BACKGROUND
Hip fracture results in severe and often permanent reductions in overall health and quality of life for many older adults. As the U.S. population grows older and more diverse, there is an increasing need to assess and improve outcomes across racial/ethnic cohorts of older hip fracture patients.

METHODS
We examined data from 42,479 patients receiving inpatient rehabilitation for hip fracture who were discharged in 2003 from 825 facilities across the United States. Outcomes of interest included length of stay, discharge setting, and functional status at discharge and 3- to 6-month follow-up.

RESULTS
Mean age was 80.2 (standard deviation [SD] = 8.0) years. A majority of the sample was non-Hispanic white (91%), followed by non-Hispanic black (4%), Hispanic (4%), and Asian (1%). After controlling for sociodemographic factors and case severity, significant (p <.05) differences between the non-Hispanic white and minority groups were observed for predicted lengths of stay in days (Asian: 1.1; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.5-1.7; non-Hispanic black: 0.8; 95% CI, 0.6-1.1), odds of home discharge (Asian: 2.1; 95% CI, 1.6-2.8; non-Hispanic black: 2.0; 95% CI, 1.8-2.3; Hispanic: 1.9; 95% CI, 1.6-2.2), lower discharge Functional Independence Measure (FIM) ratings (non-Hispanic black: 3.6; 95% CI, 3.0-4.2; Hispanic: 1.6; 95% CI, 0.9-2.2 points lower), and lower follow-up FIM ratings (Hispanic: 4.4; 95% CI, 2.8-5.9).

CONCLUSIONS
Race/ethnicity differences in outcomes were present in a national sample of hip fracture patients following inpatient rehabilitation. Recognizing these differences is the first step toward identifying and understanding potential mechanisms underlying the relationship between race/ethnicity and outcomes. These mechanisms may then be addressed to improve hip fracture care for all patients.


New polymorphic modifications of double sulfates β-AEu(SO4)2 (A-Rb+, Cs+) were obtained by the hydrothermal method, the structure of which differs significantly from the monoclinic modifications obtained earlier by solid-state methods. According to single-crystal diffraction data, it was found that the compounds crystallize in the orthorhombic system, space group Pnna, with parameters β-RbEu(SO4)2: a = 9.4667(4) Å, b = 13.0786(5) Å, c = 5.3760(2) Å, V = 665.61(5) Å3; β-CsEu(SO4)2: a = 9.5278(5) Å, b = 13.8385(7) Å, c = 5.3783(3) Å, V = 709.13(7) Å3. The asymmetric part of the unit cell contains one-half Rb+/Cs+ ion, one-half Eu3+ ion, both in special sites, and one SO42- ion. Both compounds exhibit nonlinear negative thermal expansion. According to the X-ray structural analysis and theoretical calculations, the polarizing effect of the alkali metal ion has a decisive influence on the demonstration of this phenomenon. Experimental indirect band gaps of β-Rb and β-Cs are 4.05 and 4.11 eV, respectively, while the direct band gaps are 4.48 and 4.54 eV, respectively. The best agreement with theoretical calculations is obtained using the ABINIT package employing PAW pseudopotentials with hybrid PBE0 functional, while norm-conserving pseudopotentials used in the frame of CASTEP code and LCAO approach in the Crystal package gave worse agreement. The properties of alkali ions also significantly affect the luminescent properties of the compounds, which leads to a strong temperature dependence of the intensity of the 5D0 → 7F4 transition in β-CsEu(SO4)2 in contrast to much weaker dependence of this kind in β-RbEu(SO4)2.


Incontinentia pigmenti (IP) is a rare, X-linked dominant disorder that presents at or soon after birth with characteristic cutaneous signs. The eyes and central nervous system are the next most commonly affected systems. We aimed to describe the ophthalmological, neurological and radiodiagnostic findings of a patient with IP and bilateral retinal detachment. Clinical and laboratory findings of a four-month-old female baby who did not have light fixation and had neurological maturation retardation are presented. Characteristic skin lesions of IP were noted especially at the extremities, bilaterally. On neurological examination, motor and mental maturation were retarded and axial hypotonia was noted. Bilateral retinal detachment was the cause of absent eye fixation noted during ophthalmologic examination, and the detachments were also documented by ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Otologic examination was normal. Focal left frontal lobe atrophy, corpus callosum hypoplasia and prominence of right hemisphere were also noted on MRI. MR spectroscopy revealed negative lactate peak at the involved left frontal lobe. Bilateral retinal detachment is a probable finding in IP and patients with neurological symptoms should be investigated for associated sight-threatening ocular pathologies.


Modern multibeam echosounders (MBE) employ frequency-division techniques (FDT) to ensonify multiple sectors within the same ping cycle. This leads to improved performance in coverage rate, and yaw and pitch stabilization. However, it introduces a bias among sectors because MBES systems are frequency dependent. It also reduces the maximum pulse bandwidth compared to a single-sector sonar. In this study, we consider the code-division technique (CDT) as a solution to this problem. A set of orthogonal coded pulses are received within the same frequency band, and each sector is separated with a matched filter. We assess the feasibility of the technique through two stages. 1) First, we formulate an analytical model describing the power and crosstalk budgets of any multisector MBES. The model can then be used to design transmission sequences fitting these budgets. 2) Then, we display the practical usage of the technique for MBES imaging and mapping through simulated case studies. For the same total time-bandwidth budget, we compare the performance of FDT, CDT, and multicarrier CDT (MC-CDT), a hybrid method employing CDT and FDT, which is robust to strong dynamic backscatter. This study considers only bottom detection based on signal amplitude. Our results show that it is possible to share a larger frequency bandwidth between multiple sectors while maintaining an acceptable bottom detection performance similar to FDT. Our choice of time-bandwidth product with CDT offers a crosstalk suppression of $-$25 dB between sectors, but may display low-magnitude residual artefacts in the water-column data. MC-CDT provides a significant gain of pulse bandwidth while it offers interband separation performance comparable to FDT and reduces significantly the water-column artefacts.


Twenty growing cross breed etawah goat were treated with clenbuterol every two days. Three levels ofclenbuterol , 5, 10 and 20 ?g/kg BW were injected intramuscularly from the thigh side. The experimentwould like to see the effect of clenbuterol on the metabolism and carcase quality. It was found thatclenbuterol did not affect the gross energy, digestibility, metaboliseable energy and urinary nitrogenexcretion.Clenbuterol will increase the feed intake up to 51.49%. Althoush not affecting protein intake, itsignificantly increased the retain protein from 70.51 up to 149.37%. Subcutaneous carcase weights werereduced between 29.6 up to 51%. Data from carcase quality showed that clenbuterol increase half emptybody weight indicating that clenbuterol is affecting protein metabolism. Dose -respond curve of clenbuterolagainst half empty body weight follows the Michaelis Menten equation and solved by Lineweaver-Burks.Result indicated that the half weight maximum was 5120 gram and Km of clemnbuterol was 9.50 x 10-8M. Clenbuterol is affecting the bone weight carcase but not affecting the intermusculer carcase.


Abstract. We present in situ observations of meteoric smoke particles (MSP) obtained during three sounding rocket flights in December 2010 in the frame of the final campaign of the Norwegian-German ECOMA project (ECOMA = Existence and Charge state Of meteoric smoke particles in the Middle Atmosphere). The flights were conducted before, at the maximum activity, and after the decline of the Geminids which is one of the major meteor showers over the year. Measurements with the ECOMA particle detector yield both profiles of naturally charged particles (Faraday cup measurement) as well as profiles of photoelectrons emitted by the MSPs due to their irradiation by photons of a xenon-flash lamp. The column density of negatively charged MSPs decreased steadily from flight to flight which is in agreement with a corresponding decrease of the sporadic meteor flux recorded during the same period. This implies that the sporadic meteors are a major source of MSPs while the additional influx due to the shower meteors apparently did not play any significant role. Surprisingly, the profiles of photoelectrons are only partly compatible with this observation: while the photoelectron current profiles obtained during the first and third flight of the campaign showed a qualitatively similar behaviour as the MSP charge density data, the profile from the second flight (i.e., at the peak of the Geminids) shows much smaller photoelectron currents. This may tentatively be interpreted as a different MSP composition (and, hence, different photoelectric properties) during this second flight, but at this stage we are not in a position to conclude that there is a cause and effect relation between the Geminids and this observation. Finally, the ECOMA particle detector used during the first and third flight employed three instead of only one xenon flash lamp where each of the three lamps used for one flight had a different window material resulting in different cut off wavelengths for these three lamp types. Taking into account these data along with simple model estimates as well as rigorous quantum chemical calculations, it is argued that constraints on MSP sizes, work function and composition can be inferred. Comparing the measured data to a simple model of the photoelectron currents, we tentatively conclude that we observed MSPs in the 0.5–3 nm size range with generally increasing particle size with decreasing altitude. Notably, this size information can be obtained because different MSP particle sizes are expected to result in different work functions which is both supported by simple classical arguments as well as quantum chemical calculations. Based on this, the MSP work function can be estimated to lie in the range from ~4–4.6 eV. Finally, electronic structure calculations indicate that the low work function of the MSP measured by ECOMA indicates that Fe and Mg hydroxide clusters, rather than metal silicates, are the major constituents of the smoke particles.


The molecular genetics of well-characterized inherited diseases, such as phenylketonuria (PKU) and hyperphenylalaninemia (HPA) predominantly caused by mutations in the phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH) gene, is often complicated by the identification of many novel variants, often with no obvious impact on the associated disorder. To date, more than 1100 PAH variants have been identified of which a substantial portion have unknown clinical significance. In this work, we study the functionality of seven yet uncharacterized PAH missense variants p.Asn167Tyr, p.Thr200Asn, p.Asp229Gly, p.Gly239Ala, p.Phe263Ser, p.Ala342Pro, and p.Ile406Met first identified in the Czech PKU/HPA patients. From all tested variants, three of them, namely p.Asn167Tyr, p.Thr200Asn, and p.Ile406Met, exerted residual enzymatic activity in vitro similar to wild type (WT) PAH, however, when expressed in HepG2 cells, their protein level reached a maximum of 72.1% ± 4.9%, 11.2% ± 4.2%, and 36.6% ± 7.3% compared to WT PAH, respectively. Remaining variants were null with no enzyme activity and decreased protein levels in HepG2 cells. The chaperone-like effect of applied BH4 precursor increased protein level significantly for p.Asn167Tyr, p.Asp229Gly, p.Ala342Pro, and p.Ile406Met. Taken together, our results of functional characterization in combination with in silico prediction suggest that while p.Asn167Tyr, p.Thr200Asn, and p.Ile406Met PAH variants have a mild impact on the protein, p.Asp229Gly, p.Gly239Ala, p.Phe263Ser, and p.Ala342Pro severely affect protein structure and function.


