In this paper we model the impacts of competition between two cities when considering demand management strategies on both the optimal tolls and residential location choices. An isolated city is studied first and a simplified welfare function is used to determine the optimal toll around the central area. A twin city is then added. Traffic from the neighbouring city may be charged and the revenue retained a form of tax exporting behaviour which should increase the welfare of the city. We show that there exists only one non-co-operative solution which forms a Nash trap with higher tolls than under the regulated case. We then set up a game in the form of a flight simulator and report on results of the game played by pairs of students who are asked to act as local authority decision-makers. The aim is to test (a) whether the strategies adopted are as theory predicts and (b) whether the players recognise the benefits of lower tolls when given information about the regulated solution and collaborate or continue to play to win. The results show that players respond to the information and maintain a collaborative solution which may have significant implications for regulation and the development of cities within regional partnerships.


This chapter describes and analyzes a subtype of concessive conditional clauses, wh-ever clauses, within the framework of Construction Grammar. Wh-ever clauses are discussed as constructions with multiple variable slots: a wh-ever connective lexeme, an adjective or noun phrase, and a variable verb slot. The main focus of the analysis is on the variation of the verb form: finite verb forms, deontic modals, and verb ellipses occur with varying frequency depending on the wh-ever connective. In particular, the potential for structural reduction in the use of the verbless form is discussed in the context of Construction Grammar. The examination of wh-ever clauses shows that in addition to these structural characteristics of the verb phrase, the pragmatic scope of wh-ever clauses can be observed to extend to the discourse level. It is argued that wh-ever clause constructions can be described at different levels of specificity within a constructional hierarchy: frequency analyses suggest constructions both at a schematic level - with multiple variable slots - and at a more specific level - with fixed lexical elements.


Determinantal point processes (DPPs), which arise in random matrix theory and quantum physics, are natural models for subset selection problems where diversity is preferred. Among many remarkable properties, DPPs offer tractable algorithms for exact inference, including computing marginal probabilities and sampling; however, an important open question has been how to learn a DPP from labeled training data. In this paper we propose a natural feature-based parameterization of conditional DPPs, and show how it leads to a convex and efficient learning formulation. We analyze the relationship between our model and binary Markov random fields with repulsive potentials, which are qualitatively similar but computationally intractable. Finally, we apply our approach to the task of extractive summarization, where the goal is to choose a small subset of sentences conveying the most important information from a set of documents. In this task there is a fundamental tradeoff between sentences that are highly relevant to the collection as a whole, and sentences that are diverse and not repetitive. Our parameterization allows us to naturally balance these two characteristics. We evaluate our system on data from the DUC 2003/04 multi-document summarization task, achieving state-of-the-art results.


A flash analog-to-digital converter is proposed that employs a new dynamic element matching architecture. The architecture uses a new strategy of incorporating switches in the voltage reference generator that allows lower hardware complexity and higher conversion speed than comparable converters. The converter has been modeled and simulated on a behavioral level in Matlab. The results indicate good linearity properties that together with the expected speed performance should make it suitable in intended communications applications.


Observation: Sauna suit clothing is used to help control and lose weight while exercising. A 35-yearold female admitted to our clinic with pain, and wound in the groin fold after she had been used sauna suit clothing 30 minutes a day for three day while aerobic exercising. She diagnosed with skin chafing and abrasion in the both side of groin. The wounds were treated conservatively for 3 weeks period without surgery. Best of our knowledge; this is the first report describing skin injury which was caused by sauna suit clothing.


White-footed mice prey on gypsy moth pupae while foraging for other, more abundant food. Mice appear capable of locally extirpating moths since mice exert high predation pressure on sparse pupae and are numerically decoupled from moth populations. Nevertheless, during 23 years of monitoring, moths persisted at scales .1 ha despite fre- quent extinctions at smaller spatial scales. We hypothesized that spatially heterogeneous intensity in mouse foraging and/or limited moth dispersal might allow moth persistence. Using a spatially explicit, individual-based, empirically parameterized model, we show that neither spatially heterogeneous predation by mice, nor limited moth dispersal alone allows moth persistence at typical mouse densities. However, synergy between both factors allows moth population persistence at naturally occurring mouse densities. For example, in models with 40 mice/ha, both limited moth dispersal with spatially homogeneous predation risk and spatially heterogeneous predation risk with unlimited moth dispersal had a 0% chance of moth persistence, but the combination of limited dispersal and heterogeneous predation risk resulted in a ;75% chance of moth persistence. Furthermore, both for limited moth dispersal with spatially homogeneous predation risk and for spatially heterogeneous pre- dation risk with unlimited moth dispersal, moth persistence was only guaranteed at very low mouse densities, while the combination of limited moth dispersal with heterogeneous predation guaranteed moth persistence within a broad range of mouse densities. The findings illustrate a novel mechanism of ''spatial selection and satiation'' that can enhance rare species persistence under intense incidental predation by generalist predators.


Profit efficiency is closely related to value creation, and researchers have found noninterest income to be a major determinant of profit efficiency. But DeYoung and Rice suggest that some banks have an excessive reliance on NII, pointing out that 1% of banks generate 18% of fee income, and that these are not the most profitable banks. Other studies support this view. This suggests that there is some optimal range of NII/Assets, and beyond that point bank profit efficiency declines. We test the hypothesis that NII reduces profit efficiency at some point and find no support for the hypothesis. Specifically, considering bank holding companies (BHCs) from 1996 through 2018, for all size groups, profit efficiency increases as NII increases. A significant source of NII for some BHCs is the provision of correspondent banking services, and these have been found to exhibit economies of scale. They have low variable cost once the correspondent relationship has been established (often many years in the past). This point helps explain the concentration of NII at a small number of banks and reconciles our results with others. <br>


INTRODUCTION
Infant mortality rate (IMR) is an indicator of the health status of a population and of the quality of and access to health care services. In 2000, and within the framework of the Millennium Development Goals, Argentina committed to achieve by 2015 a reduction by two thirds of its 1990 infant mortality rate, and to identify and close inter-jurisdictional gaps. The objective of this article is to describe the trend in infant mortality rate in Argentina and interjurisdictional gaps, infant mortality magnitude and causes, in compliance with the Millennium Development Goals.

POPULATION AND METHODS
A descriptive study on infant mortality was conducted in Argentina in 1990 and between 2000 and 2013, based on vital statistics data published by the Health Statistics and Information Department of the Ministry of Health of Argentina.

RESULTS
The following reductions were confirmed: 57.8% in IMR, 52.6% in neonatal mortality rate and 63.8% in post-neonatal mortality rate. The inter-provincial Gini coefficient for IMR decreased by 27%. The population attributable risk decreased by 16.6% for IMR, 38.8% for neonatal mortality rate and 51.5% for post-neonatal mortality rate in 2013 versus 1990.

CONCLUSIONS
A significant reduction in infant mortality and its components has been shown, but not enough to meet the Millennium Development Goals. The reduction in IMR gaps reached the set goal; however, inequalities still persist.


Background and Objectives Coronary artery calcium (CAC) scoring in the asymptomatic population can improve cardiovascular risk prediction. We aimed to assess CAC progression and the impact of coronary risk factors on the CAC progression rate in asymptomatic Korean individuals with a baseline CAC score of zero. Methods The study population was derived from the Korea Initiatives on Coronary Artery Calcification (KOICA) registry: a retrospective, single ethnicity, multicenter registry of asymptomatic individuals who underwent CAC scoring as a part of a health checkup. Individuals with at least two CAC scores and an initial score of zero were included. CAC progression was defined as [√CAC score (follow-up) − √CAC score (baseline)] ≥2.5. The 10-year atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk was calculated. Results Among 6,268 participants (mean age, 48.0±7.1 years; male, 80.5%), 719 (11.5%) experienced CAC progression during follow-up (median, 109 months; interquartile range, 78–208 months). The CAC progression rate was 0.3%, 1.9%, 4.3%, 8.6%, and 16.7% in years 1–5, respectively. The chance of CAC progression at 5 years was 13.1%, 22.0%, and 27.9% for individuals with a 10-year ASCVD risk of <5%, ≥5% but <7.5%, and ≥7.5%, respectively. A multivariable analysis revealed age, male sex, waist circumference, diabetes, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol level as independently associated with annualized CAC progression (p<0.001, p=0.017, p=0.025, p=0.032, and p=0.003, respectively). Conclusions The probability of CAC progression is very low in Korean individuals with a CAC score of zero. However, the risk of CAC progression increases nonlinearly over time, and increases as the 10-year ASCVD risk increases.


In this paper we present our recent work on mid-infrared photonic integrated circuits for spectroscopic sensing applications. We discuss the use of silicon-based photonic integrated circuits for this purpose and detail how a variety of optical functions in the mid-infrared besides passive waveguiding and filtering can be realized, either relying on nonlinear optics or on the integration of other materials such as GaSb-based compound semiconductors, GeSn epitaxy and PbS colloidal nanoparticles.


Background
The vascular endothelial growth factor antibody bevacizumab (Avastin®), received approval for the treatment of recurrent glioblastoma in many countries including the USA and Switzerland, but not the European Union, in 2009. Here, we explored the hypothesis that the approval of bevacizumab improved outcome with glioblastoma on a population level.

Patients and methods
The prognostic significance of epidemiological, molecular genetic, and clinical data including treatment for glioblastoma patients diagnosed from 2010 to 2014 in the Canton of Zurich, Switzerland, was retrospectively analyzed using log-rank test and Cox proportional hazards models. Data were compared with data for the years 2005-2009.

