PURPOSES
To assess the efficacy of 2-mercaptoethanol/L-cysteine mixed disulfide (CySSME) as an L-cysteine prodrug suitable for glutathione biosynthesis in rat lenses in vitro, as an agent for the prevention of acetaminophen- and naphthalene-induced murine cataract in genetically-susceptible mice, and as an agent for maintenance of near-normal glutathione levels in lenses and livers of mice subjected to acetaminophen and naphthalene at cataractogenic doses.

METHODS
Synthetic CySSME was added as a prodrug to rat lens culture medium devoid of L-cystine and L-methionine but containing [14C(U)]-glycine. After a 48-hour period of incubation, extracts of rat lenses were prepared for separation of [14C]-glutathione by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with a radioisotope detector to determine the extent of its biosynthesis. Cytochrome P-450 isozymes were induced in C57 bl/6 mice by either beta-naphthoflavone or phenobarbital. Cataracts were induced by administration of either acetaminophen or naphthalene to the pretreated mice. CySSME was coadministered with either acetaminophen or naphthalene to other groups of mice. Both oxidized and reduced glutathione were determined in extracts of livers and lenses using the HPLC method above.

RESULTS
CySSME served as an effective L-cysteine precursor for glutathione biosynthesis in cultured rat lenses. This L-Cysteine prodrug was also highly effective in preventing acetaminophen- and naphthalene-induced cataract in mice and in maintaining near-normal glutathione levels in lenses and livers of such treated animals.

CONCLUSIONS
This investigation demonstrates that maintenance of adequate physiological levels of glutathione in the presence of specific known cataractogenic agents by pharmacologic intervention with CySSME, an L-cysteine prodrug, is sufficient to prevent cataract formation.


More than one third of the world's 60 million people with epilepsy have seizures that cannot be controlled by medication. Some of these individuals may be candidates for surgical removal of brain regions that generate seizures, but the chance of being seizure free after epilepsy surgery is as low as 35% in many patients [1]. Even when surgery is successful, patients risk neurological deficits like memory loss and speech difficulties. The need for new treatments is clear. A central barrier to better treatments for epilepsy is technological: we do not have devices capable of interfacing with the brain with small enough electrodes over large enough regions to map epileptic networks in sufficient detail to enable treatment. Our collaborative group has developed new implantable brain devices to address this challenge [2]. Our devices, made from flexible silicon nanoribbons, can record from these very small brain regions, with electrodes ½ millimeter apart or less, and can be scaled up to clinically useful sizes, on the order of 64 cm2. They consist of thousands of individually controllable microelectrodes.


ABSTRACT Purpose: This paper presents a study of atmospheric climate impacts on community-level sports clubs' (CLSC) in Australia and Canada, their vulnerability and resilience, and organisational responses. Design/Methods: A qualitative methodology was used with a multiple case research design. Data (interviews, documents) was collected from a sample of 23 CLSC organisations managing grass turf sport fields exposed to climatic extremes in temperate regions of both countries. Findings: CLSCs in both nations experienced vulnerability to climate impacts. Direct damage to playing fields resulted from extreme climate events. Indirect impacts include higher injury risks, interrupted and/or cancelled competitions, insurance risks, plus higher operating and capital costs. Adapted management was evident for water resources, playing turf, and organisational policies. Practical Implications: Provides insights into the changing practice of sport management at the community-level. Research Contribution: The results challenge the assumption that climate is a static and benign resource for sport. This study demonstrates impacts of climate extremes on sport in the northern and southern hemispheres, the potential for adapting sport management practices, and developing resilience.


The prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in boys is nearly four times higher than in girls, and the causes of this sex difference are not fully known. Difficulties in executive function may be involved in development of autistic symptomatology. Here we investigated sex differences in the relationship between executive function in everyday life and social dysfunction symptoms in a sample of 116 children (25 girls) aged 5-19 years with IQ above 70 and with a diagnosis of ASD. They were assessed with the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) and the Autism Diagnostic Interview Revised (ADI-R). We found no significant differences in BRIEF or ADI-R scores between girls and boys after correcting for multiple testing. Nested linear regression models revealed significant sex differences in the relationship between executive function and both reciprocal social interaction (p<0.001) and communication (p=0.001) over and above the main effects of age, sex, IQ and comorbid attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder diagnosis. We did not find sex differences in the relationship between executive dysfunction and restricted and repetitive behaviors. Altogether, our results provide a greater understanding of the sex-specific characteristics of ASD and may suggest that boys and girls can benefit from different intervention strategies.


The aim of the article is to introduce a research report revealing the peculiarities of children experience when their parents are in the process of partial labour migration. Partial labour migration is a specific form of migration when one or both parents leave to work abroad (for more than 3 months) and the rest of the family stays in Lithuania. In case of departure of both parents, children are looked after by grandparents or other family members (for example, aunt). The article is based on the data of the quantitative survey Trends and Peculiarities of Labour Migration in Kaunas undertaken in all kindergartens of Kaunas city (N=88). Parents who had the experience of working abroad were surveyed using questionnaire. A special focus in the article is on the review of the attachment theory drawbacks. With reference to the attachment theory, a hypothesis was put forward that children under 6 should experience separation difficulties when parting with one of parents for a long time since they loose the object of attachment related to safety. According to the theory, this should especially be revealed in cases when children are fostered by grandparents. The research showed that a quarter of children experienced short-term difficulties, whereas 10% of children were negatively influenced by the departure. The hypothesis that children who stayed with their grandparents experienced more problems was rejected for there was no differences between parents' opinion and that of grandparents found. The question is posed in the article: what theories are needed to define in greater detail the experience of children "in the family brake process" when parents work abroad for a long time.


BACKGROUND
Subjective cognitive decline (SCD) is the early preclinical stage of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Previous study provided an invaluable contribution by showing that a tactile angle discrimination system can be used to distinguish between healthy older individuals and patients with mild cognitive impairment and AD. However, that study paid little attention to the relationship between tactile angle discrimination and SCD. Therefore, a means of differentiating normal controls (NCs), elderly subjects with SCD, patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI), and AD is urgently needed.

METHODS
In the present study, we developed a novel tactile discrimination device that uses angle stimulation applied to the index finger pad to identify very small differences in angle discrimination between the NC (n = 30), SCD (n = 30), aMCI (n = 30), and AD (n = 30) groups. Using a three-alternative forced-choice and staircase method, we analyzed the average accuracy and threshold of angle discrimination.

RESULTS
We found that accuracy significantly decreased while thresholds of angle discrimination increased in the groups in the following order: NC, SCD, aMCI, and AD. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve also indicated that the tactile angle discrimination threshold was better than Mini-Mental State Examination scores in distinguishing NC individuals and SCD patients.

CONCLUSION
These findings emphasize the importance of tactile working memory dysfunction in explaining the cognitive decline in angle discrimination that occurs in SCD to AD patients and offer further insight into the very early detection of subjects with AD.


Asbestos may be naturally present in rocks and soils. In some cases, there is the possibility of releasing asbestos fibres into the atmosphere from the rock or soil, subsequently exposing workers and the general population, which can lead to an increased risk of developing asbestos-related diseases. In the present study, air contaminated with asbestos fibres released from serpentinites was investigated in occupational settings (quarries and processing factories) and in the environment close to working facilities and at urban sites. The only naturally occurrence of asbestos found in Valmalenco area was chrysotile; amphibole fibres were never detected. An experimental cut-off diameter of 0.25 μm was established for distinguishing between Valmalenco chrysotile and antigorite single fibres using selected area electron diffraction analyses. Air contamination from chrysotile fibres in the examined occupational settings was site-dependent as the degree of asbestos contamination of Valmalenco serpentinites is highly variable from place to place. Block cutting of massive serpentinites with multiple blades or discs and drilling at the quarry sites that had the highest levels of asbestos contamination generated the highest exposures to (i.e. over the occupational exposure limits) asbestos. Conversely, working activities on foliated serpentinites produced airborne chrysotile concentrations comparable with ambient levels. Environmental chrysotile concentrations were always below the Italian limit for life environments (0.002 f ml(-1)), except for one sample collected at a quarry property boundary. The present exposure assessment study should encourage the development of an effective and concordant policy for proper use of asbestos-bearing rocks and soils as well as for the protection of public health.


COSMOGRAIL is a long-term photometric monitoring of gravitationally lensed QSOs aimed at implementing Refsdal's time-delay method to measure cosmological parameters, in particular H0. Given long and well sampled light curves of strongly lensed QSOs, time-delay measurements require numerical techniques whose quality must be assessed. To this end, and also in view of future monitoring programs or surveys such as the LSST, a blind signal processing competition named Time Delay Challenge 1 (TDC1) was held in 2014. The aim of the present paper, which is based on the simulated light curves from the TDC1, is double. First, we test the performance of the time-delay measurement techniques currently used in COSMOGRAIL. Second, we analyse the quantity and quality of the harvest of time delays obtained from the TDC1 simulations. To achieve these goals, we first discover time delays through a careful inspection of the light curves via a dedicated visual interface. Our measurement algorithms can then be applied to the data in an automated way. We show that our techniques have no significant biases, and yield adequate uncertainty estimates resulting in reduced chi2 values between 0.5 and 1.0. We provide estimates for the number and precision of time-delay measurements that can be expected from future time-delay monitoring campaigns as a function of the photometric signal-to-noise ratio and of the true time delay. We make our blind measurements on the TDC1 data publicly available


Introduction: Due to limited studies on educational interventions and its effect on accountability, this study aimed to determine the effectiveness of Islamic meaning on the students' accountability in School of Paramedical & Health in Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences and Health Services. Methods: This is an interventional study with pre-test/post-test design conducted by a control group. 21 students of School of Paramedical & Health in Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences and Health Services in 3115-3119 entered the study who were selected via multistage cluster sampling and divided randomly to two groups experimental (n = 15) and control (n = 15). Data collection was administered by the students' accountability questionnaire before the education as a pre-test to both experimental and control groups. Islamic meaning training course was prepared based on the Quran and was performed in 2 sessions for experimental groups. Finally, post-test was performed for both groups and data were analyzed by using statistical methods, multivariate analysis of covariance. Results: At baseline, the mean scores of experimental and control groups, no significant difference was observed responsibility, but after applying the independent variable, no notceable or significant difference was considerable. In other words, the Islamic meaning education cuase increase accountability in students of Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences and Health Services. Conclusion: as regards in this study, the Islamic meaning education promoted the students' accountability, therefore it seems this type of training can be a way of promoting self-esteem and thereby increasing the students' accountability.


