Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), pesticides, and trace metal concentrations in McMurdo Sound and Arthur Harbor, Antarctica, sediments and marine biota are reported. Biomarkers of contaminant exposure, biliary metabolites and EROD assays, were also measured. Hydrocarbon and trace metal contamination are generally limited to within hundreds of meters of human settlements. Local releases of fossil fuels, disposal of waste materials, and aging of ship and station structures contribute to contamination. High concentrations of PCBs were detected in sediments (250-4200 ng g{sup -1}) and organisms (up to 420 ng g{sup -1}) from Winter Quarters Bay (WQB). Trace metal and PAH sediment concentrations rarely exceed levels known to cause toxic effects in marine organisms, whereas PCBs in WQB often do. Biological responses to exposure include the formation of PAH metabolites and the inducement of the P4501A detoxification system in fish. Induction of EROD activity in in vitro rat hepatoma H4IIE cell bioassays by tissue extracts correlated with known levels of PCB contamination in invertebrate tissues. Local sources of contaminants greatly exceed those attributable to long-distance atmospheric transport. 31 refs., 4 figs.


Abstract The present article analyses press coverage of the dramatic finance crisis and the ensuing European debt crisis in Europe, in three decisive periods. The authors conduct quantitative and qualitative content analyses of two major mainstream Norwegian newspapers, Aftenposten and Dagbladet, employing concepts and methods from framing theory, to analyse coverage in the framework of two contesting schools in economics. The study finds traces of discussions of finance brokers' ethics and some discussions of governmental regulations that made the 2008 crisis possible, but few indications of a basic discussion of the system as such. The authors conclude that the crisis was framed more as a superficial, short-term problem (as per a mainstream, neoliberal theory of economics) than as a deeper and long-term system problem (as a more critical 'political economics' theory would have held).


The composition, diversity, and distribution of fish species in the Ibulao River were surveyed from January to December 2015-2019. The samples for fish species identification were collected from the landed catch of three landing centers in the Ibulao River, namely: Lamut, Kiangan, and Lagawe in the Province of Ifugao, Philippines. The sampling of stocks was conducted using the National Stock Assessment Program (NSAP) methodology. A total of 18 fish species from 11 families were recorded. The river supports four endemic species, two native species, 11 introduced species, and one species for further identification. The status of one goby species will be determined upon identification at the species level. In 2015 and 2016, the most dominant catch in the Ibulao River was Cyprinus carpio (common carp), but from 2017 to 2019, the most dominant catch was Oreochromis niloticus (Nile tilapia). These two introduced fish species constituted the top 2 fish species in the Ibulao River from 2015 to 2019. The native fish species, which are the migratory fish Anguilla marmorata (giant mottled eel) and the Awaous melanocephalus (largesnout goby), are found in all the landing centers but with an observed declining catch. This information will serve as a basis for formulating protection and conservation policies for the fish species and their habitat in the Ibulao River.


Background: Despite the intention to perform physical activity (PA), a number of individuals cannot manage to have PA program on a regular basis. In this study we explored the barriers of regular PA behavior among healthy adults in Tabriz, Iran. Methods: This qualitative study with a conventional content analysis approach, was carried out from June to September 2020. Nineteen 30-59 years old individuals, were purposefully (purposive sampling) selected to participate in the study. The participants were formerly registered as "physically inactive" in the health records of Tabriz Health System. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted until data saturation. Data were managed using MAXQDA-10 software. Results: The barriers of regular PA that emerged from our data were being listless and lethargic, non-supportive environment, disintegration in PA education chain, and restrictive social norms. Conclusion: Our findings uncover several PA barriers that are less discussed in the literature. Poor level of regular PA among adults in Iran, as a developing context, is rooted in perceptions with social and economic origins, which should be taken into account by public health policy makers while planning PA promotion programs in such communities. To promote regular PA among healthy adults in developing countries, regular PA programs should be tailored to bridge the gap between their recognition of PA barriers and subsequent behavior change through creating group dynamics highlighting the measures to diminish the behavior.


: The effect of a single dose administration of arecholine and atropine on the activities of carboxypeptidase H and phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride-inhibited carboxypeptidase involved into the final stage of formation of biologically active neuropeptides from precursors has been studied. Changes in the enzyme activities were evident during at least 72 h after administration of these drugs. These results suggest that one of possible mechanisms of reduction of neuropeptide levels by arecholine and atropine consists in suppression of activity of enzymes taking part in there metabolism--carboxypeptidase H and phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride-inhibited carboxypeptidase.


In Romania mostly of 70% of strawberry ecological plantations were cultivated with specific commercial cultivars like Premial, Red Gauntlet, Dana and Elsanta. In the last years became to be cropped cultivars with increased resistance to various pest insects, specially in the first stages of vegetation period like Honeoye, Elsanta, Camorosa, Marmolada, Chandler, Darselect, Clery and Sonata. On the little individual farms with small surfaces the cultivars Senga Sengana, Marmolada, Elsinore should be the primary source of infestation with Anthonomus rubi.A study of distribution, density and the degree attack of Anthonomus rubi was carried out in the period 2006-2007 in the Vidra and Comana localities, Giurgiu district in the southern part of Romania. The study and observations that was made showed that this species is increased in density in the new ecological plantations of strawberry from some individual farms. The strawberry blossom weevil is not a common pest of strawberry plantations in Romania but some cultivars cropped in ecological system became more sensitive to the weevil attack by increasing in density. Observations and researches were carried out on 4 cultivars and showed that the degree of damage caused by A. rubi depends of cultivar morphological characteristics (small fruits) or phenophases (time of ripening and duration of budding and blossoming).


This study gathered descriptive data on 163 individuals who applied by telephone to a residential rehabilitation program for homeless veterans and compared these data with general veteran and homeless populations. Ss were a young (M = 40.82 years) and educated (M = 13.34 years of schooling) subgroup of homeless men (98.16%) with histories of relatively high, stable functioning (e.g., previous successful employment) and high rates of medical (47.47%), substance abuse (67.1%), psychiatric (41.93%; primarily nonpsychotic), and legal (71.15%) problems. These characteristics appear to be different from those of other subgroups of homeless (e.g., homeless chronically mentally ill, skid-row alcoholics), and they provide a basis for beginning to develop distinct remedial strategies that are specific to this subpopulation. The advantages of studying subgroups of homeless and the utility of the telephone interview data collection methodology are discussed.


This article proposes a new analytical framework for determining the reach of subordinate bias liability under antidiscrimination statutes. The current jurisprudence on this topic is in a state of disarray. A majority of federal circuit courts have adopted a relatively lenient standard which imposes liability whenever a biased subordinate influences an adverse action made by an ultimate decision-maker. Meanwhile the Fourth Circuit strictly limits liability to the situation where the biased subordinate is the de facto actual or principal decision-maker, and two other circuits adopt intermediate approaches that focus more closely on causation and on whether the employer has undertaken an independent investigation into the underlying circumstances. Rather than endorsing any of these existing standards, we propose a new test that draws on the various strengths of the current formulations. We believe that a plaintiff should be recognized as making out a prima facie case of subordinate bias liability by showing that a supervisor or other employee with delegated authority influences an adverse employment action to the extent that discrimination was a motivating factor in that outcome. Once such a showing is made, an employer should be liable unless it can establish the existence of either of two affirmative defenses. First, borrowing from sexual harassment jurisprudence, an employer should not be liable where it has taken reasonable measures to prevent and correct such bias, such as by the implementation of an anti-bias policy, and the plaintiff unreasonably has failed to use the opportunities provided. Alternatively, where the plaintiff has utilized such a policy or where no policy exists, an employer should be able to avoid liability only if it has dissipated the taint of subordinate bias by undertaking a fair and independent investigation into the circumstances underlying the contemplated employment action. We believe that this new test appropriately would encourage employers to protect themselves by preventing discrimination in the workplace while still providing plaintiffs with a reasonable opportunity to obtain redress for such discrimination that nonetheless may occur.


BACKGROUND
Acute anterior shoulder dislocation, which is the most common type of dislocation, usually results from an injury. Subsequently, the shoulder is less stable and is more susceptible to re-dislocation or recurrent instability (e.g. subluxation), especially in active young adults. After closed reduction, most of these injuries are treated with immobilisation of the injured arm in a sling or brace for a few weeks, followed by exercises. This is an update of a Cochrane Review first published in 2006 and last updated in 2014.

OBJECTIVES
To assess the effects (benefits and harms) of conservative interventions after closed reduction of traumatic anterior dislocation of the shoulder. These might include immobilisation, rehabilitative interventions or both.

SEARCH METHODS
We searched the Cochrane Bone, Joint and Muscle Trauma Group Specialised Register, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, PEDro and trial registries. We also searched conference proceedings and reference lists of included studies. Date of last search: May 2018.

SELECTION CRITERIA
We included randomised or quasi-randomised controlled trials comparing conservative interventions with no treatment, a different intervention or a variant of the intervention (e.g. a different duration) for treating people after closed reduction of a primary traumatic anterior shoulder dislocation. Inclusion was regardless of age, sex or mechanism of injury. Primary outcomes were re-dislocation, patient-reported shoulder instability measures and return to pre-injury activities. Secondary outcomes included participant satisfaction, health-related quality of life, any instability and adverse events.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
Both review authors independently selected studies, assessed risk of bias and extracted data. We contacted study authors for additional information. We pooled results of comparable groups of studies. We assessed risk of bias with the Cochrane 'Risk of bias' tool and the quality of the evidence with the GRADE approach.