Results
In total, 310 glioblastoma patients were identified in the years 2010-2014. Median overall survival was 13.5 months for patients with known isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) wild-type (wt) (IDH1R132H-non-mutant) tumors (N = 248), compared with 11.3 months for IDH wt patients (P = 0.761) before (2005-2009). In the IDH wt cohort, bevacizumab use at any time increased from 19% in 2005-2009 to 49% in 2010-2014. Multivariate analysis did not identify bevacizumab exposure at any time to be associated with survival. Yet, upon the second-line treatment, baseline doses of corticosteroids were reduced by more than half in 83% of patients on bevacizumab compared with 48% of the patients treated with bevacizumab-free regimens (P = 0.007).

Conclusion
This epidemiological study of a small, but clinically well-annotated patient cohort fails to support the assumption that the strong increase of bevacizumab use since 2010 improved survival in glioblastoma although clinical benefit associated with decreased steroid use may have been achieved.


Abstract. The flow dimensions of fractured media were usually predefined before the determination of the hydraulic parameters from the analysis of field data in the past. However, it would be improper to make assumption about the flow geometry of fractured media before site characterization because the hydraulic structures and flow paths are complex in the fractured media. An appropriate way to investigate the hydrodynamic behavior of a fracture system is to determine the flow dimension and aquifer parameters simultaneously. The objective of this study is to analyze a set of field data obtained from four observation wells during an 11-day hydraulic test at Chingshui geothermal field (CGF) in Taiwan in determining the hydrogeologic properties of the fractured formation. Based on the generalized radial flow (GRF) model and the optimization scheme, simulated annealing, an approach is therefore developed for the data analyses. The GRF model allows the flow dimension to be integer or fractional. We found that the fractional flow dimension of CGF increases near linearly with the distance between the pumping well and observation well, i.e. the flow dimension of CGF exhibits scale-dependent phenomenon. This study provides insights into interpretation of fracture flow at CGF and gives a reference for characterizing the hydrogeologic properties of fractured media.


Simultaneous Resistance to Heavy Metals and Antibiotics in Escherichia coli Strains Isolated from Clinical Samples M.H. Moshafi [1] , Sh. Mansori [2] , R. Nemati [3] . H. Forootanfar [4] Received: 24/06/07 Sent for Revision: 09/12/07 Received Revised Manuscript: 10/06/09 Accepted: 27/06/09 Background and Objectives: Heavy metal ions and their compounds are essential for bacterial growth at very low concentration however most of them have toxic effects at high concentrations. For Escherichia coli, simultaneous resistance to several heavy metal ions and antibacterial agents is reported. The present study is conducted to measure simultaneous resistance of some E. coli isolates, in which their tellurite sensivity had been investigated before, to heavy metal ions and antibiotics. Materials and Methods : In this laboratory study, in order to test bacterial resistance, the experimental investigations of antibiotic disc diffusion (agar serial dilution) were used to test 22 E. coli strains resistancy (5 isolates, MIC range 40 µg/ml) to heavy metal ions (Ag, Hg, Cd) and antibacterial agents (Amoxicillin, Tetracycline and Gentamicin), simultaneously . These strains were isolated from urinary tracts and feces floor of clinical samples. Data were analyzed using PROBIT method . Results : For Ag, the MIC was similar for all the isolates, therefore no difference was observed between sensitivity to tellurite and Ag. MIC level for Cd was significantly higher in the isolates, which were highly resistant to tellurite (p=0.008). In case of Hg the isolates which were highly resistant to tellurite had a higher MIC than that of other isolates and the difference was statistically significant (p=0.008). There were no significant differences between simultaneous resistance to heavy metals and different antibacterial agents (Amoxicillin, Tetracycline and Gentamicin ). Conclusion : In total, there were statistically significant relationship between resistance to the antibacterial agents (Am, Gm, Te) and resistance to heavy metal ions in the tested isolates. Key words: Escherichia coli , Heavy Metal Ion, Antibiotics Resistance Funding: This Research was funded by Kerman University of Medical Science s. Conflict of interest: None declared . Ethical approval: The Ethical Committee of Kerman University of Medical Sciences approv ed the study. [1] - Associate Prof. Dept. of Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran (Corresponding Author) Tel: (0341) 3205018, Fax: (0341) 3205003, E-mail: email@example.com [2] - Prof., Dept. of Microbiology, University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran [3] - Pharmacist, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran [4] - Pharmaceutical Biotechnology Student, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran


Based on three established commercial test cases, this paper documents their polymer flood process performance, revealing the impact of reservoir properties and heterogeneity on incremental recovery and dynamic performance. The key reservoir management measures for improving polymer flood sweeping efficiency are illustrated, which are particularly important for the successful application of chemical EOR techniques in heterogeneous sandstone reservoirs.
 The three cases produced oil with similar fluid properties from sandstone reservoirs. They all adopted 5-spot well patterns, which provide excellent examples for studying the impact of reservoir property and heterogeneity on incremental recovery. The producing reservoir sands in the three pilot represent two types. The former is of high permeability and low heterogenity. The latter is characterized by low permeability, multiple flow units, thin individual sand layers and high inter-layer permeability contrast. The authors reviewed and compared changes in water-cut and production rate performance versus pore volume of polymer solution injected during the process, as well as the applied well spacing, polymer utilization, and ultimate incremental recoveries. The two high quality reservoir cases adopted 22 ac well spacing, achieved an incremental recovery of 12.5% and 13.7%, a low polymer utilization of 1.08 kg/BO and 1.79 kg/BO, respectively, and a maximum water-cut reduction of 24.4%. In the low permeability case, although a much smaller well spacing of 11 ac was adopted, it achieved a relatively low incremental recovery of 8.2% and a maximum water-cut drop of 5.2%, with a polymer utilization of 2.51 kg/BO. Incremental EUR of individual producer through polymer flood is 49 MBO in the low permeability case, compared with 130 MBO in the high permeability reservoir sands. The three cases proved the effectiveness of fit-for-purpose reservoir management and conformance improvement techniques in improving polymer flood sweep efficiency to achieve high incremental recovery. Such techniques include hydraulic fracturing of low permeability sands, optimization of polymer solution concentration and molecular weight to adapt to different sand units with varied permeability, optimization of injection process to maintain a uniform pressure system, adjustment of injection direction to sweep by-passed remaining oil, and, zonal injection to improve polymer solution intake in low permeability sand units.
 The discussed cases proved the technical feasibility and economic viability of polymer flood in sandstone reservoirs with varied heterogeneities and revealed the impact of heterogeneity on performance and incremental recovery. The reservoir management and conformance improvement efforts during polymer flood process provided valuable lessons and best practices for similar applications.


Scholars have long assailed binary notions of justice by challenging dichotomies between, for example, superior and inferior classes, ethnicities, or sexualities. What has remained intact is the seemingly obvious assumption of mutual exclusion between the concepts of justice and injustice. That logical distinction is expressly articulated with the very birth of programmatic Western social theory in ancient Greece and it persists still. Within any classical programmatic model, injustice emerges as a sheer imperfection in the achievement of that model's conception or conceptions of justice. We come to view that concept of injustice as logically obvious. But the programmatic tradition exemplifies that logic of mutual exclusion even within existing, positive legal systems. Contrary to that tradition, it is argued here that injustice must be construed not merely as the inadequate realisation of one or more given conceptions of justice, but more importantly as the product of those same conceptions.


A micropropagation method, through axillary shoot proliferation, was elaborated for Inula royleana DC. (Asteraceae), a medicinal plant native of Himalaya. Primary explants (cotyledonary node explants) and secondary explants (node explants of in vitro regenerated shoots) of the plant, inoculated on MS medium supplemented with 0.1 μM NAA and 5.0 μM kinetin, regenerated 3.4 ± 1.2 and 5.1 ± 1.9 axillary shoots per explant, respectively. The regenerated shoots were easily rooting and adapting to growth in soil.


The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is engaged in an initiative to risk-inform the regulation of byproduct materials. Operating experience indicates that human actions play a dominant role in most of the activities involving byproduct materials, which are radioactive materials other than those used in nuclear power plants or in weapons production, primarily for medical or industrial purposes. The overall risk of these activities is strongly influenced by human performance. Hence, an improved understanding of human error, its causes and contexts, and human reliability analysis (HRA) is important in risk-informing the regulation of these activities. The development of the human performance job aids was undertaken by stages, with frequent interaction with the prospective users. First, potentially risk significant human actions were identified based on reviews of available risk studies for byproduct material applications and of descriptions of events for byproduct materials applications that involved potentially significant human actions. Applications from the medical and the industrial domains were sampled. Next, the specific needs of the expected users of the human performance-related capabilities were determined. To do this, NRC headquarters and region staff were interviewed to identify the types of activities (e.g., license reviews, inspections, event assessments) that need HRA support and more » the form in which such support might best be offered. Because the range of byproduct uses regulated by NRC is so broad, it was decided that initial development of knowledge and tools would be undertaken in the context of a specific use of byproduct material, which was selected in consultation with NRC staff. Based on needs of NRC staff and the human performance related characteristics of the context chosen, knowledge resources were then compiled to support consideration of human performance issues related to the regulation of byproduct materials. Finally, with information sources and an application context identified, a set of strawman job aids was developed, which was then presented to prospective users for critique and comment. Work is currently under way to develop training materials and refine the job aids in preparation for a pilot evaluation. « less


We propose Absum, which is a regularization method for improving adversarial robustness of convolutional neural networks (CNNs). Although CNNs can accurately recognize images, recent studies have shown that the convolution operations in CNNs commonly have structural sensitivity to specific noise composed of Fourier basis functions. By exploiting this sensitivity, they proposed a simple black-box adversarial attack: Single Fourier attack. To reduce structural sensitivity, we can use regularization of convolution filter weights since the sensitivity of linear transform can be assessed by the norm of the weights. However, standard regularization methods can prevent minimization of the loss function because they impose a tight constraint for obtaining high robustness. To solve this problem, Absum imposes a loose constraint; it penalizes the absolute values of the summation of the parameters in the convolution layers. Absum can improve robustness against single Fourier attack while being as simple and efficient as standard regularization methods (e.g., weight decay and L1 regularization). Our experiments demonstrate that Absum improves robustness against single Fourier attack more than standard regularization methods. Furthermore, we reveal that robust CNNs with Absum are more robust against transferred attacks due to decreasing the common sensitivity and against high-frequency noise than standard regularization methods. We also reveal that Absum can improve robustness against gradient-based attacks (projected gradient descent) when used with adversarial training.


