The degradation of 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP) by fluidized-bed Fenton process has been optimized by using experimental design methodology. Box-Behnken design was applied to investigate the effects of pH, the amount of carriers, initial H2O2 and initial Fe 2+ concentration on the treatment performance in terms of 2,4-DCP, chemical oxygen demand (COD) and total iron removal efficiencies. Results showed that H2O2 concentration had more profound effect than Fe 2+ in terms of 2,4-DCP removal while, pH and the amount of carriers did not have an obvious effect on 2,4-DCP degradation. Increasing H2O2 concentrations could improve COD removal whereas increasing Fe 2+ concentration more than 0.55 mM would decrease COD removal. The decreased COD performance was probably due to hydroxyl radical scavenging effects. Results also revealed the optimum condition for degrade 2,4-DCP, from the Box-Behnken design prediction: pH 3, 100 g of SiO2, 0.25 mM of Fe 2+ and 10 mM of H2O2. Under this conditions, 2,4-DCP, COD and total iron removal efficiencies were > 99, 55 and 14%, respectively. Additionally, the total iron removal efficiency at the optimum condition in fluidized-bed Fenton was higher than that in Fenton process. This result demonstrates the advantage of fluidized-bed Fenton process compared with the traditional Fenton technology.


We report the sequential transformation of vinyl groups into hydroborate and alcohol as well as vinyl into epoxide and diol functional groups in hexagonal mesoporous vinylsilica materials, denoted meso-vinyl-SiO2. The first transformation proceeds quantitatively through the hydroborylated derivative. After appropriate quenching, the hydroborylated materials are stable at ambient conditions and can undergo transformation into alcohols and various other functional groups. The pore volume and pore size uniformity were found not to be greatly affected by quenching of the hydroboranes with methanol, but they were reduced by quenching with water due to the deposition of boron-containing species in the channels. Complete conversion of hydroborylated materials to alcohol-functionalized materials required basic conditions and treatment time of several hours. Although this led to a significant structural shrinkage, decrease in pore volume, and decrease in ordering, there was no evidence of a partial collapse or removal of substantial parts of the pore walls under optimized synthesis conditions. This is the first successful conversion of organic groups of a functionalized ordered mesoporous silica host in alkaline solution, conditions known to be detrimental for silica frameworks. Epoxidation of the vinyl groups and subsequent conversion of the resulting epoxides into diols are also briefly described. The chemical transformation through epoxidation affords ordered mesoporous silica materials functionalized with potentially chiral organic groups, which could find applications in asymmetric catalysis and chiral separations. It was found that the epoxidation was slower than hydroboration and resulted in a lower degree of conversion. These two examples of hydroboration–alcoholysis and epoxidation–ring opening reactions of terminally bonded vinyl groups in meso-vinyl-SiO2 demonstrate the novel concept of sequential organic chemical transformations harbored inside the ordered channels of mesoporous organosilica materials.


As central-place foragers, seabirds from colonies located close to multiple and/or productive marine habitats might experience increased foraging opportunities and enhanced resilience to food shortages. We tested whether this hypothesis might explain divergent trends in 3 populations of black-legged kittiwakes Rissa tridactyla, a surface-feeding piscivore, in the east- ern Bering Sea. We simultaneously studied the foraging behavior, diet, nutritional stress, and breeding performance of chick-rearing kittiwakes from 2 continental shelf colonies (St. Paul and St. George) and an oceanic colony (Bogoslof). Although shelf-based forage fishes were rare or absent in bird diets during the cold study year, not all kittiwakes from the 3 colonies concentrated foraging along the productive shelf break habitats. Compared to the oceanic colony, birds from both shelf-located colonies had lower chick provisioning rates, higher levels of nutritional stress, and lower breeding performance. Although birds from both shelf-based colonies foraged in nearby neritic habitats during daytime, birds from St. George, a stable population located closest to the continental shelf break, also conducted long overnight trips to the ocean basin to feed on lipid-rich myctophids. In contrast, birds from St. Paul, a declining population located farthest from shelf break/oceanic habitats, fed exclusively over the shelf and obtained less high-energy food. Birds from Bogoslof, an increasing population, foraged mainly on myctophids close to the colony in the oceanic basin and Aleutian coast habitats. Our study suggests that proximity to multiple foraging habitats may explain divergent population trends among colonies of kittiwakes in the southeastern Bering Sea.


In vehicle exhaust systems, the sound attenuation and the reduction of flow losses are often competing demands. The present experimental study considers a full vehicle exhaust system and investigates both the sound attenuation and the flow performance of production configurations including the catalyst, the resonator, and the muffler. Dynamometer experiments have been conducted with a firing Ford 1.9‐Liter I4 Escort engine with speeds ranging from 1000 to 5500 rpm. Measurements including the flow rates, the temperatures, and the absolute dynamic pressures of the hot exhaust gases at key locations (upstream and downstream of every component) with fast‐response, water‐cooled piezoresistive transducers facilitate the calculation of acoustic performance of each component, as well as the determination of flow losses caused by these elements and their influence on the engine performance. The present study describes the experimental aspects of an extensive effort toward employing nonlinear fluid dynamic models i...


Image-based rendering is a powerful new approach for generating real-time photorealistic computer graphics. It can provide convincing animations without an explicit geometric representation. We use the "plenoptic function" of Adelson and Bergen to provide a concise problem statement for image-based rendering paradigms, such as morphing and view interpolation. The plenoptic function is a parameterized function for describing everything that is visible from a given point in space. We present an image-based rendering system based on sampling, reconstructing, and resampling the plenoptic function. In addition, we introduce a novel visible surface algorithm and a geometric invariant for cylindrical projections that is equivalent to the epipolar constraint defined for planar projections.


The edge networks that are contained within individual organizations and households can be found at various locations across the Internet. Within the current Internet which is much larger and deeper, edge networks with no protection or with limited protection are invaded time and time again by malicious user. A method to protecting an edge network against intruders is referred to as perimeter security. The firewall technology is a successful adaptation of this method in the era of computer networks. This paper presents firewall technologies and basic structures.


The developers of XML (Extensible Markup Language) intended it as a metalanguage¿ a language in which you can describe another language - for designing your own markup. Today, businesses see XML as a way to tag data so they can interchange it among applications, and groups are developing XML-based languages for exchanging data for business-tobusiness e-commerce, directory services, financial transactions, and wireless devices. As such, XML is becoming an important tool in application integration. Peter Flynn was a key voice in developing the standard and remains an active observer of how XML is finding its place in the world.


This paper explores how practicing designers apply sustainability issues to design problems as catalysts for innovation. It was hypothesised that participants would integrate sustainability issues as part of the early design process only when prompted. The objective of this study was to observe the degree of variance between participants' responses during a design task. In order to explore how designers apply sustainability issues an experimental approach was adopted. The pilot study experiment involved an initial interview, observation and concurrent and retrospective protocols. During the experiments verbal, visual and observational data were collected. All data were analysed and coded with the assistance of textual and observational analysis software. The preliminary findings suggest that including sustainability issues as part of the initial design problem affects design activity and prompts designers to consider more diverse ideas. The paper concludes by discussing the challenge for this research and future investigations.


Several reports recently discussed the clinical signs and symptoms of patients with trisomy involving chromosome No. 8, in order to delineate a characteristic picture caused by this condition. Only a few cases of complete 8 trisomy, however, have been reported (Caspersson et al., 1972; Kakati et al., 1973; De Grouchy et al., 1974; Jacobsen et al., 1974; Sperber, 1975) and a wide variety of congenital malformations has been described in these patients. The present report describes an additional case of complete 8 trisomy and summarises the available clinical and dermatoglyphic data in this condition.


—In this paper, we propose a modified version of the K-means algorithm to cluster data. The proposed algorithm adopts a novel nonmetric distance measure based on the idea of "point symmetry." This kind of "point symmetry distance" can be applied in data clustering and human face detection. Several data sets are used to illustrate its effectiveness.


Two codes have been developed for use in the preliminary aerodynamic design of radial inflow turbines. Both use a one-dimensional approximation for the flow through the machine along with empirical correlations for estimating the losses. This is known as meanline analysis. The first code, known as RITMLD (for Radial Inflow Turbine Meanline Design Operating Point), is used to obtain the main geometric parameters of the turbine based on the required performance at the design operating point. The second code, RITMLO (for Radial Inflow Turbine Meanline Off-Design Operating Point), is then used
to predict the performance at off-design values of mass flow rate and rotational speed.
 The codes were intended for use in designing the turbines for closed-cycle gas turbine engines employing super-critical carbon dioxide (S-CO2) as the working fluid. Since S-CO2 behaves as a non-ideal gas, the codes use real gas properties throughout the analysis.


As a psychoeducational construct, adaptive behavior refers to an individual's independent display of behaviors associated with meeting his/her daily personal and social needs, including behaviors expected in domestic and social environments. Since the 1960's, adaptive behavior has been perceived as a viable alternative to standardized intelligence tests, especially in multicultural contexts. The present study compares the adaptive behavior of Whites and Blacks, using three large normative samples drawn from the standardization of the Adaptive Behavior Assessment System-II. The ABAS-II is an ideal subject for the study of race differences, as it provides a psychometrically solid measure of the spectrum of adaptive behaviors. Findings of multivariate analyses indicate that the adaptive behaviors of Blacks and Whites are largely similar among young children, from infancy to 5 years of age. After the age of 5 years, race differences in adaptive behavior emerge and become more pronounced with age. Appreciable race differences are noted for children, adolescents, and adults. Across the span of adaptive behaviors measured by the ABAS-II, most differences favor Whites. Possible mechanisms for these observed differences are offered, as well as suggestions for future investigation.


