Hyperperfusion and an increase in capillary pressure has been implicated in the pathogenesis of diabetic microangiopathy. The existence of such alterations suggests that the myogenic response to increased intravascular pressure may be altered in diabetes. To examine this, in vivo studies were performed on the rat cremaster muscle microcirculation of age-matched control and STZ-induced (65 mg/kg) diabetic rats (3–4 wk of diabetes). Anesthetized rats were enclosed in an airtight Plexiglas box with the cremaster muscle exteriorized into an organ bath containing Krebs' solution. To study myogenic responsiveness, box pressure was increased in steps of 10 mmHg from 0 to 30 mmHg for 2 min. Third-order arterioles of the control animals (lumen diameter 18 ± 2 μm) responded to increased pressure with a rapid onset vasoconstriction. In contrast, the rate of development of the constriction was markedly attenuated in similar vessels (15 ± 1 μm) of the diabetic animals, despite their ability to exhibit a similar maximal arteriolar constriction to that of the control animals. When 20 mmHg pressure steps were applied for only 10 s, arterioles of the diabetic animals constricted minimally, whereas those of the control animals constricted to 75% of the maximal response expected for that pressure increase (P < 0.01). Second-order arterioles of both groups of animals responded with a primarily passive distension to increased intravascular pressure suggesting that the impaired responsiveness of the third-order arterioles is not compensated for by an increase in the myogenic responsiveness of upstream vessels. Basal intravascular pressures, measured in first-, second-, and third-order arterioles, were similar in control and diabetic animals. These data suggest that experimental diabetes is associated with an impairment in the rate of development of myogenic vasoconstriction in precapillary arterioles that may predispose the capillary bed to transient episodes of elevated pressure.


This paper introduces a new approach to programming that facilitates the construction and verification of applications. Called "Cumulative Subgoal Fulfillment" (CSF), it implements procedures by fulfilling and accumulating a sufficient set of subgoals. Each code block fulfilling a subgoal must keep invariant all subgoals already fulfilled. Using well-known programming problems, the paper demonstrates that CSF is new and that its simple form facilitates both the creation and checking of code.


Lipids are minor constituents of wheat flour, but are functional in bread making. As a result they have been extensively studied, but the published results are conflicting. It was therefore the objective of this study to understand better the impact of wheat lipids on wheat flour functionality and to propose approaches for positive modification of the flours.
Initial work established quantitative and qualitative assessment methods for the non-starch lipids occurring in starch based systems. Seven solvent systems were compared for their ability to extract the non- starch lipids at ambient temperature. The choice of solvent system greatly influenced the total extractable amounts of lipid and there were differences in the relative composition. Bligh and Dyer methodology showed good extraction ability based on the total amount of non-starch lipids and there was good representation of the different lipid classes (neutral lipids, glycolipids, phospholipids). As this method was reasonable fast, with high extraction ability and showed low coefficient of variation (typically 16%) it was used in subsequent studies including the assessment of lipids in wheats of different variety and the levels and class of lipids segregating in the different mill fractions.
As part of a larger study the impact of agriculture based variation in wheat flour chemistry and quality parameters was tested on high quality wheat varieties. Wheat variety was found as the major factor determining wheat flour properties, but environmental effects and post- harvest processing i.e. milling also had an impact. Correlations were made for the composition, flour quality parameters and the bread quality and results showed that whilst proteins are a major determinant for bread texture, lipids significantly influenced bread volume with non-polar lipids significantly and positively associated with bread volume, while the phospholipids reduced dough resistance and therefore may be associated with a decrease in loaf volume. Despite the acknowledged limitation of the data sets in some aspects, the wheats were tested for their "stability" within and over the growing sites. From these data, suggested wheat varieties worthy of further examination have been made.
To see if positive modifications could be induced into wheat flours the technique of cold plasma (0.2-0.4 Wcm-2) was applied. It was shown that measureable free fatty acids and phospholipids significantly reduced after treatment and that there was a shift towards higher molecular weight proteins. Markers of oxidation increased and there was a significant increase in hydrogen peroxide and the formation of secondary oxidation products (n-hexanal). All the changes that occurred in the wheat flour during cold plasma treatment ultimately resulted in stronger dough. This suggests that cold plasma is an effective treatment for modifying functionality and enhancing the oxidative state of wheat flour.


Acid-base and blood gas status of capillary blood from the ear was compared with acid-base and blood gas status of arterial and venous blood in dogs with induced hypoxemia, hypercapnea, and hypovolemia. It was concluded that capillary blood samples can replace arterial blood samples for the measurement of acid-base and blood gas status of dogs with severe impairment of lung function. When circulation is impaired capillary blood samples cannot replace arterial blood samples for the measurement of acid-base and blood gas status of dogs. With impaired capillary circulation, the capillary-arterial differences become unacceptably large. It is, therefore, advisable to submit samples of capillary blood for analysis only if circulation is not impaired and microtubes can be filled quickly and easily.


: A 2-year-old boy had a Wilms' tumor of the left kidney that appeared during physical examination as an abdominal mass and on gross examination as a multilocular cyst. Multilocular cyst of the kidney is a rare but distinctive congenital lesion. Its true biologic behavior is unknown. Although simple nephrectomy is sufficient for most lesions, more aggressive procedures are recommended for those lesions that contain Wilms' tumor (cystic Wilms' tumor).


The aim of this reflective article is to investigate firstly, the preconception of professionalism in teaching; secondly, whether minority teacher's identity influences their professionalism; and, thirdly, how minority teachers affect minority students, since minority teachers face real inequality in white societies. The issue of teacher professionalism has always been controversial due to the changing nature of the profession and society's expectations of how the profession should be. There has not been an investigation regarding minority teachers in Austria. I wish to address this gap in the research by investigating the experience of a Laotian-American in a secondary school. The investigation reveals that in spite of the efforts that governments in Canada, the United States, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom have put into recruiting minority educators, minority teacher population does not keep pace with the minority student populations. Regrettably, Austrian government does not have such a recruiting scheme. This study has the potential to raise debates about minorities in the Austrian educational system and contribute to existing discussion about minority educators in white society.

This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.


In the year 1804, Friedrich Rochlitz was editor of the influential Leipzig review, «Allgemeine Musikalische Zeitung». There he issued his short story,  Der Besuch im Irrenhause  ("A Visit to an Asylum"), which can be regarded as a pivotal work in the field of writings on the Romantic musician myth, as well among those relating art to madness. In fact, its most original aspect is its tight music–madness link—a novelty in those times—functioning as a  Leitmotiv .  Der Besuch im Irrenhause , sub-titled "An Essay in Psychology", depicts a scientific experiment. The narrator is an amateur psychologist. While touring an insane asylum, he is struck by a young inmate who withdrew from the real world to live in a personal one, mostly made of sounds and musical visions. Music, the language of heart and soul, gradually rises up to the role of ideal mean for inner expression. The act of listening implies transport and ecstasy, a journey in a fantasy world conjured up by sounds, and the vehicle to rise up to God. Music is seen as the «language of angels and blessed spirits», the sacred art par excellence, and the route to grasp the deep unity of the universe. Yet music will also drive the main character to madness, with mystic visions, imaginary dialogues, and raving.  For sure, this work is interesting as a forerunner of several topics subsequently seized up by a whole generation of writers, musicians, and thinkers—the upcoming Romantic movement. Rochlitz's short story stands tall in its times, on a par with the best work by Wackenroder, Hoffmann, and Grillparzer. It is all the more interesting for its creator was no Romantic writer, but rather an 18th-century thinker, rooted in the Enlightenment, its views, and its values. Today, Rochlitz is an unduly neglected figure, whereas in his days he exerted vast influence in the German-speaking area.


This paper proposes a method to reduce the standby leakage current of MOSFET by controlling the voltage of the source node. The method allows the use of a low threshold device for high performance speed and low power dissipation in both active and standby periods. This method can be easily applied for conventional ASIC library circuits because no additional processes, circuits, or devices except slight modification for the body contact cell are required.


This study investigated the effects of execution speed on measures of strength, muscular power, and hypertrophy. Eighteen male subjects trained with the half-squat exercise using an 8- to 12-RM load for 7-1/2 weeks. Eight subjects tried to produce fast concentric contractions while 10 subjects emphasized slow controlled movements. Both groups improved significantly in all measures; however, no significant differences were observed between the groups over the training period. Trends based on percentage improvements gave some support for the fast group improving more (68.7%) than the slow group (23.5%) in maximum rate of force development. The slow group improved to a greater extent (31%) that the fast group (12.4%) in absolute isometric strength, whereas the percentage gains in hypertrophy were similar for both groups. It was concluded that strength, speed-strength, and hypertrophy measures can be simultaneously developed significantly in beginning weight trainers. Beginner athletes should consider the possible effects of consciously controlling speed of contraction in weight training.


Hybrid organo-lead halide perovskites are becoming the benchmark material for next generation photovoltaics and a very important player for other applications such as photodetectors and light emitting diodes. Nevertheless, the most important issue hindering the large-scale application of these materials remains their intrinsic instability due to the organic cation. Although the substitution with inorganic cesium (Cs) enhances stability, in most cases solution deposition methods of fully inorganic perovskites result in high surface roughness and poor surface coverage. This work reports on the evaporation of the CsPbBr3 precursor by Single Source Thermal Ablation, showing that just after deposition films consist of a mixture of CsPbBr3, CsPb2Br5, and Cs4PbBr6 due to a vertical composition gradient. We point out that mild post deposition treatments lead to the conversion of CsPb2Br5 and Cs4PbBr6 into CsPbBr3 due to its higher thermodynamic stability. Conversion results into smooth and pinhole-free CsPbBr3 films with good light absorption and emission properties. We demonstrate the suitability of obtained films for planar devices by preparing perovskite-based pure-green light emitting diodes, thus promoting Single Source Thermal Ablation as a promising alternative deposition technique for all-inorganic perovskite-based devices.