Code-hopping, which is an alternative spreading strategy to the static spreading code assignment of CDMA systems, is evaluated as a method to combat multiuser interference in S-CDMA systems. The uplink capacities of conventional and code-hopping S-CDMA are determined and compared by simulations carried out on a typical S-CDMA system for three nondispersive channels: no-fading, Rayleigh fading and Rician fading. The cellular structure is not composed of regular hexagons, but irregularly shaped natural cells where affiliation of the mobile user depends on the paths to the neighboring base stations. Results are presented for two different values of blocking ratio which is defined as the ratio of the number of rejected call attempts to the number of total call attempts, revealing significant uplink capacity increases provided by code-hopping in both fading and no-fading environments. Furthermore, it is observed that the increase in capacity is greater in fading channels than in no-fading ones.


This article seeks to examine the ways in which courts of constitutional review have tried to deal with public sentiments within societies emerging from large–scale oppression and conflict. A comparative analysis of judicial review decisions from post–communist Hungary, post–Apartheid South Africa and post–dictatorial Argentina is meant to show–case how judges have, more or less successfully, recognised and pedagogically engaged social negative feelings of resentment and indignation towards former victimisers and beneficiaries of violence. Thus, the article hopes to pave the way for more in–depth research on one of the most neglected dimensions of post–conflict societies: public affect.


BACKGROUND: Clinical trials have shown that the use of lipid-lowering agents in postmyocardial infarction (MI) patients reduces rates of subsequent coronary events, reduces coronary artery bypass surgery rates, and improves survival. Physician decisions to prescribe lipid-lowering drugs is influenced by a number of patient factors, including age, medical history, and serum cholesterol levels. The purpose of this study was to examine physician behaviors in prescribing lipid-lowering therapy in patients after acute MI. METHODS AND RESULTS: A retrospective study was conducted at a local community-based hospital. A total of 129 patients with validated acute MI, hospitalized between January 1996 and December 1996, was included in the study sample. Variables abstracted included patient age, sex, race, primary diagnosis, medical history, lipid-lowering interventions of the discharge plan, and other discharge instructions regarding smoking cessation, activity, and dietary modification. Descriptive analysis was performed. The study showed that only 7 subjects (8.8%) were discharged on lipid-lowering drugs. Several patients who did not undergo therapy had either a low-density lipoprotein concentration of <130 (n = 13), a high-density lipoprotein concentration of >50 (n = 6), or were on hormone replacement therapy (n = 3). Dietary modification was advised in 100% of subjects (n = 54) for whom the data were included in the charts. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this descriptive study suggests that lipid-lowering drugs are being utilized at low rates in the secondary prevention of acute MI. However, additional risk-lowering factors may play a role in the decision to discharge without drugs. Because of potential side effects associated with their use, a prudent path appears to be the norm in prescription of lipid-lowering drug therapy for MI patients.


With a current resource of 13.4 Moz Au, plus past production of 5.1 Moz Au, the Canadian Malartic deposit represents the first bulk tonnage (measured and indicated resources of 372.9 Mt at 1.02 g/t Au) mine in the Superior province. Canadian Malartic is thus an important example of a large-tonnage, low-grade Archean gold deposit in which the mineralization is disseminated (or in fine veinlets) and hosted partly by felsic to intermediate intrusions. The deposit is located in the Abitibi greenstone belt, Quebec, within and immediately south of the Cadillac-Larder Lake tectonic zone, and occurs in porphyritic monzodiorite intrusions as well as clastic metasedimentary rocks of the Pontiac Group and mafic-ultramafic volcanics of the Piche Group. These rocks have undergone pervasive potassic alteration, carbonatization, pyritization, and local silicification. The main ore minerals are native gold and subordinate gold tellurides, accompanied by pyrite and minor chalcopyrite, galena, sphalerite, hematite, molybdenite, and Ag-Pb-Bi-bearing tellurides. Gold is concentrated in two generations of thin, discontinuous veins, and as finely disseminated grains in alteration envelopes around the main ore-stage veinlets. The main-stage veinlets consist of quartz-carbonate ± biotite ± albite surrounded by alteration haloes of K-feldspar-biotite ± pyrite ± calcite, whereas later veins are dominated by quartz-pyrite-calcite ± muscovite ± biotite ± chlorite. Alteration and gold mineralization were accompanied by large mass gains in K and S, extremely large mass gains in Ag, Te, and Au, and significant mass gains in Sb, W, Bi, and Pb; Cu underwent significant mass loss. The oxygen and hydrogen isotope composition of the mineralizing fluid determined from the corresponding compositions of quartz, biotite, and hematite ( δ 18Ofluid of 5.2 to 9.8‰, δ Dfluid of −52.0 to −45.0‰) is consistent with a predominantly magmatic source. A magmatic fluid source is supported by the composition of fluid inclusion leachates from quartz. Based on the isotopic composition of pyrite, sulfur was dominantly of magmatic origin but included a small contribution from a sedimentary source ( ![Formula][1] from −4.5 to +3.3‰, with small, positive Δ33S values). The deposit is interpreted to have formed at a temperature of ~475°C, based on oxygen and sulfur isotope geothermometry. Using this temperature in conjunction with the titanium-in-quartz geothermobarometer, the deposit is interpreted to have been emplaced at a pressure of ~3 kbar or a depth of ~10 km.

Consistent with the constraints noted above, we propose a genetic model for the Canadian Malartic deposit in which felsic to intermediate, borderline alkaline to subalkaline magmas, emplaced at midcrustal levels, exsolved relatively oxidized ![Formula][2] , CO2- and sulfur-rich (∑ a S ≥ 0.1) auriferous fluids. These fluids rose to higher levels (~10 km; ~3 kbars), where they interacted with associated porphyritic monzodiorite intrusions, clastic Pontiac metasedimentary and Piche Group mafic to ultramafic rocks. The porphyries and metasedimentary rocks buffered the fluids to near-neutral pH, whereas the mafic-ultramafic rocks buffered the fluids to higher pH and lower ![Formula][3] . Ore deposition resulted from pyritization of the host rocks and oxidation of the mineralizing fluid, which reduced ![Formula][4] and caused destabilization of gold bisulfide species, leading to precipitation of native gold.

 [1]: /embed/mml-math-1.gif
 [2]: /embed/mml-math-2.gif
 [3]: /embed/mml-math-3.gif
 [4]: /embed/mml-math-4.gif


Viruses are all around us, in the water we drink, in the oceans we swim in, and in many unlikely places. Carl Zimmer starts his book of essays, A Planet of Viruses, by taking us deep into the Cave of Crystals in a remote province of Mexico. In a place in which there are enormous crystals but little apparent life, he shows that samples of the water taken in 2009 revealed the presence of millions of viruses. The story is typical of this charming little book, which is full of interesting anecdotes and contains many facts uncovered in just the last few years. This book is an easy read for the lay person, broken into small chapters, each featuring its own virus. Yet it was also fun and informative for me, for, while I knew much of this before, Zimmer was able to surprise me with a few fascinating nuggets I had not previously known.

In the introduction, we emerge from the Cave of Crystals to travel back in time to the classic discovery of tobacco mosaic virus by Beijerinck at end of the 19th century. Zimmer seamlessly introduces the idea of filtering of the virus to distinguish it from a bacterial cell, a concept you would find in any college course in virology.

Following this introduction to what a virus is, Zimmer divides his presentation into three sections. In Old Companions, we get a description of rhinovirus, the cause of the common cold, from a 3,500-year-old Egyptian medical text. This is followed by an interesting chapter on influenza virus, in which we get a very understandable description of the process of reassortment, somewhat unique to influenza, which contributes to the great genetic diversity of flu strains. Zimmer describes reassortment as a viral version of sex. In this theme, the third description is of human papillomavirus. Again we are treated to a story, this one about horns on rabbits, as Zimmer unwinds the story of Shope papilloma virus, discovered by Richard Shope of The Rockefeller University. We then learn about the human strains and zur Hausen's discovery that some of these cause cervical cancer in women.

In Everywhere, In All Things, Zimmer takes us into the world of bacteriophages, the viruses that infect bacterial cells. He recounts the story of Felix d'Herelle and his attempt during World War I to cure dysentery with phages. He then relates the historical scientific dispute between d'Herelle and Bordet, regarding whether the effects of phage were biological or chemical in nature, before describing the current attempts to use phages to kill bacteria. This section also covers the group of marine phages. One sentence contains the staggering number of phages in the ocean, a number with too many zeros to comprehend. I found myself trying to figure out what the number would be called. What comes after a billion (109) is a trillion (1012), and after that is a quadrillion (1015). I won't spoil it by telling you how many logs short my guess was, but it was many. We also learn about the effects of phages on such processes as photosynthesis as well as cholera epidemics. The final group discussed are the endogenous retroviruses, and we learn about all the viral junk DNA within our genome.

The final section is called The Viral Future and contains the discovery of HIV in Los Angeles in 1983 and the finding of West Nile virus in dead animals in the Bronx Zoo. Zimmer's writing is again instructive, as West Nile Virus is a classic example of a virus transmitted by insects (mosquitoes). This is followed by a description of the SARS epidemic that began in late 2002 and comments about Ebola virus in Africa and Nipah virus in Southeast Asia. Of course, no book on viruses would be complete without a description of smallpox virus, and Zimmer goes over the familiar stories of Jenner and the milkmaid, ending with the eradication of smallpox by a large vaccination program.

