PURPOSE
Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) form irreversible cross-links with many macromolecules and have been shown to accumulate in tissues at an accelerated rate in diabetes. In the present study, AGE formation in vitreous was examined in patients of various ages and in patients with diabetes. Ex vivo investigations were performed on bovine vitreous incubated in glucose to determine AGE formation and cross-linking of vitreous collagen.

METHODS
By means of an AGE-specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), AGE formation was investigated in vitreous samples obtained after pars plana vitrectomy in patients with and without diabetes. In addition, vitreous AGEs were investigated in bovine vitreous collagen after incubation in high glucose, high glucose with aminoguanidine, or normal saline for as long as 8 weeks. AGEs and AGE cross-linking was subsequently determined by quantitative and qualitative assays.

RESULTS
There was a significant correlation between AGEs and increasing age in patients without diabetes (r = 0.74). Furthermore, a comparison between age-matched diabetic and nondiabetic vitreous showed a significantly higher level of AGEs in the patients with diabetes (P < 0.005). Collagen purified from bovine vitreous incubated in 0.5 M glucose showed an increase in AGE formation when observed in dot blot analysis, immunogold labeling, and AGE ELISA. Furthermore, there was increased cross-linking of collagen in the glucose-incubated vitreous, when observed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and protein separation. This cross-linking was effectively inhibited by coincubation with 10 mM aminoguanidine.

CONCLUSIONS
This study suggests that AGEs may form in vitreous with increasing age. This process seems to be accelerated in the presence of diabetes and as a consequence of exposure to high glucose. Advanced glycation and AGE cross-linking of the vitreous collagen network may help to explain the vitreous abnormalities characteristic of diabetes.


The distribution and subcellular localization of the 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 receptor (VDR) in the epiphyseal cartilage of normal weaning rats were examined immunocytochemically at the light and electron microscope level using a monoclonal anti-VDR antibody (9A7 gamma). VDR immunoreactivity was detected in the nuclei of chondrocytes in all zones of the epiphyseal plate cartilage from the resting to calcifying chondrocytes, and at much lower concentrations, in the cytoplasms. Perichondrial mesenchymal cells contained no VDR immunoreactivity. VDR immunoreactivity developed in the nuclei of cells in the lateral margin area as they acquired the chondroblast phenotype. VDR immunoreactivity was also found over the nucleoli of chondrocytes in all cells zones of the epiphyseal plate and appeared in the nucleoli of the cells in the lateral margin area before immunostaining of the nuclei, as the mesenchymal cells differentiated into chondroblasts. Electron microscopy showed that the immunoreactivity for 1,25(OH)2D3 receptor, indicated by gold particles, was associated with scattered clumps of compact chromatin and small clumps of dispersed chromatin. But the nuclei immunostaining patterns before and after mitosis were different in proliferative chondrocytes. The heterochromatin along the nuclear envelope was immunonegative in interphase chondrocytes, but there was VDR immunostaining over the rim of the perinuclear chromatin just after mitosis. In the nucleoli, the dense fibrillar component was immunostained, but the fibrillar centers and the perinuclear chromatin were not. This distribution of VDR immunoreactivity suggests that the hormone is directly involved in differentiation, proliferation and maturation of cartilage cells, and also with extracellular calcification in epiphyseal cartilage. The presence of immunoreactive VDR receptors in nucleoli of chondrocytes, particularly the fibrillar component, suggests that 1,25(OH)2D3 may be involved in regulation of ribosomal genes.


Twenty years ago, reflecting on the possibilities for service-learning (SL) to help re-envision higher education, Zlotkowski (1995) considered the question, "Does service-learning have a future?" and concluded "nothing less than a transformation of contemporary academic culture," a transformation of higher education institutions into "engaged campus[es]," was required for an answer in the affirmative to be assured (p. 130). In the intervening two decades, the term "engaged campus" has moved to the very center of national conversations about the future of service-learning and community engagement (SLCE); and much work has been done to describe the characteristics of such a campus. How, though, does such transformation of academic institutions happen? And, what does "institutional transformation" mean in the realm of SLCE? We suggest that for community-campus engagement to flourish in the future, SLCE practitioner-scholars should inquire into these questions and design our work in light of what we are learning and we offer a model to help guide that process.


A 12-year-old boy presented with a prolonged history of headache, fatigue and hypertension. Initial investigations were consistent with presumed non-oliguric end-stage renal disease, leading to a provisional diagnosis of juvenile nephronophthisis. Subsequent imaging demonstrated bilaterally enlarged kidneys without cystic change. Mutation analysis was negative for nephronophthisis, causing diagnostic uncertainty which prompted renal biopsy. Histology revealed a primary renal diffuse large B-cell lymphoma which was highly responsive to chemotherapy, including the anti-CD20 monoclonal agent, rituximab. Renal function improved during lymphoma treatment, with residual chronic kidney disease stage 3a once chemotherapy was completed. Atypical diagnostic features should always prompt re-evaluation of a patient. In this case, the delayed malignancy diagnosis did not have an adverse effect on patient survival or morbidity. The outcome for primary renal lymphoma (PRL) has improved markedly following the introduction of rituximab.


Heterogeneous domain adaptation (HDA), which aims to adapt information across domains with different input feature spaces, has attracted a lot of attention recently. However, many existing HDA approaches rely on labeled data in the target domain, which is either scarce or even absent in many tasks. In this paper, we propose a novel unsupervised heterogeneous domain adaptation approach to bridge the representation gap between the source and target domains. The proposed method learns a sparse feature transformation function based on the data in both the source and target domains and a small number of existing parallel instances. The learning problem is formulated as a sparsity regularized optimization problem and an ADMM algorithm is developed to solve it. We conduct experiments on several real-world domain adaptation datasets and the experimental results validate the advantages of the proposed method over existing unsupervised heterogeneous domain adaptation approaches.


A unitary appreciative case study method was used to explicate unitary understandings of despair embedded in the unique personal life contexts of the participants. Fourteen women engaged in dialogical, appreciative interviews that led to the creation of profiles of the life pattern or course associated with despair for each woman. Three exemplar cases are detailed including the profiles that incorporate story, metaphor, music, and imagery. The voices of the women provide morphogenic knowledge of the contexts, nature, consequences, and contributions of despair as well as practical guidance for healthcare providers.


Pathology without frontiers

Pathology in Europe is still mainly directed at a national level by the national pathology societies. The main goal of these societies is to guarantee an optimum practice of the specialty, both professionally and economically, in their own country. The interest or involvement in the same aspects of the specialty in other countries was and is very limited, taking the long history of European unification into consideration.

The main international organisation that binds anatomic pathologists in Europe is the European Society of Pathology. This Society is the main organiser of international European congresses that are held biannually (with a smaller intercongress in between). Moreover, it adds also to postgraduate education by its European School of Pathology and by EuroCellPath. The latter organisation addresses mainly the molecular aspects of pathology. Through these activities, the European Society of Pathology contributes to augmentation of knowledge in Europe in its widest geographical sense. However, it does not play an active role in the process of harmonisation of training and practice in Europe.

With the Treaty of Rome in 1957, a free exchange of diplomas, including the medical ones, in the then European Economic Community (EEC) was realised. In 1958, representatives of the medical specialist organisations of the six involved countries convened to discuss the consequences of the free movement of doctors that could result from this decision. Europe at that time had a great diversity in specialties with only partial overlap in different countries. They, therefore, founded the European Union of Medical Specialists (UEMS) and tackled a number of problems such as manpower planning, subspecialisation, marking out of specialities, the quality of the specialty training and the consequences of free movement of medical specialists.

In 1962 the UEMS founded within its organisation specialist sections for the most important specialties practised at …


With the growing importance of regenerative power generation and especially of a hydrogen-based economy, the full potential of gas turbines of the smaller output class (< 10 MW) can be ideally exploited to provide peak coverage of the energy need whilst stabilising the electric grids in the mid- and low-voltage range. Such machines can be typically started in a relatively short time (similarly to aero engines) and are capable, at the same time, of delivering dispatchable power-on-demand.
 A safe, stable and profitable operation under highly unsteady conditions poses renewed challenges for an optimal thermal management (especially in the HP stages) as well as control and surveillance of the machines. The understanding and hence predictability of the propagation of the temperature inhomogeneities originating at the combustor outlet remains hence a primary objective of current research, as persistent distortion patterns could be adopted at the turbine exhaust as diagnostic indications of a malfunction of the combustor, for example.
 In the present study low-frequency disturbances introduced by a periodic load variation have been simulated and superimposed to the inhomogeneous, unsteady flow entering a 3-stage, high-pressure industrial gas turbine fed by a can-type combustion chamber comprising 6 silo-burners. The effects of the unsteadiness realized at the combustor exit have been investigated by means of Detached Eddy Simulations, whereby a density-based solution approach with detailed thermodynamics has been employed. The periodic disturbances at the turbine inlet have been obtained by means of an artificially generated, unsteady field, resulting from a two-dimensional snapshot of the flow field at the combustor exit. Also, a combustor failure has been mimicked by reducing (respectively increasing) the mean temperature in some of the turbine inlet regions corresponding to the outlet of two burners. The propagation and amplitude changes of temperature fluctuations have been analyzed in the frequency domain. Tracking of the temperature fluctuations' maxima at the lowest frequencies revealed characteristic migration patterns indicating that the corresponding fluctuations persist with a non-negligible amplitude up to the last rows. A distinct footprint could also be observed at the same locations when a combustor failure was simulated, showing that, in principle, the early detection of combustor failures is indeed possible.


