We consider a scheduling problem, which we call the scheduling and wavelength assignment (SWA) problem, arising in optical networks that are based on the wavelength-division-multiplexing (WDM) technology. We prove that the SWA problem is NP-complete for both the preemptive and the nonpreemptive cases. Furthermore, we propose two efficient approximation algorithms. The first is for the preemptive case and is based on a natural decomposition of the problem to the classical multiprocessor scheduling and open-shop problems. For the nonpreemptive case, we prove that a naive implementation of list scheduling produces a schedule that can be m times far from the optimum, where m is the number of processors (equivalently, WDM channels). Finally, we give a more refined version of list scheduling and we prove it to be a 2-approximation algorithm for both the off-line and the on-line contexts.


The antifolate drug methotrexate (MTX) is transported by breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP; ABCG2) and multidrug resistance-associated protein1–4 (MRP1–4; ABCC1–4). In cancer patients, coadministration of benzimidazoles and MTX can result in profound MTX-induced toxicity coinciding with an increase in the serum concentrations of MTX and its main metabolite 7-hydroxymethotrexate. We hypothesized that benzimidazoles interfere with the clearance of MTX and/or 7-hydroxymethotrexate by inhibition of the ATP-binding cassette drug transporters BCRP and/or MRP2, two transporters known to transport MTX and located in apical membranes of epithelia involved in drug disposition. First, we investigated the mechanism of interaction between benzimidazoles (pantoprazole and omeprazole) and MTX in vitro in membrane vesicles from Sf9 cells infected with a baculovirus containing human BCRP or human MRP2 cDNA. In Sf9-BCRP vesicles, pantoprazole and omeprazole inhibited MTX transport (IC50 13 μm and 36 μm, respectively). In Sf9-MRP2 vesicles, pantoprazole did not inhibit MTX transport and at high concentrations (1 mm), it even stimulated MTX transport 1.6-fold. Secondly, we studied the transport of pantoprazole in MDCKII monolayers transfected with mouse Bcrp1 or human MRP2. Pantoprazole was actively transported by Bcrp1 but not by MRP2. Finally, the mechanism of the interaction was studied in vivo using Bcrp1−/− mice and wild-type mice. Both in wild-type mice pretreated with pantoprazole to inhibit Bcrp1 and in Bcrp1−/− mice that lack Bcrp1, the clearance of i.v. MTX was decreased significantly 1.8- to 1.9-fold compared with the clearance of i.v. MTX in wild-type mice. The conclusion is as follows: benzimidazoles differentially affect transport of MTX mediated by BCRP and MRP2. Competition for BCRP may explain the clinical interaction between MTX and benzimidazoles.


TAS2R38 gene variants, which confer sensitivity to specific bitter tastants (e.g., 6-n-propylthiouracil), have been repeatedly associated with lower alcohol use via greater bitterness perception, but research exploring TAS2R38 variation in relation to smoking shows mixed results. In both, the working hypothesis is that 1 or more copies of the functional allele increases bitterness and may provide a barrier to early use. Such a barrier to initiation may, conceivably, manifest as differential rates of current use across diplotypes. Here, an age-diverse convenience sample (n = 886) of Denver Museum of Nature and Science guests was used to explore cross-sectional relationships between TAS2R38 diplotype, self-reported tobacco use (current, former, never smokers), and a rapid measure of 6-n-propylthiouracil phenotype (bitterness of filter paper discs). TAS2R38 diplotypes were determined by Sanger sequencing. After excluding rare diplotypes, data from 814 participants were analyzed. A mix of current (~10%), former (25%), and never smokers (65%) were included. As expected, there was a relationship between TAS2R38 diplotype and 6-n-propylthiouracil bitterness. However, contrary to our hypothesis, there was no evidence of a relationship between diplotype and smoker status among participants with common TAS2R38 diplotypes. Notably, we observed a relationship between of 6-n-propylthiouracil bitterness and smoking status, but the effect was opposite of what was expected: current smokers perceived higher (not lower) bitterness than never smokers. When all the various factors (diplotype, age, sex, and smoking status) were included in ANOVA, all remained predictive of 6-n-propylthiouracil bitterness. Reasons for greater phenotypic bitterness among current smokers are unknown and merit further study.


This study aimed to examine the effect of the application of developmental peer appraisals to increase the cohesiveness tasks among team members. This research was implemented a quasi experimental design with untreated control group design with pretest and posttest. The research subjects were 'Waroeng SS' workers consisted of 30 persons. Subjects were divided into two groups: experimental group and control group where each group consisted of 15 persons. The experimental group was given the treatment of the application of developmental peer appraisal. Two weeks after being given treatment, task cohesiveness was measure by using modified task cohesiveness scale compiled by Beaubien and Carless and De Paola consisting of nine item. Analysis of data was using a nonparametric test of Mann-Whitney. The study showed that task cohesiveness did not increase significantly after implementation of developmental peer appraisal ( Z =-1.222, p > 0.05). This result were discussed further.


The results of 151 autopsies are analysed depending on the methods of treatment of epileptic patients in separate periods from 1952 up to 1974. It is established that comprehensive therapeutical methods and prophylaxis of an epileptic status have led to a qualitative change of causes of lethal outcomes--a decrease of a number of lethal cases in an epileptic status and an increase of the number of deaths from intercurrent diseases on the background of an increase of duration of the patient's life. The assumption is made that in lethal cases in an epileptic seizure pathology of cardiac muscle plays a great role.


Abstract Exquisitely preserved specimens of the Late Cretaceous eutherian Zalambdalestes recently collected from the Djadokhta Formation (Early Campanian) of the Gobi Desert by the Mongolian Academy of Sciences–American Museum of Natural History Expeditions are the centerpiece of a thorough redescription of this taxon's craniodental morphology. Resolved and amended are uncertainties and errors in prior descriptions based on poorer preserved specimens collected by earlier expeditions to the Gobi. Preserved and described for the first time in Zalambdalestes is the basicranium, including an ectotympanic bone and portions of the hyoid arch. Zalambdalestes with a skull length of nearly 50 mm is large compared with other Cretaceous eutherians. It is also highly specialized with a long, thin, tubular snout, large diastemata in the anterior upper dentition, and an elongated mesial lower incisor with restricted enamel. These specializations, though less extreme, are also present in the zalambdalestids Barunlestes from the slightly younger Barun Goyot Formation of the Gobi and Kulbeckia from the late Turonian and Coniacian of Uzbekistan and the Santonian of Tadjikistan. No phylogenetic analysis published to date includes enough taxonomic and morphological breadth to evaluate the relationships of Zalambdalestes. Nevertheless, we investigate the impact of our observations on seven phylogenetic analyses published since 1993 that include Zalambdalestes. A comprehensive phylogenetic analysis testing the relationships of Zalambdalestes is not included here, but it is expected to result from our ongoing efforts to produce a phylogeny of basal tribosphenic and therian mammals. Currently, zalambdalestids are viewed either as stem eutherians or as having affinities to Glires (lagomorphs and rodents). Our comparisons with other extinct and extant taxa support a position for Zalambdalestes within Eutheria but outside the crown-group Placentalia. Supporting this basal position for Zalambdalestes are such primitive features as the last upper incisor in the maxilla, nasals broadly expanded posteriorly to contact the lacrimals, pterygoids meeting on the midline, and the position of the glenoid fossa on the zygoma and not the braincase proper, in addition to the occurrence of epipubic bones reported previously. Zalambdalestes shares a number of apomorphies with Asioryctitheria, the clade including the Mongolian Late Cretaceous Asioryctes, Ukhaatherium, and Kennalestes. Among the unusual specializations supporting a zalambdalestid-asioryctithere clade are: the postglenoid foramen anterior rather than posterior to the postglenoid process; the postglenoid and entoglenoid processes of the squamosal continuous; a fusiform ectotympanic expanded laterally and contacting the entoglenoid process; a suprameatal foramen in the squamosal; a crista interfenestralis connecting from the petrosal promontorium to a fingerlike tympanic process behind the round window; a large piriform fenestra in the anterior roof of the tympanic cavity, which transmitted the ramus inferior of the stapedial artery endocranially to the orbit; a foramen ovale between the alisphenoid and squamosal; and a medially positioned internal carotid artery. All but the last two of these specializations are reminiscent of those occurring in various extant lipotyphlans, including taxa placed by recent DNA sequence analyses within Afrotheria and Eulipotyphla, and may provide a link between the Mongolian Cretaceous eutherians and lipotyphlans. The available sample of Zalambdalestes exhibits a remarkable degree of individual variation, including the incidence of the upper maxillary incisor, the first upper premolar, and the second lower premolar. The possibility exists that more than a single species, Z. lechei, is represented.


An improved all-npn broadband highly linear SiGe amplifier is presented. The operation of the proposed amplifier relies on two dependent translinear loops. The frequency response, linearity, input voltage swing range, and noise performance are analyzed. A broadband linear amplifier with 46 dBm OIP3 at 20 MHz, 34 dBm OIP3 at 1 GHz, 6 dB noise figure, and 10.3 dBm output P1 dB is demonstrated.


This study mainly focused on exploring perception of farmers' towards agroforestry practices and identifying the demographic factors influencing agroforestry adoption in Faridpur district. Field survey was conducted during November-December, 2016 using semi-structured questionnaire. Multi-stage random sampling was used to select upazillas, unions and villages. Snowball purposive sampling was applied to select 84 respondents in total for the questionnaire survey. Chi-square was used to test variables at 5% level of significance. Homestead agroforestry was found to be the most common agroforestry practice (39.28%), followed by fruit-based agroforestry (21.42%), woodlot plantation (13.09%) and so on. Agroforestry was perceived to increase farm productivity by 82.14% of the respondents, 73.8% opined that agroforestry increase household income, while 30.95% perceived it as a means to food security. On the contrary, 34.52% opined that agroforestry practices decrease cash crops production, 17.85% of the respondents stated agroforestry as a difficult practice. Chi-square test showed no significant association between the adoption of agroforestry practices and respondent's age (P > 0.05) or income range (P > 0.05) of the respondents. On the other hand, there is a positive significant association between the adoption of agroforestry practices and educational level (p< 0.05) as well as the farm size (p< 0.05) of the respondents. The study suggests raising awareness regarding the benefits of agroforestry practices as well as providing technical assistance.