Aspirin's antithrombotic effects have a long-established place in the prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD), and its traditional use as a core therapy for secondary prevention of CVD is well recognized. However, with the advent of newer antiplatelet agents and an increasing understanding of aspirin's bleeding risks, its role across the full spectrum of modern CVD prevention has become less certain. As a consequence, recent trials have begun investigating aspirin-free strategies in secondary prevention. For example, a contemporary metanalysis of trials that assessed P2Y12 inhibitor monotherapy versus prolonged (≥ 12 months) dual antiplatelet therapy (which includes aspirin) after percutaneous coronary intervention reported a lower risk of major bleeding and no increase in stent thrombosis, all-cause mortality, myocardial infarction (MI), or stroke in the P2Y12 monotherapy group. In contrast to secondary prevention, aspirin's role in primary prevention has always been more controversial. While historical trials reported a reduction in MI and stroke, more contemporary trials have suggested diminishing benefit for aspirin in this setting, with no reduction in hard outcomes, and some primary prevention trials have even indicated a potential for harm. In this review, we discuss how changing population demographics, enhanced control of lipids and blood pressure, changes in the definition of outcomes like MI, evolution of aspirin formulations, and updated clinical practice guidelines have all impacted the use of aspirin for primary and secondary CVD prevention.


A zone of high-angle normal faults trends eastward across southeastern Utah and southwestern Colorado. Locally these faults bound huge blocks of downthrown sedimentary strata to form grabens of considerable length. Two of these grabens cross the Abajo Mountains, one of a group of laccolithic centers that dot the Colorado Plateau. Evidence from prior work suggested that the age of one of these grabens–and, by inference, of the other grabens–was the age of the uplift of the Abajo Mountains. New evidence, including two dikes along one of the faults that bound a graben and a laccolith wholly confined to a graben, suggests that the grabens were in existence before the Abajo Mountains were formed.


Unlike the present manipulator control technologies that operate objects only by the robots' end-effectors, human beings can perform whole body manipulation flexibly and easily. Bio-mimetic research of such skillful human motor behavior is important not only for deeper understanding of human sensations and nervous control functions but also for developing of higher level robots. In this paper, we first formulate the basic model of multipoints whole body interaction between a robot manipulator and its object. We then study three control approaches by considering the limitations of force feedback, the complexity of control algorithms. As an example, we consider a 2-link planar manipulator that operates a circle object with dynamic arm friction. We show a computer simulation algorithm, and compare the results of each control methods, numerically.


Seagrass beds serve as nursery grounds for many fish species and often play an important role in the juvenile stages of economically and recreationally important fishes. The eelgrass Zostera capensis is the dominant submerged macrophyte in permanently open South African estuaries and occupies large intertidal and subtidal areas within the Knysna system. The primary objective of this study was to compare the occurrence of sparids and mugilids in eelgrass and nearby bare sediment areas using sampling with seine nets. The hypothesis that was tested is that mugilids are dominant in unvegetated areas of the Knysna Estuary littoral whereas sparids predominate within eelgrass beds located in the same zone. The results indicate that the family Mugilidae is better represented at unvegetated sites when compared to members of the family Sparidae, with the exception of Lithognathus lithognathus, but that the dominant three sparids and dominant two mugilids were most abundant in sparse eelgrass beds that included both bare and vegetated areas within this habitat type. The main fish species responsible for the separation of fish assemblages associated with unvegetated sites versus those associated with vegetated areas were Rhabdosargus holubi, Liza dumerili, Liza richardsonii, Lithognathus lithognathus, Sarpa salpa and Diplodus capensis, with R. holubi, S. salpa and D. capensis being mainly attracted to eelgrass habitats and L. dumerili, L. richardsonii and L. lithognathus having a stronger affinity for bare areas. This finding confirms a previous estuarine study in the nearby Swartvlei lake littoral, which found that sparids dominated areas where aquatic macrophytes were extensive and that mugilids became more prevalent at those same sites when the macrophytes underwent complete senescence. The length-frequency distributions of some sparid and mugilid species differed considerably between eelgrass and bare sediment areas, whereas those of other species showed little or no difference between these two habitat types.


This paper presents the view that the dissemination of effective school health education constitutes a significant problem that deserves high priority on a national research agenda for school health education. Justification of dissemination is grounded in two presuppositions: (1) that there is a positive correlation between health education and the practice of health-enhancing behaviors and (2) that health education is an appropriate and fundamental task for schools. Two complex sub-problems are discussed. The first is related to the fact that there are no data to help us determine how many children in this country actually receive health information in schools. In addition, there is insufficient evidence to ascertain either the quality or quantity of health information children receive or where in the curriculum the presentation of that information occurs. The second problem pertains to the myriad of complex factors that impede the implementation of health education in schools. These two problems are re-cast into a series of researchable questions.


There are a connection between the face recognition, the social relationship and the development of self. There must be a reason that people recognize faces through an important and complex module like the language functions. People know each other, recognize their friends and enemies and make friends through their faces. These show its fundamental role in the world. Like the integrity builds by collective self in inner world, integrity is established through face outside worlds. Researches and comments about the center of self in the brain are made based on neurological disorders like prosopagnosia. Especially some investigations about the evoked potentials will provide us a scientific basic for this subject. This paper addresses the relationship between facial recognition and self-development in terms of neuropsychological aspects.


The heart rate variability (HRV) is effected by the presence of diabetes mellitus (DM). Specifically, the power spectral density (PSD) of the HRV is perturbed in specific frequency ranges. This study presents the algorithm employed to extract changes in the PSD due to the onset of DM. In particular, streptozotocin (STZ) is administered to test animals in order to impair the insulin producing, pancreatic b-cells and thus model the onset of DM. The treated animals display symptoms of Type 1 DM including hypoinsulinaemia and hyperglycemia. In order to index the progressive effect of DM on the HRV PSD, five minutes of rat (n=12) electrocardiogram (ECG) were acquired hourly for 30 days. At day 10, half the animals were treated with STZ. The HRV signal was extracted from ECG and the short-term frequency transform (STFT) was used to estimate the 24 hr PSD. At 3 days after STZ-treatment, the animals were shown to be diabetic and at 5 days, the HRV PSD displayed a significant depression in the higher frequencies with a 3.3 Hz centered trough.


The aim of this research was to explore the possible existence of any relationship between the constant use of online social networks and memory capacity of college students. The research, quantitative and with exploratory scope, was conducted in a private institution of higher education in Mexico. The study subjects were 51 college students from different programs. Surveys and tests of memory capacity as data collection tools were used. The results of the study indicate that there are no significant differences between the constant use of social networks and the memorization capacity of college students. Therefore, this study does not support the hypothesis that students who spend more time on social networks have a lower memory capacity.


The concept of noise radar with coherent reception of radar returns starts its history as early as in 1950s. The first papers on range-measuring radar based upon noise signals were published by Richard Bourret in 1957 who applied CW noise waveform along with its correlation reception and by B.M. Horton in 1959 who also used CW noise signal, but being used for frequency modulation along with so called anticorrelation method for signal processing. Horton recognized that one way to eliminate range and Doppler ambiguities was to use random noise as the modulating function and perform range determination by cross-correlating the return signal with a time-delayed replica of the transmit waveform. In his seminal paper in the May 1959 issue of the Proceedings of the IRE entitled "Noise-modulated distance measuring systems" on pages 821–828, he derived the fundamental concepts and proposed several implementations. Further papers on that subject were published in the period of 1960s and 1970s which may be characterized as a period of initial studies and performance analyses by a handful of researchers. Relatively little development took place in 1980s, though in that new methods for efficient generation of chaotic signals in millimeter wave electron devices have been suggested and autodyne effect in chaotic oscillators has been revealed in 1987 in Ukraine. Advance system development and demonstration by several groups all over the world were done in 1990s and 2000s: Several research groups around the world have developed new applications for noise radar and made significant contributions towards detection, surveillance, tracking, and imaging of targets. Noise radars have the unique property that allows them to achieve high resolution in both range and Doppler which can be independently controlled by varying the bandwidth and integration time respectively. Noise radars satisfy important requirements for military systems, such as low probability of intercept (LPI) and low probability of detection (LPD), owing to the featureless characteristics of its waveform. They also have excellent resistance to jamming and interference. Another advantage of noise radars is their ability to efficiently share the frequency spectrum, thereby allowing a number of noise radars to operate over the same frequency band with minimal cross-interference. This spectrally parsimonious feature can be used to integrate several noise radars to a network centric platform. Much of the early development was hampered by the lack of suitable critical components for fully operational use. However, in recent years, noise radar systems are finding increasing applications in several conventional as well as new areas (e.g., through-wall imaging, multi-static sensing, radar networking) owing to significant advances in RF, digital, and signal processing technologies. Figure 1. shows coarse grain classification of signal processing methods applicable and being used in Noise Radar developed by different research groups. The most popular of them is correlation reception of noise radar returns which has been applied in the very first experiments in Noise Radar. At the same time, so called spectral interferometry method, or its simplified option, double spectral processing, and autodyne (self-mixing) effect may be also applied in case of short range operation. Double spectral processing was pioneered by L Arkhipov in USSR (1961) and independently by J.L. Poirier in US (1968). Nowadays, intensive research in noise radar is ongoing in the U.S., Ukraine, U.K., France, Canada, Germany, Italy, Russia, Poland, Sweden, Norway, China, South Korea and India. Researchers are making many attempts to investigate and experimentally approve capabilities of Noise Radar Technology via design of major, if not all, types of radars.


