Sixty isolates of Macrophomina phaseolina, the cause of charcoal rot, were isolated from different parts of Iran on various plants including cantaloupe, long melon, soybean, cucumber, apricot , rosemary and sesame. Phenotypic characteristics of the isolates were compared by growing on PDA at 35˚C. Colony appearance, growth rate, production and amount of sclerotia and also the relationship between growth rate at 35˚C and size of sclerotia were determined. In a greenhouse study, sclerotia of different phenotypes were mixed with the soil and soybean and cantaloupe plants were used for pathogenicity tests. After eight weeks root colonization was assessed. All treatments were arranged in a randomized complete block design with three replications. The data were analyzed using SPSS software. Isolates were grouped in four phenotypes: fluffy with abundant sclerotia, fluffy with few sclerotia, partially fluffy, and appressed growth. There was a significant difference between fluffy with few sclerotia and other phenotypes. Fluffy isolates with few sclerotia could not colonize soybean and cantaloupe roots. No significant differences were observed among other phenotypes on colonizing cantaloupe and soybean roots.


This study examined the relationship between human body movements and emotion based on Laban Movement Analysis (LMA). Ten participants participated in the experiment in which they stayed at a small resting room while hearing pleasant or unpleasant sounds. After the stay at the room, the participants rated their subjective emotional states. Participants' body movement were also recorded with four video cameras. The movement analysis based on LMA reveled significant differences in movement features between experimental conditions. In addition, significant correlations between movement features and subjective mood ratings were observed. These results suggest a strong relationship between human body movements and emotion.


: With sea levels rising due to climate change, salinity intrusion will increase and new crops, specifically appropriate to such particular ecological conditions, are needed. In the project "SALAD—Saline Agriculture as a Strategy to Adapt to Climate Change", the possibility of growing tomato ( Solanum lycopersicum ), potato ( Solanum tuberosum ), quinoa ( Chenopodium quinoa ), and New Zealand spinach ( Tetragonia tetragonioides ) in saline conditions is explored, together with their market upscaling opportunity. The crops are described in terms of their origin and distribution, botanical description and edible use. Moreover, the state of the art of the four crops' response under saline conditions is reviewed.


Monitoring of rare and declining species is one of the most important tasks of wildlife managers. Here we present a large-scale, long-term monitoring program for Olympic marmot (Marmota olympus) throughout its range across a logistically challenging mountainous park. Our multiple-stage process of survey design accounts for the difficulty imposed by access to remote habitats and funding constraints. The Olympic marmot is endemic to the Olympic Mountains, Washington State, USA. Although nearly all of its range is enclosed within Olympic National Park, declines and local extirpations of the species have been documented. We considered several possible alternative survey approaches, and propose a monitoring program designed to reflect extinction–recolonisation dynamics using presence–absence data. The sampling design is based on annual surveys of a set of at least 25 randomly selected clusters (closely located groups of sites with record of current or historical occupancy by marmots), and supplemented by sampling 15 never-occupied sites to test for new colonisations. The monitoring plan provides a framework that park managers can use for assessing changes over time in Olympic marmot distribution across the range of the species. Our sampling design may serve as a useful case study for establishing monitoring programs for other species with clumped distributions.


California collects data on most occupational and many non-occupational illnesses and injuries related to pesticide exposure. Most of the occupational incidents are investigated by local agencies. A thorough investigation is conducted on all pesticide-related cases that meet "priority" guidelines: death; hospitalization of 1 or more persons for more than 24 hours with treatment; or 5 or more people with symptoms seeking medical care as a result of the same incident. This report summarizes the priority cases determined to be related to pesticide exposure during 1986. Of the 67 described incidents, involving 583 people ill, 26 (38%) were related to exposure to pesticides applied indoors (residences, offices), either by commercial pest control companies, employees or homeowners. Nearly 200 people (33%) became ill and more than 200 people were evacuated as a result of these types of applications. Most of these incidents were a result of careless application techniques and not following label instructions. Four other incidents, with 33 people ill, were the result of spills in retail stores. In all 4 cases, store employees tried to clean the spill without wearing protective clothing. Two other cases involved exposure via a pesticide being put in a food container. Nineteen of these type of incidents involved a pesticide product containing an organophosphate; most often chlorpyrifos (8 incidents), diazinon (3 incidents), and malathion (5 incidents). There were also 10 cases that resulted from suicide; eight different pesticides were involved. Five incidents involving agricultural workers, as well as 4 incidents involving non-agricultural workers, were primarily the result of allowing pesticides to drift from the target field.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


ZnO/Zn3N2 multilayer films were synthesized on slide glass substrates by radio-frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering technology with RF powers of 100 W. After annealing in oxygen atmosphere for 3 hours at the temperature changed from 473 K to 873 K, the multilayer films were changed to be single-layer films of nitrogen doped ZnO dilute ferromagnetic semiconductor. The structural, elementary constituents, carrier concentration and magnetic properties of the films were investigated with X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS), hall-effect measurements and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) magnetization measurements, respectively. The XRD measurements revealed that the nitrogen doped ZnO films had a wurtzite structure with their crystal (002) directions oriented along the c-axis of the substrate. Hall-effect measurements indicated that nitrogen doped ZnO thin film, annealed at 673 K for 3 hour, had the best p-type properties. Carrier concentration and resistivity of the film was 3.12 × 1017 cm-3 and 93 Ωcm, respectively. A Lakeshore 7407 vibrating sample magnetometer was employed for magnetization (M) versus applied field strength (H) investigations of these thin films. A typical hysteresis loop was found in the observed M–H curve of the samples, demonstrated that the films annealed at 673 K for 3 hour were ferromagnetic at 300 K. The XPS analysis revealed the presence of Zn-N chemical bonding in the films. It suggested that nitrogen atoms are substituted at the oxygen sites of the ZnO films and mediate the ferromagnetic properties of the films.


A method of numbering data packets in a packet-switched telecommunications system which utilizes acknowledged transmission and the telecommunications protocol of which comprises a convergence protocol layer for converting user data packets into convergence protocol packets, and a link layer for transmitting convergence protocol packets as data units and for acknowledging the transmission. A data packet number is defined for the convergence protocol packets to be sent by a counter and the convergence protocol packets to be sent are transmitted to the link layer for transmission without the data packet number. A data packet number is also defined for received convergence protocol packets by means of the counter and an acknowledgement of received convergence protocol packets is transmitted to the transmitter.


The coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) had spread rapidly since December 2019, when it was first identified in Wuhan, China. As of April 2021, more than 130 million cases have been confirmed, with more than 3 million deaths, making it one of the deadliest pandemics in history. Different approaches must be put in place to confront a new pandemic: community-based behaviours (i.e., isolation and social distancing), antiviral treatments, and vaccines. Although behaviour-based actions have produced significant benefits and several efficacious vaccines are now available, there is still an urgent need for treatment options. Remdesivir represents the first antiviral drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration for COVID-19 but has several limitations in terms of safety and treatment benefits. There is still a strong request for other effective, safe, and broad-spectrum antiviral systems in light of future emergent coronaviruses. Here, we describe a polymeric nanomaterial derived from L-lysine, with an antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2 associated with a good safety profile in vitro. Nanoparticles of hyperbranched polylysine, synthesized by L-lysine's thermal polymerization catalyzed by boric acid, effectively inhibit the SARS-CoV-2 replication. The virucidal activity is associated with the charge and dimension of the nanomaterial, favouring the electrostatic interaction with the viral surface being only slightly larger than the virions' dimensions. Low-cost production and easiness of synthesis strongly support the further development of such innovative nanomaterials as a tool for potential treatments of COVID-19 and, in general, as broad-spectrum antivirals.


Implementation of proper wireless links at submillimetre-wave and terahertz (THz) frequencies requires high-gain antennas. This simulation-based study investigates the performance of dielectric lenses and their feed antennas at 300 GHz. Parametric studies and electromagnetic simulations are used to determine the general lens properties, and the use of waveguide and on-chip antenna feeds is considered. The results show that the studied lens and feed structures can provide good, directive radiation patterns also with beam scanning.


Narrowing the digital divide is an important goal of any ICT policy. It must promote on one hand a high degree of accessibility to the "infostructure" by promoting competition, interconnection and convergence in the ICT sector. On the other hand, policies must also seek to increase the capabilities of the users to absorb or increase their usage of ICT. In response to the competitive forces and market preferences, telecommunication companies, in order to reduce costs and increase margins, have adopted the twin strategies of achieving scale and scope. The pressure to forward integrate, coupled with the availability of the technology, actually resulted in the convergence of IT and content in the Internet. If unchecked by the regulator, these integration strategies of telecommunication companies will bring back the ICT into the hands of a few or into a monopoly structure. The current regulatory environment does not allow firms to pursue their convergence strategies because of the limitations imposed by Philippine laws. Also, there is no general framework or policy guidelines that would help both the regulator and the industry players in addressing future issues on spectrum usage, management and ownership. There is also the need to address the issue of user's ability to absorb the technology. Current ICT diffusion in critical sectors like education is very low. Demand-side constraints to ICT absorption will have to be addressed.


BACKGROUND
In a pilot study for the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) a modification of the Baecke questionnaire on physical activity was tested for repeatability and relative validity in a population of 134 men and women aged 20-70 years.

METHODS
For the assessment of repeatability Pearson's correlation coefficients and percentages of agreement after classification in tertiles were computed between administrations of the questionnaire at baseline, and after 5 and 11 months. Relative validity was determined by comparing the questionnaire to a four times repeated 3-day activity diary.

RESULTS
Repeatability after 5 and 11 months was good, with test-retest correlation coefficients between 0.65 and 0.89 for main sections of the questionnaire. The percentages of agreement, exceeding chance (Cohen's kappa) were 57% and 56% for men (at 5 and 11 months respectively) and 41% and 46% for women. The correlations with the diaries were 0.56 in men and 0.44 in women. Agreement apart from chance between classification in tertiles for both methods was 35% for men and 10% for women.

