Storage of grains and oilseeds in plastic bags in Argentina has expanded steadily in the last years; indeed, in the 2007/08 crop year 35 million tons (t) have been stored using this system. The use of this type of storage spread mainly among small-scale producers, extending to farming cooperatives, middlemen, and industries. Later, several high-quality seed companies adopted storage in plastic bags and obtained diverse results; a number of specific problems remain unsolved. The aim of this work was to study the effect of shadow cloth cover on the quality of soybeans stored in plastic bags, by comparing different cultivars and grains with different moisture content. Several soybean cultivars with 10.8% (dry) and 15.7 % (moist) grain moisture content (m.c.) were used. In July 2003 shadow cloth was placed longitudinally on half of the bags. Grain samples were taken from the top, middle, and bottom sectors of both parts (covered and not covered by the shadow cloth) of the bags, every 60 days up to December 2003. The shadow cloth cover was effective in maintaining quality of moist seeds until October, without variation in seed germination (SG). Quality of seeds under the shadow cloth cover was also high in December, but SG decreased to 80%, whereas seeds exposed to ambient conditions (without cover) only reached 60% of SG. In dry seeds, no significant differences were observed between seeds covered by the shadow cloth and seeds stored in bags exposed to ambient conditions.


Mano-a-Mano is a unique spatial augmented reality system that combines dynamic projection mapping, multiple perspective views and device-less interaction to support face to face, or dyadic, interaction with 3D virtual objects. Its main advantage over more traditional AR approaches, such as handheld devices with composited graphics or see-through head worn displays, is that users are able to interact with 3D virtual objects and each other without cumbersome devices that obstruct face to face interaction. We detail our prototype system and a number of interactive experiences. We present an initial user experiment that shows that participants are able to deduce the size and distance of a virtual projected object. A second experiment shows that participants are able to infer which of a number of targets the other user indicates by pointing.


In analogy to the concept of a non-metric dual connection, which is essential in defining statistical manifolds, we develop that of a torsion dual connection. Consequently, we illustrate the geometrical meaning of such a torsion dual connection and show how the use of both connections preserves the cracking of parallelograms in spaces equipped with a connection and its torsion dual. The coefficients of such a torsion dual connection are essentially computed by demanding a vanishing mutual torsion among the two connections. For this manifold we then prove two basic Theorems. In particular, if both connections are metric-compatible we show that there exists a specific $3$-form measuring how the connection and its torsion dual deviate away from the Levi-Civita one. Furthermore, we prove that for these torsion dual manifolds flatness of one connection does not necessary impose flatness on the other but rather that the curvature tensor of the latter is given by a specific divergence. Finally, we give a self-consistent definition of the mutual curvature tensor of two connections and subsequently define the notion of a curvature dual connection.


We consider an input-queued switch operating under the MaxWeight scheduling algorithm. This system is interesting to study because it is a model for Internet routers and data center networks. Recently, it was shown that the MaxWeight algorithm has optimal heavy-traffic queue length scaling when all ports are uniformly saturated. Here we consider the case when an arbitrary number of ports are saturated (which we call the incompletely saturated case), and each port is allowed to saturate at a different rate. We use a recently developed drift technique to show that the heavy-traffic queue length under the MaxWeight scheduling algorithm has optimal scaling with respect to the switch size even in these cases.


Attributes of communities have long been considered a major influence on people's self-organized governing behavior (Ostrom 2005). Does Confucianism, a widely shared set of traditional ideas, inform Chinese homeowners in governing their neighborhoods? Based on in-depth interviews with 27 homeowner association (HOA) organizers from 16 neighborhoods in Beijing, we found evidence suggesting that their governing behaviors were informed by traditional Confucian conceptual distinctions and normative expectations: Stringent expectations were found on HOA organizers to serve with purely "public" motives and renounce "private" ones; neighborhood management, meanwhile, was not merely considered as a means for improving living conditions, but a patriotic act of serving the country. Arguably, these meanings corresponded to the Confucian ideal of junzi and its guide to moral cultivation. They helped sustain homeowners' participation and promote a social norm that maintained accountability for their behaviors. The findings suggest further research on neighborhood governance, and contribute to the reforming governance of contemporary China.


The propagation of gravity waves in an emerged three-layer porous medium is considered in this paper. Based on the assumption that the flow can be described by Darcy's Law, an asymptotic theory is developed for small-amplitude long waves. This leads to a weakly nonlinear Boussinesq-type diffusion equation for the wave height, with coefficients dependent on the conductivities and depths of each layer. In the limit of equal conductivities of all layers, the equation reduces to the single-layer result recorded in the literature. The model equations are numerically integrated in the case of an incident monochromatic wave hitting the layers. The results exhibit dissipation and also a downstream net height rise at infinity. Wave transmission coefficient in three-layer porous media with conductivity of mangrove is discussed. Numerically, propagation of an initial solitary wave through a porous medium shows the emergence of wave reflection and transmission that both evolve as permanent waves. Additionally we examine the impact of a solitary gravity wave on a porous medium breakwater.


Grid-group theory claims that patterns of social relations only, and not socio-demographic characteristics, can account for biases, of which the theory prescribes four: hierarchy, egalitarianism, individualism and fatalism. Survey analysts conventionally employ respondents' socio-demographic correlates when accounting for values. We take the value survey strategy and apply it to grid-group theory's four biases. Employing a 1999 survey administered in Iceland, Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Finland (n= 4,832), we combine two goals in this article. We test how sex, age, education and income can account for biases. By extension, we test grid-group theory's claim of no such effect. The results show that biases are influenced by socio-demographics in ways unaccounted for by the theory. The four correlates explain on average 9 per cent of the variation in the biases. Education is the only correlate that has a negative and significant effect across all biases in all countries. Women adhere to egalitarianism, whereas men adhere to individualism. Age is a consistent positive correlate of hierarchy, whereas income is a consistent negative correlate of fatalism. Grid-group theory will not be impaired if it can be shown how robust socio-demographic correlates interact with patterns of social relations.


This paper studies the long-term effect of hedge fund activism on the productivity of target firms using plant-level information from the U.S. Census Bureau. A typical target firm improves its production efficiency within two years after activism, and this improvement is concentrated in industries with a high degree of product market competition. By following plants that were sold post-intervention, we also find that efficient capital redeployment is an important channel via which activists create value. Furthermore, our analyses demonstrate that measuring performance using the Compustat data is likely to lead to a downward bias because target firms experiencing greater improvement post-intervention are also more likely to disappear from the Compustat database. Finally, consistent with recent work in asset-pricing linking firm investment decisions and expected returns, we show how changes to target firms' productivity are associated with a decline in systemic risk, particularly in competitive industries.


Steganography is a branch of information hiding method to hide secret data in the media such as audio, images, videos, etc. The use of images is very common in the world of electronic communication. In this paper, the parameters that are important in steganography images, have been studied and analyzed. Steganography purposes of security, robustness and capacity of which three are located at three vertices of a triangle, each note entail ignoring others. The main parameters of the methods steganography they've Security, Capacity, Psnr, Mse, Ber, Ssim are the results of the implementation show, steganography methods that these parameters provide have mentioned goals than other methods have improved.


BACKGROUND
Volunteer crisis line responders are a valuable resource for suicide prevention crisis lines worldwide.

AIM
The aim of this study was to gain a deeper understanding of how volunteers operating a diaconal crisis line in Norway experienced challenges and how these challenges were met.

METHOD
A qualitative, explorative study was conducted. A total of 27 volunteers were interviewed through four focus groups. The material was analyzed using systematic text condensation.

RESULTS
The greatest challenge to the volunteers was the perception of a gap between their expectations and the practice field. The experience of many volunteers was that the crisis line primarily served a broad ongoing support function for loneliness or mental illness concerns, rather than a suicide prevention crisis intervention function.

LIMITATIONS
The focus group design may have made the participants more reluctant to share experiences representing alternative perspectives or personally sensitive information.

CONCLUSION
The findings of this study suggest that a uniform response to callers using crisis lines as a source of ongoing support is warranted and should be implemented in volunteer training programs.


The focus of the present paper was to characterize Reactivity Controlled Compression Ignition (RCCI) using a single-fuel approach of gasoline and gasoline mixed with a commercially available cetane improver on a multi-cylinder engine. RCCI was achieved by port-injecting a certification grade 96 research octane gasoline and direct-injecting the same gasoline mixed with various levels of a cetane improver, 2-ethylhexyl nitrate (EHN). The EHN volume percentages investigated in the direct-injected fuel were 10, 5, and 2.5%. The combustion phasing controllability and emissions of the different fueling combinations were characterized at 2300 rpm and 4.2 bar brake mean effective pressure over a variety of parametric investigations including direct injection timing, premixed gasoline percentage, and intake temperature. Comparisons were made to gasoline/diesel RCCI operation on the same engine platform at nominally the same operating condition. The experiments were conducted on a modern four cylinder light-duty diesel engine that was modified with a port-fuel injection system while maintaining the stock direct injection fuel system. The pistons were modified for highly premixed operation and feature an open shallow bowl design. The results indicate that the authority to control the combustion phasing through the fuel delivery strategy (e.g., direct injection timing or premixed gasoline percentage) ismore » not a strong function of the EHN concentration in the direct-injected fuel. It was also observed that NOx emissions are a strong function of the global EHN concentration in-cylinder and the combustion phasing. Finally, in general, NOx emissions are significantly elevated for gasoline/gasoline+EHN operation compared with gasoline/diesel RCCI operation at a given operating condition.« less


Background: Children involved in sport or physical activity related to their body image more adequate than children not practicing physical activity. Coach usually plays an important role in the formation of body image of children involved in sport. Methods: Participants were 125 adolescents, 9-12 years: 110 athletes (55 girls, 55 boys) and 115 non-athletes (60 girls, 55 boys). The "Questionnaire measuring body image and dissatisfaction" was used. Findings: The images of the real and the ideal body in the group of athletes were almost identical. Sports protect athletes from dissatisfaction with their body. But athletes are more critical for their bodies. Girls more than boys are worried about their weight, and girls-athletes more than non athletes. In sports environment children are less teased by their peers than in the school. The formation of body image is greatly affected by parents and peers, and among athletes - by coaches. Discussion: Sport and physical activity facilitate the formation of an adequate image of the body in childhood. Regular practice of physical activity may be a method to overcome personal complexes associated with the perception of their body.


