Whether used for aviation, manufacturing, oil and gas extraction, energy distribution, nuclear or fossil fuel power generation, surveillance or security, all control rooms share two common features. The people operating them are often remote from the processes that they are monitoring and controlling and the operations work 24/7. The twin demands of remote and continuous operation place special considerations on the design of central control rooms. Human Factors in the Design and Evaluation of Central Control Room Operations provides an analysis of Human Factors and Ergonomics in this complex area and the implications for control room staff. This information contained within this book can then be used to design, assessed and evaluate control rooms. Taking an integrated approach to Human Factors and Ergonomics in the control room environment, the book presents fourteen human factors topics: competencies, training, procedures, communications, workload, automation, supervision, shift patterns, control room layout, SCADA interfaces, alarms, control room environment, human error, and safety culture. Although there are many resources available on each of these topics, this book the information together under one cover with a focus on central control room operations. Each chapter is self-contained and can be read in any order, as the information is required. [Book Synopsis]


ABSTRACT The generation of renewable energy with Archimedes screw generators (ASG) transforming potential energy of fluid flow into mechanical energy is a growing technology suitable for low-head hydraulic sites. This paper presents an improved theoretical model linking screw performance to screw geometry and flow conditions. This model takes into account leakages, friction losses and variable fill levels. The modelled values of torques and efficiencies are in a fairly good agreement with experimental results obtained for a laboratory-scale screw. The downstream screw immersion is shown to impact ASG efficiency and an optimal immersion level is proposed. It has been found that fluid friction on the screw is not negligible. The analysis shows that a single value of the friction coefficient is suitable for modelling the screw performance under various flow conditions. The leakage phenomenon at under-filling flow conditions and friction forces in complex turbulent flows need to be further studied.


BACKGROUND
New methods for detection of bladder cancer are needed because cystoscopy is both invasive and expensive and urine cytology has low sensitivity. We screened proteins as tumor markers for bladder cancer by proteomic analysis of cancerous and healthy tissues and investigated the diagnostic accuracy of one such marker in urine.

METHODS
Three specimens of bladder cancer and healthy urothelium, respectively, were used for proteome differential display using narrow-pH-range two-dimensional electrophoresis. To evaluate the presence of calreticulin (CRT) as detected by Western blotting, we obtained 22 cancerous and 10 noncancerous surgical specimens from transurethral resection or radical cystectomy. To evaluate urinary CRT, we collected 70 and 181 urine samples from patients with and without bladder cancer, respectively. Anti-CRT COOH-terminus antibody was used to detect CRT in tissue and urine.

RESULTS
Proteomic analysis revealed increased CRT (55 kDa; pI 4.3) in cancer tissue. Quantitative Western blot analysis showed that CRT was increased in cancer tissue (P = 0.0003). Urinary CRT had a sensitivity of 73% (95% confidence interval, 62-83%) at a specificity of 86% (80-91%) for bladder cancer in the samples tested.

CONCLUSIONS
Proteomic analysis is useful in searching for candidate proteins as biomarkers and led to the identification of urinary CRT. The diagnostic accuracy of urinary CRT for bladder cancer appears comparable to that of Food and Drug Administration-cleared urinary markers, but further studies are needed to determine its diagnostic role.


The COVID-19 pandemic has caused dramatic shifts in education worldwide. In the spring of 2020, universities abruptly moved to emergency remote teaching and learning (ERT&L), with online and hybrid education continuing into the post-pandemic era. In the Gulf, cultural, religious, and sociolinguistic dynamics can present additional challenges for teaching and learning online. Reluctance to use cameras due to modesty, privacy, and E-safety concerns, amongst others, affects interaction and rapport. This article presents empirical data from a qualitative phenomenological case study investigating male and female Emirati university students' (n = 107) perspectives on access, interaction, and engagement during Zoom classes in the fall of 2020 and spring of 2021. Students' reflective essays and researcher observations revealed that intersecting factors, such as gender, religion, culture, linguistic challenges in English-medium universities, and fear of judgment, affected participants' comfort levels and learning effectiveness in online classes. Data are analyzed through interpretive phenomenological analysis and the analytical tool of intersectionality, through which complexities of learner identities are explored. Practical suggestions are made on adapting online and hybrid learning to suit the sociocultural realities of Gulf states better by enhancing interaction and engagement in online classes without compromising comfort, E-safety, and privacy in post-pandemic education


Magnetism plays a fundamental role in nature existing in almost every conceivable domain of the physical world ranging from stars and planets to our brains and hearts. Some magnetic phenomena are easy to observe and measure, whilst others are small and subtle making them almost impossible to detect. Developments in precision magnetometry, utilising the quantum nature of atoms has given access to the world of small and subtle enabling the understanding of such signals as well as pushing the boundaries of knowledge of the fundamental forces of nature. In this thesis we describe theoretical and experimental methods to dispersively detect all three vector components of an external magnetic field using radio-frequency dressed alkali atoms based on the Voigt effect. To achieve this, we measure the linear birefringence of the radio frequency dressed atomic medium via polarization homodyning. This gives rise to modulated polarization signals at the first and second harmonic of the dressing frequency. The vector components of the external magnetic field are mapped onto the quadratures of these harmonics. Our scheme requires only one frequency of modulation and has a simple single axis beam geometry making it advantageous for miniature magnetic field sensors. Furthermore, we extend our Voigt effect scheme to dressed microwave spectroscopy and show that it can be used to infer the prepared state populations paving the way towards partial quantum state tomography.


The aim of this study is to investigate the complex relation between educational characteristics and the transition to parenthood. It contributes to the literature in this domain as well as to our understanding of post-war fertility change in the industrialised world first, by adopting a multidisciplinary approach, and second, by explicitly examining the life-course-, gender- and context-specific relation between educational attainment as well as enrolment and becoming a parent. The data for this study are drawn from two large-scale panel studies, the Panel Study of Belgian Households (PSBH) and the British Household Panel Survey (BHPS), and are used to construct first birth, educational and partnership trajectories. The dependency of the duration until the first live birth on educational characteristics and other factors is analysed using methods for event history analysis. The main findings of the study are that, first, there is a positive relation between educational attainment and the timing of entering parenthood; second, higher educated Belgian men and women accelerate the entry into parenthood after leaving the education system; and third, the relation between educational characteristics and first births is context-specific. These results suggest an incompatibility between motherhood and women's labour market activity and indicate that institutional as well as socio-cultural factors could mediate the relation between education and fertility. The study therefore provides a strong argument for explicitly incorporating the examination of life-course-, gender- and context-specific effects of educational characteristics on fertility in the research.


The methods of image processing for problems of detection and the analysis of movements and detection of concrete objects moving in video surveillance systems and other applications are considered. The field of speeds received by means of optical streams allows to analyze complex situations with which does not consult classical difference method, for example, the analysis of movement in crowd, or allocation of the person on strong disturbance images. The field of speeds is broken on cluster which allocate separate elements in complex area. For the detection on the personnel of objects is proposed the method, based on the theory of the ideas of continuous groups, which makes it possible to carry out a Fourier analysis relative to special functions, in the best way fitted out for the specific transformation groups, for example, group of the motions of plane. The analogs of the theorem about the roll and of the properties of Fourier transform make it possible instead of the labor-consuming correlation method to manage with the calculation of the pair of integrals.


Background: Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women and the leading cause of female cancer deaths worldwide. Obesity causes chronic inflammation and is a risk factor for post-menopausal breast cancer and poor prognosis. Obesity triggers increased infiltration of macrophages into adipose tissue, yet little research has focused on the effects of macrophages in early stages of breast tumor development in obese patients. In this study, the effects of pro-inflammatory macrophages on breast cancer–adipocyte crosstalk were investigated. Methods: An innovative human cell co-culture system was built and used to model the paracrine interactions among adipocytes, macrophages, and breast cancer cells and how they facilitate tumor progression. The effects on cancer cells were examined using cell counts and migration assays. Quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction was used to measure the expression levels of several cytokines and proteases to analyze adipocyte cancer association. Results: Macrophage-conditioned media intensified the effects of breast cancer–adipocyte crosstalk. Adipocytes became delipidated and increased production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, even in the absence of cancer cells, although the expression levels were highest with all three cell components. As a result, co-cultured breast cancer cells became more aggressive, with increased proliferation and migration compared to adipocyte–breast cancer co-cultures treated with unconditioned media. Conclusions: A novel co-culture model was built to evaluate the crosstalk among human macrophages, adipocytes, and breast cancer cells. We found that macrophages may contribute to adipocyte inflammation and cancer association and thus promote breast cancer progression.


Various indices of use of Internet pornography have drawn attention to the extent of adult sexual interest in children; clinical experience and now research evidence are accumulating to suggest that the Internet is not simply drawing attention to those with existing paedophilic interests, but is contributing to the crystallisation of those interests in people with no explicit prior sexual interest in children. Drawing on clinical experience in a specialist NHS outpatient psychotherapy service, the author argues that a dichotomous notion of paedophilia is no longer tenable, and any model of paedophilia needs to take account of eruptions of a sexual interest in children in those who appear not to be consistently paedophilic and who have had adult-to-adult sexual relationships. This phenomenon is analysed in two ways: first, by considering how it is that the adult sexual adaptation might 'unravel' under the influence of Internet sex to reveal underlying paedophilic currents and second, by revisiting general and psychoanalytic theories of paedophilia and by considering how predisposing factors to paedophilia might be amplified through access to Internet pornography.