MAIN RESULTS
We included seven trials (six randomised controlled trials and one quasi-randomised controlled trial) with 704 participants; three of these trials (234 participants) are new to this update. The mean age across the trials was 29 years (range 12 to 90 years), and 82% of the participants were male. All trials compared immobilisation in external rotation (with or without an additional abduction component) versus internal rotation (the traditional method) following closed reduction. No trial evaluated any other interventions or comparisons, such as rehabilitation. All trials provided data for a follow-up of one year or longer; the commonest length was two years or longer.All trials were at some risk of bias, commonly performance and detection biases given the lack of blinding. Two trials were at high risk of selection bias and some trials were affected by attrition bias for some outcomes. We rated the certainty of the evidence as very low for all outcomes.We are uncertain whether immobilisation in external rotation makes a difference to the risk of re-dislocation after 12 months' or longer follow-up compared with immobilisation in internal rotation (55/245 versus 73/243; risk ratio (RR) 0.67, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.38 to 1.19; 488 participants; 6 studies; I² = 61%; very low certainty evidence). In a moderate-risk population with an illustrative risk of 312 per 1000 people experiencing a dislocation in the internal rotation group, this equates to 103 fewer (95% CI 194 fewer to 60 more) re-dislocations after immobilisation in external rotation. Thus this result covers the possibility of a benefit for each intervention.Individually, the four studies (380 participants) reporting on validated patient-reported outcome measures for shoulder instability at a minimum of 12 months' follow-up found no evidence of a clinically important difference between the two interventions.We are uncertain of the relative effects of the two methods of immobilisation on resumption of pre-injury activities or sports. One study (169 participants) found no evidence of a difference between interventions in the return to pre-injury activity of the affected arm. Two studies (135 participants) found greater return to sports in the external rotation group in a subgroup of participants who had sustained their injury during sports activities.None of the trials reported on participant satisfaction or health-related quality of life.We are uncertain whether there is a difference between the two interventions in the number of participants experiencing instability, defined as either re-dislocation or subluxation (RR 0.84, 95% CI 0.62 to 1.14; 395 participants, 3 studies; very low certainty evidence).Data on adverse events were collected only in an ad hoc way in the seven studies. Reported "transient and resolved adverse events" were nine cases of shoulder stiffness or rigidity in the external rotation group and two cases of axillary rash in the internal rotation group. There were three "important" adverse events: hyperaesthesia and moderate hand pain; eighth cervical dermatome paraesthesia; and major movement restriction between 6 and 12 months. It was unclear to what extent these three events could be attributed to the treatment.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS
The available evidence from randomised trials is limited to that comparing immobilisation in external versus internal rotation. Overall, the evidence is insufficient to draw firm conclusions about whether immobilisation in external rotation confers any benefit over immobilisation in internal rotation.Considering that there are several unpublished and ongoing trials evaluating immobilisation in external versus internal rotation, the main priority for research on this question consists of the publication of completed trials and the completion and publication of ongoing trials. Meanwhile, evaluation of other interventions, including rehabilitation, is warranted. There is a need for sufficiently large, good-quality, well-reported randomised controlled trials with long-term follow-up. Future research should aim to determine the optimal immobilisation duration, precise indications for immobilisation, optimal rehabilitation interventions, and the acceptability of these different interventions.


Related to the increasing attention to socalled Egyptian revolutionary graffiti, one can also observe the appearance of "Rebel-Documentaries", focusing on a similar group of protagonists: young, mostly male (graffiti) artists and revolutionaries. In this article, I will take a closer look at a selection of these documentaries and their inherent power structures that frame the representational mechanics with a focus on the western notion of "the revolutionary rebel". The case examples are: Abdo–Coming of Age in a Revolution (Jakob Gross, 2015); Art War (Marco Wilms, 2014); Al Midan–The Square (Jehane Noujaim, 2013); and The Noise of Cairo–Art, Cairo and Revolution (Heiko Lange, 2012). All four focus on the role and the supposedly "free, rebellious spirit" of the young generation in Egypt. Although taking different perspectives, the films sketch out a snap shot of a generation that is caught in an ongoing violent revolutionary process by (re)presenting a specific rebellious Egyptian identity. In discussing the works, I will look at different intertwined representational effects that are related to the composition, realization and commercialization of the films. Finally, the article raises questions about the self-positionality of the protagonists as well as to the localization of the films, and the existence of embedded power structures and symbolic capital complicit with neoliberal and other pressures.


OBJECTIVE
To examine the potential role of high mobility group box chromosomal protein 1 (HMGB-1) in the pathogenesis of arthritis.

METHODS
Mice were injected intraarticularly with 1 microg or 5 microg of HMGB-1. Joints were dissected on days 4, 7, and 28 after injection and were evaluated histopathologically and immunohistochemically. To investigate the importance of different white blood cell populations for the development of arthritis, in vivo cell depletion procedures were performed. In addition, spleen cells were cultured in the presence of HMGB-1, and nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB) activation was detected by electrophoretic mobility shift assay.

RESULTS
Injection of recombinant HMGB-1 (rHMGB-1) into different mouse strains resulted in an overall frequency of arthritis in 80% of the animals. The inflammation was characterized by mild to moderate synovitis and lasted for at least 28 days. The majority of cells found in the inflamed synovium were Mac-1+ macrophages, whereas only a few CD4+ lymphocytes were detected. Pannus formation was observed in some cases 7 and 28 days after HMGB-1 injection. No significant differences were found with respect to incidence and severity of arthritis between mice depleted of monocytes, granulocytes, or lacking T/B lymphocytes. However, combined removal of monocytes and neutrophils resulted in a 43% lower incidence of arthritis. Mice rendered deficient in the interleukin-1 (IL-1) receptor did not develop inflammation upon challenge with HMGB-1. In vitro data corroborate this finding, showing that rHMGB-1 activated NF-kappaB, a major pathway leading to IL-1 production.

CONCLUSION
Our results indicate that HMGB-1 is not a mere expression of inflammatory responses, but on its own, it triggers joint inflammation by activating macrophages and inducing production of IL-1 via NF-kappaB activation.


Introduction: Breast cancer (BrCa) ranks second in both incidence and cancer deaths for women in the USA. Recent advances have revealed a significant contribution of chemokines and their receptors in tumor growth, survival after chemotherapy, and organ-specific metastasis. CXCR7 is the latest CXC-chemokine receptor implicated in BrCa growth. It is endogenously over expressed in BrCa, but its mechanism of tumor growth enhancement is still not clearly defined. CXCR7 heterodimerizes with CXCR4 and binds to SDF-1 (CXCL12) and CXCL11. No direct ligand mediated physiological action has been implicated for CXCR7 in BrCa other than facilitating CXCR4-mediated cell motility, however, studies in other cancers have implicated CXCR7 in cell proliferation, anti-apoptotic activity and cell-cell adhesion. The expression pattern of CXCR7 in BrCa tissues and its potential contribution in BrCa cell proliferation and survival were investigated in representative BrCa cell lines using knock down and knock-in experiments. Results: CXCR7 was only expressed in ER-α positive BrCa cells (e.g., MCF-7) and was not found in BrCa cells with known metastatic potential (MDA-MB231 and SKBr3). Depletion of CXCR7 in MCF-7 BrCa cells by both siRNA and shRNA decreased cell proliferation and caused cell cycle arrest. Since CXCR7 is an atypical G-protein coupled receptor where ligand activation does not elicit conventional intracellular signaling, we hypothesized that CXCR7 regulates BrCa proliferation through interaction with EGFR or activating other potential targets of MAP-kinase activation. CXCR7 depletion reduced site-specific phosphorylation of EGFR at Tyrosine 1110 after EGF-stimulation. CXCR7 depletion also reduced phosphorylation of ERK-1/2, indicating a potentially direct interaction with mitogenic signaling in MCF-7 cells. We tested for direct interaction of CXCR7 with EGFR by co-immunoprecipitation and immunofluorescence studies. We found EGFR and CXCR7 co-immunoprecipitate and co-localize as demonstrated by confocal microscopy. Interestingly, our results also demonstrate CXCR7 and EGFR are co-localized before EGF stimulation. Further corroboration of CXCR7-EGFR interaction was established using the proximity ligation assay (PLA) technique that allowed us to visualize CXCR7-EGFR co-localization both in cell culture and in human normal and breast cancer tissue. Conclusion: This data demonstrates an important role for CXCR7 in BrCa growth and explores the mechanism of action of direct coupling of EGFR with CXCR7. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2012;72(24 Suppl):Abstract nr P5-07-01.


Constitutionalism has developed in the last two centuries almost exclusively in context of the state. Particularly, its categories and institutional solutions have been fashioned in respect to the functional concerns progressively assumed by the state form of government. In the current situation, a massive process of re-organization of the public space is taking place. States are outsourcing their functions to commonly established international or supranational agencies which often originate autonomous legal orders and, in some cases, even claim constitutional status. This paper advocates the idea that the monopoly on constitutionalism by the states may be considered an historical contingency and that the ideal inherent in constitutionalism - to achieve fundamental objectives by enabling and limiting political institutions - may be developed also in non-state contexts, originating autonomous constitutional spheres and doctrinal categories in the light of the functional concerns of post-national units. This paper tests this general thesis in respect to economic constitutionalism(s). After questioning the exclusively state-centered approaches to constitutionalism, a core of constitutional elements shared by the Italian (as a sample of the EU member states), the WTO and EU legal orders is singled out. The concept of Economic Constitutional Identity (ECI) is therefore introduced as the most appropriate device to investigate, according to the methodology of comparative law, the attitudes towards the economic issues of the legal orders at hand. Hence, the ECIs of Italy, the WTO and the EU are analyzed in detail by stressing in turn their divergent and convergent elements. On the basis of this more specific understanding of the characters of the ECIs, criteria for interpreting their interactions are provided in the light of the idea of benefiting from (rather than being concerned with) the uneasiness caused by their diversity.


