In this prospective study the impact of fatty liver and an impaired liver function on the treatment outcome of displacement of the abomasum (DA) was investigated. In a yearlong period, all cows suffering from DA submitted to the clinic were included in this study. All cows were clinically examined before surgery and a serum sample was taken to measure the following parameters: ASAT, bilirubin, urea. Liver biopsy was performed in all cows. Liver fat content was measured gravimetrically and concentrations of triglycerides were measured using a commercial test kit. Reposition of DA was done using the method by Dirksen. A total of 365 cows with DA entered the study, 326 (89.3%) suffered from LDA and 39 (10.7%) from RDA. RDA-cows had significantly (p = 0.002) more days in milk than LDA-cows. RDA-cows had significantly (p < 0.001) higher urea concentrations than LDA-cows. Bilirubin concentrations (p = 0.008) and liver fat content, triglyceride concentrations and the ratio of triglycerides to fat (TRI/FAT) (p < 0.001) were significantly higher in LDA-cows. The majority of LDA-cows showed at least a mild fatty liver. Comparing the cows with successful and failed treatment showed that ASAT-activity (p = 0.021), bilirubin concentration (p = 0.001), triglyceride concentration in liver and TRI/FAT (all p < 0.001) were significantly higher in the unsuccessfully treated cows. In RDA cows, significant differences between successfully and unsuccessfully treated cows were only seen in urea concentration (p = 0.004). ROC-analysis was performed to determine whether any parameter is suitable for a prediction of treatment outcome. In RDA-cows no threshold value was traceable for urea concentration. In LDA cows, TRI/FAT showed the best curve progression. The threshold value of 53.5 % had a sensitivity of 0.720 and a specificity of 0.700. LDA-cows exceeding this threshold had a 2.4 higher risk of an unsuccessful treatment. Due to the good overall treatment success (92.3 %) the positive predictive value for an unsuccessful or ineffective treatment was 0.368 only. The results of our study clearly show that impaired liver function plays an important role in the outcome of treatment of LDA but not RDA. In spite of this no laboratory parameter provides sufficient power to make a predictive statement of treatment outcome.


Does Switzerland have specific legal obligations to adopt legislation related to "Business and Human Rights" as has been argued by some? Must the Swiss domestic legislator compel corporations to take precautionary steps to avoid human rights abuses resulting from corporate activities? Based on a suggested conceptualisation of international legislative duties and their significance in the contemporary international legal system, the article identifies the challenges related to pinning down the precise scope of international legislative duties in the particularly contested and loosely defined area of "Business and Human Rights". Despite these challenges, the analysis suggests that the Swiss legislator is indeed obliged to take further steps to implement Switzerland's duties to protect against corporate human rights abuse. At the same time, there remains significant discretion in how exactly Swiss law-makers decide to regulate the behaviour of non-State actors in the field of "Business and Human Rights".


Cardinal evolutionary problems await resolution and critical testing. "Evolution Canyon" in Mount Carmel, Israel, is an excellent microcosmic model system of sharp physical (microclimatic) and biotic interslope contrasts, enabling critical tests in nature relevant to macrocosm evolution. We genotypically and phenotypically tested two phylogenetically and biologically very distant organisms there, the sessile, predominantly inbreeding plant wild barley, Hordeum spontaneum, and the vagile and outbreeding drosophilid fruit fly, Zaprionus tuberculatus, a very recent colonizer of Israel. The genomes of these extremely different organisms were tested by Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism (AFLP) for genetic diversity at 357 and 345 genetic markers (presumed gene loci), respectively. We found in both organisms parallel genetic patterns reflecting the canyon's opposite slopes, with significantly higher genetic polymorphism in subpopulations on the ecologically more stressful "African" (warmer and drier) south-facing slope. Likewise, both organisms displayed higher viability in parallel in response to severe drought stress on the more arid and climatically fluctuating "African" SFS. Our results suggest: (i) microclimatic selection is the major evolutionary interslope's fast-acting diverging force upon genotypes and phenotypes, overriding migration and drift, and (ii) ecological stress can generate global-scale adaptive evolutionary genome and phenome strategies, at both micro and macroscales, reinforcing homeostasis and fitness and suggesting continuity between micro and macroevolution.


In this study, we compared nutritional characteristics of breads from wholegrain flours of three modern cultivars, four old cultivars and one landrace population of common wheat (Triticum aestivum), one Khorasan (Triticum turgidum var turanicum) accession and one einkorn (Triticum monococcum) cultivar. One bread from refined flour was also included. All flours were enriched or not with 5% (w:w) of wheat sprout powder (WSP) to obtain enriched breads (EB) or control breads (CB), respectively. Total phenolics and flavonoids, reducing power, radical scavenging and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances production inhibition were measured on bread aqueous extracts. CB from old cultivars were generally higher in phenolic content and antioxidant activity than CB from modern cultivars. All EB showed increased phenolic content and antioxidant activity compared to CB, but the increase varied with the source flour, despite WSP supplementation was the same for all breads. In particular, the increase in phenolic content was much relevant for EB of modern cultivars.


The effect of thymalin and epithalamin on dissemination of tumors treated by pulsed laser radiation was studied in C57B1 female mice bearing subcutaneously transplanted melanoma B16 and Lewis carcinoma. Radiation was delivered from TOC-1001 neodymium laser, wave-length of 1,060 nm, pulse duration--1 msec and fluence--350-400 J/cm2. Drug dosage was 1 mg. Thymalin and epithalamin treatment potentiated the preventive effect of laser radiation on tumor dissemination. Application of the said agents was followed by an increase in antibody-producing cells (as measured by Jerne's procedure) in the spleen of irradiated melanoma B16--bearing mice.


We employed ab initio global structural prediction algorithms to obtain the ground-state structure of CuBO_2 This is a very promising p-type transparent conductive oxide that was synthesized recently, and thought to belong to the delafossite family. We proved that the true ground state is certainly not the delafossite structure, and that the most promising candidate is a low symmetry monoclinic phase. This is still a layered structure, but with boron and copper having a different coordination with respect to the delafossite phase.


We investigate the optimal regulation of energy production reflecting the long-term goals of the Paris Climate Agreement. We analyze the optimal regulatory incentives to foster the development of non-emissive electricity generation when the demand for power is served either by a monopoly or by two competing agents. The regulator wishes to encourage green investments to limit carbon emissions, while simultaneously reducing intermittency of the total energy production. We find that the regulation of a competitive market is more efficient than the one of the monopoly as measured with the certainty equivalent of the Principal's value function. This higher efficiency is achieved thanks to a higher degree of freedom of the incentive mechanisms which involves cross-subsidies between firms. A numerical study quantifies the impact of the designed second-best contract in both market structures compared to the business-as-usual scenario. In addition, we expand the monopolistic and competitive setup to a more general class of tractable Principal-Multi-Agent incentives problems when both the drift and the volatility of a multi-dimensional diffusion process can be controlled by the Agents. We follow the resolution methodology of Cvitani\'c et al. (2018) in an extended linear quadratic setting with exponential utilities and a multi-dimensional state process of Ornstein-Uhlenbeck type. We provide closed-form expression of the second-best contracts. In particular, we show that they are in rebate form involving time-dependent prices of each state-variable.


Abstract: Litter decomposition is a fundamental process for nutrient cycling but we have a limited understanding of this process in disturbed tropical forests. We studied litter decomposition over a 10-mo period in a seasonally dry Amazon forest in Mato Grosso, Brazil. The study plots (50 ha each) included unburned forest (UF), once-burned (BF1) and forest burned annually for 3 y (BF3). We measured understorey density, litter depth, canopy openness, temperature and relative humidity in the plots. Decomposition experiments took place using 720 litterbags filled with approximately 10 g of natural abscised oven-dried leaves. To test the effects of fire on soil meso- and macrofauna, the litterbags had either a fine (2 mm) or coarse (with 1-cm holes in side) mesh size. Litterbags were collected and reweighed 2, 4, 6 and 8 mo after being placed on the forest floor. All forest structure variables were significantly different across plots: BF3 was hotter, less humid, had the highest degree of canopy openness, lowest understorey density and the shallowest litter depth. Litter decomposition (mass loss) was similar in the once-burned and unburned plots, but declined more slowly in BF3. In addition, decomposition was slower in fine-mesh litterbags than coarse-mesh litterbags in BF3, but there was no difference between mesh sizes in BF1 and UF. It is likely that changes in forest structure and microclimate explain the lower decomposition rates in BF3. These results show the importance of recurrent fires, but suggest that single understorey fires may not have long-term negative effects on some ecological processes in seasonally dry Amazonian forests.


As in many West African cities, in Dakar Hooded Vultures Necrosyrtes monachus have always been characteristic urban scavengers. The recent decline of Hooded Vultures in other parts of Africa, mainly eastern Africa, has been the reason in 2015 for up-listing of its status by the IUCN in the Red List of Threatened Species to Critically Endangered. As the Hooded Vulture is still common in the Lower Casamance, Senegal, in the Western Region of The Gambia and in Guinea-Bissau, without clear signs of a recent decrease, a survey of its current status in Dakar was undertaken and compared with historical data over the past 50 years. A strong decrease of >85% was noted from 3 000 individuals in 1969 to 400 in 2016. This decline is on the high end of the decline noticed over much of its range but in striking contrast with the apparently stable populations along the West African coast more to the south (The Gambia to Guinea). Likely causes are (1) exponential urbanisation resulting in loss of feeding sites and reduced food availability, (2) increased poisoning of feral dogs with strychnine sulphate due to an upsurge of rabies and (3) increased disappearance of suitable trees for nesting and roosting.