Abstract— Studies of several samples of the large Caddo County IAB iron meteorite reveal andesitic material enriched in Si, Na, Al, and Ca, which is essentially unique among meteorites. This material is believed to have formed from a chondritic source by partial melting and to have further segregated by grain coarsening. Such an origin implies extended metamorphism of the IAB parent body. New 39Ar‐40Ar ages for silicate from three different Caddo samples are consistent with a common age of 4.50‐4.51 Gyr. Less well‐defined Ar‐Ar degassing ages for inclusions from two other IABs, EET (Elephant Moraine) 83333 and Udei Station, are ˜4.32 Gyr, whereas the age for Campo del Cielo varies considerably over about 3.23‐4.56 Gyr. New 129I‐129Xe ages for Caddo County and EET 83333 are 4557.9 ± 0.1 Myr and 4557–4560 Myr, respectively, relative to an age of 4562.3 Myr for Shallowater. Considering all reported Ar‐Ar degassing ages for IABs and related winonaites, the range is ˜4.32‐4.53 Gyr, but several IABs give similar Ar ages of 4.50‐4.52 Gyr. We interpret these older Ar ages to represent cooling after the time of last significant metamorphism on the parent body and the younger ages to represent later 40Ar diffusion loss. The older Ar‐Ar ages for IABs are similar to Sm‐Nd and Rb‐Sr isochron ages reported in the literature for Caddo County. Considering the possibility that IAB parent body formation was followed by impact disruption, reassembly, and metamorphism (e.g., Benedix et al. 2000), the Ar‐Ar ages and IAB cooling rates deduced from Ni concentration profiles in IAB metal (Herpfer et al. 1994) are consistent if the time of the postassembly metamorphism was as late as about 4.53 Gyr ago. However, I‐Xe ages reported for some IABs define much older ages of about 4558–4566 Myr, which cannot easily be reconciled with the much younger Ar‐Ar and Sm‐Nd ages. An explanation for the difference in radiometric ages of IABs may reside in combinations of the following: a) I‐Xe ages have very high closure temperatures and were not reset during metamorphism about 4.53 Gyr ago; b) a bias exists in the 40K decay constants which makes these Ar‐Ar ages approximately 30 Myr too young; c) the reported Sm‐Nd and Rb‐Sr ages for Caddo are in error by amounts equal to or exceeding their reported 2‐sigma uncertainties; and d) about 30 Myr after the initial heating that produced differentiation of Caddo silicate and mixing of silicate and metal, a mild metamorphism of the IAB parent body reset the Ar‐Ar ages.


OBJECTIVE
With the developments in patient management and the increase in surgical experience, the use of laparoscopy in liver resections has become widespread. However, with the consensus meetings and international recommendations, laparoscopic liver resections have been tried to be standardized. We aimed to present this laparoscopic liver resection experience by comparing open and laparoscopic techniques.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Patients who underwent liver resections between 2015 and 2022 were retrospectively screened and divided into 2 groups as laparoscopic liver resections and patients who underwent liver resection with open surgery. Indications, resection techniques, operative times, length of hospital stay, early hospital mortality, and complications were compared between both groups using statistical methods.

RESULTS
Laparoscopic surgery was performed in 31 (14%) patients, and open surgery was performed in 189 (86%). The mean operation time was 316 ± 168.2 minutes in patients who underwent laparoscopic liver resection. It was 329.4 ± 123.6 in the open surgery group. The length of hospital stay was 11.6 ± 4.9 days in patients who underwent laparoscopic liver resection, while it was 19.7 ± 12.1 days in patients who underwent open surgery. The difference between the length of hospital stay was statistically significant (Mann-Whitney U-test, P=.00). There was no difference between the 2 groups in terms of complications and early mortality.

CONCLUSION
Laparoscopic liver resections are a safe method that can be applied in 3 or less segment resections. As the experience of the surgical team increases, it can be safely applied for major hepatectomies.


Abstract The iniferter technique was applied to synthesize a block copolymer of methacrylonitrile (MAN) and 2,3,3,4,4, 4- hexafluorobutylmethacrylate (HFMA). Phenylazotriphenyl methane (PAT) was used as initiator for thermally initiated polymerization which proceeded via quasi-living radical mechanism. This wag informed from the fact that yield and molecular weight (Mn) of the polymers increased with reaction time. The prepolymer obtained from one monomer was used as polymeric iniferter for the polymerization of the other monomer. This way block copolymers were obtained.


Microwave mutagenesis of Brevibacillus parabrevis for enhanced cellulase production was attempted. Though microwave treatment could alter the cellulase activity of the test bacterium, none of the mutants obtained were found to be genetically stable, indicating the reversible nature of microwave-induced mutation(s). Thermal stability of the B. parabrevis cellulase was also investigated. This enzyme was found to be capable of retaining its activity even after heat treatment (50-121°C, for 30-60 min). Fluorescence spectrum revealed a red shift in the emission maxima of the heat-treated enzyme preparations, indicating some structural change upon heating, but no major loss of activity was observed. This enzyme was found to be active over a broad temp range, with 90°C as the optimum temp, which is interesting as the producing organism is a mesophile.


OH groups on hydroxyapatite (HA) and calcium metaphosphate (CMP) were evaluated by grafting tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) and 3-aminopropyltriethyloxysilane (3-APTES) which can bond covalently with OH group of ceramic biomaterials. The prepared HA and CMP disks were soaked in pH 2 and 5 of acidic water and ethanol solution respectively, where pH change of each solution was measured during soaking of samples. After grafting TEOS and 3-APTES on HA and CMP disks, samples were ultrasonically cleaned in distilled water and soaked in pH 5 of ethanol solution, and pH measurement was carried out in the same manner. The pH value of HA and CMP in aqueous solution at pH 2 increased with time continuously, resulting from dissolution of HA and CMP by acidic condition on surface. At pH 5 in aqueous solution, it was the same though the pH increase was smaller. In case of ethanol at pH 5 with HA, though pH value went up slightly, the curve became saturated with time, while there was no change in pH with CMP. After grafting TEOS and 3-APTES, pH values were stabilized with few changes, indicating that there was no direct chemical reaction between the acidic media and the surface of samples due to covalently grafted TEOS and 3-APTES layer. In conclusion, it was confirmed that OH group on the surface of HA was crystallographic and chemical one rather than physically adsorbed one by grafting TEOS or 3-APTES and it will serve an effective binding site for calcium and phosphate ions, or minerals.


In this work, we investigate general mechanistic principles that control reaction selectivity following S(1)/S(0) internal conversion in benzene. A systematic relationship is drawn between the varying topology of an extended seam of conical intersection and the balance between two competitive radiationless decay channels: photophysical (benzene reactant regeneration) and photochemical (prefulvene product formation). This is supported by a model quantum dynamics study, using a direct dynamics approach based on variational multiconfiguration Gaussian wavepackets, where initial excitation of specific vibrational modes is designed to generate dynamical pathways that reach selected targets regions of the seam. High-energy regions of the seam are found to be sloped and in favor of the photophysical channel, while lower-energy regions are peaked and give access to the photochemical channel. This changeover could in principle be exploited to define targets for optimal control, by exciting different combinations of specific vibronic levels in S(1), accessing different regions of the seam, and giving different products.


The COVID-19 global health crisis is an issue of survival for individuals and communities worldwide. With its widespread consequences manifested at every level of the society, concerns about how to adapt to the new normal are rising. This study explores the lived experiences of second-year undergraduate university students located in urban Pakistan amid the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, in March to May 2020. Drawing on a participatory research approach, students as participants adopted a photovoice methodology to document, share, and analyze their new life realities. The themes that emerged from the data include fear, anxiety, isolation, relationships and hope, among others. Feelings of agency, empathy and a desire for community action were observed in the photo narratives shared by the participants, as they discussed their health, academic, and communication challenges while struggling to conform to the present circumstances.


Preamorphization of ultrashallow implanted boron in silicon on insulator is optimized to produce an abrupt boxlike doping profile with negligible electrical deactivation and significantly reduced transient enhanced diffusion. The effect is achieved by positioning the as-implanted amorphous/crystalline interface close to the buried oxide interface to minimize interstitials while leaving a single-crystal seed to support solid-phase epitaxy. Results support the idea that the interface between the Si overlayer and the buried oxide is an efficient interstitial sink.


One of the major issues confronted by the agencies formulating polices for water supply projects in developing countries is how to achieve efficiency, equity and sustainability. Achieving these objectives warrants an understanding of the determinants of household behaviour towards various aspects of water supply projects, such as improved water supply services and the associated willingness to pay value for specified services. Since these determinants are site-specific in nature, it is imperative that the water supply authorities identify and accommodate these factors appropriately in water supply policies. This paper discusses the results of a case study that looked into identification of such determinants of household behavior in relation to improved water supply services in a peri-urban context in Tamil Nadu, India.


This collection of papers explores the theme of phonological strength. The general notion of strength plays a central role in explaining a variety of apparently disparate phonological effects relating to language acquisition, tone and pitch accent patterns, as well as segmental distribution. The authors analyze data from a wide range of languages and from a number of current theoretical perspectives.


Summary
There are two phases of immunity in intestinal nematode infections, (a) a general parenteral immunity stimulated mainly by metabolic products of growing and developing larvae during a period of parenteral migration or mucosal burrowing, and (b) a local intestinal immunity stimulated by metabolic products of adult reproducing worms. In worms like Nippostrongylus, Stongyloides, and Trichinella, which feed on intestinal mucosa as adults, the intestinal immunity plays a dominant and important part in the functional immunity of the host, causing a powerful and rapidly-developing resistance to reinfection, but against blood-suckers like hookworms and Haemonchus there is no effective local intestinal immunity. Reaction against these worms depends upon the less powerful and more slowly developing parenteral immunity, which becomes effective only after long-continued reinfection. Some Ascaridata, e.g., Ascaridia and Heterakis, stimulate a rapid and effective acquired resistance in spite of the fact that they are commonly thought to feed mainly on intestinal contents, suggesting that they may have some dependence on living mucosal cells throughout their lives and not merely during the period of initial burrowing.


A method for the reduction of radiated electromagnetic interference (EMI) from a rectangular D Subminiature connector is described. The approach discussed relies upon the addition of a shielded backshell, a cable strain relief, shell grounding members, and an insulated housing. These additions are adaptable to most installations where shielded cable is terminated to this style connector. The benefits derived are effective in managing spurious radiated emissions.


