In this paper, we investigate the problem of linear joint probabilistic constraints. We assume that the rows of the constraint matrix are dependent and the dependence is driven by a convenient Archimedean copula. Further we assume the distribution of the constraint rows to be elliptically distributed, covering normal, t, or Laplace distributions. Under these and some additional conditions, we prove the convexity of the investigated set of feasible solutions. We also develop two approximation schemes for this class of stochastic programming problems based on second-order cone programming, which provides lower and upper bounds. Finally, a computational study on randomly generated data is given to illustrate the tightness of these bounds.


The outcomes of treatment of 110 homeless patients with tuberculosis admitted to Moscow City Clinical Hospital No. 7 in 1993-1996 were followed up. All homeless persons have various concurrent diseases, such as alcoholism, chronic nonspecific diseases of the lung, diseases of the cardiovascular system, kidney, liver, etc., which require their treatment by physicians of different disciplines. Good results of treating the homeless may be obtained when rehabilitative services are used and hospital treatment is performed for at least 4 months. All homeless patients who admitted to general hospitals are to be physically, roentgenologically, and bacterioscopically examined whether they have tuberculosis.


A decision-theoretic procedure for determining an optimal time interval for testing software prior to its release is proposed. The approach is based on the principles of decision-making under uncertainty and involves a maximization of expected utility. Two plausible forms for the utility function, one based on costs and the other involving the realized reliability of the software, are described. Using previous results on probabilistic models for software failure, the ensuing optimization problem (which can be addressed using numerical techniques) is outlined for the case of single-state testing. The sensitivity of the results to the various input parameters is discussed, and some directions for future research are outlined. >


This paper reviews how income-support systems affect labour force participation in the UK. The UK's approach to social insurance is "basic security", with modest, typically flat-rate, benefits; insurance-based benefits are relatively unimportant. Compared with the EU, the UK has high employment rates, but a high proportion of non-workers say that they are not working through disability. In general, the low generosity of out-of-work benefits means that positive incentives to work exist for almost all benefit recipients, but weak work incentives exist for those receive Housing Benefit, and for primary earners in couples who have low earnings. Recent reforms to strengthen work incentives have altered the in-work tax credits, rather than the benefit system, and recent reforms to the out-of-work benefits have involved toughening and extending job-search requirements. The two main political parties seem to agree that future reforms will involve more conditionality, a greater use of the private sector, and a unification of the different labour market programmes.


The asymmetric organocatalytic aza-Michael reaction of several nitrogen heterocycles and alpha,beta-unsaturated aldehydes has been studied in detail; under the optimised conditions, the conjugate addition products have been obtained in high to excellent enantioselectivities.


This thesis presents a criminological exploration of the relationship between women and the notion of the economic. The contention is that there remain gaps in our empirical inquiries and in our theorising about women who commit crimes for economic gain. The organising framework is the experience and motivations of women who do economic crime. The thesis is concerned with an investigation that is conducted through both empirical research and a theoretical examination of women's motivations to do economic crime.
Initially the thesis grapples with the problems of clarifying what constitute the economic crimes of women attempting to further understand and appreciate female
economic criminality. Empirical evidence is brought to bear on the variety and extent of women's criminality, initial and post-hoc reasons and justifications for women's economic crime, means and methods of carrying out crimes and women's views of themselves as offenders. Focussing in particular upon the offence of shoplifting as an example of a crime in which women tend to specialise, the investigation explores women's motivations for doing shoplifting in some detail. This leads to an examination of economic need and economic greed in a gendered context.
The key issues explored are women's motivations for and experiences of economic crime and an interrogation of the concept of the economic in relation to women's crime. The unfolding analysis and emergent theorising informs our understanding of women's motivations to do crime for economic gain and through challenging criminologically dominant appreciations of the economic, the thesis argues towards a more thoroughly gendered understanding of the concept of the economic.


Background: Medication errors are the main contributors to adverse events in hospitalised patients. Optimization of drug therapy can be done by minimizing the prescription error thus enhancing patient's quality of life and reducing health expense. Hence this project was proposed to identify prescription errors and thereafter reducing adverse events. Methods: A prospective clinical interventional study was conducted in a tertiary care hospital in Calicut. A total of 200 prescriptions were collected and audited during the study period. The collected prescriptions were assessed to identify prescription errors and other drug-related problems using prescription audit form. Results: Out of 200 prescriptions audited 166 (83%) prescriptions had errors. Prescription errors were classified into different types of which major error identified was Unit not mentioned (64.45%). More than half of the prescriptions had 1 to 3 errors per prescription (58.45%) and the errors increased with an increase in the number of medications. In department wise categorisation of errors, the majority were identified in the Department of General medicine. Most of the errors were accepted by the physician (90.36%) and the major intervention made was to modify the drug dose (24.69%). Drug-Drug interactions were found in 49 prescriptions of which (34.69%) was found to be major, (53.06%) moderate and (12.24%) minor interactions. Conclusion: The study concluded that clinical pharmacist involvement in patient care may identify, resolve and prevent prescription errors and drug-related problems in the hospital.


This paper examines the relationship between tobacco production, food crop growing and food security in Malakisi sub-county of Bungoma County with a view of establishing the effect of tobacco growing on household food security. Bungoma County is one of the major tobacco growing zones in Kenya where tobacco was introduced as a cash crop by British American Tobacco (BAT) in the seventies. The main aim of the study was to assess the effect of tobacco production on food crop growing and household food security in the sub-county and how this has affected household nutrition. Malakisi is one of the nine sub counties that make up Bungoma County, which receives high rainfall and favourable conditions for cash and food crop growing. However, Malakisi sub-county has been food insecure raising questions as to whether tobacco growing is beneficial to the farmers. In this study, data was collected from 138 farmers who grew tobacco together with food crops and those who grew tobacco only in order to make a comparison on their household food security status. Data was collected using questionnaires, oral interview, direct observation and focus group discussion (FGDs). The results indicate that the region is food insecure with majority of the tobacco farmers living below the poverty line as a result of low returns from tobacco growing. The results also indicate that farmers grow tobacco because of the farm inputs that are given on credit basis by the tobacco companies which is later deducted from the farmers' payment when the cured tobacco leaves are delivered to the contracting companies. The study found out that farmers devote too much of their time tending the tobacco crop at the expense of food crops, leaving almost no time to grow food crops. This has resulted in food shortages in the area.


The General Data Protection Regulation in Plain Language is a guide for anyone interested in the much-discussed rules of the GDPR. In this legislation, which came into force in 2018, the European Union meticulously describes what you can and cannot do with data about other people. Violating these rules can lead to a fine of up to 20 million euros.
 This book sets out the most important obligations of individuals and organisations that process data about others. These include taking technical security measures, carrying out an impact assessment and registering all data-processing procedures within an organisation. It also discusses the rights of citizens whose data are processed, such as the right to be forgotten, the right to information and the right to data portability.


Abstract Molecular-sieve zeolites, Nafion membranes, low-density polyethylene films, and mixed surfactant vesicles have been used as microreactors to carry out organic photochemical reactions. The photo-cycloadditions of diaryl compounds with long flexible chains included in NaY zeolite or low-density polyethylene films yield intramolecular photocyclomers to the exclusion of intermolecular products. The photosensitized oxidation of alkenes included in pentasil zeolites or Nafion membranes or vesicles can be directed selectively toward either the singlet oxygen-mediated or the superoxide radical anion-mediated products by controlling the status and location of the substrate and sensitizer molecules in the reaction media. The photo-Fries rearrangement of phenyl phenylacetates included within NaY and pentasil zeolites or Nafion membranes gives either ortho-hydroxyphenones or decarbonylation products depending on the size/shape of the microreactors and the substrate molecules. All these results demonstrate the utility of microreactors to control the product selectivity in organic photochemical reactions.


Polo‑like kinase 3 (Plk3) is a member of the Plk family. It is dysregulated in certain types of cancer, including colorectal and pancreatic cancer. However, the expression status and biological function of Plk3 in osteosarcoma (OS) remain poorly understood. Following evaluation of the role of Plk3 in OS, the present study indicates that Plk3 is downregulated in OS cell lines and tissues, and increased expression levels of Plk3 are associated with improved rates of overall survival of patients. In addition, to investigate the role of Plk3 in cell proliferation and tumorigenicity in vitro, two recombinant lentiviruses expressing Plk3 short hairpin RNA, as well as a recombinant plasmid carrying Plk3, were developed and transfected into Saos‑2 and U2OS cells, respectively. Cell cycle analysis by flow cytometry demonstrated the influence of Plk3 on the arrest of cell cycle progression at the G1 phase. Following knock down of Plk3, the growth and colony formation of Saos‑2 cells increased significantly, whereas the overexpression of Plk3 resulted in the opposite trend. Furthermore, a 5‑ethynyl‑2'‑deoxyuridine assay, using U2OS cell lines, indicated the same tendency. The in vivo interaction between Plk3 and p21 in Saos‑2 cells was detected and the protein level of p21 was observed to be consistent with that of Plk3. These results imply that Plk3 is involved in the inhibition of cell proliferation and tumorigenesis, which may occur via interactions with p21, thus, Plk3 may be considered as a potential candidate for targeted therapy of OS.