This book talks of perhaps one of the greatest education experiments in the history of America. In 1894 John Dewey moved his position as Chairman of the Philosophy Department at the University of Michigan to assume the position as Chairman of the Department of Philosophy, Psychology, and Pedagogy at the University of Chicago. He would remain there until 1904, his departure prompted in great part by his dissatisfaction regarding his wife's treatment by the administration in her role of principal of the Laboratory School. At this time Dewey was anxious to translate his more abstract ideas into practical form and he saw the position at Chicago affording him a rare opportunity to do this. The school itself was conceived by Dewey as having an organic functional relation to the theoretical curriculum. Just as Dewey was anxious to merge philosophy and psychology and to relate both of these disciplines to the theoretical study of education, similarly he saw the school as a laboratory for these studies analogous to the laboratory used in science courses. This effort to merge theory and practice is perhaps the major characteristic of Dewey's entire professional career. In the opening sentence of Dewey's remarks in his essay in this volume, "The Theory of the Chicago Experiment," we see the extent to which this problem preoccupied him: "The gap between educational theory and its execution in practice is always so wide that there naturally arises a doubt as to the value of any separate presentation of purely theoretical principles." This book is an accurate and detailed account of one of the most interesting experiments ever undertaken in America. It provides the reader with the complexity of John Dewey's abstract philosophy experimentalism.


Cluster analysis using qualitative variables is a useful tool in estimating genetic diversity between genotypes in a germplasm collection. The objective of this study was to classify opium poppy genotypes based on several morpho-qualitative traits of the flowers, capsules and seed. The collection of 50 poppy genotypes with different origin was evaluated in 2010, on experimental field near Skopje. The classification of the genotypes was done based on Gower distance and the dendrogram was constructed using UPGMA method. Two main clusters were identified, each comprising different number of subgroups. All genotypes with white petal color were grouped in the second cluster. Genotypes with colored petals belonged to the first cluster. The origin of the genotypes had no influence on the classification. The results of this study enabled clear overview of the morphological diversity identified in the studied germplasm.


The study sought to establish the effect of financial monitoring and evaluation on financial sustainability of public governance NGOs in Nairobi County. The study was guided by agency theory. The study adopted descriptive research design. The collected data was analyzed using both quantitative and qualitative data analysis methods. SPSS was used for data entry, descriptive analysis, reliability analysis, correlation analysis and multiple regression analysis. Data was collected by use of questionnaires and analyzed using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics. The study established that the financial monitoring and evaluation (r=0.597, p<0.05) had positive and significant effect on NGO financial sustainability. The study concluded that high number of NGOs were not sustainable a problem which could be addressed through NGOs improving their monitoring and evaluation practices. The study recommended that the management of NGOs to work towards improving monitoring and evaluation practices with aim of enhancing financial sustainability of the NGOs.


Evidence is accumulating that insect-specific plant responses are mediated by constituents in the oral secretions and regurgitants (R) of herbivores, however the relative importance of the different potentially active constituents remains unclear. Fatty acid-amino acid conjugates (FACs) are found in the R of many insect herbivores and have been shown to be necessary and sufficient to elicit a set of herbivore-specific responses when the native tobacco plantNicotiana attenuata is attacked by the tobacco hornworm,Manduca sexta. Attack by this specialist herbivore results in a large transcriptional reorganization in N. attenuata, and 161 genes have been cloned from previous cDNA differential display-polymerase chain reaction and subtractive hybridization with magnetic beads analysis. cDNAs of these genes, in addition to those of 73 new R-responsive genes identified by cDNA-amplified fragment-length polymorphism display of R-elicited plants, were spotted on polyepoxide coated glass slides to create microarrays highly enriched in Manduca spp.- and R-induced genes. With these microarrays, we compare transcriptional responses in N. attenuata treated with R from the two most damaging lepidopteran herbivores of this plant in nature, M. sexta and Manduca quinquemaculata, which have very similar FAC compositions in their R, and with the two most abundant FACs in Manduca spp. R. More than 68% of the genes up- and down-regulated by M. sexta R were similarly regulated byM. quinquemaculata R. A majority of genes up-regulated (64%) and down-regulated (49%) by M. sexta R were similarly regulated by treatment with the two FACs. In contrast, few genes showed similar transcriptional changes after H2O2- and R-treatment. These results demonstrate that the two most abundant FACs in Manduca spp. R can account for the majority ofManduca spp.-induced alterations of the wound response of N. attenuata.


The study was conducted to determine the effect of different storage conditions on egg quality characteristics of table eggs. A total of 270 eggs were collected from 80 week old Brown Lohmann Brown flock. External and internal quality traits were determined on 30 eggs and these data were used as fresh egg quality traits. And the other 240 eggs were weighed and divided into two groups of 120 eggs. For each group, 40 of eggs were washed and kept in 4 carton viols, 40 of them were kept in carton viols without washing and 40 of them were placed in carton viols and covered with stretch film. Each viol had 10 eggs. First group eggs were kept in refrigerator and second group eggs were kept in room temperature. At days of 7, 14, 21 and 28, egg quality traits were determined on 10 eggs (one viol) from each treatment. Data showed that egg weight losses were significantly higher in the eggs which were stored at room temperature (P<0.05). Also, washed eggs lost higher weight than other treatments. Haugh unit which is a quality parameter of eggs were significantly better in refrigerator conditions (P<0.05). Albumen and yolk indexes were found better in the eggs which were stored in refrigerator. The results of the study showed that egg kept in refrigerator had better quality traits than the eggs stored at room temperature. Also, keeping the eggs with stretch film had positive effect on egg quality. Conversely, egg washing decreased the quality of eggs.


This chapter examines the concept of quality assurance and the responsibilities of people within an organization for carrying out the activity. It defines a quality system and traces the background of quality system standards. Next, the chapter examines the key features of the ISO 9000 series (2015) and outlines the implementation guidelines and issues. It then reviews the quality system assessment and registration and highlights the benefits and limitations. A model is also presented which outlines what is required for a small company to successfully achieve ISO 9000 series registration. A quality system design must also maximize ownership, allow flexibility without loss of control, and be able to be developed to cope with changes in the business and capture improvements; above all it must be 'user-friendly'. It is important that organizations do not view ISO 9001 registration as their pinnacle of success in relation to quality assurance and quality management.


Background: Observed associations between vitamin E status and certain cancers (e.g., lung, prostate, colorectal, cervical and ovarian) suggest a protective relation may exist, with many studies focusing on the antioxidant and antiproliferative properties of alpha-tocopherol. Recent findings suggest that gamma-tocopherol may play a similar role that is independent of alpha-tocopherol. The purpose of this study was to identify genetic variants associated with circulating levels of alpha- and gamma-tocopherol. This is the first genome-wide association study (GWAS) to examine these two nutritional phenotypes. Methods: Prior to analysis, tocopherol levels were log-transformed to normalize the distributions. General linear models were used to relate the log-transformed outcomes to a SNP by assuming an additive mode of inheritance. Analyses were adjusted for the effects of age, cancer status, body mass index, and cholesterol (because it is well established that vitamin E levels are affected by circulating lipids). Results: Based on the combined data from the two adult cohorts (the Alpha-Tocopherol, Beta-Carotene Cancer Prevention (ATBC) Study and the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial (PLCO) cohorts) comprising 5,006 men of European descent, we found evidence of novel loci associated with circulating vitamin E, including BUD13 (rs964184, P=3.5 x 10-10), CYP4F2 (rs2108622, P=7.8 x 10-9), and SCARB1 (rs11057830, P=3.0 x 10-7), all of which meet genome-wide level of significance for their association with alpha-tocopherol. Our three identified single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have previously been reported to be associated with HDL cholesterol and triglycerides, which are involved in vitamin E transport. We further replicated the most significant findings in an independent data set of 2,769 women, with combined meta-analysis significance of P=1.1 x 10-12 (BUD13, rs964184), P=1.1 x 10-9 (CYP4F2, rs2108622), and P=3.5 x 10-8 (SCARB1, rs11057830). The genome-wide significant associations for gamma-tocopherol levels and SNPs in four gene regions did not replicate, however. Conclusion: Our findings reveal specific, previously unknown proteins related to vitamin E biochemical status that add to our understanding of this membrane-integrated micronutrient and that can be investigated with respect to cancer and other disease phenotypes. Citation Information: Cancer Prev Res 2010;3(12 Suppl):A88.