Transportation and transformation of photogenerated carriers during the photocatalytic process of graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) are restricted by the low surface area and insufficient charge separation efficiency. Exfoliation of g-C3N4 into few layered nanosheets is an ideal method to resolve these problems. This work provides a green and facile method to prepare g-C3N4 nanosheets with outstanding photocatalytic H2O2 production ability via NaClO hydrothermal treatment. This simple process could readily be extended to a kilogram scale. XRD, UV-vis, N2 adsorption, SEM, TEM, XPS, O2-TPD, EIS and PL were used to characterize the catalysts. Taking advantages of both the oxidation effect of ClO− and the intercalation effect of Na+, the obtained g-C3N4 nanosheets display a specific surface area as high as 145.6 m2 g−1. The carbon vacancies formed by NaClO treatment could promote the O2 adsorption capacity of the catalyst and then activate the adsorbed O2 molecule. The charge separation efficiency and redox ability of g-C3N4 nanosheets are also promoted compared with bulk g-C3N4, leading to the obviously improved H2O2 production ability. In addition, the obtained g-C3N4 nanosheets show higher photocatalytic performance than that prepared by chemical oxidation exfoliation, thermal exfoliation and intercalation exfoliation methods. This confirms that NaClO hydrothermal treatment is a more green, facile and effective method to prepare g-C3N4 nanosheet photocatalysts with outstanding performance.


ABSTRACT Purpose: There is still a lack of knowledge regarding which social processes occur in sport clubs and what factors influence young adults to want to remain in a sport club context. Thus, the purpose of this study was to construct a grounded theory (GT) explaining how sport clubs can retain their young adults. Method: The study uses an intersectional approach. In line with constructivist GT methodology, data from 14 focus-group interviews (27 coaches and 28 young adults) were collected and analysed using a constant comparative method. Results: The core category, "The individual at the centre of a community", summarizes a process, whereby the generated GT contains three main categories, namely (1) "Participation and influence", (2) "Social connectedness" and (3) "Good conditions". Conclusions: The coaches put the individual at the centre of a community and pay attention to the needs and interests of all the young adults, regardless of their background, ambitions, and skills. However, while the idea of a moral imperative to provide for diversity was not directly absent in the discussions with both the coaches and young adults, most of the diversity approaches seemed to be based on ambition and skills, gender, age and sexuality.


Seasonal grazing of the fish Sarpa salpa (L.), the urchin Paracentrotus lividus Lamarck and the isopods Idotea spp. was compared with the C/N ratio of adult and intermediate leaves and epiphytes of Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile, collected at three different depths. Despite seasonal differences in grazing, herbivores showed preferences throughout the year for adult leaves with more epiphyte and higher N contents. The maximum grazing on adult and intermediate leaves was observed in September and in June for fish and in March for urchins, whereas it was irregular for isopods. Grazing by the three herbivores was not related to their preference for leaves or epiphytes, notwithstanding the seasonal differences in their C and N contents. We concluded that herbivores show no preference for food type throughout the year and that seasonal consumption of P. oceanica is related mainly to herbivore behaviour.


This paper describes an automatic singing transcription (AST) method that estimates a human-readable musical score of a sung melody from an input music signal. Because of the considerable pitch and temporal variation of a singing voice, a naive cascading approach that estimates an F0 contour and quantizes it with estimated tatum times cannot avoid many pitch and rhythm errors. To solve this problem, we formulate a unified generative model of a music signal that consists of a semi-Markov language model representing the generative process of latent musical notes conditioned on musical keys and an acoustic model based on a convolutional recurrent neural network (CRNN) representing the generative process of an observed music signal from the notes. The resulting CRNN-HSMM hybrid model enables us to estimate the most-likely musical notes from a music signal with the Viterbi algorithm, while leveraging both the grammatical knowledge about musical notes and the expressive power of the CRNN. The experimental results showed that the proposed method outperformed the conventional state-of-the-art method and the integration of the musical language model with the acoustic model has a positive effect on the AST performance.


For the problem of higher transverse sensitivity ratio of the cymbal piezoelectric vibration acceleration sensors, a mathematical model of output voltage sensitivity is established which employ orthogonal and array methods to reduce the transverse sensitivity ratio of the piezoelectric vibration acceleration sensor. Two compensation methods are designed. The results showed that the array and orthogonal methods can decrease the effect of the transverse interference of acceleration sensor effectively and control the relative error in a smaller range, improve the measurement accuracy of the sensors.


This paper examines whether, by requiring firms to base their discount rate assumption on current "high-quality" corporate bond yields, current pension standards produce less decision-useful estimates of pension obligations relative to the methodology used to calculate pension obligations under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). To assess decision-usefulness, I investigate how well alternative measures of firms' pension obligations reflect information used by investors and creditors relative to reported obligations (PBOGAAP). Using hand-collected data, I calculate alternative measures of firms' pension obligations using discount rates based on historical bond yields, similar to ERISA methodology. I find that PBOGAAP is a more credit relevant estimate of firms' pension obligations relative to all the alternative PBO estimates I calculate. However, I do not find a significant difference in the ability of PBOGAAP to explain equity prices relative to an alternative measure calculated using a discount rate assumption based on a 10-year historical average of bond yields. Using a pre-/post- financial crisis design, I provide weak evidence that this result could be consistent with investors doubting the usefulness of PBOGAAP in the post-financial crisis era due to the unique interest rate environment that existed during this time. The findings of this paper speak to the differences in the informational needs of investors and creditors. They may also inform standard setters about the usefulness of the pension obligation estimates produced by the current standards by investigating whether the usefulness of these estimates is affected by the interest rate environment in which they are calculated.


To assess myofilament overlap during locomotion, we estimated the length of myosin and actin filaments in axial red and white muscle of carp. Myosin filament lengths were 1.52 +/- 0.009 and 1.50 +/- 0.037 micron (means +/- SD) in the red and white muscle, respectively, as measured from thin sections. After correction for shrinkage (using the troponin-based 385-A axial periodicity), thin filaments were 0.96 +/- 0.009 and 0.97 +/- 0.023 micron in the red and white muscles, respectively. Filaments were also isolated from the white muscle and negatively stained. Myosin filaments were 1.56 +/- 0.025 microns, and actin filaments were 0.99 +/- 0.024 micron in length. The data from thin sections and isolated filaments agreed within 2% for actin and 4% for myosin filaments. The number of actin filament periods (24 for the red and white muscle) and the length of the filaments are the same as in frog. This suggests that the classic sarcomere length-tension curve of frog muscle may be used to estimate the functional properties of carp red and white muscle.


Although consistent phenotypic selection arising from biotic interactions is thought to be the primary cause of adaptive diversification, studies documenting such selection are relatively few. Here we analyze 12 episodes of phenotypic selection exerted by a predispersal seed predator, the red crossbill (Loxia curvirostra complex), on five species of pines (Pinus). We find that even though the intensity of selection for some traits increased with the strength of the interaction (i.e., proportion of seeds eaten), the relative strength of selection exerted by crossbills on cone and seed traits is replicated across space and time and among species. Such selection (1) can account for repeated patterns of conifer cone evolution and escalation in seed defenses with time and (2) suggests that variation in selection is less the result of variation intrinsic to pairwise biotic interactions than, for example, variation in relative densities of the interacting species, community context, and abiotic factors.


A recommendation system uses the past purchases or ratings of n products by a group of m users, in order to provide personalized recommendations to individual users. The information is modeled as an m×n preference matrix which is assumed to have a good rank-k approximation, for a small constant k. In this work, we present a quantum algorithm for recommendation systems that has running time O(poly(k)polylog(mn)). All known classical algorithms for recommendation systems that work through reconstructing an approximation of the preference matrix run in time polynomial in the matrix dimension. Our algorithm provides good recommendations by sampling efficiently from an approximation of the preference matrix, without reconstructing the entire matrix. For this, we design an efficient quantum procedure to project a given vector onto the row space of a given matrix. This is the first algorithm for recommendation systems that runs in time polylogarithmic in the dimensions of the matrix and provides an example of a quantum machine learning algorithm for a real world application.


This work is a description of Tajio, a Western Malayo-Polynesian language spoken in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. It covers the essential aspects of Tajio grammar without being exhaustive. Tajio has a medium sized phoneme inventory consisting of twenty consonants and five vowels. The language does not have lexical (word) stress; rather, it has a phrasal accent. This phrasal accent regularly occurs on the penultimate syllable of an intonational phrase, rendering this syllable auditorily prominent through a pitch rise.
Possible syllable structures in Tajio are (C)V(C). CVN structures are allowed as closed syllables, but CVN syllables in word-medial position are not frequent. As in other languages in the area, the only sequence of consonants allowed in native Tajio words are sequences of nasals followed by a homorganic obstruent. The homorganic nasal-obstruent sequences found in Tajio can occur word-initially and word-medially but never in word-final position.
As in many Austronesian languages, word class classification in Tajio is not straightforward. The classification of words in Tajio must be carried out on two levels: the morphosyntactic level and the lexical level. The open word classes in Tajio consist of nouns and verbs. Verbs are further divided into intransitive verbs (dynamic intransitive verbs and statives) and dynamic transitive verbs. Based on their morphological potential, lexical roots in Tajio fall into three classes: single-class roots, dual-class roots and multi-class roots.
There are two basic transitive constructions in Tajio: Actor Voice and Undergoer Voice, where the actor or undergoer argument respectively serves as subjects. It shares many characteristics with symmetrical voice languages, yet it is not fully symmetric, as arguments in AV and UV are not equally marked. Neither subjects nor objects are marked in AV constructions. In UV constructions, however, subjects are unmarked while objects are marked either by prefixation or clitization.
Evidence from relativization, control and raising constructions supports the analysis that AV and UV are in fact transitive, with subject arguments and object arguments behaving alike in both voices. Only the subject can be relativized, controlled, raised or function as the implicit subject of subjectless adverbial clauses. In contrast, the objects of AV and UV constructions do not exhibit these features.
Tajio is a predominantly head-marking language with basic A-V-O constituent order. V and O form a constituent, and the subject can either precede or follow this complex. Thus, basic word order is S-V-O or V-O-S. Subject, as well as non-subject arguments, may be omitted when contextually specified. Verbs are marked for voice and mood, the latter of which is is obligatory. The two values distinguished are realis and non-realis.
Depending on the type of predicate involved in clause formation, three clause types can be distinguished: verbal clauses, existential clauses and non-verbal clauses. Tajio has a small number of multi-verbal structures that appear to qualify as serial verb constructions. SVCs in Tajio always include a motion verb or a directional.


