Numerous scholars have illustrated how African American teachers' past experiences provide them a philosophical vision committed to teaching for social and educational change for African American students. This article draws from this body of work by looking at the diverse ways five African American male teachers used their past experiences to shape their vision for working with African American male students. However, this article also extends this body of work by illustrating that while the teachers in this study had similar commitments to working with African American males, their varied life experiences and social locations provided them different sources of practical and philosophical knowledge. These findings illustrate the diversity of experiences these teachers drew from, thus troubling the common sense discourses that essentialize African American male teachers as one-dimensional monolithic role models.


We investigate the origins of phase transformation hysteresis in electrodes of Li-ion batteries, focusing on the alloying reaction of Li with Sb. Electrochemical measurements confirm that the reaction path followed during Li insertion into Sb electrodes differs from that followed upon subsequent Li extraction. Results from first-principles calculations and NMR measurements indicate that Li3Sb is capable of tolerating high Li-vacancy concentrations. An unusually high Li mobility in Li3Sb facilitates over potentials during charging, which leads to a substantially larger driving force for the nucleation of Sb compared to that of Li2Sb. The differences in nucleation driving forces arise from a lever effect that favors phases with large changes in Li concentration over phases that are closer in composition along the equilibrium path. These properties provide an explanation for the observed path hysteresis between charge and discharge in the Li–Sb system and likely also play a role in intercalation compounds and other alloying reactions exhibiting similar phase transformation hysteresis.


This report covers primarily the initiation, outcomes and recommendations of this HEA/UKCISA Connections pilot project undertaken mainly from March to June 2012 and collaboratively by the Technology School, the b.i.b. International College, the Enterprise Europe EISC Ltd and Solent Students Union.

The report abstracts from, and refers to, the Open Educational Resource (OER) ebook-format output from the project. This contains considerably more detail including all the underpinning employer & student survey data and interview transcripts of 7 transnational work placement students (6 b.ib. students in the Hampshire region and 1 Solent student in Munich) and their respective employers.


Information of initial flat blank and final workpiece is prerequisite and satisfactory blank configuration and thickness distribution can be obtained, which is very important at the preliminary design stage. The theory and improvements of inverse analysis method of sheet metal forming based on deformation theory of plasticity is explored. In order to take into account the bending effects, this approach with CST membrane element and DKT6 plate bending element superposed to obtain the DKT12 shell element is fully introduced. An ideal reverse deformation method is implemented to improve the initial solution obtained by radical length development method. Application to a square box deep drawing case is presented with emphasis on the efficiency and usefulness of the proposed improved methods.


Background: Sexual reproduction of scleractinians has captured the attention of researchers and the general public for decades. Although extensive ecological data has been acquired, underlying molecular and cellular mechanisms remain largely unknown. In this study, to better understand mechanisms underlying gametogenesis, we isolated ovaries and testes at different developmental phases from a gonochoric coral, Euphyllia ancora, and adopted a transcriptomic approach to reveal sex- and phase-specific gene expression profiles. In particular, we explored genes associated with oocyte development and maturation, spermiogenesis, sperm motility / capacitation, and fertilization.Results: 1.6 billion raw reads were obtained from 24 gonadal samples. De novo assembly of trimmed reads, and elimination of contigs derived from symbiotic algae (Symbiodiniaceae) and other organisms yielded a reference E. ancora gonadal transcriptome of 35,802 contigs. Differential gene expression analysis of 4 developmental phases of ovaries and testes identified 2,023 and 678 differentially expressed genes in oogenesis and spermatogenesis, respectively. In premature/mature ovaries, 631 genes were specifically upregulated, with 538 in mature testes. Upregulated genes included those involved in gametogenesis, gamete maturation, sperm motility / capacitation, and fertilization in other metazoans, including humans. Meanwhile, a large number of genes without homology to sequences in the SWISS-PROT database were also observed among upregulated genes in premature / mature ovaries and mature testes.Conclusions: Our findings show that scleractinian gametogenesis shares many molecular characteristics with that of other metazoans, but it also possesses unique characteristics developed during cnidarian and/or scleractinian evolution. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to create a gonadal transcriptome assembly from any scleractinian. This study and associated datasets provide a foundation for future studies regarding gametogenesis and differences between male and female colonies from molecular and cellular perspectives. Furthermore, our transcriptome assembly will be a useful reference for future development of sex-specific and/or stage-specific germ cell markers that can be used in coral aquaculture and ecological studies.


Clinical imaging plays an essential role in cancer care and research for diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment response assessment. Major advances in imaging informatics to support medical imaging have been made during the last several decades. More recent informatics advances focus on the special needs of oncologic imaging, yet gaps still remain. We review the current state, limitations, and future trends in imaging informatics for oncology care including clinical and clinical research systems. We review information systems to support cancer clinical workflows including oncologist ordering of radiology studies, radiologist review and reporting of image findings, and oncologist review and integration of imaging information for clinical decision making. We discuss informatics approaches to oncologic imaging including, but not limited to, controlled terminologies, image annotation, and image-processing algorithms. With the ongoing development of novel imaging modalities and imaging biomarkers, we expect these systems will continue to evolve and mature.


This study discusses ideological effects on media content. According to Hallin (1986), while journalists serve as defender and sanctifier in the conciliation field; expose, blame and exclude those who are out of political conciliation in the deviance area. Antagonism between soldier and power in Turkey takes place in the deviance area via the news. In the discourse which have taken place in the national press in recent years; hegemonic military and civil elites are observed to be driven out to the existing routine. While the power of Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) in Turkey is untouchable and inarguable, Hallin (1986) with news discourse is taken out of the conciliation area and driven into the deviance area. To open the process of interchanging the hegemonic into discussion via the news in the press makes the observation of ideological routing of the press inevitable. The observation of news about TAF will be carried out upon the discourse theory of Laclau and Mouffe. In private sense; "Sledgehammer Coup Plan" published in national press Taraf Newspaper on Jan 20, 2010 is chosen as a sample. This study puts the construction of hegemony, politics and economic structure together via discourses. It is observed that hegemonic ideology opens the position of parties on power into discussion by using media.


Objectives Drugs that target host cell processes can be employed to complement drugs that specifically target viruses, and iminosugar compounds that inhibit host α-glucosidases have been reported to show antiviral activity against multiple viruses. Here the effect and mechanism of two iminosugar α-glucosidase inhibitors, N-butyl-deoxynojirimycin (NB-DNJ) and N-nonyl-deoxynojirimycin (NN-DNJ), on human influenza A viruses was examined. Methods The viruses examined were a recently circulating seasonal influenza A(H3N2) virus strain A/Brisbane/10/2007, an older H3N2 strain A/Udorn/307/72, and A/Lviv/N6/2009, a strain representative of the currently circulating pandemic influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 virus. Results The inhibitors had the strongest effect on Brisbane/10 and NN-DNJ was more potent than NB-DNJ. Both compounds showed antiviral activity in cell culture against three human influenza A viruses in a strain-specific manner. Consistent with its action as an α-glucosidase inhibitor, NN-DNJ treatment resulted in an altered glycan processing of influenza haemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA), confirmed by MS. NN-DNJ treatment was found to reduce the cell surface expression of the H3 subtype HA. The level of sialidase activity of NA was reduced in infected cells, but the addition of exogenous sialidase to the cells did not complement the NN-DNJ-mediated inhibition of virus replication. Using reassortant viruses, the drug susceptibility profile was determined to correlate with the origin of the HA. Conclusions NN-DNJ inhibits influenza A virus replication in a strain-specific manner that is dependent on the HA.


Thermoelectric generators (TEGs) convert waste heat to electricity and are a leading contender for improving energy efficiency at a range of scales. Ideal TE materials show a large Seebeck effect, high electrical conductivity, and low thermal conductivity. Alloying is a widely-used approach to engineering the heat transport in TEs, but despite many successes the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. In previous work, first-principles modelling has successfully been used to study the thermodynamics of alloy formation and to investigate its effect on the electronic structure and phonon spectrum. However, it has so far only been possible to examine qualitatively the impact of alloying on the lattice thermal conductivity. In this work, we develop and test two new approaches to addressing this. The constant relaxation-time approximation (CRTA) assumes the primary effect of alloying is on the phonon group velocities, and allows the thermal conductivity to be calculated assuming a suitable constant lifetime. Alternatively, setting the three-phonon interaction strengths to a constant further enables an assessment of how changes to the phonon frequency spectrum influence the lifetimes. We test both approaches for the Pnma Sn(S1-xSex) alloy system and are able to account for the substantially-reduced thermal conductivity measured in experiments.


Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is widely practised by healthcare professionals to revive heart beat and breathing in a patient suffering from cardiac/ respiratory arrest. It is increasingly being recognized that in some patients with specific medical conditions, CPR does not alter the overall outcome of illness, and is likely to increase suffering and further deteriorate the quality of life. Do Not Attempt Resuscitation (DNAR) as an option has been practised in many countries for such cases to avoid futile CPR and maintain dignity of the patient. The decision of DNAR should be taken by the treating physician who is well versed with the patient's medical condition, with information to the patient or her/his surrogate. While ordering DNAR on the patient's medical case record, every effort should be made to treat the underlying disease and continue optimal medical care with compassion. This policy document describes the principles for DNAR, offers an algorithm and format for its implementation, and guidance on frequently asked questions.


In this paper we present a method for measuring the efficiency for any economical branch. We construct the econometric approach of production frontiers, using the DEA technique (Data envelopment analysis), based on the mathematical programming approach. We effectuate an analysis of some certain data concerning the efficiency or the inefficiency of the branches, using the Efficiency Measurement System Program (EMS).


