Book synopsis: This new book presents a comprehensive overview of all aspects of the caves and karst of the Yorkshire Dales. It is the long-awaited successor to the 1974 publication Limestones and Caves of Northwest England but is a much more comprehensive treatment because of the many cave discoveries in the last 40 years and the new information that is available on the underground and surface features.

The chapters, written by specialists who really know the area, include topics on limestone geology, karst geomorphology, cave development, karst hydrogeology, cave chronology, subterranean biology, bats, palaeontology and archaeology.

The book is essential reading for every serious caver who enjoys the caves of the Yorkshire Dales. Cave Scientists, too, will appreciate this book because it is more than just a statement on the karst landscapes and the caves beneath. It brings together many aspects of the natural environment and the evolution of the Yorkshire Dales and provides insights into the landscape evolution in northern England - indeed, one chapter gives the first comprehensive review of the glacial history of the Dales. The book will therefore be of interest to professionals who otherwise might have only marginal interest in probably the finest group of caves within Britain. Uranium-series dating of stalagmites, and carbon-dating of bones mean that the caves now provide the basis for a uniquely-detailed chronological framework that extends through much of the Quaternary period.


The article focuses, from the perspective of phenomenology of reading, on Bertolt Brecht's brief remark regarding the transformation of addressed to non-addressed writing. In the first part, I present Brecht's text against the background of discussions about chirographic culture. In the second part, I provide a phenomenological outline of the structure and architecture of the literary work. In the conclusion, I questions Brecht's remark against the background of the results of the previous phenomenological inquiry.


OBJECTIVE
To compare the efficacy and safety between Mammotome vacuum-assisted breast biopsy (Mammotome VABB) and conventional open excision for benign breast tumor.

METHODS
A computer-based online search of Medline, PubMed, Embase, Ovid, Cochrane Library, VIP, Wanfang, CNKI and Chinese Biological Medicine Database was performed, and conference references were manually searched. With the Cochrane Collaboration Guidelines, all randomized controlled trials comparing mammotome minimally invasive operation and conventional open excision were systematically reviewed. The Cochrane Collaboration's RevMan 5.0 software was used for data analysis.

RESULTS
A total of 15 studies involving 5,256 patients was included. Meta-analyses showed no significant difference in the size of tumor, postoperative hematomas, ecchymosis, ecchymoma and residual disease between Mammotome VABB and conventional open excision. Mammotome VABB was superior to open excision as to the size of incision, intraoperative blood loss, operative time, healing time, size of scar, wound infection and breast deformation.

CONCLUSIONS
Mammotome VABB is an ideal method for benign breast tumor.


In this work, we study the generalized degrees- of-freedom (GDoF) of downlink and uplink cellular networks, modeled as Gaussian interfering broadcast channels (IBC) and Gaussian interfering multiple access channels (IMAC), respectively. We focus on regimes of low inter-cell interference, where single-cell transmission with power control and treating inter-cell interference as noise (mc-TIN) is GDoF optimal. Recent works have identified two relevant regimes in this context: one in which the GDoF region achieved through mc-TIN for both the IBC and IMAC is a convex polyhedron without the need for time-sharing (mc-CTIN regime), and a smaller (sub)regime where mc-TIN is GDoF optimal for both the IBC and IMAC (mc-TIN regime). In this work, we extend the mc-TIN framework to cellular scenarios where channel state information at the transmitters (CSIT) is limited to finite precision. We show that in this case, the GDoF optimality of mc-TIN extends to the entire mc-CTIN regime, where GDoF benefits due to interference alignment (IA) are lost. Our result constitutes yet another successful application of robust outer bounds based on the aligned images (AI) approach.


UNLABELLED
Proteolysis, texture, physicochemical, and sensory characteristics of Serrano hams from Duroc and Large White pigs at 5, 7, 9, 12, and 15 m of curing (3 hams per breed per curing time) were investigated. Higher concentrations of some sarcoplasmic and myofibrillar proteins, peptides with molecular mass in the ranges 3700 to 12000 Da, 700 to 2000 Da, and below 450 Da, and total free amino acids were recorded for Large White hams, while hydrophobic peptides were at higher levels in Duroc hams. A 40 kDa peak in the low-ionic-strength soluble protein fraction and 2 peaks of 40 and 45 kDa in the high-ionic-strength soluble protein fraction found only in Duroc hams could be of use in discriminating products from different breeds. Physicochemical and textural characteristics of both types of hams evolved similarly during curing and differences in organoleptic traits between breeds were negligible. Flavor intensity and flavor quality of hams were strongly correlated to curing time, with r(2) values over 0.95 for flavor intensity and over 0.90 for flavor quality, and to the concentration of total free amino acids, with r(2) values over 0.90 for both flavor intensity and flavor quality. The sensory evaluation scores of Duroc hams, at least as high as those of Large White hams, make the production of high-quality Serrano ham from pure breed Duroc pigs feasible.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION
Duroc breed crosses are advantageous in the production of dry-cured hams, resulting in higher marbling, enhanced flavor and lower processing losses, but the characteristics of pure breed Duroc hams have not been investigated. The similar evolution of the compositional, proteolytic, textural, and sensory characteristics of Serrano hams from Duroc and Large White pigs during dry-curing recorded in the present work makes the production of high-quality dry-cured hams from pure breed Duroc pigs feasible. Three protein peaks found only in Duroc hams can be of use to discriminate products from different breeds.


We examined whether the Concealed Information Test (CIT) may be used when the critical details are unavailable to investigators (the Searching CIT [SCIT]). This use may have important applications in criminal investigations (e.g., finding the location of a murder weapon) and in security-related threats (e.g., detecting individuals and groups suspected in planning a terror attack). Two classes of algorithms designed to detect the critical items and classify individuals in the SCIT were examined. The 1st class was based on averaging responses across subjects to identify critical items and on averaging responses across the identified critical items to identify knowledgeable subjects. The 2nd class used clustering methods based on the correlations between the response profiles of all subject pairs. We applied a principal component analysis to decompose the correlation matrix into its principal components and defined the detection score as the coefficient of each subject on the component that explained the largest portion of the variance. Reanalysis of 3 data sets from previous CIT studies demonstrated that in most cases the efficiency of differentiation between knowledgeable and unknowledgeable subjects in the SCIT (indexed by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve) approached that of the standard CIT for both algorithms. We also examined the robustness of our results to variations in the number of knowledgeable and unknowledgeable subjects in the sample. This analysis demonstrated that the performance of our algorithms is relatively robust to changes in the number of individuals examined in each group, provided that at least 2 (but desirably 5 or more) knowledgeable examinees are included.


Over the years, ABSEL has sought to promote research by making its research more readily available to scholars. This parallels a broader effort by academic research institutions to improve the dissemination of scholarly research in general. To put these efforts in perspective, we view academic journals and conference proceedings as a kind of distribution intermediary for research, analogous to retail intermediaries in conventional marketing. In an environment of increasing competition for scarce resources, the structure of conventional intermediaries has changed dramatically, incorporating Internet technologies to increase distribution efficiency. In similar fashion, we have begun to see the impact of Internet technologies on the structure of conventional academic journals. However, the change has been relatively slow relative to many other industries. This paper proposes a more efficient approach to the distribution of academic research that builds on the existing strength of academic journals while harnessing the greater efficiency of low-cost internet distribution. It evaluates the effect of the proposed approach by modelling the distributional problems facing academic research, showing how increased distribution efficiency, and the proposed approach in particular, would increase overall research efficiency.


This study examined the mobility performance of partially and fully controlled right turn phases at signalised intersections. The objective of the study was to estimate the changes in delays, congestion and intersection performance resulting from changes in right turn control type. The evaluation of the safety performance of these right turn signals is covered in a separate report (Part 1, IRRD number 843154). The mobility study had three main parts: (1) the identification of intersections where different types of controls had been installed, (2) modelling of the mobility performance of 'typical' intersections under a range of traffic conditions, and (3) modelling the performance of a selection of case study intersections, drawn from the sites found in phase (1). The major part of the study of mobility at signalised junctions was based on the analysis of typical or stereotype intersections, representing different design standards, geometrical and traffic features. Five stereotype intersections were considered: (1) a four-leg junction of a high design standard, (2) a four-leg junction of 'poor' design standard, (3) a high standard T- junction, (4) a 'poor' design standard T-junction and (5) a four- leg junction of medium design standard. This study found that there are reductions in overall mobility when right turn controls are introduced, for most traffic conditions except some instances of peak period operations. Further, full control of right turns yields poorer intersection performance than partial control under virtually all conditions, although the differences in performance were slight, especially under off-peak conditions, and are most unlikely to negate the significant safety advantages reported in Part 1 of this study. Under peak period conditions, right turn phases gave mobility benefits for unsaturated intersections. Introduction of turning controls leads to increased cycle times and more complex phasing arrangements, so that once saturation was reached the use of more stringent turn controls exacerbated the level of saturation. No advantage in mobility performance could then be found. Under off- peak period conditions, the differences in mobility performance between alternative right turn control regimes are small, suggesting that the considerable safety benefits found for full control (see Part 1 of this study) should be of primary concern. At peak periods, partial control may offer mobility advantages, but at all other times the gains from partial control instead of full control are not significant.