The derived specific activities of radionuclides in the soil are calculated for different pathways of the internal irradiation at a level of an effective dose of 1 mSv per year. The ratio of the actual specific activity to its derived specific activity gives a value of the contribution to annual effective dose for the considered irradiation pathway. The results of the work make it possible to find the upper estimation of the effective dose by simple measurements of the exposure dose rate in a soil sample of a given geometry and by rate of pulses counting by beta- and alpha-radiometry of thick soil samples.


PURPOSE
To understand the driving behavior of older adults, this study examines self-reported reasons for driving limitation or avoidance.

DESIGN AND METHODS
Baseline interviews were conducted (n = 2,046) as part of a community-based study of aging and physical performance in persons aged 55 years or older in Sonoma, California. Twenty-one medical and nonmedical reasons for limiting or avoiding driving were examined by age and gender.

RESULTS
Most older people continue to drive; however, many, especially older women, report one or more reasons to limit or avoid driving. Among medical reasons, problems with eyesight are by far the most often cited; no other health problem was identified as a major reason for limitation. Among nonmedical reasons, being concerned about an accident, being concerned about crime, and having no reason to drive were often cited. Important predictors of reported driving limitations were low income, limited functional status, and self-report of poor vision.

IMPLICATIONS
Understanding factors that affect driving patterns in older adults, including medical and nonmedical reasons, will assist in developing both enhancements to extend safe driving years and responses to the consequences of driving reduction.


Studies using video analysis are being reported more frequently in the literature. Although the body of research suggests that video analysis is effective for changing educators' instructional practices, questions regarding for whom and under what circumstances it is most effective still remain. This meta-analysis reports on the overall effectiveness of video analysis when used with special educators, as well as on moderator analyses related to participant and instructional characteristics. Tau-U, a nonparametric effect size commonly used in single-case research, was used to aggregate the results from 191 AB phase contrasts across 12 dissertations and 18 peer-reviewed publications. A total of 111 participants across 69 single-case design experiments are reflected in the results. Overall, results indicate that video analysis is effective for changing the instructional practices of special educators and that it can be used across a variety of settings and with a diverse group of educators.


In this retrospective study, 209 patients with malignant disease were analyzed for levels of T-cell receptor excision circles (TRECs) for the first 24 months after allogeneic stem cell transplantation. CD3(+) cells were separated by direct antibody-coupled magnetic beads, followed by DNA extraction according to a standard protocol. The δRec-ψJα signal joint TREC was measured with real-time quantitative PCR. Patients were grouped based on malignant disease: chronic myeloid leukemia, chronic lymphatic leukemia, acute myeloid leukemia (AML), acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL), and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). Patients were further subdivided based on TREC levels below (low-TREC) or above (high-TREC) median at each time point. TREC levels were then correlated to relapse incidence and relapse-free survival (RFS). For patients with AML, low TREC levels 2 months post-transplantation were correlated to high relapse incidence at 5 years (P<0.05). In patients with chronic leukemia, high TREC levels were correlated with improved RFS (P<0.05). For patients with MDS, high TREC levels at 9 months post-transplantation were associated with higher RFS at 5 years (P<0.02) and lower relapse incidence (P<0.02). This study shows the potential use of TREC measurement in blood to predict relapse in patients with AML and MDS after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.


Objectives Quality improvement projects to address transitions of care across care boundaries are increasingly common but meet with mixed success for reasons that are poorly understood. We aimed to characterise challenges in a project to improve transitions for older people between hospital and care homes. Design Independent process evaluation, using ethnographic observations and interviews, of a quality improvement project. Setting and participants An English hospital and two residential care homes for older people. Data 32 hours of non-participant observations and 12 semistructured interviews with project members, hospital and care home staff. Results A hospital-based improvement team sought to reduce unplanned readmissions from residential care homes using interventions including a community-based geriatric team that could be accessed directly by care homes and a communication tool intended to facilitate transfer of information between homes and hospital. Only very modest (if any) impacts of these interventions on readmission rates could be detected. The process evaluation identified multiple challenges in implementing interventions and securing improvement. Many of these arose because of lack of consensus on the nature of the problem and the proper solutions: while the hospital team was keen to reduce readmissions and saw the problems as lying in poor communication and lack of community-based support for care homes, the care home staff had different priorities. Care home staff were unconvinced that the improvement interventions were aligned with their needs or addressed their concerns, resulting in compromised implementation. Conclusions Process evaluations have a valuable role in quality improvement. Our study suggests that a key task for quality improvement projects aimed at transitions of care is that of developing a shared view of the problem to be addressed. A more participatory approach could help to surface assumptions, interpretations and interests and could facilitate the coproduction of solutions. This finding is likely to have broader applicability.


Using combinatorics of Young walls, we give a new realization of arbitrary level irreducible highest weight crystals B(λ) for quantum affine algebras of type A (2) 2n−1 , A (2) 2n , and D (2) n+1. The irreducible highest weight crystals are realized as the affine crystals consisting of reduced proper Young walls. The notion of slices and splitting of blocks plays a crucial role in the construction of crystals.


This paper presents analytical tools aimed at improving and simplifying the development of frequency-controlled dimming electronic ballasts. A modified phasor transformation is proposed that converts a frequency-modulated signal into an equivalent time-varying phasor. The proposed transformation is applied to develop a complete small-signal phasor model of the LCC resonant ballast, which explicitly models the effect of the frequency modulation on the envelopes of the outputs. A Spice-compatible implementation of the model is presented that facilitates ac analysis of the ballast in addition to envelope transient simulation, and is verified through comparison of experimental and simulation results. A closed-form solution of the control-to-output current transfer function for the ballast-resistor system is presented, along with key observations of the pole locations and low-frequency gain that facilitate simple and intuitive compensator design. The effects of lamp dynamics on the controller design are discussed, followed by a design example for the feedback controller.


Wetlands contain both aquatic and terrestrial environments which generates high biodiversity. However, they are commonly associated with mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae), and mosquitoes are usually regarded as negative by humans because they can cause nuisance and transmit diseases. This thesis aimed to clarify the association between mosquitoes and wetlands and to achieve a more balanced view of biodiversity in wetlands by including mosquito diversity. Studies on adult mosquito diversity and assemblages were performed in 18 wetlands spread over Sweden. The Swedish mosquito species were organized in ten functional groups based on four life-history characteristics. This classification was used as an additional diversity measurement and as a tool for presentation of mosquito data. Mosquito diversity showed several of the well-established diversity patterns such as a latitudinal gradient, a species-area relationship and a distribution-abundance relationship. In a landscape perspective, diversity of both mosquitoes and dytiscids (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae) were positively influenced by a high proportion of permanent water and a high amount of open areas, indicating co-varying diversity patterns. Mosquito assemblages in the Nedre Dalalven region were mainly structured by the extent of flooded areas and wetland type (wet meadow, swamp and bog). In addition to the influence of the proportion of temporary wetlands at a local scale, the proportion of forest gained importance at larger spatial scales and in relation to dispersal distances of species. In southern Sweden, mosquito faunas differed between natural and constructed wetlands, partly reflecting differences in wetland size. In an experiment, different responses of two co-occurring mosquito species to rapid larval habitat desiccation indicate that weather conditions after a flood could influence mosquito assemblages. The conclusions of this thesis provide suggestions on how to construct and position wetlands for increased insect diversity, and indicate that low abundance of major nuisance species might be crucial for acceptance of wetlands near human settlements.


Background: Obesity is a growing problem so obesity is a threat to health, especially in a developing country like Indonesia. Obesity is a caused for death and burden of disease-causingvariousdiseases.Thisstudylookedatthecorrelationbetweenmental disorders associated with eating disorders or perceptions of changes in respondents' weight toward depressive disorders. The perception to the body weight is one of the factors that are often found in symptoms of mental disorders.
Objectives: This research aim to understand the individuals' obesity condition picture of patients based on their characteristics.
 Methods: In this study individuals with depressive symptoms were established using MINI instruments through interviews using the ICD-10 Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview Version mental health instrument conducted in October–November 2017 by nursing diploma enumerators who were trained by psychiatrists. The perception of the state of body weight obtained from sampling was carried out by stratified random sampling. This study is a further analysis of data on mentalhealthresearchconductedin3districts/citiesinIndonesia,namelyinthecityof Bogor,JombangandTojouna-Unadistrictsusingcrosssectionalmethod.Theresearch samplesanalyzedwereindividualswhoexperiencedsymptomsofdepression
Results: From the 262 respondents who experienced a history of symptoms of depressive disorders, appetite disorders/changes in body weight experienced by majority of the respondents,amountingto66.0%.Asignificantrelationbetweengenderandownership economy level with the appetite disorder/body weight changes. Where women on lower economy level suffered from depression were highly probable risking appetite disorder/body weight changes experience.
Conclusion: A majority of people with the depression symptoms history has the symptom of lack of appetite or the feel of the weight change. The symptom of lack of appetite/weight change happened to woman with depression and low income respondents.


Having poor seismic performance reinforced concrete frame must be strengthened to reach sufficient seismic performance. The main factor that affects the seismic performance, designing and application of the anchor dowels in the connection zone of infill shear wall and weak reinforced frame. Connection between the frame and the infill wall are usually achieved by using dowels that are placed in the holes drilled into inner faces of the frame members, and fixed by a resin. In this study, the design and detailing guidelines for the design of the post-installed anchors in TEC (2007), ACI 318, JCI (2001) and IS15988 have been compared. According to the results, in ACI 318-14, the shear capacity of anchors is effected by embedment depth, anchor bar diameter, concrete strength, strength of the bar and edge distance. In TEC-2007, shear strength is affected only by two properties of the anchor bar: strength and diameter. JCI-2001 design code considers the two factors outlined in TEC-2007 and concrete strength. Based on the comparison conducted in this study, there are insufficient guidelines in TEC-2007 for the design and detailing of anchor bars that are typically used as connection between an existing frame and new RC infill wall.


