This paper explores the troubled relationship between normative aspirations for social order/pro-sociality and law as a vehicle for promoting social goods. It questions how we problematise this relationship through using insights from other disciplines (whether described as monodisciplinarity, interdisciplinarity, transdisciplinarity etc.). Placing particular purchase on the need to think about aspirations for pro-sociality from a human behavioural / sociological approach as a means of appropriately critiquing the role that law could or might (not) play in furthering social goods, the paper concerns itself with methodological considerations of investigating insights from "foreign" knowledge domains. Focusing upon a range of recent contributions to social theory and law which claim to draw upon a behavioural framework for advocating a rethink of policy approaches, the work explores the promise and limits of intellectual transplants from one domain of knowledge to another. Grounded in the sociological theory of expertise, the paper seeks to draw attention to the contradictory and often complex nature of empirical research in the human-behavioural sciences, and the critical importance of assessing the promise and limits of what those insights can tell us about the relationship between human behaviour, social order and law. As such, it sets the scene for the development of an investigatory technique informed by social epistemology, its application is for addressing what is called 'intellectual tourism' whereby legal (and other) researchers explore insights and gain inspiration from other fields (foreign domain theorising). The central aim of the technique is to foster both intellectual creativity and epistemic caution for the legal researcher in drawing inspiration from other bodies of knowledge in which one lacks individual expertise.


Author(s): Maich, Alyssa Anne | Advisor(s): Gronsky, Ronald; Komvopoulos, Kyriakos | Abstract: The subsurface and surface microstructures during pin-on-disk fretting wear of A216 steel disks under various loading conditions and times are investigated. The corresponding pins are fabricated from 410 stainless steel to simulate in-service conditions found in such engineering components as the Siemens W501FD engine row-2 diaphragm of a Siemens turbine engine, which is known to be prone to failure by fretting wear. Loading conditions range from 2N to 15N and times from 1 hour to a maximum of 69 hours, when steady state is confirmed. Wear track depth is quantitatively determined by optical profilometry, and found to range from 3 to 11 microns dependent upon load. Wear depth increases from 2N to 10N load, but decreases when increased to 15N load, due to heavier transfer of pin material to disk, as can be seen by EDS images of chromium transfer on A216 disk. Microstructures are evaluated by transmission electron microscopy of samples prepared by focused ion beam machining to pinpoint wear tracks and expose them in cross-section. EDS is used, in conjunction with TEM, to elucidate primary wear mechanisms at each stage of fretting wear. Microstructures in the subsurface of wear tracks are found to be heavily dislocated and layered, features that vary with both applied load and time. The microstructure eventually evolves into stable dislocation cells with cell walls aligned parallel to the surface. Penetration depth of the damaged layers increases with applied load, associated with a non-uniform maximum shear stress distribution that varies with depth. Primary oxide appears to evolve from Fe2O3 to Fe3O4, with increasing fretting time, leading to a uniform oxide on the surface of the A216 disk. Oxidation rate may be increased with the evolution of this subsurface dislocation cell structure. It is concluded that fretting wear failure is likely associated with a synergy between oxidative wear and crack initiation and propagation along dislocation cell walls under high strain accumulation at sufficiently high loads or sufficiently long times.


Many clinical symptoms of malaria are associated with alterations in certain haematological parameters during acute and subclinical infections. Total leucocyte and erythrocyte counts, haemoglobin concentration, haematocrit and other minor indices, were investigated in five cohort groups of individuals resident in a malaria hyperendemic area of western Kenya. The groups included age- and sex-matched adults with acute Plasmodium falciparum malaria, aparasitaemic adults, children with acute malaria, aparasitaemic children and asymptomatic-parasitaemic school children. The study aimed at defining what constitutes immunity to malaria which may be important in the critical evaluation of malaria vaccine antigens. Anaemia was more severe in adults and children with acute malaria than in their age- and sex-matched aparasitaemic and asymptomatic-aparasitaemic school children. Lymphocyte counts were significantly higher in asymptomatic-aparasitaemic school children than in aparasitaemic adults, suggesting a possible functional role for lymphocytes in the anti-disease immunity in the former group.


We employ the leading order QCD kinetic theory to describe a consistent matching between
the initial stage of a heavy ion collision and the subsequent hydrodynamic evolution. We use
the linearized kinetic response functions around the non-equilibirum longitudinally expanding
background to map initial energy and momentum perturbations to the energy momentum tensor
at hydrodynamic initialization time τ hydro . We check that hadronic observables then become
rather insensitive to the cross-over time between kinetic theory and viscous hydrodynamics. The
universal scaling of kinetic response in units of kinetic relaxation time allows for a
straightforward application of kinetic pre-equilibration event-by-event.


Location-based services are growing in popularity due to the ubiquity of smartphone users. The relevance of location-based query results is very important, especially for mobile phones with limited screen size. Location-based data frequently changes; this introduces challenges in indexing and ranking places. The growing popularity of mobile social networks, such as Twitter, FourSquare and Facebook Places, presents an opportunity to build better location-based services by leveraging user interactions on these networks. In this paper, we present SocialTelescope, a location-based service that automatically compiles, indexes and ranks locations, based on user interactions with locations in mobile social networks. We implemented our system as a location-based search engine that uses geo-tweets by Twitter users to learn about places. We evaluated the coverage and relevance of our system by comparing it against current state-of-the-art approaches including page-rank (Google Local Search), expert-based (Zagat) and user-review based (Yelp). Our results show that a crowd-sourced location-based service returns results that match those returned by current approaches in relevance, at a substantially lower cost.


Problem statement: Despite the many definitions of the mosque that have been offered in academic places so far, Undoubtedly, the definition of a mosque would not be complete without considering its audiences. Because one of the main functions of mosques is to create a platform for spiritual communication between man and God. This connection from the most primitive type of mosque to modern mosques has been an integral part of the function of mosques. Therefore, the audience and his perception are very important in this sacred space. The original experiences that take place in man-made spaces are experiences that have been influenced by a number of factors. Experiences that architects and phenomenologists call "the atmosphere". This research seeks to identify the factors affecting the audience's perception of the atmosphere of mosques. Questions and research objectives: The purpose of this study is to "identify the factors affecting the audience's perception of the atmosphere of mosques" And it tries to answer the question of what factors can be effective in conveying the spatial atmosphere of a mosque. Research method: This research has been done qualitatively. In terms of the nature of the data, is Textual, semantic and unstructured. It is inductive thinking in terms of logic and interpretive in terms of the level of analysis. Strategy of this research is grounded theory and analyzes has been done by systematic coding of Strauss and Corbin with the help of MaxQDA software. Conclusion: Findings of the research show that in the audience's perception of the atmosphere of the mosque space Architect can plan such as minimizing the conflict of the audience or the correct use of symbols and signs and benefiting from religious texts he or she can be involved to some extent (and not definitively) in shaping the spatial atmosphere of the mosque. Factors such as the audience's emotional experiences when confronted with space, Ruling currents of thought, Historical events and geographical conditions, there are issues beyond the control of the designer in shaping the atmosphere of the mosques. Therefore, the factors affecting the transmission of the atmosphere of a mosque are in controllable parts and in uncontrollable parts. As a result, it can never be claimed that architecture alone can be an influential factor in conveying the atmosphere of a mosque.


A woody (eucalyptus (Eu)) and two herbaceous materials (sweet sorghum bagasse (SSB) and sugarcane bagasse (SCB)) were used to evaluate the effect of liquid hot water (LHW) pretreatment on enzymatic hydrolysis of various lignocelluloses. The results showed that enzymatic hydrolysis efficiency of pretreated materials was SCB>SSB>Eu at 5% solids loading, while SSB>SCB>Eu was at 10% and 20% solids loadings. This indicated the enzymatic hydrolysis efficiency of SCB could be influenced by solids concentration. The differences in surface morphology, crystalline structure, and functional groups of pretreated samples were also examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. SEM photographs and crystallinity indexes (CrI) showed that the structural compactness was Eu>SSB>SCB for both of untreated and treated materials. FTIR spectra showed that the conspicuousness of physicochemical changes was SCB>SSB>Eu. The differences in enzymatic hydrolysis efficiency of pretreated materials can be ascribed mainly to the structural differences.


China is currently facing problems such as declining marginal output of investment, overcapacity, and insufficient innovation drive. It is urgent to obtain new growth momentum through innovation and entrepreneurship. "Mass entrepreneurship and innovation" is exactly the strategy advocated by the central government. Inspired by this strategy, some government officials and heads of state-owned enterprises also decide to quit their jobs and seek out entrepreneurial opportunities outside the system. The existing literature only focuses on the impact of institutional relationships on whether the individual will start a business, and does not really reflect the value of institutional relationships in entrepreneurial activities. Therefore, the more important research question is whether entrepreneurial institutional relationships will affect the initial size of start-ups and the long-term growth in the future when the entrepreneur leaves the system for business. If there is a significant impact, then "what are the impact channels" is also an important issue.We empirically test the impact of entrepreneurial institutional relationships on the size and long-term growth of start-ups. The data used in this study come from the 7th to the 10th Private Enterprise Survey data in 2006, 2008, 2010 and 2012. The results show that, compared with entrepreneurs from outside the system, the scale of entrepreneurs created by entrepreneurs with institutional relationships(former government official or head of state-owned enterprise)is 19.7 percentage points higher, and the compound growth rate of start-ups is 1.9 percentage points higher. Furthermore, we find that entrepreneurs who serve as public servants or SOE managers depend more on bank loans or restructured SOEs to obtain seed capital. They are more familiar with the government's support policy, and more likely to get NPC deputies and CPPCC members or leaders of the Federation of Industry and Commerce. It can be seen that the above entrepreneurs have the advantages of resource acquisition, information superiority and political identity, which is beneficial for entrepreneurs to achieve better entrepreneurial results. Finally, this paper also finds that institutional relationships play a more limited role in regions with more developed financial industries.This paper shows that the informal institution such as institutional relationships play an important role when the formal institution is incomplete. In order to achieve the "mass entrepreneurship and innovation" strategy, we need to create a fairer and more just entrepreneurial environment, and promote the reform from administrative orientation to market-oriented resource allocation. This paper not only makes an important supplement to the relevant literature, but also provides valuable policy inspiration for China's "mass entrepreneurship and innovation" strategy.