In this essay, I want to argue that the existence of gender most times translated as gender binary, is a biological fact. What is at stake is a framework for transcending unequal gender binary to gender complementarity. Here, I propose to use Chimakonam's Ezumezu logic as a mechanism for disclosing gender complementarity. The illogical, irrational and subjective perspectives on lopsided gender  differences between men and women will be challenged in this essay. I will analyze the thrust of Ezumezu logic, its major principles, structures, and pillars of thought. I will also demonstrate its global and contextual relevance. I will submit that Ezumezu logic can ground gender complementarity across global cultures. I argue that regardless of the physical differences between males and females, it is illogical to exploit such differences to promote gender stereotype.
Keywords: Gender equality, Ezumezu Logic, Gender Complementarity, Jonathan Chimakonam


The first "citizenship school" (a literacy class that taught adults to read and write in order that they could register to vote) was established by Highlander Folk School of Monteagle, Tennessee on Johns Island, South Carolina in 1957. Within three years, the schools were extended across the neighboring Sea Islands, to mainland Charleston and to Savannah, Georgia. In 1961, after Highlander faced legal challenges to its future, it transferred the schools to the fledgling Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), who extended the program across the South. Historians have made far-reaching claims for the successes and benefits of the schools. For example, they claim that they recruited inexperienced but committed people and raised them to the status of community leaders; that they encouraged civic cooperation and political activism and formed the "foundation on which the civil rights movement" was built and they argue that the schools were an unprecedented opportunity for women to develop as activists and as leaders. Yet, they base these claims on certain myths about the schools: that the first teacher Bernice Robinson was an inexperienced and uneducated teacher, that her class was a blueprint for similar ones and that Highlander bequeathed its educational philosophy to the SCLC program. They make claims about female participation without analyzing the gender composition of classes. This dissertation challenges these assumptions by comparing and contrasting programs established in Lowcountry South Carolina and in Savannah. It argues that not only was Robinson more skilled and better educated than historians have assumed, but that she was not typical of early teachers. On the Sea Islands, teachers tended to be established community leaders, such as ministers. In Savannah, they were young college students involved in direct action spaces. It analyzes the gender composition of classes, the gendered nature of the spaces in which classes were taught, and the different models of black masculinity (based on class, location and generational identity) that the schools emulated. It argues that while Robinson may have been influenced by Highlander philosophy, the educational materials used in classes indicate that the schools drew more on Septima Clark's experience of African American educational history than on Highlander's ethos of education for social change. Local variations, including gender, class, location and age, also shaped teaching curricula. Finally, it examines the reasons for the schools' failure in the mid to late 1960s. Far from fading away because they became superfluous after the 1965 Voting Rights Act, the schools failed both because of factors at the administrative level (disorganization, mismanagement and gender conflict) and at the local (conflict between generations and local groups.)


State-of-the-art results on neural machine translation often use attentional sequence-to-sequence models with some form of convolution or recursion. Vaswani et al. (2017) propose a new architecture that avoids recurrence and convolution completely. Instead, it uses only self-attention and feed-forward layers. While the proposed architecture achieves state-of-the-art results on several machine translation tasks, it requires a large number of parameters and training iterations to converge. We propose Weighted Transformer, a Transformer with modified attention layers, that not only outperforms the baseline network in BLEU score but also converges 15-40% faster. Specifically, we replace the multi-head attention by multiple self-attention branches that the model learns to combine during the training process. Our model improves the state-of-the-art performance by 0.5 BLEU points on the WMT 2014 English-to-German translation task and by 0.4 on the English-to-French translation task.


Throughout the past three decades, since World War II, development has been viewed as an important goal of national life for the poor and rich nations alike. The emerging nations of Africa, Asia and Latin America have come to see development as a continuation of the struggle that has won them independence. Development of these nations is thus often associated with the ever continuing struggle to remain free from alien domination. The post World War II era was consequently characterized by an active pursuit of economic development. As the LDC's plunged into planning for development, the developed nations while pursuing their own goals have shown an even greater tendency and preparedness to assist the low income countries attain their goals of improving the conditions of life for the majority of the poor who seem to have been bypassed by the progress thus far achieved. Tremendous progress has been made over the past quarter century for virtually all the less developed countries incomes have risen faster than population with a consequential rise in per capita income. Such rapid growth has been accompanied by dramatic expansion of education systems, growing literacy, improvements in nutrition and health, increasing technological sophistication and structural changes including a growing industrial base and urbanization. A great deal however still remains to be done. While incomes have risen, the available empirical evidence suggests that a large number of people in the LDC's remain inadequately fed or malnourished, poorly housed and poorly clothed and not provided with adequate medical care. Furthermore many of these countries have not yet completed the transition to modern economies and societies and their growth and development continues to be hampered by a variety of both domestic and international factors. For many people in the LDC's there has been little or no improvements in living standards while for others their living standard may even have deteriorated. However, there has been a growing awareness and agreement that rapid growth and the alleviation or elimination of poverty are inextricably intertwined and that development objectives should focus on rapid growth as well as the reduction of the number of people in abject poverty. The record over the past two decades suggests that most countries in the underdeveloped world have either moved or are moving towards these objectives in designing their development strategies. The obstacles to development in the LDC's are neither homogenous nor of the same magnitude or degree and the diversity of development obstacles reflects differential endowment with respect to natural resource availabilities, economic structure, social and political institutions, managerial and technical skill availability as well as their relationship with the international economy. With average income per capita hovering around $250 per annum, alleviation or elimination of poverty will increasingly have to focus on seeking to raise the level of output from agriculture, increase the productivity of both land and labor, create jobs and thus curb unemployment and raise the wages paid to labor. These tasks are not at all easy and there is a growing awareness that twenty-five years is not long enough to warrant high expectations especially when viewed against the background that most of the countries in Africa attained the status of nationhood in the 1960's. Since a greater proportion of the population of the LDC's live in the countryside with agriculture as the main source of income and sustenance, greater attention will have to be given to programs that seek to improve the productivity and profitability of the operations of these people.


have occasionally been described in CPA. Autosomal recessive DNAH5 variants are a common cause of primary ciliary dyskinesia, however, in the heterozygous state remains a VoUS. Whilst it is of low allelic frequency in databases, in silico evidence is con fl icting. Conclusion : Chronic pulmonary aspergillosis without obvious underlying disease may represent localised immune-dysregulation such as with primary ciliary dyskinesia, interferon-gamma de fi ciency or iatrogenic glucocorticoid use. Several hypotheses for her cavitating aspergillosis remain plausible.


Introduction Benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P), a well-known polyaromatic hydrocarbon, is known for its lung carcinogenicity, however, its role in bladder cancer development is still discussed. The present investigations involves analysis of the shift in cellular metabolism that the bladder epithelia cells (RT4) undergo to sustain the hostile environment generated by B[a]P-induced toxicity. Methods We applied the two-dimensional blue native SDS-PAGE (2D BN/SDS-PAGE) technique to elucidate the network of protein-protein interactions that regulate cellular metabolism. In order to analyse the effects of B[a]P-induced protein alterations at the metabolite level, untargeted metabolomic profiling of B[a]P-exposed cells was carried out by using gas chromatographic mass spectrometric analysis (GC-MS). Results It appeared that B[a]P exposure led to a repression of enzymes (fructose-bisphosphate aldolase A, glucose-6-phosphate isomerase, lactate dehydrogenase) involved in glycolysis, and an up-regulation of proteins (glucose-6-phosphate 1-dehydrogenase, 6-phosphogluconolactonase) catalysing the pentose phosphate pathway and one carbon metabolism (10-formyltetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase, bifunctional purine biosynthesis protein). Untargeted metabolomics analysis revealed, lower concentration of glycolytic metabolites, as compared to glutamine, xylulose and fatty acids. The analysis of the glutathione and nucleotide content of the cells revealed a significant increase of these cofactors. Concomitantly, we did not observe any detectable increase in the production of ROS. Discussion The study provides new insights into a B[a]P-induced shift in cellular metabolism towards processes involved in NADPH generation. B[a]P exposure causes oxidative DNA damage and hence cellular perturbations. To overcome these effects, the cells undergo a metabolic flux change from glycolysis to the pentose phosphate pathway. This shift leads to the generation of the redox cofactor NADPH that is essential for the activity of many antioxidant enzymes and intermediates necessary for the de novo generation of nucleotides (purine and pyrimidine) and for the normal functioning of the cells. The study provides preliminary indication of changes in cellular metabolism upon B[a]P exposure.


PURPOSE
To define the biology driving the aggressive nature of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in elderly patients.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
Clinically annotated microarray data from 425 patients with newly diagnosed de novo AML from two publicly available data sets were analyzed after age-specific cohorts (young <or= 45 years, n = 175; elderly >or= 55 years; n = 144) were prospectively identified. Gene expression analysis was conducted utilizing gene set enrichment analysis, and by applying previously defined and tested signature profiles reflecting dysregulation of oncogenic signaling pathways, altered tumor environment, and signatures of chemotherapy sensitivity.

RESULTS
Elderly AML patients as expected had worse overall survival and event-free survival compared with younger patients. Analysis of oncogenic pathways revealed that older patients had higher probability of RAS, Src, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) pathway activation (all P < .0001). Older patients were also less sensitive to anthracycline compared with younger patients with AML (P < .0001). Hierarchical clustering revealed that younger AML patients in cluster 2 had clinically worse survival, with high RAS, Src, and TNF pathway activation and in turn were less sensitive to anthracycline compared with patients in cluster 1. However, among elderly patients with AML, those in cluster 1 also demonstrated high RAS, Src, and TNF pathway activation but this did not translate into differences in survival or anthracycline sensitivity.

CONCLUSION
AML in the elderly represents a distinct biologic entity characterized by unique patterns of deregulated signaling pathway variations that contributes to poor survival and anthracycline resistance. These insights should enable development and adjustments of clinically meaningful treatment strategies in the older patient population.


This study used a partial equilibrium model focusing on U.S. agriculture to investigate the climate change implications for U.S. livestock production. Climate change impacts on crop productivity, grazing land productivity, and livestock animals' biophysical growth were factored into the model to examine the market equilibrium changes under alternative climate change scenarios. Results suggest that the U.S. livestock sector would be negatively influenced by climate change, with meat and milk prices increasing and exports decreasing. Livestock producers would expand the use of grazing and raise more animals to meet market demand given reduced productivity per head. Profit margins for meat and milk production would however decline due to increases in input prices than more than outweigh the gains from higher output prices.