We show that the centered discrete Hilbert transform on integers applied to a function can be written as the conditional expectation of a transform of stochastic integrals, where the stochastic processes considered have jump components. The stochastic representation of the function and that of its Hilbert transform are under differential subordination and orthogonality relation with respect to the sharp bracket of quadratic covariation. This illustrates the Cauchy Riemann relations of analytic functions in this setting. This result is inspired by the seminal work of Gundy and Varopoulos on stochastic representation of the Hilbert transform in the continuous setting.


Maize production in Malawi is limited by high costs and sub-optimal use of chemical fertilizers under continuous cultivation. A long-term gliricidia/maize trial was undertaken on a Ferric Lixisol from 1991/92 to 2001/02. The purpose of the study was to assess the performance of a gliricidia/maize intercropping system as a low-input soil fertility replenishment option in southern Malawi. The experiment was a 2 × 3 × 3 factorial design with three replications. Treatments included two maize cropping systems (with and without gliricidia trees), and three rates of inorganic N fertilizer (0, 24 and 48 N kg ha−1 representing 0, 25 and 50% of the national recommended N rate), and three rates of P fertilizer application (0, 20 and 40 P ha−1 representing 0, 50 and 100% of the recommended rate). No effect of P was detected on yield early in the trial, and this treatment was discontinued. The gliricidia pruning biomass did not decline after 10 years of intensive pruning, with strong correlation between tree biomass production and years after establishment (r = 0.91, p < 0.001). Application of gliricidia prunings increased maize yields by three times compared to the yield of unfertilized sole maize. Maize yield from the unfertilized gliricidia pruning treatment was superior to the yield from sole maize supplemented with a quarter or half the recommended N rate. The study confirmed that a gliricidia/maize intercropping system is a promising soil fertility replenishment option in southern Malawi and elsewhere in southern Africa.


Emotion classification via Electroencephalography (EEG) is used to find the relationships between EEG signals and human emotions. There are many available channels, which consist of electrodes capturing brainwave activity. Some applications may require a reduced number of channels and frequency bands to shorten the computation time, facilitate human comprehensibility, and develop a practical wearable. In prior research, different sets of channels and frequency bands have been used. In this study, a systematic way of selecting the set of channels and frequency bands has been investigated, and results shown that by using the reduced number of channels and frequency bands, it can achieve similar accuracies. The study also proposed a method used to select the appropriate features using the Relief F method. The experimental results of this study showed that the method could reduce and select appropriate features confidently and efficiently. Moreover, the Fuzzy Support Vector Machine (FSVM) is used to improve emotion classification accuracy, as it was found from this research that it performed better than the Support Vector Machine (SVM) in handling the outliers, which are typically presented in the EEG signals. Furthermore, the FSVM is treated as a black-box model, but some applications may need to provide comprehensible human rules. Therefore, the rules are extracted using the Classification and Regression Trees (CART) approach to provide human comprehensibility to the system. The FSVM and rule extraction experiments showed that The FSVM performed better than the SVM in classifying the emotion of interest used in the experiments, and rule extraction from the FSVM utilizing the CART (FSVM-CART) had a good trade-off between classification accuracy and human comprehensibility.


Let $\mathfrak{C}$ be a class of probability distributions over the discrete domain $[n] = \{1,...,n\}.$ We show that if $\mathfrak{C}$ satisfies a rather general condition -- essentially, that each distribution in $\mathfrak{C}$ can be well-approximated by a variable-width histogram with few bins -- then there is a highly efficient (both in terms of running time and sample complexity) algorithm that can learn any mixture of $k$ unknown distributions from $\mathfrak{C}.$
We analyze several natural types of distributions over $[n]$, including log-concave, monotone hazard rate and unimodal distributions, and show that they have the required structural property of being well-approximated by a histogram with few bins. Applying our general algorithm, we obtain near-optimally efficient algorithms for all these mixture learning problems.


When I visited Canadian elementary and secondary schools over the past 10 years, many teachers told me that it was difficult to get English-as-a-second language (ESL) parents involved in K-12 education. I was often asked by teachers, "Why don't they show up at school?" The absence of ESL parents from school is often misinterpreted as parents' lack of concern about their children's education. However, many ESL parents indicated that they cared passionately. Instead of assuming that ESL parents do not care, educators need to understand the barriers that hinder some parents from participating in their children's education. This article explores the barriers affecting ESL parent-teacher communication based on relevant literature and the author's reflections. It goes on to identify parents' and teachers' varying perspectives on ESL learning, followed by indication of successful strategies to improve ESL parents' participation. The article concludes that schools and teachers must take the initiative itthe resource of ESL parent participation is to be fully utilized.


OBJECTIVE
To determine the cardiopulmonary effects of increasing doses of dopamine, dobutamine, epinephrine, and phenylephrine and measure plasma concentrations of norepinephrine, epinephrine, and dopamine in cats anesthetized with isoflurane.

ANIMALS
6 healthy adult cats.

PROCEDURES
Each cat was anesthetized with isoflurane (1.5 X minimum alveolar concentration) on 4 occasions. Cardiopulmonary measurements were obtained after a 30-minute stabilization period; 20 minutes after the start of each infusion dose; and 30, 60, and 90 minutes after the infusion was discontinued. Cats received 5 progressively increasing infusions of epinephrine or phenylephrine (0.125, 0.25, 0.5, 1, and 2 microg/kg/min) or dobutamine or dopamine (2.5, 5, 10, 15, and 20 microg/kg/min). The order of treatment was randomly allocated. Results-All 4 treatments increased oxygen delivery. Heart rate (HR) increased during administration of all drugs except phenylephrine, and mean arterial pressure increased during administration of all drugs except dobutamine. A progressive metabolic acidosis was detected, but whole-blood lactate concentration only increased during administration of epinephrine and dobutamine. Systemic vascular resistance index increased during administration of phenylephrine, decreased during administration of dobutamine, and remained unchanged during administration of dopamine and epinephrine. A positive inotropic effect was detected with all treatments.

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE
During anesthesia in cats, administration of dopamine, dobutamine, and epinephrine may be useful for increasing cardiac output, with dopamine having the most useful effects. Administration of phenylephrine increased cardiac and systemic vascular resistance indexes with minimal effect on HR and may be useful for increasing mean arterial pressure without increasing HR.


A multivariate statistical method called Principal Component Analysis is used to detect Denial-of-Service and Network Probe attacks using the 1998 DARPA data set. Visualization of network activity and possible intrusions is achieved using Bi-plots, which are used as a graphical means for summarizing the statistics. The principal components are calculated for both attack and normal traffic, and the loading values of the various feature vector components are analyzed with respect to the principal components. The variance and standard deviation of the principal components are calculated and analyzed. A brief introduction to Principal Component Analysis and the merits of using it for detecting the selected intrusions are discussed. A method for identifying an attack based on these results is proposed. The results obtained using the proposed threshold value for detecting the selected intrusions show that a detection rate of 100% can be achieved using this method.


A new strategy for on-chip test of an operational amplifier as a part of complex analog and mixed-signal systems is described. During test mode, the operational amplifier is disconnected from the rest of the circuit and transformed to an oscillator. To evaluate the circuit, its oscillation frequency is then compared to a frequency given by a Schmitt trigger oscillator, used as the on-chip reference to compensate technology variations. This method might bring a possibility to implement the Oscillation-based Built-In Self-Test (OBIST) for operational amplifiers as a part of complex systems.


Detailed study of the basal 500 m of the Keweenawan Mamainse Point volcanics in Ontario, Canada, has revealed that the section is dominated by basaltic to picritic lavas with up to 23 wt% MgO. Two stratigraphic suites with distinct chemical characteristics are separated by four flows of high-TiO 2 ferrobasalt containing large and abundant plagioclase spherulites. The focus of this study is on the lower suite that contains the most MgO-rich compositions and that generally has lower TiO 2 content. Although most of the flows are olivine-phyric, the olivine phenocrysts are skeletal, suggesting in situ crystallization from magmas with high normative-olivine content. Furthermore, the compositional variation of the lavas does not fall along an olivine-only control line. Taken together, the data indicate that the compositional variation of the lavas represents fractionation of high-MgO liquids rather than accumulation of olivine in basaltic liquids. Most of the fractionation apparently involved crystallization of olivine, clinopyroxene, and Cr-spinel, but later fractionation involved olivine, clinopyroxene, and plagioclase. The occurrence of picritic lavas low in the overall volcanic section is similar to relations in other flood-basalt provinces, and should eventually yield important tectonic and magmatic constraints for the development of the Keweenawan midcontinent rift of North America.


This paper demonstrates the use of finite difference time domain (FDTD) in design, analysis of finite Vivaldi antenna. The method involves a two-step procedure. The electric field distribution across the antenna slot aperture is calculated, then the radiation far fields are calculated. Numerical result of radiation pattern. VSWR and input impedance over a wide range of frequency (6-18 GHz) have been obtained. The results of this analysis have been in a good agreement with experimental results.