The effects of biochar and biochar combined with N-fertilizer on the content of soil organic matter in water-stable aggregates were investigated. A field experiment was conducted with different biochar application rates: B0 control (0 t ha-1), B10 (10 t ha-1) and B20 (20 t ha-1) and 0 (no N), 1st and 2nd levels of nitrogen fertilization on silt loam Haplic Luvisol (Dolna Malanta, Slovakia), in 2014. The N doses of level 1 were calculated on required average crop production using balance method. Level 2 included additional 100% of N in year 2014 and additional 50% of N in year 2016. The effects were investigated during the growing seasons of spring barley and spring wheat in 2014 and 2016, respectively. Results indicate that the B20N2 treatment significantly increased the proportion of water-stable macro-aggregates (WSAma) and reduced water-stable micro-aggregates (WSAmi). Aggregate stability increased only in the B20N1 treatment. The B20N2 treatment showed a robust decrease by 27% in the WSAma of 0.5-0.25 mm. On the other hand, an increase by 56% was observed in the content of WSAma with fractions 3-2 mm compared to the B0N0 treatment. The effect of N fertilizer on WSAma was confirmed only in the case of the B10N2 treatment. The proportion of WSAma with fractions 3-2 mm decreased by 42%, while the size fraction of 0.5-0.25 mm increased by 30% compared to the B10N0 treatment. The content of WSAma with fractions 1-0.5 mm decreased with time. On the contrary, the content of WSAma with particle sizes above 5 mm increased with time in all treatments except the B10N2 and B20N2 treatments. A statistically significant trend was identified in the proportion of WSA in the B10N2 and B20N2 treatments, which indicates that biochar with higher application levels of N fertilizer stabilizes the proportion of water-stable aggregates. In all treatments, the content of soil organic carbon (SOC) and labile carbon (CL) in WSAmi was lower than those in WSAma. A considerable decrease of SOC in the WSAma >5 mm and an increase of SOC in WSAmi were observed when biochar was applied at the rate of 10 t ha-1. Contents of SOC in WSAmi increased as a result of adding biochar combined with N fertilizer at first level. CL in WSA significantly increased in all size fractions of WSA.References Abiven S., Hund A., Martinsen V., Cornelissen G., 2015. Biochar amendment increases maize root surface areas and branching: a shovelomics study in Zambia. Plant Soil, 342, 1-11. Agegnehu G., Bass A.M., Nelson P.N., and Bird M.I., 2016. Benefits of biochar, compost and biochar–compost for soil quality, maize yield and greenhouse gas emissions in a tropical agricultural soil. Sci. Tot. Environ., 543, 295-306. Angers D.A., Samson N., Legere A., 1993. 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Sensitivity of labile soil organic carbon pools to long-term fertilizer, straw and manure management in rice-wheat system. Pedosphere, 25, 534-545. Benbi D.K., Brar K., Toor A.S., Singh P., Singh H., 2012. Soil carbon pools under poplar-based agroforestry, rice-wheat, and maize-wheat cropping systems in semi-arid India. Nutr. Cycl. Agroecosys., 92, 107-118. Blanco-Canqui H., Lal L., 2004. Mechanisms of carbon sequestration in soil aggregates. Crit. Rev. Plant Sci., 23, 481-504. Brevik E.C., Cerda A., Mataix-Solera J., Pereg L., Quinton J.N., Six J., Van Oost K., 2015. The interdisciplinary nature of SOIL. SOIL, 1, 117-129. Brodowski S., John B., Flessa H., Amelung W., 2006. Aggregate-occluded black carbon in soil. Eur. J. Soil Sci., 57, 539-546. Bronick C.J., Lal R., 2005. The soil structure and land management: a review. Geoderma, 124, 3-22. Chenu C., Plante A., 2006. Clay-sized organo-mineral complexes in a cultivation chronosequece: revisiting the concept of the "primary organo-mineral complex". Eur. J. Soil Sci., 56, 596-607. Dziadowiec H., Gonet S.S., 1999. Methodical guide-book for soil organic matter studies.  Polish Society of Soil Science, Warszawa, 65p. Elliott E.T., 1986. Aggregate structure and carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus in native and cultivated soils. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J., 50, 627-633. Fischer D., Glaser B., 2012. Synergisms between compost and biochar for sustainable soil amelioration, In: Kumar S. (ed.): Management of Organic Waste, In Tech Europe, Rijeka, 167-198. Glaser B., Lehmann J., Zech W., 2002. Ameliorating physical and chemical properties of highly weathered soils in the tropics with charcoal - a review. Biol. Fertil. Soils., 35, 219-230. Heitkotter J., and B. Marschner, 2015. Interactive effects of biochar ageing in soils related to feedstock, pyrolysis temperature, and historic charcoal production. Geoderma, 245-246, 56-64. Herath H.M.S.K., Camps-Arbestain M., Hedley M., 2013. Effect of biochar on soil physical properties in two contrasting soils: an Alfisol and an Andisol. Geoderma, 209-210, 188-197. Hillel D., 1982, Introduction to soil physics. Academic Press, San Diego, CA , 364 p. Chenu C., Plante A., 2006. Clay-sized organo-mineral complexes in a cultivation chronosequence: revisiting the concept of the "primary organo-mineral complex". Eur. J. Soil Sci., 56, 596-607. IUSS Working Group WRB., 2014. World reference base for soil resources 2014. International soil classification system for naming soils and creating legends for soil maps. World Soil Resources Reports, 106, FAO, Rome., 112p. Jeffery S., Verheijen F.G.A., Van der Velde M., Bastos A.C., 2011. A quantitative review of the effects of biochar application to soils on crop productivity using meta-analysis. Agr. Ecosys. Environ., 144, 175-187. Jien S.H., Wang Ch.S., 2013. Effects of biochar on soil properties and erosion potential in a highly weathered soil. Catena, 110, 225-233. Kammann C., Linsel S., Goßling J., Koyro H.W., 2011. Influence of biochar on drought tolerance of Chenopodium quinoa Willd and on soil-plant relations. Plant Soil, 345, 195-210. Kodesova R., Nemecek K., Zigova A., Nikodem A., Fer M., 2015. Using dye tracer for visualizing roots I pact on soil structure and soil porous system. Biologia, 70, 1439-1443. Krol, A., Lipiec, J.,  Turski, M., J. Kuoe, 2013. Effects of organic and conventional management on physical properties of soil aggregates. Int. Agrophys., 27, 15-21. Kurakov A.V., Kharin S.A., 2012. The Formation of Water-Stable Coprolite Aggregates in Soddy-Podzolic Soils and the Participation of Fungi in This Process. Eur. Soil Sci., 45, 429-434. Loginow W., Wisniewski W., Gonet S.S., Ciescinska B., 1987. Fractionation of organic carbon based on susceptibility to oxidation. Pol. J. Soil Sci., 20, 47-52. Lynch, J.M., and E. Bragg, 1985. Microorganisms and soil aggregate stability. Adv. Soil Sci., 2, 133-171. MHYPERLINK "about:blank"unkholm L.J., Schjonning P., Debosz K., Jensen H.E., Christensen B.T., 2002. Aggregate strength and mechanical behaviour of a sandy loam soil under long-term fertilization treatments. Eur. J. Soil Sci., 53, 129-137. Paradelo R., Van Oort F., Chenu C., 2013. Water-dispersible clay in bare fallow soils after 80 years of continuous fertilizer addition. Geoderma, 200-201, 40-44. Purakayastha T.J., Kumari S., Pathak H., 2015. Characterisation, stability, and microbial effects of four biochars produced from crop residues. Geoderma, 239-240, 293-303. Rees F., Germain C., Sterckeman T., Morel J.L., 2015. Plant growth and metal uptake by a non-hyperaccumulating species (Lolium perenne) and a Cd-Zn hyperaccumulator (Noccaea caerulescens) in contaminated soils amended with biochar. Plant Soil, 395, 57-73. Saha D., Kukal S.S., Sharma S., 2011. Land use impacts on SOC fractions and aggregate stability in typic Ustochrepts of Northwest India. Plant Soil, 339, 457-470. Six J., Bossuyt H., Degryze S., Denef  K., 2004. A history of research on the link between (micro)aggregates, soil biota, and soil organic matter dynamics. Soil Till. Res., 79, 7-31. Six J., Elliott E.T., Paustian K., 2000. Soil macroaggregate turnover and microaggregate formation: A mechanism for C sequestration under no-tillage agriculture. Soil Biol. Biochem., 32, 2099-2103. Soinne H., Hovi J., Tammeorg P., Turtola E., 2014. Effect of biochar on phosphorus sorption and clay soil aggregate stability. Geoderma, 219-220, 162-167. Simansky V., 2013. Soil organic matter in water-stable aggregates under different soil management practices in a productive vineyard. Arch. Agron. Soil Sci., 59(9), 1207-1214. Simansky V., Jonczak J., 2016. Water-stable aggregates as a key element in the stabilization of soil organic matter in the Chernozems. Carp. J. Earth Environ. Sci., 11, 511-517. Simon T., Javurek M., Mikanova O., Vach M., 2009. The influence of tillage systems on soil organic matter and soil hydrophobicity. Soil Till, Res., 105, 44-48. Tiessen H., Stewart J.W.B., 1988. Light and electron microscopy of stainedmicroaggregates: the role of organic matter and microbes in soil aggregation. Biogeochemistry, 5, 312-322. Tisdall J.M., Oades J.M., 1980. The effect of crop rotation on aggregation in a red-brown earth. Austr. J. Soil Res., 18, 423-433. Vadjunina A.F., Korchagina Z.A., 1986. Methods of Study of Soil Physical Proper


With increasing prevalence due to an ageing population, carotid artery stenosis is a significant cause of stroke morbidity and mortality. The indication for revascularisation treatment in symptomatic carotid stenosis is widely documented and accepted in the scientific community. However, treatment of asymptomatic carotid stenosis remains controversial. We report a case of a 78-year-old woman who was admitted with a convexity subarachnoid haemorrhage (cSAH) secondary to an asymptomatic high-grade carotid artery stenosis. Two months later, she suffered an atherothrombotic ischaemic stroke and was referred to surgery. Transcranial Doppler studies showed impaired cerebral vasoreactivity and, after endarterectomy, the patient developed a reperfusion syndrome; both findings consisting of exhausted collaterals as the underlying mechanism. We propose that cSAH secondary to a high-grade internal carotid artery stenosis is a high risk marker for stroke, and revascularisation therapy should be considered.


