Abstract Conclusion: Nasal resistance and the OSA-18 score were useful for evaluating surgical treatments. The sleep disturbance score may also be useful for predicting the severity of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in children. Objective: We evaluated the effect of surgery on children with OSA using polysomnography (PSG) parameters, nasal resistance, and the OSA-18 questionnaire, and also investigated the cut-off OSA-18 score to screen for pediatric OSA. Methods: This was a retrospective study in which PSG parameters and nasal resistance were measured using a rhinomanometer and the OSA-18 score was obtained from the OSA-18 questionnaire before and after surgery in 45 children with OSA. Results: The mean age of the 45 patients was 5.7 ± 2.0 years. The mean value of the obstructive apnea hypopnea index (O-AHI) improved from 16.2 ± 14.3/h before surgery to 1.1 ± 1.7/h after surgery, the mean nasal resistance improved from 0.44 ± 0.19 to 0.32 ± 0.10 Pa/cm3/s, and the mean OSA-18 score improved from 61.1 ± 13.7 to 30.4 ± 5.8, and all these improvements were significant. The O-AHI value was lower than 1/h after surgery in 64.4% of patients (29/45). The O-AHI value was significantly correlated with the sleep disturbance score (r = 0.352, p = 0.018). When the cut-off OSA-18 score for screening was set at 40, sensitivity was 100%.


For many types of risk affecting the economic existence of firms, risk of competition is among the most important, both in terms of the gravity and intensity and the spread in space and time. In the context of the global economic crisis, - economical, financial, social, image problems etc. encountered by the economic entities are responded through the engage of the companies in the competitive game using various strategic alternatives. The competitive game involves: understanding the nature of the competitive strategy, the demarcation of their playing field, the competition analysis and the competitive decision commitment. Implicit, the new conditions created field of manifestation of the anticompetitive behavior on the various world markets, increasing the inherent role of the decision makers in the competition policy.


BACKGROUND
The costs of physical inactivity are beginning to be recognized. Research to pinpoint these costs will provide needed information for researchers and policy-makers to develop cost-effective physical activity promotion programs. We present the association of walking with health services use and costs within a sample of 695 older, urban primary care patients.

METHODS
A survey provided most data, but utilization and cost data were obtained from a medical records system. Multivariate models were developed to assess the association of walking with health services use and costs, adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics, chronic disease, health status, and previous utilization.

RESULTS
Thirty-eight percent of respondents reported walking 0 minutes per week, 49% walked 1 to 119 minutes, and 13% walked 120 minutes or more. In the multivariate analyses, a report of walking 120 or more minutes was associated with a lower risk of emergency room visit and hospital stay in the subsequent year. No association was found between walking and primary care visits and total cost.

CONCLUSION
These analyses suggest an association of walking 120 minutes or more with decreased emergency room visits (OR = 0.5, P = 0.046) and hospital stays (OR = 0.6, P = 0.034). This suggests that physical activity promotion among socioeconomically disadvantaged older adults has the potential to provide cost savings. This will not be known, however, until physical activity can be promoted and maintained among these adults.


The origin and dispersal of the domestic cat remain elusive despite its importance to human societies around the world. Archaeological evidence for domestication centers in the Near East and in Egypt is contested, and genetic data on modern cats show that Felis silvestris lybica, the subspecies of wild cat inhabiting at present the Near East and Northern Africa, is the only ancestor of the domestic cat. Here we provide the first broad geographic and chronological dataset of ancient cat mtDNA sequences, drawing on archaeological specimens from across western Eurasia and northern and eastern Africa, dating from throughout the Holocene and spanning ~9,000 years. We characterized the ancient phylogeography of F. s. lybica, showing that it expanded up to southeastern Europe prior to the Neolithic, and reconstructed the subsequent movements that profoundly transformed its distribution and shaped its early cultural history. We found that maternal lineages from both the Near East and Egypt contributed to the gene pool of the domestic cat at different historical times, with the Near Eastern population providing the first major contribution during the Neolithic and the Egyptian cat spreading efficiently across the Old World during the Classical period. This expansion pattern and range suggest dispersal along maritime and terrestrial routes of trade and connectivity. Late trait selection is suggested by the first occurrence in our dataset of the major allele for blotched-tabby body marking not earlier than during the Late Middle Ages. Significance The cat has long been important to human societies as a pest-control agent, object of symbolic value, and companion animal, but little is known about its domestication process and early anthropogenic dispersal. Our DNA analyses of geographically and temporally widespread archaeological cat remains show that while the cat's world-wide conquest began in prehistoric times, when tamed cats accompanied humans on their journeys over land and sea, it gained momentum during the Classical period, when the Egyptian cat successfully spread throughout the ancient world. The appearance of a new coat pattern at the end of the Middle Ages suggests late breeding control that might explain the semi-domestic status of the cat. This distinguishes the domestication process of cats from that of most other domesticates.


Context. The association of filaments with protostellar objects has made these structures a priority target in star formation studies. However, little is known about the link between filament properties and their local environment.

Aims. The datasets from the Herschel Galactic Cold cores key programme allow for a statistical study of filaments with a wide range of intrinsic and environmental characteristics. Characterisation of this sample can therefore be used to identify key physical parameters and quantify the role of the environment in the formation of supercritical filaments. These results are necessary to constrain theoretical models of filament formation and evolution.

Methods. Filaments were extracted from fields at distance D< 500 pc with the getfilaments  algorithm and characterised according to their column density profiles and intrinsic properties. Each profile was fitted with a beam-convolved Plummer-like function, and the filament structure was quantified based on the relative contributions from the filament "core", represented by a Gaussian, and "wing" component, dominated by the power-law behaviour of the Plummer-like function. These filament parameters were examined for populations associated with different background levels.

Results. Filaments increase their core (M_(line,core)) and wing (M_(line,wing)) contributions while increasing their total linear mass density (M_(line,tot)). Both components appear to be linked to the local environment, with filaments in higher backgrounds having systematically more massive M_(line,core) and M_(line,wing). This dependence on the environment supports an accretion-based model of filament evolution in the local neighbourhood (D ≤ 500 pc). Structures located in the highest backgrounds develop the highest central A_V, M_(line,core), and M_(line,wing) as M_(line,tot) increases with time, favoured by the local availability of material and the enhanced gravitational potential. Our results indicate that filaments acquiring a significantly massive central region with M_(line,core) ≳ M_(crit)/2 may become supercritical and form stars. This translates into a need for filaments to become at least moderately self-gravitating to undergo localised star formation or become star-forming filaments.


This note presents two theorems on asymptotic state consensus of continuous time nonlinear multi-agent systems. The agents reside in $\mathbb {R}^m$ and have switching interconnection topologies. Both the first theorem, formulated in terms of the states of individual agents, and the second theorem, formulated in terms of the pairwise states for pairs of agents, can be interpreted as variants of Lyapunov's second method. The two theorems complement each other; the second provides stronger convergence results under weaker graph topology assumptions, whereas the first often can be applied in a wider context in terms of the structure of the right-hand sides of the systems. The second theorem also sheds some new light on well-known results for consensus of nonlinear systems where the right-hand sides of the agents' dynamics are convex combinations of directions to neighboring agents. For such systems, instead of proving consensus by using the theory of contracting convex sets, a local quadratic Lyapunov function can be used.


Megaxyela Ashmead, 1898 comprises 13 species, four of which are described as new and one is removed from synonymy: Megaxyela euchroma Blank, Shinohara & Wei sp. nov. from China (Zheijang), M. fulvago Blank, Shinohara & Wei sp. nov. from China (Hunan, Jiangsu, Zhejiang), M. inversa Blank & D.R. Smith sp. nov. from the USA (West Virginia), M. langstoni Ross, 1936 sp. rev. from the eastern USA, and M. pulchra Blank, Shinohara & Sundukov sp. nov. from China (Hubei, Jilin, Liaoning, Shaanxi, Tibet), South Korea (Kangwon-do) and Russia (Primorskiy Kray). The male of M. parki Shinohara, 1992 is described for the first time. A lectotype is designated for M. gigantea Mocsary, 1909. A cladogram, based on COI sequences of seven species, is presented and interpreted in view of selected morphological characters. Records of M. fulvago sp. nov. from Hunan and of M. pulchra sp. nov. from Tibet extend the known distribution of Megaxyela in the Old World 600 kilometers farther south and 2500 kilometers farther west than previous records.


This chapter concerns the detection of sleepiness in truck drivers. Data obtained from a driver sleepiness study involving real-world driving are used in order to analyse the performance of several sleepiness indicators based on driving behavior; such as, for example, variability in lateral position and heading angle. Contrary to the results obtained for passenger cars, for heavy trucks it is found that indicators based on variability provide little or no information; their performance does not rise significantly above chance levels. However, the data indicate that there is a significant difference in the average lane position for sleepy and alert drivers, respectively, such that a sleepy driver generally places the vehicle closer (by about 0.2 m) to the centre of the road than an alert driver. The analysis also shows a significant, monotonous, increase in average lateral position (measured from the right, outer, lane boundary towards the lane centre) between the four cases of (i) daytime alert driving, (ii) daytime sleepy driving, (iii) night-time alert driving and (iv) nighttime sleepy driving.


We present results obtained for a network of four delay-coupled lasers modeled by Lang-Kobayashi-type equations. We find small chimera states consisting of a pair of synchronized lasers and two unsynchronized lasers. One class of these small chimera states can be understood as intermediate steps on the route from synchronization to desynchronization, and we present the entire chain of bifurcations giving birth to them. This class of small chimeras can exhibit limit-cycle or quasiperiodic dynamics. A second type of small chimera states exists apparently disconnected from any region of synchronization, arising from pair synchronization inside the chaotic desynchronized regime. In contrast to previously reported chimera states in globally coupled networks, we find that the small chimera state is the only stable solution of the system for certain parameter regions; i.e., we do not need to specially prepare initial conditions.


