OBJECTIVE
Methamphetamine and cannabis are two widely used, and frequently co-used, substances with possibly opposing effects on the central nervous system. Evidence of neurocognitive deficits related to use is robust for methamphetamine and mixed for cannabis. Findings regarding their combined use are inconclusive. We aimed to compare neurocognitive performance in people with lifetime cannabis or methamphetamine use disorder diagnoses, or both, relative to people without substance use disorders.

METHOD
423 (71.9% male, aged 44.6 ± 14.2 years) participants, stratified by presence or absence of lifetime methamphetamine (M-/M+) and/or cannabis (C-/C+) DSM-IV abuse/dependence, completed a comprehensive neuropsychological, substance use, and psychiatric assessment. Neurocognitive domain T-scores and impairment rates were examined using multiple linear and binomial regression, respectively, controlling for covariates that may impact cognition.

RESULTS
Globally, M+C+ performed worse than M-C- but better than M+C-. M+C+ outperformed M+C- on measures of verbal fluency, information processing speed, learning, memory, and working memory. M-C+ did not display lower performance than M-C- globally or on any domain measures, and M-C+ even performed better than M-C- on measures of learning, memory, and working memory.

CONCLUSIONS
Our findings are consistent with prior work showing that methamphetamine use confers risk for worse neurocognitive outcomes, and that cannabis use does not appear to exacerbate and may even reduce this risk. People with a history of cannabis use disorders performed similarly to our nonsubstance using comparison group and outperformed them in some domains. These findings warrant further investigation as to whether cannabis use may ameliorate methamphetamine neurotoxicity.


The chemokine thymus and activation-regulated chemokine (TARC; CCL17) is displayed by cutaneous (but not intestinal) venules, and is thought to trigger vascular arrest of circulating skin homing memory T cells, which uniformly express the TARC receptor CC chemokine receptor (CCR)4. Cutaneous T cell–attracting chemokine (CTACK; CCL27), expressed by skin keratinocytes, also attracts cutaneous memory T cells, and is hypothesized to assist in lymphocyte recruitment to skin as well. Here we show that chronic cutaneous inflammation induces CD4 T cells expressing E-selectin binding activity (a marker of skin homing memory cells) in draining lymph node, and that these E-selectin ligand+ T cells migrate efficiently to TARC and to CTACK. In 24 h in vivo homing assays, stimulated lymph node T cells from wild-type mice or, surprisingly, from CCR4-deficient donors migrate efficiently to inflamed skin; and an inhibitory anti-CTACK antibody has no effect on wild-type lymphocyte recruitment. However, inhibition with anti-CTACK monoclonal antibody abrogates skin recruitment of CCR4-deficient T cells. We conclude that CTACK and CCR4 can both support homing of T cells to skin, and that either one or the other is required for lymphocyte recruitment in cutaneous delayed type hypersensitivity.


Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore storytelling in post-secondary instruction and to reflect upon the authors' experiences as instructors in two diverse areas of study. Both nursing and education promote a theory-based approach that is disconnected from the practical application of skills required.

Design/methodology/approach
The authors propose that using storytelling in the undergraduate classroom promotes an emotional engagement with the material, creates authentic human connections and demonstrates a practical application of content. The sharing of personal narratives creates a portal through which we understand the meaningful human element of the work, and the collective essence of our world. The authors believe that these outcomes are essential for the development of an empathetic and compassionate professional who understands the significance of the emotional, social and cognitive component of holistic learning that is required for the eventual acquisition of mastery in our disciplines.

Findings
Based on the authors' experiences, the authors have found that storytelling creates a bridge between the curriculum theory and the implementation of that theory in the living world within the respective disciplines.

Practical implications
As instructors at the University of Calgary, in the Faculty of Education and Nursing, the authors see many intersections in the work and the instructional methodologies that the authors implement in the undergraduate classrooms to allow for authentic learning experiences. These cross-curricular connections have caused us to reflect on the use of storytelling in the humanities to promote emotions, create connections and demonstrate a practical and authentic application of theoretic concepts in both the undergraduate education and nursing programs.

Originality/value
This is an original piece of duo-ethnographic work composed by two researchers who were reflecting on praxis.


In this paper a multi-terminal direct current (MTDC) system with modular multilevel converters (M2Cs) is suggested. An open loop control method is used for the control of the converters. Each converter is modeled with 36 sub-modules per arm with a total of 216 sub-modules consisting of half bridges. Power-synchronization control is used instead of a phase-locked loop (PLL) for synchronization. Thus, the short circuit capacities of the ac systems are no longer limiting factors and the instability caused by the PLL in weak ac systems is avoided [10]. A direct voltage controller is implemented with power-synchronization control as an inner loop in one station. Several scenarios are analyzed to demonstrate control flexibility and ride-through capability for grid transients. By means of analytical calculations and time simulations in PSCAD/EMTDC, the validity of the proposed MTDC system is confirmed.


Can one certify the preparation of a coherent, many-body quantum state by measurements with bounded accuracy in the presence of noise and decoherence? Here, we introduce a criterion to assess the fragility of large-scale quantum states which is based on the distinguishability of orthogonal states after the action of very small amounts of noise. States which do not pass this criterion are called asymptotically incertifiable. We show that, if a coherent quantum state is asymptotically incertifiable, there exists an incoherent mixture (with entropy at least log 2) which is experimentally indistinguishable from the initial state. The Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger states are examples of such asymptotically incertifiable states. More generally, we prove that any so-called macroscopic superposition state is asymptotically incertifiable. We also provide examples of quantum states that are experimentally indistinguishable from highly incoherent mixtures, i.e., with an almost-linear entropy in the number of qubits. Finally we show that all unique ground states of local gapped Hamiltonians (in any dimension) are certifiable.


This study was conducted to examine the supply of seed yam in major yam producing areas of northern and southern Nigeria using the supply function analysis. A cost -route approach was adopted in eliciting data from 120 seed yam farmers and marketers spread across the six states studied in 2006 using the multi-stage random sampling technique. Results show that age had a significant relationship with seed yam supplied at the 1.0% level. Need for disposable income was significant at the 5.0% level, while labour cost and supplier experience were negatively related with seed yam supplied at the 10.0 and 1.0% levels respectively. The elasticity of supply for seed yam with respect to income is positive and inelastic. Price of seed yam had positive elasticity. The study also shows that there were no commercial structures for supply of seed yam in Nigeria. The rural assemblers and wholesalers limit purchases and supplies to accessible rural markets. Farmer's only sell seed yams after satisfying own requirements.


Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL) has led to many recent breakthroughs on complex control tasks, such as defeating the best human player in the game of Go. However, decisions made by the DRL agent are not explainable, hindering its applicability in safety-critical settings. Viper, a recently proposed technique, constructs a decision tree policy by mimicking the DRL agent. Decision trees are interpretable as each action made can be traced back to the decision rule path that lead to it. However, one global decision tree approximating the DRL policy has significant limitations with respect to the geometry of decision boundaries. We propose MoET, a more expressive, yet still interpretable model based on Mixture of Experts, consisting of a gating function that partitions the state space, and multiple decision tree experts that specialize on different partitions. We propose a training procedure to support non-differentiable decision tree experts and integrate it into imitation learning procedure of Viper. We evaluate our algorithm on four OpenAI gym environments, and show that the policy constructed in such a way is more performant and better mimics the DRL agent by lowering mispredictions and increasing the reward. We also show that MoET policies are amenable for verification using off-the-shelf automated theorem provers such as Z3.


Background: The Community Intravenous Therapy (CIVT) service gives patients the benefit of receiving IV therapies (including blood transfusion) in their own home, avoiding hospital admission. It is important to ensure this service can be offered to as many patients as possible. If red cell transfusion could be safely performed over a shorter duration (accelerated transfusion), this could theoretically increase the capacity of the service without additional resource. Red cell transfusions are usually administered over a minimum of 90 minutes to a maximum of four hours per unit. It was proposed that one unit could be given in 60 minutes (up to a maximum of 2 units per transfusion episode) to medically selected patients who do not have heart failure or other risk factors for circulatory overload.
Methods: Physiological tolerability and safety of accelerated transfusion was evaluated by clinically assessing patients for symptoms and signs of transfusion-associated circulatory overload (TACO) after standard and accelerated rate transfusions. The impact on service capacity and staff resource was evaluated by auditing home transfusion workload data to determine the number of patients who were eligible for accelerated rate transfusion and the potential impact this had on treatment delivery time. Patient and practitioner experiences of accelerated transfusion were evaluated by conducting thematic analysis on semi-structured interviews to assess the acceptability and desirability of service change.
Results: When accelerated red cell transfusion was performed on medically selected patients who had been screened for risk factors for circulatory overload, accelerated transfusion appeared to be safe. None of the patients in the study (n=25) developed transfusion associated circulatory overload across 269 accelerated transfusions performed. The mean arterial pressure appeared to statistically significantly increase up to 24 hours after blood transfusion regardless of whether it was infused at a standard or accelerated rate, with the group mean remaining within the normal range (standard rate transfusion: p = 0.0441; accelerated rate average across three transfusions: p = 0.009). There was no statistically significant difference between pre and post-transfusion mean arterial pressure measurements when standard and accelerated rate transfusions were compared (average across three accelerated rate transfusions: p = 0.473), showing that accelerated transfusion itself did not cause an increase in mean arterial pressure above that of standard rate transfusion. A significant proportion of haematology patients (57%, 26/46) were medically eligible for accelerated transfusion, and 49% of total transfusion episodes (224/459) were performed as such. Performing accelerated transfusion on eligible patients could potentially save 105 nursing hours, allowing an additional 35 three hour visits or 26 four hour visits per year. Accelerated transfusion was well received by patients. Positive themes from the data included less time receiving healthcare allowing freedom and time to do other things, improvements in comfort and altruism from knowledge that other patients and the service was benefitting. CIVT practitioners were highly motivated and positive about accelerated transfusion. Themes included satisfaction in seeing positive benefits in quality of life and social aspects of patient's lives; improved continuity of care, better work scheduling; increased service capacity, job satisfaction; better working conditions and professional autonomy in clinical decision-making.
Conclusion: Accelerated red cell transfusion appears to be safe in medically selected patients. It can potentially increase service capacity through efficient use of staff resource whilst maintaining a safe and high quality service. Understanding of patient and practitioner experience suggested that changing the service to offer accelerated transfusion would be both acceptable and desirable.


