This immersive experience created by performance and visual artist David Shearing will take you on a journey deep into the imagination. It is a story about triumph over adversity; the lone figure against the sea and the last throws of a dying star. At the centre of this image is you, absorbed in a landscape of video, sound and light. In the darkness the glistening sea reflects our image and it all come down to this.

The piece has been made in collaboration with writer Kamal Kaan and sound composer James Bulley. The project has been made with support from stage@leeds as part of their Professional Artist Development programme and financial support from Arts Council England.

Awarded Best Installation Design at World Stage Design 2013
Developed with support from stage@leeds Professional Artist Development program and Arts Council England.


Objective To investigate the anticoagulation practice in patients presenting with new-onset atrial fibrillation (NOAF) during sepsis and septic shock with one-year follow-up since discharge and to evaluate factors associated with the development of NOAF. Methods A retrospective observational cohort study was conducted using chart review in patients diagnosed with sepsis and septic shock. Results There was a total of 1132 patients diagnosed with sepsis and septic shock over a one-year period. Thirty-two patients were found to have NOAF in the setting of sepsis. Of this, eight (25%) patients were anticoagulated with warfarin and 14 (44%) patients were not anticoagulated during discharge. At one-year follow-up post-discharge, nine (29%) patients continued on warfarin and 16 (52%) patients remained not anticoagulated. Conclusion We found that the majority of patients who developed NOAF did not get anticoagulated at the time of discharge. A similar trend followed after one year of follow-up. Since proper treatment guidelines are not in place, these patients are at high risk for recurrent atrial fibrillation, stroke, transient ischemic attack, and death.


The infrared spectra of methanol as dilute solutions in CCU and in the vapour phase have been measured between 2500 and 4000 cm" 1 and between 1000 and 1100 cm" 1 in order to better understand the nature of the hydrogen bonding equilibria present. The integrated absorption coefficient of the monomeric O-H stretching mode is calculated as (2.157 ± 0.025)xl04 m mol" 1 and the proportion of the components associated with the three principal bands and a fourth weaker band estimated. Seven possible components were considered which were monomer, closed cyclic and open chain dimers, trimers and tetramers. Ab initio calculations were carried out on these components using six basis sets up to the restricted Hartree Fock 6-31 l-H-G(3df,3pd) level. Relevant calculated infrared wavenumber and intensity values, O-H...O bond lengths and hydrogen bonding energies are reported. The cyclic dimer is shown to be a transition state with the open dimer forming a stable minimum energy form. In the case of the trimer and tetramer the hydrogen bonding energy is calculated to be respectively 12 and 32 kJ mol" 1 greater in the cyclic form than in the open form with good agreement at the RHF6-31G(d) and RHF 6-31++G(d,p) levels. The experimental and theoretical results are consistent with an equilibrium involving monomer, open dimer, cyclic trimer and cyclic tetramer. Also, ab initio calculations are reported for HC1 complexes of H^CO, CH3HCO, (CH3 )2CO, HCN, CH3 CN, C2H5CN, HCOCN and CH3 COCN. Comparison with experimentally determined values of hydrogen bond energy, HC1 wavenumber shifts and bond lengths for the four smallest complexes suggest a suitable method and basis set is B3LYP/6-311++G(2d,2p). In the case of CH3HCO there are two possible isomers in which the HC1 is cis and trans to the aldehydic H atom (low and high energy forms respectively). The two bi-functional complexes each have three possible isomers; HC1 may bond to the nitrile group, to the carbonyl group cis to the nitrile or to the carbonyl group trans to the nitrile . Calculated values of hydrogen bond energy; harmonic HC1, CO and CN stretching modes; hydrogen bond lengths and other associated lengths and angles are reported for all seven monoand all six bi-functional complexes and compared with experimentally determined values, when known. These properties are predicted in other cases including those of the newly described high energy complex of CH3HCO, and those of three newly described complexes of both HCOCN and CH3COCN.


Preeclampsia is a complex cardiovascular disorder of pregnancy with underlying multifactorial pathogeneses; however, its etiology is not fully understood. It is characterized by the new onset of maternal hypertension after 20 weeks of gestation, accompanied by proteinuria, maternal organ damage, and/or uteroplacental dysfunction. Preeclampsia can be subdivided into early- and late-onset phenotypes (EOPE and LOPE), diagnosed before 34 weeks or from 34 weeks of gestation, respectively. Impaired placental development in early pregnancy and subsequent growth restriction is often associated with EOPE, while LOPE is associated with maternal endothelial dysfunction. The innate immune system plays an essential role in normal progression of physiological pregnancy and fetal development. However, inappropriate or excessive activation of this system can lead to placental dysfunction or poor maternal vascular adaptation and contribute to the development of preeclampsia. This review aims to comprehensively outline the mechanisms of key innate immune cells including macrophages, neutrophils, natural killer (NK) cells, and innate B1 cells, in normal physiological pregnancy, EOPE and LOPE. The roles of the complement system, syncytiotrophoblast extracellular vesicles and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are also discussed in the context of innate immune system regulation and preeclampsia. The outlined molecular mechanisms, which represent potential therapeutic targets, and associated emerging treatments, are evaluated as treatments for preeclampsia. Therefore, by addressing the current understanding of innate immunity in the pathogenesis of EOPE and LOPE, this review will contribute to the body of research that could lead to the development of better diagnosis, prevention, and treatment strategies. Importantly, it will delineate the differences in the mechanisms of the innate immune system in two different types of preeclampsia, which is necessary for a more personalized approach to the monitoring and treatment of affected women.


The Chinese Society for the Study of Xenobiotics (CSSX) has accepted our invitation to become the first ISSX Affiliate Organization. ISSX President Russ Prough presented the invitation to Chang-xiao Liu, Chairman of CSSX, during their annual meeting in October of this year in Wuhan, China. Professor Liu stated, "We are excited about the opportunity to be active participants in ISSX and the Asia Pacific Regional and International meetings. We stand prepared to participate in other Regional meetings and share the science that is developing in China with the rest of the Asia Pacific region and the world." Affiliate organizations of ISSX maintain their autonomy but agree to work in a cooperative nature with ISSX to promote the study of xenobiotics and the interaction of established as well as new investigators via scientific meetings and social networking. Affiliation helps ensure that scientific meetings are scheduled so as to not compete and that ISSX and its affiliate organizations collaboratively work to develop meetings, engage undergraduates and graduate students to consider the field, and advance the science worldwide. The Chinese Society for the Study of Xenobiotics has agreed to promote ISSX and help us recruit members from within China. CSSX will plan to send delegations to ISSX meetings and will develop a regional ISSX meeting or specialized workshop in China within the next five years. This arrangement has many benefits to both organizations but most importantly helps ISSX advance its mission of facilitating the interaction between scientists worldwide to help researchers expand their networks, possibly form rewarding collaborations, and to advance the latest research in our area of science. Affiliate organizations will have a variety of benefits available to them as well including promotion of their meetings, discounts to ISSX meetings, information sharing, and exposure through the ISSX Newsletter and Web site. (from ISSX Newsletters, (1), 2010)


We present high-angular-resolution radio observations of the Arches cluster in the Galactic centre, one of the most massive young clusters in the Milky Way. The data were acquired in two epochs and at 6 and 10 GHz with the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array. The rms noise reached is three to four times better than during previous observations and we have almost doubled the number of known radio stars in the cluster. Nine of them have spectral indices consistent with thermal emission from ionised stellar winds, one is a confirmed colliding wind binary, and two sources are ambiguous cases. Regarding variability, the radio emission appears to be stable on timescales of a few to ten years. Finally, we show that the number of radio stars can be used as a tool for constraining the age and/or mass of a cluster and also its mass function.


There are few diseases in modern biomedicine that have garnered as much scientific interest and public concern as Alzheimer's disease (AD). The amyloid hypothesis has become the dominant model of AD pathogenesis; however, the details of the hypothesis are changing over time. Recently, given the increasing recognition, subtle effects of amyloid β protein (Aβ) on synaptic efficacy may be critical to AD progression. Synaptic plasticity is the important neurochemical foundation of learning and memory. Recent studies have identified that soluble Aβ oligomers combine with certain receptors to impair synaptic plasticity in AD, which advanced the amyloid hypothesis. The aim of the present review was to summarize the role of Aβ-relevant receptors in regulating synaptic plasticity and their downstream signaling cascades, which may provide novel insights into the understanding of the pathogenesis of AD and the development of therapeutic strategies to slow down the progression of AD-associated memory decline in the early stages.


International conference «Crisis management solutions in HR in times of high business turbulence» for executives and training and development managers held in Institute of Practical Psychology of National Research University Higher School of Economics (HSE, Russia) in cooperation with Vlerick Business School (Belgium) on April 8, 2015. Сonference was in tune with XVI April International Academic Conference on Economic and Social Development (HSE). Urgent problems of Russian business were in the focus of discussion. The conference was interactive, allowing HRmanagers and training and development managers to find unique business solutions in a situation of instability and uncertainty. Major problems and possible perspectives were discussed. The main idea of the conference has been realized with the help of a comprehensive expert view on HR management in a difficult market situation.


