In 1958, Health and his associates 1 reported that extracts from the septal region of the brains of cattle were effective in overcoming the effects of taraxein in monkeys and in modifying certain aspects of the metabolism of schizophrenic patients. It was inferred that perhaps this septal extract could have some therapeutic significance in the treatment of schizophrenics. Four separate trials were made of this material in hospitalized schizophrenic patients. The first trial was carried out in the spring of 1958. Five pairs of schizophrenic men and five pairs of schizophrenic women were studied. All had been ill for more than two years with no known organic disease of body or brain and had not responded to several other of the newer medications. In each pair one received a placebo, the other the extract. The patients were transferred to the research ward of the


Purpose: TomoTherapy uses Megavoltage CT (MVCT) to verify patient position and alignment prior to treatment and it is usually good enough to verify the patient's position and anatomy prior to treatment. However, sometimes, a greater resolution and contrast in patient images obtained by the MVCT scan would be beneficial in verifying patient anatomy and set‐up. The effects of changing different machine parameters and consequently the signal to noise ratio (SNR) had on MVCT image quality and resolution were studied. Method and Materials: The machine parameters were changed in two ways and their effects on MVCT image quality were studied, first by imaging with different doses, and then with different beam energies. A cylindrical phantom with a resolution plug (different size holes) was scanned. The machine pulse amplitude control (PAC) value was varied in intervals to adjust delivered dose and the resulting images were analyzed. CTDI measurements were then made at each of the varying PAC values. A Catphan phantom was imaged to measure low contrastvisibility, uniformity, and spatial resolution. Next, the injector current (INJI) was changed to modify the MVCT beam energy. The cylindrical phantom was scanned again and the Catphan phantom tests were repeated Results: Increasing the PAC value leads to an increase in dose. In observing the images that were taken, it can be see that the resolution and quality of the image improves as the PAC value is increased. Also the low contrastvisibility and uniformity of the images improve. The images were not noticeably improved as much for changes to INJI as measured visually or by imaging tests. Conclusion: Slightly higher dose during a MVCT scan can improve the image quality and resolution for the TomoTherapy system. These observations will be used in future investigation of more complex imaging tasks to improve MVCT imaging.


With the advancements of 3D modeling software, the use of CAD in design has become a standard practice. In recent years development in computer hardware and improvements in user friendliness of the CAD software has allowed designers to quickly and easily modify the CAD models. This modification capability allows CAD to be an integral part of the design process. Due to the increase in global competition, companies have become increasingly interested in fast and efficient design processes. One way to achieve improved efficiency is through better collaboration among designers working in common or similar projects and disciplines. A large design problem often requires specialized knowledge from several fields. Collaboration among the designers from these fields will ensure efficient design. Interaction among the designers can prevent redesign of similar components/subsystems, which requires the ability to share their designs. With the increase of collaboration, designers can now get access to large databases of 3D CAD models. But the challenge lies in search capabilities to identify common models from a large database. These considerations suggest that in the near future a challenge in 3D CAD industry will be how to find models of similar components and products. This paper presents an approach and its implementation to measure the similarity among a number of CAD models. The approach is based on the extraction and organization of information from the CAD models, which is followed by the suitable selection of commonality index and calculation of the commonality among a set of CAD models. A set of Vacuum cleaners are modeled and then compared to demonstrate the application of the approach.Copyright © 2009 by ASME


Background and Aims: Academic self-efficacy, which is one of the factors that predicts academic achievement of students, affected by a variety of factors. This study aimed to investigate the role of dark personality feautures (i.e., Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy), in order to predict students' academic self- efficacy beliefs. Methods: In this correlational study, 230 students in dormitories of Isfahan University were selected through cluster sampling method (2016-17 accademic year). Owen and Froman students' academic self-efficacy questionnaire and Johnson and Webster dark personality scale were used and administered for data collectionSpss-18 software was used to calculate the data. Results: Results showed that there was a significant and negative relationship between the psychopathy ( r =-0.341) and Machiavellianism ( r =-0.364) with students' academic self-efficacy ( P <0.01). Results also showed that there is no significant relationship between narcissism and academic self-efficacy. Results of regression analysis revealed that negatevly 0.15 of the students' academic self-efficacy could be explained based on the dark personality features of Machiavellianism and psychopathy. Conclusions: Due to the inverse relationship between academic self-efficacy and dark personality features (Machiavellianism and psychopathy), it can be concluded that these traits may have devasting effect on the students' academic self-efficacy, and consequently, their progress. The results of this study also support the role of psychological variable of the dark personality in predicting academic self-efficacy beliefs among students.


Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the current state of literature concerning mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in family businesses and to highlight areas for future research.

Design/methodology/approach

This literature review systematically analyses the findings of 41 journal articles on M&A in family businesses, identifying key thematic categories according to the main topics of the studies.

Findings

This study finds that it is important to distinguish and examine the type of governance, such as family and non-family, when studying M&A issues, because their distinctive features influence their strategic choices, business goals, and, thus, M&A behavior. Three topic areas are identified in existing research: M&A propensity, process, and performance. Furthermore, methodological and definitional issues regarding the findings are discussed.

Research limitations/implications

The findings imply that owing to their idiosyncratic nature, the use of alternative theoretical frameworks in addition to agency theory is encouraged in future studies in order to better capture the nature of family businesses. In general, further research on M&A issues in family business settings is needed, especially in the pre-merger phase, which is crucial to M&A performance.

Social implications

Overlooking particular issues that may arise in the context of transactions involving family businesses may lead to problems in M&A processes. Recognizing the importance of these issues in such transactions has important value for practitioners supporting family businesses in M&A processes.

Originality/value

This study takes the first step in analyzing the literature on M&A in family businesses, establishing linkages between family business, corporate governance, and financial management literature, and structuring the existing research to highlight opportunities with relevance for both theory and practice.


The biomolecules in and around a living cell – proteins, nucleic acids, lipids and carbohydrates – continuously sample myriad conformational states that are thermally accessible at physiological temperatures. Simultaneously, a given biomolecule also samples (and is sampled by) a rapidly fluctuating local environment comprising other biopolymers, small molecules, water, ions, etc. that diffuse to within a few nanometres, leading to inter-molecular contacts that stitch together large supramolecular assemblies. Indeed, all biological systems can be viewed as dynamic networks of molecular interactions. As a complement to experimentation, molecular simulation offers a uniquely powerful approach to analyse biomolecular structure, mechanism and dynamics; this is possible because the molecular contacts that define a complicated biomolecular system are governed by the same physical principles (forces and energetics) that characterise individual small molecules, and these simpler systems are relatively well-understood. With modern algorithms and computing capabilities, simulations are now an indispensable tool for examining biomolecular assemblies in atomic detail, from the conformational motion in an individual protein to the diffusional dynamics and inter-molecular collisions in the early stages of formation of cellular-scale assemblies such as the ribosome. This text introduces the physicochemical foundations of molecular simulations and docking, largely from the perspective of biomolecular interactions.


Six irrigation systems are analyzed considering cost and potential water savings. The investment cost of furrow and drip is $115,800 and $260,120, respectively. The cost of quarter mile pivot ranges from $59,000 to $64,000. Per ac-in variable pumping cost ranges $9.96 to $14.86 assuming natural gas price $7.00 per MCF.


His Majesty's Government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country.


A dual-band telemetry, which has different carrier frequencies for power and data signals, is used to maximize both power transfer efficiency and data rate for transcutaneous implants. However, in such a system, the power signal interferes with the data transmission due to the multiple magnetic couplings paths within the inductive coils. Since the power level of the transmitted power signal is significantly larger than that of the data signal, it usually requires a high-order filter to suppress the interference. This paper presents a non-coherent DPSK receiver without a high-order filter that is robust to the interference caused by the power carrier signal. The proposed scheme uses differential demodulation in the analog domain to cancel the interference signal for a dual-band configuration. The data demodulation also uses subsampling to avoid carrier synchronization circuits such as PLLs. The experimental results show that the demodulator can recover 1 and 2 Mb/s data rates at a 20 MHz carrier frequency, and it is able to cancel an interference signal that is 12 dB larger than the data signal without using complex filters. The demodulator is fabricated in a 0.35 mum CMOS process, with a power consumption of 6.2 mW and an active die area of 2.6times1.7mm2.


The neurotransmitter serotonin has been implicated in affecting the variation of longevity in natural Drosophila populations and age‐related diseases in mammals. Based on these observations, it has been predicted that serotonin signal, perhaps at levels of serotonin biosynthesis, may control lifespan. Here, we investigated a variety of mutations in serotonin‐signal genes, including serotonin biosynthesis genes, a serotonin transporter gene, and serotonin receptor genes. Despite this prediction, mutations in the serotonin biosynthesis genes had little or modest effects on lifespan, while the mod‐5 mutation with increased availability of serotonin caused a modest life‐shortening effect. In contrast, a deletion mutation of the ser‐1 serotonin receptor gene increased longevity by up to 46%, likely through the insulin/insulin‐like growth factor 1 pathway. This result suggests an interaction between the serotonin pathway and the insulin/insulin‐like growth factor 1 pathway. A deletion mutation of another serotonin receptor gene, ser‐4, shortened early to mid lifespan. The results suggest that serotonin signal antagonistically modulates longevity through different serotonin receptors. This study may indicate serotonin receptors as a potential target for antigeric interventions.


