Thymine-functionalized telechelic poly(propylene glycol) (PPG) chains of 460–4000 g mol−1 present a long-range ordered lamellar microphase separation due to thymine crystallization. This organization is lost if the difference of polarity between the H-bonding units and the chain is not sufficiently high to induce segregation, as with a poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) chain. Moreover, the mesoscopic order is gradually lost with the longest PPG chains i.e. with the smallest volume fractions of supramolecular units limiting their clusterization/crystallization. Methylated thymine (MeThy) end-functionalized PPG presents the same lamellar mesoscopic organization, proving that Thy/Thy H-bonding self-association does not drive their crystallization. Infrared spectroscopy evidences that the amide functions linking MeThy motifs to PPG chains interact with each other through H-bonds, forming either a random or an aligned pattern, just like protein secondary structures. On cooling from the melt, disordered H-bonded amides align and pre-order the supramolecular units just prior to the disorder–order transition driven by the MeThy crystallization. The close packing, necessary to induce crystallization, is no longer possible with bulky neo-pentyl functionalized thymines (tBuCH2Thy), preventing mesoscopic organization. Hence, the pattern formed by H-bonded amide links plays a major role in the long-range organization of the telechelic supramolecular polymer in helping supramolecular units to crystallize. Indeed, replacing the amide by an ester link suppresses their crystallization and thus the mesoscopic order.


Anaphylaxis in children is a potential acute life‐threatening systemic hypersensitivity reaction. Anaphylaxis fatality rate is estimated to be 0.65% to 2%. Food is the main anaphylaxis trigger in children, notably cow's milk, peanuts, and tree nuts. Mucocutaneous manifestations are observed in more than 90% of cases, but it is not essential for diagnosis. Deaths are rather secondary to the laryngeal edema, observed in 40%‐50% of cases. Personal history of asthma, allergy to particular foods such as peanuts and tree nuts, and adolescence are known risk factors for anaphylaxis and more severe reactions. Epinephrine (adrenaline) is the medication of choice for the first‐aid treatment of anaphylaxis. However, adrenaline auto‐injectors (AAIs) are commercially available in only 32% of world countries. There are still considerable unmet needs in the field of anaphylaxis in children. Therefore, the Montpellier WHO Collaborating Centre aims to start the global action plan applied to anaphylaxis.


Cell Aging
For scientists, the genetic basis of aging largely remains a mystery. McCormick et al. sought to shed light on this mystery by conducting a 10-year study of the replicative life span (that is, the number of daughter cells that a given cell produces) in 4698 strains of yeast, each of which had a different gene deleted. The authors detected 238 genes that promoted longevity when deleted. They then grouped them into functional categories, the largest being genes that encode components of the ribosome, a large molecular machine that drives protein synthesis. Many genes associated with yeast longevity overlapped with those that regulate this process in Caenorhabditis elegans.

Cell Metab. 10.1016/j.cmet.2015.09.008 (2015).


As clusters and grids become increasingly popular alternatives to custom-built parallel computers, they expose a growing heterogeneity in processing and communication capabilities. Performing an effective load balancing on such environments can be best achieved when the heterogeneity factor is quantified and appropriately fed into the load balancing routines. In this work, we discuss an approach based on constructing a tree model that encapsulates the topology and the capabilities of the cluster. The different components of the execution environment are dynamically monitored and their processing and communication capabilities are collected and aggregated in a simple form easily usable when load balancing is invoked. We used the model, called DRUM, to guide load balancing in the adaptive solution of three numerical problems on various cluster configurations. The results showed a clear benefit from using DRUM, in clusters with computational or network heterogeneity as well as in non-dedicated clusters. The results also showed that DRUM generates a very low overhead.


Despite the increasing popularity of microfabricated biosensors due to advances in technologic and surface functionalization strategies, their successful implementation is partially inhibited by the lack of consistency in their analytical characteristics. One of the main causes for the discrepancies is the absence of a systematic and comprehensive approach to surface functionalization. In this article microfabricated gold electrodes aimed at biosensor development have been systematically characterized in terms of surface pretreatment, thiolated molecule binding, and reproducibility by means of X-ray photoelectron scattering (XPS) and cyclic voltammetry (CV). It has been shown that after SU-8 photolithography gold surfaces were markedly contaminated, which decreased the effective surface area and surface coverage of a model molecule mercaptohexanol (MCH). Three surface pretreatment methods compatible with microfabricated devices were compared. The investigated methods were (i) cyclic voltammetry in dilute H2SO4, (ii) gentle basic piranha followed by linear sweep voltammetry in dilute KOH, and (iii) oxygen plasma treatment followed by incubation in ethanol. It was shown that all three methods significantly decreased the contamination and increased MCH surface coverage. Most importantly, it was also revealed that surface pretreatments may induce structural changes to the gold surfaces. Accordingly, these alterations influence the characteristics of MCH functionalization.


Homogenate preparations from fresh livers of cattle, sheep, swine and rats were assayed for microsomal cytochrome P-450 content, for mixed-function oxidase activities and for a wide array of conjugative activities using numerous xenobiotic substrates. Results show that hepatic enzymatic capabilities toward xenobiotics do not parallel phylogenetic classifications, thus strengthening the view that most of the comparative data available at present is more descriptive than predictive of relationships among species. Livestock species differed widely from rats in having lower activities of benzo(alpha)pyrene hydroxylase, glutathione S-transferase and acetyltransferase toward isoniazid and sulfamethazine and UDP-glucuronosyl-transferase toward bilirubin. Acetyltransferase activities toward beta-naphthylamine and 2-aminofluorene were not detected in livers of livestock species studied. Cattle livers were remarkably high in activities of styrene oxide hydrolase, ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase, 2-naphthol sulfotransferase and p-aminobenzoic acid acetyltransferase; but notably low in activity of glutathione-S-transferase toward sulfobromophthalein and 1,2-dichloro-4-nitrobenzene. Swine livers had low activity of glutathione-S-transferase toward four of six substrates and low acetyltransferase activity toward four of five substrates. Sheep livers generally were higher than cattle livers in sulfo- and UDP-glucuronsyltransferase activities and lower in acetyl- and glutathionyl-S-transferase. Findings emphasize the risk of error in extra-polations among species and in extrapolations among substrates.


One process for retaining experienced, qualified teachers is to provide them with opportunities to grow professionally (Blasé & Blasé, 2001). The intent of this paper is to provide information about meeting the needs of experienced, qualified rural teachers, especially in the area of professional development. A story line of one rural science teacher's journey with professional development opportunities and experiences is shared. Her principal's role is also described. Also included is a comparison between the teacher's experiences and research about professional development. The paper concludes with recommendations for those involved in rural schools, especially in administrative positions will be shared. The recommendations focus on strengthening professional development opportunities and experiences for teachers.


Abstract Genomics tools (gene- and protein-expression studies) can be used to find possible target genes involved in a quantifiable trait or disease state. However in many instances, cells and tissues directly involved in the trait's expression, for example, brain tissue, are not amenable for gene expression analysis. Whole blood cells share a molecular make-up for cellular communication and gene regulation systems with many other cell types, for example, neuronal cells, and have the advantage of being very accessible for gene profiling. We investigated the feasibility of nationwide blood sample collection for lymphocyte RNA isolation and real-time PCR analysis to quantify genomic responses. We tested several designs for blood collection and storage: blood sampling in PAXgene blood collection tubes and storage at −20°C, blood sampling in heparin tubes and decanting the samples (with or without in-vitro stimulus) into either PAXgene blood collection tubes and storage at −20°C, or polypropylene tubes followed by snap-freezing and storage at −80°C. The latter procedure is the best cost-wise when only small amounts of total RNA are needed for downstream applications. Lymphocyte gene expression studies are most likely hampered by the quality of isolated RNA rather than the sampling method. We show that large-scale nationwide sample collections did not alter RNA quality or gene expression levels when compared to sampling and processing in a more controlled way. To this end, we present an optimized protocol for easy and standardized isolation of high quality RNA using the PAXgene isolation kit. Based on these results, we suggest that whole blood genomic data can be used as a genomic probe in experimental and clinical research.


Isolation of Salmonella in food microbiology is accomplished using cultural methods and needs several steps. For this, media for pre-enrichment, selective enrichment, isolation and confirmation have been developed. Several official organisations for standardisation have developed reference methods for the isolation of Salmonella. In general, these use one pre-enrichment medium, one or two different selective enrichment media and two or more isolation media. Finally, presumptive Salmonella colonies are confirmed by biochemical and serological tests. In this chapter the main media used for isolation of Salmonella are reviewed. and some recent developments in culture media for Salmonella are described. Modified pre-enrichment media are sometimes required for specific cases. Modifications include addition of supplements such as antimicrobial compounds, ferrioxamine E or Oxyrase™ to standard media or through the development of new media. For the selective enrichment procedure, motility enrichment in semi-solid media shows equal or better results than the use of the standard liquid selective media. A semi-solid medium has recently been incorporated in an amendment to the International Standard for the detection of Salmonella. New developments try to combine the non-selective pre-enrichment and selective enrichment procedures in one step. Furthermore, chromogenic substrates have become more important in isolation media and new selective agents, such as Inhibigen™, have been developed and used in isolation media.