In their article "Temperature Dependent Pulse Generator Dysfunction" that appeared in PACE, Vol. 4, p. 523, September, 1981, the authors state, "we find no prior discussion of this type of malfunction in the literature." A temperature-related pacemaker malfunction in the form of pacemaker tachycardia was observed by us (Temperature-Related Pacemaker Tachycardia, The Annais of Thoracic Surgery, 29:5, 478, May, 1980), and we are in full agreement with the authors that temperature dependent malfunctions should be considered in the evaluation of pulse generator failure. This letter is not concerned with priority in the literature, but is simply written to emphasize this particular point.


Study was conducted to know the socio-economic condition of the fishermen and intermediaries of fish marketing chain in Cox's Bazar area, Bangladesh. Socio-economic condition of the fishermen and intermediaries were not so good in the study area. It was found that about 35% fishermen and intermediaries were illiterate, 16% fishermen and intermediaries were semiliterate who only could write their names. 55% household of the fishermen and intermediaries had tin shed house with tin wall. Average income for most of fishermen and intermediaries was about Tk. 400-500 and 66% were found to borrow money from different source for continuing their business. Poor road and transport facilities, lack of credit facilities, insufficient supply of ice, inadequate training facilities and large number of intermediaries in the chain were the main problems of the marine fish marketing chain. It is therefore necessary to provide institutional and organizational support, government support, extension service and training facilities to the market operators for sustainable fish marketing systems. Asian J. Med. Biol. Res. March 2016, 2(1): 67-73


Biometrics-based authentication of subjects is widely deployed in several real-life applications. Among various biometric characteristics, the finger-vein characteristic has demonstrated both reliable and highly accurate authentications for access control in secured applications. However, most of these systems are based on commercial sensors, where the image-level data are not available for academic research. In this paper, we present the design and development of a low-cost finger-vein sensor based on a single camera that can capture finger-vein images from dorsal and ventral parts of the finger with high quality. The system consists of multiple near-infrared (NIR) light sources to illuminate the finger from both sides (left and right) and top. The camera in the sensor is also coupled with the custom designed physical structure to facilitate high reflectance of the emitted light and distribute the light uniformly on the finger to capture good-quality dorsal and ventral finger-vein patterns. Extensive experiments are carried out on the data captured using the developed sensor and benchmarked the performance with eight different state-of-the-art (SOTA) algorithms. The results on a large-scale finger-vein dataset demonstrate the need for illumination from both sides (left and right) and from the top of the finger, to capture finger-vein images with high quality that improves the verification performance.


This study demonstrates the utility of incorporating a life course, role context approach in investigations of the ties between particular roles and psychological well-being, using the links between women's caregiving and well-being as a case in point. We draw on panel data from a random sample of 293 women interviewed in 1956 and 1986, considering both current role occupancy and the duration of caregiving as well as a number of factors that may moderate the effects of caregiving on well-being. We find, using ordinary least squares regression, that the effects of caregiving on women's emotional health are moderated by their previous psychological well-being, with caregivers with high prior well-being reporting high subsequent well-being. Other moderators are previous social integration (in the form of religiosity and multiple-role involvements) and other nonfamily roles (worker and volunteer) currently occupied. What women bring to caregiving (in terms of their previous social integration and psychological well-being) shapes its significance for their emotional health. Moreover, the duration and timing of caregiving in women's lives also relate to its effects on their well-being. These findings point to the importance of examining the impacts of particular social roles, such as caregiving, in the context of other roles and resources.


The objective of this study is to enlarge the impact of microfluidics on the pharmaceutical industry by highlighting the reported scientific work on the synergistic relationship between zebrafish and microfluidics, and furthering that effort to shed light on how microfluidics can facilitate the use of zebrafish as a gene screening tool. Zebrafish is ranked the third most important animal model after rats and mice, according to a National Institutes of Health (NIH) announcement in 2003. It has become a staple for scientists to examine and subsequently begin to unravel the mystery of human diseases, and is increasingly used in toxicological studies for new drug development. The unique characteristics that this tiny fish possesses, including rapid growth rate, prodigious numbers of offspring, and eggs that develop outside the body, make it an invaluable genetic tool. Evidently, these advantages can be broadened with the addition of a properly designed microfluidic circuit. By means of the presented illustrations and demonstrated applications, the goal is to spark interest in the development of more novel microfluidic platform designs that can leverage the attributes of zebrafish and quickly come to commercial fruition.


Outpatient clinical decision support systems have had an inconsistent impact on key aspects of diabetes care. A principal barrier to success has been low use rates in many settings. Here, we identify key aspects of clinical decision support system design, content and implementation that are related to sustained high use rates and positive impacts on glucose, blood pressure and lipid management. Current diabetes clinical decision support systems may be improved by prioritizing care recommendations, improving communication of treatment‐relevant information to patients, using such systems for care coordination and case management and integrating patient‐reported information and data from remote devices into clinical decision algorithms and interfaces.


The fluorescent probes 5-dimethylaminonaphthalene-1-sulfonamide and dansylsarcosine function as specific markers for two distinct binding sites for anionic drugs on human serum albumin (HSA). The binding of drugs to site I or II was detected by measuring the displacement of these probes. The results give an indication of some of the structural features required for binding at these sites. Stearic acid binding to HSA induced different conformational changes in the albumin at sites I and II, which were detected by changes in the fluorescence and/or strength of binding of probes specific for the two sites. This provides further evidence for qualitative differences between the two sites. The specificity of the sites for particular drugs, even at high drug to albumin ratios, was established, and the specificity and characteristics of the two sites on human adult and neonatal sera were shown to be similar to those on crystalline HSA.


ABSTRACT In the summer of 2016, around 30 French cities banned the burkini—swimwear used by Muslim women that covers the entire body and head—from public beaches. French authorities supported the ban by claiming that the burkini was unhygienic, a uniform of Islamic extremism, and a symbol of women's oppression. Muslim head-coverings, including the burkini, are religious objects whose materiality points to complex semantic meanings often mediated in Internet discourses. Through a qualitative analysis of visual and textual narratives against the burkini ban circulated by Muslim women, this article looks at the way digital media practices help counteract stereotypes and gain control of visual representations. Muslim women focus on two main topics: 1) they challenge the idea of Muslims being 'aggressors' by describing the burkini as a comfortable swimsuit not connected with terrorism; 2) they refuse to be considered 'victims' by showing that the burkini holds different meanings that do not necessarily entail women's submission. Muslim women's digital narratives positively associate the materiality of the burkini with safety and freedom and focus on secular values rather than religious meanings.


Background Despite the realisation that rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease there is still considerable interest in the idea that widespread dissemination of synovial fibroblasts with "transformed" characteristics may play a role in polyarticular joint destruction. An animal model indicated that fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS) implanted in one location next played a role in cartilage destruction at remote sites with the circulation the most likely conduit(1). In man FLS are thought to be derived from multipotential mesenchymal stromal stem cells (MSCs) and whilst circulating MSCs have been reported in animal models, this is more contentious in man. Objectives To use simultaneous superficial and deep venous blood in cases undergoing orthopaedic skeletal manipulation of long bones (lower extremity) prior to definitive stabilisation to explore the basis for potential MSC circulation in skeletal injury, health and RA. Methods Deep (femoral) and matched anticubital vein blood was collected from 36 patients undergoing lower limb orthopaedic procedures. Peripheral blood was also taken from 11 early RA cases (EULAR/ACR criteria) and 12 healthy controls. CFU-F assays were performed on all samples. Cytometric phenotyping and molecular characterisation of genes related to osteo-, chondro- and adipo-genesis were undertaken. To exclude the possibility that CFU-Fs obtained from peripheral vein were merely syringe-trapped fibroblasts, control skin fibroblasts were also used in the molecular analysis. Results 17/36 femoral vein samples contained CFU-Fs but only 6/59 peripheral vein samples (p=0.0002). Only orthopaedic cases showed peripheral blood MSC circulation which often, but not exclusively, were associated with concomitant presence in the femoral vein. In the 17 femoral vein samples with CFU-Fs their mean frequency was 0.00001% of MNCs. The frequency was higher when sampling post manipulation compared to before/during (9.7x10–8 compared to 3.1x10–8 in femoral vein, 4.0x10–8 compared to 1.2x109 in the periphery). We confirmed the MSC nature of the CFU-Fs by expansion and phenotype: CD105/CD73/CD90 positivity and CD19/CD31/CD33/CD34/CD45/CD61 negativity. Their molecular profiles were typical of MSCs with 39/80 genes (including ALPL, COL1A1, POU5F1, NGFR, SPARC, SOX9) showing similarity across multiple MSC tissue controls (iliac crest and femoral marrow-, cortical bone-, periosteum- and adipose-derived MSCs) and neither had profiles that suggested they represented fibroblasts from dermis. Conclusions There is no evidence that MSCs circulate in early RA. Although MSCs are present in deep veins their presence appears to be, at least in part, linked to skeletal manipulation. Their numbers are so low that a biological role seems unlikely. Biophysical micro-damage to the trabecular vascular architecture, permitting circulation, is a likely explanation. These findings challenge the idea that circulating MSCs or their progeny play a role in early RA or other autoimmune diseases and also challenges the idea that intravenous injection of MSCs with "homing" to sites of injury is a valid strategy since physiological MSC circulation does not occur naturally to a significant degree. References Nat Med. 2009;15(12):1414 Disclosure of Interest None declared


We study the distortion of optical beams that is due to the combined effects of strong self-focusing and three- and four-photon absorption, a situation that exists, for example, in the polydiacetylene bis-paratoluene sulfonate (PTS). The characteristic nonlinear distances were defined for each process. Theoretical analysis of the beam propagation leads to two distinct limits, one limit dominated by self-focusing and the other by higher-order absorption. Propagation was studied analytically and numerically for cw and pulsed beams in these two limits and for cases in which both nonlinear effects are important. It was found that beam distortion caused by multiphoton absorption and refraction leads to situations in which diffraction plays an important role, even for input beams whose diffraction length is much larger than the sample length. It was concluded that, for the typical intensities used in Z-scan measurements, nonlinear processes and diffraction contribute simultaneously to beam distortion and must be taken into account.


