Eutrophication is a process by which destabilizes the aquatic ecosystem and deteriorates the quality of surface water. In view of this, the insertion of mitigating and restorative measures are indispensable for the conservation of the water body. The objective of this research is to analyze qualitatively how the use of biotechnology associated to bioremediations, acts in the process of recovery of aqueous environments. The method used was inductive, and the research has a basic nature, with a qualitative approach and complemented with data collection in research bases such as the Coordination of Improvement of Higher Education Personnel - CAPES, Scientific Electronic Library Online - SciELO, and Google Scholar, whose time cut was from 2009 to 2018. The data indicated that the quality of the use of bioremediation is effective, either with the application of phytoremediation or other biotechnologies associated or not, and present a lower cost when compared to the existing physical and chemical methods. The data also indicated that microorganisms and plants have specific ways of removing, immobilizing or transforming pollutants from inappropriate effluent releases. It should note that these mitigation and recovery measures are very new alternatives for the context of polluting companies and society as a whole. Therefore, the use of these biotechnologies is important for disseminating ways to regenerate contaminated environments, where they have a low energy cost and do not require direct physical-chemical interventions.


Introduction: Infectious diseases are still one of the main causes of high morbidity and mortality in tropical Indonesia. One of the causes of this disease is the staphylococcus aureus bacteria. Red dragon fruit peel contains potentially antibacterial compounds such as flavonoid, alkaloid, saponin, tannin dan terpenoid. The purpose of this study is to determine the antibacterial activity of ethanolic extract of red dragon fruit peel against staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923. Method: The method used is true experimental post test only control group design. The activity of ethanol extract of red dragon fruit skin was tested in various concentrations (25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%) against staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923 by measuring the inhibition zone diameter and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC). Result: The results of this study show that red dragon fruit peel ethanolic extract has antibacterial activity against staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923 ith the average diameter of inhibition zone ranging from 8.25 mm – 12.5 mm. The MIC is obtained at concentration of 25%. Kruskal-Wallis test found a significant comparison with a value of p = 0,000 (p value <0.05). Mann-Whitney test showed that there were significant differences between each concentration, except the concentration of 50% did not have a significant difference with a concentration of 75%. Conclusion: The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) is produced by extract at a concentration of 25% and the best inhibitory zone produced by 100% concentration of red dragon peel ethanol extract.


Polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1), a serine/threonine kinase and an oncogene, is crucial in regulating cell cycle progression. PLK1 also has been demonstrated as a potential target of osteosarcoma (OS) by using short hairpin RNA libraries in lentiviral vectors for screening of protein kinase. In preclinical studies, GSK461364, a potent and selective ATP-competitive PLK1 inhibitor, showed antiproliferative activity against multiple tumor cell lines. In the present study, we evaluated the expression level of PLK1 in OS and explored the cytotoxic mechanism of GSK461364 against OS. PLK1 was significantly overexpressed in OS compared with normal osteoblasts and other types of sarcoma. GSK461364 inhibited PLK1 and caused mitotic arrest by inducing G2/M arrest in OS cells. Moreover, GSK461364 exerted a cytotoxic effect by inducing apoptosis in OS, and induced cellular senescence in OS cell lines, as indicated by an increased senescence-associated β-galactosidase activity and enhanced DcR2 and interleukin-1α expression. In addition, we demonstrated a synergistic cytotoxic effect of GSK461364 and paclitaxel, possibly resulting from combined mitotic arrest. In conclusion, the present study revealed that PLK1 was overexpressed in OS and that GSK461364 exerted its cytotoxic effect on OS by inducing mitotic arrest and subsequent apoptosis and induced cellular senescence; therefore, senescence-associated markers can be used as treatment biomarkers, and a combination of GSK461364 and paclitaxel can potentially treat OS.


In order to achieve full binaural sound, audio signals must be synthesized using specialized digital filters characterized by their so-called Head-Related Impulse Responses (HRIRs). They represent the modification to sound due to the listener's torso, shoulders, head and pinnae, or outer ears. Conventional methods of measuring individual HRIRs require the use of expensive and cumbersome equipment to obtain the HRIRs of every prospective user of the spatial audio system. Alternatively, a manikin may be used to create generic HRIRs. Unfortunately, the access to the necessary equipment is very limited and generic HRIRs do not provide as high spatialization fidelity as individually measured HRIRs. Hence, the creation of a method to create customizable HRIRs without the use of the specialized equipment is extremely desirable. In previous research on this topic, Prony's modeling method was used to obtain an appropriate set of time delays and a resonant frequency to approximate measured HRIRs. In an effort to expand upon this research the Prony method was substituted for the Steiglitz-McBride iterative approximation method and a noticeable improvement in the approximation was achieved. This paper shows that the improvement achieved is statistically significant for most HRIRs and, therefore, may be advantageous for HRIR decomposition.


Advanced atomically resolved characterization methods unveil the mechanism of a promising photocatalytic Co@MOF(Ti) system for H2 production. The combination of X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) experiments allows for the characterization of atomic and electronic rearrangements in the photoinduced species. This information provides the basis for the optimization of photocatalyst design.


Regular monitoring of the D- and F-layers of ionosphere over Central Asia territory is being performed on the permanent basis starting year 2008 when one Very Low Frequency (VLF) receiver and two SuperSID receivers were provided to Uzbekistan IHY cite by Stanford University. The results obtained at Tashkent IHY (International Heliophysical Year) station are applied to earthquake electromagnetic precursors, lightning, and Solar flares and to ionospheric disturbances originating from gamma ray flares of Soft Gamma-Ray Repeaters.

Regular monitoring of the D-layer of ionosphere over Central Asia territory has been performed on the permanent basis. Several Solar events are observed and the analysis has shown that there is simultaneous correlation between the times of change of amplitude of the waves and the Solar flares. Features of the lightning discharge generated by radio atmospherics are studied and its effectiveness in D-region ionosphere diagnostics is examined.

We have mainly analyzed GPS derived TEC disturbances from two GPS stations located in Tashkent and Kitab, for possible earthquake ionospheric precursors. The solar and geomagnetic conditions were quiet during occurrence of the selected more than 30 earthquakes. We produced TEC time series over both sites and apply them to detect anomalous TEC signals preceding or accompanying the earthquakes. The results show anomalous enhancements which are examined in the earthquakes.


Experimental interventions that reduce ischaemia/reperfusion (I/R) lung injury can be used to improve the properties of preservation solutions. We attempted to increase the attenuation of I/R injury by University of Wisconsin solution (UW) by adding an antibody against tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), to neutralize TNF-alpha, and/or by adding 3-deaza-adenosine (c3-Ado), to inhibit leucocyte adhesion and the biosynthesis of ICAM-1 (intercellular cell-adhesion molecule 1). We examined I/R injury using an isolated rat lung model. Six different solutions were perfused individually, followed by evaluation of I/R injury: (1) 0.9% NaCl (normal saline; NS), (2) NS+anti-TNF-alpha antibody, (3) UW alone, (4) UW+anti-TNF-alpha, (5) UW+c3-Ado and (6) UW+anti-TNF-alpha+c3-Ado. Haemodynamic changes, lung weight gain, capillary filtration coefficient, TNF-alpha levels and lung pathology were analysed in order to evaluate I/R injury. Compared with lungs perfused with NS, lungs treated with NS+anti-TNF-alpha showed less I/R injury. The addition of anti-TNF-alpha and/or c3-Ado to UW reduced I/R injury compared with unmodified UW. Among the six solutions tested, UW containing anti-TNF-alpha antibody reduced I/R injury to the greatest extent. We conclude that addition of anti-TNF-alpha antibody or c3-Ado protects against I/R lung injury when using UW. Further investigation of the improved properties of modified UWs would be beneficial with regard to lung transplantation research.


Presents the design of the software system ADTEST (ADa TESTing), for generating test data for programs developed in Ada83. The key feature of this system is that the problem of test data generation is treated entirely as a numerical optimization problem and, as a consequence, this method does not suffer from the difficulties commonly found in symbolic execution systems, such as those associated with input variable-dependent loops, array references and module calls. Instead, program instrumentation is used to solve a set of path constraints without explicitly knowing their form. The system supports not only the generation of integer and real data types, but also non-numerical discrete types such as characters and enumerated types. The system has been tested on large Ada programs (60,000 lines of code) and found to reduce the effort required to test programs as well as providing an increase in test coverage.


The current situation of climate change at a global level clearly requires policy changes at local levels. Global efforts to reach a consensus regarding the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions have so far been focused on developing Climate-Friendly Technologies (CFTs). The problem is that in order for these efforts to have an actual impact at a global level we need to be concerned with more than just promotion and info-dissemination on the already existing CFTs, but also with costs, implementation and the international intellectual property and trade system necessary for this strategy to work. Currently, almost 80% of all patent applications belong to OECD countries like Japan, US, Germany, South Korea, Great Britain and France. The obligations climate change imposes on developing countries represent a technological shift that depends on Technology Transfer (TT) and implementation of IP laws. The current IP framework, especially patent law, copyright and trade secrets produces another kind of obligations. The main question is if the conjunction of these two sets of obligations (rules) is fair from a global justice point of view. Also, it is questionable whether this conjunction helps developing countries to produce their own CFTs. When discussing the demands of global justice one cannot skip the very important distinction Pogge makes between negative and positive obligations. In the context of global warming and the measures that the world's states ought to take to prevent it, there seems to lie another conjunction between the positive obligation of preserving the natural environment that we all share and a negative obligation of allowing the less developed countries to help us all do so. Because one cannot impose regulations that cannot be put into practice, it is more and more obvious that a new framework of action and development needs to be drawn in the field of TT of CFTs.