Analysis of motor activity of recombinant Myosin-1c Hair cells of the inner ear are responsible for hearing and balance. These hair cells are limited in number and do not regenerate following injury. To better appreciate the function of these cells it is important to understand the molecular basis of hearing and the roles of the various molecules involved in this process. The overall goal of our laboratory is to understand the molecular basis of mechanotransduction, a process that converts the mechanical sound wave to an electrical stimulus that is transmitted to the brain. We are specifically interested in the motor protein myosin-1c (Myo1c) that has been previously shown to be involved in the adaptation response, a process that makes the hair cells sensitive to prolonged stimulation. Myo1c is a mechanoenzyme that uses the energy of ATP hydrolysis to power its movement along F-actin. The goal of this research is to examine the motor properties of Myo1c, specifically the role of the neck region of the protein in its ATPase activity. Research with other myosins of the same class has elucidated the importance of the neck length of myosins in their enzyme activity and to date no such reports exist for Myo1c. In addition to hair cells, Myo1c is also expressed in other cell types, such as neurons and adipocytes in culture and is involved in motility and vesicle transport in these cells respectively. Thus understanding the regulation of Myo1c function will also enable us to understand its role in various physiological processes.


Summary
Tissue engineering and regenerative medicine strategies until now have mostly relied
on static culture using chemical stimulation to induce cell differentiation. However,
these strategies neglect the dynamic environment in which cells reside in the body
where they are surrounded by a chemically and physically well-defined threedimensional
(3D) topography. Not only does this environment control cellular
differentiation, but its structure also determines the mechanical function of that
tissue. Alongside physical cues, external mechanical forces play an essential role in
the homeostasis of many tissues, particularly bone. In order to develop tissue
engineered constructs that are suitable for implantation, it may be important to
incorporate these essential cues into pre-culture methods and in order to do this, a
better understanding of the cellular responses is required.
The main aim of this research was to understand how physical and mechanical cues
affect cell behaviour, differentiation and matrix production, with particular emphasis
on osteogenesis and collagen organisation. In order to achieve this, electrospun
scaffolds were fabricated with controllable fibre orientation for studies involving
fibroblast matrix organisation, and the affect on the differentiation of osteoprogenitor
cells. Short bouts of tensile loading were conducted using a previously established
bioreactor model for conditioning collagen-producing cells. A simple rocking
platform method for subjecting cells to fluid-flow was also investigated for its
potential to enhance osteogenesis and collagen organisation. This system was further
used to study the role of the primary cilium for the mechanotransduction of bone
cells. The overall goal was to understand how to manipulate cell differentiation and
matrix production in order to develop a more suitable construct with correct tissue
structure in a rapid manner.
Monitoring of the major structural matrix protein collagen was achieved using the
minimally-invasive technique of second harmonic generation, which was optimised.
Electrospun scaffolds with a random architecture caused cells to deposit matrix in a
similar random manner, however highly aligned scaffolds caused deposited collagen
to orientate in the fibre direction giving superior tensile properties. Further to this,
random fibres appeared to be more favourable for the differentiation of
osteoprogenitor cells than highly aligned substrates.
9
Short bouts of tensile stimulation of collagen producing cells on 3D substrates
caused an increase in collagen deposition. Another stimulation method, a simple
rocking platform, created oscillatory fluid shear stress (FSS) suitable for stimulation
of osteogenic cells and enhanced collagen organisation. Further to this, human
dermal fibroblasts could be induced to form a mineralised matrix when cultured in
osteogenic media, which was further enhanced with FSS.
It was also demonstrated that this simple rocking system could be used to test a wide
variety of loading parameters. Finally, rocking was used to examine the role of the
primary cilium in the load-induced mineral deposition response of bone cells. When
mature bone cells were subjected to FSS, primary cilia shortened in length and
removal of primary cilia resulted in loss of the load-induced matrix response
suggesting that primary cilia are mechanosensors in bone cells.


Inverted base pavements are flexible pavement structures built by placing a top quality compacted granular aggregate base between a rigid cement-treated base and a thin-asphalt surface layer. The proximity of the granular base to the load makes its behaviour critical to the pavement response. Three-dimensional finite-element simulations are conducted to assess the mechanical performance of different inverted base pavement structures, with emphasis placed on pavements that feature thin-asphalt surface layers. A nonlinear constitutive model captures the anisotropic stress-dependent stiffness of the granular base. Results show that the stress distribution within inverted base pavements is markedly different from that of conventional pavements due to the stiffness contrast between successive layers. Thin-asphalt layers deform more uniformly and experience lower tension than thick layers. However, in the presence of combined shear and vertical contact loads, the benefits of a membrane response in thin asphalt concrete layers may be overwhelmed by the increased tensile strain at the load edge. The transition from beam to membrane asphalt response depends on the relative stiffness between the asphalt layer and the aggregate base. In most cases, the transition takes place at an asphalt layer thickness between 25 mm and 50 mm.


NAD(P)H: quinone oxidoreductase-1 (NQO1) protects cells against redox cycling and oxidative stress; however, in cancer cells, NQO1 confers resistance against anticancer agents. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between NQO1 expression and prognosis in patients with advanced (locally advanced or metastatic/ recurrent) colorectal cancer (CRC). A retrospective analysis of 47 patients [28 male and 19 female; median age: 62 years (range, 17-78)] with advanced CRC was conducted. Immunohistochemical examination of tumor tissue specimens was performed using monoclonal anti-NQO1 antibody. The association of NQO1 expression with patient characteristics, chemotherapeutic response, and clinical prognosis was assessed. Therapeutic efficacy (complete response, partial response, stable disease, and progressive disease) was evaluated using Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) version 1.1. We compared the therapeutic efficacy in KRAS wild and mutant CRC because epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-signaling pathway plays a pivotal role in CRC. Of the 47 patients, 31 (66.0%) had KRAS wild CRC and 16 (34.0%) had KRAS mutant CRC. Moreover, 37 (78.7%) had NQO1-positive tumors and 10 (21.3%) had NQO1-negative tumors. Among the patients with KRAS wild CRC, NQO1-negative patients showed significantly better disease control rate (complete response + partial response + stable disease) than NQO1-positive patients (P = 0.028). Moreover, NQO1-negative patients had longer progression-free survival and overall survival than NQO1-positive patients (P = 0.041 and P = 0.043, respectively). NQO1 expression in the tumor may be a predictor of therapeutic efficacy and prognosis in patients with KRAS wild advanced CRC.


The aim of the present work is the modification of a hydrophobic polymeric macromolecule, polymethylmethacrylate, by introducing hydrophilic moieties of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate within the polymer chain. Synthesis, characterization, and drug delivery control capabilities exerted on a highly hydrophobic drug (Paclitaxel) are illustrated. In particular, the dependency of the drug delivery kinetic on the fraction of hydrophilic units inserted in the copolymer chain was studied. Results showed that it is possible to have an increase of the kinetic delivery introducing hydrophilic units. In addition, a double control, diffusive and due to the relaxation of the molecules, on drug delivery was obtained.


Actinomycin D at a dose inhibiting the synthesis of ribosomal RNA (0.15 MUG/ML) BLOCKS THE TRANSITION OF CELLS INTO ACTIVE PROLIFERATION DURING THE FIRST 6 HOURS AFTER PHYTOHAEMAGGLUTININ TREATMENT. The effect of actinomycin D becomes weaker as the cells proceed through the prereplicative period. 1 mug/ml actinomycin D blocks the synthesis of all RNSs. It has been found that actinomycin D at this concentration blocks the transition of cells into the proliferation during the entire prereplicative period.


To understand how technological designs encourage synergistic encounters between people and ideas within socio-technical systems, techniques are needed to bridge between levels of description from process traces such as log data, through individual trajectories of activity that interact with each other, to dynamic networks of associations that are both created by and further shape these interactions. Towards this end, we have developed an analytic hierarchy and associated representations. Process traces are abstracted to contingency and uptake graphs: directed graphs that record observed relationships (contingencies) between events that offer evidence for interaction and other influences between actors (uptake). Contingency graphs are further abstracted to associograms: two-mode directed graphs that record how associations between actors are mediated by digital artifacts. Patterns in associograms summarize sequential patterns of interaction. Transitive closure of associograms yields sociograms, to which existing network analytic techniques may be applied. We discuss how the hierarchy bridges between theoretical levels of analysis.


The possibility of improving a two-stage (68 degrees C/55 degrees C) anaerobic digestion concept for treatment of cattle manure was studied. In batch experiments, a 10-24% increase of the specific methane yield from cattle manure and its fractions was obtained, when the substrates were inoculated with bacteria of the genus Caldicellusiruptor and Dictyoglomus. In a reactor experiment inoculation of a 68 degrees C pretreatment reactor with Caldicellusiruptor resulted in a 93% increase in the methane yield of the pretreatment reactor for a period of 18 days, but gave only a slight increase in the overall methane yield of the two-stage setup.


This paper proposes a new approach to estimating high dimensional time varying parameter structural vector autoregressive models (TVP-SVARs) by taking advantage of an empirical feature of TVP-(S)VARs. TVP-(S)VAR models are rarely used with more than 4-5 variables. However recent work has shown the advantages of modelling VARs with large numbers of variables and interest has naturally increased in modelling large dimensional TVP-VARs. A feature that has not yet been utilized is that the covariance matrix for the state equation, when estimated freely, is often near singular. We propose a specification that uses this singularity to develop a factor-like structure to estimate a TVP-SVAR for 15 variables. Using a generalization of the re-centering approach, a rank reduced state covariance matrix and judicious parameter expansions, we obtain efficient and simple computation of a high dimensional TVP-SVAR. An advantage of our approach is that we retain a formal inferential framework such that we can propose formal inference on impulse responses, variance decompositions and, important for our model, the rank of the state equation covariance matrix. We show clear empirical evidence in favour of our model and improvements in estimates of impulse responses.


