To date various types of Cl(-) currents have been recorded in cardiac myocytes from different regions of the heart and from different species. Most of these are silent under basal conditions, but are rapidly activated under the influence of various agonists or physical stress that, in the long term, also lead to development of hypertrophy. Previously, we identified three different Cl(-) channel activities in neonatal rat cardiomyocytes: (i) Ca(2+) regulated, (ii) cAMP regulated (cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator Cl(-) channels) and (iii) osmoregulated Cl(-) channels. In this study, we examined comparatively the effects of cyclic stretch and endothelin-1 (ET-1) on Cl(-) channel activity in primary cultures of neonatal rat ventricular myocytes using an (125)I-efflux assay. About 4 min after the start of the (125)I-efflux (mean basal rate amounts 6.3% of total (125)I incorporated/min), the addition of 10 nM ET-1 or the application of cyclic stretch rapidly and transiently increased (125)I-efflux by 3.8%/min and 0.8%/min respectively above the basal rate. The stretch induced (125)I-efflux rate could be blocked by 100 microM Gd(3+) but it had no effect on the ET-1 response. After 24 h stimulation by ET-1 or cyclic stretch the myocytes responded by hypertrophy which is detected by increases of (3)H-leucine incorporation into protein and protein/DNA ratio. In conclusion, cyclic stretch as well as ET rapidly and transiently activate Cl(-) channels in rat neonatal cardiomyocytes. The results suggest that the activation of distinct types of Cl(-) channels (co)transduce the stretch- and agonist-induced hypertrophic responses in these myocytes.


Veneers are slices of wood cut to a particular thickness, that are used in two major
ways: firstly, for structural wood products such as plywood or laminates and secondly
for decorative surface veneers, the latter often having a high value or prominent or
unusual appearance. The use of veneers has a long and illustrious history and for
hundreds of years veneers were prepared by hand. Since the early nineteenth century
veneers have been generally produced by three methods: sawing, slicing or rotary
cutting.


In the high-speed signal path on PCB and packagings, vias usually causes most discontinuities and thereby crosstalks. In simulation and characterizations, they also generate more errors than the trace parts due to rich modes around them. To achieve both efficiency and accuracy, in this paper, a new domain decomposition based finite element time domain (FETD) method is proposed for the analysis of power/ground plate pairs with various types of antipads. Using the magnetic field feature, the 3D computational domain is firstly represented by a quasi-2D field. Then by taking advantage of the fast decaying property of high order modes, the quasi-2D FETD is further simplified to a hybrid 2D/quasi-2D algorithm. Assisted by the wave-port excitation and its S-parameter extraction technique, irregularly shaped antipads of complex via patterns are benchmarked to demonstrate the accuracy and efficiency of the proposed algorithm.


What adaptive function does self-regard serve? Sociometer theory predicts that it positively tracks social inclusion. A new theory, hierometer theory, predicts that it positively tracks social status. We tested both predictions with respect to two types of self-regard: selfesteem and narcissism. Study 1 (N = 940), featuring a cross-sectional design, found that both status and inclusion covaried positively with self-esteem, but that status alone covaried positively with narcissism. These links held independently of gender, age, and the Big Five personality traits. Study 2 (N = 627), a pre-registered cross-sectional study, obtained similar results with alternative measures of self-esteem and narcissism. Studies 3–4 featured experimental designs in which status and inclusion were orthogonally manipulated. Study 3 (N = 104) found that both higher status and higher inclusion promoted higher self-esteem, whereas only higher status promoted higher narcissism. Study 4 (N = 259) obtained similar results with alternative measures of self-esteem and narcissism. The findings suggest that self-esteem operates as both sociometer and hierometer, positively tracking both status and inclusion, whereas narcissism operates primarily as a hierometer, positively tracking status.


The results of investigations of the influence of shungite content (up to 50 weight %) in polypropylene matrix on the selected functional and processing properties of the composites are presented. Among others, mechanical strength (Fig. 2—5), impact strength (Fig. 6), and melt flow rate (Fig. 7) were evaluated. Thermal characteristics of the composites prepared was studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC, Fig. 8, 9) and thermogravimetry (Fig. 10,11). Thermo-mechanical properties were determined by dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA, Fig. 12). Surface and volume resistivity has been studied as well (Fig. 14). Wettability was also determined (Fig. 13) and on this basis the values of surface free energy were calculated according to Owens-Wendt method. It was found that shungite filled polypropylene composites were hydrophobic materials less susceptible to longitudinal strain at tension, showing lower impact strength, better anti-electrostatic properties and worse electro-insulating ones.


Objective To compare the effectiveness of two different exercise-based programs through telerehabilitation in patients with coronavirus disease 2019. Design Randomized, controlled, parallel, double-blinded, three-arm clinical trial. Setting Patients' homes through telerehabilitation devices. Subjects Subjects with coronavirus disease 2019 in the acute phase. Interventions Subjects were divided into three groups: breathing exercises group, strength exercises group or no treatment/control group. Main measures We analysed visual analogue scale for fatigue, 6-minute walking test, 30-seconds sit-to-stand test, multidimensional dyspnoea-12 questionnaire and Borg scale at baseline and 14 days later. Results From 93 subjects recruited, 88 were enrolled, and 77 patients (mean [SD] age 39.40 [11.71]) completed the 14-days intervention and were included in the analysis: 26 in strength exercises group, 29 in breathing exercises group and 22 in control group. The intergroup analysis shows significant differences between the study groups and control group in all variables (p < 0.05); Borg scale, multidimensional dyspnoea-12 questionnaire (pre–post intervention score: strength exercises group: 7.85 [6.82] – 4.54[4.82], breathing exercises group: 11.04 [6.49] – 5.32 [3.63], control group: 10.27 [6.49] – 10.59[6.58]), visual analogue scale for fatigue, 6-minute walking test and 30-seconds sit-to-stand test (pre–post intervention score: strength exercises group: 12.19 [4.42] – 13.58 [5.37], breathing exercises group: 11.18 [3.42] – 12.79 [4.00], control group: 10.45 [2.15] – 9.86[1.88]). The greatest effect sizes were found in the variables Borg Scale (R2 = 0.548) and multidimensional dyspnoea-12 questionnaire (R2 = 0.475). Conclusions Strength exercises group and breathing exercises group obtained significant improvements in fatigue, dyspnoea, perceived effort, and physical state, compared to control group, although the greatest benefits were found for dyspnoea and aerobic capacity in breathing exercises group.


Dear Editor-in-Chief According to the US Surgeon General, physician should take part preventing oral diseases; a matter that is almost overlooked (1). Visiting a pediatrician, parents often prioritize nutritional and growth issues and oral health is seldom a concern (2). Probably, one of the major barriers to this neglected part of clinical examination is this part of review of system (ROS) has been never thought during undergraduate and postgraduate training. (3). This shortfall may be related to already crowded Pediatrics residency programs and deficient knowledge of faculty members (1). In a survey among graduating pediatric residents in America, 71% felt not enough trained on infant oral health and 73% claimed that they received less than three hours of specific training of oral health during residency program (4). Annual time devoted to this subject was 1-2 hours reported by 52% of family medicine residency program directors from the United States in 2008 (5). In 2004, society of teachers of family medicine (STFM) established "Smile for Life: A national oral health curriculum for family medicine" released in 2005, which was updated in 2008 and 2010 (6). Smile for life (3rd version) possesses 8 sections discussing topics related to the oral health including relation of oral health to systemic health, adult oral health, child oral health, oral emergencies, oral health and pregnant patient, fluoride application, oral examination and geriatric patient (7). By the year 2006, oral health medicine became a mandatory part of family medicine curricula in United States (6). Of importance, attention to the dental caries and periodontitis and early signs of oral cancers is critical and should be noted and screened by a medical clinician especially in children, elderly, uninsured, underserved and urban population, respectively. WHO report of disability-adjusted life year (DALY) score of Iran in 2004 was a total of 1,542 and 3,622 for +60 and 0-14 year-old groups (per 1000 population). For 0-14 year old category, scores for asthma, dental caries and diarrhea are as the followings: 53, 37 and 277. For +60 category a total of 13 scores was related to the oral non-noeplastic diseases (i.e., edentulism 6, dental caries 7), while mouth and oropharynx cancer constitutes 5 out of 170 total cancers score when compared to 6,7, 9, 40 and 43 scores attained by breast, prostate, colon, esophageous and stomach cancers, respectively (8). Child hood dental caries as the most known chronic disease of childhood has remarkable consequences of poor growth, impaired nutrition and school performance, which adversely affect esthetics, chewing and speech. 1Moreover, high cost of emergency dental visits should be taken into account. Importance of screening role of a primary health care or a pediatrician should never be underestimated. Performance of oral examination by a dentist is more proficient than a medical clinician, though chance to visit a medical doctor or having medical insurance is as many times as visiting a dentist or having dental insurance coverage during life (9). In addition to the child oral care, adult practitioner especially in the fields of general internal medicine, neurology, endocrinology, radiooncology and family physicians should be knowledgeable of bidirectional periodontal-systemic health relation, oral manifestation of systemic diseases, adverse drug reactions within oral cavity and side effects of systemic medications on oral softand hard tissues (10). Both main references for pediatrics and internal medicine board examination in Iran include chapters on oral development and oral diseases, though in brief. According to the recent extension of pediatrics program in Iran, from a 3- to 4-year program, incorporation of a professional oral examination course and pediatrics' dentistry rotation in the local dental schools would increase confidence and competence of a clinician performing oral care. …


Introduction: The curriculum for health profession education uses a variety of teaching techniques. A strategy is needed to create a creative learning environment during the implementation of the academic learning process so that students can achieve the expected competencies. Peer learning is one of the learning methods to facilitate student learning experience. Peer learning (PL) uses peers as tutors in the learning process and the process of students learning with and from each other. The application of the peer learning method in the health student learning curriculum is considered to have several advantages and challenges.
Purpose: To identify the benefits and challenges of implementing peer learning methods on health professional students.
Methodology: This study is a literature review with databases form ScienceDirect, PubMed, Scopus and Emerald. The articles search results obtained 10 articles that were screened using the PRISMA guide. This study is looking for articles about peer learning methods in health students who are included in the inclusion criteria.
Findings: There are total 1273 articles obtained from 4 databases, with details ScienceDirect 499 articles, PubMed 366 articles, Scopus 255 articles and Emerald 153 articles. The results of a review of 10 articles show that the peer learning method can be implemented in academic learning settings as well as clinical learning. The application of peer learning methods in the learning process has several benefits including; improve social skills, increase knowledge and better understanding of learning materials, increase self-confidence, improve clinical skills. Apart from the benefits, there are some challenges in implementing the PL method.
Implication: PL can be applied in health student learning because it has many benefits for health students.