The significance of heraldic references in literature has been the subject of both antiquarian interest and recent scholarship. In the field of seventeenth-century poetry, there exists a small body of published work concerned with the use of heraldry by William Shakespeare, Ben Jonson and Jolin Cleveland. The aim of this thesis is to demonstrate the existence and significance of heraldic references in a wider range of seventeenth-century verse and poetry. It eschews assumptions regarding the use of heraldry by, or with reference to, a narrow social elite, and examines heraldic references published in broadsheets and used in songs, as well as in the privately- circulated manuscripts of the nobility. Chapter One offers a critical examination of a range of current scholarship concerned with heraldic readings of literature. Chapter Two demonstrates that formal heraldic references, affirming or celebrating their subject's identity, were used in diverse genres, including dedicatory verses, encomia, epitaphs, elegies, epithalamia and anagrams. Chapter Three determines the social implications of the use of heraldry, with particular reference to epic and satirical verse, arguing that heraldic references in this period develop beyond their traditional, chivalric associations. Chapter Four discusses those works that include heraldic references as expressions of authority or political power, and considers their use in different contexts to affirm or undermine the position of individuals and groups within society. Chapter Five establishes the use of heraldry within religious or spiritual poetry and addresses whether its vocabulary was regarded as an expression of particular Christian values. Chapter Six explores the engagement of women writers with heraldry and considers how far their use of the language offered a challenge to the prevailing patriarchal culture. The Conclusion draws attention to the significance of the evolution of heraldry from the seventeenth century to the present day.


Motivational Interviewing With Offenders: Engagement, Rehabilitation and Re-Entry is a recent addition to the Motivational Interviewing (MI) book series. The book is introduced to the reader by the creators of MI and series editors, Rollnick, Miller, and Moyers, who note that the book describes "how the collaborative, empathic, and affirming style of MI lends itself to a restorative approach" (p ix). The authors explain the applicability of MI all the way from shifting perceptions of offenders to promoting culture change in offender systems. The book is divided into 15 chapters. In the first chapter, the authors introduce MI as an agent of lasting behavioral change. They review the evidence supporting the efficacy of MI with substance users, to enhance treatment compliance, and to support or enhance treatment engagement in offender populations. They then enumerate the factors to be considered when contemplating integrating MI into an offender system and explain howMI can work in conjunction with the Risk-Needs-Responsivity (RNR) model to promote lasting positive behavioral change. After setting the stage in the first chapter, the authors lay out the core techniques of MI. In Chapter 2, the authors emphasize the stance that the therapist needs to adopt to relate to the offender and discuss the various attributes (e.g., partnership, acceptance, compassion, and evocation) that help facilitate building this relationship. Chapter 3 is focused on the skill of reflective listening that is essential to successful MI. In Chapter 4, the authors describe the art of interviewing and cover the common traps and pitfalls to avoid. Chapters 5 to 11 entail a thorough discussion of the stages of MI (engaging, focusing, evoking, and planning) and the utilization of five core communication skills (open-ended questions, affirmations, reflective listening, and summaries) in traversing these stages. Chapter 12 is devoted to an examination of resistance. The authors make a distinction between "sustain talk" and mere discord and help readers understand how they themselves may be contributing to discord at various stages of MI. This is followed by a discussion of appropriate responses to discord and to violations of legal sanctions by the offender (e.g., remaining abstinent while on probation). The authors make a case for organizational implementation of MI in Chapters 13 and 14, providing readers with the steps for incorporating MI in their organizations. The book is easy to read and provides a thorough and updated grounding in the techniques of MI (e. g., replacing the concept of "resistance" with "sustain talk"). While not intended to be a manual, it gives the reader a good grasp of the core concepts in MI and provides the framework for adoption of this technique into one's practice. The authors utilize clinical vignettes using one continuous fictional example throughout the book to demonstrate how MI looks in practice and to underscore commonmistakes and pitfalls. What is not evident from the title is that the target audience for this book is probation officers who work with offenders on supervised release in the community. In that sense, this book is not directed toward seasoned therapists or psychiatrists with past training in MI. Also, notably, the book is not written with all offenders (i.e., incarcerated and discharged) in mind, though the principles of MI translate equally well to both settings. At times the hypothetical case example seemed a bit contrived and scripted. I would have liked to see a more authentic, real-world discussion of resistance, which is an all too familiar hurdle to engagement in MI. Nevertheless, I enjoyed reading the book and would recommend it to any clinicians in the forensic setting who are looking to incorporate MI into their therapeutic skillset.


Increased curriculum time allocated to reading might not be effective in raising achievement. Teachers need to closely monitor and manage both the quality and quantity of individualised reading of all their pupils for optimal effectiveness. 'Learning information systems' (LIS) for reading such as the 'Accelerated Reader' (AR) enable this through individualised computerised assessment of pupil comprehension of 'real books', with feedback to both pupil and teacher. This study explored the impact of AR on reading achievement in 13 schools of different types spread across the UK, the majority socio-economically disadvantaged. Participating pupils were aged 7–14 years. Pre-post norm-referenced gains in reading achievement were measured by group paper-reading tests and a computerbased adaptive reading test. The implementation integrity of AR was assessed by direct observation by researchers and through data generated by the programme itself. On both paper and computer-based reading tests, on aggregate pupils in the 13 schools gained in reading at abnormally high and statistically significant rates. Boys tended to show larger gains than girls on the paper test. However, implementation integrity was very variable. In particular, some teachers failed to intervene in response to AR data indicating that pupils were reading ineffectively. AR appears to have potential for raising reading achievement, but only if implemented appropriately.


This study is aimed to analyze Indonesia's foreign policy changes toward Iranian nuclear issue in The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) from 2007 to 2008. The Iranian nuclear issue became international focus when UNSC in 2006 decided the future of Iranian nuclear program. Nuclear proliferation's threat was debated in UNSC due to a new nuclear program launched by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to build nuclear arsenal as soon as possible. As a non-permanent member of UNSC, Indonesia should participate in any decision within two years whether to support, abstain or to reject any resolutions decided. The research used qualitative method with a case study type. Data was collected based on qualitative method through literature study and interviews in order to gain understanding why the changes occurred in Indonesia's foreign policy with domestic and international factors as consideration. The research concluded that Indonesia's foreign police changes was on international pressure to support new sanction on Iranian nuclear program in 2007. Indonesia's policy was criticized in domestic. After domestic pressure, Indonesia finally took abstain policy in a new resolution on Iran nuclear in UNSC on March 2008. In other words the Indonesian foreign policy changes can be classified in adjustment changes to appease domestic pressure and in the same time to avoid confrontation with major powers interests. Keywords— Change, foreign policy, nuclear issue, domestic, international


The aim of the presented Internal Report 2001 is to analyse the temporal development of defoliation of Picea abies in Europe by means of the transnational Level I data set. Additional external deposition and meteorological data are used to describe the influence of single stress factors. Evaluations are conducted using multivariate linear models in a two step analysis. Step 1 evaluates variables that were available in annual or higher time resolution in relation to annual mean plot defoliation for the years 1994 to 2000. The regression coefficient for the interaction term 'year*plotid' is interpreted as plot-wise time trend. It is presented in maps and after a geostatistical analysis detecting spatial autocorrelation interpolated by the geostatistical method 'kriging'. Rooted mean squared errors (RMSE) are calculated for all plots. They give a sensitive measure for the discontinuity of defoliation development and serve as a conservative estimate for the accuracy of the linear models offering a tool for quality control when interpreting the time trends. Results of step 1 show significant influences of insects, age and country as well as their interaction terms on annual mean defoliation. Time trends were only significant for plots and countries, which shows that for Picea abies there is no significant mean European wide trend. Fungi gave implausible results, whereas summer precipitation showed insignificant but mostly plausible effects. Larger regions with deteriorating defoliation are observed in southern Sweden and Finland, in Estonia as well as in alpine regions of Switzerland, Austria, and Slovenia. Improving crown condition is observed in northern Scandinavia, Lithuania, southern Poland, and in Slovakia. The analysis of the RMSE reveals single plots with extreme defoliation values, these could however only be partly explained by information available from the Level I data base. The interpretation of time trends at these plots has to be conducted with care. Step 2 of the analysis is the explanation of plot-wise time trends and RMSE values by predictors of low temporal resolution. Preliminary results show that trends of defoliation are correlated with the difference in SOx deposition between 1998 and 1997, with water availability and base saturation. The promising results for sulphur deposition underline the necessity to include annual deposition values into step 1 of the analysis in the future. Site characteristics may show closer correlation when combined with meteorological data of higher time resolution. After discussion of the results in an editorial group the evaluations are foreseen to be extended and applied to other main tree species for a presentation in the Forest Condition Report of UN/ECE and EU in 2002.


There are some problem for Strip transmission process, such as low deviation information accuracy , poor reliability, poor control results,the electro-hydraulic servo central position control system of Strip based on the principle of differential capacitance was designed. The differential connection is used for eliminating signal drift and the nonlinear characteristics,high frequency power supply is used for reducing output impedance and improving the system bandwidth, double shielded is used for eliminating the impact of parasitic capacitance, the electro-hydraulic servo central position control system based on fuzzy PID is designed. Research shows that the measuring circuit and control system are with high precision, good reliability, maintenance-free advantages.


Despite effective treatment options, more than 40% of
cancer patients receive inadequate pain management. Our previous pilot study resulted
in substantial adaptations of a cancer pain self-management intervention, the German
PRO-Self© Plus Pain Control Program originally developed in the United
States. This program will be implemented into clinical practice at the Medical Center-University
of Freiburg. The purpose of this multiple methods pilot study is to test the implementation
regarding feasibility and effects in clinical practice. In a randomized, wait-list
controlled pilot study, adult oncology in-patients of a palliative care consultation
service with pain >3/10 will be recruited. The intervention will be performed
by a specialized advanced practice nurse with an in-hospital visit and, after discharge,
via phone calls and visits. The follow-up will be personalized according to a clinical
algorithm that factors in pain intensity, satisfaction with pain management, and
patient adherence. The intervention includes structured and tailored components
and is based on three key strategies: information, skill building and nurse coaching.
The specific aims of this study are threefold: 1) to test the feasibility of the
study and intervention procedures; 2) to establish effect sizes of main outcome
variables (e.g. decrease pain intensity, reduce the number of patients with pain
as main symptom) for subsequent power calculation; 3) to explore participants' experiences
with pain self-management support and their view of burden and benefit from study
participation in a qualitative substudy. During the study period, which includes
three data collection time points (T0 before, T1 one week and T2 six weeks after
discharge), data will be collected via field notes of study nurses and questionnaires
of patients. The results of this pilot study will build the basis for a larger comparative
effectiveness study in which long term outcomes of a cancer pain self-management
intervention in clinical practice will be evaluated.