We consider a spherically symmetric, double characteristic initial value problem for the (real) Einstein‐Maxwell‐scalar field equations. On the initial outgoing characteristic, the data is assumed to satisfy the Price law decay widely believed to hold on an event horizon arising from the collapse of an asymptotically flat Cauchy surface. We establish that the heuristic mass inflation scenario put forth by Israel and Poisson is mathematically correct in the context of this initial value problem. In particular, the maximal future development has a future boundary over which the space‐time is extendible as a C0 metric but along which the Hawking mass blows up identically; thus, the space‐time is inextendible as a C1 metric. In view of recent results of the author in collaboration with I. Rodnianski, which rigorously establish the validity of Price's law as an upper bound for the decay of scalar field hair, the C0 extendibility result applies to the collapse of complete, asymptotically flat, spacelike initial data where the scalar field is compactly supported. This shows that under Christodoulou's C0 formulation, the strong cosmic censorship conjecture is false for this system. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


One of the challenges in mixed reality (MR) applications is handling contradictory occlusions between real and virtual objects. The previous studies have tried to solve the occlusion problem by extracting the foreground region from the real image. However, real-time occlusion handling is still difficult since it takes too much computational cost to precisely segment foreground regions in a complex scene. In this study, therefore, we proposed an alternative solution to the occlusion problem that does not require precise foreground-background segmentation. In our method, a virtual object is blended with a real scene so that the virtual object can be perceived as being behind the foreground region. For this purpose, we first investigated characteristics of human transparency perception in a psychophysical experiment. Then we made a blending algorithm applicable to real scenes based on the results of the experiment.


Conduit fault zones and fault zones that can accommodate long-distance along-fault flow are well-documented phenomena. In reservoir simulation models, flow within these features is more correctly captured using volumetric representations of fault zones instead of employing standard two-dimensional fault planes. The present study demonstrates a method for generating fault envelope grids on full-field reservoir models, within which fault cores (i.e., regions where most of fault zone displacement is accommodated) are modeled. The modeled fault core elements are lenses and slip zones. They are defined as facies units and populated in the fault envelope grids using combined object-based simulation and deterministic techniques. Using the facies property, four reservoir simulation models are generated by modulating fault core thickness and slip zone type and permeability. Membrane slip zones (slip zones that act as partial barriers to fluid flow) cause the fault cores to form baffle–conduit systems. Along-strike positioned injector–producer pairs focus flow into the fault cores, decreasing sweep efficiency. In contrast, injected fluids of injector–producer pairs positioned to drain perpendicular to the fault cores are partitioned and distributed by the fault cores and therefore increase overall sweep efficiency. In reservoir models with conduit slip zones (slip zones that enhance flow along them and act as partial barriers to flow across them), the fault cores act as thief zones. Fluids preferentially move through the fault cores toward the nearby producers instead of through sedimentary layers with high permeability. Sweep efficiency in the reservoir models with conduit fault cores has less dependency on injector–producer configuration. Our study suggests that the improved realism added by incorporating volumetrically expressed fault cores substantially influences forecasts of field behavior and consequently should be considered during oil and gas production planning.


This study includes the result of a study on the plants as fodder, veterinary and miscellaneous uses in Kurecik (Malatya). 57 taxa (4 cultures) belonging to 26 families are documented in this study. 33 taxa are used as fodder, 3 taxa are used as veterinary and 44 taxa are used for miscellaneous uses in Kurecik (Malatya). The plant specimens were collected with local people who informed us about traditional usage during June 2005-June 2007. The information was recorded, the collected plants were identified, and prepared voucher specimens were kept in the Herbarium of Istanbul University Faculty of Pharmacy (ISTE).


Architecture has long been viewed as the monumental and formal edifices of society. In general, architectural description mostly focuses on the material aspects of the building, which typically concern techniques of construction and types of building, environmental conditions, resources, technology, and some aspects of spatial organization, symbolism, and aesthetic values of the built forms. But relatively little is said about social facts of the people who live inside. In recent decades, many architects and anthropologists have begun to connect architectural works with the development of social and cultural anthropology and coined the term "architectural anthropology" to describe the bridge between the two disciplines. As a result of the interest, this approach has become the subject of a growing literature. Several works written from different perspectives have in common a more holistic focus, emphasizing the theoretical significance of architecture as intellectual, political, and sociological processes. Various systematic techniques in anthropology have been applied to describe the interrelation between men and their built environment. This relation confirms that architecture is determined by socio-cultural factors: man within a specific social complex. Based extensively on historical documents, this paper devotes its attention to the chronological developments of architectural anthropology and aims to illustrate how this approach is important to the study of the interconnection between man and the related built environment.


High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) demonstrates a significant improvement in compression efficiency compared to H.264/MPEG-4 AVC, especially for video with resolution beyond HD, such as 4K UHDTV. One advantage of HEVC is the improved intra coding of video frames. Hence, it is natural to question how such intra coding compares to state of the art compression codecs for still images. This paper attempts to answer this question by providing a detailed analysis and performance comparison of HEVC intra coding with JPEG and JPEG 2000 (both 4:2:0 and 4:4:4 configurations) via a series of subjective and objective evaluations. The evaluation results demonstrate that HEVC intra coding outperforms standard codecs for still images with the average bit rate reduction ranging from 16% (compared to JPEG 2000 4:4:4) up to 43% (compared to JPEG). These findings imply that both still images and moving pictures can be efficiently compressed by the same coding algorithm with higher compression efficiency.


One of the criteria of social justice and urban sustainable development is considering balanced distribution of infrastructures and urban facilities; therefore, the distribution of the services should be in such a way that not only it creates spatial justice in the areas, but it also prepare the ground for urban development. This research has descriptive-analytical approach and tries to recognize and rank the rate of existing services in 13 neighborhoods of Noorabad Mamsani City in Fars Province using education, health, and culture, sport, office, green space, and facility indexes. For this purpose, initially the prosperity of services in these areas was examined by using models of the coefficient of variation and statistical techniques and then, the rate of prosperity of urban services in these neighborhoods was evaluated and analyzed by using multiple criteria decision making (MCDM) model based on TOPSIS approach. The results show that there are significant discrepancies regarding the rate of prosperity of services among 13 neighborhoods of Noorabad so that central neighborhoods of the city i.e. neighborhoods 1 and 2 in district 2, are prosperous and nomadic areas are prosper less. Eventually, there is imbalance and inequality among different areas in this city regarding concentration of population and access in


In many forms of cardiomyopathic left ventricular (LV) dysfunction, there is a rapid myocardial expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin 1, interleukin 6 and tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) which mediate, via specific receptors, various processes such as gene expression, cell growth or apoptosis. In the initial stages of myocarditis, the myocardial expression of proinflammatory cytokines appears to be part of an inflammatory process. In many other conditions such as ischaemic cardiomyopathy and chronic LV pressure or volume overload, myocardial expression of proinflammatory cytokines is triggered by an elevation of LV wall stress. Myocardial expression of cytokines contributes to depression of contractile performance and adverse LV remodelling. Cytokine-induced depression of contractile performance appears to result from sphingosine production, which interferes with myocardial calcium handling. In transgenic mice, the rate of progression of LV dilatation appears to correlate with the intensity of myocardial TNF-alpha overexpression. In heart failure patients, cytokine concentrations are elevated not only in the myocardium but also in plasma. Cytokines are, therefore, responsible not only for autocrine and paracrine signalling within the myocardium but also for endocrine signalling throughout the body, especially affecting striated muscle mass with induction of muscle wasting and cachexia. The source of cytokine production in heart failure remains uncertain and several mechanisms have been proposed including endotoxin-induced immune activation due to bowel oedema, myocardial production due to haemodynamic overload and peripheral extramyocardial production due to tissue hypoperfusion and hypoxia. The latter seems to be the most likely mechanism, possibly modulated by the presence of bacterial endotoxins released from the gut. Numerous drugs have meanwhile been shown to influence this cardioinflammatory response to heart failure either by reducing basal levels of cytokines (e.g. amlodipine, pentoxifylline, beta-blockers) or by reducing endotoxin-induced cytokine gene expression (e.g. ouabain, amiodarone, adenosine, angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors, angiotensin II-receptor blockers). Direct blockade of the deleterious actions of elevated plasma levels of cytokines recently became possible through intravenous infusion of a soluble TNF-alpha receptor fusion protein, which resulted in an increase in exercise tolerance and LV performance.


Background: Ban on smoking in public places reduced the number of smokers considerably. According to Global Adult Tobacco Survey-2, tobacco use is decreased by 3% in Karnataka. However, the loose sale of tobacco products encourages the practice as tobacco users continue to use tobacco by purchasing loose tobacco products. Hence, the present study was carried out to assess the compliance of loose tobacco ban in Bidar city of Karnataka. Aim: The aim of this study is to assess the compliance on loose tobacco ban in Bidar City. Methods: The exploratory research design was used. The study was cross-sectional and community based in nature. Sample Size: 98; 50 vendors and 48 consumers were randomly selected using the time-cluster sampling. Data were collected from 22 different locations using the observation and interview method within 2 km radius of Bidar City. Two separate pretested and predesigned semi-structured interview schedules were administered to tobacco users and vendors. The study was carried out in November 2019. Ethical clearance was obtained from the Institutional Ethics Committee. Statistical analysis was done using the percentages and frequency tables. Results: Majority (96%) of the tobacco users were unaware of loose tobacco ban in Karnataka and prefer to buy cigarettes in loose. Four percent of tobacco users were aware that loose tobacco is banned. Majority of (76%) tobacco users think buying a full pack of cigarettes would increase smoking. There is absolutely no compliance on loose tobacco ban by tobacco vendors.


A set of complementary series is defined as a pair of equally long, finite sequences of two kinds of elements which have the property that the number of pairs of like elements with any one given separation in one series is equal to the number of pairs of unlike elements with the same given separation in the other series. (For instance the two series, 1001010001 and 1000000110 have, respectively, three pairs of like and three pairs of unlike adjacent elements, four pairs of like and four pairs of unlike alternate elements, and so forth for all possible separations.) These series, which were originally conceived in connection with the optical problem of multislit spectrometry, also have possible applications in communication engineering, for when the two kinds of elements of these series are taken to be +1 and -1, it follows immediately from their definition that the sum of their two respective autocorrelation series is zero everywhere, except for the center term. Several propositions relative to these series, to their permissible number of elements, and to their synthesis are demonstrated.