Conducted in a framework which embodies tax-shifting opportunities, risk of losses and possibility of interjurisdictional loss-offset, this paper investigates a reform of multijurisdictional enterprises taxation, a move from Separate Accounting to Formulary Apportionment. Findings are summarised in a series of propositions on the strategic behaviour of enterprises and authorities. Under Separate Accounting, tax-shifting opportunities reduce investment in the lower-taxing jurisdiction, tax sensitivity of investment and tax competition. Moving to Formulary Apportionment eliminates such opportunities, pushing the economy in the opposite direction. Permitting the firm to compensate losses among affiliates allows it to benefit from a tax-shifting and insurance device.


In this work, a record power conversion efficiency of 8.40% was obtained in single-component organic solar cells (SCOSCs) based on double-cable conjugated polymers. This is realized based on the finding that exciton separation plays the same important role as charge transport in SCOSCs. Herein, we designed two double-cable conjugated polymers with almost the identical conjugated backbones and electron-withdrawing side units, but the extra chlorine (Cl) atoms had different positions on the conjugated backbones. We found that, when Cl atoms were positioned at the main chains, the polymer formed the twist backbones, enabling better miscibility with the naphthalene diimide side units. This could improve the interface contact between conjugated backbones and side units, resulting in efficient conversion of excitons into free charges. These observations were confirmed by systematical studies via several advanced measurements. These findings reveal the importance of charge generation process in SCOSCs and also suggest a strategy to improve this process, that is, controlling the miscibility between conjugated backbones and aromatic side units in double-cable conjugated polymers.


MOTONEURON At the termination of every reflex arc we find a final neurone, the ultimate conductive link to an effector organ, gland, or muscle. This last link in the chain—e. g., the motoneurone-differs obviously in one important respect from the first link in the chain. It does not subserve exclusively impulses generated at one single receptive source alone, but receives impulses from many receptive sources situate in many and various regions of the body. Thus in 1904 Sherrington1described the "final common path" of nervous impulses from anterior horn cell in the spinal cord to motor end plate in the striated muscle. On his work depends most of the knowledge of the reflex function of cord and muscle, and recent work is largely elaboration of what he began. During the last two years several important discoveries have been made in this field. In the first place, Elliott2has


For decades risk assessment has been an important tool in risk management of activities in several industries world wide. It provides among others, authorities and stakeholders with a sound basis for creating awareness about existing and potential hazards and risks and making decisions related to how they can prioritise and plan expenditures on risk reduction. The overall goal of the ongoing HySafe project is to contribute to the safe transition to a more sustainable development in Europe by facilitating the safe introduction of hydrogen technologies and applications. An essential element in this is the demonstration of safety: that all safety aspects related to production, transportation and public use are controlled to avoid that introducing hydrogen as energy carrier should pose unacceptable risk to the society. History has proven that introducing risk analysis to new industries is beneficial, e.g. in transportation and power production and distribution. However, this will require existing methods and standards to be adapted to the specific applications. Furthermore, when trying to quantify risk, it is of utmost importance to have access to relevant accident and incident information. Such data may in many cases not be readily available, and the utilisation of them will then require specific and long lasting data collection initiatives. In this paper we will present the work that has been undertaken in the HySafe project in developing methodologies and collecting data for risk management of hydrogen infrastructure. Focus is laid on the development of risk acceptance criteria and on the demonstration of safety and benefits to the public. A trustworthy demonstration of safety will have to be based on facts, especially on facts widely known, and emphasis will thus be put on the efforts taken to establish and operate a database containing hydrogen accident and incident information, which can be utilised in risk assessment of hydrogen applications. A demonstration of safety will also have to include a demonstration of risk control measures, and the paper will also present work carried out on safety distances and ignition source control.


There has been much interest in the Si-based strained technology lately. The improvement of strained-Si device performance is due to the enhancement of the mobility, so the further study on mobility is essential in both theory and practice aspects. In this paper, an analytical model of the electron mobility of strained-Si material, such as biaxial tensile strained-Si material grown on relaxed Si1-xGex (0≤x≤0.6) substrates, as a function of strain and different orientations is obtained. The results show that the electron mobilities for [100] and [010] orientations increase rapidly with increasing Ge fraction x, and there is no electron mobility enhancement for [001] orientation in comparison to relaxed Si material.


The dynamics of belowground net primary productivity (BNPP) is of fundamental importance in understanding carbon (C) allocation and storage in grasslands. However, our knowledge of the interannual variability in response of BNPP to ongoing global warming is limited. In this study, we explored temporal responses of BNPP and net primary productivity (NPP) partitioning to warming and clipping in a tallgrass prairie in Oklahoma, USA. Infrared heaters were used to elevate soil temperature by approximately 2 °C since November 1999. Annual clipping was to mimic hay harvest. On average from 2005 to 2009, warming increased BNPP by 41.89% in the unclipped subplots and 66.93% in the clipped subplots, with significant increase observed in wet years. Clipping also had significant positive impact on BNPP, which was mostly found under warming. Overall, fBNPP, the fraction of BNPP to NPP, increased under both warming and clipping treatments, more in dry years. Water availability (either precipitation or soil moisture) was the most limiting factor for both BNPP and fBNPP. It strongly dominated the interannual variability in NPP, fBNPP, and their responses to warming and clipping. Our results suggest that water availability regulates tallgrass prairie's responses to warming and land use change, which may eventually influence the global C cycle. With increasing variability in future precipitation patterns, warming effects on the vegetation in this region may become less predictable.


Abstract The aim of this paper is to present the Euskara Bariazioan/Basque in Variation (BiV) database, a project launched by the Basque and Beyond (Bas&Be) research group. This open-access online database, available in both Basque and English versions, is intended to facilitate research on Basque morphosyntactic features that show cross-dialectal variation. Based on data obtained from questionnaires, the BiV provides the user with a description of each feature together with illustrative examples, and accompanies each entry with a map graphically depicting the distribution of variation. The resulting fine-grained picture of the distribution of morphosyntactic phenomena across Basque varieties has the ultimate goal of improving our understanding of the systematicities and connections that underlie variation. Thanks to its user-friendly format, the database can be used easily by anyone who is interested in Basque morphosyntax in particular and cross-linguistic variation in general. The results obtained thus far show that while some features have the same distribution across Basque varieties as that previously reported, others are spreading and thus have a wider geographical presence than has been described in the literature.


Introduction: The Digital Revolution. Unit I: DIGITAL CONTENT. Digital Basics. Digital Sound. Bitmap Graphics. Vector Graphics. Digital Video. Lab: The Digital World with Eyes Shut. Unit II: DIGITAL DEVICES. Device Basics. Device Options. Processors and Memory. Storage. Input and Output. Lab: What's Going on in There? Unit III: NETWORKS. Network Basics. The Internet. Internet Access. Local Area Networks. File Sharing. Lab: Hack Your Net. Unit IV: THE WEB. Web Basics. Browsers. HTML. HTTP. 270. Search Engines. Lab: Design Your Home Page. UnitV: SOCIAL MEDIA. Social Networking. Content Communities. Blogs and More. Online Communication. Social Media Values. Lab: Analyze Me. Unit VI: SOFTWARE. Software Basics. Operating Systems. Apps and Applications. Productivity Software. File Management Utilities. Lab: Put Your File Ducks in a Row. Unit VII: DIGITAL SECURITY. Unauthorized Use. Malware. Online Intrusions. Interception. Social Engineering. Lab: Chrome Lockdown. Unit VIII: THE ICT INDUSTRY. ICT Industry Basics. The Computer Industry. The Telecom Industry. Tech Careers. ICT Laws and Ethics. Lab: Perfect Your Profile. Unit IX: INFORMATION SYSTEMS. Information System Basics. Enterprise Applications. Systems Analysis. Design and Implementation. System Security. Lab: Decisions. Decisions. Decisions. Unit X: DATABASES. Database Basics. Database Tools. Database Design. SQL. Big Data. Lab: SQL. Unit XI: PROGRAMMING. Program Development. Programming Tools. Procedural Programming. Object-Oriented Code. Declarative Programming. Lab: Tunnels and Dragons. Bonus Unit: TRY IT! PROGRAMMING WITH PYTHON (TM). Hello World Python (TM) Style. Wacky Word Game. Build Your Own Calculator. Ask the Computer. Race Game. Glossary. Index. Answers.