Tendon problems are frequent among horses and humans as both species face athletic challenges. Repetitive exercise often leads to overuse injuries in tendons and the number of reported cases of tendon injuries has increased enormously during the last decades, due to changes in demographics and lifestyle. Of the many existing treatment options none can be classified as sufficiently effective. In this thesis, the subject of tendon injuries is approached from various angles. The first study describes a model for tendinopathy in the equine superficial digital flexor tendon; a tendon which is often injured in horses and is comparable to the human Achilles tendon. For testing the efficacy of different treatments it is crucial to have a well-characterized model which mimics the clinical signs of naturally occurring tendinopathy. This equine model met all the important criteria and therefore has interesting potential for further studies. The second study investigates whether casting of the limb, thereby preventing loading of an injured tendon, would be beneficial. After casting one of two front legs of horses having similar tendon injuries in both front legs lesion propagation was monitored. The lesion in the cast-protected leg remained significantly smaller. This result may influence standing veterinary practice for the treatment of acute tendon injuries in the horse. In the third study the model described above was used to test the efficacy of platelet rich plasma (PRP) a new and popular treatment made directly from the patient's own blood . . The repair tissue from the PRP-treated tendon had a better structure and better mechanical properties than from its placebo-treated counterpart. The fourth study focuses on genipin, a drug from traditional Chinese medicine, which is a strong cross-linker and hence might improve the quality of the repair tissue. Unfortunately, cell survival was insufficient at effective concentrations. In the fifth study the healing potential of two cell populations, one from the tendon core and one from the sheaths surrounding the tendons (the peritenon) was studied. Peritenon-derived cells showed in vitro a higher reactive potential for healing than cells from the tendon core, but showed also increased propensity to differentiate towards bone cells or myofibroblasts; cells that are associated with permanent scarring. The last study looks in closer detail into the differentiation of tendon cells into myofibroblasts and their subsequent contraction. Differentiation into myofibroblasts was influenced by matrix stiffness and by the tethering of the collagen ligands on the matrix. The different contraction assays also revealed the stimulating effect of transforming growth factor beta 1 on cell contraction. In summary, this thesis addresses then problem of tendon healing from various angles (immobilization, PRP and Genipin) and contributes to the understanding of the etiopathogenesis of defective healing.


Leadership as a research concept has been for many years – and still remains – an area of significance. The topic of leadership has been researched and debated a great deal; however, the leadership style adopted by higher education institutions within a particular context and culture has been considered very little. The primary aim of the Doctorate research study carried out herein is to examine and evaluate the relationship between leadership styles, i.e. transformational and transactional, productive organisational energy and academic and administrative staffs' job satisfaction in public and private universities of Saudi Arabia. In fact, during the latest few decades, the leadership body of literature has expanded beyond the focus on traits and behaviours and also provided the theoretical basis for understanding the nature of each variable, which is highlighted in the research study.
The present study was based completely on the quantitative research method approach. Data for the research were collected from the academics and administrative staff of two higher educational institutions in Saudi Arabia through the use of a survey questionnaire which was sent to more than 1,400 potential respondents.
A theoretical framework was also assessed in an empirical study in Saudi Arabia, to examine the impact of leadership style on job satisfaction and the mediating role played by productive organisational energy – as observed in the relationship between leadership style and job satisfaction. The study is significant for practical purposes, as it can benefit organisations in identifying their need for a specific leadership style, in order to boost their employees' productive energy and satisfaction. The relationship between leadership style, productive organisational energy and job satisfaction was tested theoretically and empirically.
The research determined that in the public King Abdulaziz University, transformational leadership predicted neither job satisfaction nor productive organisational energy to a significant level, though transactional leadership did so. Conversely, for the private Dar Alhekma University, transformational leadership did predict job satisfaction and productive organisational energy to a significant level, but transactional leadership did not manage to do so.
Finally, a review of some of the limitations of the research study and several areas of future research are provided on the basis of the empirical and theoretical findings.


Global cities are increasingly competing together in order to showcase themselves as the best destination for tourists, investors, and talented people. During the last four decades, there has been a growing interest in City branding. It takes place within a communication system that closely connects the overall city image and identity. Community leaders are more and more recognizing that there is a direct link between the city image and its attractiveness as a place to visit, live, invest, and study. Aimed at developing the theoretical framework of city branding, this research attempts to identify and explain the relationship between the variables affecting the city image as a paradigmatic model of city branding and sustainable urban development. Therefore, 35 peer-reviewed articles are initially selected from the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), through purposive sampling. Then, the collected data is analyzed in four stages using grounded theory. The results of this study indicate that the boosting of city image is a complex process that continuously and dynamically requires a meaningful combination of planning, actions, and stakeholders at various organizational levels.


We have studied the magnetic properties of a 240 °C ion implanted MnGe alloy (100 keV, 2 × 1016 ions/cm2) by means of magneto‐optical Kerr effect (MOKE) hysteresis loops taken at different wavelengths in the visible/near‐infrared range and at different temperatures (12–180 K). The details of the MOKE response indicates that the magnetic properties of the sample are due to the contribution of multiple magnetic phases. These can be ascribed to the known coexistence of Mn atoms diluted in the mono‐crystalline Ge matrix and of amorphous semiconductive Mn‐rich precipitates embedded in it. Our results demonstrate that both phases contribute to the ferromagnetic ordering in Mnx Ge1–x magnetic semiconductors. (© 2007 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)


That the proper environment can exert a vital force of its own to all those who are exposed to it is a presupposition of milieu therapy. An overlooked element in the milieu is the complexity and intensity of environmental stimulation. Leading theories of schizophrenic behavior all assert that the basic defect in schizophrenia consists of a low threshold for disorganization under increasing stimulus imput. The milieu emphasis on forced social interaction, participation, and liveliness is conceptually unsound for the disorganized schizophrenic patient. The "enriched" milieu may contain a toxic dose of environmental stimulation for some schizophrenic patients.


The spiral motif on this page is the emblem of the new nutrition science. If you attended the 18th International Congress of Nutrition in Durban last month, or if you have a copy of the special September issue of this journal, you will know why an organic shape, evoking movement on, around and up, represents our science, newly defined to work effectively in the 21st century. Its essence, stated in The Giessen Declaration, is that from now on, nutrition is confirmed as based on ethical principles and understanding of evolution, history and ecology, and is a biological and also a social and environmental science, with all this implies. When you write a paper whose scope or theme is part of the new nutrition science, please brand it with the spiral.


This is a summary report of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists, the Food and Drug Administration and the United States Pharmacopoeia cosponsored workshop on "Assuring Quality and Performance of Sustained and Controlled Release Parenterals." Experts from the pharmaceutical industry, the regulatory authorities and academia participated in this workshop to review, discuss and debate formulation, processing and manufacture of sustained and controlled release parenterals and identify critical process parameters and their control. Areas were identified where research is needed in order to understand the performance of these drug delivery systems and to assist in the development of appropriate testing procedures. Recommendations were made for future workshops, meetings and working groups in this area.


BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE
Rhopalaea is a genus of ascidian belonging to the family Diazonidae. Ascidians provide niches for various microorganisms including fungi. This present study describes the potential new source for natural bioactive compounds from Rhopalaea-associated fungi obtained from Bunaken marine park.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
As part of an on-going research program to explore the chemical diversity of marine derived fungi, we performed an antimicrobial bioactivity-guided screening of EtOAc extracts of the fungi isolated from ascidian Rhopalaea sp.

RESULTS
The study confirms that the ascidian obtained from Bunaken marine park was Rhopalaea sp. The fungus isolated from the ascidian was Aspergillus flavus which showed antimicrobial activity against bacteria Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aereus, Aeromonas hydrophila and antifungal against the human pathogenic fungus Candida albicans.

CONCLUSION
Aspergillus flavus isolated from ascidian Rhopalaea sp. has the potential as antibacterial and antifungal.


Poland is the largest country in central Europe. During the Second World War (WWII) Poland lost 39% of its physicians. After WWII, Poland fell under Soviet influence. Socialist parties dominated its government until 1989. Poland was the first country from the Soviet block to adopt economic reforms and turn away from centrally planned system. Poland is presently a stable democracy with a growing economy, and was accepted to the European Union as a full –fledged member in May 2004. Startling results of the population perception of national healthcare system were published in 2013. Polish customers rated current system poorly, giving it 2.8 points on 10-point scale. The purpose of this research was to investigate how Polish citizens perceive their NEW healthcare system compared to OLD healthcare system pre-1990. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews conducted with customers of the NEW healthcare system who also used the system during communist times. OLD healthcare system was defined as taking care of all healthcare issues pre-1990. The NEW healthcare system was defined as system that provided healthcare benefits to the general population post-1990. The research was conducted through face-to-face audio-recorded interviews conducted after Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval. No personally identifiable information was collected. Participants included customers and medical providers who used both OLD and NEW healthcare systems. Interviews were conducted in Polish. Interview recordings were transcribed, translated and subjected to qualitative content analysis. Results indicated that the perceptions of interviewees did not entirely reflect the true situation of the NEW healthcare system.


In people who are aged >65 years, pharmacokinetics are influenced more by the loss of kidney function than by the aging process of any other organ. A GFR of 30 to 60 ml/min, suggestive of stage 3 kidney disease, is observed in 15 to 30% of elderly people. Drug dosing must be adjusted to both changing pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics; the pharmacodynamics might be influenced by the aging of other organs, too. Using our NEPharm database, we extracted abstracts with pharmacokinetic parameters since 1999 from a weekly PubMed search. The recorded data were analyzed and compared with published recommendations on drug dosage and use in the elderly. Purely age-related changes in pharmacokinetic parameters were recorded from publications on 127 drugs. The analysis of our NEPharm records revealed an average (mean +/- SD) age-related prolongation of half-life of 1.39-fold (corresponding to +39 +/- 61%). Contrasting to common opinion, mean changes in clearance (-1 +/- 54%) and volume of distribution (+24 +/- 56%) were even less. The modest changes in pharmacokinetics do not suggest general dosage modifications in the elderly for most drugs. Changes in pharmacodynamics justify the common medication rule in the elderly-"start low + go slow"-especially for drugs that act on the central nervous system; however, in the case of anti-infective and anticancer therapy, the rule should be "hit hard = start high + go fast" to produce the target effect also in the elderly.