After reviewing various methods and criteria which are readily available in safety risk assessment, it was concluded that risk ranking is a good way forward to be further developed or modified for the assessment of environmental risk. In particular, the Mond Index is a good concept which might be used to develop a framework for the assessment of risk from major accident hazards to the environment (ICI, 1985). The Environmental Hazard Index (EHI) method which was based on the United Kingdom Department of Environment (UK DoE) criteria for major accident hazards to the environment, gives important criteria which could be used in the framework (AEA Technology, 1995). Many consequence models for different environmental hazards have been developed and continue to be developed by various authors. For example, river dispersion models such as PRAIRIE, WASP5 and RIVER were reviewed (AEA Technology, 1993, Ambrose et. Al, 1993, RIVER User Manual, 1992). Others have developed consequence models for hazards such as dispersion of toxic combustion products in air and dispersion of toxic liquids in the groundwater. Further development of consequence models is beyond the scope of this discussion. Instead, the development of a risk assessment framework which makes use of available consequence models was aimed. The developed framework will describe the overall risk to the environment from an accident scenario, in such a way that the risk can be compared with tolerability criteria. This was considered to be the main gap in the currently available methodology for environmental risk assessment. Although a number of consequence models have been developed, the user is left uncertain about how to use the output which is in terms of concentration versus distance rather than effects or risk to the environment. In order to develop the risk assessment framework, the "major accident to the environment" definitions proposed in the UK DoE Guidance Note has been used (UK DoE, 1991). These definitions are currently the most definitive statement of how to interpret major accidents to the environment for the purpose of the CIMAH Regulations and a risk assessment method based on them will be useful. However, the DoE definitions was criticised and that the DoE intends to revise them (Khayyat, 1992). It is hoped that the framework developed is capable to suit for any change to be made to the definitions of major accidents to the environment.


Echo-State Networks and Reservoir Computing have been studied for more than a decade. They provide a simpler yet powerful alternative to Recurrent Neural Networks, every internal weight is fixed and only the last linear layer is trained. They involve many multiplications by dense random matrices. Very large networks are difficult to obtain, as the complexity scales quadratically both in time and memory. Here, we present a novel optical implementation of Echo-State Networks using light-scattering media and a Digital Micromirror Device. As a proof of concept, binary networks have been successfully trained to predict the chaotic Mackey-Glass time series. This new method is fast, power efficient and easily scalable to very large networks.


Abstract This study compared four methods of assessing children's friendships-peer nominations, peer ratings, reciprocal peer nominations, and social networking. A total of 174 children between first and third grades were assessed using child self-report. In addition, parent and teacher ratings of these children's friendship patterns were also evaluated. Results found that there was high agreement between reciprocal peer nominations, peer ratings, and the social networking procedure. Much lower levels of agreement were noted between peer nominations in general and reciprocated nomination procedures. Parents and teachers were found to have comparable levels of agreement but did not match exactly the child-reported reciprocal nomination procedure. Implications of these results for use by school psychologists are discussed.


Morocco has an agricultural production system for cereals which is dominated by rainfed, low yielding cereal production which is highly vulnerable to fluctuations in rainfall. Crop yield forecasting systems could play a significant role to reduce the vulnerability of the Moroccan agriculture to weather risks in the framework of a food security strategy. This paper describes the efforts that were carried out for adapting the European Crop Growth Monitoring System to Moroccan conditions for crop monitoring and regional yield forecasting. Results demonstrate that the correlations between CGMS output and regional reported yields can be strongly improved by relatively simple changes to the parameterization of the crop model and a different strategy for the initialization of the soil water balance.


Restoration of plant populations is often undertaken using seed or plants from local sources because it is assumed they will be best adapted to the prevailing conditions. However, the effect of site disturbance on local adaptation has rarely been examined. We assessed local adaptation in three southwestern Australian forest tree species (Eucalyptus marginata, Corymbia calophylla, and Allocasuarina fraseriana) using reciprocal transplant trials at disturbed and undisturbed sites. Performance of plants within the trials was assessed over 2 years. Planting location accounted for the majority of the variation in most measures of performance, although significant variation of percent emergence among source populations was also detected. In all species, percent emergence and survival of plants sourced from Darling Range populations was significantly higher than that of plants from the Swan Coastal Plain, regions of contrasting edaphic and climatic environment. Survival of E. marginata over the first 18 months and emergence of C. calophylla were both higher in local plants, providing at least weak evidence for local adaptation. Where a local advantage was observed, the relative performance of local and nonlocal seed did not vary among disturbed and undisturbed sites. Evidence for enhanced establishment from local seed in at least one species leads us to recommend that where sufficient high‐quality seed supplies exist locally, these should be used in restoration. We also recommend longer‐term studies to include the possibility of local adaptation becoming evident at later life history stages.


Genetic control strategies such as the Release of Insects Carrying a Dominant Lethal (RIDL) gene and Transgenic Embryonic Sexing System (TESS) have been demonstrated in the laboratory and/or deployed in the field. These strategies are based on tetracycline-off (Tet-off) systems which are regulated by antibiotics such as Tet and doxycycline (Dox). Here, we generated several Tet-off constructs carrying a reporter gene cassette mediated by a 2A peptide. Different concentrations (0.1, 10, 100, 500, and 1,000 μg/mL) and types (Tet or Dox) of antibiotics were used to evaluate their effects on the expression of the Tet-off constructs in the Drosophila S2 cells. One or both of the two concentrations, 100 and 250 μg/mL, of Tet or Dox were used to check the influence on the performances of a Drosophila suzukii wild-type strain and female-killing (FK) strains employing TESS. Specifically, the Tet-off construct for these FK strains contains a Drosophila suzukii nullo promoter to regulate the tetracycline transactivator gene and a sex-specifically spliced pro-apoptotic gene hid Ala4 to eliminate females. The results suggested that the in vitro expression of the Tet-off constructs was controlled by antibiotics in a dose-dependent manner. ELISA experiments were carried out identifying Tet at 34.8 ng/g in adult females that fed on food supplemented with Tet at 100 μg/mL. However, such method did not detect Tet in the eggs produced by antibiotic-treated flies. Additionally, feeding Tet to the parents showed negative impact on the fly development but not the survival in the next generation. Importantly, we demonstrated that under certain antibiotic treatments females could survive in the FK strains with different transgene activities. For the strain V229_M4f1 which showed moderate transgene activity, feeding Dox to fathers or mothers suppressed the female lethality in the next generation and feeding Tet or Dox to mothers generated long-lived female survivors. For the strain V229_M8f2 which showed weak transgene activity, feeding Tet to mothers delayed the female lethality for one generation. Therefore, for genetic control strategies employing the Tet-off system, the parental and transgenerational effects of antibiotics on the engineered lethality and insect fitness must be carefully evaluated for a safe and efficient control program.


OBJECTIVE
The authors' objective was to determine whether preoperative administration of tamsulosin decreases postoperative urinary retention after spine surgery.

METHODS
In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial performed at a single institution between 2016 and 2019, eligible males aged 50 to 85 years were administered tamsulosin or placebo for 5 days prior to elective spine surgery. Patients were excluded if they were taking alpha adrenergic blocking drugs; were allergic to tamsulosin, lactose, or sulfa drugs; had a preexisting indwelling urinary catheter, orthostatic hypotension, history of urological surgery, or renal failure; or were scheduled for cataract surgery within 2 weeks. Screening identified 1051 eligible patients (140 declined participation, 150 did not meet the inclusion criteria, and 151 did not enroll for other reasons). A total of 610 patients were randomly assigned to receive 0.4 mg oral tamsulosin or an identical placebo capsule for 5 days preoperatively and 2 days postoperatively.

RESULTS
A total of 497 patients were included in the final statistical analysis. The overall rate of postoperative urinary retention was 9.7%, and tamsulosin had no observed effect on reducing the rate of postoperative urinary retention as compared with placebo (9.4% vs 9.9%, p = 0.96). There were no significant differences in the reported adverse events between groups. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to model the effects of patient, surgical, and anesthetic factors on postoperative urinary retention, and the study drug remained an insignificant factor.

CONCLUSIONS
This study did not detect an effect of perioperative tamsulosin on reducing the rate of postoperative urinary retention in male patients aged 50 to 85 years who underwent elective spine surgery. This study does not support the routine use of tamsulosin to reduce postoperative urinary retention in patients without a previous prescription. It is unknown if subpopulations exist for which prophylactic tamsulosin may reduce postoperative urinary retention.


The growth and transformation of the manufacturing sector all around the world has spurred on the demand for logistics services. These industries need logistics as the mobility medium to run the business process especially for road logistics transportation. The road logistics transportation is a key role to move goods from suppliers to customers in order to complete the logistics cycle. This situation has sparked congestion, which has caused delivery delay and rising costs. These two major effects of congestion have affected the business performance, for either the logistics service providers (LSPs) or the consignees. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to empirically examine the relationships of logistics capability, IT implementation, and innovation capability with the LSPs' performance. Using the correlation and standard multiple regression analysis, the theoretical models and hypotheses in this study are tested based on empirical data gathered from 81 LSPs in the East Coast region registered with the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers directory of Malaysian industries. The results reveal that logistics capability, IT implementation, and innovation capability have significant positive relationships with the LSPs' performance. Among them, innovation capability contributes the most to the logistics performance in the East Coast region. This study has bridged the literature gap by providing empirical evidence and new insights on logistics performance using the Malaysian sample.


