Formation of chemically ordered compounds of Fe and Au is inhibited in bulk materials due to their limited mutual solubility. However, here we report the formation of chemically ordered L12-type Fe3Au and FeAu3 compounds in Fe-Au sub-10 nm nanoparticles, suggesting that they are equilibrium structures in size-constrained systems. The stability of these L12-ordered Fe3Au and FeAu3 compounds along with a previously discovered L10-ordered FeAu has been explained by a size-dependent equilibrium thermodynamic model. Furthermore, the spin ordering of these three compounds has been computed using ab initio first-principle calculations. All ordered compounds exhibit a substantial magnetization at room temperature. The Fe3Au had a high saturation magnetization of about 143.6 emu/g with a ferromagnetic spin structure. The FeAu3 nanoparticles displayed a low saturation magnetization of about 11 emu/g. This suggests a antiferromagnetic spin structure, with the net magnetization arising from uncompensated surface spins. First-principle calculations using the Vienna ab initio simulation package (VASP) indicate that ferromagnetic ordering is energetically most stable in Fe3Au, while antiferromagnetic order is predicted in FeAu and FeAu3, consistent with the experimental results.


Multiplexed bead-based flow cytometric immunoassays are a powerful experimental tool for investigating cellular communication networks, yet their widespread adoption is limited in part by challenges in robust quantitative analysis of the measurements. Here we report our application of mixed-effects modeling for the normalization and statistical analysis of bead-based immunoassay data. Our data set consisted of bead-based immunoassay measurements of 16 phospho-proteins in lysates of HepG2 cells treated with ligands that regulate acute-phase protein secretion. Mixed-effects modeling provided estimates for the effects of both the technical and biological sources of variance, and normalization was achieved by subtracting the technical effects from the measured values. This approach allowed us to detect ligand effects on signaling with greater precision and sensitivity and to more accurately characterize the HepG2 cell signaling network using constrained fuzzy logic. Mixed-effects modeling analysis of our data was vital for ascertaining that IL-1α and TGF-α treatment increased the activities of more pathways than IL-6 and TNF-α and that TGF-α and TNF-α increased p38 MAPK and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) phospho-protein levels in a synergistic manner. Moreover, we used mixed-effects modeling-based technical effect estimates to reveal the substantial variance contributed by batch effects along with the absence of loading order and assay plate position effects. We conclude that mixed-effects modeling enabled additional insights to be gained from our data than would otherwise be possible and we discuss how this methodology can play an important role in enhancing the value of experiments employing multiplexed bead-based immunoassays.


Abstract This paper develops a stylized model of international treaty formation and analyzes the different modalities with which states can become part of an international treaty according to the procedures set forth by the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties. We consider the rules governing accession to international treaties, distinguishing between three situations: (i) Treaties for which acceptance of a new member requires unanimous approval of the signatory states with an amendment of the original treaty agreement (closed treaties); (ii) Treaties where acceptance of a new member is made possible through approval by a majority of the existing member states (semi-open treaties); and (iii) Treaties where the original member states have agreed to leave the treaty open for accession by other states (open treaties).


Abstract The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency of otologic symptoms and their relationship to orofacial signs and symptoms of temporomandibular disorder (TMD), and the effect of orofacial myofunctional therapy. The study was conducted on eight asymptomatic subjects (Group C) and 20 subjects with articular TMD, randomly distributed over two groups: one treated using orofacial myofunctional therapy (OMT Group) and a control group with TMD (Group CTMD). Patient selection was based upon the Research Diagnostic Criteria for TMD (RDC/TMD). All subjects submitted to a clinical examination with self-reporting of symptom severity, and to orofacial myofunctional and electromyographic evaluation at diagnosis and again, at the end of the study. Correlations were calculated using the Pearson test and inter- and intragroup comparisons were made (p<0.05). In the diagnosis phase, subjects with TMD reported earache (65%), tinnitus (60%), ear fullness (90%), and 25% of the asymptomatic subjects reported tinnitus. The otologic symptoms were correlated with tenderness to palpation of the temporomandibular muscles and joints and with orofacial symptoms. Only the OMT group showed a reduction of otologic and orofacial symptoms, of tenderness to palpation and of the asymmetric index between muscles. OMT may help with muscle coordination and a remission of TMD symptoms.


In a construction project, there are many factors that affect the project quality, such as people, materials, machinery, environment, etc. Among them, people have the greatest influence on the project quality, whether people participate directly or indirectly. This paper mainly evaluates human factors in the process of construction project management, such as workers proficiency, workers safety awareness, technical workers quality, and workers emergency capacity, with the purpose of helping Chinas construction project to proceed smoothly. In this manuscript, a multi-attribute group decision-making (MAGDM) technique based on Pythagorean interval 2-tuple linguistic numbers (PI2TLNs) and VIKOR method is proposed to evaluate human factors in construction projects. PI2TLNs are used to represent performance assessments of decision makers. Relying on Pythagorean interval 2-tuple linguistic weighted averaging (PI2TLWA)/Pythagorean interval 2-tuple linguistic weighted geometric (PI2TLWG) operator, the evaluation information given by experts is fused into a group decision matrix. Combined with the essential VIKOR method, PI2TLNVIKOR framework is established. The effectiveness of this method is verified by an example, and compared with two algorithms and PI2TLN-TODIM method.


Abstract Possessive resultative constructions containing a HAVE-verb and a past passive participle have been used in West Slavic languages for centuries without showing a rapid grammaticalisation into a perfect (cf. evidence from Polish and Czech). The same holds for Slovak, where examples can be found at least from the 17th century on without rapidly changing on the grammaticalisation chain. At the same time, Krupa demonstrated in 1960 a loss of congruence between object and past passive participle in possessive resultatives in colloquial Slovak distinguishing different types. Loss of congruence is often considered to be an important grammaticalisation step for emerging participial perfects. A sought in the Slovak National Corpus brought some evidence for such constructions in journalistic texts and from the Internet (the same types as used by Krupa), but their frequency is very low so far.


This research is an effort to understand chat reference servicesthrough librarians' perceptions of successful and less successful chatreference service. Ten Academic libraries in Ohio and Pennsylvaniawhich offered chat reference services were identified and 40librarians were interviewed in order to address the research questionsof this study. The main methodology used was the Critical IncidentTechnique (CIT) that is based on collecting and analyzing the mostmemorable experiences of human behavior in order to evaluate andidentify ways to increase effectiveness of service. On-site, personalinterviews were conducted with librarians who provide chat referenceservices. The subjects were initially asked to define chat referenceservice and compare it with traditional reference services. FollowingCIT procedures, they were then asked to recall and describe successfuland less successful chat reference interactions and to makesuggestions for better chat reference services. The interviews weretranscribed and entered into a database for coding and contentanalysis of the collected data using qualitative data analysissoftware (MAXqda). Coded data were transformed into categories todetermine and describe librarians' perceptions of chat referenceservices. The six major themes that emerged from this study were:1-Characteristics of chat reference, 2-Attitudes of librarians andusers, 3-Efficiency of reference interview and question negotiation,4-Service improvement and management issues, 5-Training and review,and 6-Publicity and user awareness. These themes were discussedthroughout the study. Findings from the recorded critical incidentsindicate the importance of ``attitudes" of librarians and users, therole of question ``negotiation" and ``type", and the availability of``resources" in successful chat reference service. The definingcharacteristics of chat reference, that it is online, remotelyavailable and delivered through software raised issues of``technology", ``chat software", ``service location" and ``servicehours" which were also significant in defining servicesuccess. Furthermore, investigation of reference service qualitycriteria, evaluation measures and methods were explored by comparingliterature on traditional and chat reference services and studyfindings. This study provides practical evaluation criteria forproviding successful chat reference services in three categories basedon: librarians' performance, chat software, and marketingissues. Further research for developing comprehensive digitalreference evaluation criteria is recommended.


The purpose of modern education is to train highly qualified workers. It is possible to achieve such a result by enhancing public-private partnership, where students can receive not only theoretical but also practical knowledge, and the enterprises can "train" new workers. This is especially important in the energy sector, in particular oil and gas. This sphere provides the population with fuel products and is also a significant part of the state economy. This explains the importance of the public-private partnership in the field of education. However, the problem is that nowadays there is no clear structure of this mechanism. In this regard, the purpose of the research is to develop technological approaches for the implementation of mechanisms of public-private partnership of educational institutions. To achieve the goal, a set of complementary research methods was used. The most widely used methods were: the analysis of scientific and educational-methodical literature, the design of didactic theories, pedagogical experiment, the use of mathematical and statistical methods and application software products.
As a result, a didactic system for the implementation of public-private partnership of an educational institution with the oil and gas industry was developed.


Hysterectomy is one of the most common operations performed in gynecology. In the last decade and a half, the da Vinci robotic system has gained widespread acceptance in gynecology due to enhanced visualization and excellent dexterity compared to conventional laparoscopic techniques. The rapid adoption of the technology comes with unique challenges. Excluding initial acquisition cost and maintenance cost, surgery performed robotically is expensive than laparoscopic surgery. Higher cost on each case questions many about the viability of the robotic platform. Several hospitals have successfully established the robotic program, but many are reluctant to acquire expensive technology, and some are rolling back on their decision due to various reasons. This chapter expands on those challenges, mainly needs assessment, team building, culture of safety, learning curve, business strategy, and return of investment.