Nuclear quadruple resonance (NQR) has been studied for explosive detection for years. Some prototype NQR-based detection systems have been reported, but were all designed from the laboratory perspective, with bulky sizes and high power consumption. To achieve a portable NQR-based detection system for field applications, a low-power compact system utilizing state-of-the-art semiconductor technologies is presented in this paper. Several novel circuits for the key modules are proposed, including a Class-D type power amplifier, a power multiplexing and matching network, a customized IC with integrated analog signal processing chain, and a microcontroller-based logic control unit. An advanced digital signal processor platform is employed for data collecting and processing. The customized IC is fabricated in 0.18 μm CMOS process. Test results on the prototype system show the effectiveness of the proposed solution and low power consumption as 2.12 W in the receiving state. The power efficiency of the proposed transmitting section is higher than 60%.


Public schooling in the United States serves the purposes of Americanization and assimilation. Group and national identities are continually refashioned, however, and in the late 1990s, it is much less clear what students are being socialized or assimilated to than it was twenty or forty or eighty years ago. The resurgence of policy activity and controversy regarding American pluralism-diversity-multiculturalism has raised questions about what vision or version of the nation is to be transmitted to future generations via school curricula. The focus of the study presented here is the images of America actually being conveyed in elementary, middle, and high school social studies classes. The absence of a single, predominant image of America in these classes can be understood as reflecting the complex realities of United States history and contemporary society. Closest to a dominant theme was "imperfect but best"—America as the best country in the world, despite past problems, current difficulties, and various complaints. Alternative interpretations were offered, all pointing to disruption of the traditional story of America, a disruption that challenges not only the conventional wisdom but also the privileged positions of those individuals and groups who have benefited from dominant ideologies and prevailing distributions of power.


Income and risk aspects of wheat-fallow cropping systems are analyzed in western North Dakota. A wheat yield trend estimation model based on county yields (1950-77) is developed using independent variables of year, annual precipitation, acres of nonfallowed wheat and a dummy variable for fallow and nonfallow practices. The year-to-year change in wheat yields on fallowed and nonfallowed land indicates that summer fallow is becoming less desirable economically. Based on 1980 costs and yields, summer fallow maximizes returns to land at low yields, low wheat prices, and high nitrogen prices. Income variability is reduced under summer fallow.


This paper discusses the asymptotic stability of the steady state and the existence of a Hopf bifurcation in discrete time multisector optimal growth models. We obtain on the one hand a local turnpike theorem which guarantees the saddle point property for all discount rates. On the other hand, we provide a new proposition which gives some conditions ensuring local stability of the steady state if the impatience rate is not too high. A characterization of the boundδ*, above which the steady state is saddle-point stable, is also proposed in terms of indirect utility function's concavity properties. On this basis, some sufficient conditions for the existence of a Hopf bifurcation are stated. We thus prove the existence of quasi-periodic optimal paths in asymmetric models.


Titanium-aluminum alloys were successfully used to form low resistance ohmic contacts to p-type SiC. This work concerns two Al-Ti alloy compositions. Contacts were prepared by magnetron sputtering of bilayer Al-Ti and trilayer Ti-Al-Ti thin films and rapid thermal annealing at temperatures range 900°C ÷ 1000°C. Using scanning electron microscopy and profiler, an investigation of surface morphology of annealed contacts was conducted. The best resistivity of 5.8·10−5 Ωcm2 was attained on 100nm/26nm Al/Ti metallization of 80% at. Al alloy composition annealed at 1000°C for 2 min. Relatively low roughness of 30 nm was observed on trilayer Ti/Al/Ti metallization.


This paper summarizes the development of Value of Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) Information analyses and introduces the development, objectives and approaches of the COST Action TU1402 on this topic. SHM research and engineering has been focused on the extraction of loading, degradation and structural features for damage detection and condition assessment, system identification and model updating. However, there is an actual challenge to establish a better understanding of the value of SHM before its implementation in terms of its utility in conjunction with practically applicable methods for its quantification. This challenge can be met with Value of SHM Information analyses facilitating that the SHM contribution to substantial benefits for life safety, economy and beyond can be may be quantified, demonstrated and utilized. However, Value of SHM Information analyses involve complex models encompassing the infrastructure and the SHM systems, their functionality and thus require the interaction of several research disciplines. For progressing on these points, a scientific networking and dissemination project namely the COST Action TU1402 has been initiated.


For  the  photographic  media,  remediation   between  physical  and  digital archive became a monumental convergence of all sort of images, creating the possibilities to combine,  reconnect  and  retrieve  its  meaning  and  authorship, and  the  resulting review of methods to analyse, read and make its historiography. It  was  in  this  period  of  transition   from  paper  to  screen  that  was published  in Portugal an History of Photography which integrates these arguments, using a combinatorial  method capable of projecting its continuous update in an hypertext version. 'Hist6ria  da  Imagem   Fotogrdfica em  Portugal 1839-1997'   (Sena,  1998), applies a digital image database - 'Luzitania/ether pix database' to index  and link all the images printed in the book, allowing the reader to explore aesthetic, semantic, technical, geographical and political analogies between them.  Upholding a multidirectional  and  non-linear  conception  of  History,  it  proposes a  rhizomatic structure    that    implies   a  method    - an    history    of    photography    as   an hyperdocument - allowing the  reader to view, review, compare  and  question  the sense and notion of the historical time of the photographic image. This paper examines  how digital  media become an essential tool of readability and visibility  of  History,  and   how   the  displacement   of  perception   provided  by  an hypermedia  structure,  reflects on dematerialization of the image, the shared notion of authorship,  capable of creating a new generation of readers that  think  towards trajectories  formed  by  the  modern   media   of communication  - from  press  to photography, from cinema to television -to the hypermodern  media of computation.


ABSTRACT Since 1996, there have been at least six human norovirus pandemics. All of the pandemic strains are genetically related, segregating in the genogroup II, genotype 4 (GII.4) cluster within the Norovirus genus. Evidence indicates that these strains are closely related but antigenically distinct, supporting immune-driven viral evolution. Thus, norovirus vaccines will likely require periodic reformulation to protect from newly emergent strains. A major obstacle is that the reservoir of emergent strains is unknown. Noroviruses display tight species specificity and there is no evidence supporting zoonotic transmission, so an animal reservoir is considered unlikely. Moreover, available data indicate minimal viral diversity in most natural human infections. In this Gem, we discuss the widely speculated idea that chronically infected immunocompromised individuals are norovirus reservoirs and provide a rationale for the theory that elderly and malnourished hosts may also represent norovirus reservoirs.


Over the past years, the visualization of large and complex data sets brought up various Visual Analytics (VA) tools in order to solve domain-specific tasks. These VA tools are typically implemented as individual software components in data-flow-oriented models, meaning that data is transferred from one component to the next. While most VA frameworks rely on a monolithic architecture with features for the integration of specialized analysis methods, we consider a loose coupling of independent applications, where autonomous VA tools are used in predefined analysis sequences. To this end, we provide a characterization of the data exchange process among individual VA tools in the form of a taxonomy. This taxonomy can be used as a checklist to identify characteristics and improve the data flow of one's own multi-tool VA setup. For this purpose, we conducted a systematic investigation of the individual aspects of data exchange that are commonly found across different usage scenarios. We apply our taxonomy to three existing multi-tool frameworks, the open-source library ReVize, the toolchain editor AnyProc, and the visualization and monitoring framework Plant@Hand3D.


Estimation, by ten-minute clearance of 85Sr, of the blood flow in dogs' tibiae with healing fractures showed an increase in flow the first day after fracture and, at approximately two weeks, a maximum of almost six times mean normal flow. This maximum was followed by a decrease to approximately three and one-half times that of normal at three weeks, maintenance of this level until eight to ten weeks, and then return to more normal values as healing and remodeling neared completion at twelve weeks. In a fracture with delayed union, blood flow at thirteen weeks was still approximately four times that of normal. In eight dogs, no significant difference was found in the 85Sr extraction by the fractured tibia and by the control, indicating that the avidity for 85Sr on the fractured side was not significantly increased. This was also true at twelve weeks in a delayed union. No consistent changes were observed its the arterial-venous differences in oxygen content, pO2, pCO2, or pH when blood from the fractured tibia was compared with that from the control side. Oxygen consumption and CO2 production, however, must have increase because blood flow was invariably increased.


The nanometer titanium dioxide (TiO2) was prepared by reverse titration method with titanium trichloride and titanium tetrachloride at low temperature. The prepared samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and laser diffraction particle size analyzer, the photocatalytic activity of the samples was also evaluated. The results showed that the prepared TiO2 was nanometer anatase titania with an average particle size of 56.39 nm and the zeta potential of +39.42 mV. The nanometer anatase titania had the best photocatalytic activity than the TiO2 prepared by reverse titration or forward titration with titanium tetrachloride and a good stability.


