Abstract This study investigated the effect of task type on incidental L2 vocabulary learning. The different tasks investigated in this study differed in terms of repetition of encounters and task involvement load. In a within-subjects design, 72 Iranian learners of English practised 18 target words in three exercise conditions: three multiple-choice exercises, three fill-in-the-blank exercises, and one sentence-making exercise. An unannounced receptive vocabulary recall post-test was used to measure the participants' retention of the meaning of the target words. The results revealed that exercise condition had a significant effect on the mean scores for the three conditions, with words practised under the three multiple-choice and the three fill-in-the-blank exercises conditions being recalled significantly better than those practised under the one sentence-making condition. However, there was no significant difference between the three multiple-choice and the three fill-in-the-blank conditions. The results suggest that incidental vocabulary learning is more affected by repetition of encounters than by elaboration of meaning.


Objectives: The brain of mammals contains two major form of cholinesterase enzymes, acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE). The dual inhibition of these enzymes is considered as a promising strategy for the treatment of neurological disorder such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), senile dementia, ataxia, and myasthenia gravis. The present study was undertaken to explore the anticholinesterase inhibition property of allicin. Materials and Methods: An assessment of cholinesterase inhibition was carried out by Ellman's assay. Results: The present study demonstrates allicin, a major ingredient of crushed garlic (Allium sativum L.) inhibited both AChE and BuChE enzymes in a concentration-dependent manner. For allicin, the IC50 concentration was 0.01 mg/mL (61.62 μM) for AChE and 0.05 ± 0.018 mg/mL (308.12 μM) for BuChE enzymes. Conclusions: Allicin shows a potential to ameliorate the decline of cognitive function and memory loss associated with AD by inhibiting cholinesterase enzymes and upregulate the levels of acetylcholine (ACh) in the brain. It can be used as a new lead to target AChE and BuChE to upregulate the level of ACh which will be useful in alleviating the symptoms associated with AD.


Multiple system atrophy is a progressive brain disorder that affects movement and balance and disrupts the function of the autonomic nervous system. The autonomic nervous system controls body functions that are mostly involuntary, such as regulation of blood pressure. The most frequent autonomic symptoms associated with multiple system atrophy are a sudden drop in blood pressure upon standing (orthostatic hypotension), urinary difficulties, and erectile dysfunction in men.


The outer tank of a liquefied natural gas (LNG) storage tank is a longitudinally and meridionally pre-stressed concrete (PSC) wall structure. Because of the current trend of constructing larger LNG storage tanks, the pre-stressing forces required to increase wall strength must be significantly increased. Because of the increase in tank sizes and pre-stressing forces, an extreme loading scenario such as a bomb blast or an airplane crash needs to be investigated. Therefore, in this study, the blast resistance performance of LNG storage tanks was analyzed by conducting a blast simulation to investigate the safety of larger LNG storage tanks. Test data validation for a blast simulation of reinforced concrete panels was performed using a specific FEM code, LS-DYNA, prior to a full-scale blast simulation of the outer tank of a 270,000-kL LNG storage tank. Another objective of this study was to evaluate the safety and serviceability of an LNG storage tank with respect to varying amounts of explosive charge. The results of this study can be used as basic data for the design and safety evaluation of PSC LNG storage tanks.


In this study, a novel photosensitizer having two perylenediimide units and a phenanthroline ruthenium(II) coordination moiety (Ru-BP) has been developed for photodynamic therapy (PDT) of cancer cells. This new compound was prepared via reactions of two newly designed molecules, namely, 5,6,12,13-tetrakis(4-(tert-butyl)phenoxy)-2-(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)-9-(4-hydroxyphenyl)anthra[2,1,9-def:6,5,10-d′e′f′]diisoquinoline-1,3,8,10(2H,9H)-tetraone (P6) and a bis(2,2′-bipyridyl)-(4,7-dichlorophenanthroline)ruthenium(II) complex (7). The singlet oxygen production of P6 and Ru-BP was investigated by a chemical method using 1,3-diphenylisobenzofurane as a trap molecule. Additionally, photodynamic therapy efficacy of the novel Ru-BP complex and P6 was evaluated in vitro. Ru-BP significantly decreased the viability of human chronic myeloid leukemia cells under red light but not in the dark, pointing out that the complex, itself, was not cytotoxic and singlet oxygen formation was required for the initiation of cell death mechanisms. Thus, Ru-BP can be effectively used as a photosensitizer in photodynamic therapy, which makes the novel Ru-BP a promising singlet oxygen generator for further biological applications.


The present study aimed at clarifying the relationships between the use of sensory aids and the quality of life (QOL) and mortality of elderly people suffering from sensory deprivation. We carried out a cross-sectional survey on the QOL and the sensory status of an elderly cohort and a 6-year longitudinal follow-up of mortality rates among 1192 non-institutionalized people aged 70-75 years in a North Italian town. We classified respondents into three groups: those with functionally adequate visual and hearing acuity (n = 275); those with sensory impairment, corrected by the use of sensory aids (n = 680), and those with uncorrected sensory impairment (n = 245). In the whole sample, multiple logistic regression analyses showed that an uncorrected sensory deprivation was associated with a significant and independent impairment of mood, self-sufficiency in instrumental activities of daily living and social relationships. Such impairments were not apparent in the subjects with sensory impairments who were using sensory aids. In men with uncorrected sensory impairment the unadjusted 6-year mortality rate was almost twice that of the other two groups, which did not differ from each other. No corresponding differences were detected in women. Multivariate analysis showed that the effect of the sensory aid status on mortality was indirect and mediated through the global physical health status and the social relationships. We conclude that our cross-sectional data demonstrate an association between uncorrected sensory deprivation and a low QOL; such an association was not present in subjects with corrected sensory deprivation.


Due fast biomass production, high affinity for N and P and possibilities to CO2 sequestration microalgae are currently in the spotlight, especially in renewable energy technologies sector. The majority of studies focus their attention on microalgae cultivation with respect to biomass production. Fuel produced from algal biomass can contribute to reducing consumption of conventional fossil fuels and be a remedy for a rising energy crisis and global warming induced by air pollution. Some authors opt for possibilities of using sewage as a nutrient medium in algae cultivation. Other scientists go one step further and present concepts to introduce microalgal systems as an integral part of wastewater treatment plants. High costs of different microalgal harvesting methods caused introduction of the idea of algae immobilization in a form of periphyton on artificial substrates. In the present study the attention has focused on possibilities of using waste materials as substrates to proliferation of periphyton in biologically treated sewage that contained certain amounts of nitrogen and phosphorus.


Short-rotation coppice systems like shrub willow are projected to be an important source of biomass in the United States for the production of bioenergy, biofuels, and renewable bio-based products, with the potential for auxiliary environmental benefits and multifunctional systems. Almost three decades of research has focused on the development of shrub willow crops for biomass and ecosystem services. The current expansion of willow in New York State (about 500 ha) for the production of renewable power and heat has been possible because of incentive programs offered by the federal government, commitments by end users, the development of reliable harvesting systems, and extension services offered to growers. Improvements in the economics of the system are expected as willow production expands further, which should help lower establishment costs, enhance crop management options and increase efficiencies in harvesting and logistics. As a result, deploying willow in multifunctional value-added systems provides opportunities for both potential producers and end users to learn about the system and the quality of the biomass feedstock, which in turn will help overcome barriers to expansion.


Adaptive rate video encoding is required to maximize efficiency when wireless links are involved in the communication. In fact, wireless channels are characterized by high, time-varying bit error rates. To cope efficiently with this problem adaptive forward error correction schemes have been proposed. These schemes introduce an amount of redundancy dependent on the channel conditions. Accordingly, the bandwidth available at the application layer changes: it increases when channel conditions improve, and decreases when channel conditions worsen. Obviously, the encoding parameters must be tuned to adapt the video source transmission rate to the available bandwidth. This adaptation is achieved by means of appropriate feedback laws, which are relationships between the encoding parameters to be used and other variables representing the state of the system. An analytical framework is introduced which can be used for the design of the feedback laws. To this purpose both the channel and the video source are modeled by means of Markov models. The resulting model of the whole system is denoted as SBBP/SBBP/1/K. Analysis is derived which allows to evaluate the most significant performance measures and, therefore, to design optimal feedback laws.


This paper studies interrelations between two benefits in the Swedish social insurance system: the sickness insurance and the temporary parental benefit. The level of compensation differs between the two benefits creating an economic incentive for parents to claim temporary parental benefit when being ill. The substitution between the two benefits is studied using a randomized experiment were parents received information that their use of the temporary parental benefit would be subject to intensified monitoring. Receiving this information decreased utilization of the temporary parental benefit but at the same time led to an increase in short-term sickness absence by 4.9 percent. This corresponds to approximately 43 percent of the decreased use of the temporary parental benefit.


The ionic and electronic conductivities of samaria doped ceria electrolytes, Ce_(0.85)Sm_(0.15)O_(1.925−δ), with nanometric grain size have been evaluated. Nanostructured bulk specimens were obtained using a combination of high specific-surface-area starting materials and suitable sintering profiles under conventional, pressureless conditions. Bulk specimens with relatively high density (≥92% of theoretical density) and low medium grain size (as small as 33 nm) were achieved. Electrical A.C. impedance spectra were recorded over wide temperature (150 to 650°C) and oxygen partial pressure ranges (0.21 to 10^(−31) atm). Under all measurement conditions the total conductivity decreased monotonically with decreasing grain size. In both the electrolytic and mixed conducting regimes this behavior is attributed to the high number density of high resistance grain boundaries. The results suggest a possible variation in effective grain boundary width with grain size, as well as a possible variation in specific grain boundary resistance with decreasing oxygen partial pressure. No evidence appears for either enhanced reducibility or enhanced electronic conductivity upon nanostructuring.