CONCLUSIONS
These data show that repeatability is good and relative validity as compared to an activity diary is moderate but well within the range of values found in other studies. The questionnaire is more valid in men than in women.


Recent studies have revealed that diabetes mellitus caused gut bacterial dysbiosis, and intervention studies aiming to selectively alter the composition and metabolism of the gut microbiota are crucial next steps for investigating the links between the microbiome and diabetes. The sequences encompassing V1–3 16S rDNA hypervariable regions were PCR amplified from rat fecal samples fed with resistant starch (RS). In total, 13 different phyla and 107 different genus were obtained with a 3% distance cut off. The microbiota profile of normal rats was significantly different from that of rats in diabetic control and RS intervention group. The most prominent phyla were Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes in the three groups. The proportion of Proteobacteria was significantly higher in the rats of diabetic control compared to normal group, and RS intervention could inhibit the proliferation of Proteobacteria phyla, including a wide variety of pathogenic species, such as Escherichia-Shige, Klebsiella, and Pseudomona. At genus level, Lactobacillus in the diabetic control was significantly lower than that in the normal group, whereas the feeding of RS increased the amount of Lactobacillus. More importantly, the consumption of RS reduced the composition of Ruminococcus and increased S24-7 norank comparing with the diabetic control. This study might indicate that RS is an effective food ingredient for manipulating the gut microbiota.


We have investigated lignin structures in pure primary cell walls. Poplar cell suspension cultures, Populus tremula x tremuloides, were harvested after 7, 14 and 21 days of growth. Carbohydrate monomer analysis also points at the presence of primary wall exclusively. Confocal microscopy of the cells dyed with acriflavin demonstrates that lignin is present. Klason content increases during growth from 0.7 to 3.9 percent. GC analysis of samples subjected to thioacidolysis shows that the lignin constitutes of guaiacyl units as compared to poplar wood which have syringyl as the main monomer. The amount of monomers per unit Klason lignin is lower than in wood and it decreases during cultivation possibly indicating a larger relative content of carbon-carbon bonds in the polymeric lignin in the cell cultures as compared to wood. Five lignin structures were identified with mass-spectrometry.


Final quality of black tea depends mainly on the chemical composition of the raw tea leaves. Various plucking methods have direct effect both on yield and quality in different cultivated variety and environments. Different literature reports indicated that polyphenols, caffeine, essential oils and amino acids are responsible for aroma and flavor of black tea. The oxidation process begins at rolling step and ends at initial stages of drying process until the heat denature the enzymes, which convert tea polyphenols (catechins) to theaflavins and thearubigins; both are responsible for brightness, color and taste of black tea. TR increased by increasing fermentation period. TF decreased by increasing fermentation period. The essential oils and the amino acids also contribute to characteristic tea taste and aroma. It was found that the essential oils content increased during the withering, rolling and fermentation steps; however this amount decreased during the drying step. But this reduction is compensated by the Millard reaction which is the reaction of amino acids with the sugars during drying, contributing positively to the tea flavor and color. Theaflavin, thearubigins and total color content of black tea stored in accelerated storage condition decreased slightly when compared with tea stored under normal conditions. It is concluded that plucking (interval, season and standard), processing steps and storage system plays major role in maintaining black tea quality.

 Key words: Tea processing, black tea, biochemical composition, sensory quality.


Recently, increasing evidence is suggesting appendectomy as an alternative treatment approach for ulcerative colitis (UC), especially in case of pathological inflammation of the appendix. Therefore, pre-operative identification of appendiceal inflammation could be of clinical importance to predict efficacy of therapeutic appendectomy. This study assessed the incidence of peri-appendiceal red patch (PARP) on colonoscopy, with the aim to correlate PARP to patient and disease characteristics. In addition, the prognostic relevance of PARP on course of disease, and more specifically, histopathological findings of inflammation in resection specimens of the appendix were assessed, to analyze if PARP could potentially be used to identify patients eligible for appendectomy.

 All consecutive patients with UC undergoing colonoscopy in 2014 or 2015 were included to determine the incidence of PARP in a cross-sectional study. Findings were correlated to patient and disease characteristics, upscaling of treatment during disease course and colectomy rates. Degree of inflammation of the appendix in case of subsequent appendectomy/colectomy was determined and results were compared between patients with and without PARP. Histological inflammation was scored by an independent pathologist using the Robarts histopathology index (RHI).

 In total, 249 patients with an eligible endoscopy report were included. The incidence of PARP was 17.7% (44/249). Patients with PARP were significantly younger and had a shorter disease course. PARP patients with active disease had proctitis more frequently, although not significant (29.4% vs 11.4%, p= 0.19). Out of 44 PARP patients, 27 (61.4%) were found in colonoscopies showing endoscopic Mayo score 0 or 1. Patients with PARP required significantly more upscaling of medical therapy (81.8% vs 58.0%, p= 0.03), and during the median follow up of 71 months the PARP patient group underwent colectomy more frequently (13.6% vs 4.9%, p=0.04). Eighteen appendices were available for histological analysis, of which 8 showed a PARP pre-operatively. Patients with PARP had a higher median Robarts Histology Index (RHI) score compared to patients without a PARP (13.5 vs 6.5 p< 0.01).

 PARP was predominantly found in UC patients with younger age and shorter disease duration and were demonstrated to have a more severe course of UC. Patients with PARP had a higher histopathological inflammation score. Since pathological inflammation of the appendix has been associated with improved efficacy of therapeutic appendectomy, it could be attractive to analyze if the presence of PARP might help in selecting patients more likely to respond to therapeutic appendectomy.


The glacial cycles are attributed to the climatic response of the orbital changes in the irradiance to the Earth. These changes in the forcing are to small to explain the observed climate variations as simple linear responses. Non-linear amplifications are necessary to account for the glacial cycles. Here an empirical model of the non-linear response is presented. From the model it is possible to assess the role of stochastic noise in comparison to the deterministic orbital forcing of the ice ages. The model is based on the bifurcation structure derived from the climate history. It indicates the dynamical origin of the Mid-Pleistocene transition (MPT) from the '41 kyr world' to the '100 kyr world'. The dominant forcing in the latter is still the 41 kyr obliquity cycle, but the bifurcation structure of the climate system is changed. The model indicates that transitions between glacial and interglacial climate are assisted by internal stochastic noise in the period prior to the last five glacial cycles, while the last five cycles are deterministic responses to the orbital forcing.


Abstract— In this paper we introduced E-notifier application in which students can view daily timetable through a widget & get important notices send by the server. The widget displays current lectures & by clicking on the widget, one can view entire days timetable. The important notices are displayed on the notification panel as soon as the user is connected to the internet. The basic architecture of this paper depends on two main areas client side & server side.
Client: 1. As the user downloads the application he selects his branch & year to proceed.2 .The client side has mobile application that fetches the required time table details of particular branch &it's correspond year using My SQL.3. The entire client side Application design using Java, android and SQLite.
Server:-On the server side, the admin can log in to add new notifications & update timetable that is to be broadcasted. The admin will have the authority to access, add and edit any information on the server. The server side coding is done in PHP language.


A 70-year-old man presented to the emergency department with blood hypotension associated to a sudden paraplegia and thermalgesic analgesia. He had an history of colic and prostatic adenocarcinoma, hypertension and non-dialyzed Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) related to an idiopathic membranous glomerulonephritis type 1 discovered 9 years ago. Magnetic resonance imaging confirmed a diagnosis of Spinal Cord Infarction (SCI). Few months later, he presented a blurred vision due to central Retinal Vein Occlusion (RVO), which was improved by Anti-VEGF therapy. This is the first reported case of a concomitance of retinal vascular event and SCI highlights the links between the central nervous system and retinal vascularization despite separate involvement of the two events in the arterial and venous systems. Additionally, CKD worsened the risk of cardiovascular incidents by induced oxidative stress, thrombophilia, chronic inflammation, and endothelial dysfunction. SCI occurrence indicates severe vascular dysfunction and elevates the risk of additional vascular disorders.


: Sympathetic arthritis is a sterile, non-pyogenic complication due to adjacent bone disease, particularly chronic inflammatory osteomyelitis. Radiologically it is manifested as an arthrosis or serous arthritis (painful effusion), or as a chronic destructive arthitis. In the latter case, there is a lymphatic and plasma cell synovitis which may persist, clinically and radiologically, for a period of months or years before definite radiological signs of a chronic osteomyelitis become apparent. Observations of patients with plasma cell osteomyelitis and chronic destructive sympathetic arthritis indicate a special set of findings due to plasma cell osteomyelitis: metadiaphyseal ossifying periostitis, extreme demineralisation of the adjacent epiphysis with spotty focal sclerosis of the spongiosa and a chronic arthritis.


Heller refutes Roland Mousnier's thesis that early modern France was a society of orders in which most people knew and accepted their status in society. This concept of order certainly had meaning for the sixteenth-century elite because of aristocratic domination over land and people, but it is not clear that this was also the view of the commoners. Heller maintains that for peasants, craftsmen, and merchants the decline of the French economy started at the beginning rather than the middle of the sixteenth century. This resulted in unrest which spread from town to countryside, culminating in the three great popular movements of the civil wars: the Calvinist Revolt of the 1560s, the Catholic League's challenge to the power of the Monarchy, and the revolts of the 1590s. Heller stresses that the history of sixteenth-century France is one of both resistance and domination. It was often the upper class which took the initiative, directing much of the violence toward the commoners, and many of those involved in the civil wars were fighting for their own economic positions. Iron and Blood helps to clarify the significance of the French Civil Wars by showing them to be rooted in an aristocratic reaction against the earlier social unrest which began among the common people.