Schemes based on an optical all-pass filtering techniques for multiplying the intensity repetition-rate of an optical pulse train are examined. These methods are in principle without energy loss and the multiplication factor can be any given integer. Practical implementation using cascaded side-coupled ring resonators or multireflection filters is proposed and analyzed for the first time.


The LHC-forward (LHCf) experiment, situated at the LHC accelerator, has measured neutral particles production in a very forward region (pseudo-rapidity > 8.4) in proton-proton and proton-lead collisions. The main purpose of the LHCf experiment is to test hadronic interaction models used in cosmic rays experiments to imulate cosmic rays induced air-showers in Earth's atmosphere.The experiment is composed of two independent detectors located at 140m from the ATLAS interaction point (IP1) on opposite sides ; each detector is composed of two sampling calorimeters.Latest physics results from p-p and p-Pb collisions (at √s = 7 TeV and 5.02 TeV respectively) will be discussed in this paper ; in particular, the inclusive energy spectra of neutrons in p-p collisions and the transverse momentum spectra of neutral pions for different pseudo-rapidity ranges in p-Pb collisions will be shown.


The twentieth century Muslim world has witnessed several scholars and intellectuals whose writings made great impact on the succeeding generations of Muslims especially the Muslim youth. Their writings have moulded and shaped a new and comprehensive Islamic vision, that responded to the ideas and doctrines that emerged as a result of the process of secularisation and modernisation of the Muslims. It is believed that only a few Muslim thinkers have directly contributed to the reformulation of contemporary Islamic thought. Sayyid Qutb being an activist, a political analyst, a Quranic exegete, a journalist, a poet, a socio-political thinker and a world-reknown Islamic revivalist of the twentieth century, influenced deeply the contemporary Islamic movements. His thought has undoubtedly drawn the attention of several people, for he boldly and uncompromisingly asserted his viewpoints regardless of their consequences.


This paper addresses the joint relay, power splitting ratio, and transmission power selection problem for an energy harvesting (EH) cooperative network, where the source and the relays can harvest energy from natural sources (e.g., solar) and radio frequency (RF) signals, respectively. To effectively use the harvested energy of the source, the relays are designed to employ the power splitting technique to scavenge energy from RF signals radiated by the source. The addressed problem is considered in both offline and online settings, with the objective to maximize system payoff, which is defined as the difference between system transmission benefit and system energy cost, and meanwhile to minimize system outage probability. In particular, direct transmission is considered in our study and relay transmission is selected dynamically based on the network channel conditions and the available energy of EH nodes. Our simulation results reveal that it is necessary to consider direct transmission and select relay transmission and power splitting ratio dynamically in some cases, which can greatly improve system performance. Besides, simulations also verify that considering system energy consumption is also meaningful for EH relaying systems, which can lead to a desired system performance by choosing some related parameters appropriately. In addition, we also show that the resource allocation models and the corresponding resource allocation schemes proposed can be extended to more general communication scenarios, e.g., when some relays scavenge energy from natural sources and others from RF signals.


We present a visual computing effort to realistically and interactively simulate and visualize aspects of human motion behavior in virtual 3D environments. It allows virtually changing the infrastructure of a layout and assessing the consequences in terms of motion paths and visibility (where will people look at?). We first create a virtual 3D model of an infrastructure with photogrammetric reconstruction of images and obtain highresolution video footage of real-world scenarios of the infrastructure. We calibrate video information with the 3D model in order to optimize an automatic human detection and tracking algorithm and to obtain real-world trajectories of people in world coordinates of major ground plane. These real world trajectories provide input to strategic and tactial movement aspects of pedestrian simulations and help validating the human motion simulations. The simulated pedestrian trajectories are the base for path visualizations and visibility analyses in the virtual environment. Our case study comprises an entry hall of a train station, but the approach is applicable to other environments such as museums.


Murine typhus or endemic typhus is a wide spread infectious disease, with a low prevalence in developed countries, but surely underdiagnosed. Its relative benignity, the similarity to other infectious diseases and the discretion of its epidemiologic chain, as well as the usual unexpectedness of its existence, makes its diagnosis more difficult. The clinical presentation and evolution of this case illustrate the necessity of being aware of this nosological entity.


This paper presents a predictable and quantifiable approach to designing a covert communication system capable of effectively exploiting covert channels found in the various layers of network protocols. Three metrics are developed that characterize the overall system. A measure of probability of detection is derived using statistical inference techniques. A system efficiency measure is developed based upon the noiseless capacity of the covert channel. A measure of reliability is developed as the bit-error rate of the combined noisy channel and an appropriate error-correcting code. To support reliable communication, a family of error-correcting codes are developed that handle the high symbol insertion rates found in these covert channels. The system metrics are each shown to be a function of the covert channel signal-to-noise ratio, and as such can be used to perform system level design trade-offs. Validation of the system design methodology is provided by means of an experiment using real network traffic data.


The growth accounting analysis of this study confirms the importance of physical capital accumulation for the spectacular performance of East Asia. While total factor productivity growth (TFPG) of East Asia seems to be only moderate compared with developed countries, it is relatively high and sustained compared with other developing regions, which has not received due attention in the literature. Crosscountry regressions and the decomposition of regional output growth reveals the quantitative importance of policies, such as openness and institutions, in distinguishing East Asia from other developing regions, such as Latin America or Sub-Saharan Africa. However, the success of East Asia relative to developed regions can be attributed to the "convergence" effect, which has not been fully exploited due to differences in policies and institutions. The differences in policies and institutions are also useful for understanding the cross-country growth differential within East Asian region, with the role of institutional quality being quantitatively the most important. That is, a significant portion of aboveaverage performance of Singapore, Hong Kong, and Taiwan and below-average performance of Philippines and Indonesia are explained by the institutional quality alone. However, if we allow for the possibility that openness affects growth not only directly but also indirectly by improving institutional quality, then the quantitative importance of openness in explaining growth becomes much more pronounced. This evidence seems to indicate that openness is the most important factor behind East Asian growth, consistent with the view provided by Krueger (1990) that "the success of an outer-oriented trade strategy provides the momentum and impetus for further liberalization, which then permits further economic gains from the trade strategy."


We have analysed the influence of complex drug cocarnit (20 mg nicotinamide, 50 mg cocarboxylase, 0.5 mg cyanocobalamin, 10 mg disodium adenosine triphosphate trihydrate) on the nerve conduction velocity in nervus tibialis of rats with diabetic polyneuropathy. Our data shows that diabetic polyneuropathy leads to dysfunction of signal conduction to the effector. Administration of complex drug cocarnit showed linear dose-dependent therapeutic effect on pathology. After 9 d course administration in rats with diabetic polyneuropathy Cocarnit led to almost complete time parameters renewal of stimulation impulses but only with the presence of long relaxation periods between the contractions. Cocarnit has great prospects as a remedy for diabetic polyneuropathy therapy.


Escherichia coli sequence type 1193 (ST1193) is an emerging multidrug-resistant pathogen. We performed longitudinal and cross-sectional surveillance for ST1193 among clinical and fecal E. coli isolates from Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) patients and their household members, other Minnesota centers, and national VAMCs and compared these ST1193 isolates with archival human and canine ST1193 isolates from Australia (2008). ABSTRACT Escherichia coli sequence type 1193 (ST1193) is an emerging multidrug-resistant pathogen. We performed longitudinal and cross-sectional surveillance for ST1193 among clinical and fecal E. coli isolates from Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) patients and their household members, other Minnesota centers, and national VAMCs and compared these ST1193 isolates with archival human and canine ST1193 isolates from Australia (2008). We also developed and extensively validated a novel multiplex PCR assay for ST1193 and its characteristic fimH64 (type 1 fimbrial adhesin) allele. We found that ST1193-H64 (where "H64" refers to a phylogenetic subdivision within ST1193 that is characterized by the fimH64 allele), which was uniformly fluoroquinolone resistant, appeared to emerge in the United States in a geographically staggered fashion beginning around 2011. Its prevalence among clinical and fecal E. coli isolates at the Minneapolis VAMC rose rapidly beginning in 2013, peaked in early 2017, and then plateaued or declined. In comparison with other ST14 complex (STc14) isolates, ST1193-H64 isolates were more extensively multidrug resistant, whereas their virulence genotypes were less extensive but included (uniquely) K1 capsule and fimH64. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis separated ST1193-H64 isolates from other STc14 isolates and showed genetic commonality between archival Australian versus recent U.S. isolates, fecal versus clinical isolates, and human versus canine isolates. Three main ST1193 pulsotypes differed significantly in resistance profiles and capsular types; emergent pulsotype 2123 was associated with trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole resistance and K1 (versus K5) capsule. These findings clarify ST1193-H64's temporal prevalence trends as a fluoroquinolone-resistant pathogen and commensal; document clonal subsets with distinctive geographic, temporal, resistance, and virulence gene associations; and establish a new laboratory tool for rapid and simple detection of ST1193-H64.