Background: Radioisotope manufacturers, nuclear camera manufacturers, standard guidelines for myocardial perfusion imaging, all assume rapid isotope uptake followed by an essentially static retention mechanism. Contrariwise, the historic first nuclear cardiology study found measurement of nuclear isotope blood flow kinetics to be diagnostic of heart disease. No clinical investigations appear to have followed that classic finding. We assessed the clinical diagnostic utility of time course myocardial perfusion measurements following single injections. Method: One hundred twenty patients suspected of having heart disease underwent Sestamibi stress images taken at 5 and at 60 minutes following completion of cardiac stress. Quantitative (FHRWW) redistribution differences between the images were assessed. FHRWW results were compared with angiographic findings. Result : Parabolic regression of stenosis on redistribution yielded an effect size of R(CI95%) = 0.72 to 0.95, (P=3.8x10-8). Fifteen percent of individuals with 'normal' appearing 60 minute SPECT images were noted to having coronary artery disease using both redistribution data and coronary angiography requiring stent placement. These individuals had 'wash in' of Sestamibi (isotope uptake greater at 60 minutes than 5 minutes) and signaled patients at risk of undergoing an acute cardiac event due to vulnerable plaques or tight lesions placing significant amounts of myocardium at risk of infarction. One of the individuals who did not require cardiac catheterization based upon the FHRWW data, underwent coronary angiography based upon rest-stress results AND had a major adverse event as a result of the subsequent cardiac catheterization. There was no detectable CAD, confirming the FHRWW findings and the need for caution in individuals undergoing invasive procedures. Conclusion: Dynamic 'uptake/release' models appear to be a superior alternative to the common 'uptake/retention' models of technetium-99m isotopes used in nuclear myocardial perfusion imaging. This sequential quantitative diagnostic model, reinforces the work by Blumgart, enabling more accurate diagnosis of coronary artery disease and providing for intervention in individuals requiring stents or bypass, whom would otherwise be missed on rest-stress imaging protocols while avoiding unnecessary coronary angiography among individuals with 'normal' Sestamibi redistribution.


Establishing a reasonable mechanical model for multi-pass conventional spinning and typical drawing spinning is the object of the present study. Research on stress and strain distribution during multi-pass conventional spinning processing under three modes of roller motion, i.e., one-way moving without profiling, one-way moving with profiling, and two-way moving with profiling, is carried out using elasto-plastic FEM method. Though the equivalent stress distribution under these three modes of roller motion is similar, there exists significant difference in magnitude, with the equivalent stress in the close-mandrel area being the highest in the case of profiled one-way moving. As far as the strain is concerned, it has a similar distribution as the equivalent stress, with the strain in the close-mandrel area under one-way moving with profiling having the highest value. In the case of roller two-way moving with profiling, the strain distribution is the most homogeneous, while the work-hardening of the blank is the most serious. In all cases, both stress and strain in the deforming zone increase with increasing spinning passes.


A mathematical model of cell population with cooperatively controlled mitotic activity is analysed. The mitotic activity of stem cells is activated by the cells themselves and is inhibited by differentiated cells. Analysis of the model shows that steady-state oscillations in the mitotic activity are possible in such populations. The appearance of self oscillations is due to a delay in the negative feedback loop. The oscillation period, determined to a linear approximation, is greater than a quadruplicate delay.


This study aims to identify the most significant physical fitness parameters among youth female Terengganu field hockey players. Multivariate methods of unsupervised pattern recognition of principal component analysis (PCA) and descriptive statistic were used to determine the most significant physical fitness related performance parameters on 42 Terengganu youth female field hockey players. The first PC's projected high factor loading in BMI (0.86) and predicted VO2max (-0.82) as the most significant parameters indicating the requirements of body composition in this sport. The second PC's displayed high factor loading in 1-minute sit up (0.89) and 20-meter speed (-0.84) highlighting the need for core muscle strength. The third PC's demonstrated high factor loading in V-sit and reach (0.71) and maximum push up (0.82) recognising the importance of upper muscle strength in the sport. The results from the current study revealed that certain physical fitness components are seemed to be more pronounced in the performance of the game by the Terengganu female youth hockey players. The study has indicated that body composition, core muscle strength and upper muscle strength are the most outstanding physical fitness variables possess by the players for the enactment of the game compared to other fitness parameters. Highlighting the physical fitness performance related parameters might help to evaluate the strength and weakness of the players on the relevant parameters which could prompt to the adjustment of the training programme for the inclusive improvement of the players.


This chapter covers device and circuit aspects of low-power analog CMOS circuit design. The fundamental limits constraining the design of low-power circuits are first recalled with an emphasis on the implications of supply voltage reduction. Biasing MOS transistors at very low current provides new features but requires dedicated models valid in all regions of operation including weak, moderate and strong inversion. Low-current biasing also has a strong influence on noise and matching properties. All these issues are discussed, together with the particular aspects related to passive devices and parasitic effects. The design process has to be supported by efficient and accurate circuit simulation. To this end, the EKV compact MOST model for circuit simulation is presented. The use of the basic concepts such as pinch-off voltage, inversion factor and specific current are highlighted thanks to some very simple but fundamental circuits and to an effective use of the model. New design techniques that are appropriate for low-power and/or low-voltage circuits are presented with an emphasis on the analog floating point technique, the instantaneous companding principle, and their application to filters.


This research investigates the levels of occupational stress and professional burnout of teachers of primary and secondary education. It also aims to investigate the coping strategies that they adopt, and the relationship between them. The survey involved 388 teachers who teach in public schools in Attica. Three instruments were administrated to teachers: "Teachers' Occupational Stress" (Antoniou, Polychroni, & Vlachakis, 2006), the Maslach Burnout Inventory (Maslach & Jackson, 1986) and the "Stress Coping Strategies Scale" (Cooper, Sloan, & Williams, 1988). The findings showed that teachers of Primary Education experience higher levels of stress compared to the teachers of Secondary Education. Female teachers experience more stress and lower personal accomplishment than men. Rational coping behaviors are a resource which help teachers overcome work-related stressors and burnout and achieve their valued outcomes with students, while avoidance coping predicted high level of stress and burnout.


A common view is that color displays cannot match the performance of monochrome displays, normally used for diagnostic x-ray imaging. This view is based largely on historical experience with cathode-ray tube (CRT) displays, and does not apply in the same way to liquid-crystal displays (LCDs). Recent advances in color LCD technology have considerably narrowed performance differences with monochrome LCDs for medical applications. The most significant performance advantage of monochrome LCDs is higher luminance, a concern for use under bright ambient conditions. LCD luminance is limited primarily by backlight design, yet to be optimized for color LCDs for medical applications. Monochrome LCDs have inherently higher contrast than color LCDs, but this is not a major advantage under most conditions. There is no practical difference in luminance precision between color and monochrome LCDs, with a slight theoretical advantage for color. Color LCDs can provide visualization and productivity enhancement for medical applications, using digital drive from standard commercial graphics cards. The desktop computer market for color LCDs far exceeds the medical monitor market, with an economy of scale. The performance-to-price ratio for color LCDs is much higher than monochrome, and warrants re-evaluation for medical applications.


The 2007 financial crisis was the largest shock to the financial markets not only to the United States but the world as a whole since 1930. Lack of information and confusion in financial markets causes sharp declines in banks capitalization. The link between stock price behavior and the content of social disclosure is lacking in the literature and there is no clear understanding whether they are valued or disregarded by financial markets. CSR is the voluntary interaction between the firm and its stakeholders through addressing their social and environmental concerns with business activities. This paper contributes to the literature by drawing conclusions on whether CSR disclosure, which communicates firm involvement and level of commitment to society, shows improvement on banks' stock prices. Banks' social behavior is equally important to investors and customers risk assessment on one hand, and to regulators' reputation and the public confidence in the banking system on the other hand. Poorly controlled and operated banks can impose extensive negative effects not only on investors but also on their societies; therefore, effective management manages risk not only through financial performance but also through reflecting their good citizenship. The research examines a sample of national commercial banks, as the banking sector was experiencing increasing pressure that scratched stakeholders and investors trust during the latest financial crisis. In addition to examining a unique sample of banks during 2009-2010, the study contributes by employing content analysis technique to measure the content; i.e. the existence and comprehensiveness; of CSR disclosure in banks' annual reports. We find that the informative content of CSR disclosure is appreciated by stock participants and is of value. The reported results signal investors' interest in and consideration to CSR disclosure when valuing assets. Moreover, our results suggest that management involvement and communication of their CSR activities through better disclosure content is a potential tool to enhance shareholders value. The documented results are likely to encourage banking institutions in the developing countries to invest and report on their social activities. Banking institutions may enhance their shareholders welfare by investing in effectual social engagements and considering the content of CSR disclosure rather than classifying social involvement as non-rewarding activity.