The Middle Ordovician Llandeilo-Caradoc Formation black shales, deposited at about 460 Ma on the southwest margin of the Welsh Basin, show evidence of a late diagenetic uranium redistribution event. Evidence for this redistribution event includes a disturbance in the U-Pb whole-rock isotopic system at about 193 Ma marked by a large range in the whole-rock 238 U/ 204 Pb between 2 and 90. One explanation for this large range is that individual whole rocks have experienced either a gain or a loss of U at the time of the disturbance. This hypothesis is supported by the large range in measured U contents from the Llandeilo-Caradoc Formation black shales (0.16 to 6.6 ppm; upper crust ≈ 2.8 ppm, post-Archean average shale (PAAS) ≈ 3.1 ppm; Taylor and McLennan 1985). Uranium that was likely sequestered during deposition and early diagenesis has been redistributed on a greater than whole-rock scale (centimeters to meters). The U-Pb isotope systematics identified in this study and other Pb isotope data from the Welsh Basin (Evans 1996) constrain a reasonable U concentration of 2.91 ppm for an unaltered Llandeilo-Caradoc shale at the time of deposition (∼ 460 Ma). Assuming 2.91 ppm to be an average U content at the time of deposition, some rocks in the Llandeilo-Caradoc Formation have lost as much as 95% of the U likely present at the time of deposition and early diagenesis whereas others exhibit an almost equal enrichment. When the U-Pb isotopic and elemental data from whole rocks and individual U-bearing phases (i.e., carbonate, apatite, monazite, organic matter) are examined in conjunction with the paragenetic sequence, controls on the distribution of U in the Llandeilo-Caradoc whole rocks and a pattern of open-system conditions become apparent. Despite the presence of potential U-rich diagenetic phases such as apatite and monazite, most of the U in the relatively enriched samples is associated with a non-extractable, unidentified diagenetic component. Uranium mass-balance considerations and whole-rock U-Pb isotope systematics require that the non-extractable component formed at about 193 Ma during a late diagenetic uranium redistribution event. The redistribution of U within the Llandeilo-Caradoc Formation has important implications for the use of U-rich sedimentary minerals as geochronometers and for the use of U as a paleo-redox indicator. Specifically, a trace-element indicator like uranium may in some cases record information about the postdepositional history of a sedimentary rock rather than document the absolute timing and conditions of deposition. Moreover, this unique history can be properly evaluated only through an integrated petrographic-geochemical approach that can discern the distribution and source (i.e., depositional versus diagenetic) of U in an individual whole rock.


According to the partition plan of June 3, 1947, the redrawing of the boundaries of the Punjab and Bengal was to be undertaken by the newly set up Boundary Commission after the provincial assemblies had taken a decision to this effect. The verdict started an intense controversy. In many ways no man made boundary has caused so much trouble and effectively impeded the advent of peace in South Asia as has been done by the Punjab boundary resulting from the Commission's verdict. For both the Pakistanis and the Indians the boundary resulting from the partition of Punjab has proved to be a source of constant headaches and periodic convulsions. Just as the problematic border of the North Western Frontier Province (NWFP) elicited constant British vigilance, the Indo-Pak border in the Punjab area has kept the two nations continuously preoccupied throughout their independent existence. The hasty British departure along with unimaginative surgical partition of the Punjab left many complicated problems for the successor nations of British India. The inability of the British to partition the province in congruence with principles of justice and fair play produced unnecessarily a large pile of complex problems. This article is an attempt to understand the basic principles governing the division of Punjab along with the politics that caused the undesired departure from the adopted principles.


This study investigated the influence of human resource oriented antecedents to user perceptions toward the performance capabilities of a new logistics information tracking technology. Willingness to take risks, job relevance, trialability and technology trust were evaluated as antecedents to technology performance. The research examined the effect of these constructs on technology acceptance as a function of post-adoption perceptions of technology performance. A research model was developed and tested based in Rogers' (2003) Innovation Diffusion Theory. Data from a mail survey were collected from 224 first-tier supply chain users of the technology. Structural equation modelling was used to test six hypothesized relationships for significance, direction, and intensity. The findings indicate that: (a) willingness to take risks and job relevance affect technology trust and technology performance; and, (b) trialability affects perceptions of technology performance. The results of this study advance our understanding of post-adoption perceptions of supply chain affiliates and offer suggestions for enhancing user perceptions of technology performance. Implications from this study along with suggestions for future research are provided.


Author(s): Motter, Christopher John | Advisor(s): Wallace, John J | Abstract: Reinforced concrete structural walls provide an efficient lateral system for resisting seismic and wind loads. Coupling beams are commonly used to connect adjacent collinear structural walls to enhance building lateral strength and stiffness. Steel-Reinforced Concrete (SRC) coupling beams provide an alternative to reinforced concrete coupling beams, diagonally-reinforced for shorter spans and longitudinally-reinforced for longer spans, and offer potential advantages of reduced section depth, reduced congestion at the wall boundary region, improved degree of coupling for a given beam depth, and improved deformation capacity.Four large-scale, flexure-yielding, cantilever SRC coupling beams embedded into reinforced concrete structural walls were tested by applying quasi-static, reversed-cyclic loading to the coupling beam (shear) and the top of the wall (moment, shear, and constant axial load) to create cyclic tension and compression fields across the embedment region. The primary test variables were the structural steel section embedment length, beam span length (aspect ratio), quantities of wall boundary longitudinal and transverse reinforcement, and applied wall loading (moment, shear, and axial load). Based on test results, long embedment length, sufficient wall boundary reinforcement, and low-to-moderate wall demands across the embedment region are all associated with favorable coupling beam performance, characterized by minimal pinching and strength degradation in the load-deformation response and plastic hinge formation at the beam-wall interface with a lack of damage (plasticity) in the embedment region. The variation in aspect ratio was not found to significantly affect performance.Detailed design and modeling recommendations for steel reinforced concrete (SRC) coupling beams are provided for both code-based (prescriptive) design and alternative (non-prescriptive) design. For both code-based and alternative design, modeling a rigid beam for flexure and shear deformations with rotational springs at the beam-wall interfaces is recommended for stiffness, as test results indicate that the majority of the coupling beam deformations were associated with interface slip/extension. Alternative stiffness modeling recommendations are provided, in which an effective bending stiffness that accounts for the aspect ratio or beam length is used instead of interface rotational springs. A capacity design approach, in which the provided embedment strength exceeds the expected beam strength, is recommended for determining the required embedment length of the steel section into the structural wall. Recommendations for computing the nominal and expected (upper bound) flexure and shear strengths are provided. For alternative design, additional parameters are provided to define the strength and deformation capacity (to complete the backbone relations) and to address cyclic degradation for each of the test beams.


Abstract Individual semantics have been used for guiding the learning process of Genetic Programming. Novel genetic operators and different ways of performing parent selection have been proposed with the use of semantics. The latter is the focus of this contribution by proposing three heuristics for parent selection that measure the similarity among individuals' semantics for choosing parents that enhance the addition, Naive Bayes, and Nearest Centroid. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that functions' properties are used for guiding the learning process. As the heuristics were created based on the properties of these functions, we apply them only when they are used to create offspring. The similarity functions considered are the cosine similarity, Pearson's correlation, and agreement. We analyze these heuristics' performance against random selection, state-of-the-art selection schemes, and 18 classifiers, including auto-machine-learning techniques, on 30 classification problems with a variable number of samples, variables, and classes. The result indicated that the combination of parent selection based on agreement and random selection to replace an individual in the population produces statistically better results than the classical selection and state-of-the-art schemes, and it is competitive with state-of-the-art classifiers. Finally, the code is released as open-source software.


This review discusses the present trends in studies on the impacts of climate change on plant diseases. Firstly, the approaches used for studying the potential effects of altered temperature, water availability, CO2 and O3 air concentrations, and UV-B radiation on components of the disease cycle are explained and discussed. Next, the impact of changes in climate patterns on the geographic and temporal distribution of diseases by integrating biological and epidemiological models into geographic and climate databases are assessed. Finally, adaptation strategies are discussed and areas where there is a recognized lack of knowledge are highlighted. The literature shows that different pathosystems respond in different ways to climate change. Thus, case-by-case studies on the responses of crop species or varieties and their diseases to climate change are necessary. In addition to that, wide-scale projections of disease risk are necessary in order to identify research priorities, whereas industry must be strategically directed and public policies developed to establish adaptation measures and to prevent potential food security crisis. Only by conducting long-term and multidisciplinary studies can we reduce the uncertainty regarding the effects of climate change on plant diseases.


background and Purpose: Genetic diversity is the basis for adaptation and survival of tree species under changing environmental conditions, representing the key issue of stability and productivity of forest ecosystems. This paper studies the marginal population characteristics and stand dynamics of aspen tree (Populus tremula L.) in natural, pure and mixed forest stands with Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.). These populations were observed on founding sites between Timarli Valley and Timan Plateau located in Pasinler in the Erzurum Province in Turkey. Materials and Methods: Three replicated sample sites were established according to a randomised block design with a spacing of approximately 200 m in altitude starting from 1,890 m, which is the natural distribution area of P. tremula, up to 2,460 m, above which this species can no longer thrive. Timarlı Valley, Pasinler Erzurum Province, which is the area of research, is located enroute to Timan Plateau, where Scots pines form the alpine tree line ranging up to 2,680 m a.s.l. results: In this context, aspen trees in this region are the second closest tree species to the tree line after Scots pine, which are found in the subalpine and war zones. In addition, as a result of this study, it has been found out that this species, notwithstanding its natural area of occupancy across Turkey, could thrive up to 2,460 m in altitude and extent of occurrence. Conclusions: A new marginal natural population related to aspen has been found in Pasinler in the Erzurum Province, Turkey, which at the same time indicates that the timberline value in the vertical natural distribution of these species should be updated. Aspen trees, which as pioneer trees play a vital role in the rebuilding or restoring of the ecological balance in forests that over time become degraded because of excessive cutting of trees and erroneous silvicultural interventions should be used in the reclamation of broadleaved and mixed forests in a planned manner. Genetic resources that represent marginal and peripheral populations, both within and outside the natural distribution area, should be established and protected.