This is an obituary for William T. Norton (1929-2018) who died in Palo Alto, California on December 17, 2018, about one month short of his 90th birthday. Very few people in the contemporary neurochemical field have exerted more influence than Bill Norton in shaping the directions of research in this field. Before retiring from an active career after 40 years of service at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, Bill made remarkable contributions in neurochemistry, as a researcher, a teacher, and a statesman. Many of his discoveries have become classics. His clear thinking, critical judgment, and passion for excellence in science helped to build the field of neurochemistry as a distinct discipline in neuroscience.


This paper identifies characteristics of knowledge intensive processes and a method to improve their performance based on analysis of investment banking front office processes. The inability to improve these processes using standard process improvement techniques confirmed that much of the process was not codified and depended on tacit knowledge and skills. This led to the use of a semi-structured analysis of the characteristics of the processes via a questionnaire to identify knowledge intensive processes characteristics that adds to existing theory. Further work identified innovative process analysis and change techniques that could generate improvements based on an analysis of their properties and the issue drivers. An improvement methodology was developed to harness a number of techniques that were found to effective in resolving the issue drivers and improving these knowledge intensive processes.


About one third of type 2 diabetics will eventually have progressive deterioration of renal function. Fibroblast growth factor 23(FGF23) is one of the main bone-derived endocrine hormones that plays many regulatory functions in different body systems especially in kidneys. In the current study, significantly increased FGF23 levels were observed in microand macroalbuminuric diabetic groups when compared to the control and normoalbuminuric diabetic groups. FGF23 found to correlate positively with duration of diabetes, serum creatinine and ACR, but correlate inversely with GFR in DN groups.Receiver operating characteristic curves revealed that for early detection of DN , the best cutoff values to discriminate DN and diabetic without nephropathy groups were 430.1 pg/mL for FGF23 with 80.8% sensitivity, 53% specificity, and area under the curve (AUC) = 0.773; 25 mg/g creatinine for ACR with 100% sensitivity, 95% specificity, and AUC = 1. ACR was more sensitive and specific than FGF23.therefore, we can conclude that FGF23 is associatedwith the different stages of DN but is less sensitive and specific than ACR for early detection of nephropathy in diabetic patients. In fact, additional studies are needed to assess the significance of changes in FGF23 levels during the course of DN.


Aceclofenac ([2-(2',6'-dichlorophenylamino)phenyl]acetoxyacetic acid) is a novel nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug, the pharmacokinetics and drug metabolism of which show species differences. After oral administration to the rat, circulating aceclofenac rapidly disappears yielding [2-(2',6'-dichlorophenylamino)phenyl]acetic acid (diclofenac), which is then further oxidized to [2-(2',6'-dichloro-4'-hydroxyphenylamino)phenyl[acetic acid (4'-hydroxydiclofenac) and [2-(2',6'-dichloro-4'-hydroxyphenylamino)phenyl]acetic acid (4'-hydroxydiclofenac) and [2-(2',6'-dichlorophenylamino)-5-hydroxyphenyl]acetic acid (5-hydroxydiclofenac). This is a minor route in humans, wherein aceclofenac is hydroxylated to [2-(2',6'-dichloro-4'-hydroxyphenylamino)phenyl]acetoxyacetic acid (4'-hydroxyaceclofenac), which becomes the major metabolite. In the monkey, the conversion of aceclofenac to diclofenac takes place, but to a much lesser extent than in the rat, and the 4'-hydroxylated metabolites from both compounds are found in monkeys' urine. The mechanistic basis for this species-dependent variations seems to be the different stability of the drug toward liver esterases. In the rat, the most efficient aceclofenac-hydrolyzing activity is found in hepatic microsomes (Vmax = 2113 +/- 177 pmol/min/mg protein and KM = 191 +/- 40 microM) and cytosol (Vmax = 479 +/- 37 pmol/min/mg protein and KM = 75 +/- 22 microM). Consequently, incubation of aceclofenac with cultured rat hepatocytes or in the rat in vivo results in a rapid hydrolysis of the drug, followed by oxidative metabolism of the resulting diclofenac, yielding 4'- and 5-hydroxylated derivatives as the major metabolites. In contrast, the aceclofenac ester bond is much more stable toward human hepatic microsomal (Vmax = 27 +/- 10 pmol/min/mg protein and KM = 792 +/- 498 microM) and cytosolic (Vmax = 87 +/- 5 pmol/min/mg protein and KM 218 +/- 30 microM) esterases, and 4'-hydroxyaceclofenac becomes the major metabolite in cultured human hepatocytes, as well as in human urine. The research presented herein also illustrates the suitability of cultured human hepatocytes for predicting aceclofenac metabolism in humans.


Acoustic emission (AE) sensors and ultrasonic transducers were characterized for the detection of Rayleigh waves (RW). Small aperture reference sensors were characterized first using the fracture of glass capillary tubes in combination with a theoretical displacement calculation, which utilized finite element method (FEM) and was verified by laser interferometer. For the calibration of 18 commercial sensors and two piezoceramic disks, a 90° angle beam transducer was used to generate RW pulses on an aluminum transfer block. By a substitution method, RW receiving sensitivity of a sensor under test was determined over the range of frequency from 22 kHz to 2 MHz. Results were compared to the sensitivities to normally incident waves (NW) and to other guided waves (GW). It was found that (1) NW sensitivities are always higher than RW sensitivities, (2) differences between NW and RW receiving sensitivities are dependent on frequency and sensor size, (3) most sensors show comparable RW and GW receiving sensitivities, especially those of commonly used AE sensors, and (4) the receiving sensitivities of small aperture (1 mm diameter) sensors behave differently from larger sensors.


U.S. annual per capita use of cabbage is higher than per capita use of any other cruciferous vegetable, including broccoli, cauliflower, kale, brussels sprouts. and turnip-so In 1993. per capita use was 9.5 pounds. 88 percent of which was marketed in fresh form. Per capita use has changed only slightly since 1970. when it was 11.2 pounds per person. 79 percent of which was marketed in fresh form. This bulletin provides detailed statistics on cabbage for the United States and individual cabbage-producing States for 1960-93. Acreage. yield. production. and value are presented by State. Data are categorized by fresh cabbage and cabbage grown for sauerkraut production. Additional statistical series. such as prices. price indexes. price spreads. shipments. exports. imports. world production and harvested acreage. and costs of production are included.


The years between the two World Wars were decades of contrasts. The Roaring Twenties are remembered as years of prosperity and frivolity that were ended abruptly by the Great Depression of the 1930s. The Republican-dominated, pro-business politics of the 1920s gave way to the Democratic activism of the New Deal. But for women there was continuity to these years, as their ability to effect change in political, cultural, and economic arenas of life began to gain strength. Radio, movies, and mass advertising took the country by storm, and for the first time women were recognized as prime consumers. This "new woman" could legally vote on the same basis as men everywhere in the United States. She wore clothes that scandalized her grandparents but were far more comfortable than anything her mother ever wore. She was being elected to public office, was leading peace movements, and demanded better health care for women and children. And in the 1930s she found in Eleanor Roosevelt a role model who was recognized internationally as a leading influence in American policy. American women felt a freedom never imagined by earlier generations. But some women did not share in this emancipation. Black women, Jewish women, Native American women--they found many of the newly opened doors slammed shut for them. They labored as clerical workers, domestic servants, farm or factory workers, not for self-fulfillment or liberation, but because their paychecks were needed to put food on the table. Even in the prosperous days of the flapper, some women faced a daily battle for survival. From Ballots to Breadlines takes American women from the euphoria of the 1920s to the sober reality of the 1930s. As they began to vote and bring home wages, a woman's role began to change, and with it the traditional image of the American family.


Abstract. Nautical charts are an essential tool for marine navigation. Despite the introduction of global positioning systems (GPS) and electronic navigational tools that present navigation data in a vector format on a display, paper charts are still the preferred choice for many mariners. Interestingly, since the introduction of Electronic Navigation Charts (ENCs) more than thirty years ago, the size of commercial vessels has increased more than four-fold, modern navigational systems have become more sophisticated, and recreational boaters have joined professional mariners in using electronic chart displays. Marine and coastal users of all types are expecting higher resolution and more precision in location of the charted features, and shorter update times for data sources to be published on the chart. With NOAA's new plan to "standardized, consistent gridded framework" that is optimized for digital displays, it leaves the future of paper charts in question. In order to support a raster-based maintenance system, it is now possible to translate encoding attributes of vector objects into standardized chart symbols and labels. Thus, simplifying workflow processes for paper and raster chart production. This paper discusses NOAA Marine Chart Division's raster workflow in an ENC-first production line. The paper reviews the benefits of the new desktop tools and web-services for providing chart updates in a timely manner for a broader community.


Dynamic enhanced magnetic resonance (MR) images of 22 tongue squamous cell carcinomas (T2: 9 cases, T3: 7 cases, T4: 6 cases) were analyzed quantitatively. These tumors showed peripheral enhancement patterns. Enhancement patterns were compared between central and peripheral regions. Signal enhancement to noise ratios (SE/N) of the regions of interest (ROIs) located in the peripheral and central regions of the tumor were measured. In addition, maximum SE/N, the time of maximum SE/N, %-washout, and increase rate of SE/N were calculated. On the basis of tumor size and histopathological features, images were divided into the following groups: T2 group, T3 group, and T4 group, Grade 1 and 2 group (L-Gr.), and Grade 3 (H-Gr.) group. The variables described above were compared among the groups.There were no statistically significant differences in maximum SE/N, time of maximum SE/N, or increase rate of SE/N among different tumor sizes. However, %-washout of the central region in the T2 group was lower than that in the T3 group. Although there was no distinct trend in the peripheral region, T3 and T4 tumors tended to have a poorer supply of contrast medium in the central region.Histopathologically, low-grade tumors tended to show early enhancement in the peripheral region. However, in the central region, low-grade tumors showed a poorer supply of contrast medium.Our results suggest that clinicopathological features correlate with enhancement patterns on dynamic MR images of tongue squamous cell carcinomas.