The proliferation of woody vegetation on open grass savannas constitutes degradation in rangeland quality. Historical high spatial resolution satellite imagery in archive provides possibilities for assessing increase in woody vegetation cover on the rangelands. This paper examines the quantification of woody vegetation in the field and on historical high spatial resolution imagery, using the southern granites research supersite in the Kruger National Park (KNP) as test case. The recently established research supersites represent the key characteristics of the vegetation zones in the KNP. Field quantification of woody cover was undertaken in June and September 2013 by employing a detailed procedure that quantified the area covered by individual woody (tree, shrub) canopies at twelve one hectare sample plots. The area covered by the woody individuals at the respective plots was then totalled in order to yield the fraction (%) of cover per hectare. The woody cover data were then related to test recent historical imagery in order to assess woody cover estimation procedures on historical imagery. Digital high spatial resolution aerial photographs (dated 2010) and dry period (spring/autumn) SPOT multispectral images (September 2001, April 2012) were used; the dry period dates selected so as to eliminate herbaceous vegetation from the analysis. For the newest (2012) image, sub-pixel classification correctly assigned woody cover at the field sample plots to their 2013 field-derived cover fractions. The results indicate that sub-pixel classification, validated by detailed field quantification of woody cover, can accurately map woody encroachment on savanna rangelands using historical high spatial resolution imagery.


Association mining has been one of the most intensively researched areas of data mining. However, direct uptake of the resulting technologies has been relatively low. This paper examines some of the reasons why the dominant paradigms in association mining have not lived up to their promise, and argues that a powerful alternative is provided by top‐k techniques coupled with appropriate statistical and other filtering. © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. WIREs Data Mining Knowl Discov 2011 1 183–192 DOI: 10.1002/widm.28


This paper presents the importance of distributed antenna system (DAS) in the upcoming years. DAS will be the key to the success of 4th generation (4G) wireless system and wireless local area network (WLAN). We have studied the different prospects to improve the indoor wireless coverage by using DAS. We have evaluated the use of optical fiber in the upcoming high speed wireless broadband services. Further, we have investigated the performance of WLAN using orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) signals in the presence of 4G wireless signals on a designed radio over fiber (ROF) system along with proposed pre-distortion method. The system performance is measured using the error vector magnitude (EVM) measurements and symbol error rate (SER).


Throughout history, urban agriculture practitioners have adapted to various challenges by continuing to provide food and social benefits. Urban gardens and farms have also responded to sudden political, economic, ecological, and social crises: wartime food shortages; urban disinvestment and property abandonment; earthquakes and floods; climate-change induced weather events; and global economic disruptions. This paper examines the effects on, and responses by, urban farms and gardens to the COVID-19 pandemic. The paper is based on data collected in the summer of 2020 at the onset of the pandemic when cities were struggling with appropriate responses to curb its spread. It builds on an international research project (FEW-meter) that developed a methodology to measure material and social benefits of urban agriculture (UA) in five countries (France, Germany, Poland, UK and USA) over two growing seasons, from a Food-Energy-Water nexus perspective. We surveyed project partners to ascertain the effects of COVID-19 on those gardens and farms and we interviewed policy stakeholders in each country to investigate the wider impacts of the pandemic on UA. We report the results with respect to five key areas: (1) garden accessibility and service provision during the pandemic; (2) adjustments to operational arrangements; (3) effects on production; (4) support for urban farms and gardens through the pandemic; and (5) thoughts about the future of urban agriculture in the recovery period and beyond. The paper shows that the pandemic resulted in multiple challenges to gardens and farms including the loss of ability to provide support services, lost income, and reductions in output because of reduced labor supply. But COVID-19 also created several opportunities: new markets to sell food locally; more time available to gardeners to work in their allotments; and increased community cohesion as neighboring gardeners looked out for one another. By illustrating the range of challenges faced by the pandemic, and strategies to address challenges used by different farms and gardens, the paper illustrates how gardens in this pandemic have adapted to become more resilient and suggests lessons for pandemic recovery and longer-term planning to enable UA to respond to future public health and other crises.


Imaging-genetics cohorts allow to find associations between genotyped variants and brain imaging features. They are invaluable tools to evaluate the part of genetics and environment in the brain characteristic variance observed in normal and pathological populations. The present analyses were conducted using the 2018 UK Biobank (UKB) data release, and included 15,040 subjects for which sulcal opening, a measure of sulcus width, are extracted for 126 sulci using BrainVisa/Morphologist pipeline. Based on genetic maps, continuous blocks of high-confidence phase are extracted using the haplotype dataset of UK Biobank. The feasibility study analyzes 13,942 haplotypes of 1,756 blocks on chromosome 21, obtained with a stringent block definition, and shows that block-based test seems underpowered compared to haplotype-based association test.


Although host-parasite models have been widely studied, the inclusion of predators has often been overlooked until recently. In this study, we examine a host-parasite model with a predator and show that the predator changes the stability and increases branching possibilities. We find that the hosts maximize their levels of resistance at intermediate predation rates, where the cost of infection is high due to the presence of infected hosts and predators. We show that the branching possibilities increase with the predation rate for regions where the susceptible and infected hosts co-exist with the predator. The results reveal the diversity that can be produced by the addition of predators to a population.


This quantitative research aimed to study and compare buying behaviors and factors affecting online buying behaviors of university students in digital disruption era. Population of the study were 400 university students studying at a bachelor degree level. Data were collected through questionnaires and were analyzed by using descriptive statistics, frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). The statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS) was applied to analyze the collected data.
Research results showed that the majority of respondents were female students (54.50%), aged 18-21 years old (60.00%), earned 5,001 – 10,000 Baht monthly income (39.00%) from parents (79.00%). University students found fast and convenient (44.50%) for buying online products. Male and female fashion items were on the top list (46.00%) followed by health and beauty products (35.00%). Good time for surfing online store was during 6.00 – 10.00 p.m. (49.50%). Person or thing involved in buying decision was from his or her own decision (79.00%). Each order was 1,000 Baht or lower and payment was made through bank transfer.
Factors affecting online buying behaviors of university students in four dimensions were rated at a high level (mean = 3.74). Product and Place factors got the highest level (mean = at 3.80), followed by Price (mean = 3.74) and Promotion (mean = 3.60) respectively.
Hypothesis testing revealed that university students with different genders had no significant difference buying behaviors but students with different ages and monthly income rates had significant differences buying behaviors at 0.05 level of significance.


The need to have a more eco-sustainable world has steered our daily practices towards more conscious and rational energy uses. Among these activities, the construction of buildings with nearly zero energy need and the renovation of the existing ones can certainly have a large impact from an energy standpoint. In this direction, the "Energy Performance Building Directions" (EPBD) of 2010 defines the concept of a nearly zero-energy building (NZEB), although the requirements to qualify as NZEB remain ambiguous. In Italy, the NZEB concept is strongly related to a major use of renewable energy sources to cover the energy demand of the buildings. In this regard, non-residential buildings represent an important challenge, especially when old industrial structures, built when energy efficiency was not a primary issue, need to be converted to other uses and comply with the NZEB requirements. This work refers to a building of this kind, a disused industrial structure from 1959 in Corso Orbassano in Turin. SIGIT, a manufacturer of plastic and rubber components, has planned to redevelop the building and turn it into its directional and operative headquarter, the Innovation Square Center (ISC). The structural and aesthetic renovation has been entrusted to the architectural firm SeArch, while the design of the new HVAC plant has been assigned to Ferplant s.r.l. In order to preserve the original concrete structure while complying with the normative requirements, interventions on the envelope of the building are limited to the change of doors and windows, and on the addition of insulation coatings on walls, floors and ceiling. Given this, the HVAC system has to be designed in the most efficient way to guarantee the compliance with the requirements for NZEB. This work addresses this issue and analyses the optimal sizing of the plant by resorting to both a semi-static evaluation using the software Edilclima and a dynamic simulation carried out with the program DesignBuilder. The results of the two models, in terms of power and energy consumption, are then compared to understand the factors that could potentially cause a dissimilarity in the values of the calculated energy needs. In addition, to better understand how to achieve energy efficiency, in a further analysis two different air-conditioning configurations in one important space of the building are evaluated. In addition to Edilclima and DesignBuilder, other software packages are used: -??SketchUp, to draw the 3D model of the building to be used in DesignBuilder, and Open Studio plug-in to define thermal zones; -??THERM 7.6, to model two-dimensional heat-transfer effects in a building component where thermal bridges are of concern. The thesis was carried out at Ferplant s.r.l offices, based in Chivasso (TO).


Previous research has shown a decline in physical activity (PA) across college years, females being less physically active compared with males. Scholars have suggested studies to understand gender differences in PA and to examine motivational processes to facilitate college students' PA. Grounded in self-determination theory, the purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between college students' exercise motivation and weekly PA participation. The study included 96 college students (33 males, 63 females, aged 18 to 24) in a metropolitan college. Findings confirmed a significant gender difference, with males responding more positively concerning intrinsic motivation (t = 3.40, p = .001). In addition, through an analysis of variance, we found level of PA had a significant interaction with intrinsic motivation, F(1, 94) = 9.45, p < .001, and identified regulation, F(1, 94) = 6.45, p = .003. Furthermore, least significant difference tests showed that the differences occurred between inactive and moderately active groups and inactive and very active groups (p values between .011 and .000). Results from this study concerning motivation for PA with this age group support the premise that self-determined motivation is strongly linked to higher PA participation. The findings of this study provide a better understanding of how to assist college-aged students to live a more physically active and healthy lifestyle.


Abstract : In this presentation, a new method for processing wideband radar data is presented. To perform the full degree of freedom wideband processing, 3-D space-time adaptive processing (STAP) needs to be implemented, which involves intense computational burden. One approach in this case is to do subband STAP processing and combine these outputs. In this presentation, instead of traditional subband processing, the incoming wide band data signal is modulated by multiple carriers, combined, and filtered prior to processing using narrowband STAP. This method offers a significant decrease in computation burden compared to the subband method.