In recent years, reports originating from several areas of the world have identified biotype IV strains of Haemophilus influenzae as a cause of serious urogenital, neonatal, and mother-infant infections. Preliminary analysis of a sample of biotype IV isolates found evidence for a cryptic genospecies of Haemophilus (R. Quentin, A. Goudeau, R. J. Wallace, Jr., A. L. Smith, R. K. Selander, and J. M. Musser. J. Gen. Microbiol. 136:1203-1209, 1990). Eighteen biotype IV strains assigned to the cryptic genospecies were further characterized by their rDNA restriction fragment length polymorphism patterns and genomic DNA-DNA hybridization. Isolates of the cryptic genospecies have distinctive rDNA restriction fragment length polymorphisms that differ from those of Haemophilus haemolyticus and H. influenzae. Genomic hybridization studies show that these organisms are allied with H. influenzae and H. haemolyticus and suggest a distant trifurcation of H. influenzae, H. haemolyticus, and the cryptic genospecies.


In the rapidly developing cyber sphere dominated by cryptocurrencies and code, it is perhaps not uncommon for firms to focus on cutting-edge technological developments leaving the law behind as an afterthought. B2C2 Ltd v Quoine Pte Ltd ("B2C2") may serve as a timely reminder of the importance of the legal principles supporting e-commerce and Fintech. In the first case of its kind, B2C2 raised several key questions before the Singapore International Commercial Court ("SICC"), seeking clarification on how the established legal concepts of breach of trust, mistake and unjust enrichment might apply in the context where an automated contract-forming software had produced unusual results. This decision represents the most comprehensive treatment by a Commonwealth court of the legal nature of cryptocurrencies and automated contract-forming software to date; a harbinger of further and more complex litigation to come, as disputes involving e-commerce and Fintech gradually start to reach the courts.


It was shown that the higher photoluminescence emission of Ba1−xCaxTiO3 titanates is associated with the substitution of Ba by Ca, for the composition x = 0.75, which interferes with structural ordering, morphology and particle growth. Although the XRD data of this sample showed that the crystals do not exhibit long range order, FTIR, Raman and XPS confirmed the presence of Ti–O bonds in this sample, indicating the particle nucleation of titanates, but without growth and maintaining only short range order. These nanoparticles show perturbations in the symmetry of the unit cell, causing structural distortions, which result in changes in their electronic structure of atoms, destabilizing the whole lattice. This fact gives rise to points of intrinsic defects, changing the intermediate levels in the band gap, subsequently adding to the population of charge carriers and, consequently, radiative recombination with higher photoluminescence emission.


This paper presents a study of L1 and L2 vowel perception by Polish learners of English. Employing the Silent Center paradigm (e.g. Strange et al. 1983), by which listeners are presented with different portions of a vowel, a force choice identification task was carried out. Due to differences in the vowel systems of the two languages, it was hypothesized that stimulus type should have minimal effects for L1 Polish vowel perception since Polish vowels are relatively stable in quality. In L2 English, depending on proficiency level, listeners were expected to adopt a more dynamic approach to vowel identification and show higher accuracy rates on the SC tokens. That is, listeners were expected to attend more to dynamic formant cues, or vowel inherent spectral change (VISC; see e.g. Morrison and Assmann 2013) in vowel perception. Results for identification accuracy for the most part were consistent with these hypotheses. Implications of VISC for the notion of cross-language phonetic similarity, crucial to models of L2 speech acquisition, are also


The recent increase of robo-advisory services (RAs) in various financial domains has caused a threatening alarm to the traditional fund and wealth management industry. There has been a remarkable growth in RAs' assets under management (AUM) due to their ability to provide better expected return by being competitive on pricing, transparency, and services. The research paper is designed to explore the various experts in the financial industry (which includes VP and AVPs of investment bank, managers and senior executive at bank, IT professionals and executives, and FinTech entrepreneurs and CEOs) and perceive the digital disruption that is going to affect the traditional financial services industry. Secondly, it is to explore the various strategies that are being adopted by the financial service providers to withstand competition from the disruption caused by FinTech challengers. Moreover, the purpose of this research paper is also to understand the extent and effect of the disruption as well as the strategies adopted by financial industry players to face these disruptions from FinTech.


Nursing informatics is a specialty in nursing that combines computer science, technology, and the nursing process to support the practice of nursing and the delivery of nursing care. Nursing informatics was only recently designated a specialty by the American Nursing Association (ANA) (in 1992) with the first certification exam offered in October of 1996. A significant benefit of nursing informatics is that it enables the nurse to take the technology, translate the use of the technology to direct patient care, and communicate that translation to the clinicians who will use the tool. As certain projects demonstrate, such as project AKAMAI in the Pacific, we now have the ability to deliver care across distances, via devices in the home, remote call centers, and sophisticated communication and technology advancements. A willingness to explore and use new technology tools to improve patient care delivery will be the challenges that nurses will have in the new millennium.


Abstract Neoniphon pencei, n. sp., is described from thirteen specimens, 132-197 mm standard length (SL) collected from mesophotic coral ecosystems (MCEs) at Rarotonga, Cook Islands by divers using mixed-gas closed-circuit rebreathers. It differs from all other species of the genus in number of lateral line scales, scales above and below lateral line, elements of life color, and in COI and cytochrome b DNA sequences. Of the five other known species of Neoniphon, it is most similar to the Indo-Pacific N. aurolineatus and the western Atlantic N. marianus both morphologically and genetically.


In continuous casting, the severity of centerline macrosegregation and internal crack formation is linked to the cast structure, which can be minimized by increasing the equiaxed zone. Thus all the factors which favour an equiaxed structure are useful to quality. These are: low superheat, electro magnetic stirring (EMS) in the mould, large section size and especially in the case of internal cracks, uniform heat transfer between the strand and the mould. Microsegregation, which is the primary reason for macrosegregation, is due to the distribution coefficient and the growth rate of the solidification front. It is known that superheat has an influence on the solidification structure on both the micro- and macro- levels. Research has confirmed that superheat also affects crack formation in the solidifying front. These observations are usually reported on steels but little has been reported on low-alloyed coppers. In our experimental studies we examined the effects of superheat and uneven heat transfer on segregation behavior of phosphorus and iron in round, deoxidized, high phosphorus (DHP) copper billets. Furthermore crack formation and the solidification structure on both the micro- and macro- levels were studied. Results were verified by optical emission spectrometry (OES) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM).


The agricultural sector model SILAS-dyn has been used by Agroscope ART for 10 years for the political advisory of the Swiss agricultural administration. To evaluate the environmental effects of different policy scenarios, a LCA module has been developed, connecting a hierarchical linkage to an existing LCA calculating tool. This lowers the formulation input and simplifies the adaptation of updated environmental models. The results of four scenarios show, through the example of energy use as an environmental impact, that indirect effects, such as energy use in the context of imported concentrates, can influence conclusions significantly. The scenario suggesting an increase of fertiliser prices does not change the results significantly, whereas higher energy prices increase the pressure upon energy-intensive activities.


Background: Skin diseases are major health problems especially in resource poor countries and one of the most frequent conditions informing hospital visit. Despite its low mortality, morbidity is however remarkable due partly to meagre resources allocated to skin health care and inadequate dermatologists to manage the increasing number of cases. This preliminary study therefore seeks to evaluate the clinical characteristics of skin diseases in a newly established clinic in Owo, a semi-urban settlement, in South-western Nigeria. The data from this study can assist the health policy makers in prioritizing resources allocated to health to improve skin health and also creates awareness on how prevalent skin diseases are in this locality with a view to giving it the desired attention. Methods: This was a retrospective study carried out between April, 2016 and March, 2017. Information comprising age, sex and diagnoses were retrieved from the medical records of all the patients that attended the Dermatology Clinic within the study period. Results: We reviewed 204 patients' medical records within the study period. The mean age was 33.88 ± 20.57 (SD) years with age ranged between seven months and 81 years. The females formed 55.4% of the patients with male to female ratio of 1:1.2. Infections had the highest prevalence of 33.3% with about half being fungal infections (16.2%). Infections of public health importance like leprosy and onchocerciasis were 1.0% each. Scabies was seen in significant number (6.4%) of the patients. Papulosquamous and reactive dermatoses were seen with equal proportion (10.8% each). Vitiligo was the most common pigmentary disorders found in this study. Acne and acneform eruptions was 5.4%. Atopic dermatitis was the predominant dermatitis seen among the patients with eczema. Conclusions: Infectious dermatoses remain the commonest cause of skin diseases. Addressing poverty, instituting public health preventive measures and increase access to dermatologist will enhance patients' skin health. Conflict of Interest:  There is no conflict of interest. Running Title: Skin diseases newly established dermatology clinic Keywords: spectrum, skin, disease, dermatology, clinic


For decades, scholars have been calling out a spatial turn in media and communication studies. Yet, in public sphere research, spatial concepts such as space and place have mainly been used metaphorically. In recent years, the abundance of digital trace data offers new opportunities to locate communicative interactions, sparking new interest in the spatial turn in media and communication and opening up new perspectives on spaces and places also within public sphere research. Digital location data enables one to: study the places and spaces in which (semi-)public communication is embedded; uncover geographical inequalities between countries, regions, cities, and peripheries; and highlight the local contexts of public spheres. This thematic issue gathers some of these endeavors in one place, bringing together conceptual, methodological, and empirical contributions that spell out the spatiality of public spheres in detail and combine the analysis of spaces, places, and geographies with long-standing concepts of public sphere research.


