Fertmann et al (1) have described the reproductive features of residents in a housing site built on a contaminant sludge layer with high concentrations of arsenic, heavy metals, dioxins, and furans. The site has now been reportedly abandoned by most families. The authors noted a significantly high sex ratio (proportion male) at birth, and they request suggestions on how best to pursue research on this matter. I should like to respond to that request. This high sex ratio is in contrast to the significantly low offspring sex ratios of men exposed to a variety of chemicals, illnesses, and occupations. I have adducted evidence for low offspring sex ratios among men exposed to the nematocide DBCP (1,2-dibromo-3-chloropropane) (2), borates (3), and dioxin (4) and in men suffering from multiple sclerosis (2) or non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (2) and in men who experience deleterious occupational exposures such as in professional diving (2), professional driving (4), carbon-setting (4) and work in high-voltage installations (5). Thus many forms of adverse exposure are associated in men with the production of daughters. There is now very strong evidence that the hormone levels of both parents around the time of conception partially control the sexes of mammalian (including human) offspring (2). In conformity with this hypothesis, many of the aforementioned forms of exposure to men have been documented in association with low testosterone or high gonadotrophin levels. However much less is known about the effect on the offspring sex ratio of such adverse maternal exposures. Women with multiple sclerosis reportedly have an excess of sons (6), and this excess may be due to the fact that stress has an opposite effect on the androgen levels of men and women since stress is known to lower men's androgen levels but is thought to raise women's levels (7). If this assumption is correct, then one can suspect that the excess of male births in the data of Fertmann et al (1) represent an adverse effect on the mothers rather than (or more than) on the fathers. This may be true, for instance, if the female residents had spent more of their time each day engaged in domestic tasks on or around the contaminated site and if the men had mainly been elsewhere (in employment or otherwise) during the day. It may also explain the cohort effect on sex ratio, that is, the fact that the most recently born children (whose mothers had ex hypothesi been exposed longer or to higher levels of pollution) had a significantly higher sex ratio than the children who were 9--16 years of age at the time of registration. To test these points, I suggest that the following research be considered: 1. Assays should be made of subjects' hormone levels (namely, of androgens, estrogens, gonatropins and progesterone). Ex hypothesi, the ex-resident mothers should have (or have had) high levels of androgens or estrogens or both and possibly low levels of gonadotropins or progesterone or both. It is difficult to predict how the contaminants may have affected the ex-resident fathers. Dioxin is known to lower the testosterone: gonadotropin ratio of men(8) -- but the result should be excess daughters instead of sons. However, I have no knowledge of the hormonal effects of the other contaminants (arsenic and heavy metals) on men. 2. Because some of the endocrine-disrupting effects of the contaminants may be expected to be reversible, it is particularly important that the hormone levels of any remaining residents of the site be assayed. 3. It would be interesting to know whether there are any systematic differences in the hormone levels and residual contaminant levels between the parents of sons and the parents of daughters in the settlement. Any such differences could then be proposed as the causes of the sex ratio differences.


We estimated cardiopulmonary morbidity and mortality associated with wildfire smoke (WFS) fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in the Front Range of Colorado from 2010 to 2015. To estimate WFS PM2.5, we developed a daily kriged PM2.5 surface at a 15 × 15 km resolution based on the Environmental Protection Agency Air Quality System monitors for the western United States; we subtracted out local seasonal‐average PM2.5 of nonsmoky days, identified using satellite‐based smoke plume estimates, from the local daily estimated PM2.5 if smoke was identified by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Hazard Mapping System. We implemented time‐stratified case‐crossover analyses to estimate the effect of a 10 µg/m3 increase in WFS PM2.5 with cardiopulmonary hospitalizations and deaths using single and distributed lag models for lags 0–5 and distinct annual impacts based on local and long‐range smoke during 2012, and long‐range transport of smoke in 2015. A 10 µg/m3 increase in WFS was associated with all respiratory, asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease hospitalizations for lag day 3 and hospitalizations for ischemic heart disease at lag days 2 and 3. Cardiac arrest deaths were associated with WFS PM2.5 at lag day 0. For 2012 local wildfires, asthma hospitalizations had an inverse association with WFS PM2.5 (OR: 0.716, 95% CI: 0.517–0.993), but a positive association with WFS PM2.5 during the 2015 long‐range transport event (OR: 1.455, 95% CI: 1.093–1.939). Cardiovascular mortality was associated with the 2012 long‐range transport event (OR: 1.478, 95% CI: 1.124–1.944).


Lung cancer is the most common form of cancer in the world and the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in both men and women in the United States. It is estimated that 159,480 lung cancer patients will die in United States in 2013. Approximately 25% of lung adenocarcinomas harbor oncogenic KRAS mutations, and this poses a significant therapeutic challenge, as KRAS mutations are generally associated with poor prognosis and resistance to chemotherapy. There is an unmet therapeutic need for patients with KRAS mutated tumors. Direct pharmacologic targeting of activated KRAS mutant protein has been unsuccessful so far, therefore, other approaches to abrogate KRAS signaling other than through direct inhibition, are being considered. One option to inhibit growth of KRAS mutant tumors may be to target transcription factors, which are often the final regulator of multiple signaling processes, and could potentially be targeted regardless of alterations of upstream signaling components involved in cancer development, progression and invasion/metastasis. CREB is a transcription factors that binds to the specific DNA sequence 59-TGACGTCA-39, which is known as CRE, in the transcription-regulatory regions of many cAMP-regulated genes with cell-type specificity. Studies have shown that CREB is activated via diverse signaling pathways, including Ras-ERK1/2, PI-3K-Akt, and mTOR signaling pathway. Numerous kinases in these pathways are known to activate CREB in response to a variety of extracellular stimuli (i.e., growth factors, stress signals) and intracellular oncogenic activation mutations. Virtually, almost all of the signaling pathways playing critical roles in carcinogenesis/tumorigenesis are shown to activate CREB. Upon activation, CREB recruit transcriptional coactivator CREBBP (CBP) and directly regulates multiple genes involved in cancer pathogenesis. We previously demonstrated that CREB is a critical transcription factor lung cancer development through its involvement in cell survival, cell cycle progression, proliferation and apoptosis regulation. We, then, first proposed that CREB could be a molecular target for the prevention and treatment of NSCLC. We demonstrated that blocking CREB activity or expression in cancer cells resulted in the suppression of growth and proliferation and induction of cell death. We also reported that CREB regulates expression of pro-inflammatory, pro-angiogenic, and pro-metastatic CXC type chemokine genes and that an inhibitor of CREB blocked the expression and pro-tumorigenic activity of these chemokines. Furthermore, we showed that CREB is highly upregulated and hyperphosphorylated in most of the NSCLC tumor specimens and that this upregulation is significantly associated with poor survival rates as determined in more than 300 cases of NSCLC patients. Thus, these studies lead to the rationale for identification of small molecule inhibitors targeting CREB transcriptional activity described in this study. Here, we will discuss our recent findings that novel small-molecule inhibitors (SMI) targeting the CREB-CBP transcription factors complex are effective in suppression of growth and proliferation of several lung cancer cell lines with various oncogenic mutations, such as KRas-G12D, -G12C, -G12V, or -G12S, and even EGFR-T790M. Furthermore, the small molecule regressed tumors in the KrasG12D/+;p53-/- preclinical mouse lung cancer model. Interestingly, the SMIs also showed similar growth suppressive effect on some pancreatic cancer cell lines and breast cancer cell lines. We found that the SMIs have multifunctional anti-cancer effects including cell cycle arrest, suppression of tumor-promoting autophagy, induction of ER stress, and ultimately cell death. Our results strongly suggest that these novel molecules targeting CREB-CBP transcription factor complex may have potential therapeutic benefit, particularly, cancers harboring various oncogenic mutations, including KRAS and EGFR mutations. This abstract is also presented as Poster B04 . Citation Format: Jong Woo Lee, Hee Sun Park, Sin-aye Park, Roy S. Herbst, Jaseok Peter Koo. Targeting CREB-CBP transcription factor complex using small molecule inhibitors with multifunctional anticancer mechanisms. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR-IASLC Joint Conference on Molecular Origins of Lung Cancer; 2014 Jan 6-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2014;20(2Suppl):Abstract nr PR03.


Objectives. Caries at the interface of dental materials and mineralized tooth structure continues to be a significant issue in oral healthcare. The objectives of this study were to demonstrate the effect that microencapsulated water has on charging an orthodontic cement and pit and fissure sealant with fluoride by toothbrushing, demonstrate the slow, sustained release of calcium, fluoride and phosphate ions from these materials initially formulated with remineralizing agents, examine the effect of microcapsules on cement adhesion to enamel and examine if a pit and fissure sealant releasing remineralizing ions promotes enamel fluoride uptake by demineralized tooth structure.|Methods. Cements and sealants that contained microcapsules with water and controls without microcapsules were brushed with over-the-counter toothpaste; fluoride release was measured. Materials that contained microencapsulated solutions of 5.0M Ca(NO3)2, 0.8M NaF, 6.0M K2HPO4 or a mixture of all three were prepared. Ion release profiles were measured as a function of time. Adhesion measurements were performed with an Instron test frame loading orthodontic brackets to failure. Enamel fluoride uptake by demineralized tooth structure was determined by a modified version of the FDA Method 40.|Results. A greater fluoride charge and release from toothbrushing was demonstrated compared to a control material with no microcapsules. Sustained release of remineralizing ions from cement and sealant formulated with preloaded microencapsulated ions was demonstrated. Adhesion of orthodontic cement that contained microencapsulated remineralizing agents was 8.5±2.5 MPa compared to the control without microcapsules, which was 8.3±1.7 MPa. Fluoride uptake by demineralized enamel was significantly increased compared to a control sealant manufactured without microcapsules. Bovine enamel that contained 2.2±2.1 μg F/g of enamel prior to exposure to a sealant without microcapsules had 2.3±0.5 after 90 days. Enamel exposed to sealant with 5w/w% NaF microcapsules went from 3.5±3.5 μg F/g of enamel prior to exposure to 148±76 after 90 days. Enamel exposed to sealant with 2w/w% NaF, 2w/w% Ca(NO3)2 and 1w/w% K2HPO4 microcapsules increased from 1.7±0.7 μg F/g of enamel prior to exposure to 190±137 after 90 days.|Significance. Polyurethane based microcapsules within dental sealants and cement pastes contain bioactive properties and are promising for remineralization.