Due to increasing environmental burden and other cost related reasons, the transmission network is undergoing major change globally. One way to utilize transmission corridors more efficiently is to have several three-phase systems in the same tower. This can be multiple AC and DC circuits or AC circuits with different system voltages. The transmission of DC and AC on one tower is a challenging technical territory, particularly in case of intersystem faults. In order to cope with this, new technical solutions are required as well as practical testing of the present protection ideas are needed. This paper presents a PSCAD simulation model in order to investigate the intersystem faults in a hybrid AC/DC line, by utilizing four different cases. These cases have been tested to validate the simulation model and the results are presented. The arising phenomena especially the consequences with respect to the protection systems are discussed.


The challenges to the management abilities of the hospital pharmacist are identified. Included is a review of the forces acting to change the hospital management climate and the changes occurring in the field of management itself.


Background: Skin diseases are referred to the disorders that occur mainly on the superficial layers of the skin. Antibiotics and corticosteroids are commonly used drug classes in the management of skin disorders. Since, the variation in price of antibiotics and corticosteroids used in dermatological departments vary widely, this study was performed to give an insight on the difference of the cost of various brands of antibiotics and corticosteroids available in India. Methods: The 6-month prospective study conducted from September 2018 to March 2019 assessed the cost variability between different brands of antibiotics and corticosteroids commonly prescribed. The cost of various brands of drugs was collected from the Current Index of Medical Specialties (CIMS) and medguideindia.com. Results: It was seen that tablet prednisolone showed the maximum percentage price variation (4408.67%) followed by tablet azithromycin that varied by 1607.23%. Conclusion: As the drugs prescribed by brand names are higher than the drugs prescribed in their generic names, the cost effectiveness will not be achieved. This suggests that prescribing drugs in generic name will also have an option for the dispensing pharmacist to provide the suitable drug to the patient. Key words: Antibiotics, Corticosteroids, Price variation, Dermatology, Cost analysis, Skin diseases.


The position of the Dobrogea Plateau in the south-east of Romania and in the close vicinity of Black Sea accounts for its top continental climate in Romania. The climatic changes which determined within the latest years the intensification of extreme phenomenon, who has an unfavourable influence on the planted or spontaneous vegetation. To reduce and prevent these phenomena have planted a series of experimental protective forest belt near Mangalia, observing a series of advantages in terms of protection and evolution of cultivated plants. Experimental network in Mangalia contains a 20 number of protective forest belts, aged 5 to 10 years, of which 15 consist of mixtures of locust and 5 acacia. Curtains of mixed species differ both as age, height, width and planting scheme, and hence their penetrability is different. Measurements were made with anemomete and portable vane, in June, July, August, which were taken into account during the growing season and the angle that the wind made him the veil of protection from which direction it was blowing at the time making observations. Research has shown that wind speed is reduced so before curtain (the wind) and the forest behind the curtain and the reduction of wind speed value is a function of density veil, its penetrability and height oftrees. The same veil of wind acting differently in a year, depending on seasons. Thus, trees and shrubs, summer, the leaf had a much lower penetration compared to the months of autumn and early when leafless. Network protection act and the microclimatic conditions in winter, by keeping snow and spring, summer and autumn plants by reducing evapotranspirations. At the same time, installing curtains forest is a prerequisite for growth forest. Network of forest belts will actually be a basis for a possible extension of forest in such dry areas that prove to be less favorable and profitable for agricultural use.


Today, the unionizing efforts of farm laborers have reached the highest plateau of achievement since the beginning of those efforts in the United States. The main reason for this is improved laws, public awareness, and union recognition. A very strong movement is under way, which is being led by Cesar Chavez. Now, as always, there is a three-way squeeze between those parties immediately involved. At one time or another, each of these parties is caught in the middle when the squeeze is vigorously applied. The farm worker is trying to apply pressure on the farmer; the farmer, in turn, is faced with the fact that he is a price taker rather than a price maker; the consumer is constantly fighting against higher prices, so he, in turn, directs his leverage against those parties back down the line who he considers to be responsible for his dissatisfaction. This turns out to be an operation of the market.


According to the data management of cloud computing and assign characters of dynamic resource in cloud services, we constructed a model of cloud user, cloud service and cloud status, which collects information of user status, service applications and resource pools. By taking advantage of intelligent analysis and collaborative computing technologies, we can get user habit patterns among users, services and data, which were hidden in history records. And based on predictive analysis, we can achieve precisely data prefetching by using data prefeching strategies and intelligent algorithms in cloud environment. KeywordsCloud Computing; User Model; Data Mining; Data Prefeching


Mechanically detected spin resonances The interaction of spins in a sample with a magnetic field can generate forces that can be sensed with cantilever probes. Losby et al. measured the resonance signals at room temperature with a micromechanical torque magnetometer. The difference between two applied radio-frequency signals corresponded to the mechanical frequency of the resonator. This approach revealed the vortex core dynamics of the ferri-toferro–magnetic transition in a micrometer-sized yttrium-iron-garnet single-crystal disk. Science, this issue p. 798 Electronic spin resonances of a magnetic single crystal are measured with a mechanical torque sensor. A universal, torque-mixing method for magnetic resonance spectroscopy is presented. In analogy to resonance detection by magnetic induction, the transverse component of a precessing dipole moment can be measured in sensitive broadband spectroscopy, here using a resonant mechanical torque sensor. Unlike induction, the torque amplitude allows equilibrium magnetic properties to be monitored simultaneously with the spin dynamics. Comprehensive electron spin resonance spectra of a single-crystal, mesoscopic yttrium iron garnet disk at room temperature reveal assisted switching between magnetization states and mode-dependent spin resonance interactions with nanoscale surface imperfections. The rich detail allows analysis of even complex three-dimensional spin textures. The flexibility of microelectromechanical and optomechanical devices combined with broad generality and capabilities of torque-mixing magnetic resonance spectroscopy offers great opportunities for development of integrated devices.


A new mechanism of myelopathic changes in patients with mucopolysaccharidosis is described. Two similar cases had myelographic evidence of marked concentric impingement of the cervical subarachnoid space and cord compression due to thickening of the dura. Myelography is indicated in the evaluation of these patients because surgical decompression may reverse the progressive neurological deficits.


Abstract In fully developed evaporite cycles, effective viscosity contrasts of up to five orders of magnitude are possible between different layers, but the structures and mechanics in evaporites with such extreme mechanical stratification are not well understood. The Zechstein 3 unit in the Veendam salt pillow in the Netherlands contains anhydrite, halite, carnallite and bischofite, showing this extreme mechanical stratification. The Veendam Pillow has a complex multiphase salt tectonic history as shown by seismic reflection data: salt withdrawal followed by convergent flow into the salt pillow produced ruptures and folds in the underlying Z3-anhydrite–carbonate stringer and deformed the soft Z3-1b layer We analysed a unique carnallite- and bischofite-rich drill core from the soft Z3-1b layer by macroscale photography, bulk chemical methods, X-ray diffraction and optical microscopy. Results show high strain in the weaker bischofite- and carnallite-rich layers, with associated dynamic recrystallisation at very low differential stress, completely overprinting the original texture. Stronger layers formed by alternating beds of halite and carnallite show complex recumbent folding on different scales commonly interrupted by sub-horizontal shear zones with brittle deformation, veins and boudinage. We attribute this tectonic fragmentation to be associated with a softening of the complete Z3-1b subunit during its deformation. The result is a tectonic mélange with cm- to 10 m-size blocks with frequent folds and boudinage. We infer that these structures and processes are common in deformed, rheologically strongly stratified evaporites.


The article is devoted to the issues of mandatory judicial control over acts of subjects endowed with state powers in the field of medical activity. In particular, we consider the judicial and administrative practice of resolving administrative legal disputes in connection with instituting administrative action in the field of public health protection. The current Code of Administrative Judicial Procedure (CAJP) of the Russian Federation combines the legal procedures previously included in separate regulatory acts for judicial control in the mandatory treatment of people suffering from mental illness, the active form of tuberculosis, as well as other diseases, the list of which remains open.


We present VideoPoseVR, a video-based animation authoring workflow using online videos to author character animations in VR. It leverages the state-of-the-art deep learning approach to reconstruct 3D motions from online videos, caption the motions, and store them in a motion dataset. Creators can import the videos, search in the dataset, modify the motion timeline, and combine multiple motions from videos to author character animations in VR. We implemented a proof-of-concept prototype and conducted a user study to evaluate the feasibility of the video-based authoring approach as well as gather initial feedback of the prototype. The study results suggest that VideoPoseVR was easy to learn for novice users to author animations and enable rapid exploration of prototyping for applications such as entertainment, skills training, and crowd simulations.


This article aims to contribute to an understanding of principalship in Hong Kong through probing the formation and preservation of the deep leadership structures that shape its practice. Deep structures are formed partly through a dynamic relationship between constitution and culture which forms bounded "codes" of understanding, conduct and behaviour which combine to shape principalship in Hong Kong and power relationships within schools and collections of schools. After providing a brief historical snapshot of Hong Kong education development since 1945, the paper explores the recent context of principalship and how this influences its shape in schools. Discussion of context focuses on the interconnected elements of constitution and traditional culture. These factors are illustrated using the issues of principal selection and teacher and parent empowerment to show the influence of deep leadership structures on the principal and the system. Depending on the perspective taken, these can be understood as ei...