Nowadays, smart devices as a part of daily life collect data about their users with the help of sensors placed on them. Sensor data are usually physical data but mobile applications collect more than physical data like device usage habits and personal interests. Collected data are usually classified as personal, but they contain valuable information about their users when it is analyzed and interpreted. One of the main purposes of personal data analysis is to make predictions about users. Collected data can be divided into two major categories: physical and behavioral data. Behavioral data are also named as neurophysical data. Physical and neurophysical parameters are collected as a part of this study. Physical data contains measurements of the users like heartbeats, sleep quality, energy, movement/mobility parameters. Neurophysical data contain keystroke patterns like typing speed and typing errors. Users' emotional/mood statuses are also investigated by asking daily questions. Six questions are asked to the users daily in order to determine the mood of them. These questions are emotion-attached questions, and depending on the answers, users' emotional states are graded. Our aim is to show that there is a connection between users' physical/neurophysical parameters and mood/emotional conditions. To prove our hypothesis, we collect and measure physical and neurophysical parameters of 15 users for 1 year. The novelty of this work to the literature is the usage of both combinations of physical and neurophysical parameters. Another novelty is that the emotion classification task is performed by both conventional machine learning algorithms and deep learning models. For this purpose, Feedforward Neural Network (FFNN), Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), Recurrent Neural Network (RNN), and Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) neural network are employed as deep learning methodologies. Multinomial Naive Bayes (MNB), Support Vector Regression (SVR), Decision Tree (DT), Random Forest (RF), and Decision Integration Strategy (DIS) are evaluated as conventional machine learning algorithms. To the best of our knowledge, this is the very first attempt to analyze the neurophysical conditions of the users by evaluating deep learning models for mood analysis and enriching physical characteristics with neurophysical parameters. Experiment results demonstrate that the utilization of deep learning methodologies and the combination of both physical and neurophysical parameters enhances the classification success of the system to interpret the mood of the users. A wide range of comparative and extensive experiments shows that the proposed model exhibits noteworthy results compared to the state-of-art studies.


The automatic production of land use/land cover maps continues to be a challenging problem, with important impacts on the ability to promote sustainability and good resource management. The ability to build robust automatic classifiers and produce accurate maps can have a significant impact on the way we manage and optimize natural resources. The difficulty in achieving these results comes from many different factors, such as data quality and uncertainty. In this paper, we address the imbalanced learning problem, a common and difficult conundrum in remote sensing that affects the quality of classification results, by proposing Geometric-SMOTE, a novel oversampling method, as a tool for addressing the imbalanced learning problem in remote sensing. Geometric-SMOTE is a sophisticated oversampling algorithm which increases the quality of the instances generated in previous methods, such as the synthetic minority oversampling technique. The performance of Geometric- SMOTE, in the LUCAS (Land Use/Cover Area Frame Survey) dataset, is compared to other oversamplers using a variety of classifiers. The results show that Geometric-SMOTE significantly outperforms all the other oversamplers and improves the robustness of the classifiers. These results indicate that, when using imbalanced datasets, remote sensing researchers should consider the use of these new generation oversamplers to increase the quality of the classification results.


The goal of this research carried out at the experimental facility of the Faculty of Agriculture of the University of Zagreb in 2015/2016, 2016/2017 and 2017/2018 was to determine the influence of seeding rate and topdressing with organic fertilizers on yield and yield components in einkorn (Triticum monococcum subsp. monococcum) and emmer (Triticum dicoccon) populations collected in the Croatian region of Slavonia. The research comprised four seeding rates: 100, 150, 200, and 250 grains per m2; topdressing with organic fertilizers (Fertil Supernova 12.5 N and Ilsamin N90); and a control (no topdressing). Einkorn populations achieved a higher yield of hulled grain relative to the emmer population as a result of their higher coefficient of productive tillering. Conversely, the emmer population showed superiority in a greater number of yield components. On average, for both cereals, yield increased with increasing seeding rates; however, increased yields for seeding rates above 150 grains per m2 were not statistically significant. Einkorn populations showed a yield increase up to the seeding rate of 200 grains per m2, while in emmer the equivalent cutoff value amounted to 250 grains per m2. Topdressing with organic fertilizers positively influenced yield and yield components in both einkorn and emmer populations, except for the year marked by inclement weather conditions in June. Topdressing with organic fertilizers increased the number of spikelets and grains per ear, as well as the grain weight per ear, except in the year with lower precipitation.


Introduction: Epidermolysis bullosa (EB), a group of autosomal heritable blistering diseases, is characterised by extensive phenotypic variability with considerable morbidity and mortality. EB is classified into distinct subtypes depending on the location of blistering within the cutaneous dermoepidermal basement membrane zone. Ten genes are known to harbour mutations in the major types of EB, and the level of expression of these genes within the cutaneous basement membrane zone and in extracutaneous tissues, as well as the types and combinations of the mutations, explain in general terms the phenotypic variability. Methods: The DebRA Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory, established in 1996 and supported in part by the patient advocacy organisation DebRA of America, has analysed over 1000 families with different forms of EB. Results: In total, 265 cases were submitted with the preliminary diagnosis of junctional or hemidesmosomal forms of EB. We found 393 mutant alleles in seven different genes, with 173 of the mutations being distinct and 71 previously unpublished. Discussion: These findings attest to the clinical and molecular heterogeneity of the junctional and hemidesmosomal subtypes of EB. The results also reveal exceptions to the general rules on genotype-phenotype correlations, unusual phenotypes, and surprising genetics. Collectively, mutation analysis in different forms of EB provides the basis for improved classification with prognostic implications and for prenatal and preimplantation diagnosis in families at risk for recurrence of EB.


Predicting species distributions has long been a valuable tool to plan and focus efforts for biodiversity conservation, particularly because such an approach allows researchers and managers to evaluate species distribution changes in response to various threats. Utilizing data from a long-term monitoring program and land cover data sets, we modeled the probability of occupancy and colonization for 38 bird Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) in the robust design occupancy modeling framework, and used results from the best models to predict occupancy and colonization on the Iowa landscape. Bird surveys were conducted at 292 properties from April to October, 2006–2014. We calculated landscape habitat characteristics at multiple spatial scales surrounding each of our surveyed properties to be used in our models and then used kriging in ArcGIS to create predictive maps of species distributions. We validated models with data from 2013 using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). Probability of occupancy ranged from 0.001 (SE < 0.001) to 0.995 (SE = 0.004) for all species and probability of colonization ranged from 0.001 (SE < 0.001) to 0.999 (SE < 0.001) for all species. AUC values for predictive models ranged from 0.525–0.924 for all species, with 17 species having predictive models considered useful (AUC > 0.70). The most important predictor for occupancy of grassland birds was percentage of the landscape in grassland habitat, and the most important predictor for woodland birds was percentage of the landscape in woodland habitat. This emphasizes the need for managers to restore specific habitats on the landscape. In an era during which funding continues to decrease for conservation agencies, our approach aids in determining where to focus limited resources to best conserve bird species of conservation concern.


Single-cell recording in macaque monkeys has uncovered mirror neurons, which respond both when a monkey observes a transitive action (an action involving an actor and an object), carries out that transitive action, or hears a sound associated with that action. Mirror neurons have been proposed to provide the neural basis for a variety of language functions, including the understanding of expressions referring to actions and the coordination of mental representations in dialogue. While mirror neurons may become active during language production and comprehension, the available evidence suggests that mirror neurons do not, by themselves, provide a sufficient basis for action understanding or alignment of mental states. Instead, mirror neurons may be a component of a larger associative network that connects production and comprehension systems.


We are thrilled to bring you this cross-disciplinary special issue of Seminars in Thrombosis and Hemostasis. This issue focuses on two specific aspects of hemostasis and exercise: (1) how exercise affects the hemostatic system in healthy individuals, including professional and well-trained athletes, and (2) the effects of exercise on patient groups with hemostatic abnormalities, including thrombotic and bleeding disorders, in improving overall health and lifestyle. Paradoxically, the issue's focus on healthy and trained athletes explores the risks of hemostasis associated with exercise, while for patient groups, it is the benefits of exercise that unites the authors in this issue, with constructive recommendations for promoting exercise participation in these groups...


The modular synthesis of asymmetric rylenes from naphthalic anhydride derivatives is presented. Imidization, Suzuki–Miyaura coupling and cyclodehydrogenation reactions are utilized for the generation of novel functional rylenes with these three core transformations providing significant flexibility over the final structure. The combination of simple purification and high yields enables access to asymmetric rylenes with functional handles at the imide-position and site-specific incorporation of bay position substituents. The resulting library of perylenes and bisnapthalimide-anthracene derivatives showcase the presented methodology and the ability to tune optoelectronic and electrochemical properties.


Student motivation is a vital determinant of academic performance and achievement, Motivation to select nursing as a career is guided by both intrinsic and extrinsic factors, Quality of life of medical field students and their motivation to learn are vital factors that have impact on their ability to learn, they need to ensure a functional level of quality of life if they are to maintain their motivation. Objective: evaluate correlation between nursing students' academic motivation to study nursing and their Health-Related Quality of Life. Methods: descriptive study was conducted during the second semester of academic year 2014/2015, at college of applied medical sciences, king Khalid University, Saudi Arabia. The total study sample was 239 female nursing students selected randomly from different academic levels. Three tools of data collection were used: Interviewing questionnaire, "MOS-SF 36 (version 1.0) with high reliability (Cronbach's alpha coefficient r = 0.872) and Academic Motivation Scale (AMS-C28), its reliability (Cronbach's alpha coefficient r = 0. 809). Results: students' mean age was 20.68 with mean GPA 3.59, mean course load per week 15.8, mean hands-on training hours per week was 7.1. The results shown lowered mean scores of HRQOL eight health domains and academic motivation among study sample, GPA was found positively correlate to general health(r= .274, p=0.01). Hands - on training hours positively correlate to pain(r= .129, p=0.05). There are Positive correlation between students 'general health and IM to know(r=.215, p=0.01), IM towards accomplishment(r=147, p=0.05), EM – identified regulation(r=.189, p=0.01). Pain negatively correlate to motivation(r=-.228, p=0.01). Conclusion: The study findings reflect lowered scores of motivation and HRQOL eight health domains between the female nursing students, there are positive correlations between nursing students' general health, emotional wellbeing, energy &fatigue and their intrinsic motivation to know and extrinsic motivation. Counseling programs are recommended to improve nursing students' motivation and quality of life throughout academic study years to able them help others in the future.


