Tests have been carried out with several models adjusted in different ways with a view to determining the monthly discharge of the river Sioule at Pont-du-Bouchet in the Massif Central, involving an area of 1,170 km2. Records for a period of about twenty years were used to adjust the models, and twenty other years were considered in comparing the predicted and actual discharge data. The predicted monthly discharge data depend both on quantities known at the time of making the forecast (" predictors") and on quantities associated with events occurring between the time of making the forecast and the instant at which the flow takes place ("prediction terms"). The reliability of the forecast depends on the relative importance of these two types of quantity, but can readily be ascertained by means of a few simple correlations. Use of linear models: Regressions. Although these models are now automatic and in general use, they still give rise to a number of problems. First among these is the independence of errors, which it is often difficult to check and sometimes impossible to achieve, and which is liable to bias statistical checks and leave no alternative but to view the calculated confidence intervals with caution. Conventional methods of selecting a vector for the "predictors" are based on statistical checks requiring the same caution as the above. In addition, where the"predictors" are not independent, unstable regression coefficients with exaggerated values result. Thus, automatic methods have been found to give poor results for prediction. Experimentally, however, better results are obtained where the "prediction terms" are available when selecting the "predictors". Satisfactory results have also been obtained by making use of the main components. The methods of the future (e.g. the Ridge Regression method of system identification), however, ignore the multiple and partial multiple correlation coefficients and other conventional statistical quantities, and only take the stability of the regression coefficients into account. Use of deterministic model (Thornthwaite), This model features a production function which is none other than Thornthwaite's balance method with only one parameter adjusted to make the average available water equal to the discharge. The modulation function is a delayed-effect model adjusted by means of an optimization method (Rosenbrock) in which the sum of the relative errors is made a minimum. The predicted data supplied by this model are equivalent to those given by regression methods, and with the necessary data for a twenty-year period available, an experimental confidence interval can be calculated for both cases around the data supplied by the deterministic model. To conclude, therefore, the experimental choice of a prediction method depends on objective comparisons in which all the models to be compared start off with equal chances. However, there are still very many improvements to be made to all the different models available for use.


In this study, we discuss the dynamics of a type of hanging truss structural system consisting of rigid and wire members, part of which are SMA (shape memory alloy) wires. This kind of truss structure has the capability of vibration isolation and absorption. Characteristics of zero compressive sti ff ness of wire members, SMA wire members and hanging configuration of the structure itself contribute to the e ff ect of vibration isolation. The hysteretic loop of SMA wires plays a significant role in vibration attenuation. Mathematical models for this kind of dynamic problem are developed. Calculation process is introduced to take into account the mechanical characteristics of SMA and wire members. Dynamic characteristics are discussed; simultaneously, the e ff ects of vibration isolation and attenuation have been confirmed. On the basis of the numerical calculations, advantages of combinations of various types of wire members, including the truss units having no bracing wires have been demonstrated.


Although photometric redshifts (photo-z's) are crucial ingredients for current and upcoming large-scale surveys, the high-quality spectroscopic redshifts currently available to train, validate, and test them are substantially non-representative in both magnitude and colour. We investigate the nature and structure of this bias by tracking how objects from a heterogeneous training sample contribute to photo-z predictions as a function of magnitude and colour, and illustrate that the underlying redshift distribution at fixed colour can evolve strongly as a function of magnitude. We then test the robustness of the galaxy–galaxy lensing signal in 120 deg2 of HSC–SSP DR1 data to spectroscopic completeness and photo-z biases, and find that their impacts are sub-dominant to current statistical uncertainties. Our methodology provides a framework to investigate how spectroscopic incompleteness can impact photo-z-based weak lensing predictions in future surveys such as LSST and WFIRST.


The investigations described in this thesis relate to the development of an accurate method for the comparison of strengths of weak neutron sources with different spectra. This is part of a programme for the establishment of an absolute neutron standard. A detailed review of the preparation and properties of various portable neutron sources at present in use has been presented. The advantages of the stoichiometric compound, Radium Beryllium Fluoride (RaBeP4 ), as a reproducible neutron standard have been discussed. A survey of the existing methods for the absolute and relative strengths of neutron sources has been made and the need for an accurate method for the comparison of strengths of weak neutron sources with different spectra has been pointed out. The principle of thermalisation followed by physical integration, with a solution of indium sulphate, has been employed for developing a new method for the measurements of relative neutron source strengths. Using this method, the relative strength of the proposed RaBeF 4 standard source with respect to a standard radium-I--beryllium source was determined with an accuracy better than 1%. When the absolute strength of the latter source is determined, the absolute strength of the RaBeF4 source can be given with this accuracy. Investigations were also carried out to estimate the extent of loss of fast neutrons from the radium-(-beryllium sources by reactions with oxygen and sulphur present in aqueous moderator solutions normally used for neutron strength comparisons. The principle involved was to compare the relative strengths in an aqueous medium and an organic medium containing less oxygen, but having the seine hydrogen and indium contents. Since no systematic errors are involved, the value obtained is considered more reliable.


One of Indonesian students' difficulties in learning English is pronouncing English sounds correctly. Indonesian language as mother tongue influences significantly to the way of Indonesian students in pronouncing English sounds. Compared to English, Indonesian language generally does not have differences between spelling the letter and pronouncing the sounds. Among all English sounds, diphthongs are assumed as one of the most difficulties pronounced by Indonesian students. This study was conducted to thirty five students of University of Pasir Pengaraian, Riau Province by using mix method where the researcher gave test to find out students' difficulties in pronouncing English diphthongs and observation to describe the factors influencing students' difficulties in pronouncing English diphthongs. The result of study showed that the most difficult of English diphthong was [аυ] sound. Factors influencing students have difficulties in pronouncing English diphthongs were mother language interfere, lack of knowledge in English sound systems and unsuccessful in using borrowed English words. This study is expected can give contribution in improving Indonesian students pronunciation especially diphthong sounds.


BACKGROUND & AIMS
Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are becoming more common in Asia, but epidemiologic data are lacking. The Asia-Pacific Crohn's and Colitis Epidemiology Study aimed to determine the incidence and phenotype of IBD in 8 countries across Asia and in Australia.

METHODS
We performed a prospective, population-based study of IBD incidence in predefined catchment areas, collecting data for 1 year, starting on April 1, 2011. New cases were ascertained from multiple overlapping sources and entered into a Web-based database. Cases were confirmed using standard criteria. Local endoscopy, pathology, and pharmacy records were searched to ensure completeness of case capture.

RESULTS
We identified 419 new cases of IBD (232 of ulcerative colitis [UC], 166 of Crohn's disease [CD], and 21 IBD-undetermined). The crude annual overall incidence values per 100,000 individuals were 1.37 for IBD in Asia (95% confidence interval: 1.25-1.51; 0.76 for UC, 0.54 for CD, and 0.07 for IBD-undetermined) and 23.67 in Australia (95% confidence interval: 18.46-29.85; 7.33 for UC, 14.00 for CD, and 2.33 for IBD-undetermined). China had the highest incidence of IBD in Asia (3.44 per 100,000 individuals). The ratios of UC to CD were 2.0 in Asia and 0.5 in Australia. Median time from symptom onset to diagnosis was 5.5 months (interquartile range, 1.4-15 months). Complicated CD (stricturing, penetrating, or perianal disease) was more common in Asia than Australia (52% vs 24%; P = .001), and a family history of IBD was less common in Asia (3% vs 17%; P < .001).

CONCLUSIONS
We performed a large-scale population-based study and found that although the incidence of IBD varies throughout Asia, it is still lower than in the West. IBD can be as severe or more severe in Asia than in the West. The emergence of IBD in Asia will result in the need for specific health care resources, and offers a unique opportunity to study etiologic factors in developing nations.


An unusual variation of the axillary artery was reported in the right side of a 63-year-old female cadaver during routine dissection classes. It was observed that the first part of the axillary artery gave origin to the superior thoracic artery as usual and the second part gave thoracoacromial artery, which showed the normal course and branching pattern. In addition to this branch, the second part also gave a large common trunk from which lateral thoracic artery and subscapular artery arose. The subscapular artery was divided into circumflex scapular and thoracodorsal arteries. The circumflex scapular artery after passing through the upper triangular space of axilla emerged out near the lateral border of scapula on the posterior aspect. The thoracodorsal artery was seen as continuation of the subscapular artery after giving the branch circumflex scapular artery, lies posterior to the lateral thoracic artery. It gave muscular branches to teres major and serratus anterior. The third part of the axillary artery gave anterior and posterior circumflex humeral artery only. The detailed knowledge about anatomy of normal as well as variant axillary artery is very helpful to clinicians in operative and invasive procedures around pectoral and axillary regions, especially in the field of vascular surgeries. This is also useful to radiologists in different Doppler and contrast imaging study of the vessels.


We investigate the persistence in monthly KSE100 excess stock returns over the Treasury bills rates using non-Gaussian state space or unobservable component model with stable distributions and volatility persistence. Results from our non-Gaussian state space model, which is an improvement over Conard and Kaul (1988), show that the conditional distribution has a stable of 1.748 and normality is rejected even after accounting for GARCH. There exists a statistically significant predictable component in the KSE 100 excess stock returns. The optimal predictor in the unconditional expectation of the series is estimated to be 0.18 percent per annum. An evidence of highly nonconstant scales in different periods of time exhibits a tendency towards stock market crashes which invites remedial policy action.