The eponymous protagonist of Phèdre emerges as a true tragic heroine by exercising her own free will to commit wrong instead of being a mere victim of fate. Criticism focusing on injustice has tended to shine light on Thésée, denying Phèdre royal sovereignty just as French Salic law did to queens. By shifting the spotlight from Thésée to Phèdre, and from the idea of judgment as a means of redressing injustice to injustice resulting from the challenges of governance and self–governance in royal leaders, we will see that Phèdre's gender has tended to obscure the important connection between injustice and the exercise of monarchical power. The gender of the eponymous heroine of the play operates as a cover: by associating wrongdoing with a female monarch, a literal impossibility in France, Racine is able to delve into particularly controversial aspects of unjust governance as experienced in his day and age.


In order to infiltrate the molten aluminum alloy to the reinforcement preform by low pressure in casting process and acquire the high performance composites with high density, the effect of the ultrasonic vibration on the infiltration was investigated by model experiments using clear solution and glass or aluminum borate preform, which is correspond to a molten matrix and reinforcement, respectively. Ultrasonic vibration improves the wettability of liquid polyester resin on glass plate, dramatically. The final infiltration height and infiltration speed of liquid polyester resin in glass capillary were improved by the ultrasonic vibration. Furthermore, the infiltration speed of water to aluminum borate preform accelerated by ultrasonic vibration. This effect was more remarkable, when the infiltration height is lower or infiltration time is shorter. In actual, the molten aluminum alloy infiltrate to SiC preform using ultrasonic vibration easily and acquire the high dense composites without pores.


Abstract Background and aims. Patients with schizophrenia have a shorter life expectancy than normal population partially due to the metabolic side effects of antipsychotic treatment. The aim of this study is to evaluate the long-term evolution of the metabolic syndrome in chronic schizophrenia patients on fixed second generation antipsychotics (SGA). Material and method. The components of metabolic syndrome were evaluated repeatedly in a minimum 6 months and maximum 2 years follow-up period. The presence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) and metabolic risk scores (cMetS) according to National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III were calculated and compared in time. In the prevalence, incidence and normalization logistic regression studies included all the known risk factors together with the follow-up period. Finally, all these rates were compared depending on the type of SGA. Results. Only cMetS, waist circumference and diastolic blood pressure presented significant increase in the follow-up period which was in average 385.5 days. The prevalence of MetS at base-line was 39.4%, which increased to 48.5% after the follow-up period. The calculated incidence of 30% was associated with a 23.1% rate of normalization. Logistic regression studies revealed as independent risk factors the age and base-line cMetS/weight for incidence and for normalization. In the aripiprazole group the normalization rate exceeded the incidence rate (33.3% vs 20%). Conclusions. The results emphasize the highly dynamic character of the metabolic syndrome even in chronic schizophrenia patients with fixed SGA regimen. The normalization of MetS is a possibility that should not ignored. The age and weight continue to remain independent risk factors, thus close monitoring in elderly and strict weight control plan are necessary. Aripiprazole showed better safety profile, but more extensive studies are required for definitive conclusions.


Background.
Cervical cancer is the second most frequently diagnosed cancer and the third leading cause of cancer death for women in developing countries. Radical hysterectomy with bilateral pelvic lymph node dissection is usually preferred for patients of stage IB1-IIA2. Currently, image examinations have certain limitations in diagnose of lymph node metastasis and their detection accuracies are not satisfactory. Only the pathological examination after removal of the suspected metastatic lymph nodes during surgery can conclusively identify the presence of metastasis. If there is a positive result of lymphatic metastasis, there is no clear guideline whether to complete a radical surgery, or to only conduct a systematic lymphadenectomy, followed with adjuvant Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy (CCRT). This retrospective study aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of the two treatment modalities.
Methods.
49 stage IB1-IIA2 cervical cancer patients with lymphatic metastasis confirmed by systemic pelvic and para-aortic lymph node dissection from 2007 to 2018 were reviewed. The patients were treated with either primary chemoradiation or radical hysterectomy followed by adjuvant chemoradiation after lymphadenectomy. Survival states and adverse events of the two treatments were compared.
Results.
Median follow-up time was 45 (range 11-119 months) months. In non-radical surgery group, 1 patient (1/15, 6.7%) relapsed and died, while in radical surgery group, 7 patients (7/27, 25.9%) relapsed and 5 (5/27, 18.5%) died. Significant difference was found in the mean progression-free survival between the two groups, which was 69(95%CI 49.118-88.882) months in non-radical surgery group and 44(95%CI 35.857-52.143) months in radical surgery group (p<0.01). There was significant difference in three-year progression-free survival(86%vs.71%, p<0.01). Grade 3-4 toxicity was comparable between the two groups (26.7% vs. 25.9%, p=0.958).
Conclusion.
For stage IB1-IIA2 cervical cancer patients with positive lymph node, primary chemoradiation after pelvic and para-aortic lymphadenectomy seems to have better survival outcomes compared with radical hysterectomy by laparoscopy plus chemoradiation in the retrospective study with limited cases. Evidence from a randomized controlled study is in need to confirm the optimal treatment for early stage node-positive cervical cancer.


The particular task of the family doctor is to provide the patient with comprehensive information about his forthcoming operation, to ensure that his medication is appropriately adapted in good time, and to clarify in advance the social and postoperative situation with regard to the nursing care possibly needed by the patient. The anesthesia- and surgery-specific examinations of these patients are usually performed in the hospital concerned.


Ten solvents were used to extract phytochemicals from the peel of Carica papaya cv. Sekaki/Hong Kong to determine their antibacterial activities. Moderate to clear inhibition on Corynebacterium diphtheriae, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Bacillus subtilis and Clostridium perfringens were obtained from the disk diffusion test out of fourteen pathogens tested. Petroleum ether extract, the most potent extract, showed moderate inhibition towards C. diphtheria and S. pneumoniae at MIC of 5.63 mg/mL and 1.40 mg/mL. Polar solvents gave higher yield, total phenolic and total flavonoid contents than nonpolar solvents. Extract yields were 10.9 to 84.1 mg/g in polar solvents and 3.9 to 20.3 mg/g in non-polar solvents. Twenty eight compounds were identified in petroleum extracts through GC/MS analysis. Among the compounds identified were fatty acids, esters, alkane, tocopherols and sterols. 9,12,15-octadecatrienoic acid was the most abundant compound.


We study in detail the flux properties of a radiofrequency (rf) outcoupled horizontally guided atom laser by following the scheme demonstrated by Guerin W et al (2006 Phys. Rev. Lett. 97 200402). Both the outcoupling spectrum (flux of the atom laser versus rf frequency of the outcoupler) and the flux limitations imposed on operating in the quasi-continuous regime are investigated. These aspects are studied using a quasi-one-dimensional model, whose predictions are shown to be in fair agreement with the experimental observations. This work allows us to identify the operating range of the guided atom laser and to confirm its promises with regard to studying quantum transport phenomena.


Is the waning of passion and satisfaction in romantic relationships inevitable, or can the honeymoon period be sustained? The Hedonic Adaptation Prevention model, which describes the mechanisms by which people adapt to positive life changes, posits that hedonic adaptation is a powerful barrier to sustained relationship well-being and suggests how to thwart it. In this paper, we apply the model to a new area of study – namely, intimate relationships. We explore the practices, habits, and activities that can increase the number of positive events and emotions in relationships, boost their variety, lower a couple's entitled aspirations, and build their appreciation – all variables that can serve to slow adaptation and increase well-being. Additionally, we discuss types of romantic relationships (e.g. long-distance relationships and unhealthy relationships) that may be relatively less susceptible to hedonic adaptation.


The presence of humans and African elephants (Loxodonta africana ) in the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park can create situations of potential human–elephant conflict. Such conflict will likely be exacerbated as elephant and human populations increase, unless mitigation measures are put in place. In this study we analysed the movement patterns of 13 collared adult African elephants from the northern Kruger National Park over a period of eight years (2006–2014). We compared the occurrence and displacement rates of elephant bulls and cows around villages in the Limpopo National Park and northern border of the Kruger National Park across seasons and at different times of the day. Elephants occurred close to villages more often in the dry season than in the wet season, with bulls occurring more frequently around villages than cows. Both the bulls and the cows preferred to use areas close to villages from early evening to midnight, with the bulls moving closer to villages than the cows. These results suggest that elephants, especially the bulls, are moving through the studied villages in Mozambique and Zimbabwe at night and that these movements are most common during the drier months when resources are known to be scarce. Conservation implications: Elephants from the Kruger National Park are moving in close proximity to villages within the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park. Resettlement of villages within and around the park should therefore be planned away from elephant seasonal routes to minimise conflict between humans and elephants.


Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is one of the main causes of chronic liver diseases, the disorders of which involve multiple pathological processes and elements including host factors such as non-coding small RNAs. Although several genes have been reported to be correlated with HCV infection, the potential regulatory network has not been deciphered clearly. By small RNA sequencing, we clarified the expression profile of microRNAs (miRNAs) in HCV-infected Huh7 and Huh7.5.1 cells and identified 6 dysregulated miRNAs with the same expression trend and 32 dysregulated miRNAs with different expression trends during different stages of HCV life cycle. By looking into each infection stage, we found that 6 miRNAs were entry stage specific, 4 miRNAs were replication stage specific, and 1 miRNA was related to the transmission stage. Moreover, due to the fact that Huh7.5.1 cells have a retinoic acid-inducible gene 1 (RIG-I) mutation which causes reduced production of interferons (IFNs), we here focused on the miRNAs of different trends to decipher the RIG-I/IFN specific miRNAs. Among them, miR-4423-3p showed a significant promotive effect on HCV infection by suppressing RIG-I/IFN pathway through direct binding to RIG-I mRNA. Together, the results displayed novel insights into the miRNA regulatory networks in HCV infection and progression, thus providing a prosperous perspective into the establishment of novel therapeutic and diagnostic targets of the disease.