A novel device know as a Frequency Shifting Shaker (FSS) has been previously proposed by Koss for low frequency (less that 1 Hz) vibration excitation. The system consists of oscillating an eccentric mass shaker along an axis (i.e., y-axis) perpendicular to an imbalance forcing function axis (i.e., z-axis). The system produces a dynamic excitation moment, instead of a point force, at the operational sideband frequencies. The inherent operation of the device produces a modal shaker in that it only excites a mode when the sum or difference frequency coincides with a natural frequency. The device produces a controllable high amplitude excitation at a very low frequency (i.e., 0.5 Hz) making the technique well suited for vibration testing of large structures. Previous work has demonstrated the fundamental feasibility with a laboratory model. The objective of this paper is to report on experiences gained with a full scale prototype FSS system with a large test structure (inertial vibration isolation test bed). The results from two tests are compared; 1) a traditional modal analysis using an impact test and; 2) an Operating Deflection Shape (ODS) analysis using the FSS as the excitation. The comparison was excellent provided the FSS was capable of sufficiently exciting the mode.


Currently there is no standardized test method to determine the interaction of the ingredients of a concrete mixture with a dosage of air-entraining admixtures (AEAs). Typically, to investigate the AEA demand, multiple concrete mixtures are made with varying dosages of AEA, and the resulting air contents are measured. This method is not ideal as it is time consuming, uses large amounts of material, and allows several variables to change that could cause changes in the dosage response of the mixture. A method is presented that is able to measure the AEA dosage response of a mixture through a correlation between the gravimetric (ASTM C138-01a) and pressure method (ASTM C231-03) with only minimal changes to the volume of the mixture. This allows the AEA demand to be determined from a single concrete mixture rather than sequential mixtures. Testing results are also provided for concrete mixtures containing fly ashes with various AEA demands. These mixtures are evaluated for changes in AEA demand with water reducer, mixing temperature, fly ash replacement level, and type of AEA.


Background : Seasonal influenza concerns the worldwide population every year, whilst pandemic influenza is an unpredictable threat. Due to an important socioeconomic impact, mitigation measures must be specified. Governments elaborate vaccination policy based on scientific evidence. However, this process is, in general, not transparent. Objectives : To study the decision-making process related to the influenza vaccination policy, identifying the actors involved, the decisions made and describing the information used by type and level of importance. Methods : Six major databases were searched in seven languages, without time limit, using keywords related to influenza vaccination, decision-making and health policy. Titles and abstracts were screened according to three established criteria. Selected articles were analysed and compared against a checklist for context, stakeholders and evidence. Results : 111 articles were retrieved since the 1990s, most of them (40%) were conducted in the USA. The decision-making process mainly concerned vaccination strategies (53%) and pandemic preparedness (28%). Stakeholders were identified at an institutional, production and consumer level. Evidence used by policy-makers was similar (e.g. logistics of vaccines), but the factors influencing were different (e.g. social conditions). Conclusion : Considering the imminent risk of socio-economic disruption and media pressure, the pandemic threat needs to be integrated into an analysis of decision making processes regarding seasonal influenza vaccination.


Effective learning is essential for a safe workplace. Through learning from incidents (LFI), knowledge is accumulated and embedded within the work environment in ways that can prevent future incidents, by people reflecting on what has happened and deriving lessons learned to prevent future incidents. Companies have invested large sums of money to develop approaches to LFI. However, each approach is not equally effective. The impact of LFI depends on how each initiative is implemented within a specific context in an organisation. In order to improve their LFI processes organisations need an instrument that would enable them to review the state of their LFI processes in order to improve them.

Therefore, this paper reports on the development and testing of an instrument (LFI Quality Questionnaire) that can be used to measures employees' perceptions on and experiences of learning from incidents. By so doing, learning specialists, frontline managers and supervisors will have evidence on which to base improvements to their local work environment. This is important in ensuring learning from incident initiatives are as effective as possible. Two perspectives are critical when planning LFI in organisations: firstly, which activities are undertaken in order to instantiate learning from incidents in an industrial site and, secondly, if important factors of effective LFI are considered in the process. In order to address these two perspectives, two models developed through previous research are used: The LFI Cycle model and the LFI Framework.

The LFI Cycle can be utilised to identify activities conducted at the site as part of LFI. The model outlines the discreet phases of an incident lifecycle: reporting, investigation, developing learning points, dissemination, contextualising and implementing actions. The model can be used to capture and reflect on the learning activities facilitated at a site during each phase, allowing identification of potential learning gaps.

The LFI Framework comprises five factors critical to effective learning from incidents: type of problem, learning participants, learning process, type of knowledge and formality of learning. These factors give an indication of the quality of learning from incidents as instantiated across an industrial site.

The LFI Quality Questionnaire is based on the LFI Cycle model and the LFI Framework and can be used to interrogate and surface employees' experiences of critical areas of learning from incidents, such as incident analysis, or the distribution of outcomes and recommendations to employees to reduce incidents. The questionnaire is being validated within a multinational, energy sector company and the paper will report on the instrument development and validation. The paper will conclude with remarks regarding the challenges of adapting the instrument for pragmatic use across the industry.


Spatial configurations allow for many different kinds of spatial relations between objects. Previous cross-linguistic work in this domain relies on a valuable but restricted stimulus set, the Topological Relations Picture Series (TRPS), which has two major limitations: (1) it covers a small subset of the spatial semantic domain, focusing on the IN/ON area, and (2) it covers that subset in an unsystematic way. We propose to create a large stimulus set of spatial relations that covers the space of possible relations in a more comprehensive way and includes the TRPS as a subset. The extended set will be systematically generated from a large family of spatial features describing relations between figure and ground objects, such as contact, support, attachment-by-spiking, and others that have been previously proposed. All stimuli will be rendered in 3D and released to the public to aid basic research in spatial language and cognition.


Behavioral economics, including prospect theory, offers new approaches to environmental policy analysis. The utility of behavioral approaches to environmental policy analysis is illustrated using a case study of offshore wind energy policy in Michigan, USA. Michigan has attempted to clarify the permitting process for offshore wind energy but those efforts have failed. Prospect theory suggests that Michigan legislators are, for the most part, risk averse to policy reforms as the state emerges from its "one-state recession" and into a gains domain. Legislators from some coastal districts perceive offshore wind development as a threat to coastal quality of life, are risk-seeking for policy reforms, and have introduced bills banning offshore wind energy. Framing the discussion from a loss perspective (losing out to competing states) may be an effective strategy for passing offshore wind policy reforms. Results suggest behavioral approaches have utility for other environmental policy challenges, such as climate change.


Since the birth of modern geology, Cenozoic deposits have commonly been dated according to Lyellian percentages (proportions of living species within fossil faunas), but this approach has never been tested. To remedy this situation, we have calculated Lyellian percentages for gastropod and bivalve faunas of Japan and western North America. When plotted against geologic age (determined by independent methods), the percentages for each class form a narrow band that reveals similar patterns of extinction for the two regions and an absence of major pulses of extinction. The plots thus seem to represent useful "standard" curves but display enough spread of data to cast doubt on the value of Lyellian percentages to chronostratigraphy.

Our plots do have many other useful applications: (1) They reveal differences in regional patterns of extinction; in particular, they document a Pleistocene mass extinction of Mollusca in the confined seas of the tropical Americas and an unusually low rate of extinction in the enormous tropical Indo-Pacific region. (2) They indicate that gastropods are characterized by higher rates of extinction than bivalves. (3) They provide a mechanism for evaluating differences in rates of extinction between discrete subgroups of taxa, such as tropical species and temperate species, or species with planktic larvae and species with nonplanktic larvae.


Low-dose CT imaging requires reconstruction from noisy indirect measurements which can be defined as an ill-posed linear inverse problem. In addition to conventional FBP method in CT imaging, recent compressed sensing based methods exploit handcrafted priors which are mostly simplistic and hard to determine. More recently, deep learning (DL) based methods have become popular in medical imaging field. In CT imaging, DL based methods try to learn a function that maps low-dose images to normal-dose images. Although the results of these methods are promising, their success mostly depends on the availability of high-quality massive datasets. In this study, we proposed a method that does not require any training data or a learning process. Our method exploits such an approach that deep convolutional neural networks (CNNs) generate patterns easier than the noise, therefore randomly initialized generative neural networks can be suitable priors to be used in regularizing the reconstruction. In the experiments, the proposed method is implemented with different loss function variants. Both analytical CT phantoms and real-world CT images are used with different views. Conventional FBP method, a popular iterative method (SART), and TV regularized SART are used in the comparisons. We demonstrated that our method with different loss function variants outperforms the other methods both qualitatively and quantitatively.