Diabetes is a lifelong disease and it can be complicated for adolescents to handle. As a nurse you must strive to see the youth that you have in front of you, with his or hers individual needs. The aim of this study was to illustrate adolescent's experiences of their life situation with diabetes type 1. An analysis of ten qualitative studies was conducted. The analysis resulted in five themes and thirteen sub-themes.The result showed that acceptance of the disease is crucial for being able to care for the disease. The adolescent needs to integrate the diabetes in to their daily life. Two important things for the adolescents were that they didn't want to get generalised in healthcare or be treated differently by the society. To be able to care for oneself and to not be ostracized both adolescents and people in their environment need to have knowledge about diabetes. To be able to take charge and be in control over ones one body was important for the adolescent but also to receive support. Parents played a supportive key roll but support did also come from siblings, friends, partners and other peers with diabetes. To live with diabetes during your teens is like walking on a narrow line, you can easily tilt too much or too little to one side. If you keep your balance then you can cross and get on with your life.


Victory for Veterans Stamp Act of 2012 - Directs the Postal Service to issue a special stamp, to be called the Victory for Veterans Stamp, at a cost of 25 cents each. Makes such Stamp invalid for postage. Requires Stamp sale proceeds to be used as follows: (1) one-third for funding Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) veterans' vocational rehabilitation programs, (2) one-third to the general fund of the Treasury for deficit reduction, and (3) one-third for the Postal Service for modernization and fiscal administration. Requires such Stamp to be made available to the public within six months after the enactment of this Act.


To assess the degradation of stator winding insulation in high voltage motor, a total of forty-eight coils were manufactured. These coils are classified into five groups and there are twelve strands in each coil. Four coil groups are artificial defects such as shorted turn of strand, internal separation between conductor and insulation, large void within insulation and removal of semi-conductive tape. The other coil group is normal. Before ac breakdown test was performed, nondestructive test that included ac current, dissipation factor and partial discharge (PD) was done with five coil groups. This paper carried out by comparing the results between nondestructive test and ac breakdown test. When the values of ac current increase rate, tip-up dissipation factor and PD magnitude are large, the insulation is occurred the deterioration. AC breakdown voltage is also low in degraded insulation.


In this study, a synthetic procedure for unsymmetrical metallophthalocyanines of the form M[Pc(AB3)], where A and B refer to two different types of peripheral functionality, has been developed and the new compounds have been converted to monomeric and dimeric palladium complexes. Asymmetrically substituted phthalocyanines were synthesized with the well-known statistical condensation method, by using two differently substituted precursors, namely 4-(2-ethoxyethoxy)-1-2-dicyanobenzene (1) and 4-{4-[Z/E]-phenylazo]-1-naphthyl}oxy-1,2-dicyanobenzene (2). Consequently, electron-donating 2-ethoxyethoxy groups and electron-withdrawing palladium complex are present in the same structure. Cyclopalladation was performed with [Pd(PhCN)2Cl2] to yield the bis-μ-chloro-bridged dimers and subsequently, the corresponding monomers were obtained by refluxing with three equivalents of potassium acetylacetonate. The resulting products were purified by column chromatography and characterized by several chemical and spectroscopic analysis methods. All compounds have very high solubility in organic solvents due to the presence of 2-ethoxyethoxy moiety.


In logic programming, Horn clauses play a basic role, and in many logical constructs their consideration is important. In this paper we study the multiple revision of a belief base where the underlying logic is composed by Horn clauses. The main difficulties as to restricting to the Horn fragment for revision operators by a single sentence are analyzed, and general results are presented about multiple revision operators on belief bases. We define prioritized multiple revision operators under a more restricted logic than classical propositional logic, i.e. Horn logic. We propose a set of postulates and representation theorems for each operation. This work is relevant for multiple revision in areas that employ Horn clauses, such as logic programming and deductive databases applications.


We have developed an in vivo passive transfer assay using mice to identify monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) which offer protection against Streptococcus equi infection. The assay was developed using serum antibodies collected from horses convalescing from strangles. In this study, we show that a preparation of M-like protein, acid-extracted from S. equi, affords 80% protection to mice immunized with it. A number of mouse mAbs directed against a preparation of M-like protein were then assessed for their ability to passively protect mice against challenge with a lethal dose of the bacteria. Two mAbs, 1D10 and 2A6, were shown to be highly protective. It was also demonstrated, by means of a competitive enzyme immunoassay, that these mAbs recognized different epitopes in the preparation. Examination of a dose-response curve for mAbs 1D10 and 2A6 revealed that optimal levels of protection were achieved using 1 mg of either 1D10 or 2A6, or 0.5 mg 1D10 and 0.5 mg 2A6 given together. Immunological reactivity of these mAbs with a preparation of M-like protein showed that the antigens they recognized were comparable in size to some of the antigens recognized by convalescent horse serum antibodies. The role of immunoglobulin isotype in conferring protection is discussed.


Glutathione plays many critical roles within the cell, including offering protection from reactive chemicals. The bioactivated toxicant naphthalene forms chemically reactive intermediates that can deplete glutathione and covalently bind to cellular proteins. Naphthalene selectively injures the nonciliated epithelial cells of the intrapulmonary airways (i.e., Clara cells). This study attempted to define what role glutathione loss plays in naphthalene cytotoxicity by comparing Swiss-Webster mice treated with naphthalene with those treated with the glutathione depletor diethylmaleate. High-resolution imaging techniques were used to evaluate acute changes in Clara cell ultrastructure, membrane permeability, and cytoskeleton structure. A single dose of either diethylmaleate (1000 mg/kg) or naphthalene (200 mg/kg) caused similar glutathione losses in intrapulmonary airways (<20% of control). Diethylmaleate did not increase membrane permeability, disrupt mitochondria, or lead to cell death— hallmark features of naphthalene cytotoxicity. However, diethylmaleate treatment did cause Clara cell swelling, plasma membrane blebs, and actin cytoskeleton disruptions similar to naphthalene treatment. Structural changes in mitochondria and Golgi bodies also were noted. Changes in ATP levels were measured as an indication of overall cell function, in isolated airway explants incubated with diethylmaleate, naphthalene, or naphthalene metabolites in vitro. Only the reactive metabolites of naphthalene caused significant ATP losses. Unlike the lethal injury caused by naphthalene, the disruptive cellular changes associated with glutathione loss from diethylmaleate seemed to be reversible after recovery of glutathione levels. This suggests that glutathione depletion may be responsible for some aspects of naphthalene cytotoxicity, but it is not sufficient to cause cell death without further stresses.


INTRODUCTION
Doping is an important public health problem widespread not only among elite athletes, but also among amateur and recreational athletes and the general population. In Italy the introduction of doping prevention within the Essential Levels of Care (LEA) with the DPCM 12/1/2017 represents a crucial step towards the implementation of education and health promotion interventions. In this context, the Departments of Prevention (DP) of the Local Health Authorities (LHA) have to play a fundamental role, becoming the cultural and operational reference on this issue. As part of the "Doping prevention: development of a permanent educational tool coordinated by the National Health Service Prevention Departments" project, funded by the Italian Ministry of Health, a survey was conducted on the activities carried out by the DP regarding doping prevention and improper use and abuse of drugs and food supplements in sports and physical activities, as a basis for the harmonization of organizational structures and prevention programs and the creation of a collaboration network at a regional and national level.

METHODS
A semi-structured questionnaire consisting of 11 questions, prepared on an electronic platform, was sent to the DP of all the Italian LHA.

RESULTS
A total of 38 DP out of 131 (29%) completed the questionnaire, with representation from all regions. 42.1% of DP carried out or are still running programs for the prevention of doping, a percentage that decreases to 27% considering the programs for the prevention of misuse and abuse of drugs and food supplements in sports and in physical activities; in less than half of the DP, 37.5% and 41.7%, respectively, dedicated funds have been allocated. The professionals most involved in prevention of doping are the Specialists in Sport Medicine (81.3%) followed by Specialists in Hygiene (43.8%) and Psychologists (37.5%), while Health Care Assistants (50%) are the professionals most involved in the prevention of the improper use of drugs and food supplements, followed by Specialists in Hygiene and Specialists in Sport Medicine (40%). Most of the DP (71.9%) believe that the introduction of programs to prevent and counteract doping in the LEA will have repercussions on their approach against doping.

CONCLUSIONS
The survey, although conducted on a limited sample, has provided an important framework relating to programs for the prevention of doping and the misuse and abuse of drugs and food supplements in sports and in the physical activities carried out by DP. A remarkable heterogeneity has been highlighted, both at national and regional level. It is urgent to provide DP with homogeneous and effective organizational models and adequate operational tools, paying particular attention to the training of all the professionals involved. It is also essential to implement permanent monitoring tools.


