The aim of this thesis is to explore and compare methods that can be used for the purposes of finding possible genetic effects in the context of fine-scale genotype-phenotype association studies. Fine-scale genetic association studies present unique challenges for attempts at finding genetic effects, due to the strong linkage that can exist between different variants and issues that exist as a result of multiple testing. However, unlike Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS), there is potential to use the information from haplotypes arising from areas of low genetic recombination.

In order to test the effectiveness of approaches involved in fine-scale studies, the PheGe-Sim (Phenotype Genotype Simulation) application has been developed in order to simulate fine-scale phenotype-genotype data sets under a variety of scenarios. The simulations are based upon the coalescent model with extensions of population expansion, recombination, and finite sites mutations, that allow for real data sets to be more closely mirrored. The simulated data sets are subsequently used to assess the effectiveness of each of the methods that are used in this thesis, in attempting to find the known simulated causal variants.

One of the methods suitable for use in fine-scale genetic association studies for testing associations is Treescan (Templeton et al., 2005). Treescan is a method that attempts to use relationships between closely related haplotypes in an attempt to increase the power of finding genetic determinants of a phenotype. A haplotype tree is constructed, and each branch can be sequentially tested for any evidence of association from the resultant groups. To provide comparisons with the Treescan method, similar methods to the Treescan approach using each SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism) and haplotype have been implemented.

As a result of the issues of multiple testing in the context of GWAS, Balding (2006) advocated the use of Bayes factors as an alternative to the standard use of p-values for categorical data sets. In this thesis Bayes factors have been formulated that are suitable for continuous phenotype data, and for the context of fine-scale association studies. Bayes factors are used in a method that utilizes the Treescan approach of assessing various groupings from a haplotype tree, with the method being adapted to take advantage of the flexibility offered by Bayes factors. Single SNP and haplotype approaches have also been programmed using
the same implementation of Bayes factors.

The PheGe-Find (Phenotype Genotype-Find) application has been developed
that implements the association methods when supplied with the appropriate genotype and phenotype input files. In addition to testing the methods on simulated data, the approaches are also tested on two real data sets. The first of these concerns genotypes and phenotypes of the Drosophila Melanogaster fruit fly, that has previously been assessed using the original Treescan approach of Templeton et al. (2005). This allows for comparisons to be made between the different approaches upon a data set where there is strong evidence of a causal link between the genotype and phenotypes concerned. A second data set of genetic variants surrounding the human ADRA1A gene is also assessed for any potential causative genetic effects on blood pressure and heart rate phenotype measurements.


Models simulating stream flow and conservative tracers can provide a representation of flow paths, storage distributions and mixing processes that is advantageous for many predictive purposes. Compared with models that only simulate stream flow, tracer data can be used to investigate the internal consistency of model behaviour and to gain insight into model performance. Here, we examine the strengths and weaknesses of a data‐driven, spatially distributed tracer‐aided rainfall‐runoff model. The model structure allowed us to assess the influence of landscape characteristics on the routing and mixing of water and tracers. The model was applied to a site in the Scottish Highlands with a unique tracer data set; ~4 years of daily isotope ratios in stream water and precipitation were available, as well as 2 years of weekly soil and ground water isotopes. The model structure was based on an empirically based, lumped tracer‐aided model previously developed for the catchment. The best model runs were selected from Monte Carlo simulations based on dual calibration criteria using objective functions for both stream isotopes and discharge at the outlet. Model performance for these criteria was reasonable (Nash–Sutcliffe efficiencies for discharge and isotope ratios were ~0.4–0.6). The model could generally reproduce the variable isotope signals in the soils of the steeper hill slopes where storage was low, and damped isotope responses in valley bottom cells with high storage. The model also allowed us to estimate the age distributions of internal stores, water fluxes and stream flow. Average stream water age was ~1.6 years, integrating older groundwater in the valley bottom and dynamic younger soil waters. By tracking water ages and simulating isotopes, the model captured the changes in connectivity driven by distributed storage dynamics. This has substantially improved the representation of spatio‐temporal process dynamics and gives a more robust framework for projecting environmental change impacts. Copyright © 2016 The Authors Hydrological Processes Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.


Naltrexone (ReVia) and nalmefene (Revex) are the most effective agents for treating alcoholism. Acamprosate is effective but not available in the United States. Serotonergic agents, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), and lithium work best in patients with alcoholism and comorbid depression, anxiety, or bipolar disorder. Disulfiram (Antabuse) decreases drink frequency, but is no better than placebo for other outcomes. Greater effectiveness is achieved when pharmacologic agents are combined with either counseling or Alcoholics Anonymous programs. (Grade of recommendation: B, based on multiple randomized controlled studies with short and incomplete follow-up of patients.)


Scalable fabrication strategies to concentrate biocidal materials in only the surface of membranes are highly desirable. In this letter, tight-UF polytriazole membranes with a high concentration of biocide silver chloride (AgCl) crystals dispersed in only their top layer are presented. They were made following a simple dual-bath process that is compatible with current commercial membrane casting facilities. These membranes can achieve a 150-fold increase in their antimicrobial character compared to their silver-free counterpart. Moreover, fine-tuning of their properties is straightforward. A change in the silver concentration in one of the baths is sufficient to tune the permeance, molecular weight cut-off (MWCO) and silver loading of the final membrane.


In this paper we present a new Bayesian methodology for the restoration of blurred and noisy images. Bayesian methods rely on image priors that encapsulate prior image knowledge and avoid the ill-posedness of the image restoration problems. Some of these priors depend on global variance parameters, unable to account for local characteristics. Here we first use variational methods to approximate probability posterior distributions for the global model to later use those distributions to define local and more realistic image models which lead to better restored images as it is shown in the experimental section.


Mycotoxicosis caused by ingestion of moldy cream cheese was suspected in two dogs with severe muscle tremors and generalized seizures. Penicillium crustosum and its toxin, penitrem A, were isolated from the moldy cream cheese.


Abstract The role of Charles Marlow has often been misinterpreted in terms of its relation to Joseph Conrad's life. Previous research rendered this connection misleading and schematic. Bearing in mind the impressionistic qualities of Marlow's narrative, the aim of this essay is to prove that Marlow's stories in Lord Jim and Heart of Darkness are self-reflective, which means that they possess an autobiographical quality. To provide reference I will bring in recent a discussion on modernists' autobiographies by Max Saunders. Contributing to the dispute on life-writing between 1870 and 1930, Saunders argues that the autobiographies of Conrad, Ford, James and others can be read as part of their fictional oeuvre. This argument provides the theoretical background for reading Marlow's stories as autobiographical or, as proposed by Saunders, autobiografictional, which points to the malleability of the genre of autobiography. Furthermore, I will use the work of John G. Peters concerned with literary impressionism and self-reflectiveness in order to widen the scope of my analysis. The main purpose of such interpretation is to elevate Marlow's role as a self-reflective character whose narrative shares the impressionistic qualities of self-reflectiveness, thus enabling for an analysis that pertains to Saunders' autobiografiction. Keywords: autobiography (autobiografiction), Charles Marlow, Max Saunders, literary impressionism, self-reflectiveness


ABSTRACT An increasing number of youth are exhibiting social, emotional, and behavioral problems that hinder their ability to function at grade level. Subsequently, school mental health services have not been able to address the need for services particularly among students who are minority and poor. A mixed methodology study was conducted to determine the treatment outcomes from a brief strength-based leadership training group for primarily students who are African American and poor. Pre–post scores on three scales and focus group data revealed significant positive changes in regard to internal areas of functioning and social skills, anger management skills, and school attitude. Gender and age significantly impacted outcomes.


SUMMARY: A new type of phase variation which changes in one direction only has been noted in some members of the Salmonella group. This was found in association with three hitherto undescribed flagellar antigens, z43, z45 and z46, which are characterized. These occurred naturally with particular frequency in Salmonella group E and in cultures which possessed an alternate g, s, t phase. Two of these antigens, z43 and z45, were found less frequently in other O groups and in organisms possessing other alternative phases. Although the antigens in question can be readily transformed to the alternate phases of the organisms in which they occur, these alternate phases could not be changed to z43, z45 or z46.


This paper presents an overview of a cognitive modeling approach to the study of simultaneous interpretation. It discusses current work in adapting an established cognitive modeling system to permit study of lower-level cognition in interpretation. A sketch is given of the basic cognitive architecture of the system as used in modeling comprehension. The integration of the comprehension component with other tasks is explored, and a unified framework for studying the overall interpretation task is outlined. Mention is made of the system's potential for investigating various aspects of interpretation performance, and possible areas of focus for future research are described.


Androgens are steroid hormones that are necessary for normal male phenotype expression, including the outward development of secondary sex characteristics as well as the initiation and maintenance of spermatogenesis. Many physiological actions of androgens are mediated by the androgen receptor (AR), a member of the nuclear receptor superfamily. AR functions as a ligand-dependent transcription factor, regulating expression of an array of target genes that are important in male pubertal development and fertility. In this review, the expression and necessity of AR in specific testicular cell types that are important in spermatogenesis will be discussed, and recent information obtained through the study of complete and cell type-specific AR null mouse models will be presented.


This book reviews the basic claims and descriptive constructs of Cognitive Grammar, outlines major themes in its ongoing development, and applies these notions to central problems in grammatical analysis.