The sheer volume of Web data, together with its low signal-to-noise ratio, make it difficult for text-based search engines to locate high-quality pages. Analyzing the links between Web sites has dramatically improved the Web search experience and spawned research into the Web's link structure. This research includes graph-theoretic studies of connectivity, which have shown the Web to have strong similarities with social networks. Self-similarity is pervasive in social networks. While researchers have observed Web self-similarity in other contexts, finding a fractal structure in a graph theoretic setting adds further evidence to the Web's small-world social nature. Thus, researchers seek to explain and exploit the human behavior implicit in the Web's evolving structure. How can we combine the power of Web networks with networks resulting from other human activity? Accomplishing this goal represents knowledge management's key challenge and opportunity.


This study seeks to fill the epistemological gap regarding the legislative and regulatory means of managing local accommodation, as it relates to the cultural identity of cities and parts of cities in Portugal. We presume such a cultural identity to be a complex entity which is built in part in negotiation with the tourist, but one that is currently being done on an imbalanced relationship. This study is conducted from a law studies point of view, seeking to draw conclusions from recent touristic trends especially in the cities of Porto and Lisbon. As a way to stimulate entrepreneurship in the tourism sector, local accommodation was recently constructed as juridical concept in Portuguese law, creating a separate regimen from traditional touristic establishments such as hotels, rural tourism and camping places. This also created the possibility to institutionalize a number of informal situations which operated in these cities (especially in light of the Governmental Decree no39/2008, March 7th, which extinguished the legal background of businesses as pensions and motels), allowing these to continue their activity - preventing the economic impact which their closing would bring. The specific law which was implemented- Governmental Decree no128/2014, August 29th, with the news brought by Decree no63/2015 created some dangers which have been at times posed to municipal institutions: the risk of 'desertification' of the center by local citizens, rent pressure, social polarization, amongst other risks. With such an appealing legal structure, which made local accommodation a viable opportunity not only for homeowners but also property developers – which also brings urban regeneration – one has to wonder what sort of policing and regulation is made on these spaces. Noting that this function belongs to ASAE (health and regulations police), whose contingent and power has been reduced, can one truly delegate to a national organism a localized factor such as this? Or ought we to look at community or private enterprise options for this task?


Introduction: Using pharmacy claims data we previously identified exposure misclassification in pharmacy claims data that underestimated oral bisphosphonate compliance, particularly in long-term care (LTC). In this study we examined the impact of exposure misclassification in pharmacy claims data on estimates of drug effectiveness using osteoporosis pharmacotherapy and hip fractures as a case example.
Methods: We identified new users of oral bisphosphonates, aged 66 or more years, using Ontario claims data. Compliance was quantified by the proportion of days covered (PDC) and categorized into groups during a 365-day ascertainment period. PDC was calculated using observed and cleaned days supply values. Hip fracture rates were calculated using Cox proportional hazard models, adjusted for behavioral and fracture risk factors. Low compliance (PDC < 20%) was the referent. Analyses were completed overall and separately for patients in community and LTC settings.
Results: The rate of hip fracture was higher in LTC (2.4/100 patient-years) than in the community (1.0/100 patient-years). Following data cleaning, to adjust for exposure misclassification, the estimated benefit of high compliance (PDC ≥ 80%) on fracture prevention (HRobserved = 0.74, 95% CI = 0.66-0.83; HRcleaned = 0.65, 95% CI = 0.57-0.74) increased. Risk estimates were similar among community-dwelling patients (HRobserved = 0.68, 95% CI = 0.60–0.77; HRcleaned = 0.65, 95% CI = 0.56–0.75), yet differed substantially in LTC (HRobserved = 0.96, 95% CI = 0.73–1.26; HRcleaned = 0.64, 95% CI = 0.46–0.91).
Conclusion: Exposure misclassification can bias estimates of drug effectiveness. While minimal change was noted in the community setting where most studies are completed, large differences were noted in LTC where fracture risk was highest. These results highlight the importance of understanding and examining the potential for exposure misclassification prior to data analysis in pharmacoepidemiology, particularly when including LTC settings.


Aims. To explore the impact of surface inhomogeneities on stellar spectra, granulation models need to be computed. Ideally, the most fundamental characteristics of these models should be carefully tested before applying them to the study of more practical matters, such as the derivation of photospheric abundances. Our goal is to analyze the particular case of a K-dwarf. Methods. We construct a three-dimensional radiative-hydrodynamic model atmosphere of parameters $T_{\rm eff}=4820$ K, $\log g=4.5$, and solar chemical composition. Using this model and 3D spectrum synthesis, we computed a number of Fe i and Fe ii line profiles. The observations presented in the first paper of this series were used to test the model predictions. The effects of stellar rotation and instrumental imperfections are carefully taken into account in the synthesis of spectral lines. Results. The theoretical line profiles show the typical signatures of granulation: the lines are asymmetric, with their bisectors having a characteristic C-shape and their core wavelengths shifted with respect to their laboratory values. The line bisectors span from about 10 to 250 m s -1 , depending on line strength, with the stronger features showing larger span. The corresponding core wavelength shifts range from about -200 m s -1  for the weak Fe i lines to almost +100 m s -1  in the strong Fe i features. Based on observational results for the Sun, we argue that there should be no core wavelength shift for Fe i lines of $EW\gtrsim100$ mA. The cores of the strongest lines show contributions from the uncertain top layers of the model, where non-LTE effects and the presence of the chromosphere, which are important in real stars, are not accounted for. The Fe ii lines suffer from stronger granulation effects due to their deeper formation depth which makes them experience stronger temperature and velocity contrasts. For example, the core wavelength shifts of the weakest Fe ii lines are about -600 m s -1 . The comparison of model predictions to observed Fe i line bisectors and core wavelength shifts for our reference star, HIP 86 400, shows excellent agreement, with the exception of the core wavelength shifts of the strongest features, for which we suspect inaccurate theoretical values. Since this limitation does not affect the predicted line equivalent widths significantly, we consider our 3D model validated for photospheric abundance work.


Open Access (OA) dissemination has been gaining a lot of momentum over the last decade, thanks to the implementation of several OA policies by funders and institutions, as well as the development of several new platforms that facilitate the publication of OA content at low or no cost. Studies have shown that nearly half of the contemporary scientific literature could be available online for free. However, few studies have compared the use of OA literature across countries. This study aims to provide a global picture of OA adoption by countries, using two indicators: publications in OA and references made to articles in OA. We find that, on average, low-income countries are publishing and citing OA at the highest rate, while upper middle-income countries and higher-income countries publish and cite OA articles at below world-average rates. These results highlight national differences in OA uptake and suggest that more OA initiatives at the institutional, national, and international levels are needed to support wider adoption of open scholarship.


The conservative surgical management of ampullary ectopic pregnancy is often performed by linear ampullary salpingotomy. The Author has studied in rabbits healing mechanisms involved following this operation with reference to either primary or secondary closure of the tubal wound. This study seems to demonstrate that the closure of the unsutured ampullary salpingotomy wound occurs with good morphological and functional result in the pregnant rabbit.


Although tourism has been identified as an important economic sector in Nigeria in the past three decade by previous Governments, it received very little political and leadership commitment. Well articulated policies have been formulated for the sector, which have not been implemented. The development of human capital is one component of the National tourism Policy. The survival of every tourist destination is predicated on the provision of effective human capital management for the tourism organizations and enterprises. The quality of service delivery in a destination is a reflection of the quality of its human capital. This paper investigated the challenges of human resource management in the Nigerian tourism industry, the challenges of tourism and hospitality education in Nigeria. The paper presented a conceptual framework which demonstrates the linked between human capital management and tourism development. It recommends a stakeholders' approach to human capital development which would produce quality human capital that will in turn impact positively on tourism development in Nigeria.


The paper investigated nano-crystallization on surface layer of commercial pure titanium by using high-energy shot peening. The grain size and the microstructure in deformed surface layer by high-energy shot peening are analyzed with X-ray diffraction and TEM etc. In addition, the variations of surface microhardness are examined after high-energy shot peening. The results described that the nano-crystalline surface layer have been formed in commercial pure titanium with a structure of hexagonal closet packet, by high-energy shot peening. The surface microhardness increases and the grain size in nano-crystalline surface layer diminishes, with increasing the time in high-energy shot peening. The minimum nano-crystalline grain size is approximately 40 nm.


Conclusion: The Australian Minister for Health launched the courses in September 2020 and in November 2020 the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care wrote to all Australian hospitals encouraging uptake of the courses. The uptake of the e-training since release indicates the training fills a resource gap. These resources may also be useful to other institutions with vulnerable populations (e.g. aged care, correctional facilities, inpatient mental health facilities).