Congenital abnormalities of the anus and rectum occur approximately once in every 5,000 births. The first successfully treated patient of anorectal malformation dates back to the seventh century. Uniformly good results continue to elude the surgeon in spite of more than a century of observation, application of the knowledge derived from embryology and anatomy, use of various operative procedures, and a written discussion probably including more essays than the literature on any other congenital gastrointestinal anomaly. Several critical reviews of large series of cases have been reported by Ladd and Gross, 1 Browne, 2 Bill and Johnson, 3 Brayton and Norris, 4 Gough, 5 Santulli, 6 Stephens, 7 and Kiesewetter et al. 8-10 The immediate results of operations for the correction of malformations of the rectum have improved progressively during the past 30 years. Statistics regarding the longterm outcome of surgery for imperforate anus were not so encouraging. The long-term functional


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The Soledad basin is situated north of the San Gabriel Mountains, in Los Angeles County, California, and its center is about 35 miles north of the Los Angeles civic center. Roughly an elongate parallelogram in shape, this basin has dimensions of about ten by thirty miles, with the longer dimension oriented east-west. The Sierra Pelona and the San Gabriel Mountains form the northern and southern boundaries, respectively. The San Andreas fault and the San Gabriel fault, both of which trend northwest in this region, bound the basin on its northeast and southwest borders, respectively. Only the northern part of the basin is discussed in this paper. The pre-Cretaceous Pelona schist, the oldest unit in the map area, is a thick sequence of muscovite schist, chlorite-muscovite schist and actinolite-chlorite schist with rare layers of quartzite and limestone. This unit underlies the Sierra Pelona, an elongate mountain mass which trends east-west. Granitic intrusive rocks of probable late Jurassic age underlie a complex section of Tertiary rocks in most of the eastern Soledad basin. Gneisses, some of which may represent highly injected Pelona schist, also are present in a belt that in general trends parallel to the Sierra Pelona. In general, the sedimentary beds exposed at the surface are younger from east to west in the Soledad basin. The marine Martinez formation of Paleocene age is the oldest sedimentary unit in the region. It is overlain by the Vasquez series which crops out over a wide area, and comprises interlayered fanglomerates and volcanic rocks. Where the Martinez formation has been removed by erosion prior to the deposition of the Vasquez beds, the Vasquez series rests on the pre-Tertiary crystalline rocks. This unit is of doubtful Oligocene age, and has a maximum known thickness of nearly 16,000 feet. The Vasquez beds were deposited in three basins separated by ridges. Late in Vasquez time, these ridges were buried by thick alluvial fans built northward from the San Gabriel Mountains, and the basins thus coalesced into a single broad alluvial apron. The upper Lower Miocene Tick Canyon formation and the Upper Miocene Mint Canyon formation, which lie above the Vasquez series, also represent nonmarine deposition of dominantly coarse-grained sedimentary material. These units are widespread in the western part of the Soledad basin. Sandstone and siltstone of the "Modelo" formation rest unconformably on the Mint Canyon beds, and reflect an eastward encroachment of marine waters over a part of the basin in late Miocene time. West of the map area, the marine Pliocene Pico formation and the nonmarine Plio-Pleistocene Saugus formation, which grades westward into a marine facies, overlie the older rocks. Terrace deposits of late Pleistocene age are common over much of the area. Recent alluvium is present in all of the major valley bottoms and locally in some of the minor valleys. The date of the folding and metamorphism of the Pelona schist is not known, but it assuredly is pre-Tertiary. Tertiary rocks have been either tilted or deformed into broad open folds, although locally near the major faults nearly isoclinal folds are found. Almost without exception, these folds plunge to the west or southwest. The numerous faults are the most prominent structural features of the Soledad basin. Normal faults which trend generally east were formed in post-Martinez, pre-Vasquez time. Displacements occurred throughout Vasquez time and ceased prior to Tick Canyon time. The Pelona fault may have been reactivated just prior to Mint Canyon time. Offsets on these normal faults are as much as 10,000 to 15,000 feet. The normal faults indicate that the minimum compressive stress was oriented nearly north-south. Can the other hand, the post-Mint Canyon, pre-Saugus faults indicate a maximum compressive stress oriented north-south, which resulted in a number of northeast-trending left-hand faults with displacements up to 10,000 feet. None of the faults of the Soledad basin have been reactivated in spite of Pleistocene and Recent offsets along the San Andreas fault.


A nitro-benzofurazan-triazolyl carboxymethylated β-cyclodextrin (NBFT-CMβCyD) and an oligomer of carboxymethyl β-cyclodextrin (sodium salt), crosslinked with epichlorohydrin and labeled with rhodaminyl groups (pβCyD-Rh), exhibit very high affinity in aqueous solution for octacationic photosensitizer [(CH3)8LZn]8+ neutralized by I− ions (L = tetrakis-2,3-[5,6-di(2-(pyridiniumyl)pyrazino]porphyrazinato dianion). The photosensitizer (PS) forms complexes with 1 : 2 and 2 : 2 CyD:PS stoichiometry, which were characterized as binding constants and UV-Vis absorption and fluorescence properties. The self-association tendency of [(CH3)8LZn]8+, leading to a monomer–dimer equilibrium shift towards the dimer even at very low concentrations (≈10−6 M), is not contrasted by either NBFT-CMβCyD or the pβCyD-Rh oligomer, both of which completely convert the [(CH3)8LZn]8+ monomer fraction to the dimer form in the bound state. Quenching of fluorescence observed in [(CH3)8LZn]8+ upon binding with either hosts is consistent with the conversion of the monomer to the negligibly fluorescent dimer. The complexes formed with the CMβCyD units of the pβCyD-Rh oligomer have average association constants, which are larger by 6–7 orders of magnitude than those with the CMβCyD monomer in the NBFT-labeled derivative.


Patients with chronic kidney disease have an increased cardiovascular risk. Several non-traditional factors have been showed to be associated with this risk, including hyperhomocysteinemia. The effects of reducing homocysteine levels with folic acid supplementation have been studied in a number of randomized trials, with mixed results. In this article we critically appraise two systematic reviews providing disparate conclusions about this question and we summarize their main findings using the GRADE methodology. We conclude that there are methodological differences that may explain the mixed results in both systematic reviews. Folic acid supplementation does not reduce cardiovascular morbidity or mortality in patients with chronic kidney disease at any stage.


This paper values a type of exotic option in a complete market setting, called a ruin-contingent life annuity (RCLA). This product jointly hedges against financial market risk and personal longevity risk. The annuitant's (i.e. long position) payoff from a generic RCLA is $1 of income per year for life, akin to a defined benefit pension, but deferred until a pre-specified diffusion process hits zero. We derive the PDE and relevant boundary conditions satisfied by the RCLA value assuming No Arbitrage is possible. We then describe some efficient numerical techniques and provide estimates of a typical RCLA under a variety of realistic parameters. The motivation for studying the RCLA is that it is now embedded in approximately $800 billion worth of U.S. variable annuity (VA) policies which have recently attracted scrutiny from analysts and regulators.


We establish some stylised facts for Germany's business cycle at the level of the firm. Based on longitudinal firm-level data from the Bundesbank's balance sheet statistic covering, on average, 55,000 firms per year from 1971 to 1998, we analyse the reallocation across individual producers and, in turn, the connection of this reallocation to aggregate business cycles. The empirical results indicate a pronounced heterogeneity of real sale changes across firms. Moreover, the distribution of growth rates of firm's real sales is influenced by business cycle conditions. In particular, the cross-section skewness of real sales changes is strongly counter-cyclical. The results confirm most of the findings for the UK and the US by Higson et al. (2002, 2004) and are, therefore, robust stylised facts of the business cycle.


ABSTRACT This paper deals with a strategy for the maintenance of geotechnical structures such as earth-fill dams. Standard penetration test (SPT) N-values are frequently used to determine the soil parameters. For this purpose, a statistical model for the N-values is firstly determined from sounding test results. In this research, however, Swedish weight sounding (SWS) tests are employed as they are simpler than SPTs. The identification of spatial correlation of the soil parameters is very difficult, since the number of sampling points is very limited to model the spatial variability. SWS is advantageous, compared with other major sounding method to identify the spatial correlation structure inside the geotechnical structures, since it makes spatially short-interval exams possible due to its simplicity and compactness. Based on the statistical model for the N-values, the shear strength parameters are derived through the empirical relationships. Then, a reliability analysis of the embankments is conducted considering the variability of the internal friction angle and the seismic hazard. Consequently, the probability of damage to the earth-fill over the next 50 years is calculated, and the effect of improving the earth-fill is evaluated based on this probability.


ABSTRACT The economy of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) is highly dependent on tourism and travel sector. Under the impact of COVID-19, these islands have suffered strongly. Possible recovery strategies are tested through exploring the concept of risk perception as an important factor to influence the behaviour intention under the framework of theory of planned behaviour (TPB). A behavioural simulation is built to help evaluate tourism policies. This paper takes Maldives as an example. Four strategies are tested in the model: social distancing, tax reduction strategy, travel bubble strategy and joint strategy. The results show that the most effective way to change tourist behaviour intention is the travel bubble strategy. The results also indicate that the reduction in tourism arrivals may bring opportunities for local ecosystem recovery. This study exemplifies the advantage of using the system dynamics approach when the past pattern is not a good predictor for the future by making predictions based on how the system works.