Purpose: This paper aims to illustrate the scope and challenges of using computer-aided content analysis in international marketing with the aim to capture consumer sentiments about COVID-19 from multi-lingual tweets. Design/methodology/approach: The study is based on some 35 million original COVID-19-related tweets. The study methodology illustrates the use of supervised machine learning and artificial neural network techniques to conduct extensive information extraction. Findings: The authors identified more than two million tweets from six countries and categorized them into PESTEL (i.e. Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental and Legal) dimensions. The extracted consumer sentiments and associated emotions show substantial differences across countries. Our analyses highlight opportunities and challenges inherent in using multi-lingual online sentiment analysis in international marketing. Based on these insights, several future research directions are proposed. Originality/value: First, the authors contribute to methodology development in international marketing by providing a "use-case" for computer-aided text mining in a multi-lingual context. Second, the authors add to the knowledge on differences in COVID-19-related consumer sentiments in different countries. Third, the authors provide avenues for future research on the analysis of unstructured multi-media posts. © 2021, Bodo B. Schlegelmilch, Kirti Sharma and Sambbhav Garg.


Structural analysis devolves upon two essential operations - the assessment of the external forces to which a structure may be subjected, and the determination of the internal stresses induced by these forces in the various portions of the structure. In specifying the external forces, recourse is usually had to accepted codes of practice which recommend the loading to be taken into account for a variety of conditions. It is not sufficiently realised, however, that these load classifications are of necessity imperfect representations of actual conditions. This arbitrariness is particularly evident in the case of the design wind loads laid down in building codes. The purpose of this paper is to bring the problems associated with the assessment of wind loads in the design of exposed engineering structures within the purview of that part of dynamical meteorology which deals with atmospheric motion near the ground.


Objective Artificial insemination plays an important role in genetic improvement in the goat farming system. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of cervical application of hyaluronan (HA) on the fertility in goats after cervical artificial insemination using frozen-thawed (F-T) semen. Methods After oestrous synchronisation with progesterone sponges and pregnant mare serum gonadotropin injection, both nulli- and multi-parous goats, were randomly allocated to 2 groups, and were inseminated with 0.25 mL of F-T semen (150×106 spermatozoa) twice at 52 h and 56 h after sponge removal. Prior to the insemination, goats in Group 1 only were given topical cervical HA application at 48 h after sponge removal. Site of insemination was recorded as os-cervix or intra-cervix or intra-uterus. Pregnancy was tested ultrasonographically 42 days after insemination. The data on pregnancy rates and percentage of animals according to the site of semen deposition were compared by Chi-square analysis. Results The overall pregnancy rate was significantly (p<0.004) higher in goats with prior application to the cervix with HA (63.3%) than without (36.0%). Same pattern was observed in the pregnancy rates of nulli- and multi-parous goats in both the groups. Percentage of nulliparous goats according to the site of insemination in the HA group did not differ between first and the second insemination. However, in multiparous goats the percentage of animals inseminated intra-cervically was significantly increased (p≤0.05) between the first and the second inseminations. Conclusion The results suggest that significantly higher fertility rate in the "HA goats" compared to the "without HA" group was because of deeper insemination facilitated by topical cervical application of HA. The deeper insemination into the cervical canal increase the rate of fertilisation when the cervical artificial insemination is performed.


Background Influenza immunization among elderly people with disabilities is a critical public health concern; however, few studies have examined the factors associated with vaccination rates in non-Western societies. Methods By linking the National Disability Registration System and health service claims dataset from the National Health Insurance program, this population-based study investigated the seasonal influenza vaccination rate among elderly people with disabilities in Taiwan (N = 283,172) in 2008. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to adjust for covariates. Results Nationally, only 32.7% of Taiwanese elderly people with disabilities received influenza vaccination. The strongest predictor for getting vaccinated among older Taiwanese people with disabilities was their experience of receiving an influenza vaccination in the previous year (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 6.80, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 6.67–6.93). Frequent OPD use (AOR = 1.85, 95% CI: 1.81–1.89) and undergoing health examinations in the previous year (AOR = 1.66, 95% CI: 1.62–1.69) also showed a moderate and significant association with receiving an influenza vaccination. Conclusions Although free influenza vaccination has been provided in Taiwan since 2001, influenza immunization rates among elderly people with disabilities remain low. Policy initiatives are required to address the identified factors for improving influenza immunization rates among elderly people with disabilities.


Frustrated and Failing: Affective Load in Student Searching

Kathryn Arinaga, Julie Motooka, & Jonathan Young. LIS 677 Human Dimension in Information Systems; University of Hawaii at Manoa, Library & Information Science.

Introduction: Research Questions, Theoretical Background; Methods; Results.

Summary: Emotion is a critical component of human behavior, including information seeking. Our study shows that higher affective load is related to more difficulty in noticing aspects of the database. The less we notice, the more likely our system image will be inaccurate, leading to low acceptance of the system, lowering motivation, and possibly disengagement. Higher optimism and self-efficacy may not have enough of a buffering effect in performing tasks of high difficulty. Further studies could pinpoint where the points of frustration or increased affective load are and ways to mitigate these in student searching. This study also indicates the need to incorporate teaching models to help students understand how databases work in library instruction.


A widely used method for noncontact electromagnetic characterization of materials is based on the measurement of an insertion transfer function. This function, defined as the ratio of two phasor signals measured in the presence and absence of the material under test, is related to the dielectric constant of the material through a complex transcendental equation. Solving this equation requires a numerical two-dimensional root search technique, which is often time consuming due to slow convergence and the existence of spurious solutions. In this paper, a new formulation is presented, which facilitates the evaluation of complex dielectric constant of low-loss materials by means of real equations, thus requiring only one-dimensional root search techniques. Two sample materials are measured, and it is shown that their dielectric constants obtained from the exact complex equation and the new formulation are in excellent agreement. The new formulation reduces the computation time significantly and is highly accurate for the characterization of low-loss materials.


Background. The primary aim of this research was to examine differences in alcohol consumption and self-esteem between tattooed and non-tattooed people. The secondary objective of this study was to examine the correlations between the number of tattoos and the alcohol consumption as well as the self-esteem. Methods. Two standardized test were used: the "Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test" (AUDIT) for investigation of alcohol drinking behaviour and the "Multidimensional Self-Esteem Scale". In addition, the number, size and body parts of tattoos were asked with a non-standardized questionnaire. Results. A total of 228 German persons (127 tattooed and 101 non-tattooed) participated in an online survey, aged between 17 and 65 years (M = 26.41, SD = 9.03). The results indicate that there were no significant group differences concerning the alcohol consumption, as well as there was no correlation between tattoos and the self-esteem. Equally, there was no correlation between the number of tattoos and the alcohol consumption. A positive correlation between the number of tattoos and the self-esteem was found. Conclusion. Tattooed people do not seem to consume more alcohol or have lower self-esteem than non-tattooed people. This study shows that the number of tattoos is associated with the self-esteem. No differences between tattooed people and nontattooed people could be found in this study. An explanation is that regarding the explosion of costs for professional made tattoos, the area of customers changed from outsiders of the society to people with average and high earnings.


A singular-hyperbolic attractor for vector fields is a partially hyperbolic attractor with singularities (that are hyperbolic) and volume expanding central direction. The geometric Lorenz attractor is the most representative example of a singular-hyperbolic attractor. In this paper, we prove that if $\Lambda$ is a singular-hyperbolic attractor of a three-dimensional vector field X, then there is a neighborhood U of $\Lambda$ in M such that every attractor in U of a Cr vector field Cr close to X is singular, i.e. it contains a singularity. With this result we prove the following corollaries. There are neighborhoods U of $\Lambda$ (in M) and $\mathcal U$ of X (in the space of Cr vector fields) such that if n denotes the number of singularities of X in $\Lambda$, then $\#\{A\subset U:A$ is an attractor of $Y\in\mathcal U\}\leq n$. Every three-dimensional vector field Cr close to one exhibiting a singular-hyperbolic attractor has a singularity non-isolated in the non-wandering set. A singularity of a three-dimensional Cr vector field Y is stably non-isolated in the non-wandering set if it is the unique singularity of a singular-hyperbolic attractor of Y. These results generalize well-known properties of the geometric Lorenz attractor.


Purpose of review To discuss the clear rationale for evidence-based medicine (EvBM) in the challenging realms of resuscitation research, yet also provide case examples in which even the well designed, multicentered randomized clinical trial may have had unrecognized limitations, and thus misleading results. This is where experienced-based medicine (ExBM) helps to resolve the issue. Recent findings Recent publications have brought to task the conclusions drawn from various clinical trials of resuscitative interventions. These articles have indicated that some major clinical trials that later determined the universal guidelines for resuscitative protocols may have been affected by unrecognized confounding variables, effect modifiers and other problems such as delayed timing. Many interventions, deemed to be ineffective because of these study factors, may actually have lifesaving effects that would have been confirmed had the proper circumstances been in place. With the right mindset, the clinician-researcher can often identify and address those situations. Summary When clinical trials indicate ineffectiveness of an intervention that worked very well in other circumstances, both preclinical and clinical, clinician-investigators should continue to re-search the issues and not always take conclusions at face value.