James's essays on art and exhibitions written between the 1870s and the end of the century illustrate his attention to the composition of the art exhibition within the space of the gallery or museum. James's perception of art exhibit design and effect inform his representation of Mrs. Gareth's art collection and its setting in The Spoils of Poynton (1897). As James looked to art and the art exhibit for models to represent 'the workings of the novel', The Spoils of Poynton suggests the impossibility of artistic 'completeness' within the realistic aesthetic.


Study Design In a prospective, single-blinded study, the incidence of false-positive screening tests for sacroiliac joint dysfunction was investigated using the standing flexion, seated flexion, and Gillet tests in 101 asymptomatic subjects. Objectives This study determined if these commonly used sacroiliac screening tests can be abnormal in an asymptomatic population. Summary of Background Data The sacroiliac joint is a potential source of back and leg pain. One condition affecting this joint is termed sacroiliac joint dysfunction. Diagnosis of this is made primerily by physical examination using screening tests as preliminary diagnostic tools. These screening tests evaluate for asymmetry in sacroiliac motion due to a relative, unilateral hypomobility in one the sacroiliac joints. The specificity of these tests, however, has not been thoroughly evaluated in a well-selected asymptomatic population. Methods A single-blinded examiner performed the standing flexion, seated flexion, and Gillet tests on all subjects. An asymptomatic and a symptomatic group were studied. Results Overall, 20% of asymptomatic individuals had positive findings in one or more of these tests. The specific percentage of false positives are reported by test, age, sex, and side. Conclusion This study suggests that asymmetry in sacroiliac motion due to relative hypomobility as determined by these tests can occur in asymptomatic joints. Obviously, one should not rely solely on these tests to diagnose symptomatic sacroiliac dysfunction.


Academic Department of Psychiatry St Mary's Hospital Medical School London W2 INY peripheral neuropathy, although nerve conduction studies are not mentioned). This resting tremor is almost invariably accompanied by an additional postural tremor. Although this 'neuropathic' tremor is well recognized in neurological circles, its pathophysiological basis is unclear, since its presence and severity seem to bear no simple relationship to deafferentation, particularly in respect to posterior column sensation'. Indeed, a central, but immunologically mediated, contribution cannot be entirely ruled out. Despite this disagreement concerning the underlying defect, I fully agree that every patient with an unusual tremor and signs of a peripheral neuropathy should have their serum proteins (including immunoglobulin levels) determined. Finally, I suggest that a more appropriate title might be 'Pseudoparkinsonian tremor and dysgammaglobulinaemic polyneuropathy'. N QUINN Institute of Neurology Queen Square, London WCIN 3BG


Objective: To explore the long-term safety and efficacy of canine allogeneic mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) administered intra-articularly as single or repeated injections in appendicular joints of dogs affected by moderate to severe refractory osteoarthritis. Study Design: 22 pet dogs were recruited into a non-randomized, open and monocentric study initially administering one cellular injection. A second injection was offered after 6 months to owners if the first injection did not produce expected results. Materials and Methods: Anti-inflammatory treatment (if prescribed) was discontinued at last one week before the onset of treatment. Each injection consisted of at least 10 million viable neonatal allogeneic mesenchymal stromal cells obtained from fetal adnexa. Medical data was collected from veterinary clinical evaluations of joints up to 6 months post-injection and owner's assessment of their dog's mobility and well-being followed for a further 2 years when possible. Results: Mild, immediate self-limiting inflammatory joint reactions were observed in 5/22 joints after the first injection, and in almost all dogs having a subsequent injection. No other MSC-related adverse medical events were reported, neither during the 6 months follow up visits, nor during the long-term (2-years) safety follow up. Veterinary clinical evaluation showed a significant and durable clinical improvement (up to 6 months) following MSC administration. Eight dogs (11 joints) were re-injected 6 months apart, sustaining clinical benefits up to 1 year. Owner's global satisfaction reached 75% at 2 years post-treatment Conclusion: Our data suggest that a single or repeated intra-articular administration of neonatal MSC in dogs with moderate to severe OA is a safe procedure and confer clinical benefits over a 24-month period. When humoral response against MSC is investigated by flow cytometry, a positive mild and transient signal was detected in only one dog from the studied cohort, this dog having had a positive clinical outcome.


Indoor environment quality can be used to rank the building performance. Environmental parameters involve operative or room temperature, predicted mean vote, predicted percentage of thermally satisfied, predicted percentage dissatisfied, air velocity, relative humidity, indoor air quality and so on. One or more parameters can be possible to establish a corresponding range for building classes. Average CO2 concentration level can be used as the index of indoor air quality to measure the office buildings or public places. Various authors in different climates or zones proposed different baseline for building grades. It should be develop a scientific methodology or evaluation system to give the convincing classification and explanation.


The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) is a serine/threonine kinase that in association with Raptor, mLST8, PRAS40 and Deptor forms a complex (mTORC1) playing the key role in the regulation of protein biosynthesis, transcription, cellular metabolism, apoptosis and autophagy; mainly via direct phosphorylation of S6 kinases. mTORC1 is activated by growth factors and amino acids via the activation of Rheb GTPase. In the current study, we demonstrate for the first time that the over-expression of Rabin8, which functions as a guanine nucleotide exchange factor for Rab8 GTPase, suppresses phosphorylation of Ser235/Ser236 in ribosomal protein S6. Downregulation of Rabin8 using small interfering RNA (siRNA) increases the phosphorylation of Ser235/Ser236 in ribosomal protein S6. Furthermore, Rabin8 can be immunoprecipitated with Rheb GTPase. These results suggest the existence of a novel mechanism of mTORС1 regulation and its downstream processes. Since Rabin8 is a known regulator of ciliogenesis, a potential link can exist between regulation of Rheb/mTORC1 and ciliogenesis.


Here we describe new marine vertebrate remains, mainly isolated teeth, from the Upper Cretaceous (Coniacian-Santonian) of near Mardin, SE Turkey. This is the first report in this area of ptychodontid sharks (elasmobranchs), enchodontid teleosts (actinopterygians) and mosasaurid squamates (reptiles). The respective taxa Ptychodus cf. mortoni, Enchodus sp., Platecarpus sp. and Mosasaurinae indet. are described. These new data improve our knowledge on early Late Cretaceous marine vertebrate faunas from the Arabic Platform, classically known previously mostly from the Maastrichtian outcrops of Middle-East and Northwestern Africa, and extend the palaeobiogeographical distribution of these taxa into the western part of the Mediterranean Tethys, confirming their cosmopolitan status.


Positive allosteric modulators of the ionotropic glutamate receptor A2 (GluA2) can serve as lead compounds for the development of cognitive enhancers. Several benzamide-type (S)-2-amino-3-(3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolyl)propionic acid (AMPA) receptor modulators such as aniracetam, CX516 and CX614 have been shown to inhibit the deactivation of AMPA receptors with a less pronounced effect on desensitization. Despite CX516 being an extensively investigated AMPA receptor modulator and one of the few clinically evaluated compounds, the binding mode of CX516 to AMPA receptors has not been reported. Here, the structures of a GluA2 ligand-binding domain mutant in complex with CX516 and the 3-methylpiperidine analogue of CX516 (Me-CX516) are reported. The structures show that the binding modes of CX516 and Me-CX516 are similar to those of aniracetam and CX614 and that there is limited space for substitution at the piperidine ring of CX516. The results therefore support that CX516, like aniracetam and CX614, modulates deactivation of AMPA receptors.


Abstract Objective To document the scale-up of India's Adolescent Girls' Anaemia Control Programme following a knowledge-centred framework for scaling up nutrition interventions and to identify the critical elements of and lessons learned from a decade of programme experience for the control of anaemia in adolescent girls. Design We reviewed all articles, programme and project reports, and baseline and endline assessments published between 1995 and 2012 regarding the control of anaemia through intermittent iron and folic acid supplementation; key programme specialists and managers were interviewed to complete or verify information wherever needed. Setting India. Subjects Adolescent girls. Results The scale-up of India's Adolescent Girls' Anaemia Control Programme followed a knowledge-centred programme cycle comprising five phases: Evidence, Innovation, Evaluation, Replication and Universalization. By the end of 2011, the programme was being rolled out in thirteen states and was reaching 27·6 million adolescent girls of whom 16·3 million were school-going girls and 11·3 million were out-of-school girls. Building on the critical elements of and lessons learned from the programme, the Government of India launched in 2012 the national Weekly Iron and Folic Acid Supplementation (WIFS) programme to universalize the benefits of anaemia control to the overall population of Indian adolescents. Conclusions The Adolescent Girls' Anaemia Control Programme in India provides a good example of how a knowledge-centred approach can successfully guide the scaling up of public health nutrition interventions and facilitate intersectoral convergence among different government departments and development partners to break the inter-generational cycle of undernutrition and deprivation.


Two rock-wallabies were captured in the Victoria Range of the Grampians, the first specimens obtained from Victoria for scientific study. Their chromosomes identified them as Petrogale penicillata and, although the animals appeared to be smaller than their nearest studied conspecifics from Jenolan Caves, N.S.W., 800 km to the north-east, analysis of blood proteins, red blood cell epitopes and parasites indicated little genetic divergence. This lack of differentiation is unusual in a genus in which, further north along the Great Dividing Range, nine chromosomally distinct forms occur within 1500 km. One animal was heterozygous for presence and absence of a major C-band on the second largest chromosome; chromosomes without this band have not been found in other mainland P. penicillata. No electrophoretic variation was detected at 23 genetic loci, even though one allele was unique among P. penicillata so far studied. Although only one extant colony was found, other disused sites were located 30 km further north. Despite the apparent low numbers of animals, there is some evidence that additional colonies may be found.


