The free electron laser(FEL) gain formulas for a non-resonant case are studied, and some new rigorous analytical formulas are given explicitly. For the mono-energetic and non-resonant electron beam, the exact expression of the solution of the FEL characteristic cubic equation is obtained with a form much more simple than that in the literatures, and the gain length as the function of the detuning parameter is explicitly given. Then the gain for different detuning parameters and from low to high can be easily calculated. A simplified approximation formula is also given for the exponential gain calculation in the non-resonant case. For the case of the electron beam with an energy spread, the solution of the characteristic cubic equation is given explicitly for rectangular energy distribution and Lorentz distribution, respectively. Moreover the explicit expression also can be used for the solution of the characteristic cubic equation including the impact of the space charge. The transition from the low gain to the high gain is analyzed. The variations of the gain bandwidth and of the detuning parameter for the maximum gain are demonstrated. The applicable ranges of the small signal gain formula and the exponential gain formula are analyzed.


BACKGROUND
The pustular and erythrodermic types of psoriasis have been associated with a number of systemic complications, including congestive heart failure and pneumonia. Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) refers to acute noncardiogenic pulmonary edema with hypoxemia of various causes and has been attributed to pulmonary capillary leak. Recently, 4 cases of generalized pustular or erythrodermic psoriasis have been described associated with a pulmonary capillary leak syndrome.

OBSERVATIONS
We describe 2 additional patients, 1 with pustular and erythrodermic psoriasis and 1 with erythrodermic psoriasis; who developed ARDS. Radiographic findings, pulmonary capillary wedge pressures, echocardiograms, and, in one case, an open lung biopsy specimen, were consistent with the diagnosis of ARDS. In neither case could we document any of the common causes of acute respiratory failure.

CONCLUSIONS
Generalized pustular and erythrodermic psoriasis may be complicated by ARDS. The pathogenesis of this complication is unclear, but proinflammatory cytokines may be involved.


When employees share knowledge with their colleagues, the efficiency of the colleagues' performance improves, which positively affects their productivity. However, employees can engage in counterproductive behavior by choosing not to share knowledge (passive behavior) or by choosing to share inaccurate knowledge with their colleagues (active behavior). In this study, we examine how providing relative performance information (RPI) and rewarding individuals with performance-based incentives can jointly affect individuals' choices to engage in counterproductive knowledge sharing behavior. Using an experiment, we identify an interactive effect of RPI and individual incentives, such that participants engage in counterproductive knowledge sharing behavior most frequently when they receive RPI and are assigned individual performance-based incentives. We also observe that RPI increases the frequency of both active and passive counterproductive knowledge sharing behavior.


This book analyses the Superfund program within the larger context of environmental risk. Hird offers both a rigorous evaluation and an informed solution to the current program impasse. Topics include analyses of risk management and assessment; environmental equity issues; problems associated with specific toxic sites; and the extent to which political institutions have steered Superfund's development. Recommendations focus on improving administrative efficiency while increasing public participation.


BACKGROUND
This study assesses the impact of Telephone Audio Computer-Assisted Self-Interviewing (T-ACASI) on the reporting of sensitive (mainly heterosexual) behaviours.

METHODS
A randomized experiment was embedded in a telephone survey that drew probability samples of the populations of the USA (N = 1543) and Baltimore city (N = 744). Respondents were randomly assigned to have questions asked either by a T-ACASI computer or by a human telephone interviewer.

RESULTS
Compared with interviewer-administered telephone surveys, T-ACASI obtained more frequent reporting of a range of mainly heterosexual behaviours that were presumed to be sensitive, including recency of anal sex [adjusted odds ratio (A-OR) = 2.00, P < 0.001), sex during menstrual period (A-OR = 1.49, P < 0.001), giving oral sex (A-OR = 1.40, P = 0.001) and receiving oral sex (A-OR = 1.36, P = 0.002), and sexual difficulties for the respondent (A-OR = 1.45, P = 0.034) and their main sex partner (A-OR = 1.48, P = 0.0). T-ACASI also obtained less frequent reporting that respondent had a 'main sex partner' (A-OR = 0.56, P = 0.011) and discussed contraception prior to first sex with that sex partner (A-OR = 0.82, P = 0.094). For both males and females, T-ACASI obtained more frequent reports of first vaginal sex occurring at early ages (before ages 12 through 15). 'For males only', T-ACASI also elicited more frequent reports that first vaginal sex had 'not' occurred at later ages (i.e. by ages 20 through 24).

CONCLUSION
T-ACASI increases the likelihood that survey respondents will report sensitive heterosexual behaviours.


A hair screening method has been developed for the detection of methamphetamine using an immunoassay analyzer (AxSYM) with a fluorescence polarization immunoassay (FPIA) technique. The method consisted of washing, cutting and digesting a hair sample (5 mg) with an enzymatic digestion solution. The digested hair sample was centrifuged, and then an aliquot of the supernatant was used to conduct the screening. The results obtained from FPIA, in most cases, showed concentrations above 70.0 ng/mL of methamphetamine for hair samples that contained 0.5 ng/mg of methamphetamine, determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The percent sensitivity, defined as the true positive rate of screened and confirmed results, and the percent specificity, defined as the true negative rate of screened and confirmed results, of the FPIA screening method were 100.0 and 96.7% (false positive rate of 3.3%), respectively, when the threshold level for FPIA analysis was set at 70.0 ng/mL (n = 60).The correlation coefficient (r) for the linear relationship between FPIA and GC-MS results was 0.91 in real hair samples. The recommended amount of hair sample was found to be 5.0 mg for FPIA screening analysis when the concentration of methamphetamine in hair samples determined by GC-MS was found to be more than 0.5 ng/mg. The method developed in this study was reliable and effective for the screening of methamphetamine in routine hair analysis.


Background: Diabetes mellitus is known to be associated with an increased risk of bone fracture. We investigated the effects of sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors on bone strength and density in type 2 diabetic patients. Methods: Nineteen Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus were administered 2.5 mg/day of luseogliflozin or 5 mg/day of dapagliflozin for 6 months. Serum levels of tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase 5b (TRACP-5b), an osteoclastic marker, and total procollagen type 1 amino-terminal propeptide (P1NP), a bone formation marker, were measured and compared with those before the treatment. Bone strength was measured by quantitative ultrasound (QUS), and bone density was evaluated by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). Results: SGLT2 inhibitors significantly increased the calcaneal bone strength as measured by QUS compared to that in young adult mean. However, there was no effect in the lumbar spine density as measured by DEXA after administration. The drug treatment had no effect on serum TRACP-5b, but significantly increased serum P1NP. Conclusions: The results imply that the SGLT2 inhibitors improve bone strength while the inhibitors had no effect on bone density. These results suggest that the increase in bone strength was due to improved bone quality through an increase in serum P1NP level. J Endocrinol Metab. 2020;10(3-4):89-93 doi: https://doi.org/10.14740/jem683


The polar ice caps play a key part in providing an understanding of climate variability over the last eight glacial cycles and may give information about paleoenvironmental features and changes of microbial diversity in the past. Microbiological studies on polar ice cores are rare and focused so far on silty or accreted ice. Aim of our studies is to detect, characterize, and compare the prokaryotic diversity in different Arctic and Antarctic ice cores at different depths in order to learn more about relations of past and recent communities and about alterations of ancient communities in relation to climatic changes. Critical points in ice core analytics are the strong contaminations of the outside of ice cores as well as the limited availability of sample material. Hence, preparation/decontamination protocols were tested and adapted with inoculated and artificially contaminated ice cores. Our work on real older glacial ice started with material from the uppermost 200 m of the ice shield of Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica. Some pollen grains and a low abundance of bacteria cells were detected by Sybr Green staining in combination with solid phase cytometry. From 3 other ice core samples from about 130-179 m depth, approximately 2150 years old, DNA could be extracted and amplified. DGGE-analyses of amplified DNA revealed a low bacterial diversity, but one strong DGGE band-only present in the inner part of two of the three ice cores analyzed- could be affiliated to the alpha-proteobacteria with a high similarity to Bradyrhizobium japonicum. Clone libraries and metagenomic studies supported the dominance of this bacterial type that might jointly be responsible for N2O abnormalities in glacial ice cores.


Rats discriminate texture by whisking their vibrissae across the surfaces of objects. This process induces corresponding vibrissa vibrations, which must be accurately represented by neurons in the somatosensory pathway. In this study, we investigated the neural code for vibrissa motion in the ventroposterior medial (VPm) nucleus of the thalamus by single-unit recording. We found that neurons conveyed a great deal of information (up to 77.9 bits/s) about vibrissa dynamics. The key was precise spike timing, which typically varied by less than a millisecond from trial to trial. The neural code was sparse, the average spike being remarkably informative (5.8 bits/spike). This implies that as few as four VPm spikes, coding independent information, might reliably differentiate between 10(6) textures. To probe the mechanism of information transmission, we compared the role of time-varying firing rate to that of temporally correlated spike patterns in two ways: 93.9% of the information encoded by a neuron could be accounted for by a hypothetical neuron with the same time-dependent firing rate but no correlations between spikes; moreover, > or =93.4% of the information in the spike trains could be decoded even if temporal correlations were ignored. Taken together, these results suggest that the essence of the VPm code for vibrissa motion is firing rate modulation on a submillisecond timescale. The significance of such a code may be that it enables a small number of neurons, firing only few spikes, to convey distinctions between very many different textures to the barrel cortex.