Knowledge of the biology and management of rectal cancer continues to improve. A multidisciplinary approach to a patient with rectal cancer by an experienced expert team is mandatory, to assure optimal diagnosis and staging, surgery, selection of the appropriate neo-adjuvant and adjuvant strategy and chemotherapeutic management. Moreover, optimal symptom management also requires a dedicated team of health care professionals. The introduction of total mesorectal excision has been associated with a decrease in the rate of local failure after surgery. High quality surgery and the achievement of pathological measures of quality are a prerequisite to adequate locoregional control. There are now randomized data in favour of chemoradiotherapy or short course radiotherapy in the preoperative setting. Preoperative chemoradiotherapy is more beneficial and has less toxicity for patients with resectable rectal cancer than postoperative chemoradiotherapy. Furthermore chemoradiotherapy leads also to downsizing of locally advanced rectal cancer. New strategies that decrease the likelihood of distant metastases after initial treatment need be developed with high priority. Those involved in the care for patients with rectal cancer should be encouraged to participate in well-designed clinical trials, to increase the evidence-based knowledge and to make further progress. Health care workers involved in the care of rectal cancer patients should be encouraged to adopt quality control processes leading to increased expertise.


A digital watermark is a message robustly hidden within another digitized signal such as an image, a piece of music, a video, etc. . The principal applications of this technology are copyright protection and document fingerprinting. The robustness of watermarking algorithms against common geometrical deformations has drawn the attention of many researchers in the last ten years. Such distortions can result from usual processing of the media and/or malicious manipulations. As an example, a major concern for digital cinema industry is the illicit copy of movies with video cameras taking place in movie theaters. In this scenario, severe geometric distortions can jeopardize the retrieval of the watermark message from the illicit copies. The limitations and weaknesses of the previously proposed solutions to fight these distortions are presented. We developed a generalized construction method for periodic pseudo-random patterns. Based on these patterns, we designed a spread spectrum watermarking scheme with enhanced security properties. We investigated the detection probability and the interaction between exhaustive search and informed coding strategies. Finally, a scheme for the detection of a periodic structure and for the inversion of affine distortions was presented. We showed that the choice of the periodic repetition size involves a trade-off between robustness and secrecy. Thereafter, we studied the security flaw caused by the lack of secrecy in pilot-registration approaches. We proposed an innovative hiding scheme to remedy this issue. Our solution involves the extraction of robust local references from the content of the cover signal. Using this content normalized interpretation, we showed how one can design robust secret binary mask and modulate pilot signals in watermarking schemes. The efficiency of the approach is demonstrated on pilots derived from periodic structures. We also addressed the assessment of the degradation introduced by a geometrical distortion. We assume that a global rigid transform does not impair the perceptual value of an image and we propose a new criterion based on a local analysis of the geometrical deformations.


Bid evaluation is the process of selecting a contractor from a number of bidders. The decision analysis models currently in use at the Portuguese Electric Transmission Company (REN) to evaluate bids were developed through a decision-conferencing process supported by the MACBETH multicriteria approach and software. This paper presents the various components of this interactive sociotechnical process. Given the number of contracts awarded by REN each year, it was crucial that the models be reusable in similar calls for tenders; this required substantial care in structuring the criteria, with a focus on constructed scales, and building value function models based on qualitative pairwise comparison judgments of difference in attractiveness. Also of particular interest is the approach for weighing benefits against costs.


When a significant event occurs at a publicly traded company, federal law requires the firm to disclose this information to investors in a securities filing known as a Form 8-K. But the firm need not disclose immediately; instead, SEC rules give companies four business days after the event occurs within which to file an 8-K. These rules thus create a period during which market-moving information is known by those inside the firm but not most public-company investors — a period we call the "8-K trading gap." In this Article, we study how corporate insiders trade their company's stock during the 8-K trading gap.We develop a unique dataset of 15,419 Form 8-Ks with trades by insiders during this gap. We identify systematic abnormal returns of 42 basis points on average, per trade, from trades by insiders during the 8-K gap. When insiders engage in an unusual transaction during the gap — open-market purchases of their own company's stock — they earn even larger abnormal returns of 163 basis points. We also show that, when they engage in such purchases, insiders are correct about the directional impact of the 8-K filing more often than not — and that the probability that this finding is the product of random chance is virtually zero.To examine whether it is the expertise of the insiders, or the value associated with the information, that drives insider returns, we then focus on a type of 8-K that reveals positive information: those that announce new agreements with the company's business partners. We show, without reference to any specific insider transaction, that a trading strategy of buying on the date such an agreement is struck and selling immediately before the agreement is disclosed yields, on average, abnormal returns of 35.4 basis points. We also demonstrate that insiders are more likely to engage in open market purchases of their own company's stock when the firm is about to reveal new agreements with customers and suppliers. In light of the potential concerns raised by these findings, lawmakers should reconsider the effects of information-forcing rules such as those governing Form 8-K on the incidence and profitability of trading by insiders.


This paper presents a fast panoramic stereo matching algorithm using a cylindrical maximum surface technique. The disparity for a pair of panoramic images is found in a cylindrical shaped correlation coefficient volume by obtaining the maximum surface rather than simply choosing a position that gives the maximum correlation coefficient value. The use of our cylindrical maximum surface technique ensures that the disparities obtained at the left and the right columns of the panoramic stereo images are properly constrained. Typical running time for a pair of 1324 /spl times/ 120 images is about 0.33 s on a 1.7-GHz PC. A variety of real images have been tested, and good results have been obtained.


This paper considers the problem of blindly separating sub- and super-Gaussian sources from underdetermined mixtures. The underlying sources are assumed to be composed of two orthogonal components: one lying in the rowspace and the other in the nullspace of a mixing matrix. The mapping from the rowspace component to the mixtures by the mixing matrix is invertible using the pseudo-inverse of the mixing matrix. The mapping from the nullspace component to zero by the mixing matrix is noninvertible, and there are infinitely many solutions to the nullspace component. The latent nullspace component, which is of lower complexity than the underlying sources, is estimated based on a mean square error (MSE) criterion. This leads to a source estimator that is optimal in the MSE sense. In order to characterize and model sub- and super-Gaussian source distributions, the parametric generalized Gaussian distribution is used. The distribution parameters are estimated based on the expectation-maximization (EM) algorithm. When the mixing matrix is unavailable, it must be estimated, and a novel algorithm based on a single source detection algorithm, which detects time-frequency regions of single-source-occupancy, is proposed. In our simulations, the proposed algorithm, compared to other conventional algorithms, estimated the mixing matrix with higher accuracy and separated various sources with higher signal-to-interference ratio.


A critical issue facing the criminal justice system today is how best to promote ethical behavior by public prosecutors. The legal profession has left much of a prosecutor's day-to-day activity unregulated, in favor of a general, catch-all admonition to "seek justice." In this article the author argues that professional norms are truly functional only if those working with a given ethical framework recognize the system's implicit dependence on character. A code of professional conduct in which this dependence is not recognized is both contentless and corrupting. Building on the ethics of Aristotle and modern philosophers Alasdair MacIntyre and Bernard Williams, the author argues that virtue theory can help bridge the gaps in prosecutorial ethics where other forms of moral reasoning fail. The author analyzes three especially difficult ethical problems frequently confronted by prosecutors in the field. He demonstrates not only that the Model Rules of Professional Conduct and the ABA Criminal Justice Standards fail to answer any of these complex questions, but also that future attempts to more closely regulate how prosecutors should act in any of these nuanced situations are unlikely to succeed. The author argues that honesty, fairness, courage, and prudence are the primary virtues that citizens have a right to expect of their public prosecutors. He then demonstrates how these four key virtues might provide important guidance to conscientious prosecutors striving to do what is right. The author concludes by offering several insights into how the field of virtue ethics might inform both the structure and organization of government law offices, and the manner in which individual prosecutors working within these offices might perceive and fulfill their professional roles.


Skill writes poem need to do inculcate to student in junior high school, so that they have appreciation ability of poem to carefully. Appreciation a poem do not merely addressed for carrying out and poem understanding, but having an effect on sharpening to feeling sensitivity, common sense, and sensitivity of child of to humanity problems. The ability determined by some important factors in process of study writes poem. Besides model applying, correct method and strategy, also a real determines is role of teacher in process of study to student. This research aim to: 1) Knows ability to write student poem class VII SMPN 5 Pasuruan, 2) Knows execution of study to write poem by using imaginative study method at student class VII SMPN 5 Pasuruan, 3) Knows execution of study by using imaginative method can increase ability to write poem at student class VII SMPN 5 Pasuruan This research is action research (action research), because research of action done to solve problem study in class. Population is overall of object which in checking (Notoatmodjo, 2002). Population in this research is all class students VII SMPN 5 Pasuruan that amounts to 38. Sample is some of population that the characteristic will be checked and assumed can represent from overall of population (Arikunto, 1998: 107). In this research, the sample is all students at class VII SMPN 5 Pasuruan. Result of research indicates that: 1) Ability of class student VII SMPN 5 Pasuruan in writing poem can do improved. The improvement is gratifying. This thing does prove at result of test after action. At phase before student average value cycle only 60, at action of cycle I average value obtained 72,1 mean experiencing enhancer 12,1 or 31,8%. Hereinafter at cycle II student average value increases is even better that is becoming 80,4. Equally experiences improvement 8,3 or 21,8 % if compared to result before all. 2) Result of research of non test through observation, interview, and student journal also shows change which are positive, student is more interests and enthusiastic in study writes poem by using observation technique of object directly so that easy to in writing poem. That thing is proven existence of request some students to repeat study technique which have been executed that is imaginative method.