Vitamin D is important for bone health, with low vitamin D levels being associated with skeletal fragility and fractures. Among its other biological activities, 1,25‐dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25(OH)2D), stimulates the in vitro differentiation of human marrow stromal cells (hMSCs) to osteoblasts, which can be monitored by increases in alkaline phosphatase enzyme activity or osteocalcin gene expression. In this study, we tested the hypotheses that age and clinical attributes of subjects influence in vitro responsiveness of hMSCs to 1,25(OH)2D3. In a cohort of subjects whose hMSCs were isolated from bone marrow discarded during hip replacement surgery for osteoarthritis, there were significant inverse correlations with age for bone mineral density, renal function, body mass index, fat mass index, and lean mass index (n = 36–53). There were significant correlations with serum 25(OH)D for serum parathyroid hormone (PTH), body mass index, fat mass index, and lean mass index (n = 47–50). In vivo–in vitro correlation analyses indicated that there were significantly greater in vitro effects of 1,25(OH)2D3 to stimulate osteoblast differentiation in hMSCs obtained from subjects who were younger than 65 years of age, or who had serum 25(OH)D ≤ 20 ng/mL, elevated serum PTH, or better renal function, assessed by estimated glomerular filtration rate. The greater in vitro stimulation of osteoblast differentiation by 1,25(OH)2D3 in hMSCs from vitamin D‐deficient subjects suggests that vitamin D replenishment may lead to more vigorous bone formation in subjects at risk. © 2012 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.


The observation of scanning electron microscope (SEM) on the cuticle of Tumblebug shows that the cuticle is a kind of biocomposite consisting of chitin-fibers and collagen protein matrix. The observation also shows that there are many underpinnings in the cuticle. The underpinnings are also a kind of biological composite consisting of chitin-fiber layers and collagen protein matrixes. More careful observation indicates that the chitin-fiber layers enwrap the core of the underpinnings forming a kind of helicoidal fiber structure. The maximal pull-out force of the helicoidal fiber structure, related to the fracture toughness of the underpinnings, is theoretically and experimentally investigated and compared with that of parallel fiber structure. It shows that the maximal pull-out force of the helicoidal fiber structure is larger than that of the parallel fiber structure, which gives profitable information for the design of man-made high-performance composites and composite structures.


A new measurement of elastic $pp$ scattering at $\sqrt{s} = 13$ TeV with the ATLAS-ALFA detector is presented. The measurement was performed using data recorded in a special run of the LHC with $\beta^\star = 2.5$ km. The elastic cross-section was measured differentially in the Mandelstam $t$ variable and from a fit to ${\textrm{d}}\sigma/\textrm{d}t$ the total cross section, the $\rho$-parameter and parameters of the nuclear slope are determined. The results for $\sigma_{\textrm{tot}}$ and $\rho$ are \begin{equation*} \sigma_{\textrm{tot}}(pp\rightarrow X) = \mbox{104.7} \; \pm 1.1 \; \mbox{mb} , \; \; \rho = \mbox{0.098} \; \pm 0.011 . \end{equation*} The energy evolution of $\sigma_{\textrm{tot}}$ and $\rho$, connected through dispersion relations, is compared to several models. Furthermore, the total inelastic cross section is determined from the difference of the total and elastic cross section, and the ratio of the elastic to total cross section is calculated.


BACKGROUND
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the most established environmental risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD), but it is unclear if TBI is specifically associated with early-onset AD (EOAD).

OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the relationship between TBI and EOAD (<65 years).

METHODS
We identified 1,449 EOAD, 4,337 late-onset AD (LOAD), and corresponding EOAD-matched and LOAD-matched normal controls (NC) in the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center Uniform (NACC) database and compared the prevalence of any history of TBI as well as measures of cognition, function, behavior, and neuropathology. For validation, we determined TBI prevalence among 115 well-characterized clinic patients with EOAD.

RESULTS
Part A: The prevalence of any TBI in the NACC-database EOAD participants (13.3%) was comparable to that observed in the clinic EOAD patients (13.9%) but significantly higher than in the NACC-database LOAD participants (7.7% ; p <  0.0001) and trended to higher compared to EOAD-matched NC (11.1% ; logistic regression p = 0.053). Part B: When we compared EOAD patients with documented non-acute and non-residually impairing TBI to EOAD without a documented history of prior TBI, those with TBI had significantly more disinhibition. Part C: Autopsies did not reveal differences in AD neuropathology based on a history of TBI.

CONCLUSIONS
These findings suggest, but do not establish, that TBI is a specific risk factor for EOAD and may lead to disinhibition, a feature that often results from the frontal effects of head injury. This study recommends further research on the effects of TBI in EOAD in larger numbers of participants.


In recent years there has been increasing concern about
the possible consequences on human health from exposure to RF fields produced
by wireless telecommunication technologies. In this work the coupling between
carbon foam and composite materials made of carbon nanotubes and epoxy-resin
allows to build a material able to absorb the electromagnetic field thus
reducing its intensity in the environment where the mitigation of
electromagnetic field is required. The Frequency range considered is 2 GHz - 3 GHz
which is the most common frequency band used in wireless network and microwave
oven too. Two different kind of heterogeneous materials are designed, one is a
layered radar absorbing material made exclusively of epoxy resin and carbon
nanotube in different weight percentage, the others are porous carbon foam
where the pores are supposed be filled with carbon nanotubes and epoxy-resin.
Both type of materials show interesting absorption properties reaching peak of
reflection coefficient between –15 dB and –45 dB for a normally incident plane
wave.


Selective oxidation is of immense importance in the synthesis of chemical intermediates and the epoxidation of alkenes by the electrophilic addition of oxygen to a carbon–carbon double bond remains one of the most significant challenges in oxidation catalysis. Although molecular oxygen is the most environmentally benign oxidant in many cases, far more reactive forms of oxygen are required to achieve reaction, and this can lead to by-products with a heavy environmental burden with respect to their disposal. We show that gold supported on graphite is a very effective catalyst for the epoxidation of cis-cyclooctene as long as catalytic amounts of a hydroperoxy species are present at the start of the reaction. Using mild solvent-free conditions the hydroperoxy initiator persists in solution for only a few minutes, being initially adsorbed on the catalyst surface. Subsequently, it decomposes to establish a reactive species that can propagate the selective oxidation process we observe. The observation of an induction period may in part be due to the adsorption of the radical initiator blocking surface sites as well as the establishment of the reactive species. We confirm that graphite is the best support and that tert-butyl hydroperoxide is the preferred initiator. We report extensive studies concerning the reusability of the gold/graphite catalyst as catalyst reusability is a key feature of green chemistry. The catalyst is found to be inhibited by the epoxide product but we demonstrate the effect of this is negligible for reused catalysts over a long reaction time.


In 1948 gravity measurements were made in a submarine, forty-three stations in the English Channel and at Portland, Devonport, Gosport and Cherbourg. There are also five stations in the area at which measurements were made in 1946. Tables are given of the details of the gravity measurements and of the free-air, Bouguer and isostatic anomalies (Airy-Heiskanen, crustal thickness 30 km). The accuracy of the results is estimated. The anomalies are shown to be compatible with an interpretation of existing knowledge of the Mesozoic geology of the Channel basin provided that reasonable assumptions are made. An area of strong negative anomalies off the French coast in the Cherbourg-Le Havre area extends about half-way across the Channel. These must be explained by intra-crustal masses. The anomalies show the same trend to positive values in the west as is found in the British Isles and northern France.


In this article, which has the opportunity to be included in the centennial celebration of the publication of Democracy and Education , we intend to reflect on the foundations of three core notions present throughout John Dewey's work, especially in the aforementioned publication. We refer to the notions of democracy, intelligence and education, which seem to be in a structural relationship. The title of John Dewey's original work does not include the term intelligence. However, it seems crucial to anchor the theory of education, based on a democratic conception, to this structural idea and include it in the author's theory. Indeed, according to Dewey's philosophy, education is represented as a test to the validity of the ideal of a democratic society and takes on the responsibility of creating the conditions for the implementation of such society. In Dewey's conception democracy is much more than just a form of government. It is the opportunity for a complete fulfillment of human potential. In this context, only an ability such as intelligence can be used to act upon an always evolving and uncertain world with a tendency for constant improvement. To this end, the conception of intelligence that allows us to fulfill such ideal must therefore be clarified.


We describe work that is part of a research project on static code analysis between the Alexandru Ioan Cuza University and Bitdefender. The goal of the project is to develop customized static analysis tools for detecting potential vulnerabilities in C/C++ code. We present the results of benchmarking several existing open source static analysis tools for C/C++ against the Toyota ITC test suite [1] in order to determine which tools are best suited to our purpose. The Toyota ITC test suite is a synthetic benchmark for C/C++ consisting of around 650 test cases organized by defect type and defect subtype and is well-suited to our purpose, since it contains various bugs such as buffer overflows that are common in C/C++ code. We analyze the open-source static analysis tools according to the existing quality indicators such as detection rate and false positive rate proposed in [1], but we also introduce a new quality metric that we call robust detection which also allows us to measure unique detections by tool and by (sub)defect type. We also find several mistakes in the Toyota ITC testsuite that we fix. We publish the harness used to benchmark the static analyzers in order for anyone to be able to reproduce our results.


This paper critically examines non-adversarial feminist argumentation model specifically within the scope of politeness norms and cultural communicative practices. Asserting women typically have a particular mode of arguing which is often seen as 'weak' or docile within male dominated fields, the model argues that the feminine mode of arguing is actually more affiliative and community orientated, which should become the standard within argumentation as opposed to the Adversary Method. I argue that the nonadversarial feminist argumentation model (NAFAM) primarily focuses on one demographic of women's communicative styles – white women. Taking an intersectional approach, I examine practices within African American women's speech communities to illustrate the ways in which the virtues and vices purported by the NAFAM fails to capture other ways of productive


Compulsivity is associated with failures in goal-directed control, an important cognitive faculty that protects against developing habits. But might this effect be explained by co-occurring anxiety? Previous studies have found goal-directed deficits in other anxiety disorders, and to some extent when healthy individuals are stressed, suggesting this is plausible. We carried out a causal test of this hypothesis in two experiments (between-subject N=88; within-subject N=50) that used the inhalation of hypercapnic gas (7.5% CO2) to induce an acute state of anxiety in healthy volunteers. In both experiments, we successfully induced anxiety, assessed physiologically and psychologically, but this did not affect goal-directed performance. In a third experiment (N=1413), we used a correlational design to test if real-life anxiety-provoking events (panic attacks, stressful events) impair goal-directed control. While small effects were observed, none survived controlling for individual differences in compulsivity. These data suggest that anxiety has no meaningful impact on goal-directed control.