In this study we investigate the possibility of using Auger electrons as a probing agent for the study of structures of nucleic acids. To this end, we present the distribution of breaks produced in strands of a DNA duplex and a triplex-forming oligonucleotide (TFO) carrying Auger emitting radionuclide 125I. The method of calculation includes use of a molecular model of plasmid DNA duplex with bound TFO carrying a labelled 125I at position C5 of a single deoxycytosine residue, a source of Auger spectra, Monte Carlo electron track structure and the ensuing chemistry codes, to simulate the distribution of breaks produced in both strands of a plasmid DNA. Frequencies of fragment length distributions were obtained for the TFO, the purine and the pyrimidine strands. The frequency of breaks in the purine strand showed good correlation with the published experimental results, while that for the pyrimidine strand is lower by a factor of 3. It is concluded that the true structure of triplex DNA may not be purely of B-form.


We report a case of a 56-year-old male patient with a life-threatening left common femoral artery bleeding due to tumor erosion. The patient had a history of advanced high-grade pleomorphic leiomyosarcoma of the left groin with pulmonary metastasis. Clinical examination revealed a massive tumor bulking at the left groin with necrosis and phleb- and lymphedema. Given the circumstances, open surgery was not possible. Thus, it was decided to treat the patient with an endovascular procedure. The postprocedural course was uneventful, the patient received blood product and was hemodynamically stable. He was discharged at day six with ambulatory follow-up. Endovascular therapy using stent grafts to exclude a life-threatening bleeding is a valuable alternative treatment option in oncologic patients with limited life expectancy, which are unsuitable for surgery.


To motivate and engage students and, consequently, improve the quality of learning, some researchers suggest new ways of teaching, including the use of serious games in the classroom. This paper describes PlayScrum, a new card game devised to allow university-level students to learn Scrum, an agile software development method. We present the card game, its rules, and how it supports the main concepts of the Scrum method. We also discuss how PlayScrum was validated, based on questionnaires filled in by master students who have played it.


The paper analyses the incentives that Estonian state pension scheme imposes on retirement incentives. The specific focus is on actuarial neutrality and benefit equivalence of adjustments for early and late reitrement.The benefit adjustments for early and deferred retirement set in current legislation are established as not actuarially neutral and they do not assure benefit equivalence. They impose an incentive to postpone retirement for too long – assuming rational behaviour the effective retirement ages should be way above statutory retirement age if current legislation is not amended. Assuming a real discount rate of 3%, the rational effective retirement ages would lie at 70 in 2016 and 72 in 2026. Not legislating benefit adjustments that assure benefit equivalence could bring along adverse effects, such as higher than expected replacement rates and thereby higher than expected overall costs.


A singular evolutive interpolated Kalman (SEIK) filter is used to assimilate pseudo-observations via twin simulation experiments in a complex three-dimensional coupled physical–biogeochemical model of the Cretan Sea. The simulation system comprises two on-line coupled sub-models: the three-dimensional Princeton Model and the European Regional Seas Ecosystem Model (ERSEM). In the SEIK filter, the estimation error is represented by an ensemble of state vectors, which are drawn randomly at every filtering step. In the twin experiments performed the predictions of the coupled model were corrected every 2 days using synthetic measurements extracted from a model reference run according to a network of 23 stations in the Cretan Sea. The filter is shown to be very efficient, with the assimilation results exhibiting a continuous decrease of the estimation error during the experimental period. D 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.


The basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factor Tal has been shown to form heterodimers with the ubiquitously expressed bHLH transcription factor E47 and thereby modulate gene expression. The absence of homodimeric Tal-DNA complexes had been attributed to the inability of Tal to homodimerize, but subsequent studies have shown that the bHLH region of Tal does homodimerize. In order to correlate the contributions of both the basic region and the helix-loop-helix (HLH) domain to the lack of DNA binding by Tal homodimers, mutant and fusion proteins based on Tal and E47 were designed and synthesized. Size-exclusion chromatography established that all mutant and fusion proteins were dimeric. Point mutations were made within the basic region of Tal based on residues within E47 that are essential for DNA binding, but an affinity for DNA was not observed. Even complete replacement of the basic region in Tal with the basic region of E47, in an E47-Tal fusion protein, did not confer DNA binding upon the protein. However, when the dimerization domain in Tal was replaced with its E47 counterpart, in a Tal-E47 fusion protein, sequence specific DNA binding was observed with an apparent dissociation constant of 3.6 x 10(-9) M2. Furthermore, circular dichroism studies showed that the basic region of Tal in the Tal-E47 fusion protein underwent a random coil to helix transition in the presence of a specific DNA probe. These experimental observations indicate that the inability of Tal homodimers to recognize DNA stems from a misalignment of its basic region with respect to the HLH domain, rather than an intrinsic inability of the Tal basic region to bind DNA.


This paper proposes an algorithm based on Mean Shift, which improves on the kernel function, alterative weights, combing with Kalman filter and neighborhood searching. These improvements not only enhance the capacity of target tracking, but also reduce the computations to satisfy the need of the real-time job. Furthermore, experimental results illuminate that the proposed algorithm can cope with clutter, target partial occlusions, scale variations and fast moving in the real-time video target tracking.


We report a 31-yr-old nondiabetic male patient with acanthosis nigricans whose hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance could not be explained by anti-receptor antibodies or by an intrinsic defect of insulin binding to his cells. An acid-alcohol extract of the patient's serum contained a factor that inhibited insulin-stimulated glucose transport in rat adipocytes. Low levels of the factor could be detected in 9 of 13 unselected patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes. The factor was heat stable and resistant to treatment with acid, base, and various lytic enzymes. It eluted from a Bio-Gel β-2 column with an apparent molecular weight of 300. The factor also inhibited stimulation of glucose transport in adipocytes by the insulin mimickers hydrogen peroxide and sodium vanadate. In vitro incubation of rat soleus muscles in the presence of the factor resulted in inhibition of insulin-stimulated glucose transport. The factor enhanced 125I-labeled insulin binding in both adipocytes and muscle. A preparation of insulin receptors obtained from muscles incubated with serum factor showed increased binding of 125I-insulin to the α-subunit of the insulin receptor. Autophosphorylation of the β-subunit and phosphorylation of exogenous substrate were increased in the receptor preparation obtained from muscles that had been incubated with serum factor. However, the increase in kinase activity was approximately the same as the increase in binding activity. No difference in kinase activity was observed when assayed under conditions in which 125I-insulin binding activity had been equalized. These results suggest that insulin resistance in this patient was due to a circulating factor of low molecular weight that uncoupled insulin stimulation of glucose transport from receptor binding and phosphorylation. The factor appears to increase the binding activity of the α-subunit of the insulin receptor without affecting the kinase activity of the β-subunit.


Abstract Objectives To compare body composition in PsA with metabolic disease free (MDF) controls and type 2 diabetes and assess body-composition predicted propensity for cardiometabolic disease. Methods Detailed MRI body composition profiles of 26 PsA participants from the IMAPA study were compared with 130 age, sex and BMI-matched MDF controls and 454 individuals with type 2 diabetes from UK Biobank. The body-composition predicted propensity for coronary heart disease (CHD) and type 2 diabetes was compared between PsA and matched MDF controls. Results PsA participants had a significantly greater visceral adipose tissue (VAT) volume [mean 5.89 l (s.d. 2.10 l)] compared with matched-MDF controls [mean 4.34 l (s.d. 1.83 l)] (P <0.001) and liver fat percentage [median 8.88% (interquartile range 4.42–13.18%)] compared with MDF controls [3.29% (1.98–7.25%)] (P <0.001). These differences remained significant after adjustment for age, sex and BMI. There were no statistically significant differences in VAT, liver fat or muscle fat infiltration (MFI) between PsA and type 2 diabetes. PsA participants had a lower thigh muscle volume than MDF controls and those with type 2 diabetes. Body composition-predicted propensity for CHD and type 2 diabetes was 1.27 and 1.83 times higher, respectively, for PsA compared with matched-MDF controls. Conclusion Individuals with PsA have an adverse body composition phenotype with greater visceral and ectopic liver fat and lower thigh muscle volume than matched MDF controls. Body fat distribution in PsA is more in keeping with the pattern observed in type 2 diabetes and is associated with greater propensity to cardiometabolic disease. These data support the need for greater emphasis on weight loss in PsA management to lessen CHD and type 2 diabetes risk.


An assortment of 17 pear varieties was examined in 2006 at Keszthely, Department of Horticulture, Georgicon Faculty of Agriculture, Veszprem University. The selected varieties were planted in 1980, grafted on seedling rootstock and represented the majority of existing pear plantations in Hungary. The main objective was the determination of suitability of the most important varieties for the purpose of intensive growing technologies even when grafted on vigorous seedling rootstock. The most important growing and fruiting characteristics of the varieties have been assessed and evaluated from the point of view of productivity. We stated that the relations of the trunk or the main axis to the lateral branches and fruiting structures are all subject to varietal effects and are valuable indices of the growing character. The quotient of the diameters of trunk and branch should be around 0.3-0.4, and the relative frequency of fruiting structures (Darda, nyars, vessző) meaning the ability of branching and regeneration associated with accurate pruning policies are decisive from the point of view of promising success.