Water tanks are complex human-made ecosystems involving many natural resources and providing a wide variety of functions. Many stakeholders actively use these resources and functions. The different ecological, social, and economic elements of the ecosystem are closely related and dependent on the existence of the water tank. The central presence of the tank gives the essential structure to the territory. This is emanated very clearly in the cascade tank systems which are abundant in the North Central Province of the country. Due to many factors including industrialization of agriculture and tanks connected with the central irrigation systems such as Mahaweli, and tanks being managed predominantly by the Government, the involvement of the village communities in tank management to ensure its full ecosystem services has become very less. This aggravated by other disturbances such as war had led to the deterioration of the cascade systems. The present study was undertaken to assess the influences of socio-economic and cultural perspectives on the conservation of the tank cascade system to provide its full potential of ecosystem services. It also evaluated the ecological and legal aspects either in place or desired towards the conservation of the same. Four tanks situated in a cascade setting in Kahatagasdigiliya Divisional Secretariat Division in Anuradhapura District in the North Central Province were selected for the study. They were Bambarahela wewa, Kumbuk wewa, Diwul wewa and Hettu wewa. The villages to which these tanks belong to are Bambarahela, Diwulwewa and Hettuwewa. Mix methods including both qualitative and quantitative data collection were used in gathering data. This was supplemented with secondary data collected from relevant sources. A close-ended questionnaire was administered in a household survey in the villages to obtain information on their dependence on tanks, and socio-economic and cultural influences on their perceptions of the ecosystem services and conservation of the tanks. This was supplemented with key informant interviews with relevant personnel including village headman (Grama Niladhari), school principals, leaders of farmer organizations, officials of relevant line agencies and the Department of Agrarian Services who has the jurisdiction to administer small tanks. From the results of the survey it was revealed that almost all the villagers had been using the tanks for more than 50 years for diverse purposes including agriculture (paddy and other cultivations), bathing, washing etc. but at present they do not use the water for drinking as they think it is polluted. The dependence on tanks does not vary significantly with their educational level or socio economic status and almost all are aware of the ecosystem services provided by the tanks. Their religion and culture had influenced their perceptions on tank conservation. However, none of them was willing to pay money to conserve the ecosystem as they were of the view that the existing management mechanism is adequate. The requirement to have buffer zones around tanks according to law, has not been adhered to. As this is rather a remote area the upper catchment of the tank cascade system is conserved. Keywords: Tank cascade, Ecosystem services, Conservation


Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks; I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.


Linear graph reduction is a simple computational model in which the cost of naming things is explicitly represented. The key idea is the notion of "linearity". A name is linear if it is only used once, so with linear naming you cannot create more than one outstanding reference to an entity. As a result, linear naming is cheap to support and easy to reason about. Programs can be translated into the linear graph reduction model such that linear names in the program are implemented directly as linear names in the model. Nonlinear names are supported by constructing them out of linear names. The translation thus exposes those places where the program uses names in expensive, nonlinear ways. Two applications demonstrate the utility of using linear graph reduction: First, in the area of distributed computing, linear naming makes it easy to support cheap cross-network references and highly portable data structures, Linear naming also facilitates demand driven migration of tasks and data around the network without requiring explicit guidance from the programmer. Second, linear graph reduction reveals a new characterization of the phenomenon of state. Systems in which state appears are those which depend on certain -global- system properties. State is not a localizable phenomenon, which suggests that our usual object oriented metaphor for state is flawed.


Digitalisation is seen to have contributed to the demise of 50% of the Fortune 500 companies since 2000. The large electric motor segment is not immune to this changing business landscape and must evolve to survive. This sector is experiencing declining revenues as traditional hardware-sales-focused business models have proved inadequate to address a reduction in profitability. New business models that exploit new digital value streams are to leverage the value from emerging technologies of the Industrial Internet of Things, Big Data and the associated emerging predictive analytics. These can be optimised via Cloud Computing and delivered utilising Platform as a Service software solutions to reduce cost and support scalability. The missing link in the justification chain for the installation of digitalisation packages on large electric motors is a model to determine if and which package sections return the most customer value and, therefore, sales opportunities for the supplier. In this context, this paper introduces the concept of the smart electric motor. The focus is on the oil and gas industry, where digitalisation is already deeply engrained in practice and shows how risk-based decisions can deliver a profitable project through new business models and digitalised solutions to reinvigorate this traditional industry.


Abstract. Tropospheric ozone (O3) is a trace gas playing important roles in atmospheric chemistry, air quality and climate change. In contrast to North America and Europe, long-term measurements of surface O3 are very limited in China. We compile available O3 observations at Mt. Tai – the highest mountain over the North China Plain – during 2003–2015 and analyze the decadal change of O3 and its sources. A linear regression analysis shows that summertime O3 measured at Mt. Tai has increased significantly by 1.7 ppbv yr−1 for June and 2.1 ppbv yr−1 for the July–August average. The observed increase is supported by a global chemistry-climate model hindcast (GFDL-AM3) with O3 precursor emissions varying from year to year over 1980–2014. Analysis of satellite data indicates that the O3 increase was mainly due to the increased emissions of O3 precursors, in particular volatile organic compounds (VOCs). An important finding is that the emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) have diminished since 2011, but the increase of VOCs appears to have enhanced the ozone production efficiency and contributed to the observed O3 increase in central eastern China. We present evidence that controlling NOx alone, in the absence of VOC controls, is not sufficient to reduce regional O3 levels in North China in a short period.


Summary The economic and social philosophies of the "New Right" which emphasise individualism and self‐fulfillment have become widespread. In the last two decades it has grown particularly strong in Western societies. Self‐fulfillment of the individual now commands its own moral imperative, and promotes the shutting out of the greater issues and concerns (political, historical and religious) that transcend the self. This paper examines the impact of "New Right" ideologies on social workers and social work practice, with particular reference to social workers in New Zealand's largest mental health institution, Porirua Hospital. It argues that a life course approach is necessary to understand social variations in health. It explores the accumulation of risk for the underprivileged in the market environment, with its concomitant constraints on human services. The paper reviews the inherent and fundamental conflict of objectives in the ethical positioning of social organizations, as against those of the "New ...


Heavy metals are a major environmental problem and have caused serious concerns because of characteristics of carcinogenesis, non-degradability and biological accumulation. Major part of this material is absorbed by plants and leads to inactivation of some enzyme, decreased protein production and disrupting variety of reactions and many cellular functions and growth and development cessation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the treatment effects of mercuric chloride and cadmium chloride on total soluble protein, soluble sugars content, concentration of proline, lysine and methionine amino acids with catalase, peroxidase and polyphenol oxidase activity in Tajan and the Gonbad wheat cultivars. The Seedlings were treated in three leaflets stage with mercuric chloride at concentrations of 5, 10, 15 and 20 μM and cadmium chloride at concentrations of 0.5 and 0.25 mM as well as control. The experiment were conducted as factorial in a completely randomized design with three replications. The results showed that in both Gonbad and Tajan cultivars, mercuric chloride treatment significantly decreased the total soluble sugars content and polyphenol oxidase and increased the amount of protein, proline, lysine and methionine compared to control. In Gonabd, with increasing concentrations of cadmium chloride, total protein, soluble sugar and lysine contents increased but proline and methionine contents reduced. But inTajan cultivar opposite result was obtained. Tajan is therefore more tolerant than Gonbad. Also in Gonabd cultivar, with concentration increasing of mercury, catalase and peroxidase activity were reduced but in Tajan increased activity of these enzymes. With increasing concentration of cadmium activity were reduced compared to control enzymes. Thus, this study showed that treatment with cadmium chloride and mercury chloride at micromolar and millimolar levels is able to stimulate plant defense mechanisms and makes plants more tolerant against stress.


Abstract The influence of neoliberalism on culture and subjectivity is well documented. This paper contributes to understanding of how neoliberal ideology enters into the production of subjectivity. While subject formation takes place in multiple and contradictory ways and across multiple social sites, we focus on the increasingly popular media discourse of self-development, and examine it as a technology of neoliberal subjectification. Drawing on Foucauldian understandings, we analyze data from two different newspapers from two different national contexts, both of which are heavily influenced by neoliberalism. Based on our analysis, we detail four interrelated discourses—rationality, autonomy and responsibility, entrepreneurship, and positivity and self-confidence—demonstrating how these discourses constitute the neoliberal subject in ways consonant with neoliberal governmentality. There is no observable resistance to subject positions offered within these discourses. Self-development discourse instills stronger individualism in society, while constraining collective identity, and thus provides social control and contributes to preserving status quo of neoliberal societies.


Turbidity currents may be a relevant lever to manage the accumulation of fine sediments in reservoirs. In this paper, we propose to show how two different numerical codes simulate the propagation of turbidity currents. Telemac 3D and Ansys CFX 17.1 solver were chosen as they are commonly used by many research and engineering teams. The simulations are performed on two configurations. The first case aims at modeling the plunging of a turbidity current. The second model is validated based on an experimental work performed at EPFL. The latter consisted on testing turbidity current venting as a solution to manage reservoir sedimentation. A long and narrow flume was used to simulate the reservoir where a turbidity current was triggered. The advantages and limits of both approaches are discussed in order to supply guidelines for the modeling of turbidity currents in real reservoirs.