Summary.  The aim of this case–control study was to analyse the prevalence of gynaecological, obstetrical and other more general bleeding symptoms in 114 women affected by various inherited bleeding disorders, who were compared with 114 apparently healthy women. Retrospective information were collected by means of two specific questionnaires, one on gynaecological and obstetrical bleeding symptoms, with special focus on the presence of menorrhagia as defined by a pictorial blood loss assessment chart (PBAC); and the other on general bleeding symptoms, whose severity was graded by means of the bleeding score (BS). Compared to normal women, the whole group of women with inherited bleeding disorders had a higher prevalence of excessive bleeding at menarche (25% vs. 5%, P < 0.0001) and menorrhagia (59% vs. 46%, P = 0.06). Affected women also had a higher frequency than controls of general bleeding symptoms that scored as severe by a BS ≥ 12 (49% vs. 0%, P < 0.0001). In affected women, the BS increased according to the severity of the haemostasis defect. In conclusions, the BS and the PBAC are simple tools to evaluate the severity of general bleeding symptoms and menorrhagia in women with inherited bleeding disorders. These instruments may help to identify those women for whom a therapeutic intervention is warranted.


Purpose:To quantify the differences between heterogeneous dose estimates from the calculation algorithm of 3‐D treatment planning systems and dosimetry measurements, radiation was delivered in accordance with IMRT and conformal dynamic arc radiotherapy (CDART) QC procedures using multiple heterogeneous head & neck phantoms. Method and Materials: The multiple inhomogeneous head and neck phantoms were constructed by various materials such as water equivalent homogeneous (acryl), air equivalent (cavity), bone equivalent (teflon) materials. The absolute and relative dosimetry were done using pinpoint ionization chamber, film and TLD (Harshaw 100). With custom‐written software modules, the measured and calculated dose distributions were superimposed and compared. Results: The point dose measured at the interface between water and air material region shows about 7 % mismatch with the treatment planning system in IMRT. This dose difference is even increased at the interface between bone and water material region reaches up to 18 % under‐dose comparative to planned value. However, the point dose error at the interface between water and bone material region is relatively small showing about 3.2% over‐dose. In CDART, the distribution verification result shows that there is a mismatch of about 1.5 % of whole points revealing more than 5% of the dose difference between measured values and planning value when the inhomoheneious phantoms are used. Our results suggest that the effectiveness of the imhomogeneity corrections used in IMRT and CDART planning should be evaluated in order to ensure meaningful quality assurance and delivery. Conclusion: The robustness of inhomogeneity correction used in IMRT and CDART treatment planning may be a significant factor in assuring predictable, accurate delivery of IMRT.


1H0323+342 is one of narrow-line radio-loud Seyfert 1 galaxies (RL-NLS1), which is a new class of gamma-ray emitting AGNs. Narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies (NLS1) have a small-mass black hole, but its mass accretion rate is almost as high as Eddington limit. Therefore, by observing NLS1s, we can know the evolution of supermassive black holes at the center of galaxies. Some of NLS1s are radio-loud and we call them RL-NLS1. From past observations, multi-wavelength spectrum of RL-NLS1s is similar to that of typical blazars; the synchrotron emission in the lower energy band up to the optical band, and inverse Compton scattering of low energy photons from disk, torus, and broad line region. X-ray band is a transittion region between the synchrotron and inverse Compton, and also there is a possible disk/corona emission. Therefore, we studied the energy-dependence of time variability of the X-ray emission of 1H0323+342, which have been observed by Suzaku in 2009 and 2013, in order to constrain the emission mechanism. We found that the lower energy below 1 keV and the higher energy above 7 keV show a different variability from the middle energy band, indicating at least two emission components in the X-ray band. X-ray spectrum is not a simple power-law, but requires an additional features; a broken power-law plus flat hard component, or a power-law plus a relativistic reflection component. Each spectral component seems to vary independently.


Abstract Motivation As large haplotype panels become increasingly available, efficient string matching algorithms such as positional Burrows-Wheeler transformation (PBWT) are promising for identifying shared haplotypes. However, recent mutations and genotyping errors create occasional mismatches, presenting challenges for exact haplotype matching. Previous solutions are based on probabilistic models or seed-and-extension algorithms that passively tolerate mismatches. Results Here, we propose a PBWT-based smoothing algorithm, P-smoother, to actively 'correct' these mismatches and thus 'smooth' the panel. P-smoother runs a bidirectional PBWT-based panel scanning that flips mismatching alleles based on the overall haplotype matching context, which we call the IBD (identical-by-descent) prior. In a simulated panel with 4000 haplotypes and a 0.2% error rate, we show it can reliably correct 85% of errors. As a result, PBWT algorithms running over the smoothed panel can identify more pairwise IBD segments than that over the unsmoothed panel. Most strikingly, a PBWT-cluster algorithm running over the smoothed panel, which we call PS-cluster, achieves state-of-the-art performance for identifying multiway IBD segments, a challenging problem in the computational community for years. We also showed that PS-cluster is adequately efficient for UK Biobank data. Therefore, P-smoother opens up new possibilities for efficient error-tolerating algorithms for biobank-scale haplotype panels. Availability and implementation Source code is available at github.com/ZhiGroup/P-smoother.


The gut microbiota of insects contains a wide range of organisms that protect them against the attack of pathogens by releasing various types of bioactive compounds. In the present study, we report the isolation and identification of the fungus Chrysosporium multifidum as a component of the microbiota from the larval gut of Hermetia illucens. Extract from the broth culture of C. multifidum showed moderate activity on a strain of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The bioguided isolation of the extract resulted in the characterization of six α-pyrone derivatives (1-6) and one diketopiperazines (7), among them 5,6-dihydro-4-methoxy-6-(1-oxopentyl)-2H-pyran-2-one (4) showed the best activity (IC50 = 11.4 ± 0.7 µg/ml and MIC = 62.5 μg/ml).


A ninth subharmonic injection locking scheme is proposed for LO phase shifting based phased-array architectures operating in the ISM band at 24 GHz. The presented architecture employs a two stage phase shifter, a limiter and a Q-enhanced tuned amplifier to synthesize multiple phases of ninth-harmonic tones from a 2GHz reference at the destination and in close proximity to the RF/mm-w injection-locked oscillators operating at 18 GHz. A digital phase shift calibration technique is also discussed. The reported LO phase shifting and synthesis scheme is implemented in IBM's 120 nm CMOS technology and consumes a total of 11.8mW from a 1.2V supply. The oscillator core consumes a 3.7mW. The maximum phase shift error at 18 GHz is 4.29° and 0.42° before and after calibration, respectively.


OBJECTIVE Diabetic patients often experience visceral hypersensitivity and anorectal dysfunction. We hypothesize that the enhanced excitability of colon projecting dorsal root ganglia (DRG) neurons observed in diabetes is caused by a decrease in the amplitude of the transient A-type K+ (IA) currents resulting from increased phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) and reduced opening of Kv4.2 channels. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We performed patch-clamp recordings of colon projecting DRG neurons from control and streptozotocin-induced diabetic (STZ-D) rats. Western blot analyses and immunocytochemistry studies were used to elucidate the intracellular signaling pathways that modulate the IA current. In vivo studies were performed to demonstrate that abnormal MAPK signaling is responsible for the enhanced visceromotor response to colorectal distention in STZ-D rats. RESULTS Patch-clamp studies demonstrated that IA current was diminished in the colon projecting DRG neurons of STZ-D rats. Western blot analysis of STZ-D DRG neurons revealed increases in phosphorylated MAPK and KV4.2. In diabetic DRG neurons, increased intracellular Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i), protein kinase C (PKC), and MAPK were involved in the regulation of IA current through modulation of Kv4.2. Hypersensitive visceromotor responses to colorectal distention in STZ-D rats were normalized by administration of MAPK inhibitor U0126. CONCLUSIONS We demonstrated that reduction of the IA current in STZ-D DRG neurons is triggered by impaired [Ca2+]i ion homeostasis, and this in turn activates the PKC-MAPK pathways, resulting in decreased opening of the Kv4.2 channels. Hence, the PKC-MAPK–Kv4.2 pathways represent a potential therapeutic target for treating visceral hypersensitivity in diabetes.


A single-blind controlled trial of phenobarbitone in the treatment of non-obstructive neonatal jaundice is reported. 24 babies were given phenobarbitone by mouth for 3 days from the first appearance of jaundice. 27 babies were given placebo linctus for the same period from the appearance of jaundice. There was a small but statistically significant difference between the mean serum bilirubin levels of the two groups 24 hours after starting treatment or placebo, the mean level of the control group being the higher. There was no significant difference in the mean serum bilirubin levels for the two groups initially or at 48 and 72 hours. The maximum recorded levels of serum bilirubin did not differ significantly between the two groups. It is concluded that phenobarbitone has no place in the management of established neonatal jaundice.


HVDC and FACTS Bibliography Working Group 15.05.07 (HVDC and FACTS Bibliography and Records) published An Annotated Bibliography of HVDC and FACTS, 1994-1995. The printed version is 346 pages and contains citations of HVDC and FACTS papers as well as their abstracts. Publication of the bibliography was supported by the Department of Energy, Office of Utility Technologies, Western Area Power Administration, and Bonneville Power Administration. Printed copies of the bibliography are available free on request from the Bonneville Power Administration Web Site: http://www.bpa.gov (select Publication and Information Requests and then Information Requests Form specifying HVDC and FACTS Bibliography). The document is also available electronically With an Internet browser connection to the URL: ftp://www.bpa.gov/pub/TEP/bib1io.zip. The document is stored in compressed WORD 6.0 format. Written requests for copies can be sent to: Wayne Litzenberger-TEPN, Bonneville Power Administration, P.O. Box 3621, Portland, OR 97208.