This work is based on a formulation of the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations developed by P. Constantin and G.Iyer, where the velocity field of a viscous incompressible fluid is written as the expected value of a stochastic process. If we take $N$ copies of the above process (each based on independent Wiener processes), and replace the expected value with the empirical mean, then it was shown that the particle system for the Navier-Stokes equations does not dissipate all its energy as $t \to \infty$.
In contrast to the true (unforced) Navier-Stokes equations, which dissipate all of its energy as $t \to \infty$. The objective of this short note is to describe a resetting procedure that removes this deficiency. We prove that if we repeat this resetting procedure often enough, then the new particle system for the Navier-Stokes equations dissipates all its energy.


In the present study, a design methodology is developed for determining the optimal distribution of a limited amount of piezoelectric material and optimal skin for a conformable rotor airfoil section. The objective of the design optimization is to generate a conformable airfoil structure that produces significant trailing edge deflection under actuation loads, but minimal airfoil deflection under aerodynamic loads. Energy functions, Mutual Potential Energy (MPE) and Strain Energy (SE), are used as measures of the deflections created by the actuation and aerodynamic loads, respectively. The design objective is achieved by maximizing a multi-criteria objective function that represents a ratio of the MPE to SE. Several design optimization techniques are evaluated including geometry and concurrent geometry-topology optimizations. The results of the study indicate that the optimized conformable airfoil section obtained using the concurrent geometry-topology optimization can produce a significant downward trailing edge deflection, and the airfoil deformation due to the aerodynamic loads alone is small. However, the optimized airfoil design is extremely complex and contains intricate network of actuators, which may be difficult to fabricate. Systematic simplification of the structure is performed to obtain a conformable airfoil design that is simple and may be easy to build. Further parametric optimization is used to find optimal values of the skin axial and bending stiffness for an optimal conformable airfoil design. The airfoil can produce a downward trailing edge deflection equivalent to 3.7° of Effective Flap Angle from the actuation loads, with the peak-to-peak deflection being nearly twice the downward deflection, and the airfoil deformation due to the airload loads is less than 1°. The optimal skin should have less axial stiffness and much more bending stiffness as compared to a conventional skin.Copyright © 2003 by ASME


An investigation has been conducted to explore the steps required to move information from a Building Information Model (BIM) to a Computer Aided Facilities Management System (CAFM). The growing popularity of BIM draws heavily upon a perception that the technology can facilitate all major operations during the building lifecycle. Current deployment of BIM in the AEC/FM industry has significant impact on the acceleration of design and construction phases. Of equal importance, however, is whether BIM can pro-vide information for reuse in facility management and operations. This paper presents a research study in or-der to determine how to capture information about existing buildings in a BIM and reuse the information to support decisions about facility use. Our study includes findings from focus groups and in-depth interviews with facility managers and owners which produced well-reasoned arguments about deployment, challenges and obstacles of BIM utilization for the FM operations. Based on the findings, a BIM utilization framework was developed for FM. A link was established between BIM tools and an in-house CAFM system that con-sists of databases accessible through Web sites and incorporating pixel-oriented images and Web-enabled vector drawings. Four buildings supporting a college of architecture on a large university campus are incorpo-rated into the system. The investigation revealed that the BIM can provide much information for use in the CAFM system, but there remains a need for intermediate CAD products and additional tools.


Measurement of soil pressures caused by vehicle loading is difficult and often subject to
extreme variability. Two types of soil transducers were compared in an experiment conducted in a
Norfolk sandy loam soil in the USDA-ARS National Soil Dynamics Laboratory's (NSDL) soil bin
facilities. Stress state transducers (SST), electronic transducers developed at the NSDL for
measuring six directional pressures and determining the stress state, were used for this experiment.
Rubber bulbs connected by a rubber hose to a dial pressure guage, which measure hydrostatic
pressure, were also used in this experiment. Both transducers were buried at depths of 7.5, 15, or
23 cm and were used to measure soil pressures caused by a 30.5L-32 tire with dynamic loads of 19
or 37 kN. The SST's were buried by inserting them into an excavated hole while the rubber bulbs
were inserted by a special tool designed to leave the soil surface and surrounding soil undisturbed.
Peak values of mean normal stress (calculated from measurements of pressure) from the SST and
hydrostatic pressure measured with the rubber bulbs were found to be affected by both loading and
burial depth. Similar magnitudes and variation were observed for each transducer. Residual
pressure, defined as the pressure remaining after loading was removed, was found to be affected by
both loading and burial depth when measured with the rubber bulbs. Continued development and
testing of the rubber bulb transducers could provide a simple method of determining levels of
compaction that could damage soils and thus prevent excessive trafficking.


Having ratified the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, South Africa is obliged to adopt legislative measures that criminalise human trafficking and comply with other standards laid down in this international instrument. However, by mid-2011, South Africa had not enacted the required comprehensive counter-trafficking legislation. The question that now arises is if the absence of such anti-trafficking legislation poses an insurmountable obstacle to the prosecution of traffickers for trafficking-related activities. In asking this question the article examines the utilisation of existing crimes in order to prosecute and punish criminal activities committed during the human trafficking process. Firstly, a selection of existing common law and statutory crimes that may often be applicable to trafficking-related activities is mapped out. Secondly, transitional trafficking provisions in the Children's Act 38 of 2005 and the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Act 32 of 2007 are discussed. Finally, since the Prevention and Combating of Trafficking in Persons Bill B7 of 2010 will in all probability be enacted in the near future, the use of other criminal law provisions in human trafficking prosecutions, even after the passing of this bill into law, is reflected upon.


MOUNTAINS, 1930S-2004 by JULIE PAIGE TUTTLE (Under the Direction of ALBERT J. PARKER) ABSTRACT Recent theory asserts that montane vegetation ecotones may be good locations for observing change because of their association with steep environmental and climatic gradients. In 2004, I sampled the Great Smoky Mountains spruce-fir ecotone for comparison to Frank Miller's 1930s data to examine changes in ecotonal forest composition and structure. Changes in stand attributes as well as shifts in dominant and subdominant species reflect primarily the decimation of Abies fraseri by the balsam woolly adelgid and high mortality of Fagus grandifolia from beech bark disease. Based on the results of this study, the abundance and distribution of Picea rubens seem preserved in the ecotone, pending future recruitment success. Abies fraseri persists in a diminished state at the highest elevations. It is unknown whether Betula lutea will persist in dominating former A. fraseri forests, particularly on north-facing slopes.


We have developed a new bioassay for thyrotropin (TSH) in human serum to evaluate bioactivity in normal individuals and patients with different degrees of primary hypothyroidism. Unpurified TSH in serum showed no stimulation of cyclic AMP production in cultured FRTL-5 rat thyroid cells, but after immunopurification showed potent stimulatory activity. Immunoaffinity purification permitted up to 400-fold concentration of serum TSH, allowing bioactivity measurements even in certain normal sera. The limit of detection in the FRTL-5 bioassay was 10 microU of human TSH per 0.5 ml incubate, and half-maximal responses for standard human TSH was 102 +/- 26 (+/- SE) microU/0.5 ml. Immunoaffinity-purified serum TSH varied in bioactivity-to-immunoactivity (B/I) ratios from less than 0.25 to 1.21 among four euthyroid subjects and eight primary hypothyroid patients. An inverse correlation was found between B/I ratios of immunopurified basal TSH and the serum-free T4 (r = -0.7237, P less than 0.01), T4 (r = -0.6650, P less than 0.05), and T3 (r = -0.6382, P less than 0.05). B/I ratios of immunopurified TSH from three hypothyroid patients before and after acute stimulation by thyrotropin-releasing hormone showed no significant change, despite major changes in serum TSH. In summary, the present study shows an inverse relationship between the metabolic status of an individual and the intrinsic bioactivity of TSH.


The homoplasy excess test (HET) is a tree‐based screen for hybrid taxa in multilocus nuclear phylogenies. Homoplasy between a hybrid taxon and the clades containing the parental taxa reduces bootstrap support in the tree. The HET is based on the expectation that excluding the hybrid taxon from the data set increases the bootstrap support for the parental clades, whereas excluding non‐hybrid taxa has little effect on statistical node support. To carry out a HET, bootstrap trees are calculated with taxon‐jackknife data sets, that is excluding one taxon (species, population) at a time. Excess increase in bootstrap support for certain nodes upon exclusion of a particular taxon indicates the hybrid (the excluded taxon) and its parents (the clades with increased support). We introduce a new software program, hext, which generates the taxon‐jackknife data sets, runs the bootstrap tree calculations, and identifies excess bootstrap increases as outlier values in boxplot graphs. hext is written in r language and accepts binary data (0/1; e.g. AFLP) as well as co‐dominant SNP and genotype data. We demonstrate the usefulness of hext in large SNP data sets containing putative hybrids and their parents. For instance, using published data of the genus Vitis (˜6,000 SNP loci), hext output supports V. × champinii as a hybrid between V. rupestris and V. mustangensis. With simulated SNP and AFLP data sets, excess increases in bootstrap support were not always connected with the hybrid taxon (false positives), whereas the expected bootstrap signal failed to appear on several occasions (false negatives). Potential causes for both types of spurious results are discussed. With both empirical and simulated data sets, the taxon‐jackknife output generated by hext provided additional signatures of hybrid taxa, including changes in tree topology across trees, consistent effects of exclusions of the hybrid and the parent taxa, and moderate (rather than excessive) increases in bootstrap support. hext significantly facilitates the taxon‐jackknife approach to hybrid taxon detection, even though the simple test for excess bootstrap increase may not reliably identify hybrid taxa in all applications.