The undoped and La-doped nanostructured Ag-SnO2 coatings on pure copper substrate were prepared by supersonic plasma spraying. The phase compositions and microstructures of coatings were characterized and mechanical properties including micro-hardness and bonding strength of coatings were measured. Meanwhile, conductivity test was performed on the both Ag-SnO2/Cu contact materials. Compared with undoped Ag-SnO2 coating, La-doped Ag-SnO2 coating exhibits the more dense structure with fewer pores, and show slightly higher micro-hardness and bonding strength. Doping La can effectively enhance the electrical conductivity of Ag-SnO2/Cu contact materials.


Single-chip 60 GHz transmitter (TX) and receiver (RX) MMICs have been designed and characterized in a 0.15mum (fT~ 120 GHz/f MAX> 200 GHz) GaAs mHEMT MMIC process. This paper describes the second generation of single-chip TX and RX MMICs together with work on packaging (e.g., flip-chip) and system measurements. Compared to the first generation of the designs in a commercial pHEMT technology, the MMICs presented in this paper show the same high level of integration but occupy smaller chip area and have higher gain and output power at only half the DC power consumption. The system operates with a LO signal in the range of 7-8 GHz. This LO signal is multiplied in an integrated multiply-by-eight (X8) LO multiplier chain, resulting in an IF center frequency of 2.5 GHz. Packaging and interconnects are discussed and as an alternative to wire bonding, flip-chip assembly tests are presented and discussed. System measurements are also described where bit error rate (BER) and eye diagrams are measured when the presented TX and RX MMICs transmits and receives a modulated signal. A data rate of 1.5 Gb/s with simple ASK modulation was achieved, restricted by the measurement setup rather than the TX and RX MMICs. These tests indicate that the presented MMICs are especially well suited for transmission and reception of wireless signals at data rates of several Gb/s


The orphan receptor steroidogenic factor 1 (SF-1) plays a central role in development and differentiation of the adrenal gland and gonads. It also regulates the expression of several pivotal steroidogenic enzymes and other proteins that are essential for reproductive function. Its mechanism of target gene activation that directs these intricate processes has not been previously established. We demonstrate here that the activation function-2 (AF-2) activation hexamer (AF-2-AH) of SF-1, located within its carboxy-terminal region, is required for reporter gene activation by SF-1, as well as for SF-1-mediated induction of a steroidogenic phenotype in embryonic stem cells. We further demonstrate that SF-1's AF-2-AH is not sufficient for gene activation, requiring an additional, proximally located domain of SF-1, positioned between residues 187-245. Correspondingly, we show that the coactivator SRC-1 potentiates the activity of SF-1 and that the interaction between SF-1 and SRC-1 requires both AF-2-AH and the proximal activation domain. We conclude that SF-1 harbors at least two activation domains within its carboxy terminus and that both are required for its transcriptional activation function and for direct interaction with SRC-1. It is likely that SRC-1 plays a key role in gene regulation by SF-1.


The present study provides evidence for far analogical retrieval, i.e., analogical retrieval across disparate task domains, as a result of analogical comparison. Participants read source stories, which were then retrieved after a filled delay through abstract letter-string cues that matched the relational form of key parts of stories. They then generated responses to an ambiguous letter-string analogy problem. Evidence was found for far analogical retrieval of higherorder relations because 1. comparison of letter-string analogies cued source stories specific to the relations showed in the letter-strings, and then 2. those same relations formed the basis for how subjects solved novel letter-string problems. The experiment offers support for the schema induction account of analogical retrieval, and suggests that people are more sensitive to relational structures than was previously thought.


Context: In endovenous ablation under ultrasound guidance the saphenous vein is percutaneously accessed and the catheter is advanced cephalad toward the saphenofemoral junction. Tumescent anesthesia and thermal energy are used in concert to provide an effective means of eliminating great saphenous vein reflux. Aims and Objectives: Primary objective – (1) To study recanalization rate after light amplification stimulated by emission of radiation (LASER) in the varicose vein. Secondary Objectives are to Study – (1) Clinical effectiveness of LASER in varicose veins. (2) Quality of life (QoL). Materials and Methods: Single institute based prospective observational study of 81 patients undergoing LASER ablation for varicose veins was observed for 12 months post LASER ablation. Patients were assessed for residual varicosities, new varicosities, recurrence, complications, and QoL. Results: There was no recanalization of ablated veins at the end of 12 months. About 96.3% of patients remained free from developing new varicosities, whereas only 18.5% of patients had residual varicosities postprocedure at the initial follow-up which has been successfully treated with foam sclerotherapy. QoL postprocedure improved significantly with 69 patients (85.2%) had excellent QoL after 12 months postprocedure. Conclusion: (1) Least residual varicosities postprocedure treated by foam sclerotherapy. (2) Development of new varicosities occurs late in follow-up. (3) Zero recurrence rate of ablated veins through LASER. (4) Postopearative complication of pain and paraesthesia are minimal due to adequate tumescent anesthesia. (5) Dreaded complication of deep venous thrombosis is not recorded in any of the cases because of early ambulation. (6) There is a significant improvement in QoL of patients from the start to the end of the study.


With the ever-increasing number of options from which consumers can choose, many decisions are made in stages. Whether using decision tools to sort, screen, and eliminate options, or intuitively trying to reduce the complexity of a choice, consumers often reach a decision by making sequential, attribute-level choices. The current article explores how the order in which attribute-level choices are made in such multistage decisions affects how consumers mentally represent and categorize their chosen option. The authors find that attribute choices made in the initial stage play a dominant role in how the ultimately chosen option is mentally represented, while later attribute choices serve only to update and refine the representation of that option. Across 13 studies (six of which are reported in the supplemental online materials), the authors find that merely changing the order of attribute choices in multistage decision processes alters how consumers (1) describe the chosen option, (2) perceive its similarity to other available options, (3) categorize it, (4) intend to use it, and (5) replace it. Thus, while the extant decision-making literature has mainly explored how mental representations and categorization impact choice, the current article demonstrates the reverse: that the choice process itself can impact mental representations.


In this path-breaking book, David Garland argues that punishment is a complex social institution that affects both social relations and cultural meanings. Drawing on theorists from Durkheim to Foucault, he insightfully critiques the entire spectrum of social thought concerning punishment, and reworks it into a new interpretive synthesis. ""Punishment and Modern Society" is an outstanding delineation of the sociology of punishment. At last the process that is surely the heart and soul of criminology, and perhaps of sociology as well punishment has been rescued from the fringes of these 'disciplines'. . . . This book is a first-class piece of scholarship." Graeme Newman, "Contemporary Sociology" "Garland's treatment of the theorists he draws upon is erudite, faithful and constructive. . . . "Punishment and Modern Society" is a magnificent example of "working" social theory." John R. Sutton, "American Journal of Sociology" ""Punishment and Modern Society" lifts contemporary penal issues from the mundane and narrow contours within which they are so often discussed and relocates them at the forefront of public policy. . . . This book will become a landmark study." Andrew Rutherford, "Legal Studies" "This is a superbly intelligent study. Its comprehensive coverage makes it a genuine review of the field. Its scholarship and incisiveness of judgment will make it a constant reference work for the initiated, and its concluding theoretical synthesis will make it a challenge and inspiration for those undertaking research and writing on the subject. As a state-of-the-art account it is unlikely to be bettered for many a year." Rod Morgan, "British Journal of Criminology" Winner of both the Outstanding Scholarship Award of the Crime and Delinquency Division of the Society for the Study of Social Problems and the Distinguished Scholar Award from the American Sociological Association's Crime, Law, and Deviance Section"


The thesis attempts to address Orthodox Church concerns about the Protestant nature and ethos of the ecumenical movement, as it is encountered in the World Council of Churches, by examining Orthodox theological contributions to ecclesiology. This preliminary work is undertaken, as a first step, to establish points of dialogue with the theology of liberation and wider critical theories, in the search for a liberating ecumenism. At the same time, and in a second step (to follow the epistemology of the theology of liberation), this Orthodox theology is placed in a critical dialogue with the theology of liberation in the search for liberating ecclesiological perspectives that can contribute to the movement in ecumenism. This uneasy dialogue helps to recover absent epistemologies from ongoing ecumenical dialogues by re-reading orthodoxies, both ecumenical and ecclesiological, from a liberationist paradigm, and sets ecclesiology within the wider framework of contributions from critical theory.

This dialogue between Orthodox theology and the theology of liberation helps to construct an ecclesiology that liberates ecumenism by setting ecclesiology and the ecumenical movement in the wider context of social movements. This thesis calls the ecumenical movement to 'another possible world' influenced by people-centred ecclesiologies, which transgresses the canonical boundaries in the ecumenical movement. To be ecumenical implies an Orthodox content to ecclesiology, otherwise the ecumenical movement is open to charges of pan-Protestantism. It is by embracing Orthodoxy that the ecumenical movement can move beyond hegemonic colonial projects and find a liberating praxis.
This thesis proposes a dialogue that reflects the structure of the Final Report of the Special Commission on Orthodox Participation in the World Council of Churches. However, it engages with Orthodox ecclesiology and ecumenical histories from the perspective of the theology of liberation in the search for a liberating ecumenism and proposes a praxis that develops movement in the ecumenical and the ecclesiological through developing an ecclesiology from different peripheries of the Church.


Introduction:

                  While the COVID-19 pandemic has affected many aspects of clinical care, research, and medical training, its impact on hematology-oncology trainees and professional development has not been described. The American Society of Hematology (ASH) and the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) sought to assess the impact of COVID-19 on fellows enrolled in hematology-oncology programs.