The validation of sterilization processes in food and pharmaceutical industries is a major tool for quality assurance, making the products safe, effective and reliable. Biological indicators, formed by spores of Bacillus stearothermophilus microorganisms considered at higher thermal resistance, are used to evaluate and monitor the physical parameters of a cycle of steam sterilization. In this way this study aimed to cultivate and characterize the microorganism Bacillus stearothermophilus generations, assessing the influence of these generations in the parameters of resistance, formation and concentration of its spores to be used in the production of biological indicators. The experiments were conducted cultivating the 1st, 2nd and 3rd generations of B. stearothermophilus in suitable culture media for sporulation, in Roux bottles, for a period of 15 days of incubation. During these 15 days, the sporulation process was evaluated by microscopy, according to Wirtz-Conklin's method, every 24 hours of incubation. The results showed that the generations do influence the sporulation process, indicating that the 3rd generation is the most suitable for the production of formed spores, in concentration and thermal resistance appropriate characteristics to the needs of a biological indicator to efficiently validate and monitor steam sterilization cycles. http://dx.doi.org/10.14685/rebrapa.v1i1.12


Background— Quantitative flow ratio (QFR) is a novel diagnostic modality for functional testing of coronary artery stenosis without the use of pressure wires and induction of hyperemia. QFR is based on computation of standard invasive coronary angiographic imaging. The purpose of WIFI II (Wire-Free Functional Imaging II) was to evaluate the feasibility and diagnostic performance of QFR in unselected consecutive patients. Methods and Results— WIFI II was a predefined substudy to the Dan-NICAD study (Danish Study of Non-Invasive Diagnostic Testing in Coronary Artery Disease), referring 362 consecutive patients with suspected coronary artery disease on coronary computed tomographic angiography for diagnostic invasive coronary angiography. Fractional flow reserve (FFR) was measured in all segments with 30% to 90% diameter stenosis. Blinded observers calculated QFR (Medis Medical Imaging bv, The Netherlands) for comparison with FFR. FFR was measured in 292 lesions from 191 patients. Ten (5%) and 9 patients (5%) were excluded because of FFR and angiographic core laboratory criteria, respectively. QFR was successfully computed in 240 out of 255 lesions (94%) with a mean diameter stenosis of 50±12%. Mean difference between FFR and QFR was 0.01±0.08. QFR correctly classified 83% of the lesions using FFR with cutoff at 0.80 as reference standard. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.86 (95% confidence interval, 0.81–0.91) with a sensitivity, specificity, negative predictive value, and positive predictive value of 77%, 86%, 75%, and 87%, respectively. A QFR–FFR hybrid approach based on the present results enables wire-free and adenosine-free procedures in 68% of cases. Conclusions— Functional lesion evaluation by QFR assessment showed good agreement and diagnostic accuracy compared with FFR. Studies comparing clinical outcome after QFR- and FFR-based diagnostic strategies are required. Clinical Trial Registration— URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT02264717.


The authors examine the risk and return characteristics of the PowerShares Global Listed Private Equity Portfolio (PSP) and benchmark its return to several domestic and international indices. They estimate annual Sharpe ratios for each index and the PSP to determine which offers the highest risk-adjusted return. In terms of raw non-risk-adjusted returns, the PSP is the worst-performing index in the study. When risk is considered through the use of the Sharpe ratio, the PSP underperforms most of the U.S.-based domestic indices; marginally outperforming only the S&P 500 Index. The authors also examine the coefficient of determination (R2) of the PSP using several regressors. They find that the broad U.S. market explains most of the variation in the returns of the PSP. The authors also show that once U.S. returns are controlled for, international factors explain less than 1% of incremental variation in the PSP's returns. This finding is of particular interest because more than 59% of the PSP's holdings are domiciled outside the United States.


On the basis of the theory of fundamental measurements and the relativistic hypothesis on the absence of a dedicated system of values, a space of 1+1 dimension has been constructed, in which each point is associated with a value (object of possible transaction). An illustrative "model of paints" and their mixtures, the values of which correspond to vectors in this space, has been proposed. It has been shown that the transitions from one system of values to another are described, similarly to physics, by the Lorentz transformations. In the proposed model, all classical relativistic effects are present. For inertial motion in the space of models, the principle of maximum benefit has been formulated, which represents an analog of the principle of least action. In the "model of paints", the value analog of a homogeneous gravity field has been considered, and the simplest problem of dynamics in this field has been solved. The perspectives of generalization of the developed model for the space of 3+1 dimension and the quantum analog of such space have been analyzed.


In many reports the improvements of the actors in the construction sector have been requested. One explicit factor that has been called for is an increase in cooperation and communication between the different actors. The Swedish construction sector in general has not been swift in accepting new process improvements as they have been put forward by academics or government. There are many possible explanations, among them are that the solutions have been too much of 'desk products', not suitable for direct application into the construction sector and its firms. In the southern region of Sweden a sector initiated and lead initiative with an aim of developing the construction and the real estate management process, increase the profitability across the supply-chain, increase the human value among the actors of the construction process, and increase the image of construction, has been carried out. The forum resulted in increase of knowledge of the construction industry and effect of different actors on it for those who participated. On a more general level a program with the aim of increasing the efficiency and improving the image of the construction industry was developed. This paper discusses the approach as such; advantages and disadvantages as well as lessons learned. It also reports on the outcome of the initiative.


The presence of the notion of a virginal conception in Luke's annunciation story has sometimes been disputed. While arguing that this notion is indeed to be found there, this article also highlights material in Luke's writings that assumes another version of Jesus' paternity in which he is seen as the physical descendant of David through Joseph as his father. It explores possible tradition-historical explanations for the juxtaposition of these two perspectives before proposing that the inclusion of both would not have been seen as so awkward or inconsistent to Luke and his audience as it appears to present-day readers. The elision of any mention of the male progenitor in significant births was already a feature of the Jewish Scriptures, where only God and the female womb are emphasized. Luke takes this a stage further in the annunciation story, where the male parent is actually absent from the conception. This enables him to present two versions of Jesus' conception in line with the conventions of other ancient biographies that also contain two different accounts of their subject's origins, one natural with two human parents and one miraculous highlighting the subject's descent from the gods. Once this phenomenon of double paternity is recognized, it can be seen to play its part in a broader dialogical reading of Luke's Christology.


Objective To determine the association of Medicaid expansion with health insurance coverage by marital status and sex. Methods A population-based, quasi-experimental policy analysis was undertaken of the implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act's (ACA) Medicaid expansion provision on or after January 1, 2014. The 2010–16 American Community Survey provided data on 3,874,432 Medicaid-eligible adults aged 19–64 with incomes up to 138% of the federal poverty level. The outcome measures were no health insurance coverage and Medicaid coverage. The predictor variables were marital status and sex, with controls for family size, poverty status, race/ethnicity, education, employment status, immigration status, and metropolitan residence. Results In 2016, the uninsured rate for married men and women in a Medicaid expansion state was 21.2% and 17.1%, respectively, compared to 37.4% for married men and 35.8% for married women in a non-expansion state. The Medicaid coverage rate grew between 14.8% to 19.3% in Medicaid expansion states, which contrasts with less than a 5% growth in non-expansion states. Triple differences analysis suggests that, for women of all age groups, Medicaid expansion resulted in a 1.6 percentage point lower uninsured rate for married women compared to unmarried women. For men, there was not a statistically significant difference in the uninsured rate for married compared to unmarried men. For women of all age groups, there was a 2.6 percentage point higher Medicaid coverage rate for married compared to unmarried women. For men, there was a 1.8 percentage point higher Medicaid coverage rate for married compared to unmarried men. Conclusion Medicaid expansion under the ACA differentially lowered uninsurance and improved Medicaid coverage for married persons, especially married women, more than unmarried persons.


Just because software developers say they believe in "X", that does not necessarily mean that "X" is true. As shown here, there exist numerous beliefs listed in the recent Software Engineering literature which are only supported by small portions of the available data. Hence we ask what is the source of this disconnect between beliefs and evidence?. To answer this question we look for evidence for ten beliefs within 300,000+ changes seen in dozens of open-source projects. Some of those beliefs had strong support across all the projects; specifically, A commit that involves more added and removed lines is more bug-prone" and "Files with fewer lines contributed by their owners (who contribute most changes) are bug-prone". Most of the widely-held beliefs studied are only sporadically supported in the data; i.e. large effects can appear in project data and then disappear in subsequent releases. Such sporadic support explains why developers believe things that were relevant to their prior work, but not necessarily their current work. Our conclusion will be that we need to change the nature of the debate with Software Engineering. Specifically, while it is important to report the effects that hold right now, it is also important to report on what effects change over time.CCS CONCEPTS• Software and its engineering → Maintaining software.