The aim of this study is to investigate the growth and management of the D.H. Lawrence
collection held in the Manuscript and Special collections department at the Hallward
Library, University of Nottingham. This study will examine four main areas of the Lawrence
collection and its actual management. The study will first give an account of the collections
history and growth in order to give the reader an insight into the collection itself. The study
will then examine the importance of public relations in securing acquisitions and how the
department has dealt with this expanding collection. A further area to be examined will be
the financing and budgeting of the collection as well as the departments' acquisition policy
with particular reference to gifts, exchanges and endowments.
The D.H. Lawrence cataloguing and retrieving systems in recent years have undergone
considerable change, this study will examine carefully the reasons why there was a need
for change and how these systems have been introduced and the consequences for the
collection and department as a whole. Finally, aspects of conservation, preservation and
security of the Lawrence collection will be investigated, examining managerial responses
to the problems encountered. To conclude an overall examination of the collection
management will be discussed as well as the future prospects of the D.H. Lawrence
Manuscript and Special Collection.


Suppression of overexpressed gene mutations in cancer cells through RNA interference (RNAi) technique is a therapeutically effective modality for oncogene silencing. In general, transfection agent is needed for siRNA delivery. Also, it is a tedious and time consuming process to analyze the gene transfection using current conventional flow cytometry systems and commercially available transfection kits. Therefore, there are two urgent challenges that we need to address for understanding and real time monitoring the delivery of siRNA to cancer cells more effectively. One, nontoxic, biocompatible and stable non-viral transfection agents need to be developed and investigated for gene delivery in cancer cells. Two, new, portable optofluidic methods need to be engineered for determining the transfection efficiency of the nanoformulation in real time. First, we demonstrate the feasibility of using gold nanorods (AuNRs) as nanoprobes for the delivery of Interleukin-8 (IL-8) siRNA in a pancreatic cancer cell line- MiaPaCa-2. An optimum ratio of 10:1 for the AuNRs–siRNA nanoformulation required for efficient loading has been experimentally determined. Promising transfection rates (≈88%) of the nanoprobe-assisted gene delivery are quantified by flow cytometry and fluorescence imaging, which are higher than the commercial control, Oligofectamine. The excellent gene knockdown performance (over 81%) of the proposed model support in vivo trials for RNAi-based cancer theranostics. In addition to cancer theranostics, our nanoprobe combination can be also applied for disease outbreak monitoring like MERS. Second, we present an optical fiber-integrated microfluidic chip that utilizes simple hydrodynamic and optical setups for miniaturized on-chip flow cytometry. The chip provides a powerful and convenient tool to quantitatively determine the siRNA transfection into cancer cells without using bulky flow cytometer. These studies outline the role of AuNRs as potential non-viral gene delivery vehicles, and their suitability for microfluidics-based lab-on-chip flow cytometry applications.


We propose a convex optimization formulation with the Ky Fan $2$-$k$-norm and $\ell_1$-norm to find $k$ largest approximately rank-one submatrix blocks of a given nonnegative matrix that has low-rank block diagonal structure with noise. We analyze low-rank and sparsity structures of the optimal solutions using properties of these two matrix norms. We show that, under certain hypotheses, with high probability, the approach can recover rank-one submatrix blocks even when they are corrupted with random noise and inserted into a much larger matrix with other random noise blocks.


The search for alternatives to traditional energy intensive separation methods such as
distillation has led to the introduction of processes based on membranes. In this research,
the use of detailed mathematical models for the optimal design of membrane systems is
investigated.
Mathematical models of hollow-fibre and spiral-wound membrane modules are presented
in this thesis. The models are developed from rigorous mass, momentum and energy
balances and can be used to describe a generic membrane separation. This is in contrast
to most existing models which are typically process specific and are only valid within
a limited operating range. The generality of the new approach is demonstrated by application
to gas separation, pervaporation, and reverse osmosis case studies. Simulation
results for these systems show excellent agreement with published experimental data.
The thesis also introduces an optimal design strategy for membrane separation systems.
This strategy is characterised by two main features: firstly, detailed models are used.
This is essential if sub-optimal and inaccurate solutions are to be avoided. Secondly,
an optimisation technique based on genetic algorithms is implemented. This provides
multiple solutions, allowing the user to interpret the results and make a more informed
decision.
The feasibility of the optimal design strategy is investigated using two realistic case
studies. In the first study, the optimal design of reverse osmosis desalination plants
is considered and the use of both hollow-fibre and spiral-wound modules is examined.
The results of this study compare favourably with work published in the open literature
and highlight the importance of using detailed models to describe membrane separation
systems. In the second study, the use of pervaporation for ethanol dehydration is investigated.
An existing pervaporation plant is evaluated and a significantly improved design
is found.


We study the scaling relations between the baryonic content and total mass of groups of galaxies, as these systems provide a unique way to examine the role of non-gravitational processes in structure formation. Using Planck and ROSAT data, we conduct detailed comparisons of the stacked thermal Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (tSZ) effect and X-ray scaling relations of galaxy groups found in the the Galaxy And Mass Assembly (GAMA) survey and the BAHAMAS hydrodynamical simulation. We use weak gravitational lensing data from the Kilo Degree Survey (KiDS) to determine the average halo mass of the studied systems. We analyse the simulation in the same way, using realistic weak lensing, X-ray, and tSZ synthetic observations. Further-more, to keep selection biases under control, we employ exactly the same galaxy selection and group identification procedures to the observations and simulation. Applying this careful comparison, we find that the simulations are in agreement with the observations, particularly with regards to the scaling relations of the lensing and tSZ results. This finding demonstrates that hydrodynamical simulation have reached the level of realism that is required to interpret observational survey data and study the baryon physics within dark matter haloes, where analytical modelling is challenging. Finally, using simulated data, we demonstrate that our observational processing of the X-ray and tSZ signals is free of significant biases. We find that our optical group selection procedure has, however, some room for improvement.


OBJECTIVES/SPECIFIC AIMS: Community stakeholder engagement along the translational spectrum of biomedical research has been identified as a potentially crucial factor for encouraging participation among underrepresented groups, improving research relevance, and adoption of evidence into practice. Although we have developed various methods to improve communication between researchers and community stakeholders, we have not focused much attention on the manner by which community stakeholders choose to communicate with researchers in scientific feedback settings. In our PCORI funded study using Community Engagement Studios to elicit feedback on research from community stakeholders, we found that feedback from participants was frequently provided in the form of stories. This presentation aims to describe these narratives, examine their function in the feedback process and consider how a focus on these narratives enhances our understanding of community engagement for clinical and translational research. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: The present study comes from a larger randomized, controlled methodological study. We randomized 20 investigators seeking input on their research to either a Community Engagement Studio (a panel of community members or patients) or a Translational Studio (a panel of researchers). Any faculty member or research trainee at Vanderbilt University or Meharry Medical College was eligible to participate. Each Studio panel was convened to provide project-specific input. The 153 stakeholders who participated in CE Studios were patients, caregivers, or patient advocates identified by health status, health condition, or demographic variables based on the project-based needs of the 20 researchers randomized in this project. Stakeholders include individuals with diabetes, heart failure, Parkinson's disease, sickle cell disease, and ICU survivors. All stakeholders had experience as a partner or consultant on a research project or through serving on a research advisory board or committee. All Studios were recorded and transcribed, and experienced qualitative researchers analyzed the data. For this paper, we focus on the narrative feedback in the form of stories elicited in the CE Studios. Using qualitative methods, we coded the transcripts from the 20 CE Studios to identify stories and their functions in the feedback. Stories were defined as narratives with (a) at least one actor (b) action that unfolds over time, and (c) a realization, destination, or conflict resolution (i.e., a point of the story). For example, "I refilled my mother's pillbox on Sunday and on Friday I found the pillbox still completely full" would be a story, however, "my mother doesn't take her meds correctly" would not. We coded the stories for how they facilitated communication in the Studio using an open-coding style, that is we did not apply a specific theoretical framework of interaction or communication. It was possible for any given story to have more than one code applied to it; that is they were not classified in a mutually exclusive way. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: We found 5 major functions of stories in the Studios. Basic sender-receiver functions were noted, including responding to queries and seeking mutual understanding. The other functions served to move or add to the conversation, including adding expansion and depth, characterizing abstract concepts, and providing context, with the latter being the most frequent function of stories. Speakers provided context in a wide variety of dimensions, ranging from the context of the body to spatial and institutional contexts. These stories served to help others understand the speakers' lived experiences. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF IMPACT: We often engage community members in research for their expertise with regards to their lived experiences as patients or community members, and for their experiences of healthcare and social determinants of health in particular community contexts. Yet we may expect them to share their expertise in a manner that is consistent with a scientific, explanatory framing and language. However, we know there is a difference in the way that professional researchers discuss research Versus how community members discuss research. In our PCORI study, we found that our Community Studio participants relied on storytelling as an important means to communicate their lived experiences. Their stories were often key to communicating the complex contexts of their experiences. We focus on examining these narrative practices and their functions in how community members engaged with and provided advice to researchers. This understanding may help us in: (1) Characterizing the contexts, processes, and meanings associated with community stakeholder experiences that are otherwise difficult to access. (2) Identifying community priorities relevant to research that are embedded in community narratives to better align research priorities with community needs and to improve patient outcomes. (3) Collecting insights for improving the design of community engagement activities in research. (4) Harnessing more fully the potential of community engagement in research.