As pointed out in this article, small island economies are diverse in their nature and in the challenges they face. A taxonomy of these economies is provided. The overview takes account of small island economies that are satellites of large countries as well as those which are independent nation states. Nevertheless, the emphasis here is on small island economies that are remote from central economies or disadvantaged in other ways. These include many island nations in the Pacific and elsewhere. Such economies suffer from diseconomies of scale in economic activity, are prone to imperfect market competition, and experience high transport and trading costs for a variety of reasons which are outlined. The gravitational pull of stronger central economies and central places favours net out migration from these economies, particularly a brain drain, as well as net private capital outflows. These tendencies often stifle local economic development. Such economies frequently depend on aid from foreign or overseas places for maintaining the levels of income of their inhabitants; income levels which in many cases are relatively low. Income levels may be precarious in such economies because they are vulnerable to variations in economic, natural and political forces. They usually lack diversity in their natural resources and in their exports. A natural disaster can devastate their whole island economy so that little resilience remains to deal with the disaster by relying on the island's own resources. Whether or not such economies are particularly prone to political disturbances is unclear, but when such disturbances occur they tend to impoverish those areas because net migration and net capital outflows increase and inbound tourism (which is often an important source of income for such economies) dwindles. The environmental situation facing small island economies varies. Some have undergone rapid urbanisation and centralization of their populations and this has caused significant pollution problems and water availability problems. Furthermore, some are at considerable risk from climate change. Using mathematical relationships, it is demonstrated that small island nations will lose (on average) proportionately more of their land mass as a result of sea-level rises than larger nations. Increased urbanisation of such economies usually increases their economic vulnerability because it is normally associated with greater dependence on international market exchange and results in increasing urban-bias in politics.


Abstract Endometrial inflammation is associated with reduced pregnancy per artificial insemination (AI) and increased pregnancy loss in cows. It was hypothesized that induced endometritis alters histotroph composition and induces inflammatory signatures on conceptus that compromise development. In Experiment 1, lactating cows were assigned to control (CON; n = 23) or to an intrauterine infusion of Escherichia coli and Trueperella pyogenes (ENDO; n = 34) to induce endometritis. Cows received AI 26 days after treatment, and the uterine fluid and conceptuses were collected on day 16 after AI. In Experiment 2, Holstein heifers were assigned to CON (n = 14) or ENDO (n = 14). An embryo was transferred on day 7 of the estrous cycle, and uterine fluid and conceptuses were recovered on day 16. Composition of histotroph and trophoblast and embryonic disc gene expression were assessed. Bacterial-induced endometritis in lactating cows altered histotroph composition and pathways linked to phospholipid synthesis, cellular energy production, and the Warburg effect. Also, ENDO reduced conceptus length in cows and altered expression of genes involved in pathogen recognition, nutrient uptake, cell growth, choline metabolism, and conceptus signaling needed for maternal recognition of pregnancy. The impact of ENDO was lesser on conceptuses from heifers receiving embryo transfer; however, the affected genes and associated pathways involved restricted growth and increased immune response similar to the observed responses to ENDO in conceptuses from lactating cows. Bacterial-induced endometrial inflammation altered histotroph composition, reduced conceptus growth, and caused embryonic cells to activate survival rather than anabolic pathways that could compromise development. Summary Sentence Bacterial-induced endometritis impairs conceptus development by altering histotroph composition and conceptus gene expression in dairy cattle. Graphical Abstract


The rise of online learning nowadays, encourages learning patterns have to move from face to face to the network. This trend has become one of the easy alternatives for many of the general public to be able to learn or conduct training based on online and in the end, they can get a certificate after participate into that online training. BINUS as one of the tertiary institutions that has implemented online learning and has a learning website to support it. But along with the convenience available, easy access to learning, online learning activities need to be recorded as well, for example: behavior of learners, activities including attendance, and quizzes need to be recorded to avoid fraud. Fraud in manipulating attendance, or in activities carried out on the learning page. One of the most popular technologies being discussed today is Blockchain, and its can be utilized to support a better learning system. Readiness in applying this technology will be measured using the Technology Readiness Index (TRI) method.


The aim of the present study was to describe the distribution of xerothermic species of vascular plants in the lower San River valley and the relationship between their density and the intensity of selected environmental (natural and anthropogenic) factors. Xerothermic species occurred more frequently in the present valley floor compared to the glacial terrace. Within the present valley, the highest density was observed in the floodplain. The examined species also occurred more often on steep slopes of the valley, at the margins of the present valley terraces, and in the area of occurrence of aeolian sands. Moreover, a positive correlation has been found between the number of xerothermic species and the area of polyhemeroby ecosystems. The distribution of xero- and thermophilous species is determined by natural edaphic and geomorphological factors as well as anthropogenic ones (land use, lowering of the groundwater level as a result of river regulation).


This article reports the effectiveness of two universal prevention programs in reducing externalizing behavior in elementary school children. A sample of 1,675 first graders in 56 Swiss elementary schools was randomly assigned to a school-based social competence intervention, a parental training intervention, both, or control. Externalizing psychopathology and social competence ratings were provided by the children, primary caregivers, and teachers at the beginning and end of the 2-year program, with a follow-up 2 years later. Intention-to-treat analyses revealed that long-term effects on teacher- and parent-rated externalizing behavior were greater for the social competence intervention than for the control. However, for most outcomes, no statistically significant positive effects were observed.


BACKGROUND
There are limited data concerning endoscopist-directed endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography deep sedation. The aim of this study was to establish the safety and risk factors for difficult sedation in daily practice.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
Hospital-based, frequency matched case-control study. All patients were identified from a database of 1,008 patients between 2014 and 2015. The cases were those with difficult sedations. This concept was defined based on the combination of the receipt of high-doses of midazolam or propofol, poor tolerance, use of reversal agents or sedation-related adverse events. The presence of different factors was evaluated to determine whether they predicted difficult sedation.

RESULTS
One-hundred and eighty-nine patients (63 cases, 126 controls) were included. Cases were classified in terms of high-dose requirements (n = 35, 55.56%), sedation-related adverse events (n = 14, 22.22%), the use of reversal agents (n = 13, 20.63%) and agitation/discomfort (n = 8, 12.7%). Concerning adverse events, the total rate was 1.39%, including clinically relevant hypoxemia (n = 11), severe hypotension (n = 2) and paradoxical reactions to midazolam (n = 1). The rate of hypoxemia was higher in patients under propofol combined with midazolam than in patients with propofol alone (2.56% vs. 0.8%, p < 0.001). Alcohol consumption (OR: 2.674 [CI 95%: 1.098-6.515], p = 0.030), opioid consumption (OR: 2.713 [CI 95%: 1.096-6.716], p = 0.031) and the consumption of other psychoactive drugs (OR: 2.015 [CI 95%: 1.017-3.991], p = 0.045) were confirmed to be independent risk factors for difficult sedation.

CONCLUSIONS
Endoscopist-directed deep sedation during endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography is safe. The presence of certain factors should be assessed before the procedure to identify patients who are high-risk for difficult sedation.


Purpose: An electronically‐collimated gamma‐radiation detector for intraoperative localization of sentinel lymph nodes and metastases is under development. Analogous to Compton telescopes and Compton cameras, localization is achieved using the coincidence detection of Compton‐scattered gamma rays. Electronic collimation allows the device to operate without physical collimation, providing high sensitivity while also allowing directional information to be determined. We report on implementation of algorithms to calculate the direction to the source.Methods and Materials: Two approaches to direction reconstruction were evaluated. The first technique backprojects each event onto the surface of a sphere centered on the device's primary detector. To use Fourier filtering methods for deblurring, the sphere's surface is mapped by stereographic projection onto a plane, filtered in Fourier space, and then projected back onto the sphere. The second technique also backprojects events onto the sphere, then determines the rectangle that circumscribes the backprojected cone; localization is obtained by intersection of all circumscribed rectangles. Results: Performance of the algorithm has been evaluated using randomly generated ideal Compton‐scatter events from point sources for our detector geometry. Direction angles are calculated within 5% accuracy for source positions up to 45° off‐axis for the filtering approach and ∼30° for the circumscription approach. Error in calculated direction angles depends on the arbitrary diameter of the sphere; optimally, the sphere should intersect the source. The circumscription technique converges to an estimate of direction angles in ∼50 events; the filtering approach requires ∼1000 events. Conclusion: The two methods complement each other in speed and field‐of‐view. Monte Carlo simulations and experimental testing of a prototype system are ongoing as a separate part of the overall project; data from these will further supplement evaluation of the algorithms. Acknowledgment: Supported by Homeland Security Advanced Research Projects Agency, and Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center San Diego; Contract No. N66001‐05‐C‐6024.


This study concerns the possible implementation of "Economic Solidarity Districts" (ESD) in the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region (FVG), located in the North East of Italy. The ESD are geographical areas where the practice of "Solidarity Economy" could be initiated by converting to productive activities and changing the elationships between producers and consumers. Looking at experiences of ESD already operating in Italy, a number of indicators are to be found, aimed at characterizing all municipalities in FVG. This analysis shows that the situations within territories moving towards Solidarity Economy are varied.


We describe a new UV-Vis absorption setup designed to measure with improved sensitivity the absorption spectra of size-selected small metal clusters embedded in rare gas matrices. We aim at studying the electronic structure of clusters of different materials and their interaction with the matrix. The design, construction, and performance of the setup are discussed and demonstrated on the absorption spectrum of Ag1 in argon. The absorption spectra for the two least abundant silver cluster ions produced by our cluster source in the size range of 1–39 atoms/cluster, namely, Ag6 and Ag10, are reported. A sensitivity increase of about 20 is demonstrated.