Real-time traffic information can be utilized to enhance the efficiency of transportation networks by dynamically updating routing plans to mitigate traffic jams. However, an interesting question is whether the network coordinator should broadcast real-time traffic information to all network users or communicate it selectively to some of them. Which option enhances the network efficiency more?In this work, we demonstrate using simulation experiments that sharing real-time traffic information with all network users is sub-optimal, and it is actually better to share the information with a majority subset of the total population in order to improve the overall network performance. This result is valid under the assumption that each network user decides it's route to destination locally.


The integration of health and social care services aims to overcome organisational boundaries, in order to promote person-centred care, and improve patient outcomes, satisfaction and value for money. However, health and social care services are currently faced with the challenge of providing high quality care, to a population who are increasingly living with multiple complex long-term conditions. This often results in care being delivered from multiple providers, subsequently increasing the risk of duplication, inefficiency, poor coordination and experience. Services therefore need to work in partnership and collaboration in order to deliver integrated and person-centred care.
A mixed-methods study was conducted in order to explore the feasibility and practicalities of delivering integrated and person-centred care across organisational boundaries. This included a review of the literature, which informed a case study of integrated Neighbourhood Teams within a rural setting in the United Kingdom. This included a shift from working in organisational silos, to delivering integrated care to the whole population. Participants included staff members working at various levels within the integrated initiative. In-depth interviews with strategic and transformation leaders were conducted in order to enable qualitative explorations of developing and implementing integrated services. Data were transcribed and analysed using a thematic analysis approach. A Partnership Assessment Tool was also distributed in order to assess the operational and practitioner perspective of six key principles of partnership working.
Despite extensive research and policy changes, results revealed that initiatives continue to experience similar barriers in progressing with integration and population health management. Nonetheless, robust case study designs and in-depth qualitative explorations into the experiences of those developing approaches to improve care delivery, add essential value to understanding associated barriers and facilitators. These findings are therefore highly relevant to those developing integrated care initiatives across international contexts. For example, irrespective of national
iv
differences, countries face similar challenges of fragmented services, with partnerships and networks viewed as an international political concepts.
Transferable key enablers for progression included a clear shared vision, organisational commitment, investing time in building relationships, a cultural change, and a period of stability in workforce and leadership. The need to start small and scale up, peer support, developing approaches to measuring outcomes (accounting for impacts at the individual patient and professional level), and a focus on proactively supporting people before expanding models were also highlighted. The systemic, organisational, and professional challenges which were experienced are also likely to be represented across initiatives aiming to integrate care.
While integrating care around the needs of the patient is a desirable objective for increases quality care, this is often met with significant challenges once attempts are made to develop strategies within an environment of uncertainty. In light of the often underestimated lengthy process of large-scale transformation, it was apparent that the initiative remained in its infancy, with full integration yet to be seen. While a combination of relational and technical aspects of integration are necessary for progression, the success of the initiative was largely perceived to be dependent upon the workforce, rather than processes and structures. Relational aspects and increased workforce investment may therefore hold increasing potential to the success of integrated approaches to care delivery and the sustainability of large-scale transformation.


Abstract I propose to associate the recent approaches to the economics of identity (Akerlof and Kranton, Davis) with the social network model of creative industries developed by Potts, Cunningham, Hartley and Ormerod. This implies that the latter just highlights a special case of the more general phenomenon that all economic activity is simultaneously involved in the process of agent identity formation. This conclusion is further supported by adding a third theoretical pillar, the theory of status goods. Status orders and agent identities appear to be major determinants of the nature of economic systems, resulting in contingent boundaries between systemic categorizations of production and consumption, or notions of productive processes versus non-productive ones. From that perspective, the major novelty in the emerging creative economy, viewed as a new kind of economic system, is the structural change of the social networks, which become less hierarchical and more integrated, resulting in the endogenization of identity formation. Changes in the agent identity trigger the further evolution of the economic system. This is mainly a move from an elitist and politically controlled system of the production of identities to a democratic and self-organized one, which is institutionally reflected in the increasing "marketization" of culture as a surface phenomenon. This relates to the ongoing debates over the redefinition of fundamental economic activities in the creative economy, such as viewing consumption as an essential part of the production of cultural goods.


Irritable bowel syndrome and (or) non complicated diverticulosis, associated with fever, could simulate diverticulitis. Cancer of the sigmoid colon appears the main differential diagnosis, when diverticulitis is associated with an atypical or complete colonic stenosis on opaque enema, with a vesicoenteric fistula or with a peritonitis due to a colonic perforation. Even at laparotomy, a pseudotumoral diverticulitis cannot easily be differentiated from a colonic carcinoma. Acute diverticulitis of the caecum or ascending colon is usually mistaken for acute appendicitis. When massive and life-threatening bleeding occurs, the diverticular origin is difficult to assess. Bleeding due to peptic ulcer disease and thermometric ulceration being precluded, arteriography performed on emergency is necessary to differentiate between diverticular bleeding and angiodysplasia.


Improvements in data collection and the birth of online communities made it possible to obtain very large social networks (graphs). Several communities have been involved in modeling and analyzing these graphs. Usage of graphical models, such as Bayesian Networks (BN), to analyze massive data has become increasingly popular, due to their scalability and robustness to noise. In the literature BNs are primarily used for compact representation of joint distributions and to perform inference, i.e. answer queries about the data. In this work we learn Bayes Nets using the previously proposed SBNS algorithm [14]. We look at the learned networks for the purpose of analyzing the graph structure itself. We also point out a few improvements over the SBNS algorithm. The usefulness of Bayes Net structures to understand social networks is an open area. We discuss possible interpretations using a small subgraph of the Medline publications and hope to provoke some discussion and interest in further analysis.


Fish landing site surveys in eastern Indonesia, conducted between April 2001 and March 2006, recorded seven species of lamnoid sharks (order Lamniformes) belonging to four families. Of these, Alopiidae were most abundant in the landings, with Alopias pelagicus contributing ~13% to the total biomass of all sharks recorded. Single specimens of both Carcharias taurus and Odontaspis ferox represent the first confirmed records of these two odontaspid species from Indonesian waters. The length at first maturity (L50) of females and males of Alopias pelagicus were 2853 and 2468 mm total length (TL), respectively, and size at birth was 1300–1440 mm TL. Pregnant females of both A. pelagicus and A. superciliosus had litters of only two embryos (one per uterus) that were confirmed to be oophagous, but not adelphophagous. Females and males of Pseudocarcharias kamoharai matured at 870–1030 and ~725 mm TL, respectively, and size at birth was 360–450 mm TL. Pregnant females contained four embryos (two per uterus) which were oophagous, but unlikely to be adelphophagous. Males of Isurus oxyrinchus and I. paucus matured at ~1860 and 2050– 2281 mm TL, respectively. These are the first biological data reported on lamnoid sharks in Indonesian waters.


Contrasting the antigen-presenting dendritic cells (DCs) in the conducting airways, the alveolar DC populations in human lungs have remained poorly investigated. Consequently, little is known about how alveolar DCs are altered in diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This study maps multiple tissue DC categories in the distal lung across COPD severities. Specifically, single-multiplex immunohistochemistry was applied to quantify langerin/CD207+, CD1a+, BDCA2+, and CD11c+ subsets in distal lung compartments from patients with COPD (GOLD stage I-IV) and never-smoking and smoking controls. In the alveolar parenchyma, increased numbers of CD1a+langerin- (p < 0.05) and BDCA-2+ DCs (p < 0.001) were observed in advanced COPD compared with controls. Alveolar CD11c+ DCs also increased in advanced COPD (p < 0.01). In small airways, langerin+ and BDCA-2+ DCs were also significantly increased. Contrasting the small airway DCs, most alveolar DC subsets frequently extended luminal protrusions. Importantly, alveolar and small airway langerin+ DCs in COPD lungs displayed site-specific marker profiles. Further, multiplex immunohistochemistry with single-cell quantification was used to specifically profile langerin DCs and reveal site-specific expression patterns of the maturation and activation markers S100, fascin, MHC2, and B7. Taken together, our results show that clinically advanced COPD is associated with increased levels of multiple alveolar DC populations exhibiting features of both adaptive and innate immunity phenotypes. This expansion is likely to contribute to the distal lung immunopathology in COPD patients.


While there are many benefits to minimally invasive surgery (MIS), force feedback or touch sensation is limited in the currently available MIS tools, such as surgical robots, creating the potential for excessive force application during surgery and unintended tissue injury. The goal of this work was to develop a methodology with which to identify stress magnitudes and durations that can be safely applied with a MIS grasper to di ferent tissues, potentially improving MIS device design and reducing potentially adverse clinically relevant consequences. Using the porcine model, stresses typically applied in MIS were applied to liver, ureter and small bowel using a motorized endoscopic grasper. Acute indicators of tissue damage including cellular death and infiltration of inflammatory cells were measured using histological and image analysis techniques. Finite element analysis was used to identify approximate stress distributions experienced by the tissues. Parameters used in these finite element models specifically reflected the properties of liver, which served as an initial proxy for all tissues, as stress distributions rather than absolute values were desired. Local regions predicted to have uniform stress by the computational models were mapped to and analyzed in the tissue samples for acute damage. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and post-hoc analyses were used to detect stress magnitudes and durations that caused significantly increased tissue damage with the goal to ultimately identify safe stress `thresholds' during grasping of the studied tissues. Preliminary data suggests a graded non-linear response between applied stress magnitude and apoptosis in liver and small bowel as well as neutrophil infiltration in the small bowel. The ureter appeared to be more resistant to injury at the tested stress levels. By identifying stress magnitudes and durations within the range of grasping loads applied in MIS, it may be possible for researchers to create a `smart' surgical robot that can guide a surgeon to manipulate tissues with minimal resulting damage. In addition, surgical simulator design can be improved to reflect more realistic tissue responses and evaluate trainees' tissue handling skills.


Graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) have promising applications in future nanoelectronics, chemical sensing and electrical interconnects. Although there are quite a few GNR nanofabrication methods reported, a rapid and low-cost fabrication method that is capable of fabricating arbitrary shapes of GNRs with good-quality is still in demand for using GNRs for device applications. In this paper, we present a tip-based nanofabrication method capable of fabricating arbitrary shapes of GNRs. A heated atomic force microscope (AFM) tip deposits polymer nanowires atop a CVD-grown graphene surface. The polymer nanowires serve as an etch mask to define GNRs through one step of oxygen plasma etching similar to a photoresist in conventional photolithography. Various shapes of GNRs with either linear or curvilinear features are demonstrated. The width of the GNR is around 270 nm and is determined by the width of the depositing polymer nanowire, which we estimate can be scaled down 15 nms. We characterize our TBN-fabricated GNRs using Raman spectroscopy and I-V measurements. The measured sheet resistances of our GNRs fall within the range of 1.65 kΩ/□-1 - 2.64 kΩ/□-1, in agreement with previously reported values. Furthermore, we determined the high-field breakdown current density of GNRs to be approximately 2.94×108 A/cm2. This TBN process is seamlessly compatible with existing nanofabrication processes, and is particularly suitable for fabricating GNR based electronic devices including next generation DNA sequencing technologies and beyond silicon field effect transistors.


Objective: To investigate the involvement of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) loci in aromatic antiepileptic drug–induced cutaneous adverse reactions. Methods: A case-control study was performed to detect HLA loci involved in aromatic antiepileptic drug–induced Stevens-Johnson syndrome in a southern Han Chinese population. Between January 1, 2006, and December 31, 2015, 91 cases of Stevens-Johnson syndrome induced by aromatic antiepileptic drugs and 322 matched drug-tolerant controls were enrolled from 8 centers. Important genotypes were replicated in cases with maculopapular eruption and in the meta-analyses of data from other populations. Sequence-based typing determined the HLA-A, HLA-B, HLA-C, and HLA-DRB1 genotypes. Results: HLA-B*15:02 was confirmed as strongly associated with carbamazepine-induced Stevens-Johnson syndrome (p = 5.63 × 10−15). In addition, HLA-A*24:02 was associated significantly with Stevens-Johnson syndrome induced by the aromatic antiepileptic drugs as a group (p = 1.02 × 10−5) and by individual drugs (carbamazepine p = 0.015, lamotrigine p = 0.005, phenytoin p = 0.027). Logistic regression analysis revealed a multiplicative interaction between HLA-B*15:02 and HLA-A*24:02. Positivity for HLA-A*24:02 and/or HLA-B*15:02 showed a sensitivity of 72.5% and a specificity of 69.0%. The presence of HLA-A*24:02 in cases with maculopapular exanthema was also significantly higher than in controls (p = 0.023). Meta-analysis of data from Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Norway, and China revealed a similar association. Conclusions: HLA-A*24:02 is a common genetic risk factor for cutaneous adverse reactions induced by aromatic antiepileptic drugs in the southern Han Chinese and possibly other ethnic populations. Pretreatment screening is recommended for people in southern China.


Tuberculosis was still a global health problem. Beside lung, tuberculosis also manifest in other organs, one among them  is in abdominal organs. Abdominal tuberculosis was a complex disease with unspecific sign and symptoms so that its diagnostic procedure was not rarely inconclusive. We reported a 24 years old woman with chief complain of worsening abdominal pain in all region, accompanied by nausea, vomiting, bloating, and  absent bowel movement. She also had a fresh bloody stool. She had an active pulmonary tuberculosis on initiation phase treatment. Physical examination suggest a bowel obstruction sign with distended abdomen and increase bowel sound. Colonoscopy procedure findings was a mass that obstruct bowel lumen in ileocaecal region, suggest for malignancy similar to computerized tomography (CT) scan result, but pathlogic result showed an active colitis without any sign of malignancy. Because of its contradiction, the second colonoscopy was performed and concluded as intestinal tuberculosis, matched with second pathologic examination. Although polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tuberculosis (TB) showed a negative result, a further clinical judgement concluded this as an intestinal tuberculosis case. Patient was finally treated as intestinal tuberculosis with first-line antituberculosis drugs and planned to have colonoscopy evaluation. After general condition was good and obstructive ileus sign was relieved, patient planned for outpatient care.


A detailed theoretical analysis of the reaction of atomic bromine with tetrahydropyran (THP, C5H10O) was performed using several ab initio methods and statistical rate theory calculations. Initial geometries of all species involved in the potential energy surface of the title reaction were obtained at the B3LYP/cc-pVTZ level of theory. These molecular geometries were reoptimized using three different meta-generalized gradient approximation (meta-GGA) functionals. Single-point energies of the stationary points were obtained by employing the coupled-cluster with single and double excitations (CCSD) and fourth-order Møller-Plesset (MP4 SDQ) levels of theory. The computed CCSD and MP4(SDQ) energies for optimized structures at various DFT functionals were found to be consistent within 2 kJ mol(-1). For a more accurate energetic description, single-point calculations at the CCSD(T)/CBS level of theory were performed for the minimum structures and transition states optimized at the B3LYP/cc-pVTZ level of theory. Similar to other ether + Br reactions, it was found that the tetrahydropyran + Br reaction proceeds in an overall endothermic addition-elimination mechanism via a number of intermediates. However, the reactivity of various ethers with atomic bromine was found to vary substantially. In contrast with the 1,4-dioxane + Br reaction, the chair form of the addition complex (c-C5H10O-Br) for THP + Br does not need to undergo ring inversion to form a boat conformer (b-C4H8O2-Br) before the intramolecular H-shift can occur to eventually release HBr. Instead, a direct, yet more favorable route was mapped out on the potential energy surface of the THP + Br reaction. The rate coefficients for all relevant steps involved in the reaction mechanism were computed using the energetics of coupled cluster calculations. On the basis of the results of the CCSD(T)/CBS//B3LYP/cc-pVTZ level of theory, the calculated overall rate coefficients can be expressed as kov.,calc.(T) = 4.60 × 10(-10) exp[-20.4 kJ mol(-1)/(RT)] cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1) for the temperature range of 273-393 K. The calculated values are found to be in excellent agreement with the experimental data published previously.


Objective. The aim of this study was to investigate the relation among type and size of the farms related to the management of production and especially the presence and control of parasites. Materials and methods. To accomplish the above, 65 farms were used: 56 of semi-extensive system (cows in pastures), classified as low density farms (n=15, up to 15/cows), medium density farms (n=20; between 16-30/cows) and large density farms (n=21; over 31/cows). It was also included nine farms freestall system (n=9; confinement, over 70 cows) as part of the study population. Results. In the farms visited for the study can be noticed that the farms that had the higher level of technological improvement in managements practice were properties in high level (3) and freestall (4). In most of the farms there were observed the presence of ticks and flies, regardless of density of farms. Feces samples collected from 650 cows (n=10/farm), and analyzed using McMaster showed that 191 cows were positive for parasites. The presence of antibodies in bulk milk tank occurred in 36 (55.38%; CI95% 42-67) to Neospora caninum of the studied farms. Conclusions. We also conclude that N. caninum is present in cattle herds in Western Santa Catarina, and may be linked to reproductive problems in cows.


Lymphokine-containing supernatants have the ability to inhibit the migration of a variety of tumor cells in vitro in the absence of cytotoxic effects. In the present study, this tumor migration inhibition activity has been characterized in order to determine whether the responsible factor is the same or different from other known migration-inhibitory lymphokines. Since no preparations purified to homogeneity are generally available for these various factors, a variety of indirect procedures is necessary to make this determination. The profile of effects of monosaccharides, protease inhibitors, and neuraminidase on tumor migration inhibition factor, taken in conjunction with previously reported studies of other physicochemical and biological properties, provides evidence that tumor migration inhibition factor is distinct from both migration inhibition and leukocyte-inhibitory factor. A lymphokine with migration-inhibitory activity against tumor cells is a good candidate for a variety of protective functions in vivo.


Abstract The effect of pH on the kinetics of chrysotile dissolution was investigated at 25 °C in batch reactors over the pH range of 1 to 13.5, in oxalic solutions and buffered solutions of inorganic salts. Dissolution rates were obtained based on the release of Si and Mg. Results of the batch with inorganic buffers showed a strong dependence of dissolution rates on pH in the acid range. The logarithm of dissolution rates decreases with the pH with a slope of n = 0.27. Around neutral pH, a minimum is reached. From pH 8 to 12, rates increase again when pH increases, and follow a linear dependence with a shallow slope (n = 0.06). The Mg/Si ratio shows a non-stoichiometric dissolution reaction with a preferential release of Mg2+ at acidic pH; it decreases at neutral pH conditions according to Mg solubility. Our results suggest that the relative ease of the breaking of Mg-O bonds compared with Si-O bonds lead to dissolution via a series of steps involving Si and Mg, where Si release is the rate-limiting step. In the presence of 15 mmol L-1 oxalate, an intense catalytic effect from pH 1 to 6 is observed because of the capacity of the oxalate anion to form different complexes with Mg. The ratio of the rates derived from Mg and Si concentrations confirm an enhancement of non-stoichiometric dissolution compared with the series without oxalate. The mechanism of catalysis involves different processes depending on pH: At pH 1, XRD analysis confirms the formation of an amorphous silica phase dissolving all the Mg present in the chrysotile structure. At pH 2, XRD and FTIR results also confirm the precipitation of glushinskite, a magnesium oxalate phase. At pH 3 to 6, the presence of oxalate enhances dissolution almost by an order of magnitude compared with the experiments in inorganic buffered solutions. In this case, the mechanism could be due to the formation of aqueous or surface magnesium oxalate complexes. However, dissolution rates at neutral pH in the presence of oxalate are similar to those obtained in inorganic buffered solutions; the pH dependence at pH 8 to 13 is minimal. The increase in saturation and the drastic decrease in Mg solubility at these pH values could lead to precipitation of secondary phases coating the reactive mineral surface and inhibiting the surface. Results obtained in this study show that chrysotile dissolves faster in acid media and oxalate acts as a strong catalyst increasing the efficiency of magnesium release to solution at ambient temperature. These data may provide an excellent background to design and select optimal conditions in the previous acid treatment for carbon capture processes, as well as help to develop remediation process of asbestos contaminated sites.