Image segmentation is crucial to object-oriented remote sensing imagery analysis. In this paper, a novel texture-preceded segmentation algorithm is proposed for high-resolution remote sensing imagery, in which texture clustering is first carried out as a loose constraint for later segmentation. The algorithm is based on the graph models of region adjacency graph and nearest neighbor graph, which can achieve fast node merging, depending on the global optimum. Here, a combined distance, composed of texture, spectral, and shape features, is established to measure the similarity between nodes and gives the same semantic descriptions for the texture objects. Then, the combined distance is applied to graph models, and the final segmentation result can be obtained iteratively by fast merging. During the merging process, optimal sequence merging interacts with texture clustering to refine the real edges of a texture region. This algorithm cannot only merge the homogeneous texture segments with spectral variability easily but can also detect the real object boundaries well. The experiments on high-resolution imagery show that, in terms of the same number of segments, the proposed algorithm can improve segmentation accuracy by 10%-20% compared to the results obtained by pure spectral features with Definiens Developer software.


A moving picture coding is performed by adaptively switching between use of a plurality of decoded moving picture signals as reference frames to create a prediction macro block image from one of the plurality of reference frames for each macro block, isolation of a reference macro block from a plurality of reference frames to obtain an average value as a prediction macro block image, and isolation of a reference macro block from a plurality of reference frames to create a prediction macro block image by linear extrapolation or linear interpolation according to a frame-to-frame distance between the reference frame and the coding frame.


In the present work we consider a class of nonlinear optimal control problems, which can be called "optimal control problems in mechanics". We deal with control systems whose dynamics can be described by a system of Euler-Lagrange or Hamilton equations. Using the variational structure of the solution of the corresponding boundary-value problems, we reduce the initial optimal control problem to an auxiliary problem of multiobjective programming. This technique makes it possible to apply some consistent numerical approximations of a multiobjective optimization problem to the initial optimal control problem. For solving the auxiliary problem we propose an implementable numerical algorithm.


Differences in intraspecific foraging strategies have been documented between sexes of strongly dimorphic large herbivore species. Body size implications on diet quality requirements, however, can be extended to within‐species age‐specific comparisons. We investigated the hierarchical separation of foraging behavior at the scale of plant type, plant species, plant part and vertically through the canopy. For this, we studied African elephant adult females (lower quality diet required) and weaned calves (higher quality diet) within the elephant family unit, which is socially constrained to traverse the landscape together. Grass and browse were used with similar seasonal frequency. Both females and calves tracked the phenology of woody species, including these species in the diet when new growth was available. Forage utilization differed at the plant part level, with calves selecting for less fibrous and more nutritious plant parts (e.g., stripped leaves), while adult females selected branches, bark and roots with greater frequency. There was displacement of females to higher foraging levels in the canopy when these females fed <3 m away from calves. Elephant family unit foraging strategies were driven by body size, age‐specific nutritional requirements and intraspecific competition. This has broader application to other large herbivore species with great variance in intraspecific body size.


BACKGROUND
Case-control studies are often performed to estimate postlicensure vaccine effectiveness (VE), but the enrollment of controls can be challenging, time-consuming, and costly. We evaluated whether children enrolled in the same hospital-based diarrheal surveillance used to identify rotavirus cases but who test negative for rotavirus (test-negative controls) can be considered a suitable alternative to nondiarrheal hospital or community-based control groups (traditional controls).

METHODS
We compared calculated VE estimates as a function of varying values of true VE, attack rates of rotavirus and nonrotavirus diarrhea in the population, and sensitivity and specificity of the rotavirus enzyme immunoasssay. We also searched the literature to identify rotavirus VE studies that used traditional and test-negative control groups and compared VE estimates obtained using the different control groups.

RESULTS
Assuming a 1% attack rate for severe rotavirus diarrhea, a 3% attack rate for severe nonrotavirus diarrhea in the population, a test sensitivity of 96%, and a specificity of 100%, the calculated VE estimates using both the traditional and test-negative control groups closely approximated the true VE for all values from 30% to 100%. As true VE decreased, the traditional case-control approach slightly overestimated the true VE and the test-negative case-control approach slightly underestimated this estimate, but the absolute difference was only ±0.2 percentage points. Field VE estimates from 10 evaluations that used both traditional and test-negative control groups were similar regardless of control group used.

CONCLUSIONS
The use of rotavirus test-negative controls offers an efficient and cost-effective approach to estimating rotavirus VE through case-control studies.


Apusozoa (Protozoa) is a phylum of heterotrophic gliding zooflagellates of unknown taxonomic affiliation, commonly observed in environmental samples. Almost nothing was previously known about the diversity and ecology of apusozoan species though, as bacterivores, they are probably important functional constituents within microbial assemblages.We explored apusozoan morphological and genetic diversity, ecology, and related methodological questions. By culturing environmental material from a range of habitats, we isolated and maintained monocultures of both previously described apusozoan orders, Apusomonadida (apusomonads) and Planomonadida (planomonads). For planomonads, we present a revised taxonomy based on morphology, ultrastructure, and 18S rDNA genetic differences. We describe nine new species and new genera Nutomonas and Fabomonas, and demonstrate ITS2 rDNA secondary structure analysis for species delineation.During our culturing effort, we also isolated two genotypes of a previously unknown flagellate group, shown here to belong to a novel third apusozoan order, Mantamonadida. We designed molecular probes specific to all three orders and applied them to environmental DNA, detecting novel 18S and ITS1 rDNA lineages in a range of habitats.We mined publically available metagenomic and metatranscriptomic sequence databases using 18S rDNA of described species as seeds, identifying hundreds of sequences with affinities to all three orders. Phylogenies featuring newly retrieved lineages with previously described species suggest that direct sequencing of transcriptomic material is more effective than amplification-dependent methods at detecting rare cells in mixed microbial assemblages.Finally, to test potential future applications of our newly isolated strains, we ran microcosm experiments examining the effect of protozoan (Cercozoa) grazing on the structure of bacterial assemblages, demonstrating that closely related and morphologically similar species can have different impacts on their prey base.Taken together, by combining traditional culturing and modern molecular methods, this thesis drastically improves our understanding of apusozoan diversity and sets the scene for future work using next-generation sequencing and ecologically driven functional experiments.


"One size does not fit all". The aim of the thesis is to investigate conduct, impact and spatial dimension of monetary policy in Germany in 1860-90. Germany established one of the most successful monetary unions in the nineteenth century amid strong economic growth and stable bank note issuance. Yet, the role of monetary policy during its early years remains largely unexplored. This may lead to an incomplete understanding of the relationship between monetary policy and economic development in the latter part of nineteenth century Germany.

The 1875 bank act (Bankgesetz) in Germany, following introduction of a single currency and the gold standard, adopted a unique mixed central banking system with the German Imperial Bank (Reichsbank) at federal and the private banks of issue (Privatnotenbanken) at federal state level. The thesis analyses monetary policy with emphasis on the monetary policy framework, transmission mechanism and reaction function. The findings show that competition between the Reichsbank and Privatnotenbanken influenced monetary policy conduct and established the stability conditions of the system; that Reichsbank's monetary policy was effective but had an undue negative impact on output while the impact of the Privatnotenbanken was mixed highlighting some scope for monetary policy spatial differentiation; and that the Reichsbank maintained considerable monetary policy discretion and acted more in line with a commitment under reputational forces than the rules of the game of the classical gold standard.

The thesis uses new monthly bank balance sheet, economic and financial data and employs advanced statistical techniques based on structural vector autoregression models. The study relies extensively on narrative accounts based on archival parliamentary records and new Reichsbank reports.

Nineteenth century Germany offers important lessons for the establishment of central banking in monetary unions and conduct of monetary policy under spatial diversity and reveals that decentralisation in a monetary union can be effective.


We provide evidence of the final, immediate financial statement impact of some of the major provisions of the 2017 U.S. tax law changes, commonly referred to as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA). We also provide evidence on the accuracy of companies' estimates. Using hand-collected financial statement disclosures for a sample of 121 calendar-year-end companies in the S&P 500 Index, we find that the median company in our sample accrued $74 million of income tax (4 percent of 2018 pre-tax income) related to re-measuring deferred taxes and the one-time transition tax on foreign earnings. Multinational corporations accrued larger amounts due to the one-time transition tax, which alone totaled more than $46 billion across 93 multinational companies in our sample. The median company recognized a benefit of $42 million upon re-measurement of net deferred tax liabilities to the lower corporate tax rate of 21 percent. Companies' 2017 estimates of the immediate TCJA impact were generally accurate. The median company in our sample reported zero adjustments to tax expense in their 2018 10-K filing and the interquartile range of adjustments was from 0.02 to 1.04 percent of 2018 pre-tax income. Our results inform policymakers and other stakeholders in evaluating the immediate effects of the TCJA and companies' tax reporting process.


In this paper we prove that for a given K\"ahler-Ricci flow with uniformly bounded Ricci curvatures in an arbitrary dimension, for every sequence of times $t_i$ converging to infinity, there exists a subsequence such that $(M,g(t_i + t))\to (Y,\bar{g}(t))$ and the convergence is smooth outside a singular set (which is a set of codimension at least 4) to a solution of a flow. We also prove that in the case of complex dimension 2, without any curvature assumptions we can find a subsequence of times such that we have a convergence to a K\"ahler-Ricci soliton, away from finitely many isolated singularities.


