Liver cirrhosis is a chronic liver disease in which the liver tissue and the vascular beds are remodeled leading to impaired hepatic function. Portal hypertension and subsequent esophageal varices are a frequent complication of liver cirrhosis and are a cause of mortality in patients with liver cirrhosis. Pregnancy in women with liver cirrhosis is uncommon, the incidence being about 1 in 5 950 pregnancies. Hepatocellular damage and the associated alteration in the metabolism of the sex hormones is thought to be responsible and leads to anovulation. In spite of all these factors, women with cirrhosis can and do become pregnant. Pregnancy is successful in most of the patients with chronic liver disease, but maternal and fetal complication rates are still high for decompensated liver cirrhosis. Portal hypertension associated with pregnancy is a high-risk situation as both pregnancy and portal hypertension share some of the hemodynamic changes. Risks of variceal bleeding and hepatic decompensation increases many fold during pregnancy. Despite the possible complications mentioned above, the maternal-fetal morbidity and mortality rates have been decreased by the current developments in hepatology, prevention of bleeding from varices with drugs and/or endoscopic variceal ligation, improvement in liver transplantation, and an increased experience in these issues. We present a case of a 31-year-old female patient with liver cirrhosis who successfully managed pregnancy and birth without complications after the insertion of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS). Unfortunately, 2 years after delivery, the patient developed lymphoblastic lymphoma and, despite intensive therapy for this disease, the patient died at the age of 40. We did not find any link between liver cirrhosis and lymphoblastic lymphoma.


Dense bulk ZrB2 ceramic was synthesized by mechanical alloying (MA) and followed spark plasma sintering (SPS) using zirconium and boron as initial materials. It was found that MA process was effective to fragment the coarse metal zirconium particles from 45 m to less than 1 m within 20 hours. In comparison with the commercial ZrB2 powder, the as-obtained zirconium and boron mixture powders showed higher sinterability. When the sintering was carried out at 1800oC, the relative density of synthesized ZrB2 samples using mixture powder was above 95%, higher than that of ZrB2 sample prepared using commercial powder (73%). Vickers hardness of those ZrB2 samples was at the same level of 15 GPa. However, the fracture toughness of ZrB2 samples seemed to depend on the heating rate of the SPS process. Corresponding to the heating rates of 10, 50, and 100oC/min, the fracture toughness of as-prepared ZrB2 samples were 3.83, 3.19, and 2.74 MPa•m1/2, respectively.


Compact fiber amplifiers with tapered slab delivery of the pump are analyzed numerically. A procedure for the selection of the structural parameters of this device is presented together with a simple asymptotic estimate for the efficiency. Simulations based on the scalar paraxial beam propagation equation demonstrate the validity of this estimate.


In contemporary discourse surrounding the nation state, refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants alike have increasingly and frequently been referred to as stateless people, whose lack of citizenship rights prevents them from participating in social, political, and cultural life. Stripped of their political rights to citizenship, this often puts them in an acute state of poverty and precarity. Using Judith Butler's reflections on cohabitation and ethical obligation, this paper will engage with the topic of poverty and precarity through a selection of non-fictional texts that address flight, refugeeism, immigration, and limited access to a decent life, agency, and self-representation. Specifically, the paper will focus on Gulwali Passarlay's The Lightless Sky (2015) and the story collection Breach (2016), consisting of stories re-written by Olumide Popoola and Annie Holmes. More precisely, the paper will draw attention to the on-going current debates related to the so-called "refugee crisis" by focussing on forced migration, imprisonment, suffering, hunger, life in camps, and dangerous illegal journeys to safety. Since the narratives generally make the point that globalisation has shattered the illusion of home, I will read refugee precarity as a paradoxical condition that, on the one hand, shows the severe shortcomings of socio-cultural exclusion, and, on the other hand, contributes to the questioning and/or redefining of transnational political space and actively calls for a politics of intervention.


Proteins play a major role in biology by interacting with each other and with other biomolecules. The study of these interactions is of fundamental importance to understand cellular processes, and this could be a key towards understanding mechanisms of diseases and possible development of drugs. As a result, considerable attention is given to the study of protein interactions. As described in the introduction of this thesis (chapter 1), a key task is to unravel these interactions at atomic details. However, traditional structure determination methods (X-ray crystallography and NMR) encounter serious experimental difficulties in dealing with protein complexes. Therefore, complementary computational methods are needed. This thesis describes the modelling of biomolecular complexes by data-driven docking, a computational method that, based on the known structures of the constituents of a complex and any information about their interface, derives a model for the structure of the complex. Chapter 2 reviews several approaches towards the use of experimental information in docking and introduces the data-driven docking method HADDOCK which we used in all the modelling described in this thesis. Chapters 3 and 4 focus on the use of NMR information in data-driven docking. Chemical shift perturbation (CSP) data allow assessment of the interface in a complex. These data can be combined with Residual Dipolar Couplings (RDCs, chapter 3) or diffusion anisotropy data (chapter 4), which provide complementary orientational restraints. In chapter 3 this methodology is applied towards the determination of the solution structure of the ubiquitin dimer. In Chapter 5 we turn towards the docking methodology itself. We describe a novel solvated docking protocol that accounts for water in the docking process. We demonstrate the feasibility of this approach and show that the docking results in general improve. Our protocol adds considerable information to existing docking approaches, since it allows to predict structural water molecules at an interface, which can be particularly valuable for drug design for example. The last two chapters are directed towards validation and application of our docking methodology. Chapter 6 describes the results of our participation to CAPRI (Critical Assessment of PRedicted Interactions). In CAPRI, participants must make blind predictions of the structure of a complex within a limited time; these are then compared by independent assessors to the yet unpublished experimental structure. Our participation to CAPRI was quite successful, and our overall performance places us in the top of the field. In the final chapter, HADDOCK is applied to the study of complexes along the cytochrome c oxidase copper-delivery pathway. The correct assembly of cytochrome c oxidase (which generates the proton gradient that drives synthesis of ATP, the major biological energy carrier) depends on this pathway. So far, structural details about interactions between the proteins involved in this pathway (cox17, sco1, cox2 and cox11) are unknown. Here, models for the structures of the human complexes cox17-sco1, sco1-cox2, cox17-cox11 and cox11-cox11 were generated. These models shed light on the path that copper travels during its way towards cytochrome c oxidase and provide new starting points for experimental studies.


Background The World Health Organization has projected that by 2030, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) will be the third-leading cause of mortality and the seventh-leading cause of morbidity worldwide. Acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) are associated with an accelerated decline in lung function, diminished quality of life, and higher mortality. Accurate early detection of acute exacerbations will enable early management and reduce mortality. Objective The aim of this study was to develop a prediction system using lifestyle data, environmental factors, and patient symptoms for the early detection of AECOPD in the upcoming 7 days. Methods This prospective study was performed at National Taiwan University Hospital. Patients with COPD that did not have a pacemaker and were not pregnant were invited for enrollment. Data on lifestyle, temperature, humidity, and fine particulate matter were collected using wearable devices (Fitbit Versa), a home air quality–sensing device (EDIMAX Airbox), and a smartphone app. AECOPD episodes were evaluated via standardized questionnaires. With these input features, we evaluated the prediction performance of machine learning models, including random forest, decision trees, k-nearest neighbor, linear discriminant analysis, and adaptive boosting, and a deep neural network model. Results The continuous real-time monitoring of lifestyle and indoor environment factors was implemented by integrating home air quality–sensing devices, a smartphone app, and wearable devices. All data from 67 COPD patients were collected prospectively during a mean 4-month follow-up period, resulting in the detection of 25 AECOPD episodes. For 7-day AECOPD prediction, the proposed AECOPD predictive model achieved an accuracy of 92.1%, sensitivity of 94%, and specificity of 90.4%. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that the area under the curve of the model in predicting AECOPD was greater than 0.9. The most important variables in the model were daily steps walked, stairs climbed, and daily distance moved. Conclusions Using wearable devices, home air quality–sensing devices, a smartphone app, and supervised prediction algorithms, we achieved excellent power to predict whether a patient would experience AECOPD within the upcoming 7 days. The AECOPD prediction system provided an effective way to collect lifestyle and environmental data, and yielded reliable predictions of future AECOPD events. Compared with previous studies, we have comprehensively improved the performance of the AECOPD prediction model by adding objective lifestyle and environmental data. This model could yield more accurate prediction results for COPD patients than using only questionnaire data.


Digital capture and analyses of time-series (1941-2005) digital elevation models (DEMs), developed for the Gippsland Lakes artificial entrance area (situated in Victoria, Australia) from analogue hydrographic charts, allows the long-term bathymetric results of rubble training wall (or 'groyne') emplacement in the Reeves Channel to be examined. Reeves Channel form has progressively become sinuous, and extensive flood-tide delta shoaling areas have also developed since 'groyne field' installation. It is argued that deviance from original Reeves Channel groyne emplacement design (proposed by a Royal Commission report in 1927) may have contributed heavily to the time-series development of Reeves Channel sinuosity and floodtide delta accretion.


Introduction The Marie Curie Companions are a group of volunteers who have been specially trained by Marie Curie and Musgrove Park hospital to provide emotional support to dying patients and their families. Aim(s) and method(s) An information session was advertised to attract companion volunteers from a cross section of the community. Advertisements were placed on the Marie Curie website, volunteer bureau and in the local press. 21 people attended the event with 17 people attending an interview 1 candidate was not accepted. 16 people (4 males and 12 females) went on to complete the training programme over 5 weeks. The training programme was based on that used for the Marie Curie Helper core training for volunteers and consisted of topics about death and dying, communication skills, spirituality, the hospital environment and bereavement and loss. 3 pilot wards were chosen a medical, surgical and the medical assessment unit, to commence delivery and the hours of work were from 18.00–21.00 on weekday evenings and 15.00–21.00 (2 shifts) at weekends. Ward based training was delivered to provide hospital staff teams with the information about the project and how to refer. Results 15 Companion volunteers work across the hospital and since delivery commenced in mid July 2014, 47 referrals have been received to the service resulting in more than 70 support visits to dying patients and their families. Conclusion(s) The support provided was mostly companionship and emotional support including being a listening ear to patients and their families, alongside short term respite care in the form of sitting with the patient, while families took a break. The support provided was felt to be needed by ward staff at the hospital and the early evidence suggests that dying patients and their families are already benefiting from this service. We will report on the impact that the service has had on the ward staff and perceived impact on patients and their families'.