INTRODUCTION The regulation of cell specification by GSK3 may be universal For metazoans, this generally involves the functional repression of GSK3 by Wnt-mediated canonical signaling. The Wnts are a family of secreted glycoproteins, the canonical signals of which are transduced intracellularly by co-receptors of seven-transmembrane Frizzled (Fz) and LDL receptor-related proteins (LRP) 5/6 There are, however, at least two multicellular systems, C. elegans and Dictyostelium, that use both activating and inhibitory paths for GSK3 regulation of cell fate determination GSK3 activation during endoderm/mesoderm specification in C. elegans is Wnt/Fz dependent. Dictyostelium use a distinct signal, secreted cAMP, that targets a family of specific cell-surface


This paper is a report of ASTM Task Group E24.01.05 on Part-Through Crack Testing. It includes recommendations for the design, preparation, and static fracture testing of surface crack specimens based on the current state of the art. The recommendations are preceded by background information including discussions of stress intensity factors, crack opening displacements, and fracture toughness values associated with surface crack specimens. Cyclic-load and sustained-load tests are discussed briefly. Recommendations for further research are included.


Since their inception in the 1980s, complexity sciences have been described as a revolutionary new domain of research. By describing some of the practices and assumptions of its representatives, the present article shows that this field is an association of subdisciplines laying on existing disciplinary footholds. The general question guiding us here is: On what basis do complexity scientists consider their inquiry methods and results as valuable? To answer it, I describe five "epistemic argumentative regimes," namely the ways in which complexity scientists argue the credibility of their research, and five "ontological views," that is the ways in which they interpret the material and formal causes of their study objects and models. Finally, the article proposes the term of "regime of evidence" to designate the specific combination of one ontological view with one or more epistemic argumentative regimes.


Summary Slumps exposed in Tertiary sediments in Cyprus and the Spanish Pyrenees vary in inferred translation distance from metres to hundreds and possibly thousands of metres. Contractional strain initiates open to tight upright to inclined folds with hinges that are sub-parallel to the strike of the palaeoslope. This strain is produced mainly by pure shear layer parallel shortening as the slump detachment propagates, but may involve a component of simple shear strain. Downslope translation of the failed unit commonly imparts a simple shear strain which tends to tighten folds and rotate fold hinges and fold axial surfaces. Fold hinges rotate towards the downslope direction, and fold axial surfaces rotate towards parallelism with the upper and lower surfaces of the slump. Coaxially refolded folds and sheath folds may also develop. Steeply plunging folds may initiate in slumps, due to the development of steeply dipping shear zones with margins sub-parallel to the downslope direction which accommodate differential downslope movements of segments of the slump. Fold axial surface attitude and fold profile may be used as a rough estimate of the degree of fold rotation.


Background: Tanzania is one of the countries with the highest maternal mortalities in the word and sub Saharan Africa. However, recently there have been reports of a downward trend of this tragedy in Tanzania. Objectives: This study was done to determine the magnitude and the causes of maternal deaths at Dodoma Regional Referral Hospital in Central Tanzania. Methods: A retrospective analysis of all cases of maternal deaths that occurred between January 1 st 2007 and December 31 st 2011was done at Dodoma Regional Referral Hospital. Results: During this period there were 48776 live birth deliveries and 133 maternal deaths giving the average maternal mortality ratio of 273 per 100,000 live births for the period of five years. During this period the hospital had noted a downward trend of maternal deaths from 356/100,000 in 2007 to 273/100,000 at the end of the review period in 2011. The major causes of deaths were, sepsis (31.5%), obstetric hemorrhages (30.3%) eclampsia (19.1) and obstructed labor (11.2%) in the direct causes" category while in the indirect causes" category the leading causes were anemia and malaria in pregnancy, contributing 38.6% and 29.6% respectively. Generally, most women died from direct causes (66.9%) where, sepsis, hemorrhage and obstructed labor claimed most lives. Conclusion: Though the Hospital has recorded a drop in maternal death, the numbers are still unacceptably high and the major causes of deaths have persistently remained fairly high throughout the study period. Keywords: Maternal deaths, Dodoma, Tanzania


Although constructivism is a concept that has been embraced my many teachers over the past 15 years, the meanings that are attached to this term are varied and often inadequately understood. Teachers need to have a sound understanding of what constructivism means to evaluate its promise and to use it knowledgeably and effectively. This paper explicates some of the theoretical background of constructivism and then presents a detailed example in which a traditional classroom lesson and a constructivist version of the same lesson are described and analyzed. Also discussed are pervasive myths and important instructional issues of this widely advocated and increasingly popular philosophical framework for teaching across the entire K-12 curriculum. Introduction Teachers' personal theories of learning have long been viewed as having considerable influence on virtually all aspects of teachers' decisions about instruction. Not only one's expectations for what learning outcomes are to be valued and sought, but also how one plans (i.e., organizes, structures and sequences) instruction is directly impacted by one's beliefs about learning. In addition, teachers' views of learning guide them as they make decisions about desirable means of implementing and assessing instruction. It is popular today to speak of paradigm shifts, and certainly major conceptual changes do occur in virtually all fields of study. Paradigm shifts bring new perspectives, new conceptualizations and new ways of thinking about a topic, large or small. An important area of study in the philosophy of science is what is referred to as scientific revolutions. Two examples from the natural sciences are the dramatic scientific revolution ushered in by Copernicus' conception of the relationship between the sun and earth, and the revolutionary propositions of Darwin's (though less universally accepted, even today) theory of evolution. When a novel conception is introduced it always elicits great resistance. Even as a transformation in general thinking and attitudes develops more support and adherents, there will continue to be resistance to the challenge to the existing order, the comfortable, existing ways of viewing the world. For example, the ideas of Galileo and Copernicus were met with disdain, anger and rejection. But, of course, with time, the established physical order of the universe did become accepted and the earlier views came to be seen as the quaint notions of an earlier uninformed era. Ultimately most if not all the ideas of the older paradigm will be discarded; and this is as it should be when the scientific evidence unequivocally points to a more adequate explanation of certain phenomena. As a new paradigm gains respect and acceptance, a gradual and sometimes relatively rapid process of intellectual disassociation occurs. People take flight from the earlier, now prosaic and apparently inadequate ways of viewing the world with a lens that is no longer capable of clearly capturing "truth." A new, fresh conceptual rendering of a topic, phenomenon or means of investigation is promoted. A new theory is offered to supplant an older theory (Kuhn, 1970). Conceptual change in the social sciences differs somewhat from that in the natural sciences (Thagard, 1992) in large part because the social sciences do not yet have a coherent unifying theory. Thus major conceptual change within a field may better typify significant shifts in the disciplines of the social sciences and education. Nonetheless, the adoption of different theoretical models and application of different assumptions about the nature of human learning has resulted in raging controversies and paradigm shifts within psychology this century (the ascendancy of and subsequent decline of behaviorism; the rise of cognitivism) and in substantial reconceptualizations of philosophy and pedagogy in education. The field of education has undergone a significant shift in thinking about the nature of human learning and the conditions that best promote the varied dimensions of human learning. …


The purpose of this study was to present active shoulder range of motion (ROM) measurements obtained from healthy personsaged 60 years and older. One hundred two volunteers participated this study. The right shoulder of these subjects was examined for active shoulder flexion, abduction, internal and external rotation. Measurements were recorded from a full round plastic goniometer. Results showed that the mean active shoulder ROM was significantly different (p < .0001) than the known American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons' standard for this age group. From the sixth through ninth decade ROM decreased linearly, statistically significant for abduction and external rotation by some decades. Additionally, women had statistically significant greater ROM than men for flexion, abduction and internal rotation. From a clinical perspective it is apparent that individuals sixty years of age and older have less active shoulder ROM than the known standard. These findings should prove useful to clinicians when evalua...


A fundamental prerequisite for becoming an effective leader is being able to lead oneself. This paper presents an experiential exercise that helps individuals become aware of fundamental elements of self-leadership such as managing one's emotions and attitudes; dealing with time constraints, priorities and stress; effective delegation; and working in a team context. In addition, students develop insights regarding their personal orientation towards self-leadership based on their performance during a brief interactive ball tossing activity. At first glance, this exercise appears to be deceptively simple in nature. However, students quickly realize that, as the workload increases exponentially, they must find a way to work together, manage their feelings of stress and anxiety, and establish boundaries in relation to accepting work that doesn't belong to them or that represents an overload of work.


Present-day programs are brittle as computers are notoriously lacking in common sense. While significant progress has been made in building large common sense knowledge bases, they are intrinsically incomplete and inconsistent. This paper presents a novel approach to bridging the gaps between multiple knowledge bases, making it possible to answer queries based on knowledge collected from multiple sources without a common ontology. New assertions are found by computing graph similarity with principle component analysis to draw analogies across multiple knowledge bases. Experiments are designed to find new assertions for a Chinese commonsense knowledge base using the OMCS ConceptNet and similarly for WordNet. The assertions are voted by online users to verify that 75.77% / 77.59% for Chinese ConceptNet / WordNet respectively are good, despite the low overlap in coverage among the knowledge bases.


The primary focus of this thesis is understanding the production of magnetic fields during laser-plasma experiments. Each chapter investigates a different mechanism of producing magnetic fields. The first is from the by-product of launching asymmetric shocks which drive Biermann battery generated magnetic fields. The second looks at the reconnection of magnetic fields between two laser focal spots and the third is from fields produced around a current carrying loop target.

Blast waves are investigated in the laboratory using a fast framing camera to capture multiple images on a single shot. In analysing the images, the blast wave's trajectory is compared to a Sedov-Taylor solution and the coupling of the laser energy into the shock wave is calculated to be 0.5-2%. The evolution of the blast wave's shape is characterised by fitting an ellipse to the outer edge and is observed to progress into a more symmetrical shape. Calculations show that two shocks produced in the interaction cause the change in ellipticity.

We experimentally demonstrate that when two laser spots are placed in close proximity reconnection occurs. Diagnostics, including proton radiography, X-ray detectors and an optical probe, record and diagnose the existence of a semi-collisional reconnection event. The experimental data and simulations show that both Nernst and anisotropic pressure effects need to be taken into account for understanding and predicting the correct plasma dynamics observed.