Underserved patient populations often have limited access to health care services, especially medications, leading to lower quality care due to their transitional status and lack of access. To ensure access to medications for underserved patients in the Johnson City, Tennessee area, the Colleges of Nursing and Pharmacy at ETSU developed a charitable pharmacy to serve those of greatest need in hopes of improving quality of care. By establishing a community pharmacy within a FQHC, clinical community pharmacists were able to establish enhanced community pharmacy services as a part of the health-care team. This manuscript describes the development, implementation, and benefits of the community pharmacy integration within a FQHC

Type: Clinical Experience


This paper presents a novel approach to model the transfer function of a power-line network. The channel frequency responses of a single-phase power-line channel with interconnections are derived considering different loading at different branches. The model is verified using Alternative Transients Program-Electromagnetic Transients Program (ATP-EMTP). The model simulation results are comparable to ATP-EMTP results. Therefore, the modeling can be considered as a procedure to characterize the power-line channel


Purpose
While service inclusion principles raise the awareness of scholars to service that improves holistic well-being, little research explicitly investigates the spiritual dimensions of service inclusion. This study, therefore, aims to explore faith-based service inclusion in sub-Saharan Africa.

Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative case study of the Salvation Army's Chikankata Services in Zambia was undertaken. Semi-structured interviews with the organization's leaders and professionals were analyzed thematically.

Findings
Service inclusion pillars evince contextualized meaning and priority. In resource-constrained, vulnerable communities, faith-based service inclusion prioritizes two additional pillars – "fostering eudaimonic well-being" and "giving hope," where existence is precarious, fostering (hedonic) happiness is of low priority. Findings reveal that pillars and processes are mutually reinforcing, harnessed by the individual and collective agency to realize transformative outcomes from service inclusion.

Research limitations/implications
This paper provides unique insight into faith-based service inclusion but acknowledges limitations and areas warranting further research.

Practical implications
The study yields important managerial implications. Service providers can use the framework to identify the contextual priority and/or meaning of service inclusion pillars and relevant reciprocal processes. The framework emphasizes the harnessing potential of individual agency and capability development for transformative well-being.

Social implications
Faith-based service inclusion, predicated on inclusion, human dignity and holistic well-being, has important implications for reducing the burden on scarce resources while building resilience in communities.

Originality/value
By examining a faith-based service in sub-Saharan Africa, this paper provides a holistic framework conceptualizing pillars, processes, agency and outcomes to extend Fisk et al.'s (2018) service inclusion pillars and to better understand the shaping of service delivery for service inclusion.


Introduction: General practitioners (GPs) are an essential element in the care of nursing home residents. A differentiated understanding of the medical per- spective can help to create improved conditions for GPs working in nursing ho- mes and thus strengthen the care of nursing home residents in Germany.
Questions: The aim of this paper was to illustrate the perceptions and needs of GPs with regard to their work in nursing homes. For this purpose, three rese- arch questions were developed. They concerned perceptions and needs with regard to 1) GPs' own work situation, 2) the support and care of residents and 3) the working environment in nursing homes.
Methods: From August 2012 to August 2013, open guided interviews were conducted in three different cities in Germany (Gottingen, Hamburg, Mannheim) with 30 physicians involved in the provision of medical care to nursing home residents. The interviews were then transcribed, pseudonymised and evaluated according to the Grounded Theory method. For this thesis, the gained data was examined with regard to the three research questions. For questions one and two, a summary descriptive procedure based on open coding was chosen. In case of question three, a more detailed description following all coding steps of the Grounded Theory method was selected.
Results: As the central phenomenon concerning the work of GPs in nursing homes, "inner strife" could be identified. GPs have the overriding desire to do good work and to fulfill the existing demands. The demands of home residents, the cooperation with the nursing staff and the social and legal framework condi- tions are influential for GPs and contribute to the inner strife. GPs can feel that a conflict of roles affects them as physicians, businessmen and private indivi- duals. The skills of the nursing staff, for example in the correct assessment of health conditions, the behaviour in acute situations and in dealing with the resi- dents, are very important for the GPs perception of the nursing home working environment. For the residents, the GPs would like to have more time in care, dignified aging and the promotion of physical and cognitive abilities. Some GPs reported about the joy of working in nursing homes and about a positive experi- ence concerning the work in the team with the nursing staff. However, in the interviews, the working environment in the nursing home was described by the GPs as emotionally predominantly negative. Overstrain and stress caused by the concentration of multimorbid people, some of whose needs could not be sufficiently fulfilled, contributed to this. In addition, the administrative require-
135
ments and the reward situation were important and critically assessed factors for most GPs regarding work in nursing homes.
Conclusions: In order to strengthen the care of nursing home residents, it is essential to consider the perspective of the actors involved about the current situation and therefore also the knowledge of GPs' view on their work in nursing homes.
The many and varied demands placed on GPs today contribute to a feeling of inner strife for their work in the nursing home. In order to strengthen the motiva- tion to work in nursing homes for the future and to place the view of GPs in a more positive light, it would be useful to ensure a better compatibility of the dif- ferent requirements.
The qualification and competence of the nursing staff are particularly important for the GPs in the nursing home and can support the work of the physicians. Nurses should be further encouraged in these areas, also in order to strengthen their own independence and self-confidence. Critical points such as administra- tive burdens and rewards should be the starting points for further improve- ments. Finally, the framework conditions, such as the design of a home doctor's concept or the possibility of more diagnostics and interventions in the nursing home could be specified on the basis of the perceptions and needs of the GPs described above.
It is to be hoped that the position of GPs in nursing home care will be seen and strengthened. Considering the demographic change, meaningful concepts and changes in the field of nursing home medicine, based on the perceptions and needs of GPs, are essential to ensure good care for nursing home residents.


The purpose of this study is identity the crystal structure of metastable phase in Ag added Al-Mg-Si alloy by comparing the β'-phases in Al-Mg-Si alloy without Ag, using images of high resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM), selected area electron diffraction patterns (SADPs) and an energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The result of SADPs and HRTEM images have been simulated and compared with images and SADPs obtained from actual precipitates. SADPs and HRTEM images obtained from metastable phase in the Ag added Al-Mg-Si alloy showed similar to those of β'-phase in Al-Mg-Si alloy without Ag and had different lattice spacings because of the effect of Ag.


Although the topic of the positioning precision of the Global Positioning System (GPS) has been studied extensively, it focuses mostly on the error sources such as the ionospheric effect, antenna phase center variation and tropospheric influence. This investigation addresses the influence of the tropospheric effect on the results of the height determination. Used data are obtained from GPS receivers of a network and co‐located surface meteorological instruments in 2003. Two approaches, parameter estimation and external correction, are utilized to correct the zenith tropospheric delay (ZTD) by applying the surface meteorological measurements (SMM) data. The GPS height can be affected by an incorrect pressure measurement up to a few meters, and the root‐mean‐square (RMS) of the daily solution can range from millimeters to a few centimeters, no matter which approach is adopted. The effect is less significant when using SMM for parameter estimation, but the trend of corrections on the GPS height is more consistent at either higher or lower altitudes. By external correction using SMM and Saastamoinen model, the GPS height reaches a few centimeters repeatability, while the RMS of the daily solution displays an improvement of about 2–3 mm.


The African National Congress (ANC) narrowly avoided a damaging split at the recently concluded 54th national conference. South Africa is, however, firmly in a "muddling along" scenario. The result of the elections for the 86 elected members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) led by newly elected ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa reflects an organization that went into the conference sharply divided and it will take time for these divisions to subside.
The recall of Jacob Zuma is one of the key decisions now confronting the NEC. The longer Zuma stays in power the better the opposition parties will do during the national and provincial elections in 2019. However, in spite of the narrow victory of Ramaphosa, Zuma and his incoherent, large cabinet may be recalled sooner rather than later to avoid a further downgrade of South Africa's long-term local currency debt ratings.
Since Ramaphosa currently serves as deputy president of South Africa and therefore is a member of cabinet the problems associated with two centers of power (between Luthuli House and the Union Buildings) in the period leading up to national and provincial elections in 2019 are manageable. However, Zuma's announcement on fee-free education only hours before the start of the 54th Conference clearly demonstrates the potential damage that he could wreak in the months that lie ahead, particularly given his stated intention to press ahead with a hugely expensive and superfluous nuclear energy deal. The question is how rapidly the NEC will unite behind Ramaphosa to recall him.
Based on the forecasts presented in Fate of the Nation it seems likely that the ANC will retain its status as governing party during the 2019 elections, with around 53% of the vote, down from 62% in 2014. Such an outcome will avert the need for a coalition at national level. The ANC could however, lose its majority in the critically important Gauteng province. Only a coalition between the Democratic Alliance and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) would be able to put together a governing opposition alliance in Gauteng – a difficult and unlikely partnership given the ideological distance between these two parties. This analysis effectively makes the EFF a potential 2019 kingmaker in Gauteng. The Western Cape, the only province currently governed by an opposition party (the Democratic Alliance), will retain that status and ANC support in rural provinces will remain firm, particularly given the focus on transition of land to rural communities as announced during the conference.
The win by Ramaphosa has averted a major crisis for the ANC and it may yet retain Gauteng province (in alliance with others), but it is not going to be an easy ride. The ANC will, however, eventually emerge significantly more united than at present and the outcome may save the Tripartite Alliance that includes the South African Communist Party and labour union COSATU from disbandment.
In terms of its foreign relations South Africa has its work cut out to rebuild the respect and trust of others. Generally, values such as democracy, human rights and good governance have found limited expression in foreign policy under Mbeki and Zuma (the Mandela era was an aberration), and it is unlikely that this will change under a Ramaphosa government although there may be some tonal adaptation. In addition, absent structural reform in the military, South Africa's ability to contribute to peacekeeping will continue its steady decline.