The possibility for preparation of biodegradable film from cellulose-enrich waste was studied. This work dealt with the synthesis of cellulose film in LiCl/DMAc solvent system by microwave-induced esterification of cellulose from waste cotton fabric using DMAP and lauroyl chloride as a catalyst and esterifying agent, respectively. The cellulose laurate film was prepared by casting method. The structure of cellulose laurate was confirmed by FTIR and 1H-NMR analyses. The thermal stability was characterized by TGA. The optimum condition for esterification in terms of microwave power and time was investigated. The films obtained were tested for their tensile properties and potentiality of biodegradation.


A series of 7 experiments found that people defer important decisions more than unimportant decisions, and that this is independent of choice set composition. This finding persists even when deferral does not provide more flexibility (Experiment 2), when deferral has potential disadvantages (Experiment 3), and when deferral has no material benefits and is financially costly (Experiment 4). The effect of importance on deferral was independent of potential choice conflict (Experiment 5 & 6). The only exception was a situation in which one alternative was clearly dominant; here decision importance did not affect the likelihood of deferral (Experiment 7). These results suggest that people use decision importance as a cue for deferral: more important decisions should take more time and effort.


The use of Hard Shoulder Running (HSR) systems is a relatively recent control policy aiming to ameliorate traffic conditions in recurrent congested networks. This ITS strategy attracts researchers and practitioners interest, in an attempt to assess its impact on drivers' behavior. The objective of this study is to analyze and optimize the operation of an HSR system from multiple perspectives: traffic, behavioral and economic. The analysis is performed at a freeway segment equipped with the aforementioned managed lane system between Lausanne and Geneva in Switzerland. Using traffic data collected from radar sensors, segmented/piecewise linear models are first developed to analyze free-flow or dense regimes and congested, followed by an estimation of short-term left-lane flow distribution ratio (LLFDR) models, aiming to provide timely hard shoulder activation. Ordered probit models are then specified using data collected by a road-side survey, to model the satisfaction of the freeway users about the HSR system. The results suggest that younger ( 4 times/week) of the particular road segment are the most satisfied. An economic analysis follows, identifying the benefits of the system. An economic evaluation of the managed lane system is then performed to assess the benefits –or costs– of the system since the beginning of its operation.


Mitochondrial DNA of Saccharomyces cerevisiae contains a satellite DNA (density, 1.682) that appears to exist as open-ended filaments at least 5 microns long. DNA from intact cells contains circular filaments whose lengths vary from 0.5 to 7 microns, with a great majority at 1.95 microns. The circular DNA has a density similar to that of the major nuclear peak (1.697). When heat-denatured mitochondrial-satellite DNA is renatured, it cross-links to form a molecule that is larger than the native molecule. The formation of cross-links results in hypersharpening of the density profiles in cesium chloride and also leads to failure to pass Millipore filter paper.


HIV‐1 protease has been an important drug target for the antiretroviral treatment of HIV infection. The efficacy of protease drugs is impaired by the rapid emergence of resistant virus strains. Understanding the molecular basis and evaluating the potency of an inhibitor to combat resistance are no doubt important in AIDS therapy. In this study, we first identified residues that have significant contributions to binding with six substrates using molecular dynamics simulations and Molecular Mechanics Generalized Born Surface Area calculations. Among the critical residues, Asp25, Gly27, Ala28, Asp29, and Gly49 are well conserved, with which the potent drugs should form strong interactions. We then calculated the contribution of each residue to binding with eight FDA approved drugs. We analyzed the conservation of each protease residue and also compared the interaction between the HIV protease and individual residues of the drugs and substrates. Our analyses showed that resistant mutations usually occur at less conserved residues forming more favorable interactions with drugs than with substrates. To quantitatively integrate the binding free energy and conservation information, we defined an empirical parameter called free energy/variability (FV) value, which is the product of the contribution of a single residue to the binding free energy and the sequence variability at that position. As a validation, the FV value was shown to identify single resistant mutations with an accuracy of 88%. Finally, we evaluated the potency of a newly approved drug, darunavir, to combat resistance and predicted that darunavir is more potent than amprenavir but may be susceptible to mutations on Val32 and Ile84. Proteins 2008. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


In recent years many patients who have become heavily dependent on medical care live at home. At Daikou Sunadabashi Clinic, we take care of many patients who have malignant tumors, at their homes. They need many medical treatments, so HPN has become a common practice. Here we show our circumstances of HPN. And we introduce our method for HPN. Our method is as follows: (1) Before the patient is discharged from the hospital, we go to the hospital and confirm the patient's condition. (2) We assess the level of training regarding HPN, and select the best way (instruments, circuits, administration) in consideration of the patients' or their families ADL. (3) We select a visiting nurse station (4) and train the visiting nurse in HPN using our manuals. (5) We use an HPN pump. (6) We select a simple way of infusion and adjust it to the patient's condition. In this way, we use HPN easily at home with the aid of a visiting nurse, visiting pharmacist, families, and us.


We consider breath as a vast prospect that includes actions and traces of them, that builds images and texts, that involves the human being and the extra-human context; we call this great scenery 'breathscape'. We then study how breathscape interacts with the human apparatus of the face, both giving rise to signs, but also giving rise to a liminal zone of extremely intriguing interpretative processes on a mereological scale. How and where do the territory of breath and the body interact? Which processes of signification do they give rise to? And which signs are created in their phenomenal and semantic encounter? Art is certainly the most appropriate language for studying this process, as well as for letting opacities emerge and exploring outstanding contrasts. There are various concepts of 'breathscape' that, grounded in different cultures, are immediately associated with ancient and contemporary philosophies. As a reverberation from a semiotic interaction and through the discretization and identification of semantic fields relevant to the concerned scenario, and introducing textuality, a phenomenon seen as a crystallization of the transition between outer text (the text of reality) and text (subject/object), we consider those visual texts which are crossed by a common faculty that is both descriptive and inventive: by approaching some inferential and cultural regimes and analysing their specific enunciative practices, we then contribute to their renovation. The texts related to the practices as part of the narratives intrinsic to cultural semiospheres underline the insatiable vastness of epistemological content to be dealt with, and the functional reductionism of the corpus is only a first approach to the field that is intended to shed light on the general panorama and to stimulate subsequent debate and insights.


In this paper, a modified slab analysis has been used to determine the pressure distribution in the cylindrical compaction of aluminum powder under rotating die compaction. The analytical results are discussed to explain the pressure distribution and the interaction of the various parameters. To predict the density distribution in a powder compact under an applied pressure with torsion, the pressure function is coupled with some form of a pressure density relationship. High relative density can be realized in powder compacts by the rotating die compaction in contrast to the conventional compaction. A numerical analysis, using the DEFORM3D simulation software, is also carried out on the compaction under the rotating punch.


Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia is the most frequent and the most important idiosyncratic haematological drug reaction. It is important for several reasons: first, because heparin is used so often, and the frequency of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia is high, the risk of a hospitalized patient developing heparin-induced thrombocytopenia is high. Second, heparin-induced thrombocytopenia poses a major therapeutic dilemma for the clinician -continue the heparin and risk a worsening of the thrombocytopenia, or stop the heparin and risk extension or embolism of the thrombus. Finally, a small subset of patients with heparin-induced thrombocytopenia develop the disastrous complication of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia plus arterial thrombosis. Some of these patients die. In this review, we will summarize some of the issues concerning heparin-induced thrombocytopenia, including its frequency, the various techniques used to diagnose the condition, its pathophysiology and approaches that can be used to manage patients with heparin-induced thrombocytopenia.


Abstract The International Fact-Finding Commission mentioned by Article 90 of Additional Protocol I is the only new measure introduced by the Diplomatic Conference of 1914-1911 intended to strengthen implementation of international humanitarian law. (The word 'humanitarian' was added to the title by the Commission itself, in order to better express the Commission's limited jurisdiction.) The Commission was established and its rules of procedure were adopted, but never since 1977 has any party to an armed conflict or any other State ever asked the Commission to exercise its activity in a concrete situation. The author (a member of the Commission) examines the reasons of this apparent failure and suggests new ways of understanding Article 90. He has no doubts about the Commission's usefulness, and he calls upon States and the other members of the international community – in particular the United Nations – to accept the Commission as a tool for strengthening respect for international humanitarian law.


We provide empirical evidence that stock market crises are spread globally through asset holdings of international investors. By separating emerging market stocks into two categories, namely, those that are eligible for purchase by foreigners (accessible) and those that are not (inaccessible), we estimate and compare the degree to which accessible and inaccessible stock index returns co-move with crisis country index returns. Our results show greater co-movement during high volatility periods, especially for accessible stock index returns, suggesting that crises spread through the asset holdings of international investors rather than through changes in fundamentals.


A brief analysis and assessment has been done in acquiring information and knowledge regarding the human papilloma virus and its capacity to cause various cancers. The understanding of HPV and its capacity to cause various cancers has been acknowledged. This article includes HPV family and clinical significance, pathogenesis and mode of action, mode of infection, molecular diagnosis, and biological activity of oncoproteins, capacity of HPV in cancer development, and finally HPV vaccination and prevention. The article mainly focused on the main mechanism of action of HPV in causing cancer in the host.


Automatically generating test cases plays an important role to reduce the time spent by developers during the testing phase. In last years, several approaches have been proposed to tackle such a problem: amongst others, search-based techniques have been shown to be particularly promising. In this paper we describe Ocelot, a search-based tool for the automatic generation of test cases in C. Ocelot allows practitioners to write skeletons of test cases for their programs and researchers to easily implement and experiment new approaches for automatic test-data generation. We show that Ocelot achieves a higher coverage compared to a competitive tool in 81% of the cases. Ocelot is publicly available to support both researchers and practitioners.