This research aimed to investigate the effect of metacognitive awareness on decision-making styles and emotion regulation in female high school students during 2016 in Tabriz, Iran. We conducted a preand post-test quasiexperimental research design with a control group. Two classes were selected by cluster sampling method and randomly assigned to experimental (n=19) and control (n=19) groups. A metacognitive awareness intervention program was performed in eight sessions (once a week in 90-minutes) for the experimental group but the control group did not receive any intervention and served as the benchmarking point of the comparison. The Decision Styles Questionnaire (Leykin & DeRubeis, 2010) and Regulation of Emotion Questionnaire (Phillips & Power, 2007) were administered. Data were analyzed by multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA). The result showed a significant decrease in the score of the avoidant, anxious, intuitive, and spontaneous dimensions as well as a significant increase in the score of the dependent dimension of decision-making styles in the experimental group compared with the control group. Moreover, the scores of the dysfunction dimension of emotion regulation decreased significantly in the experimental group, while, the scores of the function dimension increased significantly.


Systemic mastocytosis occurred as a fatal event in a patient with long- standing polycythemia vera. The patient had been treated over the course of 21 yr with radioactive phosphorus. Possible relationships between mastocytosis and polycythemia vera, and also between mastocytosis and treatment with ionizing radiation, are discussed. Histopathologic and electron microscopic findings are illustrated. Difficulties in establishing the diagnosis of mast cell disease in this setting are also described.


In this paper, I combine data on incidents associated with rail transportation of crude oil and detailed data on rail shipments to appraise the relation between increased use of rail to transport crude oil and the risk of safety incidents associated with those shipments. I find a positive link between the accumulation of minor incidents and the frequency of serious incidents, and a positive relation between increased rail shipments of crude oil and the occurrence of minor incidents. I also find that increased shipments are associated with a rightward shift in the distribution of economic damages associated with these shipments; the implied marginal impact of an additional 1,000 rail cars carrying oil between two states in a given month is $1,836. In addition, I find larger average effects associated with states that represent the greatest source of tight oil production.


Poland is a country where economic transformation contributed significantly to the structure and activity level of the housing market. One of the examples of adjustment to the market rules in the housing provision was the appearance of new actors developers. They became responsible for the creation of a significant part of new supply of housing stock. The financing of housing projects realized by developers is based partly on pre-payment of buyers. The special circumstances of transforming post-socialist economy - mainly in the form of lack of fair play among entrepreneurs - developers and ignorance of the rules governing the economy and housing market by their clients, created a clear opportunity to shift a substantial part of the risk to the clients. This situation creates enormous problems in the case of insolvency of the developer. The legal protection of developer clients in Poland has been expanded recently by the new act (in force: April 2012). The authors attempt to assess the potential impact of new legislation from the point of view of institutional environment of housing market in Poland having the outline of developer clientsi protection in selected Western countries.


To assess the impact of predation by young-of-the-year (0+) fish on the population dynamics of Daphnia species, we made independent estimations of the mortality of Daphnia species during the year, and of the predation pressure exerted by the juvenile fish. Mortality of daphnids was computed using a model that allowed us to differentiate between different size- classes, while total fish consumption was estimated from the temperature-dependent daily weight increase and the population development of the 0+ fish. The predation pressure on the different size-classes of Daphnia species was estimated by combining the total fish consumption with estimates of the selective feeding behaviour of the fish. To make the estimates of fish consumption independent of our current (1989-1991) zooplankton data set, we estimated fish species-specific and fish length-dependent selectivity indices on zooplankton using a different data set (1976-1977). Daphnia population densities usually increased in spring and decreased rapidly in early summer. Predation by 0+ fish was not severe enough to explain the large mortality that caused the summer decline; later in the year most of the mortality in the larger size-classes of the daphnids (>1.0 mm) could be explained by fish predation. [KEYWORDS: Young yellow perch; clear-water phase; body size; planktivorous fish; leptodora-kindti; neusiedler-see; eutrophic lake; hyalina leydig; birth-rate; zooplankton]


Depression is a distressing emotion that occurs during various times of the cancer trajectory. Depression often goes unrecognized and untreated, which can significantly affect cost, quality of life, and treatment adherence. The Oncology Nursing Society's Putting Evidence Into Practice depression project team reviewed current literature to identify evidence-based interventions to reduce depression in people with cancer. Pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic interventions were evaluated, and opportunities for nurses to integrate recommendations into practice are offered in this article.


Multimedia streaming applications have been increasing significantly due to the rapid growth of broadband access networks. Among the latest real-time streaming technologies, the Scalable Video Coding (SVC) which is a layered coding scheme attracts more attention. The SVC encodes an original video into several streaming layers of different bit rates simultaneously. Thus, clients can subscribe a part of the coded layers of SVC video according to their available bandwidth, which should be measured by a bandwidth estimation methodology. Additionally, in SVC clients can augment or abate the number of subscribed streaming layers to fit the time-varying bandwidth during viewing programs. In this paper1, we exploit the concepts of Traceroute and ICMP timestamps to design a two-way available bandwidth estimation mechanism which is never presented in literature. The proposed scheme can infer the available bandwidth of both uplink and downlink paths, and is feasible to the paths with multiple tight links. Hence, it is specially applicable to the multimedia streaming applications adopting SVC. Numerical results show that the presented bandwidth estimation approach can achieve good accuracy.


Carica papaya is a tropical fruit, present in orange red to yellow orange color. The whole plant including fruit, leaves, roots, peel, bark, seed and pulp served as medicine. It is rich in minerals, carotenoids, vitamins, alkaloids, enzymes, lycopene, and flavonoids that provide the papaya with special importance. It is used as a remedy for the treatment of many skin infections, anti fungal, anti viral infections. Its milky juice extracted and dried is used as medicine for digestive disorders and as toothpaste. Carica papaya helps in the treatment of different types of cancer, kidney infections, nervous disorders, etc. Now a days papaya is known as a nutraceutical fruit because of its multifaceted properties. The most enhanced properties of papaya are anti-fungal, anti-fertility, uretonic, anti-hypertensive, hypolipidemic, dengue fever, diuretic, anti-helmintic, wound healing, antibacterial and antitumor activities. This review summarizes the magical pharmacological benefits of Carica papaya.


The Supreme Court of Canada, obiter, in the Big M Drug Mart Case, has spoken of the "Constitutional Exemption". It is the possibility not to be bound to obey the neutral laws that conflict with one's conscience or religion. It is what we call in French l'objection de conscience. The institution exists in Canadian and Quebec Law as a part of the right to freedom of conscience or religion expressed in 2a) and 3 of the Canadian and Quebec Charters of Rights. And it goes well beyond the right not to fight within the armed forces. The Supreme Court of Canada has actually delivered six judgments touching on the subject in 1985 and 1986. The conditions under which l'objection de conscience come into play are not so well known however. Does it cover matters of worship or only rules of morals ? Secular or only religious principles ? Personal or only group beliefs ? Do the existence of the rule, the sincerity of the objector and the reasonableness of the exemption have to be proved? Above all, what is the difference between a creed and an opinion ? The following article tries to formulate answers to these questions, with the help of current case-law.


Abstract Nine patients with false aneurysms of the upper limb and one with arteriovenous fistula were treated in the Lagos University Teaching Hospital during a 5-year period. Eight patients were males and two females, age range 9 to 60 years with a mean of 27.8 years. The cause of the injury was broken glass--4, cudgel--4, industrial metal--1, unknown--1. Five aneurysms occurred in the radial artery, three in the axillary-subclavian-innominate arteries and one was in an unspecified artery of the hand. The tenth patient had an arteriovenous fistula in the right axillary artery. The surgical procedures performed were restorative endoaneurysmorrhaphy, excision and end to end arterial anastomosis, excision and arterial ligation, and reversed autogenous vein graft. The end result of the surgical operations was considered good in five patients and satisfactory in two. Median nerve deficits from compression returned to normal after aneurysm repair in two patients.


Background: Current MRI criteria can help predict a second attack after a clinically isolated syndrome (CIS). Given the known association between corpus callosum lesions (CC) and multiple sclerosis (MS), such lesions on MRI could provide additional predictive information. This study assessed whether the presence of CC lesion on MRI could, next to the modified Barkhof criteria, further enhance prediction of conversion from CIS to MS. Methods: Follow-up study of 158 patients with CIS who underwent MRI after CIS was performed. MRI were scored for the Barkhof criteria and CC lesion. Patients were classified as having MS according to Poser criteria. Cox regression models were used for the time to conversion from CIS to MS. Results: The Barkhof criteria and CC lesion were strongly associated with conversion to MS with hazard ratios (HR), respectively, of 2.6 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.5–4.3) and 2.7 (95% CI 1.6–4.5). The HRs of CC lesion adjusted for the Barkhof criteria and the Barkhof criteria adjusted for CC lesion were similar (HRs 1.8, not significant). The combined prediction of the Barkhof criteria and CC lesion was 3.3 (95% CI 1.9–5.7). Patients not fulfilling the Barkhof criteria had a fourfold increased risk of MS (HR 3.8, 95% CI 1.5–9.3) when they had a lesion in the CC. Conclusions: Corpus callosum (CC) lesion and the Barkhof criteria both predicted conversion to multiple sclerosis (MS). When both variables were combined, the association was stronger. The assessment of CC lesion may be a useful additional tool for predicting conversion to MS in patients with clinically isolated syndrome.