Background: Pulmonary tuberculosis has high prevalence rate in developing country including Indonesia. Indonesia had been performed prevention strategy of pulmonary tuberculosis known as DOTS (directly observed treatment short course) that consists of 1) political commitment, 2) case detection by bacteriology, 3) supervision and patient support, 4) drug supply and evaluation. Conversion rate is percentage of positive acid fast bacillus become negative after two months of intensive phase. Goal: The objective of this study is to know about the influence of supervision tuberculosis drug consume implementation that consists of precence of supervisor tuberculosis drug, drug consume obedience, control obedience and appropriate dose consume toward conversion of acid fast bacillus. Methode: Design of this study is retrospective cross sectional. This study need 61 sample of tuberculosis patient in DOTS clinic RSUP dr Kariadi that have criteria inclusion pulmonary tuberculosis with positive acid fast bacillus. Statistical analysis to identify the influence of implementation TB drug consume supervision was performed by using chi square or fisher exact test, then continued with multivariate analysis when p value < 0.25. Result: A total 61 individuals were included in this study, male 34 (55.7%) female 27 (44.3%) and age 44±17. Bivariate analysis of control obedience p<0.001 and drug consume obedience p=0.001 those variable analyze with multivariate are p=0.998 and p=0.999. Presence of supervisor p=0.669 and appropriate dose of tuberculosis drug cannot analyzed because the result is constant. Conclusion: Control obedience and drug consume obedience have significancy difference toward conversion with bivariate analysis, analyze with multivariate, both have no significancy. Presence of supervisor and appropriate dose of tuberculosis drug both have no significancy toward conversion of positive acid fast bacillus. Keyword: DOTS, supervision therapy, pulmonary tuberculosis, conversion rate


This paper presents a thermal analysis device, which can measure thermal conductivity of picoliter scale liquid sample. We employ the three omega method with a microfabricated AC thermal sensor with nanometer width heater. The liquid sample is confined by a micro-well structure fabricated on the sensor surface. The performance of the instrument was verified by measuring the thermal conductivity of 27-picoliter samples of de-ionized (DI) water, ethanol, methanol, and DI water-ethanol mixtures with accuracies better than 3%. Furthermore, another analytical scheme allows real-time thermal conductivity measurement with 5% accuracy. To the best of our knowledge, this technique requires the smallest volume of sample to measure thermal property ever.


Purpose: This review will describe the basic concepts of economic evaluation, using examples from the ophthalmic literature. The aim is to provide readers with knowledge about the fundamentals of economic evaluation to enable them to read papers critically, make healthcare funding and planning decisions, and understand the economic evaluation of interventions. Review: Ophthalmic services are often constrained by a lack of funding, and this is true in both high- and low-income countries. Ophthalmology also competes with other healthcare specialities for funding. Economic evaluation is used to identify the most efficient way of allocating and planning the use of these scarce resources among alternative activities. An economic evaluation is typically conducted by comparing two or more interventions in terms of their effectiveness and their cost. Cost is the value of all resources used in the intervention. Effects, or consequences of the intervention, can be measured in monetary terms, through disease-specific outcomes or using health-related quality of life measures. The four most commonly used types of economic evaluations are cost-minimization analysis, cost-benefit analysis, cost-effectiveness analysis and cost-utility analysis. There are a variety of intended and unintended consequences of a health intervention, and so the consequences of the intervention may be positive or negative. Economic models, such as decision trees and Markov models, calculate effectiveness and costs, taking into account all the consequences of the intervention, including complications. Uncertainties in the parameters of the models can be expressed through sensitivity analyses and confidence intervals. Conclusions: Economic evaluation may be used to identify the most efficient way of allocating scarce resources among alternative activities. Its use, if standardized in all areas, can improve the quality of care while enhancing efficiency and thereby enabling more programs to be funded.


Mucosal delivery of recombinant adenovirus serotype 5 (rAd5)-based vaccine preparations are appealing for vaccine development in terms of lowering toxicity induced by high viral loads and substantial liver accumulation following systemic injection of the vaccine. However, this mode of delivery is currently under-developed due to the relatively low T-cell mediated immune responses generated against the encoded transgene. The first study described in this thesis demonstrated that sublingual immunization induces rapid migration of MHCII+, CD11C+ antigen presenting cells to the delivery site and elicit antigen-specific T and B cell-mediated immune responses in naive mice and those with pre-existing immunity (PEI) to Ad5 at a level higher than that achieved after oral immunization. More importantly, this strategy improved protection of animals with PEI to Ad in contrast to poor protection after IM injection. The second study was designed to establish a method for inducing PEI that most accurately reflects natural infection in rodents and identifies the immunologic parameters elicited by rAd5-based Ebola vaccine necessary for protection against lethal infection. When immunization occurred by the same route in which PEI was induced, the antigen-specific multifunctional CD8+ T cell and antibody responses were significantly reduced. This correlated with poor survival after challenge with a lethal dose of Ebola Zaire in rodents. The data suggests that 1) establishment of PEI by the same route used for immunization is the most stringent test for a novel formulation designed to be effective in those with PEI to Ad5, and 2) for a formulation to be effective in those with PEI, it must be capable of restoring antigen-specific multifunctional CD8+ T cell and antibody responses, compromised by PEI. The third study screened novel formulations for their ability to improve in vitro transduction efficiency and immunogenicity and efficacy in vivo in the presence of anti-Ad5 neutralizing antibodies. Formulations consisting of pharmaceutically acceptable, non-immunogenic excipients that can prime the arms of immune response compromised by PEI improved survival after lethal challenge with Ebola Zaire challenge for rAd5-based Ebola vaccine in rodents with PEI. Taken together, these studies provide insight on how to reconstitute necessary immune responses in vaccine protocols by establishing a reliable PEI model in rodents, testing routes of administration, and formulations of the rAd5-based Ebola vaccine.


This report outlines the research and work performed to lay the foundation for the development of a New Jersey Interagency Emergency Management Plan. The research into existing practices within the four state level transportation agencies reveals that the agencies continue to practice silo style management to operate the state roadway network. Interagency communications is minimal and lacks protocols. The agencies operate individual roadways but fail to operate the road network. A new paradigm to operate the road network is warranted. Agencies must consider the impacts on other roadways prior to taking action. Real time communications and inter-agency coordination would enhance operation along the routes.


The current debate in the USA over professional 'ownership' of acupuncture, as detailed in the linked paper by Zhou et al 1 and reflected by the recent position paper from the American Academy of Medical Acupuncture (http://www.medicalacupuncture.org/ForPhysicians/AbouttheAAMA/AAMAPositionStatement), is in stark contrast to the diverse, multidisciplinary approach that is flourishing in the UK. Dispelling the myths of physiotherapy (physical therapy) led acupuncture is a task that is long overdue. Perhaps the argument "why physiotherapists should not deliver acupuncture" should be reframed "why not physiotherapists (or other healthcare professionals who are not physicians)?". Chartered physiotherapists are placed at the forefront of modern healthcare, with >55 000 currently practising in the UK.2 As professionally regulated and autonomous healthcare professionals, there is huge opportunity for physiotherapists to deliver acupuncture as part of mainstream healthcare for patient benefit.

Western medical acupuncture (WMA) practice by physiotherapists and other healthcare professionals in the UK and internationally has substantially increased in the last decade. The Acupuncture Association of Chartered Physiotherapists (AACP) was established in 1984 and membership is currently >6500,3 double that of any other UK acupuncture organisation. Physiotherapists also contribute to the membership of the British Medical Acupuncture Society. Collectively, physiotherapists are the largest professional group of acupuncture providers in the UK and are arguably leading the way in bringing acupuncture into mainstream healthcare.

Physiotherapists have typically completed 3–4-year professional degrees, including extensive training in anatomy, physiology, pathology, and diagnostics. This provides an excellent foundation for learning acupuncture at an advanced level. Physiotherapy uses a holistic approach to patient care, which complements theories underpinning acupuncture. Most UK physiotherapists choose to study/practise WMA. Some complete masters degrees in acupuncture and a small proportion choose to study dry needling (DN) only.

As one example, AACP education/training of physiotherapists in WMA is provided at an advanced (masters degree) level. …


Our common image of the Middle Ages, constructed partly from popular accounts by Tuchman and Huizinga, is a period in European history when cultural activity was in decay. Van Oostrom convincingly challenges this notion by presenting evidence of a lively medieval court culture in the northern Netherlands. Not only is this a new chapter in Dutch literary and cultural history, it also provides a new perspective on the larger court culture of medieval Europe. Van Oostrom interweaves dynastic history, documentary evidence, art, architecture, and literature in his analysis of the medieval Dutch court. In expanding our knowledge of the period, this exemplary work confronts fundamental questions of how cultures shape themselves and how we can effectively reconstruct and define the past.


This essay uses an approach borrowed from environmental history to investigate the interaction of science and nature in a late twentieth‐century controversy. This debate, over the proper response to fire ants that had been imported into the American South accidentally and then spread across the region, pitted Rachel Carson and loosely federated groups of conservationists, scientists, and citizens against the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The analysis falls into three sections: an examination of the natural history of the ants; an examination of the views of the competing factions; and an examination of how those views, transformed into action, affected the natural world. Both sides saw the ants in terms of a constellation of beliefs about the relationship between nature, science, and democracy. As various ideas were put into play, they interacted with the natural history of the insects in unexpected ways—and with consequences for the cultural authority of the antagonists. Combining insights from the history of science and environmental history helps explain how scientists gain and lose cultural authority and, more fundamentally, allows for an examination of how nature can be integrated into the history of science.


The insight upon which this article is built is that the common structures of these two legal regimes create incentives toward destroying the resources they seek to protect. The shift from legal freedom to exploit resources to strict limitation on property modification and the lengthy and public process to designate or list specific resources for protection provide the motive and the opportunity to legally frustrate the application of the statutes. This article seeks to understand how these perverse incentives are created and how they can be lessened. The procedural and substantive provisions of both legal regimes have evolved to reduce the perverse incentives created by the formal precipice character of the regulatory structure.Part I describes each regulatory regime and specifies the ways the regimes create incentives to destroy the resources they aim to protect. Part I also reviews the literature identifying such perverse incentives and what is known about the incidence of actual destruction. Part II addresses actual and suggested changes to the procedures for designation or listing the resources, while Part III looks at substantive changes in the laws that may have the purpose or effect of moderating negative incentives. Finally, part IV concludes by considering the extent to which accommodation reforms further, or compromise, the values that historic preservation and biodiversity laws advance.