Background Compounding units assigned a restrictive shelf-life for anticancer admixtures results in economic loss due to wastage of partially used vials. Novel approaches in the preparation of doses are continually sought which ensure maximal drug utilisation without compromising patient safety. Purpose To perform cost analyses of captured and retrospective cytotoxic waste data and delineate the risks and benefits associated with shelf-life extension. Material and methods For the observational model, fieldwork was conducted over 2 months in a cross sectional study at two public hospitals which have cytotoxic units, covering haematology and oncology care. Data were recorded by means of a validated data collection sheet. Retrospectively, 22 796 doses were evaluated from logbook databases for the same year. Three distinct preparation scenarios, comprising individualised, same day grouping and weekly grouping of doses, were constructed for the agent established as the top contributor to the overall wastage sum. The economic impact for each scenario was computed. Volumetric and dosage values were translated to costs for all phases. Quality assurance pharmacists and literature were consulted to assess the feasibility of extending stability time frames. Results Retrospectively, 36 prescribed agents, including cytotoxic (n=34) and biological (n=2) therapies, satisfied the inclusion criteria. Logged wastage for both institutions amounted to €10 380, with an annual extrapolation of €220 000. Retrospective waste costs (€301 138) exceeded the projected figure by 36.8%. This sum represents approximately 7.2% of the annual expenditure on anticancer parenterals (€4.2M). Bortezomib (43%, €77 314) at the haematology section and trastuzumab (58%, €70 176) at the oncology unit were the predominant accountable agents. Over 70% of the total waste expense was attributed to six agents, namely bortezomib, trastuzumab, fludarabine, pegasparaginase, pemetrexed and rituximab. For bortezomib doses, the advanced weekly preparation yielded annual savings of more than €40 000 compared with the current same day grouping sessions. Advanced preparation offers the additional advantages of streamlined workflow, diminished cytotoxic errors and reduced treatment delays. Reported barriers were mostly related to concerns on stability and sterility. Conclusion The percentage waste cost from global budget surpassed those determined by other studies. Shelf-life extension facilitates grouping of antineoplastic doses, leading to significant recovery of waste. Measures must regard economic considerations in light of logistical and patient factors. No conflict of interest


Bhawalpur is a major cotton‐growing area in Pakistan. Cotton picking in Pakistan is carried out by females and as a result of the intensive use of pesticides during the growing season these females are exposed to pesticide residues in the picking season. In the present study, peripheral blood was obtained from 69 cotton pickers and 69 unexposed females and used to assess the effect of pesticide exposure on genetic damage as well as on hepatic enzymes and serum cholinesterase. The subjects were of similar average age in workers and control groups (37.55 ± 12.75 vs. 37.52 ± 13.47, P > 0.05). Average exposure time of the picker females was 10.26 ± 6.14 years. Subjects from the exposed group did not use any protective measures during their work activities. Levels of serum cholinesterase were lower, and levels of alkaline phosphatase, alanine aminotransferase, and aspartate aminotransferase were higher in the exposed workers as compared with the control group (P < 0.001). The exposed group exhibited significantly increased frequencies of binucleated cells with micronuclei (12.72 ± 3.48 vs. 4.35 ± 2.44, P < 0.001) and total number of micronuclei in binucleated lymphocytes (16.51 ± 4.27 vs. 5.86 ± 3.09, P < 0.001) in comparison with subjects of the control group. The binucleated cells with micronuclei frequency also seemed to increase with age in both the groups, however, the magnitude of increase was greater in exposed group than the control. Results from the present study indicate that occupational exposure to pesticide mixtures results in cytogenetic damage in exposed females. Environ. Mol. Mutagen., 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


The importance of breast milk in protecting the newborn from infection is recognized worldwide. Infant morbidity and mortality have been directly affected by a decline in breastfeeding. Health care providers are working toward meeting the national goal of increased initiation and duration of breastfeeding. This article focuses on the protective factors transferred to the infant through breast milk. A discussion of maximizing the immunologic benefits of breast milk for the high-risk infant is presented.


Multi-methods are a straightforward extension of traditional (single) dynamic dispatch, which is the core of most object oriented languages. With multi-methods, a method call will select an appropriate implementation based on the values of multiple arguments, and not just the first/receiver. Language support for both single and multiple dispatch is typically designed to be used in conjunction with other object oriented features, in particular classes and inheritance. But are these extra features really necessary?
M{\mu}l is a dynamic language designed to be as simple as possible but still supporting flexible abstraction and polymorphism. M{\mu}l provides only two forms of abstraction: (object) identities and (multi) methods. In M{\mu}l method calls are dispatched based on the identity of arguments, as well as what other methods are defined on them. In order to keep M{\mu}ls design simple, when multiple method definitions are applicable, the most recently defined one is chosen, not the most specific (as is conventional with dynamic dispatch).
In this paper we show how by defining methods at runtime, we obtain much of the power of classes and meta object protocols, in particular the ability to dynamically modify the state and behaviour of 'classes' of objects.


As a result of the deepening globalization processes of the late 20th and early 21st centuries, competitiveness is perceived as one of the main indicators determining wheth¬er a country will maintain its global economic position. The countries of Central and Eastern Europe, including Bulgaria, lagged significantly behind at the beginning of the century in terms of competitiveness compared to the highly developed Western European countries. Innovation is one of the main factors influencing competitiveness. The aim of the study is to analyze the change in the innovation activity and competitiveness of Bulgaria in the period 2007-2017. The study will be developed through empirical and DESK analysis.


Underwater robotic navigation system is one of challenge issues of autonomous underwater robotics, and it is also the underwater robotics' difficult field and active research field. An inertial integrated navigation system, which is based upon inertial measurement unit, Doppler velocity log, TCM2, GPS and ultra-short base line, is designed for underwater robotics in this paper. The configuration and measurement sensors of the navigation system are analyzed, and an estimation algorithm based on multi-layer Kalman filtering is presented in particular. Furthermore, in order to deal with the position information delay of sensors, dead-reckoning estimation algorithm and double-layer estimation algorithm are proposed. Simulation results validate the correctness and usability of the integrated navigation system and the validity of these algorithms.


In recent decades, rapid ice-shelf disintegration along the Antarctic Peninsula has had a global impact through enhancing outlet glacier flow, and hence sea level rise, and the freshening of Antarctic Bottom Water. Ice shelf thinning due to basal melting results from the circulation of relatively warm water in the underlying ocean cavity. However, the effect of sub-shelf circulation on future ice-shelf stability cannot be predicted accurately with computer simulations if the geometry of 20 the ice-shelf cavity is unknown. To address this deficit for Larsen C Ice Shelf, west Antarctica, we integrate new water-column thickness measurements with existing observations. We present these new data here along with an updated bathymetry grid of the ocean cavity. Key findings include relatively deep seabed to the south-east of the Kenyon Peninsula, along the grounding line and around the key ice shelf pinning point of Bawden Ice Rise. In addition, we can confirm that the cavity's southern trough stretches from Mobiloil Inlet to the open ocean. These areas of deep seabed will influence ocean circulation and tidal 25 mixing, and will therefore affect the basal-melt distribution. These results will help constrain models of ice-shelf cavity circulation with the aim of improving our understanding of sub-shelf processes and their potential influence on ice shelf stability. The data set comprises all point measurements of seabed depth and a gridded data product, derived using additional measurements of both offshore seabed depth and the thickness of grounded ice. We present all new depth measurements here as well as a compilation of previously published measurements used in the gridding process. The gridded data product is 30 included in the supplementary material. The underlying seismic data sets which were used to determine bed depth and ice thickness are available at https://doi.org/10.5285/315740B1-A7B9-4CF0-9521-86F046E33E9A (Brisbourne et al., 2019), https://doi.org/10.5285/5D63777D-B375-4791-918F-9A5527093298 (Booth, 2019), https://doi.org/10.5285/FFF8AFEE35 4978-495E-9210-120872983A8D (Kulessa and Bevan, 2019) and https://doi.org/10.5285/147BAF64-B9AF-4A97-8091-26AEC0D3C0BB (Booth et al., 2019). https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2019-205 O pe n A cc es s Earth System Science Data D icu ssio n s Preprint. Discussion started: 28 October 2019 c © Author(s) 2019. CC BY 4.0 License.


Spontaneous preterm birth (PTB-gestational age <37 weeks) occurs in approximately 450 000 births annually in the United States and is one of the leading causes of neonatal morbidity and mortality. Risk of PTB is affected by complex gene-environment interactions that are not well understood. We examined the PTB candidate gene, Interleukin 6 (IL-6) and its receptor (IL6-R) in both Caucasian (145 PTB and 194 term maternal; 140 PTB and 179 term fetal) and African-American (76 PTB and 191 term maternal; 66 PTB and 183 term fetal) DNA. Eight single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in IL-6 and 22 SNPs in IL6R were examined for association with IL-6 amniotic fluid (AF) concentrations, as concentration of IL-6 is a hypothesized risk factor. In addition, IL-6 and IL6-R SNPs were analyzed for associations with PTB. Haplotype associations were tested by sliding windows. No strong single marker effects were observed in Caucasians; however, in African-American maternal IL-6R marker rs4553185 associated with PTB (allele P = 4.49 x 10(-3) and genotype P = 0.01). The strongest haplotype associations were observed in IL-6R with IL-6 cytokine concentration as outcome: Caucasian fetal (rs4601580-rs4845618) P = 1.6 x 10(-3) and African-American maternal (rs4601580-rs4845618-rs6687726-rs7549338) P = 2.30 x 10(-3). Significant results converged on three regions in the two genes: in IL-6 markers rs1800797, rs1800796 and rs1800795; in IL-6R markers rs4075015, rs4601580, rs4645618, rs6687726 and rs7549338 and markers rs4845623, rs4537545 and rs4845625. In conclusion, our results suggest that IL-6 AF concentration, in situations of PTB, result from variation in IL-6 and more importantly IL-6R.