Several mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) are activated during thermal injury, and the p38 MAPK is specifically involved in endothelial cell (EC) actin and myosin rearrangement (stress-fiber formation) with ensuing cellular contraction and enhanced vessel permeability. Inhibition of p38 MAPK and extracellular signal-related kinase MAPK by their inhibitors SB203580 and PD98059, respectively, significantly reduces burn serum-induced EC stress-fiber formation, whereas SB203580 also inhibits burn serum-induced EC tight-junction damage and thereby general blood vessel hyperpermeability. The JNK MAPK inhibitor, SP600125, on the contrary, influences neither stress-fiber formation nor EC tight-junction damage. Extracellular signal-related kinase MAPK inhibition significantly decreases burn serum-induced Monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) release, whereas SB203580 and SP600125 have only limited such effects. Western blotting, real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction, and confocal laser scanning microscopy proved that SP600125 significantly inhibits burn serum-induced intercellular adhesion molecule 1 expression, whereas SB203580 depresses the expression of P selectin. In vivo studies, using the dominant negative adenoviral approach of MAPK kinase 3b and MAPK kinase 6b to block p38 MAPKs, and MKK4 and MKK7 to block JNK MAPKs, show that the latter MAPKs are involved in the regulation of P selectin and intercellular adhesion molecule 1 expression, respectively, following thermal injury. Taken together, the results suggest that several MAPKs play important, although different, roles in general EC alterations following burn injuries.ABBREVIATIONS-burn serum-serum from burned rats; EC-endothelial cell; ERK-extracellular signal-related kinases; JNK-c-Jun N-terminal kinase; MAPKs-mitogen-activated protein kinases; SIRS-systemic inflammatory response syndrome


The gene encoding the DNA methyltransferase M.CviRI from Chlorella virus XZ-6E was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. M.CviRI methylates adenine in TGCA sequences. DNA containing the M.CviRI gene was sequenced and a single open reading frame of 1137 bp was identified which could code for a polypeptide of 379 amino acids with a predicted molecular weight of 42,814. Comparison of the M.CviRI predicted amino acid sequence with another Chlorella virus and 14 bacterial adenine methyltransferases revealed extensive similarity to the other Chlorella virus enzyme.


Schools and residential neighbourhoods constitute key contexts of development beyond the family of origin. Yet, few prior studies address whether the overall impact of these childhood contexts on adult life chances has changed over time. In this article, we investigate changes in socio-economic resemblance between former schoolmates and neighbouring children using Norwegian administrative data covering three decades. We use cross-classified multilevel models to decompose the variance in children's educational attainment and adult earnings into the contributions found within and between their school and neighbourhood contexts in adolescence. We find that unadjusted school and neighbourhood correlations in educational attainment are relatively modest and declining over time. These trends largely reflect declining socio-economic segregation between schools and neighbourhoods over time. After adjusting for sorting by family background, schools account for 2 per cent or less of the total variation in completed years of education in the more recent cohorts and neighbourhoods even less. For adult earnings, the adjusted school correlations are very low, accounting for around 1 per cent of the total variance, while the contribution of neighbourhoods is close to zero. Our findings suggest that adolescent school and neighbourhood contexts are not major determinants of children's later-life socio-economic attainments in the Norwegian welfare state setting.


Sterol carrier protein-2 (SCP2) is a 13.2-kilodalton protein that has been implicated in intracellular cholesterol transport, whereas a related sterol carrier protein, sterol carrier protein-X (SCPx; 58 kilodaltons) has been suggested to function also in the beta-oxidation of fatty acids. Although diabetes-related hyperlipidemia and altered cholesterol metabolism have been extensively studied, the intracellular cholesterol transport capacity during hyperglycemic states has not been examined. The fact that beta-oxidation is increased in diabetes whereas hepatic cholesterol metabolism is reduced suggests that differential expression of these sterol carrier proteins may accompany diabetic dyslipidemia. In this study, SCP2 protein levels were reduced by 60% in mildly hypercholesterolemic (cholesterol, > 130 and < 150 mg/dl; P < 0.01) diabetic rats and by 90% in severely hypercholesterolemic (cholesterol, > 150 mg/dl; P < 0.002) diabetic animals. In contrast, hepatic SCPx protein expression increased (3.5-fold) after diabetes induction with streptozotocin (STZ). The decline in SCP2 was inversely related to serum cholesterol levels. Hepatic SCP messenger RNA levels examined by ribonuclease protection assay demonstrated that hepatic SCP messenger RNA was increased 2-fold in diabetic animals. Northern blot analysis indicated that both the 0.8-kilobase SCP2-specific and the 2.1-kilobase SCPx-specific transcripts increased after STZ injection. SCPx protein induction preceded the decline in SCP2 by 4-5 days. Insulin treatment reversed the increase in SCPx and prevented the decline in SCP2. We conclude that SCP2 and SCPx are differentially expressed in the STZ-diabetic rat and suggest that this change in SCP expression should be considered a potential contributing mechanism through which cholesterol metabolism may be altered in diabetes.


Plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition was investigated for the deposition of biofunctional thin films onto surfaces in the fabrication of biomedical diagnostic devices. Two major aspects of the deposited films were assessed for their applicability in new diagnostic systems. The first relates to the functionality of the surface. The functionality of the surface relates to the ability of specific surface functional groups to be deposited stably and in a manner that will allow for biomolecular adhesion. Biomolecular adhesion is an important feature of surfaces requiring immobilisation of a detection agent, especially in liquid throughput devices. A comprehensive characterisation of the films developed herein was carried out. Following on from work previously undertaken by members of our research group, the films developed have shown a high degree of stability of the density of surface functional groups after exposure to aqueous conditions similar to those employed by liquid throughput devices. I found that the densities of these surface groups are superior to films created through liquid chemical deposition. Processes developed as part of this work were tailored for optimal manufacturability, e.g. the removal of heating apparatus required by the aminopropyltriethoxysilane monomer by installing a complimentary tetraethyl orthosilicate and allylamine process. Secondly, I investigated surface wettability and developed a novel process for surface wettability control using atetraethyl orthosilicate and acrylic acid film stack. The plasma polymerised acrylic acid film was employed to react with the underlying organosilicon matrix, causing a shift in the surface characteristics. The polymeric acrylic acid network was shown to have a wearing effect on the organosilicon, catalysed by environmental water vapour. This process was subsequently controlled for the purpose of wettability control of the surface. As the underlying organosilicon layer is reduced, the increasingly oxygen rich interface becomes more hydrophilic, giving specific and stable control over the surfaces" water contact angle. As the fluidic interaction with a surface is generally of high importance in microfluidics, control of this provides a method of improving the workability of novel fluidic systems with materials that previously showed unfavourable characteristics.


A paradigmatic algorithm for online learning is the Hedge algorithm by Freund and Schapire. An allocation into different strategies is chosen for multiple rounds and each round incurs corresponding losses for each strategy. The algorithm obtains a favorable guarantee for the total losses even in an adversarial situation. This work presents quantum algorithms for such online learning in an oracular setting. For $T$ time steps and $N$ strategies, we exhibit run times of about $O\left(\mathrm{poly}(T)\sqrt{N}\right)$ for estimating the losses and for betting on individual strategies by sampling. In addition, we discuss a quantum analog of the Sparsitron, a machine learning algorithm based on the Hedge algorithm. The quantum algorithm inherits the provable learning guarantees from the classical algorithm and exhibits polynomial speedups. The speedups may find relevance in finance, for example, for hedging risks, and machine learning, for example, for learning generalized linear models or Ising models.


PURPOSE OF REVIEW
The present review examines psychosocial factors emerging as predictive of clinical outcomes among solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients, with possible extensions to vascular composite allograft (VCA) and hand transplantation, in particular. The Chauvet Workgroup report and International Society of Heart and Lung Transplantation consensus guidelines are used to delineate areas of commonality between SOT and VCA, as well as unique features contributing to post-VCA psychosocial risk.

RECENT FINDINGS
Increasing evidence suggests that depression, cognitive function, and other posttransplant psychosocial factors consistently associate with clinical risk in SOT. However, the mechanisms precipitating these psychosocial risk factors are likely diverse in their cause, with large individual differences across SOT and VCA. Transdiagnostic dimensions may serve as mechanistic factors, increasing the risk of adverse clinical outcomes and suggesting potential treatment strategies for risk mitigation. Psychosocial dimensions including psychological flexibility, self-efficacy, and posttraumatic growth are discussed as potential contributory factors.

SUMMARY
Psychosocial factors hold importance in predicting posttransplant clinical outcomes. Emerging transdiagnostic factors may provide insight into mechanisms and potential treatments.


A one-dimensional analytical validated model for predicting temperature distribution, heat transfer, pressure drop, and fluid pumping power in an open-cell metal foam (OCMF) fin is developed. A foam length optimization technique based on its performance factor (PF) is proposed. Every optimized foam's efficiency is shown to be 33.2%, regardless of its pores per inch (PPI) or porosity. Although it can be applied to other porous materials, the model has been illustrated for aluminum foams with 5–40 PPI and 0.88–0.96 porosity (ε). The highest PPI, lowest porosity foam gives the best unit area goodness factor φu=jH/f, heat transfer, and heat transfer per unit volume Q˙V, while the greatest goodness factor φ (heat transfer rate to fluid pumping power) is achieved by the lowest PPI, lowest porosity foam. The highest PPI, highest porosity foam yields the best heat transfer per unit mass Q˙M. Thus, optimum foam selections strongly depend on the application. An often-used fin optimization criterion recommends that the fin effectiveness should equal or exceed 2. This study shows that the effectiveness of any optimized foam always exceeds 2. However, the converse, i.e., requiring the foam effectiveness to at least equal 2, does not guarantee an optimal foam, which implies that the PF-based optimization criterion is an inclusive one. It is also proved that a previously suggested optimization criterion of maximizing a foam's geometric mean efficiency will result in a suboptimal foam design.