Ultrasonic study conducted during an operation is finding wider use lately. Surgery is the main method of treatment of most diseases of the adrenals, therefore problems of topical intraoperative diagnosis are very urgent. Twenty-three patients were operated on for Itsenko-Cushing's disease and syndrome and tumors of the retroperitoneal space at the Faculty Surgical Clinic of the Moscow Medical Academy within a period of 12 months. All patients were subjected to complex ultrasonic examination, including pre-intra- and postoperative study. Intraoperative ultrasonic study was conducted in two stages: stage 1--examination after thoracotomy through the diaphragm for choosing the optimal place and length of phrenotomy; stage 2--ultrasonic examination after phrenotomy to localize precisely the adrenal or tumor and reveal their connection with the adjacent organs and vascular structures. Complex ultrasonic examination has advantages over the other examination methods (computed tomography, angiography, scintigraphy) which allows it to come to the forefront in the diagnostic search for adrenal tumors. Intraoperative ultrasonic examination makes it possible for the surgeon to avoid wide phrenotomy and prolonged investigation, reduces the possibility of inflicting injury to the large vessels, which reduces the duration of the operation and anesthesia, and improves the course of the postoperative period.


The term 'glory' is notoriously difficult to characterize. In general, when theologians and philosophers have sought to characterize the term they do so in an imprecise and vague manner that leaves a variety of questions unanswered. In what follows we show how recent work in philosophy together with various historical and theological reflections about glory can be used to elucidate the wide range of concepts that tend to be expressed with the term 'glory' in theological thought.


Great advances have been made in the field of psychiatry in recent years. In the psychological field the work of Freud and his followers, and of the other psychological schools has given us a better understanding of the meaning of the symptoms of the psychoses and psycho-neuroses, and although only a very small proportion of the mentally ill can or ever will be treated individually by psychological methods, nevertheless the treatment and management of the remainder are very materially influenced by the dynamic approach of modern psychology.


Resveratrol (Resv), a polyphenolic compound have the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. Tristetraprolin (TTP) destabilizes mRNAs of pro-inflammatory cytokines. However, it was not clear how Resv exerts anti-inflammatory effects on hepatocytes. In this study, we used human hepatoma cell line (HepG2 cells) and analyzed samples using qRT-PCR. Resv increases TTP expression in hepatocytes. Resv attenuates LPS-induced inflammation through TTP expression in hepatocytes. In TTP deficient hepatocytes, LPS failed to attenuate TNFα, iNOS, and IL-6 mRNA expression whereas TTP level was still decreased. Our results suggest that Resv may attenuate inflammation in hepatocytes through TTP induction at least in part. This novel Resv-TTP signaling pathway provides new possibilities for the treatment of inflammatory diseases in liver.


Free-floating carsharing is emerging in cities around the world. Based on a survey of car2go (n=95) and DriveNow users (n=737) in Copenhagen, followed by in-depth interviews with selected car2go users (n=12), this paper focuses on the practices and motives related to the use of a freefloating carsharing service in a city with a distinct cycling culture. Data were collected within the first year of the car2go and DriveNow launch. Like in other studies, users were mainly young, highly educated males, living in the city centre. However, different from other studies, they were predominantly daily cyclists. A key finding was that car2go did not substitute or compete with primary transport modes, especially sincecar2go (as well as DriveNow) was only used to a small degree for commuting. Based on in-depth interviews, different motives and user patterns could be identified depending on car ownership status. Non-car owners primarily used car2go for leisure or business trips and for transporting goods, whereas car owners mostly used car2go to avoid driving their private car in the city. For both groups, car2go could not fully cover their car needs. The withdrawal of car2go from Copenhagen after 17 months of operation is reflected based on the identified mobility patterns and user experiences.


A case of hydrops fetalis and congenital pulmonary lymphangiectasis due to hypoplastic left heart syndrome with intact atrial septum is reported. Authors analyse hydrops and lymphangiectasis physiology in relation to cardiac defect, besides the present day therapeutics possibilities. Patient died four hours after birth.


This Global Detention Project Working Paper details how the banalisation of immigration detention is contested by international human rights mechanisms. Since the creation of the United Nations, the global human rights regime has provided a framework for the protection of all people, including those living in foreign countries. This paper assesses how national sovereignty and access to territory is mitigated by the universal nature and applicability of human rights and refugee protection standards. The authors comprehensively describe the normative framework governing immigration detention established in core international treaties and discuss how human rights bodies apply this framework when reviewing states' policies and practices. Their assessment of the impact and implementation of fundamental norms reveals gaps in the international protection regime and highlights how states' responses to this regime have shaped contemporary immigration detention systems.


The effect of forming temperature on the deep drawability (limit drawing ratio (LDR)) of AZ31 magnesium alloy sheet was studied both numerically and experimentally by the use of finite element analysis software DYNAFORM and specially designed warm deep drawing die set. The simulation model was built by SolidWorks 2009, 3-Parameter_Barlat model with BT shell unit was adopted as material model. The constitutive relation of the material was provided by uniaxial isothermal tension tests at different temperatures. After being set, all parameters were referred to famous explicit dynamic solver LS-DYNA. The simulation results showed that the LDR of the AZ31 magnesium alloy sheet is increased with the increase of the temperature initially, but after the temperature reached 423K, the LDR reached the maximum, and then decrease with the increase of temperature in the temperature range studied (room temperature-673K). PTEF was used as lubricant in the experiment. Experimental results showed same trend as numerical simulation results in the studied range of temperature, and LDR reached the maximum of 3.0 at 423K. It is shown that the results of numerical simulation have a good agreement with that of the experiment. By analyzing the microstructure of the drawn-cup walls at different temperatures, it is found that grains were stretched along the direction of tension at temperatures lower than 423K. And there appeared a large number of fine recrystallized grains when forming temperature is 423K showing that dynamic recrystallization occurred during forming process. Dynamic recrystallization conducted completely when forming temperature increased higher than 423K, but the material softening would aggravate with the increase of temperature and on the contrary would do harm to the deep drawing of AZ31 magnesium alloy sheet, resulting the decrease of LDR.


Emphasis on quality improvement has been one of the most characteristic features of higher education policy in Nordic and other European countries during the 1990s. In Sweden, the universities' work with quality management has been evaluated for several years. In January 2001, the National Agency of Higher Education in Sweden introduced a new comprehensive system for quality assessment. The Swedish assessment system stresses that the assessment should have as a corner‐stone the specific prerequisites for each university and subject, e.g. business administration and their development strategy. The comprehensive quality assessments of Swedish higher education institutions are discussed together with stimulating innovation and continuous improvement of higher education.


In this review, we describe how clinical investigators addressed some of the challenges in prostate cancer chemotherapy trials 20 years ago, and we indicate what has evolved in the field since that time. We consider the impact that prostate-specific antigen measurement had in this setting, evolving clinical paradigms, multidisciplinary programs, and the current armamentarium of cancer treatment, including targeted molecular therapy, for patients with hormone-refractory disease.


We have examined the role of feedback-regulation in the expression of the nonmuscle actin genes. C2 mouse myoblasts were transfected with the human beta- and gamma-actin genes. In gamma-actin transfectants we found that the total actin mRNA and protein pools remained unchanged. Increasing levels of human gamma-actin expression resulted in a progressive down-regulation of mouse beta- and gamma-actin mRNAs. Transfection of the beta-actin gene resulted in an increase in the total actin mRNA and protein pools and induced an increase in the levels of mouse beta-actin mRNA. In contrast, transfection of a beta- actin gene carrying a single-point mutation (beta sm) produced a feedback-regulatory response similar to that of the gamma-actin gene. Expression of a beta-actin gene encoding an unstable actin protein had no impact on the endogenous mouse actin genes. This suggests that the nature of the encoded actin protein determines the feedback-regulatory response of the mouse genes. The role of the actin cytoskeleton in mediating this feedback-regulation was evaluated by disruption of the actin network with Cytochalasin D. We found that treatment with Cytochalasin D abolished the down-regulation of mouse gamma-actin in both the gamma- and beta sm-actin transfectants. In contrast, a similar level of increase was observed for the mouse beta-actin mRNA in both control and transfected cells. These experiments suggest that the down- regulation of mouse gamma-actin mRNA is dependent on the organization of the actin cytoskeleton. In addition, the mechanism responsible for the down-regulation of beta-actin may be distinct from that governing gamma-actin. We conclude that actin feedback-regulation provides a biochemical assay for differences between the two nonmuscle actin genes.