Background The prediction of the public health impact of a preventive strategy provides valuable support for decision-making. International guidelines for hypertension management have introduced the level of absolute cardiovascular risk in the definition of the treatment target population. The public health impact of implementing such a recommendation has not been measured. Methodology/Principal Findings We assessed the efficiency of three treatment scenarios according to historical and current versions of practice guidelines on a Realistic Virtual Population representative of the French population aged from 35 to 64 years: 1) BP≥160/95 mm Hg; 2) BP≥140/90 mm Hg and 3) BP≥140/90 mm Hg plus increased CVD risk. We compared the eligibility following the ESC guidelines with the recently observed proportion of treated amongst hypertensive individuals reported by the Etude Nationale Nutrition Santé survey. Lowering the threshold to define hypertension multiplied by 2.5 the number of eligible individuals. Applying the cardiovascular risk rule reduced this number significantly: less than 1/4 of hypertensive women under 55 years and less than 1/3 of hypertensive men below 45 years of age. This was the most efficient strategy. Compared to the simulated guidelines application, men of all ages were undertreated (between 32 and 60%), as were women over 55 years (70%). By contrast, younger women were over-treated (over 200%). Conclusion The global CVD risk approach to decide for treatment is more efficient than the simple blood pressure level. However, lack of screening rather than guideline application seems to explain the low prescription rates among hypertensive individuals in France. Multidimensional analyses required to obtain these results are possible only through databases at the individual level: realistic virtual populations should become the gold standard for assessing the impact of public health policies at the national level.


Swimbladder changes resulting from Anguillicola crassus infection of the European eel Anguilla anguilla have been the subject of several studies reported in the literature. These investigations, however, studied exclusively the status of infection at a given point in time and did not deal with changes in swimbladder infection in eels suffering from anguillicolosis over a period of time. In this study, A. crassus-induced pathological changes were monitored in 78 eels naturally infected in Lake Balaton and subsequently kept in the laboratory, thus excluding the possibility of further infection. During the 3 mo study, the status of the swimbladder was checked by radiographic examination on 4 occasions. At the end of the study the eels were dissected and the gross pathological changes in the swimbladders were compared with the radiographic findings. As compared to their starting condition, by the end of the study the pathological status of the swimbladder had deteriorated in 55% and remained the same in 37% of the cases. Tendency to improvement (1%) and variable findings (7%) were recorded in a low percentage of cases only. With the help of the radiographs presented, the dynamics of A. crassus infection and of changes in the swimbladder of individual eel specimens can be monitored easily.


Choy sum ( Brassica rapa L.) cultivation main obstacle in Maluku was soil fertility and plant diseases. Biological agent and Biofertilizers will play a significant role to reduce the intensity of disease attacks, and increase crop productivity. The objective of this experiment  was to study the effects of nitrogen fixing and phosphate solubilizing microbe (Bion-UP) and Trichoderma harzianum solid inokulan (Bokelas Plus) on choy sum productivity grown on land Rhizoctonia solani- contaminated land. The experimental treatments  were liquid  biofertilizer and Bokelas Plus which has been combined into 6 treatments: Without biofertilizer and Bokelas Plus, 50 kg Bokelas Plus/ha without biofertilizer, 15 mL biofertilizer per plant without Bokales Plus, 15 mL biofertilizer per plant + 50 Kg Bokelas Plus/ha, 15 mL biofertilizer  per plant + 25 kg Bokelas Plus/ha, and 7.5 mL biofertilizer per plant + 50 kg Bokales Plus/ha. The results showed that giving of Bokelas Plus and biofertilizer with different dose levels decreased  leaf blight intensity and increasing fresh weight of choy sum. Biofertilizer application with and without Bokelas Plus decreased the intensity of leaf blight disease by 39.14% - 46, 93%, and increase the fresh weight of choy sum by 15.19% - 36.25%.


Recently, organic-inorganic hybrid perovskites (OIHPs) are rising as promising candidates for light-emitting applications, due to their superior optical properties. High performance light-emitting applications such as scintillators require minimum non-radiative recombination and high fractions of radiative recombination. Here, we report a simple solution-processing strategy for the synthesis of funnel-type CH3NH3(MA)PbCl3/CH3NH3(MA)PbBrxCl3-x heterostructure perovskite materials that improve the light emission performances. The single crystal X-ray diffraction pattern indicates that the lattice mismatch is only ∼3.24% in the heterointerface. The halide gradient is helpful for driving the photoexcited carriers from the internal high bandgap material to the low bandgap light-emitter layer. The steady-state photoluminescence (PL) and radioluminescence (RL) spectra show that the luminescence intensity has been significantly improved by this heterostructure perovskite. Time-resolved photoluminescence (TRPL) exhibits carrier transport along the halide gradient. Our research suggests that the gradient halide perovskite heterostructure with specific optical properties could be a prospect for commercial scintillator applications.


Operative cholangiography is a useful adjunct and should be used routinely during most cholecystectomies. The most popular methods for this procedure involve cystic duct cannulation followed by injection of contrast material. A simple method that facilitates holding of the cholangiogram catheter within the cystic duct, without having to tie it in place, is described. This technique has been successfully used in over 250 patients without any related complications and it appears to be adaptable to most situations.


A histological survey of the commercially edible mussels Mytilus platensis and M. chilensis from wild and cultivated populations along the coast of Patagonia, Argentina (42°00' to 54°47'S), was carried out to determine their health status. Diagnostic results included 3 types of inflammatory responses (infiltrative, nodular, and encapsulation), disseminated neoplasia disease, 2 abnormal reproductive conditions (gonadal atresia and intersex), prokaryotic inclusions, protozoans, and metazoans. Pathogen prevalence and infection intensity among mussels of different sampling sites and between those of wild and cultivated populations were compared. Inflammatory responses were recorded in all mussels from all sites, while disseminated neoplasia only occurred in the most southern cultivated M. chilensis. Intracellular prokaryotic inclusions were broadly distributed in the mussels from both northern and southern Patagonian coasts. Ciliates showed the highest prevalence among wild mussels from the colder waters of Bahía Brown. Turbellaria were recorded at higher prevalence in cultured mussels (41.7%), and trematode metacercariae occurred exclusively in intertidal wild mussels. None of the parasites found appears to be a problem to the fishery or farming, although disseminated neoplasia should be monitored. In addition, we found that mytilid species coexisting with M. platensis (Aulacomya atra and Perumytilus purpuratus) at one location shared the same pathological conditions and parasites, which differed from those of M. platensis at a distant locality. These results suggest that pathological conditions and parasites were influenced more by ecological habitat factors than by the species of mussels present, based on similar parasite assemblages found among closely related mytilid hosts in the same geographical area.


Abstract: Cancer cells, compared to normal cells, are under increased oxidative stress with higher level of ROS. When exposed to environmental or intracellular stresses like ROS, NFE-related factor 2 (Nrf2) is the key to antioxidant response by transcriptionally activate various detoxification and antioxidant enzymes. We have previously shown that wogonin (5,7-Dihydroxy-8-methoxy-2-phenyl-4H-1-benzopyran-4-one), a flavonoid isolated from the root of Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi, could reverse drug resistance in MCF-7/ DOX cells through blocking the translocation of Nrf2 into nucleus, however, the effects of wogonin on Nrf2 signaling pathway have not previously been reported. In our study, we observed that wogonin reduced Nrf2 nuclear translocation, and therefore elevated the level of intracellular ROS to accomplish the purpose of killing malignant cells. In order to confirm the roles of Nrf2, it was activated by tBHQ and knocked down by the Nrf2 siRNA, and the results demonstrated that the activation of Nrf2 was involved in the wogonin-induced accumulation of ROS and cell death. Furthermore, the suppression of Nrf2 by wogonin can potentiate cytotoxic effects of chemotherapeutic agents in HepG2 cells. On one hand, down-regulation of Nrf2 lead to reduction of cytoprotective effect through inducing phage II enzymes which sensitize cells to chemotherapeutic agents. On the other hand, inhibition of multidrug resistance-associated protein (MRPs) by wogonin to enhance the effective drug level in cancer cells is another way to potentiates chemotherapeutic effects. At last, we found that the down-regulation of Nrf2 is associated with over-expression of p53. Using p53 siRNA to knock down the endogenous p53 expression, the level of both c-Myc and Nrf2 in nucleus increased when exposed to wogonin. The present study indicated that wogonin can be used in chemotherapy not only because its own antitumor ability, but also due to the enhanced cytotoxic effects of chemotherapeutic agents.

Citation Information: Mol Cancer Ther 2013;12(11 Suppl):C99.

Citation Format: Chen Qian, Rong Hu. Wogonin enhanced reactive oxygen species-induced apoptosis and potentiated cytotoxic effects of chemotherapeutic agents by Nrf2 suppression in HepG2 cells. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference: Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics; 2013 Oct 19-23; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Ther 2013;12(11 Suppl):Abstract nr C99.


The most famous elevator ride in the history of critical theory took place in downtown Los Angeles, when Fredric Jameson was dropped into the lobby of the Bonaventure Hotel. He writes of his inability to form a cognitive map of the journey he has made, the impossibility of gaining a sense of perspective in the hyperspace of the Bonaventure's vast interior. The elevator descends into a subterranean world unto itself, complete with a lake, restaurants, bars, and shops, all of them surrounded by four symmetrical vertical towers that contain the actual hotel rooms. The space exerts a vengeance upon the casual pedestrian, Jameson writes, for it is impossible to find one's way around, to the point that old-fashioned arrows and signs needed to be installed to help potential customers locate the retail areas.1 The Bonaventure was built in 1977, and its visual and spatial strategies have become ubiquitous and almost unremarkable, such that Jameson's sense of disorientation during his visit in the 1980's now seems a little quaint. Every time a traveler enters an airport or a consumer strolls through a mega-mall, every time vacationers enter a casino or professionals hustle through the warrens of a convention center, similar effects take place. Dislocation becomes palpable, visceral, and it becomes nearly impossible to map where one's body actually is with any accuracy. It's true, one can learn to orient oneself within a specific hotel, mall, or airport, using whatever visual cues have been provided. But spend enough time in those spaces and a bit of vertigo sets in. Like Fredric Jameson, the shoppers, the gam-


A new derivative applied to the old gravity Bouguer map (served in 1940s and 1950s), taking regional study area covered the mid and south of Iraq. The gravity anomaly reflects a density contrast variation; therefore it is possible to use gravity inversion to the density and velocity model through layers (615m, 1100m, 1910m, 2750m and 5290m), the depth layers according to the power spectrum analysis of gravity Bouguer. The inversion is according to the integration of gravity anomalies of the each depth layer with the same depth of wells data, considered to the estimations and analysis of density and velocity scatters of the oil wells distribution with depth at the regional area. Taking the relation curve of density and velocity by presenting the function of (8 logs), which obtained the main relation to Seismic velocity and density of the study area, which is confirm with (Nafe and Drake curve). The result of the gravity inversion is on the anomalies behavior in density and velocity domain, taking in seismic stack processing of seismic reflection records and time to depth conversion, as the geophysical integration data is addition to the well data distribution in the regional area of Iraq. Good results obtained on comparing the interpretation of the considered seismic section in the study area.