A relatively new trend in parallel programming scheduling is the so-called mixed task and data scheduling. It has been shown that mixing task and data parallelism to solve large computational applications often yields better speedups compared to either applying more task parallelism or pure data parallelism. In this paper we present a new compile-time heuristic, named critical path and allocation (CPA), for scheduling data-parallel task graphs. Designed to have a very low cost, its complexity is much lower compared to existing approaches, such as TSAS, TwoL or CPR, by one order of magnitude or even more. Experimental results based on graphs derived from real problems as well as synthetic graphs, show that the performance loss of CPA relative to the above algorithms does not exceed 50%. These results are also confirmed by performance measurements of two real applications (i.e., complex matrix multiplication and Strassen matrix multiplication) running on a cluster of workstations.


The purpose of the investigation was to explore variables associated with the social processes involved in a female's perception of and reaction to offensive sexual behavior, particularly as those social processes assist in giving meaning to experiences of perceived sexual aggression. A model for conceptualizing social meaning in offensive sexual situations was developed. The model focused on attribution of responsibility for sexual aggression to female, male, and offensive situation as a function of three interacting sets of variables: situational, emotional/behavioral, and attitudinal. A questionnaire was devised to measure both the frequency of offensive sexual experiences and the social meaning assigned to specific experiences. The questionnaire was distributed to 600 female undergraduates, 380 of whom completed the questionnaire and comprised the data for analysis.


Pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A), an insulin-like growth factor-binding protein (IGFBP) protease, increases insulin-like growth factor (IGF) activity through cleavage of inhibitory IGFBP-4 and the consequent release of IGF peptide for receptor activation. Mice homozygous for targeted disruption of the PAPP-A gene are born as proportional dwarfs and exhibit retarded bone ossification during fetal development. Phenotype and in vitro data support a model in which decreased IGF-II bioavailability during embryogenesis results in growth retardation and reduction in overall body size. To test the hypothesis that an increase in IGF-II during embryogenesis would overcome the growth deficiencies, PAPP-A-null mice were crossed with DeltaH19 mutant mice, which have increased IGF-II expression and fetal overgrowth due to disruption of IgfII imprinting. DeltaH19 mutant mice were 126% and PAPP-A-null mice were 74% the size of controls at birth. These size differences were evident at embryonic day 16.5. Importantly, double mutants were indistinguishable from controls both in terms of size and skeletal development. Body size programmed during embryo development persisted post-natally. Thus, disruption of IgfII imprinting and consequent elevation in IGF-II during fetal development was associated with rescue of the dwarf phenotype and ossification defects of PAPP-A-null mice. These data provide strong genetic evidence that PAPP-A plays an essential role in determining IGF-II bioavailability for optimal fetal growth and development.


We assess diff erences that emerge in Taylor rule estimations for the Fed and the ECB before and after the start of the subprime crisis. For this purpose, we apply an explicit estimate of the equilibrium real interest rate and of potential output in order to account for variations within these variables over time. We argue that measures of money and credit growth, interest rate spreads and asset price infl ation should be added to the classical Taylor rule because these variables are proxies of a change in the equilibrium interest rate and are, thus, also likely to have played a major role in setting policy rates during the crisis. Our empirical results gained from a state-space model and GMM estimations reveal that, as far as the Fed is concerned, the impact of consumer price infl ation, and money and credit growth turns negative during the crisis while the sign of the asset price infl ation coeffi cient turns positive. Thus we are able to establish signifi cant diff erences in the parameters of the reaction functions of the Fed before and after the start of the subprime crisis. In case of the ECB, there is no evidence of a change in signs. Instead, the positive reaction to credit growth, consumer and house price infl ation becomes even stronger than before. Moreover we fi nd evidence of a less inertial policy of both the Fed and the ECB during the crisis. JEL Classifi cation: E43, E52, E58


The classical description of sulfenyl halides additions to olefins proposes the formation of an episulfonium ion intermediate during the reaction path. However, a careful analysis of experiments performed in the past suggests that there should not be a single mechanistic picture of sulfenyl halide additions to substituted olefins. Our work is the first theoretical study of detailed insights into the mechanism of methylsulfenchloride addition to styrene. The reaction potential energy profile has been calculated by means of the B3LYP functional with the 6-31++G(d, p) basis set. Mixing of the molecular orbital shapes of reaction stationary points has been described. The addition proceeds as a single step reaction from the methylsulfenchloride and styrene reactants via the concerted transition state (TS) to the final product along the reaction path estimated by the calculation of the intrinsic reaction coordinate. The reaction intermediate was not detected by calculations. The polar solvent has a significant effect on the decrease of reaction activation energy barriers. The large charge separation of the S–Cl bond in TS implies that the addition reaction should proceed through the ionic TS.


Results following from time reversal symmetry are developed for those nonlinear optical processes where a statistical average is required. This extends results found in Rayleigh (and Raman) scattering to nonlinear optical processes of arbitrary order, and generalises those few analyses specific to nonlinear optics. For example, Onsager relations for self-conjugate nonlinear optical processes (when input and output photons form degenerate pairs) are derived, and associated reversality relations generalised. In the nonresonant limit magnetic dipole but not electric quadrupole terms in coherent processes are suppressed. For this and other selection rules a careful treatment is required to obtain gauge invariant conclusions since the relevant electronic operators in multipolar and Coulomb gauges have differing time reversal signatures. For general processes purely electric dipole contributions to natural optical activity are possible when intermediate resonances are present; strong resonances are not required for the domination of this contribution over the traditional contribution. Time reversal symmetry may be used to show the prescription for assigning signs to phenomenological damping factors that is usually associated with the optical susceptibility formalism is incorrect. An experimental test based on electrooptic rotation in fluid media is proposed which may distinguish between this incorrect prescription and the correct prescription. The role time reversal symmetry plays in restricting the number of parameters in Judd-Ofelt theory is elucidated.


Training qualified ophthalmic professional is crucial for any eye care system worldwide. Education of modern western Ophthalmology in China started late but develops rapidly. This review focused on ophthalmic education in China and US, describing details of the programs and analyzing the differences. This summary may provide useful information for practitioners of medical education from both countries and help improve the present training designs.


P-type Metal Oxide Semiconductors (MOS) are promising sensor array elements, as their surface properties and charge transport mechanism differ from those of their ubiquitous n-type counterparts. As such, the magnitude and temporal evolution of their response can provide supplemental, independent information on the nature of target gases, thus allowing for improved discrimination in electronic nose systems. Moreover, the formation of a heterojunction between n- and p-type MOS can be leveraged to enhance or tune sensing performance. Here, we report on the processing and characterization of stacked SnO2/NiO thin films of varying thickness. Bilayer heterojunction films are deposited via magnetron sputtering, with or without an intermediate thermal anneal. We show that the addition of a p-type NiO layer dramatically alters the behavior of the n-type SnO2 underlayer, reversing the response pattern to Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and causing a shift in the optimal operational temperature of the device. Plausible physical mechanisms leading to the emergence of such behavior are discussed.


The ever increasing demand for high image quality requires fast and efficient methods for noise reduction. The best-known order-statistics filter is the median filter. A method is presented to calculate the median on a set of N W-bit integers in W/B time steps. Blocks containing B-bit slices are used to find B-bits of the median; using a novel quantum-like representation allowing the median to be computed in an accelerated manner compared to the best-known method (W time steps). The general method allows a variety of designs to be synthesised systematically. A further novel architecture to calculate the median for a moving set of N integers is also discussed.


ABSTRACT 'Homebound' children are unable to attend school for illness-related reasons. To lessen their predicament, schools have begun experimenting with 'telepresence robots' that can enable remote participation. While promising, we know little about the use of telepresence robots in practice. To begin to redress this, we draw on 159 semi-structured interviews to explore the experiences of 37 child users of the robot 'AV1' in Norwegian schools. The children's experiences varied, with some benefitting greatly and others not getting any benefit from using the robot. To explain these variations, we reconstruct the robot's critical component structure – that is, the assembly of sociomaterial elements that determines whether and how the robot works in practice. We also explore the benefits of using the robot when these critical components align. In so doing, we provide in-depth knowledge about the potential and prerequisites of using telepresence robots in schools – to the benefit of users, producers and scholars of telepresence technology.


This article summarizes the experimental results and engineering aspects regarding the anodic process for electrorefining 1 0 0 irradiated driver fuel assemblies, a demonstration project for the Department of Energy (DOE) to treat spent nuclear fuel. The focus is on the anode due to its unique geometry (fuel dissolution baskets loaded with chopped irradiated fuel segments), complex chemical compositions, highly demanding process goals and their significance to the entire spent fuel treatment process. Chemical analysis results of cladding hull samples were used as the key criteria to evaluate the effectiveness of the uranium dissolution and noble metal retention. Parametric study indicated that the diffusion o f reactants in the porous fuel matrix was the rate-controlling step to the uranium dissolution from the chopped fuel segments. Anode resistance was the most effective parameter to assess the completeness o f uranium dissolution and noble metal retention.