It was made possible to study the mode of nuclear division during all the stage of mitotic division of the free-living amoebae belonging to the families Schizopyrenidae and Hartmannellidae, when the massive number of them were fixed and stained. While the four phases of nuclear division vary in different genera, in the amoebae belonging to the same genus the mitotic division was similar. In the family Schizopyrenidae, the nucleus contains a central Feulgen-negative nucleolus which during mitosis form "polar masses". In the family Hartmannellidae, the resting nucleus has either a single Feulgen-negative nucleolus or several nucleoli. During mitosis the nucleolus or nucleoli disappear and a spindle with chromosomes arranged as an equatorial plate develops. The mitotic apparatus is an essential criterion in the differentiation of the genera Hartmannella and Naegleria.


When searching through collections of books or written texts, the efficient yet limiting query paradigm is still the most dominant entry point. Previous work characterizes search processes in various contexts and describes them as integral and closely related to creative endeavours. We revisit this work from a design perspective, proposing guidelines for versatile search interfaces that are based on a modular approach to search. Inspired by aspects of search in physical environments, our recommendations address learning, creativity, inspiration, and pleasure as positive aspects of (book) search. Based on in-depth interviews with library patrons about search practises in physical and digital environments and drawing from previous work on search behaviour, we discuss search patterns as modular constructs consisting of micro-strategies. We illustrate how the structure of these patterns is highly flexible. Much like creative processes, they fluidly evolve based on learning and ideation during search, particularly in physical environments. This modular perspective provides a basis for designing interfaces that facilitate creative approaches to search in digital environments.


The new "Davis's Drug Guide for Nurses, 10th Edition" has easy-to-read, well-organized monographs that most clearly emphasize what students and nurses need to know. It includes even more new monographs and the latest FDA approvals. This updated edition is a book that students can count on with vital information for Peds, as well as precautions for all vulnerable populations. From pediatrics to geriatrics and from pregnancy to breast feeding considerations, "Davis's Drug Guide for Nurses" addresses the entire lifespan.


Long-term climate change has been an ever-present feature of the Earth, but in ecology, it has, until recently, been largely ignored outside of paleoecological and dendroecological studies. It is now difficult to ignore due to strong anthropogenic drivers of change. However, standard ecological models and theory have always assumed no long-term trends in the environment, limiting the ability to conceptualize a natural world inescapably influenced by long-term change. Recent theory of asymptotic environmentally determined trajectories (aedts) provides a way forward, but has not previously considered the critical interactions between space and time that are of much importance in understanding ecosystem responses to climate change. Here this theory is extended to spatial models including long-term environmental change, and is illustrated with simple model examples. Regarding a population as fluid on a landscape allows consideration of how the environment that the population actually experiences changes with time. Here it is shown that although the environment at any one locality may show strong temporal trends, the environment experienced by a population as it moves around a landscape need not have any strong trends. However, the experienced environment will generally differ by being less favorable on average than without long-term global change. These results suggest theoretical and empirical research programs on the characteristics of landscapes, dispersal and temporal change affecting the properties of experienced environments. They imply moving away from local population and community thinking to conceptualization and study of populations and communities on multiple spatial and temporal scales. Many standard ecological methods and concepts may still apply to populations tracked as they move on a landscape, while at the same time, understanding is enriched by accounting for how dispersal processes and landscape complexity, interacting with temporal change, affect those moving populations.


"Externalities", or harms to others, provide a standard justification for government intervention in the private market. There is less agreement over whether government is justified in correcting "internalities," or harms to self the self is largely powerless to avoid. While some of the internality dispute is philosophical, some is practical. Critics suggest government lacks information to regulate internalities, and that any intervention would inefficiently distort a private market for self-help. In this Article, I show that these critiques of regulation overlook well-established tools of externality regulation, as well as a burgeoning literature on the measurement of internalities. Having answered the "should" question, I move on to "how?" I examine the established tools of externality regulation, and consider to what extent the standard advice of the externality literature extends to internality regulation. I find some surprising results, such as that "carrots" may at times be an attractive alternative to "sticks," and that even large taxes on internalities can produce a so-called "double dividend." I also compare the traditional regulatory options to "nudges" and other forms of cognitively-informed government interventions. I show a set of cases in which nudges may be preferable to either taxes or command and control regulation.Thus, my analysis also helps to resolve a second, related, debate over the propriety of nudges. The nudge debate has almost exclusively revolved around whether nudges avoid philosophical objections to paternalistic government regulation. I offer instead a new reason to employ nudges in some cases: they are more efficient.


Fluid injection and withdrawal in a porous medium create changes in pore pressure that alter effective stresses within the medium. This leads to pore volume changes, which can be described by the poroelastic theory. These changes in pore volume can influence fluid flow processes, such as capillary diffusion and imbibition, potentially altering multiphase flow characteristics in subsurface reservoirs with a focus on oil recovery in the naturally fractured carbonate reservoirs. In this study, a semi‐analytical model is developed to analyze the impact of stress‐dependent spontaneous imbibition. The model allows us to study the influence of stress‐dependent effects on porosity, absolute permeability, relative permeability, and capillary pressure on the imbibition and oil recovery mechanisms of both intact rock and fracture in naturally fractured carbonate reservoirs. In order to capture the geomechanical interactions involved, pure compliance poroelastic definitions and nonlinear joint normal stiffness equations are used to assess the deformation of intact rock and fracture, respectively. The model shows that increasing effective confining stress shifts the imbibition capillary pressure curve upward, resulting in improved absorption of the wetting phase into the smaller pores and enhanced extraction of the nonwetting phase. Model calculations provide a rationale for how and why irreducible water saturation increases during compression of mixed‐wet carbonates and decreases in the case of initially strong water‐wet carbonates. It is also shown how higher relative permeability of the wetting phase leads to a greater diffusion of the wetting phase and improved oil recovery for the less deformed mixed‐wet rock.


The urgent need to manage an increasingly ageing workforce has prompted rigorous multi-disciplinary research across the world. A plethora of studies focuses on the best ways in which both organisations and employees can support employees' well-being and high performance in late career. From this perspective, the key role of strategic Human Resource Management is a topic of strong interest. Recent findings suggest that, in contrast to traditional views, older workers (those aged 55 years and over) are interested and capable of development. Hence, management practices that allow and encourage development opportunities in late career may be highly beneficial for both employers and employees.


Introduction Hospital-based violence intervention programmes (HBVIPs) are a promising strategy to reduce trauma recidivism and promote safety among victims of violent injury. While previous studies have demonstrated cost-effectiveness and positive impact on the lives of victims, there are a number of key limitations in the study designs of this evidence base. This study seeks to address the methodological shortcomings of previous research, determine the efficacy of HBVIPs using a randomised control study design, and provide a better understanding of successful service allocation within an HBVIP. Methods and analysis The current study is 1 of 12 demonstration projects being implemented around the country with the purpose of bolstering the ability to provide effective, culturally appropriate and trauma-informed services for boys and men harmed by violence. We propose a randomised control trial in which male victims of violence receive one of two interventions: treatment as usual versus enhanced services. The purpose is to determine which intervention leads to reductions in trauma recidivism over the period of 1 year from contact with the programme. Differences will also be monitored on measures of mental health, quality of life and attitudes towards violence. Analyses employed will include Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox proportional hazards regression with death and recidivism being the outcomes of interest. Ethics and dissemination Study procedures have been approved by the Institutional Review Boards of the University at Buffalo and four hospitals. Results will be submitted for publication in peer-reviewed journals.


In recent years a simplified method for generating cushion curves, called stress-energy, has been presented as an alternative to ASTM D1596. A frequent question regarding the stress-energy method is the accuracy of the predicted deceleration compared to actual deceleration. This study compares the predicted deceleration values from the stress-energy method to the actual deceleration values collected from the ASTM D1596 test method for several data sets of EPS and EPE molded foam. Results show the average difference between the stress-energy predicted deceleration and the actual ASTM D1596 deceleration values to be 10 % or less for 144.2 kg/m3 EPE. Evaluating 20.0 kg/m3 EPS, the average difference between predicted and actual deceleration values is about 12 % or less. The study also found drop to drop deceleration to vary widely, so average actual deceleration was also evaluated compared to the predicted stress-energy deceleration. As a result, both the EPE and EPS predicted deceleration can be shown to be within ±10% of the actual averaged deceleration, an accuracy useful for practical application.


Comparative silk research has begun to provide us with valuable insights into a class of biopolymers that have evolved an enormous range of material performance based on highly adapted structure-property interactions. As outlined in this article, such insights cover the analysis of biological and bioinspired spinning technologies, the discovery of a novel type of melt spinning at ambient temperatures, and an advanced predictive modeling framework that uses ab initio calculations. Importantly, the huge diversity and extensive range of material properties found in natural silks is providing a fertile field for discoveries that could change the polymer paradigm and our approach to using proteins as structural materials. For example, highly relevant to both sustainability and engineering properties is the role of water in silk processing and function, as this article will explore in some detail.


Sarcomatoid carcinoma of the urinary bladder is an unusual malignancy composed of both carcinomatous and sarcomatous components. It is an aggressive tumor that presents at an advanced stage and confers a much poorer prognosis than conventional urothelial carcinoma. The proper nomenclature and histogenesis of these tumors have been subjects of debate for some time. There is an emerging consensus that sarcomatoid carcinoma is the most appropriate term for these neoplasms. The recent World Health Organization classification has applied this term to all tumors showing morphologic and/or immunologic evidence of both malignant epithelial and mesenchymal differentiation. Such tumors have been postulated to represent either multiclonal collision tumors or monoclonal cancers with divergent differentiation; recent molecular studies favor the latter theory. In this study, we discuss the nomenclature, clinical features, pathology, differential diagnosis, molecular genetics, and histogenesis of sarcomatoid carcinoma. We emphasize the importance of molecular genetic studies in providing insight into the histogenesis of this neoplasm. Sarcomatoid carcinoma seems to represent the final common pathway of urothelial carcinoma dedifferentiation.