Purpose We evaluated the safety, feasibility, and early treatment outcomes of intraoperative radiotherapy (IORT) using a low-energy X-ray source. Materials and Methods Patients with resectable pancreatic cancer were enrolled in this single-institution, prospective, single-arm, phase II trial. Patients underwent surgery and IORT with 10 Gy prescribed at a 5-mm depth from the tumor bed using a 50 kV X-ray source (Intrabeam, Carl Zeiss). Six cycles of adjuvant gemcitabine-based chemotherapy were administered 8–12 weeks after surgery. Results A total of 41 patients were included. Thirty-one patients (75.6%) underwent wide R0 resection, while 5 (12.2%) underwent R1 resection and 5 (12.2%) underwent narrow R0 resection (retroperitoneal margin <1 mm). Grade 3 postoperative complications were reported in only one patient (4.9%) who needed additional surgery due to ulcer perforation. At a median follow-up of 9 months, four patients showed local-only recurrence, nine had distant metastases, and two showed both local and distant recurrence. The 1-year local control rate was 76.4%. Conclusion Our preliminary report suggests that IORT is well-tolerated and feasible in patients with resectable pancreatic cancer. Further follow-up is needed to confirm the clinical benefits of IORT in terms of local control and overall survival. Trial Registration: Clinical trial registration No. (NCT03273374).


Environmental recovery in the aftermath of a biological incident is one of the key areas to consider when tailoring a response to protect human health and minimise the spread of the biological agent(s) involved. However, recent studies have highlighted general national and international emergency weaknesses including a lack of preparedness in health care professionals and emergency responders to tackle these events. We undertook a web-based, non-systematic search for biological response training in human health undergraduate programmes in the UK, by using the GoogleTM search engine. To the best of our knowledge, there are no undergraduate courses in the UK that directly address this topic. Only a few postgraduate programmes present some information about responding to biological incidents but they do not cover the different phases of a biological incident response, which are: preparedness and situation assessment; exposure assessment; acute health effects; long term health effects; and recovery phase. In order to develop appropriate training, academics from De Montfort University (DMU, Leicester, UK) and the University of Alcalá (Spain) in collaboration with first responders (biomedical scientists) to the 2014-16 Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone, have developed specific training for undergraduate human health degree students to respond to biological incidents. We have created basic competences to develop this training and distributed them into six domains following the recommendations of the European Commission for medical responders to CBRN emergencies [1]: identification of the risk and risk analysis; toxicological effect of biological agents; planning and organisation of an intervention programme; environmental planning; communication and information management; safety and personal protective equipment; societal and ethical reflections. Following the basic competences created, we developed different training sessions with two components, theoretical (lectures and seminars) and practical (research-led workshop), to cover each of the different phases of an appropriate response to any biological incident. The specific training that covers the recovery phase has been delivered to postgraduate students from the MSc programme in Advanced Biomedical Science at DMU since 2016/17 due to the more manageable student number, time available to deliver the training and greater background knowledge of the class. The analysis of the feedback provided by the first cohort of students indicated high levels of engagement and interest in this training session. We performed some minor modifications following the students' feedback and delivered it this academic course 2017/18 (n=9) to gain more information about its effectiveness in facilitating the specific basic competences covered in this training including the resources used to tailor a recovery response to the case scenario proposed (an outbreak due to Cyclospora spp.) such as the UK Recovery Handbook for Biological Incidents (UKRHBI; PHE, 2015 [2]). All students were satisfied with this training and all highlighted that the tools used aided their learning about environmental recovery (33.3% agreed; 66.7% strongly agreed). All participants indicated that the UKRHBI was an appropriate resource for tailoring a recovery response. Finally, students indicated that they would have liked to have more time to develop a response to the case scenario proposed (the workshop was 2 hours long).


"Real" cybersecurity today devotes enormous effort to non-code vulnerabilities and responses. This essay proposes a Pedagogic Cybersecurity Framework (PCF) for categorizing and teaching the jumble of non-code yet vital cybersecurity topics. The PCF adds three layers beyond the traditional seven layers in the Open Systems Interconnection model. In the framework, Layer 8 is organizations, often studied in business schools. Layer 9 is government, often studied in law and public policy schools. Layer 10 is international, often studied in international relations programs.
The PCF creates a 3x3 matrix that refines which institutions are involved in each area of cyber-vulnerability or response. Each of the three columns refines the sorts of institutions making the decisions. For each layer, Column A contains issues arising within the institution - the organization or nation. Column B contains issues defined by relations with other actors at that level. Column C contains issues where other limits arise from actors at the same layer of the stack.
For students, the PCF provides context for how all the issues fit together, to ensure they understand the "big picture". The framework also clarifies the scope of a cyber-curriculum. Some classes, for instance, focus primarily on how a CISO or company should manage a company's risks (layer 8). Others are mostly about international affairs (layer 10), perhaps with discussion of national cybersecurity laws (Cell 9A). The PCF enables program directors and students to concisely describe the coverage of a cybersecurity class or curriculum.
The 3x3 matrix clarifies a research agenda for those seeking to identify and mitigate non-code cyber problems. Researchers can develop an issue list for each cell, along with canonical readings to assign in general examinations. For cybersecurity practitioners, the sheer volume of issues identified in the 3x3 matrix drives home the growing significance of non-code issues – bad decisions in any part of the matrix can negatively affect cybersecurity.
In sum, the PCF provides a parsimonious way to identify and develop a response to the growing number of non-code cyber risks. The 3x3 matrix visually categorizes and communicates the range of non-code cybersecurity issues. No longer can "real" cybersecurity refer only to technical measures. Instead, a large and growing amount of cyber-risk arises from problems at layers 8, 9, and 10. By extending the stack to these ten layers, we gain an effective mental model for identifying and mitigating the full range of these risks.


Plasmonic lasers (spasers) generate coherent surface-plasmon-polaritons (SPPs) and could be realized at subwavelength dimensions in metallic cavities for applications in nanoscale optics. Plasmonic cavities are also utilized for terahertz quantum-cascade lasers (QCLs), which are the brightest available solid-state sources of terahertz radiation. A long standing challenge for spasers is their poor coupling to the far-field radiation. Unlike conventional lasers that could produce directional beams, spasers have highly divergent radiation patterns due to their subwavelength apertures. Here, we theoretically and experimentally demonstrate a new technique for implementing distributed-feedback (DFB) that is distinct from any other previously utilized DFB schemes for semiconductor lasers. The so-termed antenna-feedback scheme leads to single-mode operation in plasmonic lasers, couples the resonant SPP mode to a highly directional far-field radiation pattern, and integrates hybrid SPPs in surrounding medium into the operation of the DFB lasers. Experimentally, the antenna-feedback method, which does not require the phase matching to a well-defined effective index, is implemented for terahertz QCLs, and single-mode terahertz QCLs with beam divergence as small as 4 x 4 degree are demonstrated, which is the narrowest beam reported for any terahertz QCL to-date. Moreover, in contrast to negligible radiative-field in conventional photonic band-edge lasers, in which the periodicity follows the integer multiple of half-wavelength inside active medium, antenna-feedback breaks this integer-limit for the first time and enhances the radiative-field of lasing mode. The antenna-feedback scheme is generally applicable to any plasmonic laser with a Fabry-Perot cavity irrespective of its operating wavelength, and could bring plasmonic lasers closer to practical applications.


The inforrmation age continues to transform the mechanics of integrating electric power devices and systems, from coordinated operations based purely on the physics of electric power engineering to an increasing blend of power with information and communication technology. Integrating electric system components is not just about attaching wires. It requires the connection of computer-based automation systems to associated sensing and communication equipment. The architectural impacts are significant. Well-considered and commonly held concepts, principles, and organizational structures continue to emerge to address the complexity of the integrated operational challenges that drive our society to expect more flexibility in configuring the electric power system, while simultaneously achieving greater efficiency, reliability, and resilience. Architectural concepts, such as modularity and composability, contribute to the creation of structures that enable the connection of power system equipment characterized by clearly defined interfaces consisting of physical and cyberlinks. The result of successful electric power system component connection is interoperation: the discipline that drives integration to be simple and reliable.


ABSTRACT Introduction Older adults with HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND) are at high risk for deficits in the resource-demanding, strategic aspects of prospective memory (PM) that can adversely affect health outcomes. This study examined the frequency and correlates of spontaneous compensatory strategy use during a laboratory-based PM task and its associations with the use of mnemonic strategies in daily life. Method Participants included 53 older adults with HAND, 89 older persons with HIV without HAND, and 62 seronegatives who completed the Cambridge Prospective Memory Test (CAMPROMPT), on which the type, frequency, and quality of their compensatory strategy use was quantified. Participants also completed self-report measures of PM symptoms and the frequency of mnemonic compensatory strategy use in daily life. Result There were no significant group-level effects on strategy use during the CAMPROMPT. Persons with HAND had moderately lower time-, but not event-based PM scores. Higher compensatory strategy use was strongly associated with better PM, particularly for time-based cues. Moreover, higher compensatory strategy use on the CAMPROMPT was associated with more frequent general mnemonic strategy use in daily life, and specifically with more frequent use of internal PM strategies (e.g., visualization) for medication adherence. Conclusion Spontaneous compensatory mnemonic strategy use can support PM performance among older adults with HAND in the laboratory. Strategy use in the laboratory may be a marker for the extent to which older adults with HAND use other compensatory strategies to support memory in their daily life. Future studies may examine whether compensatory mnemonic strategies can be taught and used to support PM in the daily lives of older persons with HIV disease.


The energy and environmental problems, which have arisen due to the significant increase in energy consumption, require the implementation of energy efficiency measures in the building sector which is the main source of primary energy consumption in Turkey. In this regard, in order to decrease the energy demand of buildings, supporting for in situ energy production and promoting the use of renewable energy sources, which are contributing causes to the self-sustainable buildings, take precedence over the other measures for resolving the energy related challenges of Turkey and dealing with the sustainability issues. Therefore, this paper aims to introduce a study on the assessment of the energy potential of the photovoltaic (PV) system considering a multi criteria evaluation which involves both economic convenience and environmental impacts. This study was conducted for five climate zones of Turkey through an evaluation that accounts for the crucial parameters related to the energy, economic and environmental analysis which have considerably impact on the promotion of PV system applications in terms of the energy renovation of existing residential buildings. The findings of the study can serve to underscore the potential PV profitability concerning the achievement of low carbon economy target of Turkey.