Abstract During the last ten years, water blooms of Aphanizomenon have been observed in aquatic environments of the subtropical region of Argentina. These blooms have been observed to present taxonomic characteristics similar to those of A. platensis, a species originally described by Seckt in the Delta of Paraná River, a region of temperate climate, in 1921. Water blooms of Aphanizomenon have been observed in aquatic environments of Corrientes Province, a region of Argentina with subtropical climate, during the last ten years. Considering these aspects, we analysed the morphological variation of A. platensis in two water bodies located in the northwest of Corrientes province (27° 29′ S; 58° 45′ W). Our description includes characteristics of the akinetes, which were not originally found by Seckt. The revision of this taxon is important because the species of Aphanizomenon are potentially toxic, invasive, and bloom formers. Our study confirms the existence of this morphospecies almost 90 years after it was first described. We further describe the whole species and extend its distribution to the subtropical region, in environments related to the hydrographic net of the Rio de la Plata Basin. Taking into account the diacritic characters analyzed, we may conclude that A. platensis is a polymorphic species with highly variable cell dimensions, probably due to variations in the environmental conditions.


Abstract This paper reports on the epidemiology, environmental factors, geological features, and total amount of fluoride intake by residents of the Pingxiang region in the Peoples' Republic of China where there is a high incidence of endemic fluorosis. The results demonstrate that the type of endemic fluorosis is related to air pollution, the major source of which comes from coal that is burned by the residents in their homes. Air pollution also originates from the small kilns that are used to make bricks and tile. The fluorine content in the coal and mud used to mix the coal is considerably high; the content in the mud used as adobe for tiles exceeds 10 000 mg/kg. During the process of burning coal or baking bricks or tiles, a large amount of nonsoluble fluorine is converted into watersoluble fluoride, which can have major human health effects.


Point-based representations are becoming increasingly common in computer graphics, especially for visualizing data sets where the number of points is large relative to the number of pixels involved in their display. When dealing with sparse point sets, however, many traditional rendering algorithms for point data perform poorly, either by generating blurry or non-occluding surface representations or by requiring extensive pre-processing to yield good results. In this paper we present a novel method for point-based surface visualization that we call Voronoi rasterization. Voronoi rasterization uses modern programmable graphics hardware to generate occluding surface representations from sparse, oriented point sets without preprocessing. In particular, Voronoi rasterization clips away overlapping flaps between neighboring splats and generates an approximation of the Voronoi diagram of the points under the surface's geodesic distance. To approximate smooth shading and texturing on top of this clipped surface, our method uses existing techniques to construct a smoothly blended screen-space attribute field that implicitly accounts for neighborhood relations between points.


ABSTRACT Recent research suggests that virtual reality (VR) games can engage players in physical activity with high levels of enjoyment. Understanding users' motivation to engage and enjoy immersive VR exercise platforms is thus important to designers. We designed a VR exercise platform and conducted an experiment with two conditions, one with a static user interface (UI) and the other with an open world environment. Across participants there was significantly (p = 0.03*) greater enjoyment reported in an open world compared to static UI. Enjoyment in both static UI and open world conditions was positively correlated wih user's psychological needs and experience; autonomy and immersion. Participants' future play intention was also predicted by autonomy and immersion, but only within the open world condition. Our findings also suggest players can be classified into entertainment-focused and exercise-focused with different expectations and therefore different engagement behaviors with each VR exercise environment. The study highlights the value of informing VR design with measures of psychological need satisfaction.


Background: Ultrasonography (USG) is regarded as the gold standard to differentiate normal plantar fascia and plantar fasciitis. Conventional radiography or plain X-ray is typically used to exclude differential diagnosis. Lately, conventional radiography has been digitalized and leads to better visualization of the soft tissue. However, it is not known whether digital radiography evaluation for calcaneus area, both qualitative and quantitative, has a similar diagnostic value as USG findings. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate whether there is a strong correlation between digital radiographic and USG findings for diagnosing plantar fasciitis. Methods: This is a cross sectional study examining adult patients (>18 years old) presenting with inferior heel pain. Plantar aponeurosis thickness was measured by digital radiography and ultrasonography; measurement was performed three times in each modality, and the average value was recorded. Fat stranding, presence of calcaneal enthesophyte, and microfracture were also evaluated in digital radiography. Measurement results were classified into plantar fasciitis diagnosis using the cut-off value 4 mm. Results: There was no significant correlation between plantar aponeurosis thickness measured by digital radiography and by ultrasonography (r=0.069, p=0.688). There was no significant association between plantar fasciitis diagnosis by digital radiography and ultrasonography (p=0.162). However, digital radiography showed good sensitivity to detect plantar fasciitis using a cut-off value of >4 mm plantar fascia thickness. Conclusion: Digital radiography might be used to aid definitive diagnosis for plantar fasciitis.


This study developed an interpersonal modification of the balloon analogue risk task (BART) to assess effects of a friend's real-time facial expressions on coparticipants' risk-taking. Twenty pairs of male friends and 20 pairs of female friends completed two counterbalanced versions of BART, one framed in terms of monetary gain, and the other framed in terms of avoiding loss. Each pair included a player who performed the task across both trials and a reference person in a separate cubicle connected via a soundless video link. In the suppression condition, reference persons were told to minimize facial expressions of anxiety as balloons inflated. In the expression condition, they were told to freely express anxiety. As predicted, players took greater risks and burst more balloons in the suppression condition, but only under the gain frame. Players' BART scores across both frames were also significantly negatively correlated with reference persons' scores on a questionnaire measure of dispositional expressivity (BEQ), confirming that other people's expressions can moderate one's own risk-taking.


The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of social change and urbanization on child feeding practices in Iran and to determine how any deleterious effects might be compensated for in a manner consistent with the deeply held beliefs of the subjects. The control group was 35 rural households in a small village and the "new urban" group was 50 households in the squatter quarter of a large city. The families in the survey group had moved from small villages to the city within the last 2-10 years. Significant differences were found between the two groups in lactational performance particularly in the much shorter period of breast feeding in the new urban group. Insufficient milk supply, inability to feed the baby because of the need to take outside employment, another pregnancy, and the influence of advertising of prepared baby foods were all identified as causative factors. The low economic status of the new urban families, the inadequate environmental situation and the ignorance of the parents led to use of improperly prepared infant feeds, too dilute because of expense and unhygienically prepared because of poverty and ignorance, resulted in high prevalence of diarrhoeal disease, infantile marasmus and high infant mortality. Although the absolute economic status of new urban families was higher than that of their rural counterparts, the quality of life was not improved. Expenditure and cost of living was higher in the city, gross overcrowding was evident, and the new urban migrants were no longer able to keep animals or grow vegetables. There was also a break down o£ traditional cultural beliefs amongst the new urban families. As a result of the survey a nutritional education programme was devised. A series of five or six talks and practical demonstrations was given to small groups of mothers, most of whom were illiterate and the response to this person-to-person approach was gratifying. The major problems of infant nutrition in the new-urban, areas have been identified and a method of alleviating these has been developed and successfully tested. This education programme could easily be extended by trained voluntary workers but would need governmental approval and financial assistance to make dramatic improvements in infant health in the short term.


Human computation or crowdsourcing involves joint inference of the ground-truth-answers and the worker-abilities by optimizing an objective function, for instance, by maximizing the data likelihood based on an assumed underlying model. A variety of methods have been proposed in the literature to address this inference problem. As far as we know, none of the objective functions in existing methods is convex. In machine learning and applied statistics, a convex function such as the objective function of support vector machines (SVMs) is generally preferred, since it can leverage the high-performance algorithms and rigorous guarantees established in the extensive literature on convex optimization. One may thus wonder if there exists a meaningful convex objective function for the inference problem in human computation. In this paper, we investigate this convexity issue for human computation. We take an axiomatic approach by formulating a set of axioms that impose two mild and natural assumptions on the objective function for the inference. Under these axioms, we show that it is unfortunately impossible to ensure convexity of the inference problem. On the other hand, we show that interestingly, in the absence of a requirement to model "spammers", one can construct reasonable objective functions for crowdsourcing that guarantee convex inference.


Abstract This research was undertaken to find the in vitro. inflammatory action of 5,7-dimethyloxy-4-p.-methoxylphenylcoumarin and 5,7-dimethoxy-4-phenylcoumarin produced by Streptomyces aureofaciens. CMUAc130. We investigated the effects of 5,7-dimethyloxy-4-p.-methoxylphenylcoumarin and 5,7-dimethoxy-4-phenylcoumarin not only on the formation of NO, prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), and tumor necrosis factor-α. (TNF-α.) but also on inducible nitric oxide synthase and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced murine macrophage RAW 264.7 cells. The data obtained were consistent with the modulation of iNOS enzyme expression. A similar fashion was also observed when LPS-induced PGE2 release and COX-2 expression were tested. The significant inhibitory effects were shown in concentration-dependent manners. In addition, 5,7-dimethyloxy-4-p.-methoxylphenylcoumarin and 5,7-dimethoxy-4-phenylcoumarin also mildly but significantly reduced the formation of TNF-α.. These findings support the application of 5,7-dimethyloxy-4-p.-methoxylphenylcoumarin and 5,7-dimethoxy-4-phenylcoumarin as anti-inflammatory agents.


Cranford, Boose, & Moore (1990a) reported that many elderly persons exhibit problems in perceiving the apparent location of fused auditory images in a sound localization task involving the Precedence Effect (PE). In the earlier study, differences in peripheral hearing sensitivity between young and elderly subjects were not controlled. In the present study, four groups of young and elderly subjects, matched with respect to age and the presence or absence of sensorineural hearing loss, were examined to determine the effects of these two factors on performance with the PE task. Although significantly poorer performances on the PE task were found to be associated with both increased age and hearing loss, additional tentative evidence was obtained that the presence of hearing loss may have a relatively greater detrimental effect on the performance of at least some elderly subjects than it does on younger persons.


and Summary

Takeover of a social unit is known to affect the reproductive condition of the females of some primate species as a result of infanticide. Gelada females, however, come into oestrus even though infanticide does not occur. Although females with very young infants do not undergo a change in reproductive state, pregnant females will usually abort their foetuses even though these may be nearly full term.