Chest radiography is a common diagnostic imaging test, which contains an enormous amount of information about a patient. However, its interpretation is highly challenging. The accuracy of the diagnostic process is greatly influenced by image processing algorithms; hence enhancement of the images is indispensable in order to improve visibility of the details. This paper aims at improving radiograph parameters such as contrast, sharpness, noise level, and brightness to enhance chest radiographs, making use of a triangulation method. Here, contrast limited adaptive histogram equalization technique and noise suppression are simultaneously performed in wavelet domain in a new scheme, followed by morphological top‐hat and bottom‐hat filtering. A unique implementation of morphological filters allows for adjustment of the image brightness and significant enhancement of the contrast. The proposed method is tested on chest radiographs from Japanese Society of Radiological Technology database. The results are compared with conventional enhancement techniques such as histogram equalization, contrast limited adaptive histogram equalization, Retinex, and some recently proposed methods to show its strengths. The experimental results reveal that the proposed method can remarkably improve the image contrast while keeping the sensitive chest tissue information so that radiologists might have a more precise interpretation.


We consider the problem of stochastic finite- and infinite-horizon linear quadratic control under power constraints. The calculations of the optimal control law can be done off-line as in the classical linear quadratic Gaussian control theory using dynamic programming, which turns out to be a special case of the new theory developed in this technical note. A numerical example is solved using the new methods.


Recurrent Aphthous Stomatitis (RAS) is a disorder in the oral cavity, with a characterized symptom as ulceration, recurrent and very painfull. The etiology is idiopathic, with multifactorial predisposition. Exfoliative cheilitis is a persistent lesion on the lip, with a characterized cracking and desquamative, with crustae and inflammation. An elderly male (72 yrs) suffered with ulcer on his oral cavity, cracking lips and pain on both of his cheeks, skin, since 5 years ago. The pain is recurrent. On the clinical examination, there were some desquamation, both on the skin and vermilion border, whether on the inner lips (labial fold mucosa), there were ulcers with diameter about 1 cm. The laboratory test was within normal limits, except the LED was 40 mm/hour (n:<15). The diagnosis was Recurrent Aphthous Stomatitis (RAS) for the ulcer and Exfoliative cheilitis for the cracking lips. The treatment he received was a gargle liquid, topical corticosteroid and supplement. The skin's disorder was revered to the skin and genital disease department, for further management. As a dental general practioner, had to be very careful and familiar for every changes that may be occur both in the outer or inner oral cavity. Other disorder that need refferal, had to be done with team work, to the colleague from the right connection.


The contribution of bromoform to the strato- spheric bromine loading is estimated using the one- dimensional tropical mean model of Folkins and Martin (2005), which is constrained by observed mean profiles of temperature and humidity. In order to reach the stratosphere, bromoform needs to be lifted by deep convection into the tropical tropopause layer (TTL), above the level of zero ra- diative heating. The contribution of bromoform to strato- spheric bromine then depends critically on the rate of re- moval of the degradation products of bromoform (collec- tively called Bry here) from the TTL, which is believed to be due to scavenging by falling ice. This relates the transport of short-lived bromine species into the stratosphere to processes of dehydration in the TTL. In the extreme case of dehydration occurring only through overshooting deep convection, the loss of Bry from the TTL may be negligible and consequently bromoform will fully contribute with its boundary layer mix- ing ratio to the stratospheric bromine loading, i.e. with 3 pptv for an assumed 1 pptv of bromoform in the boundary layer. For the other extreme that Bry is removed from the TTL al- most instantaneously, the model calculations predict a con- tribution of about 0.5 pptv for the assumed 1 pptv of bound- ary layer bromoform. While this gives some constraints on the contribution of bromoform to stratospheric bromine, a key uncertainty in estimating the contribution of short-lived bromine source gases to the stratospheric bromine loading is the mechanism and rate of removal of Bry within the TTL.


Chinese consumers' choices among meat stores are examined through a model that can capture consumer heterogeneities both in their opinion of various store attributes and in how much weight they attach to each attribute. This approach not only informs store managers as to what attributes should receive focus for improving their store images, but also provides insight about which specific attribute could be improved to achieve the most effective result. Based on the individual-level parameters obtained through an empirical Bayes analysis, managers or competitors are able to strategically target their store promotions to specific individual consumers based on their demographic characteristics.


The Leyden Museum received some weeks ago from Mr. Kleiweg de Zwaan a lot of Insects collected by him in the island of Nias. In this collection I found a male and a female of an interesting Longicorn, viz. Nothopeus hemipterus Oliv. (also known from Java, Burma and Northern India) captured on Mount Sitoli, together with both sexes of a fossorial Hymenopteron belonging to the family Pompilidae, viz. Macromeris splendida Lep. Pompilus coriarius Taschb.) which wasp perfectly resembles the beetle, both insects being black with a strong metallic blue hue especially on the wings. Undoubtedly this is a not yet recorded case of protective resemblance between Longicorns and Fossorial Hymenoptera. As yet the following eight species are known in the genus Nothopeus and, certainly, they all will have their model.


Every country uses an open economic system or an open economy. The state adheres to an open economic system characterized by international trade and bilateral and multilateral interactions. Each country carries out production and specializes in selling its products to benefit from international trade. The financial sector such as investment. Exchange rates also have an important role in increasing a country's production capacity. While the purchasing power parity of the community reflects the ability of the community to buy the products produced by the factory. The purpose of this research is to find out the investment performance, purchasing power, and exchange rate, towards factory goods exports in ASEAN-5. The results of the study indicate that investment has a significant, meaning that any increase in investment will directly reduce exports to ASEAN-5 countries in 2010-2016. Likewise, the Power Purchase Parity has a significant but negative effect, this illustrates that every occurrence of increasing public purchasing power, it will reduce the export of goods, which means that people's appetite for consuming tends to choose domestically produced goods. While the exchange rate does not have a significant effect, meaning that changes in prices that occur globally do not affect the export of goods.


Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a major US health problem. However, the total number of US inpatients who are at risk for VTE is unknown. Our objective was to estimate the number of US acute‐care hospital inpatients who were at risk for VTE according to criteria established by the Seventh American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP) Consensus Conference on Antithrombotic and Thrombolytic Therapy guidelines for VTE prevention. Using the 2003 Nationwide Inpatient Sample from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP), patient diagnoses and procedures were examined to identify major surgery patients (age ≥ 18 years, length of hospital stay ≥ 2 days) and medical patients (age ≥ 40 years, length of hospital stay ≥ 2 days). ACCP guidelines were used to estimate the number of surgical and medical patients at risk of developing VTE. Of an estimated 38,220,659 discharges in 2003, 7,786,390 (20%) were surgical inpatients; 44% of which were at low risk for VTE, while 15%, 24%, and 17% were at moderate, high, and very high risk for VTE, respectively. Of the remaining 15,161,586 medical patients, 7,742,419 (51%) met ACCP VTE risk criteria. Over 12 million patients, comprising 31% of US hospital discharges in 2003, were at risk of VTE. Given the existence of internationally‐accepted evidence‐based guidelines for prevention of VTE, research is required to establish if this patient population is receiving recommended VTE prophylaxis. Am. J. Hematol., 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


The study presented in this paper focuses upon conceptualisations of language and identity in the institutionalised arena that emerged in the post-Second World War period with the specific intention of teaching Swedish to adult immigrants in the nation-state of Sweden. Our analysis focuses upon the development of the educational programme 'Swedish for immigrants' over time. Our specific interest relates to how categorisations are framed and what, if any, kinds of labels – pertaining to language and identity – emerge in national and local policy documents from the 1960s onwards. Taking a sociohistorical perspective as a point of departure, our analyses indicate discursive changes with regards to the categories and aims of the educational programme, making certain identity positions more accessible than others at specific times. Focusing upon categories from sociohistorical perspectives helps to reveal the social organisation and institutional means that enable society to process citizenship issues. The complex relationship between the empowerment of the immigrants, on the one hand, and the need for integration or assimilation into society on the other, becomes visible through the analysis of empirical data that spans half a century.


The properties of two-fold images, based on asym metric interference in multimode interference-based photonic crystal waveguides, are numerically studied with finite-difference time-domain simulations. With these image properties, 2 × 2 power splitters (PSs) with an ultracompact size are designed. Ar bitrary splitting ratio can be achieved by modifying the sizes (the effective refractive indices) of one pair of rods in the multimode region. As an example, a 3-dB 2 × 2 PS with a size of 24 × 8 μm2 is presented with an output efficiency as high as 98%. The method can be extended for the design of M × N PSs for photonic integrated circuits applications.


So far, we have clarified that 1) » the representation I think « – the transcendental unity of self-consciousness – is homogeneous with pure apperception which signifies the thoroughgoing identity of oneself in all possible representations, grounding empirical consciousness a priori: 2) » the representation I think « which can accompany all others, is to cognize through categories whatever objects may come before our senses. Thus we comprehend that a human, as » the representation I think « senses, intuits and cognizes all appearances themselves in virtue of filled space-elapsing time or nullity in space-time through empirical intuition and synthesis. Our transcendental analytic indicates that a being of all beings signifies space-time itself, i.e., quantum. Kant's metaphysics, which states that the members of the division exclude each other and yet are connected in one sphere, so in the latter case the parts are represented as ones to which existence (as substances) pertains to each exclusively of the others, and which are yet connected in one whole, led us to think that » the members of the division « signifies categories, through which it would become possible for us to cognize any object as far as laws of their combination are concerned. The discourse would potentially lead us to an alternative view on the universe and causality. We feel that our transcendental analytic might give us an inkling for the solution of conundrums in mathematics and physics.