The leafhopper Matsumuratettix hiroglyphicus (Matsumura) (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) is an important vector of phytoplasma causing white leaf disease in sugarcane. Thus, the aim of our study was to understand and describe the stylet-probing activities of this vector while feeding on sugarcane plants, by using direct current (DC) electrical penetration graph (EPG) monitoring. The EPG signals were classified into six distinct waveforms, according to amplitude, frequency, voltage level, and electrical origin of the observed traces during stylet penetration into the host plant tissues (probing). These six EPG waveforms of probing behavior comprise no stylet penetration (NP); stylet pathway through epidermis, mesophyll, and parenchymal cells (waveform A); contact at the bundle sheath layer (waveform B); salivation into phloem sieve elements (waveform C); phloem sap ingestion (waveform D); and short ingestion time of xylem sap (waveform E). The above waveform patterns were correlated with histological data of salivary sheath termini in plant tissue generated from insect stylet tips. The key findings of this study were that M. hiroglyphicus ingests the phloem sap at a relatively higher rate and for longer duration from any other cell type, suggesting that M. hiroglyphicus is mainly a phloem-feeder. Quantitative comparison of probing behavior revealed that females typically probe more frequently and longer in the phloem than males. Thus, females may acquire and inoculate greater amounts of phytoplasma than males, enhancing the efficiency of phytoplasma transmission and potentially exacerbating disease spreading. Overall, our study provides basic information on the probing behavior and transmission mechanism of M. hiroglyphicus.


The scope of the paper is to demonstrate the effectiveness of tubing punch technology for a gas well through rig-less operation to bypass flow restriction due to a stuck plug. The scope shall encompass the technology selection, challenges faces and successful deployment relative to conventional options.
 In a pursuit to reduce rig time, smart solutions have been explored by the operators for effective production enhancement and reliance on multiple well interventions to save cost. The candidate onshore well in discussion is a high potential well with an average gas production of ~30 MMScf/d and condensate averaging ~4,000 STB/d. The well has been producing consistently since 1997 until 2013 where by the well was killed for maintenance activities. In 2015, an attempt to recommission the well was failed due to a stuck slick line plug. The well was attempted to flow though the equalizing ports in the plug body, however that resulted in a significant reduction of flow rate to ~ 8MMscf/d resulting in a production loss of 22 MMSCFD. Various options were contemplated in an attempt to re-instate the well to its original condition i.e. milling, workover, cutter etc., however the options were discounted considering high cost and rig requirements. Tubing punch technology/Solution was chosen in view of the cost effective rig less activity. The paper shall discuss the details of planning, inflow modelling and operational challenges for the well re-instatement to its original condition without compromising well integrity requirements. The technology implementation demonstrated a direct production gain of +/- 22 MMSCFD and +/-400 BOPD using the low cost intervention Tubing punch technology with net cost 27 K $USD


The effective provisioning of industry verticals over the next-to-come 5G systems opens novel business opportunities for telco operators especially when considering the integration of Internet of Things (IoT) devices as enablers of business cases based on remote sensing and control. This chapter highlights the main features of IoT verticals with particular attention on healthcare, smart cities, industry automation and entertainment business cases. The aim of this Chapter is to derive the requirements such IoT verticals pose in terms of design features to be considered in the standardization of 5G systems. This chapter presents the state of the art on the contribution from the research community and standardization bodies to address the 5G design characteristics with particular attention to the features enabling a proper management of IoT-oriented business cases. 5G IoT Industry Verticals and Network Requirements


Generalized Zero-Shot Learning (GZSL) targets recognizing new categories by learning transferable image representations. Existing methods find that, by aligning image representations with corresponding semantic labels, the semantic-aligned representations can be transferred to unseen categories. However, supervised by only seen category labels, the learned semantic knowledge is highly task-specific, which makes image representations biased towards seen categories. In this paper, we propose a novel Dual-Contrastive Embedding Network (DCEN) that simultaneously learns task-specific and task-independent knowledge via semantic alignment and instance discrimination. First, DCEN leverages task labels to cluster representations of the same semantic category by cross-modal contrastive learning and exploring semantic-visual complementarity. Besides task-specific knowledge, DCEN then introduces task-independent knowledge by attracting representations of different views of the same image and repelling representations of different images. Compared to high-level seen category supervision, this instance discrimination supervision encourages DCEN to capture low-level visual knowledge, which is less biased toward seen categories and alleviates the representation bias. Consequently, the task-specific and task-independent knowledge jointly make for transferable representations of DCEN, which obtains averaged 4.1% improvement on four public benchmarks.


Lobar differences in the mechanics of collateral ventilation were investigated in sublobar segments of intact dog lungs using a wedged-catheter technique. At functional residual capacity, the collateral time constant was longest in the left upper lobe and shortest in the lower lobes, with the remaining lobes having intermediate values. The time constant differences were due to lobar differences in effective segmental compliance. Atropine did not affect lobar variation in collateral ventilatory mechanics but decreased the collateral time constant as a result of a decrease in collateral resistance, indicating that airways within the segment and/or collateral pathways receive parasympathetic innervation. Slightly increasing the volume of the lobe occupied by the isolated segment decreased collateral resistance and increased effective segmental compliance but did not change the collateral time constant.


The Tanga region along the north-eastern coast of Tanzania is characterized by fringing and patch coral reefs, seagrass beds, mangrove forests, esturaries and embayments. The 0.3 million inhabitants rely heavily on harvesting marine resources from these ecosystems for their livelihoods. The coastal fisheries are open access, artisanal in nature and catch a wide diversity of fishes and invertebrates. Fisheries statistics for the region show that the number of fishers has increased steadily whilst the total catch has declined. Most indicators point to a combination of growth, recruitment, ecological and Malthusian over-fishing in the region as a result of the use of destructive fishing practices such as dynamite, small mesh nets and poisons. The Tanga Coastal Zone Conservation and Development Programme was initiated in 1994 in an effort to introduce participatory, community-based integrated coastal zone management in the region. Subsequently the Oceanographic Research Institute was requested to evaluate the activities of the programme with regard to artisanal fisheries and to assist in developing a management strategy for artisanal fisheries in Tanga. Indicators to monitor the fishery were recommended whilst fisheries enhancement methods and best-use options for degraded areas were examined. In view of the nature of the artisanal fishery in Tanga and the capacity at government level in Tanzania, co-management was recommended for the Tanga region. Permanent fishery reserves or closed areas appear to be the only suitable management tool for the multi-species reef fishery. A drastic reduction in fishing effort is necessary in order that populations of reef fishes can recover and alternative sources of income such as mariculture, agriculture and tourism will have to be developed. Further, the Tanzanian government has to take responsibility for the eradication of dynamite fishing along the coast and international pressure should be brought to bear on the country in this regard.


Marine protected areas (MPAs) design is a complex process that typically involves diverse stakeholders, requiring compromise between diverging priorities. Such compromises, when not carefully understood, can threaten the ecological effectiveness of MPAs. Using the example of the Canadian Laurentian Channel MPA, we studied a planning process from initial scientific advice to the final MPA. We analysed the impacts of successive boundary modifications to the draft MPA, often made to accommodate extractive industries, on the protection of seven species initially identified as potential conservation priorities. We also quantified the potential economic impacts of changes in boundary modifications on the fisheries industry. Results show that reducing the proposed MPA size by 33.4% helped reduce the potential economic impact on the fishing industry by 65.5%, but it resulted in up to 43% decrease in protection of species of conservation priority. Changes in MPA boundary delineation during the design were not subjected to formal scientific reviews, raising questions on the potential effectiveness of this MPA. Better integration of science in MPA design is required to help assess the impacts that trade-offs made during stakeholder consultations can have on the MPA ecological effectiveness.


Squats are of notable importance in the punk scene in Poland, and these spaces are a key aspect of the relationship between anarchism and punk. However, the overlap of squatting, punk, and anarchism is not without its tensions. This article, drawn from ethnographic research carried out between 2013 and 2014, explores the issues around punk and anarchist squats in Poland, looking at: criticisms levelled at punk squats by 'non-punk' squatting activists (e.g. Przychodnia in Warsaw); instances of squats as a hub for a wide spectrum of anarchist activity (e.g. the 'anarchist Mecca' of Rozbrat in Poznań); and the repression of squatting in Poland through eviction and legalisation (affecting all squats in some form). (Other squats and social centres mentioned here include Elba and ADA Puławska in Warsaw, Wagenburg and CRK in Wrocław, and Od:zysk in Poznań.) Among the various squats, there were tensions around approaches and tactics identified as 'more anarchist' or 'less anarchist' – this speaks to the supposed 'workerist'/'lifestylist' dichotomy within anarchism more widely, but the lived experience of the squatters is shown here to be far too complex to be encompassed in any false binary. the question of the openness … and the balancing between the 'subcultural ghetto' model (where the squat mainly serves a counter-cultural function for a specific group) and the 'social centre' model (which is more focussed on politics and on mobilising broad coalitions of people).


Assessing the status of a patient with rheumatoid arthritis allows one to obtain information necessary to choose appropriate management tactics for the patient. The use of quantitative methods in routine practice to determine inflammatory activity is the basis for the development of standardized patient management recommendations and provides a substantial improvement in the quality of health care. At the same time, the accumulated experience suggests that the existing summary indices do not always allow one to correctly determine disease activity. The paper discusses factors that can corrupt the result of assessment of inflammatory activity, as well as approaches to eliminating possible errors.


Four-year-old vines of Cabernet Sauvignon, Sylvaner, and Zinfandel were grown in phytotron rooms at three different day/night temperature regimes (25°/10°, 25°/20°, and 15°/10°C) during the period from about one week before bloom until veraison. Half of the vines at each temperature treatment received 1.69 g of N (HN) per 20-liter pot, and the other half received no N (ON). The rate of temperature increase or decrease between the daytime maximum and nighttime minimum for each temperature regime was programmed to approximate field conditions in the Soledad and Fresno areas of California during bloomtime.