Hand hygiene is part of standard precautions and it has been emphasized that education of this practice depends on the individual's experience in general hygiene. The Hygiene Inventory (HI-23) assess the domains General Hygiene, in the fields of Hands, Personal, Household and Food. Aim: To make the transcultural adaptation of the HI-23 scale for Portuguese–Brazil and to investigate and describe the hygiene behavior according to the HI-23 scale among dental students. Material and Methods: The cross-cultural adaptation process consisted in five steps: two translations, two back translations, review committee, pre-test with a population sample, and reproducibility and reliability of the instrument adapted. For the intra-examiner reproducibility it was applied kappa statistics. The statistical Cronbach's alpha verified the reliability of the HI-23 scale adapted to Portuguese. The adapted instrument was applied to 292 students of Dentistry from 1st to 5th year of graduation from a Faculty of Dentistry. Results: There was good reproducibility (0.43≥k≥0.81) and good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha=0.75) for the questions of the questionnaire. The adapted instrument applied among academics, showed that students have good and adequate hygiene pattern for most questions, except for the hygiene in the preparation of food and utensils used to prepare them, in the time spent washing hands, and cleanliness regarding the exchange of clothing (pants/skirt). Conclusion: The transcultural adaptation of the instrument for the Brazilian version was successfully obtained. The instrument can be safely applied to measure the profile of hygiene among professional of the health area.


Wild populations face threats both from deterministic factors, e.g., habitat loss, overexploitation, pollution, and introduced species, and from stochastic events of a demographic, genetic, and environmental nature, including catastrophes. Inbreeding reduces reproductive fitness in naturally outbreeding species, but its role in extinctions of wild populations is controversial. To evaluate critically the role of inbreeding in extinction, we conducted realistic population viability analyses of 20 threatened species, with and without inbreeding depression, using initial population sizes of 50, 250, and 1000. Inbreeding markedly decreased median times to extinction by 28.5, 30.5, and 25% for initial populations of 50, 250, and 1000, respectively, and the impacts were similar across major taxa. The major variable explaining differences among species was initial population growth rate, whereas the impact of inbreeding was least in species with negative growth rates. These results demonstrate that the prospects for survival of threatened species will usually be seriously overestimated if genetic factors are disregarded, and that inappropriate recovery plans may be instituted if inbreeding depression is ignored.


We documented occurrences of native copper (Cu), silver (Ag), and gold (Au) in a pāhoehoe flow from Kīlauea volcano (Hawaii, USA), an a'ā flow from Mauna Loa volcano (Hawaii), and a mid-oceanic-ridge basalt (MORB) from the Chile Ridge (southeastern Pacific Ocean). Native Ag in Kīlauea and MORB samples consistently contained minor Cl (<1 wt%). Native Ag in Hawaiian basalts can occur at the center of nearly circular patches of relatively evolved minerals, which presumably formed after late-stage silicate liquid infilled pipe vesicles. Sulfur loss and oxidation of a Cu-sulfide phase can explain the native Cu, but not Au and Ag deposition. The rare occurrence of native Cu-Au-Ag alloys and the large native Au and Ag grain size suggest separate metal precipitation mechanisms. A fractional crystallization and degassing model envisions initial Au and Ag enrichment in crystallizing interstitial liquid and further enrichment in a separating vapor phase. From the flow interior, the metals ascend through ephemeral pipe vesicles as bisulfide (Au) or chloride (Ag) vapor complexes and precipitate in the transition zone below the upper vesicular zone, owing to temperature and oxidation state changes. Our results support igneous vapor transport of ore elements in mafic plutonic systems and imply preconcentration of gold during lava solidification before later hydrothermal remobilization.


Developing retinal ganglion cells fire in correlated spontaneous bursts, resulting in propagating waves with robust spatiotemporal features preserved across development and species. Here we investigate the effects of homeostatic adaptation on the circuits controlling retinal waves. Mouse retinal waves were recorded in vitro for up to 35 h with a multielectrode array in presence of the GABAA antagonist bicuculline, allowing us to obtain a precise, time-resolved characterization of homeostatic effects in this preparation. Experiments were performed at P4–P6, when GABAA signaling is depolarizing in ganglion cells, and at P7–P10, when GABAA signaling is hyperpolarizing. At all ages, bicuculline initially increased the wave sizes and other activity metrics. At P5–P6, wave sizes decreased toward control levels within a few hours while firing remained strong, but this ability to compensate disappeared entirely from P7 onwards. This demonstrates that homeostatic control of spontaneous retinal activity maintains specific network dynamic properties in an age-dependent manner, and suggests that the underlying mechanism is linked to GABAA signaling.


Abstract Aim: To identify indicators that diverse stakeholders believe are important when measuring recovery from addiction. Methods: Our previous work with service users had generated 28 indicators of recovery. Using Delphi group methodology (three rounds), we assessed the extent to which stakeholders working in the addictions field agreed that the 28 indicators were important on a scale of 1–10. Participants included 146 individuals with diverse job roles in 124 organisations across the British Isles. Findings: Round 1 scores were high. There was evidence of greater scoring consensus in Round 2, but this trend was less certain in Round 3. Participants scored 27/28 indicators ≥7/10 in Round 3, so confirming their importance. The only Round 3 indicator with a mean score <7 was "experiencing cravings". There were statistical differences between the Round 3 indicator scores of some sub-groups of participants, but absolute differences were small (never more than 1 point for any indicator). Conclusions: We have identified 27 recovery indicators that stakeholders working within the addiction field in the British Isles consistently ranked as important. Replicating our methods in other countries, and with additional stakeholder groups, will provide greater clarity on the term "recovery", its relevance and value, and how it can best be measured.


The nature of "goodwill" for tax purposes was an important issue in Australia long before the adoption of the Commonwealth income tax, with the relationship between goodwill and sales of business premises a central issue in colonial stamp duty assessments (and consequent litigation). Judicial precedents and doctrines were transferred into the income tax arena as a result of a provision in the first Commonwealth income tax law that allowed depreciation of goodwill associated with leasehold interests. Judicial views were subsequently refined when the nature of goodwill was considered in the context of small business concessions for gains on the disposal of goodwill and in an important case in which a vendor created a notional goodwill asset in the course of a financial arrangement. Importantly, since 1964, Australian taxpayers have not been able to depreciate the cost of any form of purchased wasting goodwill. The Australian tax position stands in contrast with that of the UK, Canada, the US and many other countries. This article reviews the concept of goodwill in Australian tax law and suggests allowance of depreciation of purchased goodwill would be a logical reform to make, contributing to better alignment of the law with benchmark income tax principles.


We identify a novel regime of soliton-plasma interactions in which high-intensity ultrashort pulses of intermediate soliton order undergo coherent plasma-induced fission. Experimental results obtained in gas-filled hollow-core photonic crystal fiber are supported by rigorous numerical simulations. In the anomalous dispersion regime, the cumulative blueshift of higher-order input solitons with ionizing intensities results in pulse splitting before the ultimate self-compression point, leading to the generation of robust pulse pairs with PHz bandwidths. The novel dynamics closes the gap between plasma-induced adiabatic soliton compression and modulational instability.


In a large fraction of all cases where a state faces an immediate military threat, it chooses to respond without resort to the threat, display, or use of military force. We seek to account for this phenomenon of nonmilitary response and to assess the utility of this strategy. We present a series of hypotheses to account for nonmilitary response, based on the literature on reciprocity, and test them using cases of interstate conflict involving Latin American states since 1816. Target states are less likely to respond militarily when the issues at stake are not highly salient, when the initiator's threat does not involve the actual use of military force, and when the target is substantially weaker than its adversary. A militarized response is more likely when the target state has employed a similar strategy in past conflict against the same adversary, regardless of the outcome of that past confrontation, and when the target is preoccupied with a civil war. No significant effect appears for contiguity or for the target state's preoccupation with another militarized dispute. Regarding the consequences of nonmilitary response, responding with militarized means did lessen the likelihood of defeat in a confrontation and increase the prospects for a successful outcome, but this advantage was small. From a more long-term perspective, nonmilitary response served to decrease the likelihood of future confrontations against the same adversary and to increase the length of time until the outbreak of the next confrontation. There thus seems to be a trade-off in terms of the outcome of the confrontation between the slight short-term costs of responding militarily and the longer term benefits of helping to postpone or avoid future conflict.


Machine learning methods can detect complex relationships between variables, but usually do not exploit domain knowledge. This is a limitation because in many scientific disciplines, such as systems biology, domain knowledge is available in the form of graphs or networks, and its use can improve model performance. We need network-based algorithms that are versatile and applicable in many research areas. In this work, we demonstrate subnetwork detection based on multi-modal node features using a novel Greedy Decision Forest with inher-ent interpretability. The latter will be a crucial factor to retain experts and gain their trust in such algorithms. To demonstrate a concrete application example, we focus on bioinformatics, systems biology and particularly biomedicine, but the presented methodology is applicable in many other domains as well. Systems biology is a good example of a field in which statistical data-driven machine learning enables the analysis of large amounts of multi-modal biomedical data. This is important to reach the future goal of precision medicine, where the complexity of patients is modeled on a system level to best tailor medical decisions, health practices and therapies to the individual patient. Our proposed approach can help to uncover disease-causing network modules from multi-omics data to better understand complex diseases such as cancer.