Magnetic fields are produced by driving a current through a loop attached to two plates and new measurements recording the voltages induced are presented in this thesis. It is found that the predicted values for the resistance, capacitance and inductance do not match those extracted from the experimental data and reasons for these are presented. Ideas for furthering this research to enhance our understanding in this area are given.


Escalating costs are changing the infrastructure in which health care is provided. Managed care programs are financing an ever-increasing share; rationing has already become reality in at least one state; and the federal government is once again examining the concept of a national health care plan. The primary goal of each of these initiatives is to control cost: the increasing cost of providing drug therapy is a major target. Increasing demands for shrinking resources will demand demonstration of value for money spent. Pharmacoeconomics provides a mechanism to establish the value of drug therapy. Using the strategic planning process, the Division of Pharmacy at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center and the Department of Pharmacy Services at Oregon Health Sciences University Hospital and Clinics have developed pharmacoeconomics programs to provide the focus for ensuring that every dollar spent on drug therapy and pharmaceutical services buys the best outcomes. These two case studies illustrate the processes for developing an applied pharmacoeconomics program and the activities such a program should embrace.


The purpose of this study is to examine the use of hydraulic microturbines to make the most of the hydraulic energy available in pressurized water distribution systems. The study was carried out on suitable points of pressurized hydraulic networks, which are managed by Giahsa, a public enterprise responsible for the management of the municipal communities of services (MAS) in the province of Huelva, southwestern Spain. The distribution system situated between the Cabeza del Pasto reservoir in the Andévalo area (Huelva, Spain) and the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in the municipality of Puebla de Guzmán (Huelva, Spain) was examined. To obtain the exact amount of energy which reaches the microturbine, the energy conservation equation considering the loss of energy from friction was used. The results show different locations where it is possible to carry out the installation of a Francis turbine, which can generate an annual energy of approximately 280 MWh per year at the selected point, with an approximate investment cost of €20,000 per year, which means a recovery period of this investment of 2 years.


A two dimensional system of autonomous nonlinear ordinary differential equations models glacier growth and temperature changes on an idealized planet. We apply standard perturbative techniques from dynamical systems theory to study small amplitude periodic orbits about a constant equilibrium. The equations are put in cononical form and the local phase space topology is examined. Maximum and minimum periods of oscillation are obtained and related to the radius of the orbit. An adjacent equilibrium is shown to have saddle character and the inflowing and outflowing manifolds of this saddle are studied using numerical integration. The inflowing manifolds show the region of attraction for the periodic orbit. As the frequency gets small, the adjacent (saddle) equilibrium approaches the radius of the periodic orbit. The bifurcation of the periodic orbit to a stable homoclinic orbit is observed when an inflowing manifold and an outflowing manifold of the adjacent equilibrium cross.


A longitudinal research design was used to investigate the effects of a TQM intervention on teamwork in a manufacturing setting. Indicates that TQM intervention did not have a significant direct effect on teamwork. However, one aspect of the intervention, supervisory reinforcement, had a significant indirect effect on teamwork through its impact on changes in trust in colleagues. Overall, employee assess-ment of the intervention was found to be a better predictor of teamwork than participation in the intervention per se.


Background and Objectives: School health program (SHP) is a critical aspect of the nation's healthcare system integrating education and delivery of health-care services. We sought to explore knowledge of head teachers regarding the SHP and determine their level of implementation. Methods: A survey was conducted of head teachers of privately owned primary and secondary schools in Ilorin. A pretested questionnaire with information on knowledge of SHP and current facilities and practices in their schools was given to head teachers at a training workshop to improve their awareness regarding hygiene and disease prevention in schools. Results: A total of 100 questionnaires were distributed with 84 head teachers returning their completed questionnaires. The mean (standard deviation) age of the head teachers was 43.3 (9.9) years with a female:male ratio of 1.9:1. Thirty-eight (47.5%) of the head teachers had good/adequate knowledge, and female head teachers were statistically more likely to have adequate knowledge Thirty-nine of the schools delivered school health services, most commonly by a health assistant (79.5%). Fifty-nine (73.8%) of the schools had a first aid box. The most common source of water was well water (46.3%). Refuse and sewage disposal was largely by incineration and water closet system, respectively. Conclusion: School head teachers had a poor knowledge of SHP and inadequate school health services in their school.


To determine whether the dosage of some parental factor influences the direction and extent of chromosome segregation, I have constructed hybrids between polyploid series of mouse and Chinese hamster lines. The input ratio of mouse:hamster chromosomes varied from 3.3 (in hybrids between diploid hamster and polyploid mouse cells) and 0.9 (in hybrids between polyploid hamster and near-diploid mouse cells). Mouse chromosomes were retained and hamster chromosomes were lost from all hybrids with input ratios greater than or equal to 1.3; the extent of hamster chromosome loss increased from 25 to 60% as the proportion of mouse chromosomes was increased. Reverse segregation was observed in hybrids in which the ratio was 0.9; hybrids between polyploid hamster and diploid mouse cells retained most hamster chromosomes and lost 52% of mouse chromosomes. I conclude that the direction and extent of chromosome segregation from these hybrids depends on the dosage of some factor contained in the parent cells; because the volumes of polyploid cells are proportional to chromosome number, this factor could be chromosomal, nuclear, or cytoplasmic. Dosage differences should therefore be considered when comparing chromosome segregation from hybrids with cells of the same species combination, but which might differ in chromosome number (e.g., diploid lines and established lines), or cell volume (e.g., cells from different tissues).


In order to gain momentum in the consolidation process of no-tillage systems in Europe's Organic Agriculture, occasional direct seeding (DS) of faba bean (FAB) into a mulch layer of residues from precrop oats should be scrutinized. In contrast to non-legumes, grain legumes do not depend on soil-borne nitrogen due to their ability to fix nitrogen symbiotically. Concerning weed infestation, straw residues left by precrops may at least physically suppress weeds. In order to prove this hypothesis, two field experiments were carried out in 2009 at two sites in the lower Rhineland region, Germany. DS treatments were combined with 0, 4, and 6 t ha-1 of straw residues. Mouldboard ploughing (MP) combined with conventional seedbed preparation was used as control. Compared to the DS treatment without straw residue (0 t ha-1), DS treatments with straw residues (4 and 6 t ha-1, resp.) resulted in significantly lower weed density (70 and 84 % resp.). Neither differences were observed in both shoot dry matter of FAB and weeds for DS with straw residues compared with MP, nor for the grain yields of FAB. We conclude that occasional DS of FAB in OA is successful to reduce annual weeds sufficiently and may not lead to reduced FAB yields.


Abstract Twitter has become an important means of communicating alcohol industry CSR campaigns. However, little is known about individual differences in consumer responses to CSR campaigns in the context of Twitter. An online experiment was conducted to explore the effects of interdependent self-construal on purchase and electronic word of mouth intentions through attitudes toward CSR campaigns on Twitter. Results found that the indirect effects were stronger when the number of Twitter followers was higher. Also, the indirect effects were presented for females, but not for males. Theoretical and managerial implications of these findings were also discussed in more detail.


A Thesis submitted to the Postgraduate School, Ahmadu Bello
University, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the
degree of Master of Science (Soil Science)
Department of Soil Science
Faculty of Agriculture
Ahmadu Be11o University
Zaria, Nigeria


In this paper a new iterative calibration algorithm for an asynchronous CDMA-based antenna array in the presence of unknown gain and phase errors is presented. The algorithm is applicable to a nonuniform array where the number of users could be greater than the number of antennas, and does not require a prior knowledge of the DOAs of the signals of any user. The method requires the code sequence of a reference user only. The proposed algorithm provides us with the joint estimates of the DOAs and the multi-path impulse response of the used signal sources as well as the calibration of the sensor gains and phases, even under multiple access interference. The algorithm is near-far resistant and thus well suited for multi-path fading channel.


Constructed wetlands can mitigate ecological risks to aquatic receiving systems by decreasing concentrations and toxicity of contaminants associated with storm water and point-source wastewater. This paper describes an approach to constructed wetland design for treatment of copper and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD). In constructed wetland microcosm systems, total copper was decreased from 46 μg/L to 12 μg/L (73% removal). Five-day BOD decreased by >50% (approximately 20 mg/L to <10 mg/L) in secondary treated wastewater. This design approach was successful in treating wastewaters to meet regulatory discharge limits.


Author(s): Dimitriadou, Eirini M. | Abstract: This volume is one of the most important works on ancient Athens in the last fifty years. The focus is on the early city, from the end of the Bronze Age—ca. 1200 BCE—to the Archaic period, when Athens became the largest city of the Classical period. From a systematic study of all the excavation reports and surveys in central Athens, the author has synthesized a detailed diachronic overview of the city from the Submycenaean period through the Archaic. It is a treasure-trove of information for archaeologists who work in this period. Of great value as well are the detailed maps included, which present features of ancient settlements and cemeteries, the repositories of the human physical record. Over eighty additional large-scale, interactive maps are available online to complement the book.Series: Monumenta Archaeologica 42


The research was intended to optimize and scientifically evaluate the traditional/ household butter making methods for getting good quality and yield of butter by standardizing cream fat levels and altering churning temperatures during butter making. In the present study, cream fat levels were standardized at 30, 35 and 40% and they were churned at different temperatures (8, 10 and 12°C) for making butter samples. The parameters used for quality assessment of butter were significantly influenced by cream fat levels and churning temperature and their interactions. Higher yield (88%) of butter with more total solids (89.17%) was obtained when cream standardized at 35% fat level and churned at 10°C while less non fat solids and moisture content was observed at these levels. A decreasing trend in pH was accompanied with an increase in fat level and churning temperature in all samples. Free fatty acids increased as a function of cream fat levels and churning temperatures. Most of the organoleptic parameters received higher scores when butter samples were prepared from the cream at 35% fat level and churned at 10°C. Using these conditions of fat levels and churning temperature, high quality butter can be produced at cottage scale. Key words : Butter quality, churning temperature, optimization, cottage scale, sweet cream.