Dengue virus infection is extremely common worldwide. Neurologic involvement is not very common, but several forms of central and peripheral nervous system impairments have been described in patients with dengue. Several neurologic manifestations of dengue can be found in patients with dengue. Headache can result from systemic inflammation or meningitis. Altered sensorium occurs as a consequence of encephalitis, encephalopathy, acute demyelinating encephalomyelitis, or stroke. Para- or tetraparesis can be seen as a consequence of Guillain- Barre syndrome, myositis, or hypokalemic paralysis. The early recognition of neurologic the pattern of neurologic involvement is important because some of these conditions require specific and prompt therapeutic interventions. In the present paper, we review the different forms of dengue-associated neurologic disordersand propose a practical approach to treating patients with dengue associated neurological symptoms.


Abstract The widespread deployment of smart meters that frequently report energy consumption information, is a known threat to consumers' privacy. Many promising privacy protection mechanisms based on secure aggregation schemes have been proposed. Even though these schemes are cryptographically secure, the energy provider has access to the plaintext aggregated power consumption. A privacy trade-off exists between the size of the aggregation scheme and the personal data that might be leaked, where smaller aggregation sizes leak more personal data. Recently, a UK industrial body has studied this privacy trade-off and identified that two smart meters forming an aggregate, are sufficient to achieve privacy. In this work, we challenge this study and investigate which aggregation sizes are sufficient to achieve privacy in the smart grid. Therefore, we propose a flexible, yet formal privacy metric using a cryptographic game based definition. Studying publicly-available, real world energy consumption datasets with various temporal resolutions, ranging from minutes to hourly intervals, we show that a typical household can be identified with very high probability. For example, we observe a 50% advantage over random guessing in identifying households for an aggregation size of 20 households with a 15-minutes reporting interval. Furthermore, our results indicate that single appliances can be identified with significant probability in aggregation sizes up to 10 households.


Background Various studies have recommended that skills to assess safe self-medication management should be incorporated into routine evaluation of elderly patients. As seen in previous studies, pharmacists are more likely than other healthcare professionals to discover barriers to adherence to medication regimens among elderly patients and to undertake interventions to remove these barriers. Purpose The aim was to investigate the issues of supporting those with impaired vision and manual dexterity in independently managing their medicines. Objectives of the study were to develop a screening tool to investigate impaired vision and manual dexterity in the elderly hospital inpatient population, to identify the prevalence of impaired vision and manual dexterity in an elderly hospital inpatient population and to determine patient perspectives of compliance aids to support manual and vision impaired patients. Material and methods For this prospective, non-randomised, observational study, 18 consenting elderly patients were interviewed and given a choice of suitable compliance aids that could help them with their medication management. The patient's preference for a suitable compliance aid was recorded. Results 18 of 459 patients (3.92%) on four wards were identified as having visual impairments and/or manual dexterity issues, that had an impact on their ability to self-administer medication. The majority of the study population was predominantly women (83.33%), with an overall mean age of 82±7 years. 77.8% of patients with visual impairment reported difficulty reading medication labels, despite using optical aids. 61.11% of patients that displayed manual dexterity issues stated their preferences for a compliance aid suitable to their impairment. Conclusion Elderly inpatients in this study had impairments of their ability to self-administer their medication. By using a screening tool and suitable compliance aids, the pharmacist was able to detect adherence difficulties and their prevalence among the elderly inpatient population. Preference for a suitable compliance aid depended on the type of medications used. References and/or acknowledgements Billups SJ, Malone DC, Carter BL. The relationship between drug therapy noncompliance and patient characteristics, health-related quality of life, and health care costs. Pharmacotherapy2000;20:941–9. Hurd PD, Butkovich SL. Compliance problems and the older patient: assessing functional limitations. Drug Intell Clin Pharm1986;20:228–31. No conflict of interest


The collective excitations of a double heterostructure in the presence of a magnetic field are examined in detail. The polarization function of the quasi-two-dimensional electron gas in the presence of a perpendicular quantizing magnetic field is calculated within various long-wave approximations and in the random-phase approximation. Using these polar- ization functions the dispersion curves of the coupled intra- and inter-subband mag- netoplasmon-phonons are calculated and plotted in graphical form. The calculation of the dispersion relation is done for GaAs-Ga, ~ ,AI,As double heterostructures and include both quantum size effects and the correct spectrum of the long-wave optical phonons. In this paper the higher resonances of the quasi-two-dimensional magnetoplasma, the Bernstein modes, are also investigated. It is shown that the intra- and inter-subband magnetoplasmon- phonons are free of Landau damping for finite perpendicular quantizing magnetic fields.


Determination of the appropriate sowing date can reduce the negative impact of the low water availability and solar radiation in the growth phase and yield of maize. This research aimed to (1) determine the effective sowing date to get the optimal solar radiation, water, and yields, (2) determine the appropriate varieties for the sowing date to optimize the utilization of radiation and water. The experiment was conducted at the Agricultural Technology Assessment Station (BPTP) Naibonat, NTT from February to July 2019. The three-factor factorial experiment using a split-split plot design. The main plot, namely three sowing dates were 26 February 2019, 12 March 2019, and 26 March 2019. The subplots, namely three varieties of maize consisted of Pena muti m'naes, Lamuru, and Pioneer-36. The sub-sub plot, namely 2 levels of watering consisting of not watered and watered. The results showed that the sowing date of 12 March 2019, was the appropriate sowing date and corresponding with the level of availability of water and solar radiation with more efficient use and higher levels of solar radiation interception to provide Pioneer-36 production of 8.47 tons ha-1, which was better than the production of Local and Lamuru varieties of maize at other sowing dates. This is supported by the synchronized responses of both source capacity (leaf area) and sink capacity (ear size).
Keywords: leaf area index, production, varieties, watering


In this dissertation, the main assumptions in the Shallow Structure Hypothesis, developed by Clahsen & Felser (2006), are evaluated to determine whether the performance of second language (L2) learners when parsing sentences in the target language is fundamentally different. First, the claim that L2 learners do not employ phrase structure heuristics is assessed with stimuli made up of transitively- and intransitively-biased verbs followed by a noun phrase (Traxler, 2005). The second claim evaluated is that L2 learners do not use structurally defined gaps. This hypothesis is tested by comparing the learners' reading performance of intermediate gaps, stimuli with garden path effects and genitive nominalizations. The third assumption tested involves the use of configurational (binding) principles (Chomsky, 1981) in the parsing of cataphoric reference. The performance of L2 learners of English from Spanish and Chinese backgrounds is compared to that of native English speakers using the moving window paradigm. The relative influence of WM on the processing of these structures was also measured. Results show that both native and non-native speakers present similar parsing profiles and do make use of parsing heuristics. At the same time, both native speakers and L2 learners present difficulties accessing other kinds of structural information and resort instead to other clues that may render 'good-enough' representations (Ferreira et al., 2002). A pervasive finding as regards the WM capacity in L2 learners is the relationship found between the ability to store words and grammatical proficiency in a version of the reading span task (Daneman & Carpenter, 1980).


Young infants are very sensitive to feature distribution information in the environment. However, existing work suggests that they do not make use of correlation information to form certain perceptual categories until at least 7 months of age. We suggest that the failure to use correlation information is a by-product of familiarization procedures that encourage infants to over encode individual exemplars rather than relations across exemplars. By changing the exemplar presentation regime to one in which exemplars are rapidly (2s durations) and repeatedly presented we find that 4-month-olds can form perceptual categories on the basis of feature correlation information. In addition, this ability emerges rapidly between 114 and 134 days. We argue that the ability to process correlation information is present very early on but that the demonstration of that ability in categorization tasks is mediated by the demands of the task the infant is tested with. Copyright (c) 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


This paper reports on a project designed to develop inquiry communities between teachers and didacticians, aimed at improving the learning of mathematics in classrooms, and at studying the processes, practices, issues and outcomes in and of the project. Theoretical notions of inquiry and community underpin the project. The focus here is largely methodological, tracing the origination and development of the project and decisions taken through its first phases. The project is seen to be situated within a 'developmental' research paradigm in which research both studies the developmental process and contributes centrally to it. Issues in the interpretation of inquiry practices in mathematics learning and teaching and the building of communities at various levels are seen as important outcomes. The roles and relationships of teachers and didacticians emerge as key concepts in the developmental process.


The robustness and real-time performance are of the greatest significance for the navigation of the patrol robot in the transformer substation. To meet this demand, a navigation and position approach is presented in this paper based on color vision and RFID(Radio Frequency Identification) technology. In the presented system, the position information is provided by RFID tags and navigation is completed by the extraction of guidelines. Based on the deep analysis of the advantages and shortcoming of different color space, a new approach integrating the good real-time performance of grayscale image process and rich information in color images process is presented to improve the robustness and real-time performance of navigation. Fast Hough transform is selected and combined with least square method to detect the navigation line. Experimental results show that the presented method can meet the real-time and robust demand of the navigation of patrol robot.


The primary kinetic isotope effect for the sigmatropic rearrangement reaction of cis-1,3-pentadiene is studied by the direct dynamics method. The calculations are carried out with the computer code MORATE, which combines the semiempirical molecular orbital package, MOPAC, and the polyatomic dynamics code, POLYRATE, developed previously by the authors' research group. Dynamics calculations are based on canonical variational transition-state theory including multidimensional tunneling corrections. The force field is obtained by molecular orbital theory with the AM1, PM3, and MINDO/3 parameterizations. The kinetic isotope effects calculated with the MINDO/3 and PM3 Hamiltonians agree with those calculated by AM1 within 13%, and the latter agree with experiment within 13%. The tunneling contributions to the kinetic isotope effects are analyzed, and the nature of the vibrationally assisted tunneling process is discussed. General features of the dynamics from all three parameterizations are similar, and the quantitative differences in the predictions of the three calculations can be understood in terms of global characteristics of the potential energy functions that they predict. 41 refs., 8 figs., 6 tabs.