Furrow irrigation erosion redistributes topsoil by eroding upper
ends of fields and depositing sediment on downslope portions causing
a several fold topsoil depth difference on individual fields. This
investigation was conducted to evaluate the effects of this erosion
and deposition process on crop yield and to develop crop yield-topsoil
depth relationships. Studies were conducted on 14 farmer-operated
fields and on field plots with a continuous topsoil depth gradient
from 10 to 66 cm. Severe erosion on the upper ends of fields combined
with tillage has mixed light-colored subsoil with topsoil and
caused these areas to become whitish in color. Crop yields have
sharply decreased on these whitish areas compared to areas where
the topsoil depth is 38 cm, or the original depth. Yields were increased,
but less sharply, where sediment deposition has increased
topsoil depth above 38 cm up to a depth of about 66 cm. Yield-topsoil
depth relationships followed the equation Y = a+b 1nX with
significant correlation coefficients for wheat (Triticum aestivum L.),
sweet corn (Zea mays L.), barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), alfalfa
(Medicago sativa L.), dry beans (Phaseolus sap.) and sugarbeets (Beta
vulgaris L.). Yield decreases per unit loss of topsoil were greatest
for wheat and sweet corn and least for sugarbeets. Yields on whitish
soil areas could not be improved more than indicated by these relationships
by adding additional fertilizer phosphorus or potassium.


The paper focuses on the relationship between cities and people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Specifically, this research aims to provide practical guidelines on how to design urban policies and urban design projects, such that they improve the capabilities of people with ASD to walk across the city and access relevant public urban spaces and facilities. Although this is a well-defined field of research, this paper should be seen as a contribution to the debate on the understanding of disability as a product of processes of human-environment interaction and as an attempt to address issues of mobility for people with disabilities by taking into account their personal characteristics and capabilities. Current methodological and operational efforts on the role of spatial configuration as a means for improving the autonomy of people with ASD focus almost exclusively on the design of closed, separated, private spaces, devoted only to people with ASD (mainly children). Starting from these considerations, the paper describes a research project aimed at defining an integrated set of urban mobility policies and extra-small urban design projects to provide people with ASD a real opportunity of using their city.


Now in its second edition, this volume provides an up to date, accessible, yet authoritative introduction to feedback on second language writing for upper undergraduate and postgraduate students, teachers and researchers in the areas of TESOL, applied linguistics, composition studies and EAP. Chapters written by leading experts emphasize the potential that feedback has for helping to create a supportive teaching environment, for conveying and modelling ideas about good writing, for developing the ways students talk about writing, and for mediating the relationship between students' wider cultural and social worlds and their growing familiarity with new literacy practices. In addition to updated chapters from the first edition, this edition includes new chapters which focus on new and developing areas of feedback research including student engagement and participation with feedback, the links between SLA and feedback research, Automated computer feedback and the use by students of internet resources and social media as feedback resources.


We consider the scalar field profile around relativistic compact objects such as neutron stars for a range of modified gravity models with screening mechanisms of the chameleon and Damour-Polyakov types. We focus primarily on inverse power law chameleons and the environmentally dependent dilaton as examples of both mechanisms. We discuss the modified Tolman-Oppenheimer-Volkoff equation and then implement a relaxation algorithm to solve for the scalar profiles numerically. We find that chameleons and dilatons behave in a similar manner and that there is a large degeneracy between the modified gravity parameters and the neutron star equation of state. This is exemplified by the modifications to the mass-radius relationship for a variety of model parameters.


BACKGROUND AND AIMS
Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi play a key role in the phosphate (P) uptake of many important crop species, but the mechanisms that control their efficiency and their contribution to the P nutrition of the host plant are only poorly understood.

METHODS
The P uptake and growth potential of two soybean genotypes that differ in their root architectural traits and P acquisition efficiency were studied after colonization with different AM fungi and the transcript levels of plant P transporters involved in the plant or mycorrhizal P uptake pathway were examined.

KEY RESULTS
The mycorrhizal growth responses of both soybean genotypes ranged from highly beneficial to detrimental, and were dependent on the P supply conditions, and the fungal species involved. Only the colonization with Rhizophagus irregularis increased the growth and P uptake of both soybean genotypes. The expression of GmPT4 was downregulated, while the mycorrhiza-inducible P transporter GmPT10 was upregulated by colonization with R. irregularis Colonization with both fungi also led to higher transcript levels of the mycorrhiza-inducible P transporter GmPT9, but only in plants colonized with R. irregularis were the higher transcript levels correlated to a better P supply.

CONCLUSIONS
The results suggest that AM fungi can also significantly contribute to the P uptake and growth potential of genotypes with a higher P acquisition efficiency, but that mycorrhizal P benefits depend strongly on the P supply conditions and the fungal species involved.


Olive farming is one of the most important occupations in Messenia, Greece. The region is considered the largest olive producer in the country and it is recognized as a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) for Kalamata olive oil, which is considered extra fine. In response to the declining trend of organic olive farming in Greece, this study assesses to what extent organic olive farming in Messenia provides a financially and environmentally competitive alternative to conventional olive farming. In this study, 39 olive farmers (23 conventional and 16 organic) participated in interviews based on questionnaires. The results showed that organic olive farming is significantly more profitable than conventional farming, primarily because of a higher price for organic olive oil. Despite this, the majority of the conventional farmers perceived a low profit from organic farming as the main constraint to organic olive farming. All farmers agreed that organic olive farming contributed to a better environment, health and quality of olive oil. Organic farmers used fewer synthetic pesticides and fertilizers and applied more environmentally-friendly ground vegetation management techniques than conventional farmers. Overall, organic farming was found to provide a competitive and sustainable alternative to conventional olive farming in Messenia.


Torus mandibularis (TM), or mandibular tori, are nodular, excessive bony growths along the lingual side of the lower jaw. TM occurs in varying frequencies in different populations with a higher prevalence in Asiatic and circumpolar groups. The tori are associated with mechanical stress from masticatory and paramasticatory behaviors, heredity, sex, age, and environmental factors. We investigated the presence, location, symmetry, and degree of TM frequencies in two skeletal populations with cultural, biological, and geographical affinities: 15th–18th-century Joseon Dynasty Koreans (n = 119) and 20th–21st-century modern Koreans (n = 77). TM frequency is significantly higher among modern Koreans (54.6%) than Joseon Dynasty individuals (13.3%) for females and males. There are no sex differences in TM prevalence in the archaeological and modern groups and an age-related trend in the TM frequency is not observed in either sample. Our results are consistent with the literature, which reports a higher frequency in Asiatic populations, but contrary to the general worldwide trend of decreasing prevalence over time. Modern Koreans have not undergone significant dietary changes since the Joseon Dynasty, and the quasicontinuous model with external factors may be responsible for the development of TM.


In the latest high-speed and high-acceleration NC machine tools, the structural vibration is one of the most critical factors to deteriorate the machine's contouring performance. Particularly on such a machine, the parameters in a CNC servo control system must be carefully tuned, since too high response of the latest CNC units often causes severe structural vibration. This paper presents a practical servo tuning method for high-speed machine tools to optimize its contouring accuracies. In order to reduce the structural vibration with the minimum sacrifice of control bandwidth, the tuning is based on iterative measurement and simulation of the machine's contouring performance. A case study shows that a proper tuning of servo parameters significantly reduces the structural vibration and improves the machine's overall contouring accuracy.


Lima bean pod borer (LBPB), Etiella zynckenella Trietschke, is major insect pest of soybean in Indonesia. Currently it was also reported attacking groundnut in some parts of Sumatera causing serious yield loss. Insecticide treatment is not only ecologically unsafe, but also is not practical due to concealed behavior of the larvae within pods below soil surface. Systemic insecticide might be so but unsafe as it might leave unaccepted residue in harvested pods. It is clear that safer more effective technology such as biological control is badly needed. A Field study was conducted at the University of Bengkulu Research Station in 2012-2013. The objectives was to determine the effectiveness of non  local strain of entomopathoegen nematode (EPN), Sterinenema carpocapsae , to control LBPB attacking groundnut. Groundnut seeds were sewed in plots which were later treated with S. carpocasae produce by Biological Control Laboratory University of Jember at the dose of 500.000 JI m -2 . EPN was sprayed upon plants and soil surface twice at plant age of 45 and 65 days after sewing (DAS). There were insecticide treatment and control plots as comparison. Observations of damaged pods and the presence of LBPB larvae were done at plant age of 63, 77,  90 DAS and at the haevesting date. Data were subjected to analysis of variance and the means of damaged pods were separated with least significant different (LSD). The result revealed that in two years study,  damaged pods consistently tended to be less in plots treated with S. carpocasae or insecticide than those in controls, indicating that it might be effective against PLPB. The lack of significant different between EPN treated and control  plots might be as a result of low percentages of EPN larval survival due shipment problem (i.e. inappropriate packaging and long transportation that toke several days) or it might be that the strain was less adapted yet to local conditions. I speculate that local strain of EPN might be more effective to control LBPB attacking groundnut.


This article does not present one long rant about the state of our field. Rather, it articulates a series of 22 mini rants—short rants that do not exceed 116 words in length. The mini rants range from theory generation; to the positioning of articles in our field; to hypothesis generation; to data, methods analysis, and results; to academic writing; and to our field in general. The shotgun approach presented by mini rants serves as a device to maximize the number of potential thoughtful, or even rant-like, responses to each of the author's mini rants.