                     Methods:

                  In spring 2020, ASH and ASCO developed and administered a survey by e-mail to active hematology-oncology fellow members. Response formats used both a semi-Likert scale and open-ended text. Questions focused on fellow experiences and how changes in their programs have impacted their personal and professional lives across several domains. Multiple-choice responses were analyzed using descriptive statistics, and NVivo software was used for qualitative analysis of open-ended questions.

                     Results:

                  Respondent demographics are described in Table 1. Of 2,306 trainees, 620 (27%) responded to the survey. Most respondents continued patient care responsibilities during the pandemic (80%). Almost half of all trainees (47%) reported that they felt less productive than usual. Stress and/or anxiety about the current situation was the most cited factor affecting productivity in the overall cohort (Figure 1). One-third (33%) of respondents had volunteered or were assigned to clinical/non-clinical COVID-19-related efforts. Of the 90 visa holders in our cohort, 30% (N=27) reported experiencing issues with their visa/immigration status.
                  Eight percent of respondents stated their career plans had changed due to COVID-19. Of those who said their plans had changed, 30 respondents were considering careers in academia pre-pandemic and 11 were considering private practice. However, only 14 respondents were considering academia post-pandemic while 19 were interested in private practice. Overall, most respondents had concerns about at least one of the following: salary reductions, availability of networking events, family well-being, mental health and obtaining a job (Figure 2).
                  The prevalence of burnout increased from 22% (N=105) before the pandemic to 33% (N=161) during (p<.001). Of the respondents who did not report burnout before COVID-19, 22% noted new-onset burnout during the pandemic. New-onset burnout prevalence varied based on the type of work respondents performed: no COVID-related work (17%), COVID-related non-clinical work (26%), and COVID-related clinical work (34%) (p<0.01).
                  The open-ended responses yielded several consistent themes. Clinical and educational constraints were enumerated: lost learning opportunities due to low patient volumes, unavailability of colleagues to discuss cases, and overall low perceived quality of virtual learning. Trainees also reported reduced motivation to complete work within a stipulated time frame due to lack of robust discussions in the virtual environment and technological challenges in navigating educational resources. Trainee research was also severely impacted as laboratories closed, experimental animal colonies were lost, and many research activities ceased. Respondents also expressed concern that cuts in research training initiatives and budgets would jeopardize faculty positions for graduating fellows and that funding for travel and conferences was suspended.
                  Fellows' recommendations for ASH and ASCO included improved online education, virtual research training and networking opportunities, practical guidance on caring for immune-compromised patients during the pandemic, increased funding resources for trainees, mental health resources, and advocating on behalf of trainee visa holders.

                     Conclusions:

                  Hematology-oncology trainees reported their training experiences have been deeply impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. A majority of trainees are concerned about the negative impact on career opportunities, research funding, financial well-being, and mental health. Burnout increased during COVID-19, especially in trainees who were assigned to specific COVID-related efforts. Training programs and professional societies can support trainees by increasing trainee research funding, online networking and learning opportunities, mental health resources and, support for international trainees.

                  Disclosures

                     Velazquez Manana:
                     Corbus Pharmaceuticals: Other: Immediate family member stock ownership; Portola Pharmaceuticals: Other: Immediate family member stock ownership; Midatech: Other: Immediate family member stock ownership. Wun:
                     Glycomimetics, Inc.: Consultancy.


BACKGROUND: Previous studies have shown significant effects of aerobic exercise such as treadmill training in overweight individuals. High-intensity circuit training now has become a popular way to exercise, boost metabolism and increase strength. OBJECTIVE: To compare the effect of treadmill training versus high-intensity circuit training in overweight individuals.
STUDY DESIGN: Quasi experimental study design.
PROCEDURE: 28 subjects, age group 17-25 years of both male and female. 14 subjects in the Group A underwent treadmill training with pre and post-test and 14 subjects in Group B underwent high-intensity circuit training with pre and post-test.
OUTCOME MEASURE: Body mass index, waist circumference, waist-hip ratio and skinfold measurements at triceps, abdominal and calf respectively. RESULTS: Statistical analysis was showed significant improvement within the groups and no significant difference between the groups.
CONCLUSION: Treadmill training and high-intensity circuit training were both equally effective in the management of overweight individuals.


The torque profile of a double-stator permanent magnet (PM) synchronous machine of 90 mm stator diameter having different rotor pole numbers as well as dual excitation is investigated in this paper. The analysis includes a comparative study of the machine's torque and power-speed curves, static torque and inductance characteristics, losses and unbalanced magnetic force. The most promising flux-weakening potential is revealed in 13and 7-rotor pole machines. Moreover, the machines having different rotor/stator (Nr/Ns) pole combinations of the form Nr = Ns ± 1 have balanced and symmetric static torque waveforms variation with the rotor position in contrast to the machines having Nr = Ns ± 2. Further, the inductance results of the analyzed machines reveal that the machines with odd rotor pole numbers have better fault-tolerant capability than their even rotor pole equivalents. A prototype of the developed double-stator machine having a 13-pole rotor is manufactured and tested for verification.


As society becomes more concerned about environmental protection, numerous firms and customers have expressed their concern for the impact of products on the environment. The emphasis is on 'green' environmentally friendly items that are critical to long-term sustainable development. India is also paying increasing attention to environmentally friendly production and consumption in support of environmental concerns and sustainable growth. One of the reasons for the emergence of green marketing is environmental issues. An IBM research shows, after the pandemic, ninety three (93%) percent of customers changed their attitudes about sustainability (Sharma, 2022). Green marketing is defined by the 'American Marketing Association (AMA) - as the promotion of items that are assumed to be ecologically friendly'. Green marketing and green product creation are effective ways for businesses to obtain a competitive advantage and generate consumer satisfaction (Yan & Yazdanifard, 2014). According to Adams (2020), awareness does not always equal green product purchases (isn't the best predictor of green product sales). Hearing about the green product or brand is insufficient to make a purchase. Familiarity is a higher standard than awareness because it measures the customer's knowledge and understanding of the green product or brand. The researchers believe that green marketing require greater study when it comes to the familiarity and other affecting factors. The study is aimed at to know about students' familiarity and perceptions of green products. Other factors such as willingness to learn more about green marketing, identifying green product features, preferred mode and source of gaining knowledge about green products, consideration of paying extra money to get such products etc. Students studying in undergraduate and post graduate levels in chosen colleges in Kolkata have been considered for this study


A novel rectangular shape microlens array having high sag for solid-state lighting is presented. The rectangular shape of proposed microlens can maximize the fill factor of silicon based light-emitting-diode (LED) packaging and minimize the optical loss through the reduction of unnecessary reflection at the same time. Microlens, which has high sag, over 3 75 μm and large diameter, over 3 mm can enormously enhance output optical extraction eff iciency. Moreover wafer level packaging technology is adopted to improve the aligning accu racy and mass production of LED packaging. This wafer level microlens array can be direc tly fabricated on LED packaging using replication method. It has many advantages in optica l properties, low cost, high aligning accuracy, and mass production.


Adverse reactions to insects occur in both human and veterinary patients. Systematic comparison may lead to improved recommendations for prevention and treatment in all species. In this position paper, we summarize the current knowledge on insect allergy induced via stings, bites, inhalation or ingestion, and compare reactions in companion animals to those in people. With few exceptions, the situation in human insect allergy is better documented than in animals. We focus on a review of recent literature and give overviews of the epidemiology and clinical signs. We discuss allergen sources and allergenic molecules to the extent described, and aspects of diagnosis, prophylaxis, management and therapy.


Using data from Spanish Social Security records, we investigate the returns to experience in different flexible work arrangements, including part-time and full-time work, and permanent and fixed-term contracts. We use a trivariate random effects model which consists of a three-equation system that is estimated simultaneously by Markov Chain Monte Carlo techniques. Our results indicate that there is a large pay gap for working part-time which persists many years after having resumed full-time work. We also find that working part-time involves lower returns to experience than standard full-time employment and thus a substantial negative wage differential for those employed part-time accumulates over time. Finally, we find that heterogeneity exist by contract type and motherhood status.


Justice Thomas's dissent in Flowers v. Mississippi has been met with disdain in the popular press. In the New Yorker, Jeffrey Toobin declared Justice Thomas's opinion "astonishing"; another commentator described the dissent as "too wacky, too hostile, and aggrieved to merit a response." To be sure, the dissent—which advocates a radical overhaul of how we police racial discrimination in jury selection—is underwhelming in conspicuous ways. But Justice Thomas's dissent also gets right many things about the Batson doctrine and race in the courtroom that the Court's liberal wing has proven loath to confront. Those who cheer the result in Curtis Flowers's case—full disclosure: I am one—should not so blithely dismiss Justice Thomas's provocations.


Aims To evaluate whether willingness to undergo colonoscopy screening is influenced by being a first-degree relative of hospitalized patients with or without colorectal cancer after briefing and surgeon recommendation. Methods We performed a cross-sectional study of 327 first-degree relatives of hospitalized patients aged higher than 40 years, divided into Group A (151 relatives of colorectal cancer patients) and Group B (176 relatives of non-cancer patients) at the University Hospital of the Canary Islands, Spain. All were personally briefed by a surgeon, aided by a colorectal cancer pamphlet, and encouraged to accept screening colonoscopy with sedation. Results Willingness to undergo colonoscopy screening was greater in Group A (66.9%) than in Group B (29.0%); (odds ratio: 11.1; 95% confidence interval = 4.27 to 29.14; P < 0.001). Pre-briefing awareness of screening colonoscopy was also significantly higher in Group A (76.8% vs. 33.5%; P < 0.001), the main source of information being a close relative with colorectal cancer. Conclusions Being a close relative of a colorectal cancer patient is positively related with willingness to undergo colonoscopy screening in this study. This cross-sectional study outlines a strategy for increasing the level of willingness to undergo colorectal cancer screening in a group of people at risk.