The double lip is a rare and benign developmental alteration characterized by increased lip tissue, specially of the upper lip. Its etiology is linked to congenital factors, such as Ascher Syndrome, or being acquired by labial trauma. The main related complaint is the aesthetic, and the diagnosis is predominantly based on the clinical aspect. The hormonal exams are part of the differential diagnosis. Regarding the treatment, there are several techniques of surgical excision but the elliptical incision, also known as wedge, has presented better results and low rate of postoperative sequelae. The objective of this study is to report a bilateral double-lip clinical case, correlating it with what is current in the literature. Patient M.J.S.S., female, leukoderma, 55-years-old, attended the Center for Dental Specialties (CDS) of ASCES-UNITA due to the presence of an upper lip lesion; the patient reported aesthetic complaint and during the physical examination a bilateral alteration in the upper lip was observed, which was expressed when she smiled with double-lip characteristics, in addition to dental absence of all anterior and superior dental elements. After the diagnostic hypothesis, the surgical treatment chosen was total excision of the excess tissue with incision in ellipse and referral of the specimen for histopathological examination. After 7 days the synthesis material was removed with signs of good healing. Patient had follow-up for 3 months without signs of relapse. It is concluded that the double lip is rare affection lesion, which practically has a clinical diagnosis, and shows several forms of surgical treatment that should only be performed through aesthetic and/or functional complaint of the patient. Correct diagnosis is essential for the elimination of Ascher syndrome, thus leading to the best possible treatment.


Abstract The continued prevalence of chronic low back pain (CLBP) is a testament to our lack of understanding of the potential causes, leading to significant treatment challenges. CLBP is the leading cause of years lived with disability and the fifth leading cause of disability-adjusted life-years. No single non-pharmacologic, pharmacologic, or interventional therapy has proven effective as treatment for the majority of patients with CLBP. Although non-pharmacologic therapies are generally helpful, they are often ineffective as monotherapy and many patients lack adequate access to these treatments. Noninvasive treatment measures supported by evidence include physical and chiropractic therapy, yoga, acupuncture, and non-opioid and opioid pharmacologic therapy; data suggest a moderate benefit, at most, for any of these therapies. Until our understanding of the pathophysiology and treatment of CLBP advances, clinicians must continue to utilize rational multimodal treatment protocols. Recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines for opioid prescribing recommend that opioids not be utilized as first-line therapy and to limit the doses when possible for fear of bothersome or dangerous adverse effects. In combination with the current opioid crisis, this has caused providers to minimize or eliminate opioid therapy when treating patients with chronic pain, leaving many patients suffering despite optimal nonopioid therapies. Therefore, there remains an unmet need for effective and tolerable opioid receptor agonists for the treatment of CLBP with improved safety properties over legacy opioids. There are several such agents in development, including opioids and other agents with novel mechanisms of action. This review critiques non-pharmacologic and pharmacologic treatment modalities for CLBP and examines the potential of novel opioids and other analgesics that may be a useful addition to the treatment options for patients with chronic pain.


Waste cooking oil (WCO) was used as bio-diesel feedstock. WCO with methanol was heated at different temperature with the help of conventional mechanical stirrer. Potassium hydroxide (KOH) and sodium hydroxide (NaOH) was used as catalyst. The effect of different operational parameters such as, catalyst loading, reaction temperature, and reaction time were evaluated. From the results, it was clear that the bio-diesel fuel produced from waste cooking oil (WCO) was within the recommended standards of biodiesel fuel. The trans-esterification reaction using potassium hydroxide (KOH) catalyst was more effective than sodium hydroxide (NaOH) catalyst for the higher yields conversion. With potassium hydroxide 0.4 wt. %, yield was 94.4% and conversion was 97.76% at 60o C, in three hours reaction time.


Many-core architectures are excellent in hiding memory-access latency by low-overhead context switching among a large number of threads. The speedup of algorithms carried out on these machines depends on how well the latency is hidden. If the number of threads were infinite, then theoretically these machines should provide the performance predicted by the PRAM analysis of the programs. However, the number of allowable threads per processor is not infinite. In this paper, we introduce the Threaded Many-core Memory (TMM) model which is meant to capture the important characteristics of these highly-threaded, many-core machines. Since we model some important machine parameters of these machines, we expect analysis under this model to give more fine-grained performance prediction than the PRAM analysis. We analyze 4 algorithms for the classic allpairs shortest paths problem under this model. We find that even when two algorithms have the same PRAM performance, our model predicts different performance for some settings of machine parameters. For example, for dense graphs, the FloydWarshall algorithm and Johnson's algorithms have the same performance in the PRAM model. However, our model predicts different performance for large enough memory-access latency and validates the intuition that the Floyd-Warshall algorithm performs better on these machines. Keywords-PRAM, TMM, All-pairs Shortest Paths (APSP), Many-core


Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease with a genetic component, caused at least in part by aberrant lymphocyte activity. The whole blood mRNA transcriptome was measured for 99 untreated MS patients: 43 primary progressive MS, 20 secondary progressive MS, 36 relapsing remitting MS and 45 age-matched healthy controls. The ANZgene Multiple Sclerosis Genetics Consortium genotyped more than 300 000 SNPs for 115 of these samples. Transcription from genes on translational regulation, oxidative phosphorylation, immune synapse and antigen presentation pathways was markedly increased in all forms of MS. Expression of genes tagging T cells was also upregulated (P < 10(-12)) in MS. A T cell gene signature predicts disease state with a concordance index of 0.79 with age and gender as co-variables, but the signature is not associated with clinical course or disability. The ANZgene genome wide association screen identified two novel regions with genome wide significance: one encoding the T cell co-stimulatory molecule, CD40; the other a region on chromosome 12q13-14. The CD40 haplotype associated with increased MS susceptibility has decreased gene expression in MS (P < 0.0007). The second MS susceptibility region includes 17 genes on 12q13-14 in tight linkage disequilibrium. Of these, only 13 are expressed in leukocytes, and of these the expression of one, FAM119B, is much lower in the susceptibility haplotype (P < 10(-14)). Overall, these data indicate dysregulation of T cells can be detected in the whole blood of untreated MS patients, and supports targeting of activated T cells in therapy for all forms of MS.


Objective: The aim of this prospective randomized controlled study was to compare the effectiveness and accuracy of the ultrasound- and fluoroscopy-guided S1 transforaminal epidural injection combined with pulsed radiofrequency in patients with lumbosacral radicular pain caused by S1 nerve involvement. Materials and Methods: A total of 60 patients were randomized into 2 groups. Patients received S1 transforaminal epidural injection combined with pulsed radiofrequency under either ultrasound or fluoroscopy guidance. Primary outcomes were estimated with Visual Analog Scale scores at 6 months. Secondary outcomes included Oswestry Disability Index, Quantitative Analgesic Questionnaire, and patient satisfaction scores during the 6-month follow-up period and procedure-related variables including procedure time and accuracy of the needle replacement. Results: Both techniques provided significant pain reduction and functional improvement for 6 months compared to baseline (P < .001), without statistical significance between groups at each follow-up point. There was no significant difference in pain medication consumption (P = .441) and patient satisfaction scores (P = .673) between groups. The fluoroscopy guidance for combined transforaminal epidural injection with pulsed radiofrequency at S1 provided a greater accuracy for the cannula replacement (100%) than the ultrasound (93.3%), without significant difference between groups (P = .491). Conclusion: The ultrasound-guided combined transforaminal epidural injection with pulsed radiofrequency at S1 level is a feasible alternative to fluoroscopy guidance. In this study, we reported that the ultrasound-guided technique resulted in similar treatment benefits including improvement in pain intensity and functionality and reduction in pain medication consumption as those in the fluoroscopy group, while reducing the risk for radiation exposure.


Stroke is a leading cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide. Traditional cardiovascular risk factors - hypertension, diabetes and dyslipidemia - are related to the incidence of stroke. Chronic kidney disease has also been recognized to be a major public health problem as a cardiovascular risk factor. Growing evidence has suggested that chronic kidney disease is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease including stroke in general populations. Those with chronic kidney disease have a greater prevalence of traditional cardiovascular risk factors. Several meta-analyses assessing the association between chronic kidney disease and stroke have found that the magnitude of the risk estimates adjusted for known traditional cardiovascular risk factors were reduced as compared with the age-adjusted risk estimates. While these findings on the surface seem to downplay the effect of chronic kidney disease on stroke, they may actually suggest that an accumulation of traditional cardiovascular risk factors in those with chronic kidney disease increases the risk of stroke, and that applying appropriate treatments to those with chronic kidney disease is important for reducing the risk of stroke. Additionally, other large-scale meta-analyses demonstrated that chronic kidney disease was a significant risk factor for stroke independent of known cardiovascular risk factors. Chronic kidney disease may also be associated with an increase in nontraditional risk factors such as hyperhomocysteinemia, inflammation, asymmetric dimethylarginine, oxidative stress, and anemia, and thrombogenic factors such as left ventricular hypertrophy, endothelial dysfunction, and arterial stiffness. Herein, we review the results of meta-analyses of published cohort studies for a better understanding of the precise nature of the relationship between chronic kidney disease and stroke, important to both the clinical and public health fields. Further studies are warranted to determine whether interventions to prevent the progression of kidney impairment are effective at reducing the risk of stroke.