Groundwater pollution has been reported in many aquifers because of high concentration of nitrate which is the result of excessive use of fertilizers to crop land. Systematic sampling was done, with a view to understand the source of nitrate concentration . 100 sample sites were selected and the samples were taken for a baseline study to understand the geochemistry of the study area and to assess its physicochemical characteristics. The water quality parameters were investigated for pre-monsoon (January 2011) and were compared with the standard values given by ICMR / WHO. The hydrochemical data of 100 samples indicates that the concentration of almost all parameters fall within the permissible limits expert nitrate. Linear Trend Analysis on seasonal basis clearly depicted that nitrate pollution in the study area is increasing significantly. None of the samples during the samples during pre-monsoon season were showing a high concentration of nitrate, exceeding permissible limits of WHO (50 mg /l), which is due to the use of nitrogenous fertilizer in the study area. Appropriate methods for improving the water quality and its management in the affected area have been suggested.


Number Sense Numerosity perception resembles primary sensory perception and, indeed, it has been called the number sense. As all primary senses are organized topographically in the cortex, Harvey et al. (p. 1123) tested the hypothesis that numerosity is also organized topographically. Applying ultrahighfield functional brain scanning and using custom-designed analysis, they confirmed that a topographical numerosity map occurs in the human parietal cortex, which displays conventional characteristics, such as a systematic relationship between the cortical location's preferred numerosity and cortical magnification and tuning width. There is a map of numerical magnitude in the human brain. Numerosity, the set size of a group of items, is processed by the association cortex, but certain aspects mirror the properties of primary senses. Sensory cortices contain topographic maps reflecting the structure of sensory organs. Are the cortical representation and processing of numerosity organized topographically, even though no sensory organ has a numerical structure? Using high-field functional magnetic resonance imaging (at a field strength of 7 teslas), we described neural populations tuned to small numerosities in the human parietal cortex. They are organized topographically, forming a numerosity map that is robust to changes in low-level stimulus features. The cortical surface area devoted to specific numerosities decreases with increasing numerosity, and the tuning width increases with preferred numerosity. These organizational properties extend topographic principles to the representation of higher-order abstract features in the association cortex.


What harms and consequences do patients experience after a medical data breach? This article aims at the improvement of privacy impact analysis for data breaches that involve personal medical data. The article has two major findings. First, scientific literature does not mention consequences and harms to the data subjects when discussing data breaches in the healthcare sector. For conceptualizing actual documented harm, we had to search court rulings and popular press articles instead. We present the findings of our search for empirically founded harms in the first part of the article. Second, we present a modified PRIAM assessment method with the goal of better assessment of harms and consequences of such data breaches for the patient/employee data subject in healthcare. We split the risk assessment into parallel categories of assessment rather than calculating a single risk score. In addition, we quantify the original PRIAM categories into a calculus for risk assessment. The article presents our modified PRIAM which is the result of these modifications. Our overall contribution is the collection of actual harms and consequences of e-health data breaches that complement the overly theoretical discussion in publications. With our operationalization of PRIAM and by providing a catalog of real harms examples, we focus privacy impact assessment on actual harms to persons.


A review of existing literature indicates a lack of research regarding mental health service provision and therapeutic work with unaccompanied refugee young people, despite studies suggesting numerous concerns and challenges. Furthermore, reviews of mental health service provision for this group point to the need for more research in this area to inform and improve practice. Given the paucity of research, the present study aimed to explore therapists' accounts of therapeutic work with unaccompanied refugee young people. A social constructionist grounded theory approach was used to analyse data from nine semi-structured interviews carried out with therapists working with these children. Theoretical concepts were constructed to conceptualise a process of 'responding to children's needs' by balancing 'holding onto' and 'putting aside' models of therapy. These were interwoven with the following three categories: 'meeting children where they are', 'balancing boundaries' and 'managing positioning' in relation to unaccompanied children and the socio-political context of the therapeutic work.
The study drew on the analysis of the data to construct a grounded theory of processes occurring in participants' accounts of therapeutic work with unaccompanied children. Findings of the research suggest therapeutic work with this group presents challenges to therapists' roles, to available models of therapy and to managing complex emotional responses in relation to the socio-political context. Participants' responses to these challenges were conceptualised in an ongoing process of 'searching for a middle ground' within the complexities of the work. The findings are discussed with regard to existing literature about working with unaccompanied children and groups who share similar characteristics. Recommendations are made regarding professional practice, training needs and further research.


Sir.—The article by Venkataraman et al1described late infantile tetany and secondary hyperparathyroidism presumably due to the high phosphorus load in humanized cow milk formula. The letter from Bancroft2described an additional case of this type of late hypocalcemic tetany, and he wondered if other cases had been seen. I wish to report late-onset tetany with hypocalcemia and hyperphosphatemia in two sisters that was similar in course to that described by Venkataraman et al and Bancroft, but in which a significant factor was maternal hyperparathyroidism and hypercalcemia. Patient Reports.—Patient1.—A 2900-g female neonate, the product of an uncomplicated term pregnancy, labor, and delivery, was born to a gravida 3, para 3 mother. After an uneventful hospital course, she was discharged home on a regimen of a humanized cow milk formula (Similac, Ross Laboratories, Columbus, Ohio). When the neonate was 9 days old, the mother noted


Abstract Major, minor, and trace element abundances in titanite crystals from four granitic plutons in southern Yidun arc, SW China, have been determined using electron microprobe and laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. The selected plutons are the Cretaceous Xiuwacu (CXWC) pluton, with quartz vein-type Mo mineralization (economic-Mo), the Tongchanggou (TCG) pluton, with porphyry-type Mo mineralization (economic-Mo), the Triassic Pulang (PL) pluton, with porphyry-type Cu mineralization (subeconomic-Mo), and the Triassic Xiuwacu (TXWC) pluton, without any Mo mineralization (Mo-barren). Our study reveals that the chemical compositions of titanite crystals from these plutons such as REE, Sr, Ga, δEu, δCe, Fe2O3/Al2O3, halogens, and Mo can be used to track magma compositions, oxidation states, metal fertility, and crystallization history. The data from this study also show that titanite crystals from these plutons with different potential of Mo mineralization have similar Mo contents and exhibit an irregular variation between Mo and Sr abundances (indicating non-Mo enrichment in the residual melt during the progressive crystallization) for some Mo-mineralized plutons. Our new observations support the recent hypothesis that high initial Mo contents in magma and the enrichment of Mo in residual melts formed by fractional crystallization are not the only requirements to form a granite-related Mo ore deposit. Efficient extraction of the residual melts, possibly facilitated by high concentrations of magmatic F is also critical to the ore formation. Evidence for high-F concentration in felsic magma, which facilitates melt and fluid separation and economic Mo mineralization during magma evolution, may be traced by the presence of F-rich titanite crystals in the two Mo-mineralized granite plutons (CXWC and TCG). These new findings from this study confirm that titanite is indeed a good petrogenetic and metallogenic indicator. However, in light of the limited contribution of metal fertility to Mo mineralization, we suggest that titanite Mo concentrations should be used along with other crucial proxies, such as titanite F contents and Fe2O3/Al2O3 ratios to better evaluate the Mo-mineralized potential of granites.


Inflammation causes discomfort, suffering and lower productivity of the victims. Synthetic anti-inflammatory drugs are not readily available and have adverse side effects. Alternative herbal medicines possess bioactive compounds that are safer and efficient in the management of various diseases and disorders. The present study evaluated for the anti-inflammatory activity of methanolic extracts of Kigelia africana and Acacia hockii in mice to scientifically validate their traditional use among the Embu and Mbeere communities in Kenya. The plant samples were collected with the help of local herbalists in Embu County, Kenya and transported to Kenyatta University biochemistry and biotechnology laboratories for cleaning, air drying, milling, and extraction. Swiss albino mice of either sex were randomly divided into six groups of 5 animals each; normal control, negative control, positive control and three experimental groups. The anti-inflammatory activity was tested using carrageenan-induced hind paw edema method. The anti-inflammatory activity of the extracts was compared to reference drug diclofenac. The leaf extract of K. africana reduced inflamed hind paw diameter of mice by between 0.21%- 4.98% while the stem bark extract of A. hockii reduced inflamed hind paw diameter by between 0.6%-5.38%. The diclofenac reduced inflamed hind paw diameter by between 1.11%-4.9%. The qualitative phytochemical screening indicated the presence of saponins, flavonoid, alkaloids, terpenoids, phenolics, and cardiac glycosides. The present study demonstrated potent antiinflammatory activities of methanolic extracts of K. africana and A. hockii in a dose-dependent manner, which supports their traditional use. The present study, therefore, recommends the ethnomedicinal use of K. africana and A. hockii in the management of inflammation.


ABSTRACT Modern democracies are built around the idea of representation: the electorate is represented, and perhaps more importantly, should feel represented. Yet recent decades have been marked by a growing gap between citizens and the political system. The emergence of new, more direct communication channels such as social media gave rise to expectations that the two sides can be brought closer together. This study investigates whether a connection with politicians and parties via social media platforms can enhance citizens' feelings of being represented by a certain politician or party (dyadic representation), or by the entire parliament (collective representation). Our data come from a two-year panel study, covering four Israeli elections. Findings demonstrate that passive (receiving political information), but not active (producing political information) connection increases dyadic representation perceptions. Collective representation perceptions, by contrast, were not affected by either type of connection. Furthermore, our analysis does not demonstrate a reverse causal order; we did not find evidence supporting the idea that representation perceptions influence connection with politicians or parties. The upshot of our findings is that unidirectional communication between politicians and citizens on social media can foster citizens' feelings of being represented in the political arena and of closeness with the political elites. That said, such effects were obtained only with regard to dyadic representation and are therefore limited in scope. The study contributes to the ongoing theoretical debate concerning the complex relations between new technologies, citizens, and political elites.