Division of labour among workers (non-reproductive division of labour), a characteristic feature of eusocial insects enables the efficient functioning of their colonies. In many advanced insect societies division of labour is based on age (age polyethism). Primitively eusocial insects however are believed to have a weak age polyethism. Here we investigated the role of age in non-reproductive division of labour in the tropical primitively eusocial wasp, Ropalidia cyathiformis and compared it with that in Ropalidia marginata, a congeneric species that exhibits relatively strong age polyethism. Age had a significant effect on the first performance of the four tasks studied; tasks were initiated in the sequence feed larva, build, bring food and bring building material. We measured task performance as the absolute frequency of tasks performed (FTP) and the probability of performing a task relative to other tasks (PTP) and age as absolute age in days since eclosion as well as relative age compared to nestmates. FTP varied significantly with both absolute and relative age, although absolute age explained more variance. PTP varied significantly with absolute age but not always with relative age. This is contrary to R. marginata, where more variation is explained by relative age than by absolute age. There was no trade-off between intranidal and extranidal tasks in R. cyathiformis unlike in R. marginata where the frequency of intranidal tasks decreased and that of extranidal tasks increased with age. We conclude that age polyethism is weak and less flexible in R. cyathiformis compared to that in R. marginata.


Many researchers are getting attracted in the field of object tracking in video surveillance, which is an important application and emerging research area in image processing. Video tracking is the process of locating a moving object or multiple objects over a time using camera. Due to key features of video surveillance, it has a variety of uses like human-computer interactions, security and surveillance, video communication, traffic control, public areas such as airports, underground stations, mass events, etc. Tracking a target in a cluttered premise is still one of the challenging problems of video surveillance. A sequential flow of moving object detection, its classification, tracking and identifying the behavior completes the processing framework of video surveillance. This paper takes insight into tracking methods, their categorization into different types, focuses on important and useful tracking methods. In this paper, we provide a brief overview of tracking strategies like region based, active contour based, etc with their positive and negative aspects. Different tracking methods are mentioned with detailed description. We review general strategies under literature survey on different techniques and finally stating the analysis of possible research directions.


It is difficult to identify a criminal just by examining the trace of blood on crime site and the garments. In sexual offences, specifically semen on victim's clothes or biological samples proves involvement of accused in the crime. But in some cases where contraceptive devices are used or semen stains are not detected during investigation, the victim's blood or body fluid on the accused's garments helps to prove the crime. It is difficult to prove the evidence by routine ABO grouping in most of the cases because of the less quantity of blood. Further, discrimination power of ABO Blood group system is less. Here, DNA profiling technique has created wonders from the time it has been invented. Once the DNA technique proves involvement of the accused, there is provision of 'Protection of Children from Sexual Offences ' (POCSO) Act 2012 in the court to effectively address the heinous crimes. Also, there is provision of Atrocity Act to provide justice to SC/ST communities in order to enable them to live in the society with dignity without suppression from the dominant castes. In the instant case, a girl aged 11, promising to drop to the school on motor cycle was raped by Police Constable aged 41. Just 2 cm blood stain was found on his undergarment and few blood stains were found on his handkerchief at the crime scene. As the DNA profiling proved his involvement in the crime, Hon ' ble court convicted him with rigorous imprisonment for 10 years and to pay a fine of Rs. 2000/- under the provision of POCSO Act and Atrocity Act.


OBJECTIVE
Gastric cancer is an important public health problem in the world and Turkey. In addition to Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), smoking, alcohol consumption and family history, certain dietary factors have been associated with its occurrence. The impact of dietary habits and life-style factors on the risk of gastric cancer in Turkey were evaluated in this study.

DESIGN
A questionnaire was applied to 106 patients with gastric adenocarcinoma and 106 controls without cancer matched for age (range 28-85 years) and gender selected from a hospital based population. Adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated with logistic regression analysis.

RESULTS
The incidence of H. pylori was 81.3% in patients. Frequent consumption of salty dishes, very salty foods like pickles, soup mixes, sausages, foods at hot temperature (ORs=3.686, 7.784, 5.264, 3.148 and 3.273 respectively) and adding salt without tasting (OR=4.198) were associated with increased gastric risk. Also heavy smoking and high amount of alcohol consumption (p=0.000) were risk factors. Frequent consumption of green vegetables, onion, garlic and dried fruits (ORs=0.569, 0.092, 0.795 and 0.041) was non- significantly associated with decreased risk.

CONCLUSION
Improved dietary habits, reducing salt consumption and eradication of H. pylori infection may provide protection against gastric cancer in Turkey.


We show that positivity of energy for stationary, or strongly uniformly Schwarzschildian, asymptotically flat, non-singular domains of outer communications can be proved using Galloway's null rigidity theorem.


Brief description: Although the exact mechanisms of pain relief through motor cortex stimulation remain elusive, much has been learned in the last 10 years. In this talk we shall explore what is currently known about the neurophysiological and metabolic actions of this type of cortical stimulation, and will compare the local and distant effects of direct (epidural) versus transcranial (magnetic) modes of application. It will be shown that a number of commonalities exist between both modes, especially in their distant effects, whereas local changes in sensorimotor cortex are most probably dissimilar. An intriguing common aspect of both epidural (and transcranial (rTMS) modes of stimulation is the participation of opioid mechanisms in their long-lasting effects.


In preclinical emergency and rescue medicine, on-target and often improvised and smooth work is essential. Thus, some reductions of clinical standards must be accepted but cannot excuse fundamental mistakes. Hygienic protection of patients and medical staff are both equally important; however, preserving the vital functions of patients deserves top priority. In Germany, official guidelines govern the hygienic equipment of ambulance cars and hygienic management during and after transport both in routine and special cases. Disinfection of skin, hands and surfaces and hygienic protection of the medical staff predominate in daily work. Standard hygienic procedures during application of venous leads, intubation and artificial ventilation and correct handling of sterile materials should also be considered. The main goal of teaching is routine establishment of basic hygienic procedures, and, in addition, creation of sufficient hygienic basic knowledge for assessment and control of unusual situations.


The antidotal effect of physostigmine in a dose of 1 mg and 2 mg was investigated in 44 patients after diazepam-nitrous oxide anaesthesia. The degree of recovery was estimated using the Bender Motor Gestalt test, the post-operative recovery scores, the changes in hand force, and the cerebral function monitor (CFM) trace. Diazepam plasma levels were also determined. The improvement in the patients' alertness assessed by psychomotoric tests and the CFM trace was significant, but the recovery of the vital functions measured by the recovery scores (PARS) was marginal. Thus the indications for physostigmine in the treatment of postoperative somnolence induced by diazepam-nitrous oxide are relative and only in grave oversedation with diazepam can physostigmine be recommended as an antidote.


This paper develops a transfer function formulation of the non-coherent vector tracking architecture for Global Navigation Satellite System receivers. From the transfer function model, a definition of vector loop noise bandwidths is introduced. Simulation results illustrate that vector noise bandwidths are functions of the carrier power to noise density, C/N0, of individual channels, the relative magnitudes of C/N0 across channels, and user-satellite geometry. This paper improves the understanding of the vector architecture by deriving its noise bandwidths and showing some noteworthy inherent features of the vector noise bandwidths with user-satellite geometry and C/N0. A preliminary analysis is also provided, which indicates that vector noise bandwidths have the potential to serve as useful metrics for designing scalar tracking loops with external Doppler aiding.


Abstract Two previously unknown rare Middle Jurassic dinosaur megatracksites are reported from the Bighorn Basin of northern Wyoming in the Western Interior of the United States. These trace fossils occur in carbonate units once thought to be totally marine in origin, and constitute the two most extensive Middle Jurassic dinosaur tracksites currently known in North America. The youngest of these occurs primarily along a single horizon at or near the top of the "basal member" of the "lower" Sundance Formation, is mid-Bathonian in age, and dates to ∼167 ma. This discovery necessitates a major change in the paleogeographic reconstructions for Wyoming for this period. The older tracksites occur at multiple horizons within a 1 m interval in the middle part of the Gypsum Spring Formation. This interval is uppermost Bajocian in age and dates to ∼170 ma. Terrestrial tracks found, to date, have been all bipedal tridactyl dinosaur prints. At least some of these prints can be attributed to theropods. Possible swim tracks of bipedal dinosaurs are also present in the Gypsum Spring Formation. Digitigrade prints dominate the Sundance trackways, with both plantigrade and digitigrade prints being preserved in the Gypsum Spring trackways. The Sundance track-bearing surface locally covers 7.5 square kilometers in the vicinity of Shell, Wyoming. Other tracks occur apparently on the same horizon approximately 25 kilometers to the west, north of the town of Greybull. The Gypsum Spring megatracksite is locally preserved across the same 25 kilometer east-west expanse, with the Gypsum Spring megatracksite more extensive in a north-south direction with tracks occurring locally across a 100 kilometer extent. Conservative estimates for the trackway density based on regional mapping in the Sundance tracksite discovery area near Shell suggests that over 150,000 in situ tracks may be preserved per square kilometer in the Sundance Formation in this area. Comparable estimates have not been made for other areas. Similarities between the two megatracksites include their formation and preservation in upper intertidal to supratidal sediments deposited under at least seasonally arid conditions. Microbial mat growth on the ancient tidal flats apparently initiated the preservation of these prints.