Heptafluoropropane (HFP), as the best alternative to halon fire-suppression agents, is now a widely used fire extinguishing agent. The current studies of HFP, concentrating on the extinguishing mechanisms of flames and decomposition products, in general deal with the destructive and high temperature cases. In this paper, terahertz time-domain spectra are used to characterize HFP at different pressures. Optical parameters of HFP, such as absorption coefficient, refractive index, and relative permittivity, and their relationship with concentration of samples, are discussed. The absorption peak of HFP at 0.3 THz depends strongly on the applied pressure, and the corresponding parameters increase almost linearly with increasing HFP concentration. The present study lays a foundation for future extensive applications.


Abstract This study examined changes in teachers' perceptions of external barriers, internal barriers, and their integration of digital educational resources across two years through variable-centered and person-centered approaches. Participants included 301 in-service middle and high school teachers from 18 schools in the United States. The results of variable-centered approaches showed some significant changes in external barriers and teacher behavior but not in internal barriers. However, person-centered approaches revealed that perceived changes in external barriers significantly predicted nuanced changes in the patterns of teachers' educational digital resource integration and their beliefs about technology. As teachers perceived a stronger technology vision and commitment to professional development in their school environments, their personal practices and beliefs shifted together.


We revisit the problem of denoising a discrete-time, continuous-amplitude signal corrupted by a known memoryless channel. By modifying our earlier approach to the problem, we obtain a scheme that is much more tractable than the original one and at the same time retains the universal optimality properties. The universality refers to the fact that the proposed denoiser asymptotically (with increasing block length of the data) achieves the performance of an optimum denoiser that has full knowledge of the distribution of a source generating the underlying clean sequence; the only restriction being that the distribution is stationary. The optimality, in a sense we will make precise, of the denoiser also holds in the case where the underlying clean sequence is unknown and deterministic and the only source of randomness is in the noise. The schemes involve a simple preprocessing step of quantizing the noisy symbols to generate quantized contexts. The quantized context value corresponding to each sequence component is then used to partition the unquantized symbols into subsequences. A universal symbol-by-symbol denoiser (for unquantized sequences) is then separately employed on each of the subsequences. We identify a rate at which the context length and quantization resolution should be increased so that the resulting scheme is universal. The proposed family of schemes is computationally attractive with an upper bound on complexity which is independent of the context length and the quantization resolution. Initial experimentation seems to indicate that these schemes are not only superior from a computational viewpoint, but also achieve better denoising in practice.


The Atraumatic Restorative Treatment (ART) technique has two potential limitations. Because only hand instruments are used, dental caries can be left during cavity preparation. Beyond this limitation, the glass ionomer filling material currently used has some unfavorable mechanical properties with respect to its strength, wear resistance, and shrinkage during setting. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of changes that can be expected in carious dentin when a glass ionomer restoration is placed. Restriction of the substrate supply and the release of different components from the glass ionomer have an inhibiting effect on cariogenic microorganisms. Whether this influence is sufficient to completely arrest the caries process is doubtful. The influence of glass ionomers on the remineralization of carious dentin needs further research.


ABSTRACT Introduction: Growth failure in children is a frequent feature of childhood-onset Crohn's disease (CD), and stunting can persist into adulthood. Growth is an important outcome by which to judge the effectiveness of therapies in children; currently available studies in CD children have focused on the short-term impact of treatments on growth, and there are limited data regarding the long-term effects of treatments upon growth. Areas covered: We designed the present article to review whether the first treatment performed in newly diagnosed CD children may have a role on the future growth course. We conducted a systematic literature search to identify relevant studies published on the PubMed database from January 2002 up to now. We found only six surveys that documented mid-term growth course in newly diagnosed CD patients. Expert commentary: In the last years there have been relevant advances in the clinical management of CD children; however, there is a lack of knowledge about the best strategy to reverse growth failure. Children treated with enteral nutrition have appropriate height and weight gain but do not reverse the growth course. Further surveys are required to better explore not only clinical outcomes but also long-term growth course following each therapeutic strategy.


In the health care setting, empathy can be defined as the ability to understand a patient's experiences and feelings, as well as the ability to communicate this understanding. Empathy has been shown to play an important role in the dentist-patient relationship by improving treatment outcome and increasing patient satisfaction. Recently, a growing concern has developed over a potential decline in empathy among health care providers. PURPOSE: This cross-sectional study was designed to investigate the differences in empathy among dentists of different genders, ages, specialties and professional affiliations. METHODS: Three hundred forty dentists in western Pennsylvania completed the Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy-Health Professions Version (JSPE – HP version). Independent t-tests and one-way analysis of variance were used to determine significance of associations between empathy and gender, age, specialty and professional affiliation. RESULTS: Empathy scores among female dentists were significantly higher than empathy scores among male dentists (p<0.0066). Empathy scores did not change significantly, however, with increasing age (p<0.9670). Significant differences were also not seen between dentists of "patient- or people-oriented" and "procedure- or technology-oriented" specialties (p<0.6298) or between members of the Dental Society of Western Pennsylvania (DSWP) and the Western Pennsylvania section of the American College of Dentists (ACD) (p<0.4602). CONCLUSIONS: It can be concluded that, in agreement with existing research, female dentists are more empathic than male dentists. There is no relationship between empathy and age, specialtyor membership in a professional association. The need for further research involving larger sample populations and multiple centers, and the need for methods to improve empathy are discussed.


We empirically investigate how well different learning rules manage to explain the formation of household inflation expectations in six key member countries of the euro area. Our findings reveal a pronounced heterogeneity in the learning rules employed on the country level. While the expectation formation process in some countries can be best explained by rules that incorporate forward-looking elements (Germany, Italy, the Netherlands), households in other countries employ information on energy prices (France) or form their expectations by means of more traditional learning rules (Belgium, Spain). Moreover, our findings suggest that least squares based algorithms significantly outperform their stochastic gradient counterparts, not only in replicating inflation expectation data but also in forecasting actual inflation rates.


Bilateral and regional safeguard mechanisms in free trade agreements (FTAs) address only the effects of trade liberalization initiatives under FTAs, and thus, in contrast with other trade remedies such as antidumping, they enable the examination of their nature and preferability to free trade independently. We investigated selected bilateral and regional safeguard mechanisms according to nine different indicators, which represent the "conditions for invocation," "conditions of application," and "procedural conditions" for the safeguard measures. While the safeguard mechanisms reveal specific characteristics according to their political and economic backgrounds, their nature is approximately summarized in the following order of preferability: (1) No Safeguard Type, (2) WTO Type, (3) NAFTA Type, (4) GATT Type, and (5) European Type. Importantly, however, in the overall understanding of the significance of each safeguard mechanism, one needs to be reminded of their trade liberalization ("safety valve") functions. In that sense, any final remarks on the subject can come only after assessing the level of trade liberalization facilitated by the existence of the mechanisms.


Nezara viridula adult coloration can vary, including a rare orange-colored type (i.e., N. viridula f. aurantiaca). In November 2015, three Nezara viridula males displaying orange coloration were found in an established colony in Stoneville, MS. The objectives of this study were to determine if alleles of these orange types conformed to the allele characteristics previously reported for N. viridula f. aurantiaca and to determine if there were any differences in reproductive output compared with the green-colored type. The three orange-type males were crossed with green-type females to produce a hybrid F1. The F1 progeny was allowed us to cross to produce an F2. The F2 progeny consisted of 672 green females, 351 green males, 298 orange males, and 0 orange females. These ratios did not differ significantly from the expected 50:25:25:0 ratios for a single recessive sex linked allele for color phenotype. The F2 cross of green females and orange males produced an F3 consisting of 345 green females, 346 green males, 100 orange females, and 85 orange males. These ratios also conformed to the expected ratios (0.375:0.375:0.125:0.125) with the exception of orange males, which numbers were slightly lower than expected. The pure orange type N. viridula produced significantly less egg masses (0.71 ± 0.15) per day than green types (2.09 ± 0.16) and their reproductive output, measured as net reproductive rate (Ro), was lower in orange (13.71) compared with green (20.67) types.


A 1.9GHz CMOS digitally controlled oscillator (DCO) is designed in a standard 0.13/spl mu/m process, targeting ultra low power frequency synthesizers for wireless sensor network transceivers. The oscillator exploits subthreshold device operation and a low 0.5V supply to achieve power consumption of only 100/spl mu/W. A novel switched capacitor configuration is employed to realize a frequency resolution of 200 kHz with a tuning range of 150MHz. High quality bondwire inductors also reduce power consumption. The phase noise is -114dBc/Hz at 1MHz offset, achieving performance competitive with other published work.


Objective: To investigate the expression of CD10 in tumor-associated fibroblasts (TAF) in colorectal adenomas and its relation to cancerization and recurrence of adenoma. Methods: Tissue samples of low-grade adenoma (n=50), high-grade adenoma (n=50) and colorectal adenocarcinoma (n=50) were collected, and tissue samples at the distal margin of corresponding colorectal lesions were taken as controls. The expression of CD10 in the stromal TAFs, and the expressions of β-catenin, Ki-67, p53 and CyclinD1 in tumor cells were detected by immunohistochemistry (Envision). The correlation of CD10 expression in stromal TAFs with the expressions of β-catenin, Ki-67, p53 and CyclinD1 in tumor cells was analyzed by Spearmen. One hundred samples of low-grade colorectal adenoma were collected, including 57 non-recurrent cases and 43 recurrent cases (16 cases of recurrent adenoma and 27 cases of recurrent adenocarcinoma); the expression of stromal TAF CD10 were determined and compared among groups. Results: There was no TAF in normal colorectal mucosa. The expression rates of TAF CD10 in low-grade adenoma, high-grade adenoma and colorectal adenocarcinoma were 22%, 50% and 78%, respectively (all P<0.05). The expression of Ki-67 and β-catenin in low-grade adenoma, high-grade adenoma, colorectal adenocarcinoma was on a rising trend (all P<0.01). The expression of CyclinD1 in high-grade adenoma was higher than that in colorectal adenocarcinoma and low-grade adenoma (all P>0.05). The expression of p53 in colorectal adenocarcinoma and high-grade adenoma was higher than that in low grade adenoma (all P<0.01). The expression of TAF CD10 was correlated with the expression of p53, Ki-67 and β-catenin-nucleus(r=0.264、0.307、0.320, all P<0.01),but not correlated with CyclinD1 and β-catenin-membrane (r=0.012、-0.073, all P>0.05). The TAF CD10 level was significantly higher in low-grade adenoma with recurrence than that in those without recurrence (P<0.05).The expression of CD10 in recurrent colorectal adenocarcinoma was higher than that in recurrent adenoma (P<0.05). Conclusion: The expression of TAF CD10 is increased gradually in the process of adenoma-cancer, indicating that it may play an important role in the canceration of adenoma. Adenomas with high expression of CD10 TAF are likely to be recurrent and cancerized, and detection of TAF CD10 combined with p53, Ki-67 and β-catenin may be of value in predicting canceration or recurrence of colorectal adenoma.