: The prevalence of hepatitis A-, B- and C-markers has been studied in patients at a Norwegian rehabilitation centre for drug addicts. The prevalence of hepatitis C-antibodies was fairly constant in the years 1976 (56%), 1985 (78%) and 1988-89 (73%), but may be decreasing in younger addicts. The data suggest a highly variable incidence of HAV with few infections in recent years. The prevalence of hepatitis B-markers, which has been calculated from 1975 to 1988-89, reached a maximum of 93% in 1986. Since then a significant decrease in prevalence has been observed among younger patients, suggesting that the HIV campaign has led to improved hygiene precautions among intravenous drug addicts. A strong correlation was observed between positive markers for HBV and presence of anti-HCV, and, similarly, between the presence of anti-HAV and markers for HBV and HCV. Anti-HCV was significantly associated with pathological ALT-values.


For the sake of overcoming the shortage of transitional region and marginal area information loss, especially lost texture information resulting from pixel-based pulse coupled neural network (PCNN) method, a region-based algorithm, which combined redundancy, shift-invariance of stationary wavelet transform (SWT) and regional firing intensity of PCNN, was present. This would provide more and exact information for clinical diagnosis, determination of Lesion distribution, Open-MRI-Guided surgery and so on by more effectively information drawn from sub-images. Finally, experimental results, that shown the proposed algorithm outperform other methods according to objective evaluation criteria, were given.


It is widely accepted that new technology is an important source of agricultural growth. Developing countries have tried a variety of policies to accelerate the development and diffusion of new technology. These policies include: (1) government investment in agricultural research and extension, (2) tax breaks and other incentives to private companies that conduct agricultural research, and (3) incentives to transfer new technology developed outside the country. At the same time, many countries have other policies that reduce the incentive of private companies to do research or transfer technology. These include restrictions on importing technology and importing research inputs, restrictions on which companies are allowed to do research, and regulations that reduce the profitability of innovation. The opposite side of this issue is the U.S. farmer's complaint that multinational companies are transferring U.S. technology to other nations. Some farmers and their representatives argue that this transfer of technology hurts American farmers by increasing the productivity of our competitors and reducing the amount of U.S. grain demanded by importing nations. There are reports of attempts by U.S. farmers to restrict the outflow of technology by restricting seed exports. At present, the debate about these issues is hampered by the absence of empirical studies on the importance of these flows of technology or the impact of policies on these technology transfers. In practical terms, it is not clear how much technology can be transferred directly and how much has to be substantially modified before it can be used in a new country. Without such information, it is impossible to determine how important policies which impede the flow of material technology like seeds or chemicals will be or whether foreign research will make these technologies available anyway. In this paper, we have attempted to measure the impact of public sector research, the transfer of technology embodied in a product, and private sector research by multinationals on one major crop - corn. The results indicate that technology transfer through trade and private sector research by multinational seed companies play an important role in increasing agricultural productivity.


WALPs are synthetic α-helical membrane-spanning peptides that constitute a well-studied system for exploring hydrophobic mismatch. These peptides represent a simplified consensus motif for transmembrane domains of intrinsic membrane proteins due to their hydrophobic core of alternating leucine and alanine flanked by membrane-anchoring aromatic tryptophan residues. Although the modulation of mismatch responses in WALPs by tryptophan anchors has been reported earlier, there have been limited attempts to utilize the intrinsic tryptophan fluorescence of this class of peptides in mismatch sensors. We have previously shown, utilizing the red edge excitation shift (REES) approach, that interfacial WALP tryptophan residues in fluid phase bilayers experience a dynamically constrained membrane microenvironment. Interestingly, emerging reports suggest the involvement of non-aromatic interfacially localized residues in modulating local structure and dynamics in WALP analogs. In this backdrop, we have explored the effect of interfacial amino acids, such as lysine (in KWALPs) and glycine (in GWALPs), on the tryptophan microenvironment of WALP analogs in zwitterionic and negatively charged membranes. We show that interfacial tryptophans in KWALP and GWALP experience a more restricted microenvironment, as reflected in the substantial increase in magnitude of REES and apparent rotational correlation time, relative to those in WALP in zwitterionic membranes. Interestingly, in contrast to WALP, the tryptophan anchors in KWALP and GWALP appear insensitive to the presence of negatively charged lipids in the membrane. These results reveal a subtle interplay between non-aromatic flanking residues in transmembrane helices and negatively charged lipids at the membrane interface, which could modulate the membrane microenvironment experienced by interfacially localized tryptophan residues. Since interfacial tryptophans are known to influence mismatch responses in WALPs, our results highlight the possibility of utilizing the fluorescence signatures of tryptophans in membrane proteins or model peptides such as WALP as markers for assessing protein responses to hydrophobic mismatch. More importantly, these results constitute one of the first reports on the influence of lipid headgroup charge in fine-tuning hydrophobic mismatch in membrane bilayers, thereby enriching the existing framework of hydrophobic mismatch.


The high pressure liquid chromatographic (HPLC) technique was developed to separate and quantitate the synthetic corticosteroids (s-CS) which are widely used clinically. 1) 12 kinds of s-CS in alcoholic solvent and 2) some of their metabolites in the plasma and urine of healthy subjects with oral administration of s-CS were investigated for the preliminary work. The results are summarized as follows: 1) Cortisol sodium phosphate, Dexamethasone 21, disodium phosphate, Paramethasone acetate, Cortisol acetate, Cortisone acetate, Methylprednisolone acetate, Prednisone, Dexamethasone, 9 alpha-fluorocortisol, Betamethasone, Triamcinolone, and Prednisolone in ethanol were clearly separated by HPLC from Cortisol (F). In the suitable condition of the HPLC (LC-2 type) with a Zorbax SIL column, organic solvent (cyclohexane:dichloromethane:ethanol = 9:4:1)-carrier mobile phases and UV detector, the retention time of each s-CS was obviously different from that of F. The calibration curve was obtained in a linear line with regards to each s-CS. The mean recovery was 97.6% and the coefficient of variation were 1.6 (intraassay) and 7.2 (interassay)%. The sensitivity of the steroid determination was 200pg order. 2) The serial changes in plasma concentrations of s-CS; CS-metabolites and endogenous F were shown in 3 healthy males and 2 females following oral administration of the s-CS. The separated metabolites in number and quality depended on the kind of s-CS. Prednisone and other kinds of the acidified products were separated from prednisolone in the plasma and urinary samples of the healthy subjects as well as Addisonian patients. In conclusion, the HPLC method is useful for the separation and quantitation of the UV-absorbing CS of human plasma and urine. The obtained chromatograms may be an indication of the metabolic state of the subject with treatment of s-CS.


Digital compression and distribution technologies influence the music industry in various ways. This paper investigates how consumer behavior is affected by the free music products on the Internet. Survey methodology was used to determine the respondents' perceived likelihood of purchasing legitimate CDs depending on the free availability of the same music via a streaming service or downloading on the Internet. In the pre-study, several factors affecting consumer purchasing were identified based on the responses of 106 university students. In consideration of these factors, the paper investigated how the price and free music availability jointly affect a consumer's willingness to buy. In addition, this paper examined how the effects of price and non-price factors such as rating of singer, preference for genre, number of songs on a CD, SES factors, and music consumption style may change in the "free" vs. "non-free" Internet availability conditions. The results showed that there was a weak pattern of interaction between price and free music availability, though the interaction effect was not significant. In the non-free Internet availability situation, price along with some other factors had significant effects on consumer purchasing patterns for some CDs, whereas in the free Internet availability situation, price had insignificant effects on a consumer's willingness to purchase all twelve CDs used in the questionnaire. Instead, some non-price factors influenced consumer purchasing patterns.


The collapse of building structures during recent earthquakes, particularly in the countries around the Kurdistan region (KR), such as Turkey (2011 Van earthquake) and Iran (2003 Bam earthquake), has raised many questions about the safety of existing buildings in the region and those structures that are going to be constructed in the future. The KR, which is located in the north and northeastern parts of Iraq, is also considered to be the most hazardous part of Iraq. However, many buildings in the region, especially the unreinforced masonry buildings, were not engineered to withstand seismic loads. This paper investigates the seismic fragility of existing unreinforced masonry buildings in KR in terms of their fragility curve and surface using an analytical approach. This study considers many factors, including the variability of the mechanical properties of materials, ground motion intensity measures (IMs), a number of ground motion records and their effect on the selection of IMs and thus the derivation of the fragility curves. The results demonstrate that unreinforced masonry low-rise buildings in the KR are highly vulnerable to seismic loads and that such structures must be strengthened to prevent failure.


We consider multistage stochastic programming problems in which the random parameters have finite support, leading to optimization over a finite scenario set. We propose a hierarchy of bounds based on partitions of the scenario set into subsets of (nearly) equal cardinality. These expected partition (EP) bounds coincide with EGSO bounds provided by Sandıkçı et al. (2013) in the case that the subset cardinality divides evenly into the cardinality of the scenario set, and otherwise interpolate between the bounds for two consecutive cardinalities. Partition bounds have a substantial advantage for practical computation: solution of the group subproblem for all subsets in a single partition yields a dual bound. Furthermore, the best of even a very small number of such single partition bounds is very likely, in practice, to be better than the corresponding EP bound. By sampling partitions of the scenario set, we obtain an algorithm that provides exact dual bounds for the stochastic program. The practical value of these ideas is illustrated on benchmark problems, and the approach compared to Sample Average Approximation. Finally, we present three methods for improving the dual bounds obtained by the partition sampling algorithm: (i) Partition sampling using the scenario tree structure in multi-stage instances, (ii) generating optimally recombined partitions using the samples that were previously sampled in the algorithm, and (iii) truncating the partition bound calculations by ceasing computation of partitions that appear to be unpromising in terms of finding a good partition bound.