In some Scandinavian long-houses from the Roman and Migration persiods there has existed a small room between the byre and its nearest gable. Several factors make it likely that it was used for habitation. On the basis of a contextual analysis, it is suggested that it should be interpreted as housing land-less dependants of the estate-owner.


Critical tests were done on 24 naturally parasitized horses to compare the antiparasitic activity of an oral paste preparation of mebendazole and trichlorfon with that of the marketed powder formulation. Each formulation was administered at the recommended dosages of 8.8 mg of mebendazole and 40 mg of trichlorfon/kg of body weight. Efficacy of the paste formulation ranged from 97.7% to 100% against 2nd- and 3rd-stage Gasterophilus spp, adult Strongylus vulgaris, S edentatus, Parascaris equorum, small strongyles; and larval and adult forms of Oxyuris equi. Adverse effects were generally limited to slight softening of the feces. Mild and transient restlessness or sweating were also observed in 2 of 12 horses treated with the paste formulation. The toxic effects of the paste, administered at 2.2 times the therapeutic dose, were examined in 6 horses and compared with the effects of a nonmedicated paste, administered in similar volumes to 6 other horses. Drug-related changes were not detected in clinical chemical analyses, hematologic values, or liver function tests. Transient clinical signs of organophosphate toxicosis (primarily the passage of loose feces) and prolonged inhibition of erythrocyte cholinesterase activity were evident within 1 hour after drug treatment. These effects were similar to those reported for the 2.2 X dose of marketed powder formulation.


Recent research has shown that labeling ontologies can be useful for restricting the access to some of the axioms and their implicit consequences. However, the labeling of the axioms is an error-prone and highly sensible task. In previous work we have shown how to correct the access restrictions if the security administrator knows the precise access level that a consequence must receive, and axioms are relabeled to that same access level. In this paper, we look at a more general situation in which access rights can be granted or denied to some specific users, without having to fully specify the precise access level. We also allow a more flexible labeling function, where the new access level of the relabeled axioms may differ from the level of the restriction. We provide black-box algorithms for computing suggestions of axioms to be relabeled.


The kinetics of precipitation polymerization of acrylic acid (AA) in supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) has been studied using in situ reaction monitoring of the AA/scCO2 phase by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. A comparative in situ FTIR study has been performed in toluene. In both solvents, the polymerization kinetics display an induction period in which very little polymerization takes place followed by rapid onset of polymerization to reach a total conversion in about 70 min after the end of the induction period. The rate of polymerization displays an apparent 1.5-order dependence on the monomer concentration and a 0.5-order on the initiator concentration, which is consistent with a mechanism in which the main locus of polymerization is within the particles. The use of scCO2 allows the production of higher molecular weight polyacrylic acid powder than in toluene without any solvent residues.


The authors recommend the search for normoblasts in the blood of patients with severe heart failure. When normoblasts are found, a marked interference with the oxygenation of the blood, either by pulmonary infarcts or thrombi inside the heart, is most likely to be present. It seems justifiable to consider the prognosis as very grave in these cases. This rule proved to hold even in those cases where, concomitant with an improvement in the heart failure, the normoblasts disappeared temporarily from the peripheral blood.


The safeguard of riparian ecosystems is a major field of study in the understanding and maintenance of the ecological health of rivers. Vegetation communities found on these ecotones ensure essential functions such as limitation of river bank erosion and protection of rivers from pollutants. The aim of our study is to investigate the potential for natural regeneration of trees on river banks after passive restoration. We have also studied the influence of landscape on recolonization through the analysis of the influence of hedge networks. Our study takes place on headwaters in Normandy (France) on Vallée‐Aux‐Berges, a stream, which has been passively restored for the last 6 years. As passive restoration removes stresses (heavy trampling and grazing) caused by cattle on river banks, we expect it to help the growth of natural plant communities. The condition of this stream—from the start of restoration work to the present—is compared to another one in the same catchment considered to be ecologically healthy. Our results suggest that passive restoration leads to an increase in tree cover on river banks and contributes to the improvement of the banks' physical integrity. Landscape structure seems to be a major factor for this recolonization: the more the stream is surrounded by hedge networks, the more the recolonization by trees on banks is effective. These results indicate that the influence of landscape structure should be considered in future restoration management in similar headwaters.


Abstract Plant protection products (PPPs) are preparations intended to protect plants and their products including one or more active substances. The use of PPPs may cause direct or indirect risks. Residues that can remain in or on food might pose a danger to human health through consumption and acute or/and chronic exposure. Authorisation of active substances and PPPs are decided at European and national level, respectively. Risk assessment of dietary exposure to residues of PPPs is regulated by a very extensive legal framework, ensuring consumer safety. The review and evaluation of the residue section of active substance monographs and the dossiers for PPP authorisations within the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (ANSES) helped gain hands‐on experience on food risk assessment, as previewed in the framework of the European Food Risk Assessment Fellowship Programme (EU‐FORA). The programme also focused on the cumulative effects of acute exposure to pesticides in food on the human nervous system using probabilistic methodology and it was in continuation of the work carried out by ANSES and the regulated products department residue unit. Using the European Database for processing factors for pesticides in food was one of the main challenges in order to approach a more realistic scenario of exposure. The probabilistic methodology followed was used in accordance with the European Food Safety Authority harmonised guidance.


Previous studies of brain lesions, functional activity, and gray matter structures have suggested that emotional intelligence (EI) is associated with regions involved in the network of social cognition (SCN) and in somatic marker circuitry (SMC). Our new study is the first to investigate the association between white matter (WM) integrity and EI. We examined this relationship in the brain of healthy young adult men [n = 74, mean age = 21.5 years, standard deviation (SD) = 1.6] and women (n = 44, mean age = 21.9 years, SD = 1.4). We performed a voxel‐based analysis of fractional anisotropy, which is an indicator of WM integrity, using diffusion tensor imaging and used a questionnaire (EI Scale) for measuring EI to identify the correlation of WM integrity with individual EI factor (intrapersonal, interpersonal, and situation management factors). Our results showed that (a) the intrapersonal factor of EI was positively correlated with WM integrity in the right anterior insula, and (b) the interpersonal factor of EI was associated with WM integrity in a part of the right inferior longitudinal fasciculus (ILF). The right anterior insula is one of the important nodes of the SMC, whereas the ILF connects the visual cortex and areas related to SCN, and thus, is a part of the SCN. Our findings further support the notion that the brain regions involved in the SCN and in the SMC are associated with EI. Hum Brain Mapp, 2013. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


Abstract The present paper aims to stress the types, spatial distribution, spatial associations, human interaction, and ecosystem of mangrove forests of Bangladesh. The study demonstrated that two fairly distinct regions can be demarcated; i.e. "saltwater", and "freshwater" zone. The complex ecosystems are found in the mangrove forests of the study area, where mangroves live in two worlds at once, acting as the interface between land and sea. Mangroves help to protect the coastlines from erosion, storm damage, and wave action. In this view, an attempt has been taken to know the spatial relationship between distribution, physical landscape and humans. The findings highlight that affects mangroves over the long term in sea level and its fluctuations. Humans have traditionally altered the natural character of the Bangladesh coastal zone through their exploitation of its natural resources. The type and scale of human modifications have changed dramatically during the past 4 decades as traditional Bengali practices have given way to modern technologies. The coastal region, particularly the northern part of the Bay of Bengal is largely influenced by the freshwater of the rivers. On the basis of findings the possible suggestions are made to preserve the existing mangrove forests of Bangladesh.


Cane toads (Bufo marinus) are large toxic anurans that have spread through much of tropical Australia since their introduction in 1935. Our surveys of the location of the toad invasion front in 2001 to 2005, and radiotracking of toads at the front near Darwin in 2005, reveal much faster westwards expansion than was recorded in earlier stages of toad invasion through Queensland. Since reaching the wet-dry tropics of the Northern Territory, the toads have progressed an average of approximately 55 km year−1 (mean rate of advance 264 m night−1 along a frequently monitored 55-km road transect during the wet season of 2004–2005). Radiotracking suggests that this displacement is due to rapid locomotion by free-ranging toads rather than human-assisted dispersal; individual toads frequently moved >200 m in a single night. One radiotracked toad moved >21 800 m in a 30-day period; the fastest rate of movement yet recorded for any anuran. Daily displacements of radiotracked toads varied with time and local weather conditions, and were highest early in the wet season on warm, wet and windy nights. The accelerated rate of expansion of the front may reflect either, or both: (i) evolved changes in toads or (ii) that toads have now entered an environment more favourable to spread. This accelerated rate of expansion means that toads will reach the Western Australian border and their maximal range in northern Australia sooner than previously predicted.


Breast carcinoma is the most common cancer and cause of death among females worldwide, including Jordan. The risk factors for breast carcinoma are linked to DNA mutation and failure of DNA repair or detoxification systems. Identification of susceptibility factors that predispose individuals to breast carcinoma if they are exposed to particular environmental agents might give further insight into the etiology of this malignancy. The glutathione S-transferase (GST) enzyme family detoxifies carcinogenic compounds. Several genes that code for these enzymes are polymorphic, with particular genotypes previously shown to confer an increased carcinoma risk. The present study investigates GST-pi polymorphism in 100-tissue samples previously diagnosed as breast carcinoma, and in 48 non-cancer age-matched breast tissues, using the restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) method for the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) product. Among breast cancer cases, 58%, 40% and 2% were homozygous (Ile/Ile), heterozygous (Ile/Val) and homozygous (Val/Val) respectively. In the control group, 58%, 37.5% and 4.2% were homozygous (Ile/Ile), heterozygous (Ile/Val), and homozygous (Val/Val) respectively. Our results did not support the involvement of GST-pi gene polymorphism in susceptibility to breast carcinoma in the tested North Jordanian female population.