The Mejillones Peninsula upwelling system (northern Chile) appears to be a natural lab- oratory, suitable to test hypotheses concerning variability of copepod growth in nature. In this zone, in January 2000, we collected zooplankton samples inside and outside of an upwelling plume to assess differential responses of copepodid Calanus chilensis to spatial distribution of temperature, chlorophyll a (chl a), current field and dissolved oxygen (DO). We studied variability of prosome length (PL), dry weight (DW), oil sac volume (OSV), ovary development (GI) and a condition index (CI) of females, and PL and OSV of Copepodid Stage C5. The sea temperature ranged between 14 and 20°C in the upper 10 m, whereas chl a varied between 3 and 14 mg m -3 . We distinguished 2 zones according to temperature and the current field: a cold retention area coinciding with the upwelling plume, and a warmer highly advective zone, outside the plume. Abundance of most cope- podids was associated with cold and chl a-rich waters, and positively correlated to current speeds. DW and CI of females and PL of Stage C5 were negatively correlated to temperature, but not to chl a. Within the cold retention zone, copepodids were more abundant, females and C5 copepodids were larger and heavier, and females had more developed ovaries, but there were no differences in lipid content or CI. We concluded that resulting circulation may act as an efficient mechanism to maintain copepodids within the chl a-rich upwelling center, but this also implies spatial heterogeneity in tem- perature and food, giving rise to variability in growth and development of copepods, which is then reflected in different-sized individuals in the late stages of development.


Some recent research has indicated that certain alkaline contaminations may adversely affect mechanical properties of clayey soils. To examine the potential impact of alkaline divalent barium on the swelling characteristics of KAHRIZAK clay, the major solid-waste landfill at south of Tehran, a systematic set of experiments was conducted. Observations indicated that the swelling in the studied soil that belonged to the CH-MH group with a PI of 28.44, was reduced by about 17, 37, 48 and 54 percent, and swelling pressure by about 41, 55, 65 and 67 percent, respectively, after addition of barium chloride solutions to concentrations of 0.25, 0.5, 0.75 and 1.25 molal. It was also found that addition of barium chloride solutions to concentrations of higher than 1 molal had a little effect on reduction of swelling and swelling pressure.


Since there is a dearth of research on Bangladeshi married academic women's participation in higher studies abroad, this study endeavours to explore their motives and experiences in pursuing foreign degrees, the barriers encountered, and their strategies for overcoming them. This case study (Yin, 1994) investigates the phenomenon of study abroad through the narrative accounts of five married academic women from Bangladesh at different stages of study abroad (pre-departure and planning; in progress; and completed). Within the framework of the discursive construction of identity (e.g., Ivanic, 1998; Lakoff, 1973; Tannen 1994), accounts of four participants were elicited through semi-structured interviews. The study suggests that academic women's participation in a foreign degree program depends to a great extent on how they construct the meaning of identity-shaping discourses in their "private" and "public" lives.


C17orf1, a gene expressed in skeletal muscle and heart, was initially isolated from a fetal brain cDNA library and localized centromeric to and partially within the proximal CMT1A-REP element. A second gene, COX10, spans the distal CMT1A-REP element, and a duplicated exon of this gene is present in the proximal CMT1A-REP element. C17orf1 includes this duplicated COX10 exon within its sequence; however, the DNA strand opposite to that of the COX10 gene is utilized. We have determined the genomic organization of C17orf1 and found it to be oriented in the direction opposite to COX10. Analysis of the genomic structure of C17orf1 has revealed that it contains at least six exons and spans a length of at least 17 kb. All but one of the splice sites conform to the GT/AG rule, and in this case the splice acceptor site within intron 1 is GA instead of the expected AG. Sequencing and mapping analyses have shown that the centromeric boundary of the proximal CMT1A-REP element lies within intron 5. A 7-bp insertion, identified from genomic sequencing of cosmid clones and verified in the original cDNA clone and RT-PCR products, has extended the previously reported open reading frame from 591 to 756 bp. C17orf1 therefore encodes a 252-amino-acid protein.


This paper addresses a sonar image segmentation method employing a Robust A*-Search Image Segmentation (RASIS) algorithm. RASIS is applied on Mine-Like Objects (MLO) in sonar images, where an object is defined by highlight and shadow regions, i.e. regions of high and low pixel intensities in a side-scan sonar image. RASIS uses a modified A*-Search method, which is usually used in mobile robotics for finding the shortest path where the environment map is predefined, and the start/goal locations are known. RASIS algorithm represents the image segmentation problem as a path-finding problem. Main modification concerning the original A*-Search is in the cost function that takes pixel intensities and contour curvature in order to navigate the 2D segmentation contour. The proposed method is implemented in Matlab and tested on real MLO images. MLO image dataset consist of 70 MLO images with manta mine present, and 70 MLO images with cylinder mine present. Segmentation success rate is obtained by comparing the ground truth data given by the human technician who is detecting MLOs. Measured overall success rate (highlight and shadow regions) is 91% for manta mines and 81% for cylinder mines.


Considering that energy-saving of public building is affected by many complicated factors, and there exists difference energy-saving methods from the building project design stage, construction stage and operational stage. This article has firstly made an analysis from the point of the systems engineering, pointing out that the public building energy systems is based on the life cycle of the theory, and then set up the evaluation target system of public building energy systems. The evaluation target system includes energy consumption target, economic target, sustainable development target, environmental target, technical target and function target. Finally, we applied Extension evaluation method to evaluate public building energy-saving, and adopt AHP to make the weight of targets.


The main body of this thesis presents the results of a field study of public participation and responses to planning in North Ormesby, a district of East Middlesbrough. An examination of the socio-economic and demographic characteristics of the locality highlights the essential 'working class' nature of the population. The locality had experienced considerable physical transformation in the five years prior to the study and was still in a period of transition. There is a large body of literature which focuses on the problem of public participation, particularly in the field of planning. Some of this literature is examined in the first chapter. Mach of the work has been based on large scale survey studies which have attempted to establish the degree of "participation" of the population measured in terms of membership of voluntary associations or other groupings. It is invariably the middle class populations who score highly when participation is measured in this fashion. The literature would lead us to expect that there would be poor responses to planning in a locality such as North Ormesby. However, a very vigorous and organized response emerged from the North Ormesby population. It is argued that previous explanations of hi participation which turn to socio-economic status or level of education are inadequate, and an alternative framework is proposed within which variations in responses to planning can be analysed not only between localities but within them. This framework not only gives attention to social demographic and structural features of populations but also to interactional processes on a local level. By utilising the concept of social network the writer is able to show how the North Cromsby Residents Association operates as a participating body and mobilizes support from within the community.


Conceived as an introduction to the thematic dossier, this article reconsiders the notion of « protagonism » developed by the historian Haim Burstin in connection with the French Revolution. The specific features of the notion in question are presented, as well as the way it condenses significant shifts in the analysis of political crises and revolutions. Testing this historically-oriented proposal on various fields and areas of knowledge makes it possible to engage in an original interdisciplinary exercise ; it also enables us to evaluate the fruitfulness of the perspective the notion induces us to adopt on a central issue linked to critical situations : their capacity to transform individuals into agents of History contributing to the dynamics of events. The presentation of contributions provides the opportunity to make a preliminary assessment. The notion appears to enable us to revisit nodal dimensions of critical moments, resulting from the temporalities at stake, the unstable and processual productions of legitimacy, the incidence of affects on behaviors, and the signifying work carried out by organized collectives. However, in order to make the notion even more operative, additional elements seem to be necessary, such as taking account of political regimes, temporal cultures and historical precedents, cycles of repertoires of contention, and forms of collective invisibilization. Beyond that, this experience reminds us of some of the crucial issues facing analysis, such as those related to comparison, and suggests others, such as the occasional blurring of boundaries between the "ordinary" and the "extraordinary."


Building  Information Modelling (BIM) also create integrated design process, where is possible for information flow from one computer application to the next throughout the project lifecycle,  relies on the development and use of common information throughout the architecture, engineering, construction, and facilities management disciplines. For this reason, a lot of study programmes have involved BIM methodology into a curriculum. However, all of them have different attitude or way of BIM implementation. Therefore the aim of this research work is to analyze the curricula of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) related with BIM in Lithuania, to identify and analyze disciplines related with BIM and their relations in Kaunas Technology University (KTU) and to identify gained BIM competencies. The analyses of curricula of HEIs related with BIM in Lithuania show that different HEIs of Lithuania have different attitude or way of BIM implementation. The analyses of disciplines related with BIM and their relations in KTU show that the strength of BIM development in Faculty of Civil Engineering and Architecture (FCEA) study programmes is the interdisciplinary joint semester project. Gained BIM competencies in FCEA study programmes marge the fundamental knowledge of study field and digital technology managed. Those competencies are gained in undergraduate studies and it is a narrow volume of BIM process.  The 6D/7D stage of BIM as estimation, sustainability, facility management and operation should be included in postgraduate level. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.sace.22.1.21116


We divide this paper into four sections. The first section outlines the taxonomy of commodity-based monetary regimes in Europe and their advantages and costs. The second section describes the main international monetary flows in the Early Modern period and relates them to East-West balance-of-trade adjustments and monetary systems in Asia (1700-1800). In the third section, we turn to the development of the foreign exchange market, which was mostly based on bills of exchange in this period. We explain the expansion of bills-of-exchange market from the European to the intercontinental network in the mid-19th century. The final section then investigates how nominal exchange rates and relative prices contributed to the global current account adjustments in the near pre-gold standard period (1820s-1870s).


With the intent to broaden videogames' audiences, and based on the Media Equation study on the law of similarity–attraction, we propose aligning the NPCs' assertiveness level to the player's own assertiveness level. We developed a testbed game, a 2D puzzle platformer with a companion NPC, with two versions of the NPC's behavior, one for each end of the assertiveness scale. We conducted a 2x2, between-subjects experiment (n=48), in which Assertive and Non-Assertive subjects were randomly matched with one of the NPCs. Subjects recognized the NPC's personality type, giving a significantly higher assertiveness score to the NPC endowed with assertive characteristics. Non-Assertive players reported significantly higher Tension scores when interacting with the Assertive NPC than when interacting with the Non-Assertive NPC. However, based on assertiveness level alignment, there was neither a significant difference in the enjoyment of the experience nor in the player's affinity for the NPC.