Topale, S. & Roychev, V. (2021). Modern notions about the pollen sterility in the vine and methods for overcoming it. Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., 27 (5), 903–910 As a result of palynological, cytogenetic and scanning electron microscopy examinations, eight types of pollen sterility in the vine have been identified related to the reasons for their occurrence: genetic; chromosomal; meiotic; genomic; chromosomal-genetic; chromosomal-genomic; polyploid and total. In the distant hybrids of F3-F5 generations, all genotypic variants of pollen sterility are observed – from partially fertile to semi-fertile and form with normally restored fertility and vitality. As the number of generations increases, the number of self-fertile forms increases and the number of sterile ones decreases significantly. A DRX-M3-2 seedling with chromosomal sterility of the two gametophytes was found in F3, in which no grains or seeds were formed, regardless of the pollination method. By crossing distant hybrids of F3 with 2n=38 with S.V.-12-309 and S.V.-20-366, F4 generation was obtained, in which DRX-M4-501,502,503, etc., are fruiting, partially fruiting and infertile with 2n=38, 39. From the crossing of the distant hybrids of F4 – DRX-M4-520, DRX-M4-510 (2n=38) with the cultivars GM-325-58, Cristal and Moldova, F5 generation was created, in a population of which four artificially created species carrying the new vine genome with n=19, 2n=38, which includes the chromosomes of Vitis vinifera and V. rotundifolia.


The Association of Directors of Anatomic and Surgical Pathology have developed recommendations for the surgical pathology report for common malignant tumors. The recommendations for cutaneous melanoma are reported herein.


Nanoparticles are now more than ever being used to tailor materials function and performance in differentiating technologies because of their profound effect on thermo-physical, mechanical and optical properties. The most feasible way to disperse particles in a bulk material or control their packing at a substrate is through fluidization in a carrier, followed by solidification through solvent evaporation/drying/curing/sintering. Unfortunately processing particles as concentrated, fluidized suspensions into useful products remains an art largely because the effect of particle shape and volume fraction on fluidic properties and suspension stability remains unexplored in a regime where particle-particle interaction mechanics is prevalent. To achieve a stronger scientific understanding of the factors that control nanoparticle dispersion and rheology we have developed a multiscale modeling approach to bridge scales between atomistic and molecular-level forces active in dense nanoparticle suspensions. At the largest length scale, two 'coarse-grained' numerical techniques have been developed and implemented to provide for high-fidelity numerical simulations of the rheological response and dispersion characteristics typical in a processing flow. The first is a coupled Navier-Stokes/discrete element method in which the background solvent is treated by finite element methods. The second is a particle based method known as stochastic rotational dynamics. These two methods providemore » a new capability representing a 'bridge' between the molecular scale and the engineering scale, allowing the study of fluid-nanoparticle systems over a wide range of length and timescales as well as particle concentrations. To validate these new methodologies, multi-million atoms simulations explicitly including the solvent have been carried out. These simulations have been vital in establishing the necessary 'subgrid' models for accurate prediction at a larger scale and refining the two coarse-grained methodologies.« less


The paper describes the experience of undergraduate nursing students in a Center of Testing and Counseling (CTA), that offers anti-HIV test. There were identified the facilities and the difficulties faced in the accomplishment of the counseling before and after-test, for five months, aiming to propose strategies to surmount them.


PURPOSE
The endothelins, a recently discovered family of peptides, include endothelin-1, the most potent vasoconstrictor known. Retinal microvascular pericytes are thought to be contractile cells analogous to the smooth muscle cells of larger vessels, but the physiologic stimulus for their contraction is unknown. We hypothesized that the endothelins might serve as such stimuli.

METHODS
The intracellular free/bound Ca++ ratio increases rapidly immediately before muscle cell contraction. We evaluated changes in this ratio in cultured bovine retinal microvascular pericytes and, for comparison, three other types of ocular cells. We loaded the cells with the calcium-sensitive, fluorescent dye Indo-1. Using a laser cytometer, we monitored the time course of changes in fluorescence of individual cells in response to several putative vasoactive agents, including, in particular, endothelin-1, 2, and 3.

RESULTS
Endothelin-1 (ET-1) produced a rapid rise in the free/bound Ca++ ratio, followed by a slow decline. The response occurred at ET-1 concentrations as low as 1 x 10(-12) mol/l, and was graded in amplitude and concentration dependent. After an initial application of ET-1, repeat applications yielded no response. Endothelin-2 was less effective than ET-1, and ET-3 had no effect at all, but both agents blocked the response to ET-1. Several other agents also raised the free/bound Ca++ ratio, but were substantially less effective than ET-1. When any of these agents, except for histamine, was added after even a submaximal concentration of ET-1, no response was observed, but ET-1 applied after these agents produced a large response. Histamine could elicit a rise in the free/bound Ca++ ratio after application of ET-1 to cultured pericytes. The ET-1 response occurred in Ca(++)-free medium and in medium containing 10(-4) mol/l verapamil or nifedipine, indicating that the results we observed are due primarily to the release of free Ca++ from bound intracellular stores. Endothelin-1 produced a similar change in the free/bound Ca++ ratio in cultured bovine RPE cells, but not in retinal microvascular endothelial cells or lens epithelial cells.

CONCLUSIONS
ET-1 is at least three orders of magnitude more effective in producing the release of free intracellular Ca++ than other agents tested. It appears to act through specific cell surface receptors, which can be blocked by prior application of other endothelin isopeptides, but not by structurally dissimilar molecules. However, with the exception of histamine, all of these agents appear to act through a common intracellular pathway, because application of ET-1 blocks the subsequent effect of the other agents tested, except histamine. Alternatively, ET-1 may be capable of desensitizing the receptors for these agents without occupying the receptor sites. Because cultured retinal pericytes are extremely sensitive to ET-1 in a response closely linked to muscle cell contraction, ET-1 must be considered a highly plausible agonist for pericyte contraction in vivo.


We have studied effect of magnetic field on the martensite (10M) to intermediate phase transformation temperature (As) of Ni2MnGa in order to understand the influence of magnetocrystalline anisotropy on the transformation temperature under a magnetic field. In case of the transformation from multi-variant 10M phase to the intermediate phase, As decreases with increasing magnetic field H for H < 0.8 MA/m, and then it increases on further increasing H. On the other hand, in case of the transformation from the single-variant 10M to the intermediate phase, As increases monotonically with increasing H, where the easy axis of the single variant is parallel to the field direction. The difference between the multi-variant and single variant state can be explained by considering the high magnetocrystalline anisotropy of the martensite phase.


A 1/7.06 full-size model of the NC-type hull was tested in the N.A.C.A. tank by both the general method and the specific or free-to-trim method. The results of the tests are given in curves plotted as non dimensional coefficients and are compared with the test results of N.A.C.A. model 11-A. The NC model (N.A.C.A. model 44) shows higher resistance than model 11-A at hump speed but lower resistance at high speeds. Model 44 has a higher best trim angle at the jump and a lower maximum positive trimming moment than model 11-A. At high speeds the best trim angle and the trimming moments of the two models are approximately the same.


ABSTRACT Premature infants in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) are highly susceptible to infection due to the immaturity of their immune systems, and nosocomial infections are a significant risk factor for death and poor neurodevelopmental outcome in this population. To investigate the impact of cleaning within a NICU, a high-throughput short-amplicon-sequencing approach was used to profile bacterial and fungal surface communities before and after cleaning. Intensive cleaning of surfaces in contact with neonates decreased the total bacterial load and the percentage of Streptococcus species with similar trends for total fungal load and Staphylococcus species; this may have clinical relevance since staphylococci and streptococci are the most common causes of nosocomial NICU infections. Surfaces generally had low levels of other taxa containing species that commonly cause nosocomial infections (e.g., Enterobacteriaceae) that were not significantly altered with cleaning. Several opportunistic yeasts were detected in the NICU environment, demonstrating that these NICU surfaces represent a potential vector for spreading fungal pathogens. These results underline the importance of routine cleaning as a means of managing the microbial ecosystem of NICUs and of future opportunities to minimize exposures of vulnerable neonates to potential pathogens and to use amplicon-sequencing tools for microbial surveillance and hygienic testing in hospital environments.


This paper has two aims: (1) To contribute to the discussion on what the acoustic correlates of stress and accent in English are, a question on which there is currently no universal agreement; (2) To determine whether vowels in function words receive less stress than similarly unstressed vowels in content words. To this purpose, the study analyses 614 occurrences of the lax high front vowel / I / in read speech produced by 10 male speakers of Standard Southern British English. 14 different acoustic features are investigated. Results indicate that (1) there are two acoustic correlates of accent (duration and f 0 slope), four acoustic correlates of stress (spectral balance/tilt, intensity/loudness, amplitude of voicing (H1), amplitude of the first harmonic (A1), H1*-A2 and H1*-A3*), one potential acoustic correlate of prominence in general (F1), and four acoustic features that appear to be unrelated to the expression of accent, stress or prominence (F2, HNR, glottal leakage (B1) and the open quotient (H1*-H2*)). Regarding question (2), there is also limited evidence that British English function words might be less prominent than unstressed syllables in content words.


This paper presents the similarity measurement algorithm for domain specific terms collected in the ontology based data integration system. This similarity measurement algorithm can be used in ontology mapping and query service ofontology based data integration sy stem. In this paper, we focus on the web query service to apply this proposed algorithm. Concepts similarity is important for web query service because the words in user input query are notsame wholly with the concepts inontology. So, we need to extract the possible concepts that are match or related to the input words with the help of machine readable dictionary WordNet. Sometimes, we use the generated mapping rules in query generation procedure for some words that cannot be confirmed the similarity of these wordsby WordNet. We prove the effectof this algorithm with two degree semantic result of web minin g by generating the concepts results obtained form the input query.