Abstract Objective: This study sought to assess patterns of flavored tobacco product (FTP) use and their associations with (1) susceptibility to smoke cigarettes among young adults aged 18–29 who have never smoked; (2) quit attempts in the past 12 months among current cigarette users by age group (18–29, 30–49, and 50+). Methods: We used the 2013–2014 National Adult Tobacco Survey (n = 75,233) to estimate the prevalence of single-, dual-, and poly-use of FTP (menthol cigarettes, e-cigarettes, cigars, regular pipes/hookahs, and smokeless). Logistic regression models were performed to examine the associations between FTP use and smoking behaviors. Results: Among current tobacco users, young adults aged 18–29 (72.7%) had a higher prevalence of FTP use than other age groups (30–49: 51.7% and 50+: 37.9%). For FTP use within each age group, dual- and poly-FTP use was most popular among young adults aged 18–29 and menthol cigarette use was most popular among older adults aged 50+. Compared with not using any tobacco products, FTP use was associated with higher odds of susceptibility to cigarette smoking among young adult never smokers (single FTP use: aOR =5.5, CI: 4.2–7.3; dual/poly FTP use: aOR =10.7, CI: 6.2–18.4). FTP use was not associated with quit attempts among current cigarettes users aged under 50, while dual/poly-FTP use was associated with higher odds of quit attempts among current cigarette users aged 50 + (aOR =1.7, CI: 1.2–2.4). Conclusions: This study shows the heterogeneity of FTP use among adults by age group and demonstrates its associations with susceptibility to cigarette smoking among young adult never smokers.


Estimates of the magnitudes of changes in third-order (0.522 m.y.) eustasy were obtained for Oligocene sequences defined by a suite of largely onshore boreholes of the New Jersey coastal plain. Benthic foraminiferal biofacies and multiple age constraints in a sequence stratigraphic framework formed the database for this study. The geometry of the margin through time was determined using two-dimensional backstripping. The depth ranges of benthic foraminiferal biofacies were determined from a combination of standard factor analysis techniques and the backstripped geometries. Benthic foraminiferal biofacies were then used to determine the depths of the Oligocene margin profiles obtained from backstripping. The water depths of 16 of these horizons were confirmed by independent benthic biofacies determinations from at least two wells. This internal consistency indicates that the data and the twodimensional backstripping approach were robust. Where benthic biofacies require a vertical shift of the horizons generated by two-dimensional backstripping, eustatic changes were required and were readily calculated. Results indicate a major eustatic fall from the end of the Eocene to the first record of Oligocene deposition. Subsequent long-term shoaling of sea level through the Oligocene was ;30 m in 10 m.y. Superimposed on this long-term trend were higher frequency (third-order) variations in eustasy with amplitudes of ;40 m or less.


Time-aligned lyrics can enrich the music listening experience by enabling karaoke, text-based song retrieval and intra-song navigation, and other applications. Compared to text-to-speech alignment, lyrics alignment remains highly challenging, despite many attempts to combine numerous sub-modules including vocal separation and detection in an effort to break down the problem. Furthermore, training required fine-grained annotations to be available in some form. Here, we present a novel system based on a modified Wave-U-Net architecture, which predicts character probabilities directly from raw audio using learnt multi-scale representations of the various signal components. There are no sub-modules whose interdependencies need to be optimized. Our training procedure is designed to work with weak, line-level annotations available in the real world. With a mean alignment error of 0.35s on a standard dataset our system outperforms the state-of-the-art by an order of magnitude.


Objective: This study was directed to evaluate the regenerative potential of simvastatin (SIM) on dental pulp stem cells (DPCSs) and Adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) in non-vital immature dogs' teeth both histologically and radiographically. Methods: The present study was carried out on 6 adult healthy male mongrel dogs aged from 4 to 6 months and their weight ranged from 12 to 17 kg. Three premolars (two rooted) in each quadrant were included in this study summing up the total number of teeth to 72. Endodontic access cavities were prepared in all experimental teeth in the buccal surface and the vital pulps of teeth were exposed till confirmation of radiolucency. Then triple antibiotic paste was used for disinfection of root canals for 3 weeks. After disinfection period, the teeth were divided into two groups: group 1; treated with dental pulp stem cells and simvastatin while group 2; was treated with adipose-derived stem cells and simvastatin. Both groups were evaluated histologically and radiographically after 1 week, 1 month and 3 months. Results: Better radiographic and histologic findings were found in the group treated with dental pulp stem cells with simvastatin than groups treated with adipose-derived stem cells and simvastatin after 1 week, 1 month and 3 months of evaluation periods. Conclusions: Under the condition of this study, simvastatin aids in regeneration of infected immature dog's teeth with the ability of producing functional dentin-pulp complex and inclusion of dental pulp stem cells seemed to improve the outcomes of attempted regeneration.


The student of human geography is often puzzled that, during the past 3000 years, the highly civilized and sea-faring peoples of Asia left so little mark on the adjacent land mass of Australia, whose human inhabitants remained at the neolithic stage of hunting and food-gathering. When the student has had a look at 'unimproved' areas of that continent, he is less puzzled. Millions of years of weathering of the stable ancient land surface have left much of it impoverished in nutrients for plants and animals. Much of the rest is desiccated. In most areas, the early European settlers were dependent on sheep, that could range far in search of nutrients, concentrated by such of the highly specialized flora as is edible. The resultant stringy carcasses (eked by kangaroo meat) fed the settlers, while sheep's wool, reduced by the starvation conditions to what the trade calls 'fine quality', was easy to transport and commanded a good price. In more fortunate countries, the produce of the land has been traditionally regarded as an annual benefaction by a fertility deity. In Australia, the new doctrine for farmers, taught by von Liebig and based on the conservation of the chemical elements, was tested in practice more willingly than in other parts. Perhaps, anyway, the manner of selection of the original European settlers caused them and their descendants to be enterprising and receptive to new ideas above the average. The whole history of development of Australian rural life is full of examples of highly individual approach and initiative in coping with a harsh environment. Hedley Marston's life led him into that frontier region where geochemistry and biochemistry impinge on farming. Seen from the opposite side of the world, the man and his works seem in some way to typify the Australian approach. On inspection at closer range, the typical is obscured by the idiosyncratic.


KAWASAKI, H., YAMANISHI, Y., MIYAKE, M., MURA, T. and IKAWA, S. Ageand Sex-Related Profiles of Serum Primary and Total Bile Acids in Infants, Children and Adults. Tohoku J. exp. Med., 1986, 150 (3), 353-357 The relation of age and sex to serum primary (PBA) and total bile acid (TBA) concentrations was evaluated by an enzymatic fluorometric microassay in healthy infants, children and adults. TBA concentrations were the highest in the 6-dayold group and 1-month-old group and seemed to switch to almost normal adult levels by the age of 4-6 years, which persisted throughout life, while PBA concentrations were predominant over a period of 3 days to 3 months after birth. No sex-related differences were observed from neonates to very old persons for any of serum bile acids. These results show that the bile acid metabolism in the liver and the enterohepatic circulation of bile acids are usually matured in infancy and that aging and sex may insignificantly affect serum bile acid metabolic profiles. age ; sex ; primary bile acids ; total bile acids


In adhering to Article III of its Constitution the FDI must take the initiative to promote oral health programmes worldwide by disseminating information, by developing and monitoring new programmes and recommending improvements after evaluation. These activities should be mediated through the Commission on Oral Health Research and Epidemiology which brings together the necessary internationally based expertise.


Information logistics (IL) is understood as the process of planning, implementing and controlling cross-unit data flows as well as storage and provisioning of respective data - as long as data is used for unitpsilas decision support. IL creates significant business value - but mostly for other units and in the future while costs occur now at the IT units. As a consequence, managerial aspects of IL like requirements analysis, strategic alignment, financials, organizational design and architecture design need more attention than technical issues. This article defines IL, discusses its managerial challenges, and sketches first solutions.


OBJECTIVE
We sought to determine whether postcesarean treatment of rats with growth hormone (GH) affected the strength of the uterine incision in the puerperium and in a subsequent pregnancy.

STUDY DESIGN
Forty-eight near-term pregnant rats were delivered by cesarean section. Half received subcutaneous recombinant human GH (2.0 mg x kg(-1) x d(-1)) for 7 days; control animals received saline injections. Four weeks after delivery, the uterine bursting pressure was determined in 5 treated and 5 control animals. Eight rats in each group were used to study uterine hydroxyproline concentrations and the histologic characteristics of the scar. Twenty-two animals were rebred 30 to 40 days after their cesarean sections. After repeat cesarean delivery, on day 19, the bursting pressure and hydroxyproline concentrations of the previous hysterotomy scar were determined.

RESULTS
The uterine horn bursting pressure in the GH-treated animals was significantly greater than that in the control animals both 28 days postpartum and near term in a subsequent pregnancy. The uterine hydroxyproline concentrations followed the same pattern. Histologic study of the scars showed they were thicker and had less cellularity in the treated animals than in the control animals.

CONCLUSION
Postcesarean treatment with GH increased the bursting strength of rat uterine incisions. This effect was accompanied by a significant increase in collagen content and persisted through a subsequent pregnancy.