This paper examines the contemporary and possible future role of the IMF in European economic governance in light of the cooperation developed between the EU and the Fund in order to tackle financial problems both in non-euro area and euro area Member States. Attention is paid to the influence of the IMF on the revamping of European economic governance through, among others, the establishment of robust crisis management mechanisms. On the basis of this analysis, it is suggested that the Fund will continue to have some role in European economic governance, at least in the mid-term. For this reason the EU, or at least the euro area, has an interest in becoming more influential in the work and decision-making of the IMF through the strengthening of its representation. As discussed in the paper, the Lisbon Treaty has indeed created the potential for a strengthened presence of the euro area (not necessarily the EU) in the IMF (see Article 138 TFEU).


In the period between August 2010 and August 2011 the SULTAN test facility has been continuously operated, with over one dozen test campaigns. Among the ITER conductors, five Toroidal Field (TF) samples, two Central Solenoid (CS) samples and four NbTi samples for Poloidal Field (PF), Correction Coil and Main Busbar coming from Japan, Russia, Korea and China have been tested with duration of test campaign ranging from two to nine weeks each. Two non-ITER conductor samples are also tested in the same period, a high current NbTi cable-in-conduit (CICC) for the secondary winding of the EDIPO flux pump and a prototype high field conductor for the hybrid magnet of the Radboud University (NL). The possibility to apply "off-SULTAN" thermal cycles from room temperature to liquid nitrogen has been realized for two samples. A novel method for in-situ measurement of the critical temperature in CICC has been successfully applied in SULTAN, opening the possibility to experimentally assess the thermal strain of the filaments at various stages of the test campaign, i.e. as a function of the load cycles and degradation. Residual strain measurements on the steel jacket of the TF conductors have been carried out at RT and 77 K.


Upstream regions in the DNA sequence are characterized by the presence of short regulatory motifs, which function as target binding sites for transcription factors. Finding two genes with common motifs in their regulatory regions may aid users in identifying co-regulated genes or inferring regulatory modules. By modelling pattern occurrences in the regulatory regions with Poisson statistics, this paper presents a log likelihood ratio statistics-based distance measure to calculate pair-wise similarities between sequences. To perform cluster analysis of regulatory sequences, this paper introduces two clustering algorithms on the basis of the incorporation of the log likelihood ratio statistics-based distance into hierarchical clustering and Self-Organizing Map. The proposed approach has been tested on a synthetic dataset and a real biological example. The results indicate that, in comparison to traditional distance functions, the log likelihood ratio statistics-based similarity measure offers considerable improvements in the process of regulatory sequence-based gene classification.


RATIONALE
Asthma commonly originates in early life in association with impaired lung function, which tracks to adulthood.

OBJECTIVES
Within the context of a prospective birth cohort study, we investigated the association between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in a disintegrin and metalloprotease 33 (ADAM33) gene and early-life lung function.

METHODS
Children were genotyped for 17 SNPs in ADAM33. Lung function at age 3 (n = 285) and 5 years (n = 470) was assessed using plethysmographic measurement of specific airway resistance (sRaw). At age 5, we also measured FEV(1). SNPs were analyzed individually using logistic regression, followed by linkage disequilibrium mapping to identify the causal locus.

MAIN RESULTS
Carriers of the rare allele of F+1 SNP had reduced lung function at age 3 years (p = 0.003). When the recessive model was considered, four SNPs (F+1, S1, ST+5, V4) showed association with sRaw at age 5 years (p < 0.04). Using linkage disequilibrium mapping, we found evidence of a significant causal location between BC+1 and F1 SNPs, at the 5' end of the gene. Four SNPs were associated with lower FEV(1) (F+1, M+1, T1, and T2; p < or = 0.04). The risk of transient early wheezing more than doubled among children homozygous for the A allele of F+1 (odds ratio, 2.39; 95% confidence intervals, 1.18-4.86; p = 0.02), but there was no association between any SNP and allergic sensitization or physician-diagnosed asthma.

CONCLUSIONS
Polymorphisms in ADAM33 predict impaired early-life lung function. The functionally relevant polymorphism is likely to be at the 5' end of the gene.


Recurrent and anaplastic pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma (r&aPXA) is a rare primary brain tumor that is challenging to treat. Two-thirds of PXA tumors harbor a BRAF gene mutation. BRAF inhibitors have been shown to improve tumor control. However, resistance to BRAF inhibition develops in most cases. Concurrent therapy with MEK inhibitors may improve tumor control and patient survival. In this study, we identified 5 patients diagnosed with BRAF-mutated PXA who received BRAF and MEK inhibitors over a 10-year interval at our institution. Patient records were evaluated, including treatments, adverse effects (AEs), outcomes, pathology, next-generation sequencing, and MRI. The median age was 22 years (range, 14-66 years), 60% male, and 60% anaplastic PXA. Median overall survival was 72 months (range, 19-112 months); 1 patient died of tumor-related hemorrhage while off therapy, and the other 4 experienced long-term disease control (21, 72, 98, and 112 months, respectively). Dual BRAF/MEK inhibitors were well tolerated, with only grade 1-2 AEs, including rash, neutropenia, fatigue, abdominal discomfort, and diarrhea. No grade 3-5 AEs were detected. A literature review was also performed of patients diagnosed with BRAF-mutated PXA and treated with BRAF and/or MEK inhibitors through August 2021, with a total of 32 cases identified. The median age was 29 years (range, 8-57 years) and the median PFS and OS were 8.5 months (range, 2-35 months) and 35 months (range, 10-80 months), respectively. The most common AEs were grade 1-2 fatigue and skin rash. Results of this case series and literature review indicate that dual-drug therapy with BRAF and MEK inhibitors for r&aPXA with BRAF V600E mutation may delay tumor progression without unexpected AEs.


DAΦNE is a double ring electron-positron collider, designed to provide very high luminosity at the energy of the Φ resonance (1.02 GeV c.m.). After storing the first beam in fall 1997, the collider was commissioned without solenoidal detectors until the end of 1998, reaching a single bunch luminosity of 1.6x10 cms with 20 mA in each beam, corresponding to a beam-beam tune shift of ≈0.03. A longitudinal bunch-to-bunch feedback has been implemented, allowing the storage of more than 0.5 A in 30 bunches for both electrons and positrons. The KLOE detector, embedded into a superconducting solenoid with strong longitudinal field integral (2.4 Tm, to be compared to a magnetic rigidity of 1.7 Tm) compensated by two other solenoids of opposite field, was installed in winter 1999 and commissioning resumed with a careful correction of the coupling effects. Particular effort has been dedicated to the reduction of background in the experiment, which led to the possibility of injecting the beams in interaction without switching off data taking. The total stored current has reached more than 1 A in each beam, while a transverse feedback system has been realized to counteract vertical instabilities occurring during injection. The collider is now running in the multibunch mode for KLOE data taking with peak luminosity up to 1.8x10 cms and integrated luminosity larger than 0.8 pb per day.


This dissertation documents 214 White pre-service English Language Arts teachers' engagement in explicit discussions of race and racism in online class discussions about teaching about dialect diversity. Participants were recruited from eight geographically distinct teacher education programs in the United States that implemented Godley and Reaser's (2018) dialect diversity mini-course. Informed by scholarship on White teachers' talk about racism, I analyzed participants' engagement in what I call "critical race talk" – talk about race that acknowledges systemic racism and White privilege. I used qualitative research methods to identify themes within the subset of White teachers' comments that included critical race talk. Even when prompted to discuss race and dialects in critical ways, only 3% of the 2,900 discussion board posts authored by White teachers included critical race talk. Twenty-nine percent of White teachers voiced critical race talk at least once. Teachers avoided critical race talk through implementing discourse strategies like silence, changing the topic, denial of White privilege, color-blindness, and abstract liberal discourse strategies. Four themes emerged within the discussion board posts that included critical race talk: descriptions of how systemic racism operates, explicit discussions of Whiteness, admissions of the prevalence of deficit thinking about people of color, and genuine questions about teaching about racism and linguistic profiling. Additionally, more diverse teacher education classes and discussion prompts that directly addressed issues of racism and discrimination elicited more critical race talk. When teachers responded to each other's critical race talk, 83% of their responses challenged their classmates to be even more critical. Finally, White teachers who voiced critical race talk identified a three-step approach to teaching about linguistic discrimination: knowing your individual students' linguistic and racial identities, choosing classroom resources and materials to suit their needs, and creating a dialogue about linguistic profiling and racism focused on social justice. Implications of this study include the need for future studies to frame White teachers as capable of critical race talk and to include larger and more diverse groups of teachers, and the need for more a more diverse teaching force and teacher education curricula that explicitly engages White teachers in critical race talk.