Open access (OA) has become a critical issue in science policy and affects a wide range of activities in universities and research labs. Research-performing organizations (RPOs), defined as publicly funded universities and research institutions, face significant challenges in shaping the OA transformation. This article examines the spheres of activity available to RPOs for shaping the OA transformation, using a categorization of 22 spheres of activity related to OA. These spheres of activity include strategy and communication, services and infrastructures, business relationships with publishers, and collaborations. Current challenges and future action areas in promoting OA are also described, providing support for RPOs in handling OA and highlighting key issues. The categorization can serve as a tool for systematically assessing OA activities at RPOs and shows that OA is a cross-cutting issue in these organizations. Collaboration on OA activities, both within and beyond organizations, presents a challenge. To effectively promote OA, it is crucial to strengthen the interaction between funding agencies and RPOs. Libraries are critical stakeholders, playing a vital role in advancing OA at the local, national, and international levels in partnership with RPO management and other partners in faculty, administration, and information technology.


closo-type complex hydrides contain large cage-type complex polyanions in their crystal structures and thus can exhibit superior ion-conducting properties (e.g., Li and Na). However, the unique structures of complex polyanions have made it challenging to modify crystal structures, making systematic control of ion conductivity difficult. Here, we report an atom deficiency approach to enhance lithium-ion conductivity of complex hydrides. We find that lithium and hydrogen could be simultaneously extracted from Li2B12H12 by applying a small external energy, enabling the formation of atom deficiencies. These atom deficiencies lead to an increase in carrier concentration, improving lithium-ion conductivity by 3 orders of magnitude compared to that of a pristine material. An all-solid-state TiS2/Li battery employing atom-deficient Li2B12H12 as a solid electrolyte exhibits superior battery performance during repeated discharge–charge cycles. The current study suggests that the atom deficiency can be a useful stra...


INTRODUCTION
Globally, hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a leading cause of liver disease. People who inject drugs (PWID) are at greater risk than the general population of contracting HBV. This risk could depend on societal factors in different countries. We investigated the associations between country-level chronic HBV prevalence in PWID with national indicators of development and prevalence of HIV and hepatitis C virus (HCV).

METHODS
We used global systematic review data on chronic HBV prevalence (hepatitis B surface antigen-positive) among PWID and country-level sociodemographic characteristics from online databases. National random-effects meta-analysis estimates of HBV prevalence were the outcome in linear regression models testing for associations with country-level characteristics.

RESULTS
The study included 131,710 PWID from 304 estimates in 55 countries: the pooled HBV prevalence among PWID in the countries analysed was 4.5% (95% CI 3.9-5.1), the highest regional pooled prevalence was in East and Southeast Asia (17.6% [13.3-22.3]), and the lowest was in Western Europe (1.7% [1.4-2.1]). In multivariable models, no indicators of development were associated with HBV prevalence, but there was evidence of positive associations between HBV prevalence in the general population and among PWID, and evidence of HIV and HCV prevalence in PWID being associated with HBV prevalence in PWID: multivariable coefficients 0.03 (95% CI 0.01-0.04); p < 0.001, and 0.01 (95% CI 0.00-0.03); p = 0.01, respectively.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS
HBV prevalence among PWID was associated with HIV and HCV prevalence among PWID and background HBV prevalence in the general population, highlighting the need for improving harm reduction in PWID and implementation of HBV vaccination, especially where HBV is endemic.


Effects of 21% O2 + 79% He mixture at the normal pressure on temperature of different body areas, blood temperature, heat emission, heat production, and the muscle electrical activity were studied at ambient temperature 21-22 degrees C. Action of the mixture during 60 min increased the heat emission by 21%, heat production by 17%, muscle activity by 37%. In spite of this, the temperature decreased in hypothalamus, cerebral cortex, rectum, muscles, and under the skin, as well as the blood temperature in the aortic arch and in the v. cava anterior. The occurring increase in the heat production is insufficient for preventing the drop of the body temperature. The disturbance of thermoregulation in the helium-oxygen atmosphere seems to occur mainly because of the excessive increase in the heat emission.


American engagement with the world is one of the most important factors in international relations. One leading example is the Wilsonian School, which has a long tradition of influencing American foreign policy. With the 25th anniversary of Operation Desert Storm, this article will review the Wilsonian influences that led the United States to intervene in the First Gulf War.

Since the end of the Cold War, visions have differed dramatically in terms of how the United States should conduct foreign policy and engage with the rest of the world. These debates continue to be dominated by a clash between a Jeffersonian neo-isolationist call to withdraw from international conflicts and a more hawkish interventionist vision of American primacy in foreign affairs. The Wilsonian tradition has arguably received comparatively little discussion by scholars despite the important role it has played in the history of American foreign policy. As we mark the 25th anniversary of operation Desert Storm, this article argues that the Wilsonian framework is helpful in understanding why President Bush entered the First Gulf War of 1991. The article begins with a discussion of what constitutes the Wilsonian ideology in terms of its key principles and assumptions before presenting the utility of the Wilsonian viewpoint in explaining this conflict.


According to the principle that fiber resist crack and cement-based capillary crystalline impermeability, the paper chose the mortar added with polypropylene fiber and SJ capillary crystalline material as the research object. Experiments on mechanical properties, crack resistance and impermeability of mortar were conducted with one material being added to the mortar as well as both materials being added to. The test results indicate that the ratio of compressive strength to flexural strength of mortar could be reduced, the time of cracks occurrence in mortar matrix would be delayed, and the minimum cracking coefficient can amount to 5% on the condition that the two materials are both added to the mortar, moreover, the mortar's first and second impermeability is significant. Furthermore, the paper also discusses the mechanism of mortar's crack resistance and impermeability which is mixed with polypropylene fiber and capillary crystalline material.


Based on the complicated geological conditions of coal seam in Xuandong Coal Mine, such as deep burial depth, high gas content, magmatic rock intrusion and so on, the distribution regularities of magmatic rock, gas and geological structures were analyzed and studied. Combining with the practical situation of the dynamic disaster and phenomenon during the mining, the dangerous zones of coal and gas outburst were predicted and regional divided. The research results would have certain significance of practical guide to the outburst prevention and disaster reduction.


One quarter of the world's population live in China. Chinese law is fast shifting into the global arena. China's response to new and emerging crimes over the last decade is now an important international human rights issue. This paper discusses some key concepts for understanding the criminal justice system of a country that is fast becoming the second most economically and geo-politically powerful nation in the world. Thousands of criminals are executed during China's periodic 'Strike Hard' anti-crime campaigns. This paper examines the Strike Hard policy of 'severity and swiftness', seeking to achieve three complementary objectives: to provide insight into the machinations of criminal justice operations in China's anti-crime campaigns, to explain official justifications for the policy, and to give voice to alternative commentaries and opinions of Chinese criminal justice researchers and practitioners.


In this paper we present a rare empirical study on the determinants of tax filing compliance in the United States using county and state level data from 2000 to 2006. As well as including explanatory variables identified in the rational compliance framework such as audit and penalty rates, we examine the role of social capital on tax compliance. In particular, we test whether county level heterogeneity in income, language, race and religion can explain variation in filing rates. While several issues are not yet addressed in this preliminary analysis (such as censoring, endogeneity between audit and non-filing rates, and people's self-selection to county), our preliminary findings are that non-filing rates are falling in the enforcement rate, rising in the penalty rate for income reporting noncompliance, and rising in home-ownership and unemployment rates. Regarding heterogeneity, non-filing rates do not seem to covary with household income inequality or home language fragmentation, but increase with racial fragmentation.