The Challenge Because of high financial pressure and other reasons, KLM has chosen to transform into a customer experience (CX) focused company. This means that the customer should be set central in every phase of the airline's processes, services, innovation projects etc. Therefore, new teams and organizational structures will be formed. Although this transformation is already happening, the daily practice of the future CX teams is still very unclear. The current very technical and process-driven way of thinking and working should be replaced by a customer centric approach. This challenge was described by KLM as "what will happen on the first day, when the CX organization is ready to start? How can we make sure that our way of working then changes? And what means 'working in a customer centric way'?" Starting with this problem definition, the graduation assignment was described as: "Design a platform and strategy to facilitate the change of daily project practices to a CX focused way of thinking and working in KLM." Research Findings After exploring the transformation of KLM, literature research, external and internal research were conducted. The literature study found e.g. that KLM's strategy, to focus on customer intimacy as one of three strategic value disciplines, is a by competition imposed strategy into a 'red ocean' (Kim & Mauborgne, 2005). This is because competitors like Ryanair also start to focus on a tailor-made, intimate approach towards customers. The role of designers can be seen as creating the 'New Workplace Experience', while facilitating the internal change. The use of tools and methods as 'boundary objects' (Carlile, 1997, 2002, 2004) can help to research, visualize and create a CX by enhancing knowledge exchange. External research with 13 interviews in corporates and agencies focusing on CX, provided insights about the formation of a CX organization and the daily work in it. Results show that the mind-set to work customer focused is characterized by aspects like empathy and curiosity, a trial and error approach, handling uncertainties and team work with several stakeholders. Various skills are important to improve a CX, e.g. understanding abstract information while creating tangible results from it, basing decisions on CX data and working transparently beyond the boundaries of departments. Furthermore, a range of customer centered tools and methods was collected (e.g. storyboards, customer journey mapping and role play). After researching supportive project management, the facilitator role, and structural changes, in the next step the question of 'how to introduce a CX focus in an organization' is examined. The findings are clustered in top-down and bottom-up measures, such as spreading the CX vision in every department, while translating the story into 'department languages' (top-down). Bottom-up e.g. a project-based learning by doing approach can help to let employees find their own way to improve the CX. Informal routines within teams can help to trigger a new way of thinking and working. After the 'ideal CX organization' has been researched, a comparison with the internal status of KLM was done. As results several potential challenges for different positions and teams in KLM have been found. E.g. future CX Managers will have to find agreements with a wide range of stakeholders. In the cross-functional CX team, the various department representatives are challenged to 'spread the CX virus' to their project teams, which might not see their link to a CX. Those teams e.g. will also need to learn methods to research and communicate a CX. Designed solutions In an iterative process a range of solutions was created to trigger a CX focused way of thinking and working in KLM. A crowdsource campaign within KLM will lead to a digital toolkit to share CX methods. This makes tools & methods easily accessible, invites different departments and individuals to reflect on the own impact on CX, increases the knowledge exchange within KLM and uses practical examples to trigger a customer centric thinking among employees. By introducing the concept of CX Labs, i.e. physical spaces to co-create with customers, an inspiring atmosphere for teams and customers is created, which makes the change of KLM to a CX organization visible and tangible. This concept can easily be connected to trainings and other initiatives within KLM. It was developed and prototyped in the Non-Schengen KLM lounge at Schiphol airport. As means to implement the new rules of working in KLM, a new informal 'Networker' role was created and rotating leadership was proposed. These measures use the social aspect of organizational change, e.g. by making change a social event as Networker of a team. The boundary to learn via direct customers contact can be overcome with a playful approach, as well as the boundaries to address teamwork problems directly. Thus the dialogue between different parties can be eased with the proposed means. Overall the designed solutions and the CX Lab prototype were evaluated very positively and as useful measures to change daily practices towards being more customer centric. First steps were taken to implement them, e.g. with a follow-up CX Lab customer session in the KLM lounge.


Subjects who practice sports either as professionals or amateurs, have a high incidence of knee injuries. There are a few publications that show studies from a kinematic point of view of lateral-structure-knee injuries, including meniscal (meniscal tears or chondral injury), without anterior cruciate ligament rupture. The use of standard motion capture systems for measuring outdoors sport is hard to implement due to many operative reasons. Recently released, the Microsoft Kinect™ is a sensor that was developed to track movements for gaming purposes and has seen an increased use in clinical applications. The fact that this device is a simple and portable tool allows the acquisition of data of sport common movements in the field. The development and testing of a set of protocols for 3D kinematic measurement using the Microsoft Kinect™ system is presented in this paper. The 3D kinematic evaluation algorithms were developed from information available and with the use of Microsoft's Software Development Kit 1.8 (SDK). Along with this, an algorithm for calculating the lower limb joints angles was implemented. Thirty healthy adult volunteers were measured, using five different recording protocols for sport characteristic gestures which involve high knee injury risk in athletes.


Since falling into recession in June 2008, the British economy has been in a state of sustained instability. During this period, Great Britain (GB) has experienced high rates of inflation, increasing unemployment and widespread consumer uncertainty. It has become clear that new shopper ground rules have emerged, as consumers have begun to break from their established routines, seeking both quality and value for money. This has been no more evident than in the British grocery market, the lead sector of the retail industry, as consumers have been forced to evaluate all aspects of the household budget, including essential items such as food. In addition to the macro-economic pressures, the grocery sector is also being shaped by long-term structural trends that continue to drive the retail industry as a whole. Those of noticeable importance are the changing nature of the British high street, online retailing, growth in convenience shopping, market saturation and increasing internationalisation. Consequently, to understand change in grocery retailing, geographers need to move away from a one-dimensional account of the recession and consider the conflicting perspectives of governments, regulators, retailers and consumers that are also at work.

This thesis contributes to ongoing research aimed at quantifying the impact of the recent recession on the British grocery market. The research benefits from a collaboration with Acxiom Ltd, through the use of a large-scale household survey aimed at recording local patterns in consumer behaviour across GB. To provide a holistic approach, insights into supply-side trends (changing retail formats, market saturation, e-commerce and internationalisation) are explored in conjunction with issues of demand (changes in household expenditure and customer patronage) – making it possible to separate recessionary trends from those deemed more longstanding. The complexities underpinning grocery retailing are then integrated through the construction of a disaggregated Spatial Interaction Model (SIM) to facilitate opportunities for growth in the grocery market. The disaggregation of the SIM by consumer type affords tremendous potential for the model to incorporate flows between different households and retail brands – recognising that some households are more willing or able to travel further to shop at their retailer of choice. The thesis demonstrates how the SIM is utilised to investigate growth opportunities in the discount market, highlighting the potential for expansion in both already saturated (Yorkshire and the Humber) and previously untapped markets (London) respectively.


BACKGROUND
alpha(2)-Adrenoceptor agonists are currently used as primary sedative agents in high dependency patients who are at high risk of sepsis. Clinical surveillance of such patients relies in part on their ability to mount appropriate responses to infection, in particular thermal responses. Thermoregulatory responses to infection are well studied in the rat and in this species, and humans, infection can induce febrile, hypothermic, or mixed hypothermic and febrile responses. The involvement of noradrenergic systems in thermal responses to infection prompted the hypothesis that ligands that act on adrenoceptors may interfere with the normal thermal responses to infection.

METHODS
In this study on rats, the effect of infusion of the selective alpha(2)-agonist, mivazerol, on hypothermic and plasma corticosterone responses induced by bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was investigated.

RESULTS
Clinically effective doses of mivazerol (4.8 and 10 microg kg(-1) h(-1)) had no effect on body temperature alone. However, mivazerol significantly inhibited the typical thermoregulatory response to bacterial LPS in a dose-dependent manner. This effect was mimicked by the selective alpha(2)-agonist, UK14304-18 (6 microg kg(-1) h(-1)), and antagonized by the alpha(2)-antagonist, RX811059A (7 microg kg(-1) h(-1)). The alpha(2)-ligands had no effect on basal or LPS-induced corticosterone levels.

CONCLUSIONS
These data suggest that early thermoregulatory responses to infection can be selectively antagonized by ligands that activate alpha(2)-adrenoreceptors. High dependency patients receiving alpha(2)-adrenoceptor agonists may not be capable of mounting a normal thermal response to infecting organisms and clinical monitoring using core temperature to detect infection may therefore be unreliable in these vulnerable patients.


This study is about the analysis of rhymes found in Dolalak, a traditional dance of Purworejo regency. The first aim of this research is to find out the principle characteristics of dolalak rhymes, the second aim is to find out their values, and the third aim is to describe the study of dolalak rhymes on the linguistic anthropology point of view.
In writing this research, the researcher uses library research in which the writer collects data, data sources, and supporting data. In this research, the researcher uses four data sources. The first data source is a book entitled "Dari Saerelela ke Rumah Jawa Pantun-Pantun Cinta Versi Dododolalala...aaaak" written by Insan. The second source is a book from Dinas Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan of Purworejo Regency entitled "Materi Pembelajaran Kesenian Khas Kabupaten Purworejo Tari Dolalak". The third data source is the collection of dolalak rhymes written by Tjipto Siswoyo, the leader of Dolalak Group "Budi Santoso", and the fourth data source is a dolalak VCD entitled "Group Dolalak Dadi Harum". The data of this research are 48 rhymes taken from the four data sources by using purposive random sampling.
While in analyzing the data, the researcher uses linguistic antropology approach focusing on its three theoritical areas, namely performance, indexicality, and participation.
The result shows that the principle characteristics of rhymes found in dolalak have a close relationship with Indonesian traditional poetry, namely pantun. This is influenced by the historical background. Moreover, there are more variations of rhymes found in dolalak than in pantun. In this case, it's related to linguistic relativity that says every language is different, and every language is unique.