With the modern high-energy linear accelerators, the following beam characteristics have to be taken into account in the monitor unit (MU) calculation of a wedged treatment: (i) the field size dependence of wedge factors; (ii) the changes in depth dose and maximum build-up depth (dmax) induced by wedges; and (iii) the field size dependence of dmax. The incorporation of a field size specific wedge factor in an MU calculation is straightforward. Effects (ii) and (iii) however, often cause confusion and inconsistency in the choices of the reference depth for wedge factors and the normalization depth for wedged depth dose, and consequently can lead to inconsistent MU calculation formalism with additional efforts of up to 7% in the delivered dose. In this note, we illustrate a derivation of an exact central axis MU calculation for wedged treatments, which correctly accounts for the effects mentioned above.


The article presents the results of studies on the effect of antioxidant beta-carotene and storage temperature on hydrolytic and oxidative processes occurring during storage of extra virgin olive oil obtained from olives grown in the soil and climatic conditions of Syria. The aim is to study the effect of temperature and beta-carotene on the kinetics of reactions of hydrolysis of triacylglycerides (TAG) and oxidation of free fatty acids (FFA) of olive oil during storage. The object of the study was extra virgin olive oil obtained from olives grown in the soil and climatic conditions of Syria according to the generally accepted technology (harvest 2019). Control sample No 1 (without the addition of antioxidant) and experimental samples with the addition of beta-carotene in the amount of 400 (No 2) and 600 mg/100 g (No 3) were stored at a temperature of 18 °C for 7 months. Oil sample No 4 without the addition of antioxidants was stored at 4 °C. In the samples under study, the acid value was periodically determined by the titration method, according to the change in which the formation of free fatty acids during the hydrolysis of TAG, as well as the peroxide value characterizing the formation of FFA oxidation products, was estimated. The organoleptic assessment of the oil quality indicators according to the studied descriptors was 5 points. The rate constants of TAG hydrolysis and oxidation of FFA in olive oil have been calculated. It has been shown that during the storage of experimental oil samples the hydrolytic and oxidative processes of TAG significantly slow down with the addition of the antioxidant beta-carotene. It was found that minimal changes in the content of TAG hydrolysis products and FFA oxidation during storage of olive oil at a temperature of + 18 °C are characteristic for samples containing 400 mg/L of beta-carotene and for oil samples stored at a temperature of + 4 °C without the addition of an antioxidant. Expiration dates of olive oil are substantiated depending on the dose of beta-carotene and storage temperature


Writing some 40 years ago, Carolyn Wood Sherif left a legacy of critical reflections on the fledgling field of feminist psychology. Here I read her work, not as a record of the past, but with an eye to the future. In the two works I consider in this essay, Sherif offered a scrutiny of the knowledge-producing practices and social relations of the psychology of her time, as well as an agenda for feminist research practice. I draw on Ludwik Fleck's sociology of science to reflect on Sherif's thoughts. For Fleck, scientific communities are thought collectives with characteristic styles of thinking that come to seem like objective reality. Sherif took issue with many thought styles of orthodox psychology, particularly the dicta that limited psychological inquiry to narrow space-time frameworks, thus erasing culture, history, and social structure. In addition, Sherif advocated for a critical consciousness of the institutional relations of psychology, in particular the ways that psychology buttressed and was buttressed by the military. Sherif's concerns remain urgent today. I urge readers to join epistemological debates and boundary-crossing conversations. I also call on readers to join with social critics in examining the discipline's place as a social institution.


These approximations are a tribute to Claudio Magris and his Itaca e oltre (1982), but also to Turin and to Salgari. I have attempted to push the boundaries of essay writing that, during the 1980s, was still about discovery, not scholarly archiving (or terminal editing): an essayistic form which did not shun away from drawing attention to itself, in a 'metacritical' and 'interdisciplinary' sense avant la lettre. I concentrated on a large school and said something about Marco Cerruti, with his Notizie di utopia (1985), and Pierpaolo Fornaro, whose critical narrative Trapassato presente. L'appropriazione psicologica dell'antico attraverso la narrativa moderna (1989) remains unsurpassed.


Human TFIIB, an essential factor in transcription of protein-coding genes by RNA polymerase II, consists of an amino-terminal zinc binding domain (TFIIBn) connected by a linker of about 60 residues to a carboxy-terminal core domain (TFIIBc). The TFIIB core domain has two internally repeated motifs, each comprising five alpha-helices arranged as in the cyclin box. Compared to the crystal structure of TFIIBc in complex with TBP and a TATA-containing oligonucleotide, the NMR-derived solution structure of free TFIIBc is more compact, with a different repeat-repeat orientation and a significantly shorter first helix in the second repeat. Analysis of backbone 15N relaxation parameters indicates the presence of relatively large amplitude, nanosecond time-scale motions in the TFIIBc interrepeat linker and structural fluctuations throughout the backbone. Interaction of TFIIBc with the acidic activation domain of VP16 or with TFIIBn induces 1H-15N chemical shift and line width changes concentrated in the first repeat, interrepeat linker and the first helix of the second repeat. These results suggest that TFIIB is somewhat pliable and that the conformation of the C-terminal core domain can be modulated by interaction with the N-terminal zinc binding domain. Furthermore, binding of the VP16 activation domain may promote TFIIBc conformations primed for binding to a TBP-DNA complex.


Previous studies have determined that information technology dominates numerous e-government projects; information and communications technology has been used mainly as a tool for enhancing the efficiency and service delivery of governments. Electronic government(e-government) should achieve public innovation goals, such as redesigning information relationships among stakeholders, enhancing citizen participation in the policymaking process, and reinforcing policy enforcement to create public value. These goals are more valuable, but also more complex, than the digitization of existing governmental processes. Therefore, this study focused on a crucial e-government service, the Taiwan taxation service, to determine whether, in the current era in which people depend highly on network tools to send and receive information, online services are suitable for taxpayers and how to improve the service process. In this study, service design tools were combined with a qualitative research method, and observation and individual interviews of participants were conducted to record their perceptions of the tax service process. The results of the study facilitate identifying gaps in the seemingly convenient and progressive tax service process of Taiwan, including insufficient information provision, complex website operation, inconsistent information classification with users' logic, the lack of complete and consistent service for one-stop windows, and difficult document content. The taxation authority should integrate all online taxation services to achieve the expected public service (one-stop egovernment window). This research facilitates relevant government agencies to provide effective egovernment services, identify problems, and modify service delivery processes.


Recent years have witnessed a focus on feeling as a topic of reinvigorated scholarly concern, described by theorists in a range of disciplines in terms of a "turn to affect." Surprisingly little has been said about this most recent shift in critical theorizing by philosophers, including feminist philosophers, despite the fact that affect theorists situate their work within feminist and related, sometimes intersectional, political projects. In this article, I redress the seeming elision of the "turn to affect" in feminist philosophy, and develop a critique of some of the claims made by affect theorists that builds upon concerns regarding the "newness" of affect and emotion in feminist theory, and the risks of erasure this may entail. To support these concerns, I present a brief genealogy of feminist philosophical work on affect and emotion. Identifying a reductive tendency within affect theory to equate affect with bodily immanence, and to preclude cognition, culture, and representation, I argue that contemporary feminist theorists would do well to follow the more holistic models espoused by the canon of feminist work on emotion. Furthermore, I propose that prominent affect theorist Brian Massumi is right to return to pragmatism as a means of redressing philosophical dualisms, such as emotion/cognition and mind/body, but suggest that such a project is better served by John Dewey's philosophy of emotion than by William James's.


ABSTRACT Boys and the buzzard in traditional rural areas in Lorraine. In connection with a Lorraine tale that explains 'why children do not walk when they are born', the author re-examines the context of rural society before industrialization and proposes to link the activities of young boys who go around with noise instruments in the Easter period, beliefs about animals, the concerns of women about care of the farmyard and babies learning to walk. The author's analysis of these various activities follows the approach of C. Lévi-Strauss. The chains of symbolic understanding thus exposed reveal the coherence and, to a certain extent, the strangeness of our older European societies, which are so close to us temporally and so far away in their attitudes.


PURPOSE
To verify iliolumbar ligament (ILL) location, to evaluate magnetic resonance (MR) imaging morphologic features for detecting lumbosacral transitional vertebrae (TVs) (LSTVs), and to determine whether transitional situations are associated with anomalous vertebral numbering.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Investigational review board approval was obtained for this HIPAA-compliant retrospective study. A review of 147 subjects was performed by using spine radiography as the reference standard to determine total and segmental vertebral count and transitional anatomy. Thoracolumbar TVs (TLTVs) and LSTVs were identified. The lumbosacral intervertebral disk angle (LSIVDA), defined as the angle between the endplates, was measured, S1-2 disk morphology was rated according to the classification by O'Driscoll et al, and the ILL level was determined from MR images. Statistical analysis was performed by using χ(2) tests for dichotomous and ordinal variables and the t test for continuous variables.

RESULTS
An anomalous total number of vertebrae were present in 12 (8.2%) of 147 subjects. The ILL was identified in 126 (85.7%) of 147 subjects and was present at L5 in 122 (96.8%) subjects; the remaining four (3.2%) subjects had an anomalous total number of vertebrae. A complete S1-2 intervertebral disk was associated with LSTVs (P = .004); however, LSIVDA was not (P = .2). TLTVs were present in six (4.1%) and LSTVs were present in 22 (15.0%) of 147 subjects. Both were present in four (2.7%) subjects. The presence of a TLTV was associated with a higher incidence of a concomitant LSTV and vice versa (P < .001; odds ratio [OR], 13.7; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.7, 68.4]). A TLTV was not associated with an anomalous total number of vertebrae (P = .46), but an LSTV was (P < .001; OR, 7.4; 95% CI: 2.2, 24.8).

CONCLUSION
The ILL denotes the lowest lumbar vertebra, which does not always represent L5. A well-formed, complete S1-2 intervertebral disk is associated with LSTVs, but alteration in LSIVDA is not. LSTVs are associated with anomalous vertebral numbering.