The various levels of detail (LODs) of a 3D city model are often stored independently, without links between the representations of the same object, causing inconsistencies, as well as update and maintenance problems. One solution to this problem is to model the LOD as an extra geometric dimension perpendicular to the three spatial ones, resulting in a true 4D model in which a single 4D object (a polychoron) represents a 3D polyhedral object (e.g., a building) at all of its LODs and a multiple-LOD 3D city model is modeled as a 4D cell complex. While such an approach has been discussed before at a conceptual level, our objective in this paper is to describe how it can be realized by appropriately linking existing 3D models of the same object at different LODs. We first present our general methodology to construct such a 4D model, which consists of three steps: (1) finding corresponding 0D–3D cells; (2) creating 1D–4D cells connecting them; and (3) constructing the 4D model. Because of the complex relationships between the objects in different LODs, the creation of the connecting cells can become difficult. We therefore describe four different alternatives to do this, and we discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each in terms of their feasibility in practice and the properties that the resulting 4D model has. We show how the different linking schemes result in objects with different characteristics in several use cases. We also show how our linking method works in practice by implementing the linking of matching cells to construct a 4D model.


Selective ion binding by human lysozyme and its mutants is probed with the three-dimensional interaction site model theory which is the statistical mechanical integral equation theory. Preliminary and partial results of the study have been already published (Yoshida, N. et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2006, 128, 12042-12043). The calculation was carried out for aqueous solutions of three different electrolytes, CaCl2, NaCl, and KCl, and for four different mutants of the human lysozyme: wild type, Q86D, A92D, and Q86D/A92D, which have been studied experimentally. The discussion of this article focuses on the cleft that consists of amino acid residues from Q86 to A92. For the wild type of protein in the aqueous solutions of all the electrolytes studied, there are no distributions observed for the ions inside the cleft. The Q86D mutant shows essentially the same behavior with that of the wild type. The A92D mutant shows strong binding ability to Na+ in the recognition site, which is in accord with the experimental results. There are two isomers of the Q86D/A92D mutant, e.g., apo-Q86D/A92D and holo-Q86D/A92D. Although both isomers exhibit the binding ability to the Na+ and Ca2+ ions, the holo isomer shows much greater affinity compared with the apo isomer. Regarding the selective ion binding of the holo-Q86D/A92D mutant, it shows greater affinity to Ca2+ than to Na+, which is also consistent with the experimental observation.


Nature uses reactive components embedded in biological membranes to perform light-driven photosynthesis. Here, we report a model artificial photosynthetic system for light-driven hydrogen (H2) evolution. The system is based on liposomes where amphiphilic ruthenium trisbipyridine based photosensitizer (RuC9) and the H2 evolution reaction (HER) catalyst [Mo3S13]2- are embedded in biomimetic phospholipid membranes. When DMPC was used as the main lipid of these light-active liposomes, increased catalytic activity (TONCAT ~ 200) was observed compared to purely aqueous conditions. Although all tested lipid matrixes, including DMPC, DOPG, DPPC and DOPG liposomes provided similar liposomal structures according to TEM analysis, only DMPC yielded high H2 amounts. In situ scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) measurements using Pd microsensors revealed an induction period of around 26 minutes prior to H2 evolution, indicating an activation mechanism which might be induced by the fluid-gel phase transition of DMPC at room temperature. Stern Volmer-type quenching studies revealed that electron transfer dynamics from the excited state photosensitizer are most efficient in the DMPC lipid environment giving insight for design of artificial photosynthetic systems using lipid bilayer membranes.


Turbulent mixing is a very common phenomenon in industrial processes. It is well know that the turbulence model has a massive impact on the accuracy of a turbulent flow, principally when it is used in processes of turbulent mixing. For this reason, this paper aims to investigate the impact of two specific turbulence models on calculating a mixture of gas-gas, using a 3D T- junction geometry. The differences between the calculation with two RANS based model, the kw-SST and SAS are investigated here. A mixture of Air and N2  is performed. The sensibility of the refinement of the mesh of calculation is assessed to calculate the discretization error. A comparison of results obtained with the distinct models of turbulence is made with available experimental data. In this comparison it is showed that the SAS model, due to its capability of capturing some vortexes that SST couldn't, offers a better accuracy, with an error maximum bellow the 7%, in comparison to the experimental data.
Keywords: T-juntion, Turbulent mixing, RANS, CFD


Vital data accessed from the ERHA (HSE) pertaining to asylum seekers living in Dublin in 2002 was analysed, resulting in the production of a series of maps showing the distribution of asylum seekers by variables such as nationality, age and gender by dlectoral division [ed]. The theoretical lens for this research examined the cultural geography and sociology of space in Dublin. Using an interdisciplinary approach it paid particular attention to the politics of scale, identity and power associated with space and place. Locating each asylum seeker within EDs for use with GIS allowed observation, reading and photography of Dublin's evolving textual landscapes and facilitated the interviewing of individuals and groups. Based on this quantitative analysis and field observation, two central hypotheses were posited and examined: firstly, that ethnic and racial clustering is occurring within clearly identifiable EDs which are experiencing both high levels of economic deprivation and gentrification. Secondly, that three subcultural groups or populations, namely asylum seekers, indigenous and gentrified, whilst inhabiting the same geographical places, arguably live in different mental spaces. This social and cultural morphology has resulted in the transition of what were once essentially monocultural places into polycultural spaces.


Multilayer steels have been developed to provide a novel route to achieving higher-performance steels by employing a high-strength steel and a high-ductility steel independently in the layer structure. In this article, a background to the development, design, fabrication, properties, and applications of multilayer steels are overviewed. Multilayer steels exhibit improved combinations of strength and ductility compared with existing monolithic steels and also excellent deformation behaviors under high-strain-rate deformation as well as good formability. Those improved performances of multilayer steel are achieved by increased interfacial toughness between the layers and decreased thickness of the brittle steel layers according to the fracture toughness of the brittle steel and the strength of the ductile steel. The concept of multilayer steels is extended by applying different combinations of components, such as Mg-steel multilayer composite. [doi:10.2320/matertrans.M2013382]


Understanding and analyzing multi-threaded program performance and scalability is far from trivial, which severely complicates parallel software development and optimization. In this paper, we present bottle graphs, a powerful analysis tool that visualizes multi-threaded program performance, in regards to both per-thread parallelism and execution time. Each thread is represented as a box, with its height equal to the share of that thread in the total program execution time, its width equal to its parallelism, and its area equal to its total running time. The boxes of all threads are stacked upon each other, leading to a stack with height equal to the total program execution time. Bottle graphs show exactly how scalable each thread is, and thus guide optimization towards those threads that have a smaller parallel component (narrower), and a larger share of the total execution time (taller), i.e. to the 'neck' of the bottle. Using light-weight OS modules, we calculate bottle graphs for unmodified multi-threaded programs running on real processors with an average overhead of 0.68%. To demonstrate their utility, we do an extensive analysis of 12 Java benchmarks running on top of the Jikes JVM, which introduces many JVM service threads. We not only reveal and explain scalability limitations of several well-known Java benchmarks; we also analyze the reasons why the garbage collector itself does not scale, and in fact performs optimally with two collector threads for all benchmarks, regardless of the number of application threads. Finally, we compare the scalability of Jikes versus the OpenJDK JVM. We demonstrate how useful and intuitive bottle graphs are as a tool to analyze scalability and help optimize multi-threaded applications.


Rendu-Osler-Weber disease, also called hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT), is a rare, genetically determined complex disease with a spectrum of associated manifestations which extend beyond the typical pathology of arteriovenosus malformations (AVMs). Our subject, a 54-year-old male patient with a long history of HHT has a typical mucocutaneous telangiectasias and bleeding from the nose, but the most important manifestations of the disease are those related to pulmonary AVMs. A variety of complications, such as hypoxemia, polycythemia, cyanosis, clubbing fingers and brain abscesses, have developed over time as a consequence of a-v shunt in the pulmonary AVMs. A large pulmonary AVM necessitated a surgical intervention when the patient was in his thirties, and two more surgeries followed later, due to brain abscesses. Despite intensive manifestations of the disease and episodes of life threatening complications, the patient has adjusted well to his chronic medical condition and lives a near-normal life.


In the forward model [L-band microwave emission of the biosphere (L-MEB)] used in the Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity level-2 retrieval algorithm, modeling of the roughness effects is based on a simple semiempirical approach using three main "roughness" model parameters: HR, QR, and NR. In many studies, the two parameters QR and NR are set to zero. However, recent results in the literature showed that this is too approximate to accurately simulate the microwave emission of the rough soil surfaces at L-band. To investigate this, a reanalysis of the PORTOS-93 data set was carried out in this paper, considering a large range of roughness conditions. First, the results confirmed that QR could be set to zero. Second, a refinement of the L-MEB soil model, considering values of NR for both polarizations (namely, NRV and NRH), improved the model accuracy. Furthermore, simple calibrations relating the retrieved values of the roughness model parameters HR and (NRH - NRV) to the standard deviation of the surface height were developed. This new calibration of L-MEB provided a good accuracy (better than 5 K) over a large range of soil roughness and moisture conditions of the PORTOS-93 data set. Conversely, the calibrations of the roughness effects based on the Choudhury approach, which is still widely used, provided unrealistic values of surface emissivities for medium or large roughness conditions.