Discussions of patient-centred care and patient autonomy in bioethics have tended to focus on the decision-making context and the process of obtaining informed consent, leaving open the question of how patients ought to be counselled in the daily maintenance of their health and management of chronic disease. Patient activation is an increasingly prominent counselling approach and measurement tool that aims to improve patients' confidence and skills in managing their own health conditions. The strategy, which has received little conceptual or ethical analysis, raises important questions about how clinicians ought to foster confidence and a sense of control in their patients without exposing them to blame, stigma and other harms. In this paper, we describe patient activation, discuss its relationship to personal responsibility, autonomy and health disparities, and make recommendations regarding its use and measurement.


The topic of this essay is what I name "Christian dualism," the idea that God the Creator and creatures comprise an exhaustive and mutually exclusive classification of the contents of reality. I am concerned with one of the most penetrating
 discussions of this issue to be found in the early thirteenth century, Robert Grosseteste's treatment of challenges to Christian dualism.


The concept, theory, and the issues that are pertinent to the design and implementation of an adaptive real-time, intelligent seam tracker (ARTIST) are discussed. ARTIST is designed to operate in the unstructured environment of 3-D seams without preprogramming. A salient feature of the ARTIST design is that the tracking errors in any cycle do not affect the system performance during subsequent cycles. The conceptual and analytical development of a two-tier hierarchical control scheme for ARTIST is presented. The high-level controller models and interacts with the global seam environment while the low-level controller positions the torch over the seam with the correct orientation.<<ETX>>


Different varieties of hemp (Canabis sativa L.) are cultivated in many regions in China for the production of hemp plant fiber. The objective of this study was to evaluate differences in the growth cycle, yield, quality of fiber and spinnability among the different varieties. We analyzed and compared the yield, fiber percentage, chemical components, breaking strength and spinnability, which determines fiber combing yield and fineness, of different hemp fiber from eight C. sativa varieties (Longjiang 1#, USO-14, Yun-hemp 1#, Shandong hemp, Qingshui hemp, Ningxia 6757, Ningxia 6762, and USO-31). We analyzed the data with a gray near-optimized method to select the variety of hemp that gave the best quality of fiber and was, therefore, the most suitable for cultivation in Heilongjiang Province. The results identified Longjiang 1# as the most suitable variety, USO-14 is the next best, and Yun-hemp 1# as the least suitable.


IS research on participant's motivation 1 in Knowledge Management System have paid relatively limited attention to the effect of diversifying the technological artifacts while they focused more on identifying the generic motivational factors that apply across the varying contexts. However, the manifest success of disruptive collaboration system outside of the corporate boundaries such as Wikipedia calls for our extended attention to the motivational factors that may not be emergent without the provision of context and artifacts that challenge the assumptions made by KMS within the organizational setting. Through the online survey of 100 Wikipedians, this study evaluates the effect of one novel construct (i.e., socio-cognitive conflict) proposed by Cress and Kimmerle (2008) as an example of such emergent motivation made explicit by maneuvering specific design of collaboration system which otherwise would remain immaterial. In parallel, the analysis also explores the generic motivational constructs the effects of which have been extensively studied within organizational contexts but not sufficiently examined outside of such boundaries.


Four clonal lines have been established in tissue culture from a transplantable tumor of cervical nerve-root induced transplacentally with ethylnitrosourea in an inbred BD-IX rat strain. One clone (RN-2) has several biochemical properties of the nervous system that led to its classification as a Schwann cell line, namely (a) the synthesis of the nervous system specific protein S-100, (b) a high specific activity of 2',3'-cyclic nucleotide-3'-phosphohydrolase, an enzyme present in high specific activity only in glial cells, and (c) the presence of a basic protein related by immunological crossreaction, molecular size, and amino-acid composition to the encephalitogenic protein from beef brain myelin. Clone RN-2 has a high plating efficiency, a doubling time of about 20 hr, and a mean of 43 chromosomes of normal morphology. Clone RN-2 has also been inoculated subcutaneously into syngeneic rats and grown as a clonal tumor with good growth properties.


This study assessed the Alternative Learning System-Accreditation and Equivalency (ALS-A&E) Writing curriculum for secondary clientele with the end goal of developing an enhanced session guide. It was focused on how it is taught, the clientele's ability to write an academic composition and the implementers' and clientele's concerns in its implementation. Two program implementers and 48 clientele were purposively chosen as respondents. Data were obtained from the compositions written by the respondents which were expressed in Waray and English languages, questionnaire, and Focus Group Discussion (FGD). Subsequently, data gathered were analyzed accordingly following the six-step techniques for a case study outlined by Yin (2014). Results revealed that the curriculum is conventionally facilitated. Also, the clientele can easily write a composition in Waray but find it challenging using the English language. Learning associated factors aggravated by insufficient logistics support and cognitive demands are among those echoed by the respondents' as their core concerns pertinent to the curriculum implementation. Accounting things holistically, there is a need to re-engineer the existing instructional delivery practices for this curriculum.


This study focused on the assessment on the effect of culture on HIV status disclosure for pregnant women in Tanzania, in this study several factors were put into examination. Factors such as fear of abandonment, stigma, social acceptance, social support, blame and violence were studied intensively. The study was designed to be descriptive in nature and therefore a sample of 100 respondents was approached so as to meet the objectives of the study. The respondent included pregnant women to Amana hospital. The primary data for this study was obtained through questionnaire and observation while secondary data was obtained through documentary review. The quantitative data was analyzed using the statistical package known as SPSS version 22, the percentages, tables and frequencies were produced in order to summarize the results. The finding of the study shows that the identified factors such as fear of abandonment, stigma, social acceptance, social support, blame and violence are still active in influencing people's decision to disclose their HIV status. Further the study outlined some recommendations to deal with the situation such as community based programs i.e. programs need to be community based in an attempt to reduce the stigmatization of individuals with HIV and increase their access to social support systems and health care facilities and voluntary counselling and testing i.e. recommended that there should be multiple counselling sessions after the client has disclosed to provide ongoing support and encouragement


Fingerprint authentication has gained increasing popularity on mobile devices in recent years. However, it is vulnerable to presentation attacks, which include that an attacker spoofs with an artificial replica. Many liveness detection solutions have been proposed to defeat such presentation attacks; however, they all fail to defend against a particular type of presentation attack, namely puppet attack, in which an attacker places an unwilling victim's finger on the fingerprint sensor. In this paper, we propose FINAUTH, an effective and efficient software-only solution, to complement fingerprint authentication by defeating both synthetic spoofs and puppet attacks using fingertip-touch characteristics. FINAUTH characterizes intrinsic fingertip-touch behaviors including the acceleration and the rotation angle of mobile devices when a legitimate user authenticates. FINAUTH only utilizes common sensors equipped on mobile devices and does not introduce extra usability burdens on users. To evaluate the effectiveness of FINAUTH, we carried out experiments on datasets collected from 90 subjects after the IRB approval. The results show that FINAUTH can achieve the average balanced accuracy of 96.04% with 5 training data points and 99.28% with 100 training data points. Security experiments also demonstrate that FINAUTH is resilient against possible attacks. In addition, we report the usability analysis results of FINAUTH, including user authentication delay and overhead.


IZA DP No. 12237 MARCH 2019 Education and Risk Compensation in Wages: A Quantile Regression Approach This paper examines the effect of wage variation on individual wages. The results reveal that wage variation by educational classifications positively affects wages, while the skewness has a negative effect. As has been referred in previous literature on the issue, both results are consistent with the notion of wage compensation for risk-averse workers. However, our results show that the impact of wage-variation on wages is not reasonably described by a single parameter for all individuals. Such an effect is heterogeneous and varies throughout the conditional wage distribution. Indeed, the positive effect of dispersion increases, and the negative effect of skewness decreases, as we move up on the conditional wage distribution. Apparently, those at the upper end of the conditional wage distribution have both higher risk-aversion and higher affection for skewness. JEL Classification: J31, J33


BACKGROUND
We aimed to demonstrate the regulatory effect of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) ENAH-202 on oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) development as well as its molecular mechanism.

METHODS
We detected ENAH-202 expression in OSCC tissues and cell lines by quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR). The biological function of ENAH-202 was assessed in vitro and in vivo using CCK-8, colony formation assays, transwell assays, xenograft formation, and tail vein injection. The further molecular mechanism by which ENAH-202 promoted OSCC progression was identified using RNA pull-down, LS-MS/MS analysis, RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP), and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays.

RESULTS
ENAH-202 was significantly upregulated in OSCC tissues and cells. ENAH-202 promoted OSCC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in vitro and in vivo. The expression of enabled homolog (ENAH) and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related proteins was changed with the expression of ENAH-202. Moreover, ENAH-202 promoted the transcription of Vimentin (VIM) by binding with ZNF502, which can help ENAH-202 promote OSCC progression.

CONCLUSIONS
ENAH-202 facilitated OSCC cell proliferation and metastasis by regulating ZNF502/VIM axis, which played an important role in OSCC progression.


The Kamaiya (debt-bondage) system affecting a section of the Tharu ethnic group in Nepal was outlawed in 2000 but it has found its way as Kamalahari, Kamaiya child bonded labour. This Kamalahari (Kamaiya child bonded labour) system in Nepal has been labelled as modern forms of slavery by international and national human rights organizations and policy makers. This study presents two perspectives on children at work. The first perspective theorizes children at work as child labour. It uses Gillian's (2003) supply-push, demand/pull and meso/micro/macro factors to explore the various determinants that are supporting the continuation of child labour. Like in the case of Kamalaharis, even after the declaration of the Kamaiya Prohibition Act 2000 and enormous efforts made by the ILO/IPEC and the Government of Nepal to eradicate the system, the practice still prevails. It also explores the various laws and policy interventions against child-debt bondage in Nepal. The second perspective then applies Hobbs and McKechnie's (1998) 'balance model' to the extensive literature on child labour debates. It explores the various determinants of banning child labour and its consequences on children. The paper highlights the pros and cons on the debates between working children and child labour eradication and pins the gaps and overlaps. It looks at the why the state and organisations concerned about child labour should not simply focus on eradicating child labour but also need to consider the basic needs of the children and their families including protection from exploitation at work.