Cyclin D1 overexpression is believed to be essential in the pathogenesis of mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). Hence, the existence of cyclin D1-negative MCL has been controversial and difficult to substantiate. Our previous gene expression profiling study identified several cases that lacked cyclin D1 expression, but had a gene expression signature typical of MCL. Herein, we report the clinical, pathologic, and genetic features of 6 cases of cyclin D1-negative MCL. All 6 cases exhibited the characteristic morphologic features and the unique gene expression signature of MCL but lacked the t(11;14)(q13; q32) by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis. The tumor cells also failed to express cyclin D1 protein, but instead expressed either cyclin D2 (2 cases) or cyclin D3 (4 cases). There was good correlation between cyclin D protein expression and the corresponding mRNA expression levels by gene expression analysis. Using interphase FISH, we did not detect chromosomal translocations or amplifications involving CCND2 and CCND3 loci in these cases. Patients with cyclin D1-negative MCL were similar clinically to those with cyclin D1-positive MCL. In conclusion, cases of cyclin D1-negative MCL do exist and are part of the spectrum of MCL. Up-regulation of cyclin D2 or D3 may substitute for cyclin D1 in the pathogenesis of MCL.


Case Presentation 1: A healthy 19-year-old man presented with new chest pain and near syncope. Computed tomography pulmonary angiography showed a saddle pulmonary embolus. The patient denied recent travel, trauma, surgery, or hospitalization. His mother had 2 miscarriages at 10 weeks of gestation, and his maternal grandfather had deep venous thrombosis at 60 years of age.

Case Presentation 2: A healthy 45-year-old woman reported new dyspnea and left calf pain. Computed tomography pulmonary angiography and compression venous duplex ultrasonography showed bilateral pulmonary emboli and acute left leg deep vein thrombosis, respectively. The patient denied exogenous hormone use, recent travel, trauma, surgery, or hospitalization. Her health maintenance was current, and she gave a family history of pernicious anemia, Grave disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Laboratory analyses showed reduced hemoglobin (11.4 g/dL; normal, 12.0–15.5 g/dL), increased red blood cell distribution width (18.9%; normal, 11.9%–15.5%), and mild thrombocytopenia.

Neither patient had previous venous thromboembolism, and both were referred to the Mayo Clinic Thrombophilia Center for apparent idiopathic venous thromboembolism.

Thrombophilia is defined as a predisposition (susceptibility) to thrombosis. Thrombophilia is not a disease per se, but may be associated with a disease (eg, cancer), drug exposure (eg, oral contraceptives) or condition (eg, pregnancy or postpartum, secondary thrombophilia; Table 1), and thrombophilia may be inherited (Table 2).1 This concept is important because disease susceptibility does not imply an absolute requirement for primary or secondary prevention, or for treatment. Most persons with a thrombophilia do not develop thrombosis. Thus, thrombophilia must be considered in the context of other risk factors for incident thrombosis, or predictors of recurrent thrombosis, when estimating the need for primary or secondary prophylaxis, respectively.

View this table:

Table 1.
Secondary Thrombophilia1

View this table:

Table 2.
Inherited Thrombophilia1

The role of special coagulation testing for an acquired or inherited thrombophilia is controversial. Thrombophilia testing should only be done if …


Site-effect assessments performed through earthquake-based approaches, such as the standard spectral ratio (SSR), require good quality records of numerous earthquakes. In contrast, the use of ambient noise appears to be an attractive solution for ease and rapid computation of site responses with sufficient spatial resolution (microzonation), especially in low seismicity areas. Two main approaches are tested here: the horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratio (HVSR) and the noise-based SSR (SSRn). The HVSR uses the relative amplitude of the horizontal and vertical components of the ambient noise. Instead, the SSRn defines the spectral ratio between the seismic noise recorded simultaneously at a site and at a rock reference station, similar to earthquake-based SSR. While the HVSR is currently used in hundreds of site-specific studies, the SSRn approach has been gradually abandoned since the 1990s. In this study, we compare the results obtain from these two approaches with those of earthquake-based SSR. This comparison is carried out for two sedimentary basins, in Provence (southeastern France) and in Argostoli (western Greece). In agreement with the literature, the HVSR does not provide more than the fundamental resonance frequency of the site (f0). The SSRn leads to overestimation of the SSR amplification factors for frequencies higher than the minimal f0 of the basin (f0min). This discrepancy between SSRn and SSR is discussed, and appears to be mainly dependent on the local geological configuration. We thus introduce the hybrid standard spectral ratio (SSRh) approach, which aims to improve upon the SSRn by adding an intermediate station inside the basin for which the SSR is known. This station is used in turn as a local reference inside the basin for the SSRn computation. The SSRh provides site transfer functions very similar to those of the SSR, in a broad frequency range. Based on these results, the SSRn (or SSRh) should be further tested and should receive renewed attention for microzonation inside sedimentary basins.


The Nederduitsch Hervormde Kerk van Afrika as "volkskerk": Overview and evaluation The Church Order of the Nederduitsch Hervormde Kerk van Afrika (NHKA) states in Ordinance 4 that the NHKA is a "volkskerk", meaning a Church that is ethnically based and focused on the ministry to Afrikaans speaking people. This article examines the history of the relationship between NHKA and Afrikaners that prevailed since the early 19th century. It argues that the establishment of separate and ethnically based churches in South Africa was, initially, the result of a specific understanding of Afrikaner nationalism and liberty. Only after the Second World War, due to criticism levelled at separate development and separate churches by the ecumenical movement, it was based on theological reflection. This article concludes that the term "volkskerk" has become theologically obsolete as well as practically unusable.


Recently we formulated a 2D hybrid stress element from the 3D Hellinger-Reissner principle for the analysis of thick bodies that are symmetric to the thickness direction. Polynomials have typically been used for all the displacement and stress fields. Although the element predicted the dominant stress and all displacement fields accurately, its prediction of the out-of-plane shear stresses was affected by the very high order terms used in the polynomials. This paper describes an improved formulation of the 2D element using Fourier series expansion for the out-of-plane displacement and stress fields. Numerical results illustrate that its predictions have markedly improved.


The purpose of this study was to analyze the factors that influence the debt policy (leverage) at the manufacturing companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX). Factors affecting the leverage in this study were non-debt tax shield, asset structure (tangibility), profitability, growth, and firm size. The sample in this study is a manufacturing company listed on the Stock Exchange the period 2007 to 2009. Sampling study using purposive sampling method was used. Sources of research data obtained from the publication of the financial statements of the company by IDX Indonesian Capital Market Directory (ICMD) in 2010, with a total sample of 114 manufacturing companies. The analysis technique used is multiple regression analysis. The results showed that tangibility, growth and firm size have a positive and significant impact on leverage. Profitability significantly and negatively related to leverage, while the non-debt tax shield and no significant negative effect on leverage.


A newly refined version of the phase diagram of the PbTe–Bi2Te3 pseudo-binary system was construc-ted using differential thermal analysis (DTA) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. It was established that the system forms three tetradymite-type layered ternary compounds, namely PbBi2Te4, PbBi4Te7, and PbBi6Te10, and all these phases melt with peritectic decomposition. However, earlier reported Pb3Bi4Te9, Pb2Bi6Te11, and PbBi8Te13 compounds were not confirmed in our XRD studies. The existence of homogeneity areas based on all ternary compounds and the starting phases PbTe and Bi2Te3 was detected. The crystal structure of the ternary compounds was solved by Rietveld refinement. The newly constructed phase diagram provides very valuable information for choosing appropriate conditions for the synthesis of bulk samples or single crystals growth


Did the Vatican suppress the publication of the Dead Sea Scrolls? Why has there been such a delay in making them public? Do they radically call in question the Christian understanding of Jesus? These and many other questions have been asked in recent popular books, and there have been charges of fraud, deceit and cover-ups. In Jesus, Qumran and the Vatican, two distinguished German scholars examine these issues and more, producing a highly readable and reliable account of the present state of research on the Scrolls and their significance and implications for Christianity. The result is a scholarly mystery tale which readers will not be able to put down. 'A courageous refutation of absurd assertations, half-truths and lies about the Qumran scrolls, the origins of Christianity and the Catholic Church' (Martin Hengel, University of Tubingen). 'A telling refutation of the fantastic and extraordinary claims recently made about the Dead Sea Scrolls and their relation to Jesus of Nazareth, early Christianity and the Vatican' (Joseph A. Fitzmyer, SJ, Catholic University of America). 'Critics claim the Dead Sea Scrolls prove that the church's portrait of Jesus is grotesquely inaccurate. Other contend that the Vatican has been "hiding" the Scrolls because they would damage the faith of Christians. In an informed and engaging way, Betz and Riesner now speak to these concerns and reveal who are the fools' (James H. Charlesworth, Princeton Theological Seminary).


While low-wavenumber components of an Earth model can be constructed using reflection tomography, full-waveform inversion (FWI) is capable of deriving a model with high accuracy that covers the full range of the spatial spectrum, from low to high wavenumbers, supported by the seismic data. This data-domain algorithm minimizes the mismatch in both amplitude and phase between the recorded data set and a numerically simulated one. The inversion is commonly solved using a local gradient-based iterative scheme, like the steepest decent or conjugate-gradient method. The model update is proportional to the gradient of the objective function and is computed by crosscorrelating a forward extrapolated source wavefield with a backward propagated data residual, which is computationally equivalent to reverse time migration of the data residual.


We study economic growth in four emerging economies - Brazil, Russia, India, and China (BRIC). Questions addressed are: (a) How do medium term growth determinants differ from short term determinants? (b) What are differences between growth effects of aggregate versus disaggregated exports? And (c) Does lower institutional quality hinder growth? Results show that while BRIC nations have higher growth, there are significant within-group differences. China and Russia mostly showed higher growth, while India sometimes showed positive growth, and Brazil did not outperform the rest. Policy implications are discussed.