An approach of evolving form in musical composition is presented here. The use of genetic algorithms in musical composition is not new but rather energetically active field of research and experiments. However, the approach presented within this paper differs from other genetic composition approaches in twofold. First, samples of musical ideas (one note or more) and not individual MIDI notes are used. Second, the focus of the approach is on evolving musical form rather than attempting to compose musical sequences. In addition, the selection process is guided by the responses of the users within an interactive process. In this paper, a genetic algorithm (evolving musical form algorithm (EMFA)) is presented in details followed by a brief examination of a sketched prototype of the system.


Simultaneous observations of short‐period (<1 hour) mesospheric gravity waves were made over an extended base‐line (∼660 km) from two sites in Japan (at Shigaraki and Yamagawa) during the SEEK (Sporadic‐E Experiment over Kyushu) campaign, 9–23 August, 1996. Coincident image data obtained on four nights provided a rare opportunity to investigate the horizontal spatial extent and propagation characteristics of the waves in detail. Surprisingly, out of a total of 12 events observed from Shigaraki and 10 from Yamagawa at most only three exhibited similar propagation characteristics at each site. The majority of the wave displays (∼70–75%) had quite dissimilar characteristics suggesting a preponderance for localized wave motions of limited lifetimes and geographical extent. A marked preference for wave progression towards the N‐NE indicates that the gravity waves imaged in the near infrared OH and OI (557.7 nm) nightglow emissions were probably not directly associated with the observed E‐region irregularities.


Roi Et Provincial Hall has been redeveloped according to the policy of the Government Center System Organization, which designates a provincial hall as the center of the provincial government and shall express its local identity. Roi Et Province, thus, has carried out the redevelopment project of the provincial hall of which design has been adhered to a tetrahedron style (a building with four gable ends), a standard building design provided from the central government, and combined with its local identity derived from architectural elements on the facades to present inherited meaning to people's perception. This study aims to find the architectural elements which provide identity on the facade of Roi Et Provincial Hall. The method used includes an investigation of the architectural elements on the facades which affect perception in 3 aspects: mass-form, ornament and texture. The study consists of three steps: 1) an investigation of the old hall's facade, 2) an investigation of local identity buildings' facade, and 3) an interpretation of identity to a design. Finally, a 3D model of Roi Et Provincial Hall is developed.Keywords: identity; facades; perception; provincial hall; Roi EteISSN 2514-751X © 2020 The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open-access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer-review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia.DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/aje-bs.v5i15.359


Purpose: The healthcare sector is an important area for sustainable food initiatives, given its inherent mission to heal and its substantial impact on the food system. Foodservice managers can take part in these initiatives by using sustainable menu practices (SMPs). This study aimed to explore managerial perceptions of barriers and facilitators to adopting SMPs in Québec healthcare institutions. Methods: Seventeen foodservice managers were recruited through purposeful sampling to participate in a qualitative semi-structured interview. The Diffusion of Innovations theory was used to assess the main determinants of the diffusion of an innovation (SMPs) through a complex social system (healthcare organization). Results: Participants reported more barriers than facilitators. Lack of support at many levels was recognized as a major hindrance to SMP adoption, as were shortfalls in political directives. Increased collaboration between all food system actors and better communication in healthcare were perceived as needed for increased SMP adoption. Conclusions: This research contributes to an in-depth understanding of managerial experiences in SMP adoption in various regional and healthcare settings. Findings suggest the need for support and strategies that would remove important barriers for foodservice managers and contributed to the development of a guide to support foodservice managers in implementing SMPs.


A novel ceramic-metal composite with continuous interconnected ceramic and metal phases has been fabricated from sintered porous particulate AlN preforms infiltrated with magnesium. The 48 vol. % AlN composites are fabricated by pressureless infiltration in argon in the temperature range of 870 °C to 960 °C. An increase in the infiltration rate is observed as the temperature increases. Results on the mechanical characterization of the composites indicate an elastic modulus of 90 to 110 GPa and hardness of 70 to 80 HRB. The tensile strength calculated by the shear punch test method ranges from 260 to 390 MPa. As a general rule, it is observed that the lower the infiltration temperature, the higher the tensile strength. The linear coefficient of thermal expansion of the infiltrated composites in the temperature range of 215 to 315 °C is 7.65 x 10-6 °C-1. This value is lower than those found for similar Al/AlN composites reported in the literature.


Gastrointestinal (GI) digestion, which facilitates the decomposition of ingested food into absorbable small molecules for further utilization in the body, necessitates both neural- and hormonal-regulated coordination of GI motility and secretion of digestive enzymes in the GI tract. The dysregulation of such coordination is likely associated with a wide range of disorders in the digestive system. Hawthorn Nectar (HN) is a health supplement for improving the wellness of the gastrointestinal digestive system in humans. The ingredients of HN, which include hawthorn, citrus, germinated barley and honeysuckle, are commonly prescribed to increase appetite and to treat digestive disorders in the practice of traditional Chinese medicine. Pharmacological studies have also shown that these herbs can produce beneficial effects on the GI digestive system. In the present study, HN was first examined for its effects on gastric emptying and postprandial intestinal motility in mice. The activities of digestive enzymes in gastric and pancreatic juice were also measured in HN-pretreated mice. Our results showed that long-term HN treatment increased the extents of gastric emptying and postprandial intestinal motility in mice. HN pretreatment also stimulated the activities of intestinal amylase and lipase in mice, while gastric pepsin and intestinal chymotrypsin activities remained unchanged. However, intestinal trypsin activity was suppressed by HN pretreatment. In conclusion, long-term HN consumption may produce beneficial effect on GI digestive function in humans.


The editors of Pharmaceuticals would like to express their sincere gratitude to the following reviewers for assessing manuscripts in 2014:[...].


Background: The specific geographical position of Albania, has promoted opposing influences from Western and Eastern countries. Two large influential countries with clear economic and political interests in Albania are Russia and Turkey. Aim of study: The aim of the present study was to assess perceptions of economic, political and cultural influence of Turkey vs. Russia in Albania. The main hypothesis of the study was that perceptions of Turkish influence would be stronger as compared to Russian influence. Methodology: The sample included 140 participants, 71 women and 69 men, mean age of 23.84 (SD=3.53); In terms of political forum membership, the sample was divided as follows: 57.1% belonged to FRESSH 40.7% FRPD and 2.1 % LRI. The instrument was a self-report questionnaire, aiming to assess perceptions of Russian and Turkish influence in Albania and was administered through the Google Docs Platform. Results indicated that a predominance of Turkey over Russia across all 3 dimensions, economic, political and cultural. However, while Turkey was rated highest in terms of economic influence, Russia was rated highest in terms of political influence. Moreover, the different political organizations (left or right wing) did not differ in their perceptions of both countries' influence. Finally Turkish influence was perceived as a stronger barrier to European integration as compared to Russian influence although scores were moderate to low.


ABSTRACT Diamond exploration and mantle studies have pushed geochemical methods to very high resolution, which is useful both in evaluating kimberlites and in describing the subcontinental lithosphere. Developing these methods initiated with direct comparisons of distinctive indicator minerals from kimberlite and sediment concentrates to unusual compositions of the same minerals included in diamond. More recently, single grain thermobarometer methods have been developed based on simplifications of equilibrium phase studies of mantle xenoliths and high pressure experiments. These single grain methods have enhanced evaluation of indicator mineral concentrates for diamond potential by greatly increasing the proportion of each suite that provides useful data on mantle conditions. Concurrently, these methods have broadened studies of the subcontinental lithosphere by permitting detailed evaluations beyond the occurrence of kimberlites with well studied mantle xenoliths. In this review, simple comparison of diamond inclusion compositions for Cr-pyropes, eclogitic garnets, chromite, chrome diopside and enstatite is followed by a review of the concepts behind equilibrium phase thermobarometry, an underlying foundation of increasingly widely applied single grain thermobarometry methods. Descriptions of such single grain methods based on peridotitic chrome diopside, pyrope garnet saturated with chromium and Ni in Cr-pyrope are followed by brief examples of the power of these methods to describe the subcontinental lithospheric mantle.


Large numbers of measurements are being carried out in the industries and all the sectors of science and technology including environment, health, engineering and agriculture to ensure the quality of product and test results. Acceptance and rejection of products depends on the measurement values which provide the information that quality of the products is within the acceptable limits of the specification. Moreover, trading or controlling authorities related to health and environment sectors are also depends on the quality of the measurement value. This factor become very important when, the measurement value lies very near to the boundary line of the acceptable limits, because concerned trading agencies have to decide about the acceptance or rejection of products before their purchase or release into market for sale. Similarly in the health and medical sectors authorities have to decide to initiate the treatment of the patients on the basis of pathological tests and in environmental sectors to control the environment where permissible limits of pollutants/ constituents are in trace or ultra trace levels. Any small error/uncertainty in measurement may vitiate the cumulative effect of the action taken which has direct impact on the society. In present era of modernization many sophisticated equipment and measurement techniques are available which minimizes the errors/uncertainty in the measurements. But no technique is available for absolute measurement. Hence, all the measurement techniques and method of analysis are associated with some uncertainty value. Moreover method of analysis consists many steps of operation to measure the property value and all the steps of the method also consists some uncertainty, hence analyst has to identify and quantify all the sources of the uncertainty involved in all the steps of a particular test procedure. The combined value of all these uncertainties is termed as uncertainty in measurement. In view of this it is essential for concerned authorities to consider the uncertainty component of the measurement value before taking any decision about the acceptance or rejection of the products or initiating the medical treatment of the patients or taking steps to control the environmental pollution etc. The method of the estimation of uncertainty in chemical measurement is discussed in this paper.