The reflection and refraction of harmonic SH waves at the interface between a homogeneous solid and a one-dimensional phononic crystal is studied. The effects of wave frequencies on the refraction coefficients are investigated. The results show that for lower frequencies, most part of the energy is reflected into the homogeneous solid and that the frequency has little effects on the energy distribution at the interface. While for higher frequencies, SH waves cannot propagate in some directions because of the existence of the directional band gaps, which results in the discontinuity in the refraction coefficient curve. For waves passing through the interface, the higher the frequency is, the smaller the refraction coefficient is.


This essay is meant to be enjoyable and engaging. It involves some role-play on your part; just a little. Hopefully as well there is enough seriousness to go round, but not too much of that either. To achieve this delicate balance – and in the sometimes dry plains of trademark and trademark law – I have tried to weave a familiar legal discussion into a festive setting. Hence, I stage an office IP party and place it (and the legal discussion) loosely in the 'happiest' of settings, Denmark, and at Christmas time (well, just after). A promising start, perhaps. What emerges is a look at the main characters at 'IP-World' (where you work), and a special focus on trademark law through the office party. From there, you seek some counsel. The office party piece (Part I) is an entry point into a fuller discussion (which begins in Part II); hence acting as aperitif to a main course. (For those readers somehow finding this essay without the help of IPKat's mitts, you will need to attend the Christmas party in Part I, otherwise Part II will not make as much sense as I intend. Readers who have has the misfortune to attend the office IP party already via the IPKat on 29 December 2016 may wish to skip directly to the main course.)An overall aim I have is to engage with readers interested in trademark matters and not only those concerned mainly with European affairs or specialists in the field. I hope to spark a temporarily reflective mood of what is important (as I do at this time of year) and a look ahead in bright mood to how the future might pan out (as I try to do at this time of year). It might be that this essay can be compared to Christmas: festive and fun at the surface, with a sober side beneath all the decoration. This essay's content and style comprises an informal, non-technical, tongue-in-cheek, ever-so slight bee-in-the-bonnet swipe – regards trademark law, and certainly is meant not only for 'trade-markers'. (Although some prior knowledge of some core aspects has been assumed.) It might go without saying for any contemplative account of trademark law, but what comes below is an inherent work-in-progress, and hence labelled 'Draft'. Moreover, this precise point, and my intended wider audience, also helps explain the inclusion of this essay on SSRN. This draft essay has not been reviewed. Thus, any comments on its form and function are welcome, either via the IPKat post or direct with the author at firstname.lastname@example.com. Any errors are those of the author.Above all, and just to reiterate my initial remark, I really do hope readers enjoy and engage.


The key factors for the good quality and productivity of crop growth in green house are monitoring and controlling. Most study focuses on the effect of each light source while optimal light adjustment has rarely been investigated. In this paper, we suggest new generation of greenhouse monitoring & controlling system based on dynamic supplemental light source control with wireless sensor. And also, we provide method on how to control light source more optimally using cumulative light data. Through the six-month of control and experiment in Damyang testbed, we demonstrate the growth analysis by the effect on the dynamic supplemental light control.


This paper describes a system that combines a textual virtual environment (MOO -MUD Object Oriented) and a WWW browser. The MOO provides a text-only but information-rich spatial user interface in which objects and locations can be associated with pointers to WWW pages. When using a specialized MOO client, navigation in the MOO causes the corresponding Web pages to be loaded. The overall effect is the possibility to navigate the Web using spatial navigational metaphors. Textual virtual environments support the creation of diverse navigation tools and metaphors. The Juggler system we describe can thus serve as an experimental tool to explore diverse navigational metaphors for the WWW. The system uses references to Web pages which can be arranged in any possible way and allows users to overlay a new secondary structure on existing Web structures, even using Web pages not on one's own Web server. Textual virtual environments further support almost real time communication and interaction between several users. Because of the extensive interaction possibilities, the Juggler system can be used to discuss material on the Web, conduct guided tours through the Web or give presentations using material available on the Web.


Fibrous dysplasia (FD) is a rare mosaic disorder resulting in fractures, pain, and disability. Bone lesions appear during childhood and expand during skeletal growth. The rate at which FD lesions progress and the biochemical determinants of FD lesion formation have not been established, making it difficult to investigate and implement preventative therapies. The purpose of this study was to characterize FD lesion progression in children, and to identify clinical variables associated with progressive disease. Clinical data and imaging from an ongoing natural history study at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) were reviewed. 99m‐Technetium methylene diphosphonate (99Tc‐MDP) scans were used to determine Skeletal Burden Score (SBS), a validated quantitative scoring system. FD progression rate was determined by the change in the SBS in each patient per year. Thirty‐one children had serial 99Tc‐MDP scans, with a median age at first scan of 6 years (interquartile range [IQR] 4–8, range 2–10), and median follow‐up 1.1 years (IQR 1.1–2.1, range 0.7–11.2). The median FD progression rate for the total group was 2.12 SBS units/year (IQR 0.81–2.94, range 0.05–7.81). FD progression rates were highest in children under age 8 years and declined with age (p = 0.03). Baseline disease severity was associated with subsequent disease progression (p = 0.009), with the highest FD progression rates in patients with moderate disease (baseline SBS 16–30), and lowest progression rates in those with severe disease (SBS ≥50). Serum levels of the bone formation marker osteocalcin were positively correlated with subsequent FD progression rate (p = 0.01, R = 0.58). There was no association between FD progression and baseline endocrinopathies, fractures, or surgery rates. FD lesions progress during childhood, particularly in younger children and those with moderate involvement. Osteocalcin may potentially serve as a biomarker for progressive disease. These findings may allow clinicians to investigate preventative therapies, and to identify children with FD who are candidates for early interventions. Published 2022. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.


This research examines human resource management (HRM) in subsidiaries of US multinational firms (MNCs) operating in the UK and Germany. Together with parallel studies in Ireland and Spain it explores the potential tensions resulting from a transfer of US-type human resource (HR) policies to Europe. Whilst we expected that the liberal
market British economy would not provide a major challenge for the transfer of US practices, we foresaw that the more densely institutionalized German business system would constitute a more serious barrier to transfer.
This report is based on case studies of four large US MNCs. In all four firms we conducted interviews in the British and German subsidiaries, as well as the US and/or European headquarters, with HR managers, line managers and non-managerial employees. For three substantive issues – diversity management, employee participation and pay – as well as for the processual issue of 'centralization–decentralization' this report analyses whether the four US MNCs studied have global policies, how these are transferred to Europe and the extent to which they have to be adapted to the British and German contexts.
Our findings support previous research which suggests that HR policies in US MNCs are not only relatively standardised, but also build on US domestic policies. However, the mechanisms of transfer appear to have changed. Whereas in the past, written guidelines, the transfer of home-country employees and extensive reporting seem to have been the major mechanisms employed to ensure that global policies were applied, today HR information systems, regional European headquarters and international teams of HR managers seem to play a more important role. Over the last decade, national subsidiaries in both countries have lost autonomy in HR decision-making. However, this has not been primarily in the form of recentralization towards headquarters, but rather towards the regional level and/or business unit.
Turning to substantive issues, as expected, the German institutional environment represents a stronger challenge for US MNCs than the British one. Of particular importance is codetermination which affects all four firms and which in at least three of them exerts pressure on local management to adjust global polices to local conditions.
However, in most cases the observed deviations were only marginal. Similarly, the German system of multi-employer bargaining does not constitute a major hurdle for US MNCs
seeking to apply global practices. Although in general German host-country pressures were stronger than those in the UK, we found that UK management was able to use its
role of interpreter of the local environment to force some adaptation of global policies, particularly in the substantive area of diversity management, suggesting that the extent to which local adaptation occurs is not entirely dependent on the strength of employment-relations institutions in the host country.
Regarding practical implications, our research points firmly to the limits of global policies. With their knowledge of the local context subsidiary-level managers can and should have some freedom to adapt global policies to the local context. At least in Germany they have
an additional role, as they have to manage a complex institutional environment. The system of collective bargaining and codetermination fosters collective HR policies that are often incompatible with the more individualistic global policies pursued by US MNCs.
Nevertheless, as the case studies show, US MNCs are able to manage these institutions in such a way that the need for adaptation is minimized. This process of institutional
arbitrage tends to be performed by local managers with a deep knowledge of the hostenvironment.


The trisulfur radical anion [S3]˙(-) is well-known from inorganic chemistry textbooks as the blue chromophore in ultramarine blues in which this highly reactive species is trapped in a zeolitic framework. Recent findings have revealed that [S3]˙(-) has a multi-faceted role in a variety of media, including alkali metal-sulfur batteries, aqueous solutions at high temperatures and pressures, and ionic liquids; it has also been used to detect trace amounts of water in organic solvents. This tutorial review illustrates how various physical techniques are used to identify a reactive species in solution and shows how elucidation of electronic structures can be used to explain spectroscopic and structural properties. Examples of the function of [S3]˙(-) in materials science, electrochemistry, analytical chemistry and geochemistry are used to illustrate the widespread influence of this fundamentally important triatomic sulfur species.