Activation of innate immunity through Toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling can also enhance antigen-specific adaptive immunity. TLR9 is an endosomal receptor for unmethylated bacterial and viral cytosine-phosphate-guanine DNA (CpG-DNA). West Nile virus (WNV) infection may result in meningitis and encephalitis in humans and horses, especially aged and immunocompromised individuals. Using flow cytometric analyses and quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), we investigated equine cell-mediated immunity (CMI) to an inactivated West Nile virus vaccine in healthy yearling and adult horses. We also studied the potential of enhancing equine adaptive immunity to viruses and other pathogens by activation of innate immunity though TLR9 signaling pathway. We found vaccination with inactivated WNV vaccine induced strong WNV-specific T helper type 1 (Th1) and Th2 CMI with a Th1 bias, also effectively induced WNV-specific CTLs in yearling horses. In adult horses, the pre-existing Th1 CMI bias against WNV was enhanced following booster vaccination with inactivated WNV vaccine. Molecular characterization and flow cytometric analysis of TLR9 expression using a cross-reactive TLR9 mAb identified high constitutive expression of equine TLR9 in neutrophils (PMNs), CD4 and CD8 T cells and other leukocytes. Conservation of equine TLR9 and a high expression profile among leukocytes suggests that equine TLR9 is a frequent target for unmethylated CpG-DNA, an essential mechanism for the activation of innate immunity. Unmethylated CpG-DNA can significantly activate equine PMNs. It also induces expression of interferon (IFN)-α, IFN-β, IFN-γ, and interleukin (IL)-12p35 in PBMCs, as well as IFN-α and IFN-γ in monocyte-derived DCs. Enhanced expression of IFNs in immune cells by CpG-DNA is not only crucial for host viral clearance, but also important in mediating host immune responses due to IFNs' anti-inflammatory effects. Compared to the relatively weaker activation of equine innate immunity by inactivated WNV, the tested CpGDNA species showed potential as vaccine adjuvants for enhancement of CTLs and Th1 CMI against intracellular pathogens, characterized by significant induction of type I IFNs and Th1specific cytokines such as IL-12p35 and IFN-γ. These data provide a basis for further investigation of these CpG-DNA species as potentially effective vaccine adjuvants in horses. EQUINE INNATE AND ADAPTIVE IMMUNITY TO VIRAL INFECTIONS


A convenient form with which to quantify image degradation due to motion and vibration is the optical transfer function (OTF). We introduce a new method of calculating the OTF for image blur caused by arbitrary motion. Previous methods, except for a few specific types of motion, were numerical rather then analytical. This new method make it possible to obtain analytical expressions for the OTF, deriving from any kind of motion, by means of the statistical moments of the motion function. An analytical OTF expression is derived for sinusoidal vibrations. An example of the implementation of the method in restoration of images blurred randomly by low-frequency vibration is presented.


ABSTRACT Research Findings: Evidence suggests that teachers are effective at improving the social and emotional readiness of low-income children. However, few measures are available to assess teachers' use of specific social-emotional practices within their classrooms. This paper compares an observational measure of teachers' social-emotional practices, the Adapted Teacher Style Rating Scale (TSRS), to an instrument of general classroom climate within a randomized control trial, including 307 Head Start classrooms across the country. Results confirmed the expected underlying three-factor structure of the Adapted-TSRS across mixed-age and 4-year-old only Head Start classrooms. The measure was found to have good internal consistency, reliability, and acceptable concurrent correlations with other previously validated observational measures of classroom climate. Policy or Practice: The results support the usefulness and added value of a more specific observational measure of teachers' social-emotional practices.


Both intercalated and exfoliated poly(L,L-lactide) (P(L,L-LA)/organomodified montmorillonite nanocomposites were synthesized by in situ ring-opening polymerization of L,L-lactide, in bulk, directly in the presence of the nano-filler. Intercalation of polyester chains was found to appear even for natural unmodified montmorillonite-Na + , while exfoliation occurred when the aluminosilicate layers were modified by ammonium cations bearing primary hydroxyl groups. Clay delamination was effectively triggered by the grafting reaction of the growing PLA chains onto the hydroxyl groups. Aluminium triisopropoxide, triethylaluminium, and stannous octoate, as initiating or co-initiating species, were compared in terms of polymerization control. The influence of nanoclay content (from 1 to 10 wt.-% in inorganics) on morphology and thermal behavior was also studied. In parallel, a highly filled nanocomposite (called master-batch), prepared by in situ polymerization, was dispersed into a (plasticized) preformed polylactide matrix in the molten state, to reach a better clay delamination than that obtained by direct melt blending. Finally, L,L-lactide and α,ω-dihydroxylated poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG 1000) were copolymerized in presence of clay in order to study the behavior of the resulting triblocks towards nanocomposite formation.


This paper brings out the special mechanism through which taxes influence bilateral FDI, when investment decisions are two-fold in the presence of fixed setup flows costs. For each pair of source-host countries, there is a set of factors determining whether aggregate FDI flows will occur at all, and a different set of factors determining the volume of FDI flows (provided that they occur). We develop a two-country tax competition model which yield an asymmetric Nash-equilibrium with high corporate tax rate and high level of public good provision in the rich source country for FDI outflows and with low corporate tax rate and low level of public good provision in the poor host country for FDI inflows. This is akin to the asymmetry among the EU 15 and EU 10 in the enlarged European Union, as of 2004. We also demonstrate that the notion that the mere international tax differentials are a key factor behind the direction and magnitude of FDI flows, the traditional race to the bottom argument in tax competition are too simple.


Children (aged from 3 to 9 years) vaccinated against smallpox by multiple puncture (3 punctures by bifurcation needle), by a single cut and with vaccine diluted with a double dose of the solvent were observed. Vaccination by the methods tested considerably diminished the vaccinal reactions and failed to influence appreciably the formation of a full-value humoral immunity; only dilution of the vaccination material reduced the dynamics of the immunogenesis at the early periods after the vaccination. In children aged 3--5 and 6--9 years general vaccinal reactions were of the same character, whereas local reactions and immunological response were more pronounced in older children. A method of multiple puncture is recommended for mass vaccinations and also for vaccination of children with relative contraindications to the vaccinations.


Mesoscale ocean eddies are a critical component of the Earth System as they dominate the ocean's kinetic energy and impact the global distribution of oceanic heat, salinity, momentum, and nutrients. Therefore, accurately representing these dynamic features is critical for our planet's sustainability. The majority of methods that identify eddies from satellite observations analyze the data in a frame-by-frame basis despite the fact that eddies are dynamic objects that propagate across space and time. We introduce the notion of spatio-temporal consistency to identify eddies in a continuous spatio-temporal field, to simultaneously ensure that the features detected are both spatially and temporally consistent. Our spatio-temporal consistency approach allows us to remove most of the expert criteria used in traditional methods to reduce false negatives. The removal of arbitrary heuristics enables us to render more complete eddy dynamics by identifying smaller and longer lived eddies compared to existing methods.


should be aware of the whole spectrum of possible causes of colonic inflammationinfective as well as non-infective ones. We are most interested in their series of patients with "infective diarrhoea" who had negative stools. For some years now, in collaboration with Dr B C Morson and his colleagues at St Mark's Hospital, London, we have been studying patients presenting with bloody or persistent diarrhoea and we have become aware of a number of patients who cannot be categorised into anyvfthe recognised types of colitis. For want of a better term we are using the name "transient colitis" to describe such cases. These patients present with diarrhoea (frequently bloody) of sudden onset, with the sigmoidoscopic and rectal biopsy changes of acute colitis and consistently negative stool cultures. The outcome is invariably satisfactory: the symptoms subside within a few days and follow-up so far has revealed no instance. of a relapse. In 172 patients with diarrhoeal states there were 34 patients who fell into this category. Histologically, some of thes-e patients had the appearances of infective -colitis,but others showed changes suggestive of IBD. We tend -.to take the view that these patients were ,suffering from an infective colitis, the negative bacteriology being due either to prior antibiotic therapy or to infection with organisms other than shigellae, salmonellae, or amoebae. The recent discovery ofsome campylobacter species as significant enteric pathogens is of considerable interest and may have accounted for some of these cases. A quarter of our patients with campylobacter diarrhoea had bloody diarrhoea and we have found evidences of colitis at sigmoidoscopy and biopsy in a number of these patients. It is interesting that four of these patients had rectal mucosal changes highly suggestive of IBD. It seems likely that many patients labelled as having ulcerative colitis or colonic Crohn's disease on sigmoidoscopy and biopsy findings with negative bacteriology, but who have remained in complete remission since the initial attack, are in fact examples of "transient colitis," probably of infective aetiology. Therefore we fully endorse the view of Dr Dickinson and his colleagues that the diagnosis of IBD should not be made prematurely in view of its long-term therapeutic and social implications.


In this paper, improvement of torque quality and magnetic losses of a concentrated winding high-speed permanent magnet (PM)-assisted synchronous reluctance motor (PMaSRM) that can operate in the wide speed range are investigated. Optimization studies have been carried out to enhance the torque quality. In addition, ac copper losses in the stator coils and iron losses in laminations at high frequencies have been investigated. Since the PMaSRM can operate in a wide constant power-speed range, the field weakening performance has also been investigated. The motor performance results of the PMaSRM at both no-load and on-load conditions are examined by using Flux 2-D FEA software. A prototype motor based on the simulations has been built and validated in order to show the feasibility of such technology for white good applications.


The main purpose of this article is to draw attention to a long-standing history of exhibiting disasters to distant audiences. In particular, the article explores the transregional imaginaries and cross-temporal connections that emerge from the history of what may be labelled the disaster display or disaster show. This refers to a particular genre of multimedia re-enactments of extreme events that developed in the context of temporary exhibitions and popular amusements in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Disaster displays typically involved visual representations, sound effects, fireworks, lectures and theatrical performances, and invited their audiences to experience a diversity of extreme events, for example distant wars, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, fire fighting and floods. In offering a blend of special effects and the thrills of authenticity, disaster shows copied and competed with, and sometimes incorporated, some of the traits of a variety of attractions in turn-of-the-century popular visual culture, such as serialized wax displays, moving panoramas and early film. The article especially investigates some of these intermedialities but it also discusses how the displays engaged and positioned the audience.


ABSTRACTAim: To review the ocular and adnexal manifestations of leprosy.Methods: Literature was obtained from internet search of various sites including Entrez PubMed, Google Scholar, Hinari, African Journals Online etc. Information was also obtained from textbooks, leprosy registries and dissertations of the Faculty of Ophthalmology, National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria.Results: Leprosy is a chronic granulomatous disease of low grade infectivity in man caused by Mycobacterium leprae. It primarily affects the peripheral nervous system and secondarily involves the skin, eye, upper respiratory tract and testes. The causative organism is slow growing and has preference for cool temperature less than 37oC. Therefore its ophthalmic manifestations are more in the cooler ocular adnexa and anterior segment of the eye. Tuberculoid leprosy was the most common form of leprosy in Nigeria. Leprosy has the highest incidence of ocular involvement than any other infectious disease of man, usually leading to low vision or blindness. Sight threatening complications usually are cataract, lagophthalmos, corneal anaesthesia, exposure keratitis, corneal opacities, neuroparalytic keratitis and chronic uveitis. Ophthalmic manifestations include mdarosis, lagophthalmos which can be complicated by recurrent corneal ulceration, resulting in corneal scarring, perforation and panophthalmitis, others are conjunctivitis, episcleritis and scleritis which can cause staphyloma. Keratitis, loss of protective corneal reflex and damage to superficial nerves, chronic uveitis, loss of accommodation, low or elevated intraocular pressure, secondary glaucoma and phthisis bulbi are more of the ocular complications seen.Conclusion: Leprosy affects the adnexal and anterior segment structures of the eye and may result in several sight threatening complications, which can lead to blindness that will further worsen the quality of life of the person suffering from leprosy.