This paper introduces adaptive learning and endogenous indexation in the New-Keynesian Phillips curve and studies disinflation under inflation targeting policies. The analysis is motivated by the disinflation performance of many inflation-targeting countries, in particular the gradual Chilean disinflation with temporary annual targets. At the start of the disinflation episode price-setting firms' expect inflation to be highly persistent and opt for backwardlooking indexation. As the central bank acts to bring inflation under control, price-setting firms revise their estimates of the degree of persistence. Such adaptive learning lowers the cost of disinflation. This reduction can be exploited by a gradual approach to disinflation. Firms that choose the rate for indexation also re-assess the likelihood that announced inflation targets determine steady-state inflation and adjust indexation of contracts accordingly. A strategy of announcing and pursuing short-term targets for inflation is found to influence the likelihood that firms switch from backward-looking indexation to the central bank's targets. As firms abandon backward-looking indexation the costs of disinflation decline further. We show that an inflation targeting strategy that employs temporary targets can benefit from lower disinflation costs due to the reduction in backward-looking indexation. JEL Classification: E32, E41, E43, E52, E58


This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of skin diseases especially viral warts among Egyptian slaughterhouse workers. 535 subjects working at a manual and semiautomatic slaughterhouses and a meat manufacturing factory (exposed and non-exposed to raw meat & meat products) as well as a control group of 322 persons working at a textile factory at Cairo area were dermatologically examined at the workplace. Results show that the prevalence of all skin diseases among exposed workers (52.17%) is significantly higher than either non-exposed (34.67%) or control (35.71%) groups. Infectious cutaneous papillomas (viral warts) represent the commonest skin disease among occupational exposed workers (27.61%). This prevalence is significantly higher than both figures of non-exposed (13.33%) as well as control (4.66%) groups. Verruca vulgaris represent the commonest type of viral warts among examined workers. The use of protective gloves reduced significantly the prevalence of warts among examined workers meanwhile semi-automation of the processes, type of meat exposure, type of occupation have no significant effect on the prevalence of warts among examined slaughter-housemen.


User localization is one of the key technologies for mobile robots to successfully interact with humans. Among various localization methods using radio frequency (RF) signals, time of arrival (TOA) based localization is popular since the target coordinates can be directly calculated from the accurate range measurements. In complex indoor environment, however, RF ranging-based localization is quite challenging since the range measurements suffer not only from signal noise but also from signal blockages and reflections. A set of range measurements taken in complex indoor environment verifies that almost all measurements are non-line-of-sight (NLOS) ranges which have striking difference to the line-of-sight (LOS) distances. These NLOS range measurements make severe degradation in the accuracy of trilateration based localizations if used without any compensation. In this paper we propose a particle filter-based localization algorithm which utilizes indoor geometry from a given map to estimate the NLOS signal path and compensates for the range measurements. The algorithm is verified with experiments performed in real indoor environments.


Slums are often associated with negativities in society including social vices, thievery and arm robbery due to the unsightly nature of the settlements, characterized with filth and insanitary conditions. However, slums provide accommodation for rural-urban migrants who are unable to afford the high cost of rent due to several factors including poor housing policy by government, high rental cost, financial difficulties, unemployment and poverty. This study aims at ascertaining the functional activities and survival strategies of slum dwellers in Ashaiman Municipality in Ghana. Ashaiman is a sprawling urban settlement, parts of which exhibit characteristics of a slum. It is a home to people from many ethnic groups within and outside Ghana who are all there to eke out a living. It also provides space for well organised and recognised professional, trade, ethnic, welfare and youth associations with formal structures and support systems to ensure good governance, compliance and reward systems. This study deployed a mixed method approach to collect quantitative and qualitative data from 490 respondents and 13 key informants in two slum communities; namely; Manmomo and Tulaku within Ashaiman Municipality. Interview schedule, interview guides and focus group discussion guides were used to collect data. Appropriate techniques were used to process and analyse the data. The results showed that the slum dwellers presented varied economic potentials as they contributed to the bustling 24/7 economy. The local economy was characterised by small and micro-scale activities in the informal sector. The municipal authority generated revenue through taxation in whatever form while the slum dwellers provided a strong voting block for politicians. However, the slums also provided the opacity needed for illegal activities. The slum residents operated in an under-served location with deficits in security, infrastructure, health and environmental sanitation. The survival strategies included social safety in terms of perception of historical and traditional ties, social acceptability, social network, security and business opportunities. The diverse characteristics, capacities, tenacity arising from survival experiences, adaptability, social capital, political clout in numbers, and youthful population contribute to make the slum communities in Ashaiman a place of survival. The main argument of the study is that slum dwellers demonstrate resourcefulness, thereby debunking their association with low levels of access to productive sources. It is therefore, recommended that the central government, local government, technocrats, the private sector and civil society groups should collaborate to enhance the potentials of the slum dwellers for local level development.


This paper makes two contributions to the problem of needle-map recovery using shape-from-shading. First, we provide a geometric update procedure which allows the image irradiance equation to be satisfied as a hard constraint. This not only improves the data closeness of the recovered needle-map, but also removes the necessity for extensive parameter tuning. Second, we exploit the improved ease of control of the new shape-from-shading process to investigate various types of needle-map consistency constraint. The first set of constraints are based on needle-map smoothness. The second avenue of investigation is to use curvature information to impose topographic constraints. Third, we explore ways in which the needle-map is recovered so as to be consistent with the image gradient field. In each case we explore a variety of robust error measures and consistency weighting schemes that can be used to impose the desired constraints on the recovered needle-map. We provide an experimental assessment of the new shape-from-shading framework on both real world images and synthetic images with known ground truth surface normals. The main conclusion drawn from our analysis is that the data-closeness constraint improves the efficiency of shape-from-shading and that both the topographic and gradient consistency constraints improve the fidelity of the recovered needle-map.


This study investigated changes in student motivation to participate in physical education and some determinants of these changes over a period of three years. Measures were taken twice a year, from the age of 13 until the age of 15 years, from a sample of Greek junior high school students. Multilevel modeling analyses showed significant decreases in task-involving teacher climate, relatedness, identified regulation, and intrinsic motivation. In contrast, there were significant increases in ego-involving climate and amotivation. For some of these variables the observed linear decreases or increases were somewhat reversed by the beginning of the last year of the junior high school. No significant changes were observed in competence need satisfaction and in extrinsic and introjected regulations. We found substantial between-student variability in the intercepts and growth trajectories of most variables and, therefore, we tested a number of theoretical and demographic predictors to partly account for such variations. The results indicated that increases in maladaptive motivation in physical education over time are not uniform across all students and may be partly tackled by facilitating competence need satisfaction.


THE CANADIAN HORROR FILM: TERROR OF THE SOUL Edited by Gina Freitag and Andre Loiselle Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2015, 302 pp.REVIEWED BY MURRAY LEEDERIn the minds of many, the Canadian horror film begins and ends with David Cronenberg. With no disrespect to the Baron of Blood, Canadian cinema has managed a diverse and often cutting-edge body of horror films for decades now. Certain other films (notably Black Christmas (1974), Ginger Snaps (2000) and Pontypool (2008)) have attracted academic attention, but a great many others remain relatively unexamined. The only books to examine Canadian horror films broadly are the two editions of Caelum Vatnsdals They Came From Within: A History of Canadian Horror Cinema (2004,2014) and though certainly valuable in their thoroughness, these are more (self-admittedly) works of fan scholarship more than academic texts. So the new collection The Canadian Horror Film: Terror of the Soul is a welcome book for opening up the field. Editors Andre Loiselle, Professor of Film Studies at Carleton University, and Gina Freitag, the founder of the horror-oriented Cellar Door Film Festival in Ottawa, have assembled an impressively diverse slate of contributors. Some are university-based academics, of course, but others include the aforementioned Vatnsdal, a director as well as a writer; film programmer/writer Kier-La Janisse, and a number of other writers whose works have appeared in non-academic venues like Rue Morgue magazine and the website Canuxploitation.com (including its founder, Paul Corupe). A citation-free piece on Canadian monsters by Vatnsdal coexists with more conventional academic papers and this multiplicity of approaches is among the collection's greatest strengths.The diversity of writers is matched by the diversity of subjects. While plenty of the canonical Canadian horror films (including Cronenberg s) are covered, there are many topics here that will surprise even aficionados. The Canadian Horror Film is sorted into six sections with topics ranging from the shaping of the Canadian horror landscape to film adaptations, the tax shelter era, ecohorror, and, most usual, a section on animation and the avant-garde. Some of the essays engage in overt boosterism (Loiselle trumpets Sur le seuil (2003) as, "in my opinion, the best horror film ever made in Quebec" (81), but the entire thrust of the project is a recuperative one, identifying with pride a varied and valuable horror tradition in Canada. The editors are explicitly polemical: "we wish to assert that after fifty years of commercial filmmaking, Canadian cinema should no longer have to apologize for itself. . . [we] choose to take a stand and declare that Canadian cinema does exist and that it has developed its own generic traditions. We unapologetically claim that if Halloween matters, then so does Shivers" (16). This is a noble goal indeed.An impressive feature of The Canadian Horror Film, creditable to its editors, is its coherence as a collection, doubly so since its breadth stretches into avant-garde cinema, animation, and other topics rarely discussed as horror. Many of the chapters make reference to other chapters, and the conclusion by Freitag and Loiselle dedicates itself to collecting all of the threads of the various essays. The editors begin with a quotation from Northrop Fryes The Bush Garden (1970) concerning a particularly Canadian horror related to fear of the wilderness and obsessive interiority: "confronted with a huge, unthinking, menacing, and formidable physical setting - such communities what we may provisionally call a garrison mentality" (qtd. 3). Fryes text, along with Margaret Atwoods Survival (1972), serve as touchstones for a great many of these essays, providing a theoretical architecture that spans much of the collection, locating the "terror of the soul" "in the interval between external threat and internal dread" (4). Several of the essays productively pursue this framework into Canadian cinemas relationship with the Othered indigene (as does Aalya Ahmad in her essay on Ginger Snaps Back (2003)) and into eco-criticism (Freitags essay on Canadian eco-horror and Peter Thompsons compelling reading of Orca: The Killer Whale (1977), which he recuperates from its usual dismissal as a Jaws (1975) knock-off). …