In this study  new  derivatives  of  Schiff bases 5-8 , 1,3- oxazepine  9-16 and tetrazoles 17-19 have  been synthesized from the new starting  material 1 which has  synthesized  the reaction of  one mole of dichloro acetic acid and two moles of  thiophenol , the esters  2-3 were synthesized from the reaction of  compound 1 with methanol or ethanol respectively  in the presence of  H2SO4  as  catalyst  then 2,2-dithiophenylaceto Hydrazide  4 were synthesized from the reaction of  2 or 3 with hydrazine hydrate  80 % , Schiff bases 5-8 were  synthesized from the reaction of  4 with appropriate aldehyde or ketone .Treatment  of  Schiff bases with maleic and phathalic  anhydride in dry benzene to give 1,3-oxazepen derivatives  9-16 and with sodium azide in tetrahydrofuran (THF) afforded  tetrazole derivatives 17-19. All these compounds have been characterized from their melting pointes, FTIR , 1HNMR and compounds 1,5 and 18 by mass spectrometry . Derivatives 6,7,11,16,17 and 18 were tested against inhibition of E.coli and. Staphylococcus- aureus and were all funds to be active. Scheme (1).


Spreads of corporate bond yields over risk-free rates are often used as a leading indicator of macroeconomic conditions. The large widening of spreads within the US high-yield bond market during the second half of 2000 might be a precursor of a downturn in the US economy. This article describes work done at the Bank during the last two months of last year that attempted to interpret these movements and assess their implications for the US economy.


Ettringite is a hexacalcium aluminate trisulfate hydrate mineral that forms during Portland cement hydration. Its presence plays an important role in controlling the setting rate of the highly reactive aluminate phases in cement paste and has also been associated with severe cracking in cured hardened cement. To understand how it forms and how its properties influence those of hardened cement and concrete, we have developed a first-principles-based ReaxFF reactive force field for Ca/Al/H/O/S. Here, we report on the development of this ReaxFF force field and on its validation and application using reactive molecular dynamics (RMD) simulations to characterize and understand the elastic, plastic, and failure response of ettringite at the atomic scale. The ReaxFF force field was validated by comparing the lattice parameters, pairwise distribution functions, and elastic constants of an ettringite crystal model obtained from RMD simulations with those from experiments. The predicted results are in close agreement with published experimental data. To characterize the atomistic failure modes of ettringite, we performed stress-strain simulations to find that Ca-O bonds are responsible for failure of the calcium sulfate and tricalcium aluminate (C3A) column in ettringite during uniaxial compression and tension and that hydrogen bond re-formation during compression induces an increase in plastic strain beyond the material's stress-strain proportionality limit. These results provide essential insight into understanding the mechanistic role of this mineral in cement and concrete degradation, and the ReaxFF potential developed in this work serves as a fundamental tool to further study the kinetics of hydration in cement and concrete.


In this paper, a highly linear and low noise CMOS active tracking low-pass filter is presented to overcome a local oscillator harmonic mixing problem for Advanced Television Systems Committee terrestrial and cable digital TV tuner integrated circuits. A transconductor linearization technique based on a method of multiple gated transistors is adopted to improve the linearity performance. The cutoff frequency of the proposed filter is tunable from 50 to 300 MHz. Fabricated in a 0.18-mum CMOS process, the filter provides a minimum input referred noise density of 5 nV/radic(Hz) and maximum in-band output referred third-order intercept point of 16.9 dBm, while drawing an average current of 40 mA from 1.8 V. The total chip area is 1 mm times 0.9 mm.


In this perspective, we detail how solvent-based carbon capture integrated with conversion can be an important element in a net-zero emission economy. Carbon capture and utilization (CCU) is a promising approach for at-scale production of green CO2-derived fuels, chemicals and materials. The challenge is that CO2-derived materials and products have yet to reach market competitiveness because costs are significantly higher than those from conventional means. We present here the key to making CO2-derived products more efficiently and cheaper, integration of solvent-based CO2 capture and conversion. We present the fundamentals and benefits of integration within a changing energy landscape (i.e., CO2 from point source emissions transitioning to CO2 from the atmosphere), and how integration could lead to lower costs and higher efficiency, but more importantly how CO2 altered in solution can offer new reactive pathways to produce products that cannot be made today. We discuss how solvents are the key to integration, and how solvents can adapt to differing needs for capture, conversion and mineralisation in the near, intermediate and long term. We close with a brief outlook of this emerging field of study, and identify critical needs to achieve success, including establishing a green-premium for fuels, chemicals, and materials produced in this manner.


We report experimental results from a flow-through integrating cavity absorption meter. The operating range of the device is from 0.004 m(-1) to over 80 m(-1) of absorption. Absorption coefficients have been measured with 8% or less change in the presence of over 200 m(-1) of scattering in the medium. The instrument signal has been shown to be independent of flow rate up to 20 liters/min and thus independent of turbulence. This large operational range along with the ability to measure absorption independently of adverse scattering affects allows the instrument to be utilized in a wide range of environmental conditions.


In the last few years, there has been considerable interest in using saturated magnetic objective lenses in high resolution electron microscopes. Such lenses, in present commercial electron microscopes, are energized either by conventional or superconducting coils. Very little work, however, has been reported on the use of conventional coils in saturated magnetic electron lenses. The present investigation has been concerned with the design of high flux density saturated objective lenses of both single and double polepiece types which may be energized by conventional coils and in some cases by superconducting coils. Such coils have the advantage of being small and capable of carrying high current densities. The present work has been carried out with the aid of several computer programs based on the finite element method. The effect of the shape and position of the energizing coil on the electron optical parameter has been investigated. Electron optical properties such as chromatic and spherical aberration have been studies in detail for saturated single and double polepiece lenses. Several high flux density coils of different shapes have been investigated. The choice of the most favourable coil shape and position subject to the operational requirements, has been studied in some detail. The focal properties of such optimised lenses have been computed and compared.


Objective: Awareness of the changes concerning the clinical guidelines for cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is essential for nurses. This study aimed at assessing the nurses' knowledge of the 2015 American Heart Association basic life support guideline algorithm. Methods: In a cross-sectional study, the knowledge of 183 nurses working in emergency departments, intensive care unit (ICU) and coronary care unit (CCU) regarding the 2015 American Heart Association basic life support guideline algorithm was investigated. Data were collected by a 20-item questionnaire regarding the knowledge needed for resuscitation operations as well as the identification of the early stages of cardiac arrest. Nurses with a score of 10 and less were put in the poor group, 11-15 in the fair group, and score of more than 15 in the good group. Results: Results showed that the highest percentage of the right answer was observed in questions 20 (98.4%), 11 (93.4%), and 1 (88%), while the lowest percentage of the correct answer was found in questions 13 (30.6%), 2 (31.1%), and 3 (32.8%). Mean ± SD of knowledge score was 12.3±2.2. A statistically significant difference was observed between knowledge of ICU nurses with an experience of basic life support educational course and those with no experience of such education. The knowledge score of educated and non-educated nurses was 11.5±2.2 and 13.2±2.5, respectively. Conclusion: This study indicated that ICU nurses do not have enough knowledge about basic life support of the 2015 American Heart Association guideline. Development of knowledge is one of the important components of professional expansion in nursing education programs.


In this study, the air side heat transfer coefficient of an aluminium mini-channel heat exchanger was investigated for single-phase flow in the mini-channel, with water in the tubes and air on the outside. Research methods included hydraulic tests on a single mini-channel tube, Wilson Plot experiments and experiment validation. Results obtained from the hydraulic test showed that turbulent flow occurred in the tube at a Reynolds number of 830. Wilson Plot experiments were conducted to determine air side heat transfer coefficient of the heat exchanger. The tube side Reynolds number was maintained above 1000 to ensure turbulent flow and tube side heat transfer coefficient was calculated using Gnielinski equation for turbulent flow. The air side heat transfer coefficients obtained from the Wilson Plot experiments were in good agreement with known correlations. The outcome of this study is to use the air side heat transfer coefficient to calculate the performance of refrigerant condensers for different tube pass ratios and flow pass configurations.


Titanium dioxide (TiO2) has received intense interest because of the numerous technical applications. In this work, the TiO2 thin films were deposited on Si substrates by spin coating from a TiO2 solution prepared by a sol-gel method. It was found that the TiO2 film properties strongly depended on the post annealing conditions. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR) were used to investigate the compositional and chemical states of the thermal-treated TiO2 samples. For the TiO2 samples annealed in atmosphere, the contents of -C and -OH bonds increased when the process temperature increased. From XPS measurement, the atomic concentrations of carbon and oxygen in the film are determined to be approximately 46% and 37%, respectively. However, for the samples annealed in oxygen, the contents of -C and -OH bonds were found to decrease when the anneal temperature increased. The concentrations of carbon and oxygen in the film were approximately 11% and 59%, respectively. To further investigate the behavior, the in-depth concentration profile of carbon was measured for the TiO2 samples under different etching time. It was found that the carbon concentration drastically decreased from 11% (surface) to 0.2% (near the interface). The result indicates that the pure TiO2 film could be obtained by sol-gel coating with a suitable annealing process.


Satisfying customer demand necessitates manufacturers understanding the importance of Available-To-Promise (ATP). It directly links available resources to customer orders and has significant impact on overall performance of a supply chain. In this paper, an improvement of the batch-mode ATP function in which the partial fulfillment of the orders is available will be proposed. In other words, in a hybrid make-to-order/make-to-stock manufacturing environment, the proposed model responds to customer's requests in 3 different ways; rejecting, fulfilling, and partial fulfilling. By using this procedure, the reliability of order fulfillment and the responsiveness of order promising will be enhanced. To evaluate the applicability of the proposed model, some numerical examples and sensitivity analysis are conducted. Results show that by applying partial fulfilment and penalty to backorders, the number of rejected orders and profit would be minimized and maximized, respectively.