Abstract The political discourse of Deaf ethnolinguistic identity has empowered Deaf people in recent decades to deconstruct a pathological model of deafness and the deficit pedagogy that centres on acquisition of speech and social assimilation. The engagement of Deaf community members in consultation and employment in the New Zealand (NZ) education system has progressed the ideological recognition of Deaf claims for a bilingual identity and pedagogy in the education arena. However these priorities sit uneasily within the special education discourse which assumes an individual needs-based approach to accommodating diverse learners in regular school settings. The recognition of sign language and Deaf experience as valid cultural capital raises questions about the sociolinguistic status and educational needs of deaf children individually enrolled in mainstream schools, contexts which do not currently afford the interactional conditions for a sign bilingual education. Based on a larger study of deaf children in NZ mainstream primary schools, this paper analyses an illustrative case study of a 10-year-old deaf boy with a cochlear implant, to critically consider the extent to which mainstreamed deaf learners are constructed as potential bilinguals in the discourse that defines and addresses their needs. Analysis shows this learner to be positioned as a marginal bilingual or defective monolingual by the aggregation of beliefs, decisions, interactions and resources that construct his educational context. Finally, the paper reports the vision of Deaf informants working in the mainstream school system for changing learning outcomes, from a construct of deaf children as members of a collective with a heritage of cultural adaptations that should inform appropriate educational responses.


! Purpose: To compare the image quality in dose-re-duced 64-row CT of the chest at different levels of adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR) to full-dose baseline examinations reconstructed solely with filtered back projection (FBP) in a realistic upgrade scenario.


Multiple-quantum magic-angle spinning and double-rotation NMR techniques were applied in the high field of 17.6 T to the study of oxygen-17-enriched zeolites A and LSX with the ratio Si/Al = 1. A monotonic correlation between the isotropic value of the chemical shift and the Si-O-Al bond angle alpha (taken from X-ray data) could be found. Hydration of the zeolites causes a downfield 17O NMR chemical shift of about 8 ppm with respect to the dehydrated zeolites. Ion exchange of the hydrated zeolites generates stronger chemical shift effects. The increase of the basicity of the oxygen framework of the zeolite LSX is reflected by a downfield shift of approx. 10 ppm going from the lithium to the cesium form, and the substitution of sodium by thallium in the zeolite A causes a shift of 34 ppm for the O3 signal. 17O DOR NMR spectra are superior to 17O 3QMAS NMR spectra, featuring a resolution increase by a factor of 2 and are about equal with respect to the sensitivity. The residual linewidths of the signals in the 17O DOR and 17O 5QMAS NMR spectra can be explained by a distribution of the Si-O-Al angles in the zeolites.


: The accurate grading of astrocytic tumours is of prime importance because it is critical to the patient management and survival/outcome. Although internationally accepted WHO grading system of CNS tumours is based on histological features of H&E stained sections, yet there are cases where differentiation between grade II and grade III is difficult particularly when the biopsy is small. Proliferative index derived from MIB-1 immunostaining has been found to be useful in the distinction between various grades of malignancy. Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded surgical specimens from 90 cases of astrocytic tumours, 30 each of low-grade astrocytoma (grade II), anaplastic astrocytoma (grade III), and glioblastoma multiforme (grade IV), were immunostained by standard indirect immunoperoxidase technique using MIB-1 monoclonal antibody. MIB-1 labeling index (MIB-1 LI) was calculated. The mean MIB-1 LI values of astrocytomas, anaplastic astrocytomas and glioblastomas were 1.75 +/- 1.5%, 8.74 +/- 6.2%, and 20.54 +/- 12.2% respectively and there was statistically significant difference between grade II and III (Unpaired "t" test, T value 5.907, p value < 0.001) and grade III and grade IV (T value 4.734, p value < 0.001). The statistical analysis also revealed that the mean MIB-1 LI increased with histological grade of malignancy (One way ANOVA test, p value < 0.001). This investigation further reinforces and corroborates the findings that MIB-1 LI is useful tool in assigning grading to the astrocytic tumours and hence in treatment modalities and should be used routinely.


This paper analyses significant forces of the allocation of time to different home production activities, as developed by Gronau, in a data set consisting of decennial time-use surveys of Norwegian households. The theoretical framework consists of joint allocation of time model, where household decisions to allocate time between the market and the household are analyzed simultaneously. The estimation takes place within a limited dependent variables framework. As an alternative to the usually employed Tobit model, Cragg ́s double-hurdle model is used, so as to be able to model individual decisions in a two step framework, discerning between the wish to participate and the amount of time to invest in different activities. The conclusion of the paper is that taxation has a significant effect on the allocation of time to market and non-market activities. There is evidence in favour of more disaggregation of time-use, but the overall message of the home production literature – that explicit consideration of the market-versus-home production margin can improve estimates of labor supply elasticities is upheld.


In this paper, a new embedded numerical control (ENC) system for carton samplemaker based on Windows CE is presented. The hardware design of ENC system based on ARM9 processor S3C2440A and motion control chip MCX314As is discussed principally. Besides, the device driver of MCX314As is developed by using stream interface driver model under Windows CE operating system. Furthermore, the software structure of the ENC system is introduced, and the way how to utilize multi-thread technology to realize the real-time control of the carton samplemaker is also discussed in detail. The system is proved to be good at dealing with multiple tasks processing, real-time and reliability of motion control.


CONTEXT
Cross-sectional epidemiological studies have found that patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) have a higher incidence of certain fragility fractures despite normal or elevated bone mineral density (BMD).

OBJECTIVE
In this study, high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography was applied to characterize cortical and trabecular microarchitecture and biomechanics in the peripheral skeleton of female patients with T2DM.

DESIGN AND SETTING
A cross-sectional study was conducted in patients with T2DM recruited from a diabetic outpatient clinic.

PARTICIPANTS
Elderly female patients (age, 62.9 ± 7.7 yr) with a history of T2DM (n = 19) and age- and height-matched controls (n = 19) were recruited.

OUTCOME MEASURES
Subjects were imaged using high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography at the distal radius and tibia. Quantitative measures of volumetric (BMD), cross-sectional geometry, trabecular and cortical microarchitecture were calculated. Additionally, compressive mechanical properties were determined by micro-finite element analysis.

RESULTS
Compared to the controls, the T2DM cohort had 10% higher trabecular volumetric BMD (P < 0.05) adjacent to the cortex and higher trabecular thickness in the tibia (13.8%; P < 0.05). Cortical porosity differences alone were consistent with impaired bone strength and were significant in the radius (>+50%; P < 0.05), whereas pore volume approached significance in the tibia (+118%; P = 0.1).

CONCLUSION
The results of this pilot investigation provide a potential explanation for the inability of standard BMD measures to explain the elevated fracture incidence in patients with T2DM. The findings suggest that T2DM may be associated with impaired resistance to bending loads due to inefficient redistribution of bone mass, characterized by loss of intracortical bone offset by an elevation in trabecular bone density.


This narrative re ects on the artist's involvement in two separate community-engaged art projects: a public event created to memorialize the dead and a digital storytelling project at a Seniors Centre in North Vancouver, B.C. Through a personal arts-based inquiry into ritual and memory, the two projects merge and begin to inform the artist's work with seniors. The inquiry helps to deepen a sense of shared community and to de ne what a genuine community-engaged practice may be. This article inquires into why art matters in community-engaged work and how creative practice can create new structures of learning and deepen bonds within community.


Objectives: To review the range of thresholds used for treatment of neonatal jaundice at different gestational ages across neonatal units in Great Britain. To investigate the time at which the threshold values plateau, in terms of hours after birth, for various gestational ages. Methods: We contacted 72 neonatal units in Great Britain and enquired about the unit guidelines for management of neonatal jaundice. We requested a copy of the guidelines and jaundice action charts used. Levels for treatment with phototherapy and exchange transfusion for various times after birth and for different gestational ages were extracted and the data was transferred to an Excel spreadsheet. Identical values were excluded so that there was no duplication of charts. The data was analysed to explore the variation in charts used and the time at which the threshold value reached a plateau was recorded for each chart. Results: Of the 72 units contacted 46 responded with charts. Four neonatal units were using formulas and one hospital was using separate chart for every gestation. The data displayed wide variation in treatment levels (phototherapy and exchange transfusion) at 12 to 168 hours after birth in the three gestational groups studied (28, 32 and 37 weeks). For a term neonate at 72 hours of age the threshold to commence phototherapy varied between 220-370 micromol/l and the exchange transfusion threshold varied between 300-510 micromol/l. A wide variation in practice was seen for all three gestations. The median plateau time was also analysed and for phototherapy this corresponded to 72 hours for all three gestations. For exchange transfusion data the median time of plateau was highest for the term babies (72 hours) and lowest for 32 weeks gestation (48 hours). There was no reference of evidence quoted in the jaundice action charts surveyed. Conclusions: Jaundice action charts reviewed in our study showed significant variation in the threshold for treatment of neonatal jaundice. Both the studied parameters (variation in threshold and the median time to plateau) point towards the fact that the charts being used in the neonatal units are not evidence based and need modification. With the lack of standard treatment guidelines for this common neonatal problem, it is likely that neonatal units are either under or over treating a significant number of babies.