Ovule fertility and number of seeds per berry in vines grown at 25°/10° and 25°/20° were approximately double that of vines held at 15°/10°C, whereas fruit-set did not differ significantly between temperature regimes. Fruit-set, ovule fertility, and number of seeds per berry were significantly less in Cabernet Sauvignon than in the other two cultivars. When data for temperature treatments and cultivars were combined for unfertilized and N-fertilized vines, the HN vines had significantly greater (P<0.01) fruit-set, ovule fertility, seeds/ berry, berry weight, total shoot length, internode length, rate of shoot growth, petiole nitrate level, fruit acidity, and anthocyanin level in berry skins than did ON vines. Fruit maturity and the pH of berry juice did not differ significantly between nitrogen treatments. The level of NO3-N in petiole at bloomtime ranged from 170 to 330 ppm in ON vines and from 1510 to 6880 ppm in HN vines. The level of petiole nitrate in HN vines of each cultivar was usually significantly greater (P<0.05) at 25°/ 10° and 25°/20°C than at 15°/10°C. Chemical and physiological data supported the conclusion that ON vines were nitrogen-deficient. However, the high fruit-set, ovule fertility, and level of soluble solids in fruits of HN vines did not indicate that excess nitrogen existed, even though bloomtime petiole NO3-N levels averaged 3651 ppm, which is generally considered in the excess range for maximum vine yields.


The viability of and leakage from suspensions of Staphylococcus aureus stored in the temperature range 3 to 60 C were determined. There was a direct relationship, up to 50 C, between death and leakage, both of which increased with increasing temperature. At temperatures above 50 C, there was a different pattern of response, the total leakage being less at 60 C than at 50 C, although there was greater membrane damage at the higher temperature. Sucrose, 1 m, almost completely prevented leakage at 37 and 50 C but not at 60 C.


Heavy metals are discharged into water from various industries. They can be toxic or carcinogenic in nature and can cause severe problems for humans and aquatic ecosystems. Thus, the removal of heavy metals from wastewater is a serious problem. The adsorption process is widely used for the removal of heavy metals from wastewater because of its low cost, availability and eco-friendly nature. Both commercial adsorbents and bioadsorbents are used for the removal of heavy metals from wastewater, with high removal capacity. This review article aims to compile scattered information on the different adsorbents that are used for heavy metal removal and to provide information on the commercially available and natural bioadsorbents used for removal of chromium, cadmium and copper, in particular.


The aim of the present study was to assess the effects of functional electrical stimulation (FES) on cortical interhemispheric asymmetry. Electrostimulation was performed on the right forearm to stimulate the extension of the index finger. EEG activity was recorded simultaneously. The sample included 45 subjects randomly divided into 3 groups of 15 subjects each: control group (submitted to 24 blocks of stimulation at a null intensity current), group 1 (24 blocks) and group 2 (36 blocks). Interhemispheric asymmetry between F3-F4, C3-C4 and P3-P4 was analyzed through an Anova. Results pointed out to a group x electrode interaction and a general tendency of asymmetry decrease after stimulation.


Interest in alternative organizations and their emancipatory potential has grown significantly among critical scholars. Among current inquiries, it has been shown that these organizations may be " contaminated " (i.e.: implement anti-alternative practices and/or adopt capitalist values) when competing, on their markets, with traditional capitalist organizations. But what happens when alternative organizations compete with one another or operate in a market that consists exclusively of other alternative organizations? Does their alternative nature help them deal differently with the competition-related issues they face, to develop solutions and practices other than those they would implement if they were competing with privately-owned capitalist enterprises? In this research, we have explored a sector – that of student healthcare in France – that involves two alternative, mutualist organizations competing directly and exclusively with each other. Focusing on the relations of competition between these mutuals, we observed in the field that their practices and methods greatly contrasts with the mutualist values and principles those organizations claim to stand for, in particular with the principles of solidarity between members and of non-commercialization of health care. This case shows how the alternative nature of an organization becomes diluted in the issues of competition even though the market is shared by two alternative non-profit organizations. We suggest that the situation of direct competition by itself, and not only competition with traditional capitalist organizations, is a key determinant of alternative organizations' ability to put into practice their distinguishing principles.


s authored entirely by non-USGS authors do not represent the views or positions of the U.S. Geological Survey or the U.S. Government and are published solely as part of the proceedings volume.


Conceived in the 1930s, simplified and successfully tested in the 1950s, the darling of the automotive industry in the early 1970s, then all but abandoned before resurging for a brilliant run as a high-performance powerplant for Mazda, the Wankel rotary engine has long been an object of fascination and more than a little mystery. A remarkably simple design (yet understood by few), it boasts compact size, light weight and nearly vibration-free operation. In the 1960s, German engineer Felix Wankel's invention was beginning to look like a revolution in the making. Though still in need of refinement, it held much promise as a smooth and powerful engine that could fit in smaller spaces than piston engines of similar output. Auto makers lined up for licensing rights to build their own Wankels, and for a time analysts predicted that much of the industry would convert to rotary power. This complete and well-illustrated account traces the full history of the engine and its use in various cars, motorcycles, snowmobiles and other applications. It clearly explains the working of the engine and the technical challenges it presented - the difficulty of designing effective and durable seals, early emissions troubles, high fuel consumption, and others. The work done by several companies to overcome these problems is described in detail, as are the economic and political troubles that nearly killed the rotary in the 1970s, and the prospects for future rotary-powered vehicles.


The health monitoring of structural joints is a major concern of the engineering community and needs to be addressed with the proper consideration. Among joining techniques, the spot welding and weld-bonding (spot weld + adhesive bonding) methods are of great interest in a number of industries. Spot welding is the traditional assembly method for steel-based automotive structures, while weld-bonding is a novel technique that combines the stiffness and productivity benefits of adhesive bonding with the proven-technology attributes of spot welding. Future trends in the design and construction of vehicular structures indicate a strong diversification of material usage, with aluminum and polymeric composites projected to play a major role. While aluminum is amenable to both spot welding and adhesive bonding, composites will, most likely, be entirely adhesive bonded. Hence, the trends towards weld-bonding and adhesive bonding are clearly visible.
 The paper first presents a short review of the present trends in joining techniques with special emphasis on those in present and future use in the automotive industry. This will be followed by a short review of the existing non-destructive evaluation (NDE) techniques that may be applicable to the health monitoring of spot welded and weld-bonded structures. Next, novel concepts of health monitoring utilizing an adaptive structures approach are presented. Laser ultrasound techniques; tagged adhesive methods; dielectric response techniques; electric potential methods, etc. are briefly mentioned.
 Particular emphasis is placed on the electro-mechanical impedance method. This novel method is described in some detail. The electro-mechanical impedance method utilizes the coupled electro-mechanical response of piezo-electric interrogators (sensor-actuator crystals) intimately bonded to the monitored structure. An array of such structural interrogators can be envisaged to monitor the incipient local damage and crack growth in spot-welded and weld-bonded structures. Preliminary proof-of-concept demonstration tests performed with this method have shown remarkable features and ease of utilization.


A study of polymer compositions and how they affect the asymmetric kinetic resolution of racemic secondary cyclic alcohols was undertaken to understand the effect of polymer polarity and spacing on the enantiomeric selectivity. Polystyrene-supported silyl chlorides are spatially incorporated with polar methacrylate monomers into the backbone adjacent to the silyl chlorides through controlled RAFT polymerization. The polar compositions in polymers result in significantly higher selectivity factors than the non-polar counterparts, being more comparable to a small molecule system.


Discovery of the molecular targets of traditional medicine and its chemical footprints can validate the use of such medicine. In the present report, we investigated the effect of ursolic acid (UA), a pentacyclic triterpenoid found in rosemary and holy basil, on apoptosis induced by TRAIL. We found that UA potentiated TRAIL-induced apoptosis in cancer cells. In addition, UA also sensitized TRAIL-resistant cancer cells to the cytokine. When we investigated the mechanism, we found that UA down-regulated cell survival proteins and induced the cell surface expression of both TRAIL receptors, death receptors 4 and 5 (DR4 and -5). Induction of receptors by UA occurred independently of cell type. Gene silencing of either receptor by small interfering RNA reduced the apoptosis induced by UA and the effect of TRAIL. In addition, UA also decreased the expression of decoy receptor 2 (DcR2) but not DcR1. Induction of DRs was independent of p53 because UA induced DR4 and DR5 in HCT116 p53−/− cells. Induction of DRs, however, was dependent on JNK because UA induced JNK, and its pharmacologic inhibition abolished the induction of the receptors. The down-regulation of survival proteins and up-regulation of the DRs required reactive oxygen species (ROS) because UA induced ROS, and its quenching abolished the effect of the terpene. Also, potentiation of TRAIL-induced apoptosis by UA was significantly reduced by both ROS quenchers and JNK inhibitor. In addition, UA was also found to induce the expression of DRs, down-regulate cell survival proteins, and activate JNK in orthotopically implanted human colorectal cancer in a nude mouse model. Overall, our results showed that UA potentiates TRAIL-induced apoptosis through activation of ROS and JNK-mediated up-regulation of DRs and down-regulation of DcR2 and cell survival proteins.


In this paper we will give an overview of the Semantic Desktop paradigm, beginning with the history of the term, a definition, current work and its relevance to knowledge management of the future. Existing applications and research results are listed and their role as building blocks of the future Semantic Desktop described. Based on the analysis of existing systems we propose two software architecture paradigms, one for the Semantic Desktop at large and another for applications running on a Semantic Desktop. A view on the context aspect of the Semantic Desktop and the Knowledge Management aspect is given. Based on the current events and projects, we give an outlook on the next steps.