The epilogue contains a description of the discovery of Mimivirus, a virus of algae that is one hundred times of size of other viruses and may challenge the view that viruses are not living things.

All within one hundred pages or so, Zimmer treats us to a comprehensive series of anecdotes that reveal the diversity of virology on earth. From the study of oceanic samples to the finding of viral DNA in our lungs, from the viruses integrated into our chromosomes to those that cause cancer, the tales in this book will be of interest to anyone with an interest in science and are related in an easy-to-read style that requires no prior knowledge in biology. I would expect it to also be of interest to medical students and a wide range of health care professionals. It was a fun read.


Globally, biodiversity is in crisis. One contributing factor is the rapid urbanisation of the world's population. Land cover change associated with urbanisation radically alters ecosystems, making them uninhabitable for many species. Additionally, people who live in cities often have reduced contact with nature and there are fears that a lack of nature experience may diminish concern for the environment and biodiversity among urbanites. For these reasons, people in cities are increasingly being encouraged and empowered to reduce environmental impacts and connect with nature through urban restoration and backyard conservation. Internationally, lizards are a common feature of urban biodiversity but in New Zealand, where many species are threatened, little is known about populations of endemic skinks and geckos in cities. In order to effectively manage urban lizard populations, greater knowledge is needed about where and how lizards are surviving in cities, and what potential exists for their restoration. I investigated species diversity and abundance of lizards in New Zealand cities, making comparisons with historical species distributions to inform urban restoration and investigating the potential role that participatory conservation might play in their protection.  To collate current knowledge about past and present distributions of urban-dwelling lizards, I reviewed records for six New Zealand cities from published and unpublished literature and databases. Little research was identified from cities and the majority of lizard records were of one-off sightings, or surveys related to salvage or biosecurity operations. Comparing current species records with historical species distributions, it found that the diversity of lizards in all of the cities has declined dramatically since human colonisation.  To begin to fill the identified knowledge gap and to provide baselines for future monitoring, I carried out skink surveys in four cities and trialled a citizen science project that collected public sighting records from residential backyards. Surveys undertaken in urban habitats captured four species of endemic skink: Oligosoma aeneum in Hamilton, O. polychroma, O. aeneum and O. ornatum in Wellington, O. polychroma in Nelson, and O. aff. polychroma Clade 5 in Dunedin. Site occupancy and number of captures were highly variable among the species and cities, with a very high proportion of sites occupied by skinks in Nelson and Wellington compared with Hamilton and Dunedin. Modelling showed O. polychroma catch per unit effort was positively related to rat tracking rates when grass cover was low but showed a negative relationship when grass cover was high. Higher proportions of urban land cover within 500 m were negatively associated with body condition.  The public sightings website gathered more than 100 records from around the Wellington region over one summer, suggesting citizen science may be a cost-effective solution for building knowledge about lizards in residential gardens that are otherwise difficult to survey. While skink sightings were reported from all over the city, gecko sightings appeared in clusters. Compared with a random sample of street addresses, both skink and gecko sightings were more common closer to forest land cover, but only skink sightings were more common in backyards that were north facing.  Finally, I administered a questionnaire survey to understand how socio- demographic characteristics relate to willingness to engage in three different pro-conservation activities that might benefit lizards: pest mammal trapping, biodiversity monitoring and pest mammal monitoring. Public willingness to engage in all three activities was positively related to respondents' nature relatedness and nature dosage, while only the two monitoring activities were positively related to education. The relationship between willingness and nature relatedness was weaker for pest trapping than it was for the two monitoring activities, suggesting that willingness to trap may be determined by factors other than environmental concern.  Native lizards are an important component of New Zealand's urban biodiversity. Despite cities having lost significant proportions of their original lizard fauna, a wide variety of habitats in cities still support numerous species. Some of these species seem well adapted to cope with the challenges of urban living, while further research is required to understand whether populations of other species are stable or in decline. To ensure the persistence of lizards in cities, further surveys using a variety of methods should be undertaken to assess lizard diversity and abundance in urban habitats and understand population trends of rare and sparsely distributed species. Public sightings may provide a useful starting point for assessing distribution patterns and allowing the targeting of surveys. In the future, through urban restoration, cities may offer opportunities to conserve a larger proportion of endemic species by reintroducing species that have become regionally extinct.


This study proposes an inverse solution in estimating the 3-D localization of interictal spike activity in epileptogenic data. Sensory modalities for data analysis include electroencephalographs (EEG) superimposed on magnetic resonance imagery (MRI) in a pediatric population with extra-temporal lesional epileptic foci. In this integrated approach, software developments were based on a three-dimensional (3-D) programming platform driven by multimodal neuro-imaging software, namely the CURRY program. The inverse solution is supported by a simplex optimization method. To circumvent false local minima, iterations are repeated from several initial dipoles scattered in various locations. Values of the minima reached by these initial dipoles reveal localization accuracies of clinical relevance. This approach was adapted for analyzing scalp EEG data and reconstructing superimposed images in 10 children who underwent extensive pre-surgical evaluation for intractable partial seizures. The results of 3-D spike source localization were assessed in relationship to focal lesions evident on the patient's MRI scans. Key-Words: Interictal spike, 3-D localization, Scalp EEG analysis, MRI lesion.


This paper compares patterns of private school attendance in the UK and Australia. About 6.5% of school children in the UK attend a private school, while 33% do so in Australia. We use comparable household panel data from the two countries to model attendance at a private school at age 15 or 16 as a function of household income and other child and parental characteristics. As one might expect, we observe a strong effect of household income on private school attendance. The addition of other household characteristics reduces this income elasticity, and reveals a strong degree of intergenerational transmission in both countries, with children being 8 percentage points more likely to attend a private school if one of their parents attended one in the UK, and anywhere up to 20 percentage points more likely in Australia. The analysis also reveals significant effects of parental education level, political preferences, religious background and the number of siblings on private school attendance.


AIMS
Acute alcohol intoxication itself may act as a trigger for suicidal thoughts and attempts among individuals at risk and may influence the potential lethality of the suicide attempt. This study in alcohol-dependent patients compared the correlates of suicide attempts during a heavy drinking episode with those of suicide attempts during relative sobriety.

METHODS
In two outpatient and two residential alcohol treatment programs in Warsaw, Poland, 113 patients who reported a suicide attempt during their lifetime were interviewed. The analyses focused on the patients' most serious suicide attempts and on whether these occurred during a heavy drinking episode.

RESULTS
Over two-thirds of the patients reported that their most serious suicide attempt occurred during a period of heavy drinking. A multivariable logistic model indicated that the following factors significantly distinguished those patients whose most serious suicide attempt occurred during a heavy drinking episode: male gender, younger current age, greater severity of alcohol dependence and the attempt being unplanned.

CONCLUSION
Among the patients in treatment for alcohol dependence who made a suicide attempt, the most serious attempt was likely to have been unplanned and committed by men when it occurred during a heavy drinking episode.


The diagnosis of pulmonary embolism is generally established when the patient has characteristic pulmonary perfusion abnormalities in the setting of an appropriate clinical history and with no concurrent cardiopulmonary disease on chest x-ray film. The initial evaluation, including positive pulmonary perfusion scan, of four young black women suggested the diagnosis of pulmonary emboli. A syndrome of respiratory tract viral infection then developed, and further evaluation by angiography and perfusion scans contradicted the diagnoses of pulmonary emboli. Each patient had substantial convalescent-phase complement-fixation titers to influenza A. Thus, if reliance is placed in pulmonary perfusion scans, an erroneous diagnosis of pulmonary emboli may be made for patients with influenza A.


In the review, by R. E. Norris, of Ruth Patrick and Charles W. Reimer's The Diatoms of the United States Exclusive of Alska and Hawail (16 Sept., p. 1369), there were several typographic errors in the third sentence of the fourth paragraph. The sentence should have read, "One Wonders what sort of environment Navicula contenta var. biceps, described as a 'truly atmospheric species,' lives in."


Abstract In an era of rapid consolidation in banking, the effect of mergers on the availability of credit to agricultural businesses is unclear. Commercial bank mergers have profoundly altered the urban credit marketplace and are positioned to do the same for the agricultural credit marketplace. Adjustment models are estimated with data on independent bank consolidations from 1988 through 1995. The regression results bode well for agricultural lending if acquiring banks have larger concentrations of assets in agriculture than acquired banks. Conversely, if acquiring banks have smaller concentrations than acquired banks, acquisitions have a negative impact on agricultural lending. Since most acquiring banks have smaller agricultural loan concentrations than acquired banks, there is concern for agricultural lending. However, other lenders are likely to fill credit gaps that develop.


Combining long-only-constrained factor sub-portfolios is generally not a mean-variance-efficient way to capture expected factor returns. For example, a combination of four fully invested factor sub-portfolios — low beta, small size, value, and momentum — captures less than half (e.g., 40%) of the potential improvement over the market portfolio's Sharpe ratio. In contrast, a long-only portfolio of individual securities, using the same risk model and return forecasts, captures most (e.g., 80%) of the potential improvement. We adapt traditional portfolio theory to more recently popularized factor-based investing and simulate optimal combinations of factor and security portfolios, using the largest 1,000 common stocks in the US equity market from 1968 to 2015.