ABSTRACT Knowledge of the fidelity with which interventions are delivered in research studies is crucial to meaningful examination of intervention impact. This paper presents a review of fidelity implementation (FOI) measurements in interventions jointly delivered by speech-language pathologists (SLP) and parents in research for preschool-aged children who stutter (CWS). Four key FOI components were examined: dosage, adherence, quality, responsiveness. Thirty-six studies met the inclusion criteria for this study. Articles were published between 1990 and 2020 described nine different interventions and examined CWS aged 2–6 years. No study reported all FOI components in both the clinical and the home setting and five did not report on any FOI component in either setting. The number of FOI components reported ranged from 0 to 4 in both clinical (M = 1.5) and home (M = 1.0) settings. Across studies, dosage was most often reported (n = 27, 75.0%) and responsiveness was least often reported (n = 16, 44.4%). The number of FOI components reported in articles did not increase over time, although a trend towards greater reporting in recent years was observed. Poor reporting of FOI in intervention research presents a serious methodological concern that impacts the ability of clinicians and researchers to interpret the findings of these studies. Rigorous measurement and reporting of FOI in future intervention studies is required in order to better inform evidence-based practices for interventions with CWS.


Abstract Generation and features of the radio frequency (RF) hollow cathode discharge (HCD) are compared for the atmospheric and moderate pressures. The atmospheric-pressure plasma systems, fused hollow cathode (FHC) and hybrid hollow electrode-activated discharge (H-HEAD), are described. Examples of applications where both FHC and H-HEAD have already been employed are given, and potentials for new processes are discussed.


This paper presents a preliminary investigation of orthogonal frequency coding (OFC) surface acoustic wave tags and sensors at a 500- and 900-MHz operational frequency range using conventional contact lithography techniques. The higher frequency devices are achieved using second harmonic operation; eliminating the need for advanced lithography techniques. The objective of this effort is to increase the technology readiness level of wideband OFC tags at higher frequencies. Measured device results are presented and compared with coupling of modes model predictions to demonstrate performance. The fundamental and harmonic device response is compared for devices designed for operation in the 900-MHz frequency band. The experimental correlation against an ideal matched filter is also presented.


INTRODUCTION
Post-partum depression (PPD) is a neurotic condition, which appears usually within two months after the delivery. This is the most common complication of pregnancy and puerperium, affecting about 15 to 20% of the mothers. In Israel, with some 150,000 deliveries annually, this relates to about 20,000 women each year. Routine treatment with psychotherapy (PT), helps about two thirds of these women. Continuation of the maternal symptoms affects the baby's development, and the rest of the family as well.

OBJECTIVES
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the additional value of art therapy (AT), compared to standard therapy, with PT alone, to eradicate symptoms of depression.

METHODS
A prospective, randomized controlled study was conducted. During the period 2011-2013, a total of 141 Arab mothers with symptoms of PPD, from the Um-El-Fahem region, were included in the study. A comparison was made between two groups: The control group receiving routine treatment with PT and the intervention group which received, in addition, AT.

RESULTS
Both groups demonstrated a reduction in the level of depressive symptoms. In the intervention group, however, the reduction in the level of depressive symptoms was statistically more significant (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS
In our study, the combination of standard PT with AT enabled the vast majority of the mothers to recover from the depressive state. In a health care system with chronic budgetary constraints, the addition of some cardboard and plasticine to the "Health Basket", coupled with a few hours with a trained therapist, is probably a worthy alternative, considering the scope of the problem and its influence on the mother, the baby, and the family as a whole.

SUMMARY
The appearance of PPD symptoms is a common and significant medical condition. These attributes make this phenomenon a significant problem from the public health perspective. Routine treatment with PT, helps a lot of women. Many, however, remain symptomatic. The addition of AT enables most of them to resume a normal and healthy course of life.


Adopting domestic polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) turning plate as materials, a new isosceles triangle macroporous mesh was designed. The correspond mould and the special fixtures for continuous punching of ultra-thin plastic sheet were successfully developed. The PTFE mesh was manufactured through computer numerically controlled (CNC) punch. In terms of electronic universal testing machines and microcomputer differential thermal balance, mechanical properties and thermostability of the PTFE mesh were studied. The results indicated that the tensile strength of PTFE mesh is 11.98 MPa which is greater than the literature value of 7.77 MPa, and its heat-resisting performance is excellent without decomposition prior to 312 oC.


In this paper, we present an ultra low power design for a class of massively parallel architectures, called tightly-coupled processor arrays.Here, the key idea is to exploit the benefits of a decentralized resource management as inherent to invasive computing for power saving.We propose concepts and studying different architecture trade-offs for hierarchical power management by temporarily shutting down regions of processors through power gating. Moreover, a) overall system chip energy consumption, b) hardware cost, and c) timing overheads are compared for different sizes of power domains.Experimental results show that up to 70\,\% of system energy consumption may be saved for selected characteristical algorithms and different resource utilizations.


The discovery thirty years ago of daily growth increments in squid statoliths and the development of statolith ageing techniques gave new insight into squid age, growth and metabolism. The techniques have shown that the majority of recent coleoid cephalopods live in the 'fast lane', growing rapidly and completing their life cycles in a year or less. Surprisingly, these useful approaches to the study of age and growth in squid have not gained much momentum. Only approximately an eighth of more than 300 squid species have had their basic age assessed and described. Two dozen species are subject to continuing arguments about which increments to consider as daily growth increments. This paper outlines major problems encountered during age determination of squid and suggests ways to improve the techniques and make them applicable to a wider spectrum of species.


The Port of Abbot Point, approximately 25km north of Bowen, forms part of the State Government's infrastructure development plan for the Northern Economic Triangle. To complement a planned industrial precinct at Abbot Point, the Ports Corporation of Queensland Limited (PCQ) is investigating options to expand the current port and develop a Multi Cargo Facility (MCF). As part of the planning for this project, PCQ has commissioned the Marine Ecology Group at the Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries (DPI&F) to conduct seagrass baseline assessments and monitoring programs. The seagrass studies will assist in planning for the development so as to minimize impacts on seagrass habitats and to develop appropriate management and mitigation measures.

This report describes the baseline seagrass assessments undertaken during 2008. Results detail the seasonal abundance, species composition, and distribution of seagrass communities surrounding Abbot Point including those potentially affected by proposed port developments. It also provides the foundation to establish long-term monitoring and to asses future seagrass changes.

Seagrass coverage was extensive with meadows comprising 42% of the survey area covering the inshore region from Branch Creek to Bowen. Seagrass meadows occurred from the shoreline to a distance of approximately 10km offshore. The survey area contained a variety of species and meadow types ranging from low biomass coastal Halodule uninervis meadows, to higher biomass deep water Halophila spinulosa meadows.

The meadows identified within the Abbot Point port limits were likely to play a number of important ecological roles, including supporting endangered and threatened species such as dugong and turtles, providing nursery grounds for commercial fisheries species as well as providing a substantial component of the primary productivity for the regions marine ecosystem.

Results of the seagrass baselines have already been used to assist with planning and design of port developments in a manner likely to minimise or reduce potential impacts. However the location of seagrass meadows throughout the port means they are likely to face some level of direct and indirect impact from port development. The second phase of the seagrass study is currently under way and aims to better quantify what these impacts are likely to be and includes quarterly monitoring of selected seagrass meadows to:

• Assess natural seasonal and interannual variability in seagrass density and abundance;

• Determine the value of seagrass meadows in terms of primary and fisheries productivity;

• Determine capacity for, and rate of, recovery from disturbance

Preliminary results of these ongoing studies are also presented in this report.


Background: The Internet has created new efficient channels of doing business. For this nontraditional market, a business strategy that is both effective and efficient needs to be employed. The Long Tail business strategy was developed by Chris Anderson in 2006. It is possible that the Long Tail strategy not only can increase revenue by offering more "niche" products, but also can enhance customers' loyalty toward the company. However, in order to achieve the latter, companies need to communicate with customers in more effective and more efficient ways. Therefore, communication is inevitably the fundamental element for companies' efforts to build customer relationships. The Long-Tail, suggested by Anderson and Sugaya, to be an effective strategy for enhancing customer loyalty. But can it fit in the case of Swedish Apple Premium Resellers? Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to test if the Long-Tail strategy can enhance e-loyalty by adding value to online marketing communications in the case of Apple Premium Resellers' customers in Sweden. Method: The data collection was mainly through questionnaires -- a quantitative approach. The target group was Apple Premium Resellers' customers in Sweden. The questionnaire was distributed in Stockholm and Jonkoping. Various statistical techniques as well as theories and models were used for data analysis. Conclusion:It can be concluded that the Long Tail strategy can add value to the online marketing communications, and improved online marketing communications can enhance customer loyalty in e-commerce. Therefore, the Long-Tail strategy can enhance e-loyalty by adding value to online marketing communications in the case of Swedish Apple Premium Resellers.


This thesis looks at income-generating devices for people with disabilities in Uganda. The project involved having solar-charging kiosks manufactured in Kasese, Uganda. These devices were given to people by a local organization so that they could start a business charging mobile phones to generate income. The author looked at multiple research areas, such as if they could generate an adequate income, whether it created independence or dependency, if the design was appropriate for the context, and understanding the complexities of "design with the majority" projects. The research was
conducted using questionnaires, observations and in-person interviews during field-work in Uganda. The findings show that these types of projects are complex, and that more case-studies would help to shed light on this emerging field. The researcher discovered many insights, including: people would use it to light their homes; people had differing abilities to generate income; and recipients needed multiple revenue sources.