Background and purpose Humeral lengthening and deformity correction are now being done increasingly for various etiologies. Monolateral external fixators have advantages over traditional Ilizarov circular fixators; they are easy to apply, they are less bulky, and they are therefore more convenient for the patient. We assessed the effectiveness of hybrid monolateral lateral fixators in humeral lengthening and deformity correction. Methods We retrospectively reviewed 23 patients (40 humeri) with various pathologies who underwent lengthening—with or without deformity correction using monolateral external fixator—between 2003 and 2008. Mean age at the time of the surgery was 14 (10–22) years. The mean follow-up time was 3.4 (1–7) years. Results The average duration of external fixator use was 8.3 (6–19) months. The mean lengthening achieved was 8.8 (4–11) cm and percentage lengthening was 49% (19–73). The healing index was 28 (13–60) days/cm. The major complications were refracture in 3 humeri and varus angulation of 2 humeri. The minor complications were superficial pin tract infection (6 segments), transient radial nerve palsy (1 segment), and elbow flexion contracture (5 segments). All complications resolved. Interpretation Hybrid monolateral fixators can be used for humeral lengthening and deformity correction. The advantage over circular fixators is that they are less bulky and patients can perform their day-to-day activities with the fixator in situ.


Calligraphy and Power in Contemporary Chinese Society, by Yuehping Yen. London: RoutledgeCurzon, 2005. xii + 221 pp. £60.00/US$ 104.95 (hardcover). Calligraphy has long been considered a cornerstone of Chinese culture. It is used to inscribe architectural wonders and famous sites of natural beauty, to communicate with gods and spirits, to celebrate holidays, to tell fortunes and to improve one's health. Politically powerful people are frequently called upon to produce calligraphic works, and these are displayed in public buildings, engraved in stone at public parks, reproduced in newspaper mastheads and on magazine covers and coveted as private gifts. Others have written of these facts before, but Yuehping Yen goes a step further by contextualizing the spectacular and aweinducing aspects of calligraphic display in the more mundane aspects of everyday life. Writing as an anthropologist, she focuses on the popular beliefs, myths and debates about calligraphy, the mundane practice of children and non-elite adults, the everyday relationships between calligraphy and power, the language people use to talk about calligraphy and the games people play with characters. Against those who believe that Chinese characters and calligraphy will or should become antiquated in the face of science, modernity and computers, Yen argues that characters and calligraphy continue to exert a powerful hold on the daily practices of Chinese people. Though dealing with a topic that is nationwide, Yen carries out her interviews and participates in calligraphy classes in the southwestern city of Kunming. Kunming's distance from the cultural centres of the nation make it an ideal space to study calligraphy, Yen argues, as Kunming residents and calligraphers are more likely to express plebeian and, thus, representative rather than avant-garde attitudes towards calligraphy. Yen begins her book with the relationship between political power and calligraphy. As William Jenner puts it, "in China power does not speak-it writes" (cited in Yen, p. 15). At least until very recently, most Chinese politicians spoke standard Mandarin relatively poorly and were often disparaged by Westerners for their poor public speaking. It was primarily through the instrument of writing that they communicated their ideas and policies to a national audience. All the top leaders have issued books of their philosophy and even a regionally powerful politician publicly inking a slogan receives considerable press coverage. Yen analyzes the interrelationship between the social power of the calligraphier and the evaluations of the calligraphy itself, what happens to the calligraphic inscriptions of those who fall out of power, and how inscriptions are displayed to claim the personal backing of a particular political figure. She points out how Western debates over whether a given cultural production is "art" or not, or is "good art" or "bad art", take on a different flavor in the contexts where calligraphy and social power are so tightly tied. The next two chapters examine the links between calligraphy and personhood. Yen begins from the positive value placed on education in China. Kunming urbanites frequently disparage rural migrants because of their lack of education, framing this supposed lack as both a moral and an intellectual shortcoming. …


This guide will provide links to resources for faculty who wish to integrate the fall 2019 One Book, The New Jim Crow, into their classes.


Self-reported diagnosis statements have been widely employed in studying language related to mental health in social media. However, existing research has largely ignored the temporality of mental health diagnoses. In this work, we introduce RSDD-Time: a new dataset of 598 manually annotated self-reported depression diagnosis posts from Reddit that include temporal information about the diagnosis. Annotations include whether a mental health condition is present and how recently the diagnosis happened. Furthermore, we include exact temporal spans that relate to the date of diagnosis. This information is valuable for various computational methods to examine mental health through social media because one's mental health state is not static. We also test several baseline classification and extraction approaches, which suggest that extracting temporal information from self-reported diagnosis statements is challenging.


The N and energy utilization of diets with different legume seeds was analysed in lactating goats. Four isonitrogenous and isoenergetic diets were used and in each case 30% of the protein was supplied by one of four different legume seeds: lupins (L), faba beans (FB), bitter vetch (BV) and vetch (V). A group of eight Granadina goats, allocated to a replicated 4 × 4 Latin Square, were used. The N and energy utilization of the different diets may be considered adequate; milk N/intake N was approximately 0.20, milk N/N balance was approximately 0.50 and milk energy/metabolizable energy was approximately 0.30. Under similar N and energy intakes, faecal and urinary excretion of N and the quantities in milk did not vary significantly. However, the partition of the N balance between milk production and deposit within the body varied depending on the diet. Although this N available to the metabolism was the highest for the FB diet, the quantity of this directed to milk was the lowest. Finally, the faecal and urinary excretion with respect to the quantity directed to milk production did not vary significantly among the different diets.


Research has shown that emotions don't change, but that the behavior used to express them and value them changes over time. According to social mores, communities may differ in their expressions and acceptance of emotions. This study shows that this also applies to the late Middle Ages. In total, more than fifty Middle Dutch texts were searched for words expressing envy (invidia) and jealousy (zelotypia), including didactic-moralistic, religious, historical and allegorical texts, chivalric romances, songs, plays and stories about animals. The Middle Dutch texts show that the Christian faith had a major influence on the perception of envy. In the course of the fourth century Christian ideas transformed envy from a bad emotion into one of the seven cardinal sins. Christian writers of Middle Dutch texts make clear that envy comes from the devil. The devil is held directly responsible for the envy of man. It was not seen that man had no influence at all on his own behavior, for when he was strong enough, the devil could not tempt him to envy. The envy of virtue, a common form of envy in the examined texts, is rooted in the Christian faith. Envy of virtue was perceived as envy of the true Christian faith. Inequality appears again and again to be the reason for envy; inferiority and the associated fear and shame of dishonor or loss of reputation. Being inferior in the medieval culture was a major disgrace. Envy is presented in the medieval culture as a negative emotion in all its forms. Envy arises out of fear of judgment by the outside world and is a sin against God. Christian ideas and the importance of honor have clearly made their mark on the Middle Ages. On the medieval concept of jealousy, the Christian faith is less well represented. People were familiar with the concept of 'good' jealousy. This emotion should be felt when others spoke wrongly about God, the Christian faith, or when friends have been wronged. Among the positive qualities of jealousy, the ones we still know today, are the preventive and protective forms of jealousy. Preventive jealousy makes a spouse think twice before jumping into an extramarital relationship and protective jealousy ensures that a spouse fights for the relationship. Conceptions of jealousy have changed much less through the centuries than conceptions of envy


The article develops the view-point on a myth as a symbolic reality which is accepted at the unconscious level and thus makes it easy for young people to orient themselves in the complex contemporary problematic world, self-orientation and the choice of the own life-road. The approach to myths as a cycle-recurrent themes and plot-stories is also targeted, because modern myths are a sequel of those ones which have been historically cultivated during previous generations of Ukrainians. A myth is viewed as emotionally attractive logic-and-image symbolic construction which is perceived as a real one just due to the fact of its existence and, actually, substitutes the reality and remains a suitable one for its perception and usage by young people in the form of explanatory model. An assumption is brought out that myths are inherent to fill-in certain «gaps» or «hollows» in their world outlooks, absence of own opinion and creeds, therefore following the logic of myths recalls dependence of a public opinion and a group-pressure. Illustrated by experimental data received by the author the myth-reflection in the political consciousness of the youth was traced, as well as their relationship with their political behavior. The research enabled to summarize that contemporary young people possesses a creative potential and is oriented to preserve their own values and individuality, as well as their spiritual satisfaction and development. Conceptions on democratic society is quite blurred among young people due to lack of clear way-marks and criteria and also the young people are tended to see Ukraine as a rich and powerful state with high level of living standards, where one can trace a cornucopia myth. The actuality of a hero-myth or an unappealable savior is illustrated by fact, that the expectations and intentions of the young people as regard to their certain and concrete actions are characterized by a hope to change the life in the country combined with the absence of intentions to apply their own efforts. At the same time the readiness to demonstrate concrete forms of participation in the electoral campaign is stimulated largely by a material interest, where one can trace a «the money talks» myth. A conclusion have been made that structuring a reality gives space for manipulations, including political ones; a myth brings a special spiritual sense to the events and makes human intentions actual and that is why can inspire motivate; a myth needs to have its apologets who can share it; a myth creates communicative system of senses, values and targets; myths reflect emotionally sensitive and basically approvable modes of behavior.


PURPOSE
We compared the response of choroidal and optic nerve head blood flow (ChBF, ONHBF) in response to an increase in ocular perfusion pressure (OPP) during isometric exercise and during a decrease in OPP during an artificial increase in intraocular pressure (IOP).