Many bacteriophages and eukaryotic viruses, which share little sequence similarities, have icosahedral protein capsids containing their genetic materials. Generally, an icosahedral viral capsid is assembly of 12 pentamers and a certain number of hexmers of the major capsid protein, following Caspar and Klugi¯s quasi-equivalence rule. The arrangement of these pentamers and hexmers is characterized by the triangulation (T) number. Questions arise whether viruses have evolved from a few common ancestors, and how the assembly of the icosahedral capsids has been regulated to achieve a defined capsid size and geometry. I present studies of the capsids of several large icosahedral bacteriophages, which broaden our understanding of the regulation of viral capsid assembly. Bacteriophage SPO1 may share common ancestry with herpesvirus, according to the similarities in their T numbers and in the asymmetric molecules slightly off the local three-fold symmetry positions on the outer surface of both capsids. However, the cryo-EM structure of the SPO1 capsid assembled from the uncleaved major capsid protein show that, unlike the herpesvirus asymmetric molecule, the SPO1 asymmetric protein may not be required for the initial procapsid assembly, suggesting that the two asymmetric molecules may have different origins. Phage P1 is excellent for studying size determination in viral capsid since it produces virions of three sizes. The cryo-EM structures of the three capsids and internal capsid proteins identified suggests a control mechanism for P1 capsids, in which the DarA protein functions as a semi-scaffolding protein to assist the assembly of the P1 big capsid. Jumbo phages have been rarely studied. The structural studies on four jumbo phages showed their T numbers. N3, PAU and 121Q are the first T = 19, 25 and 28 viral capsids found. These results suggest that T-numbers larger than 16 may generally be allowed.


The overtraining syndrome (OTS) is largely a diagnosis of exclusion. The aim of this study was to investigate the compact Profile of Mood State (POMS) questionnaire as an early and accurate indicator for the diagnosis of OTS and the reliability of such findings in a group of athletes diagnosed with OTS, in comparison with a non-OTS (NOTS) group. Athletes were from athletic clubs in Gauteng, South Africa. The study population included 10 endurance athletes who completed the compact version of the POMS test which is based on 65 questions using a 4-point adjective rating scale which measure 6 identifiable moods of affect states: tension-anxiety; depression-dejection; anger-hostility; vigour-activity; fatigue-inertia; and confusion-bewilderment. Anger, vigor and fatigue all reflected p values < 0.0001, thus showing reliability in predicting OTS. The study showed significant differences in mood states between the OTS and the NOTS group. Only tension was similar in both groups. The POMS test was found to be a promising tool in the early diagnosis of OTS.


Mei Qing (1624-1697), one of the most original painters in seventeenth-century China, created a unique style of depicting the topography of the Chinese landscape, especially that of Mt. Huang. He has been recognized as one of the three greatest masters of the Mt. Huang school, along with Hongren (1610-1664) and Shitao (1642 - 1707). Also he once was praised as the leader of painting of actual landscape in the Ming and Qing dynasties. But, hitherto no extensive and critical studies on his paintings have been undertaken. The present study is divided into six chapters. In the first chapter, Mei Qing's background, poet-painter career and those of many of his painter friends are discussed, laying the historical groundwork for further study of his paintings. On the basis of poems and paintings by Mei Qing and by Shitao, the relationship between these two artists is explored in detail. In the second chapter, we learn that Mei Qing's paintings are derived from various sources; contemporary Anhui paintings, ancient masters, topographical paintings and prints, and particularly nature itself Through an analysis of Mei Qing's dated paintings, three stages of stylistic development are suggested in the third chapter, so providing a framework for dating nine undated works and for judging sixteen forgeries in the fourth chapter. After an exploration of the formation of the Mt. Huang school, a clearer and more precise definition of the school is proposed in chapter five. Through a comparison between Mei Qing's renditions of Mt. Huang and those by the other masters of the school, Mei Qing's poetic-fantastic imagination is completely revealed. In the final chapter, four important followers of Mei Qing are discussed to manifest the influence of his paintings. The significance of Mei Qing's role as a leader of painting of actual landscape in later Chinese landscape painting is further argued in the conclusion.


Studies were carried out in Ibadan City, South-West Nigeria between March and June 2011, to determine the prevalence of intestinal parasites in vegetables sold in various markets within the city. Fifty samples each of 5 different vegetable types, Cabbage ( Brassica deracea ), Lettuce ( Lactus sativa ), Carrot ( Daucus carota ), Cucumber and green leafy vegetables were bought randomly from five different markets and examined for parasites in the laboratory using sedimentation method. Results show that 29(11.6%) out of the 250 vegetable samples examined had intestinal parasites. The prevalence of intestinal parasites in these plant tissues was found to be 22.0% in Cabbage, 14.0% in Carrot, 12.0% in lettuce and 10.0% in Green leafy vegetables. No parasites were detected in the 50 cucumber samples. Intestinal parasites detected included ova of Ascaris lumbricoides (51.7%), Hookworm larvae (27.6%) and larvae of Strongyloides stercoralis (20.7%). This study shows a high prevalence of intestinal parasites on vegetables in Ibadan markets and the need for public enlightenment campaigns on the danger of consuming inadequately washed and raw vegetables. KEYWORDS : Intestinal parasites, vegetable, market, sedimentation technique, South-West Nigeria.


IntroductionCoded data serves a critical part in the process of identifying the resource allocation required for each department in a hospital and for research purposes. This paper attempts a cost-benefit analysis of the transition from ICD-9 health indicator coding system to ICD-10 coding system and quantify the economic impacts.
Objectives and ApproachThe hypothesis adopted by this paper is that the transition from ICD-9 to ICD-10 has been beneficial for the health system due better disease management, resulting in cost savings and facilitation of high quality health research. Analyzing the inflation-adjusted costs compared with the benefits accrued from implementing the new coding system would enable informed decision making for the stakeholders at government and other levels of health provision.
The methodology involves constructing 'benefit scenarios' via analysis of existing literature and interviewing coding managers; costs are evaluated using data collected on re-training coders and productivity losses during the transition phase.
ResultsAn example of a benefit scenario would take the form of cost savings associated with correctly identifying people with diabetes (due to coded charts), hence resulting in a decline in blood sugar (HbA1c) levels via better disease management. This in turn may cause reductions in other high blood-sugar related diseases and thus increase efficiency for government funding in the health care sector. Improved data quality in ICD-10 is expected to have resulted in gains from specificity due to increased sensitivity of data classification and grouping. Actual cost of re-training of coders and ICD-10 software provider fees are expected to be higher than the costs anticipated before ICD-10 implementation. Productivity losses in the transition phase are expected to have declined as coders became more adept at coding.
Conclusion/ImplicationsAn economic evaluation proves to be a vital part of eliciting whether the transition to the newer method of coding, ICD-10, has been beneficial to the end users of the data. It is important to understand the efficiency of resource allocation to healthcare and the financial implications such investments entail.


Degenerative mitral valve prolapse without proper monitoring can cause severe mitral valve failure and occasionally lead to sudden death if the surgical correction is not performed on time. In most cases, mitral valve prolapse would cause mitral regurgitation which in a severe case would lead to left ventricle failure due to hemodynamic burden. The aim of this study is to develop a model to predict the degeneration behaviour of mitral valve which will aid the medical practitioner to estimate the mitral valve condition based on the available mitral regurgitation data by echocardiogram assessment. Minimal hemodynamic model has been adopted with modification to obtain mitral regurgitation severity information. The stress-strain behaviour of mitral leaflet has also been studied to model the degeneration of the mitral valve leaflet. Both models were validated with the previously published data generated using Windkessel and Burkhoff methods. The coupling of both models gave the degenerative behaviour of mitral valve leaflet in relation with mitral regurgitation severity. The mitral valve degeneration was assessed by mitral valve leaflet elasticity properties while the severity of mitral regurgitation was measured by the volume of mitral regurgitation into the left atrium. It was found that the reduction of mitral valve leaflet elasticity would cause an increase of the mitral regurgitation volume into the left atrium. Mitral regurgitation severity was found to be less than 10% of left ventricle stroke volume when the mitral valve leaflet degenerates more than 90%. At this point, even with a slight increase of less than 10% in the degeneration of mitral valve leaflet, the regurgitation volume might increase suddenly from 5% up to 95% of the left ventricle stroke volume.


BACKGROUND
Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain. It is more common in women than in men, and sex hormones may play a role in this predominance. Therefore, this research investigated whether Estrogen-α (ESR1) gene variants are associated with FMS and clinical findings among Turkish females. Methods: A total of 219 individuals were enrolled in this study. ESR1 variants (PvuII/XbaI) were genotyped using PCRRFLP methods. The results of the analyses were evaluated for statistical significance. Results: There was a significant association between the ESR1 PvuII and FMS risk among Turkish women. The ESR1 PvuII CC genotype and C allele were higher in the patients than those in the controls (p=0.021, p=0.007, respectively). A more statistically significant association was observed between the patients and the controls in terms of TT genotype vs. TC+CC genotypes (p=0.022). Also, there was a statistically significant association between the patients and the controls in terms of TT+TC genotype vs. CC genotypes (p =0.028). There was no significant association between patients and the control group concerning the genotype distribution and allele frequencies of ESR1 XbaI (p>0.05). Headache was seen more frequently in the XbaI GA genotype (p=0.025), while XbaI AA genotype was associated with dysmenorrhea in patients with FMS (p=0.041). Conclusion: Our results indicate that ESR1 PvuII/XbaI variants are possibly effective in the development of FMS and some clinical features.


Background: Portal hypertension is the presence of portal venous pressure more than 10 mm Hg. Surgery was the only treatment available for portal hypertension in the earlier times and the mortality rates were very high. In present times, about 10-15% of patients require surgery. Here we study the significance of the distal splenorenal shunt (Dean Warren shunt). Methods: We studied a total of 45 patients of portal hypertension admitted at SSKM Hospital, IPGMER, Kolkata, over a period of 5 years. This study includes the patients, ranging in age from 5 to 20 years and comprising of 5 women and 40 men. All patients were having non cirrhotic extra-hepatic portal. Results: All of the patients survived postoperatively and are in follow-up without any complication and doing well. Conclusions: Warren's shunt is a good alternative of liver transplantation, especially for the developing countries where the facilities for liver transplantation and post-operative care are not available or good enough. It has very good results and low complication rates.