Abstract Detailed simulations are reported for the dynamics of electrons and nuclei during the cis—trans isomerization of butadiene following a femtosecond-scale laser pulse. Our technique, semiclassical electron-radiationion dynamics (SERID), is fully described in the text. The one-electron Hamiltonian and ion—ion interactions employed in the present work are density-functional based. Following excitation of electrons by the laser pulse, all three C—C bonds in the butadiene molecule become longer, as electrons are promoted from the HOMO to both the LUMO and LUMO+1 levels. In the excited electronic state, the molecule rotates about all of its three C—C bonds. There are then non-adiabatic events near avoided crossings, with electronic transitions to the ground state via creation of vibrational excitations. The molecule continues to twist around the central bond and one of the terminal C—C bonds, until the trans-conformation is achieved. Various features in the behaviour of the vibrational modes can also be observed, including initial excitations due to the laser pulse, further excitations at avoided crossings and the redistribution of vibrational energy between modes.


Herbicides are usually the first line of defence against weeds and form a formidable pair with mechanical control whether with machinery of hand hoeing. Due to the risk of weed resistance to herbicide control and environmental contamination, there is continuous need for new chemicals to be tested for control of weeds. In this work, the herbicide Bateleur Gold, a factory premix of s-metolachlor and flumetsulam was evaluated to establish the time and rate of application that would give efficacious weed control without causing phytotoxicity. In the first year, the herbicide was included in a screening trial comprising twelve herbicides arranged in a randomised complete block design. After good efficacy when applied immediately after planting, it was selected for further development. In the second year, in a split plot design with four blocks and four treatments, it was applied at 0.455 kg a.i ha -1 applied just after holing out (a.h.o) and at the same rate immediately after planting (i.a.p). A positive control Dual Magnum (smetolachlor) at 2.2 kg a.i.ha -1 i.a.p was used as a check and an untreated control was included. This trial showed that applied a.h.o, Bateleur Gold neither stunted Tobacco nor reduced yield but somewhat reduced weed efficacy especially overall (total weeds) nor grasses while the i.a.p. was ideal and showed no phytotoxicity and had good weed efficacy. In the third year, the i.a.p time of application was tested in a similar design but now more rates of Bateleur Gold were tested. The rates were, Bateleur Gold at 0.455, 0.92, 1.365 and 1.82 kg a.i.ha -1 . Dual Magnum at 2.2 kg a.i.ha -1 i.a.p was again included as a check. This work confirmed the potential of the herbicide as a broad spectrum material and showed that the best rate that would ensure broad spectrum control was 0.92 kg a.i.ha-1. Further research could look at application of this material in irrigation water in order to cater for those farmers with centre pivots. In addition, although application a.h.o. does not cause stunting of Tobacco; more work may be needed to show this with greater confidence.


Workers presentation can be influencing bu many kinds of factors, among them are compensation and work discipline. Compensation that give to the employee while they work at a certain company, can be very influence to workers presentation they reach. The employee who wants to get suitable and better compensation will reach out satisfy workers presentation and also useful for company to rise their productivity. Like wise with high work discipline towards companies regulation, workers presentation will rise some as rising of compensation that given to the employee as a services response from company.
PT. Alam Daya Sakti Semarang as a paving block industry. To execute the production, the company always determine a target. From years to years, the company cant reached a target accoding to they planned. Based on it, supposed that compensation and work discipline can effect workers presentation, so the purpose of this research are to know the effect compensation and work discipline towards workers presentation. The type of this research is explanatory, while research method uses probability sampling to determine sample amount 68 people from 200 total populate people. Data colected by questionare, interview, and literature. To analyse data used descriptive statistic analyses and inferential statistic analyses. Especially for inferential statistic analyses using double regression analyses with SPSS for windows program.
Based on the analyses for the effect of compensation and work discipline in partial to the workers presentation. The result which is gotten by compensation variable is tcount > ttable that is 4,450 > 1,67. The variable of work discipline tcount > ttable is 2,391 > 1,67. While, to see, there is or not the effect of compensation and work discipline simultanly to workers presentation used F test, the result Fcount > Ftable 13,235 > 3,13. The conclusion is compensation gives effect significanly to workers presentation and also there is effect significanly between compensation and work discipline towards workers presentation.
Suggestion that are given by the researcher, the company has to consider again to give more compensation to spur on employee to rise their workers presentation better for rising the productivity of company. The effort to rise compensation can do by given more attention to employee in type of appreciation and bonus as their contribution in order to make image of the company still well. And need to do explanation towards disciplinary action by given positif or negatif punishment and training for time work. And also to socialize the rules of company when they work.


I. INTRODUCTION To say that oral argument is important seems unremarkable. In truth, however, this statement may be accurate in only a few close cases. In these cases, litigants and courts might benefit from argument sessions that are longer than those typically granted. But in cases that do not meet this standard, oral argument should not be granted at all. A. Surveying the Conventional Wisdom The typical analysis of oral argument answers this question: "Does oral argument matter?" (1) It casts the importance of oral argument as an all-or-nothing proposition that matters in every case or does not matter in any case. Faced with this choice, some judges may respond by conceding that oral argument does not matter at all. (2) For example, many observers have concluded that Justice Thomas places minimal, if any, importance on oral argument. As Supreme Court visitors have observed, he doesn't typically speak or ask questions during oral argument. (3) Justice Thomas has succinctly explained his trademark silence, stating, "[I]f I wanted to talk a lot, I would be on the other side of the bench." (4) He has also stated that oral argument is "not the real meat" of the Supreme Court's role. (5) This view is likely shared by other judges, for as one writer concluded, "most judges will admit ... an oral argument rarely wins an appellate case." (6) Many lawyers also believe that oral argument is not important. One author asserts that "[m]ost lawyers can count on the fingers of one hand the number of times oral argument actually seemed to make a difference," (7) and another states that "[c]onventional wisdom holds that oral argument is less important than in the past." (8) Lawyers' and judges' belief in the conventional wisdom might result from their exposure to a trend in the federal courts of appeals suggesting that oral argument is unimportant--or less important than in the past: The time allotted for oral argument has consistently decreased over time. In the Supreme Court, oral argument originally could last for days; was restricted to two hours per attorney in 1849; was reduced again to periods consisting of forty-five to ninety minutes per side in 1911; was cut to thirty minutes or an hour per side in 1931; and now stands at thirty minutes per side. (9) Today, federal appeals courts typically limit oral argument to a period of from ten to fifteen minutes per side. (10) All of this makes it easy to understand why lawyers and judges might ask whether oral argument still matters. But that is the wrong question. The better, if less conventional, question is, "When does oral argument matter?" B. Answering a Less Conventional Question Oral argument significantly impacts the outcomes of only very close cases. Of course, the likelihood that a case is close increases at each appellate level, as parties should be less inclined over time to pursue arguments that have little chance of success, and controlling precedent is less likely to exist as the case survives various levels of appellate review. (11) It follows that oral argument is almost always necessary in the Supreme Court, as any case in which certiorari is granted presumably presents a close question with no clear answer. (12) In fact, Chief Justice Rehnquist once admitted that "[i]n a significant minority of the cases in which I have heard oral argument, I have left the bench feeling different about a case than I did when I came on the bench." (13) Justice Scalia has also recognized the importance of oral argument, stating that if a lawyer satisfies one or two critical questions during oral argument, that attorney will have his vote. (14) And at least one study of oral argument in the Supreme Court concluded that oral argument is "at times determinative of the outcome." (15) In comparison, in the vast majority of cases heard in appellate courts other than the Supreme Court, the conclusions that judges reach after consulting only the briefs will not be swayed by oral argument. …


In recent years, advances in the understanding of low-grade glioma (LGG) biology have driven new paradigms in molecular markers, diagnostic imaging, operative techniques and technologies, and adjuvant therapies. Taken together, these developments are collectively pushing the envelope toward improved quality of life and survival. In this article, the authors evaluate the recent literature to synthesize a comprehensive review of LGGs in the modern neurosurgical era.


The interaction of solar activities with the layers of the Earth's atmosphere determines the pattern of the complex climate system. It is clear that any change in incoming solar radiation has the potential to affect the climate. In this research, the effect of the energies of coronal mass ejections and solar flares on the maximum temperatures of the summer seasons over the city of Baghdad for the time period (1996-2019) representing the 23 and 24 solar cycles was studied. CME data were collected from the SOHO/LASCO CME Catalog. Solar flare data were taken from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Center (NOAA) database. As for the geoclimatic data for the study for the summer seasons, it was relied on through the meteorological ground station in Baghdad affiliated with the Iraqi General Authority for Meteorology and Seismic Monitoring. The statistical program Minitab 19.0 was used, and the results showed a direct relationship between the energies of coronal mass ejections and solar flares with maximum temperatures during the solar cycles 23 and 24. Except for the descending phase of the solar cycle 24, the results showed an inverse relationship.


Electrolytic tough pitch copper (known as ETP, CDA110, or copper alloy no. 110) is a material used in the manufacture of external leads for hybrid integrated circuits. Cracking during the formation of 90° bends and the relatively poor cyclic fatigue behavior of this material are identified as due to embrittlement caused by second-phase oxide inclusions. Optical and SEM examinations of failures led to the following model for embrittlement. Under the applied loads, voids nucleate at the second-phase inclusions; continued loading causes the voids to grow and coalesce, resulting in a fracture. This model is consistent with the published literature. Cyclic fatigue behavior, i.e., the median number of cycles to failure (MCTF), was found to vary inversely with the oxygen concentration. Over the range 10-650 ppm oxygen (by weight), the fatigue results could be represented by [100/MCTF] = 0.0228 [ppm oxygen] + 8.32. For both CDA110 and oxygen-free copper (CDA102 or copper alloy no. 102) the MCTF was found to vary inversely with the percent of bond deformation over the 10-60-percent range. Therefore, all cyclic fatigue comparisons among the various CDA110 and CDA102 specimens were made at a common bond deformation, chosen to be 35 percent. Oxygen-free copper with ~10 ppm oxygen was found to have about twice the MCTF as CDA110 with ~400 ppm oxygen.


