are no longer as prominent in many library strategic plans at institutions where such services are more established, and libraries instead seem to be moving on to the work of rethinking the nature of the services or expanding them. Data: https://scholarsphere.psu.edu/concern/generic_works/t1g05ff42r


Several generations of development programs have left the gap between rich and poor countries wider than ever. Decades of aid and foreign investment have extracted many times more wealth than they bring in. Seventeen years after the Earth Summit at Rio, carbon dioxide continues to increase. The non-proliferation treaty has left us with more nukes, more countries possessing nukes, more sophisticated nuclear weapons, more willingness to use them. The fanfare of the Green Revolution has died down, and farmers are still being displaced to cities that can't accommodate them. The first homes of the Green Revolution are now importers of food. Agricultural yields have increased, but so has hunger. Millennial development goals will not be reached.…It is not that no programs work. There have been dramatic successes such as the eradication of smallpox, the near eradication of polio, the containment of plague.…There is a pattern of a sort: narrowly focused technical solutions reshuffle crises. This article can also be found at the Monthly Review website , where most recent articles are published in full. Click here to purchase a PDF version of this article at the Monthly Review website.


Fungal infections are a recognized cause of increased morbidity and mortality in thermal burn patients. Adequate treatment regimens remain a challenge due to unpredictable pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic changes caused by a hypermetabolic state and individual patient factors. A retrospective evaluation of adult thermal burn patients from April 2014 to April 2020 was conducted to assess voriconazole and posaconazole antifungal dosing regimens. The primary outcome was the incidence of attaining a therapeutic steady-state trough level on the patient's initial voriconazole or posaconazole regimen. Of the 35 patients analyzed, 28 (80.0%) patients achieved a therapeutic level during azole therapy. However, only 13 (46.4%) patients achieved a therapeutic level on their first azole regimen. The median time to therapeutic level was 8.0 + 21.1 days from the start of azole therapy. Optimal dosing strategies for azole therapy in patients with thermal burns remains undefined. Further assessment is needed to delineate patient-specific factors that can contribute to subtherapeutic azole levels in thermal burn patients and the overall clinical impact of population-specific dosing regimens.