With reference to the arena in the ancient Greek ritual theater, the Roman circus, or later the medieval arena as the venue of tournaments of knights, the author recalls the changeability of social functions of public spectacles. Together with the expansion of corporeality and the spirit of competition that started at the beginning of the 20th century, when a sports arena became a place of testing human physical possibilities, also the idea of a modern football stadium is born. The aim of this paper is to synthesize psychosocial aspects of Polish fans' participation in UEFA EURO 2012. In his paper of a theoretical character the author raises three specific questions regarding the reception of the European Football Championships, the greatest sports event ever held in Poland. Were football matches not changed into a manifestation of the need for ludic affiliation and social emotions which cannot find other means of expression? Were the great expectations not a kind of therapy to compensate for national complaints? And did Poland's matches against certain national teams become a surrogate method to eliminate negative emotions by referring to the metaphor of pseudo-patriotic war against historical enemies? Were the Polish fans' expectations for their team's success not too high, taking into consideration the football abilities of the team? The author analyzed fans' reactions in terms of the assumptions of crowd psychology established by Le Bon. He proves that, on the one hand, fans wanted to demonstrate Europe they were not worse than others and their team could win, too. On the other hand, fans wanted to have much fun regardless of the result,


Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a major public health problem in the U.S. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk increases significantly in SLE patients, resulting in serious morbidity and mortality. Accelerated atherosclerosis and markedly higher prevalence of CVD risk factors (intermediate phenotypes) are thought to directly contribute to these consequences. Given the significant mortality and morbidity associated with SLE and high prevalence of CVD in SLE, identifying genetic variation associated with both SLE risk and intermediate phenotypes of CVD is of significant importance.C-reactive protein (CRP) is a sensitive marker of inflammation. Increased CRP levels have been found to be associated with cardiovascular events in a large number of healthy populations and may contribute to atherosclerosis. The gene coding for CRP is located on chromosome 1q23.2, which falls within a linkage region thought to harbor a systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) susceptibility gene. Moreover, two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the CRP gene have recently been shown to be associated with CRP levels and/or SLE risk in a British family-based cohort. This study was aimed to assess the genetic association between five CRP tagSNPs with SLE risk and intermediate phenotypes of CVD.The association between CRP and SLE risk, assessed in two independently-ascertained SLE cohorts, was tested in a case-control Caucasian sample of 337 SLE and 448 healthy controls from Pittsburgh and a family-based sample of 203 Caucasian SLE trios from Los Angeles. While none of the SNPs were found to be associated with SLE risk individually, global haplotype statistics revealed significant association (p < 0.000001) in the Pittsburgh cohort whereas all those haplotypes containing two potentially functional SNPs (-390 and +90) showed association with SLE risk in the Los. Angeles cohort (p = 0.01 - 0.06). The association study between CRP and intermediate phenotypes of CVD and stroke risk was tested in 237 of the SLE women from the Pittsburgh cohort. Four of the five tagSNPs (-861, -390, +90, and +838) examined revealed significant association with risk of intermediate phenotypes of CVD (p < 0.001 to 0.04). In summary, our data did not confirm previously observed individual SNP association with SLE, but suggested that unique haplotype combinations in the CRP gene may modify the risk of developing SLE, and that variation in CRP may contribute to the accelerated atherosclerosis in SLE.


This article explores some of the channels through which the financial system may amplify business cycles in New Zealand. Such amplification ('procyclicality') has been of interest for decades when considering financial booms and crises. There has been particular interest recently in understanding mechanisms through which the financial sector contributed to both the expansion of credit in 2003-07 and the subsequent pressure to reduce leverage during the financial crisis. This article focuses the discussion on New Zealand with emphasis on the credit boom of 2003-07 and the recent fall in credit growth, though the latter has been modest by international standards.


A missile research model was flown at supersonic speed to determine the quality of automatic roll stabilization at varying angles of attack. Aerodynamic rolling and pitching derivatives were determined from the flight record. It was concluded that the combination of the gyro-actuated automatic pilot with wing-tip ailerons provided adequate roll stabilization under conditions encountered in flight.


With fixed dimensionality of choice experiments, previous simulation results shows that D-optimal design with correct priori information generates more accurate valuation. In the absence of prior information, random designs and designs incorporate attribute interactions result in more precise valuation estimates. In this paper, the Monte Carlo results demonstrate that the performances of different design strategy are affected by attribute information loads in choice experiments. Consumer valuation estimates in simulation settings varies with the number of attributes.


By taking full advantage of the technologies of data acquisition, signal analysis and processing and fault diagnosis, this thesis carries out a research on the realization method of mine hoist bearing condition monitoring and fault diagnosis. Firstly, this thesis takes a technical analysis for rolling bearing. Secondly, based on determining the overall framework and using a virtual instrument software (Labview), it carries out a program development of the system. The developed system not only integrates the functions of traditional instruments, but also describes the bearing states and the types of bearing failure accurately according to the running status of the monitored bearings. It provides technical support for the mine hoist repair and maintenance and scientific protection for its safe running.


QoS routing plays an important role for providing QoS in wireless ad hoc networks. The goals of QoS routing are in general twofold: selecting routes with satisfied QoS requirement(s), and achieving global efficiency in resource utilization. In this article we first discuss some key design considerations in providing QoS routing support, and present a review of previous work addressing the issue of route selection subject to QoS constraint(s). We then devise an on-demand delay-constrained unicast routing protocol. Various strategies are employed in the protocol to reduce the communication overhead in acquiring cost-effective delay-constrained routes. Simulation results are used to verify our expectation of the high performance of the devised protocol. Finally, we discuss some possible future directions for providing efficient QoS routing support in wireless ad hoc networks.


In this project, we present some applications of Isogeometric Analysis in stationary fluid dynamics problems. Specially, we focus on the numerical solution of the Stokes and NavierStokes equations and the fulfillment of the inf-sup conditions, specifically by computing the Brezzi and Babuska inf-sup constants. The Isogeometric Taylor-Hood spaces are presented and the stability of the Stokes and Navier-Stokes equations has been numerically tested in a variety of settings, including smooth NURBS basis functions and the multiple patches case.


The role of database technology in real-time interactive music systems is the subject of theoretical elaboration and experimentation in this paper. Example applications are presented along with their informational access requirements. An architecture for a gesture storage/retrieval database is presented using a data-warehousing layer model, featuring a real-time interface that enables operation with interactive systems. An experimental implementation of this design is presented, OSC Stream DB, that uses a relational schema to store and retrieve bundled OSC messages from a PostgreSQL database backend. Its data access layer is optimized for object-retrieval, time jumps/traversals, metadata based search and content-based search. A case study is conducted with a high-rate touch-sensing gesture interface. A benchmark is created for the real-time interface and tested up to the storage of millions of objects. Recommendations for the use of OSC in real-time gesture applications are given based on the concepts and results of this paper.


Betting on elections has a long history, despite periods in which wagers were unenforceable and even criminalised. In recent years, significant online markets have emerged, driven by the bookmaking industry in those jurisdictions which license betting on politics. These markets treat election wagers as a form of sports betting. This article examines the provenance and regulation of election betting in the common law. It charts this from early case law holding wagers involving electors to be void (as tainting voting decisions) through criminal prohibitions, some of which are still on the statute books (since wagers could disguise electoral bribes) and onto contemporary regimes for licensing electoral bookmaking. Normative arguments about election betting and the law include the liberal harm principle, the precautionary principle and the concept of commodification. The article concludes that friendly wagers should be permitted, to allow partisans to intensify the ritual experience of elections. But bets involving politicians should be outlawed, and the industrialisation of election betting should not be encouraged given the risk of commodifying the values underlying electoral democracy.


Based on the combined view of Resource Based Theory (RBT) and Supply Chain Management Theory (SCMT), this study aims to investigate the impact of Port Authorities' (PAs') SCM strategies on Port focused Supply Chains' (PSCs) SCM strategies, PSCs' resources, and PSCs' Supply Chain Performance (SCP). Considering the different roles of PAs and private players in ports, the concept 'Port focused Supply Chain' (PSC), including container terminals, inland transport companies and depots, is adopted for the current study. After a literature review and exploratory factor analysis, twelve specific variables, i.e. PAs' 'concessions', 'using IT', 'marketing', 'support for hinterland and FTZ', PSCs' 'vertical integration', 'relationship orientation', 'skills', 'physical 'resources', and PSCs' 'reliability', 'flexibility', 'costs', and 'service effectiveness' were chosen for the PLS (Partial Least Squares) analysis. The questionnaire survey was distributed to 1,208 surveyees, i.e. experts in headquarters, branches, agents of the shipping liner companies and freight forwarders using Korean and Chinese ports. From 12th March to 3rd May 2007,124 responses were collected. It is shown that PAs' 'using IT' strategy can positively affect PSCs' SCP through 'PSCs' relationship orientation', and 'skills'. Among the variables of PSCs' SCM, 'relationship orientation' makes a stronger impact on PSCs' resources than 'vertical integration'. 'Skills' is more powerful in determining PSCs' SCP than 'physical resources'. While 'physical resources' has a significant relationship with two variables (cost and service effectiveness), 'Skills' has positive influences on all the four variables of PSCs' SCP. Singapore's SCP exceeded the SCP scores of other rivals, i.e. Hong Kong, Busan, Shanghai, and Gwangyang port. Except Shanghai port, the container cargo volumes of the other four ports were consistent with their SCP. In conclusion, the implication for PAs can be that PSCs' performance can be improved by utilizing coherent SCM strategies. Further research investigating the impacts of PAs' SCM strategies is recommended.


We respond to recent failed initiatives of the Czech banking market to develop business models for the sale of retail deposit products, based on third-party distribution channels. We argue that the issue is the application of inappropriate capital budgeting methods. While static cost-benefit analysis seems to be generally appropriate for conventional banking projects based on branching or internet, they provide grossly misleading estimates of commissioning expenses, which can lead to completely unrealistic project assessments and poorly designed commission schedules. Alternatively, we derive a dynamic model based on statistical simulation (Monte Carlo) and using a real-life case study to illustrate the impacts of particular value drivers on commissioning costs. Our analysis shows that conventional and simulation-based budgeting generates inverse cost functions over time, and the difference becomes operationally tangible in the second and third year of the project, which is commensurate with the apparent timing of the bank's business strategy revisions. To fulfill the goal of this paper, we demonstrate that statistical simulation is an expedient tool for managerial support and capital budgeting in cases where value drivers are impacted by non-linear dynamic processes.