Background: Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is the most medically significant hemorrhagic fever. Afghanistan as an endemic region of CCHF has shown a rapidly growing incidence of the CCHF recently, but there is no data on the characteristic of the disease in this country, here we study the epidemiological, clinical, and paraclinical features of this disease in patients with CCHF, based on the collected data from the patients document records from March 2017 to January 2018 in the referral infectious diseases hospital of Afghanistan (Kabul Antani Hospital). Methods: A cross-sectional study in 120 patients admitted in Kabul ANTANI hospital was carried out from March 2017 to January 2018. All of the patients were included based on the standard case definitions by World Health Organization. Results: Among the 120 patients admitted to CCHF ward, 29 were confirmed by ELISA (18% IgM, 8% IgG+) and the reminders defined as "probable cases" according to WHO case definition. Case fatality rates were calculated as 15% and the overall mean ages were 35 years. The peak of the disease incidence occurred between August and July. Almost all patients reported fever, bleeding, and thrombocytopenia. Conclusions: Early detection plays an important role in patients' outcome. Considering that the most cases of the disease are associated with some contacts around Eid-Adha and death attributable to CCHF usually occur in the first 7 days of disease onset, educating population, and especially slaughters, gloves using by housewives during contacts with meat or animal products, and early detection and immediate treatment would have essential roles in primary and secondary prevention of CCHF. Hemorrhagic manifestations and low platelet count provide a clue to early detection of disease. Vaginal bleeding can be a sign of CCHF and needs immediate action.


In this contribution to the debate that followed the publication of Hilde Refstie's timely and cogent Reconfiguring research relevance, I propose to take a closer look at the funding structures that bind academia and other institutional and private sector actors into networks of collaboration and research co-production often experienced as dysfunctional. In particular, I focus on competitive funding bids that distribute financial and labour resources by awarding short-term 'projects', with particular reference to European Union (EU) projects. Drawing on my current research work on the 'project economy', co-led with Nadine Hassouneh and funded by the KONE Foundation at Tampere University, I make two initial suggestions that expand on some of the points raised so far in the discussion hosted by Fennia. First, project-based research funding is a more politicized and coercive tool than we tend to think. Second, project management and project-based work, and the associated patterns of (gendered and racialized) precarization and even abuse, have a longer and more ingrained history than what we commonly identify as the 'neoliberalization' of academia. By way of conclusion, I highlight how scrutinizing the funding architectures that enable and constrain our work help us to explore the relation between research and policy, beyond the limits of critical categories such as 'neoliberalism'.


Coral reefs are susceptible to climate change, anthropogenic influence, and environmental stressors. However, corals in Kāneʻohe Bay, Hawaiʻi have repeatedly shown resilience and acclimatization to anthropogenically-induced rising temperatures and increased frequencies of bleaching events. Variations in coral and algae cover at two sites—just 600 m apart—at Malaukaʻa fringing reef suggest genetic or environmental differences in coral resilience between sites. A reciprocal transplant experiment was conducted to determine if calcification (linear extension and dry skeletal weight) for dominant reef-building species, Montipora capitata and Porites compressa, varied between the two sites and whether or not parent colony or environmental factors were responsible for the differences. Despite the two sites representing distinct environmental conditions with significant differences between temperature, salinity, and aragonite saturation, M. capitata growth rates remained the same between sites and treatments. However, dry skeletal weight increases in P. compressa were significantly different between sites, but not across treatments, with linear mixed effects model results suggesting heterogeneity driven by environmental differences between sites and the parent colonies. These results provide evidence of resilience and acclimatization for M. capitata and P. compressa. Variability of resilience may be driven by local adaptations at a small, reef-level scale for P. compressa in Kāneʻohe Bay.


Over 100 years ago Sir William Osler reminded us that "[e]verywhere the old order changes and happy they who can change with it" ( The Principles and Practice of Medicine [1895]). Physicians have not always been good guessers, however, when it comes to the future direction of clinical practice and therapy. Thirty-two years ago, JAMA published a news story about a conference at the University of Pennsylvania at which physicians, scientists, and educators gave their predictions about the state of medicine in the year 2000. 1 Such recorded predictions as "the practical elimination of the cancer problem in most parts of the world" and "a good supply of spare [body] parts, either human or mechanical" suggest the risks inherent in accurate crystal gazing. Thus, with the appropriate caveats invoked, one can offer the prophecy that within the next three decades, techniques of human gene transfer and manipulation will


This practice-led research paper interrogates the "afterlife" of Romeo and Juliet through focusing on its transformed identity as West Side Story (1957) which transposed the tensions embedded in a Renaissance Anglo-European order into the so-called New World as a frankly declared act of appropriation. Designing the 2013 production of West Side Story at the KZN Playhouse prompted an extended focus on questions concerning "decolonising Shakespeare" within the field of theatre practice and production. I draw briefly on essays by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o in Moving the Centre that interrogate established patterns of cultural exchange and recasting as being inseparable from questions of imperial imposition and dominance against which strategies of resistance, such as appropriation and re-imaginings, are posited. As a medium of live encounter in the public domain, theatre (as a process and event) has a unique facility to stage readings in ways that destabilise a received narrative and its dramatic conventions as much as continuing to operate through these conventions. A necessarily contained discussion of aspects of theatrepractice and the languages of theatrical expression frames a close-reading of three aspects of West Side Story: the subject identities and action that are a direct outcome of re-locating Shakespeare's narrative; the acknowledged formal innovations of the text; and, most crucially, its collaborative authorship. These three features have distinct resonance with postcolonial discourses and potentially far-reaching consequences for theatre-making initiatives committed to decolonisation. Steven Sondheim's insistence on the "theatricality" of the text prompts a brief interrogation of the implications of the term in conjunction with the "afterlife" of "allographic writing" and its availability for appropriation. Addressing "theatricality" introduces the implications of radical departures from Shakespearean drama through valorising the theatrical languages of sound, space and dancing bodies over the printed word or speaking actor. The designer's task focuses as much on these imperatives as on issues of cultural identity. The hybridity between operatic and musical-theatre idiom that results from the "collaborative authorship" of West Side Story invites addressing, albeit briefly, in terms of both the intentions of its makers and the critical reception of the work. Interrogating selected aspects of the origins and the extended process of making West Side Story enables me to problematise traditional sequences and residual notions of individual authority that continue to dominate theatre-making practices locally. I draw on the reflections of Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim to address inter-personal dynamics and power hierarchies: both are provocative in deliberating issues central to the collaborative creative process that might constitute a model of "decolonised" theatre-making. While the focus of the paper is confined to commentaries that emerged from the extended gestation of the first production of West Side Story and two subsequent South African productions, the implications extend to both Shakespeare in performance in South Africa today and to theatre-making more broadly.


Intraventricular septum rupture is a rare mechanic complication of myocardial infarction associated with high mortality. This case describes STEMI in recovered patient after COVID 19 associated pneumonia, which was complicated by ventricular septum rupture followed by cardiogenic shock. It was managed by percutaneous occluder implantation. The procedure was complicated by right ventricular wall rupture. Postmortem examination of myocardium showed the signs of inflammation infiltrate and myocyte necrosis, according to histopathological Dallas criteria diagnosis of COVID-19 associated myocarditis was established. The COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to increasing cardiovascular mortality. This is typically attributed to diminishing resources for timely and appropriate medical care, and patients late presentations for fear of contracting the infection. Cardiovascular complication of COVID-19 may be another contributing factor. Further research is needed to improve our understanding of the mechanisms and long-term sequelae of myocardium damage in COVID-19, to optimize treatment strategy and subsequent follow-up in such patients.


Abstract A new approach is presented to introduce the fine structure of core-loss excitations into the electron energy-loss spectra of ionization edges by Monte Carlo simulations based on an optical oscillator model. The optical oscillator strength is refined using the calculated electron energy-loss near-edge structure by density functional theory calculations. This approach can predict the effects of multiple scattering and thickness on the fine structure of ionization edges. In addition, effects of the fitting range for background removal and the integration range under the ionization edge on signal-to-noise ratio are investigated.


Probiotics play a pivotal role in health maintenance and
 prevention of many disorders. They are microbial feed supplements that confer the health effect on the host.
 Probiotics protects the body itself from infection, especially
 gastrointestinal tract. Acidophilus is a probiotic
 microorganisms that have a beneficial effect on the host. Lactobacilli acidophilus are "friendly" bacteria that normally
 live in our digestive, urinary and genital systems without
 causing disease. The therapeutic benefits have been
 investigated in women having vaginal and urinary tract
 infections. In this review, we studied about previous 15
 years articles in which the isolation of Lactobacilli bacteria
 from different sources was mentioned. It has been found
 that they may be isolated from fruits and vegetables,
 human stool culture, natural antimicrobial agent, cheese,
 kefir grains, dairy and non-dairy products, fermented and
 raw milk, feces of breast fed infants, lactating milk, sheep,
 buffalo and cow milk, yogurt, beverages, poultry sources,
 animal rumen contents, pengging duck's caecum, chicken
 intestine and fecal samples, chicken feed, enzymes,
 fermented rice, curd, meat and yeast extracts, glucose and
 sucrose, human gut, human colonial epithelial cells, human
 and animal vagina and mouth extraction, diapers of human
 babies, pineapples wastes, industrial sausages, ice-cream,
 small intestines of piglets, corn slurry, crop and intestinal
 ducks. Hence the paper reviews the current scenario of
 isolation of Lactobacilli from different sources, their
 proposed mechanisms and health benefits for human
 beings along with their future perspectives.