Vesicobullous lesion of skin and mucosa is commonly seen in clinical practice of dermatology. Tzanck smear preparation is simple sensitive, rapid and inexpensive procedure that has capacity to reveal the cytomorphological details associated with various such lesions. This study was conducted to assess Tzanck smear cytology for cytomorphological features and diagnosis in various vesicobullous lesion and correlate the findings with subsequent skin biopsy. The study comprised of 104 patients who underwent Tzanck smear cytology in evaluation of vesicobullous lesion. Tzanck smear preparation of two cases was suboptimal for cellularity and therefore not included in the study. The commonest cytodiagosis was Herpes zoster followed by Pemphigus vulgaris and bullous pemphigoid. 18 cases were reported as inflammatory bullous lesion as they lack evidence of viral infection and also lack the presence of acantholytic cells. Out of 102 cases, 30 cases were biopsied and therefore available for diagnosis. 29 cases correlated with histopathological diagnosis. In the group of 18 cases of non-specific inflammatory bullous lesion a single case underwent biopsy in which a histodiagnosis rendered was bullous pemphigoid. The observation in this group suggested for diligent microscopy, nonrepresentation of cells and possible under interpretation of the lesion. Based on observations made in present study it can be concluded that Tzanck smear is safe, painless, inexpensive and rapid diagnostic test that can be used as first line diagnostic tool in various vessicobullous-ulcerative mucocutaneous lesion.

Keywords: Vesicobullous lesions, Tzancks smear.


This study evaluated the effect of repeated microwave disinfections on the adaptation of the maxillar denture base using 2 different flask closure methods. Twenty stone cast-wax base sets were prepared for flasking by traditional cramp or RS system methods. Five bases for each method were submitted to 5 repeated simulated disinfections in a microwave oven with 650W for 3 minutes. Control bases were not disinfected. Three transverse cuts were made through each stone cast-resin base set, corresponding to canine, first molar, and posterior region. Measurements were made using an optical micrometer at 5 points for each cut to determine base adaptation: left and right marginal limits of the flanges, left and right ridge crests, and midline. Results for base adaptation performed by the flask closure methods were: traditional cramp (non-disinfected = 0.21 ± 0.05mm and disinfected = 0.22 ± 0.05mm), and RS system (non-disinfected = 0.16 ± 0.05 and disinfected = 0.17 ± 0.04mm). Collected data were submitted to ANOVA and Tukey test (α=.05). Repeated simulated disinfections by microwave energy did not cause deleterious effect on the base adaptation, when the traditional cramp and RS system flask closure methods were compared.


At high energies photon-photon interactions are dominated by quantum fluctuations of the photons into fermion-antifermion pairs and into vector mesons. This is called photon structure. Electron-positron collisions at LEP are an ideal laboratory for studying photon structure and for testing QCD.


The Metropolitan Fire Brigade (MFB) Melbourne, is at the crossroads. Change is
sweeping the economic and political environment within which international fire
services operate. The MFB is not insulated from this change. Unless alternative
productivity strategies can be achieved, the emergency response sector of the Brigade
will suffer the same fate as the corporate sector of the MFB and other statutory
authorities. Downsizing within this sector has been occurring in response to the above
conditions over the past four years.
This study investigates the impact of change upon public safety agencies in general,
then compares data gathered on the MFB against this to:
• Identify the level of organisational commitment that currently exists;
• Develop an understanding of the impact of downsizing upon public sector
employees.
This study reviews the body of literature concerned with culture and change,
downsizing and outsourcing and examines and builds upon the framework of previous
research, particularly in the area of downsizing and its impact upon survivors.
The study was designed as a one shot correlational study. A questionnaire was designed
and administered to the population. Responses were analysed and discussed in context
with the referenced literature.
This study extends previous research in that it compares those findings with current
findings. Low morale, job insecurity, poor communication and negativity have been
identified as consistent with that of previous research (Brockner 1992; Brockner, Grover
and Blonder 1988; Cascio 1993). In other areas the findings vary from previous
research, in that organisational commitment remains high, contrary to the literature.


Abstract Synthesis and characterization of amino‐based stationary phases for high performance liquid chromatography is described. The amino‐based stationary phases for HPLC have been synthesized following a silanization/hydrosilation method. Three organic compounds, N‐(3‐butynyl) phthalimide, 4‐diethylamino‐2‐butyn‐1‐ol, and 3‐amino‐3‐methyl‐1‐butyne were chosen as bonding moieties for the hydrosilation reaction. The synthesized bonded phases were characterized by cross polarization magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance (CP MAS‐NMR), diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform (DRIFT) spectroscopy, and elemental analysis. Chromatographic evaluation of the bare silica, silica hydride, endcapped silica hydride, N‐(3‐butynyl) phthalimide phase, amino phase via cleavage of N‐(3‐butynyl) phthalimide phase (4‐amino‐1‐butyne phase), and 3‐amino‐3‐methyl‐1‐butyne bonded phases was done by sugar analysis.


Objective: This study aimed to verify and compare the accuracy of energy expenditure (EE) prediction models using shoe-based motion detectors with embedded accelerometers. Methods: Three physical activity (PA) datasets (unclassified, recognition, and intensity segmentation) were used to develop three prediction models. A multiple classification flow and these models were used to estimate EE. The "unclassified" dataset was defined as the data without PA recognition, the "recognition" as the data classified with PA recognition, and the "intensity segmentation" as the data with intensity segmentation. The three datasets contained accelerometer signals (quantified as signal magnitude area (SMA)) and net heart rate (HRnet). The accuracy of these models was assessed according to the deviation between physically measured EE and model-estimated EE. Results: The variance between physically measured EE and model-estimated EE expressed by simple linear regressions was increased by 63% and 13% using SMA and HRnet, respectively. The accuracy of the EE predicted from accelerometer signals is influenced by the different activities that exhibit different count-EE relationships within the same prediction model. Conclusion: The recognition model provides a better estimation and lower variability of EE compared with the unclassified and intensity segmentation models. Significance: The proposed shoe-based motion detectors can improve the accuracy of EE estimation and has great potential to be used to manage everyday exercise in real time.


The waterborne polyurethane (WPU) was synthesized from isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI), polypropylene glycol (PPG), dimethylolpropionic acid (DMPA) and 1,4-butanediol (BDO) under acetone reflux. The cast films obtained from it were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The curve of DSC presented a bimodal profile. It showed that the waterborne polyurethane resin degraded obviously at about 305°C and 381°C, which was an endothermic course. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) micrographs revealed that hexanitrohexaazaisowurtzitane (HNIW) was coated with waterborne polyurethane by means of water volatilization. The impact sensitivity experimental results indicated that the characteristic height H50 of HNIW coated with waterborne polyurethane increased from 25.1cm to 34.2cm. That is, the waterborne polyurethane can decrease the impact sensitivity of HNIW.


Interatomic force gradients between a W tip and a 7×7 reconstructed Si(111) surface were measured using an off–resonance, ultra–low–amplitude atomic force microscope (AFM) technique. The amplitudes used were less than 1 Å (peak–to–peak), which allowed direct measurement of the interaction force gradients as a function of separation. The force gradient curves are shown to consist of an attractive van der Waals part and short–range attractive and repulsive interactions. The van der Waals background can be subtracted, leaving a short–range interaction with an energy parameter of 1.9–3.4 eV and an interaction length–scale of 0.54–1.26 Å, characteristic of a single atomic bond. This correlates well with our observation of single–atom resolved force gradient images. In general, the interaction is reversible up to the zero intercept of the force gradient (inflection point of the energy). Beyond this point hysteresis tends to be observed and the onset of inelastic deformation can be clearly discerned. An analysis of the atomic scale contact gives reasonable values for the interfacial energy, yield strength, and the energy per atom needed to initiate plastic deformation.


New U-Pb geochronological and Sm-Nd isotopic results across the northwestern margin of the Superior Province in Manitoba, Canada, require a major reinterpretation of the nature, structure, and location of the Superior–Trans-Hudson boundary in the area. A significant finding of this study is that an area northwest of Assean Lake, previously interpreted to be dominantly Early Proterozoic, contains ancient crust. Detrital zircon U-Pb results from two metagraywacke samples in this ancient crustal segment reveal ≥ 3.75 Ga source material, consistent with crustal residence Nd model ages ( T CR ) of 3.85 and 3.76 Ga, and the U-Pb zircon age for one tonalite gneiss sample is ca. 3.54 Ga ( T CR of 3.63 Ga). This newly discovered pre-3.5 Ga crust provides the first evidence for the possible preservation of some very old rocks (pre-3.8 Ga) in this region, older than any known Superior Province crust.