Objective:  to evaluate the impact of a telephone intervention on the adherence to antiretroviral therapy in women with human immunodeficiency virus.  Methods:  quasi experimental study, before and after, conducted ina specialized service with 19 women who live with the human immunodeficiency virus. The study was developedin four phases: recruitment; assessment of adherence to antiretroviral treatment, telephone intervention and reassessment of adherence. During three months of follow-up, eight calls were made to each participant, totaling 152 interventions.  Results:  there was a statistically significant improvement in the number of participants with adequate adherence (p=0.004) and in the mean of adherence scores (p=0.000) after the intervention. There was no significant impact on the immune status.  Conclusion:  telephone interventions aimed at women with human immunodeficiency virus developed during three months proved to be effective for improving adherenceto treatment.


: Sixty-four patients with large ventricular septal defects and severe pulmonary hypertension form the basis of this report. Prior to the end of 1970, 35 patients with a ratio of pulmonary to systemic artery pressure (pp/ps) of 0.8 or more were subjected to primary closure of the defect, resulting in 11 operative deaths Since the beginning of 1971, until March, 1974, however, the surgical results have markedly improved and 29 such patients were operated on without death. It has been our principle to perform elective closure of the defect at the age of 1 to 3 years. An earlier operation was planned when a decrease in the apical diastolic rumble and the size of the enlarged left ventricle on the chest x-ray were found on the periodical observation since infancey. If cardiac failure could not be controlled with medical treatment, primary closure of the defect has been performed even under one year of age.


Abstract The paper presents a change in physical properties of loose, dust fodder additives (aluminosilicate) after mixing them with oil or glycerine. Additives where mixed in a blade mixer with the same mixing time for all samples, which was 1 minute. Tests with oil or glycerine were carried out in the following amounts: 5%, 10%. For mixtures of additives with oil or glycerine a selected group of physical properties was determined. Method of determination of physical properties was the same for all samples i.e. the same additives − without oil and glycerine as well as mixtures with their participation. Obtained research results and their analysis unanimously indicate that adding any amount of oil or glycerine for additives improves selected physical properties of mixtures.


In the past decades, a number of parallel manipulators have been extensively studied. However, most efforts are dedicated to six degrees of freedom (DOF) or three-DOF manipulators. There is a need for equipment providing more than three DOF's arranged in parallel and based on simpler arrangements than six-DOF arrangements in application. This paper presents a novel four-DOF parallel platform manipulator with base mounted prismatic actuators. The manipulator is driven by four linear actuators. The movable platform of the manipulator can translate along two directions and rotate around two axes respectively. The kinematics model is formulated, which describes the inverse and forward kinematics transformation. It is very easy to develop a five-axis NC machine-tool which is of large-workspace based on the four-DOF parallel mechanism presented in this paper.


Abstract: These mother-told stories of birth, describing disrespectful and harmful care, make the invisibility of birthing women visible. The concerns and needs of women in labor fade in the face of hospital policies and the perceived needs of their soon-to-be-born babies. Bioethics contributes to this lack of regard for mothers by framing the moral problems of birth in terms of maternal-fetal conflict, where the autonomy of the mother is weighed against the obligation of beneficence to the baby. Replacing the principlist commitment to autonomy with respect—an obligation that does not compete with beneficence—is a first step toward correcting the problems in care identified here.


Performance Management is an incentive that leads to enhanced business performance if handled well. However, if the process is poorly implemented, it can potentially impact on the Business Performance negatively. It is against this background that the Researcher has been motivated to establish the extent to which Performance Management influences Business Performance. Therefore the major objective of the Study is to find out the effect of Performance Management on Business Performance. The study is based in Nairobi where Salama Insurance Broker is located. Data will be collected through the aid of questionnaires and face to face interviews. Descriptive and Qualitative research designs will also be employed. The target population is SIB Administration, Finance,, Underwriting and Claims employees with a sample size of 50. The Study Findings were that Performance tools in practice were hazy and only known to the Managers. The study further revealed that Staff appraisal took place when time lapse was too long to make any meaningful impact on the individual performance. In addition, the Performance Management training methods were not clear to the employees. The Study conclusions were that the Management did not communicate to the employees the benefits of the Performance Management tools neither were they consulted on choosing the methods. The Study further concluded that the Performance Training methods lacked to deliver the intended benefits but rather caused anxiety among the employees and brought down the productivity of the Organization. The Study recommendations were that employees should participate in choosing the Performance Management tools and let them know that this would be the basis of assessing their future productivity. The Study further recommended that the Management should design Performance Training Methods that are easy to understand and translate to enhance productivity.


Phase I clinical trials are fundamental in drug development because they bring proposed designs to initial clinical testing. Recently, several dose finding methods have been developed. However, the comparison of those designs and traditional designs are not intensive. This study compares the most commonly used phase I dose finding methods and determines which one performs better. To do so, two different real life stories are analyzed through simulation studies. It was found that the 3+3 design, the most popular method employed by scientists, produced the worst results. More reliable and applicable results for phase I dose escalation trials can be produced by BMA-CRM, CRM, and BCRM designs.


Abstract The equations of motion for a neutrally buoyant fluid are solved to produce an equilibrium flow consisting of a modified Ekman spiral mean flow plus a helical secondary flow. By considering the secondary flow to be a finite perturbation on a mean large-scale flow, approximate equations are obtained for the secondary flow and the modified mean flow an functions of the large-scale parameters. When the energetics of this system are considered, an equilibrium magnitude for the secondary flow can be obtained. The finite perturbations are assumed to preserve the structure of the infinitesimal perturbation solutions for the dynamic instability of the Ekman boundary layer. In particular, helical rolls occur as finite perturbation solutions. These finite disturbances are found to alter the mean Ekman velocity profile such that it becomes stable. The rolls, with characteristic depths of 5–7 times the Ekman characteristic length and corresponding wavelengths of 4π times this parameter, may be frequent occur...


This letter presents a novel architecture for evaluating the success of picking operations that are executed by industrial robots. It is formed by a cascade of machine learning algorithms (kNN and SVM) and uses information obtained by a 6 axis force/torque sensor and, if available, information from the built-in sensors of the robotic gripper. Beyond measuring the success or failure of the entire operation, this architecture makes it possible to detect in real-time when an object is slipping during the picking. Therefore, force and torque signatures are collected during the picking movement of the robot, which is decomposed into five different stages that allows to characterize distinct levels of success over time. Several trials were performed using an industrial robot with two different grippers for picking a long and flexible object. The experiments demonstrate the reliability of the proposed approach under different picking scenarios since, it obtained a testing performance (in terms of accuracy) up to 99.5% of successful identification of the result of the picking operations, considering an universe of 400 attempts.


PURPOSE
This study evaluated the extent to which the language of intervention, the child's development in Spanish, and the effects of English vocabulary, use, proficiency, and exposure predict differences in the rates of acquisition of English in Latino children with specific language impairment (SLI).

METHOD
In this randomized controlled trial, 188 Latino preschoolers with SLI participated in a small-group academic enrichment program for 12 weeks and were followed up 3 and 5 months later. Children were randomly assigned to either a bilingual or an English-only program. Predictors of English growth included measures of Spanish language skills and English vocabulary, use, proficiency, and exposure. Performance on English outcomes (i.e., picture description and narrative sample) was assessed over time. A series of longitudinal models were tested via multilevel modeling with baseline and posttreatment measures nested within child.

RESULTS
Children demonstrated growth on the English outcomes over time. The language of intervention, Spanish skills, English vocabulary, and English use significantly predicted differences in rates of growth across children for specific measures of English development.

CONCLUSIONS
This study underscores the role of the child's first language skills, the child's level of English vocabulary development, and level of English use for predicting differences in English acquisition in Latino preschoolers with SLI. These factors should be carefully considered in making clinical decisions.


This study draws on Foucault's concept of the 'entrepreneur self' to broaden understandings of the links and intersections between the normative prescriptions of multicultural citizenship in Canada and immigrant minorities' involvement in the formation and operation of leisure-oriented ventures in the Windsor-Essex region of southwestern Ontario. Using participant observation and semi-structured interviews, our findings indicate that participation in the formation and operation of leisure-oriented organisations is an important medium for immigrant minorities' effective use of power. A space and a channel to assert and resist ethno-cultural identities and a strategy to break down barriers and create opportunities for themselves and others to participate in a wide range of leisure traditions and practices – in short, a technique employed by study participants to assert their membership in Canadian society and to lay claims to full and equal citizenship rights.


Methods of extraction of the symmetry energy (or enthalpy) coefficient to temperature ratio from isobaric and isotopic yields of fragments produced in Fermi-energy heavy-ion collisions are discussed. We show that the methods are consistent when the hot fragmenting source is well characterized and its excitation energy and isotopic composition are properly taken into account. The results are independent of the mass number of the detected fragments, which suggests that their fate is decided very early in the reaction.


Flecainide blocks ryanodine receptor type 2 (RyR2) channels in the open state, suppresses arrhythmogenic Ca2+ waves and prevents catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (CPVT) in mice and humans. We hypothesized that differences in RyR2 activity induced by CPVT mutations determines the potency of open-state RyR2 blockers like flecainide (FLEC) and R-propafenone (RPROP) against Ca2+ waves in cardiomyocytes. Using confocal microscopy, we studied Ca2+ sparks and waves in isolated saponin-permeabilized ventricular myocytes from two CPVT mouse models (Casq2-/-, RyR2-R4496C+/-), wild-type (c57bl/6, WT) mice, and WT rabbits (New Zealand white rabbits). Consistent with increased RyR2 activity, Ca2+ spark and wave frequencies were significantly higher in CPVT compared to WT mouse myocytes. We next obtained concentration-response curves of Ca2+ wave inhibition for FLEC, RPROP (another open-state RyR2 blocker), and tetracaine (TET) (a state-independent RyR2 blocker). Both FLEC and RPROP inhibited Ca2+ waves with significantly higher potency (lower IC50) and efficacy in CPVT compared to WT. In contrast, TET had similar potency in all groups studied. Increasing RyR2 activity of permeabilized WT myocytes by exposure to caffeine (150 µM) increased the potency of FLEC and RPROP but not of TET. RPROP and FLEC were also significantly more potent in rabbit ventricular myocytes that intrinsically exhibit higher Ca2+ spark rates than WT mouse ventricular myocytes. In conclusion, RyR2 activity determines the potency of open-state blockers FLEC and RPROP for suppressing arrhythmogenic Ca2+ waves in cardiomyocytes, a mechanism likely relevant to antiarrhythmic drug efficacy in CPVT.