Melanoma is responsible for nearly 9,000 deaths each year in the United States. Until the early 2000s, chemotherapeutic agents were the mainstay of treatment for metastatic disease. Currently approved treatments include therapies that block signal transduction pathways (BRAF inhibition), increase anti-tumor immune responses (CTLA-4 blockade), or stimulate tumor-infiltrating T cells (IL2). In recent years, various new strategies have emerged. Radiation therapy has been widely underutilized, but it can prime tumor cells that are distant from the field of radiation, a phenomenon termed the abscopal effect. Other therapies such as pembrolizumab disrupt the tumor cells' typical mechanisms of T-cell avoidance. Various other treatments involving imiquimod, adoptive T-cell therapy, and vaccines are currently being studied and can play a role in metastatic melanoma treatment in the future. Herein, we review the past treatment modalities, currently approved treatments, and potentially effective options for the future. We also provide strengths of recommendation and level of evidence for each treatment.


A strong correlation is observed among surface charge, contact angle, and native oxide thickness in which up to 10,000 min of exposure time to ambient air, the and treated surfaces seem to undergo three distinct periods of evolution. The results indicate that the treatment yields surfaces with greater activity in ambient air. The trends, which are explained by considering the reaction between unpassivated trivalent silicon and hydroxyl groups, are shown to be consistent with XPS data on surface carbon, fluorine, and oxygen. Following thermal oxidation, the total oxide charge, oxide thickness, and contact angle are stable over time. This is possibly due to the complete surface oxide coverage. The thermal oxide thicknesses of and treated surfaces are different and can be correlated to preoxidation surface XPS results. Following thermal oxidation, no differences between and are detected in terms of oxide charge and contact angle as a function of ambient air exposure time. However, results indicate that an increase in the waiting period prior to oxidation in ambient air results in lower oxide charge values. This is attributed to the increase in hydroxyl coverage as a function of waiting period.


Purpose: India is the second largest higher education system in the world and 50% of its population is under 25 years. This demographic advantage can be leveraged only if India has a formidable higher education system. Present study tries to explore the relationship between intellectual capital and university performance across North India with an objective of providing fruitful insights to the policy makers about the areas of focus. Research Method: Quantitative research design was used for the study. Respondents of the study were comprised of faculty members of universities from selected North Indian states. Regression analysis using SPSS was employed to study the relationship between the two dimensions of intellectual capital and university performance. Findings: Findings revealed that universities need to operate in close interactions with government institutions and private industries that help enhance relational capital. Organizational capital emerged as a major dimension that affects university performance. The study gives university policy makers tools in the form of organizational and relational capital that can be leveraged to enhance performance. Implications for Research and Practice: These findings are pertinent for the top management of universities which can focus on strengthening relational capital by building strong relationships with alumni and industry, facilitating consulting and having consistent interactions with stakeholders in order to enhance university performance. Results imply that in addition to relying on teaching expertise and teaching pedagogy, planners need to focus equally or more.


Introduction. The results given in this paper are preliminary, but it will be seen by those familiar with such researches that my opinions, although for obvious reasons here considered as provisional and therefore subject to revision in final publications, have been based upon abundant materials. These consist of four different collections: The first was made by Mr. I. C. Russell and by the author and his son in the summer of 1888, and showed the existence of the Lias* and Oolite in mount Jura, near Taylorville, Plumas county, California, and the need of making further researches in this locality. The second was gathered by Mr. J. S. Diller and the author in the summer of 1890, and this, together with a third collection made during the same season by Dr. Cooper Curtice, demonstrated the existence of a distinct fauna in the Hinchman tuff. It is only just to add that . . .


The threat of global climate change makes it critical to understand how changing patterns of temperature variability influence ecological processes such as population growth rates and predator-prey interactions. According to the metabolic theory of ecology (MTE), rates of ecological processes are fundamentally limited by organism metabolic rates. Metabolism has in turn been found to scale predictably with temperature according to the Boltzmann-Arrhenius (BA) equation for enzyme kinetics, which can be adapted to account for enzyme deactivation at high temperatures (e.g., Sharpe-Schoolfield model). An important outstanding question is how key metabolic parameters, such as the activation energy for metabolism, are influenced by organismal responses including thermal acclimation. In this study, I investigated how thermal acclimation influences key MTE model parameters for adult spring peeper frogs (Pseudacris crucifer), by using the rate of their observable respiratory movements as a proxy for metabolic rate. After holding frogs at one of three "acclimation temperatures" for two weeks, they were transferred to one of eight "performance temperatures." I then recorded frog respiratory rates at several time points following the transfer. Statistical model fitting was used to estimate key MTE model parameters and to determine whether and how thermal acclimation influenced spring peeper thermal performance. I found that the Sharpe-Schoolfield model provided a better description of the thermal performance curve for spring peeper metabolism than the BA equation, and that thermal acclimation did not significantly alter metabolic responses to temperature so long as mass scaling effects were accounted for in the model. 3 EFFECTS OF TEMPERATURE AND THERMAL ACCLIMATION


Hydrogen gas can mitigate oxidative stress in many diseases that is regarded to be safe and free of side effect. Inspired by a metalloenzyme in a variety of microorganisms, here we propose a photo-activated H2 nanogenerator that comprises a fluorinated chitosan (FCS), a chemotherapeutic drug (Gemcitabine, GEM), and a catalyst of H2 production ([FeFe]TPP) that can form self-assembled [FeFe]TPP/GEM/FCS nanoparticles (NPs). The [FeFe]TPP/GEM/FCS NPs exhibit excellent transmucosal and tumor cell penetration capacities after intravesical instillation into the bladder, and can efficiently produce H2 gas in situ upon a 660 nm laser irradiation, which significantly enhances the efficacy of hydrogen-chemotherapy of cancer in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, we discover that H2 gas in hydrogen-chemotherapy can inhibit mitochondrial function, hinder ATP synthesis, and cause the reduction of P-gp efflux pump function, which finally attenuate P-gp protein drug transport capacity in cancer cells. This photo-activated H2 evolution in situ to improve the therapeutic efficacy of chemotherapy of bladder cancer may present an effective hydrogen-chemotherapy strategy for cancer treatment.


High resolution synchrotron radiation core level photoemission measurements have been used to study the high temperature stability of sulphur passivated InGaAs surfaces and comparisons made with atomically clean surfaces subjected to the same annealing temperatures. Sulphur passivation of clean InGaAs surfaces prepared by the thermal removal of an arsenic capping layer was carried out using an in situ molecular sulphur treatment in ultra high vacuum. The elemental composition of the surfaces of these materials was measured at a series of annealing temperatures up to 530 °C. Following a 480 °C anneal In:Ga ratio was found to have dropped by 33% on sulphur passivated surface indicating a significant loss of indium, while no drop in indium signal was recorded at this temperature on the atomically InGaAs surface. No significant change in the As surface concentration was measured at this temperature. These results reflect the reduced thermal stability of the sulphur passivated InGaAs compared to the atomically clean surface which has implications for device fabrication.


Decomposition of organic matter is a process, which includes mostly physical breakdown and biochemical transformation of complex organic molecules into simpler organic and inorganic molecules. The decomposition of organic matter is an important contributor to ecosystem respiration, which together with photosynthesis controls the net carbon emission from ecosystems. Subterranean ecosystems are extended all over the subsurface of our planet, and lack of light and consequently of photosynthetic activity. Understanding the drivers that control the dynamics of the decomposition processes in the deep subterranean spaces is important because they might differ from those at surface, due to factors as low species diversity and abundance, low microbial biomass, nutrient poor conditions, less pronounced variation of temperature, and higher humidity inside cave. Here, we review the existing studies of organic matter decomposition in caves. Decomposition rates are known from only nine caves representing four biogeographic regions, including Europe, North and South America. Most of the studies were performed in the aquatic compartment of caves. The decay of nine different organic substrates have been followed and the incubation time varied from 36 to 439 days. From a cave located in Australia the mass loss of leaf material from three plant species was investigated after 9 days incubation in the terrestrial compartment of the cave. Based on these observations, litter quality seems to be an important driver of decomposition in caves, and invertebrates have a stimulating effect on the decomposition within individual cave zones. The degree of connection to the surface also influences decomposition rate inside the cave. The lack of standard data among the studies is currently the major impediment to evaluate how differently the process proceeds in the underground compared to the surface, and to disentangle the main drivers of decomposition in caves across biomes. Improving our understanding of organic matter decomposition dynamics in caves will require the standardization of protocols and evaluation of the process over space and time, and a better comprehension on how decomposition changes over latitudinal, altitudinal and depth gradients.


Introduction Alcohol induced liver disease is the predominant cause of alcohol-related mortality in the UK. Therefore abstinence-based treatments are essential. Upto 70% of patients receiving alcohol treatment relapse within 6 months,1 NICE attribute much of this failure of treatment to underutilisation of pharmacotherapy and recommend this be made available.2 However, current licensed pharmacotherapies are contraindicated for patients with ALD. Baclofen has shown efficacy in the promotion of abstinence in patients with severe alcohol dependence3,4 including those with ALD,5 without exhibiting any of the complications or side effects elicited by current pharmacotherapies. Therefore the primary aim of this study was to measure the effectiveness of Baclofen in maintaining abstinence in this difficult to treat group. Methods An observational prospective clinical audit was performed. Patients with liver disease and concomitant alcohol use were commenced on Baclofen at 10 mg three times daily (TDS), and titrated according to tolerability and response up to 30 mg TDS. Primary outcome measures were severity of physical dependence, as determined by SADQ score, and weekly alcohol consumption. These were compared at baseline, and 6 months. Setting Acute Hospital Trust Participants 149 patients referred to Hepatology for investigation of abnormal liver function and heavy drinking Results Of the 149 patients commenced on Baclofen 100 (67.1%) remained engaged in treatment for 6 months. There was a significant reduction in alcohol consumption (P < 0.0001 95% CI for difference 18 to 20) with 81 of the 149 patients (54.3%) maintaining total abstinence, 20 (13.4%) continued to drink and 48 (32.2%) were lost to follow-up and assumed to have returned to drinking. There was a significant reduction in the presence of physical dependence (c2 = 77.4 P < 0.0001) as categorised by SADQ, and a non-significant improvement of liver biochemistry. Conclusion Baclofen has a positive impact on alcohol consumption in this very difficult to treat, high risk patient group. A RCT is needed to confirm the benefit of baclofen in this patient group. References Raistrick, D. 2006, NTA NICE, Alcohol Use Disorders: CG115, 2011 Addolorato, G. 2012 Muzyk, A. 2012 Leggio, L. 2010 Disclosure of Interest None Declared.