The effects of surfactants, co-surfactants, aqueous phase and temperature on
the solubilisation capability of microemulsion systems were investigated.
Appropriate water-in-oil (w/o) microemulsion systems for the synthesis of
nanomaterials were selected in consideration of the higher solubilisation and
the better thermo-stability.
Mono-dispersed iron oxide nanoparticles with the size of 1-5 nm were
synthesised via Igepal CO-520/cyclohexane w/o microemulsion at 25°C. The
size of particles increased from 1 nm to 10 nm with the increase of the size of
water pools. The original particles as prepared were identified as magnetite,
which transformed into maghemite after 2-hour hydrothermal at 120°C and
into hematite after 2-hour hydrothermal at 140°C, accompanied with the
increased crystallite size. Precipitation was employed for basic studies of
starting materials, reaction time and temperature. Compared with
precipitation-derived particles, microemulsion-derived nanoparticles show
smaller particle size, are less aggregated and exhibit higher activities and a
lower saturation magnetisation and coercivity both at 5K and 300K.
Poly-(methacrylic acid) (PMAA), Polyacrylamide (PAM) nano-spheres were
synthesised via Triton X-114/cyclohexane and Brij 97/cyclohexane w/o
microemulsions at 60°C, respectively. The size of PMMA spheres is 30-100nm
while the size of PAM spheres increased from 50 nm to 200 nm with the
increase of surfactant concentration from 19.3% to 28.9%. The increased size of
water pools from 2.43 to 4.32 also resulted in the increased size of PAM from
50 nm to 500 nm. The effects of reaction time and temperature, and reagent
concentration on PAM polymerisation in microemulsion were investigated in
terms of the conversion, molecular weight and morphology of polymers produced.
Core-shell structured silica coated iron oxide nanoparticles were synthesised
via Igepal CO-520/cyclohexane systems at 25°C, with 5 nm core and 5 nm
shell. Nanocomposites of PAM embedded with iron oxide were synthesised in
Brij 97/cyclohexane at 60°C, with the size of 120 nm. The crystallinity of
magnetic nanoparticles was affected by the coating process.


Approximately 80% of the athletes who collapse in marathon and other long distance sporting events do so only after they have crossed the finish line. Although it is usually taught that "dehydration" explains this phenomenon, logic suggests this to be unlikely because any dehydration induced hypovolaemia should cause cardiovascular failure when cardiac stress is highest—that is, during rather than after exercise when cardiovascular function is returning to the resting state. Instead it is clearly the act of stopping exercise that is the consequent, albeit paradoxical, cause of post-exercise collapse. We have previously proposed that this form of exercise associated collapse is caused by the persistence into recovery of a state of low peripheral vascular resistance, compounded by removal of the skeletal muscle pump that maintains the right atrial filling pressure during exercise. According to this theory, the combination of a low peripheral vascular resistance and a sudden reduction in venous return would reduce stroke volume and cardiac output acutely, causing hypotension. Indeed this mechanism was used to explain the development of postural hypotension due to "dehydration exhaustion" in military personnel exposed to eight or more hours of exercise in desert heat without fluid replacement, in the classic studies of Adolph. Thus Adolph wrote that "the ultimate failure of the circulation (in dehydration exhaustion) is of a peripheral type . . . Dilated blood vessels of the skin require additional blood to fill them; correspondingly, the available compensation for vertical posture are diminished, for the blood vessels of the legs compromise between dilating to carry heated blood and constricting to preserve a greater flow to the head" (p 235). He also reported that: "Lying down promptly relieves the circulation and the symptoms" (p 236). Similarly, Lee defined the physiological abnormality causing heat exhaustion as: "A low arterial blood pressure is the critical event, resulting partly from inadequate output by the heart and partly from the widespread vasodilation". He also noted that: "Treatment is simple – recumbency, fluid and salt administration, gentle cooling, and rectification of any predisposing cause" (p 571). However, these explanations fail to explain why a compensatory tachycardia is not a usual feature of this form of hypotension, or why the onset of symptoms occurs so rapidly and why they are reversed so rapidly when subjects lie supine in the head down position. An historic study identifying a potentially forgotten reflex and published in The Lancet in 1944 suggests an alternative explanation. Barcroft et al studied the effects of rapid venesection of about 1 litre on cardiovascular function measured with right heart cannulation and forearm plethysmography. Studies continued until subjects fainted from the sudden onset of hypotension. Figure 1, redrawn from those historic data, shows the salient findings. Initially, cardiovascular function adapted to progressive blood loss by increasing peripheral vascular resistance and heart rate, each by about 30%. Despite this, average cardiac output, right atrial pressure, and systolic blood pressure all fell by about 40%. However, the crucial finding was that fainting occurred only when there was a sudden fall in the peripheral vascular resistance associated with an unexpected increase in forearm blood flow (fig 1). A second study evaluated the authors' hypothesis that it was the fall in right atrial pressure induced by blood loss that activated the reflex reduction in peripheral vascular resistance. A tourniquet was applied to the lower limb and inflated before the beginning of the venesection. Hypotension again developed but after a smaller blood loss of only about 550 ml. Release of the tourniquet immediately corrected the hypotension by reducing forearm blood flow (fig 2). The authors concluded that removal of the tourniquet produced a sudden infusion of blood from the lower limb thereby increasing the right atrial pressure, abolishing the reflex and normalising cardiovascular function. Hence they proposed the existence of a potent skeletal muscle vasodilator reflex that is activated when the right atrial pressure either falls below some critical value or begins to fall at a particular rate. This reflex appears atavistic because it compounds rather than corrects the hypotension associated with blood loss. The similarity in the rapidity with which hypotension occurs with either progressive venesection or after the cessation of exercise, and without an associated tachycardia, suggests that this right atrial reflex may also cause exercise associated collapse. 4 To my knowledge, some contemporary texts of cardiovascular control during exercise do not specifically mention this reflex. For example, Rowell refers to a later 1945 paper in the Journal of Physiology by Barcroft and Edholm, in which the physiological basis for this skeletal muscle vasodilation was studied. However, the relevance of this specific reflex to the development of syncope is not directly discussed. Rather, Rowell presents the findings of Figure 1 Changes in blood pressure, total peripheral resistance, forearm blood flow, cardiac output, heart rate, and right atrial pressure in subjects who underwent rapid venesection of about 1 litre of blood in 12 minutes. Note that fainting is caused by a sudden reduction in peripheral vascular resistance resulting from an increase in forearm blood flow as right atrial pressure falls, the Barcroft/Edholm reflex. Redrawn from data in Barcroft et al. Rapid responses


A road embankment which is about 8 m high was partly collapsed by a heavy rainfall. This embankment had been experienced a strong shaking two months before the collapsing caused by the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake. Surface cracks and deformation were identified on the body just after the earthquake. We conducted near surface geophysical survey to clarify a collapse process and internal geophysical structure of survived part of the road body. Our survey consisted of GPR and DC resistivity tomography. We used Utility scan DF system synchronized with GNSS antenna for a GPR survey. This system can obtain high accuracy positioning data within +/1 cm under RTK-FIX condition. In DC resistivity survey, current and potential electrodes were set alternately at 50 cm intervals along a line which cross at a collapsed part. As a result, GPR profile imaged a dipping structure behind the collapsed part. Resistivity structure showed relatively high resistivity as the embankment and imaged frontal thrust clearly. A possible sliding surface was interpreted on the basis of resistivity structure and surface displacement trajectory between before and after collapse of 5 points. In conclusion, GPR and DC resistivity tomography was helpful to delineate internal deformation structure and interpret a possible sliding surface. The survey result demonstrated the effectivity of detailed near surface geophysical surveys.


Most reliability analysis techniques and tools assume that a system used for a
mission consists of a single phase. However, multiple phases are natural in many
missions. A system that can be modelled as a mission consisting of a sequence of
phases is called a phased mission system. In this case, for successful completion
of each phase the system may have to meet different requirements. System failure
during any phase will result in mission failure. Fault tree analysis, binary decision
diagrams and Markov techniques have been used to model phased missions.
The cause–consequence diagram method is an alternative technique capable of
modelling all system outcomes (success and failure) in one logic diagram. [Continues.]


Multiple mitotic kinesins and microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs) act in concert to direct cytokinesis (Glotzer, M. 2005. Science. 307:1735–1739). In anaphase cells, many of these proteins associate with an antiparallel array of microtubules termed the central spindle. The MAP and microtubule-bundling protein PRC1 (protein-regulating cytokinesis 1) is one of the key molecules required for the integrity of this structure (Jiang, W., G. Jimenez, N.J. Wells, T.J. Hope, G.M. Wahl, T. Hunter, and R. Fukunaga. 1998. Mol. Cell. 2:877–885; Mollinari, C., J.P. Kleman, W. Jiang, G. Schoehn, T. Hunter, and R.L. Margolis. 2002. J. Cell Biol. 157:1175–1186). In this study, we identify an interaction between endogenous PRC1 and the previously uncharacterized kinesin KIF14 as well as other mitotic kinesins (MKlp1/CHO1, MKlp2, and KIF4) with known functions in cytokinesis (Hill, E., M. Clarke, and F.A. Barr. 2000. EMBO J. 19:5711–5719; Matuliene, J., and R. Kuriyama. 2002. Mol. Biol. Cell. 13:1832–1845; Kurasawa, Y., W.C. Earnshaw, Y. Mochizuki, N. Dohmae, and K. Todokoro. 2004. EMBO J. 23:3237–3248). We find that KIF14 targets to the central spindle via its interaction with PRC1 and has an essential function in cytokinesis. In KIF14-depleted cells, citron kinase but not other components of the central spindle and cleavage furrow fail to localize. Furthermore, the localization of KIF14 and citron kinase to the central spindle and midbody is codependent, and they form a complex depending on the activation state of citron kinase. Contrary to a previous study (Di Cunto, F., S. Imarisio, E. Hirsch, V. Broccoli, A. Bulfone, A. Migheli, C. Atzori, E. Turco, R. Triolo, G.P. Dotto, et al. 2000. Neuron. 28:115–127), we find a general requirement for citron kinase in human cell division. Together, these findings identify a novel pathway required for efficient cytokinesis.