ABSTRACT A novel vortex-assisted magnetic solid phase extraction method followed by flame atomic absorption spectrometry was improved to separate, preconcentrate and determine the lead, copper and cadmium ions by using 1-Nitro-2-naphthol-3, 6-disulfonic acid disodium salt (Nitroso-R salt) impregnated magnetic Ambersorb-563 resin. The adsorbent was characterised by Fourier transform infrared spectra, BET surface analyser and scanning electron microscopy. The influences of various analytical parameters, such as pH value, type and volume of the eluent, sample volume, were optimised and the effects of potentially interfering ions were investigated. The analyte ions were quantitatively recovered at pH 7.0 on magnetic adsorbent and desorbed with a 2.0 M HNO3 in 10% acetone as eluent. The detection limits were 1.4, 5.8 and 1.5 ng mL−1 for Cd(II), Cu(II) and Pb(II), respectively. The method has been validated with analytically by the analysis certified reference materials and standard additions prior to application to determine metal ions in water samples.


The fungus Corynespora cassiicola causes the very destructive Corynespora leaf fall disease of Hevea brasiliensis . The present population of C. cassiicola from Sri Lanka includes highly, moderately and poorly sporulating isolates. The fungus sporulated freely on potato dextrose agar at 10 – 35 oC with a peak at 30 oC. Cultures showed maximum conidia production after an incubation period of 12 days. Conidia produced well-branched germ tubes from both apices. The percentage germination reduced significantly at 1.5 × 106 conidia / mL. Germination of conidia occurred at temperatures between 5 – 40 oC with the optimum between 15 – 35 oC. Free water was not essential for germination but promoted germination. Conidia remained viable when the relative humidity was above 90 % and the ultraviolet radiation (254 nm) inactivated conidia. The most favourable temperature conditions for germination of C. cassiicola conidia described above has been observed to be prevalent in the main rubber growing areas in Sri Lanka, particularly during the period of refoliation, making it favourable for the establishment of the disease. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4038/jnsfsr.v40i3.4698 J.Natn.Sci.Foundation Sri Lanka 2012 40 (3):241-249


We have analyzed paleomagnetic data from Japan reported over the past 25 years in combination with marine geophysical and on-land geologic data to reconstruct the opening of the Sea of Japan and the bending of Honshu. From these data, we propose that the Sea of Japan opened by a two-stage back-arc spreading event. (1) In the early to middle Tertiary, Japan began to rift off the Asian coast as a single rigid block, rotated clockwise approximately 25°, and formed the Japan Basin. (2) In the Miocene, the Yamato and Tsushima basins opened, and shortly thereafter (19 Ma) the Japan arc collided with another island arc in central Hokkaido. At this stage, Honshu began to behave as two rigid blocks—southwest Honshu and northeast Honshu. Southwest Honshu continued to rotate clockwise approximately 45° as the Yamato and Tsushima basins continued to open. Northeastern Honshu rotated counterclockwise approximately 40° as Hokkaido was held fixed by the arc collision while the Yamato Basin continued to open. These two events—the opening of the Tsushima and Yamato basins and the arc collision in Hokkaido—resulted in the early to middle Miocene bending of the Japan arc observed in the paleomagnetic data. After 12 Ma, back-arc spreading ceased.


A careful reading of the '2014-2016 Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal (MTEF) Strategy Paper: Supporting Growth and Employment Generation', raises some grave concerns about Nigeria's fiscal policy. The fact that the 2014-2016 MTEF projects that an increase of N17 trillion in nominal GDP between 2012 and 2016 will be accompanied by a decline in nominal Federal Government revenue and spending suggests that Nigeria's fiscal policy has disconnected from economic reality. Urgent steps are required to reconnect the fiscal processes to the realities of current economic growth.


The LHCb Performance Regression (LHCbPR) framework allows for periodic software testing to be performed in a reproducible manner. LHCbPR provides a JavaScript based web front-end service, built atop industry standard tools such as AngularJS, Bootstrap and Django. This framework records the evolution of tests over time allowing for this data to be extracted for end-user analysis. The LHCbPR framework has been expanded to integrate the nightly testing and profiling. These developments allow for key performance metrics within the Trigger software to be monitored over time. Additionally, tests of the full physics reconstruction have been integrated into LHCbPR. These allow for tracking the effect that optimization work has on physics reconstruction performance.
This presentation will describe the integration of these tests into LHCbPR as well as describing the structure and new features developed for the frontend web service.


Decidability of definitional equality and conversion of terms into canonical form play a central role in the meta-theory of a type-theoretic logical framework. Most studies of definitional equality are based on a confluent, strongly normalizing notion of reduction. Coquand has considered a different approach, directly proving the correctness of a practical equivalance algorithm based on the shape of terms. Neither approach appears to scale well to richer languages with, for example, unit types or subtyping, and neither provides a notion of canonical form suitable for proving adequacy of encodings.In this article, we present a new, type-directed equivalence algorithm for the LF type theory that overcomes the weaknesses of previous approaches. The algorithm is practical, scales to richer languages, and yields a new notion of canonical form sufficient for adequate encodings of logical systems. The algorithm is proved complete by a Kripke-style logical relations argument similar to that suggested by Coquand. Crucially, both the algorithm itself and the logical relations rely only on the shapes of types, ignoring dependencies on terms.


Literacy is a concept, which almost has taken over and included concepts like reading, writing and inter human social communication in general. However, it has only recently been integrated into the AAC-fields connected to social work, special education and assistive technologies. This paper focuses on some key-questions regarding AAC and literacy, mentioning that the holistic approach of AAC in combination with a general linguistic theory as the one by Charles Peirce, creates a more whole or holistic perspective for thinking and looking for answers on these questions. The social model created by Uri Bronfenbrenner is also very applicable. Even though a holistic approach demands openness on the behalf of the teacher or interventionist as well as of the user her/himself, it is important to remember the need for good methods and methodology, based upon good practical evidence with the common target to acquire literacy.


The role of a quality leader has changed significantly over the past several decades from chief inspector, primarily focused on detection activities, to one in which the attention has shifted to prevention and improvement initiatives (Addey, 2004). Many of the traditional responsibilities related to quality control have been integrated into the role of all employees. In a sense, each individual is now responsible for the quality of the processes they work within, and little external quality control is needed. The transformation of the quality function away from control activities has led to initiatives such as Total Quality Management (TQM), and most recently Lean Six Sigma. Both TQM and Lean Six Sigma place a heavy emphasis on creating a culture of teamwork and continual improvement. Two potential elements that may impact the success of process improvement experts working in such environments are their level of emotional intelligence and work engagement. Research suggests that individuals with high emotional intelligence outperform those with low intelligence (Bar−On, 2006; Goleman, 1995, 1998; Nadler, 2010; O'Boyle, Humphrey, Pollack, Hawver, & Story, 2011), and organizations with high employee engagement are more successful than those with low engagement (Harter, Schmidt, Asplund, Killham, & Agrawal, 2010; Towers Perrin, 2003, 2007; Wagner & Harter, 2006). Despite the link to individual and organizational performance, the research studying what drives engagement is sparse (Schaufeli & Bakker, 2010). The research that does exist argues much of the driving force behind engagement is controlled by external factors such as available resources, working environment, and leadership support (Towers Perrin, 2003, 2007; Wagner & Harter, EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE AND WORK ENGAGEMENT iv 2006), but research focused on individual characteristics, such as emotional intelligence, has yet to be studied. This research sought to better understand the relationship between emotional intelligence and work engagement. Taking a quantitative approach, the research utilized the Assessing Emotions Scale to measure emotional intelligence, and the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale to measure work engagement of 5,187 process improvement experts. Correlation analysis indicated a moderate statistically significant relationship existed (r = .416). Regression analysis indicated emotional intelligence predicted 17.3% of the variability in work engagement. Gender, education, and organizational level had a significant effect on emotional intelligence, whereas age was found to have no effect. Education, organizational level, years in current position, and not having an ASQ certification were also found to have a significant effect on work engagement, whereas age, gender, and having a Six Sigma certification had no effect. Implications of the findings and recommendations for future research are also discussed.


Since 2012, and particularly since 2014, instability and wars in North African countries and the Middle East have brought a wave of refugees, trying to flee from violence in their countries, to Europe. They usually go north, crossing the Mediterranean towards Italy, or the Aegean, going west to the Greek islands. In their quest for a safe refuge, a significant number drown or disappear. The rest reach in Europe carrying their traumatic experiences with them, and face immediate humanitarian needs. A major task for host cities is to provide shelter for the refugees, taking into consideration the influence of their psychological trauma on local societies. This complex task, which combines technical, economic, social, psychological, and political dimensions – simultaneously targeted on two social groups – constitutes the 'post-traumatic urbanism' which intervenes in the recreating of the refugees' spatial and social networks in the host city. This paper discusses how the complex issue of posttraumatic housing triggers spatial self-organization by the refugees, in contrast to the 'official' provisions from host states, through the lens of complex adaptive theory (resilience). This article examines the features of refugee housing in Athens and Thessaloniki through qualitative research, quantitative methods and participatory observation. Through this study, it is highlighted that the post-trauma self-organization of mobile populations is a process of gaining dignity and self-respect in a new and often hostile environment, and a tool for spatial and social resilience.


Contemporary postapartheid South African land struggles are haunted by the long shadow of historical dispossession. While apartheid-era forced removals are justifiably infamous, these traumatic events were moments in the more extended, less frequently referenced, and more expansive process that fundamentally shaped the South African terrain well before 1948. The South African Republic's mid-nineteenth-century assertion of ownership of all land north of the Vaal River and south of the Limpopo marked the start of a long process of racialized dispossession that rendered black people's residence in putatively white areas highly contingent and insecure throughout the former Transvaal. This article analyzes the connections between past dispossession and contemporary rural land and natural resource struggles in the Limpopo and North West provinces, contending that addressing South Africa's vexed present requires a fuller reckoning with its past.