The past several years have witnessed the acceptance of immunotherapy into the mainstream of therapies for patients with cancer. This has been driven by the clinical successes of antibodies to the checkpoint inhibitors, CTLA-4 and PD-1, capable of imparting long-term remissions in several solid tumors as well as Hodgkin's lymphoma (1) and the therapeutic successes of adoptive T-cell transfer with chimeric antigen receptors (2) or modified T-cell receptors (3) that have mostly utilized peripheral T-cells. One emerging area of therapeutic T cell intervention has been the utilization of marrow-infiltrating lymphocytes (MILs) – a novel form of adoptive T-cell therapy. This approach was initially developed to increase the likelihood of a precursor T-cell population with an enhanced tumor specificity in bone marrow (BM)-derived malignancies. However, the unique attributes of BM T-cells and their interaction with their microenvironment provide significant rationale to utilize these cells therapeutically in diseases that extend beyond hematologic malignancies.


Temporal video grounding (TVG) aims to localize a target segment in a video according to a given sentence query. Though respectable works have made decent achievements in this task, they severely rely on abundant video-query paired data, which is expensive to collect in real-world scenarios. In this paper, we explore whether a video grounding model can be learned without any paired annotations. To the best of our knowledge, this paper is the first work trying to address TVG in an unsupervised setting. Considering there is no paired supervision, we propose a novel Deep Semantic Clustering Network (DSCNet) to leverage all semantic information from the whole query set to compose the possible activity in each video for grounding. Specifically, we first develop a language semantic mining module, which extracts implicit semantic features from the whole query set. Then, these language semantic features serve as the guidance to compose the activity in video via a video-based semantic aggregation module. Finally, we utilize a foreground attention branch to filter out the redundant background activities and refine the grounding results. To validate the effectiveness of our DSCNet, we conduct experiments on both ActivityNet Captions and Charades-STA datasets. The results demonstrate that our DSCNet achieves competitive performance, and even outperforms most weakly-supervised approaches.


This paper describes and discusses a two step analysis for evaluating web based information literacy tutorials in educational practice. In a recent evaluation project the authors used the analysis to examine three web based tutorials developed by three different academic libraries in Norway. Firstly, each web-based tutorial is analyzed as a communicative act by looking at how it argues for its purpose, how it is rhetorically organized and the interpretative repertoires used.  Secondly, the tutorial is analyzed as a tool that users form opinions about while using it, and therefore the second part of the analysis focuses on user reception and meaning negotiation. In combination the two different analyses strengthen the evaluation of how web-tutorials as communicative acts become meaningful to users, and how this meaning is negotiated in relation to an educational practice. This approach can be recommended as complementary to more traditional evaluation approaches such as e.g. usability tests.


The effects of 75 mg./sq.m. of ketamine intravenously (I.V.) on neuromuscular blockade with d-tubocurarine, pancuronium bromide, or succinylcholine were studied in 38 surgical patients anesthetized with 1 percent halothane, and compared with those obtained with halothane under identical conditions but without ketamine. Neuromuscular blockade was quantitated by force of thumb adduction in response to supramaximal stimulus of the ulnar nerve. Ketamine alone resulted in a n increase in twitch height of 2 to 10 percent in 23 of 38 patients. Also, arterial blood pressure decreased a mean of 22 5 2.8 (S.E.) torr following ketamine. No change was observed in t h e median effective dose of relaxant (ED,) needed to produce 50 percent depression of twitch height with ketamine in patients receiving succinylcholine or pancuronium. The ED, of d-tubocurarine was decreased from 4.9 mg./sq.m. with halothane to 2.8 mg./sq.m. when ketamine was added to the halothane anesthesia. Venous blood concentrations of ketamine were the same in the three relaxant groups. The results of this study allow only speculation roncerning t h e mechanisms of the increase in twitch height observed with ketamine and the potentiation of d-tubocurarine but not pancuronium.


We characterize extreme ultraviolet (EUV) emission from mid-infrared (mid-IR) laser-produced plasmas (LPPs) of the rare-earth element Gd. The energy conversion efficiency (CE) and the spectral purity in the mid-IR LPPs at λL = 10.6 μm were higher than for solid-state LPPs at λL = 1.06 μm, because the plasma produced is optically thin due to the lower critical density, resulting in a CE of 0.7%. The peak wavelength remained fixed at 6.76 nm for all laser intensities studied. Plasma parameters at a mid-IR laser intensity of 1.3×10(11) W/cm(2) was also evaluated by use of the hydrodynamic simulation code to produce the EUV emission at 6.76 nm.


Localization and manipulation of features such as buttons, snaps, or grommets embedded in fabrics and other flexible materials is a difficult robotics problem. Approaches that rely too much on sensing and localization that occurs before touching the material are likely to fail because the flexible material can move when the robot actually makes contact. This paper experimentally explores the possibility to use proprioceptive and load-based tactile information to localize features embedded in flexible materials during robot manipulation. In our experiments, Robonaut 2, a robot with human-like hands and arms, uses particle filtering to localize features based on proprioceptive and tactile measurements. Our main contribution is to propose a method to interact with flexible materials that reduces the state space of the interaction by forcing the material to comply in repeatable ways. Measurements are matched to a "haptic map," which is created during a training phase, that describes expected measurements as a low-dimensional function of state. We evaluate localization performance when using proprioceptive information alone and when tactile data are also available. The two types of measurements are shown to contain complementary information. We find that the tactile measurement model is critical to localization performance and propose a series of models that offer increasingly better accuracy. Finally, this paper explores the localization approach in the context of two flexible material insertion tasks that are relevant to manufacturing applications.


Numerical optimization research was made for the dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) reactor for NOx removal in order to improve the efficiency of the DBD reactor. In this paper, the optimization method proposed by our studying team was adopted to carry out the numerical optimization research on the discharge gap of the reactor. As a result, the breakdown strength of reactor was 44.8kV/cm at a 2mm discharge gap and the discharge started at 25μs. When the discharge gap increased to 8mm, the breakdown strength was 34.1kV/cm and the discharge time was 33μs. The removal rates under the two conditions varied little due to the similar electron mean energy, then experiment was conducted to validate the accuracy of the simulation. When the discharge gap increased, the gas handing capacity of the reactor got higher.Therefore, proper discharge gap has important influence on removal efficiency of NO during DBD.


Most organisms exhibit some kind of rhythmicity in their behaviour and/or physiology as an adaptation to the cyclical movements of the Earth. In addition to circadian rhythms, many organisms have an annual rhythmicity in certain activities, such as reproduction, migration or induction of diapause. Current knowledge of the molecular basis controlling seasonal rhythmicity, especially in insects, is scarce. One element that seems to play an essential role in the maintenance of both circadian and seasonal rhythms in vertebrates is the hormone melatonin. In vertebrates, the limiting enzyme in its synthesis is the arylalkylamine N‐acetyltransferase (AANAT). Melatonin is also present in insects but the precise biochemical pathway and the enzymes involved in its synthesis are unknown. Insects possess phylogenetically distant arylalkylamine N‐acetyltransferases but their involvement in melatonin synthesis still needs to be fully demonstrated. Aphids have a seasonally rhythmical life cycle, reproducing parthenogenetically by viviparity in favourable seasons but, in unfavourable seasons, they produce a single generation of sexual individuals. The length of the photoperiod is the main environmental factor that controls the mode of reproduction in aphids. Taking advantage of the availability of the genome of the aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum, we searched for genes encoding aphid arylalkylamine N‐acetyltransferase homologues that could be candidates for participation in seasonal rhythmicity. We identified four AANAT genes, of which at least two (Ap‐AANAT1 and Ap‐AANAT3) showed highly significant variation in transcription levels depending on the photoperiod conditions. These results are discussed in the context of how seasonality can be controlled in aphids.


Suffocation, due to a foreign body in the airway, is the most common cause of accidental death in toddlers and children under5 years of age.

My study started in November 1996 and was conducted both at Aleppo University Hospital and during my subsequent private practice . It includes 2840 patients, the majority aged less than 6 years old. I will present the development of bronchoscopy, since first described in 1896 by Killian, and then my own practice in the evaluation of patients & operative techniques that I have used. I will tabulate the complication rates and my results, with statistical analysis, and finally derive my personal recommendations


Department of Pathology, The Second Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130041, People's Republic of China Purpose: An accurate risk assessment system for disease metastasis or recurrence could improve the cancer management practice in cervical squamous cell carcinoma (CxSCC) patients, which has few definite prognostic predictors. Previous studies have indicated the important utility of stromal features in determining cancer biological behavior; however, it lacks histopathologic or morphologic criteria for its evaluation. Therefore, this present study aimed to comprehensively catalog histopathological features of mesenchymal stroma to determine the prognostic value of these features in CxSCC. Patients and methods: We histologically and immunohistochemically evaluated the stromal features in the primary tumors of 122 CxSCC patients. The follow-up duration was 41.25 months (range: 3–80.77 months). Multivariate proportional hazard regression models were used to identify the top classifier for distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) prediction. Results: Lymph-vascular invasion (LVI), lymph node metastasis (LNM), tumor-nodemetastasis (TNM) stage and tumor budding were positively correlated with distant metastasis (P < 0.001, P < 0.001, P < 0.001 and P = 0.012, respectively). Distant metastasis was also associated with the immature desmoplastic reaction (DR) (P = 0.002), high level of cancerassociated fibroblasts (P = 0.003), vasohibin-1 (VASH1)-positive microvessels (P = 0.027), and the VASH1/CD31 ratio (P = 0.004). Multivariate COX proportional hazard regression models revealed that LVI, LNM, andDRwere independent predictors of poor DMFS in CxSCC patients. Conclusion: Primary tumor histologic stromal features, especially DR, may be useful in predicting distant metastasis in patients with CxSCC.