There is an increased need for cost information about rail freight, both among railway undertakings as well as among actors outside the sector. In the scientific field improved cost information is crucial not least as input for mode choice and freight forecasting models. This paper presents EvaRail, a cost model for rail freight developed by the author at the Royal Institute of Technology Stockholm (KTH). The model is based on an Activity-Based Costing approach and covers a wider variety of production systems in rail freight. It allows cost calculations and analyses both on flow-level and on system-level.


We present the first results from an X-ray and optical survey of a sample of radio jets in active galactic nuclei with Chandra and the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). We focus here on the first six sources observed in X-ray, in four of which a bright X-ray jet was detected for the first time. In three out of the four cases, optical emission from the jet is also detected in our HST images. We compare the X-ray morphology with the radio as derived from improved processing of archival Very Large Array data, and we construct spectral energy distributions (SEDs) for the most conspicuous emission knots. In most cases, the SEDs, together with the similarity of the X-ray and radio morphologies, favor an inverse Compton origin for the X-rays. The most likely origin of the seed photons is the cosmic microwave background, implying the jets are still relativistic on kiloparsec scales. However, in the first knot of the PKS 1136-135 jet, X-rays are likely produced via the synchrotron process. In all four cases, bulk Lorentz factors of a few are required. The radio maps of the two jets not detected by either Chandra or HST suggest that they are less beamed at large scales than the other four detected sources. Our results demonstrate that, at the sensitivity and resolution of Chandra, X-ray emission from extragalactic jets is common, yielding essential information on their physical properties.


Aggregation is a very useful operation in database query languages. Through count, sum, min, max and avg operators database instances can be counted and summarized. Attached to such operators, group by and having clauses make it possible to define partitions on database instances as well as filter partitions according to Boolean conditions. In this paper, we define aggregation operators for the language FSA-SPARQL, which is a fuzzy extension of the Semantic Web query language SPARQL. We present the semantics of such operators with regard to fuzzy RDF triple patterns. We also provide mechanisms in FSA-SPARQL for the partition of fuzzy RDF triple patterns with regard to fuzzy sets, as well as for the filtering of partitions. The proposed extension has been implemented and it can be tested from the FSA-SPARQL Web site.


The biological behavior of a new bioactive material composed of calcium-deficient hydroxyapatite, octacalcium phosphate, and β-tricalcium phosphate was investigated by in vitro indirect and direct cytotoxicity, cell adhesion and proliferation tests, and by in vivo subcutaneous and bone implantation in rats. The results of the in vitro studies showed that the material is biocompatible and no cytotoxic. Slightly poorer initial cell adhesion and lower cell proliferation than in control was observed, which were attributed to the reactivity and roughness of the material surface. In vivo results showed that the material is biodegradable and bioactive in bone tissue, but only biocompatible and partially biodegradable in soft tissue.


Parameters used in fracture predictions in elastic-plastic materials will differ from those used when the material is elastic. However, the first set of parameters may reduce to the latter in the limiting case of brittle behavior involving minimal plasticity. Analyses of the stress and plastic strain fields in the region of the crack tip and evaluations of energy release rates are therefore relevant to studies on fracture processes in engineering materials. It is becoming generally recognized that more than one parameter is needed in the formulation of a realistic fracture criterion applicable to elastic-plastic materials. In particular, such a criterion must take into account the possible biaxial nature of the applied stress. This paper presents some of the results of extensive elastic-plastic finite-element analyses on a center-cracked plate. Information is provided, and comparisons made, on such features as crack-tip plastic zone sizes, intensities of plastic strain near the tip, the major principal stress in the crack-tip region, crack opening displacements, values of the J contour integral, and crack separation energy rates G Δ -all corresponding to different biaxial stress states.


This thesis studies the functioning of the tendering market in public procurement. The effects of the characteristics of buyers, sellers and bids in the tendering market are analyzed. A dataset of construction tenders in the county of Kalmar, Sweden is analyzed by using regression analysis. Several findings are made about how characteristics of size, level of organizational knowledge and location of buyers and sellers affect the functioning of the tendering market in public procurement. The market for public tenders is a part of the public procurement market which is described in the thesis from a European and Swedish perspective. The roles of public procurement authorities and of the supplying firms in this market are described and the interactions of these players are analyzed. Tendering involves an auction procedure and the thesis treats some aspects of auction theory. The subject of the thesis, to study the functioning of the public procurement market based on the characteristics of the players within it is a new approach but the characteristics that are studied in the thesis and their effects on the behavior of the participant in the public procurement market have all to some extent been described in the literature. A short presentation of the main findings of the analysis: -The location of a firm, here meaning the site of its headquarter, has an influence on the frequency with which the firm is bidding. The effect is a small positive correlation between the firm being local (in the place where the contract of the tender is to be carried out) and its participation in tender. -The organizational knowledge of a firm is positively correlated with the frequency with which it submits bids in public tenders. -The more organizational knowledge there is in the buying public entity, the smaller will the price variation be in the bids submitted in a tender. -There is a negative relationship between the size of the tender and the variation in price among the bids received. -Being a local firm slightly increases the chance of winning a tender. The study gives an indication that the studying of the described characteristics do have effects on the behavior of the participants in the market and it opens for further research in the area.


Roots are crucial for adaptation to drought stress. However, phenotyping root systems is a difficult and time-consuming task due to the special feature of the traits in the process of being analyzed. Correlations between root system architecture (RSA) at the early stages of development and in adult plants have been reported. In this study, the seminal RSA was analysed on a collection of 160 durum wheat landraces from 21 Mediterranean countries and 18 modern cultivars. The landraces showed large variability in RSA, and differences in root traits were found between previously identified genetic subpopulations. Landraces from the eastern Mediterranean region, which is the driest and warmest within the Mediterranean Basin, showed the largest seminal root size in terms of root length, surface, and volume and the widest root angle, whereas landraces from eastern Balkan countries showed the lowest values. Correlations were found between RSA and yield-related traits in a very dry environment. The identification of molecular markers linked to the traits of interest detected 233 marker-trait associations for 10 RSA traits and grouped them in 82 genome regions named marker-train association quantitative trait loci (MTA-QTLs). Our results support the use of ancient local germplasm to widen the genetic background for root traits in breeding programs.


The objective of this study was to clarify the mechanical body load during walking in water by the simulation, considering the fluid force acting on the lower extremities. First, the joint torque and force were analyzed by the simulation model of walking in water, which was developed by modifying the swimming human simulation model SWUM, and whose input data were obtained in the previous experiment. Second, the muscle force was analyzed by a two-dimensional musculoskeletal model for the lower extremities. The following findings were obtained from those analyses: The hip extensor muscles are employed more greatly during the stance phase of walking in water, compared to walking on land. The joint force in the compressing direction during walking in water is significantly lower than that of walking on land. From these results, it can be concluded that walking in water is suitable for rehabilitation. In addition, it was also found that the joint torque due to the fluid force component mainly acts in the swing phase. Therefore, the lower extremity muscles can be trained effectively by the use of the fluid force in the swing phase.


A stochastic dynamic load identification algorithm is proposed for an uncertain dynamic system with correlated random system parameters. The stochastic Green's function is adopted to establish the relationship between the Gaussian excitation and the response. The Green's function is approximated by the second-order perturbation method, and orthogonal polynomial chaos bases are adopted to replace the corresponding bases in the Tayler series. The stochastic system responses and the stochastic forces are then represented by the polynomial chaos expansion (PCE) and the Karhunen–Loève expansion (KLE), respectively. A unified probabilistic framework for the stochastic dynamic problem is formulated based on the PCE. The stochastic load identification problem of an uncertain dynamic system is then transformed into a stochastic load identification problem of an equivalent deterministic system with the orthogonality of the PCE. Numerical simulations and experimental studies with a cantilever beam under a concentrate stochastic force are conducted to estimate the statistical characteristics of the stochastic load from the stochastic structural response samples. Results show that the proposed method has good accuracy in the identification of force's statistics when the level of uncertainty in the system parameters is not small. Large errors in the identified statistics may occur when the correlation in the random system parameters is neglected. Different correlation lengths for the random system parameters are investigated to show the effectiveness and accuracy of the proposed method.


Children's literature occupies a peripheral position in literature system according to the polysystem theory so that the translators of children's literature can manipulate the texts with great liberty. The translator of children's literature in the ternary relation of translation, namely the source texts, the translator and the target text, is in a relatively important position. Thus, it is a feasible way to analyze the translation of children's literature from the translator-centered perspective. Eco-translatology is a translator-centered translation theory, aiming to analyze how the translator selects and adapts during the translation process in the translational eco-environment. In this paper, the author will adopt Eco-translatology as the translation framework to analyze the translation of children's literature, and try to explore how 'children', an important factor in the translational eco-environment, influences the translator's selection and adaptation in the process of translating children's literature. Furthermore, the author will take Peter Pan as a case study, comparing two Chinese versions of this book to analyze how the two translators adapt and select differently from those three dimensions during the translation process, as one follows the target-reader-oriented strategy and the other one follows the source-text-oriented strategy.