Though not a cause of the 2008 financial crisis, the financial fraud perpetrated by Bernard Madoff against clients of his fictional investment advisory firm stands as a symbol of that time in history. Though Madoff's crime was bloodless, sentencing judge Denny Chin described his scheme as "extraordinary evil" and sentenced the seventy-one year-old man to 150 years in prison. This Article will examine the Madoff scandal and attempt to place it within the realm of modern financial frauds and the sensationalism surrounding them. Particularly, this Article will hypothesize that in the relatively safe and healthy environment of twenty-first-century United States, perceived threats to financial welfare are more salient to most Americans than perceived threats to our physical welfare. Because of this reversal from our traditional hierarchy of crimes from violent to nonviolent, the harsher sentencing of financial fraudsters reflects the changing values of modern U.S. society. In today's world, life expectancy is lengthening and murder rates are decreasing. However, Madoff's crime, which affected foundations and organizations, but also individual pensioners ranging from middle class to wealthy, touched on deep-seated fears among those who had built up retirement savings and nest eggs to be passed on to the next generation. To those whose greatest fear is to outlive their retirement funds, Madoff's fraudulent investment scheme is an "extraordinary evil." Therefore, the Madoff victim narrative resonates with judges, lawmakers, and the public at large. This Article explores how the Madoff victims were able to capitalize on public sentiment to change actively participate in the Madoff prosecution and even change federal law.


Understanding the interactions between the protein collagen and hydroxyapatite is of high importance for understanding biomineralization and bone formation. Here, we undertook a reductionist approach and studied the interactions between a short peptide and hydroxyapatite. The peptide was selected from a phage-display library for its high affinity to hydroxyapatite. To study its interactions with hydroxyapatite, we performed an alanine scan to determine the contribution of each residue. The interactions of the different peptide derivatives were studied using a quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring and with single-molecule force spectroscopy by atomic force microscopy. Our results suggest that the peptide binds via electrostatic interactions between cationic moieties of the peptide and the negatively charged groups on the crystal surface. Furthermore, our findings show that cationic residues have a crucial role in binding. Using molecular dynamics simulations, we show that the peptide structure is a contributing factor to the adhesion mechanism. These results suggest that even small conformational changes can have a significant effect on peptide adhesion. We suggest that a bent structure of the peptide allows it to strongly bind hydroxyapatite. The results presented in this study improve our understanding of peptide adhesion to hydroxyapatite. On top of physical interactions between the peptide and the surface, peptide structure contributes to adhesion. Unveiling these processes contributes to our understanding of more complex biological systems. Furthermore, it may help in the design of de novo peptides to be used as functional groups for modifying the surface of hydroxyapatite.


Less information is available concerning the molecular mechanisms of cell survival after hypoxia in hepatocytes. Therefore, this study examined the effect of hypoxia on DNA synthesis and its related signal cascades in primary cultured chicken hepatocytes. Hypoxia increased [3H] thymidine incorporation, which was increased significantly after 0–24 h of hypoxic exposure. Indeed, the percentage of cell population in the S phase was increased in hypoxia condition. However, the release of LDH indicating cellular injury was not changed under hypoxic conditions. Hypoxia increased Ca2+ uptake and PKC translocation from the cytosol to the membrane fraction. Among the PKC isoforms, hypoxia stimulated the translocation of PKC α and ε. Hypoxia also phosphorylated the p38 and p44/42 mitogen‐activated protein kinases (MAPKs), which were blocked by the inhibition of PKC. On the other hand, hypoxia increased Akt and mTOR phosphorylation, which was blocked in the absence of intra/extracellular Ca2+. The inhibition of PKC/MAPKs or PI3K/Akt pathway blocked the hypoxia‐induced [3H] thymidine incorporation. However, hypoxia‐induced Ca2+ uptake and PKC translocation was not influenced by LY 294002 or Akt inhibitor and hypoxia‐induced MAPKs phosphorylation was not changed by rapamycin. In addition, LY 294002 or Akt inhibitor has no effect on the phosphorylation of MAPKs. It suggests that there is no direct interaction between the two pathways, which cooperatively mediated cell cycle progression to hypoxia in chicken hepatocytes. Hypoxia also increased the level of the cell cycle regulatory proteins [cyclin D1, cyclin E, cyclin‐dependent kinase (CDK) 2, and CDK 4] and p‐RB protein but decreased the p21 and p27 expression levels, which were blocked by inhibitors of upstream signal molecules. In conclusion, short time exposure to hypoxia increases DNA synthesis in primary cultured chicken hepatocytes through cooperation of Ca2+/PKC, p38 MAPK, p44/42 MAPKs, and PI3K/Akt pathways. J. Cell. Biochem. 104: 1598–1611, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T‐cell therapy is a new successful treatment for refractory B‐cell leukemia. Successful therapeutic outcome depends on long‐term expression of CAR transgene in T cells, which is achieved by delivering transgene using integrating gamma retrovirus (RV) or lentivirus (LV). However, uncontrolled RV/LV integration in host cell genomes has the potential risk of causing insertional mutagenesis. Herein, we describe a novel episomal long‐term cell engineering method using non‐integrating lentiviral (NILV) vector containing a scaffold/matrix attachment region (S/MAR) element, for either expression of transgenes or silencing of target genes. The insertional events of this vector into the genome of host cells are below detection level. CD19 CAR T cells engineered with a NILV‐S/MAR vector have similar levels of CAR expression as T cells engineered with an integrating LV vector, even after numerous rounds of cell division. NILV‐S/MAR‐engineered CD19 CAR T cells exhibited similar cytotoxic capacity upon CD19+ target cell recognition as LV‐engineered T cells and are as effective in controlling tumor growth in vivo. We propose that NILV‐S/MAR vectors are superior to current options as they enable long‐term transgene expression without the risk of insertional mutagenesis and genotoxicity.


Purpose – The paper aims to present new ideas and analytical approaches developed in recent years by Brazilian legal scholars regarding regulation and economic development. Regulatory law of telecommunications services is taken as an example of application of such new ideas and analytical approaches. Methodology/approach/design – Two main approaches to the relationship between law and economic issues are described: the New Law and Development (NLD) approach and the Legal Analysis of Economic Policy (LAEP) perspective. The paper highlights prominent ideas of each perspective. Findings – The paper shows that there are structured ideas available in recent Brazilian legal literature which have a non-negligible potential of being explored in legal discussions and analyses of economic policy and regulatory issues of many sectors of emerging economies, including the telecommunications industry. Originality/value – The paper offers valuable contributions that may help in efforts to enhance and innovate the role of legal expertise in the regulatory process of several economic sectors, including the telecommunications sector.


The anaerobic threshold (AT) was determined in 68 patients suffering from heart disease and in 18 normal persons during the treadmill test according to the parameters of ventilation and gas exchange. The dynamics of the oxygen debt was assessed in accordance with the dynamics of the recovery coefficient (RC). It was established that in the assessment of pump function of the heart, the sensitivity of the RC was 89%, that of the AT 51%. It was also found that the AT, as an indicator of the decompensation of pump function of the heart, can only be used in patients belonging to functional classes IV and III.


The chronic fibrosing idiopathic interstitial pneumonias (IIPs) are a group of heterogeneous pulmonary parenchymal disorders described by radiologic and histological patterns termed usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP) and non-specific interstitial pneumonia (NSIP). These include idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and those related to connective tissue disease (CTD) and are associated with substantial morbidity and mortality. Beyond the importance of establishing an appropriate diagnosis, designing optimal clinical trials for IIPs has been fraught with difficulties in consistency of clinical endpoints making power analyses, and the establishment of efficacy and interpretation of results across trials challenging. Preliminary recommendations, developed by rigorous consensus methods, proposed a minimum set of outcome measures, a 'core set', to be incorporated into future clinical trials (Saketkoo et al, THORAX. 2014.). This paper sets out to examine the candidate instruments for each domain (Dyspnea, Cough, Health Related Quality of Life, Imaging, Lung Physiology and Function, Mortality). Candidate measures that were not selected as well as measures that were not available for examination at the time of the consensus process will also be discussed.


The Tara Oceans Consortium has published various metagenomes of marine environmental samples. Here, we report a contig of 2.6 Mbp from the assembly of a sample collected near the Marquesas Islands in the Pacific Ocean, covering a nearly complete novel verrucomicrobial genome. ABSTRACT The Tara Oceans Consortium has published various metagenomes of marine environmental samples. Here, we report a contig of 2.6 Mbp from the assembly of a sample collected near the Marquesas Islands in the Pacific Ocean, covering a nearly complete novel verrucomicrobial genome. We propose the name "Candidatus Moanabacter tarae" for the corresponding bacterium.


Multispectral images of leaf reflectance in the visible and near infrared region from 384 to 810 nm were used to establish the feasibility of developing a site-specific classifier to distinguish lettuce plants from weeds in California direct-seeded lettuce fields. An average crop vs. weed classification accuracy of 90.3% was obtained in a study of over 7,000 individual spectra representing 150 plants. The classifier utilized reflectance values from a small spatial area (3 mm diameter) of the leaf in order to allow the method to be robust to occlusion and to eliminate the need to identify leaf boundaries for shape-based machine vision recognition. Reflectance spectra were collected in the field using equipment suitable for real-time operation as a weed sensor in an autonomous system for automated weed control. Nomenclature: Lettuce, Lactuca sativa L. 'Capitata' and 'Crispa'


Using survey data from 565 private sector employees in Australia, this article tests how perfor Mance-related incentives influence worker attitudes. It is concluded that job satisfaction is related to incentives based on individual or small group perfor Mance, while organisational commitment is more strongly related to company-level incentives (gains-sharing). Tests for the bundling of incentives and participatory management and for the interactive effects of incentives, participatory managment and job security are insignificant in this data set.


The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy and safety of laparoscopic primary closure of the common bile duct (CBD) combined with percutaneous transhepatic cholangiographic drainage (PTCD) and laparoscopic choledocholithotomy with T-tube placement for the treatment of CBD stones. Between January 1991 and July 2002, 50 patients with choledocholithiasis and a CBD diameter larger than or equal to 1 cm underwent laparoscopic CBD explorations. The study group consisted of 10 patients undergoing laparoscopic primary closure of the CBD combined with PTCD. The control group consisted of 40 patients undergoing laparoscopic choledocholithotomy with T-tube placement. Parameters were compared statistically. The study group showed higher female/male ratio (6/4 vs 8/32, P = 0.02), less stone numbers (1.90 ± 0.88 vs 3.40 ± 1.65, P = 0.0078), shorter operation time (138 ± 37 minutes vs 191 ± 75 minutes, P = 0.014), and shorter postoperative stays (7 ± 3 days vs 10 ± 3 days, P = 0.0013). It seems that laparoscopic primary closure of the CBD combined with PTCD can shorten the operation time and postoperative stays as compared with laparoscopic choledocholithotomy with T-tube placement for the treatment of CBD stones.