Understanding financial strategies and patterns of new firms is crucial to the theoretical unravelling of the entrepreneurial process as well as to the elaboration of appropriate support programs from practitioner and policy maker. The aim of this paper is to investigate whether a pecking order theory underlies the financing strategies of new technology-based firms (NTBFs). From the analysis of previous literature on the subject, controversial results emerge: while some authors have confirmed a traditional pecking order theory for NTBFs, others, on grounds of NTBFs major financial constraints derived from higher information asymmetry, have proposed a revised pecking order, where access to equity (in particular private equity) occurs prior to debt. This research has been carried out applying an approach based on estimation of internal financial gap (Cosh et al., ECOJ 119:71494-1533, 2009) using data from the Kauffman Firm Survey. Additionally, we extend the pecking order prediction by examining the effect of human capital as determinants for financing decisions, given its crucial role in shaping entrepreneurial dynamics of NTBFs. Our results support the existence of a revised pecking order in the case of NTBFs; moreover entrepreneur's age and experience play a role in clarifying financial priorities of NTBFs.


An analytical two degree-of-freedom decoupling control scheme for two-by-two systems with integrator(s) is proposed. The approach facilitates explicit tuning for both input tracking and load disturbance rejection design goals. In this new scheme, a novel inverse model-based decoupler is first introduced to eliminate interactions. The set-point tracking controller is then analytically derived based on the decoupled process. The disturbance controller that is responsible for rejecting load disturbances is obtained by proposing the desired transfer function for disturbance rejection. Tuning constraints for the proposed disturbance controller are developed based on system robust stability analysis. Simulation examples are used to illustrate the proposed control scheme. Results from the simulation show that a good performance can be obtained using the proposed control scheme. Moreover, it has been demonstrated that the proposed closed-loop for disturbance rejection can also be utilised to reject ramp-type load disturbances.


Limited by the Boltzmann distribution of electrons, the sub-threshold swing (SS) of conventional MOSFETs cannot be less than 60 mV dec. This limitation hinders the reduction of power dissipation of the devices. Herein, we present high-performance In2O3 nanowire (NW) negative capacitance field-effect transistors (NC-FETs) by introducing a ferroelectric P(VDF-TrFE) layer in a gate dielectric stack. The fabricated devices exhibit excellent gate modulation with a high saturation current density of 550 μA μm and an outstanding SS value less than 60 mV dec for over 4 decades of channel current. The assembled inverter circuit can demonstrate an impressive voltage gain of 25 and a cut-off frequency of over 10 MHz. By utilizing the self-aligned fabrication scheme, the device can be ultimately scaled down to below 100 nm channel length. The devices with 200 nm channel length exhibit the best performances, in which a high on/off current ratio of >10, a large output current density of 960 μA μm and a small SS value of 42 mV dec are obtained at the same time. All these would not only evidently demonstrate the potency of NW NC-FETs to break through the Boltzmann limit in nanoelectronics, but also open up a new avenue to low-power transistors for portable products.


PURPOSE
The success of cancer screening depends on patient adherence to the screening program. The purpose of this study is to assess how the level of education might affect participants' compliance with screening in the National Lung Screening Trial (NLST).

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Secondary data analyses of the participants in the NLST were performed. A total of 50,104 participants were included in this study. Participants who enrolled in the trial but refused the initial screening were compared with those who completed the screening. A multivariate logistic regression model was used to assess the association between participant noncompliance and education level.

RESULTS
A total of 3712 (7.41%) participants refused lung cancer screening in the NLST. Compared with the reference group, participants with an education level of eighth grade or less (odds ratio [OR]: 2.1, CI: 1.68-2.76), ninth-11th grade (OR: 1.9, CI: 1.7-2.34), high school graduates (OR: 1.3, CI: 1.22-1.54), after high school training (OR: 1.1, CI: 1-1.31), or an associate's degree (OR: 1.2, CI: 1.07-1.36) had significantly higher odds of refusing lung cancer screening. Participants with a bachelor's degree showed no significant association with compliance with screening (OR: 0.9, P = 0.86). Multivariate regression analysis also showed that younger, single, male participants with a longer duration of smoking history had significantly higher odds of refusing the screening.

CONCLUSION
A lower level of education was significantly associated with refusing lung cancer screening. A strategic targeted approach for this group might be necessary to promote their compliance rate.


Generalized trust, or trust in strangers, has been traced to a wide range of societal benefits. But generalized trust is not sustainable in the absence of widespread generalized trustworthiness, that is, the tendency for strangers to honor trust extended to them. While there has been much work on the origins and consequences of generalized trust, surprisingly little research has addressed the antecedents of generalized trustworthiness. We argue that generalized trustworthiness is negatively affected by prior exposure to a ubiquitous extrinsic motivator of trustworthy behavior, contracts. Specifically, drawing on classic social psychological research on the overjustification effect, we argue that actors previously constrained by contracts will attribute their own `trustworthy' behavior in those interactions to the contract itself. According to overjustification arguments, this misattribution should lead to a decrease in intrinsic motivations to act trust-worthily in interactions where the actor is not constrained by the contract. Results of a new experiment support this argument.


The biochemical potential of pathogenic bacteria may cause alteration in the neurophysiological environment; consequently, neuroendocrine and immune responses of the host are modulated by endogenously produced metabolic products of neuropathogenic bacteria. The present study was designed to detect the derived biogenic amines in spent culture media of Bacillus cereus (Bc), Clostridium tetani (Ct), Listeria monocytogenes (Lm), and Neisseria meningitidis (Nm). Overnight grown culture in different culture media i.e., Nutrient broth (NB), Luria basal broth (LB), Brain Heart Infusion broth (BHI), and human serum supplemented RPMI 1640 medium (RPMI) were used to prepare filter-sterilized, cell-free cultural broths (SCFBs) and subjected to high performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection (HPLC-EC) along with the control SCFBs. Comparative analysis of biogenic amines in neuropathogenic bacterial SCFBs with their respective control (SCFB) revealed the complete degradation of dopamine (DA) into its metabolic products by Bc, Ct, and Nm, whereas Lm showed negligible degradation of DA. A relatively high concentration of 5-hydroxyindol acetic acid (5HIAA) by Bc in NB and LB indicated the tryptophan metabolism by the serotonin (5HT) pathway. Our study suggests that microbial endocrinology could help unravel new perspectives to the progression of infectious diseases.


The fission yeast DSC 1 (DNA synthesis control) transcription factor complex regulates cell cycle-specific periodic transcription of a group of genes at the G1-S phase transition during the mitotic cell cycle, by binding to MCB (Mlul cell cycle box) sequence elements common to their promoters. Included in this group are several genes whose functions are required for the onset and progression of S phase, such as cdc22+ (the large subunit of ribonucleotide reductase), cig2+ (the major S phase cyclin) and the DNA replication licensing factors cdc18+ and cdt1+. In concert with cyclin-dependent kinase activity, DSCl function is required for passage of START and entry into the mitotic cell division cycle. Similar gene expression programmes exist in both budding yeast and humans controlled by the SBF/MBF and E2F transcription factors, respectively. Fission yeast DSC1 comprises two related DNA-binding subunits, Res1p and Res2p, each bound to a single molecule of the regulatory Cdc10p protein. In addition, the Rep2p protein has a transcriptional activator function (replaced by Rep1p in the meiotic cycle). Knowledge about functional aspects of each of the DSC1 components has been greatly enhanced by genetic and biochemical studies. However, to date, these proteins remain poorly characterised at the atomic level, with little known about structure beyond their amino acid sequence. The aim of this study was to clone and bacterially express the individual DSC1 genes, to provide sufficient protein to carry out more detailed biophysical and functional studies. The cdc10+, res1+, res2+ and rep2+ genes, together with the putative meiotic subunit rep1+, were cloned and overexpressed in E. coli as N-terminal histidine-tagged fusion proteins. Inclusion of the His-tag facilitated purification of the proteins by affinity chromatography. Each recombinant protein (with the exception of His-Cdc10p) was shown to function in vivo-, ectopic expression of His-resl+, His-res2+, His-rep1+ or His-rep2+ rescued the cold-sensitive lethality of the fission yeast Deltares1 mutant strain. Bacterially expressed His-Res1p, His-Res2p and His-Rep2p were recovered in soluble form, whilst His-Rep1p and His-Cdc10p were detergent-solubilised from inclusion bodies. His Res2p was expressed and purified in yields sufficient to undertake biophysical analyses. Both His-Rep1p and His-Cdc10p were solubilised and purified from inclusion bodies in yields sufficient for structural studies, although initial biophysical data suggests that re-folding strategies will be required to obtain active preparations of these proteins. In electrophoretic mobility shift assay experiments, neither His-Res1p nor His-Res2p displayed detectable MCB-specific DNA-binding in vitro. Intriguingly, replacement of the His- tag with an N terminal GST-tag conferred detectable MCB-specific DNA-binding upon both proteins. These results suggest that efficient DNA-binding requires dimerisation, a property that, at least in vitro, is apparently not naturally intrinsic to either Resp protein. Taken together, the results presented in this study provide a significant basis with which to undertake future structural analyses of these proteins. The implications of these results for further in vitro studies are discussed.