Semiconductor and metallic nanowires are attractive building blocks for a nanoscale integrated photonic platform. The scattering coefficients of the optical or plasmonic waveguide mode by 3-dimensional nanowire abrupt discontinuities including splices and endfaces are important figures of merit for realistic estimation of the coupling, lasing, or sensing performance. To tackle with such computationally challenging problems, we derive simple closed-form expressions based on linear equations and overlap integrals of normal modes to realize domain reduction and efficient analytical modeling. For the reflection coefficients at nanowire/waveguide endfaces, the analytical expressions incorporating all the bound modes and a few dozen leaky modes are highly accurate; whereas for the transmission coefficients at nanowire/waveguide splices, the model can be further simplified because only the input and the interested output bound modes need to be considered. Exhaustive validations using fully-vectorial simulation results as reference data show that the model is accurate and versatile for fundamental and high-order TE or TM modes, and for various architectures including high-index-contrast dielectric and plasmonic configurations, 3-D geometries or 2-D equivalents, and various operating wavelengths from ultraviolet to visible and the optical telecommunication bands in the infrared. Our model will facilitate the structure design and theoretical investigation of nanowire/waveguide photonic devices, especially lasers, resonators, sensors and couplers.


Advances in modern medical technology have gone so far that it is now possible for machinery to keep people alive. To some extent this has led to a misperception in society that death can almost always be postponed because life-sustaining extracorporeal machinery of some sort or another, for example a dialysis machine, can prevent it. However, for some, being kept alive connected to a dialysis machine for four hours three times a week does not represent or even come close to an existence or quality of life they consider valuable. It may even cause unnecessary distress. This may be because they have reached a point at the end of their lives where they would like the focus of their treatment or care to become that which enables them to live as well as possible until they die. In these circumstances treatment and care should properly be that which enables the supportive and palliative care needs of both patient and family to be identified and met throughout the last phase of life and into bereavement. Identifying and acknowledging the importance of such a paradigm shift in the delivery of healthcare, and above all facilitating it, includes taking on the responsibility, incumbent upon us all, to address the ethical issues that are brought into focus. In this paper, I examine some of these issues. I consider the ways in which underlying theoretical ethical principles have informed the development of professional guidance and highlight the dynamic relationship this guidance has with the law. Finally, I demonstrate the ways in which it can be usefully applied to inform and assist clinical decision-making. Key challenges for BAME groups are addressed.


a b s t r a c t Rhinocerotids were abundant and diverse in southern Asia during the Pleistocene and the Holocene epochs, as shown by palaeontological and archaeological discoveries published throughout the last century, whereas the only living rhinoceros in the Indochinese Peninsula is Rhinoceros sondaicus (Cat Loc Reserve, Vietnam). The Pleistocene-Holocene Indochinese rhinocerotid record consists of the extinct species Dicerorhinus gwebinensis (Early Pleistocene, Myanmar) and representatives of the Recent Asian Species Rhinoceros unicornis (Middle-Late Pleistocene), R. sondaicus (Middle Pleistocene-Recent), and Dicerorhinus sumatrensis (Middle Pleistocene-Holocene). This fossil record is synthesized, mapped for Early/Middle/Late Pleistocene and Holocene/Recent times, and then compared with coeval rhinocerotid assemblages from the adjacent areas (South China), subregions (Indian, Sundaic, Philippine, and Wallacean), and region (Palearctic), from a biochronological and biogeographical perspective.


A 4 yr old male Maltese dog presented with a 1 wk history of intermittent neck pain and progressive difficulty walking. Neurologic evaluation was consistent with a left-sided brainstem lesion. On oral examination, left lingual hemiatrophy was evident suggesting hypoglossal nerve involvement. A dumbbell-shaped extra-axial mass in the left side of the caudal fossa extending extracranially through the hypoglossal canal was detected by MRI. At postmortem histologic examination, the hypoglossal nerve was diffusely infiltrated by fusiform neoplastic cells arranged in Antoni A and Antoni B patterns. This is the first description of a malignant nerve sheath tumor selectively involving the hypoglossal nerve in a dog.


"When wealth is lost, nothing is lost; when health is lost, something is lost; when character is lost, all is lost". Now the caption is very much pertinent in this present millennium under the context of Character Building for mankind when a greater part of this society used to run after name, fame, money and power even at the cost of own life. If one becomes determinate on the one aim of God realization, then man will turn towards God. On turning towards God, good qualities, good conduct come on their own, and character building begins to take place. However, if a man forgets about God realization and begins to hoard worldly possessions and enjoy sense pleasures, then he falls down in character. He, who loses his character, is not even worthy and deserving of being called a man. He himself is the central theme of building character. He is more valuable than any possession in the universe. In this context, Swami Vivekananda said that, "neither money pays, nor name, nor fame, nor learning; It is CHARACTER that can cleave through adamantine walls of difficulties.The purpose of education is ManMaking and Character building of the students. Defining character, Vivekananda said, "The character of any man is the aggregate of his tendencies, but the sum of the total bent of his mind. As pleasure and pain pass before his soul, they leave upon it different pictures and the result of these combined impressions is what is called a man's character". The present paper will try to shed some light on the character and character formation in the light of Swami Vivekananda.


Abstract: Fashion Revolution China: Embedded Narratives and Social Identities in Clothing. It would be an understatement to say that China has undergone a turbulent recent history and remains a complicated, diverse and complex country. The 'New China' as proclaimed by Mao Zhedong in the 1950's has now been described as the 'New New China' (i) (John Gittings The Changing Face of China,) where a powerful sense of contradiction and individual perceptions based on fiscal acquisition define it's society. On the one hand China is perceived as being a developed nation, on the other hand, still developing. There are luxury hotels and International Fashion Brands in the most desirable and exclusive real estate locations in multi populated megacities and yet at the same time in 2011, with a population of 1.3 Billion, China's gross national income per capita of $4,940 ranked it 114th in the world. In the same year China became the single largest market for Rolls- Royce cars and yet still had over 170 million people still living below the $1.25-a-day international poverty line. (ii) www.worldbank.org china overview Against the context of a century of economic, social and political developments, fashion or clothing, depending on how this is defined, has acted as a representational and symbolic illustration of a culture trying to clarify its own identity as its population negotiated unparalleled turmoil and seismic change The idea that ones dress might express one's own unique identity seems naive these days (iii) Fashion and Modernity, Elizabeth Wilson Page 13 (Breward and Evans, Berg 2006) however, in the context of China it has represented the birth and rebirth of culture by being both dismissive and formative and for much of the 20th century contributed to and reflected on individual expression, modernity and political turmoil. From a fashion design background, the key principles which have driven my academic viewpoint is how dress explores individual identity, as a non-verbal language, in response to a range of social, economic, political and cultural contexts. By archiving garments from China from the 1930's through to contemporary Chinese fashion designers and recently exhibiting them in the UK under the heading 'Fashion Revolution China', many of these themes were both reinforced and illustrated by using dress/clothing as cultural artefact. The exhibition itself follows an almost cyclic journey, beginning with the pre revolutionary pieces which fine Chinese and imported fabrics and incorporate hand embroidery and skilful manufacturing techniques. Through the period post 1949 which although stylistically tempered by a political overview, were crafted with care and precision and on to China's contemporary designers who are reviving traditional skills and developing modern styles that are embedded with cultural resonance. Ultimately the unique narratives of the artefacts illustrated through their owners or designers, evidence the notion that clothing and style cannot exist in a cultural vacuum yet responded individually to the cultural context. The paper investigates the content and context of the exhibition and explores the narrative of clothing against the social and political conditions that supports evolutionary cultural identity. It also explores the three specific sections Extravagance/pre 1949, Uniformity/post 1949 and Contemporary designers and discusses how contemporary China is responding and developing a relationship to its fashion past, present and future.


We examine geographical concentration, scientific quality, and editorial favoritism in the field of experimental economics. We use a novel data set containing all original research papers (N=583) that exclusively used laboratory experiments for data generation and were published in the American Economic Review, Experimental Economics or the Journal of the European Economic Association between 1998 and 2018. The development of geographical concentration is examined using data on authors' affiliations at the time of the respective publication. Results show that research output produced by US-affiliated economists increased slower than overall research output, leading to a decrease in geographical concentration. Several proxies for scientific quality indicate that experiments conducted in Europe are of higher quality than experiments conducted in North America: European experiments rely on a larger total number of participants as well as participants per treatment, and receive more citations compared to experiments conducted in North America. Examining laboratory experiments published in the AER more closely, we find that papers authored by economists with US-affiliations receive significantly fewer citations in the first 5 and 10 years after publication compared to papers by authors from the rest of the world.


A hydrogel sensing material has been fabricated using three dimensional (3-D), polymerized colloidal photonic crystals (PCPCs) for highly sensitive and selective detection of mercury ions (Hg2+) in seawater. Due a to periodically ordered lattice of the embedded photonic crystals, the hydrogel diffracts light in visible spectral range according to the Bragg's law. The hydrogel has been functionalized by spatially distributed –SH groups through cleaving –S–S– bonds in grafted N,N′-cystaminebisacrylamide molecules and can selectively bind with Hg2+ ions to form –S–Hg–S– bridge bonds in seawater. The Hg2+ binding causes the volume of the hydrogel to shrink, corresponding to a wavelength shift of the light diffracted by the hydrogel. The shifted wavelength is proportional to the amount of bound Hg2+ ions, which enables the quantitative evaluation of Hg2+ ions with a limit of detection at 10−9 M level in seawater, as measured by a portable spectrometer. With this intelligent hydrogel sensors, we demonstrate a simple method for the rapid in situ monitoring and detection of Hg2+ ions at low concentrations in seawater.