The synthesis of stable, supported, bimetallic nanoalloys with controlled size, morphology and composition is of great practical importance. Compared to their monometallic analogues, such materials exhibit remarkable enhancement in functional properties, which can be exploited in various fields including catalysis. Recently, we have reported a simple excess anion modification of the impregnation method to prepare supported gold–palladium catalysts which gives very good control over the particle sizes and the composition without using any stabilizer ligands in the preparation. Here, we report the results from a comparative study of using this modified impregnation catalyst for the solvent-free aerobic oxidation of alcohols in two different reactors: a glass stirred reactor and a micro packed bed reactor under batch and continuous mode respectively. These modified impregnation catalysts are exceptionally active and more importantly, when tested in a micro packed bed reactor under flow conditions, are observed to be stable for several days without any sign of deactivation in contrast to the same catalyst prepared by the sol immobilization method in the presence of stabilizer ligands which showed a 3–5% decrease in conversion over 10–12 h.


The expression of two epitopes on glycophorin A (GPA) during erythroid development was examined on normal human bone marrow using quantitative flow cytometry. The highly correlated binding of two monoclonal antibodies, one sensitive and the other insensitive to glycosylation, indicated that the two epitopes were coordinately expressed during erythroid development. Both antigens reached a maximum expression during the early normoblast stage and were maintained at a constant amount per cell throughout further maturation to erythrocytes. These data suggest that glycosylation of GPA, as detected by antibodies recognizing blood group (M) and (N) antigens, does not increase during erythroid maturation.


A precise measurement of bound-electron g factors in highly charged ions provides stringent tests for state-of-the-art theoretical calculations, such as relativistic electron-correlation, bound-state QED, and higher-order Zeeman effects. We excite the fine-structure transition of boronlike argon (40Ar13+) with laser radiation and probe microwave transitions between Zeeman sub-levels in the magnetic field of a Penning trap. From this laser-microwave double-resonance technique the g factor can be determined on a ppb level of accuracy in our apparatus. We have built a novel 'half-open' Penning trap with high fluorescence-detection efficiency and an integrated electron-beam ion source for production of highly charged ions from gas, injected through a cryogenic valve. In the future, heavier ions shall be captured from the HITRAP facility at GSI and the method shall be applied to hyperfine-structure transitions of hydrogenlike bismuth (209Bi82+) in order to measure electronic and nuclear magnetic moments. This thesis presents experimental developments as well as production, cooling, transport, and long-term storage of highly charged argon ions.


Individuals working towards a goal often exhibit time inconsistent behavior, making plans and then failing to follow through. One well-known model of such behavioral anomalies is present-bias discounting: individuals over-weight present costs by a bias factor. This model explains many time-inconsistent behaviors, but can make stark predictions in many settings: individuals either follow the most efficient plan for reaching their goal or procrastinate indefinitely. We propose a modification in which the present-bias parameter can vary over time, drawn independently each step from a fixed distribution. Following Kleinberg and Oren (2014), we use a weighted {\it task graph} to model task planning, and measure the cost of procrastination as the relative expected cost of the chosen path versus the optimal path. We use a novel connection to optimal pricing theory to describe the structure of the worst-case task graph for any present-bias distribution. We then leverage this structure to derive conditions on the bias distribution under which the worst-case ratio is exponential (in time) or constant. We also examine conditions on the task graph that lead to improved procrastination ratios: graphs with a uniformly bounded distance to the goal, and graphs in which the distance to the goal monotonically decreases on any path.


Wireless ad hoc networks becomes a new type of wireless networks gradually because it could communicate to each other without infrastructure base stations. Due to limited power, routing path is broken easily, so how to design an effective power saving routing protocol is an important issue in wireless ad hoc networks. To solve this issue, we propose a new routing protocol called power saving routing protocol with power sieving (PSRPS) in this paper. The proposed protocol partitions the network area into several square grids by the location information such as global position system (GPS). Routing is performed in a grid-by-grid manner. One node is elected as the grid leader in its grid with power sieving mechanism without broadcasting election packets. Therefore, nodes could save more power for data transmission and the network lifetime could be prolonged. The simulation results demonstrate PSRPS could reduce power consumption from 10% to 18% compared with the traditional grid-based routing protocol.


In this article we discuss the concept of equilibrium establishment in four most usual instances as is electrostriction and vaporization as related to the concept of equilibrium shell formation. Two more cases are then studied which are of relevance. One is the Brownian movement , the study of which is essential for pedagogical reasons as to exclusion of basic facts from statistics in a simple manner. The last one case studied is the very passage of current in a conductor. What is new in all these discussions is a simple but more detailed approach connecting the micro world to simple models of the macro world so that new comprehension be achieved. We will discuss matters in terms of order of magnitude of the quantities on what is to follow.


In the present article we investigated the properties of CA1 and dentate gyrus cell precursors in adult rodents both in vivo and in vitro. Cell proliferation in situ was investigated by rating the number of cells incorporating BrdU after kainate-induced seizures. CA1 precursors displayed a greater proliferation capacity than dentate gyrus precursors. The majority of BrdU-labeled cells in CA1 expressed Nestin and Mash-1, two markers of neural precursors. BrdU-positive cells in the dentate gyrus expressed Nestin, but only a few expressed Mash-1. In animals pretreated with the antimitotic azacytidine, the capacity of kainate to enhance the proliferation was higher in CA1 than in the dentate gyrus. Differences in intrinsic progenitor cell activity could underlie these different expansion capacities. Thus, we compared the renewal- expansion and multipotency of dentate gyrus and CA1 precursors isolated in vitro. We found that the dissected CA1 region, including the periventricular zone, is enriched in neurosphere-forming cells (presumed stem cells), which respond to either EGF or FGF-2. Dentate gyrus contains fewer neurosphere-forming cells and none that respond to FGF-2 alone. Neurospheres generated from CA1 were multipotent and produced neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes, while dentate gyrus neurospheres mostly produced glial cells. The analysis of the effects of EGF on organotypic cultures of hippocampal slices depicted similar features: BrdU and Nestin immunoreactivities increased after EGF treatment in CA1 but not in the dentate gyrus. These results suggest that CA1 precursors are more stem-cell-like than granule cell precursors, which may represent a more restricted precursor cell.


Introduction: Postprandial somnolence or commonly referred to as food coma is generally experienced after the ingestion of afternoon meals. The performance of an individual gets affected after the ingestion of a heavy meal and this is more pertinent in a college setup where students have to attend a lecture right after the meal. The objective of this study was to assess the awareness of medical students about the factors responsible for postprandial somnolence, to identify the methods used to counteract it and to ascertain lecturers' perception on responsiveness and participation of the students in a post lunch lecture.
Methods: Total 330 students (first year to third year MBBS students) aged between 18-21 years and 40 lecturers teaching first and second year MBBS students were involved in this study. Two separate questionnaires (Part A: students' perception, and B: lecturers' perception) were prepared, peer-reviewed, validated and administered to the respective participants. All the responses were compiled and expressed in frequency percentage. Statistical analysis was performed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences, version 15.0 for a level of statistical significance of 5%. Pearson correlation was used to get the association between the variables.
Results: About 55.75% students were aware about the role of serotonin and melatonin in drowsiness but 45.75% students did not know that food rich in tryptophan relaxes the brain and results in sleepiness. Students agree that heaviness of their meal might cause drowsiness and indigestion or bloating, which can also result in lethargy and can affect their performance. Majority of the lecturers opined that students disturb the harmony of the class and are less responsive and participative in post lunch break lectures.
Conclusion: Thus, the present study provided scope for conducting awareness talks regarding the strategies to counteract postprandial somnolence among medical students which can help improve their concentration during post-lunch lectures.
Bangladesh Journal of Medical Science Vol.20(4) 2021 p.826-832


Thoughtful clinicians and researchers are constantly on the alert for pathogens, whatever their nature, acting on the premise that identification of harmful environmental agents will lead to the introduction of measures to eliminate or control them. In this presentation I discuss the bullet as a pathogen in our "peace-time" American society, a designation often considered a tragic joke by those of us who function professionally in metropolitan coroners' or medical examiners' offices, where we deal with violent death daily and, all too frequently, several times daily. I shall also mention briefly the epidemiology of gunshot incidents inasmuch as epidemiology may point to etiology. Fatal and nonfatal gunshot incidents, whether they be attempted or successful homicides and suicides, accidents, or of undetermined origin, have multifaceted causations involving more than the presence of a potentially deadly firearm; but all too often a gun escalates the degree of violence to irreversible lethality. ("Wife,


The management decision fault during prophase demonstration, design and operation on power station can be avoided effectively by technical and economic evaluation of power station project. In this paper, the sintering circular-cooler waste heat power station in WISCO is taken as an example. Through analyzing the two methods of technical and economic evaluation on power plant and constructing the evaluation system of sintering waste heat power plant, the technical evaluation on overallcondition of power plant is made by adopting the ways of contrastive analysis, and index weight value of power plant is computed by analytic hierarchy process, then power station is evaluated through combining the two evaluation methods. And the bandwidth of net power output basic parameters of per ton of sinter waste heat is determined. The study results can provide reference basis for the initiating project and technology decisions of waste heat power station.


We developed a model of a national economy in which the phenomena of supply, demand, economic growth, and international trade are represented in terms of energy flows. In examining the structure of the economy, we distinguish between the energy embodied in capital assets used in the production and distribution of energy and that embodied in capital assets and goods that consume energy. Sources used to quantify the energy flows include: end‐use energy data by economic sector; International Energy Agency–style national energy balances, and national input‐output tables. As an example, the Canadian economy for 2008 produced 16.97 exajoules (EJ) of energy, which after net export of 6.16 EJ and other adjustments left a total primary energy consumption of 10.61 EJ. The energy supply and distribution sectors used close to 32% (3.36 EJ) of total primary consumption. Analysis of primary energy consumption shows that 25.14% was embodied in household consumption, 22.85% was consumed directly by households, 7.88% was embodied in government services, and 34.07% was embodied in exports. Of significance to economic growth, 7.14% was embodied in capital in energy demanding sectors, 1.25% in energy consuming personal assets, and 1.52% in supply sector capital. The energy return on energy investment was relatively constant, averaging 5.14 between 1990 and 2008. Capital investments required to decouple the Canadian economy from its dependence on fossil fuels are discerned.