To determine variations in stomatal density and distribution in individual leaves of vine species with different growth/life forms and different habitat types, we quantified and compared leaf-area-based stomatal density, epidermal cell density and stomatal index (percentage of stoma on the epidermis to the total cell number, including epidermal and stomatal cells on the epidermis) of 53 species comprising 19 woody species (lianas) and 34 herbaceous vines growing in Japan. We counted the numbers of stomata on both the adaxial and abaxial leaf surfaces using a light microscope. Stomatal density and distribution on the leaf surfaces varied greatly among species. Most of the creeping herbaceous species had stomata on both the adaxial and abaxial leaf surfaces (amphistomatous); however, lianas had no stomata on the adaxial leaf surface. Species from coastal (probably drier) habitats had greater adaxial to abaxial ratios of stomatal density and stomatal indices compared with species from inland habitats. A positive correlation between stomatal density and epidermal cell density was found on the abaxial/adaxial leaf surfaces of the examined species. This suggests that there is a developmental similarity among vine species in which stomata are developed with differentiation of epidermal cells on the leaf surface. Thus, leaf stomatal density and distribution appear to vary among species with different growth/life forms from different habitats under a developmental constraint of leaf surface in vine plants in Japan.


Innovation research has got a very significant value in modern research. In contemporary galvanized world, supremacy of new innovation strategies has taken over older strategies. Inbound and outbound innovation strategies have moved from resources based closed innovations within the organization to relation based innovations via interaction with outside world of organizations and customers. There have been research on the relationship of these open innovation strategies with organizational performance and innovation performance. But there was a great need of the empirical research on the impacts these strategies make on innovation performance in Malaysian manufacturing industries. As Malaysia is on slide on world innovation index from 31st to 37th in last five years, an alarm for academics, researchers, industry and government. This endeavor meets that objective. After introduction of the main constructs, a detailed literature review is presented. And a research framework is designed on the basis of the literature. AN updated model of innovation is proposed for BOS and innovation performance. This is an empirical study so the hypothesis are formulated. It is a quantitative research study so data was collected from all over the Malaysian manufacturing and services sector to have a detailed view of the industry. Appropriate different statistical tests are applied to display results considering the requirements of industry, academia and other stake holders. In the end results are presented, and the conclusion is provided for the benefits of Malaysian industries and government. Some insights in the future research area are also provided for the researchers


The author interprets humanoid robots as a new communication medium with social interaction. Social interaction is essential for humanoid robots, because such robots are getting more common in social and home environments, such as a pet robot in the living room, a service robot at the office, or a robot serving people at a party. Social skills of such robots require robust, complex perceptual abilities: for example, it identifies people in the room, pays attention to their voices and looks at them to identify visually, and associates voice and visual images. Intelligent behavior of social interaction should emerge from rich channels of input sensors: visual, auditory, tactile, and others. The capabilities of humanoid robots and new communication media motivate us to develop a new remote home appliance control system HRUN (humanoid robots and ubiquitous network system, detailed in Appendix). In addition, the HRUN as a "network robots" example system of convergence of ubiquitous networks and robots is interpreted. In this paper, we describe two topics. First, we describe the results of usability test about the HRUN to over 30 students. The result shows "students want to use the HRUN and expect humanoid robot as a new communication medium. " Second, we describe a limitation of conventional metrology of usability tests. For example, students misunderstand "humanoid robot simulates a human motion - stand straight", since they able to understand the robot's rough motion and think "it's not perfect, but they are getting there". Finally, the author describes the importance of a new metrology of usability tests for the new medium


Targeting proteasome with proteasome inhibitors (PIs) is an approved treatment strategy in multiple myeloma that has also been explored pre-clinically and clinically in other hematological malignancies. The approved PIs target both the constitutive and the immunoproteasome, the latter being present predominantly in cells of lymphoid origin. Therapeutic targeting of the immunoproteasome in cells with sole immunoproteasome activity may be selectively cytotoxic in malignant cells, while sparing the non-lymphoid tissues from the on-target PIs toxicity. Using activity-based probes to assess the proteasome activity profile and correlating it with the cytotoxicity assays, we identified B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL) to express predominantly immunoproteasome activity, which is associated with high sensitivity to approved proteasome inhibitors and, more importantly, to the immunoproteasome selective inhibitors LU005i and LU035i, targeting all immunoproteasome active subunits or only the immunoproteasome β5i, respectively. At the same time, LU102, a proteasome β2 inhibitor, sensitized B-CLL or immunoproteasome inhibitor-inherently resistant primary cells of acute myeloid leukemia, B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, multiple myeloma and plasma cell leukemia to low doses of LU035i. The immunoproteasome thus represents a novel therapeutic target, which warrants further testing with clinical stage immunoproteasome inhibitors in monotherapy or in combinations.


1 (+)-Octanoylcarnitine, a potent inhibitor of fatty acid oxidation, was infused intraportally into rabbits after 70% hepatectomy, and its effects on the rate of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) synthesis were examined. 2. The rate of DNA synthesis was markedly enhanced 48 h after hepatectomy. At this time, synthesis was decreased significantly by (+)-octanoylcarnitine. 3. It is suggested that fatty acid oxidation contributes to enhanced hepatic regeneration by elevating the decreased energy charge level [(ATP + 0.5ADP)/(ATP + ADP + AMP)] of the remnant liver.


Lung cancer is fast becoming the leading cause of death from malignant disease, not only in men but also in women. The prevention of lung cancer entails abstaining from cigarette smoking, which is the main risk factor. The low survival rate of patients suffering from lung cancer, along with the adverse side-effects of chemotherapy in current use, creates a fundamental need for the development of new therapeutic agents and new methods of administration. This review focuses on the anatomical and clinical pathology of lung cancer and the medications currently prescribed in clinical practice for its treatment. Emphasis is given to the administration of anticancer drugs using dry powder inhalers. Aerosolized chemotherapy is described and its advantages and disadvantages are delineated. Research programmes and clinical studies aiming at the formulation of the known anticancer drugs in dry powder aerosols are highlighted. Pneumon 2012, 25(3):298-304.


The requirements of two-way radio applications in the wideband operating frequency are stringent, particularly for the power amplifier (PA) design. A novel design method for a wideband PA matching network for two-way radio applications is proposed. The design method begins with identifying an initial guess of the matching network from the theoretical analysis, followed by a practical design methodology to realise the design in the compact form factor and low cost implementation. Experimental results demonstrated an output power of ∼7 W and an efficiency of about 65%, demonstrated high power performance (including stable operation and ruggedness) from 270 to 560 MHz running at a low DC supply of 7.2 V (with LDMOS device technology).


Two end-member models of Mars' present interior structure are presented: the first model is optimized to satisfy the geochemical data derived from the SNC meteorites in terms of the bulk chondritic ratio Fe/Si- 1.71, while the second model is optimized to satisfy the most probable maximum value C- 0.366 x Mprpof the polar moment of inertia factor. Hydrostatic equilibrium and stationary heat transfer are assumed, and the basic differential equations for the mechanical and thermal structure are solved numerically together with an isothermal Murnaghan-Birch type equation of state truncated in Eulerian strain at forth order. We obtain the radial distribution of mass, hydrostatic pressure, gravity, temperature, and heat flow density along with the corresponding density stratification, viscosity profiles, and the global seismic velocity structure of model Mars. The first model being consistent with the geochemical requirement produces C- 0.357 x Mprp , whereas the second model commensurate with the geophysical constraint gives Fe/Si- 1.35. The calculated central pressure is about 40 GPa in both models, and the central temperature is in the 2000 to 2200 K range. The model calculations suggest a Fe-Ni-FeS core a little less than one half of the planetary radius in size surrounded by a silicate mantle subdivided into lower spinel and upper olivine layers and overlain by a 100- to 250-km thick basaltic crust and a surface heatflow density of 25 to 30 mW m -2. In both models the pressure in the mantle is not sucient for the spinel to perovskite transition to occur. The present thermal lithosphere is estimated to be about 500 km thick and to be subdivided into a 300- km-thick outermost rheological lithosphere and an underlying thermal boundary layer of mantle convection. Given the core sulfur content of 14 wt% as derived from SNC meteorites, the Martian core is found to be entirely molten, implying the nonoperation of a self-sustained dynamo due to the absence of sufficiently vigorous convection.


In recent years, the use of three-dimensional (3D) models in cultural and archaeological heritage for documentation and dissemination purposes has increased. New geomatics technologies have significantly reduced the time spent on fieldwork surveys and data processing. The archaeological remains can be documented and reconstructed in a digital 3D environment thanks to the new 3D survey technologies. Furthermore, the products generated by modern surveying technologies can be reconstructed in a virtual environment on effective archaeological bases and hypotheses coming from a detailed 3D data analysis. However, the choice of technologies that should be used to get the best results for different archaeological remains and how to use 3D models to improve knowledge and dissemination to a wider audience are open questions. This paper deals with the use of terrestrial laser scanners and photogrammetric surveys for the virtual reconstruction of an archaeological site. In particular, the work describes the study for the 3D documentation and virtual reconstruction of the "Sanctuary of Isis" in Lilybaeum, the ancient city of Marsala (southern Italy). The "Sanctuary of Isis" is the only Roman sacred building known in this archaeological area. Based on the survey data, it has been possible to recreate the original volumes of the ancient building and rebuild the two best-preserved floors –a geometric mosaic and an opus spicatum – for a first digital reconstruction of the archaeological complex in a 3D environment.