The synthesis and structure of a completely new type of copper(II) polymer [{[Cu3L2(dien)(H2O)2]·3H2O}∞], where L = 1H-1,2,4-triazole-3,5-dicarboxylate(3–) and dien = diethylenetriamine (1,4,7-triazaheptane), is reported. The compound crystallizes in the tetragonal space group P21c, with a=b= 15.845(3), c= 22.743(1)A and Z= 8. Least-squares refinement of 818 reflections with I > 2σ(I) and 174 parameters gave R= 0.0694, R′= 0.0969. The polymer is essentially a double chain, the building blocks of which are trinuclear copper(II) entities arranged zigzag clockwise and anticlockwise parallel to each other. The copper–copper distances within the trinuclear unit are Cu(1)ċ Cu(2) 5.937(4), Cu(1)ċ Cu(3) 4.014(6) and Cu(2)⋯ Cu(3) 5.937(4)A. The two strands of the chain are linked to each other by apical Cu–O bonds with Cu(2)⋯ Cu(2′) 3.498(6)A. The magnetic susceptibility data (5.8–284 K) are interpreted on the basis of an exchange Hamiltonian function giving J1[Cu(1)–Cu(3)]=–30.0 cm–1, J2[Cu(2)–Cu(2′)]=–1.5 cm–1 and g= 2.0. The nature and the strength of the antiferromagnetic exchange are discussed on the basis of the structural features, and compared with previously reported magneto-structural data for related copper(II) compounds with N1,N2- and N1,N4-linked 1,2,4-triazole ligands.


British culture today is the product of a shifting combination of tradition and experimentation, national identity and regional and ethnic diversity. These distinctive tensions are expressed in a range of cultural arenas, such as art, sport, journalism, fashion, education, and race. This Companion addresses these and other major aspects of British culture, and offers a sophisticated understanding of what it means to study and think about the diverse cultural landscapes of contemporary Britain. Each contributor looks at the language through which culture is formed and expressed, the political and institutional trends that shape culture, and at the role of culture in daily life. This interesting and informative account of modern British culture embraces controversy and debate, and never loses sight of the fact that Britain and Britishness must always be understood in relation to the increasingly international context of globalisation. Michael Higgins begins his chapter on British newspapers by acknowledging the importance of newspapers to Britain's sense of its political and cultural identity. He argues that the notion of the press as a 'fourth estate of the realm' situates the industry as representative of the British population against the institutions of power and privilege. Although the press have never lived up to the rhetoric of this demanding tradition and are currently suffering from declining print sales, Higgins argues that newspapers remain important as socio-political identifiers and as a means of reproducing established political and class-based social groupings. Higgins's argument resonates with that of John Street, such that it appears that the politics of newspapers are motivated as much by target markets as an attachment to political ideologies. Higgins suggests that these divisions in the newspaper market extend beyond the conventional one between popular and quality newspapers and include various factors of political party allegiance and identification with particular, shifting social groupings and politically significant categories.


Self-Organising Maps (SOMs) have been successfully applied to content-based image retrieval (CBIR). In this study, we investigate the potential of PicSOM, an image database browsing system, applied to quad-polarised ALOS PALSAR images. Databases of small images were artificially created, either from a single satellite image for object detection, or two satellite images when considering change detection. Polarimetric features were extracted from the images to allow image indexing. By querying the databases, it was possible to detect target classes, as well as changes between the two images. Results open a full range of applications, from structure detection to change detection, to be embedded in a same operative system. The framework may be particularly suitable for long-term monitoring of strategic sites.


As early childhood settings in many English speaking countries are becoming increasingly multi-ethnic due to global migration, this poses challenges for many early childhood teachers who work with diverse immigrant children and families. In an effort to include all families, curriculum developers and teachers often suggest and incorporate teaching strategies that are commonly considered as culturally inclusive. While these strategies may be well intended, they may be promoting and reinforcing essentialist views of immigrants and their ethnicities, and also perpetuating social inequity. This article applies theoretical perspectives and research findings from literature relating to immigrant families' parental practices and expectations to problematise some of the dominant discourses that prevail in New Zealand early childhood education. It discusses the possible application of some theoretical concepts from the domains of critical multiculturalism to assist early childhood teachers to develop better understandings of the needs of immigrant children and families, and to generate critical pedagogies that are culturally sensitive and equitable.International Research in Early Childhood Education, vol. 2, no. 1, p. 63-75


Asserts that the essential role of Customer Satisfaction Measurement (CSM) is not simply a research activity, but a key management tool. Suggests the Quality Integration Framework as one attempt to blend the components of external, perceived quality (upper pyramid) with a hierarchy of organisational elements pertaining to the company′s internal quality (lower pyramid). Proposes that total quality can exist only when the two pyramids are closely aligned. Considers the external and internal quality and discusses some implications of the Framework. Concludes that CSM is a strategic tool which progressive companies will treat as an integral element of the firm′s total quality management.


Two young dogs which played in a domestic garden in which the opium poppy (Papaver somniferum) grew as wild flowers, developed euphoric as well as other nervous signs, reminiscent of opium poisoning. No medicinal treatment was given. The one dog recovered in one day while the other one took one to two weeks to recover.


In this study, a surface with patterned wettability by means of surface structuring, rather than through modifying the surface chemistry, was developed. The device presented in this thesis was inspired by the Namib Desert Bettle, which collects water from the fog by having hydrophilic spots surrounded by hydrophobic wax-coated regions on its back. Besides water collection, controlling the wetting behaviour locally on the surface may find applications within droplet-based microfluidics, or fabrication of DNA, protein or cell microarrays. Spatial wetting contrast was achieved through replica moulding of the elastomer polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), using a copper and/or the epoxy-based SU-8 photoresist surface as a template. Different types of surface roughness was produced and characterized on polycrystalline copper, through etching, oxidation, electrodeposition, or a combination. Regions with no surface roughness was patterned on the template moulds through conventional UV-photolithography processing of SU-8. The PDMS replicas were then tested for the ability to capture water droplets selectively on the patterned spots. Through characterization of the surface roughness by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), copper plates etched with a solution of CuCl2 and HCl produced the highest amount of surface roughness, with longer etching times leading to increased surface roughness. To characterize the hydrophobicity, the contact angle was measured for droplets deposited on the rough PDMS surfaces. Through surface structuring, the contact angle was increased from 101.8 ± 3.6◦ for a flat surface, to 154.7 ± 5.3◦ for the PDMS surface with the highest roughness. The polarity of surface roughness was also found to play an important role in the wetting behaviour, with a higher number of peaks than valleys being preferable. The fabricated PDMS surfaces showed spatial wetting contrast, as demonstrated in the cover photo. The device needs further optimization in terms of increasing the hydrophobicity of the rough regions, as well as changing the pattern geometries. However, the discoveries made in this study may be useful for further development and integration with droplet-moving mechanisms, for future lab-on-a-chip applications within medical diagnostics or chemical analysis.


Dendritic cells (DC) are central regulators of immunity. Signal‐induced maturation of DCs is assumed to be the starting point for specific immune responses. To further understand this process, we analyzed the alteration of transcript profiles along the time course of CD40 ligand‐induced maturation of human myeloid DCs by Affymetrix GeneChip® microarrays covering >6800 genes. Besides rediscovery of genes already described as associated with DC maturation proving reliability of the methods used, we identified clusterin as novel maturation marker. Looking across the time course, we observed synchronized kinetics of distinct functional groups of molecules whose temporal coregulation underscores known cellular events during dendritic cell maturation. For example, an early‐peaking wave of inflammatory chemokines was followed by a sustained increase of constitutive chemokines and accompanied by slow but continuous induction of survival proteins. After an immediate but transient induction of cytokine‐responsive transcripts, there was an increased expression of a group of genes involved in not only the regulation of cytokine effects, but also of transcription in general. Our results demonstrate that microarray studies along time courses combined with real‐time PCR not only discover new marker molecules with functional implications, but also dissect the molecular kinetics of biological processes identifying complex pathways of regulation.—Türeci, O. Bian, H., Nestle, F. O., Raddrizzani, L., Rosinski, J. A., Tassis, A., Hilton, H., Walstead, M., Sahin, U., Hammer, J. Cascades of transcriptional induction during dendritic cell maturation revealed by genome‐wide expression analysis FASEB J. 17, 836–847 (2003)


In late 2017, the ALICE experiment recorded a data sample of Xe--Xe collisions at the unprecedented energy in A--A systems of $\sqrt{s_{\rm{NN}}} = 5.44\text{ TeV}$. The $p_{\rm T}$ spectra at mid-rapidity ($|y| < 0.5$) of pions, kaons and protons are presented. The preliminary $p_{\rm T}$ spectra are obtained by combining independent analyses with the Inner Tracking System (ITS), the Time Projection Chamber (TPC), and the Time-Of-Flight (TOF) detectors. This paper focuses on the details of the analysis performed with TOF and in particular on the performance implications of the special Xe--Xe run conditions. The peculiarity of this data set comes from the experimental conditions: because of the lower magnetic field of the ALICE solenoid ($B = 0.2\text{ T}$, lower than the nominal $0.5\text{ T}$) we expect to explore a $p_{\rm T}$ region unattainable before. A comparison between the yields at different centrality bins will also be provided.