Authigenic NH 4 -bearing illites in coal fractures from the Anthracite region of eastern Pennsylvania yield individual K/Ar dates of 236-253 Ma (±8 m. y.) and a composite isochron of 253 Ma (±8 m.y.). Rb/Sr data for the same samples indicate an isochron of 260 Ma (±44 m.y.), consistent with the more precise K/Ar data. The age of NH 4 -bearing illite authigenesis should reflect the time at which coal attained anthracite rank, because mineralogical and geochemicai evidence indicates that NH 4 -bearing illite formed exclusively during anthracite formation (T = 200-275 °C) from organically derived nitrogen and a kaolinite precursor. Similar Late Permian K/Ar dates for both NH 4 -rich illite and K-illite in anthracite fractures and lack of correlation between percent NH 4 substitution in illite and the K/Ar date suggest that NH 4 does not influence significantly the closure temperature of illite and,thus, that NH 4 -rich illite can be used for dating the time of authigenesis. Given the uncertainties in closure temperatures for illite as well as the maximum temperatures for anthracite formation, we consider the oldest K/Ar date of 253 Ma (±8 m.y.) to be a minimum age for NH 4 -illite authigenesis and anthracite formation. Based on the retention of a detrital age signature in the Re-examination of syn- and post-folding secondary chemical remanent magnetizations in rocks from the central Appalachians indicates a late Early to Late Permian age (260-250 Ma) for Alleghanian deformation in the vicinity of the Anthracite region. The age of folding is similar to the 265-255 Ma age range for anthracite formation interpreted from illite dates and is consistent with previous studies of vitrinite reflectance fabrics in coal, which indicate that anthracite formation occurred prior to and during folding. Thus, age data in conjunction with paleomagnetic and vitrinite reflectance data allow a time period of 25-35 m.y. for anthracite formation and Alleghanian deformation, beginning after deposition of the coal in Late Pennsylvanian or Early Permian time (ca. 290-280 Ma) and concluding by the Late Permian time (ca. 260-250 Ma), significantly longer than previous estimates of less than 15 m.y. for this thermal/tectonic event.


Abstract. Rapid growth of industrialization, transportation, and urbanization has caused increasing emissions of ozone (O3) precursors recently, enhancing the O3 formation in eastern China. We show here that eastern China has experienced widespread and persistent O3 pollution from April to September 2015 based on the O3 observations in 223 cities. The observed maximum 1 h O3 concentrations exceed 200 µg m−3 in almost all the cities, 400 µg m−3 in more than 25 % of the cities, and even 800 µg m−3 in six cities in eastern China. The average daily maximum 1 h O3 concentrations are more than 160 µg m−3 in 45 % of the cities, and the 1 h O3 concentrations of 200 µg m−3 have been exceeded on over 10 % of days from April to September in 129 cities. Analyses of pollutant observations from 2013 to 2015 have shown that the concentrations of CO, SO2, NO2, and PM2.5 from April to September in eastern China have considerably decreased, but the O3 concentrations have increased by 9.9 %. A widespread and severe O3 pollution episode from 22 to 28 May 2015 in eastern China has been simulated using the Weather Research and Forecasting model coupled to chemistry (WRF-CHEM) to evaluate the O3 contribution of biogenic and various anthropogenic sources. The model generally performs reasonably well in simulating the temporal variations and spatial distributions of near-surface O3 concentrations. Using the factor separation approach, sensitivity studies have indicated that the industry source plays the most important role in the O3 formation and constitutes the culprit of the severe O3 pollution in eastern China. The transportation source contributes considerably to the O3 formation, and the O3 contribution of the residential source is not significant generally. The biogenic source provides a background O3 source, and also plays an important role in the south of eastern China. Further model studies are needed to comprehensively investigate O3 formation for supporting the design and implementation of O3 control strategies, considering rapid changes of emission inventories and photolysis caused by the Atmospheric Pollution Prevention and Control Action Plan released by the Chinese State Council in 2013.


Objectives To describe the findings in cerebrospinal fluid from patients with acute headache that could distinguish subarachnoid hemorrhage from the effects of a traumatic lumbar puncture. Design A substudy of a prospective multicenter cohort study. Setting 12 Canadian academic emergency departments, from November 2000 to December 2009. Participants Alert patients aged over 15 with an acute non-traumatic headache who underwent lumbar puncture to rule out subarachnoid hemorrhage. Main outcome measure Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage requiring intervention or resulting in death. Results Of the 1739 patients enrolled, 641 (36.9%) had abnormal results on cerebrospinal fluid analysis with >1×106/L red blood cells in the final tube of cerebrospinal fluid and/or xanthochromia in one or more tubes. There were 15 (0.9%) patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage based on abnormal results of a lumbar puncture. The presence of fewer than 2000×106/L red blood cells in addition to no xanthochromia excluded the diagnosis of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage, with a sensitivity of 100% (95% confidence interval 74.7% to 100%) and specificity of 91.2% (88.6% to 93.3%). Conclusion No xanthochromia and red blood cell count <2000×106/L reasonably excludes the diagnosis of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. Most patients with acute headache who meet this cut off will need no further investigations and aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage can be excluded as a cause of their headache.


A common method to obtain workspace extension of the slave's workspace is through rate control because it has an unlimited workspace of the slave. However, when contact interaction with the remote environment is needed, position control is often proposed due to the force feedback. To benefit from the strengths of both of these control types, hybrid designs have been proposed which combine both position and rate control within one design. Human factors evaluation is lacking to compare benefits and limitations of hybrid designs against the two common applied workspace extension designs: indexing and rate control. None of the hybrid designs were evaluated for various tasks such as a force task. Therefore, the objective of this study is to evaluate if a hybrid design can combine the strengths of large free-space motion for rate control, and accurate positioning and executing a force task for indexing. In this research, a hybrid design was developed (based on existing designs) in which force feedback for rate control was added. A within subject human-in-the-loop haptic teleoperation experiment (N=12) was performed to compare performance for this hybrid design against indexing and rate control for a task including traversing a substantial distance (free-space subtask) and exerting a constant force against a remote environment (force subtask). The results show that the hybrid design allowed subjects to realize similar performance for the subtask free-space motion as for rate control, in combination with similar performance for the subtask exerting a force as for position control with clutching. This indicates that this hybrid workspace extension design enables the operator to use the benefits of position and rate control.


The paper glosses the pragmatic inference of presupposition in a way different from what has been mentioned elsewhere in the previous researches. All researches conducted on this inference viewed it as an internally linguistic system. To have figured it that way, the writer of This paper thinks that is the main reason which made a linguist like Levinson (1983) to consider it as partially understood after Frere's (1952) remarks on the subject. Basing its data on some authentic texts taken from media besides making use of the English philosopher Francois Bacon's Four Idols, the writer of this paper has contributed on the field by considering this inference as an external and cultural linguistic item which can always help extend the discourse analysis of interlocutors. Many current studies have described linguistics pragmatics as to read into or compute out from a particular utterance meanings which truth conditional semantics could not captured. It is believed, however, that there is a paradox here to describe linguistic pragmatics as such, and at the other extreme to describe presupposition as a pragmatic inference which triggers its meaning from the internal system of language. Drawing on some literature on the subject, the writer of this paper has attempted to reconcile between these two extremes. The difference which makes the differences among pragmatics inferences of deixis, implicature, speech acts and presupposition has clearly shown in this paper. It has been observed that the literature on these inferences has described them as if they were one inference, however, they are different in the job they do to linguistic pragmatics. The present work illustrates these differences.


Abstract In this study, the mechanical behavior of titanium (ASTM Grade 2) alloy sheet, resistance spot welded with 5754 aluminum alloy, was investigated with respect to nugget formation and mechanical properties. The welding operations were performed using resistance spot welding at various welding currents (10, 12.5 and 15 kA), welding times (10, 15 and 20 cycles) and electrode forces (5, 10 and 15 kN). The weld nugget diameter and nugget center height, hardness, and tensile-shear test results of the welded samples were examined, and the mechanical properties were compared. As a result of the tests, it was seen that the welding parameters have a significant effect on the mechanical properties of the titaniumaluminum alloy welding joints. The tensile-shear load of the resistance spot welded joints increased as the welding current increased, and welding time increased for 15 cycles. On the other hand, when the electrode force increased, the tensile-shear load decreased markedly.


The role of the central business district of cities throughout
the western world is changing in response to a wide range of influences.
Demographic changes, particularly urban population growth and distribution,
growth in real income, and growth in consumer mobility are among
the most important of these influences. In the past two decades not
only has city growth led to an ever increasing proportion of consumers
living further from the central business district and therefore visiting
it less frequently, but public transport, at one time a major centralizing
force, has been neglected by consumers in favour of the private car.
Inner city parking facilities have fallen far short of demand, and freeway
development, which initially encouraged centralized traffic flow,
has aggravated inner city congestion, so that the CBD has become less
accessible to the motorized consumer who has sought to satisfy his demands
in suburban locations. Technological advances in the fields of
communications, consumer credit, refrigeration, mass production, and
improving retail technology have tended to favour suburban retailing,
and under the impact of the supermarket, the planned shopping centre,
and the freestanding discount department store the CBD's importance
has declined, and it has concentrated increasingly upon the sale of high
order goods for which it is best suited. This study examines the changing
role of the CBD within the metropolitan retail structure of Hobart
and seeks to explain the spatial distribution and interrelationships of
retailing in terms of central place theory, using statistical techniques
of analysis where appropriate. It demonstrates the fact that the fundamental
commercial structure of Hobart conforms remarkably with the spatial
organization of the cities of the western world where similar
forces are at work. It shows that the process of retail decentralization
may be regarded as a natural consequence of city growth and that Hobart CBD, which continues to play an over-dominant role in the metropolitan
retail system, can be expected to decline in importance before
a steady state is reached.