Introduction: Rap1 and Rap2, both small GTPases of the Ras family, serve as crucial regulators in cell polarity, adhesion, migration, and lumen formation via crosstalk with cytoskeletal proteins. Rap1 GTPase activating protein (Rap1GAP), which negatively regulates Rap1 and Rap2 activity, has found to be downregulated in multiple cancers, including oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma, melanoma, papillary and follicular thyroid carcinoma, and colorectal carcinoma but has not yet been studied in breast cancer. In order to determine if Rap1GAP downregulation plays a role in breast cancer formation, we decided to expand our prior work to study its expression in breast cancer tissue. Methods: Twenty-one formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded human tissue blocks were selected on the basis that they contained normal breast tissue and either adjacent breast ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) or invasive ductal carcinoma. Using immunohistochemistry, we assessed the expression of Rap1GAP. We also assayed two human breast cancer cell lines with different levels of invasiveness, MCF7 (non-invasive) and MDA-MB-231 (invasive), to determine different levels of Rap1GAP expression and subsequent changes in Rap1 and Rap2 expression and activity. Results: Rap1GAP expression in both DCIS and invasive ductal carcinoma were found to be decreased compared to adjacent normal breast tissue. However, Rap1GAP expression was not statistically different between DCIS and invasive carcinoma lesions. Rap1GAP was found to be expressed highly in MCF7 but not in MDA-MB-231 cells. Moreover, only MDA-MB-231 cells exhibited high basal Rap2 activity. Activated Rap1 (RAP1-GTP) was not detected in either line. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that loss of Rap1GAP occurs as an early event in breast cancer tumorigenesis with a significant decrease in the transition from normal to DCIS, with a possible further decrement in the DCIS to invasive transition. Interestingly, while Rap1 and Rap2 were expressed in non-invasive and invasive cell lines, loss of Rap1GAP in the invasive cell line was associated with increase in active Rap2, but not active Rap1. These findings suggest that as in other cancers, loss of Rap1GAP may contribute to the invasive phenotype and thus further investigation is warranted. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 3840. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-3840


Purpose is to find the key measures and individual differences of business leaders' motivation for the prospective career planning. Approach. This article presents the results of the study carried out using a sample of a financial organization business leaders with the aim to identify the key scales of the motivational space that determine labor activity. The research analysed a sample of 670 business leaders, middle and line managers from financial organizations, and used a motivational task procedure (Strizhova, Gusev, 2013), which reconstructs motivational space. The conditions for the solution ofa motivational task are realized by Motivation Map method. Diagnostic procedure places a list of motivation objects in a two-dimensional graph space of evaluation scales. Findings. It was found that middle and line managers have differences in their motivation. Money and family welfare are more important for line managers, status and professional and personal development are more important for middle managers, pleasure and inspiration from work has more probability for successes for middle managers, then how career growth has more probability for successes for line managers, interesting job allowing for maximum personal potential realization is more difficult for middle managers, helpfulness to others is more external for middle managers. As a result of multidimensional scaling of the data obtained, empirical scales of labour activity for line and middle managers' motivational space were also obtained. The results of the research can be used by hr manager and organizational psychologist, interested in executive coaching and talent pool development. Value of the results. The results can beused in prospective planning of the career development.


Conditional expectation values of quantum mechanical observables reflect unique non-classical correlations, and are generally sensitive to decoherence. We consider the circumstances under which such sensitivity to decoherence is removed, namely, when the measurement process is subjected to conservation laws. Specifically, we address systems with additive conserved quantities and identify sufficient conditions for the system state such that its coherence plays no role in the conditional expectation values of observables that commute with the conserved quantity. We discuss our findings for a specific model where the system-detector coupling is given by the Jaynes-Cummings interaction, which is relevant to experiments tracking trajectories of qubits in cavities. Our results clarify, among others, the role of coherence in thermal measurements in current architectures for quantum thermodynamics experiments.


In the scholarly debate, ideals of original reporting are commonly contrasted against the churnalistic reproduction of source content. However, most news making lies between these poles: Journalists rely on but transform the available source material, renegotiating its original meaning. In this article, we define journalistic transformation as those interventions journalists make in their use of third-party textual material in the pursuit of crafting a news story. Journalists (1) select contents from available source texts, (2) position these contents, (3) augment them with further information, and (4) arrange all to craft characteristic news narratives. To investigate journalistic transformation practices, we compare source materials used in the news (e.g. press releases, speeches) to the resulting Israeli, Palestinian, and international coverage of the abduction and murder of four youths in summer 2014. We identify five kinds of journalistic transformation – evaluative, political, cultural, emotive, and professional – each of which actualizes a different journalistic function and contributes to rendering the news relevant to the respective audiences in distinct ways.


Reuptake of pulmonary surfactant phospholipids was investigated with rat granular pneumocytes in primary culture and L-alpha-[2-palmitoyl-9,10-3H]dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine:egg phosphatidylcholine:phosphatidylglycerol:cholesterol (10:5:2:3, mol/mol) liposomes. Uptake of liposomal phosphatidylcholine by granular pneumocytes increased with time and concentration of phosphatidylcholine in the medium. With 150 microM phosphatidylcholine, uptake was about 5 nmol/mg cell protein in 2 h. Phosphatidylcholine uptake was in large part due to net transfer of vesicles as indicated by uptake of [14C]sucrose encapsulated in the aqueous compartment of liposomes. Using dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine:cholesterol (1:1) liposomes, uptake was inhibited significantly at 26 degrees C and completely at 4 degrees C. Inhibitors and uncouplers of oxidative phosphorylation had no effect on uptake although uptake was somewhat inhibited in the presence of either 5.6 mM 2-deoxy-D-glucose or 10 mM sodium fluoride. Cell-associated lipid radioactivity decreased after treatment with 0.25% trypsin. The percent radioactivity that was trypsin releasable decreased with increasing time and phosphatidylcholine concentration. The results suggest that uptake of phospholipids by these cells is by surface binding followed by internalization. After 2 h of incubation, 65.3 +/- 3.1% of the cell-associated radioactivity was present in phosphatidylcholine, a small fraction in phosphatidylglycerol, and the remainder in lysophosphatidylcholine, free fatty acids, and other neutral lipids, suggesting metabolic degradation of internalized lipids. This process of phospholipid uptake and degradation may have a physiological role in metabolism of surfactant phospholipids in the lung.


This study examines the effects of adopting technological innovations on the social well-being of facilities management professionals. The paper takes the form of an in-depth literature review of peer-reviewed publications focused on the primary constructs of the study, namely: technological innovations in facilities management; the role of facilities management professionals; and, social sustainability in facilities management. The study found that the adoption of innovative technology has significant positive outcomes in the facilities management profession, but negatively affects the social well-being of the facilities management professionals. This paper provides the basis for the development of a social sustainability framework for the analysis of the impact of technological innovation on facilities management professionals. Further empirical study is needed to verify the findings. This review will sensitise facilities managers as it illustrates the impact of technological innovation beyond improved efficiency and service delivery by considering the facilities management profession as a whole.


OBJECTIVE
To identify objective parameters that could serve as valid indicators of vocal function in evaluating patients treated at multiple centers for head and neck cancer.

DESIGN
Objective measures of voice were validated against functional outcome measures of voice and communication.

SETTING
A multidisciplinary university-based ambulatory head and neck cancer clinic.

SUBJECTS
Fifteen patients at varying posttreatment intervals after chemoradiation therapy for head and neck cancer and 5 volunteers with no cancer but with a history of heavy smoking and drinking.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Acoustic and aerodynamic parameters were measured in patients with head and neck cancer after treatment with combined chemotherapy and irradiation and in control subjects. Communicative function was assessed by perceptual assessment of recorded voice samples, by a clinician-based communication score, and by patient self-rating of voice and communication.

RESULTS
Both perceptual analysis and communication score were concordant with patient self-rating of voice and communication ability. Acoustic measures were abnormal in patients, and jitter scores correlated with listener ratings of perceived voice quality. However, acoustic measures did not relate to communication function, as assessed by either the patient or the clinician. Laryngeal resistance demonstrated a significant correlation with both patient and observer assessments of voice quality and communication function. Laryngeal resistance was on average twice as high in patients who complained of voice fatigue, but this difference was not statistically significant.

CONCLUSIONS
Laryngeal resistance, determined during standardized phonation, is a reliable objective parameter of vocal function after chemoradiation therapy for head and neck cancer. A standardized clinician-based communication scale holds promise as a useful tool. Acoustic measures reflect the sound of the voice but not the ability to communicate effectively.


Theory in North American archaeology is characterized in terms of foci and approaches manifested in research issues, rather than in explicit or oppositional theoretical positions. While there are some clear-cut theoretical perspectives—evolutionary ecology, behavioral archaeology, and Darwinian archaeology—a large majority of North American archaeology fits a broad category here called "processual-plus." Among the major themes that crosscut many or all of the approaches are interests in gender, agency/practice, symbols and meaning, material culture, and native perspectives. Gender archaeology is paradigmatic of processual-plus archaeology, in that it draws on a diversity of theoretical approaches to address a common issue. Emphasis on agency and practice is an important development, though conceptions of agency are too often linked to Western ideas of individuals and motivation. The vast majority of North American archaeology, including postprocessual approaches, is modern, not postmodern, in orientation. The relative dearth of theoretical argument positively contributes to diversity and dialogue, but it also may cause North American theory to receive inadequate attention and unfortunate misunderstandings of postmodernism.


Fear of death is cited by some psychotherapists as a major factor inhibiting the process of personal change. At the same time there is evidence from many different sources that awareness of one's mortality can lead to positive changes in attitude and behaviour. In the current study eight subjects who have come close to death are interviewed and a detailed examination is made of their life-threatening experience (LTE) and their prior and subsequent attitudes towards life and death in an attempt to understand the factors involved in the personal change resulting from their experience. All the subjects describe significant changes in their attitudes following their LTE. Some report both positive and negative changes, whereas others see the changes as predominantly or wholely positive. The main finding is that the one factor which all these subjects have in common is the integration into their perception of themselves and of their world of an awareness of their personal mortality. Some implications of the results are discussed and directions for future research are outlined.