Background While cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality has been reducing in the US since the 1970s, CVD remains the leading cause of mortality. This reflects reductions in population level risk factors assisted by evidence based medical treatments. Rates of reduction in CVD mortality may be slowing and large shifts in population characteristics are forecasted, creating uncertainty as to future trends in CVD mortality rates as well as uncertainty regarding race CVD inequalities. We therefore aimed to compare US CVD mortality projections to 2030 under contrasting scenarios. Methods We used a well-established hierarchical Bayesian Age Period Cohort (BAPC) model to model the age, period and cohort effects in CVD mortality from 1982 to 2012 stratified by age, gender and race. Data sources included the National Vital Statistics System, SEER single year population estimates, and the US Bureau 2012 National Population projections Using US population projections to 2030, we then projected coronary and stroke deaths to 2030 under contrasting scenarios. In SCENARIO A, we held the age, period and cohort effects components constant at 2012 values. In SCENARIO B, we allowed the age, period and cohort effects to continue along their recent, linear trends, and extrapolated the resulting trajectories to 2030. We then compared the number of CVD deaths forecasted in 2030. Results In scenario A, assuming that mortality rates would persist at 2012 levels, coronary and stroke deaths were projected to INCREASE by approximately 17.1% and 50.3% respectively by 2030 (equating to some 63,400 and 64,400 additional deaths per year). By contrast, scenario B, optimistically assuming that recent declines continue, coronary and stroke mortality might FALL by approximately 21.2% and 2.7%, equating to some 78,200 and 3,100 fewer annual deaths respectively by 2030. The burden of CVD mortality is unequal by race. These inequalities vary by age and gender, however CVD mortality rates in younger (35–55 years) black Americans is double that of age matched white Americans. Conclusion The large US declines in coronary heart disease mortality rates observed over recent decades are likely to continue. However, stroke mortality rates will fall more slowly. This has major health implications. Our BAPC models simultaneously estimate age, period and cohort effects to project future trends. They therefore offer more plausible future predictions than the conventional indirect standardisation approaches. These more sophisticated projection methods may therefore be potentially valuable to future researchers and to policy makers.


A young child was admitted to hospital with haemolytic-uraemic syndrome caused by infection with a Shiga toxin 2-producing strain of Escherichia coli (STEC) O157. Five days before he became ill, the child had visited a small petting zoo. STEC O157 strains were isolated from faecal samples from goats and sheep housed on the farm. The human and the animal isolates were indistinguishable by molecular subtyping. The petting zoo voluntarily closed temporarily to prevent further cases of infection. Two out of 11 other, randomly selected petting zoos (including one deer park) visited subsequently, tested positive. Furthermore, during the study period there was one more notification of STEC O157 infection possibly linked with a farm visit. Although STEC O157 was indeed found in the petting zoo associated with this patient, transmission through animal contact could not be confirmed because the human isolate was not available for subtyping. The case study and the results of the other on-farm investigations highlight the risk of acquiring severe zoonotic infections during visits to petting zoos.


There is currently little known about the range and diversity of microorganisms in the indoor home, particularly in the context of modern airtight homes. People spend a great deal of time in their homes, especially those at the extremes of age, and it is possible that the indoor microbiome could impact upon human health in
ways not yet understood. This project aimed to systematically screen sites in 100 houses in the Lanarkshire community in order to determine the amount and type of cultivable aerobic bacteria and fungi in the home. It was hoped to be able to characterise the microbiome of the 'normal' home. Chosen sites were: indoor bathroom handle; telephone; kettle handle; bedside table; top of bedroom door; TV remote; toilet handle; and bedroom window sill (Table 1). These sites were screened using double-sided dipslides coated with nutrient and staphylococcal selective agars (Figure 1). Bacteria and fungi were quantified for each site and staphylococci and Gram- negative bacilli identified if possible. Each of the eight sampled sites revealed its own distinct microbiological character, both in the type and amount of cultivable microbes. Human pathogens, particularly S.aureus, were more likely to be associated with commonly touched sites such as TV remote, kettle handle and telephone. Whole houses also demonstrated unique microbiological characteristics, with morphologically similar and identifiable microbes observed at multiple sites within the same home. Each home thus displayed it own unique microbiome but with identifiable similarities between other homes according to site.


In recent years we have witnessed the emergence of applications based on artificial intelligence in the aviation industry. This technology is said to be promoting a new era or evolution, such as the introduction of jet engines in the 1950s and fly-by-wire in the 1980s. To maintain aviation safety standards in this transition, civil aviation authorities responsible for certifying aerospace systems must anticipate the unprecedented impact of AI on human-centric aerospace systems and answer a number of critical questions:•How to establish public trust in human- centric AI-based systems?•How to integrate the ethical dimension of human- centric AI (transparency, non-discrimination, fairness, etc.) in safety certification processes? •How to prepare for the certification of human- centric AI systems? •What standards, protocols, methods needs to be developed to ensure that human- centric AI further improves the current level of air transport safety? EASA, the European Aviation Safety Agency, has recently developed a roadmap for the certification of AI applications in aviation, which analyzes the involvement of human- centric AI in the aviation sector and identifies the objectives that must be met and the actions that must be taken to respond to the previous questions. This effort constitutes a starting point for the certification of human- centric AI in aerospace systems. It develops in particular the core notion of trustworthiness of human- centric AI in human centered systems and proposes a framework based on four human- centric AI trustworthiness building block:— trustworthiness analysis — learning assurance — explainability — safety risk mitigation The presented paper syntheses the concept of human- centric AI applications, it also discusses and revises the 4 elements of the trustworthiness of human- centric AI framework proposed by EASA, and based on this discussion anticipates the possible impacts of the introduction of human- centric AI in the different Implementation Rules (IR), Certification Specifications (CS), Acceptable Means of Compliance (AMC) and guidance material (GM) in the domains covered by the EASA Basic Regulation.


A study, using ab initio quantum chemical methods, of the first step in the reaction mechanism of Rubisco, the enolization of the substrate, ribulose bisphosphate, is reported. This is the first such study that takes into account the likely roles of critical features within the active site. On the basis of molecular dynamics relaxation of the complex between activated enzyme and substrate using X-ray crystallographic structures as starting coordinates, a 29-atom fragment that mimicked the active site was constructed. States along a proposed reaction pathway were calculated using density functional theory and Moller-Plesset second-order perturbation theory. The results are consistent with the postulate that the base that abstracts the C3 proton of ribulose bisphosphate is the metal-stabilized carbamate of Lys-201 formed during the activation process. The calculations suggest that the active-site residue, Lys-175, is charged before enolization commences and they indicate a possible means by which the enzyme directs the incoming CO2 to attack the C2 carbon atom of the enediol, rather than the chemically very similar C3 atom.


The I/O behavior of some scientific applications, a subset of Perfect benchmarks, executing on a multiprocessor is studied. The aim of this study is to explore the various patterns of I/O access of large scientific applications, and to understand the impact of this observed behavior on the I/O subsystem architecture. I/O behavior of the program is characterized by the demands it imposes on the I/O subsystem. It is observed that implicit I/O or paging is not a major problem for the applications considered and the I/O problem is mainly manifest in the explicit I/O done in the program. Various characteristics of I/O accesses are studied, and their impact on architecture design is discussed.<<ETX>>


It is well known that very high dv/dt and di/dt during the switching instant is the major high-frequency electromagnetic interference (EMI) source. This paper proposes an improved and simplified EMI-modeling method considering the insulated gate bipolar transistor switching-behavior model. The device turn-on and turn-off dynamics are investigated by dividing the nonlinear transition by several stages. The real device switching voltage and current are approximated by piecewise linear lines and expressed using multiple dv/dt and di/dt superposition. The derived EMI spectra suggest that the high-frequency noise is modeled with an acceptable accuracy. The proposed methodology is verified by experimental results using a dc-dc buck converter


The in situ hydrozirconation-transmetalation-aldehyde addition process is a convenient method for the generation of allylic alcohols. Ongoing research has focused on enhancing the enantioselectivity and substrate scope of this process and will be the focus of Chapter 1. Investigations have shown that both amino alcohols and amino thiols show moderate to high enantioselectivity. Non-linear effects were analyzed in order to gain mechanistic insight into the asymmetric addition process. Additionaly, analogues of both classes of ligands have been synthesized and evaluated. Amino thiol ligands tend to show the highest enantioselectivities due to the higher affinity of sulfur for zinc over zirconium. A new class of valine-based ligands was identified to be quite effective, in terms of ligand loading and % ee in the formation of allylic alcohols. In Chapter 2, progess toward pseudotrienic acid A is discussed. The goal of this project was the synthesis of pseudotrienic acid A utilizing alkenylzirconium/zinc methodology cultivated in the Wipf group and to elucidate the absolute configuration at C(20) of the target molecule. A brief summary of the only reported synthesis of pseudotrienic acid B by Cossy et al. is outlined, followed by the retrosynthetic plan and synthesis of the 3 main fragments of this molecule. Lastly, the current progress towards the coupling of these fragments is examined.