The point defect properties of L12 Ni3Al are determined by MD with a simple modified analytic EAM model with the basic physical properties of pure constituents Ni and Al. On the basis of the calculated lattice constants, the formation energies of vacancy and antisite are calculated and the defect types are also discussed. The energies of alloying element Re replacing Ni site and Al site in Ni3Al are estimated. The occupational site of Re is found in Al site. The present calculations are in agreement with the experimental value and the theoretical results obtained from other authors.


Introduction Insulin resistance is known to precede Type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Insulin mediated release of the endothelial cell (EC) derived anti-atherosclerotic molecule, nitric oxide (NO) is blunted in patients suffering from insulin resistance T2DM. We examined the effects of enhancing EC insulin sensitivity in vivo, by generating a novel transgenic mouse, over-expressing Type A human Insulin Receptor (HIRECO) restricted to EC. Methods Western blotting and RT-PCR were carried out on tissues and isolated endothelial cells from lungs to measure protein levels and mRNA expression, respectively. NADPH-dependent lucigenin-enhanced chemiluminescence was used to measure superoxide anion levels. Isolated thoracic aortic rings suspended in an organ bath were used to determine vasomotor functions. eNOS activity was examined by citrulline assay with 14C-labelled L-arginine. HIRECO were compared to wild type littermates. Results Over-expressing human insulin receptors in EC had no significant effect on morphological features, metabolic phenotype or blood pressure of HIRECO. HIRECO demonstrated significant EC dysfunction measured by a blunted endothelium-dependent vasorelaxation to acetylcholine and reduced basal NO release. EC-independent response to sodium nitroprusside remained unchanged. EC dysfunction observed in the organ bath was normalised by a NADPH oxidase-specific inhibitor peptide, gp91ds-tat as well as the superoxide dismutase mimetic, MnTmPyp. HIRECO demonstrated significant increase in superoxide anion release compared to WT littermates. This data was supported by a concomitant increase in NADPH oxidase isoform, NOX2 protein expression. Basal eNOS and Akt phosphorylation levels in isolated EC of HIRECO mice were enhanced compared to WT mice. Interestingly, insulin-stimulated eNOS phosphorylation and activation was decreased, whereas Akt phosphorylation remained unchanged. eNOS tyrosine phosphorylation mediated by proline-rich tyrosine kinase (PYK2) was significantly enhanced in EC from HIRECO mice. In order to investigate, if the perturbations of insulin signalling in the EC have a pathological outcome, HIRECO mice were crossed with ApoE-knockout mice. These mice demonstrated a significant enhancement of plaque formation in aorta, as well as the aortic root. Conclusions/implications These data show that increasing EC insulin sensitivity leads to reduced bioavailability of NO. These data demonstrate for the first time that increased insulin signalling in EC increases the generation of superoxide anion via activation of NOX2 NADPH oxidase and reduced NO production in response to insulin due at least in part to increased EC PYK2 activity leading to a pro-atherosclerotic state.


Parent caregivers of children who require lifesaving technology (e.g., mechanical ventilation, feeding tubes) must maintain a high level of vigilance 24/7. A two-arm randomized controlled trial tested the efficacy of a resourcefulness intervention on parents' mental/physical health and family functioning at four time points over six months. Participants (n = 93) cared for their technology-dependent children <18 years at home. The intervention arm received teaching on social (help-seeking), personal (self-help) resourcefulness skills; access to the intervention video and skill application video-vignettes; four weeks of skills reinforcement using daily logs; four weekly phone contacts; and booster sessions at two- and four-month postenrollment. The attention control arm received phone contact at identical time points plus the current standard of care. Statistically significant improvement was noted; fewer depressive cognitions and improved physical health for the intervention participants than attention control participants over time after controlling for covariates. The findings support the resourcefulness intervention efficacy.


Extant echinoderms show five-part radial symmetry in typical shape. However, we can find some asymmetry in their details, represented by the madreporite position not at the center, different skeletal arrangement in two of the five rays of sea urchins, and a circular cavity formed by two-end closure. We suspect the existence of any difference in hidden information between the five. In our hypothesis, deep equivalency makes no issue in function even after exchanging the position of rays; otherwise, this autograft causes some trouble in behavior or tissue formation. For this attempt, we firstly developed a method to transplant an arm tip to the counterpart of another arm in the sea star Patiria pectinifera. As a result, seven arms were completely implanted—four into the original positions for a control and three into different positions—with underwater surgery where we sutured with nylon thread and physically prevented nearby tube feet extending. Based on our external and internal observation, each grafted arm (i) gradually recovered movement coordination with the proximal body, (ii) regenerated its lost half as in usual distal regeneration, and (iii) formed no irregular intercalation filling any positional gap at the suture, no matter whether two cut arms were swapped. We here suggest a deep symmetry among the five rays of sea stars not only in morphology but also in physiology, representing an evolutionary strategy that has given equal priority to all the radial directions. Moreover, our methodological notes for grafting a mass of body in sea stars would help echinoderm research involving positional information as well as immunology.


Phases of matter are often described by an order parameter. For example the spins in a ferromagnet are randomly oriented at high temperature, but as the temperature falls below the Curie temperature, the spins begin to line up. A local order parameter given by the magnetization (the average spin density), distinguishes the normal and ferromagnetic phases. In contrast, topological insulators represent a broad class of band insulators distinguished not by local order but by global topological properties [1]. In analogy with order parameters in the usual study of phases and phase transitions, topological phases are distinguished by topological invariants, but the lack of local order makes it difficult to experimentally distinguish between different topological phases. Now, a theoretical paper appearing in Physical Review Letters from Emilio Alba at the Instituto de Física Fundamental, Spain, and his colleagues describes how the usually hidden topological order that can occur in certain cold atom lattices could be measured directly [2]. To get a feel for what a topological invariant is, consider Gauss' law, in its integral form: ∮


ABSTRACT The newly described green-pigmented bacterium Pseudoalteromonas tunicata (D2) produces target-specific inhibitory compounds against bacteria, algae, fungi, and invertebrate larvae and is frequently found in association with living surfaces in the marine environment. As part of our studies on the ecology of P. tunicata and its interaction with marine surfaces, we examined the ability of P. tunicata to form biofilms under continuous culture conditions within the laboratory. P. tunicata biofilms exhibited a characteristic architecture consisting of differentiated microcolonies surrounded by water channels. Remarkably, we observed a repeatable pattern of cell death during biofilm development of P. tunicata, similar to that recently reported for biofilms of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (J. S. Webb et al., J. Bacteriol. 185:4585-4595, 2003). Killing and lysis occurred inside microcolonies, apparently resulting in the formation of voids within these structures. A subpopulation of viable cells was always observed within the regions of killing in the biofilm. Moreover, extensive killing in mature biofilms appeared to result in detachment of the biofilm from the substratum. A novel 190-kDa autotoxic protein produced by P. tunicata, designated AlpP, was found to be involved in this biofilm killing and detachment. A ΔalpP mutant derivative of P. tunicata was generated, and this mutant did not show cell death during biofilm development. We propose that AlpP-mediated cell death plays an important role in the multicellular biofilm development of P. tunicata and subsequent dispersal of surviving cells within the marine environment.


In recent years the distally pedicled radial forearm flap has proved to be a versatile technique for resurfacing the hand. The venous drainage of this flap, however, has remained a puzzle. Various explanations have been suggested, including bypass of the valves by collateral veins and by crossover between the venae comitantes. However, venous drainage must be against the direction of the valves in at least one segment of the veins. The question of reversed venous flow and how it may be achieved reliably is addressed in this study. Timmons has postulated three criteria which all must be satisfied for reversal of venous flow. These criteria, namely higher proximal venous pressure, denervation of the valves, and the filling of the venous segments may be achieved satisfactorily if a few precautions are taken and certain technical manoeuvres performed. The criteria were re-examined in the light of known physiological phenomena. In addition, certain pertinent anatomical facts which arose from our cadaveric studies and which may be exploited to advantage are discussed. Our studies have led to greater understanding of reversed venous flow and to greater success with this flap in our clinical practice.


Background The histological diagnosis of cardiac sarcoidosis (CS) is based on the presence of myocardial granulomas; however, the sensitivity of endomyocardial biopsy is relatively low. We investigated whether immunocompetent cells including dendritic cells (DC) and macrophages in nongranuloma sections of endomyocardial biopsy samples could be histopathological surrogates for CS diagnosis. Methods and Results The numbers of DC and macrophages were investigated in 95 consecutive CS patients and 50 patients with nonischemic cardiomyopathy as controls. All patients underwent endomyocardial biopsy, and immunohistochemical staining was performed on all samples. We examined these immunocompetent cells in nongranuloma sections in CS patients diagnosed by the presence of myocardial granulomas (n=26) and in CS patients without myocardial granulomas diagnosed by the Japanese Ministry of Health Welfare 2007 criteria (n=65) or the Heart Rhythm Society 2014 criteria (n=26). In CS patients with and without myocardial granulomas, CD209+ DC and CD68+ macrophages were more frequently observed (P<0.01) and CD163+M2 macrophages were less frequently observed (P<0.01) in nongranuloma sections compared to controls. Furthermore, the combination of decreased CD163+M2/CD68+ macrophage ratio and increased number of CD209+ DC in nongranuloma sections of CS patients demonstrated high specificity (100%, 95% CI 92.7–100) for CS diagnosis with each diagnostic criteria and the presence of myocardial granulomas. Conclusions Increased number of DC and decreased M2 among all macrophages in nongranuloma sections of myocardium showed high specificity for CS diagnosis, suggesting DC and macrophage phenotypes as histopathological surrogates for the diagnosis of CS.