CONTEXT
Respiratory failure appears to be the ultimate mechanism of death in most patients with severe COVID-19 infection. Studies of postmortem COVID-19 lungs largely report diffuse alveolar damage (DAD) and capillary fibrin thrombi, but we have also observed other patterns.

OBJECTIVE
To report demographic and radiographic features along with macroscopic, microscopic, and microbiologic postmortem lung findings in patients with COVID-19 infections.

DESIGN
Patients with confirmed COVID-19 infection and postmortem examination (3/2020-5/2020) were included. Clinical findings were abstracted from medical records. Lungs were microscopically reviewed independently by 4 thoracic pathologists. Imaging studies were reviewed by a thoracic radiologist.

RESULTS
Eight patients (7 men, 87.5%; median age of 79 years, range, 69-96) died within a median of 17 days (range, 6-100) from onset of symptoms. The median lung weight was 1,220 g (range, 960-1,760); consolidations were found in 5 of 8 (62.5%) patients; gross thromboemboli were noted in one of 8 (12.5%) patient. Histologically, all patients had acute bronchopneumonia, 6 of 8 (75%) patients had also DAD. Two of 8 (25%) patients had aspiration pneumonia in addition. Thromboemboli, usually scattered and rare, were identified in 5 of 8 (62.5%) patients in small vessels and in two of these patients also in pulmonary arteries. Four of (50%) patients had perivascular chronic inflammation. Postmortem bacterial lung cultures were positive in 4 of 8 (50%) patients. Imaging studies (available in 4 patients) were typical (N=2, 50%), indeterminate (N=1, 25%), or negative (N=1, 25%) for COVID-19 infection.

CONCLUSIONS
Our study shows that patients infected with COVID-19 not only have DAD but also commonly have acute bronchopneumonia and aspiration pneumonia. These findings are important for management of these patients.


We report the extended database and data mining resources newly released in the H-Invitational Database (H-InvDB; http://www.h-invitational.jp/). H-InvDB is a comprehensive annotation resource of human genes and transcripts, and consists of two main views and six sub-databases. The latest release of H-InvDB (release 6.2) provides the annotation for 219 765 human transcripts in 43 159 human gene clusters based on human full-length cDNAs and mRNAs. H-InvDB now provides several new annotation features, such as mapping of microarray probes, new gene models, relation to known ncRNAs and information from the Glycogene database. H-InvDB also provides useful data mining resources—'Navigation search', 'H-InvDB Enrichment Analysis Tool (HEAT)' and web service APIs. 'Navigation search' is an extended search system that enables complicated searches by combining 16 different search options. HEAT is a data mining tool for automatically identifying features specific to a given human gene set. HEAT searches for H-InvDB annotations that are significantly enriched in a user-defined gene set, as compared with the entire H-InvDB representative transcripts. H-InvDB now has web service APIs of SOAP and REST to allow the use of H-InvDB data in programs, providing the users extended data accessibility.


During the past few decades, there has been growing interest in the use of microwave and millimeter wave radiometers for remote sensing of the Earth. Due to the need of large antennas and scanning mechanism, the conventional real aperture radiometer becomes infeasible for high spatial resolution application. Interferometric aperture synthesis was suggested as an alternative to real aperture radiometry for earth observation [Ruf et al., 1988]. Aperture synthesis radiometers (ASR) can synthesize a large aperture by sparsely arranging a number of small aperture antennas to achieve high spatial resolution without requiring very large and massive mechanical scanning antenna. The fundamental theory behind aperture synthesis technique is the same as the one used for decades in radio astronomy [Thompson et al., 2001], in which the product of pairs of small antennas and signal processing is used in place of a single large aperture. In aperture synthesis, the coherent product (correlation) of the signal from pairs of antennas is measured at different antenna-pair spacings (also called baselines). The product at each baseline yields a sample point in the Fourier transform of the brightness temperature map of the scene, and the scene itself is reconstructed by inverting the sampled transform. This chapter addresses the subject of antenna array design in ASR, which plays an important role in radiometric imaging of ASR. The chapter is organized as follows. In section 2, the basic principle of synthetic aperture radiometers is briefly formulated. In section 3, the topology optimization of the antenna array is concerned, aiming at minimum redundancy arrays (MRAs) for high spatial resolution. For one-dimensional case, different optimization methods for finding out minimum redundancy linear arrays (MRLAs) such as numerical algorithms and combinatorial methods are summarized, including their advantages and disadvantages. We also propose an effective restricted search method by exploiting the general structure of MRLAs. For two-dimensional case, different antenna array configurations as well as their spatial sampling patterns are compared, including rectangular sampling arrays, hexagonal sampling arrays, and nonuniform sampling arrays. Some original work on the design of thinned circular arrays is also described. In section 4, a novel antenna array for our HUST-ASR prototype is presented, which is a sparse antenna array with an offset parabolic cylinder reflector at millimeter wave band. 9


Fukushima accident is a tragic case that extreme external events (tsunami and seismic) threaten the safety of NPP and lead to large uncontrollable release of radioactive materials. Therefore, how to perform the study on external events Level 2 PSA has become a crucial problem needed to be considered deeply.
 In this study, the main purpose is to describe an external events Level 2 PSA approach and apply it for a III generation PWR in China. This study consists of the following factors:
 (1) Screening out external events.
 (2) Focusing on the key technical elements of Level 2 PSA with special considerations on the characteristics of different external events.
 (3) Building a detailed Level 2 PSA model for the screened events with software RiskSpectrum and obtaining the quantitative results of large release frequency (LRF).
 (4) According to the analysis results, finding out the risk weaknesses and summarizing recommended proposals.


This study aimed to explore the relationship between Turkish English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners' self-efficacy level and their use of compensatory strategies (CSs). The study further searched into the most and the least frequently used CSs by Turkish EFL learners. The participants of the study were fifty university students enrolled in the department of English Language Teaching at a private university in Istanbul, Turkey.  Results indicated that the level of self-efficacy among Turkish learners of EFL was high. The top two most frequently used CSs by the learners were concluded to be the use of non-verbal signals (i.e., mime, gesture, facial expression) and circumlocution (i.e., describing an object or idea with a definition). In addition, the two least frequently used strategies were word coinage (i.e., creating a non-existent second language word based on a supposed rule) and avoidance (i.e., avoiding a topic, concept, grammatical construction, or phonological element that poses difficulty). The findings also revealed that the participants' strategy use was not related to their degree of self-confidence.


The substitution of Al by Ti as a de-oxidizing agent in a carbon (0.07 wt%) and Mn (0.9 wt%) containing steel was studied for two purposes. The first one was to establish whether inclusion precipitation during solidification (secondary de-oxidation) can be promoted. The second purpose was to investigate the influence of secondary inclusions on the subsequent evolution of the steel solidification-structure, varying initial oxygen and titanium contents along with cooling rate during solidification.In the Ti-killed steel samples, the oxide inclusions were identified as MnO–TiO2 (0.5–5 μm) and MnS (1–3 μm) in the samples with the higher initial oxygen contents (Total Oxygen (T.O)=50–80 ppm) while Ti–Al–(Mg)–O (0.3–1 μm) in the samples with the lower oxygen contents (T.O=7–10 ppm). Comparing with thermodynamic calculations, the latter inclusions are considered to be the result of solely secondary de-oxidation precipitated in the inter-dendrite regions. For the high initial oxygen content, the inclusions were found as a result of both primary and secondary de-oxidation. The influence of cooling rate during solidification was investigated by controlling the cooling rate between 3–10 K/s by using different molds in a vacuum induction furnace. In addition, cooling rates were controlled at 1.1, 14 and 84 K/s by re-melting the samples in a gold-image furnace attached to a Confocal Scanning Laser Microscope (CSLM). An increase in the cooling rate resulted in an increase in the inclusion density in the Ti-killed samples while such an effect was not observed in the Al-killed sample. The secondary particle sizes for the Ti-killed sample predicted by a solute segregation model during solidification agreed well with the observed average particle sizes.In the Ti-killed samples, the solidification structure was finer with increasing density of inclusions below 1 μm, whereas such an effect was not observed in the Al-killed samples.