This research is on testing the predictive power of Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) as enunciated by Sharpe (1964) in the determination of the required rates of return of Nigerian leasing and real estate sectors stocks that coincides with the actual rates of return. As it were, there is no clear cut understanding on the belief with particular reference to Nigerian leasing and real estate sectors stocks. In the light of the above assertion, the objective of this study is to find out the required rate of return of Nigerian leasing and real estate sectors stocks from 2000-2012 and compare them with the actual rates of return in the corresponding periods to indentify the valuation status of the stocks. Being an empirical study, analytical research design was adopted. The data used were secondary data, which were collected from the financial statements of the firms, The Nigerian Stock Exchange publications, and Central banks of Nigeria publications. The findings show that the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) as enunciated by Sharpe (1964) did not give any appropriate forecast of the returns from the leasing and real estate sectors stocks throughout the thirteen-year period of study. The CAPM made twelve under-valuations and thirty-six overvaluations to make a total of forty-eight misappropriations in the thirteen years period of study in the engineering technology sector, twelve under-valuations and thirty-nine overvaluations to make a total of fifty-one misappropriations in the leasing and real estate sector. Therefore, the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) is not a good predictor of stock return in the leasing and real estate sectors of the Nigerian Stock Exchange. Keywords: historical equity market risk premium, historical equity beta, required rate of return to equity, actual market return, actual stock return.


A series of surveys has been designed and conducted in order to seek the practical foundations of the base process activities in the software industry and to support and validate the current software process models. As a basis, a superset of 444 base process activities (BPAs) modelled in current process models, such as CMM, ISO 9000, BOOTSTRAP, SPICE and SPRM, were identified. This paper describes the design of the survey, and analyses the findings on software process modelling. Each BPA is characterised and benchmarked on attributes of mean importance and ratios of significance, practice and effectiveness according to the software industry's experience. Based on this work, every BPA and process in current models is now characterised by a set of benchmarked attributes. New process models can be developed and validated based on the benchmarks.


Epidemiological studies have been consistent in showing that cigarette smoking is inversely associated with Parkinson's disease (PD), whereas pesticide use is positively associated with PD. However, the relationship between PD and cigarette smoking remains poorly understood. Our objective was to study the relationship between cigarette smoking and PD in a population characterized by a high prevalence of pesticide exposure. This case–control study was carried out among subjects enrolled in the Mutualité Sociale Agricole, the French health insurance organization for workers connected to the agricultural world. We included 247 cases and 676 controls matched on age, sex, and region of residency. Information on smoking was obtained through in‐person interviews. Pesticide exposure was assessed using a case‐by‐case expert evaluation procedure. We found an inverse relationship between ever cigarette smoking and PD (odds ratio [OR] = 0.6; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.4–0.9). The strength of this association increased with the number of pack‐years. This relationship was present even when smoking was considered as long as 40 years before PD onset. An inverse association was also present among subjects professionally exposed to pesticides (OR = 0.5; 95% CI = 0.3–0.8) and was independent of the duration of exposure among men. We confirm the inverse association between cigarette smoking and PD in a population characterized by a high prevalence of professional pesticide exposure. The relationship between PD and cigarette smoking was not significantly modified or confounded by exposure to pesticides. © 2004 Movement Disorder Society


Sanitary sewage collection and treatment is a serious environmental problem in Brazilian cities, as well as the destination of solid waste resulting from this process, i.e. the sewage sludge, a substance rich in organic matter and nutrients, which is normally discarded in landfills. The aim of this study was to characterize the sewage sludge generated in four treatment stations in Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil and check if they meet the legal criteria of the National Environment Council (CONAMA), Resolution No. 375/2006. It also focused on analyzing the perspectives for its agricultural recycling based on the potential demand for main agricultural crops grown in Rio de Janeiro State. Samples from eight sewage sludge lots from four treatment stations located in the metropolitan area of Rio de Janeiro were analyzed. These stations receive and treat only domestic sewage by activated sludge system. For chemical and biological characterization of these lots, representative samples were collected and analyzed according to parameters of CONAMA Resolution No. 375/2006. In order to analyze the perspectives of agricultural recycling of sewage sludge in Rio de Janeiro State, 10 crops with the largest cultivated area in the state were surveyed and analyzed which of them are apt to receive sewage sludge as fertilizer and/or soil amendment. To determine the potential demand for sewage sludge in agriculture, the area occupied by these crops were multiplied by each fertilizer recommendation considering the sewage sludge as fertilizer. The analyzed sludge presented a high content of nutrients and organic matter and was included in the parameters of heavy metals, pathogenic agents, and bacteriological indicators stipulated by CONAMA Resolution No. 375/2006. The agricultural panorama of Rio de Janeiro State is favorable for agricultural recycling of sewage sludge since there is a great potential demand for this residue and, among the 10 agricultural crops with the largest cultivated area in the state, sludge can be used as fertilizer or soil amendment in eight of them. The implementation of a State Sewage Sludge Recycling Program could dispose of this material in a more sustainable way, as well as improve the quality of agricultural soils and reduce costs with chemical fertilizers, bringing positive results for sanitation companies and producers.


The battle over the future of net energy metering in the United States is alive and well. Utilities decry the benefits of compensating homeowners for rooftop solar generation, often relying on the argument that net energy metering programs harm low-income populations that lack opportunities to participate in the solar revolution. Thus, the argument goes, the status quo should remain to protect the most vulnerable. Solar advocates, on the other hand, push for a broader analysis of the true benefits of rooftop solar generation to overall grid stability and to reduce carbon emissions. They argue for expanding rooftop solar markets where such markets are available, and urge the modern utility structure to change to foster deeper resiliency. This chapter posits that energy justice lies at the heart of this debate, but it is missing from the discourse. Neither side of the debate advances a comprehensive solution that resolves the vulnerability question while also expanding opportunities for access. The chapter argues that curtailing extensive net energy metering programs without creating authentic opportunities for participation in renewable energy generation by low-income communities deepens inequality and vulnerability. Although the existing community energy programs, as currently contemplated, hold some promise, positioning such initiatives within the current electric utility generation paradigm might actually decrease resiliency in low-income communities. The energy justice frame illuminates several pathways to resolve these potentially contradictory outcomes. This chapter suggests that community energy initiatives, while imperfect, offer an opportunity to locate renewable energy resources within a commons, thereby advancing energy justice and upending the current analytical frame that holds together the net energy metering debate. Community energy programs can address vulnerability by expanding market access to renewable energy generation for low-income communities, obviating the need to maintain the current generation monopoly held by modern utilities. Moreover, if crafted correctly, community energy programs could also address inequality by providing communities an opportunity to generate, own and distribute renewable energy. Finally, transformative community-based energy planning development offers an opportunity to increase resiliency, transform existing economic relationships, reconceptualise the nature of energy, and promote equality.


Loss of cognition is one of the age related mental problems and a characteristic symptom of neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer's. Crataeva nurvala Buch-Ham, a well explored traditional Indian medicinal plant of Westernghats, is routinely used as folkloric medicine to treat various ailments in particular urolithiasis and neurological disorders associated with cognitive dysfunction. The objective of the study was to evaluate the nootropic activity of Crataeva nurvala Buch-Ham stem bark in different learning and memory paradigm viz. Elevated plus maze and Y-maze against scopolamine induced cognitive impairment. Moreover, to elucidate possible mechanism, we studied the influence of Crataeva nurvala ethanolic extract on central cholinergic activity via estimating the whole brain acetyl cholinesterase enzyme. Ethanolic extracts of Crataeva nurvala (100, 200 and 400 mg/kg body weight) were administered to adult Wistar rats for successive seven days and the acquisition, retention and retrieval of spatial recognition memory was determined against scopolamine (1 mg/kg, i.p.) induced amnesia through exteroceptive behavioral models viz. Elevated plus maze and Y-maze models. Further, whole brain acetyl cholinesterase enzyme was estimated through Ellman's method. Pretreatment with Crataeva nurvala ethanolic extract significantly improved spatial learning and memory against scopolamine induced amnesia. Moreover, Crataeva nurvala extract decreased rat brain acetyl cholinesterase activity in a dose dependent manner and comparable to the standard drug Piracetam. The results indicate that ethanolic extract of Crataeva nurvala might be a useful as nootropic agent to delay the onset and reduce the severity of symptoms associated with dementia and Alzheimer's disease. The underlying mechanism of action of its nootropic potentiality might be attributed to its anticholinesterase property.


Unconventional resources of crude oil and natural gas – shale energy – increased significantly in the US in the early 2000s, triggered by the strong rise in the price of crude oil and technical advances in production. The US is a clear forerunner in the production of shale energy, due to its existing knowledge and infrastructure. The rest of the world is following, although negative environmental effects and other factors have obstructed the diffusion of new extraction methods. In Europe, Polish production is expected to start in the next few years, although environmental concerns are delaying the onset. The rise in the importance of shale energy will increase global oil and gas production markedly. The rising global supplies will improve global energy security in the long run and help to stabilise the large international price differences for natural gas.


OBJECTIVES
This study examined the possible association between agricultural and horticultural work and the subsequent morbidity of Parkinson's disease.

METHODS
Fixed cohorts of 2,273,872 men and women aged 20-59 years on 1 January 1981 and identified in the Central Population Register of Denmark were followed, and all first-time hospitalizations with Parkinson's disease as the principal diagnosis during the 13 years until 31 December 1993 were recorded. Standardized hospitalization ratios (SHR) were calculated using all gainfully employed persons as the standard and by multiplying the ratio by 100. Ninety-five percent confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated on the assumption of a Poisson distribution.

RESULTS
A high risk of Parkinson's disease was found for the men and women in agriculture and horticulture (134 cases, SHR 132, 95% CI 111-156). Statistically significantly high risks were found for farmers (79 cases, SHR 130, 95% CI 103-163) and for all men in agriculture and horticulture (109 cases, SHR 134, 95% CI 109-162).

CONCLUSIONS
A consistent pattern of high Parkinson's disease morbidity was found among occupational groups employed in agriculture and horticulture.