Two small satellites (Phobos and Deimos) are orbiting Mars on the Martian equatorial plane with nearly circular orbit. Two leading hypotheses for origin of Martian satellites have been discussed so far; capture origin and giant impact origin. Spectral features of Phobos and Deimos are similar to C-type or D-type asteroid, which supports capture origin, while their orbital features (especially low inclinations) do not support capture origin, but support giant impact origin. Here we focus on capture origin, and examine the effect of rotating proto-Martian atmosphere on damping their inclination via gas drag. We reexamine the possibility for capture origin. PPS05-P11 JpGU-AGU Joint Meeting 2017


OF THE THESIS A Dyadic Approach to Examine the Association between Intimate Partner Violence and Romantic Relationship Satisfaction by Julia Friederike Hammett Master of Arts in Psychology San Diego State University, 2015 This study examined the association between intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization and romantic relationship satisfaction in a sample of 100 heterosexual newlywed couples. IPV, defined as the physical, psychological, and/or sexual abuse of an intimate partner, is a prevalent concern for couples in the United States. The negative association between IPV and relationship satisfaction has been widely examined in the academic literature. However, the inter-relatedness of the effects that individuals' behaviors may have on themselves (actor effects) as well as on their partners (partner effects) remains unclear. Thus, the purpose of the present study was to identify individual and relationshiplevel associations between IPV victimization and relationship satisfaction among newlyweds from their first to their third year of marriage. It was hypothesized that for both husbands and wives, higher levels of IPV victimization during the first year of marriage would be associated with a reduction in their own levels of relationship satisfaction (actor effects) and their partner's levels of relationship satisfaction (partner effects) during the third year of marriage. In addition, it was hypothesized that the association between IPV and relationship satisfaction would be stronger for female victimization due to the fact that the consequences that follow from male perpetration are more severe than those that follow from female perpetration. To examine these hypotheses, archival data from a two-wave marital satisfaction study was used. Partners' IPV victimization was assessed using the Aggression (AGG) subscale of the Marital Satisfaction Inventory-Revised (MSI-R) and relationship (dis)satisfaction was assessed using the Global Distress (GDS) subscale of the MSI-R. In order to statistically account for the effects that a partner has on an individual's outcome, the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model (APIM) was used. The APIM estimates both actor and partner effects, allowing for the investigation of issues of mutual influence on an outcome variable through dyadic analysis. Overall, it was found that wives' levels of satisfaction were impacted by their own as well as by their partners' levels of IPV victimization. Interestingly, while wives' own levels of IPV victimization were associated with wives' decreased satisfaction, their husbands' levels of IPV victimization were associated with wives' increased satisfaction. When splitting the sample by ethnicity, compelling patterns emerged, showing that while among Mexican Americans, wives' IPV victimization was related to husbands' decreased satisfaction, among Caucasian Americans, wives' IPV victimization was related to husbands' increased satisfaction. These results elucidate the role that gender and ethnicity may play in romantic relationships marked by aggression. More importantly, knowing about the mutual influence that violent partners have on one another and taking into account these effects when developing treatment plans might help researchers and


Testing is a task that requires much effort, yet it is essential for developing software. Automated test case generation (TCG) promises to relieve humans of manual work. We introduce Muggl (the Muenster generator of glass-box test cases), which is developed at our institute. Muggl generates test cases for Java bytecode. It symbolically executes code and uses constraint solving techniques. While papers on Muggl have already been published, no comprehensive introduction of the tool exist. This working paper fills this gap.


A cohort of 209 patients (105 men and 104 women), who survived 30 days after "first ever-in-lifetime ischemic stroke' were followed for one year. Predictors ofsurvival were examined by log-rank test and Cox proportional hazards method. Twenty-four patients had a stroke recurr~nce (11.4%). Thirteen of the patients with recurrent stroke (54%) died because of the sequelae of the second stroke. Stroke recurred in 16% of patients with stoke due to atherosclerosis, in 12.5% of patients with cardioembolic stroke, and in 4.4% of patients with lacunar stroke. The life table cumulative risk of death at 6 and 12 months for patients with recurrent stroke was statistically higher (22% and 57%) than patients without recurrent stroke (13% and 29% respectively). History of untreated hypertension prior to the initial stroke (RR =1.7, 95% Cl 1.2 - 4.1, P< 0.05) was an independent predictor of recurrence. In 134 patients (64.9%) aspirin was initiated during the first month after stroke. Only 81 patients (39.8%) continued aspirin treatment for the whole year. Life table cumulative risk of mortality among the patients treated with aspirin was 8% at 6 months and 12% at 1 year compared to 19% at 6 months and 45% at 72 months for those untreated with aspirin. We conclude that the high risk of recurrent stroke in Poland could be reduced by increased use of anti-platelets therapy and anti-hypertensive therapy after ischemic stroke. [Neural Res 1997; 19: 377-379].


This paper studies the feasibility of a hologram-based compact antenna test range (CATR) for submillimeter-wave frequencies. In the CATR, a hologram is used as a collimating element to form a plane wave for antenna testing. The hologram is a computer-generated interference pattern etched on a thin metal-plated dielectric film. Two demonstration holograms of approximately 1 m in diameter were designed for 650 GHz, and they were manufactured on two different Mylar films. The holograms were illuminated with a horn, and the plane-wave field was probed at 644 GHz. The measured amplitude and phase ripples were 2 dB and 15/spl deg/ peak-to-peak for one of the holograms. A higher quiet-zone field quality can be achieved by increasing the manufacturing accuracy by further manufacturing tests. After this, the hologram-based CATR should have a potential for high-quality antenna tests at frequencies up to 650 GHz.


We calculate the chirally improved (CI) Landau gauge quark propagator in two flavor lattice Quantum Chromodynamics and study thereon the effects of Dirac low-mode removal. The application of tree-level improvement of the propagator and tree-level correction of the lattice dressing functions removes the leading discretization artifacts. We find the dynamically generated mass in the infrared domain of the mass function to dissolve continuously with the reduction level and furthermore we observe strong suppression of the wave-function renormalization function for small momenta.


Introduction/Background*This survey describes the German-wide impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on provision of clinical care and recruitment in clinical trials of patients with gynecologic malignancies from a physician's perspective.MethodologyWe performed an online anonymous multicentric prospective survey across clinicians in Germany. The multiple-choice questionnaire was administered at 4-6 weekly intervals from April 2020 to October 2020 for a total of four series.Result(s)*483 questionnaires were completed. The majority of participants were gynecological oncologists (83.3%) in certified gynecologic cancer centers (61%) and breast cancer (BC) centers (80.4%). The majority stated a 50% reduction in surgical interventions for gyne-oncological cases. Cases that were prioritized for surgery across all tumors were those with early stage disease, at primary situation and with a good ECOG status. For BC, patients following neoadjuvant chemotherapy treatment and those with high-risk or locally-advanced BC were prioritized. The majority (73%) continued to conduct clinical trials throughout the pandemic. In cases were trials were discontinued, this decision was made by sponsors, and hospital officers. Other reasons for discontinuation included lack of patient-participation (due to fear of attending appointments). Almost 100% of the responders refuted any increased tendency to treat with a neoadjuvant approach (cytotoxic, hormonal, radiation) patients that would qualify for surgery under normal circumstances . This comes in direct contrast to the increased attitude to treat with neoadjuvant anticancer therapy of advanced cancers in other European countries.Only 18% of the clinicians reported feeling adequately informed about established safety pathways for COVID-19 positive patients with gynecological cancers. More than 43% of the clinicians felt that the COVID-19 pandemic will continue to impact on clinical care for up to 2 years.Conclusion*Targeted emergency algorithms for patients with gynecological cancers need to be developed to protect and preserve care and treatment options for our patients in future pandemics.


The role of drugs that act at 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT or serotonin) receptor subtypes in the etiology and treatment of affective disorders is discussed. The mechanisms of action of drugs affecting 5-HT are described, with emphasis on those with anxiolytic and antidepressant activity. Evidence supporting a role for serotonin in the etiology and treatment of affective disorders in cited. Recent therapeutic advances have resulted in a new generation of serotonergic drugs.