ABSTRACT:  Suicidal behavior is not uncommon in epilepsy patients. Risk factors for suicidal ideation are associated with social and vocational disturbances, such as low economic status, lack of social support and unemployment and psychiatric comorbidity. In epilepsy patients, interictal dysphoric disorder presents a depressive mood that may be associated with episodic suicidal ideation. Suicide may occur among patients with very severe epilepsy, but also in patients that recently achieved a complete seizure freedom. Recent research suggests that almost a third of epilepsy patients that endorsed suicidal ideation were euthymic or had only very mild depressive symptoms. People with epilepsy should be specifically asked about their psychiatric problems and potential suicidal ideation. Neurobiology of suicidal behavior in epilepsy patients is still unclear.


Using nine years of personnel records from a regional grocery store chain in the United States, this study examines the effect of manager ethnicity on the ethnic composition of employment at the firm's 73 stores. We estimate separate models with store fixed effects for several departments and job titles at each store. We first compare the rates at which Hispanic employees are hired under Hispanic and non-Hispanic, white managers, and then examine the effects of manager-employee ethnic differences on separations and on transfers between stores. We find significant effects of manager ethnicity on hiring patterns in the four job positions that are in small departments, but not in the two positions in larger departments. Manager-employee ethnic dissimilarity has no significant effects on transfers, and affects rates of employee separations in only one case.


Objective. Zolpidem is a non-benzodiazepine agonist of GABA-A receptor indicated for the short-term insomnia treatment. Over the years, there have been reports in literature on zolpidem abuse complications and neuropsychiatric side effects involving headache, dizziness, nightmares, confusion, depression, sleepiness, memory deficits as well as hallucinations, sensory distortions, delirium and sleep-related complex behaviours with anterograde amnesia. The aim of this work is to review and highlight the most serious adverse reactions to zolpidem with emphasis on sleep-related amnestic behaviours. We also focus our attention on common traits, patterns and predisposing factors. This paper refers to zolpidem side effects or complex amnestic behaviours, or sleep related amnestic behaviours presented in literature.

Literature review. A comprehensive search of PubMed and Google Scholar was conducted to find relevant studies, case reports and literature reviews addressing the zolpidem use in insomniac patients.

Conclusions. Zolpidem may pose a risk for serious adverse reactions most common dose-dependent and associated with age, gender, concurrent use of medications and concomitant comorbidities. If severe adverse reactions occur, the drug should be immediately discontinued or switched to another hypnotic. This review indicates an association between psychotic reactions and complex sleep related behavioural abnormalities in patients using zolpidem alone or in combination with other psychotropic medications. Clinicians should adopt a cautious approach prescribing zolpidem and be alert to possible unusual adverse effects of the drug.


Background: The use of Carica papaya leaves for medicines and food in our rural areas is rampant, this is due to its availability and testimonies of its efficacy. Objective: This study was aimed at investigating the activities of C. papaya on the histo-architecture of some organs.
Materials and Methods: About 20 Wistar rats were randomly divided into 4 groups of 5 each and received tap water, 2.5, 5, and 7.5 g/kg of ethanolic extract of C. papaya PO once a day for 14 days after which biochemical analyses was performed on the blood samples. The tissues were examined histologically.
Results: Albumin was significantly increased (37.6 ± 2.70) in Group B (5 mg/kg) when compared with the control (32.4 ± 2.30). AST decreased significantly in all the treatment groups (68 ± 1.58, 87.4 ± 403, and 89 ± 1.58) when compared with the control (93.6 ± 1.14). ALT decreased in all groups but was significant in Group C (7.5 mg/kg) 22.8 ± 2.16 when compared with the control (30 ± 2.12). Urea decreased significantly in all the groups (3.34 ± 0.11, 3.78 ± 0.50, and 3.36 ± 0.28), creatinine decreased significantly in Group B (35.4 ± 2.79) when compared to their controls (4.52 ± 0.37 and 50.8 ± 6.37), respectively. Na+ and K+ significantly decreased in Groups C and B, respectively; there was no significant difference in other groups and electrolytes. There was increased level of both packed cell volume and hemoglobin significantly. Histologically, there were no tissue alterations in all the treatment groups.
Conclusion: Complementary and alternative medicine is fast gaining popularity; this necessitates swift research on various dose ranges.


Global navigation satellite system (GNSS) provides reliable positioning across the globe. However, GNSS is vulnerable to deliberate interference problem like spoofing, which can cause fake navigation. This article proposes navigation in a GNSS spoofing environment by taking the received power, correlation distortion function, and pseudorange measurement observation space into account. In the proposed approach, both actual and interference measurements are considered a set. Machine learning screens the authentic measurements from the accessible set using parameters such as received power and correlation function distortion. To maintain the track and navigate the GNSS's time-varying kinematics, we used a combination of the gating technique within the Kalman filter framework and logic-based track management. The machine learning classifiers like support vector machines (SVMs), neural networks (NNs), ensemble, nearest neighbor, and decision trees are explored, and we observe that linear SVM and NN provide a test accuracy of 98.20%. A time-varying position-pull off strategy is considered, and the metrics like position RMSE and track failure are compared with the conventional M-best algorithm. The results show that for four authentic measurements and spoof injections, there are only a few track failures. In contrast, even with an increase in spoof injections, track failures are zero in the case of six authentic measurements.


We document wide dispersion in the mortgage rates that households pay on identical loans, and show that borrowers' financial sophistication is an important determinant of the rates obtained. We estimate a gap between the 10th and 90th percentile mortgage rate that borrowers with the same characteristics obtain for identical loans, in the same market, on the same day, of 54 basis points|equivalent to about $6,500 in upfront costs (points) for the average loan. Time-invariant lender attributes explain little of this rate dispersion, and considerable dispersion remains even within loan officer. Comparing the rates borrowers obtain to the real-time distribution of rates that lenders could offer for the same loan and borrower type, we find that borrowers who are likely to be the least financially savvy tend to substantially overpay relative to the rates available in the market. In the time series, the average overpayment decreases when overall market interest rates rise, suggesting that a rising level of borrowing costs encourages more search and negotiation. Furthermore, new survey data provide direct evidence that financial knowledge and shopping both affect the mortgage rates borrowers get, and that shopping activity increases with the level of market rates.


Metastasis is a multistep process which involves the tumour cells invasion through extracellular matrix (ECM) barriers and finding new spaces for colonization and proliferation. Focal adhesions (FAs) are important structures in facilitating cell migration and invasion. FAs can be modified through post-translational modifications (PTMs) and one of them is SUMOylation. In this study, MDA-MB-231 breast carcinoma and U2OS osteosarcoma cells have been used to study the regulation of FAs in the cancer cells and a regulatory mechanism of SUMOylation has been proposed. Later, the platelets and a megakaryocytelike cell line (CMK11-5 cells) were used.
Firstly, a SUMOylation inhibitor ginkgolic acid (GA) was used in MDA-MB-231 cells, which significantly increased the mean number, size and turnover time of FAs; GA at 25, 50 and 100µM significantly decreased the speed of cell migration in MDA-MB-231 cells after 24 hours. Ubc9 (SUMO-conjugating enzyme) siRNA was used in MDA-MB-231 cells to knock down Ubc9, which also significantly increased the mean number and size of FAs; the combination of GA and Ubc9 siRNA did not further increase the mean number and size of FAs. 25nM Ubc9 siRNA reduced the speed of cell migration after 25 and 48 hours. All SUMOylation inhibitors including ginkgolic acid, 2-D08 and gossypetin significantly increased the FAs mean number or size in U2OS cells and in MDA-MB-231 cells. Bioinformatics software, such as SUMOplot and GPS SUMO predicted that talin and vinculin were SUMOylated. Three different immunoprecipitation methods (IP) have been developed
as endogenous IP, HA-tagged SUMO-2 IP and using a SUMO-VIVATM binding assay. The IP and western blotting showed that talin could be SUMOylated in both MDA-MB-231 and
U2OS cells; vinculin SUMOylation was determined in MDA-MB-231 cells and in the coimmunoprecipitation experiments (co-IP). The effects of inhibiting SUMOylation on FA
cleavage were further investigated in the IP and co-IP experiments in both cancer cells. For example, in the IP and co-IP experiments, talin appeared at the intact molecular weight 250kDa (230kDa using different antibodies) as well as 47kDa and other molecular weights
(such as 220kDa and 100kDa) during inhibitor treatments, suggesting that talin could be cleaved and the inhibitor treatment either inhibited the intact talin protein or the cleaved products of talin. A Mass Spectrometry study was conducted to identify and confirm the previously SUMOylated proteins in all three cell lines: MDA-MB-231, CMK11-5 and platelets; talin SUMOylation was identified in all three cell lines. Furthermore, fila.min-1 was identified and confirmed in the experimental conditions.


Patients with sarcoidosis have been reported frequently to have elevated concentrations of serum prolactin. On this basis, it was suggested that the hypothalamus might be a common site of involvement by sarcoidosis and that measurement of serum prolactin concentrations might serve as a sensitive indicator of hypothalamic disease. We measured serum prolactin concentrations in a group of 61 patients with sarcoidosis. Hyperprolactinemia was detected in only 2 of the entire group and was not observed in any of the 9 patients with central nervous system involvement. Because radioimmunoassayable prolactin concentrations are infrequently elevated in patients with disseminated sarcoidosis, even when pituitary hypofunction is apparent, it is concluded that the measurement of serum prolactin is not a reliable method for screening these patients for pituitary or hypothalamic disease.


Purpose

Modularity promises to relieve problems of complexity in service systems. However, limited evidence exists of its application in specialized hospital services. The purpose of this paper is to identify enablers, constraints, and outcomes of modularization in specialized hospital services.