The purpose of this study is to point out that Cyprus' dependence on the mine industry and British bases is undesirable; therefore, other economic sources must be found and developed. These two sources of revenue are undesirable because they are unstable, temporary, and outside the control of Cyprus' Government. The undesirability of these two sources is demonstrated when the author points out the problems that were created in the 1950's and early 1960's as a result of the fluctuations in revenues from the mine industry and British bases. In order to lessen Cyprus' dependence on the bases and mines alternative sources must be found. In this study the author makes certain suggestions which will help to promote Cyprus' manufacturing industry. The expansion of the manufacturing sector of the Island will decrease the importance of the bases and mines on the economy of Cyprus. In an effort to show that Cyprus is over-dependent on the bases and mines the author points out how much these sources contributed to the Island's economy between 1950-1959 and 1960-1965. Also their future contribution to the economy of Cyprus is discussed. The author includes an introductory analysis on the economic and political history of Cyprus and refers to its geographical setting to assist the reader in comprehending the problem discussed. The author's proposals to help expand the manufacturing sector of the Island will undoubtedly require further study and research. He hopes that these general proposals will be considered in plans of the Cyprus Government for economic development.


Primary intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) comprises 10–15% of all strokes. Arterial hypertension and warfarin use are well documented risk factors for ICH, but aspirin use also seems to predispose to ICH. The annual incidence of primary ICH in western populations is 12–31 / 100,000. Mortality is high: 14–52% during the first month and 14–80% during the first year after ICH. The size and location of the hemorrhage, a midline shift in head computed tomography, intraventricular spread of the hemorrhage, level of consciousness on admission, and high blood glucose independently predict mortality. For a risk factor study, 98 consecutive patients admitted into the Department of Neurology, Oulu University Hospital, because of ICH between January 1993 and September 1995 were compared with 206 control subjects drawn from a population register. Thromboxane and prostacyclin biosynthesis were measured from serial urine samples of 43 patients. For outcome studies, all subjects (n = 208) with incident ICH during the study period in the population of Northern Ostrobothnia, Finland, were identified. Untreated hypertension was the main modifiable risk factor for ICH. Use of aspirin appeared to be a significant risk factor for ICH in the subjects with a history of epistaxis. Enhanced thromboxane and prostacyclin biosynthesis were observed in the acute phase and 3 months after ICH. Regular use of aspirin preceding ICH doubled the 3-month mortality rate compared with nonusers of aspirin/ warfarin. Aspirin use also associated with early hematoma growth. Patients with ICH showed increased long-term mortality up to 7 years after ICH compared to controls. No excess mortality was observed among those with good recovery at 3 months, but those who were severely disabled at 3 months after ICH showed marked excess mortality.


A family-based selection program was initiated at the National Center for Cool and Cold Water Aquaculture in 2005 to improve resistance to bacterial cold water disease (BCWD) in rainbow trout. The objective of this study was to estimate response to 2 generations of selection. A total of 14,841 juvenile fish (BW = 3.1 g; SD = 1.1 g) from 230 full-sib families and 3 randomly mated control lines were challenged intraperitoneally with Flavobacterium psychrophilum, the bacterium that causes BCWD, and mortalities were observed for 21 d. Selection was applied to family EBV derived from a proportional-hazards frailty (animal) model while constraining rate of inbreeding to <or=1% per generation. After adjusting for nongenetic effects, survival rate of select-line families increased by 24.6 +/- 6.8 and 44.7 +/- 6.7 (cumulative) percentage points after 1 and 2 generations of selection, respectively (P < 0.01). Genetic trend, estimated from a linear animal model that fit genetic group effects, was 19.0 +/- 4.1 percentage points per generation and approached significance (P = 0.07). Heritability estimates from the proportional-hazards frailty model and linear animal model were similar (0.22 and 0.23, respectively), and family EBV from both models were highly correlated (-0.92). Accuracy of selection, estimated as the correlation between mid-parent EBV and progeny survival rate, was 0.20 (P < 0.01) for the proportional-hazards frailty model and 0.18 (P = 0.01) for the linear animal model. Accuracy estimates were not different (P = 0.81) between the models. This study demonstrates that selective breeding can be effective for improving resistance to experimental BCWD challenge in rainbow trout.


Scientific advancement during the immediately preceding decades is completely unparalleled in the history of human development. Unfortunately, social advancements have not kept pace with technical progress. The engineer, who is part of the group that is most responsible for technical progress, must stand ready to assume his professional responsibility in sharing tie task of keeping society abreast of science. In order to competently assume this professional stature, proper emphasis must be placed on a study of the arts, humanities, and social studies during the education of the engineer. It is particularly significant for civil engineers to be conscious of the integration of technical development and social advancement because the fundamental concern of civil engineering is the technical problems of group living; therefore, if a civil engineer is to adequately fulfill his role as a professional member of his society, his professional development must necessarily begin at the student level. The student's responsibility in professional development is adequate attention to the liberal arts courses included in his curriculum.


Abstract Though microbial infections are central concerns for public health workers in urban Nicaragua, health workers there rarely if ever speak of the existence of a 'microbiome' when they address such problems. Among scientists and the public in the United States, on the other hand, the microbiome, seen as the 'internal ecosystem' that regulates the workings of human guts, is a regular topic of conversation. This raises questions about how one might go about doing a social study of the microbiome in places where it does not (yet) exist as a category of expert practice or public discourse. Evidence from Nicaragua and the United States highlights two sites at which experts engage people in research and discussion about microbial ecologies. In their work, U.S. microbiome scientists and Nicaraguan public health workers both engage in 'paraethnography,' the practice of collecting and analyzing qualitative information that does not fit into statistical or other kinds of scientific models. In the United States, paraethnography has driven both traditional scientific experiments on the microbiome and online, crowd-sourced experimental platforms for collecting and analyzing information about gut microbes. In Nicaragua, hygienists generate paraethnographic evidence through word-of-mouth, radio, and print media. A comparison between the work of U.S. scientists and that of Nicaraguan hygienists suggests three different ways (commensal, parasitic, and mutualistic) in which the cultural/interpretive evidence of paraethnography interfaces symbiotically with the quantitative/statistical evidence of bioscience. Attention to evidentiary symbiosis provides insights into the operations of publicly oriented science under conditions of bodily and planetary uncertainty.


Conservation strategies are increasingly driven by our understanding of the processes and patterns of gene flow across complex landscapes. The expansion of population genetic approaches into traditional agricultural systems requires understanding how social factors contribute to that landscape, and thus to gene flow. This study incorporates extensive farmer interviews and population genetic analysis of barley landraces (Hordeum vulgare) to build a holistic picture of farmer‐mediated geneflow in an ancient, traditional agricultural system in the highlands of Ethiopia. We analyze barley samples at 14 microsatellite loci across sites at varying elevations and locations across a contiguous mountain range, and across farmer‐identified barley types and management strategies. Genetic structure is analyzed using population‐based and individual‐based methods, including measures of population differentiation and genetic distance, multivariate Principal Coordinate Analysis, and Bayesian assignment tests. Phenotypic analysis links genetic patterns to traits identified by farmers. We find that differential farmer management strategies lead to markedly different patterns of population structure across elevation classes and barley types. The extent to which farmer seed management appears as a stronger determinant of spatial structure than the physical landscape highlights the need for incorporation of social, landscape, and genetic data for the design of conservation strategies in human‐influenced landscapes.


Both tensile and strain controlled low cycle fatigue (LCF) tests were conducted for 316L and 316LN at 550oC and 600oC to investigate the nitrogen effect on the deformation behavior of type 316L stainless. The waveform of LCF was a symmetrical triangle with a constant strain rate of 4×10-3/s was employed for most tests. It shows that the addition of nitrogen in the alloy results in an increase in tensile strength but a decrease in ductility. Both the alloys exhibited cell structure after severe tensile deformation. However, after low cycle fatigue, only planar slip band is observed in 316LN, whereas cell structure is still the main feather of microstructure in 316L. This is due to the strong interstitial-substitutional Mo-N pairs and various stress strain conditions.


After analyzing the motion mechanism of human ankle, a new type of two DOF parallel ankle joint mechanism for a biped robot is designed in this paper. The parameterized model of the mechanism was established, of which the kinematic and dynamic analysis are also given. According to the dynamic characteristics of the ankle joint during walking, we optimize the structure parameters of the parallel mechanism through iterative calculation, which makes the driving peak power and speed of the two driving elements of the ankle joint tend to be equal to each other. Through the analysis of the experimental results for the biped robot's ankle joint motion, it shows that the peak-power used to drive parallel ankle joints is only about half of that used to drive serial joints. Based on the premise that the dynamic characteristic of biped robot ankle joints during walking are satisfied, it is beneficial to the reduction of bulk, weight and the energy consumption of the joints by using lower-power drivers.


BACKGROUND
The serum circulatory levels of apoptosis related molecules measured in patients with oral lichen planus (OLP) and healthy individuals in order to investigate possible alterations associated with the clinical forms of OLP.

METHODS
Serum levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, soluble Fas (sFas) and Bcl-2 studied by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in whole blood samples in 13 OLP reticular, 13 OLP atrophic-erosive form patients and 26 healthy subjects.

RESULTS
Significantly elevated levels of TNF-alpha and sFas detected in OLP patients as compared with controls. Serum concentrations of Bcl-2 although increased in 17/26 patients, they were not statistically significant. Reticular OLP exhibited slightly elevated TNF-alpha and significantly elevated Bcl-2 serum levels, compared with erosive OLP.

CONCLUSIONS
These data suggest that a putative dysfunction in the Fas/FasL mediated apoptosis might be involved in the OLP pathogenesis. A downregulation of Bcl-2 serum levels in the atrophic-erosive OLP may be associated with promotion of the disease activity.