Agents must sometimes decide whether to exploit a known resource or search for potentially more profitable options. Here, we investigate the role of psychological distancing in promoting exploratory behavior. We argue that exploration dilemmas pit the value of a reward ("desirability") against the difficulty or uncertainty of obtaining it ("feasibility"). Based on construal level theory, which suggests that psychological distance increases the importance of rewards' desirability (versus feasibility), we expect that psychological distance will increase exploration. Two pretests and three experiments support this prediction. Pretests A and B confirm that exploration dilemmas conform to the feasibility/desirability decision structure. In Experiment 1, participants who were prompted to consider an exploration game from a physically distanced perspective were more likely to leave a local maximum in search of a global maximum. Experiments 2 and 3 show that social distance has similar results. Experiment 4 finds evidence of a direct association between construal mindset and exploration. Overall, this research highlights how psychological distancing strategies can promote exploration.


The Courtauld Gallery has three works by Peter Paul Rubens depicting the Conversion of Saint Paul, all dated to ca. 1610–1612: a compositional drawing, an oil sketch, and a finished painting. The serendipitous survival of these works provides insight into Rubens's creative process and has long been a topic of discussion for art historians. Recent technical study and improved imaging techniques have highlighted Rubens's extremely fluid approach to the development of the design and revealed complex reworkings of all three compositions. These findings suggest a much longer gestation of these ideas than the 1610–1612 date proposed, and they cast light on Rubens's broader working practice and his ceaseless striving for aesthetic perfection, combined with a pragmatic approach to the reuse and reworking of his compositions. Building on research done by E. Melanie Gifford, the complex changes revealed by X-ray; by infrared, transmitted, and raking light; and by microscopic examination can be explored using enhanced image tools and navigation. Readers can compare works of art with each other and with their technical images using the "IIIF multi-mode viewer" to better understand Rubens's artistic exploration of ideas and aid their own research.


Titin, a myofilament that acts as a molecular spring in the sarcomere, is considered the main contributor to passive stiffness of cardiomyocytes and is responsible for cardiac diastolic function. Increased titin stiffness is related to diastolic dysfunction and HFpEF (Heart Failure with preserved Ejection Fraction). Alteration in size of titin's spring region leads to changes in cardiomyocyte and left ventricular (LV) chamber stiffness. We tested the effect of alteration in titin's size in two genetically engineered mouse models. We investigated the effect of shortening titin's spring region in a mouse model in which I-band/A-band region of titin's spring has been deleted (TtnΔIAjxn ), in comparison to the effect of lengthening titin's spring region in a mouse model deficient in titin splicing factor (Rbm20ΔRRM). Integrative approaches were used from single cardiomyocyte mechanics to pressure-volume analysis and exercise study. Study of skinned LV cardiomyocytes revealed that cellular passive stiffness was inversely related to the size of titin. Cellular passive stiffness was increased in TtnΔIAjxn homozygous (-/-) (~ 110 % higher than wildtype (WT)) and was reduced in a graded manner in Rbm20ΔRRM heterozygous (+/-) and -/- cardiomyocytes (~61% and ~87% less than WT). This effect was carried through at the LV chamber level which could be demonstrated in pressure volume (PV) analysis as an increased end-diastolic pressure-volume relationship (EDPVR) in TtnΔIAjxn -/- (~110% higher than WT's hearts) and reduced EDPVR in Rbm20ΔRRM +/- and -/- (~57% and ~48% less than WT's hearts). Free-wheel running studies revealed a running deficiency in TtnΔIAjxn -/- mice but an increase in exercise capacity in Rbm20ΔRRM +/– mice. Conclusions: Functional studies from the cellular to in-vivo LV chamber levels showed that mice with shortening of titin's spring region had increased LV stiffness, diastolic dysfunction and reduced exercise capacity, while mice with lengthening titin's spring region had compliant LV and increased exercise capacity. Thus, our work supports titin's important roles in LV diastolic function and suggests that modification of the size of titin's spring region could be a potential therapeutic strategy for HFpEF.


Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is associated with obesity, insulin resistance, and inflammatory disorders. In this study, we tested the effect of rhein, a lipophilic anthraquinone derived from a traditional Chinese herbal medicine Rheum palmatum L., on NAFLD-associated hepatic steatosis, insulin resistance, and the T helper (Th)1/Th2 cytokine imbalance in high-fat diet-induced obese (DIO) mice. We found that oral administration of rhein for 40 days significantly increased energy expenditure, reduced body weight, particularly body fat content, improved insulin resistance, and lowered circulating cholesterol levels in DIO mice without affecting food intake. Rhein treatment also reduced liver triglyceride levels, reversed hepatic steatosis, and normalized alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels in these mice. Gene analysis and Western blot showed that rhein markedly suppressed the expression of the lipogenic enzyme sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1c (SREBP-1c) and its target genes in the liver. Luciferase reporter assay revealed that rhein suppressed the transcriptional activity of SREBP-1c through its upstream regulator, liver X receptor (LXR). This suggests that rhein exerts its effects by targeting LXR, which is also supported by its inability to reduce body weight in LXR knockout mice. Moreover, multiplex ELISA displayed a downregulated Th1 response after rhein treatment. Rhein shifted the Th1/Th2 responses by inhibiting T-box expressed in T-cells (T-bet) expression and enhancing GATA-binding protein-3 (GATA-3) expression through increased signal transducer and activator of transcription 6 (STAT6) phosphorylation. These data indicate that rhein ameliorated NAFLD and associated disorders through LXR-mediated negative energy balance, metabolic regulatory pathways, and immunomodulatory activities involved in hepatic steatosis. The combined effects of rhein to target hepatic metabolic and immune pathways may be beneficial for complex metabolic diseases such as NAFLD.


So-called virtual water, the water embedded in internationally traded goods, has come under discussion. The amount of quantitative studies which attempt to estimate volumes and flows of virtual water in relation to agricultural trade is rising rapidly, while the concept has been recognized by large firms and international institutions. From the viewpoint of economic trade theory, the endowment with abundant water resources gives countries a comparative advantage in the export of waterintensive goods, while water scarce countries gain the option to alleviate stress on domestic water resources by substituting the production of water-intensive goods by imports. However, fairness implications are seen to arise in the reallocation of water resources through the means of mostly agricultural trade. In this perspective, moral problems can be attached to both imports and exports, and even to a country's own consumption of virtual water. Global institutional arrangements are therefore suggested, to regulate virtual water flows in a "fair" and "efficient" manner. This paper will give a short overview of the concept's history and findings, and subsequently analyse it from the perspective of economic trade and resource theory. The contribution of this paper will be to examine the concept of virtual water in terms of the problems it evokes, its informative value and the policy suggestions which are made in this context. It must be concluded that the concept is unspecific and inconsistent, implying governance schemes which will neither improve efficiency nor sustainability in today's trade patterns.


We survey the recent literature on theoretical models of diffusion in social networks and the application of these models to viral marketing. To put this work in context, we begin with a review of the most common models that have been examined in the economics and sociology literature, including local interaction games, threshold models, and cascade models, in addition to a family of models based on Markov random fields. We then discuss a series of recent algorithmic and analytical results that have emerged from the computer science community. The first set of results addresses the problem of influence maximization, in which the goal is to determine the optimal group of individuals in a social network to target with an advertising campaign in order to cause a new product or technology to spread throughout the network. We then discuss an analysis of the properties of graphs that allow or prohibit the widespread propagation of trends. Comments University of Pennsylvania Department of Computer and Information Science Technical Report No. MSCIS-08-19. This technical report is available at ScholarlyCommons: http://repository.upenn.edu/cis_reports/880 Viral Marketing and the Diffusion of Trends on Social Networks


AIM
To evaluate the clinico - pathological profile of patients with cysticercosis cellulosae.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
The clinico - pathological data of patients with cysticercosis cellulosae who were reviewed during the last 5 years, were retrospectively analysed.

RESULTS
Of the total 6805 biopsies analysed , 21 cases of cysticercosis in the soft tissues were observed. Excisional biopsy was performed to diagnose the lesion. The pattern of distribution was striated muscles in 11(52.4%), eye in 6 (28.6%), subcutaneous tissues in 2(9.5%), tongue in 1(4.8%) and breast in 1(4.8%) patient. Anterior abdominal wall was the most involved site.

CONCLUSION
Cysticercosis, a parasitic infestation caused by Taenia solium is a major health problem in the developing countries. It is a diagnostic and therapeutic dilemma for the clinicians. Steps towards control and possible eradication of the disease are needed, as the disease causes not only chronic morbidity, but also contributes to economic losses in an already impoverished population.


Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the leading cause of mortality in patients ≥60 years old worldwide, and may result in stable angina, acute coronary syndromes (unstable angina or acute myocardial infarction), congestive heart failure, cardiac arrhythmia, or sudden death. A variety of medical therapies can treat the symptoms and arrest progression of CAD, but mechanical revascularisation of affected arteries is widely employed to ameliorate the symptoms of angina and improve prognosis, particularly in situations of multivessel disease, significant ischaemia, and in the setting of acute myocardial infarction.

Rates of surgical revascularisation by coronary artery bypass graft surgery have gradually fallen over recent decades, with a concomitant rise in percutaneous coronary intervention procedures. Such minimally invasive techniques have evolved considerably in the last four decades, from plain old balloon angioplasty, through initial use of bare-metal stents to mitigate acute vessel closure, to the advent of drug-eluting stents designed and proven to reduce rates of restenosis. Bioresorbable vascular scaffolds/bioabsorbable stents are a new and promising generation of intravascular devices that may potentially circumvent many of the problems associated with such permanent metallic implants. This article will review available clinical trial and real-life data on the Absorb™ Bioresorbable Vascular Scaffold (Abbott Vascular, Santa Clara, California, USA), and highlight the potential utility of this novel class of devices in the management of patients with CAD.


We use the mode-matching technique to study parallel-plate waveguide resonant cavities that are filled with a dielectric. We apply the generalized scattering matrix theory to calculate the power transmission through the waveguide-cavities. We compare the analytical results to experimental data to confirm the validity of this approach.