Marcus Terentius Varro (116–27 B.C.) has often been accused of propagating etymologies from contraries, e.g., war (bellum) is so called because it is not pretty (bellum). The facts prove otherwise, however, for he adduces only two such etymologies in his De Lingua Latina; one he rejects entirely, and the other he merely transmits. The mistaken attribution of etymologiae a contrariis to Varro derives from a misreading of Marcus Fabius Quintilian's (c.5–100 A.D.) memorable diatribe against etymological excess wherein Varro can be guilty of formulating etymologiae a contrariis only by a false and unwarranted associatio,


Software failures caused by data race bugs have always been major concerns in parallel and distributed systems, despite significant efforts spent in software testing. Due to their nondeterministic and hard-to-reproduce features, when evaluating systems' operational reliability, a rather long period of experimental execution time is expected to be spent on observing failures caused by data race conditions. To address this problem, in this paper, we make two contributions. First, this paper proposes stress testing with influencing factors, in which the system runs under certain workloads for a long time with controlled stress conditions to accelerate the occurrence of data race failures. Second, it explores and formulates mathematical relationship models between data races' statistical characteristics of time to failure (TTF) or mean TTF (MTTF) and the influencing factors. Such relationship models are used for TTF/MTTF extrapolation under different operational conditions and are essential to reduce systems' reliability evaluation time. The proposed method is empirically evaluated on six applications suffering from failures caused by real-world data race bugs. Through analysis of the experimental results, we obtain several important findings: First, the reduction in the manifestation time to data race failures achieved by controlling the influencing factors is statistically significant. Second, Power model is the best-fitting model of the relationship between the MTTF and the influencing factors. Third, Power Weibull distribution is the best-fitting probability distribution between the TTF and the influencing factors. Finally, the TTF/MTTF can be accurately estimated with the approach proposed in this paper.


Text messaging or Short Message Service (SMS) as a form of communication offers unique advantages to traditional phone call communications. The typical U.S. mobile subscriber sends and receives more SMS text messages than telephone calls. In an attempt to understand text messaging behavioral intention and encourage its adoption, this manuscript explores the text messaging behavior using the variables from the models of human behavior known as Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA), the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), and the Diffusion of Innovation (DI). Variables from each did contribute to text messaging usage. In addition, an analysis of text messaging by age and student status was performed. Overall, there was no difference found in intent to use text messaging by age or gender. Also, no significant difference was found in frequency of text messaging and time spent texting by gender. Age, did show significant differences supporting statistics that show younger individuals text more. Linear regression found that four variables from the models affected text messaging behavior at p < .10, Usefulness and Ease of Use from TRA, Attitude from TAM, and Compatibility from Diffusion of Innovation. No other variable significantly affected behavioral intention at p < .10. This suggests that traditional variables influence text messaging use and its use can be expanded through education on its usefulness, simple training, integration and compatibility instruction, and a positive approach to its use.


High growth rate of 4H-SiC epitaxial layers can be reached with the introduction of HCl in the deposition chamber. The effect of the Cl/Si ratio on this epitaxial growth process has been studied by optical and electrical measurements. Optical microscopy shows an improvement of the surface morphology and luminescence measurements reveal a decrease of epitaxial layer defects with increasing the Cl/Si ratio in the range 0.05–2.0. The leakage current measured on the diodes realized on these wafers is reduced of an order of magnitude and DLTS measurements show a decrease of the EH6,7 level concentration in the same range of Cl/Si ratio. The value Cl/Si=2.0 allows to grow epitaxial layers with the lowest defect concentration.


Indian is no exception to these general trends, with a few special features. During last two decades India's agricultural exports as a part of total merchandise exports have continued to decline from the preponderant position they occupied in the pre-independence. But with the achievement of self-sufficiency in food grains and some other major agricultural commodities, which used to account for large portion of import bill, overall imports of agricultural commodities have sharply declined. The outlay on agricultural imports as a proportion of earnings from agricultural exports has progressively declined, and all the balance has become progressively more favorable. Discussion on these issues has, naturally, to take into account the new trade regime as the stated objective of firstly to study the performance of India's agricultural exports under WTO regime. secondly, to analyze the competitiveness of top agri-exports of India under WTO regime. Finally, to suggest policy measures in the identified India's agricultural. In the first part of discuss briefly introduce, the developments in agricultural trade specially the agricultural exports at the world level in the recent years and discuss the performance of Indian agriculture in this respect finally shaped the shifts in this policy. Final part, I will try to spell out the ingredients of a strategy to augment agricultural exports in the changing, and more demanding, global economy.


Annular pressure buildup (APB) is caused by heating of the trapped drilling fluids (during production), which may lead to burst/collapse of the casing or axial ballooning, especially in subsea high-pressure/high-temperature wells. The objective of this paper is to apply machine-learning (ML) tools to increase precision of the APB estimation, and thereby improve the fluid and casing design for APB mitigation in a given well.
 The APB estimation methods in literature involve theoretical and computational tools that accommodate two separate effects: volumetric expansion [pressure/volume/temperature (PVT) response] of the annulus drilling fluids and circumferential expansion (and corresponding mechanical equilibrium) of the well casings. In the present work, ML algorithms were used to accurately model "fluid density = f(T, P)" based on the experimental PVT data of a given fluid at a range of (T, P) conditions. Sensitivity analysis was performed to demonstrate improvement in precision of APB estimation (for different subsea well scenarios using different fluids) using the ML-basedmodels.
 This study demonstrates that, in several subsea scenarios, a relatively small error in the experimental fluid PVT data can lead to significant variation in APB estimation. The ML-based models for "density = f(T, P)" for the fluids ensure that the cumulative error during the modeling process is minimized. The use of certain ML-based density models was shown to improve the precision of APB estimation by several hundred psi. This advantage of the ML-based density models could be used to improve the safety factors for APB mitigation, and accordingly, the work may be used to better handle the APB issue in the subsea high-pressure/high-temperature wells.


The thesis argues that never-married gentlewomen dissociated themselves from negative and ubiquitous stereotypes of the old maid by focussing on their gentility rather than their marital status. By demonstrably fulfilling the familial and social roles which belonged to their sex and rank, and by representing themselves in terms of approved genteel feminine virtues and conduct, they located themselves in networks of social reciprocity which extended from household and family into the wider social sphere. In doing so they confounded popular caricatures of mature unmarried women as selfish parasites whose failure to marry and procreate drained the resources of their natal families and undermined the nation's strength. The thesis focuses on a number of case studies drawn from the extensive collections of family papers in the National Records of Scotland and the National Library of Scotland. Several of these never-married women were kin by birth or marriage, and their correspondence illustrates the reach of their relationship networks, their status, and influence. Their personal and, in some cases, published writing shows how they used ideals of gentility and associated language to support the familial and social positions they claimed. The thesis chapters examine the relationships they forged, and the resulting influence they were able to exercise, by considering them variously as members of households headed by male kin, as heads of their own households, and as familial patrons. While never-married women are increasingly the subjects of research, the lives of never-married gentlewomen remain under-examined. Yet gentlewomen, habituated to writing as an essential social skill, have left a wide range of sources by which their management of social status and singlehood can be assessed. This thesis shows some of the perspectives opened up by study of these sources.


Abstract This paper investigated rudeness experienced by academic staff from students, co-workers and senior staff members. The focus of much of the rudeness literature in an educational setting has been on the student experience of rudeness, predominantly in the classroom. The aim of the current study was to focus on the experience of academic staff rather than students, and to broaden consideration of rudeness beyond the classroom, to include e-mail. Using a mixed-methods questionnaire, with both closed and open questions, rudeness perception, impact and response was examined across a sample of 122 academic staff from Scottish Higher Education institutions. The study examined relationships between personality, stress, job satisfaction, level of rudeness and the impact of rudeness on staff. The qualitative segment explored responses to rude e-mails across three sources; student, colleague and senior colleague. The results indicated that academic staff reported similar levels of rudeness from students, co-workers and senior colleagues. Faculty who reported high levels of neuroticism were more likely to report a negative impact of rudeness. Academic staff also reported that their response to rudeness could differ according to the instigator: a greater proportion of staff reported that they would be likely to reprimand a student, in comparison to a colleague, for rudeness. Staff were more likely to seek an informal resolution to rudeness with a co-worker, rather than a student. This paper highlights the potential importance of individual characteristics in assessing the impact of rudeness on faculty and indicates that rudeness may come from several sources in academia.


The paper deals with the distribution pattern and population dynamics of the introduced barnacle Balanus glandula in the intertidal areas of Mar del Plata port. The reproductive cycle of this barnacle is discussed as a community structuring force. Replicated areas in both the high intertidal and the upper mid intertidal zones were monthly denuded. The recruitment, cumulative settlement, mortality and growth of B. glandula were recorded, as well as the succession pattern of the associated fauna. First settlement of B. glandula occurred in winter (July). Succession begins with a film of microorganisms followed by green algae (Ulva lactuca and Enteromorpha spp.) which dominate up to a final stage of B. glandula dominated community is reached all along the intertidal. B. glandula densities were significantly higher in the mid intertidal than in the high intertidal (19600 and 13600 ind. m- 2 , respectively). Annual mean mortality was high in the port (up to 62%) but heavy settlement allowed a final density 4 times greater than in the upper mid intertidal of exposed rocky shores, and twice the greatest density reached in the Northern Hemisphere. Winter reproduction of B. glandula, absence of predators, and the neutral or beneficial effect of algae allows this species to occupy in wave protected areas the whole intertidal zone, displacing the former B. amphitrite populations from the intertidal to the subtidal. In exposed rocky shores the species outcompete mussels from the high intertidal, establishing the typical barnacle fringe.