Growth and flowering of lachenalia 'Romaud' was studied with reference to its commercial potential as pot plant and the need to obtain flowering plants at a specific time. The experiment was carried out in a heated glasshouse. Lachenalia bulbs were planted in November, December, January and February. The plants were exposed to two lighting regimes, natural lighting and natural lighting with supplemental irradiation (HPS lamps). The later the planting date was, the faster the bulbs flowered, and they produced thicker inflorescence stems with greater number of florets. Depending on the bulb planting date and light conditions, the plants flowered from February to May. The leaves obtained from the bulbs planted in November and December were longer than those produced by the bulbs planted in January and February. Compared with control, supplemental irradiation accelerated flowering by 10–13  days and positively affected plant features by promoting the growth of thicker inflorescence stems with more abundant and longer florets. The leaves of irradiated bulbs were shorter (apart from the bulbs planted in February) and were characterised by a higher content of chlorophyll a, chlorophyll a + b and carotenoids as compared with control. Plants grown under HPS light also had the higher dry weight of bulbs, leaves and stems.


at Hastings College of Law. I hope I will not be accused of mawkishness when I say it will not be the same without him. I trust that Chicago, in the heat and intensity of its febrile intellectual activities, will never lose the deep, human warmth of the Sheldon Tefft tradition. It is a tradi tion which many Englishmen, Australians and New Zealanders as well as Americans remember with gratitude and affection. The values which Tefft brought to Chicago from Nebraska via Oxford are solid, en during American values. They de serve to be revered.


In this study, thermosensitive and magnetic nanoparticles were synthesized by reverse microemulsion and radical polymerization. Thermo-sensitive and magnetic nanoparticles consist of 6nm magnetite core (Fe3O4) and silica shell which then grafted by poly (N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM). The morphologies of these fabricated nanoparticles were observed by SEM and TEM, which is confirmed to be the core-shell structure. The property of PNIPAM could change from hydrophilic to hydrophobic from low temperature to high temperature. The lower critical solution temperature measured by DSC and DLS is at ~35°C. The magnetic characteristic of these nanoparticles is analyzed by SQUID. The result is illustrated as superparamagnetic behavior for the nanoparticles. Therefore, the nanoparticles could be introduced to the desired location by external magnetic field due to magnetite core. The absorption and desorption of Bovine serum albumin (BSA) were also discussed. At 50°C, the BSA can be absorbed by the polymeric shell presented as hydrophobic chains and be desorbed ~70% at room temperature. Combined thermosensitive and magnetic properties, nanoparticles could be utilized in controlled drug –targeting delivery.


Do we worry too much or too little about our health? I can never quite make up my mind, but it seems to me probable that there is an inverse anxiety law: those with most to worry about do so least, while those with least to worry about do so most.

To treat each meal as a medical procedure, however, is certainly to go too far in the direction of caution, even if a little bit of what we fancy does us harm. The comic poet and member of parliament (a combination of careers difficult to envisage today) A P Herbert, who was born in 1890 and died in 1971, satirised this tendency in his poem The Vitamins , published in 1930 in his collection …


BACKGROUND
The purpose of this analysis was to describe the presence and timing of do-not-resuscitate (DNR) orders for imminently dying patients in VA Medical Centers, and to examine factors associated with these processes.

METHODS
Data on DNR orders in the last 7 days of life were abstracted from the medical records of 1,069 veterans who had died in one of six VA hospitals in 2005.

RESULTS
Of the 1069 records, 681 (63.7%) had an active DNR order at time of death. Among these, records indicated that the order was written within the last 24 hours for 219 (32.2%), 1-2 days prior to death for 54 (7.9%), 3-7 days prior to death for 256 (37.6%), and > 7 days prior to death for 152 (22.3%). Veterans with a family member present at time of death and those who received pastoral care visits were more likely to have DNR orders. African American veterans and veterans who died unexpectedly were less likely to have DNR orders. Compared with those dying on a general medicine unit, veterans dying in the emergency department or an intensive care unit (ICU) and veterans dying during a procedure or in transit were less likely to have DNR orders. Mental health diagnoses were not associated with presence of a DNR order.

CONCLUSION
Results suggest that the DNR process might be improved by interventions that target ICU settings, facilitate transitions to less intensive locations of care, ensure the involvement and availability of pastoral care staff, and create environments that support the presence of family members.


Background : Health workers are recognized as the cornerstone for the success of the health sector programs. In this regard, proper planning of the development of health workers including pharmacists based on evidence is critical. Aim: To assess the pharmacist workforce in Ethiopia. Method: A national facility based census of the pharmacist workforce was conducted in Ethiopia. Pharmacists' job satisfaction was also assessed taking cross-section of pharmacists from six regions by applying a stratified random sampling method. A self-administered questionnaire was employed for the quantitative data collection. Results: The study revealed a pharmacist density of 2.38 per 100,000 population. Across the different regions of the country, the density ranges from 0.66 to 29.88. Pharmacists' satisfaction with their job appeared to be slightly above the average mean score, with an overall mean job satisfaction score of 3.0 (SD=1.11) in a scale of 1-5. Relation with fellow professionals was an item with the highest mean job satisfaction, while remuneration was ranked least by the pharmacists. Hospital pharmacists and younger pharmacists were significantly less satisfied than pharmacists working elsewhere. Conclusion : This study has shown that Ethiopia suffers from shortage of pharmacists and their mal-distribution across regions was also evident. Moreover, job satisfaction of the pharmacists in the country was slightly higher than the average mean satisfaction score on a scale of 1-5. Thus, government and other stakeholders should work together to devise mechanisms that could improve pharmacists' job satisfaction, ease uneven distribution among regions and expand the future pharmacy workforce.


This Technical Note was prepared to support the transport sector policy dialogue between the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Government of Belize. The note provides an overview of the main characteristics of the transport sector in Belize and the challenges going forward. The note recommends developing and implementing specific policies and infrastructure investments in the transport system that are necessary to sustain economic growth and to improve the access of the rural and urban poor to jobs and essential services. It also recommends supporting initiatives that open up mutually beneficial transit opportunities with neighboring countries and enables the transport sector to play a more significant role in strengthening disaster preparedness.


Persuasive games and gamified systems are effective tools for motivating behavior change using various persuasive strategies. Research has shown that tailoring these systems can increase their efficacy. However, there is little knowledge on how game-based persuasive systems can be tailored to individuals of various personality traits. To advance research in this area, we conducted a large-scale study of 660 participants to investigate how different personalities respond to various persuasive strategies that are used in persuasive health games and gamified systems. Our results reveal that people's personality traits play a significant role in the perceived persuasiveness of different strategies. Conscientious people tend to be motivated by goal setting, simulation, self-monitoring and feedback; people who are more open to experience are more likely to be demotivated by rewards, competition, comparison, and cooperation. We contribute to the CHI community by offering design guidelines for tailoring persuasive games and gamified designs to a particular group of personalities.


Two single mutants and the corresponding double mutant of beta-lactamase I from Bacillus cereus 569/H were constructed and their kinetics investigated. The mutants have Lys-73 replaced by arginine (K73R), or Glu-166 replaced by aspartic acid (E166D), or both (K73R + E166D). All four rate constants in the acyl-enzyme mechanism were determined for the E166D mutant by the methods described by Christensen, Martin & Waley [(1990) Biochem. J. 266, 853-861]. Both the rate constants for acylation and deacylation for the hydrolysis of benzylpenicillin were decreased about 2000-fold in this mutant. In the K73R mutant, and in the double mutant, the rate constants for acylation were decreased about 100-fold and 10,000-fold respectively. All three mutants also had lowered values for the rate constants for the formation and dissociation of the non-covalent enzyme-substrate complex. The specificities of the mutants did not differ greatly from those of wild-type beta-lactamase, but the hydrolysis of cephalosporin C by the K73R mutant gave 'burst' kinetics.


ABSTRACT Research demonstrates that for many individuals imprisonment fails to rehabilitate or deter, and may actually promote recidivism. What can be done to limit reoffending and improve reentry experiences? One malleable component of custodial corrections is the role of the corrections officer. Alterations in the practices of detention workers may significantly contribute to positive offender outcomes. Drawing from several disparate literatures, this article proposes ten recommendations for how to reform the role of corrections officers in ways that promote rehabilitation and reintegration. Discussed are ways in which corrections officers should emphasize correction, use cognitive behavioral techniques, embody other roles (crisis counsellors, health advocates, corrections counselors, and life coaches), encourage identity substitutions, suggest new routine activities, solicit crime controllers, and facilitate transitions.


The computational study of human balance recovery strategy is crucial for revealing effective strategy in human balance rehabilitation and humanoid robot balance control. In this context, many efforts have been made to improve the ability of quiet standing human balance. There are three main strategies for human balance including (i) ankle, (ii) hip, and (iii) stepping strategies. Besides, arm usage was considered for balance control of human walking. However, there exist few works about effectiveness assessment of arm strategy for quiet standing balance recovery. In this paper, we proposed a nonlinear model predictive control (NMPC) for human balance control on a simplified model with sagittal arm rotation. Three case studies including (i) active arms, (ii) passive arms, and (iii) fixed arms were considered to discuss the effectiveness of arm usage for human balance recovery during quiet standing. Besides, the total root mean square (RMS) deviation of joint angles was computed as an index of human motion intensity quantification. The proposed solution has been implemented for a human-like balance recovery with arm usages during quiet standing under perturbation and shows the effectiveness of arm strategy.


A tactical communication equipment simulation training platform aiming at the difficult problem of training is presented. Firstly, platform is built based on HLA and its framework is designed to a hierarchical structure. Secondly, models of the training equipments are created with software of GL Studio and Multigen Creator. The key technology of the platform including single equipment 3D modeling and integrated equipment 3D modeling is detailed. Each step is also listed and some skills are told combined with examples. Finally, the flow named military requirement drive designing and developing is put forward considering the traits of the platform, which is adopted to implement the platform. The simulation examples are introduced to prove the feasibility of the platform. The development of the platform provides beneficial reference for constructing the similar large-scale equipment operation simulation training system.