Following the takeover of a one-male unit, most gelada females show their acceptance of the intruding male quite soon after his initial approach by presenting to him, after which he mounts them. Bond formation between the new male and the females goes through a series of behavioural stages that culminate in copulation. In contrast to other species, infanticide by the new male was not observed. The former harem male remains in the unit as a follower, though without sexual access to the females. The order in which the females come into oestrus is not significantly correlated to their dominance ranks. Females with infants of 6–24 months old come back into oestrus much sooner than expected after a takeover; females with younger infants seldom come back into oestrus. Five abortions were observed following the takeover of 3 units; the females in question subsequently came back into oestrus and mated with the new male. It is suggested that females probably balance the cost of wasting the investment in an offspring against the risks of failing to bond with the new male.


This paper demonstrated of power quality problems associated with the wind turbine based distributed generation systems and how the FACTS device such as UPFC play an important role in power quality improvement of Distributed Generation System. The purpose of the paper is to derive and analyze a reactive power control strategy of UPFC dedicated for DFIG mitigation. The FACT device Unified Power Flow Controller (UPFC) is connected with load bus. Matlab/simulink is used for the work. Paper demonstrated the simulation results for with and without UPFC for Grid connected distributed generation system.


Hydrogen peroxide is an environmentally friendly oxidizing agent that is important in several industries. It is currently produced industrially via the anthrahydroquinone (AHQ) process where O2 reacts with a functionalised version of anthrahydroquinone to produce H2O2 and anthraquinone. In the previously published DFT pathway for this process the transition of the OOH? radical across the partially dehydrogenated AHQ catalyst was not explored. In this paper, we will use DFT to explore this step and show that there is a deep potential energy minimum that inhibits the OOH. from being fully reduced. We then examine other similar sized polycyclic molecules with two OH-groups on the same side that could serve as alternative catalysts without this issue. In this analysis, we identify Phenanthraquinone as a possible alternative and present the pathway for this candidate to produce H2O2 as well as its regeneration with H2.


In this work, a direct Z-scheme Cs2O–Bi2O3–ZnO heterostructure without any electron mediator is fabricated by a simple solution combustion route. Cs2O is chosen as a sensitizer to expand the light absorption range, and in addition, its conduction band minimum (CBM) and valence band maximum (VBM) positions are suitable to construct a direct Z-scheme system with ZnO and Bi2O3. Structural and elemental analyses show clear evidence for heterostructure formation. The Z-scheme charge carrier migration pathway in Cs2O–Bi2O3–ZnO is confirmed by high resolution XPS and ESR studies. The fabricated heterostructure exhibits a good ability to split water to H2 and O2 under simulated sunlight irradiation without any sacrificial agents or co-catalysts and has excellent photostability. The apparent quantum efficiency of the optimized Cs2O–Bi2O3–ZnO heterostructure reaches up to 0.92% at 420 nm. The excellent efficiency of this fabricated heterostructure is attributed to the efficient charge carrier separation, the high redox potential of the CBM and VBM benefiting from a direct Z-scheme charge carrier migration pathway and the extended light absorption range.


Inventing Secondary Education is the first contemporary examination of the origins of the Ontario high school, and one of the very few which focuses on the development of secondary education anywhere in Canada. The authors chart the transformation of the high school from a peripheral to a central social institution. They explore the economic and social pressures which fuelled the expansion of secondary education, the political conflicts which shaped the schools, and the shifts in curriculum as new forms of knowledge disrupted traditional pedagogical values. By the late nineteenth century the high school had acquired a secure clientele by anchoring itself firmly to the educational and professional ambitions of young people and their families. Drawn from an enormous amount of empirical data derived from school records, census manuscript material, assessment rolls, and literary and biographical sources, Inventing Secondary Education enriches our historical understanding of schooling in nineteenth-century Ontario society and illuminates some of the roots of modern educational dilemmas.


Experiments to maximize the isolation and purification of viable protoplasts from shoot cultures of asparagus (Asparagus officinalis L.) were conducted. Important factors for high yield of viable protoplasts included: the use of in vitro etiolated shoots as source material; 0.6 M glucose as an osmoticum in a modified KM medium; a combination of pectinase, cellulase, and hemicellulase, each at 1% (w/v) for enzymatic digestion of cell walls; and physical factors such as the volume of enzyme solution and speed of gyratory shaking. Protoplasts were purified by suspending digested etiolated shoot tissue in 0.6 M sucrose, overlaid with KMG medium and centrifugation at 650 g. The asparagus genotype had a marked influence on protoplast yield, with some genotypes yielding up to 18.4 x 106 protoplasts/g fresh etiolated shoot tissue with 90% viability.


Objectives: Existing epidemiologic information shows disparities in low-dose aspirin use by race. This study investigates the frequency, pattern, and correlates of both self- and clinician-prescribed low-dose aspirin use among underserved African Americans aged 55 years and older. Methods: This cross-sectional study conducted a comprehensive evaluation of all over-the-counter and prescribed medications used among 683 African American older adults in South Central Los Angeles, California. Correlation between use of low-dose aspirin and sociodemographic variables, health care continuity, health behaviors, and several major chronic medical conditions were examined. In addition, the use of low-dose aspirin as self prescribed versus clinician prescribed was examined. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to examine correlates of low-dose aspirin use. Results: Overall, 37% of participants were taking low-dose aspirin. Sixty percent of low-dose aspirin users were taking low-dose aspirin as self prescribed and 40% were taking it as prescribed by a clinician. Major aspirin-drug interactions were detected in 75% of participants who used low-dose aspirin, but no significant differences in aspirin-drug interactions were found between those who used aspirin as self prescribed and those who used it as clinician prescribed. No negative association between being diagnosed with gastrointestinal conditions and aspirin used was detected. Being diagnosed with diabetes mellitus or a heart condition was associated with higher use of aspirin. However, only 50% with high risk of cardiovascular took prescribed (38%) or self-prescribed (62%) low-dose aspirin. One third of participants aged 70 years and older with low risk of cardiovascular were using aspirin. Conclusions: Among underserved African-American middle-aged and older adults, many who could potentially benefit from aspirin are not taking it; and many taking aspirin have no indication to do so and risk unnecessary side effects. Compared with non-Hispanic Whites, African Americans are more likely to be diagnosed with diabetes, hypertension, and heart conditions at earlier stages of life; as a result, the role of preventive intervention, including safe and appropriate use of low-dose aspirin among this segment of our population, is more salient. Interventional studies are needed to promote safe and effective use of low-dose aspirin among underserved African-American adults. ( J Am Board Fam Med 2021;34:132–143.)


ALTHOUGH pulmonary infarction is comparatively common in many phases of medicine, its occurrence as a complication of mumps is apparently rare. A survey of the medical literature by the Armed Forces Medical Library revealed only two papers pertaining to pulmonary infarction associated with mumps. In 1952 Cottel and Hauser 1 reported a case of severe bilateral mumps orchitis, parotitis, and encephalitis in a 28-year-old white man, complicated by the development of two distinct pulmonary infarcts. The following year Lehmus 2 reported a case of mumps with orchitis complicated by pulmonary infarction in a 28-year-old man. It is the purpose of this report to present a case of mumps with orchitis complicated by bilateral pulmonary infarcts. REPORT OF CASE A 41-year-old white male sergeant was admitted to the Medical Service of a U. S. Army Hospital on Jan. 14, 1955, with a diagnosis of mumps (epidemic parotitis). Three days prior to


Objectives: Driven by EWTD, junior doctors training and cost cutting, the nurse practitioner role was expanded with acquisition of new skills.

Methods: 10 experienced cardiothoracic nurses with degree level education were appointed to work with the CT1's on the wards. Although initially supernumerary this has become a fully independent practice with a 24hour shift pattern. Foundation training was given in e.g. history taking, physical examination and management of post operative complications. University courses were undertaken including non medical prescribing and CALS. Additional training was provided by the team of consultant cardiothoracic surgeons in house and at the medical school.

Results: There have been challenges including role expedition, role acceptance, role blurring, and embracing computerised paperless management of patients. Also the challenges of achieving the academic requirement for the post should not be underestimated. Gradually our role has changed with ongoing support and training, and we have had the unique opportunity to develop the service. Patients and nursing staff have benefited from the continuity of care and there has been no conflict of interest between service and training commitment.

Conclusion: Despite many challenges, the programme has been successfully implemented and continues to develop with increasing nurse-led audit and research.


BACKGROUND
Information on the heritability of the development of alcohol dependence could provide a better understanding of the importance of genetic components in disease transition.

OBJECTIVE
To examine the genetic and nongenetic contributions to the age at onset of regular alcohol use, the age at diagnosis of alcohol dependence, and the transition from regular alcohol use to alcohol dependence.

DESIGN
Classic twin study.

SETTING
General community.

PARTICIPANTS
This study included 3372 twin pairs of known zygosity from the Vietnam Era Twin Registry. The diagnosis of DSM-III-R-defined alcohol dependence and related information were obtained through telephone-administered interviews conducted in 1992.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Standardized proportions due to genetic vs nongenetic factors of the total variation in twin resemblance on the age at onset of regular alcohol use, the age at meeting criteria for a diagnosis of alcohol dependence, and the transition period from regular alcohol use to a diagnosis of alcohol dependence.