Background: The purpose of this article is to explore how a sample of young mothers in contact with child welfare services in Norway narrate their transition to motherhood and their relation with child welfare services. Methods: The article is based on life-course interviews with the mothers, on which we have conducted a content analysis inspired by narrative theory. Results: Results show that whereas the mothers deviated from common expectations of predictability and orderliness before they became mothers, they strived to provide a "good enough" situation for their children in line with expectations in larger society ever after. Nevertheless, the complex disadvantages that the mothers said they had in several life domains concerning social networks and family support, education, working life, housing, and that were apparently already in their transition to adulthood, were likely to increase even after the mothers had decided to enter the mothering role in socially acceptable ways. Conclusions: The article concludes that child welfare services may contribute positively by acknowledging the complexity of young mothers' living context when assessing mothering practices.


Abstract The current National Ignition Facility (NIF) ignition target design consists of 18 precisely assembled components. At the center of the target is a capsule fill tube assembly (CFTA), the baseline of which comprises a Be:Cu or CH:Ge multilayer capsule attached to a glass tube that is used for filling the capsule with hydrogen fuel. The current CFTA has 45 specifications that need to be precisely measured, which are grouped into capsule specifications and attachment specifications. Recent modifications to the tools and the procedures for metrology of these specifications have been implemented and are described. These changes resulted from the experience that the CFTA fabrication team had during production in the early hohlraum energetics campaign on NIF; the evolution of these modifications is discussed.


Compact and low-noise Analog Front-Ends (AFEs) are becoming increasingly important for the acquisition of bioelectric signals in portable system. In this work, we compare two popular AFEs available on the market, namely the ADS1299 (Texas Instruments) and the RHA2216 (Intan Technologies). This work develops towards the identification of suitable acquisition modules to design an affordable, reliable and portable device for electromyography (EMG) acquisition and prosthetic control. Device features such as Common Mode Rejection (CMR), Input Referred Noise (IRN) and Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) were evaluated, as well as the resulting accuracy in myoelectric pattern recognition (MPR) for the decoding of motion intention. Results reported better noise performances and higher MPR accuracy for the ADS1299 and similar SNR values for both devices.


Background and Objective: Degeneration of neurons in the central nervous system occurs during aging. Transplantation of neural stem cells (NSCs) can be preventing the degeneration of neurons. In addition to neuronal replacement, with the production of neurotrophic factors, increased survival and proliferation of endogenous cells. This study was done to compare the cell proliferation, neurotrophic factors expression and features of NSCs harvested from different areas of the central nervous system in vitro. Materials and Methods: In this laboratory study NSCs have been harvested from subgranular zone (SGZ), subventricular zone (SVZ) and central canal of spinal cord from adult Wistar rats with mechanical, enzymatical digestion and subsequently was cultured in α-MEM medium supplemented with serum as monolayer or adherent conditions and passaged for 13 times. Immunocytochemistry was used to determine expression of the nestin and GFAP markers. Semi-quantitative RT–PCR was used to confirm genes expression (NGF, CNTF, NT3, NT4/5, GDNF and BDNF). Results: Morphological features of stem cells extracted from different regions of the central nervous system were similar in the culture. Doubling time NSCs in the SVZ (37.45 hr) is shorter than in the SGZ (44.04 hr) and central canal of spinal cord (57.22 hr). The culture conditions as well as monolayer neural stem cells are capable of producing neurospheres. Also, nestin and GFAP markers, expressed by NSCs. Neurotrophic gene expression pattern profiles were similar to each other in stem cells extracted from the SGZ, SVZ and central canal of spinal cord. Conclusion: Neurotrophic gene expression in stem cells extracted from different regions of the central nervous system were similar, but proliferation capacity was higher in NSCs, which have been harvested from the SVZ.


Recently Samuel Fleischacker has developed Kant's model of enlightenment as a "minimalist enlightenment" in the tradition of a relatively thin proceduralism focused on the form of public debate and interaction. I want to discuss the possibility that such a minimalism, endorsed by Fleischacker, Habermas, Rawls, and others, benefits from a metaphysics of critical individual subjectivity as a prerequisite for the social proceduralism of the minimalist enlightenment. I argue that Kant's enlightenment, metaphysically thicker than much contemporary proceduralism, constitutes a recovery and transformation of a subjective interiority deeply Cartesian in spirit and central to the reciprocity of the community of subjects in What is Enlightenment. This opens a space for a site of resistance to the social. Descartes' solus secedo describes the analogical space of such a resistance for Kant's sapere aude. The Meditations thus point forward implicitly to how a rational subject might achieve critical distance from tradition in its various forms, epistemic, ethical, moral, and political.


It is well known that plants have ability to avoid polygamy in angiosperm, however, its mechanism is still poorly understood. In our previous work of in vitro fertilization we found that once an egg cell fused with a sperm cell, it could hardly fuse with other sperm within a certain period. Therefore we proposed that fusing egg cell must suffer some intrinsic changes during the fusion, such as the change of microtubule organization, which may prevent the egg cell from another fusion with extra sperm cells. In present work, the dynamic change of microtubule organization during the process of cell fusion in Nicotiana tabacum was observed through the single cell immunofluorescence microscopy. It was found that once cells began to adhere and fuse in Polyethylene Glycol (PEG), the microtubule immediately depolymerized. During this period of fusion and before microtubule polymerized again in the fusion product, the cell was unable to fuse with other cells. The results suggested microtubule organization was likely involved in the mechanisms of controlling cell fusion, and offered a clear indication that similar mechanism might also contribute to plant avoiding polygamy.


Underlying latent factors may cause a person to feel unwell. As the influence of the latent factors increases, the person will become sick. It is difficult to directly measure the influence of latent factors on risk degrees. However, early symptoms of a disease may affect vital signs such as body temperature and blood pressure, which may be a result of the influence of the latent factors. Deep learning is often used to predict the onset of a disease owing to its high accuracy. However, the reliability of this method is limited because of its characteristics of a black-box model. In this study, we propose a new approach to detect health abnormality. We regard the degree of influence of latent factors as the risk of disease and detect health abnormality before the onset of the disease. In our approach, we used a combination of Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) and Hidden Markov Model (HMM). First, in SEM, a domain model was created, and the factor score was estimated based on the relationship between latent factors and the explicit variables influenced by the factors. Thereafter, risk degrees were quantified with HMM using the estimated factor scores, and abnormality was identified in terms of risk degree. Finally, our proposed method was compared with three baselines: PCA (principal component analysis)-based approach, deep learning, and no-degree estimation methods. The average recall of our method was 98.75%, almost the same as the baselines, and false positive rate (FPR) was 0.186%, lower than the baselines. In the five-fold cross-validation comparing with no-degree estimation method, the average accuracy and recall of our method were 99.7% and 98.3% respectively, and FPR was 0.045%, all much better than the baseline. Moreover, our approach can make the process of obtaining the result visible and help detect abnormality sensitively by setting the threshold according to the risk degree, which can contribute to early detection of a disease and improve the reliability of abnormality detection as well.


We developed a knowledge-based system, VIE-VENT, for monitoring and therapy planning of the artificial ventilation of newborn infants. Clinical and textbook knowledge were implemented in VIE-VENT's knowledge base. Therapy planning was based on transcutaneously and invasively determined blood gas measurements and on clinical observations. After the selection of appropriate input parameters, measured data were validated and transformed into qualitative values. If these values differed from target values, therapeutic actions were proposed according to heuristic clinical rules of artificial ventilation. VIE-VENT was specifically designed for practical use under real-time constraints in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs). VIE-VENT was applied to the ICU data set provided by the organizers of the AAAI-AIM-94 symposium and a neonatal data set, which covered a neonatal case of similar severity. It included all transcutaneous measurements and allowed to explore the full potential of VIE-VENT.


Unemployment is a major problem for the development of a country. The role of youth is needed for development, but there are still many young people who become unemployed. The research we conducted has the main objective of analyzing what factors cause a lot of unemployment in a country, especially in the 6 countries of the ASEAN Region. The analysis period is from 2002 to 2021. Data sources obtained from the World Bank. This research uses quantitative research methods, namely using panel data regression analysis. Based on the results of research that has a positive effect, namely on the variables of Unemployment, Population, and Inflation. While those that have a negative effect are the Gross Domestic Product and Foreign Direct Investment variables.


Dwarfism, hideous features, characteristic deformities of the skeleton and other abnormalities involving many systems typify this bizarre and rare condition.
It is said to have been first recognized by John Thomson, of Edinburgh, about 1900 (Henderson, 1940), but the first report was that of Hunter in 1917. Entitled, "A Rare Disease in Two Brothers," it described fully the deformed extremities, dwarfing, hepatosplenomegaly, cardiac involvement and facial appearance; yet corneal clouding, mental deficiency and gibbus, features which were later considered by many to be essential for the diagnosis of the syndrome, were absent.


Background: The category of 'acute and transient psychotic disorders' (ATPDs) appeared in the ICD-10 Classification of Mental and Behavioural Disorders (ICD-10), but its distinctive features remain uncertain. Aim: To examine the course and outcome of ATPDs, pointing out differences from other types of psychosis. Methods: A one-year follow-up investigation of patients enrolled at the former World Health Organization (WHO) Centre for Research and Training in Mental Health in Aarhus (Denmark) for the WHO collaborative study on acute psychoses. Results: Of 91 patients aged 15–60 years presenting with acute psychosis, 47 (51.6%) were diagnosed with ATPD, and it occurred more commonly in females; yet, the other acute psychoses featured mainly mood disorders and affected equally both genders. After 1 year, the ATPD diagnosis did not change in 28 cases (59.6%); the remaining developed either affective psychoses (27.7%), or schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder (12.8%). Nearly, all patients with unchanged diagnosis of ATPD enjoyed full recovery, while those with other types of acute psychosis had significantly higher rates of recurrence or incomplete remission. Duration of illness within 4 weeks and stressful events in the 3 months before symptom onset predicted 1-year favourable clinical outcome for acute psychoses. Conclusion: Although ATPDs fared better over the short-term than other acute psychoses, their diagnostic stability is relatively low.