The Ti-Cr systems are known to consist of BCC solid solution, C36, C14, C15 Laves phase at high temperature. Among others, BCC solid solution phase has been reported to have a high hydrogen storage capacity. However, activation, wide range of hysteresis at hydrogenation/dehydrogenation, and degradation of hydrogen capacity due to hydriding/dehydriding cycles have to be improved for its application. In this study, for improving such a problem, we added on Nb. To obtain a target materials, Ti-1Nb-10Cr, Ti-3Nb-10Cr and Ti-5Nb-10Cr specimens were prepared by planetary ball mill. The milling process was carried out under nitrogen atmosphere. Specimens synthesized were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and thermo gravimetric analysis/differential scanning calorimetry(TG/DSC). In order to examine hydrogen absorption kinetics, Sievert's type automatic pressure-composition- isotherm (PCI) was performed at 293, 323 , 373 and 423K under 1, 5MPa hydrogen atmosphere.


Failures of memory modules have been a concern for a long time, as they are costly both in terms of hardware replacement and service disruption. These failures can be preceded by correctable (soft) and then uncorrectable (hard) errors, which accumulate over time. Valuable large scale studies of DIMM errors in the wild [2, 1] analyze in depth hard and soft errors and their correlations with specific sensors. However, little has been reported on how these findings could be used to automatically predict future DIMM failures. We show that by understanding which factors drive such failures, we can build intelligent predictive models with off-the-shelf machine learning techniques to predict DIMM failures ahead of time with high accuracy. Such models not only provide early signs of failures, but also allow administrators to proactively replace DIMMs at risk weeks in advance, thus avoiding "memory loss" of their commodity hardware.


IrisCode, developed by Daugman, in 1993, is the most influential iris recognition algorithm. A thorough understanding of IrisCode is essential, because over 100 million persons have been enrolled by this algorithm and many biometric personal identification and template protection methods have been developed based on IrisCode. This paper indicates that a template produced by IrisCode or its variants is a convex polyhedral cone in a hyperspace. Its central ray, being a rough representation of the original biometric signal, can be computed by a simple algorithm, which can often be implemented in one Matlab command line. The central ray is an expected ray and also an optimal ray of an objective function on a group of distributions. This algorithm is derived from geometric properties of a convex polyhedral cone but does not rely on any prior knowledge (e.g., iris images). The experimental results show that biometric templates, including iris and palmprint templates, produced by different recognition methods can be matched through the central rays in their convex polyhedral cones and that templates protected by a method extended from IrisCode can be broken into. These experimental results indicate that, without a thorough security analysis, convex polyhedral cone templates cannot be assumed secure. Additionally, the simplicity of the algorithm implies that even junior hackers without knowledge of advanced image processing and biometric databases can still break into protected templates and reveal relationships among templates produced by different recognition methods.


A round robin program was conducted to determine the hardness conversions for ferritic stainless steels. Each of six participating laboratories conducted hardness tests on specimens representing nine grades, each having varying amounts of cold reduction. Conversions were established to the Rockwell B scale from Rockwell 15T, 30T, 45T, and A scales. In all cases, the Wilson Chart (Chart No. 52-Wilson Instruments Division, American Chain and Cable Company) conversion fits the least squares round robin data line better than does the ASTM Method E140 austenitic conversion. The Wilson Chart conversion line falls within the 95 percent confidence band of the round robin data for the conversions to Rockwell B from Rockwell 30T, 45T, and A. For the 15T to Rockwell B conversion, the Wilson line falls outside the 95 percent confidence limits for values below HRB 80. As a result of this round robin program, a joint task group was organized under ASTM Subcommittees A-01.13 and E-28-06 to determine what changes should be made in the hardness conversion tables in ASTM Methods A 370 and E 140. The recommendations of this task group are currently being balloted.


Globalization and the changing role of the nation-state call for new approaches to environmental governance and new ways to conceptualize it. Recent developments in sociology--seen in the work of John Urry, Manuel Castells, and others--show how social theory can be made less static, more fluid, and more directed toward flow and networks in order to encompass today's reality. Governing Environmental Flows explores what such a reformulation means for the environmental social sciences. Taking the term environmental flows--in both its traditional scientific sense and in a newer social dimension--as its key unit of analysis, the book focuses on the interrelationships of globalization, the environment, and the state. The consensus of the contributors is that the conventional nation-state-based approach to environmental policy is in need of revision; the goal of the book is to lay the foundations for a set of concepts capable of analyzing environmental governance in global modernity.The first part of the book takes a theoretical perspective on how to interpret and conceptualize problems of governance and material flows. Case studies follow, examining biodiversity policies, transnational governance of climate-change-related water risks, globalized food production and consumption, "green" urban office buildings owned by global corporations, and transport flows in everyday life. Using the flow and network conceptual framework, these case studies illuminate the new dynamics of environmental policymaking in the twenty-first century.


Experiments were made in order to evaluate the accuracy and sensitivity of a photoacoustic infrared trace gas analyzer (TGA) in conjunction with an automatic opening and closing chamber system developed for near-continuous (2 min intervals) soil gaseous flux measurements. Humidity interference tests on N2O, CH4, and CO2 concentrations measured by the TGA were carried out, and the results showed a linear interference, with correction factors of 3 × 10−5x, 1.9 × 10−3x and 4.4 × 10−3x(x = H2O vapor ppm), respectively. CO2 interference on N2O and CH4 signals were also linear, with average correction factors of 2.8 × 10−4x and 6 × 10−5 x (x = CO2 ppm), respectively. Laboratory intercomparisons between the TGA and GC measurements of N2O and CH4 standards showed good agreement (R2 > 0.993), indicating the accuracy of the TGA for measurement of these gases at concentrations up to 100 and 40 ppm N2O and CH4, respectively. The relatively rapid measurement time for up to five gases simultaneously in 2 min, linearity, and ease of operation of the TGA represent major advantages compared to gas chromatography (GC). The automated chamber system provides a continuous measurement of fluxes with minimum disturbance to the soil environment enclosed by the chamber and provides the means, for example, of quantifying diurnal variability. In situ measurements of N2O-N and CH4-C fluxes with a sensitivity <10 g ha−1 d−1 (11.6 ng m−2 s−1), as well as of CO2 and water vapor (H2O), can be measured by the TGA when used with the automated system, and fluxes at background levels (i.e., from unfertilized soils) can be determined.


We present a particle physics realization of a recent suggestion by Spergel and Steinhardt that collisional but dissipationless dark matter may resolve the core density problem in dark matter-dominated galaxies such as the dwarf galaxies. The realization is the asymmetric mirror universe model introduced to explain the neutrino puzzles and the microlensing anomaly. The mirror baryons are the dark matter particles with the desired properties. The time scales are right for resolution of the core density problem and formation of mirror stars (MACHOs observed in microlensing experiments). The mass of the region homogenized by Silk damping is between a dwarf and a large galaxy.


This study aims to examine the spillover effect of right offerings to the industry on the Indonesian Stock Exchange in the period 2009-2016. This study is designed using event study methodology. In total, there are 96 issuing companies (issuers) and 1205 non-issuing companies (non-issuers) used as the sample which was obtained using a purposive sampling technique. The test for information content on the right issues was conducted using standard t-test on the average cumulative abnormal return of issuers and non-issuers in the period t-10 to t+10 around the issuance. The research found positive abnormal returns for issuers in t0 to t+4 but did not confirm the spillover effect to non-issuers over the observed (window) periods. The average cumulative abnormal returns are randomly distributed during the window period. These results confirm the absence of intraindustry effect of right issues on the non-issuers' performance


The antioxidant activity of the leaves and flowers of the Moringa oleifera plant were investigated and the results were compared to those of selected vegetables (cabbage, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower and peas). Antioxidant activity was determined by analysing the total phenolics content, total flavonoids content, reducing power and radical scavenging activity using the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl free radical method. The total phenolics content of moringa was almost twice that of the vegetables and the total flavonoids content was three times that of the selected vegetables. The reducing power of moringa was higher than that of the vegetables and the percentage of free radicals remaining was lower compared with the vegetables. These results combined show that moringa is a good source of antioxidants. This finding also explains why moringa forms part of the diet of people in many developing countries, especially in the southern hemisphere.


Paige Owens, bright, cheeky, confident, cannot wait to go to secondary school. Curtis Okafor, wary and much less confident, is not so sure. The only thing they share in common is the first letter of their surnames - which ensures they are forced into each other's company on a school trip to Wickworth Manor, the local stately home. Then Curtis finds a portrait in his bedroom of a young black servant dressed in livery. But why is the portrait hidden in the bedroom, and not in pride of place alongside the other portraits in the manor? And then Paige finds an intriguing letter, written over 200 years ago by Miss Verity Burton, who used to live at the Manor, that mentions the portrait. There is a mystery begging to be unravelled! So Paige and Curtis, in their very different ways, start work to find out what happened all those years ago.


In recent years there have been many revelations about ghost authors, who contribute to publications but are not credited, and guest authors, who do not contribute but are credited. Most medical and many other journals adhere to the authorship standards set by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), which were designed in part to combat the phenomena of ghost and guest authorship. However, the current criteria set for authorship by the ICMJE have their own problems.

Imagine that Andrew, Michael, and Chris decide to collaborate on some research. Andrew has had a brilliant idea for a study, and he and Chris carry it out successfully. Michael writes a paper based on their results and analysis, and Chris checks and corrects it. All three approve the final draft. They are aware that their paper is of great importance, so they decide to submit it to the BMJ . All goes well until they reach the authorship statement stage of the submission process, where they must agree with the statement, "We all meet the definition …


Within the reformed CAP, Germany decided to support small and young farmers by higher hectare payments. Because of heterogeneous farm structures with smaller farms in the south and large in the east, this causes regional redistributions. Agent-based simulations show that these policies create incentives for small farms to continue production but cannot provide perspectives. As small farms compete usually with other smaller farms additional support fulminates in small farm dominated regions in higher land prices and a structural conservation. Moreover, large farms are not harmed by reduced payments as they mainly compete with other large farms which are equally affected.