RESULTS
Genetic influence accounted for 49% of the variation in the age at diagnosis of alcohol dependence. After adjusting for co-occurring psychiatric diseases, additive genetic factors still explained more than 37% of the variance in age at onset of alcohol dependence and at least 25% of the variance in the transition period between regular drinking and the diagnosis of alcohol dependence. Additionally, after grouping participants as early and late regular users of alcohol, the genetic effects on the transition period for early regular users were statistically significantly greater than those for late regular users.

CONCLUSION
Our results demonstrate a substantial heritable basis for alcohol dependence according to its developmental sequence, including age at onset of regular use, age at diagnosis, and the transition period between regular use and diagnosis.


Milk from grazing ruminants is usually rich in beneficial components for human health, but distinguishing milks sourced from grazing is difficult, and this hinders the valuing of the grazing benefit. This study aimed at evaluating the ability of milk biomarkers (1) to trace milks sourced from sheep submitted to different access times (ATs) to pasture and (2) to estimate sheep herbage dry matter intake (HDMI, g DM ewe−1 d−1) and herbage percentage (HP, % DM) in sheep diet. Animal data derive from a published experiment in which six replicated groups of mid-lactation Sarda sheep had ATs of 2, 4, or 6 h d−1 to a ryegrass pasture. Sheep HDMI and HP of each group were measured on four dates in April 2013. Group milk was sampled, and milk fatty acids (FAs) and n-alkanes were determined by gas chromatography. The latter markers were also measured in feces samples bulked by group. The data (N = 24 records) were submitted to Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) aimed at distinguishing the AT to pasture based on biomarkers previously selected by Genetic Algorithms (GA). Partial Least Square Regression (PLSR) models were used to estimate HDMI and HP using biomarkers selected by GA. Based on one milk alkane and six milk FAs as biomarkers, estimates of the AT using GA-LDA were 95.8% accurate. The estimation of HDMI by GA-PLSR based on five milk FAs was moderately precise [explained variance = 75.2%; percentage of the residual mean square error of cross-validation over the mean value (RMSECV%) = 15.0%]. The estimation of HP by GA-PLSR based on 1 milk alkane and 10 FAs was precise (explained variance = 80.8%; RMSECV% = 7.4%). To conclude, these preliminary results suggest that milks sourced from sheep flocks with AT to pasture differentiated by 2 h in the range 2–6 h d−1 can be precisely discriminated using milk biomarkers. The contribution of herbage to sheep diet can also be precisely estimated.


The cyclomaltodextrin glucanotransferase (CGTase, EC 18.104.22.168) gene from the alkalophilic Bacillus sp. strain no. 17-1 was cloned in Escherichia coli. The cloned CGTase gene consisted of a single open reading frame which would encode a polypeptide of 713 amino acids, and the first 27 amino acid residues comprised a signal peptide. The nucleotide sequence and the amino acid sequence of this CGTase (CGTase 17-1) gene had strong homology with those of the CGTase (CGTase 38-2) gene previously cloned in our laboratory from the alkalophilic Bacillus sp. strain no. 38-2, although the enzymic properties of the CGTase 17-1 were distinct from those of the CGTase 38-2. To analyse those enzymic properties further, we constructed 12 chimeric CGTases using three restriction nuclease sites and compared the enzymic properties of the chimeric CGTases. The N-terminal part of the enzyme was important for heat stability, and the pH-activity profile was influenced by both the N- and the C-terminal parts. A third segment was less important for enzymic properties.


In the past ten years, China's urban population has increased rapidly. High-rise housing estates have been widely accepted as a 'sustainable' and 'effective' solution to urban housing shortage. However, high-rise housing has long been under debate with critics claiming liveability problems to be one of the reasons behind the decline of such development form in the mid-1970s. China presents a different context in the research on high-rise housing from other developed countries. This study focuses on an inquiry into the liveability of high-rise housing estates through investigating residents' experience and evaluation on current high-rise living in the context of a Chinese city.

The main contribution of this research to the existing literature is considered to be two-fold: Firstly, in the theoretical dimension, this research fills the research gap on the liveability study of high-rise housing in China, by establishing a resident-centred theoretical framework on the liveability of high-rise housing estates with a specific focus on housing planning and design in the Chinese context; Secondly, in the practical dimension, this research presents an empirical study on the liveability issues of current high-rise housing development in China, and provides implications for future planning and design of high-rise housing in high density urban areas.

This study adopts a research strategy based on an embedded multiple-case study integrated with historical analysis, qualitative and quantitative survey to dissect the liveability of four high-rise housing estates in the inner city of Tianjin, China, with each representing one typical design type. This study provides an understanding on the impact of the macro-context on the development of high-rise housing estates and residents' perception of the liveable residential environment; it explores the residential environment features and residents' actual experience of high-rise living; it acquires residents' liveability evaluation of high-rise housing estates, which not only reveals the liveability strengths and weaknesses of current high-rise housing development, but also discovers the measurement, indicators and dimensions of the liveability of high-rise housing estates, and provide implications for both theoretical research and practical development.


We use a combinatorial approach to develop molecular plastic solar cells based on soluble fullerene derivatives blended with conjugated polymers. A combinatorial way of sample preparation is well suited to deal with the multitude of possible combinations of the components of such blends. We use high mobility poly(thiophene) and poly(phenylenevinylene) derivatives to be combined with acceptors. Gradients of methanofullerene/polymer concentration were formed by diusion of the low molecular weight component in the spin-cast polymer matrix. Likewise the gradients of zinc phthalocyanine/C 60 were prepared by co-evaporation of the two materials from two sources to make a linear array of photodiode devices. Photo- and electrophysical properties, such as absorption, luminescence, short circuit photocurrent and open circuit photovoltage, were measured using a specially designed installation with a resolution of 70‐100 m. Clear evidence was obtained that the photoconversion efficiency increased with the amount of methanofullerene up to very high levels, in the case of methanofullerene/polymer blends, verifying the important role of the acceptor in the photoconversion. By choosing the optimal ratio between C 60 and ZnPc in the evaporated layer it is possible to obtain high photocurrent in the 600‐700 nm range, due to the added contribution from photoinduced electron transfer between the two molecules. Copyright = = 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


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Right (R)- and left (L)-handed helical G-quartet nanostructures were synthesized for the first time simultaneously via the self-assembly of 5'-guanosine monophosphate (GMP), the helical handedness of which is well regulated by metal ions. These g-nanostructures were further applied as circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) templates to realize full-color R-/L-CPL and Förster resonance energy transfer CPL. The glum value reached 10-2, indicating their excellent template function for CPL materials design and application.


Toxic effects of nitrates and nitrites on absorptive and secretive functions of intestinal mucosa were described. The effect of nitrates and nitrites on maturation, differentiation and programmed cell death (apoptosis) in intestinal crypts was also discussed. Selected immunological functions of small intestine in nitrate- or nitrite-treated organism were evaluated.


The present study was conducted to determine the effects of devotional meditation (DM), defined as a period of prayer and quiet reading and pondering of biblical material, on physiological and psychological variables related to stress. It was hypothesized that religious persons engaging in DM experience physiological and psychological changes similar to those reported for persons using progressive relaxation (PR) exercises. Thirty-six participants, equally divided by sex into 3 groups: DM, PR, and a Wait List Control, underwent extensive psychophysiological assessment prior to and following a systematic introduction to either DM or PR. The hypothesis that DM could generate positive physiological and psychological effects similar to PR was partially confirmed. The results of the study are discussed in terms of the unique spiritual resources inherent among a Christian population that might foster physiological and psychological relaxation.


Under the influence of trade disputes between China and the US and the spread of COVID-19 epidemic, the turmoil in the global economy will inevitably shake the stability of the international competitiveness of Chinese manufacturing industry. Especially when firms' boundaries have spanned national boundaries and become the core subject of measuring a country's industrial international competitiveness, the stability of the competitiveness of indigeous firms will directly determine the resilience of the Chinese manufacturing industry shocked by the epidemic.Based on the above, this paper focuses on the comparative advantages of the "industrial country" dimension and the core assets of the "indigenous firm" dimension, and defines the international competitiveness vulnerability of Chinese manufacturing industry as that the international competitiveness of foreign invested firms is statistically significantly higher than that of indigenous firms. Clarifying the transmission mechanism of industrial international competitiveness based on firms, this paper innovatively constructs the "double-dimension and three-level" evaluation system on international competitiveness vulnerability, with 84,482 Chinese manufacturing firms from 2000 to 2013 as the sample, to locate the fragile links and analyze the causes.The findings indicate that the international competitiveness vulnerability of Chinese manufacturing industry mainly exists in the competitiveness essence and performance level of high-tech industry, while the vulnerability in the competitiveness performance level of medium- and low-tech industry is gradually alleviated, and also in a stable state in the essence and result level. In the high-tech industry, the improvement of Chinese industry upstreamness and the enhancement of foreign MNCs' control on R&D are the reasons for the vulnerability of the competitiveness essence and performance. The increase in industry upstreamness will also make indigenous firms face potential risks in competitiveness result. In medium- and low-tech industry, foreign MNCs' advantages in marketing and global resource integration are the reasons for the vulnerability of competitiveness performance. The industry upstreamness consolidates the advantage of indigenous firms' competitiveness essence, but also weakens the advantage of competitiveness result.The academic value of this paper is mainly reflected in three aspects. Firstly, it enriches the theoretical connotation of industrial international competitiveness research, tests the practice of international trade theory evolution in China, and deeply analyzes the composition of industrial international competitiveness from the internal structure. Secondly, it assesses the international competitiveness based on the perspective of value-added and a large number of firm data. Thirdly, it locates the links and digs the causes of competitiveness vulnerabilities, helping to discover the shortcomings of Chinese manufacturing industry and accordingly formulate strategies to enhance international competitiveness.