Writers spanning two centuries, from Herbert Spenser in the 18th century (1) to Leslie White in the 20th century, (2) have asserted that the ability to harness energy is the basis of both social progress and development disparities among societies. Harnessing energy refers to the ability of humans to convert or transform exogenous energy (meaning energy outside themselves) to perform jobs for us. A primary reason for the greater economic progress of some countries over others lies in their access to cheap energy. (3) Over the past two centuries efficiencies in the way in which coal, gas, and oil were converted into useful energy (by combustion processes or producing electricity) has accounted for the economic growth of western civilization. (4) Juxtaposed to the importance of energy, international energy governance (IEG) only functions in a random and truncated fashion, and has not been conceptualized in any comprehensive manner. Strikingly, the energy cycle of hydrocarbons or fossil fuels (5) outlined below, on which the world relies for over 80% of its energy, demonstrates the disjointed patchwork of energy governance. MINING AND PRODUCTION IEG can empower or encourage mining and production through financial or other incentives for mining and extraction of fossil fuels, or restricting such mining and production, or resolving practical difficulties as was the case with the Agreement on the Resolution of Practical Problems with Respect to Deep Seabed Mining Areas, concluded at New York on August 14, 1987. (6) Similarly, the International Labour Organization has enacted a number of treaties governing the safety of mines for extraction, including oil, gas, and other minerals, (7) or prohibiting child labor. (8) OPEC lays down quotas restricting production of oil. (9) The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Kyoto Protocol attempt to control emissions of CO2 that could result in restrictions on the mining and production of fossil fuels. The OECD Agreement on an International Program (IEP) of 1974, as amended, was initially dedicated to respond to physical disruptions in the supply of oil, as well as to serve as an information source on statistics about the international oil market and other energy sectors. TRANSPORT, DISTRIBUTION, AND STORAGE Fossil fuels need to be transported, stored, and distributed. Billions of gallons of oil are transported across the globe by ship, causing oil pollution of the oceans because of operational reasons or tanker accidents. Vessel pollution is regulated by a number of international instruments (10) that indirectly act as instruments of energy governance. Pipelines also transport or convey oil both nationally and internationally, and browsers carry petroleum both nationally and internationally by road and rail. The Energy Charter Treaty (ECT) of 1994, and the Protocol on Energy Efficiency and Related Environmental Aspects (PEEREA) of 1998 were signed by 52 countries that include Russia, the EU, and eastern and western Europe. The ECT seeks to ensure reliable cross-border energy transit flows through pipelines, grids, and other means of transportation, and the resolution of disputes between participating countries. There are health and safety ramifications to these activities, and they are governed internationally as well as nationally by a variety of treaties and national laws. (11) TRADE AND COMMERCE A number of international treaties deal with trade and commerce in energy. The most important is the World Trade Organization, which deals with the global rules of free trade between nations. WTO agreements--negotiated, signed, and ratified by a large majority of the world's trading nations--provide the legal ground rules for international commerce, including fossil fuels. The WTO also has a compulsory system of dispute resolution. Other regional treaties include the ECT, which aims to protect foreign investments; promote nondiscriminatory conditions for trade in energy materials, products, and energy-related equipment based on WTO rules; and provisions the promotion of energy efficiency. …


The Treaty of Rome, which established the European Economic Community (EEC) in 1957, is not ideologically neutral. On the contrary, it takes root in a particular conception of political economy: neo-liberalism. To understand their relationship, and how this particular view was institutionalized in a common European market, this article explores the visions of the economy carried by the promoters of European integration since the 1940s up to the period of treaty negotiations. It explains that the neo-liberal character comes from the pre-existence of a group located in the "border spaces", between the administrative and academic worlds, between the national and international level, which played a key role in the genesis of the Treaty. It describes a series of "ratchet effects" that induced a progressive reduction of the space of the thinkable about the prospect of a customs union based on a free market economy, and outlines the particular context in which political leaders have been able to conduct the project of founding a new European social order.


Introduction. During the last decade, an increase in children and adolescents' completed suicide has been reported nationally and internationally. Psychiatric disorders, family circumstances and sociocultural influences are associated risk factors. Objective. To describe suicidal tendency in children and adolescents during 1998-2011 in Mexico. Method. National Data Health Records on mortality in children and adolescents younger than 20 years between from the year 1998 to 2011 were analyzed. Rates and indices were calculated using population projections from the National Population Council. The Truncated Trend of Standardized Mortality, change rate and the Years of Life Lost Index were calculated. Results. In the 5 to 19 year group population, the completed suicide deaths accounted for 7% of the external cause injuries; the male-female ratio was 2.2:1. Overall, the tendency increased from 18.5 to 31.9 by 106. Hanging was the method most often employed. The percentage of change was greater in women with 6%. The county with the highest trend was Hidalgo with 17.2%. In 2011, Tabasco was the county with the highest index of years lost by suicide with 67%. Discussion and conclusion. The increase in completed suicide in the adolescent's group, the hanging method, the low socioeconomic status and the problems with the registry's death system are data that have also been reported by other authors. The suicide mortality trend has increased. Hanging was the preferred method nationally. A deficient recording system remains an unresolved issue.


Herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) was the major cause of genital herpes in humans. The HSV-2 glycoprotein D (gD2) had been proved to be a potentially effective vaccine for treatment of genital herpes. The present study was to develop a two step culture to express the recombinant gD2 protein using the immobilized Spodoptera frugiperda (Sf9) cells. The first step, Sf9 cells were cultured and harvested in eutrophic medium containing 10% fetal bovine serum. The second step, Sf9 cells were immobilized using silk fibroin hydrogel and cultured in a stirred-tank bioreactor after infection by recombinant baculovirus expressing the full length gD2 gene. The data shows that the maximum yield of recombinant gD2 protein reached the concentration of 135 mg/L. The results reveal that the immobilized cells and two step culture could extend the expression period and significantly raise the production of the recombinant protein. Key words : Spodoptera frugiperda cells, baculovirus, immobilization, glycoprotein D, silk fibroin hydrogel.


The powers attorneys general have to regulate integration transactions between for-profit and not-for-profit organizations may differ from state to state, but regardless of location, health-care executives planning integration transactions should take steps to help ensure that such transactions receive state approval. Executives should familiarize themselves with the attorney general's approval process in their state, be prepared to defend the valuation of any not-for-profit assets to be transferred as part of an integration transaction, review articles of incorporation and state statutes to make certain that the proposed transfer of assets is permissible, and ensure that the process for securing board approval to proceed with the integration is free from conflicts of interest.


Due to the widespread use of data-driven neural machine translation, both by professional translators and layperson users, an adequate machine translation literacy on the part of the users of this technology is becoming more and more important. At the same time, the increasing datafication of both the private and the business sphere requires an adequate data literacy in modern society. The present article takes a closer look at machine translation literacy and data literacy and investigates the interface between the two concepts. This is done to lay the preliminary theoretical foundations for a didactic project aiming to develop didactic resources for teaching data literacy in its machine translation-specific form to students of BA programmes in translation/specialised communication.


IN 2004, the Norwegian Nobel Committee departed from its time-honored tradition of awarding its prestigious peace prize to an individual dedicated to ending armed conflict. Instead, the Nobel Committee re-interpreted the 1895 will of Swedish philanthropist Alfred Nobel--who founded the acclaimed prize--and, to the delight of many environmentalists, the Nobel Committee expanded its definition of 'peace.' For the first time in its history the committee recognized environmental preservation, community empowerment, and democratic governance as central elements in the promotion of peace and human rights. The committee noted that forests are a natural resource that sustain life in Africa, and that deforestation leads to poverty, ethnic conflicts, and needless human suffering. Hence, the Nobel Committee selected a Kenyan environmental activist, Wangari Maathai, as the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. For the 2004 peace award, the Nobel Committee had received 194 nominations, including many prominent names such as Mohammed El Baradei, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency of the United Nations. Yet, the committee selected Wangari Maathai, the founder of the Green Belt Movement, a voluntary organization dedicated to environmental preservation, women's rights, and community development. In explaining why it had selected Maathai, the Nobel Committee offered four reasons. (1) First, Maathai had mobilized poor rural women in Kenya to improve their living conditions through an extensive campaign of tree plantation. Second, she combined science, social "Peace on earth depends on our ability to secure our living environment. Maathai stands at the front of the fight to promote ecologically viable social, economic and cultural development in Kenya and in Africa. She has taken a holistic approach to sustainable development that embraces democracy, human rights and women's rights in particular. She thinks globally and acts locally." commitment, and active politics for sustainable development. Third, for many years, in spite of the oppressive methods of various regimes in Kenya, Maathai had struggled for social justice and led women volunteers in planting more than 30 million trees. And finally, the committee stated its admiration for Maathai's activism and unique form of action which had drawn national and international attention to political oppression in her country. (2) During the past two decades, Maathai has won numerous high-status local and international awards for her immense contribution to social causes in Africa, including the Jane Addams Leadership award, the UN Africa Award for Leadership, the Woman of the Year Award, and the Global 500 Award of the United Nations Environment Program. (3) Indeed, she has been a source of inspiration to environmentalists, feminists, and human rights activists around the world and is being profiled in more than a dozen book chapters, films, and documentaries on the environment and community action. Maathai is the sixth person from the African continent and the first African woman to win the peace prize. (4) Maathai's Life and Mission The daughter of a peasant farmer, Wangari Muta Maathai was born in Nyeri, Kenya, in 1940. The town of Nyeri is located in a valley near Mount Kenya, the highest peak in the country. Maathai recounts that her love of trees began quite early, and as a child she loved a huge wild fig tree. To many Africans, fig trees symbolize the sacred mountains, nature, and God. (5) In the early 1960s, Maathai won a scholarship through the Catholic bishop of Nyeri to study biology and liberal arts at Mount St. Scholastica College in Atchison, Kansas. In 1966, she earned a Master of Science degree from the University of Pittsburgh. She subsequently returned home and joined the doctoral program in veterinary anatomy at the University of Nairobi. In 1971, she was granted a Ph.D. She was the first black African woman in Eastern and Central Africa to earn a doctorate and to be appointed as a professor at the University of Nairobi. …