Biliary atresia is a rare neonatal disease of unknown etiology, where obstruction of the biliary tree causes severe cholestasis, leading to biliary cirrhosis and death in the first years of life, if the condition is left untreated. Biliary atresia is the most frequent surgical cause of cholestatic jaundice in neonates and should be evoked whenever this clinical sign is associated with pale stools and hepatomegaly. The treatment of biliary atresia is surgical and currently recommended as a sequence of, eventually, two interventions. During the first months of life a hepatoportoenterostomy (a "Kasai," modifications of which are discussed in this paper) should be performed, in order to restore the biliary flow to the intestine and lessen further damage to the liver. If this fails and/or the disease progresses towards biliary cirrhosis and life-threatening complications, then liver transplantation is indicated, for which biliary atresia represents the most frequent pediatric indication. Of importance, the earlier the Kasai is performed, the later a liver transplantation is usually needed. This warrants a great degree of awareness of biliary atresia, and the implementation of systematic screening for this life-threatening pathology.


Formulating a normative axiology for the treatment of extraterrestrial microscopic organisms, should they ever be found, requires an extension of environmental ethics to beyond the Earth. Using an ethical framework for the treatment of terrestrial micro-organisms, this paper elaborates a similar ethic for the treatment of extraterrestrial microscopic organisms. An ethic of 'teloempathy' allows for the moral considerability of any organism that has 'interests', based on rudimentary qualities of conativism, and therefore allows for an identical treatment of all life, related or not related to life on Earth. Although, according to this ethic, individual extraterrestrial microscopic organisms have a good of their own and even 'rights', at this level the ethic can only be theoretical, allowing for the inevitable destruction of many individual organisms during the course of human exploratory missions, similarly to the daily destruction of microbes by humans on Earth. A holistic teloempathy, an operative ethic, not only provides a framework for human exploration, but it also has important implications for planetary protection and proposals to implement planetary-scale atmospheric alterations on other bodies. Even prior to the discovery of extraterrestrial life, or the discovery of a complete absence of such life, this exercise yields important insights into the moral philosophy that guides our treatment of terrestrial micro-organisms.


The consumption of red meat has been recommended for individuals with reduced kidney function. However, red meat intake was recently suspected to increase cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. We evaluated the association of red meat intake with CVD mortality risk in Japanese with/without reduced kidney function. Overall, 9112 participants of a Japanese national survey in 1980, aged ≥30 years, were followed for 29 years. Red meat intake was assessed using weighed dietary record. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate the hazard ratio (HR) of CVD mortality according to sex-specific tertiles of red meat intake. We also performed stratified analyses with/without reduced kidney function defined as estimated glomerular filtration rate less than 60 mL/min/1.73 m2. Red meat intake was not associated with CVD mortality risk in men and women. In stratified analyses, the HR of the highest compared with the lowest tertile of red meat intake was lower only in women with reduced kidney function (0.67, 95% confidence interval 0.46–0.98). In conclusion, there were no clear associations between red meat intake and CVD mortality risk in Japanese population; however, a higher intake of red meat was associated with lower risk of future CVD mortality in women with reduced kidney function.


The mouse Surfeit locus contains six sequence-unrelated genes (Surf-1 to -6) arranged in the tightest gene cluster so far described for mammals. The organization and juxtaposition of five of the Surfeit genes (Surf-1 to -5) are conserved between mammals and birds, and this may reflect a functional or regulatory requirement for the gene clustering. We have undertaken an evolutionary study to determine whether the Surfeit genes are conserved and clustered in invertebrate genomes. Drosophila melanogaster and Caenorhabditis elegans homologs of the mouse Surf-4 gene, which encodes an integral membrane protein associated with the endoplasmic reticulum, have been isolated. The amino acid sequences of the Drosophila and C. elegans homologs are highly conserved in comparison with the mouse Surf-4 protein. In particular, a dilysine motif implicated in endoplasmic reticulum localization of the mouse protein is conserved in the invertebrate homologs. We show that the Drosophila Surf-4 gene, which is transcribed from a TATA-less promoter, is not closely associated with other Drosophila Surfeit gene homologs but rather is located upstream from sequences encoding a homolog of a yeast seryl-tRNA synthetase protein. There are at least two closely linked Surf-3/rpL7a genes or highly polymorphic alleles of a single Surf-3/rpL7a gene in the C. elegans genome. The chromosomal locations of the C. elegans Surf-1, Surf-3/rpL7a, and Surf-4 genes have been determined. In D. melanogaster the Surf-3/rpL7a, Surf-4, and Surf-5 gene homologs and in C. elegans the Surf-1, Surf-3/rpL7a, Surf-4, and Surf-5 gene homologs are located on completely different chromosomes, suggesting that any requirement for the tight clustering of the genes in the Surfeit locus is restricted to vertebrate lineages.


Ground-motion prediction equations (GMPEs) are used to express seismic intensity measures as a function of source-, path-, and site-related parameters. Functional models are still widely used for their computation. Fully data-driven approaches have been recently proposed based on artificial neural networks (ANNs). However, the estimation errors of the predictor parameters (e.g., the magnitude and VS30) are generally not accounted for in the development of GMPEs. In the present study, the uncertainty in the magnitude- and site-related parameters is considered in the establishment of GMPEs by ANNs. For this, an algorithm is proposed based on the generalized least-squares principle applied to ANNs training. A simulated database is used to validate the approach and to demonstrate the effect of the input parameter uncertainties on the GMPEs. Finally, the proposed model is applied to the Reference database for seismic ground motion in Europe (RESORCE) database. Results show that the consideration of uncertainty in the magnitude- and site-related parameters can reduce the total GMPE uncertainties by 4%–16%, whereas the median predictions remain similar.


This work investigates the validity and reliability of a novel biomechatronic device providing an interactive environment in Augmented Reality (AR) for neuromotor rehabilitation. A RGB-depth camera and telemonitoring/remote signaling module are the main components of the device, together with a PC-based interface. The interactive environment, which implements some optimized algorithms of body motion capture and novel methodologies for human body motion analysis, enables neuromotor rehabilitation treatments that are adaptable to the performance and individual characteristics of the patient. The RGB-Depth camera module is implemented through a Microsoft Kinect, ORBBEC ZED2K devices; the telemonitoring module for teleassistance and therapy supervision is implemented as a cloud service.
Within the module of body motion tracking, the abduction and adduction movements of the limbs of the full-body structure are tracked and the joints angles are measured in real-time; the most distinctive feature of the tracking module is the control of the trunk and shoulder posture during the exercises performed by the patient. Indeed, the device recognizes an incorrect position of the patient's body that could affect the objective of the exercise to be performed.  The recognition of an incorrect exercise is associated to the generation of an alert both to the patient and the physician, in order to maximize the effectiveness of the treatment based on the user's potential and to increase the chances of a better biofeedback.
The experimental tests, which have been carried out by reproducing several neuromotor exercises on the interactive environment, show that the feature recognition and extraction of the joints and segments of the musculo-skeletal structure of the patient's, and of wrong posture during exercises, can achieve good performance in the different experimental conditions.
The developed device is a valid tool for patients affected by chronic disability, but it could be extended to neurodegenerative diseases in the early stages of the disease. Thanks to the enhanced interactivity in augmented reality, the patient can overcome some difficulties in interaction with the most common IT tools and technologies; at the meanwhile she/he can perform rehabilitation at home. The physician can also check in real time the results and customize the care pathway.
The enhanced interactivity provided by the device during rehabilitation session increases both the motivation by the patient and the continuity of the care, as well as it supports low-cost remote assistance and telemedicine by optimizing therapy costs.
The key points are:

i) making rehabilitation motivating for the patient, becoming a "player";
ii) optimize effectiveness and costs;

iii) possibility of low-cost remote assistance and telemedicine.


We explore the rationale behind and the mechanisms employed by French judges while discharging personal debts in exchange for liquidation of debtors' assets. Our empirical results highlight the determinants of judicial selection between debtors whose debts are wiped out and those who have to reimburse them. We find that French judges tend to disqualify debtors with multiple creditors from debt discharge, and are sensitive to variables representative of economic activity in the courts' locality. These empirical results help us to understand better how much French personal bankruptcy law is rather pro-creditor than pro-debtor.


Relatively little is known about the ability of numerical methods for stochastic differential equations (SDEs) to reproduce almost sure and small-moment stability. Here, we focus on these stability properties in the limit as the timestep tends to zero. Our analysis is motivated by an example of an exponentially almost surely stable nonlinear SDE for which the Euler–Maruyama (EM) method fails to reproduce this behavior for any nonzero timestep. We begin by showing that EM correctly reproduces almost sure and small-moment exponential stability for sufficiently small timesteps on scalar linear SDEs. We then generalize our results to multidimensional nonlinear SDEs. We show that when the SDE obeys a linear growth condition, EM recovers almost surely exponential stability very well. Under the less restrictive condition that the drift coefficient of the SDE obeys a one-sided Lipschitz condition, where EM may break down, we show that the backward Euler method maintains almost surely exponential stability.


We demonstrate both analytically and experimentally that second-order nonlinear interaction in a uniaxial crystal produces a holographic replica of one of the incident fields. In particular, we consider difference-frequency generation and directly calculate the field transformation that is produced by the nonlinear interaction for some simple but nontrivial two-dimensional objects, such as a long wire, a circular hole, and a regular net. Finally we show experimental results for such objects that validate the theoretical calculations.


: Twenty-seven patients with moderate to moderately severe hypertension who had not responded optimally to treatment with a standard step 2 regimen were treated with a three-drug regimen of hydrochlorothiazide, propranolol, and guanadrel. The addition of guanadrel reduced blood pressure to levels significantly below those achieved by the step 2 regimen. The achievement of normotensive blood pressure levels was accompanied by a decrease in the number of adverse effects reported.