The very term poverty continues to evoke debates on what it means to be poor. Although poverty is commonly described in uni-dimensional or monetary terms, many scholars have argued that poverty is more aptly understood as a constellation of deprivations -- a multi-dimensional concept. Different measures unavoidably generate different results, and the extent of poverty is, thus, dependent on the measure used to quantify the number of poor in a given society. A looming question today is whether the official federal poverty measure, developed in the 1960s, still provides an accurate picture of the poor in America. In order to rectify the long-questioned adequacy and validity of the federal poverty measure, Congress authorized the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) to address key shortcomings of the official measure. In early 2010, the Obama administration adopted the Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM) that largely follows the recommendations of the NAS Panel. However, the NAS-based measure is still criticized for taking a reductionist approach to understanding a complex, socially constructed, and dynamic concept like poverty. To counter the limitations of income-based measures of poverty, there has been a push to advance the field by employing multi-dimensional poverty measures. Amartya Sen laid the groundwork for a paradigm shift in the way poverty is conceptualized. He defines poverty as the lack of capability to generate or obtain the required resources to meet one's basic needs. Drawing on Sen's ideas, the UNDP introduced the Multi-dimensional Poverty Index in 2010, which complements income poverty by measuring the number of deprivations a poor person faces simultaneously with regard to education, health, and living standard. Using secondary data analysis, this study first examines changes in poverty rates by gender, marital status, and race/ethnicity based on the official measure and the supplemental poverty measure in the period 2005-2010. Next, this study creates a multi-dimensional measure for the U.S. that mimics the UN's Multi-dimensional Poverty Index. This study seeks to contribute to the literature by exploring how such a measure can help us better understand the profile of poverty in America today and what the ensuing policy implications are.


For more than three decades, scholars have examined the grossly unequal state- level per capita distribution of New Deal spending. Why did small population rural states such as Nevada, Montana, and Wyoming receive up to six times as many federal dollars per capita as densely populated states such as Connecticut, Rhode Island, and New York? Empirical studies employing economic and political variables have had mixed results in explaining this distribution. What past studies neglect is that a large proportion of New Deal dollars went towards the creation ofpublic goods, which had spillover effects particularly upon those who lived in close proximity to these projects. This paper suggests that the state-level distribution of per capita expenditures during the 1930s is consistent with what would be expected to follow from an economically efficient allocation ofpublic goods.


The result of the research showed that the factor which caused heirs to withdraw was that he loved the other destitute heirs and wanted to help them. In the Islamic fiqh (laws dealing with ritual obligation), it is allowable when it is done voluntarily as it is stipulated in Article 183 of the Compilation of the Islamic Law which states that "the heirs agree to reconcile in the distribution of the inheritance after each of them kows his own share." The status of the inheritance of the heir who has withdrawn becomes the share of those who do not withdraw. The legal consequence is that a heir cannot withraw before there is the reconciliation among all heirs according to Article 183 of the Compilation of the Islamic Law.


Application of multivariate statistical techniques in the study of Passenger Satisfaction ABSTRACT: Application of multivariate statistical techniques in the study of Passenger Satisfaction Objectives In order to check the actual importance of the Local Public Transports (LPT) granted to a community, the investigation for Passenger Satisfaction should allow for a comparison both of the results from the enquiries carried out during the last years, as stated in the servicing contracts, and between the obtained performances by the enterprises that manage similar services. Besides, as it often happens, it is not possible to obtain these last objectives following to the different composition of the enterprises that are often in charge for more than one line. To this purpose this study aims at defining a procedure through which it is possible to identify such a synthetic marker related to transportation firms, as to be compared with other forms in absolute terms, taking into consideration that the observed lines cannot be considered equally important; therefore it seems viable to weigh them through scales that express their relative importance. Method and results The procedure has implied the use of statistical and economic methods through the Structured Equations Models (SEM). First it has been considered the influence of the simple contracts for each line related to the quality variables used by a PS research carried out in 2006 by a transport firm from Campania, managing three different lines. Subsequently, in order to take into consideration the composition of the three lines, it has been necessary to weigh the obtained values against the firm performance indicators. The global business value 0.68 gets a meaning that is different from the single quality markers obtained for each line (0.59, 0.29, 0.12). This value, comprised within the interval (0.1), allows to state that, on the whole, the firm taken into consideration presents a medium-high value for Quality. Conclusions The exploitation of the suggested methodology represents, in an internationally correctly-competitive market, not only a valid signal for the management of enterprises but it also plays the role of a monitor for the body that pays for the service. Only in this way it is possible to plan again the interventions against an objective feedback and to supply a useful basis for the evaluation at higher levels (national and regional). To this aim the choice of the model is of fundamental importance; first of all it makes homogeneous the firms managing public transports; secondly it supplies an aggregate marker for each of the firms that manage more lines and that carry out more PS enquiries; finally it selects and supplies both the markers used to weigh the firms and the appropriate forms (when the firm manages only one line).


This article is concerned with an initial-boundary value problem (IBVP) for a new phase-field model describing the evolution of structural phase transition in elastically deformable solid materials. The model consists of an elliptic-parabolic system in which the displacement field and the order parameter both satisfy periodic boundary conditions. We prove the existence of global solutions to this IBVP by applying the method of continuation of local solutions and perform numerical simulations to investigate the microstructure evolution of MnNi alloys by using this new phase-field model.


The small-scale distributions of chlorophyll a (chl a), pheopigments, oxygen and currents were determined in horizontal sections between coral reef cavities and benthic boundary layer waters (BBL) to estimate rates of grazing and respiration by cryptic cavity-dwelling (coelobite) suspension feeders. We investigated 0.5 to 5 m long and 0.1 to 1 m wide cavities in fringing reefs on the western coast of the Gulf of Aqaba (Red Sea), between 2 and 16 m depth. Within cavities net currents averaged 0.9 cm s -1 , or 22% of the current speed measured in BBL ∼2 m away from the reef. In spite of rapid flushing of cavity waters within a few minutes, we encountered significant chl a and oxygen depletions relative to BBL, particularly under oligotrophic conditions. Chl a depletions amounted, on average, to 0.10 ± 0.03 mg m -3 (median ± median absolute deviation [MAD]) or 54 % (max. 86%) of BBL values and showed a positive relation to coelobite suspension feeder densities. Pheopigments, by contrast, remained remarkably constant, indicating selective grazing of the mainly picoplankton-sized food. Oxygen depletions were weak and mainly related to flushing. In sack-shaped cavities they amounted to 13.6 ± 6.1 mmol m -3 or 3 to 9 % of BBL concentrations. Analyses of water flow and chl a distributions show that under oligotrophic summer conditions 0.7 g C m -2 d -1 of phytoplankton disappears within the upper 1 m of cavernous reef framework. This conservative estimate is about 1 order of magnitude higher than grazing rates of coral-dominated communities on the exposed reef, rendering cryptofauna suspension feeding an important and new pathway of extrinsic organic matter into coral reefs.


This Note examines the challenges of corporate cyberdefense and suggests an approach to mitigate them. Part I outlines the background of the corporate cyberdefense quandary and various cyberdefense strategies. Part II explores the current landscape of cybersecurity law in the United States and the regulatory infrastructure that governs cybercrimes. Part II also surveys case law that illustrates the legal loopholes and ambiguities corporations face when implementing cybersecurity measures. Finally, Part III argues that the proposed active defense model fails to comport with practical concerns and established legal principles. This Note's comparative analysis of common law 'defense of property' principles and corporate cyberdefense provides a framework from which the Federal Communications Commission, in conjunction with the Cyber Threat Intelligence Integration Center, should promulgate sensible and legally-sound corporate cyberdefense guidelines.


Land use information over large areas is increasingly important for many studies related to environment in general and global change in particular. Yet there is a dearth of methodological knowledge in this area, especially regarding the practical task of producing land use maps. In this article, a systematic land use mapping approach is developed, based on land cover maps that in turn are produced through remote sensing. The concept is based on the recognition of varying strengths of land cover (LC) – land use (LU) relationships, from the thematic and spatial points of view. Several categories of relationships are identified, ranging from direct (case 1) to multiple/complex (case 4), and appropriate mapping strategies are discussed for these cases. Using a mapping study in Lebanon, it is shown that the principles embodied in this approach correspond to issues and conditions in real mapping situations. Finally, the concepts are translated into a series of steps through which the method can be applied to large areas, taking into consideration the specific requirements and constraints of each case. The final land use map represents an acceptable compromise between accuracy, level of detail, and cost.


Monteggia fracture-dislocations typically involve a dislocation of the radial head with an associated fracture of the ulnar shaft. The prompt diagnosis and treatment of these acute injuries result in excellent outcomes. Unfortunately, a Monteggia fracture-dislocation is often missed during diagnostic testing and results in a chronic Monteggia fracture-dislocation. The subsequent timing and treatment of chronic Monteggia fracture-dislocations are debatable because outcomes are suboptimal. Therefore, it is critical that the initial injury be correctly diagnosed and treated as close to the time of injury as possible to ensure excellent outcomes.


The crisis of Comparative Literature is a fact. Methodologically speaking, the trees of knowledge as hierarchical structures that made possible to understand universal literature as a balance of counterweights and mutual dependencies have collapsed. In the last thirty years, we are witnessing a change of epistemological paradigm. The construction of large self-sufficient cultures is giving way to a world based on communication and the ability to transmit knowledge. Weltliteratur is nothing more than a huge corpus of works that constantly interact and transform under the most diverse influences. These changes and their theoretical implications influenced notably the study and the relations between the literary cultures of the Iberian Peninsula.