China is currently pushing on constructing plusmn800 kV UHVDC power transmission projects. The Yunnan-Guangdong power transmission project to be built in 2009 will be the first UHVDC power transmission project around the world. The paper has presented insulation level and insulation coordination for the key equipment, which would be adopted in the Yunnan-Guangdong UHVDC Project. The research result herein reveals that, compared to 1.6 times insulation level of the key equipments of traditional plusmn500 kV project, it is practical to reduce that of UHVDC project respectively, and the technical measurement would be rational arrangement of arrester and smoothing reactor and reasonable reduction of insulation margin. Furthermore, the test voltage level corresponding to long DC operation voltage has also been discussed in this paper, which is for evaluating internal insulation withstanding capability.


ABSTRACT The Upper Carboniferous Crackington and Bude Formations of southwest England comprise laminated black mudstones, gray siltstones, thin-, medium- and thick-bedded sandstones, and contorted, silty sandstones. The thick-bedded sandstones only occur in the Bude Formation, which overlies the Crackington. The sandstones were deposited predominantly by turbidity currents in a relatively shallow basin. They are unusual for two reasons: 1) sediment coarser than fine sand is entirely absent; 2) unlike many previously described ancient-subsea-fan deposits, organized bundles of sandstones displaying asymmetric upward-thickening or upward-thinning sequences are no more common than symmetric sequences, and both types of organized bundles are much less common than disorganized (nonsequential) bundle , particularly in the Bude Formation. Sediment was supplied directly from a delta to the north, by resedimentation of delta-front sands, and slumping of upper pro-delta muds and silts to form a lower pro-delta turbidite fan. Fan growth is not readily explained by current models for single-sourced, tripartite subsea fans displaying radial growth. It developed, instead, a bipartite growth pattern, which was strongly influenced in its upper part by external variables, including grain size, distributary channel switching and other deltaic processes, active tectonism within the basin, and possibly sea-level fluctuations. The fan grew by down-slope construction of independent levee/channel complexes, each of which headed in the upper pro-delta and even possibly the delta front. Slumping and mobilization of argillaceous facies resulted in the random occurrence of contorted beds in all parts of the fan. Regionally extensive mudstones, known as key shales, within the fan deposits probably reflect large-scal , upslope, delta-lobe abandonment. The Crati and Ebro Fans of the Mediterranean Sea would appear to be good modern analogs for the Crackington-Bude fan system.


doctor is none the wiser and begins to think that the patient is either a hypochondriac or a hysteric. Then something turns up and to his horror the doctor finds his patient is suffering from an inoperable condition which is going to prove fatal. In my view these types of case are here to stay, no matter what one does. But the moral of them surely is that reference of a patient to hospital does not entirely absolve the general practitioner from diagnostic responsibility nor does it relieve his mind from worry when he views the case in retrospect.-I am, etc..


Allergen specific Immunotherapy (AIT), introduced more than one century ago, is the only allergen-oriented biological response modifier that redirects in a complex way the mode of response to antigens of the immune system. The traditional route of administration had remained for decades the subcutaneous one. In the last 30 years the sublingual administration was introduced and accepted. Nowadays, there are numerous large regulatory trials (mainly with sublingual tablets) confirming the efficacy and safety of this route for the more relevant allergens. The efficacy and safety of sublingual AIT was also consistently demonstrated in asthma, and the treatment is now included as possible adjunct in asthma guidelines. Obviously, a proper standardization of the products is mandatory. The component resolved diagnosis approach, allowed to better refine the prescription and the selection of candidate patients for AIT. In the next future, new administration routes are expected (epicutaneous, intralymphatic), together with the use of adjuvants. Also, the role of oral or sublingual desensitization for food allergy is currently emerging.


Archaeological textiles bear important testimony to everyday life, farming, trade, migration of nations, religious rituals, art and technical culture. The main reason we know very little about them is that textiles are very impermanent, fragile, and can survive well only in very good conditions. Most of them become nearly completely destroyed due to ageing in an extremely hard archaeological environment . However, it is possible to determine and identify the properties that archaeological textiles had in the past. Research undertaken by us resulted in the development of methods of analysis and visualisation of archaeological textiles in the form they were originally made, which will be presented in our next paper. This paper is to present the main problems scientists have to face when dealing with archaeological textiles .


Purpose
This paper aims to provide a discussion on the interface and interactions between data, analytical techniques and impactful research in humanitarian health supply chains. New techniques for data capturing, processing and analytics, such as big data, blockchain technology and artificial intelligence, are increasingly put forward as potential "game changers" in the humanitarian field. Yet while they have potential to improve data analytics in the future, larger data sets and quantification per se are no "silver bullet" for complex and wicked problems in humanitarian health settings. Humanitarian health supply chains provide health care and medical aid to the most vulnerable in development and disaster relief settings alike. Unlike commercial supply chains, they often lack resources and long-term collaborations to enable learning from the past and to improve further.

Design/methodology/approach
Based on a combination of the authors' research experience, interactions with practitioners throughout projects and academic literature, the authors consider the interface between data and analytical techniques and highlight some of the challenges inherent to humanitarian health settings. The authors apply a systems approach to represent the multiple factors and interactions between data, analytical techniques and collaboration in impactful research.

Findings
Based on this representation, the authors discuss relevant debates and suggest directions for future research to increase the impact of data analytics and collaborations in fostering sustainable solutions.

Originality/value
This study distinguishes itself and contributes by bringing the interface and interactions between data, analytical techniques and impactful research together in a systems approach, emphasizing the interconnectedness.


Different hybrids based on curcumin and resveratrol were previously synthesized and characterized by spectroscopic techniques. The most active molecules (3a, 3e, 3i, and 3k) were evaluated in vitro as an approach to determine the possible mechanism of action of the hybrids. The results indicated that the evaluated curcumin/resveratrol hybrids induce mitochondrial instability in SW620 and SW480 cells. Moreover, these molecules caused a loss in membrane integrity, suggesting an apoptotic process mediated by caspases after the treatment with compounds 3i (SW480) and 3k (SW620). In addition, the results suggest that the mechanism of action of the hybrids could be independent of the p53 status. Furthermore, hybrids 3e and 3i caused G0/G1 phase arrest, which highlights the potential of these molecules not only as cytotoxic but also as cytostatic compounds. Hybrids 3e and 3i caused a negative modulation of the matrix metalloproteinase 7 (MMP7) on SW480 cells. These curcumin resveratrol hybrids could be potential candidates for further investigations in the search for potential chemopreventive agents, even in those cases with resistance to conventional chemotherapy because of the lack of p53 expression or function. Molecular docking simulations showed that compounds 3e, 3i, and 3k bind efficiently to proapoptotic human caspases 3/7 proteins, as well as human MMP-7 and p53, which, in turn, could explain at the molecular level the in vitro cytotoxic effect of these compounds in SW480 and SW620 colon cancer cell lines.


A spectacular epigenetic silicification was encountered in the Oxfordian bedded limestones exposed in the Sokole Hills situated in the Krakow-Czestochowa Upland. The main epigenetic mineral is microcrystalline quartz accompanied by minor goethite, hematite, barite, galena and sphalerite. Locally, the mineralized limestones reveal Pb and Cu contents exceeding over 150 times the background values of these metals in unmineralized limestones. The epigenetic mineralization of the bedded limestones was probably a two-stage process. During the first, Early Cretaceous stage, silicified limestones formed at the erosional surface of a denuded carbonate complex. Such silicification greatly limited the progress of the first karstification phase of the Upper Jurassic carbonates initiated in the Hauterivian. The sources of silica accumulated in the limestones were descending solutions enriched in silica derived from the weathering zone. This silicification affected the topmost part of the Upper Jurassic massive limestones and the deeper portions of the bedded limestones along the fracture systems and stylolites. Early Cretaceous tectonic activity generated new dislocations and re-opened the existing faults, which were subsequently filled with permeable Albian quartz sands. These openings became the migration pathways for ascending, warm, relict, sulphide-carrying hydrothermal solutions at the second formation stage of the epigenetic mineralization. The newly supplied silica from the Albian sands precipitated on the silicified limestones and, as concentric rims, on brecciated, early diagenetic cherts. The second-stage mineralization proceeded under phreatic conditions, presumably close to a fluctuating mixing zone of ascending, warm hydrothermal solutions and descending cold groundwaters. The brecciated cherts acting as silica crystallization nuclei indicate that the last mineralization stage probably followed the final phase of Cenozoic faulting.


In 2012, a team of academics from six universities worked on an OLT-funded project, 'Rethinking Law Curriculum: developing strategies to prepare law graduates for practice in rural and regional Australia'. The project was motivated by the declining proportion of lawyers being attracted to and remaining in practice in rural and regional Australia. The main outcome of the project was an open education resource designed to sensitise students to the realities of the rural and regional legal practice context in the form of a customisable curriculum package that can be embedded as components within existing units of study, or developed as a stand-alone unit. Three of the team members have now implemented the curriculum package within their law school programs, two in the form of a stand-alone elective unit delivered to undergraduate law students, and the third to support placement programs for law and paralegal students. Applying the process of peer observation and collaborative reflection, this paper reports on their experiences to offer insights on how to adapt and integrate the 'Rethinking law' package within the law school curriculum. In particular, this paper will discuss the significance of place-consciousness as a pedagogical tool, and the capacity of the 'Rethinking Law' package to encourage law students to 're-imagine' careers in rural and regional Australia and their role as the country's future lawyers.