We present a Markov chain Monte Carlo pipeline which can be used for unbiased large-scale tests of gravity using galaxy cluster observations. The pipeline, which currently uses cluster number counts to constrain the present-day background scalar field $f_{R0}$ of Hu-Sawicki $f(R)$ gravity, fully accounts for the effects of the fifth force on cluster properties including the dynamical mass, the halo concentration and the observable-mass scaling relations. This is achieved using general models which have been calibrated over a wide and continuous mass range ($10^{11}M_{\odot}\lesssim M\lesssim10^{15}M_{\odot}$) using a large suite of cosmological simulations, including the first to simultaneously incorporate both screened modified gravity and full baryonic physics. We show, using mock cluster catalogues, that an incomplete treatment of the observable-mass scaling relations in $f(R)$ gravity, which do not necessarily follow the usual power-law behaviour, can lead to unbiased and imprecise constraints. It is therefore essential to fully account for these effects in future cosmological tests of gravity that will make use of vast cluster catalogues from ongoing and upcoming galaxy surveys. Our constraint framework can be easily extended to other gravity models; to demonstrate this, we have carried out a similar modelling of cluster properties in the normal-branch Dvali-Gabadadze-Porrati model (nDGP), which features a very different screening mechanism. Using our full-physics simulations, we also study the angular power spectra of the thermal and kinetic Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effects in $f(R)$ gravity and nDGP, and demonstrate the potential for precise constraints of gravity using data from upcoming CMB experiments. Finally, we present a retuned baryonic physics model, based on the IllustrisTNG model, which can be used for full-physics simulations within large cosmological volumes.


Gap junctions connect neighboring cells via intercellular channels composed of connexins (Cx). Connexin 32 (Cx32) is the main connexin in hepatocytes. Gap junctions propagate a signal from periportal to perivenous hepatocytes generated by electrical stimulation of sympathetic liver nerves. Therefore, it was the aim of this study to examine the involvement of hepatocellular gap junctions in hormonal regulation. In perfused livers from wild‐type mice and Cx32‐deficient mice, the stimulation of glucose release by varying noradrenaline and glucagon concentrations was investigated. At saturating hormone concentrations, glucose release was the same in wild‐type and Cx32‐deficient livers. However, glucose output was significantly smaller in Cx32‐deficient than wild‐type livers at half‐maximally effective hormone concentrations. Because the two hormones circulate at less than half‐saturating concentrations and because they are degraded during passage of blood through the liver, they lose efficiency from the periportal to the perivenous zone. In wild‐type livers, this decrease in efficiency can be partially compensated by intercellular signal propagation through gap junctions, resulting in higher hormone actions than in Cx32‐deficient livers. It is concluded that gap junctions are not only involved in intercellular propagation of nervous, but also of hormonal signals from periportal to perivenous hepatocytes.


In this paper, a novel approximate link-state dissemination framework, called TROP, is proposed for shared backup path protection (SBPP) in multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) networks. While performing dynamic explicit survivable routing in a distributed environment, link-state dissemination may cause a nontrivial signaling overhead in the process of exploring spare resource sharing among individual backup label switched paths (LSPs). Several previously reported studies have tackled this problem by initiating a compromise between the amount of dissemination and the achievable extent of resource sharing. The paper first summarizes the previously reported schemes into a compact and general link-state dissemination framework by way of singular value decomposition (SVD). To improve the accuracy of the matrix reconstruction and to eliminate the overestimation of the sharable spare capacity along each link, a novel SVD approach based on the min-plus algebra (also called tropical semirings) is introduced. Simulation results show that the proposed schemes can achieve a lower blocking probability than that by all the other counterpart schemes while taking the same complexity of link-state dissemination. This great advantage is gained at the expense of a longer computation time for solving a linear program (LP) in each dissemination cycle at the core nodes. We also consider the stale link-state phenomena that may cause imprecision in the routing information at the ingress nodes due to the delay in the periodic/event-driven link-state update message advertisement.


This article presents one of the first systematic usability investigations for a Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI) editor. This research is motivated by the fact that although VGI is now widely consumed, contribution rates are lagging considerably. Compared to traditional GIS interfaces, with complex interfaces resulting in high cognitive loads and barriers to participation, VGI tools and interfaces need to be easy to use and learn to encourage and facilitate contributions. This article develops a case study of OpenStreetMap, one of the most successful VGI projects, and its default editor, Potlatch2. Ten participants with no prior experience of VGI contribution, were instructed to contribute data to OSM in a structured exercise, while being monitored using an eye tracker and audio/video screen capture software. Each participant was asked to Think Aloud, i.e. describe what they were thinking and doing as they completed the tasks. The results highlight significant usability issues impacting learnability, especially from the perspective of a new contributor: hidden functionality, lack of user feedback between interactions and the inefficient and inconsistent placement of functionality and map controls. The facilitation of VGI contributions clearly depends on designing targeted interfaces, optimized to the needs of specific levels of contributors with defined goals and expectations.


Several portable electronic devices (which include laptops, cellular phones, virtual cameras, and electric shavers) rely on rechargeable batteries and need to be robotically charged by way of the line electricity. A wireless charging technique able to handing over electromagnetic power to those transportable devices could cause them to tether unfastened and "sincerely transportable." Wi-Fi charging is specifically valuable for gadgets with which stressed out connections are intractable.Recently the wireless transmission of energy has been a completely energetic subject matter of research as has interest inside the electrification of small gadgets like mobile, pc charging machine wireless electricity switch (WPT) is based totally on a generation called magnetic resonance coupling. two copper coils are tuned to resonate at the same natural frequency. The coils are located some feet apart (as shown in Fig.1). One coil is hooked up to an electric powered present day, which generates a magnetic area that reasons the second one coil to resonate. This magnetic resonance outcome in the switch of electrical strength thru the air from the first coil to the receiving coil. The resonant circuits themselves need to have a excessive Q-element to allow for the excessive cutting-edge operation of the system. Wireless charging structures were advanced by way of the use of high frequency wireless planar transformers (HFWPTs), based on exceptional systems like fractal, circular and rectangular designs which may be used to price any transportable devices without any direct physical connection. HFWPT allows an electricity switch using inductive coupling, which could help to, triumph over touch failure troubles, emerge as handy, and person friendly every other gain of this layout is to help in development of mild-weight, small sized and fantastically green excessive frequency chargers for portable gadgets inclusive of mobile phones and notebook desktops.


Movement of biological organisms is frequently initiated in response to a diffusible or otherwise transported signal, and in its simplest form this movement can be described by a diffusion equation with an advection term. In systems in which the signal is localized in space the question arises as to whether aggregation of a population of indirectly-interacting organisms, or localization of a single organism, is possible under suitable hypotheses on the transition rules and the production of a control species that modulates the transition rates. It has been shown [25] that continuum approximations of reinforced random walks show aggregation and even blowup, but the connections between solutions of the continuum equations and of the master equation for the corresponding lattice walk were not studied. Using variational techniques and the existence of a Lyapunov functional, we study these connections here for certain simplified versions of the model studied earlier. This is done by relating knowledge about the shape of the minimizers of a variational problem to the asymptotic spatial structure of the solution.


Gender assignment in languages with a gender system is a complex issue, as this can be influenced by both semantic, morphological, and phonological factors (Corbett, 1991, 2013; Corbett & Fraser, 2000). Many Indo-European languages possess a three-gender system, which distinguishes masculine, feminine, and neuter gender. Whereas this system is preserved in several Indo-European branches, it has merged in other branches or languages, either to a system with a masculine – feminine distinction, or to a system with an uter – neuter distinction. Most historical linguists agree that the Indo-European three-gender system is an innovation, which emerged out of a two-gender-system of Proto-Indo-European (Luraghi, 2011; Matasovic, 2004). However, an evolutionary reconstruction of the gender system reconstructs a three-gender system, in which the masculine gender continues to be stable and dominant over the tree, the feminine is frequently lost due to areal pressure, and the neuter is both gained and lost due to areality (Cathcart, Carling, Larsson, Johansson, & Round, 2018). In the current presentation, we will look at gender assignment, instability and evolution in two datasets. The first is a dataset of 1,300 lexical meanings in Scandinavian three-gender languages, which have been coded for gender, cognacy and morphological marking of the earliest attested language (Old Norse). The second is a dataset of fewer lexical meanings, around 100 lexical concepts, which have been compiled from 118 contemporary and historical Indo-European languages within the domains of farming/pastoralism, hunting/war, and technology/industry. The dataset has been coded for cognacy, gender, and morphological marking of the earliest attested form (Proto-Indo-European). All concepts have also been coded for properties assumed to underlie gender assignment, such as animate/inanimate, higher/lower (of animals), collective/individual, male/female, concrete/abstract, or various forms (oblong/blunt etc). Using these two datasets allows us to look at the Indo-European family as a whole, in order to see how the general tendencies play out, and then to focus on a dataset of higher granularity of one specific branch, to check our general results against more detailed data. We will consider both predictors of gender assignment as well as predictors of gender instability and change, observing how they relate to each other. Against a phylogenetic reference tree, accounting for the changes in gender systems (as concluded by morphosyntactic data of languages) of attested languages and ancestral nodes (Felsenstein, 2004), we will infer change rates of various genders as well as different concepts. We will test these predictors, both individually and in semantic clusters, defined by colexification and semantic change patterns. As for gender instability, our preliminary results indicate that the feminine gender is the least stable, followed by the neuter. Further, we will account for gender assignment by semantic domain, trying to explain why the dominant gender in some domains is feminine and neuter instead of masculine (which is the overall dominant gender) and how this correlates with overall patterns of gender instability. These are our basic research questions: ● Which are the change rates for genders in general and gender assignment by different concepts? ● Which are the strongest predictors for the overall gender assignment of concepts in our corpus? ● When a new word enters the lexicon, which are the strongest predictors for the assignment of gender? ● When a language changes its gender system, which are the strongest predictors for the evolution of the gender of concepts? ● When a word changes its gender (without the language changing its gender system), which are the strongest predictors for the directionality of the change? ● What is the observed correlation between the predictors of gender assignment and the predictors of gender instability? Is instability an indicator of a changing system, or is it generally implied by certain genders (e.g., feminine or neuter)? The research will make a significant contribution to our understanding of the mechanisms at work in gender assignment and how gender systems evolve over time. Cathcart, C., Carling, G., Larsson, F., Johansson, N., & Round, E. R. (2018). Areal pressure in grammatical evolution. Diachronica, 35(1), 1-34. Corbett, G. G. (1991). Gender. Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press. Corbett, G. G. (2013). Gender typology. In G. G. Corbett (Ed.), The Expression of Gender (pp. 87-130). Berlin - New York: Mouton de Gruyter. Corbett, G. G., & Fraser, N. M. (2000). Gender assignment: a typology and a model. In G. Senft (Ed.), Systems of Nominal Classification (pp. 293-325). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Felsenstein, J. (2004). Inferring phylogenies. Sunderland, Mass.: Sinauer. Luraghi, S. (2011). The origin of the Proto-Indo-European gender system: Typological considerations. Folia Linguistics, 45(2), 435-464. Matasovic, R. (2004). Gender in Indo-European. Heidelberg: Winter. (Less)