Although studies in scholarly journals suggest that corporate philanthropic activities may enhance corporate reputation, little systematic research on this effect exists. In fact, our knowledge of consumer responses to corporate philanthropic initiatives is limited. While corporate success relies on the support of customers, business benefits from corporate generosity - such as improved corporate reputation - are lacking. This dissertation investigates consumer perceptions of corporate philanthropy. Specifically, it explores the congruence among consumer perceptions of different philanthropic cause types, their geographical deployment, and the company-cause fit. Moreover, it aims to provide an understanding of the link between corporate philanthropy and corporate reputation by highlighting the role of ethnocentrism in shaping this relationship. The empirical research draws on balance theory, the sociological concept of ethnocentrism, and cultural dimensions to provide a framework and model for the relationship between consumer Attitudes toward Corporate Philanthropy and Customer-based Corporate Reputation. I employ three methodological approaches (interpretive, experimental, and survey-based) to investigate three sets of research questions. Firstly, an exploratory design is employed to uncover consumer and corporate perceptions of corporate philanthropy. Secondly, an experimental design is used to shed light on consumer evaluations of different corporate philanthropic causes and their dimensions by testing three propositions. Finally, a survey design is applied to test six hypotheses, and consequently to provide an understanding of the link between corporate philanthropy and corporate reputation in two distinct cultural contexts. The latter consists of two large-scale surveys in which two leading telecommunication companies, one in Austria and one in Egypt, are examined. Data is analyzed by applying qualitative computing, nonparametric tests, regression analyses, and structural equation modeling.

Three consumer views emerge from the interviews: egoistic, altruistic, and pragmatic. The corporate view, in contrast, is largely of strategic nature (i.e. gaining sustainable competitive advantage by means of responsible management). Some weak ethnocentric tendencies appear in terms of consumer preferences for domestic philanthropic support as opposed to distant support. Furthermore, findings point toward congruence in the perceived importance of social causes by consumers, with health-related causes favored most and art-related causes least. The geographical focus of corporate philanthropy (i.e. domestic versus distant) is perceived differently for the education-related cause across all seven industries examined in the experiment. For other causes, however, such as health- or environment-related causes, a significant difference is found in the oil and consulting industries, respectively. This indicates that consumers' evaluation of corporate philanthropic activities is partially dependent on the geographical focus. Additionally, results confirm the existence of weak industry-specific preferences. The support of causes with a close fit to the core business is favored by consumers unless another cause type (less industry-related) is perceived as more worthy of support. In terms of corporate reputation, corporate philanthropy has a small to medium impact on perceptions of the corporation in Egypt and Austria, respectively, varying by respondent subgroup. Consumer Ethnocentrism impacts upon Attitude toward Corporate Philanthropy negatively in Egypt, while in Austria, the absence of Consumer Ethnocentrism moderates the relationship between Attitude toward Corporate Philanthropy and Customer-based Corporate Reputation positively and more strongly than moderate Consumer Ethnocentrism.

The research presented in this dissertation advances the extant literature in three important ways. First, it focuses on a relatively neglected area of corporate social responsibility, namely corporate philanthropy - an unconditional contribution by a corporation to a social cause. Second, it embraces corporate reputation as a multidimensional construct (as opposed to a unidimensional construct) and thus contributes to the relatively few studies within reputation measurement that exclusively address the consumer stakeholder group (e.g. Walsh et al. 2009). Furthermore, to best of my knowledge, no scholarly research has examined the relationship between corporate philanthropy and Customer-based Corporate Reputation to date. Third, by examining real customers and real-life companies, this work aims to overcome the limitations of the laboratory settings that have traditionally been preferred in this area of research. For managers, the findings offer valuable consumer insights into corporate philanthropy and indicate strategies to improve business outcomes from philanthropic activities. Suggestions for how corporate philanthropic activities should best be communicated through various channels are provided. In this context, the role of word-of-mouth and social media in disseminating philanthropic information is discussed. (author's abstract)


In this paper we study k-means clustering in the online setting. In the offline setting the main parameters are number of centers, k, and size of the dataset, n. Performance guarantees are given as a function of these parameters. In the online setting new factors come into place: the ordering of the dataset and whether n is known in advance or not. One of the main results of this paper is the discovery that these new factors have dramatic effects on the quality of the clustering algorithms. For example, for constant k: (1) $\Omega(n)$ centers are needed if the order is arbitrary, (2) if the order is random and n is unknown in advance, the number of centers reduces to $\Theta(logn)$, and (3) if n is known, then the number of centers reduces to a constant. For different values of the new factors, we show upper and lower bounds that are exactly the same up to a constant, thus achieving optimal bounds.


The concept of thumbnails is common in image representation. A thumbnail is a highly compressed version of an image that provides a small, yet complete visual representation to the human eye. We propose the adaptation of the concept of thumbnails to the domain of documents, whereby a thumbnail of any document can be generated from its semantic content, providing an adequate amount of information about the documents. However, unlike image thumbnails, document thumbnails are mainly for the consumption of software such as search engines, and other content processing systems. With the advent of the semantic web, the requirement for machine processing of documents has become extremely important. We give particular attention to electronic documents in XML and in RDF/XML, with a view towards the processing of documents in the semantic web.


Abstract In this article we critically consider the idea that feminism has performatively failed within the discipline of International Relations. One aspect of this failure relates to the production of sexgender through feminism which we suggest is partly responsible for a weariness inflecting feminist scholarship, in particular as a critical theoretical resource. We reflect on this weariness in the context of the study and practice of international politics – arenas still reaping the potent benefits of the virile political energies reverberating since 9/11. To illustrate our arguments we re-count a familiar feminist fable of militarisation – a story which we use to exemplify how the production of feminist IR is 'set' up to 'fail'. In so doing we clarify our depiction of feminism as seemingly haunted by its inherent paradoxes as well as explaining why it matters to discuss feminism within the locale of the academic study of international politics. We conclude with a consideration of the grammar of temporality that delimits representations of feminism and move to recast feminist failure as aporetic and concomitantly implicated in the process of intervening politically.


Through a detailed systematic study, we determined the parameters critical for high-quality, single-layer graphene formation and developed a straightforward synthesis that requires no explosive hydrogen or methane gas flow. The synthesis is further simplified by using only a liquid carbon source such as methanol. Of over a dozen liquid carbon sources studied, methanol is found to be unique in that it acts as both a carbon/hydrogen source and an inhibitor to amorphous carbon growth. No deposition of amorphous carbon was observed, regardless of vapor pressure, unlike methane and other hydrocarbons. Finally, we describe a protocol to control graphene growth to a single side or selected location on the copper substrate, which is required for most device applications. Using our novel methods, we have prepared high-quality, single-layer graphene samples at the inch scale that have been thoroughly characterized with Raman spectroscopy, optical transmittance, scanning electron microscopy and sheet resistance measurements. Our method is safe, simple, and economical and will be of value to both fundamental researchers and nanodevice engineers.


An inverse correlation has been described between the levels of DNA methylation in specific segments of adenovirus DNA integrated into the genomes of transformed and tumor cells and the extent to which these segments are expressed as messenger RNA. In the adenovirus type 2 (Ad2)-transformed hamster cell lines HE2 and HE3, the virus-specific DNA binding protein (DBP) is not expressed, and the DNA in the DBP gene is completely methylated in all 5'-CCGG-3' sites. At least part of the late promoter/leader sequence of the DBP gene is present in cell lines HE2 and HE3. In line HE1, on the other hand, the DBP is expressed, and the DNA in the DBP gene is unmethylated at the 5'-CCGG-3' (HpaII) sites. The late promotor/leader sequence of the DBP gene is expressed in cytoplasmic RNA isolated from line HE1. The effect of DNA methylation has also been tested in vitro in a microinjection system using Xenopus laevis oocytes. Unmethylated DNA fragments of Ad2 (E2a region) have been found to serve as active templates. When the same fragments are methylated at the 5'-CCGG-3' sites by the HpaII DNA-methyltransferase, viral RNA synthesis is inhibited upon microinjection into oocyte nuclei. These results provide direct evidence for the notion that DNA methylated at highly specific sites is somehow involved in the regulation of gene expression.


Allograft arthroplasty is a promising cartilage-resurfacing technique. A 14-year-old horse was diagnosed with a medial femoral condyle subchondral bone cyst. Allografts were harvested from a young donor animal and implanted to fill the cyst cavity. A visual assessment of the surgical site was possible during follow-up arthroscopy. In addition to a desirable gliding surface and a good adaptation of the grafts, fibrillation of the cranial ligament of the medial meniscus was noted and debrided. The recipient horse became sound four months after follow-up surgery with a high level of owner satisfaction. In conclusion allograft transplantation is a promising technique for treating subchondral bone cysts.


The simultaneous effect of raw materials (A, B and C) on physical and technological properties of brick compositions was studied. This investigation was carried out using the statistical design of mixture experiments. Ten mixtures of three raw materials were selected and used in the experiments design. Those mixtures were processed under conditions similar to those found in the ceramics industry. Fired body characterisation results were then used to iteratively calculate statistically significant and valid regression equations (trace plots), relating linear firing shrinkage, open porosity, fired bending strength and water absorption with the proportions of raw materials. The microstructures of some selected samples were studied using scanning electron microscopy. Mixtures with high clay B contents were most adequate to produce, under constant processing conditions, a brick with specified properties. The microstructures are characterized by a low closed porosity and absence of vitreous phase.