Feral pigeons, common wood pigeons and Eurasian collared doves are the most common representatives of the Columbidae family in Switzerland and are mostly present in highly populated, urban areas. Pigeons may carry various members of the obligate intracellular Chlamydiaceae family, particularly Chlamydia (C.) psittaci, a known zoonotic agent, and C. avium. The objective of the study was to identify the infection rates of common free-roaming pigeons for different Chlamydia species with the overall aim to assess the risk pigeons pose to public health. In this study, 431 pigeons (323 feral pigeons, 34 domestic pigeons, 39 Eurasian collared doves, 35 common wood pigeons) from several geographic locations in Switzerland were investigated for the presence of Chlamydiaceae. Samples consisted of pooled choanal-cloacal swabs (n = 174), liver samples (n = 52), and paired swab and liver samples from 205 pigeons (n = 410). All 636 samples were screened using a Chlamydiaceae family-specific 23S rRNA real-time PCR (qPCR). Subsequent species identification was performed by DNA-microarray assay, sequencing of a 16S rRNA gene fragment and a C. psittaci specific qPCR. In total, 73 of the 431 pigeons tested positive for Chlamydiaceae, of which 68 were positive for C. psittaci, four were C. avium-positive and one pigeon was co-infected with C. avium and C. psittaci. The highest infection rates were detected in feral (64/323) and domestic pigeons (5/34). Common wood pigeons (2/35) and Eurasian collared doves (2/39) revealed lower infection rates. Additionally, multilocus sequence typing of twelve selected C. psittaci-positive samples revealed closely related sequence types (ST) between and within different Swiss cities. Furthermore, liver and corresponding swab samples from the same bird were colonized by the same ST. Considering the high infection rates of C. psittaci in domestic and feral pigeons, close or frequent contact to these birds poses a human health risk.


Co-catalysis with an H-bond donor (HBD) and base has been an important bifunctional catalytic system for polymerizations. The development of strong HBDs is a continuing quest in the design of more efficient H-bonding catalysts. Internal Lewis pair enhanced H-bond donors (LPHBDs) as strong HBDs have not been explored for polymerizations. Here we report that boronate-urea (BU) as a representative LPHBD, combined with (−)-sparteine as the base, promoted fast ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of L-lactide (LLA) at room temperature, which featured high conversions (up to 99%), predicted molecular weights (from 2.58 to 17.2 kg mol−1), and narrow dispersities (Đ ≤ 1.16). A bifunctional synergistic activation mechanism was proposed and supported by NMR titrations. The controlled/living nature of the ROP for LLA was confirmed by kinetics and chain extension experiments. 1H NMR, SEC, and MALDI-ToF MS analyses strongly indicated that the obtained PLAs were the designated ones. The successful synthesis of well-defined poly(trimethylene carbonate)-block-poly(L-lactide) verified that the catalytic ROP was of a controlled/living nature, and suggested that the LPHBD binary catalysis system is generally applicable. Taken together, we present a new protocol of internal Lewis pair enhanced H-bond (LPHBD) catalysis in ROP. Boronate-urea (BU) as a representative LPHBD is mild, tunable and it is more efficient than the common urea; it is nicely compatible with tertiary amines. BU combined with tertiary amines is a generally workable polymerization tool.


Stream-aquifer relations in a 31,835square-mile area in parts of Georgia, Florida, and South Carolina were evaluated in support of ground-water modeling investigations using hydrograph-separation and a linear-regression analysis of streamflow duration curves. The study area consists of three major river systems—the Altamaha-Satilla-St Marys, SalkehatchieSavannah-Ogeechee, and Suwannee—that interact with the underlying ground-water system to varying degrees largely based on the degree of incision of a river into an aquifer and on topography. Average mean-annual baseflow in the three basins ranged from about 42 to 69 percent of total mean-annual streamflow during 1981, 1997, and 2000. Baseflow provided a larger percentage of streamflow at sites in the Salkehatchie-SavannahOgeechee River Basin than in the other two basins, which probably results from their proximity to the upper Coastal Plain where there is greater topographic relief and interconnection between streams and aquifers. Linear-regression analysis of baseflow and streamflow duration indicate that the 65-percent flow duration is a reasonable estimate of mean-annual baseflow.


Al and Betty Traverse in the Botanischer Garten , Berlin, Germany in August 1987.

Professor Alfred ('Al') Traverse passed away following a long illness at 90 years of age on September 15th 2015 at Juniper Village, State College, Pennsylvania, USA. With his death, the twin sciences of palaeobotany and palynology have lost one of their most influential and productive of practitioners and teachers. He had a stellar student career, was a coal petrologist, an industrial palynologist and held parallel positions in the Episcopal (Anglican) church. However he is principally defined by his 30-year tenure as a professor at The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) from 1966 to his full retirement in 1996. Al was an incredibly diverse scientist; the topics of his numerous research papers are highly eclectic. He demonstrated a truly polymathic approach to palaeobotany and palynology. Most notably, he published two editions of the only single-author textbook ever published in English on pre-Quaternary palynology. This short article seeks to celebrate and document Al's fascinating, fulfilling, long and productive life, hence it is designated as both a biography and an obituary. The authors have drawn on their collective memories, Al's publications, online information and other obituaries such as Anonymous (2015) and Rich & Strother (2015).

Alfred Traverse was born on the 7th of September (Labor Day) 1925 at St. James Anglican rectory in Port Hill, Prince Edward Island, Canada. He was always known as Al to everyone, and was the son of the Reverend A. Freeman Traverse, a priest in the Episcopal church. His mother was Pearle Akerley Traverse, who was a dietician and schoolteacher. In 1926 the Traverse family moved to Lucknow in southern Ontario, and then to Allegan, Michigan, USA in 1928. Al never moved back to Canada, and he became a naturalised United …


The sustainable potential of the resource wood is currently not tapped in Switzerland, as the amount of wood harvested is smaller than the amount that regrows. There are many possible reasons for this, such as the fine-grained supply structure: in Switzerland, there are approximately 250'000 private forest owners who own on average a forest area of approximately 1.5 ha. This makes the sale of wood financially not very attractive for them. Also, public forest enterprises in Switzerland manage rather small forest areas compared to other European countries. Personal relationships play an important role in the Swiss wood markets, so potential business transactions are not solely evaluated based on economic criteria. In alpine areas, harvesting wood is associated with high costs. At the same time, wood prices are largely determined by international wood prices, which comes along with a dependency of the Swiss wood markets on the exchange rate EUR-CHF.
Computer simulation is one possibility to examine how these and other characteristics of the Swiss wood markets influence the availability of wood. The development of a computer model allows the simulation of different scenarios in order to gain insights that are otherwise difficult to gain. For example, the impact of the market participants' decision-making behavior on the quantities of wood available on the market can be investigated, i.e. which market participants can get what amount of wood at what time, and what prices they have to pay for it. The influence of the market structure, such as the existence of intermediaries or potential consequences of combining smaller forest enterprises to larger ones, can also be examined.
The characteristics of these markets make agent-based modeling a promising approach to simulate these markets. In an agent-based model (ABM), a system is modeled by describing its constituting entities, referred to as agents. In the given case, these agents represent the market participants. Each agent can be attributed with individual characteristics and behavior. When these agents are simulated, the aggregate behavior can be observed, e.g. the quantities traded on the market and the corresponding prices. This aggregate behavior emerges from the many interactions and decisions of the individual agents. The behavior of the entire system is often unpredictable, sometimes even counterintuitive, if only the behavior of the individual elements of the system is considered. It is only the interplay of these elements which makes emergent phenomena observable. The ability to observe emergent phenomena is a central strength of agent-based simulation. The bottom-up description of the system also allows the modeling of the structures and relationships at the level of individual market participants. These play an important role in the Swiss wood markets.
This dissertation was conducted according to the design science research paradigm. Concerning the specific requirements of this thesis, this means that the aim was to create a model that represents the Swiss wood markets with sufficient accuracy, so that it can be used to gain new insights into these markets.
This cumulative PhD thesis comprises four peer-reviewed journal publications, three of them are already published, the fourth is submitted. Each of these publications deals with a central step towards the overall goal: the first shows a simplified agent-based model of the sawlogs and energy wood market in the canton of Aargau. Simple scenarios demonstrate the suitability of the approach, but also reveal issues which need further research. The second publication focuses on how discrete choice experiments can be used to enhance the empirical foundation of the agents' decision-making behavior. The third publication describes the validation of the model, which now represents the sawmill, energy wood and industrial wood markets (all three further divided into one market for softwood and one for hardwood). Validating the model is an important prerequisite to use it for scenario analysis. The last publication in this thesis finally shows the simulation and analysis of various politically relevant scenarios. This includes an analysis of how the market is influenced by the presence of intermediaries or by the intensity of profit orientation of forest owners.
The developed model can be parameterized for different Swiss regions in order to simulate the regional wood markets. The necessary empirical data was gathered for the cantons of Aargau, Bern and Grisons. Currently, the model is parameterized and validated for the canton of Grisons. Particularly the last publication demonstrated that the model can be used to provide insights into these markets by simulating and analyzing different scenarios. However, the model itself is not the only contribution of this thesis. On the one hand, to develop this model, several problems had to be solved that could be of interest to modelers of other markets. One example is the problem of defining the geographical model boundaries in a market that is heavily influenced by the surrounding international markets. On the other hand, the creation of such a model already provides many valuable insights into the markets under study, since knowledge about them must be gathered and interpreted. This makes the journey a considerable part of the reward.


Subject of this thesis is the user interface Blended Shelf, which provides a shelf browsing experience beyond the physical location of the library. Shelf browsing offers numerous advantages and users apply it as a research strategy in libraries. Little usable and proven applications exist to provide shelf browsing in the digital domain, which would allow time and location independent shelf access for the users. Therefore, the aim of this work is to develop a user interface, which offers the experience of digital shelf browsing, without losing the essential advantages that are deeply rooted in the physical space.

To accomplish this, the first part of the thesis constructs a collection of basic requirements that need to be fulfilled to emulate the shelf browsing experience. The basics of these requirements are the theoretical background of shelf browsing, as well as an analysis of library specific aspects and user needs. The central parts of the work illustrate how the usage of the requirement collection serves as a foundation for the concrete implementation, the set of functions and the reality-based interaction design of Blended Shelf. Finally, an evaluation in form of a comprehensive field study checks whether the implementation meets the requirements and if the users perceive the User Interface as useful and usable. A description and discussion of the study design and results forms the last third of the thesis. An outlook to and discussion of open questions and future work concludes the thesis.