ASA (acetylsalicylic acid) is an NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug). ASA has gained attention as a potential chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic agent for several neoplasms. The aim of this study was to analyse the possible antitumoural effects of ASA in two erythroleukaemic cell lines, with or without the MDR (multidrug resistance) phenotype. The mechanism of action of different concentrations of ASA were compared in K562 (non-MDR) and Lucena (MDR) cells by analysing cell viability, apoptosis and necrosis, intracellular ROS (reactive oxygen species) formation and bcl-2, p53 and cox-2 gene expression. ASA inhibited the cellular proliferation or induced toxicity in K562 and Lucena cell lines, irrespective of the MDR phenotype. The ASA treatment provoked death by apoptosis and necrosis in K562 cells and only by necrosis in Lucena cells. ASA also showed antioxidant activity in both cell lines. The bcl-2, p53 and cox-2 genes in both cell lines treated with ASA seem to exhibit different patterns of expression. However, normal lymphocytes treated with the same ASA concentrations were more resistant than tumoral cells. The results of this work show that both cell lines responded to treatment with ASA, demonstrating a possible antitumoral and anti-MDR role for this drug.


Research indicates that financial risk tolerance (FRT) is a subjective and complex phenomenon and may diverge from individual to individual based on their demographics, genetic makeup, socioeconomic profiles, personality types, and psychological constructs. Past researchers have mainly focused on relating the socioeconomic profile, demographics, and personality type of investors to FRT. This article uses a novel approach that relates other critical behavioral and psychological factors, such as financial anxiety, financial satisfaction, obsession with money, personality type, self-esteem, and sensation-seeking behavior, as equally important contributors for determining the FRT. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling techniques were used to test the variables and hypotheses. The results show that financial satisfaction is negatively correlated with FRT, whereas financial anxiety, obsession with money, personality type, self-esteem, and sensation-seeking behavior are positively correlated with FRT. All these variables act as antecedents of FRT. TOPICS: Wealth management, behavioral financial in wealth management Key Findings • Personality Type A, self-esteem, and sensation-seeking behavior are positively correlated with financial risk tolerance. • Financial satisfaction negatively influences financial risk tolerance. • Obsession with money negatively influences financial satisfaction, whereas financial satisfaction negatively influences financial anxiety.


OBJECTIVE: To assess the degree of discomfort reported by elderly men when first submitted to digital rectal examination (DRE) in the prevention of prostate cancer and the effect of previous explanations on this complaint. METHODS: A prospective, randomized study in 120 men aged 60 to 80 years, divided into two groups: group A (routine medical appointment) and group B (medical appointment with educational intervention). In group B, the information tools were informal talk with explanations of DRE and prostate cancer, visualization of model of the male pelvis and the anatomical relations with the prostate, DRE simulator and DVD with three-dimensional animation of the pelvic organs. The degree of discomfort was measured by visual scale of pain. We used the chi-square test, with significance at 0.05. RESULTS: There were significant differences between the degree of discomfort mentioned in DRE between the two groups; 81% of group B reported it as mild, while 80% of group A referred it as moderate or intense, with significant p=0.01. The signs and symptoms were the main reason for consultation in 35% of patients; 78% went to be consulted alone and 81% commented on their own examination with their spouses. With no statistical difference, 94.2% in group A and 97.8% in group B repeated the examination the following year and 91.6% in group A and 96.6% in group B reported that the exam was not worse than imagined. All would recommend DRE for relatives or friends. CONCLUSION: Patients who did the first DRE after urological consultation with prior educational clarification on the issue reported significantly less discomfort.


Introduction Paediatric simulation is gaining stature in medical training. It addresses many clinical, managerial and communication problems, resulting in proven educational benefits and safety improvements. Courses must be pitched at an appropriate level with a mix of skills training, scenarios, communication and debriefing. The aim is to provide new paediatric trainees practice in management of common paediatric problems with emphasis on team working, communication and scientific knowledge. Methods 2 simulation-based study days for new Paediatrics ST1s were conducted, 6 months apart, involving skills practice in areas including airway management and introsseous access. Groups rotated around simulation scenarios including status asthmaticus, status epilepticus, DKA, safeguarding, sepsis, anaphylaxis and cardiac arrest, all mapped to the ST1 curriculum. Debriefing took place after each scenario, involving both participants and observers, followed by a lecture and 3 take-home messages formulated by the group. Pre-course and post-course questionnaires were completed. Results 17 and 16 ST1s participated in course 1 and 2 respectively, both groups giving positive feedback overall. Pre-course objectives were achieved, however constructive feedback highlighted the need for more practice scenarios and more positive feedback especially regarding human factors. The course was subsequently improved with introduction of more team-building exercises and emphasis on SBAR communication. Conclusion Simulation training is effective but must be designed to suit learners' needs. Course content may need to include skills stations, communication and team-building sessions, and curriculum-mapped scenarios. Our experience has shown that gentle introduction within a supportive environment is more beneficial for trainees than running simulation scenarios alone.


Cyclin G2, together with cyclin G1 and cyclin I, defines a novel cyclin family expressed in terminally differentiated tissues including brain and muscle. Cyclin G2 expression is up-regulated as cells undergo cell cycle arrest or apoptosis in response to inhibitory stimuli independent of p53 (Horne, M., Donaldson, K., Goolsby, G., Tran, D., Mulheisen, M., Hell, J. and Wahl, A. (1997) J. Biol. Chem. 272, 12650–12661). We tested the hypothesis that cyclin G2 may be a negative regulator of cell cycle progression and found that ectopic expression of cyclin G2 induces the formation of aberrant nuclei and cell cycle arrest in HEK293 and Chinese hamster ovary cells. Cyclin G2 is primarily partitioned to a detergent-resistant compartment, suggesting an association with cytoskeletal elements. We determined that cyclin G2 and its homolog cyclin G1 directly interact with the catalytic subunit of protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A). An okadaic acid-sensitive (<2 nm) phosphatase activity coprecipitates with endogenous and ectopic cyclin G2. We found that cyclin G2 also associates with various PP2A B′ regulatory subunits, as previously shown for cyclin G1. The PP2A/A subunit is not detectable in cyclin G2-PP2A-B′-C complexes. Notably, cyclin G2 colocalizes with both PP2A/C and B′ subunits in detergent-resistant cellular compartments, suggesting that these complexes form in living cells. The ability of cyclin G2 to inhibit cell cycle progression correlates with its ability to bind PP2A/B′ and C subunits. Together, our findings suggest that cyclin G2-PP2A complexes inhibit cell cycle progression.


An important component underlying the disparity in HIV risk between race/ ethnic groups is the preferential transmission between individuals in the same group. We sought to quantify transmission between different race/ethnicity groups and measure racial assortativity in HIV transmission networks in major metropolitan areas in the United States. We reconstructed HIV molecular transmission networks from viral sequences collected as part of HIV surveillance in New York City, Los Angeles County, and Cook County, Illinois. We calculated assortativity (the tendency for individuals to link to others with similar characteristics) across the network for three candidate characteristics: transmission risk, age at diagnosis, and race/ethnicity. We then compared assortativity between race/ethnicity groups. Finally, for each race/ethnicity pair, we performed network permutations to test whether the number of links observed differed from that expected if individuals were sorting at random. Transmission networks in all three jurisdictions were more assortative by race/ethnicity than by transmission risk or age at diagnosis. Despite the different race/ethnicity proportions in each metropolitan area and lower proportions of clustering among African Americans than other race/ethnicities, African Americans were the group most likely to have transmission partners of the same race/ethnicity. This high level of assortativity should be considered in the design of HIV intervention and prevention strategies. .


We present in this study a theoretical review of Sickle Cell Disease (SCD), highlighting on the pathophysiology and targeted pathways of antisickling products. Sickle cell disease (SCD) is one of the most common genetic disorders worldwide. It is caused by a point mutation that changes glutamic acid (Glu6) to valine (Val6) in the β chain of hemoglobin. This change has many damages: polymerization of abnormal haemoglobin HbS when oxygen tension decreases; red blood cell membrane deformability and cell-to-cell adherence, adhesion of sickle red blood cells to the endothelium, high production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), decreasing lactate dehydrogenase activity and Fe 2+ /Fe 3+ ratio of HbS. Understanding polymerization and pathophysiological of SCD constitute a therapeutic strategy base in the pharmacology research of this molecular disease.


Abstract. Strong diurnal oscillations, documented by temperature data that were collected along a submarine cliff on the Lastovo Island (southern Adriatic), are studied and compared with sea level and wind measurements at Dubrovnik and Komiža (island of Vis). Three thermistors were deployed at the depths of 15, 22 and 36 m between March 2001 and March 2002. Pronounced diurnal temperature oscillations were detected at 15 and 22 m during the stratified season. The correlation between the sea surface and thermocline displacements was highest in June 2001, when diurnal wind changes were not significant, while diurnal sea level oscillations achieved annual maxima. Thermocline oscillations were in phase with sea level changes. The range of diurnal sea surface variability was close to 19 cm, while the range of corresponding thermocline variability was about 5.4 m. The findings summarize the outcome of the first dedicated study of internal tides in the Adriatic.