Humans are expanding their land use with e.g. forestry, agriculture and urbanisation, which can have both positive and negative effects upon biodiversity. One taxon that has shown to be affected by forestry is bats, however, the impacts differ depending on forestry method and their foraging strategy. This study focused on the habitat composition around maternity colonies of the forest-living Brandt's bat (Myotis brandtii) in Sweden, with the objective to investigate how the species might be af-fected by forestry and if their presence of colonies can be predicted based on habitat composition. To do so, bat activity and insect abundance was measured in relation to a number of habitat variables (forest density, canopy cover and level of soil moisture), and in three types of forest habitats (coniferous forest, swamp forest and edge be-tween forest and open areas). Insects were caught with suction traps and bat activity was surveyed with automatic ultrasound detectors. Habitat composition within 1 km radius from 14 colonies was compared to three control areas of 20 × 20 km.
Insect abundance and bat activity was not correlated. Insect abundance was highest at edge habitat, while bat activity was highest in swamp forests. High level of soil moisture was important for both insect abundance and bat activity, which suggests that drainage of forests is negative for forest-living bats. There was a trend towards more bats in medium dense forest, which suggests that the species is tolerant towards thinning of forests. Habitat coverage did not differ between colony areas and control areas, and the variance was large in colony areas. This indicates that M. brandtii oc-curs in the dominant type of landscape in the studied area. It was not possible to relate presence of colonies to occurrence or distribution to any habitat, making it hard to predict M. brandtii colony presence based on maps. Forestry methods in which a continuous crown cover is conserved is positive for forest-living bats, but the main conservation measure is to restore or create new forested wetlands.


The adrenal cortex is the site of the synthesis of the steroid hormones such as the glucocorticoid cortisol and the mineralocorticoid aldosterone. The pathway of biosynthesis of these steroids from cholesterol involves a sequence of transformations using cytochrome P-450 enzymes. The hypothesis presented here is that damage to cytochrome P-450 enzymes on interaction with certain steroids, synthesized by the adrenal cortex itself, may be of pathological and perhaps physiological importance. The interaction between cytochrome P-450 enzymes and these steroids, which act as pseudosubstrates, may form part of the pathogenesis of some steroidogenic enzyme deficiencies, with consequent overproduction of precursor steroids, leading to mineralocorticoid or androgen excess. This interaction is dependent on achieving high concentrations of the pseudosubstrate steroids in the adrenal cortex, which probably occurs as a result of the arrangement of the vasculature in the adrenal gland. High concentrations of steroids may be expected to accumulate in steroidogenic cells, both in culture and in vivo, and may have autoregulating effects. The high content of antioxidant compounds in the adrenal cortex, principally ascorbate, may serve to protect cytochrome P-450 enzymes from the damaging effects of oxygen radical species formed as a result of cytochrome P-450/pseudosubstrate interactions.


The study aimed to analyze Isla Verde as a potential ecotourism destination in terms of the criteria set by the Department of Tourism. The study further looked into Isla Verde's manner of preserving and conserving its natural resources and what the island needs for further development. The researchers focused on the six barangays of Isla Verde, namely, San Agustin, Kanluran, San Agustin, Silangan, San Agapito, San Andres, San Antonio, and Lipon-lipon. Adopting the descriptive research design, the researchers used two research instruments to gather the data needed: observation checklist and an interview guide. The observation checklist was used to evaluate how the criteria set by the Department of Tourism is complied by Isla Verde. Findings showed that the island has satisfactorily met the criteria for it to become an ecotourism site. The local residents in the island have been given different programs, seminars, and trainings conducted by the First Philippines Conservation Inc. (FPCI) to make them aware of the need to protect the island. They also have different livelihood programs, such as mat weaving and animal husbandry which helped them to have alternative sources of income. Training have also been given to some of the fishermen in each barangay. The researchers also found out that local residents do give importance to proper waste management for the beautification of the island. There were, however, some areas of concern found to need improvement, specifically, accommodations and food service. Based on the findings, the researchers concluded that Isla Verde has the potentials to become an ecotourism site provided that it continues to pursue development opportunities that would eventually make the island an ecotourism site. Recommendations to further develop the area in terms of its accommodations, nature-based activities, and providing seminars that will help the local people to have a wider knowledge in protecting their island's natural resources were forwarded .


Although sexual reproductive development is a critical phase in the life cycle of plants, the effects of air pollutants on the processes involved have not been investigated extensively. This thesis describes experiments undertaken to determine the direct effects of short-term exposures to ozone on the reproductive biology of species with contrasting reproductive growth habits, Brassica campestris L., an indeterminate species, and Plantago major L., a more determinate species. Two purpose-designed exposure chambers were constructed, each of which permitted the reproductive structures of up to twelve plants to be isolated from the vegetative parts and exposed simultaneously to ozone-enriched or charcoal-filtered air. The design of these chambers also permitted whole plant exposures. The occurrence of significant decreases in stomatal conductance and the net rate of photosynthesis following exposure to 70 ppb ozone established that the vegetative structures of both B. campestris and P. major were sensitive to ozone. Visible leaf injury also developed in B. campestris, the extent of which varied with the stomatal conductance of plants prior to fumigation and therefore ozone uptake. The growth of B. campestris and P. major was also reduced following 10 and 14 days of exposure respectively to 70 ppb ozone for 7 h d-1. The effects of ozone on growth differed between the four populations of P. major examined in this study. While a single 6 h exposure of the terminal inflorescence of B. campestris to 100 ppb ozone had no significant effect on reproductive development, repeated exposures over four consecutive days increased the abortion of seeds in apical pods and the precocious germination of seeds in older pods. However, the impact on final seed yield was dependent upon the timing of exposure; thus seed yield was significantly reduced following exposure during the early flowering phase, but was unaffected following exposure during the later stages of reproductive development. The compensation for seed losses in more mature plants resulted from their ability to retain naturally aborting seeds in older pods. Nonetheless, single and multiple exposures to ozone both reduced the rate of germination of harvested seeds and multiple exposures affected seed colour. In P. major, exposure of the fIrst spike to 120 ppb ozone for 7 h d1 during flowering primarily affected seed number per capsule. Both significant increases and decreases in seed number were observed in the four popUlations examined, and seed number was also affected in spikes which had not been exposed to ozone, indicating the existence of possible compensation mechanisms. Pollen from both species was also shown to be sensitive to a 6 h in vivo exposure to ozone. The complex responses of B. campestris and P. major following direct exposure of the reproductive structures to ozone suggest that factors other than the type of reproductive growth habit are important in determining the extent of ozone damage and the ability of plants to compensate for reproductive site losses.


Research into "corporate masculinity" suggests that executive men position their difference, status and power through discourses which involve the strategies of "identification with some men and differentiation from others, including women". While these processes apparently place women in an antithetical relationship to power, women are increasingly achieving executive leadership. This paper examines the career representations of 30 senior women executives. Drawing on a social constructionist approach to gender and identity, examines women's positioning of self within the discourse and discusses how they deal with the apparent paradoxes or contradictions of female identity within a world dominated by corporate masculinity. Our findings suggest that women engage in processes of identification and differentiation comparable to those of men. Perhaps unexpectedly, these processes often involve an assertion and celebration of female difference that includes distinctions between "the wo‐men and the boys". They also involve a more tentative process of differentiation from corporate masculinity through the construction of an emerging new culture, the culture of women in business.


Summary We propose a novel network density and mobility aware energy-efficient broadcast route discovery strategy (called DMEF) to determine stable routes in mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs). During the on-demand route discovery process, each node dynamically chooses its own broadcast transmission range for the Route-Request message depending on the perceived number of neighbor nodes in its default maximum transmission range and the node's own mobility values during the time of broadcast. A node surrounded by more neighbors advertises itself only to a limited set of nearby neighbors and a node surrounded by few neighbors advertises itself to a maximum of its neighbors. Similarly, a slow-moving node advertises itself to a majority of its neighbors so that links formed using this node can be more stable. A fast-moving node advertises itself only to the neighbors closer to it. Simulation results indicate that DMEF is very effective, vis-a-vis flooding, in reducing the number of broadcast route discoveries by determining routes with a longer lifetime and as well as in reducing the energy consumed per route discovery. DMEF does not require any changes in the packet headers and can be used with any MANET routing protocol that has been proposed in the literature.


BACKGROUND
Although many patients with posttraumatic ankle arthritis are of a younger age, studies evaluating the impact of age on outcomes of primary total ankle arthroplasty (TAA) have revealed heterogenous results. The purpose of the present study was to determine the effect of age on complication rates and patient-reported outcomes after TAA.

METHODS
We retrospectively reviewed the records of 1,115 patients who had undergone primary TAA. The patients were divided into 3 age cohorts: <55 years (n = 196), 55 to 70 years (n = 657), and >70 years (n = 262). Demographic characteristics, intraoperative variables, postoperative complications, and patient-reported outcome measures were compared among groups with use of univariable analyses. Competing-risk regression analysis with adjustment for patient and implant characteristics was performed to assess the risk of implant failure by age group. The mean duration of follow-up was 5.6 years.

RESULTS
Compared with the patients who were 55 to 70 years of age and >70 years of age, those who were <55 years of age had the highest rates of any reoperation (19.9%, 11.7%, and 6.5% for the <55, 55 to 70, and >70-year age groups, respectively; p < 0.001), implant failure (5.6%, 2.9%, and 1.1% for the <55, 55 to 70, and >70-year age groups, respectively; p = 0.019), and polyethylene exchange (7.7%, 4.3%, and 2.3% for the <55, 55 to 70, and >70-year age groups, respectively; p = 0.021). Competing-risk regression revealed a decreased risk of implant failure for patients who were >70 of age compared with those who were <55 years of age (hazard ratio [HR], 0.21 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.05 to 0.80]; p = 0.023) and for patients who were 55 to 70 years of age compared with those who were <55 years of age (HR, 0.35 [95% CI, 0.16 to 0.77]; p = 0.009). For all subscales of the Foot and Ankle Outcome Score (FAOS) measure except activities of daily living, patients who were <55 years of age reported the lowest (worst) mean preoperative and postoperative scores compared with those who were 55 to 70 years of age and >70 years of age (p ≤ 0.001). Patients who were <55 years of age had the highest mean numerical pain score at the time of the latest follow-up (23.6, 14.4, 12.9 for the <55, 55 to 70, and >70-year age groups, respectively; p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS
Studies involving large sample sizes with intermediate to long-term follow-up are critical to reveal age-related impacts on outcomes after TAA. In the present study, which we believe to be the largest single-institution series to date evaluating the effect of age on outcomes after TAA, younger patients had higher rates of complications and implant failure and fared worse on patient-reported outcome measures.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE
Prognostic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.