The laboratory portion of real-time controls offers the students the opportunity to apply the control systems theory developed in the classroom via hardware and software tools commonly used in industry such as a microcontroller, sensors, motors, Matlab, Simulink and C programming. Once exposed to the usage of the tools, the students then undertake the design and implementation of real time control of an autonomous vehicle. Using this approach the students not only learn the application of the theory presented in lectures, but the students also experience the system design process, thus refining their creativity, problem solving ability, and teaming skills. As a result, the students preparation for industry is greatly enhanced.


Vitamins play a vital role in many biochemical functions in the human body and are essential components for maintaining optimal health. There are two main groups of vitamins – those that are fat-soluble (easily stored in fat upon absorption) and those that are water-soluble (washed out and not easily stored). Although adequate intake of all vitamins is important, due to the transient nature of water-soluble vitamins, regular intake is required to avoid deficiency. The water-soluble vitamins include Vitamin C and Vitamin B complex (thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, pyridoxine, biotin, folate, and cobalamin).Vitamin B complex and vitamin C are found in many foods, especially vegetables and fruits, as well as dairy, meat, legumes, peas, liver, eggs, and fortified grains and cereals. In addition to serving as cofactors in biochemical reactions, vitamin B complex is vital for normal body growth and development, healthy skin, properly functioning of nerves and the heart, and red blood cell formation. The overall lack of water-soluble vitamins is rare in North America, though it can present in alcohol use disorder, malabsorption syndromes, strict veganism, and malnourished states.


During my two-year teaching experience in a university setting one of the biggest problems I faced was to motivate my students at a private (mostly) technical university for the reading classes. It is an undeniable fact that reading classes require EFL learners to have enough skill, confidence, and motivation. However, this requirement is hard to be fulfilled especially for many EFL technical students because their exposure to English is very limited and they have difficulty in meeting some necessary requirements of reading such as critical thinking and use of some strategies and techniques.  Consequently, the action research was conducted to involve my technical preparatory students in EFL reading classes. Through this study, I also aimed to develop a deeper and better understanding of my teaching and grow professionally. The question guiding this study was: What happens to my students' attitudes towards reading classes when I integrate visuals, hands-on activities, and competitions into my lessons? After planning the procedures, the action research process involved a pre-test, 4-week intervention, and a post- test to measure the improvement. The statistical data did not show any significant difference in their achievement, but qualitative data taken from observation, field notes, and interviews revealed that integration of visuals and interactive activities into reading classes motivated the students and engaged them more in the classes.


This research about Developing Students' Reading Worksheet of tenth grade at SMA Negeri 4 Palopo, the researcher formulated the research question as follow: what kind of Reading Worksheet are suitable for tenth students'. The objective of this research is to create and develop reading worksheets for tenth-grade students' by using the Addie design model. In this research and development from the Addie model, this consists of Analyzing, Designing, Implementation, and evaluating. There are 14 students and two experts' validation. The instrument of the data collection is a questioner. The result of the research shows that the researcher develops and make a product based on the students' need. And the development of this product is also carried out based on the syllabus and curriculum that apply in the school itself. Based on the worksheet, have a development already appropriate necessity and lack of the students, and with the development worksheet would students' reading ability.


The aim of this study was to examine the adsorption potential of lychee (Litchi chinensis) peel waste for the removal of Acid Blue 25 dye from aqueous solutions. The adsorption was studied as a function of contact time, initial dye concentration and temperature by batch method. Equilibrium sorption isotherms showed that the lychee peel adsorbent possessed a high affinity and sorption capacity for Acid Blue 25, with a monolayer sorption capacity of ca. 200 mg g−1. The equilibrium adsorption data were well described by the Langmuir model. Kinetic studies revealed that the present system of dye adsorption on lychee peel adsorbent could be described more favourably by the pseudo‐second‐order kinetic model. The thermodynamic parameters, namely free energy (ΔG°), enthalpy (ΔH°) and entropy (ΔS°) changes, were determined for the process. The results of the present study suggest that lychee peel waste can be used beneficially as an adsorbent in treating industrial effluents containing dyes.


A Wiener model consists of a linear dynamic block followed by with a nonlinear static block. When identifying the parameters of such a system, the Prediction Error Method (PEM) can be used. Depending on how noise enters the system, the predictor can be difficult to express, and an approximate predictor may be interesting. The estimate obtained from using this approximate predictor is however not always consistent. In this report we investigate this inconsistency.


A large number of rare mutations in the low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor gene cause the autosomal dominant disorder familial hypercholesterolemia. In addition, a number of common DNA polymorphisms have been identified in the LDL receptor gene, but their significance in affecting plasma cholesterol levels in the general population has not been studied widely. We investigated the role of two common DNA polymorphisms, Ava II (exon 13) and Nco I (exon 18), at the LDL receptor locus in affecting plasma lipid profiles in normolipidemic Hispanics (n = 385) and non-Hispanic whites (NHWs; n = 543) from the San Luis Valley, Colorado. While the distribution of the Nco I polymorphism was comparable between Hispanics and NHWs, the allele frequencies at the Ava II restriction site differed significantly between the two ethnic groups (P < .001). The Ava II and Nco I polymorphisms were in linkage disequilibrium (P < .05) in both Hispanics and NHWs. Both polymorphisms revealed a gender-specific effect on total and LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) confined to women only in both ethnic groups. The AVA II polymorphism was associated significantly with total cholesterol and LDL-C in NHW women (P = .001 and P = .014) and in Hispanic women (P = .011 and P = .057). The effect of the Nco I polymorphism was significant on total cholesterol and LDL-C (P = .019 and P = .035) in Hispanic women only. Although a similar trend was observed in NHW women, the effect was not significant at the 5% level.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


Nanotechnology: It is one of the modern scientific achievements where nanotechnology is available, namely the engineering and art of nano scale material treatment (100 nanometers. The ability to manufacture new Nano materials used to treat surface water, groundwater and industrial wastewater contaminated with toxic metal ions, organic and inorganic substances as well as microorganisms. In this research, we discussed the use of Nano materials, or nearby, to remove the dissolved oil pollutants from the industrial wastewater of the South Refinery Company, where we used multitubes of carbon nanotubes. The function of the tubes can be described as a particle filter, Hold large particles of contaminants that are difficult to pass through the tube tunnel). We also used activated carbon powder and carbon filters near pore nanoparticles Keyword activated carbon, carbon Nano tubes multi, industrial waste water


Integrated water resources management (IWRM) has been criticized yet it is the dominant approach to water resources management in developing countries. The criticism emanates from the manifold unfounded assumptions made during implementation on issues such as availability of technology and infrastructure, privatization and sustainable financing, human resource capacity, government interference, etc. The Pra Basin has been implementing IWRM since 2011. The basin houses nine out of the 17 artificial reservoirs constructed in Ghana for drinking water supply. It is therefore prudent that the basin's water resources are given extra management care to ensure sustainable water quality and quantity for growth and development. However, much uncertainty still exists about whether the best water management system is being practiced, whether the system is working well, or needs improvement. This study examines the effectiveness of water resources management in the Pra Basin of Ghana. This study used interviews, field observations, and documents such as Pra Basin IWRM plan, the national IWRM plan, etc., to assess the effectiveness of IWRM in the Pra Basin. The result of the study showed that IWRM although appropriate for the basin had implementation gaps. These gaps are potential contributors to deteriorating water quality.


Microfossils in the form of wheels are characteristic of Holothuroidea and Ophiocistioidea (Echinodermata). Only a few wheel fossils have been ever reported without detailed description from Japan. Five wheel fossils were collected from the Carboniferous part of the Omi Limestone distributed in Itoigawa City, Niigata Prefecture, central Japan. The Limestone is included in the Akiyoshi Terrane generated by accretion of seamounts in the trench area. These wheels were identified as Protocaudina botoni (Gutschick, 1959) (Ophiocistioidea, Rotasacciidae) and Thalattocanthus consonus Carini, 1962 (Holothuroidea, Synaptida, Theeliidae). The diagnosis of the genus Protocaudina Croneis, 1932 has been revised to cover all current valid species. The Limestone was deposited as a reef carbonate on a pelagic, shallow-water seamount suggesting that these species habitats were distributed in the pelagic environments.


John Owen (1787-1841) presided over advances in internal improvements [4] and education while governor and, post-term, turned down an offer to be the Whig vice-presidential candidate. Born in Bladen County [5] in August 1787, he was the son of Eleanor Porterfield and Colonel Thomas Owen [6], Revolutionary patriot, legislator, and prosperous landowner. Little is known of Owen's youth or early education, but in 1804 he was a student at the University of North Carolina [7]. Though he did not graduate from the University, he would serve for more than twenty years as a trustee. Owen married Lucy Brown of Bladen County, daughter of General Thomas Brown [8]. Their marriage produced daughter, Lucy.


Anticipated synchronization is a counterintuitive synchronization regime between a master and a slave dynamical system in which there is a negative phase difference between the driver and the driven system. By studying a set of simple neural oscillators, we unveil the dynamical mechanisms required to generate this phenomenon. We study master–slave configurations where the slave system is, when uncoupled, in a quiescent excitable state. We exemplify our results by describing the dynamics of a dynamical system proposed to model the part of a songbird's brain involved in song production.