A method of heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) potentially suitable for probe-based storage systems is characterized. In this work, field emission current from a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) tip is used as the heating source. Pulse voltages of 2-7 V with a duration of 500 ns were applied to a CoNi/Pt multilayered film. Different types of Ir/Pt and W STM tips were used in the experiment. The results show that thermally recorded magnetic marks are formed with a nearly uniform mark size of 170 nm when the pulse voltage is above a threshold voltage. The threshold voltage depends on the material work function of the tip, with W having a threshold voltage about 1 V lower than Pt. The emission area of our tip-sample system derived from an analytic expression for field emission current is approximately equal to the mark size, and is largely independent of pulse voltage. This emission area is large compared to lateral heat diffusion in the film. Thus higher applied voltages lead to higher peak temperatures in the model of the write process, but the mark diameter remains relatively unchanged.


The International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) grading of uterine endometrial endometrioid carcinoma requires evaluation of histologic features that can be difficult to assess, including recognition of small amounts of solid growth, distinction of squamous from nonsquamous solid growth, and assessment of degree of nuclear atypia. The authors describe a novel, binary architectural grading system that uses low-magnification assessment of amount of solid growth, pattern of invasion, and presence of necrosis to divide endometrioid carcinomas into low-and high-grade tumors. The authors analyzed its performance for predicting prognosis and with respect to intra-and interobserver reproducibility. A total of 141 endometrioid carcinomas from hysterectomy specimens were graded according to the FIGO system, nuclear grading, and the binary architectural system. A tumor was classified as high grade if at least two of the following three criteria were present: (1) more than 50% solid growth (without distinction of squamous from nonsquamous epithelium); (2) a diffusely infiltrative, rather than expansive, growth pattern; and (3) tumor cell necrosis. For tumors that were confined to the endometrium, only percent solid growth and necrosis were evaluated, and those with both solid growth of more than 50% and necrosis were considered high grade. All tumors were graded independently by three pathologists on two separate occasions. Both inter-and intraobserver agreement using the binary grading system (&kgr; = 0.65 and 0.79) were superior compared with FIGO (&kgr; = 0.55 and 0.67) and nuclear grading (&kgr; = 0.22 and 0.41). The binary grading system stratified patients into three distinct prognostic groups. Patients with stage I low-grade tumors with invasion confined to the inner half of the myometrium (stages IA and IB) had a 100% 5-year survival rate. Patients with low-grade tumors that invaded beyond the outer half of the myometrium (stage IC and stages II–IV) and those with high-grade tumors with invasion confined to the myometrium (stages IB and IC) had a 5-year survival rate of 67% to 76%. In striking contrast to patients with advance-stage low-grade tumors, patients with advance-stage high-grade tumors had a 26% 5-year survival rate. This binary grading system has advantages over FIGO and nuclear grading that permit greater interobserver and intraobserver reproducibility and should be tested in other studies of endometrial endometrioid carcinomas to validate its reproducibility and use for segregating patients into different prognostic groups.


A subset of HIV-positive patients develops salivary gland disease (HIV-SGD), characterized by salivary gland enlargement and/or decreased salivary flow. While clinical symptoms are similar to Sjögren's syndrome (SS), patients with HIV-SGD lack circulating anti-SS-A/Ro and anti-SS-B/La. Occasionally, SS patients lacking circulating anti-SS-A/Ro and anti-SS-B/La have these antibodies in their saliva. Salivas from 11 patients with HIV-SGD, 13 HIV+ patients without HIV-SGD, 14 HIV-negative men controls, and 11 patients with SS were screened for autoantibodies. Five HIV-SGD salivas had antibodies recognizing the cytoplasm of a salivary cell line. No HIV+ controls showed reactivity. Ten of 11 SS patients had salivary autoantibodies, and one HIV-negative control was positive for them. Salivary anti-SS-A/Ro was present in 8/11 SS patients, and 7 also contained anti-SS-B/La. No HIV-SGD salivary samples had these specific autoantibodies. These findings suggest that while glandular polyclonal expansion occurs in both HIV-SGD and SS, different autoantibodies are produced.


Background: Nursing homes (NHs) are important sites of care for people with cognitive and physical disabilities; nearly half of NH residents have dementia. Unfortunately, NHs continue to be plagued with quality of care issues including lack of person-centered care and under-treatment of symptoms. The UPLIFT-AD (Utilizing palliative Leaders In Facilities to Transform care for Alzheimer's Disease) stepped wedge trial aims to address these issues by using palliative care (PC) specialists in NHs. Measuring the impact of this intervention is challenging because people with dementia often have difficulties communicating, and thus, much research relies on the observations of staff and surrogate decision-makers (usually family members). The latter has yielded a low response rate for the first timepoint of the UPLIFT-AD project.Project Methods: A brief literature scan for similar PC NH interventions and surrogate engagement in NH research was performed, with support from a medical librarian, and revised strategies for surrogate recruitment were utilized during the second timepoint survey for two first-wave NHs.Results: Two first-wave NHs (n=47 and 43) had surrogate baseline survey completion rates of 42.6% (n=20) and 34.9% (n=15). Following the implementation of the additional strategies—calling surrogates from NH phones, calling at varied times, and emailing research information—the overall survey completion rate was relatively unaffected—42.6% (n=20) and 37.2% (n=16). Of the surrogates from these facilities (n=90), 30.0% (n=27) refused to participate and 17.8% (n=16) were "unable to contact." The reasons for refusal included "not interested" (37.0%), "too busy" (18.5%), "no reason" (11.1%), "hung up" (11.1%), and "other" (22.2%). The literature scan yielded few published articles containing strategies to improve engagement of surrogates in NH PC research.Conclusion: Strategies to enhance surrogate engagement in NH research are underdeveloped. Engaging surrogates in research requires multiple strategies and presents an ongoing challenge but represents a critical perspective for studies involving people with dementia.


ABSTRACT The tyrosine kinase c-Abl participates in the regulation of various cellular functions including cell proliferation, adhesion, migration, smooth muscle contraction and cancer progression. However, knowledge regarding transcriptional regulation of c-Abl is surprisingly limited. Sp1 is a founding member of the Sp1 transcription factor family that has been implicated in housekeeping gene expression, tumor cell proliferation and differentiation. Here, we show that knockdown and rescue of Sp1 affected growth factor-mediated c-Abl expression in cells. c-Abl promoter activity was also affected by Sp1 knockdown. This is the first evidence to suggest that Sp1 is an important transcription factor to regulate c-Abl expression. In addition, Sp1 phosphorylation at Thr-453 and Thr-739 has been proposed to regulate its activity in Drosophila cells. We unexpectedly found that growth factors did not induce Sp1 phosphorylation at these two residues. In contrast, growth factor stimulation upregulated Sp1 expression. Intriguingly, inhibition of ERK1 and ERK2 (ERK1/2, also known as MAPK3 and MAPK1, respectively) reduced expression of Sp1 and c-Abl. Furthermore, c-Abl knockdown diminished ERK1/2 phosphorylation and Sp1 expression. Taken together, these studies suggest that Sp1 can modulate c-Abl expression at transcription level. Conversely, c-Abl affects ERK1/2 activation and Sp1 expression in cells. Summary: c-Abl is an important tyrosine kinase that regulates various cell functions. We provide the first evidence that Sp1 regulates c-Abl transcription. Conversely, c-Abl modulates Sp1 via ERK1/2.


Since the diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was introduced in DSM-III in 1980, a variety of pschotherapeutic approaches have been developed to address the specific problems and needs of traumatised patients. Successful treatment of PTSD requires a well thought-out therapeutic attitude. The therapist must find a well-balanced position between over-identification and turning away out of helplessness. A sensation-seeking attitude should be avoided as should the danger of vicarious traumatisation. In many instances, PTSD can not be treated sufficiently by psychotherapy alone: a comprehensive, multi-modal treatment plan may include pharmacotherapeutic, physical, social, legal, and other interventions. Early psychotherapeutic interventions in the immediate aftermath of a traumatic event follow the rules of crisis intervention (immediacy, focus on the current problems, time limitation). Special attention should be paid to the issues of developing a trusting therapeutic relationship, creating an atmosphere of safety, helping the patient to regain control over and/or distance himself from intrusive recollections. Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) and other "power therapies" can offer quick relief from symptoms. After collective traumatization, psychological debriefings are widely used, although the evidence for their usefulness in preventing PTSD is questionable. – In patients with chronic PTSD, the psychotherapist should not work exclusively on the traumatic event and its sequelae: treatment should be oriented towards the future rather than the past. Instead of exploring, the therapist should try to activate the patients' resources and help them to find new meaning in their future life. – There is an urgent need for carefully designed, randomized, controlled intervention studies investigating the effectiveness of early interventions in acutely traumatized patients and of mid to long-term psychotherapies in patients suffering from chronic PTSD. Furthermore, future studies should include psychodynamic approaches as well as multimodal treatment protocols, and elaborate more sophisticated clinical endpoints.