This study takes a comprehensive approach to systemic risk stemming from Luxembourg's Other Systemically Important Institutions (OSIIs), from the Global Systemically Important Banks (G-SIBs) to which they belong, from the investment funds sponsored by the OSIIs, from the housing market, from the non-financial corporate sector and from the sovereign. All sectoral balance sheets are integrated and the resulting systemic contingent claims are linked into a stochastic version of the general government balance sheet to gauge their impact on sovereign risk. Explicitly modelling default dependence and capturing the time-varying non-linearities and feedback effects typical of financial markets, the approach evaluates systemic losses and potential public sector costs from contingent liabilities stemming directly or indirectly from the financial sector. Various vulnerability and risk indicators suggest the sovereign is robust to a variety of shocks. The analysis highlights the key role of a sustainable fiscal position for financial stability.


Drought stress is the major problem in arid and semi-arid regions of the world. Investigating the response of different cultivars of crop plants to drought stress can help to select the tolerant cultivars ones for agriculture in arid lands. In this study, a greenhouse experiment was conducted as a factorial experiment based on completely randomized design with two common bean cultivars (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) including Derakhshan and Goli, and four moisture levels of 25, 50, 75 and 100% field capacity. When the true leaves emerged (10 days after planting), the seedlings were exposed to the different levels of drought stress until the end of the flowering stage. Based on the morphological (stem length, leaf and root area, dry weight of shoot and root, and the root/shoot ratio), physiological (leaf relative water content, membrane stability index, photosystem II photochemical efficiency, stomatal resistance, chlorophyll index, and water use efficiency), and biochemical (proline content, soluble protein content, and the activity of antioxidant enzymes including superoxide dismutase, polyphenol oxidase, and peroxidase) characteristics, both cultivars showed a relatively good tolerance to the low and intermediate drought stress, while both were sensitive to the highest level of drought condition (25% field capacity). The main characteristics which indicated the tolerance of common bean cultivars to drought stress was an increase in the root/shoot ratio, stomatal resistance, water use efficiency, proline content, and antioxidant enzyme activity. Regarding these characteristics, the responses of Derakhshan cultivar more associated with drought tolerance, compared with Goli cultivar.


Introduction: Chest pain is from among the common complaints individuals make when referring to therapeutic centers, but often after examinations it becomes evident that the pain has a non-cardiac origin. The cognitive-behavioral therapy is a type of psychotherapy based on the two cognitive and behavioral perspectives, with an emphasis on correcting the behavior and changing it. Therefore, the current study was conducted aimed at investigating the effects of cognitive-behavioral therapy on psychological flexibility and rumination in patients with non-cardiac chest pains. Materials and Methods: This is a randomized educational trial study with a pretest and posttest design, and a follow-up with the control group after two months. The research sample was selected purposively, including patients having referred to Tehran Heart Hospital, comprised of 40 patients with non-cardiac chest pains who were then randomly divided into experimental and control groups. The subjects responded to the psychological flexibility and rumination questionnaires. The experimental group was subjected to eight 90-minute weekly sessions of cognitive-behavioral therapy and regarding the control group, weekly visits were conducted free of charge. The results were analyzed using the independent t-test, the two-way analysis of variance with repeated measurements, and the Bonfe rroni method, making use of software. Results: The results demonstrated that after performing 8 sessions of cognitive-behavioral therapy, the mean score of the rumination scale decreased and that of psychological flexibility increased in the treatment group, in contrast to the control group ( p less than 0.001). Conclusion: Providing trainings in cognitive-behavioral therapy is effective in psychological flexibility and rumination in patients with non-cardiac chest pains with physical disabilities.


In order to construct biologically active materials for applications in nanotechnology and medicine, materials scientists have extensively explored the use of nature-derived building blocks, in particular amino acids, carbohydrates, and lipids. Typically, these building blocks are assembled into larger arrays, or attached to synthetic scaffolds or other biomolecules, in such a way that novel biohybrid materials can be obtained with new or improved properties. To ensure that the original activity of the building blocks herein is preserved, the construction of biohybrid materials needs to proceed in a well-defined manner employing selective coupling techniques with a high functional group tolerance. Consequently, the concept of "click chemistry" has rapidly established a prominent role in the synthesis of these types of biologically active materials. In particular, the Cucatalyzed Azide-Alkyne [3 þ 2] Cycloaddition (CuAAC) has proven to be extremely valuable to many researchers in the field of biohybrid materials science, including our own groups. This mini-review will focus on the application of the CuAAC in the construction of biohybrid materials and will discuss our recent efforts as well as related work from other groups.


Environmental Law and Policy is a user-friendly, concise, inexpensive treatment of environmental law. Written to be read rather than used as a reference source, the authors provide a broad conceptual overview of environmental law while also explaining the major statutes and cases. The book is intended for four audiences - students (both graduate and undergraduate) seeking a readable study guide for their environmental law and policy courses; professors who do not use casebooks (relying on their own materials or case studies) but want an integrating text for their courses or want to include conceptual materials on the major legal issues; and practicing lawyers and environmental professionals who want a concise, readable overview of the field. For the Third Edition, new chapters have been written on climate change and energy, exploring the important developments in these rapidly changing areas.


Human skin is believed to harbor a reservoir population of precursor melanocytes. It has been difficult to identify these putative cells experimentally, because they lack phenotypic features that define mature melanocytes. We have evaluated expression of the KIT tyrosine kinase receptor, which is critical for melanocyte development, as a possible marker of these cells. Sections of human skin were evaluated with single- and double-immunolabeling techniques. KIT-reactive dendritic cells were identified in the basal layer of the epithelia and were most numerous in the follicular infundibula and the rete ridges. These cells were located on the epithelial side of the basement membrane and lacked expression of cytokeratin and mast cell tryptase. The location of the KIT-reactive cells was distinctly different from that of Langerhans cells (identified with anti-CD1a) or Merkel cells (identified with CAM 5.2). Within the epidermis and upper follicular infundibulum the majority of the KIT-reactive dendritic cells also coexpressed TRP-1, a marker present in differentiated melanocytes. In the deeper follicular regions, the coexpression of TRP-1 in the KIT-reactive cells was absent. Throughout the epidermis and follicle, however, the KIT-reactive cells coexpressed BCL-2, a marker known to be increased in melanocytes. Thus, KIT expression reveals a population of intraepithelial cells that have immunophenotypic characteristics of mature melanocytes within the upper epithelial regions, but lack the differentiated melanocytic phenotype within the deeper follicular regions. We propose that these KIT(+), BCL-2(+), and TRP-1(-) cells constitute a precursor melanocyte reservoir of human skin.


Objective: Recent evidence has associated immune and inflammatory changes to cognitive performance in many diseases, including schizophrenia. Since this is a new research field where concepts are not yet solid and new questions and hypothesis are still arising, the present study aimed at summarizing the available clinical data associating schizophrenia, cognition and inflammation/immune function. Methods: A systematic review of the literature was made by searching the following terms in Medline: "schizophrenia or psychosis or psychotic" AND "inflamm* or immun* or cytokine or IL-* or TNF-* or kynureni* or KYNA", AND "cognit* or attention or memory or executive function". Results: Seventy five papers were identified using the selected terms, and seven papers were included in the review. Papers excluded focused mainly on basic research or other neuropsychiatric disorders. Conclusions: Recent findings link inflammatory markers to cognition in schizophrenia, suggesting that inflammation is associated with worst cognitive performance. Microglial activation, monoaminergic imbalance, brain abnormalities and the kynurenine pathway are possible mechanisms underlying cognitive impairment in schizophrenia. Clinical trials with addition of immunomodulatory drugs have shown promising results, opening new windows to tackle cognition in schizophrenia.


The recent federal election barely discussed primary care and to the extent it did, the 'solution' was only about unfreezing the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) rebate. Readers of this journal know this is obviously not the sole answer. But why is primary care reform so hard? The context of primary care policy is important. The changing epidemiology is well established – decreased emphasis on acute, episodic illnesses and an increased emphasis on caring for people with multiple chronic conditions, including mental illness. Broader social factors are also at play. To some extent we live in a post-trust society, with the medical profession, and general practice in particular, not immune from the impact of declining trust in authorityfigures. Changing technology, and the advent of 'Dr Google', increasingly shape contemporary patient–provider interactions. These factors don't necessarily make reform hard, they are simply factorswhich need to be recognised and addressed. There are three other contextual factors which do contribute to making the reformer's task hard. First is the weak evidence base. There is a broad international consensus that fee-for-service is not thebestwayof remunerating GPs in the context of the increased prevalence of chronic disease. But the evidence to demonstrate this, and the superiority of any alternative, is veryweak indeed. In the absence of such evidence, it is easy for those who benefit from current funding arrangements to challenge any new policy. Second, there is a lack of consensus about the preferred policy directions. This is partly due to the weak evidence base, and partly due to the reality that any changewill involve some people or groups who will lose. Building consensus of clear, desired directions will be hard, but must be an early step in the policy process. But choices about policy directions are not simple and obvious. For example, there is consensus that the current state of the MBS rewarding short consultations is undesirable. But what is the desired future state? Is it rewarding long consultations? Increasing long consultations is primarily an intermediate goal to something else, such as reducing potentially avoidable hospitalisations or emergency department visits, or maybe even improving self-rated health. What should a new policy reward? Similarly, the current state of care bymultipleGPs is also seen as needing change, but again,what should be the aim?Continuity of care by an identifiable, single GP? Or continuity of care by a primary care team with good internal communication? What little research evidence there is suggests the former leads to better care, possibly because of lack of examples of the latter or it may be insufficient research. Consensusdoesnotmeanpaperingoverdifferencesor casting a veil of vagueness over the topic by use of feel-goodwords such as 'patient-centred care'. It does mean doing the hard yards of identifying each of the dimensions of the desired future state and clarifying what the actual preferred vision is for each dimension. Building consensus for change will be harder than building a coalition against change, but without clarity of direction we will continue to have policy paralysis. Third, we have path dependency. Options for the future are partly shaped bywherewe are now.Australia has a primarily feefor-service private system for general practice, allied health, and mental health services in the community. Nurses' roles in outreach are undervalued. Policy needs to recognise that reality and work out how to change from that state to the new vision, perhaps incrementally, perhaps with demonstration projects, but all designed to move towards the desired end. Sowhat does thismean for readers of, and contributors to, this journal? One of the weaknesses I have identified is the weak evidence base. One solution is that designers of all evaluation studies and trials need to think about the policy context. Does the write-up of the paper make it clear what the intervention really was? Can a reader implement the intervention without having to contact the authors? If the intervention does work, what are the barriers to scaling it up? Does it rely on zealots, or was it personality independent? Does policy or funding need to change to promote widespread implementation and, if funding change is necessary, how do we know the intervention is worth it (costeffective)? Good evidence is not enough, of course, but without it, as I have argued, policy changes will be that much harder.