The growing development of applications, utilization time, technologies and data rates are increasing the demands for, and value of, the finite spectral resources. It creates an idea of spectrum scarcity; however, several studies concluded that the shortage of the spectrum is a spectrum access problem since certain bands are used sporadically while in others, the spectrum resource is scarce. In this context, dynamic spectrum access (DSA) is proposed as a solution to reuse spectrum, sharing spectrum bands. Its main challenge is to guarantee protection against interference to primary users (PU, users with high priority to access a channel) when a frequency band is shared with secondary users (SU, users with low priority to access a channel). To achieve this, a DSA strategy is that a SU transmits simultaneously with the PU as long as the resulting interference is constrained. The aforementioned involves controlling the number of selected SUs to the network to assure a peaceful coexistence with the PUs in the area. This work proposes a multi-objective admission control and channel allocation algorithm to determine the tradeoff between the maximum data rate and maximum number of selected SUs to concurrently share a spectral resource considering Quality of Service (QoS) constraints. To figure out the solution that considers the two conflicting objectives, Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) and the Weighted Sum Method are applied.


protocol so that the collective experience of many institutions will contribute to the further understanding and better management of such cases. Much more needs to be known if women with renal transplants are to be carefully selected to enjoy pregnancy and parenthood with maximum benefit to themselves and their offspring. We doubt, however, if a decision to undertake a transplant should ever be based on a desire for parenthood. J M DAVISON T LIND


Background and Goal of Study: The success of intubation with direct laryngoscopy depends largely on the experience of the clinician and the patient's upper airway anatomy. Lightwand is one of the alternate intubation techniques for difficult cases. But there has been no study about clinical parameters to predict difficulty of intubation with lightwand. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the correlation between clinical parameters predicting difficult intubation and ease of intubation with a lightwand. Materials and Methods: ASA physical status I-III, 73 patients requiring tracheal intubation for elective surgery was enrolled in this prospective study. Patient demographics, Mallampati class, mouth opening, thyromental distance, neck around size and neck extension ability were all measured and the values recorded. Body mass index was calculated for each patient. After receiving a standardized anesthetic induction, patients first underwent direct laryngoscopy to determine Cormack laryngoscopy grade, then tracheal intubation was performed using lightwand. Times to intubation (from insertion of lightwand into the oropharynx to its removal) were measured by a chronometer and frequency of intubation attempts was recorded. The relationship of difficulty of tracheal intubation with lightwand and the clinical parameters was analyzed with multiple linear regression with stepwise selection method. The difficulty of intubation with lightwand for response variable was defined as the time to intubation multiply by intubation attempts frequency. The Mallampati class, Cormack grade, mouth opening, thyromental distance, neck around size, neck extension ability and body mass index were regarded as independent variables. Results and Discussion: Other variables except for Mallampati class were less associated with difficulty of tracheal intubation with lightwand. Product of intubation time and number of attempts was well modeled as a linear function of Mallampati class without intercepts. Four separate slope estimates were derived from this equation, 19.67 for Mallampati class I, 24.50 for class II, 25.06 for class III, and 77.37 for class IV. (R-squared=0.678, P=0.000) Conclusion(s): Among the clinical useful parameters, Mallampati class reflecting the pharyngeal structure is the only significant factor for the prediction of difficulty of tracheal intubation with lightwand technique. Because high Mallampati class causes more difficulty of intubation with lightwand, more careful examination of Mallampati class is required.


The paper draws attention to broad issues in international political economy that affect responses to the HIV|AIDS epidemic in the developing world. I argue that stable access to affordable medicines is essential for developing countries to tackle HIV|AIDS epidemics. Developing countries must overcome the 'price-infrastructure trap', where high prices reduce the feasibility of scaling-up treatment programmes, reduced feasibility of treatment decreases the incentives to invest in public health infrastructure, and poor public health infrastructure makes even limited treatment programs less effective than they could otherwise be. I examine four mechanisms for increasing developing countries' access to affordable drugs. I consider the political economy obstacles to scaling up treatment based on each of these mechanisms, with particular attention paid to the impediments posed by the new global regime on intellectual property rights. I show how each mechanism remains inadequate for realizing the central objective, that of achieving sufficient stability of supply so to stimulate domestic mobilization of resources and thereby escape from the price-infrastructure trap. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Experienced Extension educators can, and should, help attract and retain new Extension educators. When experienced educators engage with various groups or individuals, they should discuss careers in Extension and highlight the opportunities that are available to Extension educators. Additionally, as new educators are recruited and hired, experienced educators should mentor and encourage them, develop relationships with them, and convey the positive aspects of being an Extension educator. After all, experienced educators are in the best position to convince potential and new hires of the benefits of a successful and rewarding career in Extension.


Inorganic frameworks obtained by the sol-gel route can be templated by a molecular imprinting (MIP) approach to generate functional cavities. Such MIP ceramics show highly appreaciable properties for chemical sensor applications, because they are inherently chemically and thermally robust. In combination with mass-sensitive devices (e.g. quartz crystal micro balance – QCM, surface transverse wave oscillator - STW), they yield highly selective and sensitive chemical sensors. Gas phase measurements with volatile organic compounds (VOCs) e.g. lead to sensitivities below 1 ppm. Sensitivity can be tuned by the sol-gel-precursor: when hydrolysing more bulky alkoxides, this leads to enhanced sensitivity by increasing porosity as a consequence of slower solvent evaporation. By adding products of oxidative oil degradation to the sol-gel mixture, we succeeded in generating sensors for degradation processes in these complex matrices. This allows parallelly monitoring both the chemical state of oil and changes in viscosity. Sensitivity is enhanced according to the Sauerbrey equation by going from 10 MHz QCM transducers to higher frequencies either by etching the quartz substrates and so reducing the resonator thickness or by applying STWs.


We study intergenerational risk sharing in Euro-denominated life insurance contracts. These savings products represent 80% of the life insurance market in Europe. Using regulatory and survey data for the French market, which is €1.3 trillion large, we analyze the patterns of intergenerational redistribution implemented by these products. We show that contract returns are an order of magnitude less volatile than the return of assets underlying these contracts. Contract return smoothing is achieved using reserves that absorb fluctuations in asset returns and that generate intertemporal transfers across generations of investors. We estimate the average annual amount of intergenerational transfer at 1.4% of contract value, i.e., €17 billion or 0.8% of GDP. Finally, we provide evidence that smoothing makes contract returns predictable, but inflows react only weakly to these predictable returns.


We investigate the connectivity of wireless sensor networks under the random pairwise key predistribution scheme of Chan Under the assumption of full visibility, this reduces to studying the connectivity in the so-called random K-out graph H (n;K); here, n is the number of nodes and K <; n is an integer parameter affecting the number of keys stored at each node. We show that if K ≥ 2 (respectively, K=1), the probability that H (n;K) is a connected graph approaches 1 (respectively, 0) as n goes to infinity. For the one-law this is done by establishing an explicitly computable lower bound on the probability of connectivity. Using this bound, we see that with high probability, network connectivity can already be guaranteed (with K ≥ 2) by a relatively small number of sensors. This corrects earlier predictions made on the basis of a heuristic transfer of connectivity results available for Erdös-Rényi graphs.


Abstract Orseau and Ring, as well as Dewey, have recently described problems, including self-delusion, with the behavior of agents using various definitions of utility functions. An agent's utility function is defined in terms of the agent's history of interactions with its environment. This paper argues, via two examples, that the behavior problems can be avoided by formulating the utility function in two steps: 1) inferring a model of the environment from interactions, and 2) computing utility as a function of the environment model. Basing a utility function on a model that the agent must learn implies that the utility function must initially be expressed in terms of specifications to be matched to structures in the learned model. These specifications constitute prior assumptions about the environment so this approach will not work with arbitrary environments. But the approach should work for agents designed by humans to act in the physical world. The paper also addresses the issue of self-modifying agents and shows that if provided with the possibility to modify their utility functions agents will not choose to do so, under some usual assumptions.


Face recognition has been studied extensively for more than 20 years now. Since the beginning of 90s the subject has became a major issue. This technology is used in many important real-world applications, such as video surveillance, smart cards, database security, internet and intranet access. This report reviews recent two algorithms for face recognition which take advantage of a relatively new multiscale geometric analysis tool Curvelet transform, for facial processing and feature extraction. This transform proves to be efficient especially due to its good ability to detect curves and lines, which characterize the human's face. An algorithm which is based on the two algorithms mentioned above is proposed, and its performance is evaluated on three data bases of faces: AT&T (ORL), Essex Grimace and Georgia-Tech. k-nearest neighbour (kNN) and Support vector machine (SVM) classifiers are used, along with Principal Component Analysis (PCA) for dimensionality reduction. This algorithm shows good results, and it even outperforms other algorithms in some cases.


To explore the mechanism of Th17 cells and Treg cells in the peripheral blood of patients with pancreatic cancer through analyzing the changes of the related genes and cytokines expression. 40 patients were divided into three groups based on clinical staging, and 20 healthy subjects were treated as normal control. Proportion of Th17 cells and Treg cells were detected by flow cytometry. RORα, RORγt, FoxP3, and CTLA-4 expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells were detected by RT-PCR. IL-10, IL-23, INF-γ, TGF-β, and IL-17 cytokine levels in peripheral blood were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The proportion of Th17 cells in peripheral blood of pancreatic cancer patients was lower than that in the normal control, while the proportion of Treg was higher. RORα and RORγt mRNA expression in Th17 cells from pancreatic cancer patients decreased, while FoxP3 and CTLA4 mRNA expressions in Treg cells increased compared with the normal control. And the correlation analysis revealed that they were significantly correlated with clinical staging. Compared with healthy control, IL-23, IL-17 and INF-γ levels were lower in pancreatic cancer patients, while IL-10 and TGF-β levels were higher. Following the progression of disease, patients in advanced stage exhibited higher level of IL-10 and TGF-β, and lower levels of IL-23 and INF-γ. Pancreatic cancer patients exhibited Th17/Treg balance disorders with higher Treg and lower Th17 cells. They affect cytokine IL-10, IL-23, INF-γ, TGF-β, and IL-17 expression changes mainly through regulating transcription factors such as RORα, RORγt, FoxP3 and CTLA-4, suggesting that Th17/Treg balance disorders plays an important role in the tumorigenesis of pancreatic cancer.