The objective of the paper is to assess the effects of agglomeration on technical efficiency of French pig farms. We use a two-stage method to evaluate the effects of agglomeration on technical efficiency. The first stage consists in calculating pig activity's efficiency scores with the non-parametric method Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). The second stage is a truncated regression of these scores on agglomeration variables. Data are for 899 French pig producers in 2004. Results suggest that these farms were as much affected by positive agglomeration externalities (that are knowledge spillovers due to farms' density, and also arise from farms' closeness to downstream market) as any other businesses. There was however no evidence of negative externalities in the form of constraints in farmers' land demand due to legal disposition relating to manure spreading.


Fabrication of a functional continuous inkjet drop generator from plastic substrates by exclusively using micro- electromechanical systems (MEMS) processing steps is reported. Polyimide and poly(ethylene naphthalate) sheets that are laminated to a silicon carrier wafer are investigated as the drop generator substrate, and the MEMS processing methods used and associated challenges are discussed in detail. Successful generation of drops in a 600-nozzles-per-inch array that are as small as 2.4 pL in volume (16.5 mum in diameter) at drop velocities of 15.5 m/s is realized with these devices.


Characterized by the increasing arrival rate of live content, the emergency applications pose a great challenge: how to disseminate large-scale live content to interested users in a scalable and reliable manner. The publish/subscribe (pub/sub) model is widely used for data dissemination because of its capacity of seamlessly expanding the system to massive size. However, most event matching services of existing pub/sub systems either lead to low matching throughput when matching a large number of skewed subscriptions, or interrupt dissemination when a large number of servers fail. The cloud computing provides great opportunities for the requirements of complex computing and reliable communication. In this paper, we propose SREM, a scalable and reliable event matching service for content-based pub/sub systems in cloud computing environment. To achieve low routing latency and reliable links among servers, we propose a distributed overlay SkipCloud to organize servers of SREM. Through a hybrid space partitioning technique HPartition, large-scale skewed subscriptions are mapped into multiple subspaces, which ensures high matching throughput and provides multiple candidate servers for each event. Moreover, a series of dynamics maintenance mechanisms are extensively studied. To evaluate the performance of SREM, 64 servers are deployed and millions of live content items are tested in a CloudStack testbed. Under various parameter settings, the experimental results demonstrate that the traffic overhead of routing events in SkipCloud is at least 60 percent smaller than in Chord overlay, the matching rate in SREM is at least 3.7 times and at most 40.4 times larger than the single-dimensional partitioning technique of BlueDove. Besides, SREM enables the event loss rate to drop back to 0 in tens of seconds even if a large number of servers fail simultaneously.


Employees of globalized firms face a riskier menu of labor market outcomes. They face a more uncertain stream of earnings and riskier employment prospects. However, they may also have stronger incentives to train and upgrade their skills and/or may benefit from more rapid careers. Hence, the costs of uncertainty and the benefits of skill upgrading associated with globalization may be twin to each other. We provide statistical evidence of this so far neglected trade-off for a sample of Indian manufacturing firms.


Harold Horace Hopkins was born in Leicester, the last of the six children of William E. Hopkins, 'a hand for a small baker', and Teresa F. Hopkins. Throughout his childhood and youth the family experienced the hardships of the 1920s and 1930s, with his father unemployed for much of the time. But his efforts to get a good, broad education were encouraged, particularly by his mother, whose strong socialist principles incorporated a great respect for education. During his years at a local state elementary school he attended various Sunday schools (attendance was required, but no particular denomination was specified), sang in a church choir, had free organ lessons from the organist, won an adult verse competition when aged nine and went to concerts of the Leicester Symphony Orchestra.


This article argues that accumulative bad governance over three decades of Mubarak's regime represents one of the main reasons why people revolted. Bad governance contributed to the fall of the regime in three fundamental ways: first, it created the conditions (such as rampant corruption, violation of human rights and absence of rule of law) that served to inspire public action against the rulers; second, it led to the breakdown of core elements critical for regime stability (within the bureaucracy and the judiciary for example) and third, it catalysed the middle‐class who played a key role in agitating for the uprisings via Facebook and other social media. However, in exposing the dynamics of bad governance in Egypt, this article suggests that the problem is not only one of governance gone bad but the very 'good governance' paradigm promoted by international actors. By focusing on institutional reform, the good governance paradigm did not capture the way in which actors, processes and values become diffuse across the state‐society divide. A relational governance approach would be more analytically useful in capturing and engaging with some of these dynamics.


Background Trials in community psychiatry must balance rigour with generalisability. The UK700 trial failed to find a significant effect on hospitalisation, but its sample population contained significant heterogeneity of exposure to case management in the two groups. Aims To test whether patients successfully exposed to a minimum of 12 months' intensive case management over the 2-year follow-up period achieved reduced hospitalisation. Method Of 679 participants with hospitalisation data, 84 were identified as having < 12 months' exposure owing to prolonged hospitalisation, imprisonment or a combination of the two. These patients were excluded and outcomes tested for the remaining 595 patients. Results Overall reduced case-load size did not reduce hospitalisation or treatment costs over 2 years despite elimination of outliers. Age, previous hospitalisation and source of recruitment to the study all correlated with outcome. Conclusions Case-load reduction is not in itself enough to reduce the need for hospital care in psychosis. Baseline patient characteristics (in particular length of previous hospitalisation and recruitment from in-patient care) have a significant influence and should be allowed for in power calculations. Identifying the optimal clinical profile for patients likely to benefit from intensive case management remains a pressing need for further studies.


THE Mercedes‐Benz Model DB‐601A aero‐engine is a development of the Daimler‐Benz Aktiengesellschaft of Stuttgart, Germany, a firm which lias been engaged in the manufacture of automotive and aero‐engines for over fifty years. During the first World War the Daimler Motorcn Gesellschaft of Stuttgart produced the famous Mercedes aero‐engines iii three 6‐cylindcr types with ratings of 160 horse‐power, 180 horse‐power, and 260 horse‐power. Equally renowned were the 160 horse‐power and 230 horse‐power 6‐cylindcr aero‐engines built by Benz and Company in Mannheim. After the war, and as a result of the economic and financial crisis which brought almost complete stagnation to the automotive industry in Germany during the early twenties, these two companies were practically forced to combine their activities in order to survive. Accordingly in 1926 a merger was consummated between the Daimler and Benz organizations. Thus came into being the firm of Daimler‐Benz A.G. and their product, the Mercedes‐Benz line of auto...


The introduction of bring your own device (BYOD) policy in the corporate world creates benefits for companies as well as job satisfaction for the employee. However, it also creates challenges in terms of security as new vulnerabilities arise. In particular, these challenges include space isolation, data confidentiality, and policy compliance as well as handling the resource constraints of mobile devices and the intrusiveness created by installed applications seeking to perform BYOD functions. We present Remote Mobile Screen (RMS), an approach for secure BYOD environments that addresses all these challenges. In order to achieve this, the enterprise provides the employee with a trusted virtual machine running a mobile operating system, which is located in the enterprise network and to which the employee connects using the mobile BYOD device. We describe our proposed solution and discuss our experimental results. Finally, we discuss advantages and disadvantages of RMS and possible future work.


PURPOSE Although it is a commonly held belief that stretching of the optic nerve is important in dysthyroid optic neuropathy (DON), it is probably mainly due to microvascular ischemia arising from high pressure at the orbital apex. If stretch is important in DON, one would expect longer optic nerves and reduced optic nerve compliance in these patients. METHODS Retrospective comparative case series for 75 patients with DON, and for age- and sex-matched control patients with thyroid eye disease (but no DON). Masked assessments of medial wall length, lateral wall length, optic nerve limits (ONLs), globe dimension, and globe projection were made from orbital CT images, and, from these measurements, various derivatives were estimated. The optic nerve shape was also judged as "straight," "mildly curved," or "markedly curved." Estimates of optic nerve compliance were compared in the 2 groups and examined particularly to look for evidence of reduced compliance in orbits with DON. RESULTS Paired right-left comparisons suggested a small systematic bias in the estimates of orbital dimensions, possibly due to software performance; this does not complicate the study, as only ipsilateral orbits were compared in the 2 groups. In 115 paired orbits, there was no difference in the proportions with various optic nerve configuration (p = 1.0), but the mean ONL in DON was 32.9 mm, compared with 31.5 mm in thyroid eye disease without DON (p = 0.011). In 5 patients with bilateral thyroid eye disease but unilateral DON, when corrected for side-to-side bias, the ONL on the DON side was greater than the non-DON side (DON, 36.7 mm; non-DON, 34.7 mm; p = 0.066). Compliance estimates for the 115 paired orbits are almost identical (p = 0.99). CONCLUSIONS The almost identical compliance estimates for DON and non-DON orbits suggest that ONL elongation in DON, albeit significant, is not extending optic nerve to its elastic limits and is, therefore, unlikely to be causing metabolic stress to the optic nerve. The 1.4 mm extra ONL in DON orbits probably just represents more retrobulbar tissues-with more advanced disease-and optic nerve stretch is probably not significant in the pathogenesis of DON.


One of the problems or challenges in performing graph clustering is to determine the number of clusters that best fit to the data being processed. This study is proposing a method to solve the problem using Dirichlet Process Mixture Model (DPMM). DPMM is one of the statistical methods that is already used for data clustering, without the need to define the number of clusters. However, this method has never been used before for graph clustering. Therefore, this study proposes the adaptation so that DPMM can be used for graph clustering. Experiment result shows DPMM method can be used for graph clustering, by applying spectral theory.