In this trial, Enterococcus strains were isolated from a total of 69 faecal samples obtained from 238 pigs (105 pigs 6 months old) on three pig farms located in Istanbul and Tekirdag Provinces in the Marmara Region of Turkey in the summer season of 2003. Forty-seven of the isolates were determined as Enterococcus faecium (68%), 15 isolates as Enterococcus faecalis (21.7%), three isolates as Enterococcus gallinarum (4.3%) and one of each as Enterococcus hirae (1.4%), Enterococcus casseliflavus (1.4%), Enterococcus cecorum (1.4%) and Enterococcus sulfurens (1.4%). In addition, antimicrobial susceptibilites of isolates were assessed through the disk diffusion method. Among 47 E. faecium isolates, 44 were determined to be resistant to erythromycin, 38 to ciprofloxacine, and three isolates were resistant to vancomycin. All E. faecalis isolates were resistant to erythromycin (100%) and four were resistant to vancomycin (27%). Five E. faecium (11%) and five E. faecalis isolates (33%) were found to exhibit intermediate resistance to vancomycin. In this study, isolates obtained from pig faeces were determined to exhibit a high rate of antimicrobial resistance. This study is the first report on isolation and determination of antimicrobial resistance of Enterocci in Turkey. Pig, stool samples, Enterococcus spp., antibiotic sensitivity


Postcolonial gothic fiction arises in response to certain social, historical, or political conditions. Postcolonial fiction adapts a British narrative form that is highly attuned to the distinction and collapse between home and not home and the familiar and the foreign. The appearance of the gothic in postcolonial fiction seems a response to the failure of national politics that are riven by sectarian, gender, class, and caste divisions. Postcolonial gothic is one way in which literature can respond to increasing problematic questions of the postcolonial "domestic terrain:" questions concerning legitimate origins; rightful inhabitants; usurpation and occupation; and nostalgia for an impossible nationalist politics are all understood in the postcolonial gothic as national questions that are asked of the everyday, domestic realm. This dissertation argues that the postcolonial employment of the gothic does four distinct things in works by al-Tayeb Salih, J.M. Coetzee, Nadine Gordimer, Arundhati Roy, and Salman Rushdie. First, it forms a distopic representation that emerges when the idealist project of the national allegorical romance fails. Second, the postcolonial gothic is interested in the representation of the unheimlich nature of home as both dwelling and nation. If colonialism created a "home away from home" and metaphorized this spatial division in psychoanalysis through the relationship of the heimlich to the unheimlich, then part of the postcolonial gothic's agenda is unveiling that behind the construction of hominess abroad lies something fundamentally unhomely. Third, postcolonial gothic employs a gothic historical sensibility, or a sense of "pastness" in the present. Fourth, if the gothic is the narrative mode by which Britain frightened itself about cultural degeneration, the loss of racial or cultural purity, the racial other, sexual subversion and the threat that colonial-era usurpation and violence might one day "return," then postcolonial gothic deploys the gothic as a mode of frightening itself with images of transgressive women who threaten to expose the dark underbelly of their own historical and political contexts.


A reanalysis of the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) randomized clinical trial found a significant interaction between supplementation with vitamin D/calcium and estrogen therapy and the risk of colorectal cancer risk, with reduced risks from supplementation limited to the placebo arms of the estrogen trials. To explore whether the vitamin D effects are modified by estrogen therapy, we report a largely cross‐sectional, analysis of the association between sun exposure, which is an important vitamin D source, and colorectal cancer risk among postmenopausal women in the U.S. Radiologic Technologists study. Among 21,695 participants, there were a total of 108 cases. Sun exposure was based on time outdoors and on ambient ultraviolet radiation (UV) exposure based on residence linked to erythemal exposures derived from the Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer database. Although there was no relationship between outdoor time or ambient UV measure and colorectal cancer risk in current hormone replacement therapy (HRT) users, in never/past HRT users, there was an inverse association with higher ambient UV exposure, RR for highest vs. lowest tertile = 0.40; 95% CI 017, 0.93; p for trend = 0.04. Non‐significant lower risks were also associated with higher levels of outdoor time (≥3.5 hr/week) in never/past HRT users. The interaction between both indicators of sun exposure and HRT and CRC risk was not significant. These data, although exploratory, are consistent with evidence from the WHI suggesting a decrease in colorectal cancer risk may be associated with vitamin D exposure among postmenopausal women who are not taking HRT, but not among current HRT users.


Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a leading contributor to lung cancer mortality rates. CSCs are responsible for tumor growth and recurrence through inhibition of drug-induced cell death, decreasing the effect of traditional cancer therapy and photodynamic therapy (PDT). PDT can be improved to successfully treat lung cancer by using gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), due to their size and shape, which have been shown to facilitate drug delivery and retention, along with the targeted antibody (Ab) mediated selection of CSCs. In this study, a nanobioconjugate (NBC) was constructed, using a photosensitizer (PS) (AlPcS4Cl), AuNPs and Abs. The NBC was characterized, using spectroscopy techniques. Photodynamic effects of the NBC on lung CSCs was evaluated, using biochemical assays 24 h post-irradiation, in order to establish its anticancer effect. Results showed successful conjugation of the nanocomposite. Localization of the NBC was seen to be in integral organelles involved in cell homeostasis. Biochemical responses of lung CSCs treated using AlPcS4Cl-AuNP and AlPcS4Cl-AuNP-Ab showed significant cell toxicity and cell death, compared to free AlPcS4Cl. The PDT effects were enhanced when using the NBC, showing significant lung CSC destruction to the point of eradication.


PERCEIVED CONCERNS SURROUNDING PHYSICAL THERAPY AIDE UTILIZATION IN MICHIGAN Jill Bydalek, SPT and Greta Swasey-Hadlock, SPT: Grand Valley State University, Allendale, Michigan Utilization of support personnel to perform physical therapy treatments has been a controversial topic in the physical therapy profession for many years. As Managed Care and other health care changes emerged, physical therapists have been pressured to cut costs while maintaining productivity. The use of non-licensed personnel became common place to meet these demands. The purpose o f this study was to investigate five research questions. First, to what extent do physical therapists delegate patient treatment and utilize physical therapy aides in Michigan? Secondly, does aide utilization differ based on: the ways in which aides are identified to patients, various settings of practice and the percent of traditionally insured patients versus managed care patients? Thirdly, to what extent are physical therapists faced with perceived concerns with aide utilization? Three hundred and thirty physical therapists that are members of the MJ*.T.A., were systematically mailed surveys according to zip codes. One hundred and sixty-four therapists responded to the survey. The data were analyzed using SPSS 8.0 program, version. Results were analyzed using both Chi-square and Fisher Exact tests for crosstabulations, as well as descriptive research techniques. Physical therapists delegated all eight of the surveyed treatment tasks. Exercise with equipment was delegated the most with 79 respondents delegating this task, and wound debridement was delegated the least by six responding physical therapists. There were no significant findings pertaining to aide utilization and methods of aide identification. However, descriptive analysis of data was conclusive in that physical therapists who responded to our survey were identifying physical therapy aides according to A.P.T.A. guidelines. Delegation to aides was more likely to occur when therapists treated greater than fifty percent Managed Care patients as compared to therapists tMt treated less that fifty percent Managed Care patients. Statistically significant results occurred in the Managed Care category with the delegation of exercise with equipment and electrical stimulation treatments. With regard to perceived concerns, ultrasound was the only patient treatment that showed statistical significance. Physical therapists that had perceived concerns with delegation of ultrasound were less likely to delegate than therapists without concerns. Other important relationships emerged through descriptive research.


The importance of access to online government information is articulated in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) [1] through Article 9, which focuses on accessibility and Article 29, which protects the right of people with disability to participate in political and public life. The Australian Government as a signatory to the UNCRPD has made a commitment to ensure that all Federal, State and Territory websites are accessible to World Wide Web (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (2.0) [2] through the National Transition Strategy (NTS), which was formalized on the 30 June 2010 [3]. However, as Hollier [4] notes, the transition to Web accessibility requires a concerted effort to address a range of potential barriers to adoption. This paper reports on the implementation of a university accredited non-award certificate program to address several of the identified issues likely to impact the achievement of the Australian Government's NTS goals and timelines. The paper outlines the aims, objectives, and structure of the course, interim evaluation findings and issues identified by participants as challenges in the transition to web accessibility compliance.


Diluent
plays an important role in the solvent extraction of metals. The selection of a
proper diluent is important since it affects the economics of the process. The
effect of different diluents (aliphatic, mixed aliphatic-aromatic and aromatic)
on the solvent extraction of Nd(III) by the neutral extractant tri-n-butylphosphate (TBP) from nitrate aqueous
feed solutions was studied with variation of the following process parameters:
extraction kinetics, phase disengagement time, TBP concentration, nitrate
concentration, loading capacity of TBP and aqueous-to-organic phase volume
ratio. The present study shows that the nature of the diluent has no effect on the
extraction kinetics of Nd(III) by TBP. Phase disengagement times were
relatively faster for aromatic diluents compared to aliphatic diluents.
Conversely, extraction efficiencies were the highest for aliphatic diluents, slightly
lower for mixed aliphatic-aromatic diluents and much lower for aromatic
diluents. The poorer extraction efficiencies of aromatic diluents may be due to
the lower concentration of free extractant as a result of the stronger
interactions of the diluent with water and/or of the diluent with the
extractant. The differences in extraction performance between aliphatic and
aromatic diluents decrease with increasing nitrate concentration in the aqueous
feed solution. Thus, the negative
effect on the extraction of the aromatics in the diluent can be compensated by
the positive effect of a higher concentration of salting-out nitrate ions in
the feed. The present results reveal that the
selection of the diluent can be preferably based on its cost, safety and
biodegradability rather than on its physico-chemical properties, since the
physico-chemical properties have a limited influence on the extraction of
Nd(III) by TBP at highly concentrated nitrate solutions.