Penetrating injuries to the vertebral artery remain an unusual, yet challenging, problem in trauma patients. Once thought to be rare, the awareness of this type of injury is increasing, in part because of arteriography for patients with penetrating cervical trauma. Mortality rates have been reported from 5-50% in various reviews. Early and late complications are common and often life-threatening. These include bleeding, pseudoaneurysm, arteriovenous fistula, thrombosis, and stroke. In addition, distal vertebral artery trauma represents a distinctly more complex and technically challenging problem. Standard surgical practice has been operative ligation (proximal and distal) and/or direct repair of the injured vessel. However, surgical exposure and repair of the injured vessel is often technically difficult, especially when the upper cervical portion of the artery is involved. Interventional radiologic techniques are now being used to diagnose and treat many complex vascular injuries. A new treatment for a Zone III vertebral artery gunshot wound is presented here. Using endovascular techniques the authors were able to successfully occlude the proximal vertebral artery via an ipsilateral approach, and the distal vertebral artery via a contralateral approach. This unique application of nonoperative interventional technique has significant implications for vascular surgery. This report represents the first successful treatment of a Zone III vertebral artery occlusion treated by endovascular methods.


We compared the associations of diabetes mellitus (DM) and other cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors with decline in the ankle–brachial index (ABI) over 4 years in participants with and without peripheral artery disease (PAD). A total of 566 participants, 300 with PAD, were followed prospectively for 4 years. Mean (SD) baseline ABI values were 0.70 (0.13) for participants with both PAD and DM, 0.67 (0.14) for participants with only PAD, 1.10 (0.13) for participants with only DM, and 1.10 (0.10) for participants with neither PAD nor DM. After adjusting for age, sex, and baseline ABI, the corresponding ABI change from baseline to 4-year follow-up were −0.02, –0.04, +0.05, and +0.05, respectively. Compared to participants with neither PAD nor DM, participants with only PAD showed significantly more ABI decline (p <0.01), while the decline in participants with both PAD and DM was borderline non-significant (p = 0.06). After adjustments for baseline ABI, age, sex, African American ethnicity, and other CVD risk factors, independent factors associated with ABI decline in participants with PAD in the lower ABI leg were older age and elevated D-dimer. DM was not related to ABI decline. Despite being an important risk factor for PAD, DM was not independently associated with ABI decline. This could reflect the effect of DM promoting both PAD and lower-extremity arterial stiffness, resulting in a small decline in the ABI over time. In conclusion, ABI change over time in persons with diabetes may not accurately reflect underlying atherosclerosis.


Water is abundant on earth and in the atmosphere and the most crucial liquid for life as we know it. It has been subject to rather intense research since more than a century and still holds secrets about its molecular structure and dynamics, particularly in the supercooled state, i. e. the metastable liquid below its melting point. This thesis is concerned with different aspects of water and is written from a theoretical perspective. Simulation techniques are used to study structures and processes on the molecular level and to interpret experimental results. The evaporation kinetics of tiny water droplets is investigated in simulations with focus on the cooling process associated with evaporation. The temperature evolution of nanometer-sized droplets evaporating in vacuum is well described by the Knudsen theory of evaporation. The principle of evaporative cooling is used in experiments to rapidly cool water droplets to extremely low temperatures where water transforms into a highly structured low-density liquid in a continuous and accelerated fashion.For water at ambient conditions, a structural standard is established in form of a high precision radial distribution function as a result of x-ray diffraction experiments and simulations. Recent data even reveal intermediate range molecular correlations to distances of up to 17 A in the bulk liquid.The barium fluoride (111) crystal surface has been suggested to be a template for ice formation because its surface lattice parameter almost coincides with that of the basal plane of hexagonal ice. Instead, water at the interface shows structural signatures of a high-density liquid at ambient and even at supercooled conditions.Inelastic neutron scattering experiments have shown a feature in the vibrational spectra of supercooled confined and protein hydration water which is connected to the so-called Boson peak of amorphous materials. We find a similar feature in simulations of bulk supercooled water and its emergence is associated with the transformation into a low-density liquid upon cooling.


In this article, I address the issue of how we can instil pedagogical practices in higher education with ethical and political significance so that the hegemonic rationalist epistemology of educational development is interrupted. To do this, I take up two recent streams of response to this challenge; one focused on care and the other on discomfort. Illustrating the tensions and possibilities that the notion of the 'ethic of care' and 'ethic of discomfort' may have in discourses of educational development is the focus of this article. In particular, the following three questions structure my discussion: What are the contributions and limits of the ethic of care in exploring issues of educational development in our contemporary globalised world? How can the scope of care and caring teaching be extended through an ethic of discomfort? Finally, what are the implications for educational development of such a reconceptualization of care on the basis of 'pedagogies of discomfort'? To approach these questions I first consider some theoretical conversations regarding caring teaching in (higher) education, pointing out the possibilities as well as some limitations. Then I discuss the reconceptualisation of caring teaching in higher education on the basis of an ethic of discomfort. Following this, I lay out some implications for educational development and teaching in higher education and answer the question of how a reconceptualised ethic of care through discomfort can contribute to reconsidering mainstream perceptions of and pedagogical practices in higher education.


Oscillatory actomyosin flows play a key role in single cell migration and in collective cell movements that shape invertebrates embryos, but the role of such oscillations in vertebrate morphogenesis remains poorly defined. Here, data from mathematical modeling and in vivo 4D imaging of actomyosin in the Xenopus gastrula suggest that oscillatory actomyosin contractions are a general feature of convergent extension by junction shrinking. We show that synchronous intracellular flows link two spatially distinct populations of actomyosin within individual cells, but that oscillations are asynchronous between neighboring cells that share a shrinking cell-cell junction. We also show that the core PCP protein Prickle2 displays a parallel oscillatory behavior and is required for tuning the frequency of actomyosin contractions, indicating that PCP signaling controls not only the orientation of actomyosin contractions, but also their frequency. Together, these data provide new insights into the function and control of oscillatory actomyosin contractions in collective cell movement.


Fusarium wilt, caused by Fusarium oxysporum Schlechtend.: f. sp. ciceris (Padwick) Matuo & K. Sato, is a major production problem in many countries. A study was conducted to develop an integrated management of Fusarium wilt of chickpea using genotypes, sowing dates (January as early sowing and March/April as spring sowing) and fungicide seed treatments under natural infested plots in research plots and farmers' fields 2007–2009 cropping seasons. In most cases, sowing date and fungicides did not affect disease parameters and seed yield. Chickpea genotypes showed significant differences in seed yield but different responses for disease parameters. Averaged over locations and seasons, the rate of disease development was higher in early (0.035 units day−1) than spring (0.023 units day−1) sowing. Chickpea genotypes showed different responses in affecting rate of disease development and cumulative wilt incidence in early and late sowing periods. Higher mean seed yield (1.3 t ha−1) was recorded in early than late sowing (1.0 t ha−1) of chickpea. The average seed yield reduction due to spring sowing ranged from 9% to 60% and highest yield losses were observed in FLIP-97–706 and Ghab-3. This study showed that integrating January sowing with genotypes having good levels of resistance for Fusarium wilt and Ascochyta blight helps farmers to narrow chickpea yield gaps in Syria.


The South African secondary boarding school sector has become more competitive as schools attempt to attract and retain pupils. Management of such schools must not only address the educational and boarding needs of pupils, but also apply appropriate management and marketing principles to compete effectively with boarding schools throughout the country and beyond. Customers base their choices of products and services on their perceptions of various offerings available, evaluated according to selection criteria they deem to be important. Marketing theory uses the term "positioning" to describe the process of constructing the place that a product occupies in the customer's mind relative to competing products. For schools in this sector to position themselves appropriately, they first need to determine the criteria parents use to evaluate one school against another. This study set out to determine these criteria. A sample of 169 parents and old boys, chosen using the database of a particular boys' boarding school in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), South Africa, were sent questionnaires. Quantitative analysis was conducted to determine the most important criteria. The top two criteria were found to be a safe environment and competent staff.


Objective To study health benefits of physical activity programs initiated by employer. Methods A motivational, unsupervised, 8-week physical activity (PA) program was initiated in a road maintenance enterprise autumn 2014 and repeated autumn 2015. The PA program included individual registration of steps (from pedometer) and participation in teams that competed internally. Background data, self-reported levels of PA and objective health measurements were collected at baseline, after the first PA program, and finally after 15 months and the end of the second PA program. 121 (78 men and 43 women), 103 and 97 workers were included at baseline and at the first and second follow-up, respectively. Self-reported physical activity was categorised as 1) physical active ≤1 time per week, 2) 2–3 times per week and 3) ≥4 times a week. Health measurements included blood pressure, resting heart rate and blood samples (glycosylated haemoglobin, lipids, C-reactive protein and seven inflammatory biomarkers). Maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) was measured before and after the first PA program. Results With ≤1 time per week as reference, exercising 2–3 times per week at baseline was associated with higher levels of VO2max. During the first 8-week follow-up, VO2max increased with 2.8 mL ∙ kg-1∙min-1 (95% CI = 1.4, 4.3), while 52% of the participants reported increased daily PA. Likewise, total cholesterol and LDL were reduced by 0.12 mmol/L and 0.13 mmol/L, respectively (95% CI = −022,−0.01 and −0.22,−0.04). In addition, mediators of inflammation, decreased substantially during the 8-week follow-up. Analyses that also include data from the 15-month follow-up will be presented at the conference. Conclusions Exercise several times a week among workers in road maintenance is associated with increased VO2max, lower blood pressure, a favourable lipid status and lower inflammation compared to lower weekly activity. The study suggests that an employer initiated, motivational, PA program could have health benefits for the participating employees.