Lightweight, flexible phased arrays enable new applications by dynamically changing shape during deployment and operation. However, these shape changes must be tracked and accounted for by changing the element excitation in order for the array to continue proper operation. We propose a framework for reconstructing the shape of a flexible phased array using only measurements of mutual coupling between the antennas in the array. The framework is demonstrated using a passive 2.5 GHz phased array and fixed to 8 different frames of known radii of convex and concave curvature. Our results show the ability to reconstruct shape to within ≈ 0.04λ position error, even in cases where the phased array is bent dramatically, without any advanced knowledge or additional information. The framework is modular and can be easily adapted to other phased array systems with different antennas, frequencies, and physical constraints.


Although many papers about belief update have been written, its precise scope still remains unclear. In this paper we aim at identifying this scope, and we show that belief update is a specific case of feedback-free action progression. This strong connection with the field of reasoning about action leads us to reconsider belief update and investigate new issues, especially reverse update, which is to regression what update is to progression.


An innovative initial teacher education undergraduate degree has been offered for the first time in 2016 at an Australian University. The degree provides for qualification as a secondary science and mathematics teacher through the completion of a four-year integrated science, mathematics and education program of study where the synergies available through concurrent, integrated study of content and teacher pedagogy are available. The paper describes the results of the analysis of data from science and mathematics school teachers and career advisors in relation to the potential market for the program and perceived advantages and barriers to students selecting the degree.


We establish a new set of features for differentiating benign from malignant breast lesions using ultrasound (US) images. Two types of features (sonographic and textural features) are considered. Among them, three sonographic features are novel. Sonograms of 321 pathologically proven breast cases are analyzed and classified into benign and malignant categories. The discrimination capability of the extracted features are evaluated using the support vector machines (SVM) in comparison with the results obtained from artificial neural networks (ANN) and K-nearest neighbor (KNN) classifier. The simulations demonstrate that the proposed algorithm can be an integral part to US computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) systems for breast cancer or an independent program to help accurately distinguish benign solid breast nodules from malignant nodules.


Visual neglect has been frequently described in a horizontal direction. Altitudinal neglect, however, has rarely been described and has been associated with bilateral lesions in the parieto-occipital or temporo-occipital region. The following case report presents a patient with marked altitudinal neglect of the inferior space which was elicited using a line bisection test. The previously healthy patient had well-defined lesions solely in the occipital cortex following an embolic infarction. The present case report underlines the possibility that bioccipital lesions themselves can be responsible for altitudinal neglect.


Abstract The level and distribution of genetic variation is thought to be affected primarily by the size of individual populations and by gene flow among populations. Although the effects of population size have frequently been examined, the contributions of regional gene flow to levels of genetic variation are less well known. Here I examine the effects of population size and the number of neighboring populations (metapopulation density) on the distribution and maintenance of genetic diversity in an endemic herbaceous perennial. Reductions in the proportion of polymorphic loci and the effective number of alleles per locus were apparent for many populations with a census size of less than 100 individuals, but no effects of population size on levels of inbreeding were detected. I assess the effects of regional population density on levels of diversity and inbreeding using stepwise regression analysis of metapopulation diameter (i.e., the size of a circle within which population density is estimated). This procedure provides a spatially explicit evaluation of the effects of metapopulation size on population genetic parameters and indicates the critical number of neighboring populations (fragmentation threshold) for the regional maintenance of genetic diversity. Stepwise regression analyses revealed fragmentation thresholds at two levels; at a scale of 2 km, where small metapopulations resulted in greater levels of selfing or sibling mating, and at a scale of 8 km, where metapopulation size was positively associated with higher levels of genetic diversity. I hypothesize that the smaller fragmentation threshold may reflect higher levels of selfing in isolated populations because of the absence of pollinators. The larger threshold probably indicates the maximum distance over which pollen dispersal rates are high enough to counteract genetic drift. This study demonstrates that the regional distribution of populations can be an important factor for the long-term maintenance of genetic variation. Corresponding Editor: O. Savolainen


We retrospectively observed the clinical efficacy and safety of tocilizumab (TCZ) in 74 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) at 13 hospitals, without any restrictions on disease duration or stage, treatment history, and other influencing factors. TCZ was infused by the approved method, and disease activity was evaluated every 4 weeks until week 24 using a joint disease activity score (DAS28). Remission and treatment response were categorised using European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) definitions. We also analysed the impact of previous treatment with other biologics and of concomitant methotrexate (MTX) therapy on the efficacy of TCZ. At week 24, the DAS28 had improved from 5.5 to 2.7 and the EULAR remission rate was 55.2%. Good and moderate responses according to the EULAR criteria were obtained in 61 and 36% of the patients, respectively. The biologic-naïve group had a significantly better DAS28 (2.1 vs. 2.8) and a significantly higher "good" response rate (86% vs. 54%) than the biologic-exposed group. Although the TCZ + MTX treatment group and the TCZ monotherapy group had a good response rate of 71 and 48%, respectively, the difference was not significant. Based on these results, we conclude that TCZ is able to significantly alleviate disease symptoms in a wide range of patients with RA in a normal clinical context.


Perfluorocarbon-associated gas exchange (PAGE) has been proposed for the treatment of lung diseases characterized by high alveolar surface tension. Perflubron (perfluorooctyl bromide, LiquiVent, Alliance Pharmaceutical Corp.) is a high purity medical grade perfluorocarbon suitable for PAGE. We studied PAGE using perflubron in normal piglets and in animal models of pulmonary disease (meconium aspiration syndrome, oleic acid infusion and gastric acid aspiration as models of ARDS, and neonatal respiratory distress syndrome). All animals were studied under anesthesia. PAGE was instituted by intratracheal instillation of a volume of perflubron (generally 30 ml/kg) that approximates a normal functional residual capacity of the lung. Arterial blood gases were measured at 15 minute intervals. FiO2 during PAGE was 1.0. In normal piglets, PaO2 fell from 543 torr (during conventional gas breathing) to 363 torr (during PAGE). However, in models of lung disease, PAGE significantly enhanced PaO2.


Based on the experimental results, this paper presents the effects of concrete-filled in chord on the static behavior of rectangular hollow section (RHS) steel tubular trusses, including failure modes, load bearing capacity and structural stiffness. Failure of RHS trusses occurs at joints wether concrete-filled in chord or not, concrete-filled in chord changed the failure mode. Load bearing capacity and stiffness of joints subjected to compression load increased significantly, while it is limited to the tension joints. Concrete-filled in the compression chord tube can increase its stiffness significantly, while tension chord tube, it is not that obvious. Finally, based on the results discussed, failure modes and their formulas of calculating the load bearing capacity are discussed. Meanwhile, two methods, that is, amplified factor method and stiffness discounting method, which calculate the structural displacement when considering the joint deformation effects are presented.


A microcontroller-based multi-sensor temperature measurement and control system that uses a steady-state one-dimensional heat-flow technique for absolute determination of thermal conductivity of a rigid poor conductor using the guarded hot-plate method is described. The objective of this project was to utilize the latest powerful, yet inexpensive, technological developments, sensors, data acquisition and control system, computer and application software, for research and teaching by example. The system uses an ST6220 microcontroller and LM335 temperature sensors for temperature measurement and control. The instrument interfaces to a computer via the serial port using a Turbo C++ programme. LM335Z silicon semiconductor temperature sensors located at different axial locations in the heat source were calibrated and used to measure temperature in the range from room temperature (about 293 K) to 373 K. A zero and span circuit was used in conjunction with an eight-to-one-line data multiplexer to scale the LM335 output signals to fit the 0–5.0 V full-scale input of the microcontroller's on-chip ADC and to sequentially measure temperature at the different locations. Temperature control is achieved by using software-generated pulse-width-modulated signals that control power to the heater. This article emphasizes the apparatus's instrumentation, the computerized data acquisition design, operation and demonstration of the system as a purposeful measurement system that could be easily adopted for use in the undergraduate laboratory. Measurements on a 10 mm thick sample of polyurethane foam at different temperature gradients gave a thermal conductivity of 0.026 ± 0.004 W m−1 K−1.


In Virtual organization, Knowledge Discovery (KD) service contains distributed data resources and computing grid nodes. Computational grid is integrated with data grid to form Knowledge Grid, which implements Apriori algorithm for mining association rule on grid network. This paper describes development of parallel and distributed version of Apriori algorithm on Globus Toolkit using Message Passing Interface extended with Grid Services (MPICHG2). The creation of Knowledge Grid on top of data and computational grid is to support decision making in real time applications. In this paper, the case study describes design and implementation of local and global mining of frequent item sets. The experiments were conducted on different configurations of grid network and computation time was recorded for each operation. We analyzed our result with various grid configurations and it shows speedup of computation time is almost superlinear. Keywords—Association rule, Grid computing, Knowledge grid, Mobility prediction.


Future computing workloads will emphasize an architecture's ability to perform relatively simple calculations on massive quantities of mixed-width data. This paper describes a novel reconfigurable fabric architecture, PipeRench, optimized to accelerate these types of computations. PipeRench enables fast, robust compilers, supports forward compatibility, and virtualizes configurations, thus removing the fixed size constraint present in other fabrics. For the first time we explore how the bit-width of processing elements affects performance and show how the PipeRench architecture has been optimized to balance the needs of the compiler against the realities of silicon. Finally, we demonstrate extreme performance speedup on certain computing kernels (up to 190x versus a modern RISC processor), and analyze how this acceleration translates to application speedup.