Introduction Women with pelvic venous insufficiency often present with lower extremity symptoms and manifestations of chronic venous disorders. The purpose of this investigation was to determine the incidence of lower extremity chronic venous disorders and the types and distribution of lower extremity veins involved in patients with a known diagnosis of pelvic venous insufficiency. Methods Between January 2012 and December 2015, we retrospectively reviewed the charts of 227 women with pelvic venous insufficiency as well as their lower extremity venous duplex investigations. Presenting symptoms, Clinical, Etiology, Anatomy, Pathophysiology (CEAP) class, initial revised Venous Clinical Severity Score (rVCSS) and the types of lower extremity veins with reflux and their locations were noted. Patients were also subcategorized according to their primary pelvic disorder as follows: Entire cohort (PVI), Ovarian vein reflux (OVR), Iliac vein stenosis (IVS) or both (OVR + IVS). Results The study group consisted of 227 women (454 limbs) with documented pelvic venous insufficiency. The average age was 44.71 ± 10.2 years. In decreasing order, patients presented with the following lower extremity symptoms: pain (66%), swelling (32%), heaviness (26%), limb fatigue (13%), itching (13%), leg cramps (10%), skin changes or Superficial Venous Thrombosis (SVT) (2%) and ulceration or bleeding (0.08%). Table 1 outlines the CEAP class for 215 of the 227 patients. For the entire cohort, 48% of right and 50% of left limbs demonstrated C0 or C1 disease. The incidence and type of symptomatic lower extremity veins were as follows: any axial vein, 32%; great saphenous vein (GSV), 21%; small saphenous vein (SSV), 11%; GSV and SSV, 5%; non-saphenous tributaries, 15%; saphenous tributaries, 12%; posterior or postero-lateral thigh distribution, 5%; vulvar distribution, 4%; perforators, 4%; deep veins, 2%; and anterior accessory saphenous veins, 1%. For the GSV and SSV, the following patterns of reflux were observed: entire GSV, 4%; entire above knee GSV, 2%; entire below knee GSV, 2%; above knee segmental GSV, 20%; below knee segmental GSV, 21%; above and below knee GSV segmental disease, 1%; entire SSV, 4%; and SSV segmental disease, 12%. The incidence of reflux in any axial vein, the GSV and anterior accessory GSV was greater in the OVR group compared to IVS or OVR + IVS (p ≤ 0.03). In addition, 64 of 227 (28%) patients had a history of prior lower extremity venous ablations: OVR (10/39, 26%), IVS (15/50, 30%) and OVR + IVS (39/127, 9%). The number of ablations per patient was as follows—OVR: 1.48 ± 0.5, IVS: 1.7 ± 0.7 and OVR + IVS: 1.65 ± 0.7. Conclusion At least 50% of patients with pelvic venous insufficiency present with lower extremity venous disease. The incidence of reflux in any axial vein is greatest in the OVR group suggesting a correlation with hormonal fluctuations and pregnancy. The majority of symptomatic patients present with segmental axial GSV or SSV disease. Although vulvar and gluteal escape veins are highly associated with pelvic venous insufficiency, they are infrequently observed. In patients who experience residual or persistent symptoms after treatment for chronic venous disorders, a pelvic venous ultrasound should be performed to assess the presence of pelvic venous insufficiency.


Abstract : Polarographic studies of several antiradiation drugs were performed and it was found that although the mercaptans be have alike a remarkable difference exists in the polarography of their disulfides. The catalytic mercaptan waves were studied. Under favorable experimental conditions these waves can be applied to the quantitative determination of traces of mercaptans, disulfides, and thiosulfates, and in the study of the changes which occur in albumin upon ultraviolet (UV) irradiation in the absence and presence of radiation protective agents. The experiments show that antiradiation drugs can preclude denaturation of albumin through UV irradiation. The effects of UV irradiation prior to investigating the changes in albumin upon exposure to ionizing irradiation were also studied since the reactions occurring during UV irradiation probably precede those which occur upon exposure to high energy irradiation. A quantitative study of structural changes in albumin is the determination of the reactivity of sulfhydryl and disulfide groups in relation to physical changes, such as viscosity and optical rotation of the protein upon exposure to radiation in the presence and absence of radiation protective agents. In this way it is possible to obtain a better insight into the mechanism of the radiation effects on protein and of the action of radiation protective agents in biological systems. (ASUTHOR)


Invasions of exotic invertebrates have greatly altered many aquatic communities, but impacts on the foraging energetics of predators seldom have been assessed. In San Francisco Bay, California (USA), a major community change occurred with introduction of the Asian clam (Potamocorbula amurensis) in 1986. This species now greatly outnumbers the previous clam prey of a variety of sharks, rays, sturgeon, flatfish, and crabs, as well as several diving duck species for which the bay is the most important wintering area on the U.S. Pacific Coast. P. amurensis also accumulates much higher levels of some contaminants than the formerly dominant prey. Because alteration of the food base or contaminated foods on wintering areas may be factors in the population decline of scaup ducks, effects of this exotic invasion are important to assess. For Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis), we studied effects of differences in nutrient content, digestibility, crushing resistance of shells, areal density, size, and depth in the sediments on the relative foraging value of exotic P. amurensis vs. the formerly dominant native clam Macoma balthica. P. amurensis, including shells, had higher nitrogen and energy content per clam of the same length class, and higher digestibility of energy, than M. balthica. Gut retention time did not differ between clam species, so their relative profitability for scaup was determined mainly by the intake rate of digestible nutrients during short, costly dives. For scaup foraging in an aquarium 1.8 m deep, intake rates (number of prey per second) of food items buried in sand-filled trays increased with increasing prey density up to at least 4000 prey/m2. For items buried 3 cm deep, intake rates did not differ for prey <6 mm long vs. prey 6–12 mm long; however, intake rates were much lower when prey were deeper in the sediments (6 cm vs. 3 cm). In the field, a much higher percentage of P. amurensis were in the length range most commonly eaten by Lesser Scaup (<12 mm), and unlike M. balthica, almost all P. amurensis were in the top 5 cm of sediments where scaup intake rates are highest. In tensometer measurements, shells of P. amurensis were much harder to crush than shells of M. balthica, which might partly offset the apparent energetic advantages of P. amurensis. In many respects, the exotic P. amurensis appears to be a more valuable food than the native M. balthica for Lesser Scaup. However, because P. amurensis accumulates much higher levels of some contaminants, this exotic invasion increases the risk of toxicity to scaup and a range of other benthic predators.


This study aims to provide an overview of visually impaired cyclists' difficulties with independent cycling in the Netherlands. Normally sighted cyclists (n = 109) and visually impaired cyclists (n = 197) and former cyclists (n = 22) completed an online questionnaire on potential cycling difficulties related to visual function, bicycle control, and contextual factors. The former cyclists were asked to what extent these difficulties were crucial for them to stop cycling. Overall, the visually impaired cyclists reported having most difficulties with light–dark transitions, crossing intersections without traffic lights, and other traffic participants' bad visibility. The former cyclists' determinants to stop cycling were similar to the difficulties reported by those who still cycle. The nature and the origination of the visual function limitations may induce specific difficulties in cycling. However, the ability to cycle does not depend on the visual functions alone, but also on the ability to compensate sufficiently for the visual function limitations. In conclusion, using minimal vision requirements for cycling unnecessarily excludes many visually impaired people from independent cycling. Mobility trainers are recommended to give cycling training and advice based on a practical test of the client's individual ability to compensate for the visual limitations.


The enantiomers of a racemic photoresponsive material represent two distinct states that can be modulated with irradiation at a single wavelength by changing the handedness ofthe light. Dynamic control over molecular chirality was obtained by the interconversion of enantiomers of helically shaped molecules with either left or right circular polarized light (CPL). Photoresolution of the bistable compound as a dopant in a nematic liquid crystalline phase by CPL irradiation led to a chiral mesoscopic phase. The chiral information inherent to CPL is therefore transmitted to the bistable molecule, followed by amplification and macroscopic expression of the chirality.


Objective. To identify variations in standards of neonatal care in the first week of life that might have contributed to deaths in infants who were born at 27 and 28 weeks' gestation. Methods. A case-control study was conducted of infants who were born at 27 and 28 weeks' gestation in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland during a 2-year period. Cases were neonatal deaths; control subjects were randomly selected survivors at day 28. Main outcome measures were failures of prespecified standards of care or deficiencies in care reported by regional panels assessing anonymized medical records. Results. Failures of standards of care relating to ventilatory support (adjusted odds ratio [OR]: 3.29; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.97–5.49), cardiovascular support (OR: 2.37; 95% CI :1.36–4.13), and thermal care (OR: 1.71; 95% CI: 1.21–2.43) were associated with neonatal death. Frequencies of unmet resuscitation standards (range: 3%–46%) and of delays in surfactant administration (range: 38%–40%) were similar in cases and control subjects. Panels identified significantly more deficiencies in all aspects of neonatal care in cases with the exception of the management of infection. Stratification by clinical condition of infants at birth showed a stronger association between overall standard of care and death when infants were in a good condition at birth. Conclusions. Our findings suggest an association between quality of neonatal care and neonatal deaths, most marked for early thermal care and ventilatory and cardiovascular support. Poor overall quality of care was more strongly associated with deaths when the infant was in a good condition at birth.


: About 10 years after bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) appeared in British cattle, a new variant of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (nv-CJD) was described in the United Kingdom. This new disease is distinguishable from classical CJD in its aetiology, epidemiology, clinical profile, and neuropathology. The emergence of nv-CJD raised fears of a causal relationship between BSE and nv-CJD and of a human epidemic of indeterminate size. This paper reviews our knowledge of this group of diseases, and examines recent scientific evidence, which indicates that BSE is indeed the source of nv-CJD, and discusses the public health implications.