METHODS
We included 96 healthy subjects in our study. In 48 subjects OPP was increased by 6 minutes of squatting, and either ONHBF (n = 24) or ChBF (n = 24) was measured continuously. In 48 other healthy subjects either ONHBF (n = 24) or ChBF (n = 24) was measured continuously during a period of artificial increase in IOP using a suction cup. All blood flow measurements were done using laser Doppler flowmetry.

RESULTS
During all experiments the response in blood flow was less pronounced than the response in OPP, indicating for flow regulation. During isometric exercise ChBF regulated better than ONHBF (P = 0.023). During artificial IOP increase ONHBF regulated better than ChBF (P = 0.001). Inter-individual variability in blood flow responses was high. During squatting ONHBF decreased considerably below baseline ONHBF when OPP fluctuated in 3 subjects, although OPP still was much higher than at baseline. This phenomenon was not observed in the choroid.

CONCLUSIONS
Our data indicate that regulation of ChBF and ONHBF during changes in OPP is different and complex. In some subjects performing squatting, considerable ONHBF reductions were observed during OPP fluctuations, although OPP still was high. Whether this predisposes to ocular disease remains unclear.


One of the responses to the threat of global warming is the Kyoto Protocol and the associated Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) to reduce greenhouse gases. South Africa is an ideal country for the implementation of industrial CDM projects, yet lags behind many other countries. This qualitative research determines the factors that cause South Africa to lag other developing countries in the implementation of industrial CDM projects and the interventions that will have the most impact on accelerating implementation. The research involved interviews with 30 experts involved in the South African CDM process. The results identify the factors perceived to be facilitating and inhibiting the use of CDM opportunities and a framework for CDM practitioners to develop an implementation strategy within South African industry is established.


Nanometric crystals of maghemite are known to exhibit superparamagnetism. Because of the significance of their magnetic moment, maghemite nanoparticles are exceptional contrast agents and are used for magnetic resonance imaging (of the liver, spleen, lymph nodes), for magnetic resonance angiography and for molecular and cellular imaging. The relaxivity of these agents depends on their size, saturation magnetization and magnetic field and also on their degree of clustering. There are different types of maghemite particles whose relaxation characteristics are suited to a specific MRI application. The relaxation induced by maghemite particles is caused by the diffusion of water protons in the inhomogeneous field surrounding the particles. This is well described by a theoretical model that takes magnetite crystal anisotropy and Néel relaxation into account. Another type of superparamagnetic compound is ferritin, the iron-storing protein: it contains a superparamagnetic ferrihydrite core. Even if the resulting magnetic moment of ferritin is far smaller than for magnetite nanoparticles, its massive presence in different organs darkens T(2)-weighted MR images, allowing the noninvasive estimation of iron content, thanks to MRI. The relaxation induced by ferritin in aqueous solutions has been demonstrated to be caused by the exchange of protons between bulk water protons and the surface of the ferrihydrite crystal. However, in vivo, the relaxation properties of ferritin are still unexplained, probably because of protein clustering.


In this work we theoretically contribute to neural network approximation by pro-viding a novel tropical geometrical viewpoint to structured neural network compression. In particular, we show that the approximation error between two neural networks with ReLU activations and one hidden layer depends on the Hausdorff distance of the tropical zonotopes of the networks. This theorem comes as a first step towards a purely geometrical interpretation of neural network approximation. Based on this theoretical contribution, we propose geometrical methods that employ the K-means algorithm to compress the fully connected parts of ReLU activated deep neural networks. We analyze the error bounds of our algorithms theoretically based on our approximation theorem and evaluate them empirically on neural network compression. Our experiments follow a proof-of-concept strategy and indicate that our geometrical tools achieve improved performance over relevant tropical geometry techniques and can be competitive against non-tropical methods.


One expression of the spread of auditing and bureaucratic accountability in global society is the emergence of certifications of virtue, typically after completion of a review process designed to ensure objectivity. In this article, I analyze regulatory interactions in a U.S. construction project, including the procedure for formally certifying buildings as energy efficient and "sustainable," to bring into focus the sometimes-paradoxical effects that highly rationalized regulations have on those obliged to comply with them. The case illustrates how virtue is reduced to a checklist of measurable properties whose integrity is maintained through rituals of verification and rigorous risk management. The issues involved lead me to reflect on anthropologists' inclination to demonize bureaucratic regulation in their ethnographic accounts even as they insist on formal accountability in their own communities and professional networks.


The research described in this paper deals solely with the effect of the position of an item within a test on examinee's responding behavior at the item level. For simplicity's sake, this effect will be referred to as practice effect when the result is improved examinee performance and as fatigue effect when the result is poorer examinee performance. Item response theory item statistics were used to assess position effects because, unlike traditional item statistics, they are sample invariant. In addition, the use of item response theory statistics allows one to make a reasonable adjustment for speededness, which is important when, as in this research, the same item administered in different positions is likely to be affected differently by speededness, depending upon its location in the test.

Five types of analyses were performed as part of this research. The first three types involved analyses of differences between the two estimations of item difficulty (b), item discrimination (a), and pseudoguessing (c) parameters. The fourth type was an analysis of the differences between equatings based on items calibrated when administered in the operational section and equatings based on items calibrated when administered in section V. Finally, an analysis of the regression of the difference between b's on item position within the operational section was conducted. The analysis of estimated item difficulty parameters showed a strong practice effect for analysis of explanations and logical diagrams items and a moderate fatigue effect for reading comprehension items. Analysis of other estimated item parameters, a and c, produced no consistent results for the two test forms analyzed.

Analysis of the difference between equatings for Form 3CGR1 reflected the differences between estimated b's found for the verbal, quantitative, and analytical item types. A large practice effect was evident for the analytical section, a small practice effect, probably due to capitalization on chance, was found for the quantitative section, and no effect was found for the verbal section.

Analysis of the regression of the difference between b's on item position within the operational section for analysis of explanations items showed a rather consistent relationship for Form ZGR1 and a weaker but still definite relationship for Form 3CGR1.

The results of this research strongly suggest one particularly important implication for equating. If an item type exhibits a within-test context effect, any equating method, e.g., IRT based equating, that uses item data either directly or as part of an equating section score should provide for administration of the items in the same position in the old and new forms. Although a within-test context effect might have a negligible influence on a single equating, a chain of such equatings might drift because of the systematic bias.


Wind turbine noise is a re-emerging issue in the wind industry. As the competition for sites with good wind potential on land is rising, offshore projects in coastal areas seem as a reasonable alternative to onshore. In this context offshore sound propagation is gaining more importance considering that sound will travel over longer distances on water, especially with regard to lower frequencies. Moreover different meteorological conditions that occur on sea may attenuate or enhance sound propagation on water. The prediction tools commonly used by developers are only partially taking these parameters into account. This will be investigated in this thesis. Hence, different methods for predicting offshore wind turbine noise are going to be assessed. These methods can be divided in two approaches namely algebraic and Partial Differential Equation (PDE) based. The methods evaluated are the ISO 9613-2 standard for outdoor noise prediction, the Danish method and the Swedish method for wind turbines noise estimation over water. For the PDE based approach, the Helmholtz Equation will be employed in order to examine different meteorological conditions and phenomena occurring over a flat reflecting surface. The experiments with the PDE include the simulation of meteorological conditions with different levels of refraction and changing ground impedance in order to take into account the effect of a shoreline. In addition a meteorological phenomenon called the low-level jet is investigated which is characterised by strong winds at relatively low altitude. Noise prediction tools used by developers need to be able to consider these effects in order to allow for thorough planning of wind energy projects. Nonetheless, relatively more complex models such as the Helmholtz Equation require experienced users and significant computing time. Further research and development needs to be made in order to promote the wider use of noise prediction methods like the Helmholtz Equation in the wind industry.


Cardiac murmurs are common. The general practitioner is often the first person to detect a murmur. These are often asymptomatic, yet may be a consequence of haemodynamically significant valve disease. Accurate assessment is important to allow intervention and to improve prognosis. The clinical features of each valve lesion and relevant cardiac investigations are discussed.


Current implementations of p-adic numbers usually rely on so called zealous algorithms, which compute with truncated p-adic expansions at a precision that can be specified by the user. In combination with Newton-Hensel type lifting techniques, zealous algorithms can be made very efficient from an asymptotic point of view. In the similar context of formal power series, another so called lazy technique is also frequently implemented. In this context, a power series is essentially a stream of coefficients, with an effective promise to obtain the next coefficient at every stage. This technique makes it easier to solve implicit equations and also removes the burden of determining appropriate precisions from the user. Unfortunately, naive lazy algorithms are not competitive from the asymptotic complexity point of view. For this reason, a new relaxed approach was proposed by van der Hoeven in the 90's, which combines the advantages of the lazy approach with the asymptotic efficiency of the zealous approach. In this paper, we show how to adapt the lazy and relaxed approaches to the context of p-adic numbers. We report on our implementation in the C++ library algebramix of Mathemagix, and show significant speedups in the resolution of p-adic functional equations when compared to the classical Newton iteration.


A 15 1/2-year-old girl with disseminated lupus erythematosus presented with acute flank pain and hematuria during oral anticoagulant therapy for thrombophlebitis of the lower extremities. The intravenous pyelogram demonstrated multiple filling defects of the renal collecting system interpreted as pyelocalyceal submocosal hemorrhage. This benign complication disappeared following adjustment of the anticoagulant therapy. An identical appearance has been described in a case of aplastic anemia, Henoch-Schonlein purpupa, and in renal truma. Submocosal hemorrhage of the renal collecting system is to be differentiated from pyeloureteritis cystca, uroepithelial tumor, vascular impressions from collateral circulation and submucosal edema.