Online learning provides the potential for more differentiated, integrated, and open learning environments to solve team project assignments. We argue that although it is feasible to increase information richness via adopting multimedia technologies, the effectiveness to promote interpersonal skills, critical thinking, and cognitive learning processes via virtual group discussion is uncertain. To substantiate the argument, we invited 156 subjects, divided into 46 groups, to resolve decisionand intellective-tasks in text-messaging and audio-conferencing e-learning environments. A pedagogical interpretation of how we can use these two e-learning systems to improve effectiveness for group-based tasks was posited.


Abstract The objective of this paper is to examine the short-run and long-run dynamic relationship between foreign portfolio investments (FPI) and stock prices of Pakistan. This study first ever attempts in the context of Pakistan economy to investigate the foreign portfolio investment and its impact on the domestic stock market. The surge in FPI in the developing countries is relatively due to growth of stock markets in these countries, liberalisation of their economies, high returns on investment, trade openness, improved communication and global technology. This study used annual time series data starting from 1984 to 2016. The autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) method used for both the long-run and short-run relationship between FPI and various policy variables. All the results are statistically significant except the exchange rate and the model is best fitted which shows the diagnostic and stability test.


A major paradigm shift has recently revolutionized our picture of globular clusters (GC) that were long thought to be simple systems of coeval stars born out of homogeneous material. Indeed, detailed abundance studies of GC long-lived low-mass stars performed with 8-10m class telescopes, together with high-precision photometry of Galactic GCs obtained with HST,have brought compelling clues on the presence of multiple stellar populations in individual GCs. These stellar subgroups can be recognized thanks to their different chemical properties (more precisely by abundance differences in light elements from carbon to aluminium; see Bragaglia, this volume) and by the appearance of multimodal sequences in the colour-magnitude diagrams (see Piotto, this volume). This has a severe impact on our understanding of the early evolution of GCs, and in particular of the possible role that massive stars played in shaping the intra-cluster medium (ICM) and in inducing secondary star formation. Here we summarize the detailed timeline we have recently proposed for the first 40 Myrs in the lifetime of a typical GC following the general ideas of our so-called "Fast Rotating Massive stars scenario" (FRMS, Decressin et al. 2007b) and taking into account the dynamics of interstellar bubbles produced by stellar winds and supernovae. More details can be found in Krause et al. (2012, 2013).


Enhancing the digital controllability of wideband RF transceiver front-ends helps in widening the range of operating conditions and applications in which such systems can be employed. Technology limitations and design challenges often constrain the extensive adoption of digital controllability in RF front-ends. This work focuses on three major aspects associated with the design and implementation of a digitally controllable RF transceiver front-end for enhanced digital control.

Firstly, the influence of the choice of semiconductor technology for a system-on-chip integration of digital gain control circuits are investigated. The digital control of gain is achieved by utilizing step attenuators that consist of cascaded switched attenuation stages. A design methodology is presented to evaluate the influence of the chosen technology on the performance of the three conventionally used switched attenuator topologies for desired attenuation levels, and the constraints that the technology suitable for high amplification places on the attenuator performance are examined.

Secondly, a novel approach to the integrated implementation of gain slope equalization is presented, and the suitability of the proposed approach for integration within the RF front-end is verified.

Thirdly, a sensitivity-aware implementation of a peak power detector is presented. The increased employment of digital gain control also increases the requirements on the sensitivity of the power detector employed for adaptive power and gain control. The design, implementation, and measurement results of a state-of-the-art wideband power detector with high sensitivity and large dynamic range are presented. The design is optimized to provide a large offset cancellation range, and the influence of offset cancellation circuits on the sensitivity of the power detector is studied. Moreover, design considerations for high sensitivity performance of the power detector are investigated, and the noise contributions from individual sub-circuits are evaluated.

Finally, a wideband RF transceiver front-end is realized using a commercially available SiGe BiCMOS technology to demonstrate the enhancements in the digital controllability of the system. The RF front-end has a bandwidth of 500 MHz to 2.5 GHz, an input dynamic range of 20 dB, a digital gain control range larger than 30 dB, a digital gain slope equalization range from 1.49 dB/GHz to 3.78 dB/GHz, and employs a power detector with a sensitivity of -56 dBm and dynamic range of 64 dB. The digital control in the RF front-end is implemented using an on-chip serial-parallel-interface (SPI) that is controlled by an external micro-controller. A prototype implementation of the RF front-end system is presented as part of an RFIC intended for use in optical transceiver modules for fiber-to-the-x applications.


Based on the achievable variance of the control outputs, a fault diagnosis of cascade control systems is developed. Without any prior knowledge of the complex operating processes and/or a prior external input to perturb the operating system, the accurate fault identification can be achieved by a series of the statistical hypothesis procedure that is applied to the current measured data. To isolate the possible faults, the output variances of the primary and the secondary loop can be separated into the cascade-invariant (CI) and cascade-dependent (CD) terms, respectively, by the diophantine decompositions. After a sequence of the hypotheses testing is performed on the CI and DI terms of the current control and the achievable performance conditions, the hierarchy diagnostic trees for the primary and the secondary outputs are respectively established to explore the possible faults. The final faults can be inferred by merging both diagnosis trees


There is considerable interest in using superconducting electron linacs with energy recovery as synchrotron radiation sources. Such energy recovery linacs (ERLs) would open new regimes of X-ray science because they are capable of producing ultra-brilliant X-ray beams [>5 x 10(22) photons s(-1) (0.1% bandwidth)(-1) mm(-2) mrad(-2) at 10 keV], maintaining a very small source size ( approximately 3 micro m r.m.s.) suitable for micro X-ray beams, and making very intense fast ( approximately 100 fs) X-ray pulses. Each of these characteristics would permit the execution of experiments that are not feasible with existing synchrotron sources. Many technical issues must be satisfactorily resolved before the potential of a full-scale ERL can be realised, including the generation of high average current (10 to 100 mA), high-brightness electron beams (0.015 to 0.15 nm rad emittances, respectively); acceleration of these beams to energies of 5-7 GeV without unacceptable emittance degradation; stable and efficient operation of superconducting linear accelerators at very high gradients etc. Cornell University, in collaboration with Jefferson Laboratory, has proposed to resolve these issues by the construction of a 100 MeV, 100 mA prototype ERL. The intention is to then utilize the information that is learned from the prototype to propose the construction of a full-scale ERL light source.


This study is a sociopragmatics study. It aimed at describing types of expressive speech act uttered by male characters on romantic speech event on New Moon novel written by Stephanie Meyer. To collect the data, this research used descriptive qualitative method. The data are obtained from male characters' utterances on romantic speech events. The romantic speech event is described by context when the male characters do the speech acts. Before the data are analyzed, they are validated by 3 raters through FGD (Focused Group Discussion). The result of this study showed that there are 15 types of expressive speech act, they are: showing dislike, caring, regretting, surprising, apologizing, greeting, loving, mocking, showing relief, giving a compliment, confessing, encouraging, showing anger, and thankin.


The effect of "drugs for liver disease", protoporphyrin (PP) and phosphorylcholine (PC), on CCl4-induced liver injury was studied. Attention was given to the levels of microsomal drug-metabolizing enzyme and lipolytic enzyme activities and of some microsomal components such as phospholipid and peroxides. Administration of PP to CCl4-poisoned rats was found to increase the decreased microsomal drug-metabolizing enzyme activities, aminopyrine N-demethylase, aniline p-hydroxylase, cytochrome P-450 and b5 and lipolytic enzyme activity in CCl4-poisoned liver (12-20% increase as compared with those of the poisoned rats), and returned to control levels earlier than in CCl4-poisoned rats. Furthermore, administration of PP to CCl4-poisoned rats caused a decrease in the lipid peroxidation. A single dose of PP to normal rats was shown to increase these parameters, to a small extent. One of the mechanisms may be attributed to the fact that PP increases the biosynthesis of the hemoproteins by means of the incorporation of PP into the pigments and protects the membranes from lipid peroxides and the free radicals. On the other hand, administration of PC to the poisoned rats did not enhance the levels of the drug-metabolizing enzyme activities except for aminopyrine N-demethylase. Phospholipid phosphorous content, however, increased by 13-14% when PC was given. Thus, it is considered that PC may enhance the reconstitution of phospholipids in the injured membrane.


This paper describes an on going research that uses design experimentation to provide an insight into different modes of space representation – in this case, physical, augmented or virtual space – and the type of experience triggered by their juxtaposition. We investigate, thus, how the simultaneous labyrinthic navigation and the moving or "shifting" "overview" enrich our experience of the city and "bring forth" the function of the bus-stop as an intermediate space of transition. We also question the way in which one perceives his/her own body spatiality and motility in physical, augmented and virtual environments, and how the particular kind of experience created by this juxtaposition, "brings forth" one's awareness of his/her navigation in the city, or the instrumentality of the specific place. Our theoretical approach highlights issues pertaining to embodiment, spatiality, consciousness, intentionality, virtuality and immateriality.


Based on an elastic beam model, potential flow theory and N-mode Galerkin discretization technique, the dynamical stability behaviors of fluid-conveyed double-walled carbon nanotubes (DWCNTs) considering geometry nonlinearity relating to the time as variation of the flow velocity are studied. The results show that the bifurcations happen in turn of pitchfork and Hopf types as the flow velocity increases. The vdW forces do not change the bifurcation types but make the critical velocities increase sharply. Furthermore, the vdW forces play a critical role in keeping the synchronization of the time histories of the amplitudes or the velocities of different layers of the CNTs-fluid system.