Design/methodology/approach

A qualitative comparative study of a hematology unit with modular service architecture and an oncology unit with integral service architecture in a university hospital is performed to analyze the service architectures, enablers and constraints of modularization, and outcomes.

Findings

A framework and five propositions combining the characteristics of specialized hospital services, enabling activities, and outcomes of modularization were developed. Modular service architecture was developed through limiting the number of treatment components, reorganizing production of standardized components into a separate service unit, and standardizing communication and scheduling in interfaces. Modularization increased service efficiency but diluted ownership of services, decreased customization, and diminished informal communication. This is explained by the specific characteristics of the services: fragmented service delivery, professional autonomy, hierarchy, information asymmetry, and requirement to treat all.

Research limitations/implications

Modularization can increase efficiency in specialized hospital services. However, specific characteristics of specialized care may challenge its application and limit its outcomes.

Practical implications

The study identifies enabling activities and constraints that hospital managers should take into account when developing modular service systems.

Originality/value

This is the first empirical study exploring the enablers, constraints, and outcomes of modularization in specialized hospital services. The study complements literature on service modularity with reference to specialized hospital services.


The metabolic activities of proliferating human tissues which concern nucleic acid synthesis and the cell cycle are being examined by high resolution autoradiography following the incorporation of labeled nucleic acid precursors. The relationships of the kinetics of cellular proliferation are investigated using a method whereby surgical biopsy specimens are labeled with nucleic acid precursors in vitro, but under conditions in which the incorporation of the label occurs only in the cells which were synthesizing DNA and RNA in the patient, thereby providing a pattern of labeling similar to that obtained by in vivo methods. The tissue turnover rates, potential doubling times, and the temporal patterns of DNA and RNA synthesis in relation to the cell cycle of proliferating cell populations are determined by appropriate techniques using 3H‐ and 14C‐labeled thymidine and uridine. Quantitative information on cell population kinetics in normal, inflammatory, and neoplastic tissues of the larynx from over 160 patients is presented, and the experimental data are discussed in terms of relationships of cell cycle times, proliferative capacities, and growth rates of human cell populations in vivo.


New innovations and future standards have increased the interest in power factor improvement circuits. In the proposed circuit, the power factor is improved by using an auxiliary winding coupled to the transformer of a cascade DC/DC fly back converter. The auxiliary winding is placed between the input rectifier and the low-frequency filter capacitor to serve as a magnetic switch to drive an input inductor. The proposed approach is primarily based on the concept of inductive effect, from which PFC cells composed of energy buffers and high-frequency signals are introduced. Since the DC/DC fly back converter is operated at highswitching frequency, the auxiliary windings produce a high frequency pulsating source such that the input current conduction angle is significantly lengthened and the input current harmonics is reduced. There are multiple solutions in which line current is sinusoidal. In addition, in the recent years, a great number of circuits have been proposed with non sinusoidal line current. Properly selecting an eligible PFC cell and inserting it in between input rectifier and dc-link capacitor can yield an SSC which can improve the input power factor significantly.


Weapon-target assignment (WTA) is a combinatorial optimization problem and is known to be NP-complete. The WTA aims to best assignment of weapons to targets to minimize the total expected value of the surviving targets. Exact methods can solve only small-size problems in a reasonable time. Although many heuristic methods have been studied for the WTA in the literature, a few parallel methods have been proposed. This paper presents parallel simulated algorithm (PSA) to solve the WTA. The PSA runs on GPU using CUDA platform. Multi-start technique is used in PSA to improve quality of solutions. 12 problem instances (up to 200 weapons and 200 targets) generated randomly are used to test the effectiveness of the PSA. Computational experiments show that the PSA outperforms SA on average and runs up to 250x faster than a single-core CPU.


Turbomachinery plays a key role in process and manufacturing industries. The interplay between power, flow rates and pressure output remain an interesting research area. To support specific processes in the industry, each pump or compressor must be fine-tuned for peak performance. As trend shifts from large organizations to entrepreneurial startups, spending significant costs on licensing of commercially available CFD softwares becomes unfeasible. This paper investigates the use of OpenFOAM – open source CFD package towards the analysis of gear pumps. The solution employs dynamic meshing and snappyHexMesh library in a single study. To validate the numerical model developed under OpenFoam's environment, experimental studies were carried out. The pressure output of the pump was measured at four different RPMs — 200, 250, 300 and 400. An excellent agreement between experimental and numerical studies was seen at relatively higher RPMs. The numerical studies further explored the pulsating flow, recorded the variation between a constant maximum and minimum pressure value for each RPM. The variation in pressure was observed to increase at higher RPMs. The agreement between experimental and numerical findings established the utility of OpenFoam in investigating pump action.


The metastable β'-phase that forms in an alloy with composition Al-1.0 mass% Mg 2 Si-0.5 mass% Ag, over aged at 523 K, has been investigated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) in order to understand the effect of Ag-addition on the crystal structure of this phase. According to the results of analyses of selected area diffraction pattern, high resolution TEM (HRTEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), the elemental maps by energy-filtered TEM (EFTEM) and high angle annular dark field scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM), this precipitate consists of Mg, Si and Ag, and has a hexagonal unit cell which is similar to that of β' phase in Al-Mg-Si alloys without Ag. However, the unit cell a-axis of β' with Ag was 0.69 nm, which is slightly smaller than the corresponding dimension in Ag-free β' (0.71 nm). The bond overlap population (BOP) was also calculated for the bonding between atoms in the small cluster in the β'-phase by the discrete-variational (DV)-Xa method, suggesting the bonding in β' with Ag was higher than in the Ag-free β'.


This thesis was prepared in such a way that anyone – with basic Android and Security knowledge – can understand the problems around the key storage module of Android OS called Android Keystore. Keystore is the secure way of Android for storing the sensitive data of Applications. Most of the use cases are examined – regarding the application of Android Keystore – on AVDs (android Virtual Devices), but a physical machine (Nexus 5) is included as well, with or without TEE (Trusted Execution Environment), for Android versions 5, 6 and 7. The contents and areas included in this thesis are as follows. Chapter one is the introduction chapter. The reader gets familiar with the subjects that this thesis explores, mainly the security in Android Apps. In the second chapter, Security background is analyzed for the reader to understand this thesis. The third chapter is focused on the theoretical approach of Android Keystore vulnerability. Chapter four presents the proof of concept for the Android Keystore vulnerability. Chapter five focus on future work that will be done concerning this vulnerability and conclusions. The whole project was executed on 3 AVDs and 1 physical machine with the following Android versions: Android 5 Lollipop, Android 6 Marshmallow, Android 7 Nougat.


There are three types of monopole in gauge theories with fundamental matter and N = 2 supersymmetry broken by a superpotential. There are unconfined 0-monopoles and also 1 and 2-monopoles confined respectively by one or two vortices transforming under distinct components of the unbroken gauge group. If a Fayet-Iliopoulos term is added then there are only 2-monopoles. Monopoles transform in the bifundamen-tal representation of two components of the unbroken gauge symmetry, and if two monopoles share a component they may form a boundstate. Selection rules for this process are found, for example vortex number is preserved modulo 2. We find the tensions of the vortices, which are in general distinct, and also the conditions under which vortices are mutually BPS. Results are derived in field theory and also in MQCD, and in quiver theories a T-dual picture may be used in which monopoles are classified by quiver diagrams with two colors of vertices.


Abstract The April 1998 Good Friday Agreement represents the most promising attempt in 30 years to settle the Northern Ireland conflict. Yet for more than a year after it was ratified by an overwhelming majority of voters, its key principles remained unimplemented, and on two occasions the executive has been suspended. In this article we examine public support for the Agreement and analyse the patterns of voting in the referendum. Using the 1998 Northern Ireland Referendum and Election Survey, we show that while almost all Catholics voted for the Agreement, only 57 percent of Protestants did so, and many of those expressed widespread concern and indecision. For Protestants, a yes vote in the referendum reflected a desire for the return of devolved government, the perception that the Agreement represented a 'new beginning', and trust in David Trimble, the Ulster Unionist leader. Catholic views of whether the Agreement would bring Irish unity centred on territoriality issues. The absence of widespread, cross‐community support for the Agreement's key principles helps to explain the difficulties in both establishing and maintaining a devolved, powersharing executive.


The research, develop and validate the theory and development of teacher educators of mathematics learning will lead to a better understanding of how expertise is developed in carrying out professional duties. In doing so, will provide evidence to inform discussions about what constitutes best practice in mathematics teacher education. The concept of Zone Proximal Development (ZPD) which was developed by the Soviet psychologist Lev Vygotsky and social constructivist (1896-1934) provides an interesting metaphor for designing teaching and learning to analyze, this poses a real challenge when it is practiced. Valsiner has broadened its interpretation of the concept of the ZPD Vygotsky to combine the social setting and the objectives and actions of participants. The theory proposes the existence of two additional zones, Zone of Free Movement (ZFM) and Zone of Promotion Action (ZPA). ZFM is a binding agent that is given by adults to limit access to its territory the child, object, or way of acting on those objects. While the ZPA is what adults are promoting, with no obligation for the child to receive what is being promoted. Further development of the zone when interpreting the ZPD of practitioner Valsiner found the presence of an Illusionary Zone (IZ). The presence or absence of IZ in practitioner provide insights for the development of potential teachers. Exploration in the field found a lack of connection to the conceptual understanding of procedural understanding, this situation makes IZ suspected.

Key Words: practitioner, ZPD, ZFM, ZPA, IZ


from the figure that the rise in the inhibitory activity of the whole serum is the result of increased linoleic acid-like activity, the inhibitory activity of the protein fraction remaining unaffected. Clearly, in applying the analytical methods of a modern biochemical approach, it is important to realize the frequently multifactorial origin of an end effect and assess or attempt to assess individual influences. In this case the activities of PUFA and linoleic acid-like activity appear disjunct, but this may not always be so.