The chapter emerges from continuing research conducted in Australia, Japan and Malaysia that has included analysis of media texts (news, political and activist websites, corporate and social responsibility statements), direct observation and interviews with journalists, activists, trade officials and corporate executives, all of whom operate across national borders. (1) Its focus is Sarawak, one of two Malaysian states on the island of Borneo. Sarawak's timber industry is one of the world's most controversial, known for unsustainable logging practices and lack of environmental certification, unjust alienation ofland from traditional owners and local communities and the close ties of major companies to politicians and their families (Straumann 2015). Six companies hold tenure over 3.7 million hectares of forests, or 30 per cent of Sarawak's total land area (Markets for Change/JATAN 2016, 11), and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) estimates that approximately 50 per cent of all wood products from Sarawak could be illegally harvested (Global Witness 2016, 3; UNODC 2013, 95). The stakes are high, and in June 2016, land rights activist Bill Kayong, known for his opposition to 'native customary rights' land grabbing for logging and plantations, was shot dead in traffic on his way to work. The first part of the chapter focuses on the activism that increasingly follows transnational trade of natural resources. It argues that the political attention applied to this trade now often takes the form of revelatory, investigative information, often alleging human rights breaches or unsustainable environmental practices, and carried within and by various forms of media. The second part is concerned with the focus this places on the information suppliers and carriers, at the same time as the roles and practices of activists and journalists become increasingly blurred. Both factors potentially increase the risk of violence against the two groups. Activists carry out transnational investigations to uncover information with international NGOs providing the resources and global networks to support these activities, as traditional boundaries around 'professional journalism' continue to dissolve. Overall, the chapter asks if and how the dissolution of the distinction between journalism and activism, within the context of transnational flows of trade and information, might contribute to the 'new war'.


This paper provides causal evidence on how partisan news messaging from cable television influences the content published by newspapers in U.S. localities. We introduce a new parallel corpus of newspaper articles (24M articles in 600+ local newspapers) and transcribed television news shows (40K cable news episodes from Fox News Channel CNN, and MSNBC) for the years 2005-2008. We measure media influence using a supervised learning model that predicts, for a given piece of text, the probability that it comes from a Fox News transcript, rather than from CNN or MSNBC. After validating the measure, we apply it to the local newspaper article texts. Exogenous variation in news viewership across localities comes from relative channel numbering, which we use as instruments. We find that an exogenous increase in local viewership of a cable news network shifts the textual content of local newspapers toward that network's content. Televised media slant works not just through persuading viewers, but through influencing other media outlets.


The effect of pullet growth curve on body conformation and subsequent reproductive performance and effect of breeder feed protein level on reproductive performance was determined. The cost effectiveness of the different programs was evaluated. Cobb 700e pullets were reared from day of age in floor pens. Each pen was assigned to one of two growth curves from 16 weeks of age to housing at 21 weeks of age. One growth curve followed a standard (SD) body weight curve and a second followed a lighter (LI) body weight curve. At 23 weeks of age, half of the hens from each of the growth curves were assigned to one of two breeder diets. Half of the hens were fed a low (LO)-protein (14%) breeder diet and half were fed a higher (HI)-protein breeder diet (16%) during the production phase. Pullet growth curve significantly affected body weight through 30 weeks of age. The protein level of the breeder feed significantly affected body weight at 35 and 40 weeks of age. Pullet growth curve affected body conformation, but did not affect age of first egg. Pullet growth curve did not affect egg weight. Protein level of the breeder feed significantly affected egg weight; hens fed the HI-protein diet laid heavier eggs. Egg production was not affected by pullet rearing growth curve (p = 0.0845) or protein level (p = 0.7348) of the breeder feed. Feeding a LO-protein diet resulted in feed cost savings. The feed cost of SD reared hens fed LO-protein diet was $0.03227 per hen less than for those fed HI-protein diets. The feed cost of LI reared hens fed LO-protein diet was $0.3616 per hen less than for those fed HI-protein diet.


This essay questions itself on the possibility of a foundation of ethic beginning from the
work of two authors -Aristotle and Hegel-, who prefer to investigate the tie between ethic
and athropology, rather than focusing on the metaphisical aspect of the subject. While acknowledging
the status of ethics as linked, and indipendent at the same time, to politics
and moral, Aristotle and Hegel considering the specificity of actions moved by a particular
purpose, place on the foreground the "second nature", the habits and customs as the first
line of ethics. As the etymology of ethos − from oikos, 'house' − suggests, the study of ethics
cannot ignore the inborn tendency of mankind to feel at home. In this context, more than
on a foundation in a metaphysical sense, the focus is set on the ground where the structures
of anthropogenesis are rooted: a never ending process, always moving and at risk in relation
to the prevailing of stasis or mobility, of fear or creativity, in a game where the "human"
itself is in danger. The possibility of "being otherwise" of freedom is preserved by the vitality
of this cure of ethics as a cure of the human itself.


Research has been conducted on the analysis of seawater pollution index in the Raja Ampat tourism park of Papua Barat by using Cu and Pb concentration as parameters. The research aims to produce information on water conditions in Raja Ampat. Those information can ensure the sustainability of this area in the future. AAS (Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer) instrument was used to perform water samples analysis. Samples taken from five locations, namely Sapokren, Saleo, Waiwo, Waisai Harbour and Waisai Fish Harbour, which were respectively marked with area I, II, III, IV and V. For Cu parameter; area I was found, which was 0.62 mg/L which had exceeded the quality standard, while area II, III, IV, and V were not existed Cu. Furthermore for Pb; the concentration of heavy metals founded in four locations, area I, II, III and IV; 2,99 mg/L, 1,76 mg/L, 1,27 mg/L and 0,23 mg/L respectively. Other while area V was not found Pb concentration. All quality standard data were entered into the pollution index equation in accordance with the guidelines of KepmenLH No. 115 of 2003. The data showed that only one area was still in the good category, area V, the remaining area I, II, III and IV were included in the category of metal contaminated areas of Cu and Pb with varied levels of pollution beginning at low, middle to high.


The purpose of this Note is to question whether racial matching by courts and child-placement agencies serves the best interests of Black children. The principle that guides this Note's analysis is that racial matching is justified only if such a policy better serves that interests of Black children than a policy in which race is not a factor in a child-placement determination. This Note also questions whether racial matching serves the interests of biracial children and those of Black people as a cultural group.This Note does not focus on the equal protection concerns raised by the use of race in child placement. This is not to suggest that the Constitution is not implicated or important. Rather, by concentrating on the interests of Black children, this Note recognizes that, unless and until Congress or the Supreme Court forbids the consideration of race in child placement, many courts and agencies will continue to view the issue only with reference to the best-interests standard.Part I of this Note examines caselaw regarding the permissible use of race in child custody and adoption proceedings and finds that many courts permit the consideration of race in placing a Black child. Part I further finds that courts and agencies view a biracial child as Black and, consequently, favor placing a biracial child with her Black parent after a custody dispute and with Black parents in the adoption context. Part II considers various ways in which the use of race in the placement process harms Black children. Part II concludes that, even assuming that transracial placement entails risks, the harms of racial matching – both in the adoption and custody context – counsel against race-conscious placement. Part III evaluates the assumptions underlying the NABSW's position against transracial placement. It first considers the interests of Black children generally and concludes that not only is there insufficient evidence that transracial placement harms Black children, but transracial placement may also carry its own benefits over inracial placement. Part III then focuses on biracial children and finds that additional reasons support the abandonment of Black-preferred placement for these children. Finally, Part III considers the interests of Black people as a group. Contrary to the position of NABSW, this Part argues that transracial placement does not threaten Black culture and may in fact contribute to Black culture's ability to survive and adapt.This Note concludes that, in light of the harm caused by racial matching and the benefits offered by transracial placement, the use of race in the child-placement process is not justified. Courts and agencies should instead limit child-placement determinations to nonracial criteria. Alternatively, if courts or agencies insist on considering race, the perceived risks involved in transracial placement, the costs of racial matching, and the benefits of transracial placement should inform their decisions.


The discovery of a phase transition in Mg-silicate perovskite (Pv) to postperovskite (pPv) at lowermost mantle pressure-temperature (P - T) conditions may provide an explanation for the discontinuous increase in shear wave velocity found in some regions at a depth range of 200 to 400 km above the core-mantle boundary, hereafter the D′′ discontinuity. However, recent studies on binary and ternary systems showed that reasonable contents of Fe2+ and Al for pyrolite increase the thickness (width of the mixed phase region) of the Pv - pPv boundary (400–600 km) to much larger than the D′′ discontinuity (≤ 70 km). These results challenge the assignment of the D′′ discontinuity to the Pv - pPv boundary in pyrolite (homogenized mantle composition). Furthermore, the mineralogy and composition of rocks that can host a detectable Pv → pPv boundary are still unknown. Here we report in situ measurements of the depths and thicknesses of the Pv → pPv transition in multiphase systems (San Carlos olivine, pyrolitic, and midocean ridge basaltic compositions) at the P - T conditions of the lowermost mantle, searching for candidate rocks with a sharp Pv - pPv discontinuity. Whereas the pyrolitic mantle may not have a seismologically detectable Pv → pPv transition due to the effect of Al, harzburgitic compositions have detectable transitions due to low Al content. In contrast, Al-rich basaltic compositions may have a detectable Pv - pPv boundary due to their distinct mineralogy. Therefore, the observation of the D′′ discontinuity may be related to the Pv → pPv transition in the differentiated oceanic lithosphere materials transported to the lowermost mantle by subducting slabs.