Since the enactment of the Japanese Code of Criminal Procedure and the Juvenile Code in 1948 no major reforms have taken place in the field of criminal procedure law and juvenile law for almost fifty years. In the meantime, only a few changes have been brought about by decisions of the Supreme Court. In 1999 and 2000, however, for the first time the legislator resolved to undertake broad reforms. In 1999 a law was introduced that authorizes eavesdropping under specific conditions. In 2000 two laws passed the diet that aim at a better protection of the interests of crime victims. In addition, the Code of Criminal Procedure and the Juvenile Code have been amended. The reform of the Juvenile Code changed juvenile procedure so that prosecutors can be admitted to participate in the trial before the family court, and cases of more severe juvenile crimes are generally to be brought before a criminal court instead of the family court. In 2004, further reforms have taken place. By adopting two new laws, the legislator introduced a system allowing participation of lay assessors (saiban-in) in trials, and provided a new set of rules for legal aid. Moreover, another amendment of the Code of Criminal Procedure laid the legal grounds for the right of the suspect to an assigned counsel already during the preliminary proceedings. The author is quite critical about many aspects of the recent reforms. He argues that the new law that allows the Japanese police to eavesdrop private telecommunication violates the Japanese Constitution's Art. 21 (secrecy of communication) and Art. 35 (certainty of judicial warrants). Furthermore, he rejects the reforms in juvenile law, because they constitute an undesirable step towards convergence of criminal proceedings and juvenile proceedings. There was also no reasonable justification for the recent reform and the corresponding tightening of juvenile proceedings, such as lowering the minimum age at which the juvenile can be indicted before a criminal court to the age of fourteen. Moreover, he disagrees with some aspects of the laws for the promotion and protection of victims, and the concrete alterations they brought about. He particularly criticizes the new right of victims to present their opinions and feelings in trials, arguing that this kind of measure would only be acceptable under the following circumstances: (1) if the trial was in principle divided into two parts, with one part dealing only with the fact-finding and another concentrating on the sentence; and (2) if the victim had a right only to present his or her views in the second part. This opinion is justified by pointing out that in the phase of fact-finding it is not yet clear if the accused was the offender, yet the presentation by the victim already implies the accused's guilt. Therefore, the author argues that giving the victim the opportunity to participate in trials, in the way now provided by law, constitutes a violation of one of the basic principles of criminal procedure law, the presumption of innocence. On the other hand, he criticizes inadequate psychological, medical and financial assistance for victims in Japan, and argues that the promotion of such forms of aid is much more important than the promotion of procedural rights. Generally, the author opposes the direction the reforms seem to take. In his view, most of them have the main purpose of expanding and further promoting the efficiency of criminal prosecution. Since the legal position of defendants in Japan after the reform remains generally much too weak, he votes for the promotion of an accused's rights in the course of criminal proceedings instead. (The Editors)


Birks et al. question our proposition that trees survived the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) in Northern Scandinavia. We dispute their interpretation of our modern genetic data but agree that more work is required. Our field and laboratory procedures were robust; contamination is an unlikely explanation of our results. Their description of Endletvatn as ice-covered and inundated during the LGM is inconsistent with recent geological literature.


I would like to comment on the interesting report by Emre et al 1 associating Chlamydia pneumoniae infection and reactive airway disease in children. They found evidence for C pneumoniae infection in 25 (21.2%) of 118 children with acute episodes of wheezing; nine had positive cultures for C pneumoniae but did not have diagnostic antibody, 13 had diagnostic antibody but had negative cultures, and three had positive cultures and positive serologic results. They also report that eradication of the organism after the treatment of wheezing in children with positive cultures was associated with symptomatic and laboratory improvement. They hypothesize that chronic C pneumoniae infection can produce chronic airway inflammation and bronchial hyperresponsiveness. Their data also support their statement that use of serologic testing alone would have underestimated the prevalence of C pneumoniae infection in children. An unanswered question raised by their data is: Did some children with negative cultures and


In the present investigation we analyze the impact of magnetic field on the stagnation-point flow of a generalized Newtonian Carreau fluid. The convective surface boundary conditions are considered to investigate the thermal boundary layer. The leading partial differential equations of the current problem are altered to a set of ordinary differential equations by picking local similarity transformations. The developed non-linear ordinary differential equations are then numerically integrated via Runge-Kutta Fehlberg method after changing into initial value problems. This investigation explores that the momentum and thermal boundary layers are significantly influenced by various pertinent parameters like the Hartmann number M, velocity shear ratio parameter α, Weissenberg number We, power law index n, Biot number γ and Prandtl number Pr. The analysis further reveals that the fluid velocity as well as the skin friction is raised by the velocity shear ratio parameter. Moreover, strong values of the Hartmann number correspond to thinning of the momentum boundary layer thickness while quite the opposite is true for the thermal boundary layer thickness. Additionally, it is seen that the numerical computations are in splendid consent with previously reported studies.


Since the turn of the twenty-first century, developed countries have engaged in a race for the best and the brightest. States have been lowering barriers to entry and actively recruiting talent from abroad as the premium on human capital has increased in today's knowledge economies and as demographic problems due to aging and low fertility are becoming a reality. What is interesting is that formerly immigration-adverse, non-traditional immigration states are now opening their doors to this pool of highly skilled migrants. From permanent residency to temporary visas not requiring employer sponsorship, states attempt to sweeten their offers to global talent so the latter would come to their shores. Even more interestingly, notwithstanding the current global economic turmoil, states continue to invite and retain well-educated migrants, while low-skilled migrant labor is turned away. This paper analyses immigration policies since the beginning of the global financial crisis in 2008. Based on this background, the paper presents a non-linear dynamic model where the attraction of global talent is influenced by both countries' immigration policies and the stock of highly-educated migrants. The model is used to simulate the effects of loosened immigration restrictions on the accumulation of global talent.


High-school student participation in rowing has increased over the last two decades. Due to the physical intensity of rowing, this sport may be expected to be male dominant while the female lightweight category may be expected to be non-competitive. Over the years, junior rowers may have become faster, and they may be expected to demonstrate their largest improvement by age 16. The purpose of this study was to test these expectations with hypothesis-driven experiments while presenting a glimpse into the world of high-school rowing by analyzing World Indoor Rowing Championship data. This dataset was obtained from ergometer machines used for rowing on land. The analysis showed that the participation of junior women has been exceeding the participation of junior men in the heavyweight class. We found that the key feature determining the performance of a rower is first sex and then weight class, but it is possible for a female rower to be faster than a male rower. Rowing has become more competitive in all categories except male heavyweight. We tested whether a junior rower achieves the largest ergometer time improvement by age 16 and accepted this hypothesis except for the female lightweight rowers. Additionally, for each category, we built the 2000-meter ergometer time distribution, which junior rowers can use to assess current performance and understand what they should achieve for top placement. Finally, we developed models predicting future ergometer times based on current performance, sex, weight class, and target percentile rank to guide junior rowers in their journey.


Volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) deposits, an important base-metal deposit type in China, occur widely in submarine volcanic districts of variable magmatic affinities. These VMS deposits range in age from Archean to Mesozoic, but most are in Proterozoic and Paleozoic sequences. More than 60% of VMS deposits formed in the Paleozoic, the most important metallogenic eon. Three important Paleozoic VMS-metallogenic provinces include Northern Qilian, Sanjiang and Altai provinces. The Proterozoic constitutes the next important era, but with no VMS deposits in the middle Proterozoic. VMS deposits associated with the Proterozoic volcanic rocks occur around the Yangtze Platform and in the western Kunlun-Qinling. The Triassic is third in importance, with VMS deposits concentrated in the Sanjiang Tethys. The Archean has only one VMS deposit, on the northern margin of the Sino-Korea Platform. Five distinct compositional classes of Chinese VMS deposits have been distinguished: Cu, Cu-Zn (or Zn-Cu), Cu-Fe, Zn-Pb-Cu, and Pb-Zn (-Cu). The Cu, Cu-Co, and Cu-Zn types of deposits occur sporadically from the Archean to Paleozoic, and are closely associated with mafic and ultramafic volcanic sequences. The Zn-Pb-Cu and some Cu-Zn type deposits are restricted to the Paleozoic and Triassic, and are hosted by calc-alkaline felsic rocks in bimodal basalt-rhyolite sequences, whereas Cu-Fe and Pb-Zn type (except for the Laochang deposit) deposits are restricted to the Proterozoic and occur in calc-alkaline volcanic sequences. As large quantities of marine mafic volcanic rocks were deposited in western China, Cu and Cu-Zn deposits are major types of Chinese VMS deposits. Chinese VMS deposits formed in a wide range of paleo-tectonic settings and depositional environments, such as island-arcs, rifts, aulacogens, and ocean ridge hot spots. Among these, the rift and back-arc environments are the most important, containing about 60% of Chinese VMS deposits. Aulacogens are a subordinate environment where most of the Proterozoic VMS deposits formed. The oceanic ridge and hot-spot systems are common in the tectono-magmatic domains in China, but contain only a few small Cu and Cu-Zn type VMS deposits. The Chinese VMS deposits have usually been influenced by both deformation and metamorphism to various degrees, resulting in changes in the shape and metal distribution. Seven representative deposit styles have been recognized: sheets, sheet plus strata-bound stringer, cyclically zoned deposits, mounds, mound-like deposits, strata-bound stringer-disseminated, and stockwork-disseminated deposits. The formation of these various styles of deposits is controlled by several key factors, such as lithology and permeability of the host rocks, focused or unfocused discharge, temperature and chemical composition (e.g., salinity) of hydrothermal fluids, as well as depth of seawater.


This paper proposes the concept of "virtual sensor data" and its application for real time obstacle avoidance. The virtual sensor data is virtual distance which takes care of the movement of the obstacle as well as that of the robot. In practical application, the virtual sensor data is calculated from the odometry data and the range sensor data. The virtual sensor data can be used in all the methods which use distance data for collision avoidance. Since the virtual sensor data considers the movement of the robot and the obstacle, the methods utilizing the virtual sensor data results in more smooth and safer collision-free motion.