ABSTRACT Attention orienting towards a gazed-at location is fundamental to social attention. Whether gaze cues can interact with emotional expressions other than those signalling environmental threat to modulate this gaze cueing, and whether this integration changes over time, remains unclear. With four experiments we demonstrate that, when perceived motion inherent to dynamic displays is controlled for, gaze cueing is enhanced by both fearful and happy faces compared to neutral faces. This enhancement is seen with stimulus-onset asynchronies ranging from 200–700 ms. Thus, gaze cueing can be reliably modulated by positive expressions, albeit to a smaller degree than fearful ones, and this gaze–emotion integration impacts behaviour as early as 200 ms post-cue onset.


Introduction: Many forms of RNA duplexes with agonistic activity for pattern-recognition receptors have been reported, some of which are candidates for adjuvant immunotherapy for cancer. These RNA duplexes induce cytokines, interferons (IFNs) and cellular effectors mainly via two distinct pathways, TLR3/TICAM-1 and MDA5/MAVS. Areas covered: We determined which pathway of innate immunity predominantly participates in evoking tumor immunity in response to RNA adjuvants. Expert opinion: In knockout (KO) mouse studies, robust cytokine or IFN production is dependent on systemic activation of the MAVS pathway, whereas maturation of dendritic cells (DCs) to drive cellular effectors (i.e., NK and CTL) depends on the TICAM-1 pathway in DCs. MAVS activation often causes endotoxin-like cytokinemia, while the TICAM-1 activation does not. Unlike the TLR/MyD88 pathway, this TICAM-1 pathway barely accelerates tumor progression. Although the therapeutic effect in human patients of MAVS-activating or TICAM-1-activating RNA duplexes remains undetermined, the design of a TLR3 agonist with optimized toxicity and dose is an important goal for human immunotherapy. Here we summarize current knowledge on available RNA duplex formulations, and offer a possible approach to developing a promising RNA duplex for clinical tests.


The nature of controversial debates in online fora is often hard to grasp due to the informal discussion style and the sheer number of contributions. Yet, important insights are buried in these openly accessible resources. We want to analyze a showcase of such a debate quantitatively in order to gain a deeper understanding of the underlying dynamics. The showcase stems from the medical field. It is about the controversial hypothesis of Chronic Cerebrospinal Venous Insufficiency (CCSVI) as a cause for Multiple Sclerosis (MS). The debate is observed in a forum provided by the Deutsche Multiple Sklerose Gesellschaft (Engl.: German MS Society) (DMSG) and targeted at laypersons. Our aim is to understand the roles of the forum users and their preferred references to sources of information better. In order to do so, we develop an Information Retrieval algorithm first, that is based on structural forum data, and is able to distinguish posts discussing CCSVI from irrelevant posts. We optimize the parameters of the algorithm by means of an Evolutionary Algorithm. We asses the referenced domains, then classify and visualize them. We identify references to scientific publications. We assign roles to users based on two distinct feature sets: One is the references posted and the other is a carefully selected feature set describing general user behavior. These roles are assigned by means of a kernelized version of the popular K-Means clustering algorithm. We also analyze the presence of homophily and determine the influence of users based on graphs known from the field of Social Network Analysis. Combining the results of these analyses, we can formulate a broad description of user behavior and relationships, community characteristics, and reference influence.


Objective: Cervical vertigo is hitting younger ages. For the purpose of seeking a better treatment plan for treating different syndrome differentiation of cervical vertigo, study and research is done based on the clinical past and literature review.

Method: Treatment plan is originated from past and present physicians clinical and literature review. After the treatment plan is planned, 10 subjects is found to examine the effectiveness of the treatment. The subject is later divided into control group where only acupuncture with moxibustion treatment is given. After that, the conditions and the marks of subject is recorded and analyzed.
Outcome: observation results shows improvement after treatment. Results shown – 3.4 mean value decrease on VAS, 4.85 mean value and 26.72% of improvement in CVSS marks with a total 100% of total effective rate. Thus, it is concluded that on the basis of symptomatic treatment of medication based on syndrome differentiation diagnosis and acupuncture able to cure the cervical vertigo effectively.
Conclusion: It is important to perform a through syndrome differentiation in order to treat symptoms and syndromes of vertigo. Investigation on syndrome differentiation and treatment on cervical vertigo is a success.


While the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, and the Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania guarantee the right to the defence of personal honour and dignity, it does not specify in which ways and means this right can be exercised. Therefore, the states themselves can choose appropriate remedies in the light of the moral rules established in the society on this matter, the defence priorities, economic conditions, the position of the legislature, and other factors. The choice of the Lithuanian state to defend a person's honour and dignity in both civil and administrative and criminal legal remedies raises doubts as to its compatibility with the nature and purpose of the criminal law, as well as the principle of criminal liability, as the last resort (ultima ratio), and international commitments. The above doubts are primarily reflected by the absence of the unified conception of the offense of defamation, i.e. the abstract nature, relativity and subjectivity of personal legal goods such as honour and dignity, as well as mismatch between the objective features of the corpus delicti of defamation to the requirements of legal technique, i.e. their evaluative nature. The relation between the personal honour and dignity and freedom of expression too. This complicates the application of criminal liability (criminal law) and poses a threat of unjust prosecution and punishment. Therefore, the criminal law being the strongest remedy of the state, the defence of a person's honour and dignity in criminal legal means becomes questionable and dangerous both for the individual to whom this remedy is applied, and the general public.


Sensor array exposure conditions were examined in this work regarding their influence on the assessment of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in air. Measurements were performed using sensor array composed of fifteen TGS sensors. Eight VOCs were considered together with air featured by different humidity levels. It was shown that misclassification rates of VOCs patterns could be reduced to zero by selecting best conditions of exposure and by considering responses of selected sensors in these conditions as the basis for classification. Combinations of best sensors and best exposure conditions allowed to achieve mean relative error of VOCs concentration prediction at the level of several percent. The considerable improvement was associated with using a nonlinear model of relationship between VOC concentrations and sensor responses as compared to a linear one.


Coleus leaves are commonly known as ati-ati leaves in Malaysia. Previous study has shown that the Coleus leaves have high antioxidant activity and nutritional value. The present work is to investigate whether antioxidant, minerals and phenolic content can be extracted by boiling the leaves in water. The antioxidant was determined by mixing the extract solution with DPPH (2, 2-Diphenyl-1-Picrylhydrazyl) solution using different ratios. Acid ascorbic acid was used as standard in measurement by Uv-Vis Spectrophotometer. Phenolic content was measured by Uv-Vis Spectrophotometer using Gallic acid as standard. There is about 40.77 wt % of antioxidant activity, 6.256998 wt% of total phenolic content, and some minerals (magnesium, calcium, iron and zinc) existing in solution after the Coleus blumei leaves were removed. The wt% of the phenolic content is directly proportional to the wt% of antioxidant activity. The mineral concentration, antioxidant activity and phenolic content seemed to be highly correlated. As a conclusion, it is proven that the Coleus blumei leaves have high potential value for the nutritional purpose.


The response of soybean varieties J499, SCS-1 and La suprema, with different growth habits, to intercropping conditions when grown in association with maize H614D was evaluated in a study at Bukura Agricultural College (0° 06'' N; 34° 50'' E), Kenya. The soybean was sown either at the same time as maize or two weeks later in pure stands or intercropped with maize either in the same hill or in alternate rows. The trial was laid out in a randomized complete block design with four replications. Data collected included grain yield, 100 seed weight, percentage germination, and analytical purity among others. Among the three soybean varieties J499 had significantly higher percentage analytical purity (92%) than SCS1 (84%) and La suprema (82%). In terms of % germination, J499 had the highest (93.3%), followed by SCS1 (87.5%) and lastly La suprema irrespective of the intercropping pattern and sowing time. Intercropping La suprema two weeks later in maize led to a 30% increase in 100-seed weight. Sowing at the same time as maize led to a significant difference in seed weight among the varieties, with J499 being the highest (15.1 g) and La suprema the lowest (12.7 g). However, no significant difference was observed when they were sown two weeks later. Among the three varieties, J499 had the lowest number of pods per plant and SCVS-1 the highest. Yields (Kg/ha) of soybean sown in pure stands at the same time as maize were significantly higher (509.9 Kg/ha) than that sown two weeks later (280.2 Kg/ha). The difference in yield between soybean sown at the same time as maize and that sown two weeks later in row intercropping was about 400%. For sowing times pure stands yielded significantly higher soybean yields than intercrops. From the findings it can therefore be concluded that the seed of soybean variety J499 grown as an intercrop has suitable quality attributes to be used as seed.

 Key words: Seed quality, Intercropping patterns, maize H614D, soybean varieties, sowing time.