This paper presents the results of treatment of post-operative pharyngeal wounds in 54 tonsillectomized patients (residents of the Far North) using a helium-neon laser. The treatment had a significant analgetic and anti-inflammatory effect which was demonstrated by the so-called swallow test, bar-algisimetry, thermometry of the mucosa of the anterior palatine arches and mandibular area, and cytological examination of the exudate from the tonsillar niches. Application of a low energy helium-neon laser in tonsillectomized patients shortens the therapeutic period by 2 days.


Recent developments in nanophotonics have paved the way for achieving significant advances in the realm of single-molecule chemical detection, imaging, and dynamics. In particular, surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is a powerful analytical technique that is now routinely used to identify the chemical identity of single molecules. Understanding how nanoscale physical and chemical processes affect single-molecule SERS spectra and selection rules is a challenging task and is still actively debated. Herein, we explore underappreciated chemical phenomena in ultrasensitive SERS. We observe a fluctuating excited electronic state manifold, governed by the conformational dynamics of a molecule (4,4'-dimercaptostilbene, DMS) interacting with a metallic cluster (Ag20). This affects our simulated single-molecule SERS spectra; the time trajectories of a molecule interacting with its unique local environment dictates the relative intensities of the observable Raman-active vibrational states. Ab initio molecular dynamics of a model Ag20-DMS system are used to illustrate both concepts in light of recent experimental results.


Her2 overexpression and amplification can be found in a significant subset of esophageal adenocarcinomas. The activity of Her2 has been shown to be modulated by molecular chaperones such as HSP90. We analyzed expression/amplification data for HSP90 and Her2 on 127 primary resected esophageal adenocarcinomas in order to evaluate a possible relationship between these two molecules. HSP90 expression determined by immunohistochemistry was observed in various levels. Thirty nine (39) tumors (30.7%) were classified as Her2-positive according to their immunoreactivity and amplification status. There was a significant correlation between HSP90 expression and Her2-status (p = 0.008). This could also be demonstrated by quantitative protein expression analysis with reverse phase protein arrays (r = 0.9; p < 0.001). Her2-status was associated withpT-category (p = 0.041), lymph node metastases (p = 0.049) and tumor differentiation (p = 0.036) with a higher percentage of cases with negative Her2 status in lower tumor stagesA negative Her2-status was also associated with better survival in univariate and multivariate analysis (p = 0.001 and p = 0.014). For HSP90, no associations between clinical and pathological parameters were found. The observed association between HSP90 expression and Her2 suggests a co-regulation of these molecules in at least a subset of esophageal adenocarcinomas. Anti-HSP90 drugs, which recently have been introduced in cancer treatment, may also be an option for these tumors by targeting HSP90 alone or in combination with Her2.


Abstract This article explores the extent to which the research focus areas of the 100 proposals generated by the International Coaching Research Forum (ICRF) in 2008 have been addressed in substantive, primary and evidence-based research. Abstracts of English-language, peer-reviewed research on coaching published from January 2008 to June 2012 were compiled and reviewed and key trends in relation to coverage of research focus areas suggested by the ICRF proposals are summarised. Major gaps remaining in coaching research are identified and priorities for the coaching topics to be studied are recommended, based on the 2008 ICRF proposals.


In this study, finite element modeling of composite beams with distributed piezoelectric sensors and actuators which is based upon a coupled electromechanical model has been considered. For modeling of mechanical displacement through the thickness, a sinus model that satisfies continuity conditions of transverse shear stresses and the boundary conditions on the upper and lower surfaces of the beam has been employed. In the presented model, the number of unknowns is not dependent on the number of layers. The variation of electric potential in each piezoelectric layer has been modeled using layer-wise theory. By applying the virtual work principle (VWP), a formulation has been developed for a two-nodded Hermitian-2(n + 1) layer-wise nodded element for a n-layered beam. The VWP leads to a derivation that could include dynamic analysis. However, in this study only static problems have been considered. Comparison of results obtained from this formulation with available works in the literature, demonstrates efficiency of proposed model in analysis of laminated beams under mechanical and electrical loadings.


As healthcare organisations and governments look to information technology to capitalise and enhance healthcare, the need for effective investment to update existing technology and provide cost-effective infrastructure for the future becomes clear. The issues of defining success and understanding opportunities are crucial to planning optimum investment and the best use of scarce resources.

This book presents papers from the Australian Health Informatics Conference (HIC 2014), held in Melbourne, Australia, in August 2014. With the theme of investing in e-health: people, knowledge and technology for a healthy future, the papers delivered at the conference and included here address the issues of building a future-focused, scalable and adaptable infrastructure and of training the healthcare workforce necessary to support it.

Subjects covered include: user participation in ICT development for older adults; interactive patient websites; application areas of multi-user virtual environments in the healthcare context; as well as governance, training and assessing the quality of data in public health information systems.

The book will be of interest to all those policy makers and practitioners involved in the planning and implementation of information technology projects as part of the healthcare system.


This is the first new rendition for a generation of The City of God, the first major intellectual achievement of Latin Christianity and one of the classic texts of Western civilisation. Robert Dyson has produced a complete, accurate, authoritative, and fluent translation of De civitate dei, edited together with full biographical notes, a concise introduction, bibliography, and chronology of Augustine's life. The result is one of the most important single contributions to the Cambridge Texts series yet published, of interest to students of ecclesiastical history, the history of political thought, theology, philosophy, and late antiquity.


While hydraulic retarder installed on the transmission shaft, both ends of rotating shaft and transmission shaft are directly connected. It needs bracket to be fixed on the automobile frame, deformation of the bracket directly influenced the normal work and life span of the hydraulic retarder. So we must pay more attention to the strength of the bracket during our design. This paper obtained the stress state and the structural deformation situation under different structures, and confirmed the dangerous parts of the bracket by designing two different projects of the bracket and using ANSYS software to analyze the finite elements. It also provided a theoretic basis for further structure optimization and could be a reference for the similar product design.


A convergent, robust, and concise synthesis of a developmental CCR1 antagonist is described using continuous flow technology. In the first approach, following an expeditious SNAr sequence for cyclopropane introduction, a safe, continuous flow Curtius rearrangement was developed for the synthesis of a p-methoxybenzyl (PMB) carbamate. Based on kinetic studies, a highly efficient and green process comprising three chemical transformations (azide formation, rearrangement, and isocyanate trapping) was developed with a relatively short residence time and high material throughput (0.8 kg h−1, complete E-factor = ∼9) and was successfully executed on 40 kg scale. Moreover, mechanistic studies enabled the execution of a semi-continuous, tandem Curtius rearrangement and acid–isocyanate coupling to directly afford the final drug candidate in a single, protecting group-free operation. The resulting API synthesis is further determined to be extremely green (RPG = 166%) relative to the industrial average for molecules of similar complexity.


One of the most effective procedures in the evaluation of degraded areas has been the use of remote sensing. The aim of this work was to evaluate the temporal dynamics of the NDVI and rainfall in detecting the degradation of natural resources in a semi-arid region of Brazil. The area under study is located to the west of the district of Tauá, in the State of Ceará, with a predominance of shrub-like caatinga forest. Rainfall data was obtained from FUNCEME. Ten images (dry season) were acquired from a 27-year historical series (1985-2011) from the TM/LANDSAT5 sensor, later converted to surface reflectance using the FLAASH/ENVI extension; NDVI indices were obtained and divided into six classes corresponding to land usage and occupation. The mean values of the NDVI classes were submitted to statistical analysis and compared by T-test (p<0.05) and the Pearson correlation matrix. It was found that in the years with rainfall above the historical average (1985-1993 and 19962004) there was a significant increase in degraded areas, represented by low values for the NDVI (between 0 and 0.4), due to more land being used for subsistence farming. However, during periods of drought (1993-1996 and 2004-2011), the opposite behaviour was seen, characterised by the natural regeneration of the woody stratum due to agricultural areas being abandoned; behaviour that was evidenced by increases of up to 1,807% in the moderately high class of the NDVI (between 0.6 and 0.8). The spatial and temporal dynamics of the NDVI and the rainfall therefore played a part in detecting evidence of the process of degradation of the caatinga biome in an area of the district of Tauá, in the State of Ceará.


A previously reported method of synthesis for hollow nanospheres has been successfully optimized in this project to produce polypyrrole-chitosan (ppy-chit) hollow nanospheres using low molecular weight chitosan. The product has been Characterized by several techniques, i.e transmission electron microscopy, powder x-ray diffractometry and UV-visible spectrophotometry.' The size and stability were assessed by using a Zetasizer, which has shown a high zeta potential value (>+30 mV), and the size was approximately 80' nm. These results would be favourable for biological purposes; the small size range of these nanospheres could transport a biorriolecule and could penetrate through the tumour vessels and target the tumour passively, and also the positively charged _ nanospheres could interact with negatively charged tumour membrane and could accumulate a loaded drug at the tumour site. Hence these nanospheres were loaded with calcein and nile blue chloride dyes as models for drug compounds. Nile blue chloride proved to be partially adsorbed onto the surface of ppy-chit hollow nanospheres. A release study was conducted on the polypyrrole-chitosan loaded with nile blue chloride in which 88% of the nile blue chloride was released from the hollow nanospheres, indicating that ppy-chit could be a potentially useful drug carrier. Chitosan was proven to release the drugs upon stimuli such as pH change, and polypyrrole could. stimulate the release of drug by inducing local pH lowering, which needs further investigation. It could be a useful drug carrier for treating solid tumours by passive targeting.