1. Adrenaline has a biphasic effect on intracellular lipoprotein lipase activity and on endogenous triacylglycerol content in heparin-perfused heart. 2. A high concentration of adrenaline (1 microM in the perfusion buffer) activated endogenous lipoprotein lipase activity and, at the same time, decreased intracellular triacylglycerol stores. 3. In contrast, a low concentration (0.005 microM-adrenaline) inhibited intracellular lipoprotein lipase activity. Under these conditions, cardiac triacylglycerol content was elevated above control values. 4. Perfusing the heart with high and low concentrations of 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine elicited a biphasic effect on endogenous lipoprotein lipase activity and triacylglycerol content similar to that seen with adrenaline treatment. 5. The effect of adrenaline on intracellular lipoprotein lipase activity appears to be mediated by cyclic AMP through protein kinase. 6. A possible role for intracellular lipoprotein lipase in the regulation of endogenous triacylglycerol in rat heart is proposed.


Interleukin (IL) −33 has been identified as a member of the IL-1 family. Members of the IL-1 family have been reported to be involved in the regulation of energy homeostasis and glucose metabolism. Homozygous transgenic mutant mice of FLP14 line, that we previously generated, unexpectedly developed mature-onset obesity and diabetes. Through genetic investigations, we found that insertion of the transgenes had resulted in complete deletion of the Il33 gene. These obese male homozygous mutant mice exhibited hyperphagia with hyperleptinemia and insulin resistance caused by increased hepatic gluconeogenesis and decreased glucose uptake in skeletal muscle. As a result of examining preobese male homozygous mutant mice to investigate with the exclusion of the effect of obesity, hyperphagia with hyperleptinemina and insulin resistance caused by decreased glucose uptake in skeletal muscle were already observed, but the increased hepatic glucose production was not. To investigate whether the insulin resistance was caused by deletion of the Il33 gene, we treated these preobese homozygous mutant mice with recombinant IL-33 protein and noted a significant improvement in insulin resistance. Thus, insulin resistance in these homozygous mutant mice was caused, at least in part, by IL-33 deficiency, suggesting a favorable role of IL-33 for glucose metabolism in the skeletal muscle.


The accuracy and credibility of model is the most important determinant of development of Modeling and Simulation (M&S). There is a desperate need for an immediate practical solution to the problem of VV&A (Validation, Verification and Accreditation) of simulation systems. A discussion and experiment of the relative merits of informal methods and formal methods are provided in this paper. In spite of increasing simulation speed via parallelization, the number of problem cases that can be covered is not highly increased. On the other hand, formal methods have proven to be valuable techniques, but they require detailed specifications of systems and requirements, therefore they are not very accessible in practical simulation systems development. According to the exhaustiveness of formal methods, a Model Driven Architecture (MDA) based simulation VV&A framework guided by model checking is presented in this paper. This framework combines scalability of simulation with exhaustiveness of formal methods in order to get the best of both worlds for simulation model verification. It can provide more confidence in simulation models and increase the use of formal methods in the context of M&S by people that are not trained in formal techniques.


Our Translational Science Platform uses an unbiased bioinformatics-based approach to interrogate particular cell types within the tumor microenvironment (TME). Given the correlation between high levels of immune-suppressive macrophages within the tumor TME and poor patient prognosis across a number of solid tumor types we focused initially on developing novel immunotherapies to modify this cell type. We identified 10 targets as candidates for converting tumor-associated macrophages from immune-suppressing to immune-enhancing. One of these targets was TIM3. To date, TIM3 has been pursued mainly as a checkpoint target for T cell-directed immunotherapies based on its expression on exhausted T cells. Anti-TIM3 mAbs, generated by multiple groups, induce responsiveness in T cells and demonstrate anti-tumor benefit in certain mouse models. However, our macrophage-centric approach has identified a previously unrecognized protein-protein interaction between TIM3 and one of our additional macrophage targets. Based on knowledge of this interaction, we were able to generate and select for panels of mAbs to TIM3 and to its binding partner capable of converting macrophages from an "M2" to an "M1" pro-inflammatory phenotype. In contrast to published anti-TIM3 mAbs, our particular anti-TIM3 mAbs lacked activity in T cell-based assays, but promoted an increase in pro-inflammatory cytokines with a reduction or no effect in anti-inflammatory cytokines in a macrophage activity assay. In this assay, monocytes were prepared from human peripheral blood and cultured in the presence of M-CSF to bias toward an M2 phenotype. Under sub-optimal stimulation with LPS or CD40L or HMGB1, treatment of these cells with the anti-TIM3 mAbs led to increases in pro-inflammatory cytokines including IL-1β and TNFα. The conversion to an "M1" macrophage by anti-TIM3 mAbs had downstream consequences on T cells as demonstrated by mixed lymphocyte reaction experiments. In these studies, the addition of anti-TIM3 led to a macrophage-dependent increase in IFNγ from the T cells. To assess the impact of our anti-TIM3 mAbs in the tumor setting, tumor histoculture experiments were performed. Tumor tissue slices from ovarian cancer patients treated with anti-TIM3 showed an increase in a range of cytokines and in this tumor setting the initial sub-optimal stimulus was not required. Specific antibodies to TIM3 and its binding partner that are able to promote a pro-inflammatory macrophage phenotype have been generated. We are developing these as modulators of the TME, to be assessed either as single agents or in combination with other therapies such as checkpoint inhibitors. Citation Format: Jamie Wong, Ryan Phennicie, Igor Feldman, Sriram Sathyanarayanan, Don Shaffer, Mohammad Zafari, Steve Sazinsky, Kenneth Crook, Debbie Law. Discovery of a novel TIM3 binding partner and a key role for TIM3 on macrophages: Identification of specific antibodies capable of converting immune-suppressive macrophages to immune-enhancing. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 586.


We report performance characteristics of nanocrystalline silicon thin-film transistors (TFTs) fabricated at 280 degC by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition. The TFTs exhibit field-effect mobility of 0.8 cm2V-1s-1, threshold voltage of 4 V, on/off current ratio about 108 with an off-current of 10-13 A, and subthreshold slope of 0.8 V/dec. Bias stress measurements show that the TFT is 3-5 times more stable than the hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) counterpart, with a shift in threshold voltage that is less than 5 % at a gate voltage of 15 V


AbstractRussian artists and publicists created a symbolic language of revolution in left-leaning satirical magazines during and after the Revolution of 1905. They reversed the traditional association of the occult with rebellion and pictured tsarist officials as monsters, vampires, and demons. They stigmatized the old order and portrayed death as its murderous ally. They also evoked death as an instrument of revolution. This essay explores the imagery they used and the context in which they worked.


Precious corals have been commercially exploited for many centuries all over the world. Their skeletons have been used as amulets or jewellery since antiquity and are one of the most valuable living marine resources. Precious coral fisheries are generally characterized by the 'boom-and-bust' principle, quickly depleting a discovered stock and then moving on to the next one. Most known stocks are overexploited today, and populations are in decline. The unsustainable nature of most fisheries is clearly revealed by analyzing all available data. Precious corals belong to the functional group of deep corals and are important structure-forming organisms, so called ecosystem engineers, that provide shelter for other organisms, increasing biodiversity. Yet, their management is usually focused on single species rather than a holistic habitat management approach. This review compares the biology of precious corals as well as the historical ecology and the socioeconomy of their fisheries to improve precious coral management and conservation. The analysis demonstrates that a paradigm shift is necessary in precious coral exploitation, not only to conserve habitats of high biodiversity but also to achieve sustainable fisheries and stabilize a specialized jewellery industry.


The present study, conducted on three children with cerebral palsy who had voiding dysfunction. After collecting demographic information, symptoms of voiding dysfunctions were recorded. Then; we did an ultrasonographic evaluation of the bladder to measure residual urine volume. Physiotherapy treatment through percutaneous electrical stimulation of the posterior tibial nerve was performed in 12 sessions. Bladder ultrasonography was repeated after treatment. Abnormal residual urine volume became normal in patients with urinary retention. Percutaneous posterior tibial nerve stimulation reduces symptoms of voiding dysfunctions in children with cerebral palsy.


Domestic and wild animals were examined for natural infection with human schistosomiasis in Northern Gezira, Sudan. Postmortem examination of animals in a number of slaughterhouses revealed no infections in either sheep or goats but Schistosoma mansoni worms were found in two of the 98 cattle examined. Nile rats (Arvicanthus niloticus) were trapped and stray dogs were shot and examined for evidence of schistosome infection. The infection rate in Nile rats was 4.9% (8/164) and in dogs 27.3% (15/55) but whereas viable eggs were found in the excreta and tissues of the rats no eggs could be found in dog faeces. In the laboratory nine puppies were each exposed to 10 000 cercariae but there was no evidence that the infection had taken. It is concluded that A. niloticus, present in large numbers and often found in or near the canals, may be involved in S. mansoni transmission and could act as reservoir hosts, but that dogs are probably infected only in exceptional situations and are unlikely to play a major role in S. mansoni transmission.


Australia's Asia provides an account of Australia's multiple responses to Asia over the last 150 years. Asia has long been at or near the centre of Australian thinking. For many, Australia's much-discussed proximity to Asia appeared as a threat. Shadowy Asian figures seemed to lurk around the edge of the continent, biding their time. Yet proximity also offered new opportunities for trade, travel and cultural exchange. A great number of Australians were fascinated by Asian societies and cultures, relishing the opportunities they offered for new ways of seeing and comprehending the world. From the late nineteenth century, competing visions of Australia's relations with its region have jostled for attention on the national stage and in private lives.