The legal framework of the International Criminal Court does not contain any provision concerning animals. This stands in contrast with the frequency with which they appear in both trial and reparations proceedings. The silence of the legal framework is problematic insofar as the 'animal turn movement', which questions the classical understanding and treatment of animals as objects, has permeated into both the international and domestic legal spheres. This article wishes to initiate a discussion on the treatment of animals before the Court by examining whether they could qualify as victims under Rule 85(a) of the Rules of Procedure and Evidence. While the short answer to this question is an unequivocal 'no', the conclusion reached is not the purpose of the analysis. The analysis shows that animals cannot qualify as 'victims' because they are not human beings. Yet, they comfortably meet the other two criteria, namely, (a) suffering harm, which (b) results from the commission of crimes within the Court's jurisdiction. Thus, this article argues that — at least — granting animals the same treatment as human beings is no more objectionable as a matter of legal principle than granting them the status of 'things'. This calls for a prompt discussion of the regulation of animals within the Court.


Social and thermal comfort survey were conducted in Azraq and Zaatari refugee camps in Jordan in summer 2016 and winter 2017, The results are published in "Albadra et al; Thermal comfort in desert refugee camps: an interdisciplinary approach. Building and environment, 2017 (124) pp. 460-477". Two sets of data (thermal comfort survey data and social survey data) are included in .xlsx format, in addition to the thermal comfort survey questionnaire used in the survey as .docx.


The last 1 year has underscored the need of a robust global public health system like never before. Both the infection itself, and the measures taken to contain it, have forced us to adopt new ways of life. Measures taken by the Indian government ranged from initial advisories on social distancing and hand hygiene to a full-fledged nationwide lockdown. The lockdown disrupted all the routine health-care activities – right from the suspension of curative outpatient department (OPD) services to preventive immunization and antenatal care services; the entire system has been affected. The problem has been especially complex for older patients due to the fact that they are at a higher risk for infection by the virtue of their age and likely to have a more severe disease due to the presence of multiple comorbidities, including but not limited to the other pandemic of diabetes that we have been witnessing over the past few decades. Resuming a health-care service for older people requiring inperson visits for OPD consultation may not be a good enough option for them. Thus, we have two major issues with geriatric population – access and utilization of health-care services. While telemedicine has been widely employed to solve the problem of access; does it really solve the issue of utilization of health-care services by a scared geriatric patient who needs a caregiver, too? In this article, we explore the impact and some of these changes, telemedicine, and other potential solutions, focusing on the health care needs of older persons and the future discourse.


With the implementation of electric power market, it is a difficult problem to provide the high quality and safety electric power, so, the electric power quality test is a key to solve it. Now, many electric power test system is designed by traditional single chip microprocessor with many disadvantages, we present a kind of method to realize based on virtual instrument (VI). System mainly designs upper PC management and test homepage index sub-system made by LabVIEW platform of VI software in this paper, aiming at disadvantage of existing test system without needed authority login module and management man-machine panel. This paper introduces part of system design method and practical result in detail. This system has stronger transplantation to other system because of modular design, which has broad practicality and application prospect.


A scalable method for the assembly of oriented bacterial cellulose (BC) films is presented based on using wrinkled thin silicone substrates of meter-square size as templates during biotechnological syntheses of BC. Control samples, including flat templated and template-free bacterial cellulose, along with the oriented BC, are morphologically characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Multiple functional properties including wettability, birefringence, mechanical strength, crystallinity, water retention, thermal stability, etc., are being characterized for the BC samples, where the wrinkling-induced in situ BC alignment not only significantly improved material mechanical properties (both strength and toughness) but also endowed unique material surface characteristics such as wettability, crystallinity, and thermal stability. Owing to the enhanced properties observed, potential applications of wrinkle templated BC in printing and cell culture are being demonstrated as a proof of concept, which renders their approach promising for various biomedical and packaging applications.


This work presents several new techniques for enhancing the performance of deterministic test pattern generation for VLSI circuits. The techniques introduced are called dynamic decision ordering, conflict driven recursive learning and conflict learning. An important feature shared by all these techniques is that they are triggered by the occurrence of a conflict in the generation of tests. Hence, they are not active all the time nor for all the faults. This feature allows the ATPG system that uses these techniques to resolve hard-to-resolve faults with far fewer backtracks and leaves the system as efficient as before in the absence of conflicts. We have incorporated these techniques into a commercial D-algorithm based ATPG tool. The experimental results on full scan versions of ITC'99 benchmark circuits demonstrate an improvement of the ATPG system both in the number of aborted faults and in test generation time.


The aim of the present study was to examine differences in proportions of the larynx between young and adult domestic pigs. Larynges (17 piglets and 14 adults) were obtained from a slaughterhouse where pigs were routinely slaughtered. Anatomical preparation, observation, and description, as well as measurements performed using MULTISCAN image analysis, were used. In the statistical analysis, apart from the arithmetic mean ( - x) and the standard deviation (SD), Student's t test was used with the statistical significance at α = 0.05. The results showed that a significant influence of sex was observed as far as proportions of the epiglottic cartilage (smaller in older individuals) and the arytenoid cartilage parameters (3b,c) were concerned. The influence of age was found in reference to coefficients determining distance between the back horns of the thyroid cartilage and the length of the front horn of the thyroid cartilage.


Questions

Can we improve understanding of vegetation response to water availability on monthly time scales in semi-arid environments using remote sensing methods? What climatic or water balance variables and antecedent windows of time associated with these variables best relate to the condition of vegetation? Can we develop credible near-term forecasts from climate data that can be used to prepare for future climate change effects on vegetation?

Location

Semi-arid grasslands in Capitol Reef National Park, Utah, USA.

Methods

We built vegetation response models by relating the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) from MODIS imagery in Mar–Nov 2000–2013 to antecedent climate and water balance variables preceding the monthly NDVI observations. We compared how climate and water balance variables explained vegetation greenness and then used a multi-model ensemble of climate and water balance models to forecast monthly NDVI for three holdout years.

Results

Water balance variables explained vegetation greenness to a greater degree than climate variables for most growing season months. Seasonally important variables included measures of antecedent water input and storage in spring, switching to indicators of drought, input or use in summer, followed by antecedent moisture availability in autumn. In spite of similar climates, there was evidence the grazed grassland showed a response to drying conditions 1 mo sooner than the ungrazed grassland. Lead times were generally short early in the growing season and antecedent window durations increased from 3 mo early in the growing season to 1 yr or more as the growing season progressed. Forecast accuracy for three holdout years using a multi-model ensemble of climate and water balance variables outperformed forecasts made with a naive NDVI climatology.

Conclusions

We determined the influence of climate and water balance on vegetation at a fine temporal scale, which presents an opportunity to forecast vegetation response with short lead times. This understanding was obtained through high-frequency vegetation monitoring using remote sensing, which reduces the costs and time necessary for field measurements and can lead to more rapid detection of vegetation changes that could help managers take appropriate actions.


Steel corrosion and erosion-corrosion have an important role in oil fields utilizing steel pipelines. Therefore; in the present work corrosion, erosion and erosion-corrosion tests are studied individually to investigate the interaction between corrosion and erosion processes and to quantify the synergy (that caused by erosion) in realistic flow environments. The experimental work tests were done using special device which was designed and manufactured according to (G 73) ASTM with certain modifications. The experimental work tests were achieved using traditional weight loss technique to measure weight loss rates in (gmd) unit. Also the microstructure observations of the test specimens are studied. It was observed that whole tests were conducted on oil pipe (X 60) made of low carbon steel in plate form, tests were made on corrosion using 3.5 wt % sodium chloride. (NaCl) solution as sea water purged with CO2 gas as the corrosive medium in crude oil, erosion using 1 wt % silica sand as the erodent in distilled water purged with N2 gas as anti corrosive medium to get erosion just during erosion and erosion-corrosion using the same mentioned medium in the corrosion but in erosion-corrosion 1 wt % silica sand was added as slurry to that medium, all tests above were done under pumped media except in case of corrosion and pumped media had constant pressure of 1 bar, flow rate Q = 36 L/min, temperature ≈ 25 oC and pH = 4.4 for corrosive and erosive-corrosive media but pH = 7.4 for erosive medium. After traditional weight loss technique was achieved, it was found that corrosion rate C.R (0.18144 gmd) was the smallest, erosion rate E.R (0.80214gmd) was greater than corrosion rate (C.R), but erosion-corrosion rate EC.R (3.99161gmd) was the biggest ie. (EC.R was greatest), in addition synergy (0.0315g) was calculated by using special equation related to weight loss which was measured in (g) unit.


Bladder substitution following radical cystectomy for urothelial cancer (transitional cell carcinoma) has become increasingly common and in many centers has evolved to become the standard method of urinary diversion. Orthotopic neobladder has been a commonly used option for urinary diversion since the 1980s. Advantages of this type of diversion are the ability to avoid an ostomy, voiding function similar to the native bladder, and improved cosmesis. Robotic intracorporeal neobladder creation has demonstrated similar outcomes to open technique and represents a promising minimally invasive diversion for the future. The Studer pouch is widely used nowadays, yet there are still some drawbacks. Therefore, we designed a technique that would offer an orthotopic ureteroileal anastomosis by using a two chimney modification. This modification is simple to handle, safe and free of ureteric stricture or reflux. With low stricture rates, this modified procedure of ureterointestinal anastomosis, is worthy of further promotion.