We introduce a kinetic Monte Carlo (kMC) based model that can simulate migration of different size Pt nanoparticles on supports with point defects. Diffusion constants are obtained from 3D-lattice kMC simulations based on activation energies calculated from DFT. We study the effects of temperature, particle size, and particle concentration as well as defect concentration and defect binding on sintering. Additionally, we perform simulations that combine particle migration with ripening, where the latter is simulated through a mean-field model. This allows us to assess the relative importance of particle migration and ripening as well as their interaction.


Synaptic inhibition by GABAA receptors requires a transmembrane chloride gradient. Hyperpolarization or shunting results from outward current produced by chloride flowing down this gradient, into the cell. Chloride influx necessarily depletes the chloride gradient. Therefore, mechanisms that replenish the gradient (by reducing intracellular chloride concentration, [Cl−]i) are crucial for maintaining the efficacy of GABAA receptor-mediated inhibition. ClC-2 is an inward-rectifying chloride channel that is thought to help extrude chloride because inward rectification should, in principle, allow ClC-2 to act as a one-way chloride exit valve. But chloride efflux via ClC-2 nevertheless requires an appropriate driving force. Using computer modeling, we reproduced voltage-clamp experiments showing chloride efflux via ClC-2, but testing the same model under physiological conditions revealed that ClC-2 normally leaks chloride into the cell. The discrepancy is explained by the driving force conditions that exist under artificial versus physiological conditions, and by the fact that ClC-2 rectification is neither complete nor instantaneous. Thus, contrary to previous assertions that ClC-2 helps maintain synaptic inhibition by lowering [Cl−]i, our simulations show that ClC-2 mediates chloride influx, thus producing outward current and directly reducing excitability. To test how ClC-2 functions in real neurons, we used dynamic clamp to insert virtual ClC-2 channels into rat CA1 pyramidal cells with and without native ClC-2 channels blocked. Experiments confirmed that ClC-2 reduces spiking independently of inhibitory synaptic transmission. Our results highlight the importance of considering driving force when inferring how a channel functions under physiological conditions.


A wild bootstrap method for nonparametric hypothesis tests based on kernel distribution embeddings is proposed. This bootstrap method is used to construct provably consistent tests that apply to random processes, for which the naive permutation-based bootstrap fails. It applies to a large group of kernel tests based on V-statistics, which are degenerate under the null hypothesis, and non-degenerate elsewhere. To illustrate this approach, we construct a two-sample test, an instantaneous independence test and a multiple lag independence test for time series. In experiments, the wild bootstrap gives strong performance on synthetic examples, on audio data, and in performance benchmarking for the Gibbs sampler. The code is available at https://github.com/kacperChwialkowski/wildBootstrap.


The European Commission employs over 22,000 officials who see to the administration of the European Union. In 2003 the Commission introduced a performance appraisal and promotion system based on points earned each year. After about five years of operation it became clear that this system was not satisfactory and needed to be revised. A team from Lancaster University worked closely with Commission officials to develop a simulation model, which is used to demonstrate the performance of the current system and to show how alternative systems might function. As a consequence, the various stakeholders in the Commission's performance appraisal and promotions system have agreed to implement an improved system in 2009. The simulation model is unusual in the field of manpower planning because of the requirement to model the consequences of appraisal system rules. It also uses novel regression-based sampling schemes which prove to be both accurate and efficient. Finally the role of the model in scenario exploration and system redesign is discussed.


(R)-Ethyl 4-cyano-3-hydroxybutanoate is the key intermediate for the synthesis of liptor used for lowering high cholesterol and triglycerides. Firstly both enantiomers of ethyl 4-cyano-3-hydroxybu- tanoate were prepared by the enzymatic reduction of ethyl 4-cyano-3-oxobutanoate with two whole cells in high ee and high yield. The (R)-enantiomer was obtained in 89.8% yield and 98.5% ee in the catalysis of 20 mM substrate by the strain Bacillus pumilus Phe-C3; the (S)-enantiomer was achieved in 83.1% yield and 95.4% ee in the catalysis of 10 mM substrate by the strain Klebsiella pneumomiae Phe-E4. Preparative synthesis were carried out on 200-L scale.


Logs are crucial to the management and maintenance of software systems. In recent years, log analysis research has achieved notable progress on various topics such as log parsing and log-based anomaly detection. However, the real voices from front-line practitioners are seldom heard. For example, what are the pain points of log analysis in practice? In this work, we conduct a comprehensive survey study on log analysis at Microsoft. We collected feedback from 105 employees through a questionnaire of 13 questions and individual interviews with 12 employees. We summarize the format, scenario, method, tool, and pain points of log analysis. Additionally, by comparing the industrial practices with academic research, we discuss the gaps between academia and industry, and future opportunities on log analysis with four inspiring findings. Particularly, we observe a huge gap exists between log anomaly detection research and failure alerting practices regarding the goal, technique, efficiency, etc. Moreover, data-driven log parsing, which has been widely studied in recent research, can be alternatively achieved by simply logging template IDs during software development. We hope this paper could uncover the real needs of industrial practitioners and the unnoticed yet significant gap between industry and academia, and inspire interesting future directions that converge efforts from both sides.


This paper deals with the extremely precise, stable and fast solution of the ordinary differential equations. The solution of these is performed using a method based on the Taylor series - The Modern Taylor Series Method. The paper investigates two problems to demonstrate the positive properties of the method: linear problem - the behavior of signal transmission on the telegraph line and a non-linear problem - the Van der Pol oscillator. Both problems were analyzed and solved using newly implemented MATLAB Modern Taylor Series Method solvers. The results were then compared to the state-of-the-art MATLAB solvers.


1. During the last decade, there has been a proliferation of statistical methods for studying resource selection by animals. While statistical techniques are advancing at a fast pace, there is confusion in the conceptual understanding of the meaning of various quantities that these statistical techniques provide. 2. Terms such as selection, choice, use, occupancy and preference often are employed as if they are synonymous. Many practitioners are unclear about the distinctions between different concepts such as 'probability of selection,' 'probability of use,' 'choice probabilities' and 'probability of occupancy'. 3. Similarly, practitioners are not always clear about the differences between and relevance of 'relative probability of selection' vs. 'probability of selection' to effective management. 4. Practitioners also are unaware that they are using only a single statistical model for modelling resource selection, namely the exponential probability of selection, when other models might be more appropriate. Currently, such multimodel inference is lacking in the resource selection literature. 5. In this paper, we attempt to clarify the concepts and terminology used in animal resource studies by illustrating the relationships among these various concepts and providing their statistical underpinnings.


Rationale The linear velocity of gas flow of a mechanical insufflator-exsufflator (MI-E) is of importance in applying sufficient wall shear stress to clear mucus. This study tries to determine the effect inspiratory and expiratory velocity of a MI-E (Cough Assist E70, Phillips Respironics) on wall shear stress in central airways in two clinical conditions: tracheostomy and facemask. Methods Functional respiratory imaging is used to create a patient-specific model of the airways and to simulate airflow. Inspiratory flow setting: average flow of 5.2L/s with three rise time profiles as comfort function: slow, medium and fast. Expiratory flow setting: average flow of 4.23L/s as minimum. Results Flow simulation with mask reveals that wall shear stress of the inspiratory flow was less or equal to the expiratory flow during all rise time profiles. For tracheostomy, this only occurs with a slow rise time, while wall shear stress of the inspiratory flow with medium and fast rise time exceeds those of the expiratory flow. Conclusion When wall shear stress of inspiratory flow exceeds those of the expiratory flow, mucus in central airways can be transported to peripheral airways which make the simulated cough with a MI-E less efficient. Therefore, a slow rise time as comfort function in MI-E should theoretically be favored in tracheostomized patients.


Unleashing the tumor-specific immune response by immunotherapies such as checkpoint inhibitors or allogeneic stem cell transplantation can result in long lasting tumor regressions. It is thought that T cell responses are responsible for tumor rejection. Here we tested the hypothesis that B cells contribute to tumor regression following immunotherapy by analysing the tumor-specific antibody repertoire in patients suffering from acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a high-risk malignancy with a poor prognosis. These patients receive an allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) which resets the immune system and can lead to potent graft versus leukemia (GvL) responses. We selected three patients with high-risk AML who mounted potent GvL responses after allogeneic HSCT. Of these patients we established antibody-producing clonal B cell lines following transduction of memory B cells from peripheral blood with BCL-6 and Bcl-xL and screened those for producing antibodies specifically binding to surface antigens on AML cell lines and AML blasts. A number of antibodies were identified that recognized primary AML blasts isolated from newly diagnosed AML patients, but did not bind to healthy bone marrow, peripheral blood mononuclear cells or tissues such as liver, skin and colon. Strikingly, 40% of these AML-specific antibodies induced direct cell death of cultured AML cell lines and of primary AML blasts. Cytotoxicity of the antibodies was rapid, occurred both at 37°C and 4°C and could be prevented by Cytochalasin D, an actin polymerization inhibitor that stabilizes the cytoskeleton. This, in combination with the observation that cell death could not be prevented by apoptosis inhibitors indicated that the tumor cells were killed through a necrotic pathway like oncosis. Interestingly, most cytotoxic antibodies recognized an antigen, which in normal cells is expressed in the nucleus but in AML cells is present on the membrane. Together these data indicate that tumor selective antibodies can be elicited following allogeneic HSCT in AML patients with a strong GvL response. The direct cytotoxic activities against tumor cells of a proportion of these antibodies suggest that they contribute to the GvL response. Citation Format: Marijn Gillissen, Martijn Kedde, Etsuko Yasuda, Sophie Levie, Arjen Bakker, Yvonne Claassen, Martino Bohne, Dave Speijer, Daisy Picavet, Jan Stap, Pauline van Helden, Tim Beaumont, Hergen Spits, Mette Hazenberg. Donor derived cytotoxic antibodies from transplanted AML patients targeting a cell surface expressed nuclear antigen. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the CRI-CIMT-EATI-AACR Inaugural International Cancer Immunotherapy Conference: Translating Science into Survival; September 16-19, 2015; New York, NY. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Immunol Res 2016;4(1 Suppl):Abstract nr B052.