Summary Reasons for trends in venous thromboembolism (VTE) incidence are uncertain. It was our objective to determine VTE incidence trends and risk factor prevalence, and estimate population-attributable risk (PAR) trends for each risk factor. In a population-based cohort study of all residents of Olmsted County, Minnesota from 1981–2010, annual incidence rates were calculated using incident VTE cases as the numerator and age- and sex-specific Olmsted County population estimates as the denominator. Poisson regression models were used to assess the relationship of crude incidence rates to year of diagnosis, age at diagnosis, and sex. Trends in annual prevalence of major VTE risk factors were estimated using linear regression. Poisson regression with time-dependent risk factors (person-years approach) was used to model the entire population of Olmsted County and derive the PAR. The age- and sex-adjusted annual VTE incidence, 1981–2010, did not change significantly. Over the time period, 1988–2010, the prevalence of obesity, surgery, active cancer and leg paresis increased. Patient age, hospitalisation, surgery, cancer, trauma, leg paresis and nursing home confinement jointly accounted for 79 % of incident VTE; obesity accounted for 33 % of incident idiopathic VTE. The increasing prevalence of obesity, cancer and surgery accounted in part for the persistent VTE incidence. The PAR of active cancer and surgery, 1981–2010, significantly increased. In conclusion, almost 80 % of incident VTE events are attributable to known major VTE risk factors and one-third of incident idiopathic VTE events are attributable to obesity. Increasing surgery PAR suggests that concurrent efforts to prevent VTE may have been insufficient. Supplementary Material to this article is available online at www.thrombosis-online.com.


This paper examines the PPP hypothesis analysing the behaviour of the real exchange rates vis-à-vis the US dollar for four major currencies (namely, the Canadian dollar, the euro, the Japanese yen and the British pound). An innovative approach based on fractional integration in a multivariate context is applied to annual data from 1970 to 2011. Long memory is found to characterise the Canadian dollar, the British pound and the euro, but in all four cases the results are consistent with the relative version of PPP.


Experiments have been carried out to determine the effects of cooling on the flow of fluids with strongly temperature dependent viscosity. Radial viscous-gravity currents of warm glucose syrup were erupted at constant rate into a flat tank filled with a cold aqueous solution. Cold, viscous fluid accumulates at the leading edge, altering the flow shape and thickness and slowing the spreading. The flows attain constant internal temperature distributions and bulk viscosities. The value of the bulk viscosity depends on the Peclet number, which reflects the advective and diffusive heat transport properties of the flow, the flow skin viscosity, which reflects cooling, and the eruption viscosity. Our results explain why most lava flows have bulk viscosities much higher than the lava eruption viscosity. The results can be applied to understanding dynamic lava features such as flow-front thickening, front avalanches, and welded basal breccias.


A 63-year-old man presented with a three-month history of non-specific generalised headache. For about two weeks, he had also become more forgetful, and had developed episodes of odd behaviour lasting several hours or days, during which he would wander and get lost, or his speech would appear out of context. During one such episode he failed to recognise his daughter as the mother of his new grandson. This prompted his family to seek medical attention. The patient had otherwise been in good health, with no medical problems in the past. He was a non-smoker, reported drinking two bottles of wine per week, and he used to work as a secondary school teacher, but had retired to a remote Scottish island four years previously where he worked as a horticulturalist.

On admission to the local hospital general physical, neurological and mini-mental state examination were all normal, as were routine blood tests including inflammatory markers. A CT brain scan showed slight contrast enhancement in the right medial temporal lobe (fig 1). A subsequent MR brain scan (T2-FLAIR) showed high signal in the right hippocampus (fig 2). The cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) was abnormal, with 76 white blood cells/mm3 (normal lymphocytes), protein 1.79 g/l, and glucose 3.3 mmol/l (serum glucose 5.7 mmol/l). At this stage, the patient was transferred to the regional neurology unit, where, within hours of admission, he had a generalised seizure. Following admission he continued to be muddled and to have a tendency to wander off the ward. Neurological examination showed no deficit. However, on the Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination, the patient showed marked memory problems, and neuropsychological assessment confirmed deficits in memory and attention.

Figure 1
CT brain. Normal non-contrast CT (A), but with contrast (B) there is some enhancement in the right hippocampus (arrow), in keeping with encephalitis.

Figure 2
MRI T2-FLAIR images …


Gas–liquid–solid fluidized beds are widely used in the petrochemical, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, food and environmental industries. Fluidization is dependent on effective contact between the phases.A three-phase (gas-liquid-solid) fluidized bed is used to study the hydrodynamic characteristics of low density particle (wood) using water as liquid phase and air as the gas phase.The fluidized bed consists of three sections, the test section, the gas-liquid distributor section, and the gas-liquid disengagement section.The hydrodynamic characteristics determined included the bed pressure drop, minimum fluidization velocity and bed expansion ratios. The dependence of these quantities on particle diameter, initial static bed height, liquid velocity and gas velocity has been discussed.Results indicate that the bed pressure drop and minimum fluidization velocity decreases with gas velocity but increases with particle size. Bed expansion ratio increases with increase in the values of the liquid but decreases with dp and initial static bed height.Model equation have been developed from factorial design analysis for predicting the values for bed expansion ratio and predicated values have been found to agree well with theexperimental results.


Accepted: 18.11.2020 Learning and teaching is fostered to a great deal by technology. Cell phones and internet can be utilized as effective tools in providing extended and diversified learning opportunities as well as promoters of learning and teaching. However, early internet-enabled cell phones or more recent smartphones have also become easily accessible avenues of distraction and escape. This study explored if and how intention to cyberloaf acts as a mediator in the relationship between attitudes, subjective norms, and cyberloafing with a focus on descriptive and prescriptive norms with respect to instructors and classmates separately. The research was undertaken at a foundation university in Ankara, Turkey with 214 preservice English teachers. The sample consisted of 152 (71.03%) females and 62 (28.97%) males. Cyberloafing scale developed by Kalaycı (2010), adapted versions of Askew et al.'s (2014) attitudes towards cyberloafing scale, subjective descriptive norms scale, cyberloafing intentions scale, and Blanchard and Henle's (2008) norms scale were used as data collection instruments. Mediation analyses were performed using SPSS 22 with the utilization of SPSS macro, PROCESS v 3.4 (Hayes, 2017). The results of the regression analyses indicated that subjective norms and attitudes significantly predicted cyberloafing; and intentions to cyberloaf was found to be a significant but partial mediator between the variables. The results have significant implications both for academic research on cyberloafing and for educational practices.


Nowadays, the flurry of autonomous vehicles is in full swing regarding light detection and ranging (LiDAR) and depth perception. For such visual perception, light plays an important role. We human beings recognize and distinguish surrounding details when the eye focuses light on the retina. For the LiDAR system, pulsed lasers are employed to measure the relevant range. Thus, appropriate light sources with high performance are in urgent demand. Auspiciously, a revolutionary semiconductor laser technology, namely the photonic-crystal surface-emitting laser (PCSEL), emerges over the past two decades. PCSEL exhibits not only a symmetric beam profile with narrow beam divergence but also a high-power operation with controllability. Therefore, it may be the holy grail for an ultracompact time-of-flight (ToF) LiDAR system. Hereupon, comprehensive analyses of PCSEL-relevant scientific publications and patent documents are conducted. We thereby review the development progress of PCSEL technology. Moreover, a systematic simulation is performed, providing real-time visualization of relevant point clouds with different beam divergence. PCSEL technology with unprecedented merits indeed turns a new leaf and a paradigm shift in LiDAR application is ongoing. It is believed that a lens-free and adjustment-free ultracompact apparatus in simplicity can be expected.


Abstract Early in postnatal life the first phase of spermatogenesis is accompanied by an initial wave of germ cell apoptosis. This wave of germ cell death is thought to reflect an adjustment of germ cell numbers that can be adequately maintained by Sertoli cells. Caspase 2 is an initiator caspase whose activation has been found to stimulate apoptosis through the mitochondria. The present study investigates if germ cell apoptosis during the first phase of spermatogenesis involves activation of caspase 2. Germ cell apoptosis was found to peak at Postnatal Days (pnds) 15 and 16 in male C57BL/6 mice. Western blot analysis revealed that caspase 2 also increased in the testes at pnd 16. Immunolocalization of total caspase 2 showed staining of germ cells in the periphery of the seminiferous tubules as well as germ cells more centrally located in an area where apoptotic germ cells were observed. Cytoplasmic as well as nuclear staining was observed. Western blot analysis of cytoplasmic and nuclear proteins from pnd 16 testis revealed pro-caspase 2 in both fractions. Further Western blot analysis for caspase 2 detected an increase in the activation of caspase 2 at pnd 16 in proteins isolated from the cytoplasm but not from the nucleus. Proteins isolated from mitochondria from pnd 16 testes revealed an increase in pro-caspase 2 as well as activated caspase 2 corresponding with an increase in cytochrome c in cytoplasmic fractions. Injection of the caspase 2-specific inhibitor z-VDVAD-fmk directly into the testis significantly reduced the observed germ cell apoptosis at pnds 15 and 16. These results suggest that caspase 2 is present in germ cells in the murine testis in early postnatal life and increases in expression in correspondence to the initial wave of germ cell apoptosis. Caspase 2 also localizes to mitochondria, where it is correlated with a release of cytochrome c and germ cell apoptosis. Blockade of caspase 2 activation reduced the number of apoptotic germ cells in the initial wave of germ cell apoptosis, indicating that caspase 2 plays an important role upstream of the mitochondria in germ cell apoptosis during the first phase of spermatogenesis.


BACKGROUND
 The use of mobile devices in hospital care constantly increases. However, smartphones and tablets have not yet widely become official working equipment in medical care. Meanwhile, the parallel use of private and official devices in hospitals is common. Medical staff use smartphones and tablets in a growing number of ways. This mixture of devices and how they can be used is a challenge to persons in charge of defining strategies and rules for the usage of mobile devices in hospital care.

 OBJECTIVE
 Therefore, we aimed to examine the status quo of physicians' mobile device usage and concrete requirements and their future expectations of how mobile devices can be used.

 METHODS
 We performed a web-based survey among physicians in 8 German university hospitals from June to October 2019. The online survey was forwarded by hospital management personnel to physicians from all departments involved in patient care at the local sites.

 RESULTS
 A total of 303 physicians from almost all medical fields and work experience levels completed the web-based survey. The majority regarded a tablet (211/303, 69.6%) and a smartphone (177/303, 58.4%) as the ideal devices for their operational area. In practice, physicians are still predominantly using desktop computers during their worktime (mean percentage of worktime spent on a desktop computer: 56.8%; smartphone: 12.8%; tablet: 3.6%). Today, physicians use mobile devices for basic tasks such as oral (171/303, 56.4%) and written (118/303, 38.9%) communication and to look up dosages, diagnoses, and guidelines (194/303, 64.0%). Respondents are also willing to use mobile devices for more advanced applications such as an early warning system (224/303, 73.9%) and mobile electronic health records (211/303, 69.6%). We found a significant association between the technical affinity and the preference of device in medical care (χs2=53.84, P<.001) showing that with increasing self-reported technical affinity, the preference for smartphones and tablets increases compared to desktop computers.