Firms send short message services (SMS) to customers' mobile phones to promote their products. Many firms personalize this content to increase the relevance of the recommendations and to avoid overloading users with too many messages. This research examines the effects of location-based personalization on users' intentions to use personalized mobile SMS. We draw on motivational theories to develop six hypotheses to predict the effects of location-based personalized mobile services. Through a two-week study, we found that perceived enjoyment and perceived community involvement are major drivers motivating users to accept location-based personalized SMS. Interestingly, precision of personalization is not significant in influencing users' intention. Hedonic motivators are more influential than utilitarian motivators. These findings provide empirical evidence of the effects of location-based personalization and help firms understand and quantify new mobile commerce opportunities. Overall, this research sheds light on personalization studies by examining the role of location in personalization.


Purpose: The Elekta Beam Modulator™ (EBM) has a unique design in the sense that no movable jaws exist. The MLC has 40 leaf pairs with 4 mm wide leaves. A fixed diaphragm is beneath the MLC to form an aperture of 21 cm by 16 cm. The radiation fields are shaped primarily by the MLC. The goal of this work is to test whether the conventional Sc, Sp, Scp formalism holds true for this accelerator head configuration. Method and Materials: We have postulated two methods for determining Sc for the EBM: Method A: set Sc = 1 for all fields because there are no movable jaws; and Method B: regard the MLC as the "jaws", since the apertures are formed by the MLC. We measured Sc for Method B using Wellhofer CC13 and PTW 30010 ion chamber with build‐up caps. Both setups were configured in RadCalc and calculations compared to measurements. Results: 6 MV results are reported. For 100 MU, dose was measured for standard square, rectangle, and off‐axis irregular shaped fields. For the standard fields, both methods agree with measurements to within 0.5%, except for the smallest field 2.4×2.4 cm2. For the off‐axis and irregular fields, both calculations differ from the measured dose by 3∼7%. The two methods agree within 0.5% for most standard fields, and the difference between them tends to increase for the off‐axis and irregular fields. Conclusions: Two methods to calculate Elekta Beam Modulator (EBM) point doses using the Sc, Sp, Scp formalism were tested. Both agree well with the measurement for the standard fields. However, they start to deviate from the measurements for off‐axis and irregular fields. More testing, including 10MV and 15MV, is planned and will be presented for this unique machine.


Historically, Sino-Japanese cultural exchanges were dominated by a China-oriented mentality. This relationship shifted abruptly in the late nineteenth century with Japan's rapid westernization and industrialization, which coincided with the cultural and political implosion of the Qing Dynasty, and was further inverted as Japan became a world power and China struggled to reassemble itself. It was thus with a sense of justification that the Japanese advertised themselves as the legitimate protector of East Asian culture, and key Chinese cities under their occupation became a battleground for what Japan called the New Order in East Asia. Some Japanese and Chinese were able to agree on a working relationship under a new structure of political authority, and a number of propaganda posters were produced to reflect these negotiations. After 1938, the Chinese Guomindang also began to pay attention to propaganda art. Based on original archival research of primary historical documents and visual analysis of important icons in those propaganda images, this article examines the subsequent war of propaganda prints between the Guomindang and the Japanese militarists during the 1930s and 1940s, and demonstrates how the Chinese were able to utilize a variety of signs, symbols and art techniques to create their own propaganda prints in the effort to break from New Order in East Asia.


We present a case where a patient sustained a tympanic plate fracture of the right side while chewing a sandwich. Intense pain with temporomandibular joint (TMJ) symptoms such as restrained painful mouth opening and functional pain in full occlusion followed the incident and the fracture was diagnosed after ocular and CT-examination of the right external auditory canal. Non-ruptured soft tissue could be seen protruding into the external auditory canal and the size of the mass changed during movement of the TMJ. Treatment was not needed to resolve the situation and at 3-year follow-up the patient has no clinical symptoms.


Intravenous injection into the guinea pig of lethal doses of Echis colorata venom or of each of its two chromatographic fractions, separately, caused hemorrhage, afibrinogenemia, factor V deficiency and thrombocytopenia. Sublethal venom doses caused afibrinogenemia, factor V deficiency and thrombocytopenia in the absence of hemorrhage. Early intravascular clotting was observed following injection of high lethal doses of both whole venom and of procoagulant-containing fraction II, but not of fraction I which was devoid of procoagulant activity. The afibrinogenemia produced by fraction I was due to its fibrinogenolysin, whereas the afibrinogenemia produced by fraction II, which also had fibrinogenolytic activity, was due chiefly to its procoagulant. Anti- Echis colorata venom rabbit serum inhibited the fibrinogenolytic, the procoagulant and the thrombocytopenic activities of the venom.


OBJECTIVE
To compare orocecal transit time (OCTT) as assessed by use of the sulfapyridine appearance time in plasma after oral administration of sulfasalazine in dogs of varying age and body size and determine whether OCTT correlates with fecal quality.

ANIMALS
6 Miniature Poodles (MP), 6 Standard Schnauzers (SS), 6 Giant Schnauzers (GS), and 6 Great Danes (GD).

PROCEDURE
Determinations of OCTT were made at 12, 22, 36, and 60 weeks of age. Dogs were fed sulfasalazine mixed with a meal. Blood samples were then collected for 6 hours. The OCTT was the time from ingestion of the meal to detection of sulfapyridine in plasma. Fecal moisture content and consistency were recorded during the same periods.

RESULTS
Mean OCTT decreased during growth of GS and GD dogs. No correlation was found between OCTT and fecal variables during growth in the 4 breeds. Effect of body size was observed at 12 and 22 weeks of age, with a longer OCTT in GS and GD than in MP and SS dogs. Similar OCTTs were observed at 36 and 60 weeks of age in all breeds, although GS and GD dogs had poorer fecal quality during those periods.

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE
An effect of age on OCTT was observed only in large-breed dogs, with longer transit times in puppies (12 weeks old) than in adults (60 weeks old). Mean OCTT is not correlated with body size in adult dogs. No relationship was detected between OCTT and fecal variables in healthy dogs.


EFFECTIVE DECISION MAKING is so integral to the social studies that the NCSS Standards place it within their definition of the field: "The primary purpose of social studies is to help young people develop the ability to make informed and reasoned decisions for the public good ..."(1) The NCSS Task Force on Scope and Sequence also recognized the importance of making informed decisions, and identified the ability of students to evaluate and present information for better decision making as one of its essential skills.(2) Making good decisions is not easy. Citizens in a democratic society are faced with hard choices, frequently characterized by a conflict among values. In helping students learn to make decisions, the task of social studies teachers is not to provide answers, but to offer an approach that helps students to recognize the role of values in decision making, to evaluate alternative courses of action, and to predict consequences for each alternative. A useful list of decision-making skills based on those identified by NCSS, the National Center for History in the Schools, and the Geography Education Standards Project, was outlined by Kendall and Marzano (see Table 1).(3) Table 1: List of Decision Making Skills * Identify situations in which a decision is requited * Recognize values implicit in the situation * Identify alternative courses of action * Secure factual information pertinent to evaluating alternatives * Identify criteria for making a selection among alternatives * Predict possible consequences of each alternative * Make decisions based on the data obtained and the criteria identified * Take action to implement the decision * Evaluate decision in terms of outcomes The visual presentation of information is also a strong tradition in the social studies, which draws heavily on the use of maps, globes, charts, and tables. Another form of visual presentation, the graphic organizer, has received attention recently as an effective way to help students understand content.(4) Graphic organizers seem to be especially helpful to remedial students and students with learning disabilities.(5) Though generally used as a way to help students increase their reading and writing skills through understanding text structure, graphic representations are also being promoted as thinking tools.(6) Based on the theory of mental models, they outline the fundamental components of a line of reasoning, stripping them of nonessential detail, and allowing students to note relationships and consider alternative possibilities. Graphic representations can clarify relationships among components in a way that verbal representations cannot, by allowing these relationships to be seen--literally. As Jones, Pierce, and Hunter conclude, graphic organizers are "fundamental to skilled thinking because they provide information and opportunities for analysis that reading alone and linear outlining cannot."(7) This article looks at three forms of graphic representations that I have found particularly useful in guiding students through the decision making process: the "force field," which helps students recognize the role of values in decision making; the "decision tree," which helps students formulate the pros and cons of alternative decisions; and the "decision making grid," which encourages students to identify criteria and evaluate alternatives. The Force Field The force field is a visual aid that helps students organize information relevant to a decision by identifying the values affecting it. As used in social studies units in the Problem-Based Learning in the Social Sciences (P-BLiSS) Project, it presents students with an authentic historical problem and leads them to the point of making a decision about it.(8) By requiring students to rate the strength of personal values influencing a decision, the force field creates a visual depiction of these opposing values. …


Learning in strategy games (e.g. StarCraft, poker) requires the discovery of diverse policies. This is often achieved by iteratively training new policies against existing ones, growing a policy population that is robust to exploit. This iterative approach suffers from two issues in real-world games: a) under finite budget, approximate best-response operators at each iteration needs truncating, resulting in under-trained good-responses populating the population; b) repeated learning of basic skills at each iteration is wasteful and becomes intractable in the presence of increasingly strong opponents. In this work, we propose Neural Population Learning (NeuPL) as a solution to both issues. NeuPL offers convergence guarantees to a population of best-responses under mild assumptions. By representing a population of policies within a single conditional model, NeuPL enables transfer learning across policies. Empirically, we show the generality, improved performance and efficiency of NeuPL across several test domains. Most interestingly, we show that novel strategies become more accessible, not less, as the neural population expands.