Techniques that reduce total leakage in circuits operating in the active mode at different temperature conditions are examined. Also, the implications of technology scaling on the choice of techniques to mitigate total leakage are investigated. Logic gates in the 65 nm, 45 nm, and 32 nm nodes are simulated and analyzed. The techniques that are adopted for comparison in this work affect both gate and subthreshold leakage, namely, stack forcing, pin reordering, reverse body biasing, and high threshold voltage transistors. Aside from leakage, our analysis also highlights the impact of these techniques on the circuit's performance and noise margins. Power sensitive technology mapping tools can use the guidelines found in this work in the low power design flow, to meet the required maximum leakage current in a circuit. These guidelines are presented in general terms so that they can be adopted for any application and process technology.


The authors suggested criteria of translocated pollution: scale, intensity, jeopardy, with consideration of dissemination mechanism--aerodynamic, water migration, terminal. The article covers classification of translocated pollution. Using methodology of risk evaluation, the authors assessed additional morbidity cases due to translocated pollution.


Objective: This study sought to document the prevalence of cognitive impairment among a nationally representative sample of community-dwelling older adults and determine associated factors. Methods: A survey of 2943 older adults was undertaken in four parishes in Jamaica. A two-stage cluster sampling methodology was used, with the first and second cluster units being enumeration districts and households, respectively. Cognitive impairment was assessed using the Mini-Mental State Examination tool. Bivariate analyses were used to explore relationships between cognitive impairment and sociodemographic and health characteristics. Significant variables were entered into a logistic regression model and adjusted odds ratios for likelihood of cognitive impairment obtained. Results: Less than one in three persons had some level of cognitive impairment. Older age and lower levels of education independently predicted cognitive impairment (OR 1.05, 95% CI 1.04, 1.06; OR 3.00, 95% CI 2.23, 4.01). Older adults who limited their activities because of fear of falling (OR 1.35, 95% CI 1.09, 1.67), self-reported diabetes mellitus (OR 1.32, 95% CI 1.05, 1.67), screened positive for depression (OR 1.02, 95% CI 1.02, 1.03) and reported dependence in one or more activities of daily living (OR 2.47, 95% CI 1.62, 3.78) were more likely to have cognitive impairment. Conclusion: The prevalence of cognitive impairment in community-dwelling older adults is significantly higher than previously found in Jamaica, a middle-income developing country, but similar to that of populations with comparable age, education and income profile. Further exploration of risk factors may point to interventions for reducing cognitive impairment and associated morbidity.


Employment in California agriculture has increased over the past 30 years and has become less seasonal. There were an average of 404,000 farm jobs in California in 2020, 10% more than average employment of 367,000 in 1990. Meanwhile, seasonality, as measured by peak month employment divided by trough month employment, fell 22% over three decades, from 1.8 in 1990 to 1.4 in 2020. Most farmworkers have one farm employer a year, although that employer may be a labor contractor who moves workers from one farm to another. Most new workers in the California farm workforce are H-2A guest workers, the young and flexible Mexican workers who are legally authorized to work in the United States and who are often brought to farms by labor contractors. In the future, rising employment and declining seasonality, combined with an aging and settled farm workforce, may reduce farmworker migration and flexibility.


Period. Polytech. Transp. Eng. K. Saw, A. K. Das, B. K. Katti, G. J. Joshi Abstract Achievement of fast and reliable travel time on urban road network is one of the major objectives for a transport planner against the enormous growth in vehicle population and urban traffic in most of the metropolitan cities in India. Urban arterials or main city corridors are subjected to heavy traffic flow resulting in degradation of traffic quality in terms of vehicular delays and increase in travel time. Since the Indian roadway traffic is characterized by heterogeneity with dominance of 2Ws (Two wheelers) and 3Ws (Auto rickshaw), travel times are varying significantly. With this in background, the present paper focuses on identification of travel time attributes such as heterogeneous traffic, road side friction and corridor intersections for recurrent traffic condition and to develop an appropriate Corridor Travel Time Estimation Model using Multi-Linear Regression (MLR) approach. The model is further subjected to sensitivity analysis with reference to identified attributes to realize the impact of the identified attributes on travel time so as to suggest certain measures for improvement.


Integrating insights from the strategic goal literature and the knowledge-based view of the firm, this article proposes that the pursuit of social and economic strategic goals by commercial firms affects their innovation performance through different knowledge sourcing activities. The strategic goals, knowledge sourcing practices, and innovation performance of 1257 Belgian firms are investigated. Results show that both social and economic strategic goals are associated with the use of external information sources, but only the pursuit of social goals inspires firms to engage in external collaboration. No evidence is found of an inherent conflict between social and economic strategic goals. Instead, the two types of goals are independent of each other, that is, an emphasis on social goals does not preclude an emphasis on economic goals and vice versa. Moreover, firms' external knowledge sourcing and innovation performance benefit most when strongly held social goals align with strongly held economic goals. These findings offer new insight into the nature and the effects of goal multiplicity among commercial firms. They open up a new perspective on the potential positive effects of the joint pursuit of social and economic strategic goals instead of seeing them as inherently conflicting, as past research has typically done. We illustrate how social strategic goals can deliver unique benefits to a firm, independently of and in addition to economic strategic goals. Our findings also contribute to the open innovation literature by revealing strategic goals as a driver of firms' knowledge sourcing practices. Our findings suggest that solely emphasizing economic goals may be one reason why firms struggle to implement open innovation practices and do not reap their full benefits. The practical implications of our research are discussed.


Sri Lanka is blessed with high calibre, technically competent engineers. However, the lack of proper administrative and regulatory systems in the country is cited as the main reason for the lacklustre performance of its public sector engineers. Engineers have to think differently, act more proactively and try out new processes and procedures to ensure that the organisations where they work are service centric and socially responsive. Public sector engineers have to be aware of their own limitations and should seek external guidance whenever necessary. Local engineers can make use of international concepts, methodologies, guidelines, codes of practice and tools towards this end. Strategic planning processes in the public sector organisations need radical changes. Engineers should apply the "systems view concept" holistically to assess the effectiveness of the management structure of their organisations. The organisational culture needs to be enriched with consultative decision making processes and teamwork. The Institution of Engineers, Sri Lanka (IESL) has to act as a facilitator in this process. The ultimate aim should be to embrace business excellence elements to be an integral part of each organisation concerned.


Silicon nanocrystals are intriguing from both a fundamental and an applied physics point of view. The efficient room temperature luminescence exhibited by Si nanocrystals (as compared to bulk silicon) and the apparent size-dependent bandgap of Si nanocrystals are two incompletely explained phenomena. Meanwhile, the applied physicist may take advantage of the optical and electronic properties of small Si structures to build devices not possible with only bulk silicon.

In this thesis, nanocrystal samples produced by aerosol techniques were investigated. The aerosol samples were size-classified in the size range of 2-50 nm with a size variation of 15-20%. Conducting tip atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to manipulate and investigate the samples' charging characteristics. The AFM was used to inject charge into single Si nanocrystals and to observe the dissipation.

The charging characteristics of samples made by ion implantation and annealing were also explored. An atomic force microscope was used to locally inject, detect and quantify the amount and location of charge in SiO2 films containing Si nanocrystals (size 2-6 nm). By comparison with control samples, charge trapping was shown to be due to nanocrystals and not ion implantation-induced defects in these samples.

Two models were developed for quantitative charge imaging with an atomic force microscope, one appropriate for non-contact mode and the other for intermittent contact (tapping) mode imaging. From the models, estimates of the best charge sensitivity of an unbiased standard AFM cantilever were found to be on the order of a few electrons. The models were used to estimate the amount of charge injected in the charging experiments: in typical experiments, on the order of 60 electrons were injected in an isolated Si nanoparticle, and a few hundred electrons were injected in SiO2 films containing Si nanocrystals.

Finally, for optical studies, nanocrystal passivation with hydrogen and SiO2 were briefly investigated using photoluminescence and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.


Four different extracts of Oxytropis falcata, including the aerial aqueous extract, and the underground aqueous extract, the aerial lipophilic extract, and the underground lipophilic extract were prepared and then administrated orally to mice at the maximum dose (50 g x kg(-1) x d(-1) calculated by raw material) for fifteen days respectively. Compared with the control group, which was administrated of 1.0% tween-80, the treatment groups did not show significant differences in appearance and behavior. However, the organcoefficient, blood biochemical indicator and pathological section results showed that the lipophilic extracts of the aerial and underground parts of O. flacata showed mild injury to the liver of mice, while the aerial and underground aqueous extracts and the underground lipophilic extract showed mild toxicity to the kidney of male mice. Chemical analysis showed that the lipophilic extracts of the aerial and underground parts, especially aerial lipophilic extract, consisted of large amount of flavonoid aglycones with little amount of polysaccharides and proteins, while the aqueous extracts contained much polysaccharides and proteins with almost no flavonoid aglycones detected.


Background: Adenoviruses contribute to morbidity and mortality among immunocompromised pediatric patients including stem cell and solid organ transplant recipients. Cidofovir (CDV), an antiviral compound approved by the FDA in 1996, is used for treatment of adenoviral (ADV) infections in immunocompromised patients despite concern of potential nephrotoxicity. Methods: We conducted a retrospective 5-year review at Boston Children's Hospital of 16 patients (mean age = 6.5 years) receiving 19 courses of CDV. During therapy all pertinent data elements were reviewed to characterize potential response to therapy and incidence of renal dysfunction. Results: Of the 19 CDV courses prescribed, 16 courses (84%) were in patients who had a positive blood ADV Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) alone or in combination with positive ADV PCR/ Direct Immunofluorescence Assay (DFA) at another site. Respiratory symptoms with or without pneumonia were the most common presentation (10/19, 53%). In the majority of blood positive courses (10/16, 63%), viral clearance was also accompanied by clinical response. This was not the case in four courses where patients expired despite viral clearance, including one in which death was directly attributable to adenovirus. There was reversible renal dysfunction observed during the use of CDV. Conclusions: CDV appeared safe and reasonably tolerated for treatment of ADV in this pediatric population and was associated with viral response and clinical improvement in the majority of patients but reversible renal dysfunction was a side effect. Further studies of the efficacy of CDV for immunocompromised children with ADV infection are warranted.