This paper examines whether shareholder rights, which enable shareholders to replace managers, can constrain earnings management and whether this effect is conditional on the level of insider ownership. Using the comprehensive shareholder rights measure constructed by Gompers, Ishii, and Metrick (2003), we find that firms with stronger shareholder rights are associated with less income-increasing discretionary accruals, suggesting that stronger shareholder rights deter managers from reporting aggressive earnings. More importantly, we investigate whether this association is conditional on the level of insider ownership. If insider ownership introduces managerial entrenchment, managers with higher ownership would be insulated from shareholder discipline. Consistent with this entrenchment theory, we find that the association between shareholder rights and earnings management becomes insignificant in the presence of higher levels of insider ownership. Shareholder rights are negatively associated with earnings management only when insider ownership is low. Our results indicate that the disciplinary effect of shareholder rights can be attenuated by high levels of insider ownership.


Elucidation of occurrence age and periodicity of debris flows is one of the most important examinations to prevent debris disasters. We investigated an emplacement age of boulders from an old debris-flow deposit by using the palaeomagnetic method of stepwise thermal demagnetization (ThD) for viscous remanent magnetization (VRM) in Nachikatsuura town, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan. The old debris-flow deposit outcropped by debris flows occurred by the Typhoon Talas on September 2011 in the Kanayama valley of the Nachi River basin. The estimated depositional age was 3,650±30 yBP (2,057-1,943 calBC, 2σ) by the C analysis for a buried wood piece (Nishiyama and Wakatsuki, 2014). Some granite-porphyry boulders near the wood piece were sampled and shaped into cubic test pieces of 2.23 cm on a side. We examined heating durations and placements of the test pieces for the stepwise ThD experiment by measuring the temperature change inside the test piece by heating in the ThD equipment. In order to minimize the effect of multi-domain magnetic grains, low-temperature demagnetization was applied prior to the stepwise ThD. The stepwise ThD was applied at 5°C steps, and demagnetization temperature of VRM was recognized as a bending point on the vector diagram and Schmidt net. In the presentation, we estimate the emplacement ages by applying theoretical time-temperature curve of VRM on the acquired temperatures.


"Information Commons" often refers to the theoretical production, sharing, and democratic discussion of information that is afforded by new technologies. It also refers to the physical manifestation of this concept-new facilities that bring together researchers, instructors, students, teachers, and users into one space and equip them with the technology (computers, projectors, Internet) and facilities (workstations, conference and class rooms, print stations). In this comprehensive guidebook, Beagle helps academic, public, and school librarians create new spaces that encourage research, discovery, instruction and learning and meld the traditional research library with the latest technology. This comprehensive handbook guides librarians through: space planning, budgeting, and technology set-up; service modification, staff reallocation, and training; assessment, improvement, and modification of services and facilities; and publicity and marketing of the new commons. Descriptions, photographs, and plans from information commons of various types and sizes are included. The companion CD-ROM features model plans from various institutions and working documents from successful Information Commons projects. Grounded in the theory of information commons, this forward-looking handbook will transform traditional spaces and redefine library service models for the information age.


Visual data analysis involves both open-ended and focused exploration. Manual chart specification tools support question answering, but are often tedious for early-stage exploration where systematic data coverage is needed. Visualization recommenders can encourage broad coverage, but irrelevant suggestions may distract users once they commit to specific questions. We present Voyager 2, a mixed-initiative system that blends manual and automated chart specification to help analysts engage in both open-ended exploration and targeted question answering. We contribute two partial specification interfaces: wildcards let users specify multiple charts in parallel, while related views suggest visualizations relevant to the currently specified chart. We present our interface design and applications of the CompassQL visualization query language to enable these interfaces. In a controlled study we find that Voyager 2 leads to increased data field coverage compared to a traditional specification tool, while still allowing analysts to flexibly drill-down and answer specific questions.


BACKGROUND
The main cause of portal hypertension in Brazil is the hepato-splenic form of mansonic schistosomiasis and the most employed technique for the surgical approach of this disease is the esophagogastric devascularization with splenectomy, generally associated to postoperative endoscopical esophageal varices sclerotherapy. The hemodynamic alterations after surgical treatment and its possible influence on the outcome are not well established.

AIM
To evaluate the immediate impact of esophagogastric devascularization with splenectomy upon portal pressure as well as the results of the surgical treatment on digestive hemorrhage recurrence and on esophageal varices.

METHODS
Nineteen patients with mean age of 37.9 years and portal hypertension and previous episodes of digestive hemorrhage caused by esophageal varices rupture due to hepato-splenic schistosomiasis were studied. None of the patients had received any treatment prior to the surgery and underwent to elective esophagogastric devascularization with splenectomy. Portal pressure was assessed at the beginning and at the end of esophagogastric devascularization with splenectomy through portal vein catheterization with a polyethylene catheter introduced through a jejunal branch vein. All patients were submitted to digestive endoscopy before and after the surgery, in order to classify the size of esophageal varices after esophagogastric devascularization with splenectomy according to Palmer's classification.

RESULTS
In all patients the portal pressure had diminished with a mean decrease of 31.3% after esophagogastric devascularization with splenectomy. In the postoperative endoscopic follow-up (1 month), the esophageal varices showed a statistically significant reduction in their size, when compared to the pre-surgical measurements.

CONCLUSION
These results have demonstrated that the esophagogastric devascularization with splenectomy promotes immediate decrease in the portal pressure and a consequent reduction in the esophageal varices size. We also observed that the risk of mortality and severe complications related to this technique is not insignificant.


This thesis aims to analyze China's Belt and Road Initiative in Southeast Asia from a perspective that does not privilege the interests of any particular nation. This paper lays out three essential aspects of the BRI: the motivation that drives China to invest in Southeast Asia, the strategy that China implements in the region, and the challenges that China faces going forward with the program. Through the analysis of specific projects across the Southeast Asian region, this thesis discusses the underlying factors that influence the projects' status and type in various countries. It also discusses the domestic Chinese motivations for this project, which often differ from the needs and problems of the countries they engage with. Some of China's strategies include building the essential infrastructure; utilizing the BRI to solve political problems including territorial disputes; and exporting Chinese standards by helping the regional countries with railways. There are also specific problems faced by China as they look to develop the region. For instance, political upheaval, funding issues, and military security raise concerns for the Chinese as they invest. One potential upside of the BRI is an increased engagement in international commerce and competition for the less-developed countries involved in the project. This thesis achieves this unique analysis by combining the viewpoints of both the West and China, who offer differing insights into the nature of the BRI.


Both developed and developing countries have experienced a huge globalization of their economies and an increase in within-country income inequality. We survey the literature on the globalization-inequality relationship. The extension of the North-South Heckscher-Ohlin-Samuelson (HOS) approach by relaxing certain simplifying assumptions makes it possible to generate most of the observed facts. Production segmentation and offshoring increase inequality in developed and developing countries. Firm heterogeneity generates intra-skill group inequality. Globalization causes changes in technologies and in institutions that can foster inequality. Most of these mechanisms combine globalization with technological or/and institutional changes, which reconcile the three major explanations for the rise in inequality.


ABSTRACT This article explores Claudia Card's hypothesis that social death is the distinctive harm of genocide. Drawing on original in-depth interviews with individuals from the genocide-affected regions of Darfur and the Nuba Mountains in Sudan (now living in, and interviewed in, the US and the UK), I illustrate the value and validity of the concept of social death as a phenomenological lens for understanding the depth, extent and character of genocide's harms for its victims and survivors. Aided by the work of a number of authors (including Elias and Jean-Luc Nancy), I outline a relational interpretation of Card's important scholarship in order to show that understanding the distinctiveness of genocide requires that we also consider, in ontological terms, what it means to be human. I seek to do this in a way that may form the basis of a flexible definitional approach to genocide, and which overcomes oppositions between individualist and collectivist approaches to conceptualising harm. Often falling through the gaps of technical legal discourse and conventional frameworks of understanding, the profound, existential harm of genocide can be challenging to grasp. By centring the concept of social death, this article aims to contribute to our ability to do.


The current economic crisis has been widely viewed as yet further proof of the inadequacy of managerial Decision Support Systems. In spite of a half century of research into business decision making many still question whether information technology has actually improved how management addresses their business challenges. New technologies, rather than facilitate innovative approaches to managerial decision making have more often than not simply reinforced traditional managerial orthodoxies. This paper explores this relationship, and proposes the concept of corporate ecology as a means of enlarging managerial choices while focusing technology initiatives where they can provide measure value to organizations.


Physiological length of labour is highly variable and population norms have low sensitivity and specificity for individuals. Care practices for nulliparous women may be
differentiated by using their mothers' first birth labour progress histories. The aim of this study was to investigate mother-daughter labour and birth characteristics and the influence of mothers' labour length on their nulliparous daughters' first births.