Abstract Perinatal specimens give valuable information about the first stages of vertebrate ontogeny. Here, the morphology and palaeohistology of an aristonectine perinatal specimen from Seymour Island (Isla Marambio), López de Bertodano Formation are analysed. The palaeohistological analysis shows incomplete endochondral ossification (retention of a calcified cartilaginous core in the medullary region), predominance of primary bone tissue without secondary remodelling, lack of primary or secondary osteons and of growth marks in the cortical bone, and open vascular spaces not surrounded by a thin coat of lamellar bone tissue. General lines of morphological changes were inferred from comparing the fossil with an adult aristonectine specimen indicating i) a tendency of relatively high and broad posterior cervicals to decrease during ontogeny, ii) a decrease of relative size of the dorsolateral process and an increase of the glenoid ramus and iii) the existence of two separate stages in propodial growth divided into an initial elongation followed by a distal expansion. The presence of a perinatal specimen in the James Ross Archipelago indicates that the region was used as a breeding area by the aristonectines during the last part of the Cretaceous.


The imines with amino substitutent groups were synthesized. It was shown that derivatives of NH2 / NH containing compounds at the carbonyl group of 3-hydroxyimino-5-methyl-2-hexanone are formed as a result of these reactions. The major distinctive physicochemical characteristics and thermal stabilities of the imino oximes were determined. All compounds were preliminary scanned against various strains of microbes to study their biological activity.


New video coding standards such as H.264 offer the flexibility to select from a number of reference frames for motion-estimation for a given predicted frame. In this paper, we propose an optimization algorithm using dynamic programming that exploits this flexibility for multipath streaming simultaneously streaming over two transmission paths with different bandwidths and loss rates. A rounding technique is employed to scale the complexity of the algorithm down at the cost of degrading solution quality. Results show significant streaming quality improvement over a conventional multiple description scheme.


This working paper examines the European Pillar of Social Rights' practical use in the context of European 'soft' governance. It studies how the EPSR has been deployed in the 2018 European Semester and suggests some areas for reform in order to enhance its role in coordinating social policy.


The authors reports the first case of familial polyposis in which the polyps are located only in the stomach, with ten cases in three generations. Histology demonstrated the whole gastric wall was invaded by atypical carcinoma (propositus). There were no skin tumors or osteomas.


For nearly five years, the Swiss National Bank intervened against the Swiss franc to prevent increase of deflation pressures. An unexpected switch in monetary policy was made in January 2015, and the regime was abandoned. In this paper, the authors examine the exchange rate influence on the inflation in Switzerland, separately for the pre-crisis and the intervention period. Using autoregressive models, they quantify the extent of pass-through of an exchange rate shock to different price indices. The results suggest that the exchange rate interventions did indeed enhance the exchange rate pass-through into inflation. Despite the effect's moderate influence, the decline was not immediate. The authors additionally analysed long-term exchange rate pass-through. The examination reveals that the long-term behaviour arises rather from the intervention than from the precrisis period. The exchange rate effect on inflation was thus in a better accordance with theory during the intervention period. As such, currency depreciation did have a positive effect on inflation in Switzerland.


Growth differentiation factor 11 (GDF11) was recently identified as a rejuvenating factor that promoted neurogenesis in aged mice. Previous work has revealed that gdf11 mRNA is expressed in the developing retina, and GDF11 protein can signal retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) to grow dendrites in vitro. The developmental expression pattern of GDF11 in RGCs and the impact of GDF11 on mammalian RGCs remain unknown. The current study investigated 1) the developmental time course of GDF11 expression in RGCs, 2) the effect of GDF11 on RGC survival and axonal growth in vitro, and 3) the mechanisms mediating GDF11 responses in RGCs. Retinae were collected from C57BL/6 wild-type (WT) mice at different developmental stages to evaluate the expression of GDF11 in RGCs. Postnatal RGCs were also cultured in the presence of GDF11 treatment. The results show that GDF11 does not promote axon growth but enhances RGC survival in vitro through activation of pSmad2/3.


OBJECTIVES
We aimed to determine the percentage of suicide attempts attributable to individual Axis I and Axis II mental disorders by studying population-attributable fractions (PAFs) in a nationally representative sample.

METHODS
Data were from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions Wave 2 (NESARC; 2004-2005), a large (N = 34 653) survey of mental illness in the United States. We used multivariate logistic regression to compare individuals with and without a history of suicide attempt across Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Axis I disorders (anxiety, mood, psychotic, alcohol, and drug disorders) and all 10 Axis II personality disorders. PAFs were calculated for each disorder.

RESULTS
Of the 25 disorders we examined in the model, 4 disorders had notably high PAF values: major depressive disorder (PAF = 26.6%; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 20.1, 33.2), borderline personality disorder (PAF = 18.1%; 95% CI = 13.4, 23.5), nicotine dependence (PAF = 8.4%; 95% CI = 3.4, 13.7), and posttraumatic stress disorder (PAF = 6.3%; 95% CI = 3.2, 10.0).

CONCLUSIONS
Our results provide new insight into the relationships between mental disorders and suicide attempts in the general population. Although many mental illnesses were associated with an increased likelihood of suicide attempt, elevated rates of suicide attempts were mostly attributed to the presence of 4 disorders.


Hypervelocity stars are intriguing rare objects travelling at speeds large enough to be unbound from the Milky Way. Several mechanisms have been proposed for producing them, including the interaction of the Galaxy's supermassive black hole (SMBH) with a binary; rapid mass-loss from a companion to a star in a short-period binary; the tidal disruption of an infalling galaxy and finally ejection from the Large Magellanic Cloud. While previously discovered high-velocity early-type stars are thought to be the result of an interaction with the SMBH, the origin of high-velocity late-type stars is ambiguous. The second data release of Gaia (DR2) enables a unique opportunity to resolve this ambiguity and determine whether any late-type candidates are truly unbound from the Milky Way. In this paper, we utilize the new proper motion and velocity information available from DR2 to re-evaluate a collection of historical data compiled on the newly created Open Fast Stars Catalogue. We find that almost all previously known high-velocity late-type stars are most likely bound to the Milky Way. Only one late-type object (LAMOST J115209.12+120258.0) is unbound from the Galaxy. Performing integrations of orbital histories, we find that this object cannot have been ejected from the Galactic centre and thus may be either debris from the disruption of a satellite galaxy or a disc runaway.


The support provided to a decision-maker can be strengthened by utilising the past experience represented in a decision support system (DSS) as a memory aid. Past decision situations represented as cases can be used to build the knowledge base component of the case-based decision support system. The cases recording past decisions become a form of organisational memory to support future decision-making. Development of case-based systems requires identification of suitable cases. This is a knowledge acquisition activity where the relevant information is elicited from an expert decision-maker and represented in a case-based decision support system. This paper examines the issue of eliciting past cases and their characteristics from an expert decision-maker. A method is proposed to facilitate the identification of cases and provide a framework for indexing cases in the case-based decision support system. The method employs techniques from knowledge acquisition where the repertory grid approach is used to generate a set of cases and identify their significant characteristics. The degree to which this set of cases is representative of the domain is investigated using a technique for creative and exploratory thought. The method is illustrated with a practical example and its performance is discussed.Presented at: 1st Australian Workshop on Intelligent Decision Support Systems; 1995 Nov 13-17; Canberra, Australia. p. 25-35


Modern Fourteenth Amendment doctrine is difficult to square with constitutional text. The text of the Equal Protection Clause, for example, makes no distinction between racial classifications and other discriminatory practices; it requires equal protection of the laws for every "person" within a state's jurisdiction. Nor does the text require equal treatment or equal rights; it requires equality only in the "protection of the laws." Yet the Supreme Court assumes that the Equal Protection Clause is implicated whenever a state treats people differently—without pausing to ask whether the state has withheld the equal "protection of the laws." And the Court has created a textually unsupportable distinction between racial discrimination, which it subjects to "strict scrutiny," and other discriminatory practices that receive "rational basis review."
Yet textualism has been enjoying a resurgence in both constitutional and statutory interpretation. This resurgence raises two questions for the Court's equality doctrines. The first is whether those who embrace textualism must reject the Court's equality jurisprudence as textually illegitimate. The second is whether those who embrace the Supreme Court's landmark equality pronouncements must reject textualism as incompatible with those rulings. The answer to both questions is no. Almost all of the Supreme Court's canonical racial-equality decisions have a firm textual foundation in congressional civil rights legislation—a fact that the Supreme Court has all but ignored by insisting on grounding its equality pronouncements exclusively in the Equal Protection Clause. And Congress enacted most of these civil rights statutes before the Supreme Court invoked the Equal Protection Clause to declare a discriminatory practice unconstitutional. So these civil rights statutes can and should be used to supply textual support for the Court's decisions and doctrines, especially in cases where the Equal Protection Clause and other constitutional provisions are textually ill suited for the task.