The world is becoming increasingly smaller and there is an aggregated need to perform cross-culturally. All sorts of organisations are facing new problems relating to a shift in focus more towards an international and crosscultural perspective. To achieve a satisfying result when managing projects in a culturally foreign environment requires preparation and knowledge.
The aim of this paper is to point out certain things to be aware of when taking on a multi-cultural project, as well as giving some examples of strategies to use. By doing so, give answers to the question of how to effectively and efficiently manage projects that take place in a multi-cultural environment.
Managing a project in a cross-cultural environment make the project more complex, however, there are various benefits to be reaped from taking advantage of the inputs of different cultures. To do so the Project Manager must keep an open mind and be aware of the differences. Failure to pay attention to foreign cultural behaviour could end the even best of projects permanently.
There is a surprising lack of research in the field of cultural differences within the field of project management. This paper is an attempt of compiling an initial overtaking to the subject.


: A total of 4936 side reactions and complications in 2311 patients subjected to antibiotic therapy were analyzed. The drug allergy was of the allergic nature in 79.9 per cent of the cases, in 6.03 per cent of the cases it was of the toxic nature and in 6.03 per cent of the cases the drug allergy had a toxico-allergic genesis. Dysbacterioses and candidoses were diagnosed in 7.22 per cent of the cases. The complications were lethal in 0.9 per cent of the patients. The complications due to the antibiotic therapy may be arranged in the following descending order: penicillin (51.56 per cent), tetracycline (18.03 per cent), streptomycin (11.5 per cent), levomycetin and sintomycin (11.07 per cent), macrolide antibiotics (5.43 per cent). Affections of the skin and its appendages, nervous system and gastro-intestinal tract were most common. The penicillin side effects were characterized by more frequent skin allergic reactions amd neuro-psychic impairments. Tetracyclines caused more allergic reactions than it was usually considered. Streptomycin was characterized by high shockogenic properties, neurotoxicity and hematotoxicity. The toxic complications were most often caused by aminoglycosides. They were evident clinically from ototoxic and nephrotoxic reactions. General causes of complications due to antibiotic therapy are discussed.


First-principles calculations using density functional theory based on norm-conserving pseudopotentials have been performed to investigate the Mg adsorption on the Si(001) surface for 1/4, ½, and I monolayer (ML) coverages. For both 1/4 and ½ ML coverages it has been found that the most favorable site for the Mg adsorption is the cave site between two dimer rows consistent with the recent experiments. For the I ML coverage we have found that the most preferable configuration is when both Mg atoms on 2 X I reconstruction occupy the two shallow sites. We have found that the minimum energy configurations for 1/4 ML coverage is a 2 × 2 reconstruction while for the ½ and 1 ML coverages they are 2 × 1.


The ATPase (adenosine triphosphatase) from sarcoplasmic reticulum contains 20 thiol groups/115000 daltons, measured by using either N-ethyl[(14)C]maleimide or 5,5'-dithiobis-(2-nitrobenzoate) in sodium dodecyl sulphate. After reduction there were 26 thiol groups, in good agreement with 26.5 residues of cysteic acid found by amino acid analysis. The difference between this and the 20 residues measured before reduction implies the presence of three disulphide residues. The same number of disulphide residues was found by direct measurement. Three to six fewer thiol groups were found in preparations made in the absence of dithiothreitol. The missing residues were accounted for as cysteic acid. The distribution of disulphide bonds and of exposed and buried thiol groups among the tryptic fragments of the molecule was measured after labelling with N-ethyl[(14)C]-maleimide. The disulphides were confined to fragment B (mol.wt. 55000), whereas several thiol groups were present on each of the fragments (A, B, A(1) and A(2)). The kinetics of the reaction of the ATPase with 5,5'-dithiobis-(2-nitrobenzoate) showed that four or five of the thiol groups were unreactive in the absence of detergent and that 13 of the remainder reacted with a single first-order rate constant. In the presence of ATP and Ca(2+) the reaction rate of all but two groups of this class was uniformly decreased. In the presence or absence of ATP and Ca(2+) the rate constant for inactivation was close to the rate constant for this class, but was not identical with it. No selective protection of a specific active-site-thiol group was observed. Parallel experiments with sarcoplasmic reticulum gave similar results, except that the reaction rates were a little lower and there were two more buried groups. Solution of ATPase of sarcoplasmic reticulum in detergent greatly increased the reactivity of all thiol groups. The effects of low concentrations of deoxycholate were reversible. EGTA or low concentrations (0.02mm) of Ca(2+) of Mg(2+) had very little effect on the reactivity.


We have investigated the effect of hexacyanidometallate [M(CN)6]4− (M = Fe or Ru) redox mediators on the photocatalytic H2 evolution reaction driven by Pt-cocatalyst-loaded cadmium sulfide nanorods (Pt/CdS-NR). A larger amount of H2 evolved under blue LED light irradiation (λ = 470 ± 10 nm) in the presence of [Ru(CN)6]4− than in the presence of [Fe(CN)6]4−, despite the more positive M(III)/M(II) redox potential of [Ru(CN)6]4− (0.89 V vs. NHE) than [Fe(CN)6]4− (0.36 V vs. NHE). PXRD and IR spectral experiments during the photocatalytic H2 evolution reaction clearly indicate that the Prussian white analogue K2[CdRu(CN)6] (CdRu-PW) was increasingly formed, producing a white precipitate, whereas only a trace amount of K2[CdFe(CN)6] (CdFe-PW) was formed in the reaction with [Fe(CN)6]4−. The amount of CdRu-PW produced during the photocatalytic H2 evolution reaction revealed that the electron source of H2 evolution is gradually changed from the S2− anions generated following the photocorrosion of CdS to [Ru(CN)6]4− because of effective hole transfer through the Ru(III)/Ru(II) redox step in the CdRu-PW (1.42 V vs. NHE) deposited on the CdS-NR surface. The colourless feature and more positive Ru(III)/Ru(II) redox potential of CdRu-PW than that of water oxidation suggest that CdRu-PW is a promising hole mediator for solar water splitting.


Given a family I of intervals, two intervals in I interlock if they overlap but neither of them strictly contains the other. A set of intervals in which every two are related in the reflexive transitive closure of the interlock relation is referred to as an interlocking set. The task is determining the maximal interlocking sets of I arises in numerous applications, including traffic control, robot arm manipulation, segmentation of range images, routing, automated surveillance systems, recognizing polygonal configurations, and code generation for parallel machines. Our first contribution is to show that any sequential algorithm that computes the maximal interlocking sets of a family of n intervals must take /spl Omega/(n log n) time in the algebraic tree model. Next, we show that any parallel algorithm for this problem must take /spl Omega/(log n) time in the CREW model even if an infinite number of processors and memory cells are available. We then go on to show that both the sequential and the parallel lower bounds are tight by providing matching algorithms running, respectively, in /spl Theta/(n log n) sequential time and in /spl Theta/(log n) time using n processors in the CREW model. At the same time, if the endpoints of the intervals are specified in sorted order, our sequential algorithm runs in O(n) time, improving the best previously known result. It is interesting to note that even if the endpoints are sorted, /spl Omega/(log n) is a time lower bound for solving the problem in the CREW model, regardless of the amount of resources available. As an application of our algorithm for interlocking sets, we obtain a time- and cost-optimal solution to a restricted version of the single row routing problem. The best previously known result for routing a set of n nets without street crossovers runs in O(log n loglog n) time using n processors in the CRCW model. By contrast, our algorithm runs in /spl Theta/(log n) time using n/log n processors in the CREW model, being both time- and cost-optimal.


We use Seemingly Unrelated Regressions (SUR), to explore the impact of three different measures of economic activity -- growth in Gross Domestic Product (GDP), unemployment, and manufacturing employment -- on poverty among whites, blacks and Hispanics in the United States. This analysis is unique in that we further disaggregate the data, by looking at the impact of growth across racial/ethnic groups in four census regions. We find that the impacts of the various measures of economic activity vary greatly by the group and the region. In particular, Hispanic poverty tends to be strongly related to changes in the unemployment rate, while white poverty tends to be strongly related to changes in manufacturing.


The plasma membrane has a highly asymmetric distribution of lipids and contains dynamic nanodomains many of which are liquid entities surrounded by a second, slightly different, liquid environment. Contributing to the dynamics is a continuous repartitioning of components between the two types of liquids and transient links between lipids and proteins, both to extracellular matrix and cytoplasmic components, that temporarily pin membrane constituents. This make plasma membrane nanodomains exceptionally challenging to study and much of what is known about membrane domains has been deduced from studies on model membranes at equilibrium. However, living cells are by definition not at equilibrium and lipids are distributed asymmetrically with inositol phospholipids, phosphatidylethanolamines and phosphatidylserines confined mostly to the inner leaflet and glyco- and sphingolipids to the outer leaflet. Moreover, each phospholipid group encompasses a wealth of species with different acyl chain combinations whose lateral distribution is heterogeneous. It is becoming increasingly clear that asymmetry and pinning play important roles in plasma membrane nanodomain formation and coupling between the two lipid monolayers. How asymmetry, pinning, and interdigitation contribute to the plasma membrane organization is only beginning to be unraveled and here we discuss their roles and interdependence.


Importance
Standard dosing of chemotherapy based on body surface area results in marked interpatient variation in pharmacokinetics, toxic effects, and efficacy. Whether tailored dosing can improve outcomes is unknown, as is the role of dose-dense adjuvant chemotherapy.

Objective
To determine whether tailored dose-dense adjuvant chemotherapy improves the outcomes of early breast cancer compared with a standard 3-weekly chemotherapy schedule.

Design, Setting, and Participants
A randomized, open-label, phase 3 trial of women aged 65 years and younger who had surgery for nonmetastatic node-positive or high-risk node-negative breast cancer at 86 sites in Sweden, Germany, and Austria between February 20, 2007, and September 14, 2011.