The aim was achieved by conducting the research in four stages: a systematic review of inter- and intragenerational influences on pregnancy and birth outcomes; a summary review of medical record- keeping and a literature review on the agreement of maternal recall of birth outcomes with hospital birth records; a prospective comparative study of agreement of maternal recall of first birth events and hospital birth records; and a matched cohort study of
mother-daughter labour and birth characteristics focusing on length of labour and birth outcomes.

The systematic review of inter- and intragenerational influences on pregnancy and birth outcomes showed evidence of maternal, paternal and familial influences on pregnancy and birth outcomes in offspring. The literature review on the agreement of maternal recall of birth outcomes with hospital birth records showed that women remember important perinatal events even many years after giving birth. The empirical studies were conducted in Israel. In the first study, maternally recalled perinatal events were compared to archived hospital data. Eligible women (those who had given birth to their first child in those hospitals where the research was taking place and were willing to take part in the study) received a questionnaire, participant information sheet and consent form. Archived birth records were retrieved and compared for agreement with recalled data.

In the second study, using a matched cohort study design, nulliparous (index) women of >32 weeks' gestation attending antenatal clinics in either of two hospitals were recruited. Eligible women received a questionnaire, participant information sheet for themselves and their mothers, and an individual consent form. Mothers' perinatal information was collected from questionnaires.
Daughters' perinatal information was collected from electronic hospital records.

Findings for the maternal recall study showed that maternal recall of distant first birth events is remarkably in agreement with hospital birth records, with highest measures for mode of delivery and infant birth weight.

Univariate logistic regression analysis for the mother-daughter matched cohort study showed that daughters of mothers who had had long labours were more likely to have long labours themselves [OR 1.91 (95%CI 1.19,3.05), p=0.007]. Multivariable logistic regression indicated that mothers' length of labour [OR1.88 (95%CI 1.12,3.17)] and daughters' age [OR 1.08 (95%CI 1.02,1.14)], weight gain in pregnancy [OR 1.10 (95%CI 1.04,1.16)] and non-use of anaesthesia [OR 0.27 (95%CI 0.12,0.60)], were statistically significant factors for daughters' length of labour, with sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of 74%, 56%, 66%, and 64%, respectively. A linear regression model for time interval categorisations in labour (0-12 hrs, 12-18 hrs, 18+ hrs), demonstrated that daughters' length of labour is associated with mothers' length of labour in the 12-18 hour category, daughters' age, weight gain in pregnancy, and use of anaesthesia.
The model explained 11% (R2 = 0.11) of the variance in daughters' length of labour with an F-test of overall significance indicating that the relationship is statistically significant (F(5,285) = 6.75, p <0.001).
Length of labour in mothers' first birth reasonably predicts length of labour in their nulliparous daughters. This work presents an important endeavour using empirical data to promote an individual approach to childbirth within the hospital setting. Clinical decisions made for healthy women in labour are often driven by standardised criteria based on population norms. Practitioners could inquire about familial labour patterns as an additional heuristic to guide practice, alongside formal evidence and the signs and symptoms exhibited by the individual woman.


With the growing popularity of Semantic Web technologies, more and more organizations natively manage data using Semantic Web standards, in particular RDF. This development gives rise to new requirements for Business Intelligence tools to enable analyses in the style of On-Line Analytical Processing (OLAP) over RDF data. In this demonstration, we therefore present the SETLBI (Semantic Extract-Transform-Load and Business Intelligence) integration platform that brings together the Semantic Web and Business Intelligence technologies. SETLBI covers all phases of integration: target definition, source to target mappings generation, semantic and non-semantic source extraction, data transformation, and target population and update. It facilitates Data Warehouse designers to build a semantic Data Warehouse, either from scratch or by defining a multi-dimensional view over existing RDF data sources, and further enables OLAP-style analyses.


This manuscript reports on findings from the implementation of the EU project "Science Fiction in Education" (Sci-Fi-Ed). The project provides teachers with tools, training, and guidance that will assist them in enhancing their teaching, making science more attractive to students, connecting it with real-life issues such as the environment, and providing girls and other marginalised groups with access to science resources, material, and learning opportunities. The central project idea is to achieve this by incorporating science fiction (Sci-Fi) in science teaching. The aim of this paper is to present the framework and the lessons learned from designing and implementing the project. We focus on the following topics: (1) theoretical and empirical underpinnings of Sci-Fi narratives in education: the importance of narratives in education, their benefits, and challenges; (2) interdisciplinary teaching and learning: the interdisciplinary approach, its benefits, and challenges; (3) practical guidelines and innovative teaching ideas: introducing Sci-Fi-Ed; and (4) briefly discuss the lesson learned from the implementation of the project in classrooms in five countries.


— The control of a swarm of underwater robots requires both a control algorithm and a communication system. Unfortu-nately, underwater communications is difficult at the best of times and so large time delays and minimal information is a concern. The control system must be able to handle a large number of robots without a master control, i.e., a decentralized control approach. This paper describes Consensus control as a way to decentralize. Consensus control allows each robot to know thefinal goal and then to decide, based on the position of the other robots, its best move to help achieve the goal.


Interactions between people and wildlife have both positive and negative aspects.  Negative interactions, commonly termed human-wildlife conflict (HWC), have increased in recent decades due to a number of factors including difficulties in identifying and communicating the complexities of stakeholder values and positions over wildlife and its management.  Here, we present the perceptions of two conservation organizations on the landscape of HWC involving the threatened Mauritius Fruit Bat Pteropus niger, Kerr 1792 in Mauritius, including damage to fruit crops and controversial government culls in 2015 and 2016.  Participants identified 18 stakeholders in the conflict varying in importance and influence, examined where and how hostility is manifested, and delineated both perceived and real costs of the conflict.  Additionally, 13 environmental and 17 social risk factors associated with the conflict were categorized, along with potential policy and management options for mitigation.  We argue that initial in-house workshops are advantageous in understanding conservation conflicts before extending dialogue with other stakeholders.


PURPOSE
To assess the effect of wavelet-based compression of posteroanterior chest radiographs on detection of small uncalcified pulmonary nodules and fibrosis.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Computed tomography (CT) of the chest was used to identify 20 patients with normal posteroanterior chest radiographs, 20 with a solitary uncalcified pulmonary nodule 1-2 cm in diameter, and 20 with fibrotic disease. A double-blind protocol for readings of original images and images compressed at 40:1 and 80:1 was analyzed by using the nonparametric receiver operating characteristic to measure differences in diagnostic accuracy and their statistical significance.

RESULTS
There was no substantial difference in the overall diagnostic accuracy (measured by the area under the curve index) for both nodules and fibrosis between images compressed at 40:1 and 80:1 and uncompressed images. Readers tended to perform better on images compressed at 40:1 compared with uncompressed images. The "high-sensitivity" portion of the 80:1 compression curve for nodules was below that for the uncompressed curve, although this was not statistically significant.

CONCLUSION
Lossy compression of chest radiographs at 40:1 can be used without decreased diagnostic accuracy for detection of pulmonary nodules and fibrosis. There is no statistically significant difference in diagnostic accuracy at 80:1 compression, but detection ability is decreased.


DNA polymerases select for the incorporation of deoxyribonucleotide triphosphates (dNTPs) using amino acid side-chains that act as a "steric-gate" to bar improper incorporation of rNTPs. An additional factor in the selection of nucleotide substrates resides in the preferred geometry for the furanose moiety of the incoming nucleotide triphosphate. We have probed the role of sugar geometry during nucleotide selection by model DNA polymerases from Sulfolobus solfataricus using fixed conformation nucleotide analogues. North-methanocarba-dATP (N-MC-dATP) locks the central ring into a RNA-type (C2'-exo, North) conformation near a C3'-endo pucker, and South-methanocarba-dATP (S-MC-dATP) locks the central ring system into a (C3'-exo, South) conformation near a C2'-endo pucker. Dpo4 preferentially inserts N-MC-dATP and in the crystal structure of Dpo4 in complex with N-MC-dAMP, the nucleotide analogue superimposes almost perfectly with Dpo4 bound to unmodified dATP. Biochemical assays indicate that the S. solfataricus B-family DNA polymerase Dpo1 can insert and extend from both N-MC-dATP and S-MC-dATP. In this respect, Dpo1 is unexpectedly more tolerant of substrate conformation than Dpo4. The crystal structure of Dpo4 bound to S-MC-dADP shows that poor incorporation of the Southern pucker by the Y-family polymerase results from a hydrogen bond between the 3'-OH group of the nucleotide analogue and the OH group of the steric gate residue, Tyr12, shifting the S-MC-dADP molecule away from the dNTP binding pocket and distorting the base pair at the primer-template junction. These results provide insights into substrate specificity of DNA polymerases, as well as molecular mechanisms that act as a barrier against insertion of rNTPs.