ABSTRACT Previously, total flavones of Dracocephalum (TFD), derived from Dracocephalum, were found to exert protective effects in cerebral ischemia reperfusion injury (CIRI) in middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) rat model. However, the mechanisms underlying these observed effects of TFD on MCAO-induced rats still remain to be determined. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine whether TFD alleviated MCAO through mechanisms involving anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic using MCAO rats. The following parameters were measured: (1) percentage (%) area of brain infarction; (2) serum levels of inflammatory cytokines, including tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) and (3) expression protein levels of caspase-3 and AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK). Results showed that MCAO significantly increased the % area of brain infarction, while TFD administration in these animals markedly reduced % area of brain infarction. A significant elevation on serum levels of TNF-α and IL-6 was noted with MCAO which was markedly reduced by TFD. In addition, MCAO produced a significant rise in protein expression levels of caspase-3 and AMPK. In contrast, TFD markedly lowered protein expression levels of caspase-3 and AMPK. Data suggest that the protective effects of TFD in MCAO model animals may involve inhibition of inflammatory mediator release associated with apoptosis through down regulation of AMPK signaling pathway.


Detailed petrographic study of the Oligocene Suwannee limestone (a principal unit of the upper Floridan aquifer system) indicates that all the calcite cements in the Suwannee limestone are precompaction in origin. Most are clearly associated with either early mineralogical stabilization or Oligocene subaerial exposure features. None of the cements are in isotopic (δ 18 O and δ 13 C) or trace element (Fe, Mn, and Sr) equilibrium with the extant aquifer waters. The cements therefore formed prior to the onset of regionally confined, freshwater aquifer conditions. These rocks have been basically inert with respect to calcite cementation during the past 5 to 10 m.y. while they have been part of the regional confined aquifer. Using this modern aquifer as an example, it is likely that confined paleoaquifer cementation has been overestimated as an explanation for regional cementation patterns in ancient limestones.


The advent of ultrashort soft x-ray pulse sources permits the use of established gas phase spectroscopy methods to investigate ultrafast photochemistry in isolated molecules with element and site specificity. In the present study, we simulate excited state wavepacket dynamics of a prototypical process, the ultrafast photodissociation of methyl iodide. Based on the simulation, we calculate time-dependent excited state carbon edge photoelectron and Auger electron spectra. We observe distinct signatures in both types of spectra and show their direct connection to C - I bond dissociation and charge rearrangement processes in the molecule. We demonstrate at the CH 3 I molecule that the observed signatures allow us to map the time-dependent dynamics of ultrafast photo-induced bond breaking with unprecedented details.


A thesis submitted to Faculty of Medicine
Addis Ababa University
In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Masters in
public health


Long-term survival of patients with breast cancer treated by operation alone has not improved despite many variations in local or regional treatment. Undetectable micrometastases present at the time of initial local treatment are the cause for later failures. Adjuvant systemic treatments have been introduced in the hope of reducing recurrence and mortality. In a series of protocols, the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast Project evaluated sequentially escalating drug therapies and noted a striking change in the natural history of the disease. Breast cancer is a heterogeneous group of diseases with different outcomes. Many of the therapies provide appreciably prolonged disease-free survival and ultimate survival for subsets of patients. Efforts should be made to recruit patients for further clinical trials in order to define better the most suitable treatments for the different subsets of patients.


Despite our increasing use of online searching, we still need and use reference books, some so frequently that we keep them within reach. In this essay, I write about some staples and reflect on my transition to using digital versions of them. Works discussed are: The Bluebook (print, online, and iPad app); BNA's Directory of State and Federal Courts, Judges, and Clerks (available as an app, but I use it in print); English dictionaries: American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (print and iPad app); Free online dictionaries: Vocabulary.com, Dictionary.com, Oxford Dictionaries Online; OED Online (licensed product); New Oxford American Dictionary (Kindle); Black's Law Dictionary (print, Westlaw, and iPad app); Garner's Modern American Usage (print and Kindle); USCA Popular Name Table (print and Westlaw); AALL Directory & Handbook (print and online).


Elimination of tumor cells ("purging") from hematopoietic stem cell products is a major goal of bone marrow-supported high-dose cancer chemotherapy. We developed an in vivo purging method capable of providing tumor-free stem cell products from most patients with mantle cell or follicular lymphoma and bone marrow involvement. In a prospective study, 15 patients with CD20(+) mantle cell or follicular lymphoma, bone marrow involvement, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-detectable molecular rearrangement received 2 cycles of intensive chemotherapy, each of which was followed by infusion of a growth factor and 2 doses of the anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody rituximab. The role of rituximab was established by comparison with 10 control patients prospectively treated with an identical chemotherapy regimen but no rituximab. The CD34(+) cells harvested from the patients who received both chemotherapy and rituximab were PCR-negative in 93% of cases (versus 40% of controls; P =.007). Aside from providing PCR-negative harvests, the chemoimmunotherapy treatment produced complete clinical and molecular remission in all 14 evaluable patients, including all 6 with mantle cell lymphoma (versus 70% of controls). In vivo purging of hematopoietic progenitor cells can be successfully accomplished in most patients with CD20(+) lymphoma, including mantle cell lymphoma. The results depended on the activity of both chemotherapy and rituximab infusion and provide the proof of principle that in vivo purging is feasible and possibly superior to currently available ex vivo techniques. The high short-term complete-response rate observed suggests the presence of a more-than-additive antilymphoma effect of the chemoimmunotherapy combination used.


This paper provides a comprehensive review of outcome studies and meta‐analyses of effectiveness studies of psychodynamic therapy (PDT) for the major categories of mental disorders. Comparisons with inactive controls (waitlist, treatment as usual and placebo) generally but by no means invariably show PDT to be effective for depression, some anxiety disorders, eating disorders and somatic disorders. There is little evidence to support its implementation for post‐traumatic stress disorder, obsessive‐compulsive disorder, bulimia nervosa, cocaine dependence or psychosis. The strongest current evidence base supports relatively long‐term psychodynamic treatment of some personality disorders, particularly borderline personality disorder. Comparisons with active treatments rarely identify PDT as superior to control interventions and studies are generally not appropriately designed to provide tests of statistical equivalence. Studies that demonstrate inferiority of PDT to alternatives exist, but are small in number and often questionable in design. Reviews of the field appear to be subject to allegiance effects. The present review recommends abandoning the inherently conservative strategy of comparing heterogeneous "families" of therapies for heterogeneous diagnostic groups. Instead, it advocates using the opportunities provided by bioscience and computational psychiatry to creatively explore and assess the value of protocol‐directed combinations of specific treatment components to address the key problems of individual patients.


Design and synthesis of a vehicle suspension is a complex task due to constraints imposed by multiple widely conflicting kinematic and dynamic performance measures, which are further influenced by the suspension damper nonlinearity. In addition, synthesis of suspension for hybrid vehicles may involve additional design compromises among different measures in view of the limited lateral packaging space due to larger sub-frame requirements for placing the batteries. In this dissertation research, a coupled kineto-dynamic analysis method is proposed for synthesis of vehicle suspension system, including its geometry and joint coordinates, and asymmetric damping properties. Quarter-car and two-dimensional roll plane kineto-dynamic models of linkage suspensions are proposed for coupled kinematic and dynamic analyses, and optimal suspension geometry and damper syntheses.
The kinematic responses of quadra-link and double wishbone types of suspensions are evaluated using the single-wheel kinematic models. Laboratory measurements were performed and the data were applied to demonstrate validity of the 3- dimensional kinematic model. A sensitivity analysis method is proposed to study influences of various joint coordinates on kinematic responses and to identify a desirable synthesis. A kineto-dynamic quarter car model comprising linkage kinematics of a double wishbone type of suspension together with a linear, and single- and two-stage asymmetric damper is subsequently proposed for coupled kinematic and dynamic analyses. The coupling between the various kinematic and dynamic responses, and their significance are
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discussed for suspension synthesis. The effects of damping asymmetry on coupled responses are thoroughly evaluated under idealized bump/pothole and random road excitations, which revealed conflicting design requirements under different excitations. A constrained optimization problem is formulated and solved to seek design guidance for synthesis of a two-stage asymmetric damper that would yield an acceptable compromise among the kinematic and dynamic performance measures under selected excitations and range of forward speeds.
The coupled kinematic and dynamic responses in the roll plane are further analyzed through development and analysis of a kineto-dynamic roll-plane vehicle model comprising double wishbone type of suspensions, asymmetric damping and an antiroll bar. The results are discussed to illustrate conflicting kinematic responses such as bump/roll camber and wheel track variations, and an optimal geometry synthesis is derived considering the conflicting kinematic measures together with the lateral space constraint. A full-vehicle model comprising double wishbone type of suspensions is also developed in the ADAMS/car platform to study influences of faults in suspension bushings and linkages on the dynamic responses. The results of the study suggest that an optimal vehicle suspension synthesis necessitates considerations of the coupled kinematic and dynamic response analyses


Abstract God is thought to be eternal. Does this mean that he is timeless? Or is he, rather, omnitemporal? In this article we argue that God cannot be omnitemporal. Our starting point, which we take from Bernard Williams's article on the Makropulos Case, is the intuition that it is inappropriate for persons not to become bored after a sufficiently long sequence of time has passed. If Williams is right, then it follows that, if God were omnitemporal, he would suffer from boredom. But God is the greatest possible being and therefore cannot be bored. God, hence, is not omnitemporal. After the presentation of our argument, we address several objections by examining possible differences between human and divine persons.