The paper analyzes how the Italian Catholic Church has dealt with the lockdown made necessary by the Covid-19 pandemic For over two months, all celebrations and pastoral activities were of suspended, thus creating a difficult situation for the Catholic Church, since the collective moments of the sacraments are central to the religious life of Catholics As a result of a brief, but intense, ethnographic research study, I have specified three general attitudes characterizing the response of Catholics to the quarantine: suspension, reproduction, and replacement Suspension consisted in the interruption of all activities pending a return to normal, while reproduction was an attempt to reproduce normal liturgical activity on the Internet (in particular on Facebook and YouTube) The replacement was the most creative and original activity and consisted in the attempt, proposed by a minority of progressive Catholics, to create new rituals more suited to the situation and reflecting many of the post-council Vatican II theological acquisitions © 2020 Societa Editrice il Mulino All rights reserved


The archaeological karstic infill site of Galería Complex, located within the Atapuerca system (Spain), has produced a large faunal and archaeological record (Homo sp. aff. heidelbergensis fossils and Mode II lithic artefacts) belonging to the Middle Pleistocene. Extended-range luminescence dating techniques, namely post-infrared infrared stimulated luminescence (pIR-IR) dating of K-feldspars and thermally transferred optically stimulated luminescence (TT-OSL) dating of individual quartz grains, were applied to fossil-bearing sediments at Galería. The luminescence dating results are in good agreement with published chronologies derived using alternative radiometric dating methods (i.e., ESR and U-series dating of bracketing speleothems and combined ESR/U-series dating of herbivore teeth), as well as biochronology and palaeoenvironmental reconstructions inferred from proxy records (e.g., pollen data). For the majority of samples dated, however, the new luminescence ages are significantly (∼50%) younger than previously published polymineral thermoluminescence (TL) chronologies, suggesting that the latter may have overestimated the true burial age of the Galería deposits. The luminescence ages obtained indicate that the top of the basal sterile sands (GIb) at Galería have an age of up to ∼370 thousand years (ka), while the lowermost sub-unit containing Mode II Acheulean lithics (base of unit GIIa) was deposited during MIS 9 (mean age = 313±14 ka; n = 4). The overlying units GIIb-GIV, which contain the richest archaeopalaeontological remains, were deposited during late MIS 8 or early MIS 7 (∼240 ka). Galería Complex may be correlative with other Middle Pleistocene sites from Atapuerca, such as Gran Dolina level TD10 and unit TE19 from Sima del Elefante, but the lowermost archaeological horizons are ∼100 ka younger than the hominin-bearing clay breccias at the Sima de los Huesos site. Our results suggest that both pIR-IR and single-grain TT-OSL dating are suitable for resolving Middle Pleistocene chronologies for the Sierra de Atapuerca karstic infill sequences.


The upcoming reform of the Common Agricultural Policy will put pressure on agricultural incomes and will cause more price volatility and income risk for farms in the EU. This raises the question if and how farms will survive these disturbances. Farms are able to survive only if they respond appropriately to disturbances. This resilience of farms is explained in this research by analysing the number of strategies that farmers indicate that they will use in a situation where the current CAP will continue and in a situation where it will disappear. The outcomes show that under both scenarios large more specialised farms with young farm heads are most resilient, and small more diversified farms headed by old farmers are least resilient. Results also show that farms that indicate to exit are the ones that are most dependent on CAP support, have old farm heads, and are part-time and diversified farms.


This study documented trends in the prevalence of diabetes among men and women hospitalized for acute stroke and determined the effect of diabetes on short‐ and longterm survival following stroke. These issues were investigated in the Minnesota Heart Survey, a population‐based surveillance system that has monitored trends in stroke morbidity and mortality in the Minneapolis‐St Paul metropolitan area since 1970. Clinical data were obtained from the hospital records of 50% samples of residents ages 30 to 74 years who were discharged with a diagnosis of acute stroke in 1970, 1980, and 1985. Between 1970 and 1985, the prevalence of diabetes as listed on the discharge diagnoses among stroke patients increased significantly in men (22.4% vs 10.5%; p = 0.006) and non‐significantly in women (24.7% vs 15.9%; p = 0.3). During this time period, both in‐hospital and 28‐day case fatality rates declined in non‐diabetic stroke patients but remained unchanged in stroke patients with diabetes. After controlling for the effects of age, sex, survey year, and level of consciousness, diabetes status had little effect on short‐term (28‐day) mortality of stroke patients, but the odds of 5‐year mortality among those surviving to 1 year was 2.0 (95% Cl (1.3,3.2)) times higher in diabetic compared to non‐diabetic individuals. These findings suggest that the prevalence of diabetes has been increasing among stroke patients, and that the diabetic condition is a significant predictor of poorer long‐term but not short‐term survival following stroke.


There is a gap between EU multilingual policies and language policies for migrants. In this context, migration is not seen as an asset. Rather it is a problem to be solved through assimilation. Migrants' multilingualism is, likewise, not considered an asset for society as a whole. In this context, research into the transmission of multiple languages within families is relevant for better understanding the processes under examination. "Nationally mixed people," that is to say people with parents born in two different countries, one country usually being the country of residence, have sufficient knowledge of the language of the country of residence. We think of people in plural language systems as having language issues. However, mixed families should be regarded as a social group allowing for the transmission of at least two languages. Are all mixed people bi- or multilingual? The explanatory factors of language transmission in mixed families, and especially the role of public policies and institutions on family language transmission have been under researched. However, a recent study has shown that since public policies and discourses affect both the migration and integration paths of the parents, they also indirectly influence the foreign language proficiencies of nationally mixed people.


A new RAID-x (redundant array of inexpensive disks at level x) architecture is presented for distributed I/O processing on a serverless cluster of computers. The RAID-x architecture is based on a new concept of orthogonal striping and mirroring (OSM) across all distributed disks in the cluster. The primary advantages of this OSM approach lie in: (1) a significant improvement in parallel I/O bandwidth; (2) hiding disk mirroring overhead in the background; and (3) greatly enhanced scalability and reliability in cluster computing applications. All claimed advantages are substantiated with benchmark performance results on the Trojans cluster built at USC in 1999. The authors discuss the issues of scalable I/O performance, enhanced system reliability, and striped checkpointing on distributed RAID-x in a serverless cluster environment.


The partial sequence of a hepatitis E virus (HEV-US1) isolated from a patient in the United States (US), suffering from acute viral hepatitis with no known risk factors for acquiring HEV, has been reported. These sequences were significantly different from previously characterized HEV isolates, alluding to the existence of a distinct human variant. In this paper, we report the near full-length sequences of HEV-US1 and a second US isolate (HEV-US2). HEV-US2 was identified in a US patient suffering from acute viral hepatitis. These sequences verify the presence of a new HEV strain in North America and provide information as to the degree of variability between variants. The HEV-US nucleotide sequences are 92% identical to each other and only 74% identical to the Burmese and Mexican strains. Amino acid and phylogenetic analyses also demonstrate that the US isolates are genetically distinct, suggesting the presence of three genotypes of HEV. Serum from the second US patient induced hepatitis following inoculation into a cynomolgus macaque. Within 2-4 weeks, HEV-US2 RNA was detectable in both the serum and faecal material coinciding with elevated serum alanine transaminase levels. Infection resolved as antibody titres increased 8 weeks post-inoculation.


The analysis of the effect of new ventures on the economy has been widely investigated over the last decade. However, the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) international research was the first that provided a consistent and comparable estimation of the entrepreneurial activity over nations. The present study describes the most important result of the GEM research over the 2001-2003 time period with focusing on Hungary. Using the two most important rates, the Total Entrepreneurial Activity (TEA) index and the Firm Entrepreneurial Index (FEI), Hungary can be found in the middle range of the participating countries. Our situation is better in terms of regional comparison in the Central Eastern European region - Croatia, Poland, Russia and Slovenia -, and slightly better comparing to the European Union average. Since the new firm formation effect on economic growth and employment creation outweigh that of the existing companies by five to six times, Hungarian entrepreneurship policy should focus more on supporting the newly created enterprises.


A series of macrocyclic metal (II) complexes were synthesized by template condensation of Malonic acid dihydrazide and 5-chloroisatin with Co (II), Ni (II), Cu (II) and Zn (II) salts in methanolic medium. Complexes have been characterized on the basis of various techniques like Elemental analysis, Molar Conductance, Magnetic susceptibility, Thermal gravimetric analysis, FTIR, 1H-NMR, ESR and UV-Visible spectroscopy. Octahedral geometry is proposed for all the macrocyclic metal (II) complexes. These complexes have been tested for their in vitro antibacterial activities against bacterial strains Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Escherichia coli. Some of the complexes have exhibited good antibacterial activity. Complexes were also tested for their antioxidant property and found good results.


A gram-positive, rod-shaped bacterium, originally thought by Auger (1974) to be the agent of Pierce's disease of grapevines, is commonly associated with Hordnia circellata, one of the leafhopper vectors of the disease. The bacterium has the following colonial and cellular characteristics: smooth, glistening white, or chalky colonies, 0.4 to 0.5 mm in diameter with entire margins; gram positive becoming gram variable after 5 days in culture; nonmotile and nonsporeforming; grows between 15 and 37°C with an optimum between 28 and 30°C and no growth at 9 or 45°C; optimum growth occurs at pH 6.5, with growth observed at pH 4.5 and pH 9.0. The bacterium does not survive after 5 to 7 days of growth and must be maintained on fresh medium. It is rod-shaped (0.6 by 1.5 to 2.0 μm), growing in short chains of three to four cells each, and possesses mesosomes and a cell wall of uniform thickness (28 to 35 nm) that consists of an electrondense outer layer and an inner layer resembling unit-membrane structure. The organism is a facultative anaerobe which reacts negatively in tests for cytochrome oxidase, catalase, "gelatinase," urease, tryptophanase, and nitrate and disulfide reductase activities. No dextran or levan is produced from sucrose. It produces L-(+)-lactic acid but not D-(—)-lactic acid from glucose and sucrose fermentation, acetylmethylcarbinol, or arginine deaminase. Glucose, sucrose, galactose, maltose, fructose, trehalose, salicin, inulin, and cellobiose, but not gluconate, lactose, mannose, mannitol, sorbitol, melibiose, or raffinose, were utilized as carbon sources. Its chromosome has an average guanine-plus-cytosine content of 32.75 mol%. Based on these features, the bacterium appears to be a hitherto unrecognized species of the genus Lactobacillus, for which the name Lactobacillus hordniae sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is HC-1 (= ATCC 29071).