The production of urban space and associated neoliberalisation of urban governance limits opportunities for individual and collective freedoms. Such a socio-spatial approach to uneven urban development has influenced a number of authors in their examination of urban community gardens. The research has shown both positive agency and wellbeing benefits of these spaces and also more critical accounts of how the spaces are limited in their ability to truly enhance political freedoms, overcoming asymmetric power relations. In addition to ongoing issues of insecurity of tenure, such well-intentioned community garden initiatives may be seen as light green, weak approaches to urban sustainability rather than a true oppositional discourse of practice, therefore seen to continue neoliberal forms of both unsustainable and uneven development. Using qualitative, visual methods, the chapter focuses on the potential of community gardens to enhance both human agency and ecological sustainability of passive adult users, and active youth and child users in urban areas. The sites chosen are specifically designed with ecological principles and associated features. In order to examine the freedoms valued within these sites, Amartya Sen's Capability Approach (CA) is operationalized in five such sites in the UK and Ireland. Various critiques of the CA are addressed, and a particular approach to evaluating human wellbeing, linking the sustainable and just use of urban resources is developed. Such a re-conceptualisation of the CA is significant in realizing the potential role of the sites in enhancing a more expressive mode of being for individuals, along with the enhancement of participative and critical capacity in urban areas.


1. The denaturation rate of partially dried crystallizable egg albumin is greatly decreased by decreasing its water content. 2. The temperature of denaturation, defined as the temperature at which half of the protein becomes insoluble in distilled water after a definite time of heating, is a linear function of the relative humidity with which the protein is in equilibrium. 3. By applying the Arrhenius equation it is shown that the rate of heat denaturation at a given temperature is an exponential function of the relative humidity. 4. The application of the observed relations to the analysis of the mechanism of thermal death of microorganisms is suggested. 5. The water content of native and heat-denatured egg albumin is determined as a function of the relative humidity of water vapor. It is shown that the heat-denatured modification takes up approximately 80 per cent as much water at all relative humidities as does native egg albumin.


The goal of current study was to actualization the protective effect of the probability of Fluvastatin hepatoprotection. Paracetamol (PCM) overdose can cause hepatotoxicity with oxidative stress as one of the possible mechanisms mediating the event. In present study, the effects of Fluvastatin(10mg/kg) and (20mg/kg) on PCM-induced hepatotoxicity were examined. Rats were divided randomly into five groups containing 9 rats each.  The control group received normal saline (the vehicle). Other groups were treated with Fluvastain alone (20mg/kg), PCM alone (600mg/kg), (600mg/kg PCM + 10mg/kg Fluvastatin), and (20mg/kg PCM + 20mg/kg Fluvastatin) respectively, for 4 weeks. Paracetamol induced male rat hepatotoxicity represented by significant decline in the serum total albumin (P< 0.05). However, the study appeared significantly increment (P< 0.0001), bilirubin, ALT, AST and ALP as shown in group2 (induction group) in comparison with group1 (control group).  However, simultaneous administration of fluvastatin (10mg/kg and 20mg/kg) with paracetamol, significantely was attenuated the adverse changes in the serum total albumin, bilirubin, ALT IU/L, AST, and ALP.
On the other hand, the biochemical observations were supported by histopathological examination of liver sections. Where,  showed marked attenuated the severity of paracetamol –induced hepatotoxicity, However, all these toxic effects were improved by administration of fluvastatin, but didn't bring them to the control limits.


Virtual crowds are gaining more relevance in computer graphics. Research in this area has been of great interest for both industrial and scientific activities related with entertainment and virtual simulation, and nowadays it is possible to generate virtual crowds with believable and complex behaviour. However, expression of emotion and social behaviour for multiple characters is a research area that still remains to be further investigated. Particularly, emotional awareness and emotion contagion between artificial agents is gaining more interest in recent years. In this paper we present a work-in-progress that deals with the current state-of-the-art of emotional virtual crowds, and we present an overview of a computational model capable of generating virtual crowds with body emotional behaviour and emotion contagion. Also, we present a brief overview of a perceptual study in relation to the perception of social behaviour in virtual crowds. Our work seeks to shed more light into this area of computer graphics and to find new paths of research for future work.


Alpha-difluoromethylornithine (DFMO) is an irreversible inhibitor of ornithine decarboxylase, the first enzyme in polyamine synthesis. Previous work showed simultaneous administration of DFMO and a zinc-deficient (ZD) diet to weanling rats from the beginning inhibited the onset of zinc-deficiency-induced esophageal cell proliferation by activating apoptosis and reduced the incidence of N-nitrosomethylbenzylamine (NMBA)-induced esophageal cancer. Because esophageal cancer initiation by NMBA is very rapid in ZD rats, this study determined whether DFMO is effective in preventing esophageal carcinogenesis when administered after the establishment of a carcinogenic environment. Weanling rats were given a ZD diet for 5 weeks to establish sustained increased esophageal cell proliferation and then an intragastric dose of NMBA. Thereafter, 20 rats were switched to DFMO-containing water while nine control ZD animals remained on deionized water; all of the animals continued on the ZD diet. Esophagi were collected 15 weeks later. The upper portion was processed for immunohistochemical analysis of cell proliferation, apoptosis, and expression of related genes, and the lower was processed for polyamine content. DFMO substantially reduces the levels of esophageal putrescine and spermidine and esophageal tumor incidence from 89 to 10% in ZD rats. Importantly, DFMO-treated ZD esophagi display increased rate of apoptosis accompanied by intense bax expression and greatly reduced cell proliferation by proliferating cell nuclear antigen expression. In addition, the p16(ink4a)/retinoblastoma control at G1 to S, deregulated in ZD esophagi, is restored after DFMO treatment. These results demonstrate that DFMO, a highly effective chemopreventive agent in esophageal carcinogenesis, reverses and counteracts esophageal cell proliferation/cancer initiation in ZD animals by way of stimulating apoptosis.


Evidence of HCMV infection was assessed in a cohort of 47 renal allograft recipients followed prospectively for up to 1 year post transplantation. Serum was obtained from each patient and renal donor immediately pretransplant and tested for HCMV-specific antibody by standard or modified CFT and by Labsystems and NBL HCMV-IgG ELISA. Patients were classified as HCMV-seronegative if the antibody titre by CFT was less than 1:2. Whenever possible, a throat swab, urine and serum samples were taken from each individual immediately pretransplant and every 4 weeks thereafter. HCMV was isolated from specimens provided by 21 renal allograft recipients, 9 with primary HCMV infection and 12 with reinfection and/or reactivation. HCMV shedding usually continued intermittently throughout the first year post transplantation, isolates being obtained from multiple urine samples and/or throat swabs provided by 16 patients. In each renal allograft recipient, the HCMV isolation data was correlated with the timing of the fourfold or greater rise in HCMV CF antibody titre and/or a significant increase in HCMV-IgM and IgG measured by Labsystems indirect ELISA. There was considerable variation between individual patients in the timing and pattern of the humoral immune response. On or before the day of first HCMV isolation, 12 renal allograft recipients showed a fourfold or greater rise in HCMV CF antibody titre, 7 were positive for HCMV-IgM and 9 had evidence of a significant increase in the level of HCMV-IgG. These data show that serology alone is of limited value in the detection of active HCMV infection post renal transplantation. Taken overall, the CFT correlated best with HCMV isolation in transplant recipients with primary infection while a significant increase in HCMV-IgG correlated best with HCMV isolation in patients with reinfection and/or reactivation. Clinical findings were also correlated with HCMV isolation and/or serological data. The small number of renal transplant recipients in this study precluded statistical analysis. However, were more common in patients with primary HCMV infection. Furthermore, there was a close temporal correlation between the onset of symptoms and the HCMV-specific humoral response. Whenever possible, blood products used to transfuse the cohort of renal allograft recipients were also tested for HCMV CF antibody and the results correlated with the age of the blood donors at the time of donation. Blood donors aged between 20 and 29 years provided 61 blood packs of which 46 (75.4%) were HCMV-seronegative. There was no evidence to suggest that HCMV was transmitted via blood products. Four renal allograft recipients of a kidney from an HCMV-seronegative donor each received HCMV-seropositive blood products but none developed primary HCMV infection post-operatively. The HCMV serostatus was also available for 31 renal leucopenia, thrombocytopenia, acute rejection, chronic rejection, nephrectomy and pyrexial illness donors who provided kidneys for 37 renal allograft recipients. All 8 HCMV-seronegative recipients of a kidney from an HCMV-seropositive donor showed evidence of primary HCMV infection after the transplant operation. By contrast, none of the 9 HCMV-seronegative recipients of a kidney from an HCMV-seronegative donor developed HCMV infection throughout the period of study. These data provide further evidence that the donor kidney is the source of HCMV infection in renal transplant recipients. The ability to detect viral DNA by hybridot assay was also investigated. In preliminary experiments using partially double stranded M13 probes specific for HSV-1, the lower limit of sensitivity was in the ng range. Denaturing agarose gel electrophoresis showed radiolabelled M13 second strand synthesis to be incomplete. A BamHI subclone of the Hindlll E fragment (EHBI) of HCMV AD169 was cloned in the transcription plasmid pGEM2 and 32P-labelled cRNA synthesized. Optimal hybridization conditions were determined empirically. Four hundred and forty five urine specimens provided by 47 renal allograft recipients throughout the first year post transplantation were tested by RNA-DNA hybridization. When the results were correlated with HCMV isolation, the sensitivity and specificity of the hybridot assay was 25% and 67% respectively.


The problem of transmitting theoretical knowledge and the role of the Internet in it require the solution due to the existing modernization of theoretical knowledge transmission process. The objective of this research is to define the role of the Internet in transmitting theoretical knowledge as it is the extremely important resource of the modern society. According to the carried out analysis of the problem and its solution the information technology is not only the mean that accumulates the volumes of knowledge, but also the tool of its social use, forms of social activity by way of social and information technology. As a result, using method of the methodological analysis in combination with competency-based approach we revealed that the Internet as a diachronic way of transmitting knowledge and experience is characterized by a polyagentity and interdisciplinarity.