The continued spread of Palmer amaranth (Amaranthus palmeri S. Wats.) throughout the southern and midwestern United States is a result of herbicide-resistant populations. Besides being the most troublesome weed specie in several agronomic crops, Palmer amaranth is also host to economically important pests such as tarnished plant bug (Lygus lineolaris Palisot de Beauvois). Pesticide application methodology that maximizes efficacy while reducing selection pressure is needed to combat herbicide-resistant Palmer amaranth. Pulse width modulation (PWM) sprayers are used for pesticide application with the goal of maintaining product efficacy while mitigating spray drift. Additionally, alternative off-season weed management practices such as flooding could be adopted to optimize soil seedbank depletion. Therefore, evaluation of spray droplet size and flooding period on Palmer amaranth control and seed germination was conducted. The objectives of this research were to: (1) evaluate the influence of spray droplet size on lactofen and acifluorfen efficacy on Palmer amaranth using a PWM sprayer, (2) develop prediction models to determine spray droplet size that provides the greatest level of Palmer amaranth control, (3) evaluate the impact of flooding period and seed burial depth on Palmer amaranth seed germination in different soil textures, and (4) analyze the impact of nitrogen fertilizer application rate on the attractiveness of Palmer amaranth to tarnished plant bug. Results show that spray droplet size does not affect lactofen efficacy on Palmer amaranth, thus, coarser spray droplets are recommended to increase spray drift mitigation efforts. In contrast, acifluorfen applied with 300 μm (medium) spray droplets provided the greatest Palmer amaranth control. Furthermore, prediction models indicated that greater model accuracy was obtained when adopting a location-specific weed management approach. Flooding periods of 3, 4, and 5 months reduced Palmer amaranth seed germination across burial depths and soil textures. Therefore, fall-winter flooding may be adopted as an effective practice for soil seedbank depletion. Results also demonstrated that nitrogen fertilizer application rate does not consistently impact Palmer amaranth attractiveness to tarnished plant bug.


In this paper we analyse developments in the composition of central bank balance sheets for a large set of central banks in a unified framework. Since 2007, central banks in advanced economies have experienced pronounced changes in balance sheet composition as a consequence of unconventional monetary policy measures. In addition, we document a convergence in balance sheet composition from 2007 until 2009, as the initial crisis response was fairly homogeneous across advanced economies, mostly driven by financial stability concerns. However, since 2009 design of balance sheet policies has been more diverse, reflecting diverging policy challenges across regions. By contrast, balance sheets of central banks in emerging market economies have remained broadly unchanged in terms of composition in the period under review.


Abstract The conditions in ancient evaporative environments conducive to authigenic carbonate (especially dolomite [CaMg(CO3)2]) formation are still insufficiently understood. Insights from microfacies analysis can help to constrain the conditions in these environments. We provide a brief overview of the microfacies association and carbon and oxygen isotope compositions of dolomite beds intercalated in a claystone-rich succession from the Norian Arnstadt Formation in Thuringia and Lower Saxony (Germany) in order to gain further insight into the depositional conditions and processes leading to the formation of authigenic Mg/Ca-carbonates in the Germanic Basin. The studied intervals are ascribed to lacustrine, partially evaporitic conditions, while the sedimentary structures were not obliterated by recrystallization. The microfacies of the dolomites is diverse, showing homogeneous micrite, mudclasts, lamination, and peloidal structures, and reflects a shallow to deeper water (below wave base) and episodically evaporative environment. The dolomites exhibit oxygen isotope values (δ18O) in the range from −5.21 to −0.36‰ VPDB and, hence, only represent a weak meteoric influence, suggesting that the authigenic carbonate generally formed under evaporative conditions. Carbon isotope values (δ13C) in the range of −4.28 to 1.39‰ VPDB indicate a small contribution of remineralized organic carbon, mainly in sediments that were presumably deposited in deeper water or under brackish conditions. Sedimentary structures, such as lamination with graded silt layers, reworked mudclasts embedded in a fine dolomicrite matrix, and peloids showing plastic deformation, indicate that the sediment was still unlithified. These observations would be consistent with an authigenic formation of Mg/Ca-carbonates directly from the lake water, and their deposition under variable conditions in a large playa-lake/perennial lake system.


Sunitinib, an antiangiogenic molecule, is one of the first-line standard of care in the treatment of patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma. However, it only benefits to a subgroup of patients and no predictive markers of sunitinib efficacy have been identified. Twenty-eight metastatic renal cell carcinomas were treated with sunitinib-based therapy and another subgroup of 7 primary renal cell cancer patients were also treated by sunitinib in a neoadjuvant trial. Measurements of CD3+CD4+CD25hi Foxp3+ regulatory T cells, an immunosuppressive cell population, were performed before and after each cycle of treatment in blood and tumor in a prospective study. We observed a decrease in the number of peripheral blood Foxp3+ regulatory T cells after each cycle of sunitinib-based therapy. The overall survival was significantly longer in patients showing a decrease in the number of Foxp3+ regulatory T cells after 2 or 3 cycles of treatment (P<0.05). The decrease in the number of regulatory T cells positively correlated with their number at baseline (P<0.01), but not with modification of tumor volume defined by Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors criteria. The clinical relevance of these results was also supported by an intratumoral decrease of regulatory T cells in 5 out of 7 patients treated by sunitinib in a neoadjuvant trial. Our study represents the first work reporting that the measurement of regulatory T cells may have a predictive value on antiangiogenic response. Antiangiogenic therapy also reversed immunosuppression in the tumor microenvironment which provides novel argument in human to favor its combination with immunotherapy.


This paper proposes a new effective data transfer method for IEEE 802.11 wireless LANs [ 1] by integrating priority control and multirate mechanism. The IEEE 802.11 PHY layer supports a multirate mechanism with dynamic rate switching and an appropriate data rate is selected in transmitting a frame. However, the multirate mechanism is used with the CSMA/CA (Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance) protocol, low rate transmissions need much longer time than high rate transmissions to finish sending a frame. As a result, the system capacity is decreased. The proposed method assumes the same number of priority levels as the data rates, and a data rate is associated to a priority level. Priority of a transmission goes up with the used data rate. For this purpose, we have modified the CSMA/CA protocol to support prioritized transmission. By selecting the appropriate priority depending on the data rate and giving more transmission opportunities for high rate transmission, the system capacity is increased. The effect of the proposed mechanism is confirmed by computer simulations.


Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) are widely used to help employees experiencing personal or work-related difficulties that impact work productivity. However, rigorous research on the effectiveness of programs to improve work-related outcomes is lacking. The current study represents a major advance in EAP research by using a prospective, quasi-experimental design with a large and diverse employee base. Using propensity scores calculated from demographic, social, work-related, and psychological variables collected on baseline surveys, we matched 156 employees receiving EAP to 188 non-EAP employees. Follow-up surveys were collected from 2 to 12 months post-baseline (M = 6.0). At follow-up, EAP employees had significantly greater reductions in absenteeism (b = −.596, p = .001) and presenteeism (b = −.217, p = .038), but not workplace distress (b = −.079, p = .448), than did non-EAP employees. Tests of moderation of baseline alcohol use, depression, anxiety, and productivity indicate that for the most part, the program works equally well for all groups. However, EAP did more to reduce absenteeism for those who began with lower severity of depression and anxiety at baseline. Results provide the scientific rigor needed to demonstrate EAP impact on improved work outcomes. In the first study of its kind, findings confirm the value of EAPs to help employees address personal and work-related concerns that are affecting job performance.


: The effective point of measurement (EPM) of a Kemp-Barber parallel plate ionisation chamber exposed to cobalt-60 has been determined experimentally. The variation of the EPM as a function of plate separation and the build-up cap thickness has also been studied. In general, for a constant size of build-up cap, the EPM moves downstream from the inner front wall towards the back wall of the chamber as the plate separation decreases. For parallel plate chambers, conventional theoretical analyses suggest that the EPM is the inner front wall and that it shifts towards the geometric centre of the chamber as the plate separation increases. The experimentally determined variation of the EPM, which appears to contradict these conclusions, suggests that the distribution of ionisation within a parallel plate chamber is not adequately accounted for in present theoretical descriptions. Such considerations may also affect other experimental determinations of the EPM for cylindrical chambers, as many are based on a comparison using parallel plate ionisation chambers with an assumed EPM on the inner front wall.


Ramipril is used mainly for the treatment of hypertension and to reduce incidence of fatality following heart attacks in patients who develop indications of congestive heart failure. In the paediatric population it is used most commonly for the treatment of heart failure, hypertension in type 1 diabetes and diabetic nephropathy. Due to the lack of a suitable liquid formulation, the current study evaluates the development of a range of oral liquid formulations of ramipril along with their in vitro and in vivo absorption studies. Three different formulation development approaches were studied: solubilisation using acetic acid as a co-solvent, complexation with hydroxypropyl-く-cyclodextrin (HP-く-CD) and suspension development using xanthan gum. Systematic optimisation of formulation parameters for the different strategies resulted in the development of products stable for twelve months at long term stability conditions. In vivo evaluation showed CMAX of 10.48 μg/mL for co-solvent, 13.04μg/ml for the suspension and 29.58μg/mL for the cyclodextrin based ramipril solution. Interestingly, both ramipril solution (co-solvent) and the suspension showed a TMAX of 2.5h, however, cyclodextrin based ramipril produced TMAX at 0.75h following administration. The results presented in this study provide translatable products for oral liquid ramipril which offer preferential paediatric use over existing alternatives.