OBJECTIVE
To assess the cost-effectiveness relationship of Ticagrelor versus Clopidogrel for the management of acute coronary syndrome in Spain.

METHODS
The data from the PLATO study were used for the calculation of the events rate and health-related quality of life for Ticagrelor and Clopidogrel for the first 12 months, whereas the costs were obtained from Spanish sources. Quality of life-adjusted survival and costs were estimated according to the fact that the patients did not suffer any thrombotic event (myocardial infarction or ictus) or this one was not fatal. The lifetime cots, life years gained, and the quality of life-adjusted survival were estimated for both treatment arms. Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios were assessed through the perspective of the Spanish healthcare system for 2013, by using a macro-costs strategy based on published literature and the survival tables for the Spanish population.

RESULTS
Treatment with Ticagrelor was associated to an incremental cost of 1,228 Euros per year, an increase in 0.1652 life years gained, and 0.1365 years adjusted by quality of life, as compared to Clopidogrel. The cost for one quality of life-adjusted life year was 8,997 Euros and the cost per one gained life year of 7,435 . The sensitivity analysis showed consistent results.

CONCLUSIONS
Treatment of acute coronary syndrome for 12 months with Ticagrelor was associated with a cost per 1 life year of quality of life-adjusted cost below the cost-effectiveness limits generally accepted in Spain.


This study uses the concept of alignment as a framework to examine empirical research on the impact of entrepreneurship education interventions on students. Alignment assumes that effective instruction requires congruence between three instructional components: intended outcomes, instructional processes, and assessment criteria. Given the extant diversity and complexity of entrepreneurship education impact, scholars have not been able to explain how teaching approaches and methods are being adjusted to the variety of expected outcomes. In order to address this gap, we critically reviewed the published empirical studies on entrepreneurship education impact in 20 journals over a 15-year period (2000–2015). We found 16 empirical studies that met our inclusion criteria. Our findings revealed that teaching objectives, teaching methods, and teaching content receive scant attention from researchers. This study will be of value to scholars researching the impact of heterogeneous entrepreneurship education practices and approaches on individuals. Our analytical framework could contribute to less contradictory findings of entrepreneurship education impact studies. We also identify research limitations and suggest avenues for future research.


This study aims to assess the antibacterial activity of honey and lemon juice extracts on clinical isolates from upper respiratory tract infections. The antibacterial effect of honey and lemon were investigated, their use separately and in combination against Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiellapneumoniae, Streptococcus pyogenes and Streptococcus pneumoniae.. Agar diffusion methods were employed to assess degree of susceptibility of the bacteria isolates to honey and lemon juice. Lemon juice together with mixture of honey and lemon juice alone showed a very good antibacterial activity when compared to honey itself. The results indicated that both (lemon and honey) extracts showed considerable antibacterial activity against all clinical isolates from respiratory tract infections. This study justifies the use of honey and lemon juice separately and in mixture as an alternative medicine in the treatment of respiratory tract infections.


The Bacillus subtilis araR locus (mapped at about 294 degrees on the genetic map) comprises two open reading frames with divergently arranged promoters, the regulatory gene, araR, encoding a repressor, and a partially cloned gene, termed araE by analogy to the Escherichia coli L-arabinose permease gene. Here, we report the cloning and sequencing of the entire araE gene encoding a 50.4-kDa polypeptide. The araE gene is monocistronic (as determined by Northern blot analysis), and its putative product is very similar to a number of prokaryotic proton-linked monosaccharide transporters (the group I family of membrane transport proteins). Insertional inactivation of the araE gene leads to a conditional Ara- phenotype dependent on the concentration of L-arabinose in the medium. Therefore, we assume that araE encodes a permease involved in L-arabinose transport into the cell. The araE promoter region contains -10 and -35 regions (as determined by primer extension analysis) very similar to those recognized by RNA polymerase containing the major vegetative-cell sigma factor sigmaA, and the -35 region of the transcription start point for araE is located 2 bp from the -35 region of the araR gene. Transcriptional studies demonstrated that the expression from the araE promoter is induced by L-arabinose, repressed by glucose, and negatively regulated by AraR. These observations are consistent with a model according to which in the absence of L-arabinose, AraR binds to a site(s) within the araE/araR promoter, preventing transcription from the araE promoter and simultaneously limiting the frequency of initiation from its own promoter; the addition of L-arabinose will allow transcription from the araE promoter and increase the frequency of initiation from the araR promoter.


Since the publication of the Dearing Report (NCIHE, 1997) there have been a series of government policies and strategies to support students from disadvantaged backgrounds in accessing higher education (HE.) Under the banner of Widening Participation, increasing educational attainment has been extolled as the way to raise low aspirations among society's disadvantaged. There is considerable research exploring impact of class, gender, ethnicity and disability, and the ability of those from "disadvantaged backgrounds" to negotiate them. There is little research which steps back from the cultural arbitrary of educational systems and cultures, or that gives voice to younger children as they establish identities as learners within these contexts.

The aim of my research was to understand the experiences of learning for children at a life-stage of physical and social transition, when they would be expected to begin to form aspirations.

Using a phenomenological methodology of self-portraits and informal interview I listened to seven eleven-year-old children describe their current and future worlds. Drawing on funds of identity, I identified who and what shaped their identities, now and in their envisaged futures. Through voice centred relational analysis and modalities of agency, I heard their ability to enact and articulate agency. I deliberately stood back from social categorisations of class etc. in order to develop alternative conceptualisations of learning, engagement and aspiration.

The findings of this research can be used to understand engagement with learning through alternative lenses. The conceptualisation of good learning as relevant, active and 'own-able' will support 'knowledgeable others' in designing learning which establishes a bi-directional bridge between formal and informal learning experiences. I also hope the findings help those informing the policy and practice of widening participation to understand that aspirations may be distant not low; and are embodied as civic values rather than careers, earnings and academic achievement.


The purpose of this study was to investigate in vivo the effects of modulating the adenosine system on endotoxin-induced release of cytokines and changes in heart performance and neurohumoral status in early, profound endotoxemia in rats. Time/pressure variables of heart performance and blood pressure were recorded continuously, and plasma levels of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha), interleukin 1-beta (IL-1beta), plasma renin activity (PRA), and catecholamines were determined before and 90 min after administration of endotoxin (30 mg/kg of lipopolysaccharide, i.v.). Erythro-9[2-hydroxyl-3-nonyl] adenine (EHNA; an adenosine deaminase inhibitor) had no effects on measured time-pressure variables of heart performance under baseline conditions and during endotoxemia, yet significantly attenuated endotoxin-induced release of cytokines and PRA. Pretreatment with the non-selective adenosine receptor antagonist DPSPX not only prevented the effects of EHNA but also increased the basal release of cytokines and augmented PRA. At baseline, caffeine (a non-selective adenosine receptor antagonist) increased HR, +dP/dtmax, heart rate x ventricular pressure product (HR x VPSP) and +dP/dtmax normalized by pressure (+dP/dtmax/VPSP), and these changes persisted during endotoxemia. Caffeine attenuated endotoxin-induced release of cytokines and augmented endotoxin-induced increases in plasma catecholamines and PRA. Pretreatment with propranolol abolished the effects of caffeine on heart performance and neurohumoral activation during the early phase of endotoxemia. 6N-cyclopentyladenosine (CPA; selective A1 adenosine receptor agonist) induced bradicardia and negative inotropic effects, reduced work load (i.e., decreased HR, VPSP, +dP/dtmax, +dP/dtmax/VPSP and HR x VPSP) and inhibited endotoxin-induced tachycardia and renin release. CGS 21680 (selective A2A adenosine receptor agonist) decreased blood pressure under basal condition but did not potentiate decreases in blood pressure during endotoxemia. CGS 21680 completely inhibited endotoxin-induced release of TNFalpha, augmented sympathetic activity and PRA, and increased +dP/dtmax and +dP/dtmax/VPSP in the absence and presence of endotoxin. The present study provides strong evidence that inhibition of adenosine deaminase reduces cytokine release in vivo without producing significant hemodynamic and cardiac effects during the early phase of profound endotoxemia in rats. The augmented neurohumoral activation induced by caffeine is associated with decreased cytokine release induced by endotoxin. Further studies are warranted to determine the impact of these effects on cardiac function and hemodynamics in the late phase of endotoxemia.


The characteristic working situation in laparoscopic surgery involves elongated instruments and limited mobility of the surgeon during the operation. These circumstances require new technical solutions to enhance the surgeon's comfort. In other surgical fields with special ergonomic situations, such as microsurgery, some surgeons prefer to operate from a seated position at the operating room table. We developed a new surgeon's chair dedicated to the ergonomic and functional requirements of laparoscopic surgery. The chair allows the surgeon to maintain a semi-standing position during the operation. Foot pedals for high frequency and suction/irrigation are integrated into the base of the chair. The pedals are purposely aligned to be comparable to foot pedals in a car. The chair is driven by electromotors, controlled with a special foot switch that operates independent of assisting personnel during surgery. Initial clinical testing of the chair could prove the theory that supporting the surgeon with a cockpit type of operating room chair helps to avoid fatigue during long endoscopic procedures. Such assistance is especially important in combination with robotic devices for use during solo surgery.