The development of neuronal excitability involves the coordinated expression of different voltage-gated ion channels. We have characterized the expression of two sensory neuron-specific tetrodotoxin-resistant sodium channel α subunits, Nav1. (SNS/PN3) and Nav1.9 (SNS2/NaN), in developing rat lumbar dorsal root ganglia (DRGs). Expression of both Nav1.8 and Nav1.9 increases with age, beginning at embryonic day (E) 15 and E17, respectively, and reaching adult levels by postnatal day 7. Their distribution is restricted mainly to those subpopulations of primary sensory neurons in developing and adult DRGs that give rise to unmyelinated C-fibers (neurofilament 200 negative). Nav1.8 is expressed in a higher proportion of neuronal profiles than Nav1.9 at all stages during development, as in the adult. At E17, almost all Nav1.8-expressing neurons also express the high-affinity NGF receptor TrkA, and only a small proportion bind to IB4, a marker for c-ret-expressing (glial-derived neurotrophic factor-responsive) neurons. Because IB4 binding neurons differentiate from TrkA neurons in the postnatal period, the proportion of Nav1.8 cells that bind to IB4 increases, in parallel with a decrease in the proportion of Nav1.8–TrkA co-expressing cells. In contrast, an equal number of Nav1.9 cells bind IB4 and TrkA in embryonic life. The differential expression of Nav1.8 and Nav1.9 in late embryonic development, with their distinctive kinetic properties, may contribute to the development of spontaneous and stimulus-evoked excitability in small diameter primary sensory neurons in the perinatal period and the activity-dependent changes in differentiation they produce.


Studies on helping have largely focused on individual cognitions, overlooking the significant contribution of one's dynamic social context in shaping it. Social Representations Theory (SRT) was therefore used to study the shared and collective understanding of helping by volunteers. In-depth interviews were conducted with selected members of volunteer organizations. In keeping up with existing literature, the results show support to the altruism and egoism debate. Contrasting representations centered on the value differences of material (e.g., money) and nonmaterial (e.g., service) help ex/ended 10 beneficiaries. Suggestions [or a more informed volunteer management are discussed.


Advancement in tissue engineering strategies requires a transition from predominantly cell-based approaches to a more inclusive approach that considers other factors that contribute to tissue structure and function. The emerging field of smart materials is an example of such an advancement. Smart materials are designed to respond to small changes in physical or chemical conditions, and participate in cross-talk with resident cells, the sum of which would logically lead to constructive and functional replacement of injured or missing tissue. The present chapter reviews smart materials for tissue engineering applications, including the evolution of synthetic, biosynthetic, and biologic smart materials.


Chemical reactions can be described as the stepwise redistribution of electrons in molecules. As such, reactions are often depicted using `arrow-pushing' diagrams which show this movement as a sequence of arrows. We propose an electron path prediction model (ELECTRO) to learn these sequences directly from raw reaction data. Instead of predicting product molecules directly from reactant molecules in one shot, learning a model of electron movement has the benefits of (a) being easy for chemists to interpret, (b) incorporating constraints of chemistry, such as balanced atom counts before and after the reaction, and (c) naturally encoding the sparsity of chemical reactions, which usually involve changes in only a small number of atoms in the reactants.We design a method to extract approximate reaction paths from any dataset of atom-mapped reaction SMILES strings. Our model achieves excellent performance on an important subset of the USPTO reaction dataset, comparing favorably to the strongest baselines. Furthermore, we show that our model recovers a basic knowledge of chemistry without being explicitly trained to do so.


CD45 is a transmembrane protein tyrosine phosphatase located on most haematopoietic cells. It has several isoforms, and haematopoietic cells express one or more of the isoforms—CD45RO, CD45RA and CD45RB.1,2 CD45 immunoreactivity is recognised to be highly specific for non–Hodgkin's lymphomas.3,4 CD45-expressing non-haemopoietic tumours are very rare. This was first noted by McDonnell et al 5 in 1987, who reported a primitive sarcoma expressing CD45. Subsequently, Nandedkar et al 6 reported three cases of undifferentiated large-cell, possibly neuroendocrine, carcinomas expressing CD45. Two of them were lymph node metastasis and one was a pulmonary tumour. All the three cases expressed both CD45 and cytokeratin. Two of the cases behaved in an aggressive manner.6

In contrast to CD45, CD5 is expressed in thymic carcinoma and malignant mesothelioma.7,8 To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case of a carcinoma expressing both CD45 and CD5.

We report a patient in their 60s who presented initially with weight loss over 1 month and bilateral leg weakness with deterioration in mobility of 2 weeks' duration. On examination, the patient was found to have bilateral cervical lymphadenopathy. Furthermore, the patient was an ex-smoker, and had been treated for chest infection 1 month earlier, but was …


Metabolomic approaches have been used to identify new diagnostic biomarkers for various types of cancers, including breast cancer. In this study, we aimed to identify potential biomarkers of breast cancer using plasma metabolic profiling. Furthermore, we analyzed whether these biomarkers had relationships with clinicopathological characteristics of breast cancer. Our study used two liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry sets: a discovery set (40 breast cancer patients and 30 healthy controls) and a validation set (30 breast cancer patients and 16 healthy controls). All breast cancer patients were randomly selected from among stage I–III patients who underwent surgery between 2011 and 2016. First, metabolites distinguishing cancer patients from healthy controls were identified in the discovery set. Then, consistent and reproducible metabolites were evaluated in terms of their utility as possible biomarkers of breast cancer. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was applied to the discovery set, and ROC cut-off values for the identified metabolites derived therein were applied to the validation set to determine their diagnostic performance. Ultimately, four candidate biomarkers (L-octanoylcarnitine, 5-oxoproline, hypoxanthine, and docosahexaenoic acid) were identified. L-octanoylcarnitine showed the best diagnostic performance, with a 100.0% positive predictive value. Also, L-octanoylcarnitine levels differed according to tumor size and hormone receptor expression. The plasma metabolites identified in this study show potential as biomarkers allowing early diagnosis of breast cancer. However, the diagnostic performance of the metabolites needs to be confirmed in further studies with larger sample sizes.


Calcium alginate (CA)-tipped swabs have been reported to interfere with the recovery of herpes simplex virus, Chlamydia trachomatis, and Ureaplasma urealyticum and may cause cytotoxicity in cell culture. To determine whether CA swabs also inhibit the growth of Neisseria gonorrhoeae, we carried out a series of experiments using either CA swabs that were toxic or nontoxic in a cell culture cytotoxicity assay or nontoxic rayon or cotton swabs. Leaving a toxic CA swab in 3 ml of Mueller-Hinton broth inoculated with 10(4) CFU/ml caused rapid killing within 6 h at 37 degrees C; colony counts of five strains were less than 1% of those of Mueller-Hinton broth controls. When the tips of toxic CA swabs were inoculated directly and kept at 37 degrees C without holding medium, the swabs were sterile at 6 h. If the same swabs were placed in Amies medium with charcoal, organisms could still be recovered at 6 h. Toxicity was less at room temperature than at 37 degrees C. Inhibition of growth of N. gonorrhoeae was not seen with rayon or cotton swabs. The toxic component was neither the CA fiber nor the aluminum wire but probably the glue used to attach the fibers. We concluded that some lots of CA swabs kill N. gonorrhoeae in vitro. Survival of N. gonorrhoeae is improved with nontoxic swabs, particularly cotton swabs, and Amies medium with charcoal regardless of swab type.


Thispreprinthas been reproducedfrom theauthor'sadvance manuscript,withoutediting,correctionsor consideration by the ReviewBoard. The AES takes no responsibility for the contents. hen assessing the spatial performance of sound reproducing systems , various research methods from the fields of psychology and the behavioural sciences may be considered. Selected approaches are briefly reviewed, with particular emphasis on the Repertory Grid Technique (RGT). Further analysis of a pilot experiment relating to spatial parameters, inspired by RGT, is described.


Inactivation of the TATA-binding protein-containing complex TFIIIB contributes to the mitotic repression of RNA polymerase III transcription, both in frogs and in humans (J. M. Gottesfeld, V. J. Wolf, T. Dang, D. J. Forbes, and P. Hartl, Science 263:81-84, 1994; R. J. White, T. M. Gottlieb, C. S. Downes, and S. P. Jackson, Mol. Cell. Biol. 15:1983-1992, 1995). Using extracts of synchronized proliferating HeLa cells, we show that TFIIIB activity remains low during the early part of G1 phase and increases only gradually as cells approach S phase. As a result, the transcription of all class III genes tested is significantly less active in early G1 than it is in S or G2 phase, both in vitro and in vivo. The increased activity of TFIIIB as cells progress through interphase appears to be due to changes in the TATA-binding protein-associated components of this complex. The data suggest that TFIIIB is an important target for the cell cycle regulation of RNA polymerase III transcription during both mitosis and interphase of actively proliferating HeLa cells.