Although a handful of forage species such as perennial ryegrass are predominant, there are a wide range of forage species that can be grown in sub tropical and temperate regions in Australia as dairy pastures. These species have differing seasonal yields, nutrient quality and water use efficiency characteristics, as demonstrated in a large study evaluating 30 species University of Sydney in New South Wales, Australia. Some species can be grazed, while others require mechanical harvesting that incurs a further cost. Previous comparisons of species that relied on yields of dry matter per unit of some input (typically land or water) cannot simultaneously take into account the season in which forage is produced, or other factors related to the costs of production and delivery to the cows. To effectively compare the profitability of individual species, or combinations of species, requires the use of a whole-farm model. Linear programming was used to find the most profitable mix of forage species for an irrigated dairy farm in an irrigation region of New South Wales, Australia. It was concluded that a typical farmer facing the prevailing milk and purchased feed prices with average milk production per cow would find a mix of species including large proportions of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) and prairie grass (Bromus willdenowii) was most profitable. The result was robust to changes in seasonal milk pricing and moving from year round to seasonal calving patterns.


Purpose: To demonstrate the strength of kV cone beam CT(CBCT) over MV portal imaging in the detection and quantification of pitch errors in prostate patients without use of internal fiducial markers. Additionally the cause and subsequent correction of large pitch variations was investigated as the daily use of CBCT had highlighted a small number of patients with deviations is set‐up of more than three degrees. Method and Materials: By using CBCT six variables can be corrected — three translations in the orthogonal axes as well as pitch, yaw, and roll. Five patients and RANDO phantom were studied, with significant differences being seen in pitch angle for two patients in the same direction as couch sag. Slight alterations were made in the position of the patients' knees and ankles in an attempt to reduce the pitch deviations. For all patients right lateral MV portal images and corresponding digitally reconstructedradiographs(DRR) were shown to the attending physician and a senior therapist with the question to determine if pitch greater than 3 degrees could be determined. Results: The deviation needed to create a pitch angle of 5 degrees in the RANDO phantom is significant so couch sag does not explain the deviations seen in a small population of the prostate patients imaged with CBCT. MV images were judged as showing insufficient information to determine pitch and Conclusion: Our clinical practice is that when any angular deviation over 3 degrees is observed in a patient set‐up the attending physician is called to decide how to proceed — treat or set‐up again. The phantom work demonstrated that a pitch variation in a patient set‐up cannot be attributed to couch sag and patient studies show that a few centimeters difference in knee separation lead to up to 3 degrees increase in pitch angle.


The nickel(II) complexes with the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug naproxen (Hnap) were prepared in the absence or presence of the nitrogen-donor heterocyclic ligands 2,2′-bipyridine (bipy), 1,10-phenanthroline (phen), 2,2′-bipyridylamine (bipyam), 2,2′-dipyridylketone oxime (Hpko) or pyridine (py) and were characterized by diverse techniques. The crystal structures of complexes [Ni(nap-O)(nap-O,O′)(bipy)(MeOH)], 2 and [Ni(nap-O)(nap-O,O′)(phen)(H2O)] 3 were determined by X-ray crystallography. The antioxidant activity of the complexes was evaluated in vitro by examining their ability to scavenge 1,1-diphenyl-picrylhydrazyl, 2,2′-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) and hydroxyl radicals and to inhibit soybean lipoxygenase. The ability of the complexes to intercalate to calf-thymus DNA was monitored by diverse techniques (UV-vis spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry, viscosity measurements) and competitive studies with ethidium bromide. The interaction of the complexes with serum albumins was studied by fluorescence emission spectroscopy and the corresponding binding constants were calculated. The bio-activity of the complexes was compared to previously reported metal–naproxen complexes and the structural factors responsible for enhanced activity are discussed.


Many scholars have investigated the relationship between ideological orientations and mass participation, and there is also a growing number of studies comparing political attitudes and behaviour between electoral winners and losers. This article seeks to bring together these two strands of literature with respect to political participation, focusing on the interaction between citizens' winner/loser status and ideological distance from their government. Analysis of data from 34 countries highlights the importance of this interactive effect: while previous works suggest that losers have a greater propensity to take part in political activities, it is shown here that this relationship holds true only when losers occupy a position along the left-right spectrum distant from the government. Furthermore, while the hypothesised interactive effect is empirically confirmed for turnout, the magnitude of its impact is much greater for more costly modes of participation such as contacting, campaigning and protesting


The Antonine Wall, the Roman frontier in Scotland, was the most northerly frontier of the Roman Empire for a generation from AD 142. It is a World Heritage Site and Scotland's largest ancient monument. Today, it cuts across the densely populated central belt between Forth and Clyde.

In this volume, nearly 40 archaeologists, historians and heritage managers present their researches on the Antonine Wall in recognition of the work of Lawrence Keppie, formerly Professor of Roman History and Archaeology at the Hunterian Museum, Glasgow University, who spent much of his academic career recording and studying the Wall. The 32 papers cover a wide variety of aspects, embracing the environmental and prehistoric background to the Wall, its structure, planning and construction, military deployment on its line, associated artefacts and inscriptions, the logistics of its supply, as well as new insights into the study of its history. Due attention is paid to the people of the Wall, not just the officers and soldiers, but their womenfolk and children.

Important aspects of the book are new developments in the recording, interpretation and presentation of the Antonine Wall to today's visitors. Considerable use is also made of modern scientific techniques, from pollen, soil and spectrographic analysis to geophysical survey and airborne laser scanning. In short, the papers embody present-day cutting edge research on, and summarise the most up-to-date understanding of, Rome's shortest-lived frontier.

The editors, Professors Bill Hanson and David Breeze, who themselves contribute several papers to the volume, have both excavated sites on, and written books about, the Antonine Wall.


Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are the most common sequence difference found in plant genomes, yet they have not been widely exploited for producing molecular markers in common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.). The objective of this study was to develop a SNP assay based on a type of heteroduplex mismatch cleavage called EcoTILLING for molecular marker development in this important legume, and apply the assay (i) to the conversion of a sequence-characterized amplified region (SCAR) marker useful for selecting virus resistance (SR2) and (ii) to the screening of SNP polymorphisms in newly developed expressed sequence tag (EST)–based markers. The SNP assay involved heteroduplex mismatch cleavage by a single-strand specific nuclease 'CEL I' which was used to uncover two SNPs in the SR2 fragment and 22 SNPs in 37 candidate ESTs, some of which were used in segregation analysis. While developing the SNP techniques we tested several platforms, including LI-COR, nondenaturing polyacrylamide, and agarose gel detection. The agarose gel system was used for SNP genetic mapping in two common bean mapping populations, showing that heteroduplex cleavage is a useful technique for increasing molecular marker number for the crop. Examples are given of mapped SNP markers for the phytic acid pathway gene for myo-inositol-1-phosphate synthase and a drought tolerance–related gene, S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase.


CONTEXT
The cadaveric organ and tissue donation rate in Hong Kong is not satisfactory; 1 million blood donors are registered and more than 300,000 are active. However, the current attitudes toward organ and tissue donation in the general public and blood donors of Hong Kong are unknown.

METHODS
Random general public (n = 1018) and blood donors (n = 1227) of Chinese origin, with age ranging from 16 to 60 years, were interviewed using a standard verified questionnaire that examines attitudes and knowledge of organ and tissue donation.

RESULTS
The mean age of the general public and blood donors were 32.6 and 28.9 years, respectively. Of the general public, 44.4% were men and among blood donors, 60% were men. About 56% of both groups thought that organ donation is an obligation of citizens. Blood donors were more aware than the general public about the types of organs that can be donated. When compared with the general public, a significantly higher percentage of blood donors were willing to donate their organs (81% vs 53%), had heard about organ donation cards (98.3% vs 89.5%), and had signed the cards (49.9% vs 22.6%). About 70% of both groups who had signed a card were carrying it. Thirty-nine percent of the general public and 17% of blood donors had not decided whether they would donate. For blood donors, 49.7% were willing to donate their relatives' organs, compared with 41.8% of the general public. Most individuals in both groups would not object to their relatives' decision to donate. About two thirds of individuals in both groups disagreed with the concept of an opt-out law, though only 20% of the general public and 14.4% of blood donors would refuse donation if an opt-out law were in practice.

CONCLUSIONS
This study shows that blood donors have better knowledge of organ donation and are more willing to donate their organs and sign an organ donation card than the general public. However, a substantial proportion of blood donors have not signed a donor card. It would be useful to design promotion programs to facilitate blood donors' participation in organ donation.


Programming language innovation has been hindered by the difficulty of making changes to existing languages. A key source of difficulty is the tyrannical nature of existing approaches to realizing languages -- adding a new language construct means that any tool, document or programmer that works with the language must be prepared to deal with that construct. A registration-based approach makes it possible to define language constructs that are not tyrannical. They are instead transient -- the program appears to be written using the constructs only so long as a given programmer wants to see it that way. This approach may have the potential to greatly facilitate programming language innovation.


Hybrid reality games (HRGs) employ mobile technologies and GPS devices as tools for transforming physical spaces into interactive game boards. Rather than situating participants in simulated environments, which mimic the physical world, HRGs make use of physical world immersion by merging physical and digital spaces. Online multiuser environments already connect users who do not share contiguous spaces. With mobile devices, players may additionally incorporate interactions with the surrounding physical space. This article is a speculative study about the potential uses of HRGs in education, as activities responsible for taking learning practices outside the closed classroom environment into open, public spaces. Adopting the framework of sociocultural learning theory, the authors analyze design elements of existing HRGs, such as mobility and location awareness, collaboration/sociability, and the configuration of the game space, with the aim of reframing these games into an educational context to foresee how future games might contribute to discovery and learning.