The proliferation of nuclear weapons remains a severe threat to international peace, security and stability. In order to counter this threat, the international community has taken numerous measures, legal and otherwise, resulting in a global framework of treaties and political agreements known as the international non-proliferation regime. Despite such efforts, however, a number of recent problems and crises have illustrated that the danger of nuclear proliferation persists. This research analyses how international law and international politics interact to prevent the emergence of new nuclear powers and to provide to all states the reassurance that the number of nuclear-weapon possessors remains limited on the road to complete nuclear disarmament. It does so by examining, in particular, three instruments of arms control law: the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and the global system of trade controls. It takes a look at their development over time, their strengths and weaknesses, and their influence on global non-proliferation politics – and vice versa. The NPT is widely seen as the cornerstone of the non-proliferation regime. That is a consequence of its near-universal adherence, and the fact it lays out the ground rules for the international political order aimed at maintaining international peace and security through nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament. It has certainly been effective in limiting the number of nuclear-weapon states since its entry into force in 1970, yet it is not without its flaws. Due to political deadlock the implementation and development of a number of its key provisions has not been optimal. Some of its terms lack the precision needed to prevent proliferation, induce disarmament or encourage the peaceful uses of nuclear energy. Moreover, the option to withdraw from the treaty leaves a legal loophole in the non-proliferation regime. Some of these issues are addressed by other non-proliferation instruments, such as trade controls – and the international-political mechanisms designed to harmonise these in order to increase their effectiveness. These have turned into a crucial element for the implementation of the non-proliferation obligations of the NPT. They provide states with a pro-active tool to raise barriers for those who attempt to procure materials and items needed for constructing nuclear weapons. Yet the system of trade controls, too, leaves room for improvement, mostly due to their lack of international coordination, integration and precision. The IAEA supervises the adherence to non-proliferation rules by states. It is a dynamic, technical international organisation that, through information gathering, review, political assessment and compliance control, provides a sufficient amount of certainty regarding the absence of illegal nuclear activities by states. Its activities are supplemented by those of the UN Security Council and unilateral efforts. Together, these form a well-integrated and generally effective mechanism for the supervision of arms control law. The problems here lie mainly in the limited capacity to coerce states into compliance against their will, and the political resistance that such efforts invoke.


Mobile phones have taken centre stage in transforming people's lives in all sectors of African economies. With regard to Education sector, studies show that, there is high prevalence of mobile phones among learners in African universities but no computer prevalence. However, E-learning technologies are not readily available among learners. Learners are therefore forced to access content from few fixed locations with internet connectivity such as cyber cafes and workplace, eliminating access flexibility in learning. The `Mobile phone rich' but `computer poor' context prevailing in African universities presents an opportunity to establish an appropriate type of learning that utilizes mobile phones rather than computers. This paper explores existing categories of m-learning projects and proposes a 3-category framework to provide better understanding of ambient learning and allow integration of future ambient learning projects situated in different learning environments.


arch planes, performed with 2D US, 2D color Doppler, STIC, STIC with color Doppler, and STIC with B-flow. Cases of CHD were stored in a dedicated archive. Stored cases were anonymized and the list order was randomized. Stored 2D US cine-loops and 4D US volumes were reviewed separately according to a standardized table of 30 specified structures on 5 required planes of visualization: the upper abdomen, 4CV, 5CV, pulmonary artery bifurcation view, and 3VT plane. Separate diagnoses were recorded and finally compared. Diagnoses were confirmed by pathological examination or neonatal echocardiography. Results: During the study period 13,100 exams were performed; 180 diagnoses of CHD were made. In 12 of these, 3D/4D US added to the accuracy of our diagnosis: 1 right aortic arch with coarctation and anomalous branching diagnosed with B-flow; 1 TGA with pulmonary atresia diagnosed with TUI; 1 segmental interrupted aortic arch diagnosed with TUI; 1 right ventricle aneurysm diagnosed with B-flow; 2 agenesis of ductus venosus to the coronary sinus diagnosed by MPR and B-flow; 2 TAPVC diagnosed with MPR; 4 VSD diagnosed with the aid of virtual planes. There were 14 missed diagnoses and no false positive results. Conclusions: 3D/4DUS modalities may have advantages in some aspects of fetal cardiac evaluation, however, overall 3D/4DUS modalities had added value in diagnosis in about 6% of cases of fetal anatomical cardiac anomalies.


Summary: The aim of this paper was to present the essence of the relocation process of companies with particular consideration of intra-national migration. The author arranged definitions and presented factors of the relocation of companies. The paper ends with case studies of the companies that entirely or partly relocated their business activity in the country. The information on migration was obtained on the basis of the conducted survey among randomly selected enterprises. Further information was collected from web pages of surveyed entities and press releases. As a result of the conducted analysis the conclusions were drawn towards the surveyed enterprises. It was observed that domestic relocation concerns both small and large enterprises dealing with manufacturing, providing services and trading. Internal migration may be conducted entirely or partly. Companies may transfer their seats or branches. The main reason for a change of localization is insufficient supply of manufacturing area. The conducted research reflect only fragment of the process of domestic relocation in order to draw the overall conclusions in this respect is indispensable to make extension at the bigger scale of enterprises.


By joining the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT) project, Korean astronomers will get 10% of the GMT time, starting in the late 2010s. To prepare the GMT era, it is important to evaluate the current observational research activities. We surveyed the research programs performed by domestic astronomers during 2007A - 2010A period, using optical/near - IR telescopes with a medium to large aperture mirror (larger than 4 m). We describe the method and criteria of the survey, and present the results of the analysis based on the collected data.


Since 1960 the mutual fund industry has grown from 160 funds and $18 billion in assets under management to over 8,000 funds with $10.4 trillion in assets. Yet critics - including Yale Chief Investment Officer David Swensen, Vanguard founder Jack Bogle, and New York Governor Eliot Spitzer - call for more fund regulation, claiming that competition has not protected investors from excessive fees. Starting in 2003, the number of class action suits against fund advisors increased sharply, and, consistent with critics' views, some courts have excluded or treated skeptically evidence of competition and comparable fees of other funds. Skepticism about fund competition dates to the 1960s, when the SEC accepted the view that market forces fail to constrain advisory fees, in part because fund boards rarely fire advisors. In this article, we show that economic theory, empirical evidence, and careful analysis of the laws and institutions that shape mutual funds refute this view. Fund critics overlook the most salient characteristic of a mutual fund: redeemable shares. While boards rarely fire advisors, fund investors may fire advisors at any time by redeeming shares and switching into other investments. Industry concentration is low, new entry is common, barriers to entry are low, and empirical studies - including new evidence presented in this article - show higher advisory fees significantly reduce fund market shares, and so constrain fees. Fund performance is consistent with competition exerting a strong disciplinary force on funds and fees. Our findings lead us to reject the critics' views in favor of the legal framework established by §36(b) of the Investment Company Act and the lead case interpreting that law (the Gartenberg decision), while suggesting Gartenberg is best interpreted to allow the introduction of evidence regarding competition between funds.


A complex software system typically has a large number of objects in the memory, holding references to each other to implement an object model. Deciding when the objects should be alive/active is non-trivial, but the decisions can be security-critical. This is especially true for web browsers: if certain browser objects do not disappear when the new page is switched in, basic security properties can be compromised, such as visual integrity, document integrity and memory safety. We refer to these browser objects as residue objects. Serious security vulnerabilities due to residue objects have been sporadically discovered in leading browser products in the past, such as IE, Firefox and Safari. However, this class of vulnerabilities has not been studied in the research literature. Our work is motivated by two questions: (1) what are the challenges imposed by residue objects on the browser's logic correctness; (2) how prevalent can these vulnerabilities be in today's commodity browsers. As an example, we analyze the mechanisms for guarding residue objects in Internet Explorer (IE), and use an enumerative approach to expose and understand new vulnerabilities. Although only the native HTML engine is studied so far, we have already discovered five new vulnerabilities and reported them to IE developers (one of the vulnerabilities has been patched in a Microsoft security update). These vulnerabilities demonstrate a diversity of logic errors in the browser code. Moreover, our study empirically suggests that the actual prevalence of this type of vulnerabilities can be higher than what is perceived today. We also discuss how the browser industry should respond to this class of security problems.


The spatial geometry of seismicity encodes information about loading and failure processes, as well as properties of the underlying fault structure. Traditional approaches to characterizing geometrical attributes of seismicity rely on assumed locations and geometry of fault surfaces, particularly at depth, where resolution is overall quite poor. In this study, we develop an alternative approach to quantifying geometrical properties of seismicity using techniques from anisotropic point process theory. Our approach does not require prior knowledge about the underlying fault properties. We characterize the geometrical attributes of 32 distinct seismicity regions in California and introduce a simple four class classification scheme that covers the range of geometrical properties observed. Most of the regions classified as having localized seismicity are within northern California, while nearly all of the regions classified as having distributed seismicity are within southern California. In addition, we find that roughly 1 out of 4 regions exhibit orthogonal seismicity structures. The results of this study provide a foundation for future analyses of the geometrical properties of seismicity and new observables to compare with numerical modeling studies.


: Widespread procedures to measure what is taken to be kinship condition negotiations of various forms of belonging (family, ethnicity, nation, race, and even humanity). Kinship measurements require indicators, evidence, and persuasive display to become institutionalized. This introduction shows these measurements' generative force, which enables their translation into differentiated access to resources. Kinship measurements pull together different and sometimes contrasting ideas, practices, and materialities. Different measurements can add up, mutually reinforcing each other, and reach thresholds for inclusion or exclusion. Yet most often they remain contested, produce gradual results, and do not achieve closure. Grouping them together as assessments of closeness or similarity, we explore the productivity of kinship measurements in diverse settings, such as medicine, bureaucracy, and ritual, to demonstrate how they shape inequalities and marginalizations.