Feeding performance of herbivorous insects is influenced by host plant nutritional quality which can be improved for insect resistance by artificial selection. This study was conducted to determine which biochemical constituents in maize (Zea mays L.) change during recurrent selection for resistance to first- and second-generation European corn borer (ECB) [Ostrinia nubilalis (Hubner)]. Four cycles of selection (C0, C2, C4, and C5) from the BS9 population were field grown, artificially and naturally infested with ECB, and the following tissues sampled for biochemical analysis: immature and mature leaf blade, leaf sheath, rind, node, and pith. Tissue was analyzed for percent protein, DIMBOA [2,4-dihydroxy-7-methoxy 2H-1,4-benzoxazin-3 (4H)-one], fiber, and cell wall-bound phenolics, which included p-coumaric acid (pCA), ferulic acid (FA), cyclobutane dimers (CBD), and diferulic acid (DFA). Leaf and stalk toughness were also determined and showed significant increases over cycles of selection. Protein content was lowest in stalk tissues with advanced cycles having lower levels, but leaf protein content did not differ significantly. DFA reached high levels in the rind (0.85 mg/g) and leaf sheath (1.35 mg/ g) tissues, and increased significantly in immature leaf tissue (0.55-1.02 mg/g) over cycles of selection and may serve to fortify tender whorl tissue. Number of tunnels per stalk was negatively correlated with DFA content in the pith (r = - 77, P = 0.02). Microspectrophotometer determinations of epidermal cell wall absorbance for leaf blade and rind tissue showed increased absorbances (23 and 27%, respectively) in the spectral region characteristic of phenolic adds over cycles of selection. Phenolic adds, in particular DFA, have increased over cycles of selection to render maize tissue more resistant through fortification of cell walls, especially in leaf and rind epidermal tissue.


The necessity of fostering learning and the development of the scientific mind calls for the exploitation of all the available means that may contribute to a life-long process of development and renovation of the scientific mentality, in both an individual and collective way, and in a
situated manner, transcending formal educational contexts and scientific environments.
Amongst such means, digital games deserve a specific attention. In fact, gaming and games (especially digital games) engender a huge potential to allow enhancing learning processes and contributing to the development of the scientific mind. Such potential can be approached and
understood from two different perspectives: playing games and making games.
From a player's perspective, playing videogames can be conceptualized as a problem-solving activity that requires learning in order to progress and achieve the goals of the game. In fact, players are engaged in activity that resemble scientific processes, since they are required to
identify/define problems to be solved, hypothesize and plan solutions, figure out how to use the available resources, and test the hypotheses, carrying out the planned courses of action through game playing activities.
From a game designer's perspective, making games can be seen as an activity that requires transdisciplinary team efforts to create, plan, test and discuss ideas in an iterative way, in order to understand the dynamics and elements involved in game playing, and design a system which the
player will have to interact with.
To exploit this double-faced potential, it is necessary to acquire knowledge regarding the phenomenon of gaming, and how games can enhance learning and contribute to developing scientific thinking.


Bushmeat is an important source of protein, as well as economic income for communities in sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America. This study was conducted in north-western Serengeti, Tanzania, from July to September of 2019. Two villages were sampled for distance calculation: Kowak and Robanda. The snowballing technique was the sampling design adopted. Trained assistants identified at least one bushmeat vendor in each village to be interviewed, who was thereafter asked to identify another vendor known to him/her. The number of days spent delivering bushmeat packages to the illegal market (an average of 200 km) from the bushmeat source was 16.8 days when using donkeys, 6.8 days when using bicycles, and 2.0 days when using motorcycles. Motorcycles were 8.4 and 3.4 times more efficient than donkeys and bicycles, respectively. Bicycles were 2.5 times more efficient than donkeys. The mean weights of bushmeat packages delivered by donkeys were 188.4 kg and 109.0 kg when using bicycles. Motorcycles delivered 185.0 kg of bushmeat per trip. The mean weights carried by donkeys and motorcycles were 1.7 times higher than those of bicycles. The mean depletion rates of motorcycles were 92.5 kg of bushmeat per day for a distance of 200 km. Bicycles depleted 16.0 kg, while donkeys only depleted 11.2 kg per day to the market. The use of motorcycles in bushmeat transportation increased the efficiency in delivering illegal bushmeat to predetermined illegal markets, and thus resulted in a high depletion rate. Wildlife authorities should introduce patrol systems that include the control of motorcycles close to protected areas. There should be day and night checkpoints in various places, such as large bridges that cannot be avoided and along rural pathways.


Increasing globalization, complexity of capital markets and the expanding range of exotic financial instruments have made financial risk management difficult to evaluate. As a consequence, a rise in use of more sophisticated risk management systems has not led to better results. Most financial data exhibits time varying volatility and heavy tails therefore an appropriate risk measure should capture these features. Volatility patterns reflect different characteristics in different stock markets. The main aim of this study is to improve on volatility estimation by use of Quantile Autoregression frameworks. To avoid strong assumptions about the form of innovations, an initial proxy of volatility estimator is proposed. The estimator is assumed to capture the intraday volatility based on the conditional Interquantile Autoregressive Range. A class of a-mixing time series models based on quantile regression are used and direct estimation of coefficients as introduced by Koenker and Bassett (1978) are adopted. We study the estimation of scale function in the Quantile Autoregressive models discussed. Similar methods used to show the asymptotic properties of conditional autoregressive coefficient estimators are applied to the conditional Interquantile Autoregressive Range (IQAR) estimator and show that under some mild regularity conditions, it is consistent and asymptotically normal. A Monte Carlo study is carried out to verify theoretical properties derived for the estimator which confirms the estimator is consistent. The estimator is fitted to simulated data to show how to perform Risk management and Portfolio Optimization. An application to real data is included to illustrate Financial Risk Management and Portfolio Optimization. CHAPTER


Dynamic spectrum access (DSA) is an integral part of cognitive radio technology aiming at efficient management of the available power and bandwidth resources. The present paper deals with cooperative DSA networks, where collaborating terminals adhere to diverse (maximum and minimum) quality-of-service (QoS) constraints in order to not only effect hierarchies between primary and secondary users but also prevent abusive utilization of the available spectrum. Peer-to-peer networks with co-channel interference are considered in both single- and multi-channel settings. Utilities that are functions of the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) are employed as QoS metrics. By adjusting their transmit power, users can mitigate the generated interference and also meet the QoS requirements. A novel formulation accounting for heterogeneous QoS requirements is obtained after introducing a suitable relaxation and recasting a constrained sum-utility maximization as a convex optimization problem. The optimality of the relaxation is established under general conditions. Based on this relaxation, an algorithm for optimal power control that is amenable to distributed implementation is developed, and its convergence is established. Numerical tests verify the analytical claims and demonstrate performance gains relative to existing schemes.


A novel adaptive force control table for rotary ultrasonic machine tool was developed for processing micro holes. The adaptive force control table, a mechanical balancing device by which the load can be adaptively adjusted without numerical control was adopted as an attachment in an ultrasonic machine tool. To verify the performance, micro holes were drilled on SiC workpiece. The drilling force, tool wear and profiles of these machined micro holes were investigated. According to the experimental results, it is confirmed that the newly developed table attached on the ultrasonic machine tool is an economical and efficient approach for machining micro holes on hard and brittle materials.


the women concerned. Practically all of the potential benefits arise from the detection of five cases of curable malignant disease. The total life expectancy attributable to five women of the same ages as those diagnosed as having ovarian cancer is about 127 years,2 a mean of 25-4 years. Assuming that the women who had their primary cancers discovered on screening would without screening have died immediately, the screening and subsequent treatment of these cancers can have saved a maximum of 3-2 days of life expectancy per screening examination. The early malignancies detected might, however, have manifested themselves only after further symptom free years-indeed they might never have caused symptoms within the lifetime of the patients. There would thus have been a significant lag time before these malignancies produced symptoms. Furthermore, ovarian cancer, though a very serious disease, is not always immediately fatal after diagnosis: the mean survival is more than six years (Thames Cancer Registry, personal communication). The true figure would therefore have been much less than 3 2 days. A total of 115 screening ultrasound scans and 2 6 operations were done per year of life expectancy of the women whose primary cancers were removed. The authors provide no data on the costs in time, morbidity, money, or anxiety attributable to these procedures or on the adverse psychological consequences to the 321 women who had positive results on screening but did not have primary ovarian cancer. These costs of the screening programme are nevertheless important. Indeed, the time spent by the patients in obtaining the ultrasound examination alone may have been greater than the additional life expectancy resulting from entry into the total screening and treatment programme. It seems premature to advocate a programme of general population screening on the evidence of Professor Campbell and colleagues. To do so further data suggesting a higher ratio of benefit to human cost, preferably in a population based randomised controlled trial, would be needed.


Overlapping cDNA clones that encode the full-length human alpha 1(XII) collagen polypeptides were isolated. The long variant molecule cDNA of 9750 nucleotides (nt) contains a 9189-nt open reading frame encoding 3063 amino acid residues. The short variant molecule cDNA of 6258 nt contains a 5697-nt open reading frame encoding 1899 amino acid residues. At the amino terminus of each variant is a 24-residue signal peptide that is followed by the mature polypeptides of 3039 amino acid residues with a calculated molecular mass of 330,759 Da for the long variant and 1875 amino acid residues with a calculated molecular mass of 203,163 Da for the short variant polypeptide. The human collagen XII chains are predicted to have all the structural domains described for the molecules in chicken and mouse, including, fibronectin type III repeats, von Willebrand factor A domains, and two triple-helical domains similar to those of all the other collagen family members. The amino acid residue sequence of human alpha 1(XII) collagen showed 92% identity to the mouse chain and 78% identity to the chicken chain. The sequence of three peptide fragments of collagen XII isolated from human placenta was identical to the sequence predicted from the deduced cDNA sequence and confirms that the cDNA encodes human alpha 1(XII) collagen. An isolated genomic clone was used to map the locus of the COL12A1 gene to chromosome 6q12-q13, very close to the locus of the FACIT collagen genes COL9A1 and COL19A1. RT-PCR on a variety of cDNAs demonstrates that both variant transcripts appear in human amnion, chorion, skeletal muscle, small intestine, and in cell cultures of human dermal fibroblasts, keratinocytes, and endothelial cells. Only the small variant transcript is apparent in human lung, placenta, kidney, and a squamous cell carcinoma cell line. These results confirm the previous observations showing that collagen XII is found in collagen I-containing tissues.