Peripheral lymphocytes were cultured in the presence and absence of phytohemagglutinin (PHA). Porphyrin synthesis was visually estimated by fluorescence and quantitated by fluorometry. No visual fluorescence was noted in cells cultured with or without PHA. Addition of #{246}-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) to cultures of either transformed or nontransformed lymphocytes resulted in fluorescence, indicating porphyrin synthesis. Certain sex steroid metabolites stimulate porphyrin synthesis by induction of the rate-limiting enzyme ALA synthetase. Erythropoietin also increases the rate of heme synthesis. Phytohemagglutinin-transformed and nontransformed cells were cultured with the addition of either il-keto pregnanolone or erythropoietin, and neither agent induced porphyrin synthesis. Only when ALA was added to the culture medium was the measured fluorescence statistically greater than in control cultures. These studies indicate that the enzymes of porphyrin synthesis distal to ALA synthetase, the rate-limiting enzyme, are present in all cultured lymphocytes. The rate-limiting enzyme is not induced by PHA transformation, even in the presence of a 5-a-H steroid metabolite or erythropoietin.


The article defines, describes, and discusses the seven threats to the internal validity of experiments discussed by Donald T. Campbell in his classic 1957 article: history, maturation, testing, instrument decay, statistical regression, selection, and mortality. These concepts are said to be threats to the internal validity of experiments because they pose alternate explanations for the apparent causal relationship between the independent variable and dependent variable of an experiment if they are not adequately controlled. A series of simple diagrams illustrate three pre-experimental designs and three true experimental designs discussed by Campbell in 1957 and several quasi-experimental designs described in his book written with Julian C. Stanley in 1966. The current article explains why each design controls for or fails to control for these seven threats to internal validity.


Author(s): Scott, Mary Cooper | Advisor(s): Miao, Jianwei | Abstract: This work focus on the efforts made to obtain three-dimensional local information at atomic resolution using electron tomography. To realize this long-standing goal, state-of-the art experimental and computational methods were developed. This thesis describes the experimental portion of the collaborative project that has resulted in the first true atomic resolution reconstruction of a material while making no assumptions of crystallinity.Chapter 1 will give background information on electron microscopy and tomography. Chapter 2 describes the experimental aspects of atomic scale electron tomography using an uncorrected electron microscope. Chapters 3 and 4 follow from this development, and describe the results obtained from implementing this methodology. By reconstructing the data obtained with these methods with an advanced algorithm, atomic scale features were observed for the first time in three dimensions. As a first demonstration, a gold nanoparticle was reconstructed with 2.4 angstrom resolution, revealing the internal twin boundaries and grain structure of a multiply twinned icosahedral nanoparticle. Next, improvements in data and Bragg filtering revealed the three dimensional atomic structure of edge and screw dislocations, as well as stacking faults, for the first time. Chapter 5 then discusses the additional experimental considerations needed to employ an aberration corrected electron microscope for the tomographic data. Also in this chapter, a novel needle geometry for tomography is introduced. Chapters 6 and 7 then discuss the results of this methodology applied to both needle and conventional samples. Here, true atomic resolution is finally achieved, with atomic positions being precisely located within the sample, and a point defect identified. With the 3D atomic positions determined, displacement and strain fields can be calculated at high resolution. Work is underway to achieve not only atomic resolution, but also to differentiate between atomic species within the sample.Electron tomography is a powerful technique for characterization in three dimensions, and this work represents the highest resolution yet achieved, and the first demonstration of true atomic resolution electron tomography. The ability to localize the three-dimensional positions of atoms in a material while making no assumptions of crystallinity, as well as measure point defects and strain, is an important breakthrough and will find broad application in many fields.


Growth is a trait linked to development of organisms and expressed as an increase of body size, and which can be described using sigmoidal functions. There are different growth models which are base don sigmoidal function, being some of them the logistic, Gompertz's and von Bertalanffy's. The purpose of this research wasto determine the growth between sexes in Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris using the logistic function y=a/(1+be-cx). Thus function allows a better visualization of what happens during growth. With this aim, it was studied a sample of 30 animals (11 males and 19 females) from 2 to 96 months. For each animal the following measurements were obtained: body length, withers height, head length, head perimeter and thoracic girth. Sampled animals were from 3 different farms in Fortul, (Arauca, Colombia), in 'piedemonte' area, and were managed under semi-extensive conditions. From statistical analysis it was observed that all variables were statistically different between sexes. It is concluded that growth in H. hydrochaeris is different between males and females, the former growing faster and more precociously, ending with bigger sizes.


Conflicts in database systems with both real-time and security requirements can be unresolvable. We address this issue by allowing a database system to provide partial security in order to improve real-time performance when necessary. Systems that are partially secure allow potential security violations such as covert channel use in certain situations. We present the idea of requirement specification that enables the system designer to specify important properties of the database at an appropriate level. To help the designer, a tool can process the database specification to find unresolvable conflicts, and to allow the designer to specify the rules to follow during execution when those conflicts arise. We discuss several partial security policies and compare their performance in terms of timeliness and potential security violations.


The environment problem in Hei River Basin of Northwestern China, which was caused by the interactions of natural and human systems, was very complex. Only the development and application of integrated tools could we better describe and analyse the ongoing process. In this paper, we introduced the Spatial Modeling Environment (SME) as a powerful tool to simplify the integrated model building. After describing the funtion and architecture of SME, we discussed its application perspective in Hei River Basin. It appeared that in order to achieve an integrated ecologicl economic model which could explore the endogenous interaction between socio-economic and ecological dynamics, researchers should identify the main human factors and spatialize them to make natural and human factors have an identical and fixed spatial-temporal scale. The work of identifying human factors in environment impact assesement was very complex. We introduced the IPAT identity as a useful freamwork for identifying the main human factors.


The region has regressed on sustainable consumption and production (SCP) and urgently needs to reverse material consumption and footprint trends to meet the goal, notwithstanding progress on individual targets. Rising incomes and lifestyle changes and continued resource-intensive growth patterns are expected to further exacerbate resource depletion and ecosystem degradation. Concerted public and private action is needed to increase resource efficiency, fundamentally shift consumption patterns and production processes, improve waste management systems, and transition toward a more circular economy approach.


BACKGROUND
Clinical trials of antiretroviral drugs can take years to complete because the outcomes measured are progression to the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) or death. Trials could be accelerated by the use of end points such as changes in CD4+ lymphocyte counts and plasma levels of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) RNA and beta 2-microglobulin, but there is uncertainty about whether these surrogate measures are valid predictors of disease progression.

METHODS
We analyzed data from the Veterans Affairs Cooperative Study on AIDS, which compared immediate with deferred zidovudine therapy. Patients' plasma levels of HIV-1 RNA and beta 2-microglobulin were measured in stored plasma.

RESULTS
Among the 129 patients in the immediate-treatment group, 34 had disease that progressed to AIDS, as compared with 57 of the 141 patients in the deferred-treatment group (P = 0.03). Progression to AIDS correlated strongly with base-line CD4+ lymphocyte counts (P = 0.001) and plasma levels of HIV-1 RNA (P < 0.001), but not with base-line levels of beta 2-microglobulin (P = 0.14). A decrease of at least 75 percent in the plasma level of HIV-1 RNA over the first six months of zidovudine therapy accounted for 59 percent of the benefit of treatment, defined as the absence of progression to AIDS (95 percent confidence interval, 13 to 112 percent). Plasma beta 2-microglobulin levels and CD4+ lymphocyte counts explained less of the effect of treatment. A 75 percent decrease in the plasma HIV-1 RNA level plus a 10 percent increase in the CD4+ lymphocyte count could explain 79 percent of the treatment effect (95 percent confidence interval, 27 to 145 percent).

CONCLUSIONS
Treatment-induced changes in the plasma HIV-1 RNA level and the CD4+ lymphocyte count, taken together, are valid predictors of the clinical progression of HIV-related disease and can be used to assess the efficacy of zidovudine and possibly other antiretroviral drugs as well.


The southern green stink bug, Nezara viridula (L.) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), is cosmopolitan in distribution and feeds on many cultivated plants. On cotton, it reduces yield and transmits fungal and bacterial pathogens that result in necrosis of the locule and boll rotting. Objectives of this study were to determine the seasonal flight activity and to assess numerical changes in the season-long captures of N. viridula in blacklight traps. Traps were established in a commercial farmscape where cotton and corn were the predominant crops. Minor crops grown in the area were milo, soybean, pecan, and watermelon. Study areas included four to five locations during each year from 2003 to 2011 in Burleson County of Central Texas. Frequency distribution of seasonal counts of N. viridula conformed to a clumped dispersion pattern when analyzed by Taylor's Power Law and negative binomial distribution as probability models. Counts transformed by a power law function, x 0.165 , adequately uncoupled the mean and the variance of the data better than those transformed by log transformation. Significantly and consistently, more females than males were captured in traps. Peak captures of N. viridula in traps generally occurred in August. August counts of the insect declined precipitously from a monthly mean of 177 in 2003 to near zero in 2011. Results of this study demonstrate that blacklight traps are a useful sampling tool for determining N. viridula population numbers and to assess their seasonal flight activity in production agriculture.


Received Jan 5, 2022 Revised Oct 18, 2022 Accepted Oct 31, 2022 The purpose of this paper is to design and implement the pitch and depth control system of an autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV). This control system will determine the best pitch angle as well as the depth automatically when there are changes in speed, weight, etc. In this paper, the kinematic and dynamic equations of motion for the AUV are derived to obtain the pitch angle and depth transfer functions. The control strategies applied here, are firstly, the sliding mode controller (SMC) driven by particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm. Secondly, the proportional integral derivative controller (PID) tuned by PSO algorithm as a standard controller. The PSO algorithm is used as an efficient algorithm to search for the optimal controllers' parameters and hence improving the performance of the system. The findings show that the designed sliding mode control (SMC) could improve the stability and performance and provides more realistic behavior for the AUV compared to other classical controllers and according to pitch and the depth changes.