ABSTRACT Tuberculosis continues to be a worldwide problem for both humans and animals. The development of tests to differentiate between infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis orMycobacterium bovis and vaccination with M. bovis BCG could greatly assist in the diagnosis of early infection as well as enhance the use of tuberculosis vaccines on a wider scale. Recombinant forms of four major secreted proteins ofM. bovis—MPB59, MPB64, MPB70, and ESAT-6—were tested in a whole-blood gamma interferon (IFN-γ) assay for differentiation between cattle vaccinated with BCG and those experimentally infected with M. bovis. BCG vaccination induced minimal protection in the present study, with similar numbers of animals infected withM. bovis in BCG-vaccinated and nonvaccinated groups. Following vaccination with BCG, the animals produced moderate IFN-γ responses to bovine purified protein derivative (PPDB) but very weak responses to the recombinant antigens. Cattle from both the BCG-vaccinated and nonvaccinated groups which were M. bovisculture positive following challenge produced IFN-γ responses to PPDB and ESAT-6 which were significantly stronger than those observed in the corresponding M. bovis culture-negative animals. IFN-γ responses to MPB59, MPB64, and MPB70 were significantly weaker, and these antigens could not discriminate between vaccinated animals which develop disease and the culture-negative animals. The results of the study indicate that of the four antigens tested in the IFN-γ assay, only ESAT-6 would be suitable for differentiating BCG-vaccinated animals from those infected with bovine tuberculosis.


Basic methods to compute required sample sizes are well understood and supported by widely available software. However, the sophistication of the methods commonly used has not kept pace with the complexity of commonly employed experimental designs. We compile available methods for sample size calculations for continuous and binary outcomes with and without covariates, for both clustered and non-clustered RCTs. Formulae for both panel data and unbalanced designs are provided. Extensions include methods to: (1) optimise the sample when costs constraints are binding, (2) compute the power of a complex design by simulation, and (3) adjust calculations for multiple testing. Click here to view accompanying sample size calculators for this paper.


This paper presents the recognition of handwritten Hindi Characters based on the modified exponential membership function fitted to the fuzzy sets derived from features consisting of normalized distances obtained using the Box approach. The exponential membership function is modified by two structural parameters that are estimated by optimizing an objective function that includes the entropy and error function. A Reuse Policy that provides guidance from the past policies is utilized to improve the reinforcement learning. This relies on the past errors exploiting the past policies. The Reuse Policy improves the speed of convergence of the learning process over the strategies that learn without reuse and combined with the use of the reinforcement learning, there is a 25-fold improvement in training. Experimentation is carried out on a database of 4750 samples. The overall recognition rate is found to be 90.65%.


Traffic operation on entrance speed change lanes (SCLs) is more complicated than on exit SCLs as vehicles interact constantly while merging from the SCL to the freeway. An adequate SCL length gives road users sufficient time to accelerate and to search for a gap so that they can comfortably merge onto the freeway. This study focused on analyzing entrance SCLs from a safety point of view in a probabilistic framework. Sixteen entrance-limited-type SCLs along Highway 417 were considered to investigate the link between the probabilistic measure, probability of noncompliance (Pnc), and collision frequency. Regression analysis was conducted to quantify the effect of the geometry of the SCL, driver merging behavior along the SCL, road users' exposure, and Pnc on collision occurrence. The model containing Pnc outperformed other models, and the inclusion of Pnc in the regression models resulted in significant improvement in the model fit. The study provided positive evidence on the validity of Pnc as a surrogate measure of safety.


By deciphering capitalist social forms of dependence of the political sphere relative to society, Marx discovers sociopolitics. Within it, the nexus between politics and social life occurs in a double key. On one side, politics is taken in its social dependence; on the other side, the focus must shift to the very social form determined by this dependence.In sociopolitics, as a domination structure comanding social reproduction, power is in an immanent relation to the social forms of production in society. Beyond coercion or convincing, the social sphere is in itself political, with its common social objective condition of organization in a social determined form.As Marx points out in the Grundrisse, the human beeing is a political animal not only in the sense of the social as collectivity, but as as a specific and determined social form of the social, already produced and in the reproduction process. Men individuate in the middle of a socialization, submitting themselves to the rationnality of the accumulation of capital and its contradictions. As capital is a contradiction by itself, in capitalist socialization there is a dialectics of domination and liberation of abstract capitalistic labor.Marcuse follows Marx interpretation. For him, the objective condition characterizes a society as dependency on capital. As refered in One-dimensional Man, this dependency is in the social subject's social form, rather than an imposition from the outside. The dependency is an outcome of the capitalist mode of production at the needs-engendering level – need of surplus labor – that is made universal.To Marcuse, the political dispute is a dispute of forms of society: between the capital dependent society and a socialization form in which the need of surplus labor no longer suffices to the free developpment of the individualities produced in existing society. As  stated in Counter-Revolution and Revolt, "the individual liberation must incorporate the universal in the particular protest, and the images and the values of a future free society must appear in the personal relationships within the unfree society." In the present situation, transformation is linked with an anticipation of the possibility of an other socialization. "The time of the wholesale rejection of the 'liberals' has passed – or has not yet come. Radicalism has much to gain from the legitimate protest against war, inflation and unemployment, from the defense of civil rights (...) Presenting the facts and forces that made civilization what it is and what it could be tomorrow – that is political education".


This study aims to obtain information about the application of GLS or the School Literacy Movement in Cluster 01 Elementary School, Singgahan District, Tuban Regency. This study uses qualitative research with a case study research design. Data collection techniques used are observation, interviews and documentation. The results showed that, the application of the School Literacy Movement in the Cluster 01 Elementary School in Singgahan District was still at the habituation stage, namely 1) through reading aloud for about 15 minutes before learning for the low class and heart reading for the high class, 2) making a reading corner in each class, and 3) provide school library facilities. In implementing the School Literacy Movement there are still some obstacles including: 1) the lack of reading books; 2) lack of interest in reading students; 3) the teacher has not fully carried out this activity; 4) lack of guidance from the local education office about this School Literacy Movement; 5) and parents of students who are somewhat indifferent to the needs of children in order to support the School Literacy Movement. Whereas efforts to overcome obstacles during the implementation of the School Literacy Movement are: 1) seeking the fulfillment of reading books and library facilities by allocating funds for School Operational Costs (BOS); 2) SDN Saringembat I frees students to choose whenever students want to read, it does not have to be 15 minutes pre-learning so that a carpet is provided in the reading corner for them to use as a base for seating when they want to read; 3) SDN Saringembat I in order to improve the quality of GLS implementation by discussing and collaborating with other schools on the occasion when gathering at the Teacher Working Group activities in group 01 and the Principal Working Group (KKKS) or to other schools that are also GLS reference schools.


We introduce an open framework for built-in accessibility support at all stages of product development based on the Virtual User Model concept. The goal is to introduce simulation-based and VR testing into the automotive, smart living spaces, workplace, infotainment and personal healthcare applications areas. Our framework also aims to ensure that future products and services are being systematically designed for all people including those with functional limitations. An open simulation platform parted of several tools provides automatic simulation feedback and reporting for guideline/methodologies compliance and quality of service. To achieve this objective, detailed virtual user physical, cognitive, behavioral and psychological models as well as the corresponding simulation models have been integrated to support simulation and testing at all stages of product planning and development.


ackground: The assessment of corneal thickness has gained importance in different fields of ophthalmology in recent years, and measurement of the central corneal thickness (CCT) has become an important part of a routine examination in refractive surgery. Aim: To determine the Correlation between Refractive Error and Central Corneal Thickness in A NAJAF Population with a Wide Range of Ametropia. Method: In a cross sectional observational study, Involved 399 eyes of 200 Patients for whom the cen-tral corneal thickness (CCT) was measured with Ultrasonic pachymetry (TOMEY PACHYME-TER SP-3000). The refractive error, including sphere, cylinder, and spherical equivalent (SE), were measured with Topcon (KR.8900) autorefractometer And Manual refraction. Examination of anterior segment using slit lamp and fundoscopy using volk + 90 D, were done to exclude any underlying pathology Results: The mean age of the study subjects was 30.71(range, 17 to 61) years. The mean spherical equiva-lent (SE) of the right eye was -3,2475 Diopter (range,-11.25 to 5.75 Diopters) while SE of the left eye was-3,2035 Diopter (range,-14.5 to 8.5 Diopters). The mean central corneal thick-ness(CCT) of the right eye 533,1600 Micron (range,407.00 to 635.00 Micron) while CCT of the left eye was 532,7638 Micron (range,394.00 to 630.00 Micron). No significant correlation were found between spherical equivalent (SE) and central corneal thickness (CCT) of right and left eye among the studied group. Conclusion: No significant Relation found between Refractive errors and central corneal thickness (CCT).


ment membrane (the first structure to be degraded in the progression from adenoma to invasive carcinoma) in tumour invasion.5 A recent communication by Sim et al further supports a relation between tumour urokinase activity and invasiveness in colorectal neoplasia.3 Some malignant tumours appear not, however, to produce such urokinase; therefore this enzyme cannot in itself be a prerequisite for invasion and metastasis. It is notable though that to date such tumours appear to produce considerable amounts of tissue plasminogen activator. Clearly the role of these enzymes in invasion and metastasis requires further investigation. We accept that macrophages may be a source of plasminogen activator. In our study we stated that the cellular origin of plasminogen activator could not be defined. We referred to several studies, including cell culture and immunocytochemical studies, to support the concept that transformed or premalignant epithelial cells were the likely source, particularly of urokinase. A theory based on macrophages would not readily explain the reported differences in plasminogen activator profiles of, for example, tissue plasminogen activator producing melanomas and urokinase producing colorectal carcinomas. Our finding of a malignant type plasminogen activator profile in adenomatous polyps accords both with observations in experimental transformation, where aberrant plasminogen activator activity precedes malignancy (original reference 16), and with other observations of similarities between cells comprising colorectal adenomas and carcinomas.6 Mr Layer and others state that "measured" activity depends on plasminogen availability. Forty per cent of plasminogen is reported to be extravascular and this proenzyme appears abundant in colorectal carcinomas (original references 9 and 19). Plasminogen activator secretion has been observed after stimulation of various cells with both phorbol ester and epidermal growth factor (original references 18 and 9) and has been associated with down regulation of the EGF receptor. We agree therefore that plasminogen activator secretion may be related to disordered growth control in neoplasia, but this does not preclude a role in invasion and metastasis.


