ABSTRACT Based on the analysis of extant research, this study identified the knowledge and skills that merchandising professionals need to succeed in the retail industry. These knowledge and skills were systematically analysed and categorised into in several constructs, categories, and types to create a comprehensive classification. Based on this classification system, an apparel merchandising competency (AMC) framework was proposed. The AMC framework is an important contribution to the body of literature and has significant practical and theoretical implications. Both retailers and educators can use the AMC framework as it is specific to apparel merchandising and exemplifies the relevant knowledge and skills required by apparel merchandisers in the retail industry. This can be useful for developing curricula, guiding corporate training of new employees and interns, thereby, assisting retailers in increasing their competitiveness within the industry by installing the necessary knowledge and skills into their workforce.


The work and lifestyle aboard vessels at sea has always been a special kind of life, with long working days, shift work with nocturnal working hours and long working periods that keeps the seafarer from home. The work aboard ships has become more sedentary since the introduction of computers and less crowded with the development of technology and various machines. Because of this and the lack of the free daily physical activity that you get ashore, puts extra pressure on the individual sailor to maintain a regular exercise habit in order to keep a healthy lifestyle while onboard. Regular exercise has been proven to have a lot of health benefits, such as weight reduction, improve stress tolerance, prevent or at least decrease the negative effects of fatigue related to shift work. The idea was to highlight the importance of regular exercise and the purpose of the study is to investigate the seafarers exercise habits and how the seafarers experience the eventual support and encouragement from their employer. The research was conducted by compiling an online based questionnaire that was distributed to the individual sailor through the company's HR department. The theory is compiled from scientific articles and research papers about the different risk factors related to a sedentary lifestyle and the benefits of exercise. The results of this study show that the participants keep a relatively high exercise frequency, consisting of mostly cardio and weight training, with the main goal of improving their physics. The majority of the participants felt that they do have time to exercise while onboard, despite the time limitations of shift work and lack of energy from long working hours. About half of the participants does not feel any support from their employer regarding physical activity, but only 15 percent use the healthcare allowance that they are offered. Therefore, the shipping companies need to find other ways to activate and motivate their employees onboard.


SUMMARY— The standard procedure for determining trace metals in biological materials requires the ashing of the sample to obtain an aqueous solution. Once this sample is prepared, numerous methods may be employed to determine the metal content. With oils the common ashing techniques lead to serious errors because of spattering, foaming, and volatilization of the sample. In the past, several methods have been developed to eliminate the ashing procedure but large samples (20–50 g) or special equipment was necessary. To allow use of very small oil samples (0.5–2 g) for determining iron and copper, solvent procedures which eliminated the ashing step were developed. The iron procedure is based on the standard aqueous 1,10-o-phenanthroline method modified to employ an initial solvent extraction procedure. Comparison of this method with the aqueous ash procedure on oils of known iron content showed the methods to be equivalent in precision. The solvent procedure is capable of determining 0.1 ppm of iron in the oil. The direct solvent copper procedure based on the sodium-diethyldithiocarbamate aqueous method showed similar results. Because of the ease of performance and the small sample size required, these tests would be useful in food and biological research.


16 lung large cell carcinomas (13 of them were followed for a long time) were studied. It is established that these tumours are a heterogeneous group of neoplasms which may be undifferentiated or with squamous, glandular, oncocytic and endocrine differentiation. Ultrastructural classification is presented reflecting diagnostic and prognostic aspects of these tumours. Tumours with pneumocytes type II, oncocytic differentiation and many lipid inclusions have more favourable prognosis. Unfavourable prognosis is typical for large cell carcinoma formed of undifferentiated cells only or with differentiation in the direction of goblet cells.


Artificial intelligence (AI) promises a significant transformation of health care in all medical areas, which could represent "Gutenberg moment" for medicine. The future of medical specialties came largely from human interaction and creativity, forcing physicians to evolve and use AI as a tool in patient care. AI will offer patients safety, autonomy, and access to timely medical care in hard-to-reach areas while reducing administrative burden, screen time, and professional burnout for physicians. AI will also make it possible to reduce the frequency of medical errors and improve diagnostic accuracy through the integration, analysis, and interpretation of information by algorithms and software. The safety of repetitive activities will free up time for health personnel and will enhance the doctor-patient relationship, return to personalized attention and interaction with the patient, through accompaniment, communication, empathy, and trust during illness, activities that will never be replaced by AI. It is still necessary to standardize research in the area, which allows improving the quality of scientific evidence knowing its advantages and risks, accelerating its implementation in current medical practice.