Dating of weathered rocks based on radiometric K/Ar and Ar/Ar methods on potassic manganese oxides (cryptomelane of hollandite group) is considered as suitable by the scientific community (Vasconcelos, 1999). These methods have been widely used to highlight many weathering phases around the world (e.g. Thiry et al., 1999; Beauvais et al., 2008). Refined dating of weathering related minerals allow to place the weathering phases in their paleo -geological and -geomorphological contexts and also to better decipher the different weathering processes leading to the formation of these rocks. In Wallonia, weathering took place in several relatively short phases: Late Permian - Early Triassic, Early Cretaceous, "middle" Cretaceous, Late Paleocene - Early Eocene and Early Miocene (Dupuis et al., 1992 ; Yans, 2003 ; Barbier, 2012). Datings on saprolites of the Haute-Lesse (Transinne and Villance) and the Entre-Sambre-Et-Meuse (Morialme) areas illustrate these different weathering periods. In the Entre Sambre-Et-Meuse region, a single weathering phase, Late Paleocene - Early Eocene in age, 55.75 +/- 2.35 Ma, has been identified based on radiometric da ng (K/Ar) on birnessite (hydrated form of hollandite) forming concretions coating cracks crossing the upper and lower part of the weathering profile (Barbier, 2012). In this area, the weathered profile is overlain by a fluvial channel not weathered and dated as earliest Eocene. Given the geological and geometric relationships of the dated Mn oxides with the whole weathering profile developed and the terrestrial sediments deposited at Morialme, this age is supposed to be the last weathering phase affecting the area. This does not preclude that any older phases could have contributed to the weathering profile, and as shown by Yans (2003) in the Haute-Lesse area at Transinne. The mineralogy and geochemistry related to the weathering have also been studied in details at Morialme. The result of the XRD analysis of the clay frac on and the Weathering Index confirm the presence of different weathering degrees along the profile, defined on macroscopic criteria. The main characteristic of Morialme's quarry is the presence of an alloterite (sensu Wyns et al., 2004) at the top of the profile. Such a degree of weathering (i.e. very strongly weathered rocks) is most probably quite rare in Wallonia.


Six trials were conducted to determine whether lower spray volumes or inclusion of different surfactants would permit adequate thinning of mandarin hybrids (Citrus reticulata hybrids) at a much lower cost per hectare. Sprays were applied using a commercial airblast orchard sprayer during physiological drop when fruitlets averaged 8 to 16 mm in diameter. Surfactant was always included at 0.05% v/v. NAA always reduced fruit per tree, increased fruit size, and decreased production of smallest size fruit. However, in only three experiments, contrast of all NAA treatments vs. controls indicated increased production of the largest (80-100 fruit per carton) and most valuable fruit. In four of five experiments, comparison of spray volumes of 600 (only examined in three of four experiments), 1200, or 2300 Lha -1 demonstrated significant fruit size enhancement from all NAA applications. Most individual NAA treatments resulted in fewer fruit per tree, but there were no statistically significant differences between NAA treatments at different spray volumes. In only one of the four experiments, there was a marked linear relationship between spray volume and fruit per tree, yield, mean fruit size, and production of largest fruit sizes. The effects of surfactants (Activator, a nonionic, Silwet L-77, and LI-700) on NAA thinning were tested in both Murcott and Sunburst. In comparisons between Silwet L-77 and Activator surfactant, one experiment with Murcott showed greater fruit per tree and yield reduction from using Silwet, but with a smaller increase in production of largest fruit sizes, whereas in another Murcott experiment, Silwet L-77 reduced numbers of smaller fruit size with no increase in production of larger fruit. Based on these findings, current recommendations for NAA thinning of Fla. mandarins are use of spray volume of1100-1400 Lha -1 on mature trees with proportionally lower volume on smaller trees. These data appear to support use of a nonionic surfactant rather than other tested surfactants in NAA thinning of Florida mandarins. Because experience with NAA thinning of Florida citrus is limited, it is only recommended where the disadvantages of overcropping are perceived to substantially outweigh the potential losses from overthinning.


Stressors like metals or antibiotics can affect bacterial community permissiveness for plasmid uptake, but there is little knowledge about long-term effects of such stressors on the evolution of community permissiveness. We assessed the effect of more than 90 years of soil Cu contamination on bacterial community permissiveness (i.e. uptake ability) towards a gfp-tagged IncP-1 plasmid (pKJK5) introduced via an Escherichia coli donor. Plasmid transfer events from the donor to the recipient soil bacterial community were quantified and transconjugants were subsequently isolated by fluorescence activated cell sorting and identified by 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. Transfer frequency of plasmid pKJK5 was reduced in bacterial communities extracted from highly Cu contaminated (4526 mg kg-1) soil compared to corresponding communities extracted from moderately (458 mg kg-1) Cu contaminated soil and a low Cu reference soil (15 mg kg-1). The taxonomic composition of the transconjugal pools showed remarkable similarities irrespective of the degree of soil Cu contamination and despite contrasting compositions of the extracted recipient communities and the original soil communities. Permissiveness assessed at the level of individual operational taxonomic units (OTUs; 16S rRNA gene 97% sequence similarity threshold) was only slightly affected by soil Cu level and high replicate variability of OTU-level permissiveness indicated a role of stochastic events in IncP-1 plasmid transfer or strain-to-strain permissiveness variability.


This article investigates the support e-learning can provide for the management and marking of assignments. The work is contextualised in the importance of assessment with assignments in tertiary education, in the theories about high quality marking of assignments, and the practical experiences of academics at tertiary institutions. The tasks that need to be carried out as part of assignment management and marking are detailed. A set of requirements is derived based on the education literature and on practical needs established in interviews with academics. Possible architectures for an e-learning system implementing these requirements are suggested and arguments are provided towards using an architecture that combines existing learning management system functionality for assignments with a specialised assignment management and marking application. A specific implementation based on  Moodle and  Lightwork is introduced. The article concludes with thoughts on the cognitive fit of learning management systems for assignment marking tasks and their core roles in supporting teaching and learning.


Ammonia (NH3) emission rates (ER) of ten commercial layer houses (six high-rise or HR houses and four manure-
belt or MB houses) with different manure handling or dietary schemes were monitored for one year in Iowa (IA) and Pennsylvania
(PA). Gaseous (NH3 and CO2) concentrations of incoming and exhaust air streams were measured using
custom-designed portable monitoring units that shared similar performance to EPA-approved measurement apparatus.
Building ventilation rates were determined by calibrated CO2 mass balance using the latest metabolic rate data for modern
laying hens. The field monitoring involved a total of 386 and 164 house-day measurements or 18,528 and 7,872 30-min emission
data points for the HR houses and the MB houses, respectively. The ER showed considerable diurnal and seasonal variations.
The annual mean ERs (g NH3 hen-1 d-1) and standard errors were 0.90 ±0.027 for IA-HR houses with standard diet, 0.81
±0.02 for IA-HR houses with a nutritionally balanced 1% lower crude protein diet, 0.83 ±0.070 for PA-HR houses with standard
diet, 0.054 ±0.0035 for IA-MB houses with daily manure removal, and 0.094 ±0.006 for PA-MB houses with twice a week
manure removal. Mass balance of nitrogen (N) intake and output performed for IA-HR houses revealed a total N intake recovery
of 94% to 101%, further verifying the certainty of the NH3 ER measurements. Results of the study contribute to the U.S.
national inventory on NH3 emissions from animal feeding operations, particularly laying hen facilities as affected by housing
type, manure handling scheme, crude protein content of the diet, and geographical location.


PURPOSE
Creative expression (CE) programs are emerging interventions to improve the quality of care and life of persons with dementia (PWDs) in long-term care settings. However, limited empirical evidence exists to support the effectiveness of these programs. Here, we report the findings from an assessment of the impact of TimeSlips (TS), a group storytelling program that encourages CE among PWDs and those who care for them.

DESIGN AND METHODS
Instruction in TS was provided through a 10-week on-site training. An observational study using an experimental design was conducted in 20 nursing home facilities in 2 states, 10 of which were randomly selected to implement TS. Two weeks after the implementation of TS at the intervention sites, we conducted 4 days of direct observation, using a time-sampling approach, of residents and staff in each facility. Using surveys, we also assessed staff job satisfaction, attitudes toward residents, and burnout.

RESULTS
Compared with residents in the control facilities, those in the TS facilities were more engaged and more alert. In TS facilities, there were more frequent staff-resident interactions, social interactions, and social engagement. Also, staff who participated in the TS program had more positive views of residents with dementia and devalued residents less than did the control group staff. There were no differences in staff job satisfaction and burnout among staff in the TS and non-TS facilities.

IMPLICATIONS
Implementing the TS program in nursing facilities improves the care environment for PWDs. However, additional studies are needed to offer further insights into the mechanisms by which TS improves both staff and resident outcomes.


Retrospective pharmacogenetic analysis was performed on 120 Caucasian subjects. Subjects were obtained in collaboration with the Estonian Genome Project and Egeen Inc. (CA, USA), who provided blinded medical record and genetic data to the researchers, respectively. Subjects selected from the Estonian Genome Project had a diagnosis of hypertension confirmed by at least two blood pressure measurements and multiple follow-up measurements for assessing calcium channel blocker antihypertensive treatment outcome. Treatment outcome was scored positive if at least three follow-up blood pressure measurements were nonhypertensive and no more than one follow-up measurement was hypertensive (>140/90). The genotypes of 62 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the calcium channel, voltage-dependent, L type, alpha 1C subunit (CACNA1C) gene were obtained for each subject from a blood sample. Univariate analyses with multiple test correction were conducted using family-wise error rate and false discovery rate methods. Three SNPs in CANCA1C had significant associations with antihypertensive outcome, combining to yield a positive treatment outcome of less than 15 to 80%.


Teacher evaluation systems are being overhauled by states and districts across the United States. And, while intentions are admirable, the result for many new systems is that good-often excellent-teachers are lost in the process. In the end, students are the losers. In her new book, Linda Darling-Hammond makes a compelling case for a research-based approach to teacher evaluation that supports collaborative models of teacher planning and learning. She outlines the most current research informing evaluation of teaching practice that incorporates evidence of what teachers do and what their students learn. In addition, she examines the harmful consequences of using any single student test as a basis for evaluating individual teachers. Finally, Darling-Hammond offers a vision of teacher evaluation as part of a teaching and learning system that supports continuous improvement, both for individual teachers and for the profession as a whole.