In 54 patients with diabetic gangrenes of lower extremities the complex treatment was used aimed at changing moist gangrene into dry one, decreased intoxication, normalization of carbohydrate metabolism and improvement of tissue trophicity. In 18 patients the complex of curative measures included the antiinflammatory roentgen therapy. The efficiency of the treatment used was noted, the percentage of amputation re-reduced to 25,9%. The level of immune complexes became normal in the favorable course of the disease.


We have investigated a graded-gap superlattice with differential photocurrent spectroscopy at 77 K. The lowest conduction subband exhibits with increasing electric field a transition from localized to extended miniband states and back to localized states. The transition from the extended miniband states at finite electric fields back to localized states is observed. Calculations of the miniband width using different methods support the interpretation of miniband formation at finite electric fields.


Lead-based electro ceramics like PZT are the most commercially used as sensors, actuators and transducers due to their excellent electromechanical response, however The environmental concerns and the legislation imposed on hazardous materials, lead is considered toxic and its use is banned for many applications.Therefore the alternative lead free electroceramics have become the focus of research in both industry and academia. In our present work among the several families of lead-free, we will focus on the bismuth-based ferroelectric ceramics due to their excellent piezoelectric and ferroelectric properties.In brief this thesis we will emphasize on the improvement of ferroelectric and field-induced strain properties of BNKT-LS ceramic system by different alovilent and isovalent B-site substitutions. The effect of zirconium (Zr+4), niobium (Nb+5) and tantalum (Ta+5) substitution for the B-site in the host perovskite unit cell on the dielectric, electromechanical and piezoelectric properties of lead-free 0.99[Bi1/2(Na0.82K0.18)1/2TiO3]-0.01LiSbO3 (BNKT-LS) piezoceramics has been investigated.The ternary BNKT-LS system was synthesized using low temperature conventional solid state reaction method.Crystal structure, dielectric, ferroelectric and field-induced strain behavior of Zr modified lead-free 0.99[Bi1/2(Na0.82K0.18)1/2(Ti1-xZrx) O3]-0.01LiSbO3 (BNKTZ-LS) ceramics were investigated in composition range x = 0 - 0.040. XRD patterns revealed the formation of pure perovskite phase with no apparent structural phase transition with pseudo cubic symmetry for the compositions at low concentration of dopants although there were some traces of secondary phases at higher concentrations.The temperature-dependent dielectric peaks of the BNKTZ-LS ceramics broadened and ferroelectric polarizations decreased with increasing Zr concentration. Ferroelectric and bipolar field induced-strain curves indicated a disruption of ferroelectric order upon Zr addition into BNKT-LS ceramics.This destabilization of the ferroelectric order was accompanied by an enhanced field-induced strain.A high field-induced strain (S = 0.30%) with a normalized strain (d* 33 = Smax/Emax = 500 pm/V) was observed at an applied electric field of 6 kV/mm at x = 0.020. The Ta-modified 0.99[(Bi0.82Na18)TiO3-(Bi1/2K1/2)TiO3]- 0.01LiSbO3 (BNKTT-LS) piezoceramics were also synthesized by a conventional solid-state reaction method.The effect of Ta addition into the BNKT-LS ceramics were studied through X-ray diffraction, dielectric, temperature dependent ferroelectric and field-induced strain characterizations.As the Ta content was increased, the maximum dielectric constant as well as the depolarization temperature (Td) decreased.The polarization and strain hysteresis loops indicate that the addition of Ta significantly disrupts the ferroelectric order of the BNKT-LS ceramics leading to a degradation of the remnant polarization and coercive field. However, the destabilization of the ferroelectric order is accompanied by a significant enhancement in the unipolar strain.A large unipolar field-induced strain of 0.38% with a normalized (d* 33 = Smax/Emax = 650 pm/V) at a driving field of 6 kV/mm was obtained at room temperature for x = 0.013.This significant strain enhancement is a result of the reversible phase transition between a NP phase in a zero field and a field-induced ferroelectric phase. Finally the effect of Nb-substitution on the dielectric, electromechanical and piezoelectric properties of Pb-free 0.99[Bi1/2(Na0.82K0.18)1/2Ti1-xNbxO3]-0.01LiSbO3 (BNKT-LS) piezoelectric ceramics has been investigated. Xray diffraction analysis reveals pseudo-cubic symmetry for the compositions with x = 0 - 0.030. Both the dielectric constant er and depolarization temperature Td decreased with an increase in Nb content. An analysis of the electric field induced polarization and strain hysteresis loops indicated that Nb substitution disrupted the long range ferroelectric order of BNKT-LS ceramics.This degraded the remnant polarization, coercive field and piezoelectric coefficient d33 while the electric field induced strain increased (peaked at x=0.015) to 0.43% corresponding to a normalized strain (d33 * = 614 pm/V) at a deriving field of 7 kV/mm.This abnormal strain enhancement may be attributed to the reversible phase transition between the polar and non-polar phases. At high Nb concentrations, BNKNb-LS ceramics shows a typical relaxor behavior. So for all dopants the increase in concentration results in a decrease in the maximum dielectric constant as well as the depolarization temperature Td, the disruption of the long range ferroelectric order, the degradation of remnant polarization, coercive field and piezoelectric coefficient d33.This was also accompanied by enhancement in the electric field induced strain.This abnormal strain enhancement could be attributed to a reversible phase transition between polar and non-polar phase for all systems.For high doping level BNKT-LS ceramics showed a typical relaxor behaviour.


We assessed some Japanese bedding on the assumption of the effects of air trapping using an infant mannequin. The change of CO2 concentration in the airway of a mannequin head placed on bedding was continuously monitored using a CO2 analyzer during simulated breathing. To compare the level of CO2 dispersal among different items of bedding, CO2 half time (t1/2) values were used. The t1/2 values were calculated by measuring the time required for the expired percent CO2 to reach 1/2 the initial percent end-tidal PCO2. We also measured softness and resistance to airflow (R) of the same items. As for the bedding, 4 types of futon and several types of bottom sheets/towels were combined. The t1/2 value in supine position was 9.8 seconds. When the model was placed prone on futon, the t1/2 values increased to 14.1 seconds (hard mattress type)--17.2 seconds (soft cotton-like futon). With respect to present Japanese baby futon (hard mattress type), there may be a relatively low potential for rebreathing to occur, compared with soft futon. In every case, the t1/2 value was prolonged by the use of a towel spread on the futon. CO2 dispersal may depend not only on the softness of the futon, but also on the combination of bottom sheet/towel and mattress. There was no relationship between R values and t1/2 values. The potential of rebreathing increased in face down position among all bedding, and supine position was the best CO2 dispersal position.


In a variety of organisms, adult gonads contain several specialized somatic cells that regulate and support the development of germline cells. In stony corals, the characteristics and functions of gonadal somatic cells remain largely unknown. No molecular markers are currently available that allow for the identification and enrichment of gonadal somatic cells in corals. Here, we showed that the testicular somatic cells of a stony coral, Euphyllia ancora, express an endogenous green fluorescent protein (GFP). Fluorescence microscopy showed that, in contrast to the endogenous expression of the red fluorescent protein of E. ancora ovaries that we have previously reported, the testes displayed a distinct green fluorescence. Molecular identification and spectrum characterization demonstrated that E. ancora testes expressed a GFP (named EaGFP) that is a homolog of the GFP from the jellyfish Aequorea victoria and that possesses an excitation maximum of 506 nm and an emission maximum of 514 nm. Immunohistochemical analyses revealed that the testicular somatic cells, but not the germ cells, expressed EaGFP. EaGFP was enclosed within one or a few granules in the cytoplasm of testicular somatic cells, and the granule number decreased as spermatogenesis proceeded. We also showed that testicular somatic cells could be enriched by using endogenous GFP as an indicator. The present study not only revealed one of the unique cellular characteristics of coral testicular cells but also established a technical basis for more in‐depth investigations of the function of testicular somatic cells in spermatogenesis in future studies.


The focus of this paper was the investigation and modeling of transport characteristics in a strained SiGe based MOSFET structure, which might be of fundamental importance for the understanding of its operating characteristics. In the investigation, carrier mobility dependence on the lateral and vertical electric field is especially considered. Carrier mobility models for long channel as well as short channel SiGe MOSFETs are also presented. Average effective electric field model is proposed taking into account impact of high electric field effects on the effective channel length. In the final effective carrier mobility model, for the short channel SiGe MOSFETs, serial drain to source resistance is included. At the same time, proposed models are relatively simple. By using the presented model, simulations were performed.