"PeerStreamer" for loosely coupled P2P network provides a receiver driven peer (P2P) media streaming. The peer network perform only simple operations, may cache all or part of the streaming media, do not collaborate with other peers, it may be unreliable, and can be off-line during any given streaming session or online. Clients in the network operate in real-time to coordinate peers, from the plurality of media streaming peers, perform load balancing, handle online / offline status of the peer, and performing decoding the streaming media and presentation. In one embodiment, PeerStreamer high-rate erasure resilient coding to allow multiple serving peers holding portion of the media without conflict, so that the client retrieve only a fixed number of erasure coded blocks regardless of where and what search and retrieval particular block. Embodiment, PeerStreamer embedded coded media to vary streaming bitrates according to available serving bandwidths and client queue status in another embodiment.


We present a dimensionless index that quantifies the degree of cloudiness of the atmosphere of a transiting exoplanet. Our cloudiness index is based on measuring the transit radii associated with the line center and wing of the sodium or potassium line. In deriving this index, we revisited the algebraic formulae for inferring the isothermal pressure scale height from transit measurements. We demonstrate that the formulae of Lecavelier et al. and Benneke & Seager are identical: the former is inferring the temperature while assuming a value for the mean molecular mass and the latter is inferring the mean molecular mass while assuming a value for the temperature. More importantly, these formulae cannot be used to distinguish between cloudy and cloud-free atmospheres. We derive values of our cloudiness index for a small sample of seven hot Saturns/Jupiters taken from Sing et al. We show that WASP-17b, WASP-31b, and HAT-P-1b are nearly cloud-free at visible wavelengths. We find the tentative trend that more irradiated atmospheres tend to have fewer clouds consisting of sub-micron-sized particles. We also derive absolute sodium and/or potassium abundances ∼102 cm−3 for WASP-17b, WASP-31b, and HAT-P-1b (and upper limits for the other objects). Higher-resolution measurements of both the sodium and potassium lines, for a larger sample of exoplanetary atmospheres, are needed to confirm or refute this trend.


The naturally occurring geogenic elements iodine (I), lithium (Li), and strontium (Sr) have a beneficial effect on human health. Iodine has an essential role in human metabolism while Li and Sr are used, respectively, as a treatment for various mental disorders and for post-menopausal osteoporosis. The aim here is to evaluate the potential for future epidemiological investigations in Denmark of lifelong and chronic exposure to low doses of these compounds. The drinking water data represents approximately 45% of the annual Danish groundwater abstraction for drinking water purposes, which supplies approximately 2.5 million persons. The spatial patterns were studied using inverse distance weighted interpolation and cluster analysis. The exposed population was estimated based on two datasets: (1) population density in the smallest census unit, the parishes, and (2) geocoded addresses where at least one person is residing. We found significant spatial variation in the exposure for all three elements, related mainly to geochemical processes. This suggests a prospective opportunity for future epidemiological investigation of long-term effects of I, Li, and Sr, either alone or in combinations with other geogenic elements such as Ca, Mg or F.


Statement of Problem: Postoperative pain after periodontal surgical procedures is a common complaint.  Celecoxib, a cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 inhibitor NSAID, is associated with a lower incidence of well known side effects reported for the conventional NSAIDs. Sparse information is available on the efficacy of Celecoxib, or Prednisolone, a steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, following periodontal surgery. Purpose: The aim of the present study was to compare the analgesic efficacy of Celecoxib and Prednisolone after periodontal mucoperiosteal flap with minor osseous surgery.                                                                                Methods and Material: In this randomized, double-blind, cross-over, placebo-controlled, clinical trial,  20 patients with generalized, moderate to severe chronic periodontitis underwent three mucoperiosteal flap with minor osseous surgery with at least 4 week interval. Each quadrant was randomly assigned to receive one of the following medications in two doses starting one hour before surgery: 200 mg celecoxib, 10 mg Prednisolone, and placebo. The patients filled out a visual analogue scale (VAS) and a five-point verbal rating scale (VRS-5) at 11 predetermined time periods. Data analyses were performed, using Friedman, Pearson correlation and Spearman rank correlation tests.            Results: There was a statistically significant lower pain reported in the celecoxib than placebo groups during 9 postoperative time periods using VAS ( p =0.03).  This value was statistically significant for all the time periods under investigation, using VRS-5 ( p =0.01). The level of pain was lower in Prednisolone than in the placebo groups at the four-hour period ( p =0.045), and during the day after surgery ( p =0.01). A statistically significant lower pain perception was reported with the use of celecoxib at three postoperative hours (3, 5 and 6) than Prednisolone ( p =0.02). There was a positive correlation between VAS and VRS-5 pain rating scales used in this study ( p =0.0001 , r =0.938). Conclusion: Within the limitations of this study, preventive and postoperative uses of Celecoxib and Prednisolone were effective in the control of pain following periodontal flap with minor osseous surgery. However, during the first 8 postoperative hours, Celecoxib showed a superior efficacy in the duration and continuity of pain relief in comparison with Prednisolone.      Key words: Celecoxib, Pain, Postoperative, Periodontics, Prednisolone


A recent piece of scholarship concerned with film audience reactions suggested that the pleasures derived from cinemagoing are not homogeneous. At a general level, De Vany and Walls presented evidence to support their contention that 'Film audiences make hits or flops and they do it, not by revealing preferences they already have, but by discovering what they like'. The implication is that, as hard as film-makers attempt to attenuate the risks associated with film production through the devices of 'stars', 'genre' and perhaps 'direction', audiences are prone to upset the best-made plans. However, this can be taken further with Harper and Porter's claim that, for the period of their study (circa 1950), '... gender, social class and, to a lesser extent, age were paramount in determining the nature and intensity of film response'. They argued that, although films and their stars are important in shaping the experience of audiences, the latter, in turn, bring their own experiences to the cinema and these act as filters through which meaning and pleasure are derived. From their analysis of the 1950 Mass Observation study into the incidence and reasons behind crying at the cinema, Harper and Porter found that filmgoers, classified into gender and social class categories for the purposes of analysis, gave differentiated responses to both the act of crying and the films which stimulated this behaviour.


The Sun's motion through the interstellar medium leads to an interstellar neutral (ISN) wind through the heliosphere. Several ISN species, including He, moderately depleted by ionization are observed with pickup ions and directly imaged. Since 2009, analyzed Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) observations returned a precise 4D parameter tube associated with the bulk velocity vector and the temperature of ISN flow distribution. This 4D parameter tube is typically expressed in terms of the ISN speed, the inflow latitudinal direction, and the temperature as a function of the inflow longitudinal direction and the local flow Mach number. We have used IBEX observations and those from other spacecraft to reduce statistical parameter uncertainties: VISN∞=25.99±0.18 km s−1, λISN∞=75.°28±0.°13 , βISN∞=−5.°200±0.°075 , and TISN∞=7496±172 K. IBEX ISN viewing is restricted almost perpendicular to the Earth–Sun line, which limits observations in ecliptic longitude to ∼130° ± 30° and results in relatively small uncertainties across the IBEX parameter tube but large uncertainties along it. Operations over the last three years enabled the IBEX spin axis to drift to the maximum operational offset (7°) west of the Sun, helping to break the ISN parameter degeneracy by weakly crossing the IBEX parameter tubes: the range of possible inflow longitudes extends over the range λISN∞=75.°28−2.21+2.27 and the corresponding range of other ISN parameters is VISN∞=25.99−1.76+1.86 km s−1, βISN∞=−5.°200−0.085+0.093 , and TISN∞=7496−1528+1274 K. This enhances the full χ 2 analysis of ISN parameters through comparison with detailed models. The next-generation IBEX-Lo sensor on IMAP will be mounted on a pivot platform, enabling IMAP-Lo to follow the ISN flow over almost the entire spacecraft orbit around the Sun. A near-continuous set of 4D parameter tube orientations on IMAP will be observed for He and for O, Ne, and H that cross at varying angles to substantially reduce the ISN flow parameter uncertainties and mitigate systematic uncertainties (e.g., from ionization effects and the presence of secondary components) to derive the precise parameters of the primary and secondary local interstellar plasma flows.