Interventions
Patients were randomized 1:1 either to 4 cycles of leukocyte nadir-based tailored and dose-dense adjuvant epirubicin and cyclophosphamide every 2 weeks followed by 4 cycles of tailored dose-dense docetaxel every 2 weeks, or to standard-interval chemotherapy with 3 cycles of fluorouracil and epirubicin-cyclophosphamide every 3 weeks followed by 3 cycles of docetaxel every 3 weeks.

Main Outcomes and Measures
The primary end point was breast cancer recurrence-free survival (BCRFS). Secondary end points included 5-year event-free survival (EFS), distant disease-free survival (DDFS), overall survival (OS), and rates of grade 3 or 4 toxic effects.

Results
Among 2017 randomized patients (1006 in the tailored dose-dense group and 1011 in the control group; median [IQR] age, 51 [45-58] years; 80% with hormone receptor-positive tumors; 97% with node-positive disease), 2000 received study treatment (≥1 cycle of chemotherapy; 1001 in the tailored dose-dense group and 999 in the control group). After a median follow-up of 5.3 years (IQR, 4.5-6.1 years), 269 BCRFS events were reported, 118 in the tailored dose-dense group and 151 in the control group (HR, 0.79; 95% CI, 0.61-1.01; log-rank P = .06; 5-year BCRFS, 88.7% vs 85.0%). The tailored dose-dense group had significantly better EFS than the control group (HR, 0.79; 95% CI, 0.63-0.99; P = .04; 5-year EFS, 86.7% vs 82.1%). The groups did not differ in OS (HR, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.57-1.05; P = .09; 5-year OS, 92.1% vs 90.2%) or DDFS (HR, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.64-1.08; P = .17; 5-year DDFS, 89.4% vs 86.7%). Grade 3 or 4 nonhematologic toxic effects occurred in 527 (52.6%) in the tailored dose-dense group and 366 (36.6%) in the control group.

Conclusions and Relevance
Among women with high-risk early breast cancer, the use of tailored dose-dense chemotherapy compared with standard adjuvant chemotherapy did not result in a statistically significant improvement in breast cancer recurrence-free survival. Nonhematologic toxic effects were more frequent in the tailored dose-dense group.

Trial Registration
clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00798070; isrctn.org Identifier: ISRCTN39017665.


It is increasingly required to reduce the environmental impact and cost in the field of industrial cleaning. As a substitute for conventional degreasing technology using organic solvents, acids, and alkalis, the authors have developed a new cleaning technology that uses microbubbles having an average diameter of about 70 µm. Grease being adsorbed onto a bubble's surface and grease being separated from a solid surface by its buoyancy were captured using a high-speed microscopic video camera to demonstrate the degreasing capability of bubbles. High-density microbubbles were generated by adding a trace amount of a specific chemical (0.1% weight or less). The cleaning performance using microbubbles was found to be highly improved compared with that using normal bubbles. It was also revealed that the grease removal efficiency was strongly dependent on the viscosity of the grease. Raising the temperature of the cleaning solution is an effective method of improving cleaning performance by reducing the viscosity. Finally, the degreasing of about 150 machining metal parts at the same time was demonstrated to exceed the common target cleaning level (5–20 µg/cm2) in only 2 min because of their large surface area. Furthermore, the high degreasing performance was maintained even after repeated use of the cleaning solution because of the separation of grease due to buoyancy.


Collaborative product, development and in-house process design have been largely studied since several years giving industrialists methods such as concurrent engineering (CE), integrated product development (IPD) or dynamic product development (DPD). However, regarding rapid growth of supply chains and their impacts on firms' functions, simultaneous design of innovative product and network of collaborators, called here the co-design paradigm, seems to be a niche of efficiency and robustness for firms. Here, we explore this idea by defining the co-design problematic by providing first results regarding logical and dynamic relationships between Innovative product design and network of partners design. In one side and the definition of a control architecture for co-design in the other


ABSTRACT The tumor suppressor von Hippel-Lindau protein (pVHL) is critical for cellular molecular oxygen sensing, acting to target degradation of the hypoxia-inducible factor alpha transcription factor subunits under normoxic conditions. We have found that independent of its function in regulating hypoxic response, the VHL gene plays a critical role in embryonic endothelium development through regulation of vascular extracellular matrix assembly. We created mice lacking the VHL gene in endothelial cells; these conditional null mice died at the same stage as homozygous VHL-null mice, with similar vascular developmental defects. These included defective vasculogenesis in the placental labyrinth, a collapsed endocardium, and impaired vessel network patterning. The defects in embryonic vascularization were correlated with a diminished vascular fibronectin deposition in vivo and defective endothelial extracellular fibronectin assembly in vitro. We found that the impaired migration and adhesion of VHL-null endothelial cells can be partially rescued by the addition of back exogenous fibronectin, which indicates that pVHL regulation of fibronectin deposition plays an important functional role in vascular patterning and maintenance of vascular integrity.


Inhibiting the actions of VEGF is a new therapeutic paradigm in cancer management with antiangiogenic therapy also under intensive investigation in a range of nonmalignant diseases characterized by pathological angiogenesis. However, the effects of VEGF inhibition on organs that constitutively express it in adulthood, such as the kidney, are mostly unknown. Accordingly, we examined the effect of VEGF inhibition on renal structure and function under physiological conditions and in the setting of the common renal stressors: hypertension and activation of the renin–angiotensin system. When compared with normotensive Sprague–Dawley (SD) rats, glomerular VEGF mRNA was increased 2-fold in transgenic (mRen-2)27 rats that overexpress renin with spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) kidneys showing VEGF expression levels that were intermediate between them. Administration of either an orally active inhibitor of the type 2 VEGF receptor (VEGFR-2) tyrosine kinase or a VEGF neutralizing antibody to TGR(mRen-2)27 rats resulted in loss of glomerular endothelial cells and transformation to a malignant hypertensive phenotype with severe glomerulosclerosis. VEGFR-2 kinase inhibition treatment was well tolerated in SDs and SHRs; although even in these animals there was detectable endothelial cell loss and rise in albuminuria. Mild mesangial expansion was also noted in hypertensive SHR, but not in SD rats. These studies illustrate: (i) VEGF has a role in the maintenance of glomerular endothelial integrity under physiological circumstances, (ii) glomerular VEGF is increased in response to hypertension and activation of the renin–angiotensin system, and (iii) VEGF signaling plays a protective role in the setting of these renal stressors.


The article deals with NATO's intervention in Kosovo. Instead of focusing on the military and diplomatic interventions, the article looks at how NATO developed a humanitarian interest in providing assistance and protection to the Kosovo Albanian refugees. In the name of the refugees—and to a lesser extent, of internally displaced persons—NATO entered a humanitarian field and was partly transfigured into a humanitarian agency during the crisis in Kosovo. The political significance of NATO's humanitarianism was that its reputation for competence and its image of respectability and honour depended to an extent on how well it supported the international assistance to the Kosovo Albanians. The stakes were not limited to the immediate Kosovo context, however. The symbolic struggle for reputation and honour resonated directly in the political struggle for the conservation and transformation of the European security complex. The success of the humanitarian operation became an additional element of demonstrating the value of military capital for acquiring political authority in the definition and management of security problems in post-Cold War Europe.


: The therapeutic efficacy and adverse effects of amitriptyline and cianopramine were compared in a double-blind, randomized, flexible-dose trial in 40 patients with major depressive episodes. The two drugs were equally effective in reducing scores on the Hamilton Psychiatric Rating Scale for Depression and on a global scale. Both drugs were associated with significant adverse effects. Fewer adverse effects were associated with cianopramine, however, which lacks antimuscarinic activity.


Abstract In Mediterranean countries, the principal pest of maize, Zea mays L., is Sesamia nonagrioides Lefebvre. The objective of this work was to study the resistance of the four early maturing varieties of sweet corn, Baby Orchard, Orchard Baby, Dorinny Sweet, and Golden Early Market, and to check the relationship among resistance to S. nonagrioides and infestation dates. In a previous study, these varieties had showed a confusing behavior, being the most resistant varieties to S. nonagrioides attack in some environments and the most susceptible in others. These varieties were again evaluated along with three medium maturing varieties, used as testers because they were more stable in both environments, by using two infestation dates. Plants were more damaged in the late infestation, but the effect of the infestation depends on the variety studied. Orchard Baby and Baby Orchard were the most resistant varieties under two infestation dates. These two varieties are closely related. Therefore, we can use either one as a source of precocity and resistance for modern sweet corn. Although many studies showed that early maturing inbreds had greater damage caused by S. nonagrioides and European corn borer than late maturing inbreds and hybrids, our results showed that the earliest maturing varieties were the most resistant.


In this lab we tested the electrical conductivity of various water samples around Oklahoma City, Oklahoma State University, and Stillwater. It is important to test the conductivity of water because it is a good method that can be viable when trying to identify the potentially harmful minerals in water. We tested eight samples of water from the areas mentioned above. We came to find that water from around Stillwater has the highest conductivity. We also discovered that DI Water has an extremely low conductivity. The samples from similar areas had similar conductivities. Even a small amount of ions, minerals, or salt can affect the conductivity of water.


Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the extent to which Malaysia's most recent public service reform has improved service delivery and governmental performance. It also endeavors to identify critical success factors that explain reform performance and draw lessons based on the Malaysian experience.

Design/methodology/approach
The paper adopts a case study approach and draws on data from both primary and secondary sources. Besides a thorough review of official documents and existing literature, the author conducted 20 individual interviews with key informants representing government officials, academics and civil society organizations.

Findings
The study shows that despite some pitfalls and misgivings, the Government Transformation Program (GTP) has produced concrete improvements in service delivery areas where previous reforms failed. One of the factors that underpin GTP's relative success is the detailed performance management framework, which helped foster inter-agency collaboration and enforce accountability for results at various levels.