This study is a pioneer report on the development of an environmentally safe in vitro regeneration protocol for Curcuma , Kaempferia and Zingiber . The germplasm of the species was collected from Myanmar, a Southeast Asian country, rich in unexplored Zingiberaceae genetic resources.  Rhizome buds were directly regenerated on the Murashige and Skoog medium containing a growth regulator, 6-benzyladenine and a commercial fungicide, Benlate (50% of Benomyl). The pre-treatment protocol did not contain HgCl2, a toxic pollutant for Curcuma amada, Curcuma longa, Zingiber barbatum and Kaempferia galanga. Plantlets were regenerated from the buds without any intervention of the callus phase. The contamination free survival of the bud explants from Curcuma, Zingiber and Kaempferia was more than 75, 57 and 53%, respectively. Buds from immature rhizomes were difficult to regenerate on the media, as well as resulted in higher contamination percentages while the buds from mature rhizomes efficiently regenerated with very few contamination percentages. The contamination was in the range of 0 to 39% among the different accessions. This was also the first report of direct in vitro regeneration of plantlets from Z. barbatum bud explants. The protocol was cost-beneficial, time saving and effective for the conservation of Zingiberaceae genetic resources. Key words : Conservation, regeneration, Zingiberaceae , tissue culture, Curcuma, Zingiber , Myanmar.


Academic entitlement among students is a growing problem and concern for universities. Students with a sense of entitlement towards their education believe that positive academic outcomes are owed to them and should be awarded, not based on mastery of educational content, but on non-academic aspects of education, such as attending class, participating in class, or paying tuition fees. Additionally, academically entitled students have unrealistic expectations about the role of instructors and demanding attitudes and behaviors toward faculty. The factors precipitating these actions and behaviors appear to be multi-facted and remain unclear. To add to the growing body of literature on academic entitlement through identification of a contributing factor, this causal comparative study aims to explore the relationship between means of education financing and academic entitlement. This study used Achacoso's Academic Entitlement Scale to measure levels of entitlement actions and entitlement beliefs among 524 undergraduate students at mid-size state university in the western United States. A one-way multivariate analysis of variance was used to determine the effect of means of education financing on academic entitlement. Analysis of the results showed statistical significance between means of education financing and academic entitlement. Specifically, it was found that financially independent students are more likely to have a significantly higher entitlement belief than financially dependent and dual-financed undergraduate university students. No statistically significant difference was found between means of education financing and the entitlement actions subscale. Recommendation for future research includes repeating the study with a different sampling technique and distinguishing between financially independent students who utilized external funding sources and financially independent students who do not.


In this article, I review evidences from several Microfinance studies. The literature shows contradictory results and sometimes fails to provide enough evidence for some effects, especially on consumption, income and empowerment of women. Nevertheless, the results provided evidence that Microfinance can help the poor to become entrepreneurs, grow their business and save more. I also discuss about different design and statistical methodologies such as cross-sectional analysis, panel data analysis, RCTs, dynamic panel data and lab experiments. I also discuss about the importance not only of a clear research design but also of statistical transparency. I also highlight a future research agenda.


Background The COVID-19 pandemic illuminated the benefits of telemedicine. Self-collected specimens are a promising alternative to clinician-collected specimens when in-person testing is not feasible. In this study, we assessed the adequacy of self-collected pharyngeal and rectal specimens for the detection of Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae among individuals undergoing chlamydia and gonorrhea screening. Methods We used data from a large cohort study that included male and female adolescents between the ages of 12–24 years. We considered self-collected specimens adequate for clinical use if the human synthase gene (a control target of the assay) was detected in the specimen. Results In total, 2,458 specimens were included in the analysis. The human synthase gene was detected in 99.2% (2,439/2,458) of all self-collected specimens, 99.5% (1,108/1,114) of the pharyngeal specimens, and 99.0% (1,331/1,344) of the rectal specimens. Conclusion Self-collected pharyngeal and rectal specimens demonstrated a very high proportion of human gene presence, suggesting that self-collection was accurate. A limitation of this study is that the sample adequacy control detects the presence or absence of the human hydroxymethylbilane synthase gene, but it does not indicate the specific anatomic origin of the human hydroxymethylbilane synthase gene. Self-collected specimens may be an appropriate alternative to clinician-collected specimens.


Data collected to determine specific reproductive traits, including spatial and temporal patterns, are an area of need for improved understanding of factors that contribute to pro ductivity in fish populations. We used passive acoustic telemetry to study the movements of 271 common snook Centropomus undecimalis on the east coast of Florida from 2008 to 2011 to assess spatial dynamics during the spawning seasons. Common snook were detected in 6 inlets from Port Canaveral to Palm Beach Inlet during the summer months when water temperature exceeded 23°C, with peak densities between July and August. Individual residency times in an aggregation were over 7.5 times shorter than the spawning season which, together with asynchronous arrival dates and frequent migrations away from the aggregation, indicates high rates of turnover. Nearly half of the tagged common snook were observed at multiple (2 to 5) spawning sites during a single season and showed varying degrees of fidelity to a spawning site. Area of residence, sex and size are influential factors in spawning traits of common snook. Females migrated earlier, made more trips, and spent longer periods in aggregations compared to males. Larger fish showed greater site fidelity to a single aggregation site. Each year a portion of the population was not detected in an inlet, implying that some common snook skip spawning or that spawning may occur outside of inlets. Findings highlight the need for a combined approach to management that includes updating the stock assessment, using more accurate measures of spawning effort and the protection of spawning areas from physical disturbance.


In this paper,the model of dynamic simulation about the truck crane's luffering mechanism has been established. The optimal expression of the driving function of amplitude cylinder for the constant velocity hoisting of crane boom has also been acquired through the method of dynamic reverse algorithm by using the adams. It can provide the reliable basis for the power control of the luffing mechanism of truck crane. The results come from the simulation in all working condition of various operating of the luffing mechanism of truck crane show that the above method is effective and has a certain application value.


OBJECTIVES
To propose a risk-adjustment model with using insurance claims data and to analyze whether or not the outcomes of non-emergent and isolated coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) differed between the low- and high-volume hospitals for the patients who are at different levels of surgical risk.

METHODS
This is a cross-sectional study that used the 2002 data of the national health insurance claims. The study data set included the patient level data as well as all the ICD-10 diagnosis and procedure codes that were recorded in the claims. The patient's biological, admission and comorbidity information were used in the risk-adjustment model. The risk factors were adjusted with the logistic regression model. The subjects were classified into five groups based on the predicted surgical risk: minimal (<0.5%), low (0.5% to 2%), moderate (2% to 5%), high (5% to 20%), and severe (=20%). The differences between the low- and high-volume hospitals were assessed in each of the five risk groups.

RESULTS
The final risk-adjustment model consisted of ten risk factors and these factors were found to have statistically significant effects on patient mortality. The C-statistic (0.83) and Hosmer-Lemeshow test (x2=6.92, p=0.55) showed that the model's performance was good. A total of 30 low-volume hospitals (971 patients) and 4 high-volume hospitals (1,087 patients) were identified. Significant differences for the in-hospital mortality were found between the low- and high-volume hospitals for the high (21.6% vs. 7.2%, p=0.00) and severe (44.4% vs. 11.8%, p=0.00) risk patient groups.

CONCLUSIONS
Good model performance showed that insurance claims data can be used for comparing hospital mortality after adjusting for the patients' risk. Negative correlation was existed between surgery volume and in-hospital mortality. However, only patients in high and severe risk groups had such a relationship.


Winter cold injury to Vitis vinifera canes was simulated by topical application of liquid nitrogen to canes just before bud swell. A frozen girdle was associated with 5% and 7% survival, while spot freezing was associated with 44% and 62% survival, of canes apical to the treated areas of Chenin blanc and Gewurtztraminer, respectively. The activity of the cambium in the cane below a living bud was concomitant with the growth of a shoot from that bud. Most of the shoots which survived the wilting period (end of May to early July) produced more than 10 leaves. In the cane, cells from adjacent uninjured cambium grew over the dead xylem. If the injury was extensive, living cells from the phloem also took part in the healing of the cane.


Dr. Curran's Conference Paper discusses how Health Justice Partnerships (HJPs) are reaching people who would otherwise not get help with their legal problems by community lawyers working in a multi-disciplinary setting. The paper shares her preliminary empirical research findings, case studies and some lessons.The Bendigo HJP project is a partnership between ARC Justice's Program and Bendigo Community Health Service. The HJP project aims to address the social determinants of health capable of legal redress. The partnership is based on the empirical data which reveals that many vulnerable and disadvantaged people do not consult lawyers for problems instead they see their trusted health worker. An embedded evaluation is being undertaken by Dr. Liz Curran of ANU examining not only the effectiveness of the service but also measuring the social determinants of health. Dr. Curran has a practical background in the community health sector. She is also involved in other HJP evaluations and service start-ups in Australia and Canada. Critically, this evaluation includes the clients and service providers and their experience in its process. This is ethical and ensures the measurements are not remote from the reality of the lives of people the HJP is assisting.The evaluation is gathering qualitative as well as quantitative data so is not a process evaluation. In Australia there is little money for evaluation and services are keen to evaluate. The paper discusses the empirical research which reveals the HJP is reaching community members who are otherwise excluded. Findings include the value of legal secondary consultations in building confidence and capacity of non-legal professionals to assist clients through legal information being readily accessible through consultations with a lawyer.


There are well established criteria for what constitutes a homicide and under what conditions it is permissible. Since suicide is etymologically and semantically similar to homicide, I argue that deploying the structure of a homicide taxonomy to classify and characterise suicides arrives at a more robust understanding of suicide than alternatives, one that is intuitively plausible, and has the pragmatic quality that it is compatible with clinical assessments of suicide and suicidal behaviour. I show that while suicide may not be the moral equivalent of killing another person, types of suicide can be differentiated according to the same criteria as homicides: intention, mental capacity, diminished responsibility, and foreseeability. Suicides can then be subclassified similarly to homicides according to type: self-murder, justifiable self-manslaughter, voluntary self-manslaughter, involuntary self-manslaughter, and accidental suicide. Some suicides have elements of both homicide and suicide, such as when someone contributes to or encourages a person's suicide, or when someone kills others when she kills herself, such as a suicide bomber. My view entails that deaths caused by a sublimated death-wish may be a type of suicide, and someone's behaviour may be suicidal by a matter of degree.