People's personalities and identities are very malleable and can be influenced by factors such as the
environment they live and work in, different roles as well as different expectations that society puts
on them. This might lead them to change the way they behave, by how they're expected to behave
and how they would behave when their roles are changed. The study aims at exploring how job role
changes have led to changes in identities, in the form of how they deal with themselves as well as
others, such as while managing teams, decision making, conflicts and managing other people or how
they behave in their personal lives. A survey was conducted on individuals from the corporate sector
who have more than ten years of working experience and recently have a job role change. The survey
consists of a 13-item questionnaire. The survey was completed by 171 individuals. In statistical
analysis, descriptive statistical methods were used. It was found out that job role changes led to
changes in some aspects of their identities like decision-making skills, and personality traits and these
changes have changed them for the better. Some aspects do not change after changes in job roles like
their relationship with family members and friendship at the workplace. Results showed that
individual differences play an important role as it depends on person to person how they cope with
and respond to the changes at the workplace


This study assesses a bi-layer composite concept for mitigating the severity of injury due to translational blunt impact of an unprotected head at moderately high speeds. The concept comprises crushable foam and a stiff face-sheet on the impacting face. Approximate analytical models for acceleration–time histories of prototypical impact scenarios are used to guide the design. The key design variables probed experimentally are the crushing strength of the underlying foam and the tile size. The efficacy of the composite systems and the foams alone is ascertained through a series of drop impact tests with an instrumented head-form at a representative impact velocity (6.7 m/s, 15 mph), using three commercial viscoelastic foams, with and without face-sheets. The measurements are analysed in terms of five performance metrics: the peak acceleration, the Gadd severity index (GSI), the head injury criterion (HIC), the skull fracture correlate (SFC) and the head impact power (HIP). The experiments demonstrate that, with the addition of a face-sheet, each of these metrics can be reduced substantially (by as much as a factor of two) relative to those of the foam alone. The benefits derive from spreading of contact forces over a larger area of foam by the face-sheet.


Realistic simulation and manipulation of virtual cloth based on energy minimization techniques require higher computations. A model realizing force as well as shape to manipulate the virtual cloth demands even more computational cost. Mesh resolution of cloth has a great effect on the computational cost of cloth simulation. Therefore, granularity of mesh must be chosen in a manner that represents the cloth with a minimum computational cost and maintaining the quality (reality) of simulation. In this paper, we propose the adaptive mesh refinement combined with coarsening (AMRC) to have maximum possible efficiency and to maintain the acceptable reality. In addition, we propose an efficient parallel implementation in OpenMP to speed up the processing. AMRC changes the mesh density during execution time and requires the dynamic redistribution of load. A scheme of creating Active-List has been developed to manage the load balancing. We have parallelized the cloth simulation with a satisfactory efficiency by analyzing communication and synchronization overheads caused by OpenMP.


This study demonstrates the Anti-oxidant and Anti-inflammatory activity of ethyl acetate extract of the aerial parts of Argimone Mexicana. Inflammation was induced in mice by Croton oil induced ear edema, Croton oil induced capillary permeability and Cotton pellet granuloma pouch. Ethyl acetate extract of Argimone Mexicana was found to be certain chemicals like alkaloids and fixed oils. The lethal dose (LD 50) selected was 2000 mg/kg body weight. Hence experimental doses were selected as 1/10 and 1/5 dose of Argimone Mexicana extract. Antioxidant and Anti-inflammatory activity of ethyl acetate extract of the aerial parts of Argimone Mexicana was compared with standard anti-inflammatory agent Indomethacin. The present investigation revealed that, Argimone Mexicana exhibit statistically significant anti-oxidant activity and extract at low dose (200 mg/kg) and high dose (400 mg/kg). The results showed statically significant reduction in ear edema, capillary permeability and in granuloma. This activity may be due to the presence of alkaloids and fixed oils.


This paper is an excerpt of a comprehensive examination of the global bulk vitamins cartels of the 1990s. In terms of its precision and breadth of coverage, the quantitative information now available on vitamins surpasses that of almost any other modern cartel. For example, the internal records of the major defendants have yielded monthly transaction prices for 53 bulk vitamin products over periods of up to 22 years. Evidence is presented that these 16 interrelated cartels were the largest discovered international price-fixing schemes of the late 20th century in terms of affected commerce and direct overcharges. On the other hand, the percentage increases in bulk vitamin prices wrought by the cartels were merely average. The formation of the cartels by and large occurred in markets that were in terms of their structures and historical modes of behavior ideally suited for overt collusion. Although organizationally similar in many respects, the cartels also displayed a wondrous variety of collusive conducts. Only six of the cartels died natural deaths. There is little question that the convicted members of the vitamins cartels were in absolute monetary terms the most heavily sanctioned defendants in the history of antitrust law. Yet, it is equally non-controvertible that the impressive corporate monetary sanctions imposed worldwide were inadequate to deter recidivism.


In this paper the autocorrelation structure of the Exponential GARCH(p,q) process of Nelson (1991) is considered. Conditions for the existence of any arbitrary unconditional moment are given. Furthermore, the expressions for the kurtosis and the autocorrelations of squared observations are derived. The properties of the autocorrelation structure are discussed and compared to those of the standard GARCH(p,q) process. In particular, it is seen that, the EGARCH(p,q) model has a richer autocorrelation structure than the standard GARCH(p,q) one. The statistical theory is further illustrated by a few special cases such as the symmetric and the asymmetric EGARCH(2,2) models under the assumption of normal errors or non-normal errors. The autocorrelations computed from an estimated EGARCH(2,1) model of Nelson (1991) are highlighted.


Increased demand for an advertised product may increase price, that, in turn, may lead to a free rider problem where competitive imports increase and result in a smaller price increase than otherwise. A study of Florida Department of Citrus advertising for orange juice indicated that the free rider problem has notably limited the impact of advertising on price in the US market. High US orange juice demand, which in part has been a result of advertising, has attracted substantial amounts of orange juice imports. Imports have eroded the impact of advertising on price by an estimated two-thirds. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.


We propose a novel scheme for final muon ionization cooling with quadrupole doublets followed by emittance exchange in vacuum to achieve the small beam sizes needed by a muon collider. A flat muon beam with a series of quadrupole doublet half cells appears to provide the strong focusing required for final cooling. Each quadrupole doublet has a low beta region occupied by a dense, low Z absorber. After final cooling, normalized transverse, longitudinal, and angular momentum emittances of 0.100, 2.5, and 0.200 mm-rad are exchanged into 0.025, 70, and 0.0 mm-rad. A skew quadrupole triplet transforms a round muon bunch with modest angular momentum into a flat bunch with no angular momentum. Thin electrostatic septa efficiently slice the flat bunch into 17 parts. The 17 bunches are interleaved into a 3.7 meter long train with RF deflector cavities. Snap bunch coalescence combines the muon bunch train longitudinally in a 21 GeV ring in 55 microseconds, one quarter of a synchrotron oscillation period. A linear long wavelength RF bucket gives each bunch a different energy causing the bunches to drift in the ring until they merge into one bunch and can be captured in a short wavelength RF bucket with a 13% muon decay loss and a packing fraction as high as 87%.


ABSTRACT Toxigenic Vibrio cholerae strains are lysogens of CTXΦ, a filamentous phage which encodes cholera toxin. The receptor for CTXΦ for invading V. cholerae cells is the toxin-coregulated pilus (TCP), the genes for which reside in a larger genetic element, the TCP pathogenicity island. We analyzed 146 CTX-negative strains of V. cholerae O1 or non-O1 isolated from patients or surface waters in five different countries for the presence of the TCP pathogenicity island, the regulatory genetoxR, and the CTXΦ attachment sequence attRS, as well as for susceptibility of the strains to CTXΦ, to investigate the molecular basis for the emergence of new clones of toxigenicV. cholerae. DNA probe or PCR assays for tcpA,tcpI, acfB, toxR, andattRS revealed that 6.85% of the strains, all of which belonged to the O1 serogroup, carried the TCP pathogenicity island,toxR, and multiple copies of attRS, whereas the remaining 93.15% of the strains were negative for TCP but positive for either one or both or neither of toxR andattRS. An analysis of the strains for susceptibility to CTXΦ, using a genetically marked derivative of the phage CTX-KmΦ, showed that all TCP-positive CTX-negative strains and 1 of 136 TCP-negative strains were infected by the phage either in vitro or in the intestines of infant mice. The phage genome integrated into the chromosome of infected V. cholerae O1 cells forming stable lysogens. Comparative analysis of rRNA gene restriction patterns revealed that the lysogens derived from nontoxigenic progenitors were either closely related to or distinctly different from previously described clones of toxigenic V. cholerae. To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of lysogenic conversion of naturally occurring nontoxigenic V. cholerae strains by CTXΦ. The results of this study further indicated that strains belonging to the O1 serogroup of V. cholerae are more likely to possess the TCP pathogenicity island and hence to be infected by CTXΦ, leading to the origination of potential new epidemic clones.


This article presents new evidence of gendered work patterns in the pre‐industrial economy, providing an overview of women's work in early modern England. Evidence of 4,300 work tasks undertaken by particular women and men was collected from three types of court documents (coroners' reports, church court depositions, and quarter sessions examinations) from five counties in south‐western England (Cornwall, Devon, Hampshire, Somerset, and Wiltshire) between 1500 and 1700. The findings show that women participated in all the main areas of the economy. However, different patterns of gendered work were identified in different parts of the economy: craft work showed a sharp division of labour and agriculture a flexible division of labour, while differences of gender were less pronounced in everyday commerce. Quantitative evidence of early modern housework and care work in England indicates that such work used less time and was less family‐based than is often assumed. Comparisons with gendered work patterns in early modern Germany and Sweden are drawn and show strong similarities to England. In conclusion it is argued that the gender division of labour cannot be explained by a single factor, as different influences were at play in different parts of the economy.