Practical implications
The GTP success highlights the significance of adapting reform content to local situations especially when reforms are based on external models; sanctions from the highest political office; a dedicated unit to drive the implementation and an effective performance management framework through which individuals and agencies would be held to account for results achieved.

Originality/value
Despite many and varied reform initiatives attempted in the past, cases of successful reform are rare, especially in developing countries. Little is known on what makes a reform work, a gap exacerbated by notable absence of systematic research on this topic. The paper contributes to address this by reviewing Malaysia's innovative approach to reform and the insights that the Malaysian experience offers.


The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is critically involved in the neuroendocrine regulation of stress adaptation, and the restoration of homeostasis following stress exposure. Dysregulation of this axis is associated with stress-related pathologies like major depressive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, panic disorder and chronic anxiety. It has long been understood that stress during early life can have a significant lasting influence on the development of the neuroendocrine system and its neural regulators, partially by modifying epigenetic regulation of gene expression, with implications for health and well-being in later life. Evidence is accumulating that epigenetic plasticity also extends to adulthood, proposing it as a mechanism by which psychological trauma later in life can long-lastingly affect HPA axis function, brain plasticity, neuronal function and behavioural adaptation to neuropsychological stress. Further corroborating this claim is the phenomenon that these epigenetic changes correlate with the behavioural consequences of trauma exposure. Thereby, epigenetic modifications provide a putative molecular mechanism by which the behavioural phenotype and transcriptional/translational potential of genes involved in HPA axis regulation can change drastically in response to environmental challenges, and appear an important target for treatment of stress-related disorders. However, improved insight is required to increase their therapeutic (drug) potential. Here, we provide an overview of the growing body of literature describing the epigenetic modulation of the (primarily neuroendocrine) stress response as a consequence of adult life stress and interpret the implications for, and the challenges involved in applying this knowledge to, the identification and treatment of stress-related psychiatric disorders.


Rating of speaking ability in educational contexts is often confronted with the problem of selecting the most relevant criteria. Researchers as well as teachers are forced to design a rating scheme for each setting on an ad hoc basis. The most important characteristics of the setting are briefly discussed: purpose of rating, theoretical relevance of criteria, task definition, level of speaking ability and raters' working method. I will give examples of some rating schemes that were designed in different settings, including native, second language and foreign language speakers, in order to demonstrate the problems of selecting and defining rating criteria. Two perspectives for defining criteria are being distinguished: 1) a behavioral (using aspects of speaking behavior as basis), 2) a functional (using functions that speakers must fulfill as basis). Subsequently, I will give some suggestions for a theoretically founded scheme that can be used as a basis for selecting and defining rating criteria for several kinds of setting. The scheme is restricted to situations in which communication is the main purpose and speakers are evaluated on an individual basis. In these settings a functional perspective is regarded as more valid and efficient than a behavioral perspective in defining rating criteria. In conclusion an overview is presented of four rating dimensions from a functional point of view.


Long-term immunity depends partly on the establishment of memory CD8+ T cells. We identified a counterregulatory network between the homologous transcription factors ZEB1 and ZEB2 and the miR-200 microRNA family, which modulates effector CD8+ T cell fates. Unexpectedly, Zeb1 and Zeb2 had reciprocal expression patterns and were functionally uncoupled in CD8+ T cells. ZEB2 promoted terminal differentiation, whereas ZEB1 was critical for memory T cell survival and function. Interestingly, the transforming growth factor &bgr; (TGF-&bgr;) and miR-200 family members, which counterregulate the coordinated expression of Zeb1 and Zeb2 during the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, inversely regulated Zeb1 and Zeb2 expression in CD8+ T cells. TGF-&bgr; induced and sustained Zeb1 expression in maturing memory CD8+ T cells. Meanwhile, both TGF-&bgr; and miR-200 family members selectively inhibited Zeb2. Additionally, the miR-200 family was necessary for optimal memory CD8+ T cell formation. These data outline a previously unknown genetic pathway in CD8+ T cells that controls effector and memory cell fate decisions.


Author(s): Nikolaidou, Katerina | Advisor(s): Ghosh, Sayantani; Lu, Jennifer Q | Abstract: Nanostructured materials are at the forefront of device and materials physics research due to their novel and favorable characteristics that offer the potential of surpassing previously achieved device efficiencies. This dissertation explores such materials, with specific focus on their interfacial properties, which could be implemented in semiconductor devices, including photovoltaics and highly responsive sensors. The first project in the dissertation focuses on an investigation of the potential of hybrid organic-inorganic Perovskite thin films as luminescent solar concentrators. Luminescent solar concentrators were first explored as an alternative to solar cells in the 1970s, and typically consist of high refractive index substrates doped with fluorescent materials, used to absorb incident sunlight and down-convert solar radiation which is subsequently collected by a solar cell attached to the edge of the luminescent solar concentrator. Commonly implemented materials have encompassed fluorescent dyes and quantum dots, but have not yet exceeded the device efficiencies of solar cells, and these fluorophores suffer from limited stability, narrow absorption spectra and low quantum yield. Therefore, hybrid Perovskite thin films possess a range of characteristics that render the material suitable for luminescent solar concentrators: it demonstrates a broad absorption spectrum, high refractive index of 2.5 which is significantly higher than typically used glass or polymer, and quantum yield reaching 80%, the combination of which is promising for efficient confinement of re-emitted light. In this work, hybrid Perovskite thin films are successfully implemented as luminescent solar concentrators, with optical efficiency reaching 29%, whereas the devices remain operational after 7 weeks of storage in ambient conditions underling the stability of optical properties of hybrid Perovskite thin films. Furthermore, the study extends to an investigation of different Perovskite compositions to identify the optimum precursor and thickness for high device performance, reaching optical efficiencies of 34.7% for 150-300 nm thick samples. 3D Monte Carlo simulations have demonstrated the scalability of these devices up to 100 cm in length, further establishing hybrid Perovskite thin films as successful candidates for optoelectronic devices. The second project in the dissertation investigates the interaction of hybrid Perovskite thin films with ZnO substrates of varying degrees of surface roughness, as these are often used in Perovskite solar cells. The goal of this study is to complete a systematic investigation of the effects of the ZnO substrate on the excitonic properties of the hybrid Perovskite thin films, as most of the current research focuses on device studies and performance, whereas understanding of the fundamental processes occurring at the interface and how these can be tuned by tailoring the interface morphology is somewhat limited. The work performed here has produced some surprising results. While single crystalline ZnO substrates appear to perform best as electron extraction layers and are thus suited for implementation in a solar cell, substrates of higher surface roughness, such nanostructures and microstructures, have the opposite effect and result in confinement of electron-hole pairs within Perovskite grains. This conclusion is reached through electron microscopy studies correlated with charge transfer properties, probed via temperature, power, and time-resolved photoluminescence (PL). ZnO single crystal/hybrid Perovskite thin film interfaces show quenched PL intensity and reduced recombination lifetime as compared to a control sample of hybrid Perovskite thin film on glass, both indicative of efficient electron transfer between the two materials. On the other hand, microstructured ZnO/hybrid Perovskite thin film interfaces show a mild enhancement of the PL signal at room temperature, whereas nanostructured ZnO/hybrid Perovskite thin film interfaces demonstrate a 30 thousand-fold enhancement of the PL while significantly reducing the recombination lifetime. These results vary with temperature, indicate that with increasing substrate roughness, the Perovskite grain size is reduced and some grain separation is observed, further supporting the result that excitons are confined within individual grains which is deleterious to both electron transport and electron transfer. As a result, this work provides evidence of tuning of Perovskite excitonic properties using the substrate and can be leveraged for various types of applications depending on the end-goal. The third project in this dissertation is a study of the enhancement of magneto-optical properties of hematite nanowires using excitation of localized surface plasmon resonance of Au nanoparticles (NPs). Magneto-plasmonics is a recent area of research which combines the properties of magnetism and plasmons to produce devices of superior performance. The basic premise is to leverage the increased local electric field of plasmonic NPs to enhance the magneto-optical response of ferromagnetic materials, or to use the magnetization of the ferromagnetic material to produce a narrower plasmon resonance that would be more sensitive to changes in the surrounding medium. While significant portion of magneto-plasmonic research has been focused on ferromagnetic metals, metal oxides offer some benefits over metals, such as superior stability and lower optical losses. Among iron oxides, hematite is the most abundant material and is low cost, while a breadth of techniques is available to fabricate various types of nanostructures. This enables the preparation of nanowires which offer the possibility of enhanced magneto-optical properties compared to a hematite film due to shape and magnetic anisotropy. As a result, this work shows that Kerr rotation can be observed using hematite nanowires, which was previously thought unlikely due to their weak ferromagnetism at room temperature, and decorating the nanowires with AuNPs results in enhanced Kerr rotation when the optical excitation is spectrally matched to the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) of the AuNPs. Some dependence on the loading of AuNPs is observed, as lower loading of AuNPs is beneficial for enhancing the real part of Kerr rotation – changing the angle of polarization the reflected light – whereas higher loading has a greater effect on the imaginary part of Kerr rotation – the ellipticity of reflected light. The outcomes of this work are important in demonstrating that hematite can be implemented in sensing applications when combined with plasmonic nanoparticles to improve performance.


Dr. Navarro suggests that although our efforts to automate systems can enhance the velocity and volume of DUR and DUE projects, the soul of DUR lies not with technology, but rather with the robustness of the database, the program methodology and assumptions, and the clinical skills of the pharmacists.