A physico-chemical model developed for spent fuel alteration was integrated in a global reactive transport model of a spent fuel disposal system, considering both decaying and stable isotopes, corroded steel canisters, bentonite backfills and a clayey host-rock. Fuel evolution took into account radiolytic-enhanced corrosion and long-term solubility-controlled dissolution as well as instantaneous release fractions. The calculations show that spent-fuel dissolution has no significant alteration effect on the near-field components except an oxidizing plume in the vicinity of the waste packages. The dissolved uranyl species, partly precipitate as schoepite on the fuel pellets, and partly diffuse in the near-field where magnetite and pyrite reduce U(VI) to yield uraninite precipitation. Under disposal conditions, preliminary calculations indicate that steel corrosion may generate sufficient dissolved hydrogen as to react with radiolytic oxidants and inhibit fuel dissolution. The formation of a protective schoepite layer could also reduce the alteration of fuel pellets. Radionuclides migration (Am, Cs, I) in the near-field is discussed in a second stage discriminating between sorption, precipitation and radioactive decay processes. The migration of Cs is translated in terms of cumulative activity profiles useful for integrated performance assessment.


The secondary effects doctrine has made a muddle of First Amendment law. The doctrine formally holds that a speech regulation will be treated as content-neutral if its purpose is to control the secondary effects of speech, even if it facially discriminates according to speech content. It pretends to be a general First Amendment doctrine, but in practice it is all about regulating pornographic expression. This article aims to re-evaluate the secondary effects doctrine in a way that is more transparent. Appreciating the functional basis of the secondary effects doctrine is useful for understanding the doctrine's limitations, as well as for analyzing new types of regulation that may arguably fall within its scope. It also provides important lessons for general First Amendment theory, including how cost-benefit analysis affects the constitutional rules regarding content discrimination, and how the purpose of a regulation affects the level of scrutiny that courts apply.


The occurrence, distribution, site fidelity, and school size of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in the coastal waters of north San Diego County, California were assessed during a six-year boat-based photoidentification study. A total of 146 photographic surveys were conducted between January 1984 and December 1989. Dolphin schools were encountered on 79% of all surveys, and 2, 869 individuals were observed in 145 separate schools. Three-hundred seventy-three dolphins were individually identified. All schools were sighted within 1 km of shore, and more than two thirds of the schools were encountered in the southern half of the 32-km long study area. School size (mean = 19.8, SD = 18.40) and the number of dolphins encountered per survey (mean = 26.8, SD = 22.30) were highly variable. Low resighting rates of known individuals provided little evidence for longterm site fidelity. When our six-year photoidentification database was combined with previous data, 404 dolphins were identified in the study area from September 1981 to December 1989. Jolly-Seber population estimates during the 1984-1989 study period varied between 234 and 285. The combination of regular dolphin occurrence, low site fidelity by known individuals, and the continuous increase in the rate at which new dolphins were identified indicates that numerous different individuals were visiting the study area across and within years. The open California coastline differs in habitat structure and prey distribution from more protected study areas where bottlenose dolphins display site fidelity. These habitat differences may help to explain the observed intraspecific behavioral variability of this species.


Consider a congested transportation network, where the cost along each arc is affine, i.e., consists of a fixed cost plus a variable cost proportional to the flow. We present a new paradox demonstrating that, in a congested transportation network, a sufficiently high increase in the congestion effect along a route can result in the abandonment of a different route having the same origin and destination while the original route continues to be used. We also present a method for testing whether or not the paradox will occur in an arbitrary transportation network by viewing the question as a parametric linear complementarity problem. The new paradox is contrasted with Braess' paradox, and intuition is developed to explain the prevalence of such paradoxes in transportation equilibrium problems.


The weathering of carbonate rocks in soil is an essential process in the evolution of karst landforms as well as in the global carbon cycle. Among the various methods for measuring the weathering rates of carbonate rocks, a field weathering experiment using rock tablets is a simple and relatively easy method to estimate the spatial distribution of weathering rates in karst terrains. This paper introduces some results of field experiments on the weathering of carbonate rocks. The results are summarized based on the following three factors: global climatic condition ( annual temperature and precipitation ) , local environmental conditions ( soil moisture ) , and duration of experiment. Annual precipitation is one of the major factors controlling the weathering rates of carbonate rocks. At a local scale, weathering rates are controlled by the duration of water saturation in soil, although some experiments also indicate the effects of soil water chem-istry on weathering rates. Changes in the surface condition of tablets, as well as inter-annual climatic variations also affect weathering rates. Duration of experiment should be set carefully to reduce influences from the duration of the experiment.


Artificial surfactant (ALEC), when used in a crystalline state, has physical properties similar to natural surfactant. It is composed of two phospholipids with no protein. When placed in the trachea of ventilated premature rabbits it significantly increased the lung compliance. In three prophylactic clinical trials with babies under 30 weeks gestation this surfactant has been shown to reduce the neonatal mortality by about half and to significantly decrease the incidence of intraventricular haemorrhage and bronchopulmonary dysplasia without any increase in the incidence of subsequent handicap.


We combine advanced transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and numerical models to draw the evolution of strains over the integration of horizontally stacked Gate-All-Around Nanosheet transistors (GAANS). In particular, we measured compressive strains of -0.5% to -1% after channel release in transistors at 10 nm design rule. With support on model calculations, we speculate that the effect is related to a compressive inter-layer dielectric (ILD). As another method to manipulate channel stresses, in a specifically designed GAANS we demonstrate a transition from compressive to tensile strain introduced by a gate stack/contact test modules. Finally, a demonstration of GAANS Si-channel cladded with SiGe opens a way for the co-integration of compressive SiGe channels with limited modification of the integration flow. The findings provide insights and guidelines for strain engineering in GAANS.


: Personal responsibility for health is part of the federal goverment's health reform to improve health and health outcomes and to shift costs from government to the individual. Allthough self-responsibility seems intuitively attractive, many questions remain unanswered. These include socioeconomic barriers of personal responsibility; differences between personal responsibility and individual freedom; costs of promoting personal responsibility; and counterproductive effects of personal responsibility. Effective health improvement requires a new balance between personal and social responsibility.


During di ff erentiation, neural stem cells (NSCs) encounter diverse cues from their niche, including not only biophysical cues from the extracellular matrix (ECM) but also cell – cell communication. However, it is still poorly understood how these cues cumulatively regulate mechanosensitive NSC fate commitment, especially in 3D matrices that better mimic in vivo systems. Here, we develop a click chemistry-based 3D hydrogel material system to fully decouple cell – cell and cell – ECM interactions by functionalizing small peptides: the HAVDI motif from N-cadherin and RGD motif from fi bronectin. The hydrogel is engineered to range in sti ff ness from 75 Pa to 600 Pa. Interestingly, HAVDI-mediated interaction shows increased neurogenesis, except for the softest gel (75 Pa). Moreover, the HAVDI ligation attenuates the mechanosensing state of NSCs, exhibiting restricted cytoskeletal formation and RhoA signaling. Given that mechanosensitive neurogenesis has been reported to be regulated by cytoskeletal formation, our fi nding suggests that the enhanced neurogenesis in the HAVDI-modi fi ed gel may be highly associated with the HAVDI interaction-mediated attenuation of mechanosensing. Furthermore, NSCs in the HAVDI gel shows higher β -catenin activity, which has been known to promote neurogenesis. Our fi ndings provide critical insights into how mechanosensitive NSC fate commitment is regulated as a consequence of diverse interactions in 3D microenvironments.


The main focus of this paper is to look the forward of Open Access Initiative (OAI) in academicians Were to be tried and perhaps implemented on a global academicians it must made known to the local audience first. This can only be achieved if the OAI services in academicians services such as 'Information Society'. In the case of the OAI services in academicians used in the study; it has benefits directly or indirectly and eventually become more accepted.


While many factors contribute to economic growth in a measurable way, this paper suggests that an effective state-business relationship (SBR) is one important underlying factor whose contribution has so far been difficult to measure. Effective SBRs lead to a more optimal allocation of resources in the economy, including an increased effectiveness of government involvement in supporting private sector activities and removing obstacles. SBRs are linked to the literature on good governance and while being part of the governance literature, effective SBRs may also lead to and prioritise governance reforms. Indepth discussions of state-business relations have so far been largely limited to Asian countries such as Korea, Taiwan, Japan, Malaysia, Bangladesh and Thailand; measurement of state-business relations for sub-Saharan African countries has been patchy or absent. The aim of this paper is to measure the key factors associated with effective SBRs for 20 sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries over the period 1970–2005. The key factors were based on theory and practice: an organised private sector vis-à-vis the public sector, an organised public sector vis-à-vis the private sector, an institutionalised mechanism of SBR, and absence of harmful collusive behaviour. We scored the 20 SSA countries over time on the basis of these factors and calculated a composite SBR time series for each country. The new measure of SBR seems plausible: first, higher scores are associated with faster growth (though more precise regression work will be done in a second phase); secondly, the new measures correlate well with other governance indicators; and thirdly, they correlate with more operational investment climate data, such as fewer procedures when trading goods and services. We suggest two ways forward: first, we need to measure the impact of SBR on economic performance using macro and micro level data, taking into account other causes of growth; we will undertake this in the next stage. Secondly, we need further detailed descriptions of state-business relations across African countries over time – for instance, there does not seem to be a simple correlation between a high SBR score and perceived effectiveness of the association (based on micro-level data), so this needs further attention. Going into further detail will enable us to measure more specificities of state-business relations and therefore evaluate which specific circumstances are associated with effective SBRs.