The railroad industry's own desire to maintain their ability to provide safe and secure transport of their customers hazardous materials, has introduced new challenges in rail security. Addressing these challenges is important, as railroads, and the efficient delivery of their cargo, play a vital role in the economy of the country. The present project is designed to satisfy the security needs of the railways. This system provides the security in four ways: automatic gate opening/closing system at track crossing, signaling for the train driver, tracking the signals, and the track protection. The automatic gate opening/closing system is provided with the Reflection sensors placed at a distance of few kilometers on the both sides from the crossing road. These sensors give the train reaching and leaving status to the embedded controller at the gate to which they are connected. The controller operates (open/close) the gate as per the received signal from the Reflection sensors. The train driver always observes the signals placed beside the track. These signals are controlled from the control room. The green light denotes that the track is free and red light denotes the track is busy or damaged. These signals are controlled based on the train position which is sensed by using the Reflection sensors placed along the track. The position of the train can be estimated by using the Reflection sensor placed along the track and is displayed on the control room to indicate the train position along the track. . The track protection is achieved by providing the closed loop along the track. If any crack or cut is occurred to the track simultaneously the same happens to the closed loop. This gives a signal to the controller at the control room. From control room we can give the red signal by knowing the position of the train through the Reflection sensors. Hardware Components: • Micro Controller • IR Sensor • LCD • Gate opening system • Signalling system • Track Protection circuit • Buzzer Software Tools: • Keil u-Vision • Embedded 'C' • Express PCB Applications: • Railway Sector


Abstract The closure of Drake's Bay Oyster Farm in Point Reyes National Seashore, California, ignited a heated local and national conflict regarding the roles of stewardship and conservation and private business in protected areas. It is vital to examine parks and conservation critically to identify places where they are exacerbating resource struggles that often result from globalization and development, in the United States and in other countries. This article uses Foucauldian discourse analysis to identify conflicting discourses present in this conflict and to analyze knowledge and power in relation to issues of resource and land use in protected areas. This analysis highlights differences in scale and logic between the discourse used by local stakeholders, and the discourse used by conservation organizations and Park officials, in the Point Reyes conflict and in other National Parks. Key Words: Political ecology, discourse, aquaculture, oysters, Foucault, National Parks, conservation, land stewardship, Point Reyes, protected areas


The paper asserts that introducing endogenous outside options in the standard incomplete contract framework might reverse some of the main conclusions on incomplete contracts enforcement and on the nature of the firm drawn by the New Institutional Economists. In particular, the explanations of the firm provided by the New Property Rights school (the GHM model) are based on the assumption that agents outside options are not affected by human capital investments. When outside options are endogenous, in order to maximise contractual power in a transactional exchange and/or to increase market share, agents will then be induced to invest a greater amount of economic resources than the neo-classical ideal-type requires. Bilateral enforcement mechanisms are thus affected by the actions selected by agents in order to deter a competitor's entry, and viceversa, competition strategies are affected by the economic incentives promoted by parties for the enforcement of contractual obligations. We label such a complex institutional context cross competition. Such a framework provides an alternative explanation of the firm which helps to understand the diversity of institutional arrangements observed in different economic systems, and suggests that the co-existence of alternative governance structures of the firm could represent a second best response to the market failures which arise in a "cross competition" context.


In the last years, the educational Costa Rican system has experienced significant changes, due to the legal framework, so much in the national and international levels, since the promulgation of the Law 7600 Equality of Opportunities for the Persons with Disability in Costa Rica (Costa Rica, Asamblea Legislativa,1996) to the proposal of the Law 8661 Convention on the Human rights of the Persons with Disability (Costa Rica. Asamblea Legislativa, 2008). Due to the temporary space in which the UNA Quality Education Project emerged in 1998 and the context in which the Educational National System was immersed, particularly at the university level, the pedagogic offer reveals a transition between the rehabilitative model and the social model specifically, within each of these, the respective educational approach that includes procedures of integration and inclusive education. From this perspective, experiences and strategies implemented at the UNA Quality Education Project are presented in order to provide support and follow-up in their vocational training to a group of students who present educational needs at the National University. Thus, it is pretended to make effective their rights to access a high quality education according to their personal and social characteristics, promoting their social and work insertion. Challenges imposed by attention to diversity at the university context represent a defiance that is part of daily activities of the UNA Quality Education Project. These transformations are evident at the permanent redesign of strategies and the employment of technological equipment and specialized software. These changes allow students to access information and to communicate; the advising and training of academicians and the clerical staff, the establishment of collaborative support strategies between members of the university community, as well as the search of cooperation in the national and international area for the development of new initiatives.


: The question to include locomotory disorders into set of symptoms of vibration disease due to local vibration is discussed over years. Studies of clinical symptoms of vibration disease in machinery construction workers demonstrated that bone and joint changes risk depends on intensity of vibration factor and length of exposure to local vibration, as well as on work hardiness. The authors specified X-ray criteria of bone and joint disorders and laboratory markers of bone tissue injury under exposure to local vibration.


The study presents a ferry transport passenger's satisfaction from ferries using Lake Victoria in Tanzania. The objective is to provide a better understanding on whether or not route type (long route or short route) can explain the passengers' satisfaction perceptions on service quality dimensions (convenience satisfaction, customer care satisfaction, technology satisfaction, reliability satisfaction and safety satisfaction). Both primary and secondary data were collected. The questionnaire was the main instrument in primary data collection. Convenient sampling technique was used. Data analysis was performed using independent mean test comparisons and regression analysis. Results under independent mean test comparison showed that there is a statistical significant difference between long route and short route in four satisfaction dimensions, namely, convenience, customer care, technology and reliability. Regression estimates also proved that there is a significant satisfaction decrease between the short route and convenience, customer care, and technology, while they showed that there is a significant passengers' satisfaction increase in service  reliability. The study provides significant implications to operators of ferry companies by providing means to improve passengers' satisfaction. Among other things; they need to consider whether they operate in the short route or the long route. Also for policy makers, the study suggests that they should consider route type in policy formulation and policy implementation nd directives for ferry services Keywords : ferry transport, public transport and customer satisfaction


In this work, a detailed study is conducted to understand how ligand substitution influences the CO2 and N2 adsorption properties of two highly crystalline sodalite metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) known as Cu–BTT (BTT−3 = 1,3,5-benzenetristetrazolate) and Cu–BTTri (BTTri−3 = 1,3,5-benzenetristriazolate). The enthalpy of adsorption and observed adsorption capacities at a given pressure are significantly lower for Cu–BTTri compared to its tetrazole counterpart, Cu– BTT. In situ X-ray and neutron diffraction, which allow visualization of the CO2 and N2 binding sites on the internal surface of Cu–BTTri, provide insights into understanding the subtle differences. As expected, slightly elongated distances between the open Cu2+ sites and surfacebound CO2 in Cu–BTTri can be explained by the fact that the triazolate ligand is a better electron donor than the tetrazolate. The more pronounced Jahn–Teller effect in Cu–BTTri leads to weaker guest binding. The results of the aforementioned structural analysis were complemented by the prediction of the binding energies at each CO2 and N2 adsorption site by density functional theory calculations. In addition, variable temperature in situ diffraction measurements shed light on the fine structural changes of the framework and CO2 occupancies at different adsorption sites as a function of temperature. Finally, simulated breakthrough curves obtained for both sodalite MOFs demonstrate the materials' potential performance in dry postcombustion CO2 capture. The simulation, which considers both framework uptake capacity and selectivity, predicts better separation performance for Cu–BTT. The information obtained in this work highlights how ligand substitution can influence adsorption properties and hence provides further insights into the material optimization for important separations. Graphical Abstract: Asgari et al. Page 2 Chem Mater. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2021 February 18. N IS T A uhor M anscript N IS T A uhor M anscript N IS T A uhor M anscript


The application of political ecology approaches to the study of land degradation since Blaikie and Brookfield's (1987) book are notably scant in the academic literature. This brief review traces the way in which the field of political ecology has evolved towards a tendency to question the extent and 'narratives' of degradation. It illustrates how studies that have examined the causes of degradation have concentrated on single relationships (e.g. between land degradation and poverty or population) albeit recognising the mediating effects of other variables such as institutions; rather than examining the multiple causes operating at different scales as the political ecology approach advocates. The influence of post-structuralism has been strong and some suggest that philosophical debates seem to be leading towards a 'dissolution of political ecology' (perhaps only in its early form). Yet, there are calls for a return to appreciating the influence of political economy on land degradation. Some authors note that it is possible for a revived political ecology approach to benefit from the insights of post-structural political ecology, while still providing a basis for informed policy recommendations.


Abstract The purpose of the study was to analyse the level and the trends of Potential Years of Life Lost due to the main causes of death in Poland in the years 2002-2011. The material for the study was the information from the Central Statistical Office on the number of deaths due to the main causes of death in Poland in the years 2002-2011. The premature mortality analysis was conducted with the use of the PYLL (Potential Years of Life Lost) indicator. PYLL rate was calculated following the method proposed by J. Romeder, according to which premature mortality was defined as death before the age of 70. Time trends of PYLL rate and the average annual percent change (APC - Annual Percent Change) were assessed using jointpoint models and the Joinpoint Regression Program. In the years 2002-2011, PYLL rate for all-cause deaths decreased by 7.0% among men and 8.1% among women. In 2011, the main reasons for PYLL among men were: external causes (27.6%), cardiovascular diseases (24.2%) and cancers (20.3%). Among women the leading causes were: cancers (41.1%), cardiovascular diseases (19.7%) and external causes (12.5%). PYLL rate increased among men for colorectal cancer, and among women for colorectal and lung cancer. The presented epidemiological situation for premature mortality in Poland shows that in the majority of cases it is caused by preventable deaths, which highlights a need to intensify measures in primary and secondary prevention.