Microwave processing of metallic powders, both in multimode and single-mode cavity, has attracted wide interest. However, the mechanism of interaction between microwaves and metal powders is not yet very well understood. In this paper, the microwave power absorption mechanism in metallic powders has been systematically studied. For this, mixtures of copper and alumina powders have been processed in a 2.45-GHz microwave single mode cavity in either air or forming gas (N2 + 5 wt% H2). In the nominal pure magnetic field (H-field) region in the single-mode microwave cavity, pure copper powder cannot be heated in the reductive (forming gas) atmosphere while it will heat in air atmosphere. Although neither alumina nor copper separately heat up in forming gas in the H-field, mixtures of copper and alumina powders heat up readily. These behaviors can be explained by the presence of oxide layers found on many metallic particles, which play a vital role in the microwave heating of metal powders. The oxide layers isolate the particles and confine the electric current to the surface of every particle, thereby allowing microwaves to penetrate into the sample. Since the particle size is quite small and the surface area is high, the heat produced by the sum of the surface currents on all of these particles is significant. Concurrently, the oxide layer on each metal particle may act as thermal insulation material to help maintain the temperature as the metal particles heat up since many metal oxides have low thermal conductivity. We propose a new mathematical model and derive the power dissipation equation which provides the fundamental basis for the analysis, calculation, and simulation of heating of metallic powders in microwaves.


This experiment was aimed to study the degradation kinetics of limestone-urea mixtures in the goats rumen using the nylon bag technique. Samples of limestone were obtained from two limestone mountains, Pamotan Subdistrict of Central Java Province and Wonosari Subdistrict of Yogyakarta Province. The mixtures were created by combining urea at levels 25, 50, 75and 100%; respectively with two limestones on the basis of their Ca contents: L0U100, LP25U75, LP50U50; LP75U25, LW25U75; LW50U50; and LW75U25. The soluble fraction, potentially degradable fraction, the degradation rate of potentially degradable fraction, and effective degradation of respective dry matter (DM) and nitrogen (N) ruminal degradation kinetics were measured in each mixture. The mixture of LP75U25 had lowest effective and degradation rate of potentially degradable fraction (P<0.05) respectively for DM and N compared with those of other mixtures. In conclusion, the limestone-urea mixture of LP75U25 could be suggested as a dietary supplement of ruminal N slow release.


Introduction: Treatment team charged to help patients and their family making decision about donate organs in the final stage of life. Hence, their knowledge and attitude is important to plan of increasing the rate of organ donation. Materials and Methods: About 150 nurses recruited in this cross-sectional study randomly. After taking informed consent, questionnaires were filled. The data collection tool was a multipart questionnaire including demographic information, 18 questions about attitude and practice and 15 question about knowledge toward organ donation. Data were analyzed by SPSS software using K-squire, Pearson correlation test, T-test, variance analyze on 95% confidence interval. Results: Most of participants (76%) were 25-44 years old. About 81.3% of them were female (n=122). The attitude average score between males and females was 85.25±35.61 and 70.37±46.53, respectively. The practice average score in females was 34.43±47.71 and between males was 29.63±46.53. The knowledge average scores were 50.60±16.19 and 56.54±17.48 for two groups (p>0.05). The knowledge average scores between different age groups was significant (p<0.05). There was a direct and significant relation between attitude and practice (r= +0.33, p<0.05), attitude and Factors influencing attitude and practice (r= 0.866, p<0.05), but the relation between attitude and knowledge was indirect and significant (r= -0.183, p<0.05). Conclusions: Since the medical team are most important adviser for promote activities related to organ donation, it seems that educational curriculum and facilities should applied to enhance attitude and behavior favorable change of personnel towards this issue.


As we approach the centenary of Elie Metchnikoff's Nobel Prize (1908), it is opportune to reflect upon the history of macrophage immunobiology, take stock of current knowledge and anticipate questions for the future. Starting from his appreciation of phagocytosis as an important determinant of host defence against infection and injury, we have learned a great deal about the distribution of macrophages throughout the body, their heterogeneous phenotype and complex functions in tissue homeostasis as well as in innate and acquired immunity. Recent discoveries of Toll‐like and other plasma membrane, vacuolar and cytosolic recognition molecules have brought the macrophage and closely related dendritic cells to the centre of immunologic attention, but many earlier discoveries of their cellular and molecular properties have laid a broader foundation to the appreciation of their remarkable plasticity and adaptability to local and systemic cues. Discoveries of pro‐inflammatory mediators such as TNF and other secretory products have provided valuable insights into the role of macrophages in many acute and chronic disease processes, and led to the development of effective therapeutics. Much remains to be discovered regarding both their specific functions and by study of their general cellular properties, in vitro and in vivo.


22q11 Deletion Syndrome (22q11DS) is associated with somatic anomalies, learning disability, and psychiatric disturbance; a high rate of schizophrenia (10-40%) has been reported in affected adults. The aim of this study was to acquire evidence for genetic disruption of specific developmental processes that may explain the later emergence of psychotic illness in 22q11DS. Neurobiological traits associated with risk for psychosis (endophenotypes) were selected for investigation following review of the existing literature on genetics, neurodevelopment and schizophrenia, and were investigated using cognitive and EEG event-related potential (ERP) methodologies. Adolescents and young adults with 22q11DS were compared to age- and IQ-matched controls on all measures. Between-groups analysis revealed abnormalities of auditory processing, working memory and expressive language in 22q11DS. ERPs provided strong evidence for schizophrenia-like disruption; mismatch negativity (MMN), an ERP elicited by any discriminable change in a repetitive auditory sequence, was reduced in amplitude at frontal electrodes but not at temporal sites. Anomalous context-dependence of speech MMN was also observed; individuals with 22q11DS displayed a specific deficit in eliciting MMN in response to voicing contrasts between speech sounds. No such deficits were found in children with Specific Language Impairment, although other abnormalities in auditory processing were apparent. Within-group analysis indicated that abnormal auditory ERPs were associated with psychiatric symptoms akin to schizotypal personality disorder in some 22q11DS individuals. The association between these impairments supports the view that MMN indexes neurophysio logical processes relevant to psychotic illness. The severity of neurocognitive abnormalities in 22q11DS was found to be modulated by the catechol-o- methyl transferase met 158 val polymorphism on the single non-deleted chromosome 22. Functional variants of the COMT gene have been associated with risk for schizophrenia and schizophrenia-like cognitive abnormalities in the general population. Thus developmental dysregulation of catecholamine systems may at least partially explain the association between 22q11DS and psychosis.


SYNOPSIS We examine whether firms with low accounting quality are more likely to use trade credit as a source of financing. Because of their advantages in overcoming information frictions, suppliers are more likely to provide trade credit to customers with low accounting quality. We therefore expect firms' use of trade credit to decrease with their accounting quality. We find results consistent with this prediction. We also find that this negative relation is more pronounced for customers with low inventory liquidation costs and high firm-wide information asymmetry. Our findings extend the literature linking firms' accounting quality to financial decisions. JEL Classifications: G32; M41


AIMS
This article reports the study of a group of United Kingdom health visitors' interactions with their changing practice context, focusing on role identity and influences on its stability.

BACKGROUND
United Kingdom policies have urged health visitors to refocus their role as key public health nurses. Reduced role identity clarity precipitated the emergence of different models of health visiting public health work. An inconsistent role standard can lead to role identity fragmentation and conflict across a group. It may precipitate individual role crisis, affecting optimum role performance.

METHODS
Seventeen health visitors in two United Kingdom community healthcare organizations participated in a grounded theory study, incorporating constant comparative analysis. Direct observations and individual interviews were undertaken between 2002 and 2008.

RESULTS/FINDINGS
Four interlinked categories emerged: professional role identity (core category); professional role in action; interprofessional working; and local micro-systems for practice; each influencing participants' sense of identity and self-worth. The Role Identity Equilibrium Process explains interactive processes occurring at different levels of participants' practice.

CONCLUSION
Re-establishing equilibrium and consistency in health visiting identity is a priority. This study's findings have significance for other nurses and health professionals working in complex systems, affected by role change and challenges to role identity.


Abstract : Psychomotor performance of 16 subjects was evaluated under four noise conditions, during four test sessions, in a Latin square design. Three experimental conditions each began with different intensities of noise (Quiet, 85 dB, or 95 dB). After 30 minutes exposure the noise was changed to a final high intensity level (110dB), which lasted for 15 minutes. The fourth condition served as a control, in which Quiet prevailed throughout the entire 45 minute period. The results partially supported the hypothesis that greater changes in noise levels produce greater decrements in performance. There was, however, a strong interaction between noise conditions and sessions. The nature of this interaction indicated that this phenomenon does not occur uniformly throughout the course of learning, and probably is of lesser importance for well learned tasks.


Infants born to opiate-dependent women frequently have low birth weights and low 1- and 5-min Apgar scores. Significant postnatal problems, excluding neonatal withdrawal, can include jaundice, infection, aspiration pneumonia, transient tachypnea, and hyaline membrane disease. Neonatal abstinence may be severe and persist for as long as 3 months. Abstinence symptoms can include central nervous system hyperirritability, gastrointestinal dysfunction, respiratory distress, tremors, fever, high-pitched cry, increased muscle tone, uncoordinated sucking and swallowing reflexes, dehydration, and possible electrolyte imbalance. During the first week of life, increased respirations associated with hypocapnia and alkalosis may occur. The Brazelton Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale has been used to quantify the neurobehavioral effects on neonates of narcotics administered prenatally. A marked decline in mortality rates of infants born to opiate-dependent mothers is evident. In Philadelphia, infant morbidity has been related not only to the type of maternal narcotic dependence, but also to the amount of prenatal care. Infants whose mothers received prenatal care have been found to have higher birth weights similar to infants of control mothers. Although the newborn with intrauterine exposure to narcotic agents may appear normal at birth, the effects of the pharmacologic agent may not become apparent until later in development. To obtain a more favorable outcome for the high-risk mother and child involved in the problems of perinatal addiction, several recommendations are proposed.