This work is devoted to practical joint source channel coding. Although the proposed approach has more general scope, for the sake of clarity we focus on a specific application example, namely, the transmission of digital images over noisy binary-input output-symmetric channels. The basic building blocks of most state-of the art source coders are: 1) a linear transformation; 2) scalar quantization of the transform coefficients; 3) probability modeling of the sequence of quantization indices; 4) an entropy coding stage. We identify the weakness of the conventional separated source-channel coding approach in the catastrophic behavior of the entropy coding stage. Hence, we replace this stage with linear coding, that maps directly the sequence of redundant quantizer output symbols into a channel codeword. We show that this approach does not entail any loss of optimality in the asymptotic regime of large block length. However, in the practical regime of finite block length and low decoding complexity our approach yields very significant improvements. Furthermore, our scheme allows to retain the transform, quantization and probability modeling of current state-of the art source coders, that are carefully matched to the features of specific classes of sources. In our working example, we make use of ``bit-planes'' and ``contexts'' model defined by the JPEG2000 standard and we re-interpret the underlying probability model as a sequence of conditionally Markov sources. The Markov structure allows to derive a simple successive coding and decoding scheme, where the latter is based on iterative Belief Propagation. We provide a construction example of the proposed scheme based on punctured Turbo Codes and we demonstrate the gain over a conventional separated scheme by running extensive numerical experiments on test images.


Southern blot hybridization was performed with probe v-erbB + A in 4 subjects. Two of them were patients with similar erythroid alterations of bone marrow: one of them was diagnosed as erythroleukemia (EL). The other two were members of a same family (husband and wife). The husband had normal erythroid cellularity of bone marrow but the wife and their 7 living sons and daughters had erythroid hypercellularity. In the second generation of this family 4 hematological patients (1 with AML and 3 with CAA) were found in the past decade. Rearrangement of cerbB and c-erbA genes was found in 3 of the 4 subjects (2 with EL and the wife mentioned above). They had 4 new hybridization bands besides 3 germlines, but the husband had only 3 germlines. The result suggests that using Southern blot hybridization technique with probe v-erbB + A, the rearrangement of c-erbB/c-erbA genes might be a diagnostic indicator of erythroleukemia at early stage of leukomogenesis in familial and sporadic patients. The etiological significance of the rearrangement of c-erbB/c-erbA in leukomogenesis was discussed.


Receptor-like cytoplasmic kinases (RLCKs) are a subset of plant receptor-like kinases lacking both extracellular and transmembrane domains. Some of the 46 members in the Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) RLCK subfamily VII have been linked to plant innate immunity; however, most remain uncharacterized. Thus, multiple subfamily VII members are expected to be involved in plant immune signaling. Here, we investigate the role of AvrPphB SUSCEPTIBLE1-LIKE13 (PBL13), a subfamily VII RLCK with unique domain architecture. Unlike other characterized RLCKs, PBL13 transfer DNA insertion lines exhibit enhanced disease resistance after inoculation with virulent Pseudomonas syringae. The pbl13-2 knockout also exhibits elevated basal-level expression of the PATHOGENESIS-RELATED GENE1 defense marker gene, enhanced reactive oxygen species (ROS) burst in response to perception of bacterial microbial patterns, and accelerated flagellin-induced activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases. Recombinant PBL13 is an active kinase, and its primary autophosphorylated sites map to a 15-amino acid repeat motif unique to PBL13. Complementation of pbl13-2 with PBL13-3xFLAG converts the enhanced resistance and elevated ROS phenotypes back to wild-type levels. In contrast, kinase-dead PBL13-3xFLAG was unable to rescue pbl13-2 disease phenotypes. Consistent with the enhanced ROS burst in the pbl13-2 knockout, PBL13 is able to associate with the nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate, reduced oxidase RESPIRATORY BURST OXIDASE HOMOLOG PROTEIN D (RBOHD) by split-luciferase complementation assay, and this association is disrupted by flagellin treatment. We conclude that the PBL13 kinase negatively regulates plant innate immunity to pathogenic bacteria and can associate with RBOHD before pathogen perception. These data are consistent with the hypothesis that PBL13 acts to prevent inappropriate activation of defense responses in the absence of pathogen challenge.


This article explores the role of bad writing in Nabokov's work, examining in particular the tension between morality and aesthetics in Laughter in the Dark, a novel that Nabokov made more aesthetically spare in his rendition of its Russian forerunner (Kamera obscura) into English. The novel should be read as a polemic with Tolstoy's manifesto on "good," "bad," "fake" and "perverted" art, Chto takoe iskusstvo? Although several scholars have already discussed the place of Anna Karenina in Nabokov's novel, this article investigates that dynamic in far greater depth and suggests that Nabokov used Tolstoy's masterpiece as part of an attempt to undermine his predecessor's prescriptions for art. In drawing on Anna Karenina as a touchstone for his novel, Nabokov essentially took Tolstoy's criteria for identifying fake art and used them as the basis for his own flirtation with bad writing. This article shows that in Laughter in the Dark, Nabokov had already embarked on his mission to "kick the glorified soapbox from under [Tolstoy's] sandaled feet and then lock him up in a stone house on a desert island with gallons of ink and reams of paper–far away from the things, ethical and pedagogical, that diverted his attention from observing the way the dark hair curled above Anna's white neck." The result is a cross-examination of Tolstoy by the use of his own novel, an interrogation that celebrates Tolstoy's mature artistry while mocking his overripe aesthetics.


In presenting this thesis or dissertation as a partial fulfillment of the requirements for an advanced degree from Emory University, I hereby grant to Emory University and its agents the non-exclusive license to archive, make accessible, and display my thesis or dissertation in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known, including display on the world wide web. I understand that I may select some access restrictions as part of the online submission of this thesis or dissertation. I retain all ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis or dissertation. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis or dissertation.


Intercellular communication represents a fundamental phenomenon in multicellular eukaryote organisms, such as in the human beings. Multicellularity has allowed developing cells involved in different works. Within the same organisms, some cells function as nutrient providers, while other cells are involved in defense responses or reproduction. Multiple cell-types join to form tissues, such as muscle, blood, vascular and brain tissue. In this scenario, signaling systems are crucial to ensure the harmonious development of multicellular structures and functions. Cells have to sense information from the outside environment, including the availability of nutrients, changes in temperature, or light levels and then the information has to be transmitted intracellularly. Considering that tissues are constituted by different cell-types which have to collaborate to carry on a particular function, the intercellular communication is a major factor ( Figure 1 ), and dysfunctional cellular crosstalk promotes the development of various types of diseases, including atherothrombosis and cancer (1).


The three-dimensional structures of emeraldine base polyaniline (PANI) and (polyaniline)(0.5)V(2)O(5) x 1.0 H(2)O have been determined by total X-ray scattering experiments. Atomic pair distribution functions (PDF) were measured to obtain experimental observables against which structural models were tested and refined. The PDF approach is necessary because of the limited structural coherence in these nanostructured materials. Polyaniline possesses a well-defined local atomic arrangement that can be described in terms of an 84-atom orthorhombic unit cell. The nanocomposite (PANI)(0.5)V(2)O(5) x 1.0 H(2)O too is locally well ordered and may be described in terms of a small number of structure-sensible parameters. The PDF approach allows the construction of structure models of PANI and (PANI)(0.5)V(2)O(5) x 1.0 H(2)O on the basis of which important materials' properties can be explained predicted and possibly improved.


Nutrition is a vital determinant of lifespan, reproduction, health and ageing. Much has been done
to investigate the lifespan consequences of short-term (proximate) nutritional manipulation, but
much less is known about long-term (evolutionary) nutritional manipulation and nutritional
mismatches. In this thesis I addressed this important omission, using the fruit fly, Drosophila
melanogaster, model system. I empirically tested two evolutionary theories: the Thrifty
Phenotype and Thrifty Genotype hypotheses, which predict the general life history consequences
of nutritional mismatches over the lifetime or over evolutionary time, respectively. I also tested
how the latter interacted with long-term nutritional selection regimes. Contrary to predictions, I
showed that the costs of nutritional mismatches between developmental and adult diets were
not universal, but instead dependent on the nature of the mismatch, sex and the components of
life history measured (Chapter 2). Similarly, the costs of mismatches between evolved and
proximate nutrition were dependent on evolved feeding regime, sex, life history component
measured and proximate diet (Chapter 3). I discovered that there was enhanced sexual
dimorphism for lifespan in nutritionally selected lines, which was associated with sex-specific life
history patterns and a partial resolution of sexual conflict (Chapter 4). Transcriptome-wide
analysis of these nutritionally selected lines revealed differential expression in genes with
functions related to lifespan, post-mating responses, regulation and epigenetic modification
(Chapter 5). Finally, I found that manipulation of another important component of altered
lifestyles, activity level, had no effect on lifespan or reproduction (Chapter 6). Overall, my results
make a novel contribution to the study of nutritional mismatches and long-term nutritional
selection. The results also highlight the importance of simultaneously studying both sexes and
several age-specific components of life history, in different proximate environments, to fully
elucidate the fitness consequences of nutritional manipulation.


The electro-mechanical (E/M) impedance-based method is one important and effective method in damage detection. The basic concept of the impedance method is to monitor the variations in the structural mechanical impedance spectrum caused by damage in the structure. Comparing the impedance spectrum to a baseline measurement of the undamaged structure, the real part of the E/M impedance reflects the state of structural health in the local area, therefore, the structural damage can be localized, a local-area self-sensing method is implemented. In this paper, an aluminium plate mounted on an electromagnetic shaker is used to detect growing fatigue damage using the impedance method. The growing damage is documented by an increase of the indicators. For the case of a static artificial damage the concept is also demonstrated to an Airbus A320 fuselage part using 9 self-sensing elements on the stringers.


In this paper we propose a solution that combines the advantages of an ontology specification language, having powerful rule-based reasoning capabilities, with the possibility to efficiently exploit large (and, often already existent) enterprise databases. In particular, we allow to "upgrade" existing databases to an ontology for building a unified view of the enterprise information. Databases are kept and the existing applications can still work on them, but the user can benefit of the new ontological view of the data, and exploit powerful reasoning and information integration services, including: problem-solving, consistency checking, and consistent query answering. Importantly, powerful rule-based reasoning can be carried out in mass-memory allowing to deal also with data-intensive applications. Kewwords: Ontologies, Rules, Databases, Answer Set Programming, Information Integration, Consistent Query Answering.