Abstract In the receptive music-therapeutical method BMGIM (The Bonny Method of Guided Imagery and Music) the client listens to a specifically selected program of classical music in a deeply relaxed state, whilst reporting his/her concomitant musical imagery to the music therapist. The imagery (or travel) reported by the client (traveler) serves as point of departure for the therapeutic process, as mediated by the therapist (guide). The purpose of this study is to investigate possible relations between structural features of the musical selections, and the imagery that may arise during a BMGIM session. It was assumed that such an investigation might also contribute to our general understanding of musical meaning −1 more precisely, how meaning is produced through our interaction with specific musical structures. Furthermore, if it is possible to trace any relations between structural features and concomitant images, a deeper understanding of these relations might also be helpful in the programming (selection) of musical pieces for the BMGIM session. In the research project to which we refer in this article, a new program, Soundscapes, was designed. The program has several aims: Firstly, we wished to create a BMGIM program based upon more local traditions within the European classical canon; in this case, Norwegian music with a distinctly "national" flavor (see Aksnes and Ruud, 2006). Secondly, we wished to investigate whether it was possible to demonstrate a link between musical structures and the musical images resulting from the embodied perceptions of these structures. Here we will focus upon the first piece of the program, which was analyzed in cognitive semantic terms, the analysis being subsequently compared with the transcriptions of nine BMGIM sessions. In the analysis the well-balanced and "floating" character of the music was understood in terms of amodal, body-based schemata that are operative within music cognition. In the subsequent comparison with the reported travels, it was concluded that the schemata evoked by the music afforded a sensation of being held and carried by the music.


Using the rat mesenteric-window assay, the de novo angiogenic effect of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) in the intact, adult, normally vascularized test tissue was analyzed using quantitative microscopy including image analysis. Basic FGF was injected ip at doses of 10, 100, and 1000 ng twice daily for 4.5 days and the animals, which were not subjected to surgery, were sacrificed in groups every week for 6 consecutive weeks. The scale and dynamics of the angiogenic response were measured in terms of variables related to microvascular spatial expansion and density. The growth factor-induced angiogenesis in a dose-dependent, nonlinear manner and the angiogenesis displayed distinctly dose-dependent kinetics. The middle dose thus caused angiogenesis that peaked already at Day 7, thereby suggesting a direct effect. The high dose caused angiogenesis that peaked at Day 14, which also appears to be compatible with a direct effect. The low dose caused a more prolonged angiogenic response which did not peak until Day 21 or 28, depending on which variable was measured, which is indicative of an indirect effect. Clearly, the findings suggest that the molecular and cellular mechanisms of bFGF-mediated angiogenesis are dose-dependent.


In this study, we evaluated cardiomyogenic differentiation of electromechanically stimulated rat bone marrow-derived stem cells (rt-BMSCs) on an acellular bovine pericardium (aBP) and we looked at the functioning of this engineered patch in a rat myocardial infarct (MI) model. aBP was prepared using a detergent-based decellularization procedure followed by rt-BMSCs seeding, and electrical, mechanical, or electromechanical stimulations (3 millisecond pulses of 5 V cm−1 at 1 Hz, 5% stretching) to enhance cardiomyogenic differentiation. Furthermore, the electromechanically stimulated patch was applied to the MI region over 3 weeks. After this period, the retrieved patch and infarct region were evaluated for the presence of calcification, inflammatory reaction (CD68), patch to host tissue cell migration, and structural sarcomere protein expressions. In conjunction with any sign of calcification, a higher number of BrdU-labelled cells, and a low level of CD68 positive cells were observed in the infarct region under electromechanically stimulated conditions compared with static conditions. More importantly, MHC, SAC, Troponin T, and N-cad positive cells were observed in both infarct region, and retrieved engineered patch after 3 weeks. In a clear alignment with other results, our developed acellular patch promoted the expression of cardiomyogenic differentiation factors under electromechanical stimulation. Our engineered patch showed a successful integration with the host tissue followed by the cell migration to the infarct region.


Background
Intervention by infectious diseases (ID) physicians improves outcomes for inpatients in Medicare, but patients with other insurance types could fare differently. We assessed whether ID involvement leads to better outcomes among privately insured patients under age 65 years hospitalized with common infections.

Methods
We performed a retrospective analysis of administrative claims data from community hospital and postdischarge ambulatory care. Patients were privately insured individuals less than 65 years old with an acute-care stay in 2014 for selected infections, classed as having early (by day 3) or late (after day 3) ID intervention, or none. Key outcomes were mortality, cost, length of the index stay, readmission rate, mortality, and total cost of care over the first 30 days after discharge.

Results
Patients managed with early ID involvement had shorter length of stay, lower spending, and lower mortality in the index stay than those patients managed without ID involvement. Relative to late, early ID involvement was associated with shorter length of stay and lower cost. Individuals with early ID intervention during hospitalization had fewer readmissions and lower healthcare payments after discharge. Relative to late, those with early ID intervention experienced lower readmission, lower spending, and lower mortality.

Conclusions
Among privately insured patients less than 65 years old, treated in a hospital, early intervention with an ID physician was associated with lower mortality rate and shorter length of stay. Patients who received early ID intervention during their hospital stay were less likely to be readmitted after discharge and had lower total healthcare spending.


Objective. Chronic benzodiazepine (BZD) use is widespread and linked with adverse effects. There is consensus concerning the importance of initiating BZD as a crucial moment. Nevertheless specific research in this field is lacking. This paper addresses the views of GPs on why they start prescribing BZDs to first-time users. Design. Qualitative study with five focus groups analysed using a systematic content analysis. Setting. Regions of Ghent and Brussels in Belgium. Subjects. A total of 35 general practitioners. Main outcome measure. The GPs' perspective on their initiating of BZD prescribing. Results. GPs reported that they are cautious in initiating BZD usage. At the same time, GPs feel overwhelmed by the psychosocial problems of their patients. They show empathy by prescribing. They feel in certain situations there are no other solutions and they experience BZDs as the lesser evil. They admit to resorting to BZDs because of time restraint and lack of alternatives. GPs do not perceive the addictive nature of BZD consumption as a problem with first-time users. GPs do not specifically mention patients' demand as an element for starting. Conclusion. The main concern of GPs is to help the patient. GPs should be aware of the addictive nature of BZD even in low doses and a non-pharmacological approach should be seen as the best first approach. If GPs decide to prescribe a BZD they should make plain to the patient that the medication is only a "temporary" solution with clear agreements with regard to medication withdrawal.


This work describes a development of a control system and control strategies capable of governing multiple flexible AC transmission system (FACTS) devices. The main purposes of the presented coordinated control system are to remove overloads and to achieve specified power flows in transmission lines of a power system in the normal and N-1 steady-state operational modes. Proposed control strategies are based on heuristic rules; therefore they do not require intensive computations. A prototype of a control system has been designed as a real time tool constantly monitoring power flows and generating appropriate control signals to each FACTS device in order to maintain acceptable power flow levels. It has been interfaced with load flow software to test its effectiveness through non-linear simulations using the 380/220 kV Swiss power system as the study case. The results obtained are presented.


Abstract Late Cambrian gastropod and monoplacophoran faunas from western Antarctica, eastern and mid-western North America, and northern China, are diverse and provide some insight into palaeogeography and faunal distribution. The oldest of these, a well-preserved trilobite-mollusc fauna from the Ellsworth Mountains, Antarctica is dated as latest Dresbachian (Idamean); the Antarctic fauna is not unlike a slightly younger one (Franconian) from east-central Minnesota, USA. Slightly younger Franconian-age rocks from north China contain the first authentic cephalopods. A Trempealeauan fauna from eastern New York, USA, is closely comparable to another Trempealeauan fauna from north China. Relatively high taxonomic diversity suggests tropical to sub-tropical marine environments for all these faunas. Plate tectonic position as interpreted from palaeomagnetism supports this interpretation. The occurrence of these molluscs on separate continents, and the presumed widely separated position of these continents in the Late Cambrian, makes it likely that the distribution mechanism for the molluscs was long-lived larval forms. A key member of the Antarctic faunule is the monoplacophoran Knightoconus which has been considered representative of a group directly ancestral to the oldest cephalopod Plectronoceras. This view is reconsidered in the light of criticisms and alternatives proposed during the last 15 years; these occupy the bulk of the paper. Reaffirmation of evolution from the Antarctic Knightoconus is supported both by refutation of the criticisms and by ontogenetic studies of new topotypical material of the genus.


Minglang Zhou's highly erudite and well-researched volume on the policies concerning writing reforms for China's minorities since 1949 provides an original and well-reasoned summary of a complex process. It documents how different script reforms meet dramatically different fates according to local preferences, history, cross-border ties, and the vitality of previously-used scripts. In a style accessible to both undergraduate and graduate students, Zhou's book is of interest to language planners, sinologists, applied linguists, writing theorists, and ethnologists.


Nonlinear chirped pulse compression can be theoretically achieved to any order by using a nonplane grating with adequate groove spacing. We evaluate the holographic recording of a grating that compensates to the quadratic chirp. A suitable design is found, and the building tolerances are analyzed.


: Many psychological theories emphasize the significance of early childhood events. A review of the literature reveals that studies concentrate on the consequences of adverse childhood experiences on the physical and mental health of individuals. A few studies have so far examined the effects of positive childhood experiences on mental health. This research aims to investigate the relationship between positive childhood experiences and happiness. 695 adults (488 female and 207 male) participated in the study. Positive Childhood Experiences Scale served to gather the data regarding the childhood experiences, and The Oxford Happiness Questionnaire is employed to measure the happiness of the participants. According to the results of this study, a positive correlation was found between positive childhood experiences and happiness. Positive childhood experiences explain 23% of happiness and 24% of life satisfaction. In parallel to positive childhood experiences points, the happiness and life satisfaction of the participants also increases. According to the happiness level of participants, those who inform to be very happy have higher levels of positive childhood experiences in comparison to those who feel a moderate level of happiness or declare to be unhappy. The results are discussed in the context of the literature.