Haemosporidians causing avian malaria are very common parasites among bird species. Their negative effects have been repeatedly reported in terms of deterioration in survival prospects or reproductive success. However, a positive association between blood parasites and avian fitness has also been reported. Here, we studied a relationship between presence of malaria parasites and reproductive performance of the host, a hole-breeding passerine – the blue tit Cyanistes caeruleus. Since the malaria parasites might affect their hosts differently depending on environmental conditions, we performed brood size manipulation experiment to differentiate parental reproductive effort and study the potential interaction between infection status and brood rearing conditions on reproductive performance. We found individuals infected with malaria parasites to breed later in the season in comparison with uninfected birds, but no differences were detected in clutch size. Interestingly, infected parents produced heavier and larger offspring with stronger reaction to phytohemagglutinin. More importantly, we found a significant interaction between infection status and brood size manipulation in offspring tarsus length and reaction to phytohemagglutinin: presence of parasites had stronger positive effect among birds caring for experimentally enlarged broods. Our results might be interpreted either in the light of the parasite-mediated selection or terminal investment hypothesis.


Firefly algorithm is one of the new metaheuristic algorithms for optimization problems. The algorithm is inspired by the flashing behavior of fireflies. In the algorithm, randomly generated solutions will be considered as fireflies, and brightness is assigned depending on their performance on the objective function. One of the rules used to construct the algorithm is, a firefly will be attracted to a brighter firefly, and if there is no brighter firefly, it will move randomly. In this paper we modify this random movement of the brighter firefly by generating random directions in order to determine the best direction in which the brightness increases. If such a direction is not generated, it will remain in its current position. Furthermore the assignment of attractiveness is modified in such a way that the effect of the objective function is magnified. From the simulation result it is shown that the modified firefly algorithm performs better than the standard one in finding the best solution with smaller CPU time.


The study assessed the financial performance of banks which found that usage of technology grew with each passing year. As a result of the effective use of technology, banks have been able to manage the increasing transaction volumes that come with a larger customer base in a more accurate and timely manner. The study's major goal was to analyze the impact of technology on the financial performance of a number of Indian banks, both public and private. The data was gathered via secondary sources in order to examine the impact of technology on financial performance. The data were evaluated using descriptive analysis and the t-test, which revealed a substantial difference in the financial performance of selected Indian nationalized and private sector banks. Financial indicators such as cash deposit ratio, the ratio of deposits to total liabilities, ratio of term loans to total advances and ratio of equity showed a significant difference in the financial performance of selected nationalized and private sector banks in the country.


Third-party litigation against public accountants has increased significantly during the past two decades. In response to this litigation explosion, the accounting profession has proposed reforms in the legislative and judicial aspects of the ~ legal system. This paper presents an objective view of the litigation crisis facing the public accounting profession and some possible solutions. The research included personal interviews, in addition to a review of current articles and the transcript of the Bily v. Arthur Young & Co. court verdict. Text book research provided the base for all other information. The product liability theory, the expectation gap, accountants' common law liability to third parties, and theories regarding this liability are explained. Public accounting's Statement of Position and high risk audits are discussed. Potential solutions are then presented. Reform for both the accountants and the legal system are necessary to avert a crisis in the accounting profession and for the public.


Background We previously reported increased AUCtot and decreased CL/F for the commonly prescribed pro-ton pump inhibitor (PPI) and CYP2C19 substrate, pan-toprazole, in obese vs. non-obese children. In light of increasing concerns regarding adverse events associated with high systemic exposure to PPIs in children (e.g., os-teopenia, infection, micronutrient deficiencies), we aimed to identify a pantoprazole dosing strategy appropriate for overweight/obese children, who are six times more likely to suffer from gastroesophageal reflux disease and require PPI therapy than normal weight peers. Given that most physiologic metabolic processes occur in lean body tissues, lean body weight (LBW) based doing was imple-mented in this prospective paediatric pharmacokinetic investigation. Methods 62 children (6–17 years of age; 39% Female), genotyped for CYP2C19 *2, *3, *4, *17 alleles (TaqMan), re-ceived a single oral dose of pantoprazole (1.2 mg/kg lean body weight). LBW was calculated via the Janmahasatian equation. Plasma pantoprazole and metabolite concen-trations were measured (HPLC-UV) at 10 time-points, over 8 hours, and pharmacokinetic parameters (PK) generat-ed via non-compartmental techniques (Kinetica 5.0). For children with at least one wild-type CYP2C19 allele (*1), select pantoprazole PK were compared in normal-weight (Body Mass Index (BMI) 10-84th% for age; n=29) and over-weight/obese (BMI ≥85th% for age; n=30) children, using independent student t-test (SPSS v23; α=0.05). Results No statistically significant differences were observed for pantoprazole AUCtot in normal-weight (13.9±32.2 µMolar*h) vs. overweight/obese (14.68±31.03 µMolar*h) children (p=0.9). No statistically significant dif-ferences in pantoprazole CL/F (23.9±16.6 vs. 19.8±25.8 L/h; p=0.5) or Cmax (5.66±3.8 vs. 7.76±4.4 uMolar; p=0.06) were observed between normal-weight and overweight/obese children. Conclusion LBW, rather than total body weight, based dosing is most appropriate to achieve comparable sys-temic exposures to pantoprazole for normal-weight and overweight/obese children. This dosing strategy appears to eliminate the systemic pantoprazole overexposure previously observed in obese children and will likely min-imize their risk for adverse events associated with high-dose PPI therapy. Future pharmacokinetic-pharmacody-namic studies of PPIs may be warranted for overweight and obese children.


Changes in physical performance were assessed in response to two successive doubles badminton matches with implementation of ischemic pre-conditioning (IPC) or sham treatment during recovery period between matches. Eight French national team badminton players (4 males, 4 females) performed two successive doubles matches (2 × 45 min), with 60 min of recovery in-between, during which they received three 5-min cycles of either an IPC (220 mmHg) or a sham (SHAM) (50 mmHg) intervention. A series of physical tests was performed immediately following the first (Post 1) and second (Post 2) match. Jump height (squat and countermovement jumps), leg power (multi-rebound jumps) and sprint time (L-test) remained unchanged from Post 1 to Post 2 (all P>0.193), and did not differ between conditions (all P>0.173). During a badminton-specific repeated-agility test, neither performance-related variables (i.e., best time, total time and sprint decrement score) nor vastus lateralis muscle tissue saturation index displayed a main effect for condition (all P>0.116), time (all P>0.091) or time × condition interaction (all P>0.730). Implementing IPC during the recovery period between successive doubles badminton demonstrated no beneficial effect on physical performance and muscle oxygenation trends.


This paper analyzes interventions in slums located in the ABC Region (State of Sao Paulo, Brazil) that have been financed in the context of Programa de Aceleracao do Crescimento – Urbanizacao de Assentamentos Precarios (PAC-UAP). Through this program, financial resources aimed at the upgrading of 49 precarious settlements (slums) are allocated to this region. The research shows evidence of low efficiency in the implementation of projects. Our characterization of the settlements and interventions provides a general panorama of the program's implementation and its bottlenecks. It is concluded that, to understand the lack of efficiency in slum upgrading, it is important to understand the characteristics of these territories, the nature of interventions, the regulation and operationalization of the program, and the institutional limitations of municipal governments.


Fluidized Bed Steam Reforming (FBSR) processing of Sodium Bearing Waste simulants was performed in December 2006 by THOR{sup sm} Treatment Technologies LLC (TTT) The testing was performed at the Hazen Research Inc. (HRI) pilot plant facilities in Golden, CO. FBSR products from these pilot tests on simulated waste representative of the SBW at the Idaho Nuclear Technology and Engineering Center (INTEC) were subsequently transferred to the Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) for characterization and leach testing. Four as-received Denitration and Mineralization Reformer (DMR) granular/powder samples and four High Temperature Filter (HTF) powder samples were received by SRNL. FBSR DMR samples had been taken from the ''active'' bed, while the HTF samples were the fines collected as carryover from the DMR. The process operated at high fluidizing velocities during the mineralization test such that nearly all of the product collected was from the HTF. Active bed samples were collected from the DMR to monitor bed particle size distribution. Characterization of these crystalline powder samples shows that they are primarily Al, Na and Si, with > 1 wt% Ca, Fe and K. The DMR samples contained less than 1 wt% carbon and the HTF samples ranged from 13 to 26 wt% carbon.more » X-ray diffraction analyses show that the DMR samples contained significant quantities of the Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} startup bed. The DMR samples became progressively lower in starting bed alumina with major Na/Al/Si crystalline phases (nepheline and sodium aluminosilicate) present as cumulative bed turnover occurred but 100% bed turnover was not achieved. The HTF samples also contained these major crystalline phases. Durability testing of the DMR and HTF samples using the ASTM C1285 Product Consistency Test (PCT) 7-day leach test at 90 C was performed along with several reference glass samples. Comparison of the normalized leach rates for the various DMR and HTF components was made with the reference glasses and the Low Activity Waste (LAW) specification for the Hanford Waste Treatment and Vitrification Plant (WTP). Normalized releases from the DMR and HTF samples were all less than 1 g/m{sup 2}. For comparison, normalized release from the High-Level Waste (HLW) benchmark Environmental Assessment (EA) glass for Si, Li, Na and B ranges from 2 to 8 g/m{sup 2}. The normalized release specification for LAW glass for the Hanford WTP is 2 g/m{sup 2}. The Toxicity Characteristic Leach Test (TCLP) was performed on DMR and HTF as received samples and the tests showed that these products meet the criteria for the EPA RCRA Universal Treatment Standards for all of the constituents contained in the starting simulants such as Cr, Pb and Hg (RCRA characteristically hazardous metals) and Ni and Zn (RCRA metals required for listed wastes).« less


In this review paper it is to be discussed about the importance of copper nanoparticles, their different synthesis strategies and how these differ from one another in various aspects. Then also mentioned about the various characterization techniques employed for the identification of prepared copper nanoparticles on different parameters.