A parametrized 2D model of a permanent magnet synchronous machine is developed in the finite elements method software COMSOL Multiphysics, along with a graphical user interface to control it. The GUI provides automatic construction of geometry based on specified input parameters, application of boundary conditions and equations, and post-processing of results. Algorithms are implemented to apply automatic periodicity settings and winding layouts for single layer and double layer integer and fractional slot windings. The output of the model is validated by comparing to analytical formulas and to other studies with known input parameters and results. The purpose of developing the the application is educational, allowing simulations to be performed without requiring in-depth knowledge of FEM. A range of sample studies are presented in this respect, to indicate possible areas of application within the educational setting. It is found that simulations can be performed very efficiently, indicating that the application could provide a valuable tool for studying electrical machines. Depending on further development and implementation of additional functionality, the application could probably also be used in the process of designing machines. March 7, 2016


Bambara groundnut, Vigna subterranea is an important legume crop that is adaptable to the dry regions of Africa. It is a major source of protein to people in many parts of Africa. One major constraint to increased production of the crop is the incidence of the storage pest Callosobruchus maculatus which causes significant weight loss to seeds in storage. The preference of the cowpea beetle C. maculatus for a particular seed coat colour was determined using four different colour types of bambara groundnut in an arena. The olfactory attractiveness of testa against cotyledon and cotyledon against whole grain was carried out in an olfactometer. Oviposition preference of C. maculatus on the different seed colours was determined. In the arena experiment significantly more of the beetles showed preference for cream and mottled seeds than red and black seeds. Significantly more beetles chose seeds with testa over decorticated seeds as well as whole grain over decorticated seeds. Colour significantly affected the seeds as oviposition sites. Significantly fewer eggs were laid on red and black seeds than cream seeds in both the choice and no choice tests (P < 0.0001). Thus for the purpose of reducing losses of seeds in storage it is advisable to cultivate red- and black-coloured seeds which showed lower acceptability to C. maculatus as oviposition site.


Microbial production of plant derived, biologically active compounds has the potential to provide economic and ecologic alternatives to existing low productive, plant‐based processes. Current production of the pharmacologically active cyclic triterpenoid betulinic acid is realized by extraction from the bark of plane tree or birch. Here, we reengineered the reported betulinic acid pathway into Saccharomyces cerevisiae and used this novel strain to develop efficient fermentation and product purification methods. Fed‐batch cultivations with ethanol excess, using either an ethanol‐pulse feed or controlling a constant ethanol concentration in the fermentation medium, significantly enhanced production of betulinic acid and its triterpenoid precursors. The beneficial effect of excess ethanol was further exploited in nitrogen‐limited resting cell fermentations, yielding betulinic acid concentrations of 182 mg/L, and total triterpenoid concentrations of 854 mg/L, the highest concentrations reported so far. Purification of lupane‐type triterpenoids with high selectivity and yield was achieved by solid‐liquid extraction without prior cell disruption using polar aprotic solvents such as acetone or ethyl acetate and subsequent precipitation with strong acids. This study highlights the potential of microbial production of plant derived triterpenoids in S. cerevisiae by combining metabolic and process engineering.


Forested riparian buffers are known by several names, including streamside management zones, riparian management zones, buffer strips, and vegetated buffer strips. Regardless of the name, riparian forests are generally established to protect water quality and/or enhance wildlife habitat. The Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) has provided incentives for landowners to establish forested riparian buffers between land management activities and streams. CREP plantings are generally viewed as a very successful incentive program, and thousands of acres have been planted under CREP auspices. However, few efforts have been made to monitor the success of regeneration on the planted sites. During 2008, the Virginia Department of Forestry and Virginia Tech Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation entered into a cooperative effort to identify and monitor the success of 63 CREP plantings established in the Coastal Plain, Piedmont, and Ridge and Valley physiographic provinces. Sites were randomly selected from the Virginia Department of Forestry records, and success of both natural and planted species were evaluated with between 5 and 15 fixed radius plots within any one planting. The data indicate that the CREP sites were successfully established in both the Coastal Plain and Piedmont regions, but that riparian forests in the Ridge and…


Information security governance influences the quality of strategic decision-making to ensure that investments in security are effective. Security governance involves a range of activities including adjusting organizational structures, designating roles and responsibilities, allocating resources, managing risks, measuring results, and gauging the adequacy of audits and reviews. We identified three security issues in an organization around strategic context in an in-depth and revelatory case study. These are (1) limited diversity in decision-making; (2) lack of guidance in corporate-level mission statements to security decision-makers; (3) a bottom-up approach to security strategic context development. We further argue that instead of an approach that is based on risk and controls, organizations should address objectives and strategies through developing depth in their security strategic context.


Background and Aims: Due to the growing population of the elderly and the high prevalence of mental disorders in this population, mental health professionals should take measures regarding the treatment of mental disorders, especially depression. Today, bibliography is used for the treatment of common mental disorders. So, the aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of audiobooks on the mental health of the elderly at the State Welfare Organization of Iran. Materials and Methods: In the present quasi-experimental study, 30 elderly from welfare organization participated in eight sessions of audiobooks and the aspects of their mental health were investigated using the Standard Mental Health Questionnaire (SCL-90-R) before and after participating in the audiobook sessions. Data were analyzed in SPSS using descriptive methods (Mean and standard deviation) and inferential tests (kolmogorov-Smirnov test). Results: Data analysis showed that audiobook resulted in significant desensitization in mutual relationships, physical complainants, obsession, depression, anxiety, aggression, phobia, and paranoid disorder in the elderly population of the State Welfare Organization of Iran (p<0/05). Conclusion: Considering the growing number of the elderly population in the country, taking care of their health is a necessity. The findings suggest that using books and bibliotherapy can have beneficial effects on the mental health of the population. This is one of the low-cost options for the treatment and mental health officials can use for prevention and treatment purposes.


Introduction: Currently in the US, hospitals with Neuro-Interventional capabilities represent a small proportion of all acute care facilities, and most hospitals rely on regional transfers for these services. At the same time, it is known, that having to transfer patients for Neuro-interventional stroke therapy (NIST) decreases the rate of offering this therapy, because of the time lost in the transfer process.

Objective: We sought to compare the rates of NIST being offered to patients after the inception of these services on-site, compared with the prior calendar year.

Methods: All patients presenting with neurological disturbance within 4.5 hours with a National Institutes of Health Stroke score (NIHSSS) >/= 4 undergo emergent non contrast head computed tomography (CT) and CT angiography (CTA). All patients who have no contra-indications to systemic thrombolysis receive intravenous tissue plasminogen activator (IV tPA) and in addition, those with large vessel occlusion on CTA are offered NIST.

Results: A total of 333 patients were admitted with the diagnosis of ischemic stroke (IS) in 2013. Of these 15 (4.3%) patients were transferred for NIST of which 9 received IV tPA and 6 did not. In addition, 2 patients were declined for NIST by regional centers and 2 who were transferred were unable to undergo NIST due to CT changes upon transfer. In the calendar year 2014 to date (8.5 months), among 225 IS patients, 21 (9.3%) were offered NIST, including 1 patient who was transferred from a neighboring facility. All patients offered treatment, underwent treatment. Among the 21 patients, 1 had spontaneous recanalization, another had a distal stenosis but no occlusion, and in 3, the target lesion could not be reached for intervention due to proximal carotid occlusion. Among these patients the mean initial NIHSSS was 20 and mean NIHSSS at discharge was 10. No patients experienced symptomatic hemorrhage, and one patient expired due to malignant ischemic swelling.

Conclusion: Having on-site NI capabilities doubled our rate of offering NIST. Such data may factor into a hospital's gap analysis as to its need for NIST. Further analysis is needed to assess whether our experience of significant decline in discharge NIHSSS corresponds to long-term good functional outcome.


The correlation of stress sensitivity to various petrophysical parameters was studied by analysis of experimental results from a range of sandstone core plugs tested hydrostatically at room temperature. The parameters measured were: compressional wave velocity, porosity, permeability and electrical resistivity. More detailed information on the effects of sorting and grain size distributions was obtained from experiments on artificial, unconsolidated sandstone cores. The measurements showed a high degree of stress sensitivity, which was different for each core but, broadly, could be classified as either high or low stress sensitivity. Cores from the high permeability clean sand were less stress sensitive than the cores from the low permeability coarsening-upwards sequence and the petrophysical values when combined into a synthetic log distinguished between the two lithologies. The results were compared to the predictions of a simple asperity deformation model. The experimental results and the model suggested a possible logging strategy to deduce permeability, by varying wellbore pressure.


In total, 550 species of longhorn beetles (Cerambycidae) exist in Europe. The most recent checklist of Cerambycidae family of Serbia cited 265 species and 92 subspecies, belonging to 109 genera, 48 tribes, and six subfamilies in the country. However, the presence of 28 species reported from Serbia is questionable. Here we present the first finding of Phytoecia (Musaria) argus (Frölich, 1793) for the fauna of Serbia. The species was collected in May and June 2018 on Stol mountain (near the town of Bor, Eastern Serbia). Additionally, data on morphology, bionomy and distribution of the longhorn beetle species are given. With this finding, the total number of longhorn beetle species in Serbia is estimated at 266. This species could be used as an indicator for the assessment of the nature value and conservation status of natural habitats in Serbia and Europe.


The Western Balkans have seen rapid changes since the end of the violent conflicts in the 1990s. The EU has been one of the main drivers for change, focusing on the political, economic and social transformation of the region to prepare the countries for membership in the Union. EU enlargement has never before been this complex and inter-connected with processes of state-building and democratization. It can be argued that the EU is actively involved in state-building. By focusing on a number of case-studies, it will be demonstrated how complex the transformation towards independent statehood and modern democratic governance has been (and continues to be) for most Western Balkan states. While some chapters focus explicitly on the role of the EU in these transformative procedures, others discuss the role of outside influences on state-building, democratization and independent governance more implicit. The picture painted is one of multiple and inter-connected alterations that have long-term consequences for the political systems of the region.