A case of a restless leg syndrome (RLS) was incidentally detected in a 49-year-old woman referred for an F-FDG PET/CT in monitoring her breast cancer. She was treated with chemotherapy and on long-term hormone therapy. Diffuse F-FDG uptake of calf muscles was visualized. Medical history revealed that the patient felt leg cramps in supine position, suggesting RLS. The diagnosis was confirmed using clinical rating scales and polysomnography. RLS being underdiagnosed, this type of FDG PET/CT incidental finding should prompt to check the presence of evocative symptoms and refer the patient to a physician specialized in sleep disorders.


In this paper, an efficient approach to improve the connectivity of any given network is provided by introducing an additional node into the network. More specifically, the additional node acts as a neighbor to certain pair of nodes in the network with only changing one link among the existing nodes. The location of the additional node is designed according to the current topology as well as the states, and it has been proved that, controlling the most-connected node will in general improve the convergence rate of the network. Moreover, the proposed method overcomes the dependence of the convergence rate on the Fiedler value. In particular, the convergence problem is converted to a standard stability problem by using the cooperative control Lyapunov function, and a state-feedback controller with switching logic in finding the observed node is designed to guarantee the fast convergence. Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed strategy in speeding up consensus in a network.


With the emergence of search engines and crowdsourcing websites, machine learning practitioners are faced with datasets that are labeled by a large heterogeneous set of teachers. These datasets test the limits of our existing learning theory, which largely assumes that data is sampled i.i.d. from a fixed distribution. In many cases, the number of teachers actually scales with the number of examples, with each teacher providing just a handful of labels, precluding any statistically reliable assessment of an individual teacher's quality. In this paper, we study the problem of pruning low-quality teachers in a crowd, in order to improve the label quality of our training set. Despite the hurdles mentioned above, we show that this is in fact achievable with a simple and efficient algorithm, which does not require that each example be repeatedly labeled by multiple teachers. We provide a theoretical analysis of our algorithm and back our findings with empirical evidence.


The cytokine interleukin-1b (IL-1b) is implicated in a broad spectrum of CNS pathologies, in which it is thought to exacerbate neuronal loss. Here, the effects of injecting recombinant rat IL-1b into the striatum of 3-week-old rats were followed noninvasively from 2 to 123 hr using magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy. Four hours after injection of IL-1b (1 ng in 1 ml), cerebral blood volume was significantly increased, the blood–brain barrier (BBB) became permeable to intravenously administered contrast agent between 4.5 and 5 hr, and the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) of brain water fell by 6 hr (5.42 6 0.35 3 10 4 mm/sec treated, 7.35 6 0.77 3 10 4 mm/sec control; p , 0.001). At 24 hr the BBB was again intact, but the ADC, although partially recovered, remained depressed at both 24 and 123 hr ( p , 0.03). Depleting the animals of neutrophils before IL-1b injection prevented the BBB permeability at all time points, but the ADC was still depressed at 6 hr (6.64 6 0.34 3 10 4 mm/sec treated, 7.49 6 0.38 3 10 4 mm/sec control; p , 0.005). No changes were seen in brain metabolites using proton spectroscopy at 6 hr after IL-1b. Intraparenchymal injection of IL-1b caused a neutrophildependent transient increase in BBB permeability. The presence of neutrophils within the brain parenchyma significantly contributed to the IL-1b-induced changes in cerebral blood volume and the ADC of brain water. However, IL-1b apparently had a direct effect on the resident cell populations, which persisted well after all recruited leukocytes had disappeared. Thus the action of IL-1b alone can give rise to magnetic resonance imaging-visible changes that are normally attributed to alterations to cellular homeostasis.


PRL-like protein C variant (PLP-Cv) is a newly identified member of the PRL family. PLP-Cv is specifically expressed in the chorioallantoic placenta by two distinct cell populations: trophoblast giant cells and spongiotrophoblast cells. To gain some insight regarding the control of PLP-Cv gene expression and the regulatory factors controlling trophoblast giant cell and spongiotrophoblast cell lineages, we have initiated a structural and functional analysis of the PLP-Cv promoter. The activities of a series of PLP-Cv promoter constructs, ranging in size from 4.5 kb to 50 bp, ligated to a luciferase reporter have been assessed in the Rcho-1 trophoblast cell line (restricted to trophoblast giant cell differentiation) and in a primary spongiotrophoblast cell culture system after transient transfection. PLP-Cv promoter constructs containing 4.5 kb to 149 bp of 5'-flanking DNA possessed full activity in the trophoblast giant cell model. A region located between -149 and -124 bp upstream of the PLP-Cv transcription start site was found to be essential for activation of the PLP-Cv promoter. Spongiotrophoblast cells required additional PLP-Cv 5'-flanking DNA for full activity. A region located between -2518 and -2242 bp upstream of the PLP-Cv transcription start site significantly enhanced PLP-Cv promoter in spongiotrophoblast cells. In conclusion, mechanisms underlying the activation of the PLP-Cv promoter are different in trophoblast giant cells vs. spongiotrophoblast cells.


ABSTRACT The study presents an investigation of Waves4Power's WaveEL 3.0 wave energy converter (WEC). It was used as a reference for full-scale measurements of the mooring forces and buoy motions in a measurement campaign 2017 at an installation location off the coast of Runde in Norway. A numerical simulation model of the installation was developed in the DNV GL software SESAM. Unfortunately, the sea state conditions were not measured during the measurement campaign. Hence, a methodology was developed that used the recorded motion data to compute the sea state conditions at the test site. The simulated WEC motions based on the computed sea states agreed very well with the measured WEC motions. The measured and simulated mooring forces were compared under various environmental conditions. 3-hour sea state realizations are typically preferred in numerical simulations. However, influences from the tide at the test site showed that sea states were normally stationary for only 1–2 h. The measured and simulated average mooring forces agreed very well during 1-hour periods, whereas the simulations overestimated the mooring forces in 3-hour periods because of the tide.


Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical performance of VersaTrek 528 compared to BACTEC FX 400 blood culture (BC) systems. Materials and Methods: Simulated and clinically obtained BCs were used in the study. Confirmed bacterial species (n = 78), including 43 Gram-positives, 30 Gram-negatives, and 5 Candida albicans strains, were each inoculated into BC bottles. Clinically obtained BCs were subdivided into two groups, A and B. In group A were 72 BC sets (pair: aerobic and anaerobic) in which a set inoculated with 5 ml blood was processed in the VersaTrek BC system, whilst the one inoculated with 10 ml blood was processed in the FX BC system. In group B, 76 BC sets (pairs) corresponding to 152 VersaTrek bottles and 152 FX bottles were inoculated with the same volume (10 ml) of blood, and processed in each system. Results: In the simulated BC study, 90% (63/70) of the VersaTrek aerobic bottles were positive, which was higher than that of FX 400 (59/70, 84%), but was not statistically significant (P = 0.423). In contrast, FX 400 anaerobic bottles had a higher positive rate than the other BC system (84 vs. 77%), although it was statistically insignificant (P = 0.267). Time to detection of organisms in the two BCs was comparable for both aerobic (P = 0.131) and anaerobic bottles (P = 0.104). In clinical BCs of group A, FX BC system had slightly higher positive rates for both aerobic (11.1 vs. 9.7%, P = 0.312) and anaerobic (8.3 vs. 6.9%, P = 0.375) bottles. However, the difference was not statistically significant. In group B, VersaTrek aerobic bottles had a higher positive rate compared to the other BC system (10.5 vs. 5.2%, P = 0.063). In terms of positive rates of sub-studies A and B, VersaTrek and FX BC systems were comparable. Conclusion: There was no significant difference between the two BC systems in the detection of bacteria and fungi in simulated BCs. In clinical BCs, the performance of the VersaTrek BC system, with inoculation of 5 or 10 ml patient's blood, was comparable to the FX system with inoculation of 10 ml patient's blood.


A simple capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) method was used to characterize human very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) particles for four healthy donors. One major peak was observed for native, in vitro oxidized and glycated VLDL particles. The effective mobilities and peak areas of the capillary electrophoresis (CE) profiles showed good reproducibility and precision. The mobility of the oxidized VLDL peak was higher than that of the native VLDL. The mobility of the glycated VLDL peak was similar to that of the native VLDL. Phospholipids isolated from VLDL particles were analyzed by our recently developed micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) with a high-salt stacking method. At absorbance 200 nm, the native VLDL phospholipids showed a major peak and a minor peak for each donor. For oxidized VLDL phospholipids, the area of the major peak reduced for three donors, possibly due to phospholipid decomposition. For glycated VLDL phospholipids, the peak mobilities were more positive than native VLDL phospholipids for two donors, possibly due to phospholipid-linked advanced glycation end products (AGEs). Very interestingly, at absorbance 234 nm, the major peak of oxidized VLDL phospholipids was resolved as two peaks for each donor, possibly due to conjugated dienes formed upon oxidation.


A chasm is growing between our rapidly rising aspirations for our educational systems and what schools can routinely accomplish. Education needs an improvement paradigm—one that recognizes the complexity of the work of education and the wide variability in outcomes that our systems currently produce. This article sketches out such a paradigm. It joins together the discipline of improvement science with the power of structured networked communities to accelerate learning to improve. These networked improvement communities (NICs) combine analytic thinking and systematic methods to develop and test changes that can achieve better outcomes more reliably. NICs are inclusive in drawing together the expertise of practitioners, researchers, designers, technologists, and many others. And they organize their activities in ways akin to a scientific community. They develop practice-based evidence as an essential complement to findings from other forms of educational research. The point is not just to know what can make things better or worse; it is to develop the know-how necessary to actually make things better.


NASA will host a media teleconference at 11:30 a.m. EDT Tuesday, March 27, to provide an update on the agency's James Webb Space Telescope – what will be the world's premier infrared space observatory and the biggest astronomical science telescope ever built. Audio of the call will stream live on NASA's website.