The development of agricultural policy-oriented finance is closely and concretely related to the economic growth in rural area. Research in this field should start with the general development situation of agricultural policy-oriented finance, proceed specific research on the building of China's agricultural policy-oriented institution and relevant business scope of finance, so as to make internal relation between rural economy and policy-oriented finance clear. Then further study the status quo of supporting agriculture of agricultural policy-oriented finance in order to show the whole development trend of agriculturesupporting loan structure in China's rural financial institution. Afterwards, specifically analyze the development trend of making progress while keeping stable of the entire financing to find the role of independent financing played on the development of agricultural financing. At last, expound the positive effects of agricultural policy-oriented finance on rural economic growth through empirical analysis. During this, several factors are involved, such as stationarity test of data, building of error correction model, Granger causality test and impulse response functions, to fully show the impetus agricultural policy-oriented financing gave to rural economic growth. This is the main thought of the research in this field, and it shows the main goal and research content


OBJECTIVE
Most human endometrial and ovarian cancers express receptors for luteinizing hormone- releasing hormone. These receptors can be used for targeted chemotherapy with cytotoxic luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone analogs such as AN-152, in which doxorubicin is linked to [D-Lys(6)]luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone.

STUDY DESIGN
The antitumor effects of doxorubicin and AN-152 were assessed in vivo in human luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone receptor-positive HEC-1B endometrial cancers and NIH:OVCAR-3 ovarian cancers and in the luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone receptor-negative SK-OV-3 ovarian line. Nude mice bearing these tumors subcutaneously were injected intravenously with saline solution (control), AN-152, or doxorubicin at equimolar doses. Luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone receptor expression in tumors and specimens of human reproductive (n = 5) and nonreproductive (n = 15) normal tissues and in hematopoietic stem cells were analyzed with reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and radioligand binding assay.

RESULTS
The tumor volumes of luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone receptor-positive HEC-1B and NIH:OVCAR-3 cancers were reduced significantly (P <.001) 1 week after treatment with AN-152 at 700 nmol/20 g or at 300 nmol/20 g. No toxic side effects were observed. Treatment with doxorubicin arrested tumor growth but did not reduce tumor volume. Doxorubicin at 700 nmol/20 g caused a high mortality rate and at 300 nmol/20 g (8.7 mg/kg) caused a loss of body weight, but no deaths occurred. The growth of luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone receptor-negative SK-OV-3 cancers was not affected by AN-152. Normal human nonreproductive tissues, hematopoietic stem cells, and vaginal tissue did not express luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone receptors, but luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone receptors were found in the ovary, fallopian tube, cervix, endometrium, and myometrium.

CONCLUSION
Targeted chemotherapeutic luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone analog AN-152 is more effective and less toxic than cytotoxic radical doxorubicin on luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone receptor-positive tumors. AN-152 could be considered for targeted chemotherapy in patients with ovarian or endometrial cancers.


The pathology of premature loss of temporary molars is a complex issue with profound impact on dental and facial harmony, urging clinician`s interest for an optimal therapeutic approach. Identification of the predisposing factors, in full agreement with the anatomical particularities of the temporary teeth, corroborated with the incidence of premature loss of molars is a main condition for an optimal therapeutic management of these patients.


Nonlinear block thresholding of the continuous wavelet transform (CWT) of 2D phased array signals offers high time-resolution solutions for analyzing seismograms of local and regional seismic events. An initial denoising step on an array ensemble reveals the regions of the scale-time plane that contain high signal-to-noise arrivals. Individual seismic phase arrivals in ensemble, denoised seismograms can be partitioned using scale-time gating in which CWT wave packets of an individual seismic phase on the scale-time plane for a reference array element are time-correlated with all other elements to find an optimum time shift for the phase across all elements. The seismic phase is then clipped out of the CWT of each array element using this optimal time shift for further analysis. The seismogram can be separated into component seismic waves for a detailed view of wave characteristics such as slowness and arrival azimuth using conventional frequency–wavenumber methods. However, the process can be taken further using the CWT of each phase to construct high time-resolution signal beams over the CWT scale. Local explosion data from the 2016 Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS) Wavefields Community Experiment in northern Oklahoma are used to demonstrate these techniques in separating surface-wave modes and body waves and to examine the scattering of regional phases. High-resolution CWT processing in the 1–3 Hz band for northern Oklahoma reveals horizontal Rayleigh-wave refraction and multipathing. Rayleigh-wave phase-velocity dispersion measurements are used to construct a 1D velocity model under the IRIS experiment. Scale-time gating helps expose near-source surface reflections from a local M 3.6 earthquake that are used to verify the 4 km source depth obtained from a published regional moment tensor solution.


Detection text from handwriting in historical documents provides high-level features for the challenging problem of handwriting recognition. Such handwriting often contains noise, faint or incomplete strokes, strokes with gaps, and competing lines when embedded in a table or form, making it unsuitable for local line following algorithms or associated binarization schemes. In this paper, a proposed method based on the optimum threshold value and namely as the Optimum Mean method was presented. Besides, Wolf method unsuccessful in order to detect the thin text in the non-uniform input image. However, the proposed method was suggested to overcome the Wolf method problem by suggesting a maximum threshold value using optimum mean. Based on the calculation, the proposed method obtained a higher F-measure (74.53), PSNR (14.77) and lowest NRM (0.11) compared to the Wolf method. In conclusion, the proposed method successful and effective to solve the wolf problem by producing a high-quality output image.


We propose a state-space model-based approach to the simultaneous estimation of subcarrier fading and symbol quasicoherent detection of multilevel modulated signals in OFDM systems. The receiver uses two low-order Kalman-Bucy filters (KBFs) per mixed subcarrier (data+pilot symbols) and a minimization criterion based on the filters innovations to detect the symbol and estimate the (complex) channel gain. With this scheme we avoid the computational complexity of the conventional minimum mean-squared error solutions. Moreover, since the KBFs estimate the channel continuously no extra time-interpolation algorithm is needed and the amount of pilot symbols can be substantially reduced. Simulation results are presented for 16-APSK in Rayleigh channels affected by residual frequency offset (due to imperfect carrier frequency synchronization).


Background The molecular anomalies causing moyamoya disease (MMD) and moyamoya syndromes (MMS) are unknown in most patients. Objective This study aimed to identify de novo candidate copy number variants (CNVs) in patients with moyamoya. Methods Rare de novo CNVs screening was performed in 13 moyamoya angiopathy trios using whole exome sequencing (WES) reads depth data and whole genome high density SNP array data. WES and SNP array data from an additional cohort of 115 unrelated moyamoya probands were used to search for recurrence of these rare de novo CNVs. Results Two de novo CNVs were identified in two unrelated probands by both methods and confirmed by qPCR. One of these CNVs, located on Xq28, was detected in two additional families. This interstitial Xq28 CNV gain is absent from curated gold standard database of control genomic variants and gnomAD databases. The critical region contains five genes, including MAMLD1, a major NOTCH coactivator. Typical MMD was observed in the two families with a duplication, whereas in the triplicated patients of the third family, a novel MMS associating moyamoya and various systemic venous anomalies was evidenced. Conclusion The recurrence of this novel Xq28 CNV, its de novo occurrence in one patient and its familial segregation with the affected phenotype in two additional families strongly suggest that it is pathogenic. In addition to genetic counselling application, its association with pulmonary hypertension is of major importance for clinical care. These data also provide new insights into the genomic architecture of this emblematic, non-atherosclerotic, large vessel disease.


Rapid advances in the electronic industry have generated high interest in automated grading technology for fresh fruits and vegetables. During the last two decades, packaging and container handling have become significantly mechanized. However, sorting remains a labor intensive operation in many fresh produce industries. The amount of fruit removed can be quite significant. In Florida citrus packing, an average of 30% of the fruit is diverted to processing. Such high removal rates coupled with limited grading tables areas can diminish human grading performance and the production capacity of a packing plant. Furthermore, the cullage removal rates will probably increase with further mechanization of harvesting and field handling.


Study Design. Retrospective analysis of Medicare claims linked to a multicenter clinical trial. Objective. The Spine Patient Outcomes Research Trial (SPORT) provided a unique opportunity to examine the validity of a claims-based algorithm for grouping patients by surgical indication. SPORT enrolled patients for lumbar disc herniation, spinal stenosis, and degenerative spondylolisthesis. We compared the surgical indication derived from Medicare claims with that provided by SPORT surgeons, the "gold standard." Summary of Background Data. Administrative data are frequently used to report procedure rates, surgical safety outcomes, and costs in the management of spinal surgery. However, the accuracy of using diagnosis codes to classify patients by surgical indication has not been examined. Methods. Medicare claims were link to beneficiaries enrolled in SPORT. The sensitivity and specificity of 3 claims-based approaches to group patients on the basis of surgical indications were examined: (1) using the first listed diagnosis; (2) using all diagnoses independently; and (3) using a diagnosis hierarchy on the basis of the support for fusion surgery. Results. Medicare claims were obtained from 376 SPORT participants, including 21 with disc herniation, 183 with spinal stenosis, and 172 with degenerative spondylolisthesis. The hierarchical coding algorithm was the most accurate approach for classifying patients by surgical indication, with sensitivities of 76.2%, 88.1%, and 84.3% for disc herniation, spinal stenosis, and degenerative spondylolisthesis cohorts, respectively. The specificity was 98.3% for disc herniation, 83.2% for spinal stenosis, and 90.7% for degenerative spondylolisthesis. Misclassifications were primarily due to codes attributing more complex pathology to the case. Conclusion. Standardized approaches for using claims data to group patients accurately by surgical indications have widespread interest. We found that a hierarchical coding approach correctly classified more than 90% of spine patients into their respective SPORT cohorts. Therefore, claims data seem to be a reasonably valid approach to classifying patients by surgical indication. Level of Evidence: 3


Received signal strength (RSS)-based fingerprinting location systems have attracted much attention in recent years. No additional hardware is required for it implementation to existing networks. However, by analyzing the realistic measurements from GSM, we find that not only the RSS but also the neighboring base stations heard at some reference point will change over time. But the relative order of neighboring base stations (NBS) sorted according to their RSS are more stable. In this paper, we present a confidence coefficient of base station based on a gridding approach to get a relative accurate NBS during the offline phase, and proposed a novel algorithm with Longest Common Subsequence Matching Degree (LCSMD) of base station vector (BSV), which uses the relative order of NBS sorted according to their RSS. To evaluate our proposed method, we collect the realistic data from GSM network. Results show that the method based on LCSMD improves the positioning accuracy compared to the original method.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate rheologic properties of bovine neutrophils that may result in adhesion molecule-independent sequestration of neutrophils in inflamed lungs of cattle.