Little is known about the strengths of parents caring for their child who is receiving hospice/palliative care in Kenya. The purposes of this study were (1) to identify the sources of strength parent caregivers of Kenya turn to when their child is receiving palliative/hospice care in the home, (2) to assess if new strengths emerge with this population in comparison to previous studies, and (3) to assess if the Strengths Guide (SG) is an intervention that improves the parents' awareness of their value and utilization of their strengths. This descriptive study explored how these parents define strength and specifically where they find strength to carry on. A constant comparative analysis was used to identify the sources of strength. Before and after administering the SG, a "pre and post" Personal Strengths Scale was utilized to rate any differences in the parent's strength. Participants were located through a rural hospice in Western Kenya. No new themes were identified when compared with previous studies. The source of spirituality was unanimously identified as the most extremely important strength and overwhelmingly threaded throughout nearly the 10 other sources of strength identified. The SG was found to be a welcomed and effective intervention for nurses to use with this population.


Bacterial wilt (Ralstonia solanacearum) is one of the major potato diseases in Rwanda. An in vitro study was carried out to identify and characterize the pathogen isolated from three potato cultivars (Kinigi, Kirundo and Gikungu) in Rwanda. This was achieved by cultural and morphological tests on triphenyl tetrazolium chloride (TTC) and casamino peptone glucose (CPG) agar as well as biochemical tests through Gram staining and biovar test. An in vivo experiment was also performed to assess the pathogenicity of those isolates on potatoes. All isolates showed typical morphological traits of virulent R. solanacearum on TTC and CPG media. The test isolates were Gram-negative bacteria. Biovar test confirmed that all the isolates belonged to race 1 biovar 3 of the pathogen. Furthermore, the highest disease severity (DS=100%) and disease incidence (DI=100%) were observed in Gikungu isolate followed by Kinigi (DS=97.33% and DI=98.25) and Kirundo (DS=94.67% and DI=92.61%). From this study, all three isolates were typical R. solanaceraum belonging to race 1 biovar 3 and were all pathogenic to potato plants. Gikungu and Kinigi isolates were highly virulent than Kirundo isolate. Therefore, Gikungu or Kinigi isolates can be used for further studies in plant protection in management of the disease.

 Key words: Biovar test, Gram-negative, Gram-positive, pathogenicity test.


Although human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is the causative agent of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and related disorders, it has been suggested that viral cofactors may accelerate the progression of the disease. We present evidence that human T lymphoid cells productively coinfected by HIV type 1 (HIV-1) and human T-cell leukemia virus type I (HTLV-I) or HTLV-II generate a progeny of phenotypically mixed viral particles that allow the penetration of HIV-1 into previously nonsusceptible CD4- human cells, including mature CD8+ T lymphocytes, B lymphoid cells, epithelial cells, and skeletal muscle cells. The infection is independent of the major HIV-1 receptor, (i.e., the CD4 glycoprotein) since OKT4a, a neutralizing anti-CD4 monoclonal antibody, fails to block the penetration of HIV-1. Similarly, infection is not inhibited by monoclonal antibody M77, directed toward the neutralizing loop of the gp120 envelope glycoprotein of HIV-1. In contrast, pretreatment of the virus stock with HTLV-I-neutralizing human serum completely abolishes the penetration of phenotypically mixed HIV-1 into CD4- cells. These results suggest that HTLV-I or HTLV-II may increase the pathogenicity of HIV-1 by broadening the spectrum of its cellular tropism and, thus, favoring its spread within the organism of coinfected hosts.


This research work presents a supervised classification framework for hyperspectral data that takes into account both spectral and spatial information. Texture analysis is performed to model spatial characteristics that provides additional information, which is used along with rich spectral measurements for better classification of hyperspectral imagery. The moment invariants of an image can derive shape characteristics, elongation, and orientation along its axis. In this investigation second order geometric moments within small window around each pixel are computed which are further used to compute texture features. The textural and spectral features of the image are combined to form a joint feature vector that is used for classification. The experiments are performed on different types of hyperspectral images using multi-class one-vs-one support vector machine (SVM) classifier to evaluate the robustness of the proposed methodology. The results demonstrate that integration of texture features produced statistically significantly better results than spectral classification.


Due to the challenging network conditions posed by a highly-dynamic airborne telemetry environment, it is essential for the transport protocol to provide automated mechanisms that dynamically adapt to changing end-to-end performance on any path. The AeroTP multi-mode transport protocol provides service tailored to the requirements of the telemetry mission control and data packets, achieving better performance compared to the traditional TCP and UDP. We use ns-3 to simulate the AeroTP protocol's reliable and quasi-reliable modes and demonstrate the performance tradeoffs between the modes, as well as comparing their performance with TCP and UDP.


This paper is mainly devoted to the derivation of a new fully orthogonal two-dimensional (2-D) lattice structure for general autoregressive (AR) modeling of random fields. Similar to the 1-D lattice theory, this approach is based on recursive incrementation of the prediction support region by adding a single past observation point at each stage. In addition to developing the basic theory, the presentation includes horizontal and vertical building blocks of the proposed causal 2-D AR lattice filters. The algorithm presented here is useful for high-resolution 2-D spectral analysis applications. It is shown that the new fully orthogonal 2-D lattice structure can be an efficient tool for high-resolution radar imaging.


The study aims to explain differences in the levels of regionalism both between different regions and within individual regions over time. The existing literature focuses on globalisation and European integration as the main causes of changes in regionalism across time, treating the phenomenon mainly as a part of broader political developments. By overlooking internal developments in individual regions in this way, it is impossible to explain differences between regions. Another main strand of the literature focuses on cultural and ethnic differences, but these differences tend to be relatively static and thus unsuitable for explaining variation within individual regions over time. Instead, the thesis looks for answers to these questions in regional economies. One major hypothesis is that economically strong but politically peripheral regions will be better equipped to challenge the central state and have stronger incentives to desire control over their own resources. A quantitative study across 212 Western European regions seeks to test the relationship between regionalism and a set of common explanatory variables, including the economic strength of the region. Variables such as cultural distinctiveness, geographical position, economic development, globalisation and Europeanisation are tested for their effects on the regional identities expressed by the population. The findings of the quantitative study form the basis of a model of the causes of regionalism, which is further explored through case studies of Scotland and Rogaland, two regions that have experienced growth across time both in terms of economic development and globalisation. On this basis, the model predicts a growth in regionalism across time in both regions. These predictions are tested and confirmed, and an exploratory qualitative study examines why economic development and globalisation may have led to growth in regionalism in the two regions.


The ballet Don Quixote, with music by Ludwig Minkus and scenario and original choreography by Marius Petipa, is one of the most enduring creations to have emerged from the flowering of the ballet in late 19th-century Russia. Still popular, it has become a standard repertory piece in ballet companies all over the world. The work was first performed in Moscow at the Bolshoi Theater on 14/26 December 1869. The plot, in four acts and eight scenes, was based on an episode which Petipa had developed from the second part of Cervantes's novel, relating the love story of Quiteria (known as Kitri in the ballet) and Basilio. Petipa devised the original version to suit the unsophisticated taste of Moscow's audiences. Soon after, he prepared a version for St Petersburg, using the same music and designs, but with major choreographic revisions. This St Petersburg version, premiered on 9/21 November 1871, was in five acts (eleven episodes, a prologue and an epilogue). It took into account the Imperial capital's preference for a more classical interpretation of the ballet and amounted to a new and very different version. Alexander Gorsky staged his Moscow revival of Don Quixote in 1900 using Petipa's St Petersburg scenario and some of his choreography, and reducing the work to four acts. Two years later, in 1902, the director of the Imperial Theatres, Vladimir Teliakovsky, invited Gorsky to restage an updated version of Don Quixote at the Maryinsky Theatre in St Petersburg. The ballet became a staple of the repertoires of the Moscow Bolshoi Ballet and the Leningrad Kirov Ballet and was regularly modified as it was continually restaged, ending up as three acts with a prologue and six scenes. This version of the score, containing several interpolated pieces by other repertory dance composers, is the standard performing edition used in Russia. Don Quixote was first seen outside of Russia in an edited two-act version danced by Pavlova and her company in England in 1924. The first time the full work was staged for a Western company was by the English Ballet Rambert in 1962, by Witold Borkowski. Notable productions outside of Russia to Minkus's music were those by Rudolf Nureyev for the Vienna State Opera (1966), and Mikhail Baryshnikov for American Ballet Theatre (1978), which for the most part followed the traditional versions they had performed in Russia. Another major source of publicity for the ballet came in 1976 when the iceskater John Curry's inspired routine to music from the ballet won him a gold medal at the European Figure Skating Championship, the World Figure Skating Championship and the Winter Olympics. No standard editions of Minkus's scores have ever been produced, and no full score of Don Quixote has been published. Every ballet company usually comes up with its own arrangements of his music, the revisions by John Lanchbery being the most widely known. Lanchbery's work, however, tampers with both the orchestration and, more seriously, the harmony, of Minkus's music, and is often closer to a rewriting than an arrangement. The resurgent popularity of Minkus's Don Quixote and La Bayadere, as well as his additions to Deldevez's Paquita, have revealed the innate skill and charm of his music, despite the ubiquity of the arrangements and distortions of his scores. Minkus's writing, like so much Romantic ballet, is closely allied to operatic conventions, with arias, duets and ensembles that are enacted rather than sung, and with each ballet sustaining its own special atmosphere. The Town Square, Gypsy Camp and Dream Sequence in Don Quixote are full of musical buoyancy and melodic verve, demonstrating a careful use of tonality and dramatic style. The famous Grand Pas de Deux from the finale "is lively, well-crafted and ablaze with attractive invention" (Ian Woodward). Until such times as a definitive version of the manuscript score can be established, this performing edition as used in Russia acknowledges the living tradition of this work, and the vibrancy of Minkus's splendid music.