After being the subject of speculation for many years, a software-defined radio receiver concept has emerged that is suitable for mobile handsets. A key step forward is the realization that in mobile handsets, it is enough to receive one channel with any bandwidth, situated in any band. Thus, the front-end can be tuned electronically. Taking a cue from a digital front-end, the receiver's flexible analog baseband samples the channel of interest at zero IF, and is followed by clock-programmable downsampling with embedded filtering. This gives a tunable selectivity that exceeds that of an RF prefilter, and a conversion rate that is low enough for A/D conversion at only milliwatts. The front-end consists of a wideband low noise amplifier and a mixer tunable by a wideband LO. A 90-nm CMOS prototype tunes 200 kHz to 20-MHz-wide channels located anywhere from 800 MHz to 6 GHz


This guide contains links to resources related to the U.S. Civil War and Illinois during the Civil War. It contains information on finding books, articles and government publications on the War and information on Civil War related Digital Collections. Links to Internet Resources related to the Civil War


Objective: Determination of fetal fibronectin (fFN) levels in a patient at risk of preterm delivery and having premature rupture of the membranes. Patient and Methods: The present case report concerns a pregnant woman with premature rupture of the membranes at 16 weeks of gestation who was submitted to repeated therapeutic transabdominal amnioinfusions and had a spontaneous resolution of the rupture at 32 weeks of gestation. Results: A good pregnancy outcome was observed. High cervicovaginal fFN levels were observed during the period of membrane rupture with following drop of fFN levels during this period and spontaneous reseal of the membranes. Conclusions: Active expectant management, using repeated amnioinfusions, probably played a useful role in the therapeutic success of this pregnancy. Further, fFN was a reliable marker of the rupture of membranes. The possible role of fFN in the clinical management of high-risk pregnancies is confirmed.


The durability of dental restorations is highly determined by an accurate marginal fit, which is in turn affected by the high temperature of porcelain firing. Information is inadequate about the marginal adaptation of metal-ceramic restorations fabricated by soft metal milling technologies after repeated firings. This study aimed to compare the effect of repeated ceramic firings on the marginal fit of copings fabricated from cobalt-chromium through soft metal milling and a conventional nickel-chromium casting alloy. A single standard brass die was designed, machined, and scanned, based on which, 20 frameworks were designed and fabricated through either soft metal milling or conventional casting (n = 10 per group) and porcelain veneered. The vertical marginal fit of the metal copings was measured after 3, 5, and 7 firing cycles by using a digital microscope on 16 points around the finish line of the metal die at ×80 magnification. The data were analyzed through repeated measures ANOVA and independent t-test (α = 0.05). The marginal fit of neither metal group was significantly affected by the number of firing cycles (P = 0.747). However, the marginal discrepancy was statistically lower in the soft metal milling group than that in the casting group (P<0.001). Repeated porcelain firings did not significantly affect the marginal fit of either alloy and remained within the clinically acceptable range after firings. However, the milled alloy had superior marginal fit regardless of the number of firing cycles.


The purpose of this work was to evaluate the immune response in goats with different degrees of gastrintestinal nematode infection. Ninety adult animals naturally infected were grouped according to the total egg count per feces gram (EPG): group I from zero to 500 EPG, group II from 501 to 2000 and group III above 2000. The parameters studied were serum total protein (STP), evaluated by biuret method; globulin (Glob), calculated by the difference between STP and serum albumin; gammaglobulin (Gglob), estimated throughout electrophoresis; immunoglobulin (Ig), estimated by turbidometry test with ZnSO4 and absolute lymphocyte count (Lymp / ml). It was found statistically decrease in three parameters (STP, Ig and Lymp / ml) for group III. For Glob and Gglob, the decrease found was not statistically significant. These results show a depressor effect of nematode infection on humoral immune system. The intense dispersion of Glob and Gglob data can explain the not significant decrease found in those parameters. It was concluded that goats with intense nematode infection (above 2000 EPG) can show immunedepression, with impairment of lymphocyte count and serum antibody level.


The 'free' ions needed to balance the 'fixed', covalently bonded ions in a conventional polyelectrolyte are often thought to play little role beyond charge balancing, processability and morphology control. In self-compensated, hole-doped polymers, free cations, together with mobile holes on the polymer backbone, balance the covalently tethered counter-anions. We show here that these 'spectator' cations not only influence the ionization energy (and work function) of the polymer, but also, perhaps surprisingly, determine the stability of the ultrahigh-workfunction state. We attribute these two effects to the dependence on the spectator cation size of surface ionic layering, and coulombic stabilization of the anion sites, respectively. The smaller cations provide larger coulombic stabilization of the anionic site, raising the energetic barrier for hole transfer to the anion or its hydration water, thereby blocking de-doping of the polymer backbone. We demonstrate these effects in an important model of a high-ionization-energy triarylamine–fluorene copolymer TFB with trifluoromethanesulfonylimidosulfonyl as a tethered counter-anion, and a family of spherical monovalent cations as spectators (Li+, Na+, Cs+, NMe4+ and NEt4+). Using Li+ as a spectator cation, we further demonstrate ultrahigh-workfunction hole injection layers for TFB semiconductor with markedly enhanced stability to ambient processing and baking. This work leads to a new design rule for stable, self-compensated, hole-doped polymer systems with ultrahigh work function.


This thesis will determine if there is a discrepancy between how literature defines conservation, preservation, and restoration, and how natural resource professionals define these terms. Interviews were conducted with six professionals from six different agencies that deal with natural resources. These agencies consisted of both government and non-government groups. In addition to interviewing these professionals regarding how they define the terms, they were asked where their work fits into the context of these terms. The interviewees' responses were then compared with the literature to determine inconsistencies with the use of these terms in the literature and real world settings. The literature and the interviewees have agreed on the term conservation. There are some different points of view about preservation, some see it as 'no management' and some others see it as keeping things the same or 'static.' Restoration was the term where both the literature and professionals thought of moving an ecosystem from one point of succession or community, to another point on a continuum. The only thing in which they disagree on is the final goal of a restoration project. The literature would suggest restoring the ecosystem to a past historic condition, where the interviewees said to restore it to the best of their abilities and to a functioning ecosystem.


This report describes the high-speed model towing basin of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, usually referred to as the NACA Tank. The purpose of this piece of equipment is to enable the Committee to provide information and data regarding the performance of seaplanes on the water analogous to the information furnished concerning the performance of airplanes in the air.


In the past, employees of Japanese large-scale enterprises worked for the same company until they reached retirement age (lifelong employment), while wages were raised according to the duration of employment (seniority). In the last 20 years, though, this employment policy has gone through fundamental changes. This article discusses those changes and their background. In the nineties, many companies reduced staff, which forced employees to change jobs or even left them unemployed. Globalization reinforced competition between companies, and deregulation put employers in a position to carry out rationalization measures. The Ministry of Health and Work took several measures to soften those hardships. The ministry founded a Center for the Stabilization of Employment and amended some laws. For instance, it was no longer forbidden to charge commission for placement, and a new law on company pension schemes was enacted in order to avert losses due to redundancy. Discriminatory treatment because of age was prohibited by law. Further legislative changes referred to loan employment; to temporary employment contracts; to the splitting of companies; and to stimulation of staff cuts by means of tax allowances. At present, the number of atypical employment contracts such as parttime or loan employment is rising. Employers are outsourcing their staff by means of loan employment or fictitious self-employment. By that, they reduce the number of core workers. The system of lifelong employment has partly been replaced by the model of premature retirement and by the development that young employees are leaving their first working position after a short period of time. Management of permanent staff is individualized, e.g., contract terms and working times vary. Payment systems are becoming more and more performance-oriented, which displaces the principle of seniority. Many executives can only keep their position until a limit of about 55 years of age. Even though companies of automobile and electronics industries have made profits in the past few years, the average labor cost level is dropping continuously. Those companies don't share profits with their employees, but rather stop regular wage raises. Financial disadvantages through job change and the fact that there are fewer core workers who benefit from the principle of seniority also lower the average wage level. Employers were able to enforce those innovations unilaterally because labor unions have but few possibilities to take influence and enforce their requests. But employers will face new problems. Loyalty of employees will decrease, which will make company planning less predictable. In the future, politics should maintain protective regulations against dismissal in order to avoid involuntary retirements. Also, the general acceptance of vocational qualifications and standards should be increased. This would soften disadvantages incurred by job change and thus support voluntary job change. Furthermore, the author recommends that politics should abolish the principle of seniority; prohibit age discrimination during the recruitment process; and reduce present differences between core workers and other employees. (The Editors)


The speed of laser light pulses launched from Earth and returned by a retro-reflector on the Moon was calculated from precision round-trip time-of-flight measurements and modeled distances. The measured speed of light (c) in the moving observers rest frame was found to exceed the canonical value c = 299,792,458 m/s by 200+/-10 m/s, just the speed of the observatory along the line-of-sight due to the rotation of the Earth during the measurements. This is a first-order violation of local Lorentz invariance; the speed of light seems to depend on the motion of the observer after all, as in classical wave theory, and implies that a preferred reference frame exists for the propagation of light. However, the present experiment cannot identify the physical system to which such a reference frame might be tied.


It was established that the modeling of the repeated immobilization stress is accompanied by the increase of the content of lipid peroxidation metabolites and the decrease of antioxidant enzymes activity (superoxiddismutase and catalase) in both blood plasma and liver tissue. Intraperitoneal melatonin injections in the doses 0.2 or 1 mg/kg during 7 days cause the decrease of the content of lipid peroxidation metabolites in both blood plasma and liver tissue in animals after prolonged stress, as well as leads to the increase superoxiddismutase activity in both blood plasma and liver tissue in comparison with the control group. In liver tissue catalase activity increased after the melatonin application at both doses in comparison with control animals, but in plasma the same change was observed only after 1 mg/kg melatonin inject. The results of investigation confir- med the literature data about the antioxidant effects of melatonin and opened the perspectives of its using for the prevention of stress-induced organ injury.