The recent financial crisis not only affected the financial sector but also the whole economy. The crisis caused many countries to experience a major decline in economic output and the usual consequences associated with a recession. The Dutch economy has also not been fully immune from the crisis's adverse effects. Thus, policy makers, regulators and practitioners alike are very much curious and concerned with the effect of the crisis on small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), given the fact that they are the influential growth driver of the real economy. This thesis will certainly crunch their thrust to a great extent as it investigates the effect of the financial crisis on the SMEs in the Netherlands. It focuses on three areas, namely; investment, trade credit, and cash holdings. Following the standard European Commission definition of identifying small- and medium-sized enterprises, a unique dataset of private firms in the Netherlands covering a long time-period (2003-2012) is constructed. This relative large dataset with ten years of data enables to make a statistically reliable comparison of the crisis period relative to the pre-crisis period.

The research project regarding investment reports that, Dutch SMEs have significantly reduced their capital investment during the financial crisis. The investment has declined on average 1.2%-1.4% during the financial crisis compared to the pre-crisis period. The findings also reveal that, the internal finance and the external finance, both significantly determined investment and their incremental influence did not change during the financial crisis.

While investigating the trade credit behavior of Dutch SMEs, the thesis reports that, trade receivables and trade payables have decreased on average 2.5% and 2.2% respectively during the financial crisis compared to the pre-crisis period. Furthermore, it also finds that, trade payables of SMEs played a complementary role with bank finance (i.e. SMEs who received more bank finance also received more trade credit). Moreover, examining whether SMEs acted as pseudo financial intermediaries by redistributing part of their obtained bank credit, the results confirm that during the financial crisis SMEs do pass up part of their obtained bank finance to their customers via the trade credit channel (i.e. SMEs act as financial intermediaries by providing trade credit).

Finally, the study regarding the cash holdings reports that, cash holdings of SMEs have increased significantly on average 1.2% to 2.2% during the financial crisis compared to the pre-crisis period. The findings further confirms that, SMEs inclined to hold more cash even when they had more cash flow and bank finance. Holding more cash by SMEs during the crisis indicates that these firms postponed their investment and contributing less to the economic recovery. This findings thus further confirm the corporate precautionary savings motive, which is the byproduct of the adverse effect of the financial crisis.

The overall findings of the three research projects indicate that the SMEs in the Netherlands suffered from the negative influence of the financial crisis. The policy implications of this thesis are important in the context of the financial crisis and economic recovery. Any policy that restricts the profitability, cash reserves, access to bank credit or any other sources of finance for SMEs would entail adverse supply effects. Given the importance of SMEs (i.e. significant share in innovation, employment and national output compared to large firms), policy makers and regulators should pay attention to these small players.


An analysis of a multiscale symmetric interior penalty discontinuous Galerkin finite element method for the numerical discretization of elliptic problems with multiple scales is proposed. This new method, first described in [A. Abdulle, C.R. Acad. Sci. Paris, Ser. I 346 (2008)] is based on numerical homogenization. It allows to significantly reduce the computational cost of a fine scale discontinuous Galerkin method by probing the fine scale data on sampling domains within a macroscopic partition of the computational domain. Macroscopic numerical fluxes, an essential ingredient of discontinuous Galerkin finite elements, can be recovered from the computation on the sampling domains with negligible computation overhead. Fully discrete a priori error bounds are derived in the L-2 and H-1 norms.


This Evidence Check reviewed effective psychosocial interventions for the management of people with alcohol and other drug issues. The review also aimed to identify the most effective psychosocial interventions for special population groups. A range of psychosocial interventions were examined, including behavioural, motivational, psychodynamic, counselling, mindfulness-based and self-help approaches. A number of psychosocial interventions are supported by the literature, especially for alcohol and tobacco use. The review found evidence to support the effectiveness of Motivational Interviewing with and without Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for particular groups, including pregnant women, people with co-occurring mental health and alcohol and other drug issues, and people in the criminal justice system. The reviewers identified a number of gaps in the evidence base including the need for supports after treatment, research into substances other than alcohol and tobacco, and a need for a greater understanding of technology-based interventions.


Endovascular surgical neuroradiology is a newly recognized specialty within the American Medical Association. Remarkable advances in the specialty with regard to stroke prevention and therapy as well as the treatment of ruptured and unruptured cerebral aneurysms have provided patients and their treating physicians with novel treatment options that complement existing therapy. The issues surrounding the efficacy of endovascular treatment of intracranial atherosclerosis and cerebral aneurysms will be reviewed using a case-based learning format.


Classical chaos is often characterized as exponential divergence of nearby trajectories. In many interesting cases these trajectories can be identified with geodesic curves. We define here the entropy by S=lnχ(x) with χ(x) being the distance between two nearby geodesics. We derive an equation for the entropy, which by transformation to a Riccati-type equation becomes similar to the Jacobi equation. We further show that the geodesic equation for a null geodesic in a double-warped spacetime leads to the same entropy equation. By applying a Robertson–Walker metric for a flat three-dimensional Euclidean space expanding as a function of time, we again reach the entropy equation stressing the connection between the chosen entropy measure and time. We finally turn to the Raychaudhuri equation for expansion, which also is a Riccati equation similar to the transformed entropy equation. Those Riccati-type equations have solutions of the same form as the Jacobi equation. The Raychaudhuri equation can be transformed to a harmonic oscillator equation, and it has been shown that the geodesic deviation equation of Jacobi is essentially equivalent to that of a harmonic oscillator. The Raychaudhuri equations are strong geometrical tools in the study of general relativity and cosmology. We suggest a refined entropy measure applicable in cosmology and defined by the average deviation of the geodesics in a congruence.


This thesis is aimed at recommending suitable hotels to the customers using the data collected from the website booking.com. In this thesis, data from Stockholm is chosen as an example, and statistical modeling is applied. We propose recommended hotels based on their rankings in terms of the scores of the hotels. The ranking score is derived by using eneralized linear mixed models. Box-Cox transformation is applied further to improve the previous analysis. Separate group analysis indicates that the ranks between different reviewer groups are significantly different. Model evaluation is executed via Cross-validation method by calculating the classification accuracies for all models. The best model is found based on theclassification accuracy, and we recommend the top 10, top 15 and top 20 hotels from the best model in this thesis.


Surrounded by a multitude of wireless networks, users can nowadays experience significant performance improvements when smartly combining multiple networks concurrently (e.g., for transferring files). This phenomenon is called Concurrent Access (CA). Some users, which are referred to as foreground (FG) users, are able to access and utilize multiple networks simultaneously. The traffic streams from the FG users are optimized over multiple networks, in the presence of background (BG) users that can use only one network. In the literature a variety of traffic splitting algorithms have been proposed, with a focus on improving the performance of the FG users, whereas the influence of smart traffic splitting on the performance experienced by the BG users, as well as the resulting splitting ratios over the different networks, have received hardly attention. In this paper, we evaluate and compare the performance of these algorithms with respect to three quality metrics: (1) the file transfer performance of the FG traffic, (2) the file transfer performance of the BG traffic, and (3) the traffic splitting ratios, i.e. the fractions of traffic that is sent over each of the access networks. Our simulations-based results provide a number of valuable insights in the pros and cons of the different job splitting and assignment algorithms.


In this letter, a next-generation time-division multiplexed passive optical network (TDM-PON) based on multilevel differential modulation formats is proposed. Multilevel modulation enables the efficient scaling of bit rates without resorting to very high-speed electronics and photonics, while differential detection simplifies the detection process. The 40 Gb/s downstream signal is implemented with Star 16 quadrature amplitude modulation, while two upstream channels are evaluated, a simple, asymmetrical 10 Gb/s on-off keying signal and a 30-Gb/s differential eight phase-shift keying signal. Experimental results show very good receiver sensitivities, indicating the proposed modulation format's suitability for future very high-speed TDM-PONs.


SUMMARY: None of the various methods proposed for the microbiological assay of cystine is entirety satisfactory. Leuconostoc mesenteroides P-60 appeared to be the most suitable micro-organism, but assays were nevertheless variable and, occasionally, completely unreliable. A toxic effect characterized all assays to some extent, but no satisfactory explanation of its occurrence can be advanced.


This study assesses the decline in second birth rates for men and women across different skill levels in transitional Russia. Changes within educational groups and occupational classes are observed over three distinct time periods: the Soviet era, economic crisis, and economic recovery. The most remarkable finding is the similarity in the extent second birth rates declined within educational groups and occupational classes during the economic crisis. Although further decline occurred in the recovery period, more variation emerged across groups.


We propose a new multicriteria method for the determination of computer-generated holograms (CGH's). For this purpose, the direct binary search (DBS) algorithm for computing CGH's has been modified to converge on a new error function that defines the optimal trade-off among different criteria. This approach allows us to control the trade-off between the amplitude error and the diffraction efficiency and to provide a rigorous figure of merit. Comparisons among different encoding methods show that the best results are obtained with a modified version of the DBS method combined with the iterative Fourier transform algorithm.


In pharmaceutical research and development, improving the effectiveness of preclinical predictions is significant, thus in vitro and in vivo experimental models are needed to investigate human drug responses in organisms. As a microengineered model, an organ-on-a-chip (OoC) could provide reliable predictions of drug efficacy and safety by mimicking the complex biological functions of normal cellular interactions. It presents a novel platform with the advantages of high throughputs, low cost, and high efficiency for drug development. Here, we provide an outlook on the recent fundamental development of OoC studies and discuss the prospects of their applications in relation to drug discovery. In particular, we highlight a set of recently developed strategies that facilitate high-throughput analysis of biomarkers and drug metabolites on an OoC, including ELISA, PCR, LC-MS and lab-on-a-chip. A brief summary is also presented along with the prospects of this field in the future.