Nigeria is an exporting country and the electricity sector depends on gas, diesel and hydropower sources. Currently, the hydropower has replaced gas as the main source of energy due to climate change. Presently, the fossil fuels are expensive and limited due to scarce generation. This resulted into a power supply shortage that created a huge gap between the energy supply and demand. However, a new alternative energy source is required to complement the existing shortfall in supply of electricity in the country. Solar energy is a potential resource with huge availability for small and large-scale off-grid and grid-connected systems to be utilized in Nigeria. However, the high cost of Photovoltaic (PV) systems is one of the major problems identified and the current energy uses have limitations due to climate change. It affects conventional energy, hydropower and biomass which result to deforestation, desertification and water shortage/drought. This study focusing on economic, policy and technical perspectives investigated the possibility of using solar PV system to address challenges of electricity shortage and the affordability in order to meet electricity consumption with over 180 million populations and reduce the tendency of depending on diesel-fuel generators in the future in Nigeria. However, this study involved use of questionnaire method for data collection to understand the population perception about solar energy use with PV systems. The off-grid case studies were selected to determine the electricity generation, consumption and the payback period with mono and polycrystalline silicon PV types for the electricity generation. The RET Screen simulation software was adopted to analyse the amount of electricity output generated and the amount of emission reductions due to PV efficiency and accuracy. The innovative financing (PAYG) model was used to assess energy budget to ascertain energy consumption per user against blind decision due to cost based on the financial resource availability. The simulation results reveal more of electricity generation with the installed PV system at angle 150 degree. The monthly bills due to increased energy supply from the installed off-grid PV systems reduced from the utility grid electricity. The payback time for installed PV systems based on financial viability analysis shows reasonable, affordable, profitable and rewarding. In addition, the electricity cost from installed PV system generation and presently without subsidy is lower than the grid electricity based on cost of outages. Finally, the results based on proposed grid-connected PV power system, putting economic factor into consideration can be more feasible.


We examined whether gd T and ab T cells accumulating in early B16 melanoma lesions regulate NK and NK T cells that attack tumor cells. Freshly isolated and cultured tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) populations of NK and NK T cells lysed B16 and produced IFN- g , whereas gd T and a large part of ab T cell populations had no substantial cytotoxicity against B16 and secreted Th2 cytokines. Furthermore, the freshly isolated NK1.1 1 TIL population exhibited a higher anti-B16 effect than did splenocytes. gd T and ab T cell populations dramatically inhibited the cytotoxicity of NK and NK T cells in an MHC K b -dependent manner. Culture supernatant from gd T and ab T cell populations inhibited the proliferation of NK and NK T cell populations but did not affect their cytotoxicity, suggesting that the released Th2 cytokines are merely partly involved in the down-modulation of NK-lineage cells. NK1.1 1 cells obtained from TIL of gd T cell-depleted mice significantly lysed B16 cells compared with those from control mice. Finally, anti-K b Fab mAb injected intralesionally at an early, but not at a late, stage of development of B16 melanoma inhibited tumor growth. These findings suggest that Th2-type gd T and ab T cells infiltrating in early B16 development inhibit the tumoricidal activity of NK-lineage cells using their class I molecules and partly their suppressive cytokines. The Journal of Immunology, 1998, 161: 4138–4145.


We report diffusion Monte Carlo (DMC) calculations of the quantum translation-rotation (T-R) dynamics of one to five para-H(2) (p-H(2)) and ortho-D(2) (o-D(2)) molecules inside the large hexakaidecahedral (5(12)6(4)) cage of the structure II clathrate hydrate, which was taken to be rigid. These calculations provide a quantitative description of the size evolution of the ground-state properties, energetics, and the vibrationally averaged geometries, of small (p-H(2))(n) and (o-D(2))(n) clusters, n=1-5, in nanoconfinement. The zero-point energy (ZPE) of the T-R motions rises steeply with the cluster size, reaching 74% of the potential well depth for the caged (p-H(2))(4). At low temperatures, the rapid increase of the cluster ZPE as a function of n is the main factor that limits the occupancy of the large cage to at most four H(2) or D(2) molecules, in agreement with experiments. Our DMC results concerning the vibrationally averaged spatial distribution of four D(2) molecules, their mean distance from the cage center, the D(2)-D(2) separation, and the specific orientation and localization of the tetrahedral (D(2))(4) cluster relative to the framework of the large cage, agree very well with the low-temperature neutron diffraction experiments involving the large cage with the quadruple D(2) occupancy.


United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) weather satellites adopt Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) sensors to acquire remote sensing data and broadcast Automatic Picture Transmission (APT) images. The orientation of the scan lines is perpendicular to the orbit of the satellite. In this paper we propose a new low cost solution for NOAA remote sensing. More in detail, our method focuses on the possibility of directly sampling the modulated signal and processing it entirely in software enabled by recent breakthroughs on Software Defined Radios (SDR) and CPU computational speed, while keeping the costs extremely low. We aim to achieve good results with inexpensive SDR hardware, like the RTL-SDR (a repurposed DVB-T USB dongle). Nevertheless, we faced some problems caused by hardware limits such as high receiver noise figure and low ADC resolution. Furthermore, we detected several inherent drawbacks of frequent tuner saturations. For this purpose we developed a software-hardware integrated system able to perform the following steps: satellite pass prediction, time scheduling, signal demodulation, image cropping and filtering. Although we employed low cost components, we obtained good results in terms of signal demodulation, synchronization and image reconstruction.


Lignocellulosic agricultural by-products can be utilized for an array of biocomposite material applications. Biocomposite properties can approach those of synthetic conventional composites. They are highly suitable for automotive applications, where the thrust is toward fuel economy, weight-reduction, and higher renewability. A common automotive polymer for biocomposite application is alloyed acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), whose extensive usage can be attributed to its exceptional balance of properties. However, the low sustainability of ABS in environmental degradation entails the addition of fillers. In this study, the UV blocking properties of lignin component of natural fibers will be analyzed for their use as additives in a natural ABS grade and will be compared to an ABS grade compounded with a traditional UV inhibitor.


The transformation government (t-government) or Government 2.0 was initiated by the UK in 2006 to enhance and restructure the flaws in e-government with three characteristic themes of citizen-centric in (i) service delivery; (ii) shared services culture and (iii) professionalism. The aim of t-government is to transform public services for the benefit of citizens, businesses, taxpayers and frontline staff. The tgovernment requires a citizen centric perspective that takes into account of the citizens' needs and concern contrary to the traditional approach where systems designers view the citizens' needs from the perspective of the government and ignoring the citizens' perspectives due to constraints of cost. One concern of citizen centricity revolves around the issue of trust in e-government in upholding citizen's privacy. The effectiveness of t-government that uphold citizens' rights to privacy is enshrined in the delivery process, and that citizens' views and perceptions of privacy contribute to informing that process. Currently, the citizencentric perspective of privacy requirement is not well understood. To fill this gap, this research undertook a study with the objectives of (i) To investigate the availability and the content of privacy policy in e-government websites (ii) To investigate citizen's privacy perception through their privacy concern and willingness to participate in public opinion platform (iii) To investigate citizen's privacy requirement's and need through their privacy preferences (iv) To propose citizencentric privacy requirements engineering framework by facilitating citizen engagement in fulfilling citizen privacy requirements. A multistakeholder perspective inquiry of citizens' privacy concern though survey on citizens' perception of personal and sensitive information among the common citizens and a focus group interview with a group of participatory citizens from the professionals was conducted. From the data analysis, two important results were obtained. The first is the citizen-centric preference set based on the information classification of personal and sensitive information and the second is the sensitivity scale of privacy related information. These two results are configured into a reference table and sensitivity classification tools respectively and integrated in a citizen-centric privacy requirements engineering framework which was verified by a group of experts. The framework can be applied to determine citizen centric privacy preference in the requirements of t-government engineering process and the tool could be use as classifying method to classify sensitive and personal information for system design.


Sikhism is a relatively young religion, with Guru Granth Sahib as its key religious text. This text describes emotions in everyday life, such as happiness, sadness, anger, hatred, and also more serious mental health issues such as depression and psychosis. There are references to the causation of these emotional disturbances and also ways to get out of them. We studied both the Gurumukhi version and the English translation of the Guru Granth Sahib to understand what it had to say about depression, its henomenology, and religious prescriptions for recovery. We discuss these descriptions in this paper and understand its meaning within the context of clinical depression. Such knowledge is important as explicit descriptions about depression and sadness can help encourage culturally appropriate assessment and treatment, as well as promote public health through education.


We detect Lyα absorption from the escaping atmosphere of HD 63433c, a R = 2.67R ⊕, P = 20.5 day mini-Neptune orbiting a young (440 Myr) solar analog in the Ursa Major Moving Group. Using Hubble Space Telescope (HST)/Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph, we measure a transit depth of 11.1 ± 1.5% in the blue wing and 8 ± 3% in the red. This signal is unlikely to be due to stellar variability, but should be confirmed by an upcoming second transit observation with HST. We do not detect Lyα absorption from the inner planet, a smaller R = 2.15R ⊕ mini-Neptune on a 7.1 day orbit. We use Keck/NIRSPEC to place an upper limit of 0.5% on helium absorption for both planets. We measure the host star's X-ray spectrum and mid-ultraviolet flux with XMM-Newton, and model the outflow from both planets using a 3D hydrodynamic code. This model provides a reasonable match to the light curve in the blue wing of the Lyα line and the helium nondetection for planet c, although it does not explain the tentative red wing absorption or reproduce the excess absorption spectrum in detail. Its predictions of strong Lyα and helium absorption from b are ruled out by the observations. This model predicts a much shorter mass-loss timescale for planet b, suggesting that b and c are fundamentally different: while the latter still retains its hydrogen/helium envelope, the former has likely lost its primordial atmosphere.