ANIMALS
Healthy 2- to 4-week-old male Holstein calves.

PROCEDURES
Neutrophil deformability, filamentous actin (F-actin) content, and CD11b expression was determined for unstimulated bovine neutrophils and bovine neutrophils incubated with the inflammatory mediators tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF), platelet-activating factor (PAF), interleukin-8 (IL-8), zymosan-activated plasma (ZAP), Pasteurella haemolytica-derived lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and P haemolytica leukotoxin. Neutrophils were separated into 3 subpopulations on the basis of size. The Factin content and CD11 b expression were evaluated by use of flow cytometry. Leukocyte deformability was evaluated by filtration of dilute whole blood.

RESULTS
The subpopulation of the smallest-sized neutrophils (>90% of neutrophils) contained little F-actin. A subpopulation of slightly larger neutrophils had a profound increase in F-actin content and CD11 b expression. The subpopulation of the largest neutrophils had increased F-actin content and CD11b expression, compared with those for both subpopulations of smaller neutrophils. Incubation of neutrophils with PAF and ZAP but not TNF, IL-8, LPS, or leukotoxin, resulted in decreased neutrophil deformability and increased F-actin content. Incubation with PAF and TNF induced an increase in size of neutrophils.

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE
Size can be used to identify subpopulations of large and rigid neutrophils in blood samples from healthy calves. Platelet-activating factor and activated complement fragments are potent inducers of F-actin formation and neutrophil rigidity. Physical changes in neutrophils may impede their transit through lung microvasculature and result in leukocyte trapping independent of adhesion molecule interactions with endothelial cells.


We test whether foreign demand matters for local house prices in the US using an identification
strategy based on the existence of "home bias abroad" in international real estate markets.
Following an extreme political crisis event abroad, a proxy for a strong and exogenous shift in
foreign demand, we show that house prices rise disproportionately more in neighbourhoods with
a high concentration of population originating from the crisis country. This effect is strong,
persistent, and robust to the exclusion of major cities. We also show that areas that were already
expensive in the late 1990s have experienced the strongest foreign demand shocks and the
biggest drop in affordability between 2000 and 2017. Our findings suggest a non-trivial causal
effect of foreign demand shocks on local house prices over the last 20 years, especially in
neighbourhoods that were already rather unaffordable for the median household.


Author(s): Cho, Jaedu | Advisor(s): Gulsen, Gultekin | Abstract: The aim of this work is to develop novel breast-specific molecular imaging techniques for management of breast cancer. In this dissertation, we describe two novel molecular imaging approaches for breast cancer management.In Part I, we introduce our multimodal molecular imaging approach for breast cancer therapy monitoring using magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission mammography (MR/PEM). We have focused on the therapy monitoring technique for aggressive cancer molecular subtypes, which is challenging due to time constraint. Breast cancer therapy planning relies on a fast and accurate monitoring of functional and anatomical change. We demonstrate a proof-of-concept of sequential dual-modal magnetic resonance and positron emission mammography (MR/PEM) for the cancer therapy monitoring. We have developed dedicated breast coils with breast compression mechanism equipped with MR-compatible PEM detector heads. We have designed a fiducial marker that allows straightforward image registration of data obtained from MRI and PEM. We propose an optimal multimodal imaging procedure for MR/PEM.In Part II, we have focused on the development of a novel intraoperative near-infrared fluorescence imaging system (NIRF) for image-guided breast cancer surgery. Conventional spectrally-resolved NIRF systems are unable to resolve various NIR fluorescence dyes for the following reasons. First, the fluorescence spectra of viable NIR fluorescence dyes are heavily overlapping. Second, conventional emission-resolved NIRF suffers from a trade-off between the fluence rate and the spectral resolution. Third, the multiple scattering in tissue degrades not only the spatial information but also the spectral contents by the red-shift. We develop a wavelength-swept laser-based NIRF system that can resolve the excitation shift of various NIR fluorescence dyes without substantial loss of the fluence rate. A linear ratiometric model is employed to measure the relative shift of the excitation spectrum of a fluorescence dye.


The main objective of this study is the synthesis, use, and reuse of magnetic copper ferrite nanospheres (CFNS) for extra-heavy oil viscosity reduction. The CFNS were synthesized using a solvothermal method resulting in mean particle size of 150 nm. Interactions of CFNS with the crude oil were evaluated through asphaltene adsorption isotherms, as well as static and dynamic rheology measurements for two cycles at 25 °C. Adsorption and desorption experiments corroborated that most of the asphaltenes adsorbed can be removed for nanoparticle reuse. During the rheology tests, nanoparticles were evaluated in the first cycle at different concentrations from 300 to 1500 mg/L, leading to the highest degree of viscosity reduction of 18% at 500 mg/L. SiO2 nanoparticles were evaluated for comparison issues, obtaining similar results regarding the viscosity reduction. After measurements, the CFNS were removed with a magnet, washed with toluene, and further dried for the second cycle of viscosity reduction. Rheology tests were performed for a second time at a fixed concentration of 500 mg/L, and slight differences were observed regarding the first cycle. Finally, changes in the extra-heavy oil microstructure upon CFNS addition were observed according to the significant decrease in elastic and viscous moduli.


Total hip replacement is one of the most successful surgical procedures of the 20th century (World Health Organisation). The success rate is dependent on the chosen endpoint. Evaluation of the outcome in joint replacement surgery has shifted from the revision rate toward patient satisfaction and quality of life. Patient satisfaction is reported to be up to 96% 16 years postoperatively, but the prevalence of groin pain after conventional total hip replacement ranges from 0.4% to 18.3% and activity-limiting thigh pain is still an existing problem linked to the femoral component of uncemented hip replacement in up to 1.9% to 40.9% of cases in some series. The aim of our article is to review the aetiology, diagnostic procedures and treatment of the painful primary total hip replacement. We discuss the most relevant intrinsic and extrinsic aetiological factors responsible for chronic pain after total hip arthroplasty focusing on comparative studies and randomised controlled trials including diagnostics and management. Detailed analysis of history, clinical examination, imaging and laboratory tests are required prior to any revision for painful total hip arthroplasty. Revision surgery without knowing the underlying pathology should be avoided.


The aim of this study was to create a laboratory model of an amperometric microbial biosensor for maltose quantification in the presence and absence of starch and to estimate the use of the model in the study of maltase activity of the culture-receptor. The biosensor for maltose was developed on the basis of a Clark-type oxygen electrode, coupled with a bioreceptor, which contained bacterial cells immobilized on the membrane. The determination of maltose concentration was based on measuring the rate of electrode current change in response to addition of the analyte. The detection limit of the biosensor was 1 µM maltose, a linear interval of standard curve was observed from 14 µM up to 1.9 mM of maltose. The microbial biosensor demonstrated good sensitivity to maltose, 36.02 nА (M·s)-1. Combination of bioreceptors on the basis of fungus and bacterium allowed of using the biosensor for quantification of maltose in the presence of starch. Changes in metabolism of the culture-receptor had an effect on the biosensor response. It indicated that the developed model was a tool of simple construction and easy-to-use in the study of maltase activity of the immobilized culture-receptor.


OSI network management provides a general framework for the management of OSI systems, and by extension of any distributed system. However, it is not yet possible to tell to what extent the tools developed for network management will be applicable to distributed systems management. This paper assumes that network managers will want to have some control of the distributed infrastructure and applications. It examines how access to some of the ANSA management interfaces can be given to OSI network managers. In order to do this, it compares the OSI network management model with the ANSA object model.


Abstract In a randomized cross-over study, eight healthy volunteers received single 200 mg doses of metronidazole tablets (as either the May and Baker or Servipharm preparation) after an overnight fast. The bioavailability of these two preparations did not differ significantly as judged from the peak plasma concentration, time to peak plasma concentration and area under the plasma concentration-time curve. Metronidazole was found to have a plasma clearance of 1.05 +/- 0.14 (s.d.) and 0.98 +/- 0.17 ml min-1 kg-1, a plasma terminal half-life of elimination of 9.15 +/- 1.01 and 10.35 +/- 1.59 h, and an apparent volume of distribution of 0.83 +/- 0.06 l kg-1 (the values obtained with the May and Baker preparation being shown before the Servipharm preparation in each case).