Robust evidence, including systematic reviews and recommendations from the 2016 Lancet Commission on Adolescent Health and Wellbeing, does not wholly support the unambiguous endorsement of peer-led community-based interventions. This study evaluated the effectiveness of an intensive three-day training for peer educators (PE) on dispelling myths and misconceptions about long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs) among Ethiopian youth. Post-training, PEs conducted demand-generation activities with their peers to encourage LARCs referrals. A convenience purposive sampling technique was used to select 20 health centers where peer educators referred clients: 10 each in Amhara and Tigray regions. The health centers were randomly allocated to the intervention (five) and non-intervention (five) study arms. Data were abstracted from the peer educators' monthly reporting forms over an 11-month period: 5 months pre-intervention and 6 months post-intervention. Analysis of family planning and LARCs referrals and chi-square tests of association were conducted. Odds of LARCs referrals at pre-intervention (0.96), fell to 0.83 for the post-intervention phase (p-value <0.6). Challenges, largely with data collection and reporting, may have exposed the study to Type II errors. We recommend focused and rigorous data collection in a multi-country 2X2 factorial design cluster randomized holistic intervention (service providers/clinic and PEs/community) trial to comprehensively determine effectiveness on demand for and uptake of LARCs among youth.


We present near-infrared spectra for a sample of T dwarfs, including 11 new discoveries made using the 2 Micron All Sky Survey. These objects are distinguished from warmer (L-type) brown dwarfs by the presence of methane absorption bands in the 1-2.5 μm spectral region. A first attempt at a near-infrared classification scheme for T dwarfs is made, based on the strengths of CH4 and H2O bands and the shapes of the 1.25, 1.6, and 2.1 μm flux peaks. Subtypes T1 V-T8 V are defined, and spectral indices useful for classification are presented. The subclasses appear to follow a decreasing Teff scale, based on the evolution of CH4 and H2O bands and the properties of L and T dwarfs with known distances. However, we speculate that this scale is not linear with spectral type for cool dwarfs, due to the settling of dust layers below the photosphere and subsequent rapid evolution of spectral morphology around Teff ~ 1300-1500 K. Similarities in near-infrared colors and continuity of spectral features suggest that the gap between the latest L dwarfs and earliest T dwarfs has been nearly bridged. This argument is strengthened by the possible role of CH4 as a minor absorber, shaping the K-band spectra of the latest L dwarfs. Finally, we discuss one peculiar T dwarf, 2MASS 0937+2931, which has very blue near-infrared colors (J - Ks = -0.89 ± 0.24) due to suppression of the 2.1 μm peak. The feature is likely caused by enhanced collision-induced H2 absorption in a high-pressure or low-metallicity photosphere.


This essay describes the forms of counterpropaganda of the guerilla movement during the Japanese Occupation particularly in the guerilla newspapers which were an integral part of the underground resistance movement. Combining historical research and content analysis of thre guerrilla newspapers in the Visayas where the resistance was the strongest — the Leyte Samar Free Philippines, The Coordinator and Ang Tigbatas — the study analyzes how the guerilla newspapers kept the Filipino people informed about war developments and boosted their morale. With their emphasis on news, the guerilla newspapers, despite their lack of polish and limited resources, effectively met the needs of the Filipinos and countered the massive Japanese propaganda machinery.


The first part of this thesis is a narrative synthesis of the literature that examines mindfulness and child outcomes across the perinatal period. A total of 13 studies met inclusion criteria and were discussed in relation to two categories: studies that explored dispositional mindfulness and studies that explored the feasibility and/or effectiveness of mindfulness interventions. The review highlighted evidence that suggests that dispositional prenatal mindfulness may be naturally protective against the development of psychopathology during the perinatal period. Intervention studies provide promising evidence that mindfulness interventions (both brief and intensive) can improve mood and wellbeing and have positive effects on some child health and socio-emotional outcomes. However, empirical evidence is still in its infancy, and very few conclusions can be drawn from this research in relation to the impact of maternal mindfulness on the development of maternal sensitivity and its longer-term impact on child development. The review identified a fundamental need for replication of studies using randomised controlled trials with active control groups and larger sample sizes. Longer follow-up periods are also required in order to identify whether the positive post-intervention effects are sustained into the postnatal period and beyond. The second part of this thesis is an empirical study investigating the associations between mental health, dispositional mindfulness and maternal sensitivity in expectant mothers during their third trimester of pregnancy. Signal Detection Theory was applied in order to differentiate between discrimination (whether expectant mothers can discriminate between happy and sad infant emotions) and response bias (whether expectant mothers have a propensity to rate emotional faces as either 'happy' or 'sad'). Results showed that mental health difficulties positively correlated with a greater propensity to interpret infant expressions (both positive and negative expressions) as 'sad'. Higher dispositional mindfulness was also associated with lower depression and lower anxiety. An association between dispositional mindfulness and maternal sensitivity was not found. Findings are discussed in relation to previous research and also highlight limitations with the maternal sensitivity task design. This research adds to the limited literature on dispositional mindfulness.


An 8-phase phase-aligned ring oscillator in 90 nm digital CMOS is presented that operates up to 2 GHz. The low-complexity circuit consumes 13 mW at 2 GHz and 1.2 mW at 400 MHz, while a flat in-band phase noise below -120 dBc/Hz is achieved, in close agreement with the presented theory. The circuit occupies an area of 0.008 mm2 .


Gallstone ileus is an unusual cause of mechanical obstruction of the gastrointestinal tract; but obstruction of the colon by a gallstone is an even more rare event, and there are few references in the literature. We describe the cases of two elderly women who were admitted to the Emergency Service with a mechanical obstruction of the colon and air in the biliary tract. A barium-enema examination showed the presence of a foreign body in the sigmoid colon; this was found to be a gallstone in a subsequent colonoscopy in one of the patients; a precise preoperative diagnosis was not possible in the other. In both cases the obstruction was caused by a gallstone impacted in the sigmoid colon and a cholecystocolonic fistula was evident in a postoperative barium enema examination. Correction of the obstruction is the main objective of initial treatment. The repair of the fistula can be performed at the same time or at a later date.


BACKGROUND
Clusterin (70-80 kDa; synonym ApoJ) is a stress-associated cytoprotective glycoprotein involved in many physiological and pathophysiological processes and it is up-regulated by various apoptotic triggers in many cancers and neurodegenerative diseases.

AIM
Measurement of serum clusterin values in individuals with a history of cancer before and after spa therapy.

METHODS
Serum clusterin concentration (ELISA) was determined in a group of 26 oncologic patients (4 men and 22 women) at the beginning and at the end (the 18th or 19th day) of spa treatment. The spa treatment lasted 3 weeks. The patients with various types of cancer had undergone basic therapy (surgery, chemotherapy, actinotherapy) prior to spa treatment. They were divided according to the interval between the end of basic treatment and the start of spa therapy. Patients coming within 12 months comprised group A (n=15) while patients coming later comprised group B (n=11).

RESULTS
clusterin concentrations increased in 11 patients (73%) and decreased in 4 (27%) in group A and increased in 5 (45%) and decreased in 6 (55%) in group B. The non-parametric sign test was non-significant. There were positive value of average change between the second and the first sample in group A and negative value in group B. In group A the parametric test showed significant increased clusterin concentration at the end of spa treatment but the data had non-parametric distribution in fact.

CONCLUSION
It is concluded that early spa therapy increases clusterin serum concentration. This is probably due to to the positive effects of balneotherapy. However the sample was very small and further research is required.


Cavity-nesting birds and mammals exhibit species-specific nest-site selection for tree characteristics and cavity dimensions. Although trees and their cavities change as they age, with trees becoming softer and cavities becoming larger, it is not known how their value as nesting resources varies with age. In the context of wildlife and forest management, we investigated the relative value of generating a supply of fresh cavities, which are thought to be of high quality, versus protecting cavities as they age and expand in interior volume. For 21 years (1995–2016), we monitored the formation and occupancy of tree cavities used by >30 species of birds and mammals in interior British Columbia, Canada. Cavity occupancy by secondary users was highest 1 year post-excavation (53%), then declined to 40% after 2 years, remained at 33 7% (SD) between 3 and 16 years of age, and increased to 50% use from 17–20 years post-excavation. Excavators that reused cavities (woodpeckers [Picidae], nuthatches [Sitta spp.]) strongly selected 1and 2-year-old cavities, large-bodied non-excavators (ducks, raptors, squirrels) selected mid-aged cavities, and mountain bluebirds (Sialia currucoides) and tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) selected most strongly for the oldest cavities. Cavities created in living aspen trees (Populus spp.), especially those excavated by northern flickers (Colaptes auratus), maintained high occupancy by secondary users across cavity age, and provided the bulk of cavities used in this system. Altogether, these results show that a diverse excavator community is needed to generate a supply of fresh cavities in the ecosystem, and retention of the mid-aged and older cavities will help support larger species. 2017 The Wildlife Society.