Background: The risk factors for chronic kidney disease (CKD) are increasing in the Saudi population. Consequently, the incidence and prevalence of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) have increased substantially in Saudi Arabia over the past three decades. This study was conducted to review pre-ESRD care and investigate the primary causes of ESRD among haemodialysis patients in the western region in Saudi Arabia. Methods: A pilot cross-sectional study was conducted in Al-Noor Kidney Centre and Jeddah Kidney Centre in the western region of Saudi Arabia. Participants were patients with ESRD on regular haemodialysis during 2011. Main outcome measures were pre-ESRD care including: reason of referral to nephrology care, source of referral to nephrology care, duration of pre-ESRD care, and vascular access at the first dialysis; and primary causes of ESRD. Results: Preliminary indicators of pre-ESRD care showed that: endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases, and immunity disorders were the principal reason for patient referral in 50.6% (95% CIs, 45.1_56.1) of patients; 50.6% (95% CIs, 45.6_55.6) of the patient referrals arrived from the emergency department; a large proportion of haemodialysis patients were not receiving pre-ESRD nephrology care, 47.6% (95% CIs, 41.7_53.5); the predominant vascular access point for haemodialysis was initially a catheter 88.3% (95% CIs, 84.5_91.3). The dominant causes of ESRD were hypertensive nephropathy, 55.8% (95% CIs, 50.8_60.7) and diabetic nephropathy, 24.6% (95% CIs, 20.4_29.1). Conclusions: Pre-ESRD nephrology care needs to be improved in Saudi Arabia. Potential strategies could involve: regular screening of high risk people, encouraging communication between healthcare practitioners, and education on the need to refer patients with CKD to nephrology care in earlier disease stages; and increasing patients' awareness about their health conditions and potential consequences of their kidney disease.


This thesis examines the question, what does it mean to be responsible for choices that we did not make? The theme of moral responsibility is traced through feminist and postmodern discourses, and through the thought of psychoanalyst Hans Loewald and philosopher Emmanuel Levinas. An examination of feminist ethics and the so-called caring perspective situates the (gendered) self within an interpersonal web of competing caring commitments. Postmodern analysis deconstructs the self and, like the feminist critique, inquires into the transpersonal, historical and institutional discourses that give rise to our experiences of interiority and individualism. This placing-in-perspective of the autonomous self undermines all moral systems that are founded upon a conception of the reason-centered "1" that conceal the influence of the realm of affect and the (so-called) irrational. The primacy of this affective realm is taken up in the developmental psychoanalytic account of Hans Loewald, who elaborates the central and ongoing role of guilt and atonement in the formation of a responsible self. Guilt and atonement are also central to the conception of subjectivity advanced by Emmanuel Levinas. Levinas's critique of the reason-centered "1" is every bit as radical as the de-centered postmodern self, and yet he posits an alternative conception that cannot but be ethical. This self is summoned to a (limitless) responsibility through proximity to the other, and this obligation is only mitigated by the presence of the third (i.e. a plurality of others). As in Loewald's account, the ego is torn asunder via an experience of trauma. However, whereas Loewald (following Freud) seeks to identify the ultimate causes of this trauma, Levinas traces (literally, as they only exist as traces) their unfolding and assigns their origins to that which is always directed away from the self and can never be formalized in a system. In reading Loewald with and against Levinas, the themes of guilt, persecution and atonement are thus identified as salient to our understanding of what it means to be morally responsible.


This paper analyses the changes in the Italian wage distribution from 1985 to 1999, using the "Worker History Italian Panel" (WHIP). The rise in wage inequality is first documented using various statistical indicators. Standard decompositions of inequality indices by population subgroups shed light on the underlying causes of the observed distributional changes. Following Juhn et al. (1993), econometric-type decompositions are also employed to disentangle the effects of observed quantities, prices and unobservable factors on inequality trends. The changing prices of observable characteristics are found to play a major role in accounting for the observed inequality increase. This result, which appears in contrast with the "standard view" in the literature on wage inequality in Anglo-Saxon countries, is discussed in relation to the characteristics of the Italian wage bargaining system and casts doubts on the ability of the Italian labor market to reward the "skill" increasingly demanded in the new technological, organizational and competitive environment of the globalization era. This ability does not seem to have increased after the reforms in wage determination contained in July 1993 Income Policy Agreements.


Children around the world are routinely being treated with medicines that have not been designed and developed for this specific patient population, putting them at risk of inaccurate dosing and side effects.
In the view of these considerations, the PhD research project was addressed to the use of specific formulation strategies for the development of innovative paediatric dosage forms.
The research has been structured in three case studies, concerning different oral formulations: mucoadhesive buccal films, dispersible granules and complex suspensions.
The first part of the research investigated the use of polymeric films for systemic absorption of ondansetron hydrochloride through the buccal mucosa. Several mixtures of hydrophilic polymers were evaluated to optimize the hydration ability of such films, the residence time at the site of application and the drug permeation profile.
The second approach was focused on the development of fast dispersible granules for oral administration of praziquantel. Granules represent a flexible dosage form for preschool-aged children that can be given as dispersion in beverages or administered with food, improving the palatability of the formulations and the adherence to therapy.
The last part of the work was carried out at the University of Birmingham and faced one of the central challenge associated with paediatric treatment: the taste masking of molecules characterized by bitter taste. To achieve this purpose, polyelectrolyte complexes, composed of whey protein and pectin, and able to encapsulate active substances were developed. Caffeine was selected as model drug for its particularly bitter taste.
Finally, the results presented in this thesis demonstrated that specific formulation strategies can be used to overcome the predominant issues related to paediatric administration of medicines, in order to guarantee the complete adherence of children to the therapy and thus the success of the treatment.


Graph planning gives rise to fundamental algorithmic questions such as shortest path, traveling salesman problem, etc. A classical problem in discrete planning is to consider a weighted graph and construct a path that maximizes the sum of weights for a given time horizon T. However, in many scenarios, the time horizon is not fixed, but the stopping time is chosen according to some distribution such that the expected stopping time is T. If the stopping time distribution is not known, then to ensure robustness, the distribution is chosen by an adversary, to represent the worst-case scenario. A stationary plan for every vertex always chooses the same outgoing edge. For fixed horizon or fixed stopping-time distribution, stationary plans are not sufficient for optimality. Quite surprisingly we show that when an adversary chooses the stopping-time distribution with expected stopping time T, then stationary plans are sufficient. While computing optimal stationary plans for fixed horizon is NP-complete, we show that computing optimal stationary plans under adversarial stopping-time distribution can be achieved in polynomial time. Consequently, our polynomial-time algorithm for adversarial stopping time also computes an optimal plan among all possible plans.


Connexins are integrally involved in the process of cell division and atherosclerosis. Recently we identified that connexin 43 (Cx43) could significantly alter smooth muscle cell proliferation in vitro and in vivo. We now investigate the involvement of Cx43 in human neointimal formation and the mechanisms through which it controls cell cycle.

 Protein interactions between Cx43 were identified in smooth muscle cells through co-immunoprecipitation, immuno-transmission electron microscopy and proximity ligation assays. Novel mice with alanine substitutions at MAPK phosphorylated serines (Cx43-MK4A) were investigated. Samples from diseased and non-diseased human coronary arteries were assessed for level of Cx43 phosphorylation and interactions. Ex vivo saphenous vein explant cultures were used to assess the contribution of Cx43 phosphorylation to human neointimal formation. In vitro studies were performed in human coronary artery smooth muscle cells and in mouse aortic smooth muscle cells from wild type and knockout mice.

 We demonstrate that levels of Cx43 are increased in human atherosclerotic plaques and that neointimal formation in human tissues corresponds to a significant increase in Cx43 phosphorylation and cyclin E interactions. In vitro, Cx43 facilitates trafficking of cyclin E to the nucleus in a manner that is dependent on its MAPK phosphorylation.

 Our studies suggest that in human vascular disease and neointimal formation Cx43 interactions with cyclin E are elevated. Further, Cx43 facilitates the transport of the cell cycle promoter cyclin E to the nucleus suggesting that this is a critical component of VSMC proliferation and therefore could be a novel target in the prevention of neointimal formation in human vascular disease.


The soil water characteristic curve (SWCC) portrays the relationship between soil suction and water content. This curve represents a fundamental behavior of unsaturated soils, from which many engineering properties (e.g., hydraulic conductivity, shear strength) can be estimated. However, the SWCC exhibits hysteretic behavior where a soil with different values of moisture content (e.g., due to seasonal variations) corresponding to drying and wetting paths can have the same suction. Hysteretic behavior (hydraulic hysteresis) can significantly influence the mechanical response of soils and soil-structure interfaces. This paper describes an investigation of the influence of hydraulic hysteresis during drying and wetting on the shearing response of unsaturated silty cohesionless soil alone and in contact with a rough steel counterface using a specially designed direct shear apparatus. For both soil and rough interface conditions, it was found that shear strength following a drying-wetting path was higher than for only the drying path, at similar suction and net normal stress. The magnitude of the difference in shear strength appears to correlate reasonably well with the difference in volumetric water content between the drying-wetting and drying paths at a given suction and net normal stress prior to shearing.