Change of the hip joint centre location during preparation of the acetabular cavity for the acetabular component can affect the outcome of total hip arthroplasty. Deviations from the preoperative geometry can compromise an otherwise successful operation with regard to hip dislocations, leg length inequality and range of motion of the hip joint. Eighteen acetabula from pelvic specimens were measured before and after acetabular reaming to determine the change of hip centre location. Two different acetabular reamers were applied to the acetabular cavity: a chamfered reamer intended for minimal invasive hip surgery (MIS) and a conventional hemispherical reamer. An optical 3D scanning system created 3D models of the cavities prior to and after the reaming procedure. The two 3D models were merged into a single 3D model and displacements in all three dimensions were calculated The results showed no significant difference between MIS and conventional reaming with regard to transition vector length (p=0.9). The mean length of the transition vector was 3.6 mm (SD. 2.4 mm). Our findings suggest that the alteration of the hip centre location is not influenced by the changes made to the MIS reamers in comparison with conventional reamers. In comparison with previous studies the drift of the hip centre caused by the acetabular reaming is reduced due to new reaming techniques and prosthesis designs. (Hip International 2007; 17: 15-20)


We examined genetic variation among 78 clinical isolates of Bordetella pertussis, including 54 strains recovered during a 1986 pertussis epidemic. A total of 16 pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) profiles, generated with each of three different enzymes (XbaI, SpeI, and DraI), were obtained from the epidemic and sporadic isolates included in the study. Indistinguishable profiles were seen among strains unrelated temporally or geographically, as well as among strains isolated sporadically from the same geographic areas. All isolates from the epidemic had indistinguishable PFGE profiles. The PFGE pattern of the epidemic strains was shared with only 1 of 25 strains isolated independently of the outbreak. This isolate was cultured from a specimen from a laboratory scientist who had been working with the epidemic strains, further implicating the usefulness of PFGE for the epidemiologic study of clinical strains of B. pertussis. Differences in PFGE profiles for single epidemic strains occurred occasionally upon repeated passage on agar medium, suggesting that subculturing of initial isolates should be minimized before pulsed-field analysis.


Background FNAC of intraosseous jaw lesions has not been widely utilized for diagnosis due to rarity and diversity of these lesions, limited experience and lack of well established cytological features. Aim of the study was to determine the role of FNAC in the diagnosis of intraosseous jaw swellings. Material and Methods 42 patients underwent FNAC over a period of 7 years (2007-2013), of which 37 (88.1%) aspirates were diagnostic. Histopathology correlation was available in 33 cases and diagnostic accuracy of FNAC was calculated. Results Lesions were categorized into inflammatory 3, cysts/hamartomas 15 and neoplasms 19. Mandibular and maxillary involvement was seen in 21 and 16 patients respectively. Of these, benign cysts and malignant lesions were commonest, accounting for 27% lesions (10 cases) each. One case of cystic ameloblastoma was misdiagnosed as odontogenic cyst on cytology. Overall, sensitivity and specificity of FNAC were 94.7% and 100% respectively with a diagnostic accuracy of 97.3%. Definitive categorization of giant cell lesions, fibro-osseous lesions, odontogenic tumors and cystic lesions was not feasible on FNAC. Conclusions FNAC is a simple, safe and minimally invasive first line investigation which can render an accurate preoperative diagnosis of intraosseous jaw lesions, especially the malignant ones in the light of clinic-radiological correlation. Key words: Jaw swellings, intraosseous, FNAC.


The efficiency of a machine, whether it is a steam engine or an information processor, rests on the second law of thermodynamics, which is all about entropy: that is, the energy 'lost', usually in the form of heat, whenever one kind of energy is transformed into another. In their analysis, Parker and Walker revisited the heat engine concept which provided the foundation for the second law of thermodynamics and applied this to a computer. Based on their Carnot analysis, they developed a formula using processor temperature, bit rate and power consumptions as variables that can be used for comparing the absolute energy efficiency of any information processor on a logarithmic scale.


Enterprise architecture is an explanation of an organization needed to supportbusiness and technology needs in realizing the vision of the mission expected. EnterpriseArchitecture Framework is a logical structure that plays a role in Enterprise development. Thereare different types of Enterprise Architecture Framework with distinctive work characteristics.The purpose of this research is to develop two Frameworks by comparing the differences thateach Framework has. The framework used in this research is TOGAF and FEAF. The result ofthis research is the development of TOGAF Framework with the advantages possessed byFEAF.


Policymakers are pursing initiatives to increase food access for low-income households. However, due in part to previous data deficiencies, there is still little evidence supporting the assumption that improved food store access will alter dietary habits, especially for the poorest of U.S. households. This article uses the new National Household Food Acquisition and Purchase Survey (FoodAPS) to estimate consumer food outlet choices as a function of outlet type and household attributes in a multinomial mixed logit. In particular, we allow for the composition of the local retail food environment to play a role in explaining household store choice decisions and food acquisition patterns. We find that (1) households are willing to pay more per week in distance traveled to shop at Superstores, Supermarkets, and Fast Food outlets than at Farmers Markets and smaller Grocery Stores, and (2) willingness to pay is heterogeneous across income group, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participation, and other household and food environment characteristics. Our results imply that policymakers should consider incentivizing the building of certain outlet types over others, and that Healthy Food Financing Initiatives should be designed to fit the sociodemographic composition of each identified low-income, low-access area in question.


This paper describes the first development and implementation of a closed loop edge localized mode (ELM) frequency controller using gas injection as the actuator. The controller has been extensively used in recent experiments on JET and it has proved to work well at ELM frequencies in the 15–40 Hz range. The controller responds effectively to a variety of disturbances, generally recovering the requested ELM frequency within approximately 500 ms. Controlling the ELM frequency has become of prime importance in the new JET configuration with all metal walls, where insufficient ELM frequency is associated with excessive tungsten influx. The controller has allowed successful operation near the minimum acceptable ELM frequency where the best plasma confinement can be achieved. Use of the ELM frequency controller in conjunction with pellet injection has enabled investigations of ELM triggering by pellets while maintaining the desired ELM frequency even when pellets fail to trigger ELMs.


The composition of milk from free-ranging koalas was examined as part of a study of the energetics of reproduction in the koala, an arboreal folivorous marsupial that displays a number of energetically conservative characteristics often associated with arboreality and folivory. Koala milk composition showed a number of deviations from the general marsupial pattern that suggest koalas have adopted a lactational strategy different from that of most other marsupials previously studied. Milk solids decreased at the time of exit of the young from the pouch, in contrast with the solids content of the milk of most marsupials, which rises at that time. Lipids provided the major source of milk energy even in early to midlactation and did not rise at pouch exit, unlike lipid levels in other marsupials, which are low in early to midlactation and rise sharply at pouch exit to high levels in late lactation. The carbohydrates of late-lactation koala milk contained mainly lactose and some oligosaccharides, but little or none of the monosaccharide found in the milk of many other marsupials. Koalas share most of these features with the common brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) and common ringtail possum (Pseudocheirus peregrinus), the only two other marsupial arboreal folivores in which milk composition has been studied. This suggests that the koala'spattern of changes in milk composition may be common to marsupial arboreal folivores and may be associated with energetic limitations imposed directly by their folivorous diet or indirectly via selection for their long period of lactation and slow weaning. However, koalas' milk was more concentrated than that of the other two marsupial folivores, the importance of which, to the lactational strategy of the koala, can be resolved only by further study of milk production.


Companies require information and intelligence about customers to understand them, formulate strategies for them, and serve them better. Companies collect this information either by themselves or by appointing marketing research agencies who collect information on behalf of the companies. Collection of information sometimes becomes a challenge because customers hesitate to share personal information with companies. Also, customers worry about the way the shared information is used by companies. Customers are concerned about the safety, security, and the privacy of information. Companies should consider the above issues during data collection from customers and also during the usage of information. The paper discusses about the sensitive issue of intrusion on privacy of customers, ethics involved, responsibilities of marketing researchers regarding sensitive information shared by customers, possible misuse of the shared information, preventive measures against misuse of research findings, and the initiatives taken by companies and authorities to protect the privacy of customers.


Tax is different from other fields of law, just as any field of law is different from others. But tax scholarship, judicial opinions in tax litigation, and public attitudes toward taxation have long claimed more than difference in doctrinal details. They have claimed that tax is different in kind from other fields of law— that it is unique, that it is exceptional.

Even though the Supreme Court seemed to kill tax exceptionalism in its 2011 decision in Mayo Foundation for Medical Education & Research v. United States, claims of tax exceptionalism have hardly abated. In this article we take on the concept of tax exceptionalism directly. We begin by accepting that scholars, judges, and taxpayers experience tax as different from other fields of law, but we then tackle the question whether these differences add up to tax exceptionalism. Our view is that they do not, and we believe that pragmatism provides a useful framework for identifying just what is mistaken about claims of tax exceptionalism.

From a pragmatist perspective, the question is whether it is useful to believe that the accumulation of the various differences between tax and other fields of law makes tax fundamentally different from the others. We conclude and demonstrate that it is not useful to characterize tax as exceptional; questions about the differences between tax and other fields of law can be fully answered by focusing on a specific issue and then deciding whether there is something about tax that requires that particular issue to be treated differently in tax. That is precisely what the Supreme Court did in Mayo. Rather than treat tax as different in kind from other fields of law, the Mayo Court treated the tax issue before it as it would any other issue in any other field, thereby rejecting the vary premise of tax exceptionalism.

In prior work we have claimed that tax exceptionalism has had the insidious effect of stunting the growth of a robust tax jurisprudence by insulating tax from other fields of law, disparaging the lessons that tax can learn from careful attention to those other fields, undermining the legitimacy of tax administration, and perhaps even contributing to the relative lack of diversity in the tax bar. But here our focus is different. In light of the persistence of the concept of tax exceptionalism, which we believe is fueled by the salience of the differences between tax and other fields of law, we tackle the effect of those differences directly. We do not minimize them or deny their existence; rather, we show that despite their existence and their number they should not lead to the conclusion that tax is exceptional because the concept of tax exceptionalism is analytically empty. It is useless.


This paper presents a novel severity index to analyze power system dynamic stability. Application of severity indices in dynamic stability assessment is very complex and this paper proposes severity indices for dynamic contingency ranking. These indices are based on the concept of coherency and three dot products of the system variables.

Different coherency indices have been defined and then compared by ranking the contingencies according to these indices. It is well known that some indices work better than others for a particular power system. This paper along with test results using several different systems, demonstrates that combination of indices provides better ranking than a single index.