To determine whether an act of suicide is wrong, we must consider the sorts of reasons that people have to kill themselves. I argue that even if we consider that human beings have intrinsic value, it does not follow that all suicides are wrong. On Kant's view, the maxims that underlie actions, rather than the actions themselves, are fundamental to moral assessment. I show that Kant's overall moral framework supports subcategorising suicides similarly to homicides. I apply Kant's distinction between duties to selves and duties to others to show that agents' obligations pertaining to suicide are only weakly symmetrical to their obligations pertaining to homicide. Kant indicates that duties to oneself and duties to others are not exactly equivalent. We have a duty to respect others' autonomy, and this means that we do not act upon them as we might do to ourselves, and duties to oneself are not enforceable where duties to others may be. Kant's position supports the idea that even if a given suicide is wrong, others may not be permitted to forcibly prevent it, and that is not the case with some weakly symmetrical homicides.

Even if we accept that suicide sometimes honours one's intrinsic value, this may not give adequate weight to the impact that suicide has on others. I argue that role-related special obligations, such as those that parents have towards their children, have contractual elements that preclude permissible suicide. If someone has a role-related obligation to provide continuing care and support, then normally there are strong moral reasons against that person committing suicide. This understands roles as having normative parameters that consist of contractual, voluntarily acquired special obligations. I deploy the conceptual framework of contracts to provide guidance on cases of suicide with respect to role responsibilities. I propose that as we have established criteria for morally acceptable reasons for cancelling, voiding, or amending a contract, we can apply these to the roles to establish grounds for releasing a parent from his role-related and contractual obligations. A parent who is terminally ill, for example, or has other legally and morally compelling reasons for failing to fulfil her role-related contractual obligations, may permissibly kill herself, though she may nonetheless have obligations to her child to find another suitable parent. I argue that the factors that determine culpability for homicides are also relevant for establishing culpability in contractual role-related obligations.

I argue that the conceptual framework of contracts also provides a moral basis for honouring advance decisions to refuse life-saving medical treatment, where a decision pertaining to one's eventual death as a self-killing takes place over a significant time. This is so, even though metaphysically the moral distinction between killing oneself and killing another person, including a future self, may sometimes break down. I argue that in suicide the agent who kills must be the same agent who dies, or it is not a self-killing at all, but rather a homicide. Nevertheless, we have social and pragmatic reasons for ascribing persisting 'personal identity,' and for regarding a psychologically discontinuous self as the same 'person' who issued the advance decision, despite metaphysical complications.

The symmetry between homicides and suicides shows that there can be very good reasons for suicide, such as to defend others, or because we value what makes ourselves distinctive and our lives meaningful. Even when suicide is not permissible, it is often not blameworthy, given the extenuating circumstances underlying an agent's suicide. While classifying suicides may not give comfort to loved ones any more than classifying a homicide as vehicular manslaughter would, it does show that there are many types of suicide, and not all suicides are selfish, senseless, or shameful.


Experimental data are presented on the enhanced solubilities of fluorene (FLR) resulting from solubilization in aqueous solutions of two conventional surfactants: cationic cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) , anionic sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), nonioinic polyethylene glycol dodecyl ether (Brij35) and a cationic gemini bis (hexadecyldimethylammonium) pentane dibromide (G5). The critical micellar concentration of surfactants was determined by surface tension measurements and aqueous solubilities of fluorene compound in surfactant solutions were measured spectrophotometrically. Solubilization of PAH compound commenced at the surfactant critical micelle concentration and was proportional to the concentration of surfactant in micelle. The results of the mixed systems were analyzed with the help of regular solution theory, in which the deviation of CMCexp values for mixed surfactant systems from CMCideal was measured by evaluating the interaction parameter, β m . Negative values of β m were observed in all equimolar binary systems which show synergism in the mixed micelle. Attraction force between two oppositely charged head groups lead the strongest synergism effect between cationic gemini and anionic conventional surfactant. In addition to molar solubilization ratio (MSR) solubilization efficiency is also quantified in terms of micelle-water partition coefficient (Km).


Functional linguists are in general agreement that semantic change may be triggered as part of the negotiation of meaning in interactional contexts: a 'one-off' contextual implicature generalises to become a new core meaning of a lexical item (Traugott and Dasher, 2002). In what ways, however, does the 'one-off' contextual implicature arise? Why would one language develop one aspect of meaning and another a different one? And how or why does it generalise and become a coded part of the structure of that particular language? Hansen (2008: 228) notes that "close crosslinguistic comparisons of the polysemies of semantically related items […] should turn out to be highly relevant" in this respect. 'False friends', forms deriving from a common etymon which have developed different meanings in different languages, offer useful insights. This paper presents lexicographic and spoken synchronic data on two false friends in French and English, effectivement/'effectively' and finalement/'finally', and explores the cognitive processes involved in their recruitment for interactional functions. The factors which are influential in the development of hedging usages of the terms are overviewed and the contribution that a detailed synchronic study of the semantics of false friends can make to the study of semantic change is evaluated.


Three homology models of trypsin and chymotrypsin inhibitor polypeptides from snake venom of Naja naja naja and Leaf-nosed viper in the unbound state and in complex with trypsin and chymotrypsin were built based on homology to bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor (BPTI). These venom inhibitors belong to the Kunitz-type inhibitor family, which is characterized by a distinct tertiary fold with three-conserved disulfide bonds. The general folding pattern in these trypsin and chymotrypsin inhibitor homology models is conserved when compared to BPTI. The respective orientations of the inhibitors bound to trypsin/chymotrypsin are similar to that of BPTI bound to bovine trypsin/chymotrypsin. The principal binding loop structure of the inhibitors fills the active site of enzymes in a substrate-like conformation and forms a series of independent main-chain and side-chain interactions with enzymes. In order to provide the possible fingerprints for molecular recognition at the enzyme-inhibitor interface, a detailed theoretical analysis of the interactions between the principal binding loop of these inhibitors and active site of trypsin/chymotrypsin is performed based on available crystal structural, site-directed mutagenetic, kinetic, and sequence analysis studies. Despite the variations present at different positions of the principal binding loop of trypsin and chymotrypsin inhibitor models from Leaf-nosed viper and cobra Naja naja naja, respectively (designated as LnvTI and NCI), there are favorable subsite binding interactions which are expected to exhibit equally potent inhibitory activity as BPTI. On the contrary, significant mutations at several secondary specificity positions in the Naja naja naja trypsin inhibitor (designated as NTI) are likely to affect different inhibitor-enzyme-subsites interactions. This may explain the observed increased inhibitory activity of this polypeptide on a structural basis.


Immigrant founders of venture capital-backed companies have been critical to the entrepreneurial ecosystem. We document the channels through which immigrant founders find their way to the United States and how those channels have changed over time. Immigrants have been an important source of founders for venture capital-backed startups accounting for roughly 20% of all founders over the past 30 years. Immigrants coming to the United States for their education have been the primary source of founders with those coming after being educated abroad and then arriving for work decreasing in importance over time. The importance of undergraduate education as a channel for immigrant founders has increased over time. Immigrant founders coming for education are likely to start their companies in the state in which they were educated, especially states where they received their graduate education, leading to potentially large local economic benefits. The results of this paper have important policy implications for the supply of entrepreneurial talent and efforts to promote entrepreneurial ecosystems.


ABSTRACT A distinctive suite of lithologies occurs in the Lower Devonian Rocky Camp mound of eastern Victoria. Lime mudstones contain abundant stromatactis cavities, and wackestones contain shelter cavities beneath skeletal constituents, together with unsheltered stromatactis cavities. Irregularly distributed muddy masses occur in grain-supported lithologies, together with abundant shelter cavities and perched internal sediment. These lithologies are completely intergradational, and clast content is the principal variant controlling the fabric developed. It is proposed that the fabrics in this lithological suite resulted from a process of internal erosion and sedimentation (internal reworking) which occurred directly below the sediment-water interface. Each stromatactis cavity was subject to erosion of carbonate mud from the roof and redeposition of this material on the floor (either directly below the point of erosion or downstream from it). In this way, cavities migrated upwards leaving a trail of internal sediment beneath. In wackestones, the migrating cavities were trapped beneath skeletal constituents, forming diagenetic shelter cavities. The fabrics of grain-supported lithologies can be similarly explained. A precursor cavity system of organic or inorganic origin is required to initiate the process of internal erosion. There is no evidence relating to the origin of this cavity system in the Rocky Camp mound.


Health Promotion without a doubt is achieved successfully only through healthcare education. In order to provide healthcare education we must not only focus on the education of specific health issues but we must not ignore the management of healthcare. This presentation outlines the process of developing and delivery of the MSc in Healthcare Education and Management course for the UK and Russian Healthcare Professionals, to run concurrently in both countries. The project is sponsored by the British Council and is the only healthcare Bridge project! The course is open to graduates who work in the health care setting, but in Russia this mainly involves nurses and doctors. To make it relevant to the work place this course is dependent on the work-based learning. MSc in Healthcare Education and Management is by Learning Contract and is structured in 3 stages. The first two stages include: - taught modules and topics for work- based learning. In stage 3, the participants can either write a dissertation or an academic paper and 10K words reflective summary. All students will have a VIVA. The course utilises formal teaching strategies, e-learning and also small group sessions, which are student led. These sessions offer students opportunities for discussions, presentations and debates concerning the topics related to lectures. The emphasis is on health promotion and examples of good practice in community and in hospitals will be introduced by the students and evaluated by the group. The health promotion element is considered important and it is hoped that the students will utilise ideas discussed in small groups in their clinical practice. In conclusion the presentation reports on the initial student evaluations of the course.