Abstract Background Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) causes various cardiopulmonary manifestations. Bedside ultrasound helps in the rapid diagnosis of these manifestations. Vscan Extend™ (GE, Wauwatosa, WI, USA) is a handheld ultrasound device with a dual probe and an artificial intelligence application to detect ejection fraction. It can help in reducing the time for diagnosis, duration, and the number of healthcare workers exposed to COVID-19. This is a prospective observational study comparing the cardiorespiratory parameters and time duration for assessment between Vscan Extend™ and the conventional ultrasound machine. Materials and methods Paired observations were made in 96 COVID-19 patients admitted to the intensive care unit by two intensivists. Intensivist A used the Vscan Extend™ device to assess the cardiac function, lung fields, diaphragm, deep veins, and abdomen. Intensivist B used clinical examination, X-ray chest, ECG, and conventional echocardiogram for assessment. The agreement between the findings and the time duration required in both the methods was compared. Results The use of handheld ultrasound has significantly decreased the duration of bedside examination of patients than the conventional method. The median duration of examination using handheld ultrasound was 9 (8.0–11.0) minutes, compared to 20 (17–22) minutes with the conventional method (P < 0.001). The Cohen's kappa coefficient was 1.0 for left ventricular systolic function, most of the lung fields, and diaphragmatic movement. Conclusion Vscan Extend™ helps in the rapid identification and diagnosis of cardiopulmonary manifestations in COVID-19 patients. The agreement between the handheld device and the conventional method proves its efficacy and safety. CTRI Number CTRI/2020/07/026701 How to cite this article Maheshwarappa HM, Mishra S, Kulkarni AV, Gunaseelan V, Kanchi M. Use of Handheld Ultrasound Device with Artificial Intelligence for Evaluation of Cardiorespiratory System in COVID-19. J Crit Care Med 2021;25(5):524–527.


Autophagy and the circadian clock counteract tissue degeneration and support longevity in many organisms. Accumulating evidence indicates that aging compromises both the circadian clock and autophagy but the mechanisms involved are unknown. Here we show that the expression levels of transcriptional repressor components of the circadian oscillator, most prominently the human Period homologue PER2, are strongly reduced in primary dermal fibroblasts from aged humans, while raising the expression of PER2 in the same cells partially restores diminished autophagy levels. The link between clock gene expression and autophagy is corroborated by the finding that the circadian clock drives cell-autonomous, rhythmic autophagy levels in immortalized murine fibroblasts, and that siRNA-mediated downregulation of PER2 decreases autophagy levels while leaving core clock oscillations intact. Moreover, the Period homologue lin-42 regulates autophagy and life span in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, suggesting an evolutionarily conserved role for Period proteins in autophagy control and aging. Taken together, this study identifies circadian clock proteins as set-point regulators of autophagy and puts forward a model, in which age-related changes of clock gene expression promote declining autophagy levels.


The intent of this paper was to examine the possible future development that Bombardier Aerospace could make with regards to the DHC-8-Q400 turboprop. The venerable Q400 is a proven design that saw great success through the 2000's and must now either be upgraded or replaced in order for Bombardier to remain competitive. Three proposals were examined from a high level perspective:

1. A shortened design of the Q400;

2. An extension of the Q400 design;

Each proposal was reviewed on the basis of its merits in development cost, infrastructure requirements, technical requirements, and market demand for the particular configuration. Further to this, a survey of media reports on the market desire for new turboprop acquisition and competitive airframe developers design forecast was carried out. Based on this evaluation, the extended design of the base Q400 was selected to be the best candidate for Bombardier to develop and therefore, remain successful in the aircraft development market.


Mesangiogenic progenitor cells (MPCs) have been firstly described in 2008 in human bone marrow (hBM) mononuclear cell cultures, intended to isolate mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) in animal-free conditions. Later, we developed a clinical-grade and selective culture method to isolate MPCs with high grade of purity with yields around 1% of plated cells. MPC are characterized by lack of MSC markers, specific integrin profile and phenotype that include CD31 and surprisingly CD45. From the first report on MPCs, these cells showed both mesengenic and angiogenic potential in vitro. Interestingly, and nestin expression were also detected. Mesengenic differentiation protocol has been set up in chemical defined conditions and more recently, the angiogenic potential was clearly demonstrated also in vivo, applying MPC constructs on chicken chorioallantoic membrane. Surprisingly, the ex vivo precursor of MPCs in hBM has been identified in CD45dimCD64brightCD31brightCD14neg population with a morphology resembling the monoblast. For their peculiar differentiation properties and clinical-grade isolating methods, MPCs could represent a new tool for the implementation of cell-based medicinal products (CBMPs) applicable for skeletal tissue regeneration, as these cells could also support the neo-vascularization. In fact, future studies on tissue reconstruction should take in consideration that the newly formed tissue growth and integration should be supported by concomitant neo-vessels formation. The co-existence of mesengenic and angiogenic potential in MPCs could significantly improve the regeneration potential of new therapeutic approaches that involve these interesting cells.


Since the publication of Gravity's Rainbow in 1973, Pynchon's "place" in American literature has been a matter of sweaty debate. He has been labeled an encyclopedist, an expressionist, a satirist, and a fabulist. Of course, the contemporary writer crosses currents in the literary mainstream like an undisciplined trout, and the critics, fastidious pigeon-holers that we may be, are bound and determined to find the one deep well that can rightly be called his home, the better to seize him there. So far, the results with Pynchon are more mixed than this metaphor.


We study the load balancing problem in a dense wireless multihop network, where a typical path consists of large number of hops, i.e., the spatial scales of a typical distance between source and destination, and mean distance between the neighboring nodes are strongly separated. In this limit, we present a general framework for analyzing the traffic load resulting from a given set of paths and traffic demands. We formulate the load balancing problem as a minmax problem and give two lower bounds for the achievable minimal maximum traffic load. The framework is illustrated by an example of uniformly distributed traffic demands in a unit disk with a few families of paths given in advance. With these paths we are able to decrease the maximum traffic load by factor of 33-40% depending on the assumptions. The obtained traffic load level also comes quite near the tightest lower bound


ABSTRACT Background: In April 2009, King County, Washington, experienced a sustained outbreak of 2009 H1N1 influenza A. This report describes the epidemiology of that outbreak in King County, home to a diverse population of 1.9 million people. Methods: The 2 primary sources of data are case investigations of reported laboratory-confirmed 2009 H1N1 influenza A and a population-based syndromic surveillance system that captures data from emergency departments (EDs). A syndromic category for influenza-like illness was defined based on chief complaint and diagnosis. Results: ED visits for influenza-like illness peaked quickly in the first week of the outbreak and remained high for approximately 6 weeks, with school-age children accounting for the greater number of ED visits, followed by young adults. Children ages 0 to 4 years had the highest rate of hospitalization. Among reported cases, blacks, Asians, and Hispanics were more likely to be hospitalized. Predisposing factors associated with admission were immune compromise, chronic lung disease, chronic heart disease, pregnancy, diabetes, and asthma. Of people receiving antiviral treatment, 34% started their medication more than 2 calendar days after the onset of illness. Mean days between illness onset and antiviral treatment were greater for blacks, Hispanics, and foreign language speakers. Conclusions: The spring 2009 influenza A H1N1 outbreak disproportionately affected children, young adults, and racial and ethnic minorities. Opportunities exist to improve the timeliness of antiviral treatment. Potential barriers to care for racial and ethnic minorities should be proactively addressed to ensure prompt evaluation and treatment. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2009;3(Suppl 2):S109–S116)


In today's information explosion era, the creation and manipulation of knowledge have become more favoured than its memorisation, especially when learning reaches a higher level. It has become more important for design students, who are supposed to perform higher order thinking and possess creative ability, to generate new ideas. However, not all design students can access their creativity on the first day of their design study. How best to nurture creativity among design students thus becomes an important issue. The aim of the paper is to provide direction for teachers and researchers in facilitating creativity and developing students' creative thinking. The limitations of current creative thinking development are identified through a case study of Hong Kong. It is found that the limitations include teachers' high expectations about the appropriateness, novelty and accomplishment of the artefacts made by students. Teachers' perceptions on the illumination approach of achieving creativity, the innate ability of creativity and the teacher-initiated classroom for cultivating creativity also affect creativity cultivation. A framework which is constituted by six necessary shifts is then proposed to address these limitations so that creativity and its thought processes can be nurtured and developed among students.