Abstract Seal carving is one of the great art forms of China, but one that is less known in the West. Over the centuries, Chinese authors have carried out many studies of the history and styles of seal carving. One question that remains unanswered to this day is when seals started to be used in China. This article addresses one aspect of this doubt.


ABSTRACT The genus Bagnalliella Karny is an endemic North American genus of Phlaeothripidae with 7 species associated with the New World plant genus Yucca; 2 Old World species currently placed in the genus are probably not congeneric. The number of sensoria on antennal segments III and IV has been used to distinguish the Bagnalliella species on Yucca, but an invasive population of Bagnalliella yuccae (Hinds) is reported here from Australia, at Brisbane, Queensland, in which the number of sensoria varied between individuals and even between left and right antennae of single individuals. These observations cast considerable doubt on the validity of some of the North American species of Bagnalliella. The Australian population was damaging young leaves of Yucca elephantipes, and indicates the ease with which thrips can be distributed by the horticultural trade.


The influence of variable-polarization optical feedback (VPOF) on the polarization mode switching (PMS) properties of a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) has been investigated experimentally. Rotated-polarization optical feedback is considered. At high levels of optical feedback VCSEL exhibits an abrupt PMS when the polarization angle is swept from 0° to 90° and vice versa. We observe a hysteresis loop (HL) beyond the polarization angle of 45°, which is barely affected by the level of feedback. The experimental results demonstrate that the size of HL strongly depends on the feedback level, where a narrower and wider width HL are observed at higher and lower levels of feedback, respectively. An external optical feedback with the VPOF can significantly alter the bistability properties of PMS in VCSELs. VPOF can provide a new method to obtain the controllable bistable PMS in VCSELs, which is extremely useful for applications that use the optical bistability (OB).


Legionella pneumophila, the causative agent of Legionnaires' disease, survives in macrophages by altering the endocytic pathway of its host cell. To accomplish this, the bacterium utilizes a type IVB secretion system to deliver effector molecules into the host cell cytoplasm. In a previous report, we performed an extensive characterization of the L. pneumophila type IVB secretion system that resulted in the identification of a critical five‐protein subcomplex that forms the core of the secretion apparatus. Here we describe a second Dot/Icm protein subassembly composed of the type IV coupling protein DotL, the apparatus proteins DotM and DotN, and the secretion adaptor proteins IcmS and IcmW. In the absence of IcmS or IcmW, DotL becomes destabilized at the transition from the exponential to stationary phases of growth, concurrent with the expression of many secreted substrates. Loss of DotL is dependent on ClpA, a regulator of the cytoplasmic protease ClpP. The resulting decreased levels of DotL in the icmS and icmW mutants exacerbates the intracellular defects of these strains and can be partially suppressed by overproduction of DotL. Thus, in addition to their role as chaperones for Legionella type IV secretion system substrates, IcmS and IcmW perform a second function as part of the Dot/Icm type IV coupling protein subcomplex.


A new concavo-convex electrode has been designed and employed. And an analysis of the electrical discharge machining (EDM) mechanism of a particulate reinforced metal matrix composite with this new electrode was conducted in this study. It was found that EDM with this new electrode can accelerate the debris discharge during machining so that it has a higher MRR compared to the case where a normal electrode was employed. Moreover, by studying the surface craters, it could confirm that discharge craters tend to connect together for the normal electrode. This indicates an abnormal arcing condition. Thus, the wire electrode was easy to be broken. While for the new electrode, separated craters were observed on the machined surface. This means a stable processing condition. The experiment results reveal the processing mechanism of EDM electrical discharge machining of MMCs by employing this new electrode.


This paper deals with Daniel Dennett's argument regarding the nature of belief in contrast to belief in belief. The idea that the value of the first order belief in the existence of a precept is entirely irrelevant because it is indistinguishable from the second-order belief; that the belief in something is a good thing. That is to say it doesn't matter if I believe something inasmuch as if I believe that the belief is a good thing (i.e.: beneficial to the individual, etc). Dennett's approach particularly regards an analysis of religion from this point, and suggests that it is entirely impossible to determine if an individual believes in God, or simply believes that the belief in God is a good thing. More importantly, Dennett argues that the individual themselves cannot make this distinction.


For over a century, the phoneme has played a central role in linguistic research. In recent years, collections of phoneme inventories, originally designed for cross-linguistic purposes, have increasingly been used in comparative studies involving neighbouring disciplines. Despite the extended application of this type of data, there has been no research into its comparability or tests of its reliability. In this study, we carry out a systematic comparison of four popular phoneme inventory collections. We render them comparable by linking them to standardised formats for the handling of cross-linguistic datasets and develop new measures to test both size and similarity. We find considerable differences in inventories supposedly representing the same language variety, both in terms of size and transcriptional choices. While some of these differences appear to be predic, reflecting design decisions in the different collections, much of the observed variation is unsystematic. These results should sound a note of caution for comparative studies based on phoneme inventories, which we suggest need to take the question of comparability more seriously. We make a number of proposals for improving the comparability of phoneme inventories.


BACKGROUND
Many people with type 2 diabetes (T2D) are sedentary despite strong recommendations of regular physical activity (PA). Objective measures of PA provide accurate reflection of daily PA level. The purpose of this review was to analyze studies used pedometers or accelerometers to determine the outcome of interventions promoted daily PA in people with T2D.

METHODS
An electronic literature search was conducted using the PubMed and CINAHL databases (2000-2016), with search terms: sedentary, diabetes, pedometer, physical activity, and accelerometer. Only peer-reviewed, randomized clinical trials (RCTs) that used objective measurement of daily PA level were included. All studies design, participant characteristics, intervention, and key findings were evaluated systematically and summarized.

RESULTS
A total of 15 RCTs were identified investigated objectively measured daily PA in people with T2D. A significant increase in PA was found following exercise consultation, behavioral/cognitive consultation, continuous glucose monitoring counseling, and motivational phone calls promoting PA. However, this increase in daily PA level was evident only during the intervention period.

CONCLUSIONS
Our systematic review of the literature indicated that a variety of interventions approaches were effective in increasing PA temporarily during the intervention period. Interventions that use objective methods in measuring PA and have long term improvement in overall PA are needed.


Enhancements in peak motor performance have been demonstrated in response to intense stimuli both in healthy subjects and in the form of 'paradoxical kinesis' in patients with Parkinson's disease. Might the latter phenomenon thus reflect a physiological process? The first study outlined in this thesis suggests this may be the case, as maximal effort grips in healthy subjects undergo dramatic enhancements when the imperative visual cue is accompanied by an intense auditory tone. Analogous enhancements in motor performance are demonstrated in a second study of patients with Parkinson's disease and age-matched healthy controls. Remarkably, the facilitating effect of loud auditory tones is similar whether patients are off or on dopaminergic medication, suggesting a potentially non-dopaminergic basis for the phenomenon. A role of sub-cortical systems in the performance enhancements engendered by intense stimuli is next considered. Local field potentials recorded from the subthalamic nuclei of patients with Parkinson's disease, whilst they undertake the above established paradigm, identify both theta/alpha (5-12 Hz) and high gamma/high frequency (55-375 Hz) activity as exhibiting remarkable scaling with maximal motor responses to the visual cue alone, but having little explanatory influence on performance enhancements beyond this. In the final study, a short-latency evoked potential in subthalamic nucleus local field potential recordings, which scales in amplitude with both stimulus intensity and corresponding enhancements in biomechanical measures of maximal handgrips, is identified. Interference with this potential through high frequency deep brain stimulation of the same nucleus, leads to a diminished behavioural effect of stimulus intensity. Recordings of a similar evoked potential in the related pedunculopontine nucleus – a key component of the reticular activating system – provide support for this neural signature as a physiological correlate of ascending arousal, propagated from the reticular activating system to exert an 'energizing' influence on motor circuitry through the subthalamic nucleus.


This article explores structural mechanisms that are the context for violence and depression in the lives of sexual minority women and trans people in Ontario, Canada. The article draws on interviews with 14 people who reported experiences of depression in the previous year, foregrounding three representative narratives. Narrative and case study analysis reveal that violence is a repeated and cumulative experience over lifetimes, occurring across different interpersonal contexts and institutional encounters. A common theme across the narratives is that experiences of violence are connected to a broader context in which structural arrangements, cultural norms, and institutional processes create conditions where marginalized people are put in harm's way, perpetrators are empowered, and justice and access to help are elusive. As the violence experienced by these sexual minority women and trans people is rooted in structural and cultural oppression represented in poverty, racism, misogyny, homophobia, and transphobia, the prevention of violence and its consequences for these and other marginalized populations requires systemic transformation of the structures and systems that currently allow and perpetuate harm.


Location of most marine reserves has depended more on social criteria and opportunism than on scientific study. Nevertheless, numerous studies from many habitats and places around the world indicate that fully protected reserves (areas closed to all fishing) have shown clear benefits, at least within their boundaries. This evidence suggests that reserves will work in most areas they are placed. Many people are uncomfortable with this haphazard approach and worry that we should be looking to science to help optimize placement. Here I examine some of the key factors affecting reserve performance and ways they might influence our approach to locating reserves. Habitat quality, intensity of exploitation around reserves, area and proximity of other reserves, protected species' life history and dispersal characteristics, and boundary porosity all affect how reserves perform. Any reserve we create will involve trade-offs among different objectives. For relatively sedentary species, precise reserve placement appears relatively unimportant to performance, but for migratory species, much more precise placement will be necessary to encompass migration bottleneck and nursery areas. Two nonbiological factors are of overriding importance to performance. Fully protected reserves will achieve much more than those that allow limited take, and well-enforced reserves will be much more effective than poorly enforced ones. Rather than seeking to optimize placement of individual reserves, we should construct networks of interacting reserves as a bet-hedging strategy against variability and uncertainty in the marine ecological processes, and resource-management policies, that affect reserve performance. Opportunism, informed by science, can achieve a great deal. The risk is much greater that we will fail to achieve our management objectives if we delay in order to embark upon lengthy studies than if we begin establishing reserves today on the basis of what we already know.