Nguyen, P., Shukla, S., Liu, R., Abbineni, G. and Smart, D. K. Sirt2 Regulates Radiation-Induced Injury. Radiat. Res. 191, 398–412 (2019). Sirtuin 2 (SIRT2) plays a major role in aging, carcinogenesis and neurodegeneration. While it has been shown that SIRT2 is a mediator of stress-induced cell death, the mechanism remains unclear. In this study, we report the role of SIRT2 in mediating radiation-induced cell death and DNA damage using mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs), progenitor cells and tissues from Sirt2 wild-type and genomic knockout mice, and human tumor and primary cell lines as models. The presence of Sirt2 in cells and tissues significantly enhanced the cell's sensitivity to radiation-induced cytotoxicity by delaying the dispersion of radiation-induced γ-H2AX and 53BP1 foci. This enhanced cellular radiosensitivity correlated with reduced expression of pro-survival and DNA repair proteins, and decreased DNA repair capacities involving both homologous repair and non-homologous end joining DNA repair mechanisms compared to those in Sirt2 knockout (KO) and knockdown (KD) phenotypes. Together, these data suggest SIRT2 plays a critical role in mediating the radiation-induced DNA damage response, thus regulating radiation-induced cell death and survival.


In this paper, from the aspect of the vulnerability as Expected Poverty (i.e. VEP), the influence of current welfare for the rural households was emphasized and the vulnerability of poverty for rural households was measured. According to the information investigated in the six counties of the three provinces, China, the impact factors of the poverty vulnerability for rural households was analyzed through the Logistic model. The obtained results demonstrated that the factors including the own characters of rural households, the family property and the purchased insurance have the influences on reducing the vulnerability of households' poverty.


Abstract Human health risks were evaluated from consumption of heavy metal contaminated fish from the Fırtına and Güneysu Rivers in Rize. The study was aimed to assess heavy metal load in water and two fish species. The potential human health risk due to consumption of Oncorhynchus mykiss and Salmo coruhensis was assessed by estimating average daily intake (EDI), target hazard quotient (THQ) and hazard index (HI) of metals. Our results showed that the levels of heavy metals in both water and two fish species are lower than the acceptable limit recommended by Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) and World Health Organization (WHO).


ABSTRACT A new species of Capparis L., C. irenae Fici, sp. nov., is described and illustrated from Tigapuluh Mts., Riau Province of Sumatra, where it is known from a single locality in forest communities. The new species, belonging to Capparis sect. Monostichocalyx Radlk., is related to C. diffusa Ridl., differing in several characters as the glabrous twigs, longer petioles and leaves, flowers arranged in racemes with cataphylls at the base, longer petals hairy outside and longer filaments. Its affinities with other related taxa and its conservation status are discussed. Moreover a distribution map of the new species and an identification key to the species of Capparis recognized in Sumatra are provided.


INTRODUCTION
KPC enzymes are carbapenemases with a great capability to disseminate and to cause epidemics. They are frequently associated with higher mortality rates and prolonged hospital stay. In Colombia, they have been progressively reported since 2007; however, its prevalence in hospitals is not known.

OBJECTIVE
To estimate the prevalence of bla KPC gene in hospitals.

METHODS AND MATERIALS
The presence of bla KPC gene and its clonality were evaluated in clinical isolates of Enterobacteriacea and Pseudomonas aeruginosa in hospitalized patients.

RESULTS
Of the 424 isolates tested during the study period, 273 met eligibility criteria, and 31.1% were positive for bla KPC gene; after clonality adjustment, positivity was 12.8%. The bla KPC gene was more frequent in Klebsiella pneumonia, followed by P. aeruginosa and other Enterobacteriacea . Although intensive care units (ICU) provided the majority of the isolates, the bla KPC pattern was not more prevalent in ICUs than in other wards. The respiratory tract was the anatomic source with the highest prevalence. No seasonality was observed associated with the frequency of isolation of microorganisms carrying bla KPC gene.

CONCLUSION
This study revealed a high prevalence of bla KPC gene in microorganisms isolated from different hospitals in Colombia. The extraordinary ability of bla KPC gene to spread, the difficulties for its diagnosis and the limited antibiotics available for its treatment pose the urgent need to strengthen epidemiological surveillance systems, and to timely adjust institutional policies for rational use of antibiotics in order to limit its dissemination to other institutions in the country.


PATENT LAWThe U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to rule on a case that could limit the ability of inventors to appeal if the government rejects their patent application. The case, Lehman v. Zurko , is an attempt by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) to overturn a ruling by a special federal court that hears appeals from inventors who have had their applications denied. PTO officials believe that the judges have too much leeway to second-guess the government's rejections, which are often based on highly technical grounds, and would like the judges to show more respect for decisions reached by the PTO's patent examiners, many of whom hold advanced science and engineering degrees.


The No Child Left Behind Act, perhaps the most important federal education law in our nation's history, is designed to boost achievement levels of all students and to close the achievement gap among students from different backgrounds. This article explains how the Act creates perverse incentives that work against the achievement of the Act's laudable goals, and it argues that these perverse incentives are an unavoidable aspect of any test-based accountability system that focuses on absolute achievement levels. It goes on to suggest some possible responses to the flaws in the Act, and it concludes with some tentative observations about the proper role of the federal government in education law and policy.


Force-free equilibria are believed to be important in both an astrophysical and a laboratory context as minimum-energy configurations (see, for example, Woltjer, 1958; Taylor, 1974). Associated is the study of magnetic helicity and its invariance. In Chapter Two of this thesis we put forward a means of heating the corona by the rotation of the foot-points of a coronal "sunspot" magnetic field anchored in the photosphere. The method adopted is essentially that of Heyvaerts and Priest (1984), employing Taylor's Hypothesis (Taylor, 1974) and a magnetic helicity evolution equation. A characteristic of the Reversed-Field Pinch device is the appearance, at high enough values of the quantity "volt-seconds over toroidal flux", of a helical distortion to the basic axi-symmetric state. In Chapter Three we look for corresponding behaviour in the "sunspot equilibrium" of the previous chapter, with limited success. However, we go on to formulate a method of calculating general axi-symmetric fields above a sunspot given the normal field component at the photosphere. Chapters Four, Five and Six are concerned with equilibrium force-free fields in a sphere. The main aim here is the calculation minimum-energy configurations having magnetic flux crossing the boundary, and so we employ "relative helicity" (Berger and Field, 1984). In Chapter Four we consider the "P1(cos𝜃)" boundary radial field, finding that the minimum-energy state is always purely symmetric. In Chapter Five we treat the "P2(cos𝜃)" boundary condition. We find in this case that a "mixed state" is theoretically possible for high enough values of the helicity. In Chapter Six, we consider a general boundary field, which we use to model point sources of magnetic flux at the boundary of a spheromak, finding that in practice an axi-symmetric configuration is always the minimum-energy state. Finally, in Chapter Seven we present an extension to the theorem of Woltjer (1958), concerning the minimization of the magnetic energy of a magnetic structure, to include the case of a free boundary subjected to external pressure forces. To illustrate the theory, we have provided three applications, the first to a finite cylindrical flux and the remainder to possible spheromak configurations.


Norway spruce stands at eleven sites in Finland, Norway and Sweden have been studied under various climates, atmospheric deposition of N and S and fertilisation regimes. Nitrogen was growth restricting at eight inland sites, while P was growth restricting at three coastal sites. Liming and N fertilisation caused serious B defi ciency on some of the inland sites. It is likely that liming affects uptake of B, whereas N fertilisation causes a dilution due to increased growth. Application of S combined with N probably caused K defi ciency at one of the sites. The reliability of foliar analyses as a method to diagnose nutrient status and the likely changes after nutrient input to spruce forests in the Nordic countries, are discussed. The CRand the DOP-method are evaluated for diagnostic purposes. Both methods seem to give reliable conclusions even if the CR-method often produces more specifi c results. Interpretation based on both current and one year old foliage improved the diagnostic prognoses. The accuracy of diagnosis also relies on knowledge and ability of the interpreter. Based on the results it is reason to be cautious about recommendations of single element fertilisations, e.g. with N alone, because the demand of other elements beyond available pools frequently occurs. Forest trees in the boreal region are probably well adapted to N defi ciency, which means that they can handle the physiological consequences rather well, while defi ciencies of other elements usually are more detrimental to growth vigour and stress related diseases.


Theology in South Africa has a strong metaphysical element. This article argues the relevance of the work of modern continental philosophers of religion and theology for a post-metaphysical South African context. In their criticism of metaphysics, philosophers such as Descartes, Kant, Nietzsche, Heidegger, and Derrida raise fundamental questions about the relation between theology (including religion) and metaphysics, as well as about the future of theology and religion. Attempts to respond to these challenges by modern philosophers of religion and theology, such as Caputo, Nancy, Stoker, Kearney, and Schrijvers, are explored to identify possible approaches to theology in a post-metaphysical age. The article argues the pertinence of these insights to making theology relevant in a diverse South African society.


This article aims to study the effect of the sizing materials type on the mechanical, thermal, and morphological properties of carbon fiber (CF)-reinforced polyamide 6,6 (PA 6,6) composites. For this purpose, unsized CF and sized CFs were used. Thermogravimetric analysis was performed, and it has been found that certain amounts of polyurethane (PU) and PA sizing agents decompose during processing. The effects of sizing agent type on the mechanical and thermomechanical properties of all the composites were investigated using tensile, Izod impact strength test, and dynamic mechanical analysis. Tensile strength values of sized CF-reinforced composites were higher than that of unsized CF-reinforced composites. PA and polyurethane sized CF-reinforced composites exhibited the highest impact strength values among the other sized CF-reinforced composites. PU and PA sized CF-reinforced composites denoted higher storage modulus and better interfacial adhesion values among the other sizing materials. Scanning electron microscope studies indicated that CFs which were sized with PU and PA have better interfacial bonding with PA 6,6 matrix among the sized CFs. All the results confirmed that PA and PU were suitable for CF's sizing materials to be used for PA 6,6 matrix. POLYM. COMPOS., 34:1583–1590, 2013. © 2013 Society of Plastics Engineers