The evolution of the Raman spectrum of 3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl methacrylate (TMSPM) during polymerization processes which take place in different chemical reactions is reported. TMSPM is a monomer which has both a methoxide function and a carbon–carbon double bond and is of great interest as precursor to obtain organic–inorganic hybrid glasses hosting chromophores or optically active molecules for a large variety of photonic applications. By changing the reaction conditions, the hydrolysis of TMSPM is achieved by means of polar solvents, or an organic polymerization by using a radical starter: according to the process, the optical, mechanical and chemical properties of the final product show large variations which can be tailored for specific uses. These reactions were monitored through micro-Raman spectroscopy and a correlation between the vibrational spectra and the degree of organic and inorganic polymerization was obtained. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


The development of drug delivery systems with tailored drug release can be very challenging especially in the case of problematic drugs. To address this problem, pharmaceutical scientists frequently use different formulation approaches and excipients, often involving a complex and multistep preparation. In this study, new cellulose nanofiber (CNF) based drug formulations are developed that allow controlled drug release in a facile and fast way, i.e., by simply casting drug/CNF dispersions. Altering the processing conditions and utilizing the unique inherent chemicophysical properties of cationic CNF at interfaces, it is possible to produce either drug‐loaded CNF nanopapers (containing 21 or 51 wt% drug) or nanofoams (containing 21 wt% drug). The different formulations exhibit tailored release kinetics of the poorly water‐soluble model drug indomethacin from immediate (nanopapers, 10–20 min) to slow release (nanofoams, ≈24 h). The fast release, from the nanopapers, is a result of the interplay of the molecular and supramolecular structure of indomethacin in addition to observed enhanced intrinsic dissolution of drug in the presence of CNF. The slower drug release is achieved by changing the hierarchical structure, i.e., creating a CNF based foam (porosity 99.2 wt%), and the prolonged release is mainly due to an extended drug diffusion path.


O6-methylguanine DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) promoter methylation is an important favorable predictive marker in patients with glioblastoma (GBM). We hypothesized that MGMT status could be a surrogate marker of pretreatment tumor biology observed as histopathological and radiological features. Apart from some radiological studies aiming to noninvasively predict the MGMT status, few studies have investigated relationships between MGMT status and phenotypical tumor biology. We have therefore aimed to investigate such relationships in 85 isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) wild-type GBMs. MGMT status was determined by methylation-specific PCR and was assessed for associations with 22 histopathological features, immunohistochemical proliferative index and microvessel density measurements, conventional magnetic resonance imaging characteristics, preoperative speed of tumor growth, and overall survival. None of the investigated histological or radiological features were significantly associated with MGMT status. Methylated MGMT status was a significant independent predictor of improved overall survival. In conclusion, our results suggest that MGMT status is not related to the pretreatment phenotypical biology in IDH wild-type GBMs. Furthermore, our findings suggest the survival benefit of MGMT methylated GBMs is not due to an inherently less aggressive tumor biology, and that conventional magnetic resonance imaging features cannot be used to noninvasively predict the MGMT status.


In this paper, we present a low-cost, PDMS-membrane micropump with two one-way ball check-valves for lab-on-a-chip and microfluidic applications. The micropump consists of two functional PDMS layers, one holding the ball check-valves and an actuating chamber, and the other covering the chamber and holding a miniature permanent magnet on top for actuation. An additional PDMS layer is used to cover the top magnet, and thereby encapsulate the entire device. A simple approach was used to assemble a high-performance ball check-valve using a micropipette and heat shrink tubing. The micropump can be driven by an external magnetic force provided by another permanent magnet or an integrated coil. In the first driving scheme, a small dc motor (6 mm in diameter and 15 mm in length) with a neodymium–iron–boron permanent magnet embedded in its shaft was used to actuate the membrane-mounted magnet. This driving method yielded a large pumping rate with very low power consumption. A maximum pumping rate of 774 µL min−1 for deionized water was achieved at the input power of 13 mW, the highest pumping rate reported in the literature for micropumps at such power consumptions. Alternatively, we actuated the micropump with a 10-turn planar coil fabricated on a PC board. This method resulted in a higher pumping rate of 1 mL min−1 for deionized water. Although more integratable and compact, the planar microcoil driving technique has a much higher power consumption.


Herpesvirus hominis type 1 (HSV-1) was isolated from fallopian-tube biopsies of two women who were using an intra-uterine contraceptive device; the strains were isolated on different dates and at different hospitals. Both the isolates were shown to be HSV-1 by restriction-enzyme analysis, polypeptide profiles and indirect immuno fluorescence; the two isolates could not be distinguished by these tests, but the tests distinguished them from HSV-1 strain 71-15 and HSV-2 strain 333. The viruses were again isolated from samples of fallopian-tube tissue stored in liquid nitrogen, and their polypeptide and restriction-enzyme profiles were the same as those in the initial isolates. Virus was not isolated from fallopian-tube samples obtained from other IUD patients undergoing surgery at the same two hospitals at the same time.


AIM
The aims of this prospective study were: 1) to assess the frequency, type and severity of comorbidities (COMs) and complications (COMPLs) in acute stroke patients, according to the weighted comorbidity index (w-CI) of Liu et al. and 2 new indices, respectively COM severity index (COM-SI) and COMPL severity index (COMPL-SI); 2) to separately analyse the interference of COMs and COMPLs with functional status and recovery during stroke rehabilitation treatment; 3) to compare the ability of COM-SI and COMPL-SI to predict functional independence at discharge with that of w-CI.

METHODS
Eighty-five stroke rehabilitation inpatients participated in the study. The type, incidence and severity of COM at admission and of COMPL during the whole hospital stay were studied prospectively. The Functional Independence Measure (FIM) scale was administered at both admission and discharge.

RESULTS
About 1/3 suffered from some significant COM and another 1/3 developed COMPLs needing specific medical treatment and/or clinical monitoring. The most frequent COMs and COMPLs were cardiovascular and psychiatric/psychological diseases. The odds of having a high efficiency in the daily functional gain (FIM score) were greater for patients without any COM (3.5) and/or COMPL (4.6). Similarly, the odds of having a high FIM score at discharge were greater (3.5) for patients without COM or COMPL. The COM-SI demonstrated a higher predictive capacity of the FIM score at discharge (5%) than w-CI (4%), and COMPL-SI (1%).

CONCLUSIONS
COM-SI resulted as the most interesting predictive index of functional outcome at discharge, after accounting for the functional status at admission.


Introduction. This paper suggests a theoretical model for understanding the core criterion of teenagers' conceptualisations (i.e. verbalisations) of literary quality, namely spenning/excitement. Method and analysis. The core criterion was identified through quantitative analysis of on-line reviews written by students in secondary school on teen fiction books. In dialogue with a pragmatic and phenomenological framework the complexity of excitement were discovered through close readings. Results. The different understandings of excitement pinned down is joined in a two dimensional model. First, the temporal dimension or the plot dynamics of the text is complementary to the readers need for relevance. Secondly, the relational dimension, in accordance with Georges Poulet, takes two directions, one leading from text to reader (impartation and voyeurism), one from reader to text (identification and sense of place). Both concern persona and setting respectively. Conclusion. The study displays the complexity of reading experiences labelled exciting in a theoretical model of its anatomy. The theoretical framework should be useful for practical as well as further theoretical work on the promotion/mediaton of literature (litteraturformidling/Litteraturvermittlung) in libraries, schools etc.


The aims of this study were to evaluate the impact of conjugate vaccine A, MenAfriVac, on Neisseria meningitidis (Nm) asymptomatic carriage and cerebrospinal meningitis in three health districts (Bogodogo, Kaya, and Dande) of Burkina Faso. Asymptomatic carriage of Nm was assessed by performing crosssectional studyrepeated (rounds 1 to 10) before and after introduction of the conjugate vaccine against serogroup A of N. meningitidis (NmA), MenAfriVac. In each round at least 1,500 people were enrolled in each district for a month. Data oncases of meningococcal meningitis in the three studied health districts were collected through meningitides epidemiological surveillance of Burkina Faso.Nm was identified in680 of 23,885 throat swabs before vaccination (2. 84%)withNmYasthe dominant serogroup(1.87%). During the same period (2009 and 2010), 891 cases of suspected meningitis were reported in the three health districts among whom 42 were due toNm (4.71%) withNmX (3.70%) asthe most frequently identified serogroup. After vaccination, Nm was identified in 1117 of 27,245 pharyngeal samples (6.42%); NmX (4.42%) wasthe dominantserogroup. From 2011 to 2013, 965 cases of suspected meningitis were reported in all health facilities in the three studied health districts located in the geographical study area; 91 was due toNm (9.43%) andNmWasthe most commonserogroup(52 cases= 5.38%).After introduction of conjugate vaccine A (MenAfriVac), the NmAserogroup almost disappeared both in asymptomatic carriers and in patients with cerebrospinal meningitis. However the presence of the NmW and NmXserogroups, which appear to have replaced serogroup A, is very worrying with regard to meningitis prevention and control in Burkina Faso. It appears necessary to strengthen surveillance


Anatomical
features of wood have a great variation among species as a result of genetic
and environmental factors. The anatomical heartwood characteristics of Prosopis laevigata species from two
areas with differences on temperature and rain precipitation on northeast
Mexico were compared. Fibers length (μm), diameter of vessels (μm), and the
area of the vessels (μm-2) were measured using light microscopy
coupled with a digitized-image analysis system. The differences were
statistically analyzed with analysis of variance. Statistical differences
between fibers length (p 0.0001) and diameter of the
vessels (p 0.001) from the two localities were
found. The locality Linares, Nuevo Leon, Mexico, with higher precipitation and
lower temperature, showed higher fiber length and higher diameter of the
vessels than China, Nuevo Leon. Hard environmental conditions, where low
precipitation values and high temperatures prevail, condition P. laevigata trees do reduce the risk of
losing water.