 CONCLUSIONS
 Physicians in German university hospitals have a high technical affinity and positive attitude toward the widespread implementation of mobile devices in clinical care. They are willing to use official mobile devices in clinical practice for basic and advanced mobile health uses. Thus, the reason for the low usage is not a lack of willingness of the potential users. Challenges that hinder the wider adoption of mobile devices might be regulatory, financial and organizational issues, and missing interoperability standards of clinical information systems, but also a shortage of areas of application in which workflows are adapted for (small) mobile devices.


The abundance and turnover of fish species inhabiting Celestun lagoon were evaluated according to daynight cycles, as well as habitat type. Bimonthly sampling was done at 4 sites of the lagoon, 2 at the mouth and 2 at the inner zone. The sites for each zone include bottoms with and without submerged aquatic vegetation (VAS, FSV). At each site hydrologic parameters were registered to determine their relationship with fish community structure. Fish specimens were collected using a beach seine (15 ×1.5 m, 2.5cm mesh) at day (10:00-13:00), twilight (18:00-21:00) and night (02:00-05:00). Multivariate non-parametric (NPMANOVA, NMDS, betadisper) statistics were used for the analysis. Difference in fish species were found between habitats with VAS and FSV (F=2.6108, p=0.0114). The betadisper test indicated that species rate of replacement is low between habitats and during day-night cycles. Fish assemblages between habitats are more dynamic than day-night cycles, due to seagrass meadows that host great numbers of species providing protection and food availability.


Silicon Nanowire (SiNW) based solar cells offer an interesting choice towards low-cost and highly efficient solar cells. Indeed solar cells based on SiNWs benefit from their outstanding optical properties such as extreme light trapping and very low reflectance. In this research project, we have fabricated disordered SiNWs using a low-cost top-down approach named the Metal-Assisted-Chemical-Etching process (MACE). The MACE process was first optimized to reduce the strong agglomeration observed at the top-end of the SiNWs by tuning the wettability properties of both the initial substrate and the SiNWs surface. By combining the MACE process with the nanosphere lithography, we have also produced ordered SiNW arrays with an accurate control over the pitch, diameter and length. The optical properties of these SiNW arrays were then investigated both theoretically and experimentally in order to identify the geometrical configuration giving the best optical performance. Disordered and ordered SiNW arrays have been integrated into two types of solar cells: heterojunction with intrinsic thin layer (HIT) and hybrid devices. SiNW based HIT devices were fabricated by RF-PECVD and the optimization of the process conditions has allowed us to reach efficiency as high as 12.9% with excellent fill factor above 80%. Hybrid solar cells based on the combination of SiNWs with an organic layer have also been studied and characterized. The possible transfer of this concept to the thin film technology is finally explored.


Recently there has been considerable interest in various delayed effects of radiation. These have the common property of showing a high and, in some instances, non-clonal transmission of 'damage' to distant progeny which derive from apparently normal surviving cells and their descendants. This means that conventional analysis and interpretation of long-term radiation damage in terms of mutations induced in DNA at the time of radiation exposure may be incorrect. Several reviews of this area have appeared in recent years which have described the historical development of this field. The aim of this commentary is to highlight areas of discussion, particularly concerning links between the various end-points, and to discuss some of the possible implications of genomic instability for radiation carcinogenesis in general and for the setting of radiation protection action limits in particular.


ABSTRACT Sparrow, L. and Heimann, K., 2016. Key parameters in the management of ciguatera. In: Vila-Concejo, A.; Bruce, E.; Kennedy, D.M., and McCarroll, R.J. (eds.), Proceedings of the 14th International Coastal Symposium (Sydney, Australia). Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue, No. 75, pp. 1007 - 1011. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. Ciguatera is a tropical illness that has expanded its geographic range through international travel, frozen tropical fish exports and the expansion of ciguatera-causing dinoflagellates into temperate coastal marine habitats. The drivers in the distribution of Gambierdiscus spp. and other ciguatera-causing dinoflagellates on their macroalgal substrates were investigated in this study. Palatability and macroalgal growth morphology were identified as important drivers in the heterogenetic distribution of Gambierdiscus populations. Higher Gambierdiscus densities were not always associated with fish-palatable macroalgal substrates. At mid-reef sites, Gambierdiscus populations were only found on flattened macroalgal substrates that were palatable to gastropods. Although there was no trend in substrate preference, there were site-specific preferences. This needs further investigation to identify environmental factors that influence the composition and distribution of macroalgae and thereby the potential expansion of ciguatera-causing dinoflagellates into new coastal marine habitats. This research is essential in developing ciguatera monitoring tools as marine fisheries are an integral part of the economy, diet and lifestyle of coastal populations throughout the world.


Human enteric viruses are a leading cause of waterborne disease outbreak worldwide. Their environmental persistence and resistance to disinfection treatments are two main factors that can influence the dissemination of these viruses, thus increasing the risk of person-to-person transmission. The resistance patterns of different waterborne viruses have been described to be widely variable between virus species, but even between close-related viruses (i.e among Enterovirus genus). Here we described a generally higher disinfectant resistant pattern compared to viral laboratory strains, suggesting an possible adaptation of these viruses to natural stressors.


Calcareous nannofossils and planktic foraminifera that are diagnostic for precise geologic ages have been identified in some marine Tertiary formations in Mexico. The original age assignments of these formations have persisted in the literature and some revisions are necessary for the Mexican sections to conform with the chronostratigraphy that has been developed for the rest of the world. New planktic evidence now affords assignment of the Mexican beds to precise trans-oceanic Neogene zones. Part I of this report is concerned with the middle Pliocene (Zone N.20) to which the following formations at designated localities are referred: Agueguexquite, Filisola, Concepcion Inferior, Concepcion Superior, and several unnamed formations. Subsequent studies will deal with the successively older formations, including the Encanto, Deposito, La Laja, Tuxpan, Guajalote, Escolin, Anahuac, Coatzintla, Meson, Alazan, and Palma Real formations.


Mining useful knowledge from corpus of data has become an important application in many fields. Data Mining algorithms like Clustering, Classification work on this data and provide crisp information for analysis. As these data are available through various channels into public domain, privacy for the owners of the data is increasing need. Though privacy can be provided by hiding sensitive data, it will affect the Data Mining algorithms in knowledge extraction, so an effective mechanism is required to provide privacy to the data and at the same time without affecting the Data Mining results. Privacy concern is a primary hindrance for quality data analysis. Data mining algorithms on the contrary focus on the mathematical nature than on the private nature of the information. Therefore instead of removing or encrypting sensitive data, we propose transformation strategies that retain the statistical, semantic and heuristic nature of the data while masking the sensitive information. The proposed Correlation Based Transformation Strategy (CBTS) combines Correlation Analysis in tandem with data transformation techniques such as Singular Value Decomposition (SVD), Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Non Negative Matrix Factorization (NNMF) provides the intended level of privacy preservation and enables data analysis. The proposed technique will work for numerical, ordinal and nominal data. The outcome of CBTS is evaluated on standard datasets against popular data mining techniques with significant success and Information Entropy is also accounted.


Building on insights gained from interviewing administrators and patent examiners at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), we collect and analyze a novel dataset on patent examiners and patent outcomes. This dataset is based on 182 patents for which the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) ruled on validity between 1997 and 2000. For each patent, we identify a USPTO primary examiner, and collect historical statistics derived from their entire patent examination history. These data are used to explore a number of hypotheses about the connection between the patent examination process and the strength of ensuing patent rights. Our main findings are as follows. (i) Patent examiners and the patent examination process are not homogeneous. There is substantial variation in observable characteristics of patent examiners, such as their tenure at the USPTO, the number of patents they have examined and the degree to which the patents that they examine are later cited by other patents. (ii) There is no evidence that examiner experience or workload at the time a patent is issued affects the probability that the CAFC finds a patent invalid. (iii) Examiners whose patents tend to be more frequently cited tend to have a higher probability of a CAFC invalidity ruling. The results suggest that all patent examiners are not equal, and that one of the roles of the CAFC is to review the exercise of discretion in the patent examination process.


In the current study Indomethacin (IM) fast dissolving tablets (FDTs) were prepared by direct compression technique in order to enhance its dissolution rate. The tablets were formulated using two different approaches; super-disintegration and efferves-cence. A combination formulation of above approaches was also developed to further improve its properties. The super-disintegrants used in the formulae were sodium starch glycolate (Primogel), cross-povidone (Kollidon) and cross-carmellose (Ac-di-sol). Sodium bicarbonate and citric acid combination was employed as effervescent ingredients. The prepared powder mixtures of IM were subjected to evaluation of various pre-compression parameters and tablets were evaluated for weight variation, dimension, hardness, friability, drug content, disintegration, wetting time, uniformity of dispersion, in vitro drug release and stability studies. The FT-IR spectra shown there are no interaction between of IM with excipient. The results of pre-compression studies indicate acceptable flow property for all the powder mixtures. The data of weight variation, dimension, hardness, friability, uniformity of dispersion and drug content studies were within the official limits. The wetting time and disintegration time decreases considerably with the increase in super-disintegrants amount. By using the combination approach, the disintegration and wetting time further decreased. In vitro dissolution studies were carried out using phosphate buffer pH 6.8 as dissolution medium for 60min and observed that formulation IF9, among super-disintegration approach, released highest percentage (97.13±2.09) of IM. In vitro drug release was highest (98.54±2.89) at 60 min for formulation IF11, when all the formulations were taken into consideration. The stability study was performed on the promised formulation IF11 at 40±2 o C/ 75±5% RH for 3 months and the results indicated that there were no significant changes in aforesaid tablet properties.