Purpose: To describe one center's experience with sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy in patients with eyelid and conjunctival malignancies performed with a smaller volume of technetium than was initially used and a small incision directly overlying the sentinel node(s). Methods: A noncomparative interventional case series of 13 patients with clinically negative regional lymph nodes who underwent SLN biopsy for eyelid or conjunctival malignancies at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center between May 2002 and July 2003. Preoperative lymphoscintigraphy was performed with an injection of 0.3 mCi of technetium Tc-99m sulfur colloid in a volume of 0.2 mL. Images were taken as soon as the first SLN was detected through the gamma camera. Intraoperative mapping was performed with the same volume and concentration of technetium Tc-99m sulfur colloid along with an injection of isosulfan blue dye. Results: Five patients had conjunctival melanoma, 6 had sebaceous cell carcinoma of the eyelid, and 2 had eyelid melanoma. SLN(s) were identified in all patients. In 12 patients, more than 1 SLN was identified. During surgery, no SLNs were blue. One patient with conjunctival melanoma had an SLN that was positive on histologic examination. There were no ocular or extraocular complications from the procedure except for mild temporary weakness of the marginal mandibular branch of the facial nerve in 2 patients that resolved completely within 4 to 6 weeks and without any further intervention. None of the patients had permanent blue tattooing of the conjunctival surface or eyelid skin. Conclusions: Our experience suggests that lymphoscintigraphy and SLN biopsy with a small volume of technetium Tc-99m sulfur colloid and small incisions, even without the use of the blue dye, can identify SLNs in patients with conjunctival and eyelid malignancies, and can be performed safely.


Objectives Musculoskeletal pain is a leading cause of disability globally. In geographically and socioeconomically diverse countries, such as Australia, care seeking when someone experiences musculoskeletal pain is varied and potentially influenced by their individual characteristics, access to practitioners or perceived trustworthiness of information. This study explored how consumers currently access healthcare, how well it is trusted and if sociodemographic factors influenced healthcare utilisation. Design Anonymous online observational survey. Setting Australia. Participants A convenience sample of 831 community-based individuals (18+ years). Outcome measures Descriptive analyses and generalised estimating equations were used to quantify healthcare-seeking behaviours, sources and trust of health information for (A) first-contact practitioners, (B) medical practitioners, and (C) other sources of information. Results Of the 761 respondents, 73% were females, 54% resided in capital cities. 68% of respondents had experienced pain or injury in more than one lower limb joint. Despite this, more than 30% of respondents only sought help when there had not been natural resolution of their pain. Physiotherapists had the highest odds of being seen, asked and trusted for healthcare information. The odds of seeking care from general practitioners were no higher than seeking information from an expert website. Older individuals and women exhibited higher odds of seeking, asking and trusting health information. Conclusion Intelligible and trustworthy information must be available for consumers experiencing lower limb pain. Individuals, particularly younger people, are seeking information from multiple, unregulated sources. This suggests that healthcare professionals may need to invest time and resources into improving the trustworthiness and availability of healthcare information to improve healthcare quality.


Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) face especially increasing pressure to establish efficient business-to-business (b2b) integration solutions and to focus on their core competences, to stay competitive in the globalized economy. As b2b integration solutions are complex and dynamic by nature, SMEs need a properly planned, methodological approach. To guide SMEs in that process this paper introduces a process model for b2b integration. The methodology comprises a thematic analysis focusing on process models in scientific literature, consolidated requirements for the model, and case studies conducted to consolidate and prove the practical applicability of the proposed process model.


This guide is an organized gateway for research on HVAC-related topics. Start here to search for books, articles, images, and other media.


Carbon-Carbon composite materials are widely used as the surface thermal protection systems (TPS) of advanced high-speed air-craft and spacecraft. The thin-walled structures with this kind of materials would exhibit large displacement response under high-level acoustic loads and possibly display buckling at elevated temperatures. Reliable experimental data are difficult to acquire because of the high costs and difficulties with instrumentation at high acoustic intensity and elevated temperatures. Thus, in the design process greater emphasis will likely be placed on improved mathematical and computational prediction methods. Among these researches, the simulation methods for nonlinear response of thin-walled composite panels under thermo-acoustic loadings are being developed emphatically .This paper presents a nonlinear finite element model for analyzing nonlinear random dynamic behaviors of Carbon-Carbon composite panels under the combined effects of thermal and random acoustic loads. The acoustic excitation is assumed to be a band-limited Gaussian random noise and uniformly distributed over the structural surface and the thermal load is assumed to be a steady-state with different predefined temperature distribution. Three types of motion: 1) linear random vibration about one of the two buckled positions, 2) snap-through motion between the two buckled positions, and 3) nonlinear random vibration over the two thermally buckled positions can be predicted. And the dynamic response behaviors of the structures are discussed. Based on this, the influences of sound pressure level (SPL) and elevated temperatures on the dynamic responses are analyzed emphatically.


We present studies of resonance-enhanced photo-ionization for isotope-selective loading of Ca into a Paul trap. The 4s S0 ↔ 4s4p P1 transition of neutral calcium is driven by a 423 nm laser and the atoms are photo-ionized by a second laser at 389 nm. Isotope-selectivity is achieved by using crossed atomic and laser beams to reduce the Doppler width significantly below the isotope shifts in the 423 nm transition. The loading rate of ions into the trap is studied under a range of experimental parameters for the abundant isotope Ca. Using the fluorescence of the atomic beam at 423 nm as a measure of the Ca number density, we estimate a lower limit for the absolute photo-ionization cross-section. We achieve loading and laser-cooling of all the naturally occurring isotopes, without the need for enriched sources. Laser-heating/cooling is observed to enhance the isotope-selectivity. In the case of the rare species Ca and Ca, which have not previously been laser-cooled, the loading is not fully isotope-selective but we show that pure crystals of Ca may nevertheless be obtained. We find that for loading Ca the 389 nm laser may be replaced by an incoherent source.


Brain extraction plays an integral role in image processing pipelines in both human and small animal preclinical MRI studies. Due to lack of state-of-the-art tools for automated brain extraction in rodent research, this step is often performed semi-supervised with manual correction, making it prone to inconsistent results. Here, we perform a multi-model brain extraction study and present a semi-automated preprocessing work�ow and deep neural network with a 3D Residual Attention U-Net architecture as the optimal network for automated skull-stripping in neuroimaging analysis pipelines, achieving a DICE score of 0.987 and accuracy of 99.7%.


The efforts of the EU to facilitate gender justice, have been substantial historically, and are ongoing. An EU gender justice index is to be launched in the near future, adding to other efforts. The index is to be based on recommendations in the Commission funded report towards an EU gender equality index. The paper is a critical discussion of the normative assumptions of this report. It is argued that a full citizenship index should focus on justice, not on productivity; on individual opportunities, not on group-level outcomes; and on equality, but also on liberty and democracy. Two general recommendations are given for index-making. (i) Indicators should be chosen with an eye to the free choice problem. (ii) A justice index should be composed of independent, not dependent, variables.


BAY 1158061 is a potent monoclonal prolactin (PRL) receptor antibody, blocking PRL receptor (PRLR)-mediated signaling in a noncompetitive manner, which was tested in a randomized, placebo-controlled multiple dose study in postmenopausal women. The objective was to investigate safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetic characteristics, and effects of BAY 1158061 on serum PRL level. The study consisted of 4 parallel groups receiving up to 3 subcutaneous (sc) administrations of BAY 1158061 or placebo in 2 different dosing regimens. Twenty-nine healthy postmenopausal women were randomized and treated with BAY 1158061 or placebo: 30 mg at 14-day interval (7 participants), 60 mg at 28-day interval (8 participants), 90 mg at 14-day interval (7 participants), and placebo (7 participants). To keep the blinding, all randomized participants received sc injections biweekly (14-day interval) on 3 occasions in the lower abdomen. The PRLR antibody showed a favorable safety and tolerability profile in postmenopausal women with no distinct differences in occurrence of adverse events in BAY 1158061 or placebo-treated participants. BAY 1158061 displayed low immunogenicity with low titers of antidrug antibodies and absence of neutralizing antidrug antibodies. Pharmacokinetics were characterized by slow absorption after sc administration with median peak plasma concentrations 7 to 11 days after first dose and about 2-fold accumulation after repeated dosing every 2 weeks. The apparent mean elimination half-life was 9 to 16 days. The PRL concentration–time profiles over 24 hours showed no differences between verum- and placebo-treated participants. Based on the data obtained, BAY 1158061 is considered a good candidate for further development in endometriosis or other PRL-mediated disease conditions.


This paper identifies and compares three approaches to study systems of innovation, namely, the national innovation system (NIS), the regional innovation system (RIS), and the sectoal innovation system/technological innovation system (TIS). Based on the descriptions of the common elements, namely actors, interactions and institutions, the differences and features of approaches are summarized. Furthermore, this paper also discusses the strengths of the three approaches while confronting them to the Chinese telecommunication sector. These three approaches map systems of innovation differently, provide a complimentary view, rather than substitutive ones, for constructing a complete configuration of an innovation system. Therefore, the choice of a methodology to analyze of the innovation systems mainly depends on the research purposes and research scopes.