The Rosenberg Self Esteem Scale (RSES; Rosenberg, 1989) has traditionally been conceptualised as a unidimensional measure of self-esteem but empirical evidence is equivocal, with some studies supporting a one-factor solution and others favouring multidimensional models. The aim of this study was to examine the factor structure, factorial invariance and composite reliability of the RSES within a European sample of children affected by parental imprisonment (N = 724). The study specified and tested six alternative factor models using conventional confirmatory factor analytic (CFA) techniques and a confirmatory bifactor modelling approach. The RSES was most effectively represented by a bifactor model including a general self-esteem factor comprising of all ten scale items and separate method effects for the positively and negatively phrased items. This model was found to be factorially invariant among boys and girls. Composite reliability indicated good internal consistency for the general self-esteem dimension but slightly less so for the positive and negative methods effects. Results are discussed in terms resolving the debate surrounding the appropriate factor structure and scoring of the RSES.


Research is yet to consider the influence of forefoot structure on forefoot pronation, its interaction with footwear and the ramifications for knee joint loading when performing endurance running (ER). This thesis investigated the relationships between forefoot structure, forefoot pronation, footwear choice, running technique and knee joint loading.
Chapter four examined the measurement error of ER kinematics and kinetics within a test session, between sessions on the same day and between two days. Absolute measurement error for all kinematic and kinetic comparisons were ≤7.62° and ≤0.59 Nm·Kg-1 respectively. Results were used to assess habituation to novel footwear conditions and calculate sample size in subsequent studies.
Using data from chapter four, chapter five investigated time to habituate in novel running conditions (barefoot, minimal and maximally-cushioned footwear) in a sample of recreational runners. Twentyone minutes was sufficient to establish consistent hip, knee and ankle sagittal plane kinematics, where variability was less than or equal to previously established within-session data.
Post habituation, chapter six investigated associations between foot structure, forefoot pronation and peak-knee adduction moment, and the effect of running condition on forefoot pronation. Hallux angle and phalange width accounted for 35% of variance in forefoot pronation (P = 0.029). Results also showed forefoot pronation was significantly associated (P < 0.05) with peak-knee adduction moment (r = -0.57, r = -0.77, r = -0.61, for barefoot, minimal and structured-cushioned shoes, respectively). A medial translation in the centre of pressure was not associated with increased forefoot pronation. Footwear also influenced forefoot pronation. Minimal footwear had greater forefoot pronation compared to barefoot (P = 0.042) and the structured-cushioned condition (P = 0.001).
Chapter seven examined the effects of footwear on lower-limb kinematics and kinetics. Compared to barefoot and minimal shoes, a more extended knee and dorsiflexed ankle at initial contact, increased peak-knee flexion moment, and reduced the peak-dorsiflexion moment were observed in maximally-cushioned shoes. An extended lower limb follows previous work that suggests insulation of mechanoreceptors would encourage a running technique that projects the foot more anteriorly to reduce ground contacts for a given distance. These kinematic changes also suggested overstride would increase as participants change from barefoot to maximally-cushioned footwear. Subsequently, chapter eight investigated the effects of footwear on overstride and its association with peak-knee adduction moment. Changing from maximally cushioned, to minimal shoes or barefoot, reduced overstride relative to the hip, whereas overstride relative to the knee decreased from maximally cushioned to barefoot only. Results also showed moderate to strong positive correlations between overstride and peak-knee adduction moment in all running conditions. Findings suggest footwear influences overstride, overstride was associated with peak-knee adduction moment, and reducing overstride might reduce peak-knee adduction moment, a variable associated with injury.
Following observed relationships in chapter eight, chapter nine attempted to reduce peak-knee adduction moment. Twelve recreational endurance runners performed either a 30-minute run, or 30 minutes of gait retraining. The intervention had a primary focus on reducing overstride following the reported relationship between overstride and peak-knee adduction moment. Controlling for baseline measures, there was no significant difference between overstride, trunk lean and subsequently peakknee adduction moment. The lack of difference was attributed to the short duration and the acute nature of the coaching session. Similar investigations over a longer period of time are warranted.
Collectively, phalange width and hallux angle contributed to forefoot pronation, and forefoot pronation was associated with peak-knee adduction moment when running, a measure associated with injury. This suggests those with compromised forefoot structure, might be at risk of injury, particularly when attempting to run barefoot or in minimal shoes that lack support. As participants changed from barefoot to minimal to maximally-cushioned footwear overstride increased, with medium to strong positive correlations for overstride and peak-knee adduction moment. This suggests runners with a large overstride are likely to be exposed to increased peak-knee adduction moment and potentially injury, and reduced overstride might present a means to reduce injury.


We have read with great interest the article by Henderson and colleagues in a recent issue of the Annals, in which the authors describe early loss of oligodendrocytes, without concomitant T-cell and B-cell infiltration or macrophage activity in tissue that borders a small selection of acute multiple sclerosis (MS) lesions. Neighboring areas with degenerate myelin were found to be infiltrated with macrophages, and fully demyelinated white matter areas contained lipid-laden macrophages, T-cells and B-cells, and immunoglobulin G deposits. These results are certainly interesting and thought-provoking. The authors' findings further strengthen the notion that MS is not so much, as has classically been argued, a primary autoimmune disease, but rather a disease starting within the central nervous system, with responses of the immune system only in later stages. The atypical character of the cases and of the hyperacute lesions that were selected for this study may be insightful as a model for the (rapid) expansion of demyelination in the brain. However, it does remain difficult to fathom to what extent the described pathological findings are representative of the more ''typical,'' chronic MS pathology. As reported earlier by our own group, apoptosis of oligodendrocytes in demyelinating MS lesions is rare or absent. Additionally, the early loss of oligodendrocytes in nondemyelinated white matter around developing white matter lesions could not be found in our collection. A representative example of such a lesion in our material is shown in the Figure. Although an active border of major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-II–positive phagocytes can be seen in the border of the chronic active MS lesion in the Figure, as well as a clear loss of olig-2 immunopositive oligodendrocytes in the demyelinated center of the lesion, the number of oligodendrocytes in the bordering areas of normally myelinated (prephagocytosing?) white matter are similar to that of control white matter (not shown). In addition to whether the pathological changes by Henderson and colleagues can be translated to the more standard MS pathology setting, future studies should also take early degenerative changes within the axons into account. MS might be caused by a primary axonal imbalance, triggering demyelination and subsequent inflammation. Of course, given the very intimate relation of the axon and the oligodendrocyte and its


ABSTRACT Percutaneous and minimally invasive surgery is one of the greatest advances in the operating field of orthopedic since the late 1990s. The potential advantages include a shorter operative time, quicker recovery, and reduced hospital stay compared with traditional open surgery. However, scientific validation of the safety and efficacy of hallux valgus (HV) percutaneous surgery remains inconclusive. The objective of the present study was to systematically review the published data and clinical evidence for percutaneous HV surgery, evaluate the scientific method of the reports, and clarify the indications, safety, efficacy, and potential risks of these surgical techniques. Two reviewers independently identified the studies using a PubMed search, with the keywords "hallux valgus," "osteotomy," "minimally invasive," and "percutaneous." Quality assessment was performed using the Coleman methodology scale, and each study was assigned a level of evidence and grade of recommendation. Eighteen studies were included and reported a total of 1534 procedures for percutaneous HV surgery on 1397 patients. Of the 18 studies, 14 (77.8%) were level IV, 2 (11.1%) were level III, and 2 (11.1%) were level II. Overall, the average angle correction of the HV deformity improved postoperatively. Regarding the complications, although some investigators revealed no major complications, others described deformity recurrence in 7.8%, stiffness of the first metatarsophalangeal joint in 9.8%, malunion in 4% to 8.7%, and infection rates ranging from 1.9% to 14.3%. The main indication for percutaneous HV surgery is the correction of mild deformities. The complication rate was elevated even in experienced surgeons. In conclusion, future research in percutaneous techniques should include adequately sized randomized control trials, standardization of treatment protocols, and the use of validated tools for the measurement of clinical outcomes. Level of Clinical Evidence: 3


OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study is to assess the feasibility of utilizing the proximal right internal thoracic artery (RITA) extended with the radial artery (RA) as I-composite graft (RITA-RA graft) in off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (OPCAB), which preserves the left internal thoracic artery to the left anterior descending artery as an isolated graft and the ascending aorta no-touch technique.

METHODS
Between January 2002 and August 2006, 37 patients (aged 67.4+/-7.5 years, 86.5% male) underwent OPCAB using RITA-RA graft. All grafts were harvested in a skeletonized fashion. RITA transected at the middle portion was extended with entirely dissected RA. RITA-RA graft was anastomosed to 1 or 2 lateral artery in a parallel sequential pattern.

RESULTS
The total number of distal anastomoses of RITA-RA graft was 48. The early graft patency rate was 97.9%. Five cases (13.5%) needed intra-aortic balloon pumping support during operation. Only 1 patient (2.7%) required ventilator support longer than 24 hours. The percentage of patients requiring homologous blood transfusion was 13.5%. There was no cerebrovascular accident or mediastinitis in the postoperative course. All patients were discharged from hospital.

CONCLUSIONS
OPCAB using RITA-RA graft is feasible and safe. It provides satisfactory early clinical and angiographic outcomes.