ABSTRACT. This research is motivated by the thought that Hemodialysis Unit at ABC hospital which opened in 2005 , is a unit that produces , but in the determination of rates of hemodialysis services have not been done in detail , which includes only the cost component of operating costs of direct material regardless of personnel costs , telephone and general logistics costs . The issue is whether income rates that have not been calculated in detail to cover the costs incurred by the unit or how hemodilisia Cost Recovery Rate ( CRR ) of the Hemodialysis Unit.This study is a qualitative study using secondary data from monthly reports of several ABC RS unit to calculate total revenue and total cost Haemodialysis Unit. The data used is the data of 2006,2007and2008.The results showed CRR Haemodialysis Unit 2006 = 41.69 % , 2007 = 71.36 % and 2008 = 83.11 %.Based on the results obtained during the 3 years that CRR is still below 100 % , it indicates that the income earned Haemodialysis Unit for 3 years has not been able to cover the costs incurred for the operation of the unit. Cost Recovery Rate Unit Hemodialisa Rumah Sakit ABC Tahun 2006-2008 Supriadi Volume 1, Nomor 1, pp 78-92 83 Keywords : Cost Recovery Rate, income, rates


Temperatures above those normally present in larval sites of certain mosquitoes (for example, Aedes stimulans) cause larvae of potential males to be feminized in all degrees. Certain combinations of temperatures will affect these larvae so that an abnormal pair of genital appendages consistently appears in addition to the usual pair. These appendages appear to be masculine and are presumed to come from imaginal discs that are latent in present-day Diptera.


Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are clonal hematological disorders arising from hematopoietic stem cells that have accumulated various genetic abnormalities. MDS are heterogeneous in nature but uniformly characterized by chronic and progressive cytopenia from ineffective hematopoiesis, dysplasia in single or multiple lineages, and transformation to acute leukemia in a subset of patients. The genomic landscape revealed by next-generation sequencing has provided a comprehensive picture of the molecular pathways involved in MDS pathogenesis. Recurrent mutational targets in MDS are the genes involved in RNA splicing, DNA methylation, histone modification, transcription, signal transduction, cohesin complex and DNA repair. Sequential acquisition of mutations in these sets of genes serves as a driver for the initiation, clonal evolution and progression of MDS. Based on these findings, novel agents targeting driver mutations of MDS are currently under development and expected to improve the clinical outcome of MDS in the coming decades.


NG2 cells, a main pool of glial progenitors, express γ-aminobutyric acid A (GABA(A)) receptors (GABA(A)Rs), the functional and molecular properties of which are largely unknown. We recently reported that transmission between GABAergic interneurons and NG2 cells drastically changes during development of the somatosensory cortex, switching from synaptic to extrasynaptic communication. Since synaptic and extrasynaptic GABA(A)Rs of neurons differ in their subunit composition, we hypothesize that GABA(A)Rs of NG2 cells undergo molecular changes during cortical development accompanying the switch of transmission modes. Single-cell RT-PCR and the effects of zolpidem and α5IA on evoked GABAergic currents reveal the predominance of functional α1- and α5-containing GABA(A)Rs at interneuron-NG2 cell synapses in the second postnatal week, while the α5 expression declines later in development when responses are exclusively extrasynaptic. Importantly, pharmacological and molecular analyses demonstrate that γ2, a subunit contributing to the clustering of GABA(A)Rs at postsynaptic sites in neurons, is down-regulated in NG2 cells in a cell type-specific manner in concomitance with the decline of synaptic activity and the switch of transmission mode. In keeping with the synaptic nature of γ2 in neurons, the down-regulation of this subunit is an important molecular hallmark of the change of transmission modes between interneurons and NG2 cells during development.


This essay started life as a lecture in a series 'on the immortality of the soul or kindred spiritual subject'. My kindred spiritual subject is, one might say, the mortality of the soul. Those among previous lecturers who were philosophers tended, I think, to discuss the question whether we are immortal; that is not my subject, but rather what a good thing it is that we are not. Immortality, or a state without death, would be meaningless, I shall suggest; so, in a sense, death gives the meaning to life. That does not mean that we should not fear death (whatever force that injunction might be taken to have, anyway). Indeed, there are several very different ways in which it could be true at once that death gave the meaning to life and that death was, other things being equal, something to be feared. Some existentialists, for instance, seem to have said that death was what gave meaning to life, if anything did, just because it was the fear of death that gave meaning to life; I shall not follow them. I shall rather pursue the idea that from facts about human desire and happiness and what a human life is, it follows both that immortality would be, where conceivable at all, intolerable, and that (other things being equal) death is reasonably regarded as an evil.


Introduction: Congenital deficiency of factor XIII is a kind of rare coagulating disorder which can cause recurrent pregnancy loss. The disease is manifested as spontaneous bleeding in the presence of normal coagulation tests. The women complicated with the disease in addition to heavy and prolonged menstrual bleeding are at risk of different pregnancy complications such as recurrent pregnancy loss. This study investigates recurrent abortion. This study introduces recurrent abortion in 2 sisters and tries to introduce this disease as a rare cause of recurrent pregnancy loss. Case: This study introduces two sisters suffering from severe deficiency of factor XIII. The younger sister had referred after four abortions at the first trimester and the disease was diagnosed. After clotting factor replacement therapy, symptoms of disease were alleviated and successful pregnancy occurred after 4 months that led to the birth of a healthy term infant. The older sister was a 37 year old woman that the disease was diagnosed after 10 recurrent pregnancy losses. She was put through clotting factor replacement therapy, despite clotting factor replacement therapy and alleviation of hemorrhagic symptoms, pregnancy did not occur. Conclusion: Accurate and on time diagnosis of factor XIII deficiency in women suffering from hemorrhagic disorders is necessary, and appropriate treatment can prevent of recurrent and sometimes serious hemorrhage, and recurrent pregnancy loss, and improve the quality of life.


This paper presents a further development of a novel fiber optic low and high hydrostatic pressure sensing technique utilizing new classes of chiral nematic liquid crystals with a significantly reduced thermal sensitivity. The low-pressure sensor (up to 1 MPa) is based on polarization effects caused by strong rotatory power of chiral nematics and pressure-induced deformations of a twisted nematic cell. The high-pressure sensor (up to 60 MPa) is based on intensity phenomena occurring in novel classes of chiral nematics with induced smectic A/sub d/ phase. The latest results indicate that our method of hydrostatic pressure measurement offers high response to pressure with reduced temperature sensitivity.


A series of novel 5-substituted 2-(arylmethylthio)-4-chloro-N-(5-aryl-1,2,4-triazin-3-yl) benzenesulfonamide derivatives 27–60 have been synthesized by the reaction of aminoguanidines with an appropriate phenylglyoxal hydrate in glacial acetic acid. A majority of the compounds showed cytotoxic activity toward the human cancer cell lines HCT-116, HeLa and MCF-7, with IC50 values below 100 μM. It was found that for the analogues 36–38 the naphthyl moiety contributed significantly to the anticancer activity. Cytometric analysis of translocation of phosphatidylserine as well as mitochondrial membrane potential and cell cycle revealed that the most active compounds 37 (HCT-116 and HeLa) and 46 (MCF-7) inhibited the proliferation of cells by increasing the number of apoptotic cells. Apoptotic-like, dose dependent changes in morphology of cell lines were also noticed after treatment with 37 and 46. Moreover, triazines 37 and 46 induced caspase activity in the HCT-116, HeLa and MCF-7 cell lines. Selected compounds were tested for metabolic stability in the presence of pooled human liver microsomes and NADPH, both R2 and Ar = 4-CF3-C6H4 moiety in 2-(R2-methylthio)-N-(5-aryl-1,2,4-triazin-3-yl)benzenesulfonamides simultaneously increased metabolic stability. The results pointed to 37 as a hit compound with a good cytotoxicity against HCT-116 (IC50 = 36 μM), HeLa (IC50 = 34 μM) cell lines, apoptosis-inducing activity and moderate metabolic stability.


This research contributes to an issue of importance in the current Australian political and research climate - that of the engagement of disadvantaged and marginalised groups of people with early childhood education and care settings. More specifically, this research seeks to understand the barriers and facilitators of engagement for Indigenous families in NSW. Research in this area is important because of recent studies supporting low levels of participation in early childhood services for Indigenous families. A qualitative approach was adopted to capture the experiences of 15 mothers of preschool aged children (3 - 5 years). Thematic analysis revealed a number of themes, the most important across the group being the notion of trust. This research also sought the perspectives of preschool aged children. In total 10 children were interviewed. A clear theme emerged from the child interviews around the importance of feeling connected with an adult worker at the centre they attended. This research also supports the importance of resisting the common practice of viewing Indigenous families as a homogeneous group.


The main aim of this study is to assess university students' financial management skills and financial education needs. Data were collected among Malaysian public and private university students. Samples were selected using multi stage stratified sampling techniques. A total of 11 universities were randomly selected for the study and 350 questionnaires (300 for in campus and 50 for off-campus students) were distributed to students through the student affairs divisions of the respective universities. Perceived financial management skills were measured using a 5-point Likert scale from 1 (no skill at all) to 5 (very skilful) on 11 management related items: daily expenses, debt, future needs, time, savings, use of education loan, social interaction, stress, decision making, problem solving and career planning. The scores for the financial management skills were computed and the results revealed significant differences in the mean score among ethnic groups, with Chinese students scoring the lowest compared to other ethnic groups; public university students were perceived to have higher financial management skills compared to private university students; however, there was no gender difference in the score. Concerning the financial education needs, students indicated that they needed training related to career planning.


Although deep learning for Diabetic Retinopathy (DR) screening has shown great success in achieving clinically acceptable accuracy for referable versus non-referable DR, there remains a need to provide more fine-grained grading of the DR severity level as well as automated segmentation of lesions (if any) in the retina images. We observe that the DR severity level of an image is dependent on the presence of different types of lesions and their prevalence. In this work, we adopt a multi-task learning approach to perform the DR grading and lesion segmentation tasks. In light of the lack of lesion segmentation mask ground-truths, we further propose a semi-supervised learning process to obtain the segmentation masks for the various datasets. Experiments results on publicly available datasets and a real world dataset obtained from population screening demonstrate the effectiveness of the multi-task solution over state-of-the-art networks.