A class of local linear kernel density estimators based on weighted least squares kernel estimation is considered within the framework of Aalen's multiplicative intensity model. This model includes the filtered data model that, in turn, allows for truncation and/or censoring in addition to accommodating unusual patterns of exposure as well as occurrence. It is shown that the local linear estimators corresponding to all different weightings have the same pointwise asymptotic properties. However, the weighting previously used in the literature in the i.i.d. case is seen to be far from optimal when it comes to exposure robustness, and a simple alternative weighting is to be preferred. Indeed, this weighting has, effectively, to be well chosen in a 'pilot' estimator of the survival function as well as in the main estimator itself. We also investigate multiplicative and additive bias correction methods within our framework. The multiplicative bias correction method proves to be best in a simulation study comparing the performance of the considered estimators. An example concerning old age mortality demonstrates the importance of the improvements provided.


Advanced cathode catalysts are crucial to the promotion of aprotic Li–O2 batteries for practical applications. Carbon is usually used as a cathode catalyst, but it reacts with the discharge products (Li2O2, LiO2) to form an insulating layer of lithium carbonate and prevents further reaction. To resolve this issue, the development of non-carbon cathode catalysts is of great demand. Herein, for the first time, we designed and fabricated a MnCo2O4 (MCO) spinel oxide decorated Magneli phase Ti4O7 as a carbon-free cathode for Li–O2 batteries. The sub-stoichiometric Ti4O7 oxide serves as an electronic conductive network. The MCO spinel oxide along with the synergistic effect between Ti4O7 and MCO facilitate the kinetics of both oxygen reduction and decomposition of Li2O2. Furthermore, uniform anchoring of MCO nanoparticles on Ti4O7 surface provides a stable lithium peroxide–cathode interface during the discharge/charge process. The resulting Ti4O7/MCO hybrid proves to be a highly effective cathode catalyst. The discharge/charge voltage gap of the Ti4O7/MCO hybrid is about 0.75 V, which is significantly lower than that of pure carbon, C + MCO and pristine Ti4O7 cathode. A high specific capacity (5400 mA h g−1 at 100 mA g−1) and excellent cycling performance (100 cycles at a capacity of 500 mA h g−1 under 200 mA g−1) were obtained for this hybrid. The high catalytic activity and durability renders the Ti4O7/MCO hybrid a highly promising carbon-free cathode for Li–O2 batteries.


Infections with antibiotic-resistant bacteria are a worldwide problem in hospitals and their rates remain high in many countries despite efforts to reduce the rates. Infection prevention is complicated by asymptomatic carriers. Using mathematical modelling, different intervention strategies were considered in this study. The costs and effects of four admission screening strategies followed by 100%, 50%, 25% and 10% effective isolation were estimated. As expected, screening of all patients at hospital admission is the most expensive but also most effective strategy to reduce methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Two other strategies, i) screening all patients at admission to intensive care units (ICUs) together with screening those patients with a history of MRSA colonization, and ii) screening only patients with a history of MRSA colonization are much cheaper, but still reduce the prevalence of MRSA significantly. These two strategies become cost-saving within 10 years, even when the efficacy of isolation is low, they result in the shortest time till return of investments, and are, therefore attractive candidates to control MRSA. Further, the contribution of persistently colonized health care workers (HCWs) to the transmission process in endemic settings was investigated. It is shown that, in most endemic settings, screening of patients, followed by isolation and/or decolonization is a more effective strategy than screening of HCWs followed by decolonization and/or replacement of identified carriers. The only exception is the situation when a low amount of persistently colonized HCWs is responsible for large amount of transmissions. The key parameters for the effectiveness of the interventions targeted at HCWs were determined: the fraction of colonized HCWs and the proportion of the MRSA acquisitions they are responsible for. Earlier, the study of Jain et al showed a reduction of almost 70% in infections with MRSA. This phenomenal reduction was ascribed to screening and isolation of patients, while the intervention consisted of complex bundle of measures. To prevent possible inappropriate expectations from single measures by policy makers, the maximal impact of screening and isolation of patients on MRSA infection rates was determined. Using a mathematical model, it was shown that only a small fraction of the remarkable reduction in infection rate described by Jain et al. could be the result of transmission prevention. Transmission of Enterobacteriaceae that are resistant to third-generation cephalosporins from patient to patient is only one of possible routes of spreading resistant genes, but it can be controlled by standard measures. Transmission capacities of E. coli and non-E. coli (mainly Klebsiella) Enterobacteriaceae were estimated. It was shown, that non-E. coli bacteria are 3.7 times more transmissible than E. coli in the same conditions. The estimations were based on the data from 24 months extensive microbiological surveillance in 13 ICUs. Still the per admission reproduction numbers were below one for both bacteria, which means the transmission of the bacteria in ICUs is already low. In such cases additional measures targeted on prevention of transmission within hospitals are unlikely to be very effective.


This paper investigated the effect of capital structure on corporate financial distress of manufacturing firms in Nigeria by employing panel corrected standard error (PCSE) technique. The variables used in the study are corporate financial distress, capital structure, firm size, assets tangibility, revenue growth, profitability and age of firms. The outcome of the research reveals that capital structure affects corporate financial distress negatively while company age from listing years, profitability and asset tangibility affects corporate financial distress positively. The result further revealed that firm growth and firm size affects financial distress negatively. Policy implication from the study is that managers have to be cautious when designing their capital structure. Also, government should encourage firms to use internally generated fund than external fund by granting preferential tax treatment on their retained earnings. This will encourage investment in growth-oriented strategies.  In addition, the Central Bank of Nigeria should direct banks to lower the cost of borrowing for manufacturing firms to ensure financial stability.

 Key words: Corporate financial distress, capital structure, PCSE, Nigeria.


Murine monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) and immune rabbit serum were raised against the rough mutant of Salmonella minnesota strain R595. These antibodies were tested for their ability to inhibit LPS-induced B-cell mitogenicity and neutralise LPS toxicity in chick embryos. Immune rabbit serum inhibited both mitogenicity and LPS lethality. None of the MAbs or a cocktail of antibodies were able to neutralise LPS lethality in chick embryos. However, they were able to inhibit mitogenicity by varying degrees.


The school system in both the Republic of Ireland [ROI] and Northern Ireland [NI] is configured to accommodate children into discrete educational bands at different stages on their learning journey. Research has consistently shown that the transition from primary to post-primary, which typically occurs between the ages of 11 and 13, is the most challenging transition with the negative effects more pronounced for mathematics than any other subject. This cross-border study investigates this transition in mathematics education from the final year of primary school to first year of post-primary school from the perspective of teachers involved with these year groups. It examines teachers' knowledge of the mathematics curriculum and teaching strategies employed in the other phase. The majority of primary teachers reported being unfamiliar with the curriculum and teaching approaches employed in the first year of post-primary and the differences between the two jurisdictions were not significant. However, a difference was noted in the responses of second level teachers. Teachers in NI appeared more confident in their knowledge of the curriculum and teaching approaches adopted in the final year of primary school than their ROI colleagues. In this paper, the authors will elaborate on these findings; outline possible reasons for the differences across jurisdictions and share what impact teacher knowledge is having on classroom practices.


North Korea conducted its sixth underground nuclear explosion test (${m_\mathrm{ b}}$ 6.3) on 2017 September 3. The underground explosion produced substantial low-frequency atmospheric waves, which were detected by infrasound arrays located up to a distance of 566 km. These infrasound waves are formed by the conversion of seismic energy to acoustic energy across the lithosphere–atmosphere interface. While infrasound records at regional distances produce estimates of ground motion amplitude over spatially extended regions covering about 26 500 km2, 3-D full seismo-acoustic simulations within the lithosphere and atmosphere provide quantitative information about seismo-acoustic energy partitioning. Our results demonstrate the capability of remote infrasound observations combined with 3-D propagation modelling to further develop discrimination methods for underground sources. These results contribute to enhance the confidence of source identification and characterization in nuclear test monitoring research, which is essential for the enforcement of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty.


The DevOps phenomenon is gaining popularity through its ability to support continuous value delivery and ready accommodation of change. However, given the relative immaturity and general confusion about DevOps, a common view of expectations from a DevOps role is lacking. Through investigation of online job advertisements, combined with interviews, we identified key Knowledge Areas, Skills and Capabilities for a DevOps role and their relative importance in New Zealand's job market. Our analysis also revealed the global dimensions and the emerging nature of the DevOps role in GSE projects. This research adds a small advanced economy (New Zealand) perspective to the literature on DevOps job advertisements and should be of value to employers, job seekers, researchers as well educators and policy makers.


The production of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell mutants which are defective in endocytosis has led to a greater understanding of the process by which cells sort ligands and their receptors. Robbins and coworkers have obtained CHO mutants which are resistant to diphtheria toxin, defective in the delivery of endocytosed lysosomal enzymes to lysosomes, and have a decreased uptake of iron from transferrin (Robbins et al.: J. Cell Biol. 96:1064-1071, 1983). We have previously shown that these CHO mutants are markedly deficient in the acidification of early endocytic compartments (Yamashiro and Maxfield: J. Cell Biol. 105:2713-2721, 1987). In this study we examined the endocytosis of alpha 2-macroglobulin (alpha 2M) to determine whether the defects in early endosome acidification would alter the processing of this ligand. We found that the CHO mutants DTG 1-5-4 and DTF 1-5-1 bind, internalize, and degrade 125I-alpha 2M in a manner similar to the wild-type cells. We also found that the CHO mutants retain the ability to recycle the receptors for alpha 2M. Since the binding of alpha 2M is greatly reduced at mildly acidic pH (approximately 6.8), only slight acidification of the endosomal compartment should be sufficient to achieve sorting of alpha 2M from its receptor. In contrast, lysosomal enzymes require more acidic conditions (pH less than 6.0) for dissociation. The different behavior of the two ligands provides biochemical evidence for a partial (but not complete) defect in early endosome acidification in the mutants. The data also indicate that pH regulation in a relatively narrow range can achieve differential sorting of various ligands.