The purpose of this questionnaire survey was to evaluate the knowledge and attitudes of private dental health care workers about cross-infection hazards through examination of practising behaviour in respect of infection control. A questionnaire was sent by mail to the private dentists operating in Parma province. The survey concerned 7 groups of questions about demographic data, personal protective equipment, immunization, sterilization and disinfection, waste disposal and occupationally acquired injuries, behaviour. Four hundred questionnaires were sent to the members of the Medical and Dentist College of Parma: 122 were returned and analysed (30.5%). Among the infectious diseases 45% of the interviewed think that the most dangerous diseases are Hepatitis B and C, followed by HIV infection (21.5%). The most used personal protective equipments are gloves (98%), masks (95%) and protective eyewear (94%). Sixty eighth per cent of the dentists treat HBV, HCV, HIV, TB, HSV suffering patients at the end of the working day. Twenty nine point 7% of them claim to have written protocols to follow in case of accident. Altogether the results show a good knowledge of the most important risks related to dentistry activity and of the main procedures for the infection control and management.


Seymour W. Itzkoff's 2284, World Society is a work of fiction that imagines how the world could fare in the twenty-third century. In Itzkoff's future, widespread ignorance about human nature and intellectual inequalities lead to a worldwide collapse in the twenty-first century. After more than 100 years of troubles, visionaries come together and establish the World Society, an organization aiming to promote social equality, democracy, and peace on Earth. To achieve this goal, the World Society asks scientists to analyze the cause of the collapse. Following the scientists' conclusions, it decides to raise human intelligence to a uniformly high level, which enables worldwide democracy, economic prosperity, social equality, secularism, and scientific rationality. Unlike the League of Nations or the United Nations, the World Society has considerable military power and is able to enforce peace on Earth, although it usually uses diplomatic means. Once the main challenges have been addressed, the World Society continues to settle disputes between national entities and to address issues related to democracy, economy, ethnic diversity, religion, arts, and human sexuality. 2284, World Society is an important and disturbing book which tackles vital issues such as the future of human intelligence, how ethnic diversity can be dealt with, and what it takes for democracy to work. Itzkoff offers a perspective that is rarely heard and that should be taken seriously by all readers regardless of background or political orientation.


A reverse transcriptase (RT)-polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-oligoprobe (OP), or RT-PCR-OP, method was developed for the detection of the Norwalk virus, which causes acute, epidemic gastroenteritis, in stool specimens. The Norwalk virus genome regions encoding the following two proteins were amplified by RT-PCR: the RNA polymerase (260-bp product) and a putative immunogenic protein (224-bp product). The resulting DNA fragments (amplicons) were hybridized to a digoxigenin-labeled internal OP specific to each amplicon. The detection limit of Norwalk virus, as determined by the endpoint of RT-PCR amplification for serially diluted, positive stool specimens, was similar to the actual virion titer as estimated by electron microscopy and at least 100-fold greater than the titer determined by radioimmunoassay (RIA). The RT-PCR-OP assay was specific for Norwalk virus and negative for other enteric viruses, including human and animal caliciviruses, hepatitis E virus, Snow Mountain agent, astroviruses, 16 human enteroviruses, and 5 human rotaviruses. Components of fecal specimens that interfere with RT-PCR were removed successfully by Sephadex G-200 gel chromatography. Of 20 stool specimens from human volunteers that were positive for Norwalk virus by RIA, a specific RT-PCR-OP result was obtained in 95% (19 of 20) of the samples by using the immunogenic protein primers and 75% (15 of 20) by using the polymerase primers. Twenty-six stool specimens from asymptomatic children and adults were negative by the Norwalk virus RT-PCR-OP. RT-PCR-OP detected Norwalk virus in the 4 of 21 coded fecal specimens that were also positive by enzyme immunoassay. Two samples that were positive by RIA or enzyme immunoassay were negative by RT-PCR, perhaps because viral RNA was not present or RT-PCR inhibitors were not adequately removed.


Efficacy of glucokinase activation on glycemic control is limited to a short-term period. One reason might be related to excess glucose signaling by glucokinase activation toward β-cells. In this study, we investigated the effect of glucokinase haploinsufficiency on glucose tolerance as well as β-cell function and mass using a mouse model of type 2 diabetes. Our results showed that in db/db mice with glucokinase haploinsufficiency, glucose tolerance was ameliorated by augmented insulin secretion associated with the increase in β-cell mass when compared with db/db mice. Gene expression profiling and immunohistochemical and metabolomic analyses revealed that glucokinase haploinsufficiency in the islets of db/db mice was associated with lower expression of stress-related genes, greater expression of transcription factors involved in the maintenance and maturation of β-cell function, less mitochondrial damage, and a superior metabolic pattern. These effects of glucokinase haploinsufficiency could preserve β-cell mass under diabetic conditions. These findings verified our hypothesis that optimizing excess glucose signaling in β-cells by inhibiting glucokinase could prevent β-cell insufficiency, leading to improving glucose tolerance in diabetes status by preserving β-cell mass. Therefore, glucokinase inactivation in β-cells, paradoxically, could be a potential strategy for the treatment of type 2 diabetes.


: The nutritional status of mal- or undernourished children can be improved by increasing their dietary intake of calories. Where this is liable to be restricted by the sheer bulk of the diet, alternative feeding programmes may be called for. A more fundamental solution is to increase the calorie density of the diet by the addition of fat. Cost may, however, be an overriding factor.


Companies are experiencing more and more pressure to increase productivity and quality while cutting costs in the digital era. The integration of innovative new technologies in the work process is crucial when transforming businesses to cope with these increasing requirements. In this research article, we investigate the current integration of such an innovative technology augmented reality (AR) in the manufacturing industry. For that purpose, we conduct a systematic literature review as well as a practically oriented search for augmented reality use cases in the field of manufacturing. We contribute to the current literature on augmented reality and digital transformation by analysing and synthesizing 95 articles and use cases to identify the current and the potential future role of augmented reality in the manufacturing industry and its impact on different work processes. We show that theoretical proof of concepts articles mostly focus on improving production operations, especially assembly processes, while the majority of practical use cases of currently applied AR solutions involve maintenance and inspection processes. Based on these findings, relevant future work opportunities for researchers as well as practitioners are derived.


"In this paper, I will focus on reinvigorating a sense of what privacy is, tracing its cultural significance from an interdisciplinary perspective, culminating in a renewed definition of privacy in the digital age. I will add a
brief examination of the Canadian legal context to ground what is predominantly a theoretical exploration. This paper is not primarily concerned with the actual scope of the loss of privacy, although it is based on
the assumption that recent online developments are harbingers of the near total erosion of privacy. The premise of this paper is the curious paradox of living in a society that had had, until September 11, 2001, unprecedented
levels of privacy protection, while at the same time undergoing rapid devaluation of privacy rights, seemingly voluntarily sacrificed by citizens/ consumers in aid of market advantages through globalized networks.l"--From the introduction page 2.


ABSTRACT Carbon fibres with high tensile strength are being increasingly utilised in the manufacture of advanced composite aerostructures. A Modified Compact Tension (MCT) specimen is often deployed to measure the longitudinal intralaminar fracture toughness but a high tensile strength often leads to premature damage away from the crack tip. We present an approach whereby the MCT specimen is supported by external fixtures to prevent premature damage. In addition, we have developed a novel measurement technique, based on the fibre failure strain and C-scanning, to determine the crack length in the presence of surface sublaminate delamination which masks the crack tip location. A set of cross-ply specimens, with a ((90/0)s)4 layup, were manufactured from an IMS60/epoxy composite system Two different data reduction schemes, compliance calibration and the area method, are used to determine the fibre-dominated initiation and propagation intralaminar fracture toughness values. Propagation values of fracture toughness were measured at 774.9 ± 5.2% kJ/m2 and 768.5 ± 4.1% kJ/m2, when using the compliance calibration method and the area method, respectively. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) is carried out on the fracture surface to obtain insight into the damage mechanism of high-tensile-strength fibre-reinforced unidirectional composites. The measured tensile fracture toughness value is used in a fully validated computational model to simulate the physical test.


A robot using a tele-operated system greatly reduces the demands on the human operator, although some human intervention is still required. In order to automate some of the robot's capabilities, we have developed a 3D object-localization method for the robot's positional adjustment. The method is designed to be insensitive to noise and outliers while, at the same time, it has optimal run-time efficiency. Our algorithm is general enough to be applied not only to our dual-armed mobile robots but also to other tele-operation robots. This paper first describes our algorithm, and then presents the performance evaluation.


As an emerging field of practice and investigation Social Entrepreneurship (SE) provides many opportunities and challenges. This paper is exploring specific insights of the concept, including its fine borders with two other related terms: social economy and social enterprise. It also outlines steps forward in the process of enhancing SE eco-systems at both E.U. and national levels in order to provide transformational and innovative solutions to complex issues, like that of a fast growing ageing population, having strong social, economic and political implications. As a highly vulnerable social group, Romanian Retirees are the focus of the paper authors' experimental pilot model for social innovation and change ? Senior Active Platform (S.A.P.), that can lead to their improved economic and social inclusion. Based on in depth desk research and an exploratory survey, main coordinates (mission, objectives, main stakeholders' benefits, business model etc.) of S.A.P. are identified and set up. Further needed pieces of research are outlined in order to refine the model and transform it into a replicable one in countries with similar background.


A sample of an open-celled plastic foam has been examined using a combination of experimental, microscopic and computational methods. The aim was to use image-based meshing techniques to generate for the first time geometrically faithful models of the microstructure of the foam, and to use Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) to compute flow properties and pressure drops across the sample. The microstructure of the foam was also investigated experimentally and using SEM to provide further information for the computational analysis. A comparison was made with existing experimental data on flows through foams, and the unit pressure drop was found to correlate with the flow speed in the appropriate manner.