Objectives Cytochrome P450 2C19 (CYP2C19) *2 (681G>A; rs4244285) and CYP2C19*3 (636G>A; rs4986893) null alleles are responsible for the phenotypes of poor CYP2C19 enzyme function, hence adversely affecting the ability of clopidogrel to inhibit platelet aggregation. In recent years, a novel CYP2C19 gene variant, CYP2C19*17 (−3402C>T; rs11188072), has been identified and is associated with ultrarapid metabolism of CYP2C19 substrate. To date, there is limited data on CYP2C19 prevalence rates in a multiracial Malaysian population with coronary artery disease planned for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), and their impact on clopidogrel-mediated platelet aggregation (CPA). Therefore, the primary objective of this study was to assess the impact of CYP2C19 *2, *3 and *17 on CPA in patients planned for PCI. Methods From the 323 consecutive patients planned for PCI, 237 patients≥18 years of age, underwent either aspirin alone or both aspirin and clopidogrel therapy, were recruited from Sarawak General Hospital Heart Centre (Kota Samarahan, Malaysia). Venous blood samples were collected from each participant before their scheduled appointment for PCI. The CYP2C19*2, *3 and *17 were genotyped by PCR—restriction fragment linked polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method. The antiplatelet effect of clopidogrel, as assessed by ADP-induced platelet aggregation, was measured by Multiplate impedance aggregometry. Results Of the 237 subjects (mean age 57.6±11.1), 77.6% were male and 22.4% were female. Ethnic group distribution was: Chinese 50.6% (n=120), Malay 21.1% (n=50), Iban 19.0% (n=45) and other races 9.3% (n=22) The allelic frequency of the CYP2C19 *1, *2, *3 and *17 were 63.0% (95% CI 62.1% to 59.0%), 29.0% (95% CI 28.7% to 29.3%), 6.0% (95% CI 5.9% to 6.1%) and 2% (95% CI 1.6% to 2.4%), respectively. Genotype determination revealed that 38.8% were extensive metabolisers (EM: *1/*1, *2/*17), 45.1% intermediate metabolisers (IM: *1/*2, *1/*3), 12.7% poor metabolisers (PM: *2/*2, *2/*3, *3/*3), 3.0% intermediate ultrarapid metaboliser (IUM: *1/*17) and 0.4% ultrarapid metaboliser (UM: *17/*17). The frequencies of the CYP2C19*2 variant allele and of the homozygous genotype were higher in Chinese descent individuals (35.8%; 12.5%) compared with other ethnic groups (p=0.010; p=0.022, respectively). Meanwhile, a similar proportion of CYP2C19*3 allele was observed in all ethnic groups (p=0.071). Overall, the PM genotypic prevalence rate was 15.0% in Chinese, 10.0% in Malays, 8.9% in Iban and 18.2% in other subjects (p=0.042). One Chinese subject shown to be homozygous *2 and heterozygous *17, hence resulting in a new combination of *2/*17. The predicted metabolic phenotype for this combination is unknown and we assume that the ultrarapid clopidogrel metabolism by *17 allele may be suppressed by loss-of-function *2 alleles, thus resulting in a functional metabolising enzyme phenotype. Hence, we grouped this individual as EM. Linkage disequilibrium analysis showed that the *17 were in different linkage disequilibrium with *2 and *3. Among the 118 subjects who underwent a similar double antiplatelet loading strategy (75 mg loading doses of aspirin for at least 2 days+75 mg loading doses of clopidogrel for at least 4 days), the prevalence rate of PM remains high within Chinese group (17.5%) compared to other ethnic groups (p=0.036). The CPA was observed to be higher in PM (333.6 aggregation unit×min (AU*min)), followed by IM (319.7 AU*min), EM (278.7 AU*min) and lowest in IUM (264.5 AU*min) (p>0.05). The *2 and *3 carriers also demonstrated higher platelet aggregation (310.6 AU*min) compared to *17 carriers (264.1 AU*min) (p=0.412). The absence of statistically significant differences between the different phenotypic groups could be attributed to the relatively small sample size. Nevertheless, there was a significant influence of CYP2C19 polymorphism on CPA in Chinese subjects only (p=0.032) even after adjustment for various cardiovascular risk factors. Conclusions The CYP2C19*2 is found at high frequency in Malaysians, especially in Chinese subjects, consistent to that found in other Asian populations of Chinese ethnic origin. Other CYP2C19 polymorphisms, particularly *17 were rare in the Malaysian population. However, carriers of *17 demonstrated better CPA compared to *2 and *3 carriers. Our findings indicate a broad inter-ethnic difference in CYP2C19 allelic frequencies. As both the presence of certain genotypes especially *2, and a lower CPA, have been shown to be associated with higher adverse cardiovascular event rates in patients prescribed clopidogrel, subsequent outcome studies in our multiethnic population are warranted.


Summarizes all the reported detections of, and upper limits to, the radio emission from persistent (i.e. non-transient) X-ray binaries. A striking result is a common mean observed radio luminosity from the black hole candidates (BHCs) in the low/hard X-ray state and the neutron star Z sources on the horizontal X-ray branch. This implies a common mean intrinsic radio luminosity to within a factor of 25 (or less, if there is significant Doppler boosting of the radio emission). Unless coincidental, these results imply a physical mechanism for jet formation that requires neither a black hole event horizon nor a neutron star surface. As a whole the populations of atoll and X-ray pulsar systems are less luminous by factors of gt or approximately=5 and gt or approximately=10 at radio wavelengths than the BHCs and Z sources (while some atoll sources have been detected, no high-field X-ray pulsar has ever been reliably detected as a radio source). The authors suggest that all of the persistent BHCs and the Z sources generate, at least sporadically, an outflow with physical dimensions gt or=10/sup 12/ cm; that is, significantly larger than the binary separations of most of the systems. The authors compare the physical conditions of accretion in each of the types of persistent X-ray binary and conclude that a relatively low ( lt or=10/sup 10/ G) magnetic field associated with the accreting object, and a high ( gt or=0.1 Eddington) accretion rate and/or dramatic physical change in the accretion flow, are required for formation of a radio-emitting outflow or jet.


This study explored the use patterns and benefits of directional microphone technology in real-world situations experienced by patients who had been fitted with switchable omnidirectional/directional hearing aids. Telephone interviews and paper-and-pencil questionnaires were used to assess perceived performance with each microphone type in a variety of listening situations. Patients who used their hearing aids regularly and switched between the two microphone configurations reported using the directional mode, on average, about one-quarter of the time. From brief descriptions, patients could identify listening situations in which each microphone mode should provide superior performance. Further, they reported encountering listening situations in which an omnidirectional microphone should provide better performance more frequently than listening situations in which the directional microphones should be superior. Despite using the omnidirectional mode more often and encountering situations in which an omnidirectional microphone should provide superior performance more frequently, participants reported the same level of satisfaction with each microphone type.


Background Poor adherence to antihypertensives is associated with negative outcome of the disease as well as loss of health-care resources. Addressing the epidemic of poor adherence requires identifying factors associated with this behaviour. The aim of this study is to describe adherence to antihypertensive medication among Lebanese hypertensive patients and to evaluate the association between socio-economic, patient- and conditions-related factors and non-adherence. Methods A cross-sectional study was carried out on adherence to antihypertensive medications covering all governorates of Lebanon. This study was conducted between February 2018 and January 2019 on a random sample of 1497 hypertensive patients. A face-to-face questionnaire was used to assess adherence to antihypertensive medication and its determinants according to the five World Health Organization (WHO) main categories. Logistic regression analysis was performed to test the adjusted association between the multiple exposure factors, and drug adherence data were collected by trained interviewers. Results Adherence to antihypertensive medications was reported by 1253 (83.7%) of the patients. After multivariate analysis, patients who tried to control their stress level (OR = 0.77, 95% CI [0.38–0.95]), those who had normal BP readings (OR =0.49, 95% CI [0.18–0.97]), and those who believed in the effectiveness of their treatment (OR = 0.31, 95% CI [0.14–0.76]) had a significantly lower chance to exhibit non-adherence to their treatment. However, older patients (OR= 1.87, 95% CI [1.23–2.21]), divorced/separated patients (OR= 2.14, 95% CI [1.31–5.48]), married (OR=1.96, 95% CI [1.27–3.90]), widowed (OR=2.11, 95% CI [1.62–6.50]), obese patients (OR = 1.76, 95% CI [1.21–1.94]), and patients who smoked hookah and cigarettes (OR = 2.62, 95% CI [1.17–6.76]) were more likely to exhibit non-adherence. Conclusion Our study highlights the influence of factors such as old age, marital status, BMI and high level of emotional stress on non-adherence to medication in hypertensive patients. These determinants should be incorporated into adherence improving strategies.


A recent Guest Editorial by Parenti & Ebach (2013, Journal of Biogeography, 40, 813–820) disagrees with the methods or interpretations in two of our recent papers. In addition, the authors open a debate on biogeographical concepts, and present an alternative philosophy for biogeographical research in the context of their recently described biogeographical subregion called 'Pandora'. We disagree with their approach and conclusions, and comment on several issues related to our differing conceptual approaches for biogeographical research; namely, our use of molecular phylogenetic analyses, including time estimates; and Parenti & Ebach's reliance on taxon/general area cladograms. Finally, we re‐examine their 'tests' supporting the existence of 'Pandora'.


The addition of fresh peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBL) from four of seven patients with agammaglobulinemia to generated hemolytic plaque-forming cells (PFC) resulted in a dose-dependent suppression of PFC. This spontaneous suppressor cell activity (SSA) was restricted to the four patients who could generate a PFC response in vitro. SSA was mediated by a small subset of E-rosetting T lymphocytes characterized by theophylline-sensitive E-receptors and surface receptors for Fc-IgG. The effects of SSA were temperature dependent and reversible, and pokeweed mitogen could prevent the rapid decline of SSA observed during culture. Augmentation of SSA was achieved by agents known to increase intracellular levels of cyclic AMP, whereas lithium chloride abrogated SSA, including the drug-induced effects. Cells mediating SSA may play a role in preventing the normal transition of pre-B cells to B cells in patients with agammaglobulinemia without B lymphocytes.