Abstract. The Actinocrinitidae were among the most abundant crinoids worldwide during the Lower Mississippian. Recent systematic revisions of the family allow a revised genus- and species-level understanding of these crinoids globally and a more precise means by which to understand the temporal and facies distribution of genera and species in this important Mississippian family. Two genera with a total of five species of Actinocrinitidae (and five additional forms left in open nomenclature) are recognized from the Fort Payne Formation, including Actinocrinites jugosus (Hall, 1859), Actinocrinites spp. indeterminate, Thinocrinus gibsoni (Miller and Gurley, 1893), Thinocrinus lowei (Hall, 1858), Thinocrinus probolos (Ausich and Kammer, 1991), Thinocrinus akanthos new species, Thinocrinus sp. aff. T. gibsoni, Thinocrinus spp. indeterminate, and two taxa recognized as only Actinocrinitidae genus and species indeterminate. Actinocrinites tripus Ehlers and Kesling, 1963 is recognized as a junior synonym of Thinocrinus gibsoni. Thinocrinus, rather than Actinocrinites as previously thought, is the dominant Fort Payne Formation actinocrinitid. Fort Payne Formation carbonate buildup facies (wackestone buildups and crinoidal packstone buildups) each have characteristic species of Thinocrinus. Actinocrinites is relatively rare in the Fort Payne Formation, but occurs preferentially in crinoidal packstone buildups.


A phenomenon of boundary-layer instability is discussed from the theoretical and experimental points of view. The china-clay evaporation technique shows streaks on the surface, denoting a vortex system generated in the region of flow upstream of transition. Experiments on a swept wing are described briefly, while experiments on the flow due to a rotating disk receive much greater attention. In the latter case, the axes of the disturbance vortices take the form of equi-angular spirals, bounded by radii of instability and of transition. A frequency analysis of the disturbances shows that there is a narrow band of disturbance components of high amplitude, some frequencies within this band corresponding to disturbances fixed relative to the surface and others corresponding to moving waves. Furthermore, the determination of velocity profiles for the rotating-disk flow is described, the agreement with the theoretical solution for laminar flow being quite satisfactory; for turbulent flow, however, the empirical theories are not very satisfactory. In order to explain the vortex phenomenon just discussed, the general equations of motion in orthogonal curvilinear co-ordinates are examined by superimposing an infinitesimal disturbance periodic in space and time on the main flow, and linearizing for small disturbances. An important result is that, within the range of certain approximations, the velocity component in the direction of propagation of the disturbance may be regarded as a two-dimensional flow for stability purposes; then the problem of stability formally resembles the well-known two dimensional problem. However, it is important to emphasize that this result—namely, that the flow curvature has little influence on stability—is applicable only to the possible modes of instability in a local region. The nature of three-dimensional flows is discussed, and the importance of co-ordinates along and normal to the stream-lines outside the boundary layer is examined. In accord with the formal two-dimensional nature of the instability, there is a whole class of velocity distributions, corresponding to different directions, which may exhibit instability. The question of stability at infinite Reynolds number is examined in detail for these profiles. As for ordinary two-dimensional flows, the wave velocity of the disturbance must lie somewhere between the maximum and minimum of the velocity profile considered. The points where the wave velocity equals the fluid velocity are called critical points, of which most of the profiles considered have two. Then Tollmien's criterion that velocity profiles with a point of inflexion are unstable at infinite Reynolds number is extended to the case of profiles with two critical points. One particular profile—namely, that for which the point of inflexion lies at the point of zero velocity—may generate neutral disturbances of zero phase velocity, corresponding to the disturbances visualized by the china-clay technique. A variational method for the solution of certain of the eigenvalue problems associated with stability at infinite Reynolds number is derived, found by comparison with an exact solution to be very accurate, and applied to the rotating disk. The fixed vortices predicted by the theory have as their axes equi-angular spirals of angle 103°, in good agreement with experiment, but the agreement between theoretical and experimental wave number is not good, the discrepancy being attributed to viscosity. Finally, the correlation between the experimentally observed and theoretically possible disturbances is discussed and certain conclusions drawn therefrom. The streamlines of the disturbed boundary layer show the existence of a double row of vortices, one row of which produces the streaks in the china clay. Application of the theory to other physical phenomena is described.


Three systematic reviews and 2 randomized clinical trials were identified regarding the clinical effectiveness of chlorhexidine oral care in adult patients who were in critical care and being mechanically ventilated. The evidence was of limited quality, with methodological limitations.
Compared to ozonated water and to Nanosil, chlorhexidine oral care was associated with a significantly higher risk of ventilator-associated pneumonia. Compared to bicarbonate, chlorhexidine oral care was associated with a significantly lower risk of ventilator-associated pneumonia. There was no significant difference in the risk of ventilator-associated pneumonia between chlorhexidine and other agents, such as potassium permanganate, hydrogen peroxide, or miswak.
There was no significant difference in the risk of mortality between oral care with chlorhexidine and that with other oral care drugs.
An evidence-based guideline targeting individuals who require assistance on oral care recommended a multi-component oral care protocol. No specific recommendation regarding the use of oral care agents for the prevention of ventilator-associated pneumonia was made because of lack of evidence.
There is a lack of evidence on the safety or cost-effectiveness of chlorhexidine oral care in adults who are in critical care and being mechanically ventilated.


Viral respiratory infections cause acute airway abnormalities consisting of inflammation and physiological dysfunction in both animals and humans. It is likely that inflammatory cell products, such as cytokines, contribute substantially to viral-induced airway dysfunction. We hypothesized that imiquimod, an immune response enhancing agent that induces interferon-alpha, would attenuate the development of airway dysfunction during acute viral illness in rats. Adult Brown Norway rats were inoculated with parainfluenza type 1 (Sendai) virus or sterile vehicle, and treated with either imiquimod or water. Respiratory system resistance (Rrs), arterial oxygen tension (Pa,O2), lung viral titres and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) leucocyte counts were measured in anaesthetized, paralysed, ventilated rats. Virus-infected, water-treated rats had a significant decrease in Pa,O2 and had significant increases in leucocyte count and Rrs when compared to both the virus-infected, imiquimod-treated, (Pa,O2, p = 0.03; leucocyte count, p = 0.02; and Rrs, p = 0.009) and noninfected, water-treated rats (Pa,O2, p = 0.007; leucocyte count, p = 0.001; and Rrs, p = 0.01). In addition, imiquimod suppressed BAL eosinophils in both virus-infected (p = 0.02) and noninfected (p = 0.001) groups, and lowered overall virus titres (p = 0.03). Thus, both virus-induced airway inflammation and physiological dysfunction were attenuated significantly by imiquimod treatment in this animal model. By further delineating mechanisms by which infections induce airway dysfunction in animal models, more specific pharmacological interventions can be developed for the treatment of virus-induced asthma.


Macrophages play important roles in the pathogenesis of various diseases, and are important potential therapeutic targets. Furthermore, macrophages are key antigen-presenting cells and important in vaccine design. In this study, we report on the novel formulation (bovine serum albumin [BSA]-loaded glucan particles [GMP-BSA]) based on β-glucan particles from cell walls of baker's yeast for the targeted delivery of protein to macrophages. Using this formulation, chitosan, tripolyphosphate, and alginate were used to fabricate colloidal particles with the model protein BSA via electrostatic interactions, which were caged and incorporated BSA very tightly within the β-glucan particle shells. The prepared GMP-BSA exhibited good protein-release behavior and avoided protein leakage. The particles were also highly specific to phagocytic macrophages, such as Raw 264.7 cells, primary bone marrow-derived macrophages, and peritoneal exudate macrophages, whereas the particles were not taken up by nonphagocytic cells, including NIH3T3, AD293, HeLa, and Caco-2. We hypothesize that these tightly encapsulated protein-loaded glucan particles deliver various types of proteins to macrophages with notably high selectivity, and may have broad applications in targeted drug delivery or vaccine design against macrophages.


The clear and transparent sols of BaTi acetate were prepared from tetrabutyltitanate, barium acetate aqueous solution, ethanol and acetic acid. The BaTi acetate sols were transferred into gels by sol-gel process, and the gels were dried and calcined to nanostructured BaTiO3 powders. Pure barium titanate powders added in mixtures of acetone and iodine and water or acetylacetone (Acac) and ethanol (EtOH) as suspension systems, the aim of this study was to use the electrophoretic deposition technique (EPD) to fabrication the BaTiO3 ferroelectric films with high dielectric constant. During sol-gel transition process, it is found that the initial PH value of sol affected not only the sol-gel transition, but also the particles size of the final calcined BaTiO3 powders. The effects of the EPD process parameters such as the suspension, powder concentration, electrical field strength on the specific EPD deposited weight were investigated. The films sintered at 1050°C for 2h were crystallized into the tetragonal phase at room temperature, which were sufficiently dense and had uniform microstructure and excellent dielectric properties.


Robert Motherwell: Early Collages, published to accompany an exhibition devoted exclusively to Motherwell's works on paper from the 1940s and early 1950s, reexamines the origins of the artists style and his revelatory encounter with the papier colle technique that he described in 1944 as the greatest of our discoveries. Motherwell's enthusiasm for and dedication to the collage medium for the remainder of his career sets him apart from other artists of his generation and went beyond the mere physical presence of pasted cut-and-torn papers. Featuring approximately sixty works and four essays that delve into artists engagement with collage in the first half of the twentieth century, Motherwell's early career with patron Peggy Guggenheim, underlying humanitarian themes during World War II, and the artists materials, Early Collages provides a vital reassessment of Motherwell's work in the collage medium.