This work investigates the preferred environment of local Luminous IR Galaxies (LIRGs) in terms of the host halos that they inhabit, and in comparison to a control galaxy sample. The LIRGs are drawn from the IRAS Point Source Catalogue redshift survey (PSCz), while the control sample is drawn from the 2MASS redshift survey (2MRS). A friends-of-friends algorithm was run on the 2MRS sample to identify galaxies living in the same dark matter halos and the PSCz galaxies were then associated with these identified halos. We show that the relative probability of finding local LIRGs with respect to 2MASS galaxies is largest in approximately group size halos (Mhalo � 10 13 M⊙), and declines both in the cluster regime and in smaller halos. This confirms, using a different technique than in previous work, that local LIRGs are indeed more abundant in group environments than elsewhere. We also find a trend between the LIR values of LIRGs and their location within their host dark matter halos, such that the average location of LIRGs with high IR luminosity is closer to the halo centre than for low IR luminosity galaxies. Moreover, this trend does not seem to depend on halo mass.


The Yucatan Peninsula draws many North American and European travelers each year to view the ruins of the pre-Columbian Classical Maya civilization and the abundant native flora and fauna. For these travelers, as well as armchair travelers and students, Gary Bevington has prepared the first general English-language introduction to Yucatec Maya, the native language of the people indigenous to the region. Written in nontechnical terms for learners who have a basic knowledge of simple Mexican Spanish, the book presents easily understood, practical information for anyone who would like to communicate with the Maya in their native language. In addition to covering the pronunciation and grammar of Maya, Bevington includes invaluable tips on learning indigenous languages in the field. Most helpful are his discussions of the cultural and material worlds of the Maya, accompanied by essential words and expressions for common objects and experiences. A Maya-English-Spanish glossary with extensive usage examples and an English-Maya glossary conclude the book.


Objective Several evolutionary theories contend that religion is critical to stabilizing risky coordination in situations where kin-selection and reciprocity might be insufficient. These theories argue that religions provide a mechanism for finding trustworthy group members by requiring individuals to signal their commitment to group norms through ritual behaviors that impose fitness costs. However, in anonymous contexts, the frequency or intensity of ritual participation usually cannot be observed; therefore, people use religious badges as proxies for ritual participation to facilitate cooperation. Research on American undergraduates showed that people adoring religious badges are indeed trusted more. Surprisingly, this effect extended even across religious divides, which is in contrast with the assumption that religions facilitate only within-group cooperation, often at the expense of competing groups. We test this conjecture in Mauritius and further investigate how religious identities interact with other essential group-membership signals, such as ancestry. Methods Ninety-seven Mauritian Christians and Hindus first rated the trustworthiness of 10 faces on a computer, which varied according to religious and ethnic identity. We digitally manipulated these faces to adore a religious badge that indicated ritual participation and that was either congruent or non-congruent with the faces' ethnic identity. Upon rating the faces, participants played a modified version of the Trust Game, in which they distributed endowed money among these faces. Results We find that markers of ritual participation increase monetary investments only among ingroups and not across religious divides. Moreover, out-group religious markers on faces of in-group ancestry decreased reported trustworthiness. Conclusion Our findings suggest that local ecologies influence the relationships between religion and trust. Markers of ritual participation were associated with cooperative behavior among religious ingroups, but seeing people adoring out-group religious badges may have opposite effects. We conclude that ritual behaviors evolved to facilitate within-group cooperation, and to some extent regulate coalitions.


Directory-based protocols have been proposed as an efficient means of implementing cache coherence in large-scale shared-memory multiprocessors. This thesis explores the tradeoffs in the design of cache coherence directories by examining the organization of the directory information, the options in the design of the coherency protocol, and the implementation of the directory and protocol.
The traditional directory organization that maintains a full valid bit vector per directory entry is unsuitable for large-scale machines due to high storage overhead. This thesis proposes several alternate organizations. Limited pointers directories replace the bit vector with several pointers that indicate those caches containing the data. Although this scheme performs well across a wide range of workloads, its performance does not improve as the read/write ratio becomes very large. To address this drawback, a dynamic pointer allocation directory is proposed. This directory allocates pointers from a pool to particular memory blocks as they are needed. Since the pointers may be allocated to any block on the memory module, the probability of running short of pointers is very small. Among the set of possible organizations, dynamic pointer allocation lies at an attractive cost/performance point.
Measuring the performance impact of three coherency protocol features makes the virtues of simplicity clear. Adding a clean/exclusive state to reduce the time required to write a clean block results in only modest performance improvement. Using request forwarding to transfer a dirty block directly to another cache that has requested it yields similar results. For small cache block sizes, write hits to clean blocks can be simply treated as write misses without incurring significant extra network traffic. Protocol features designed to improve performance must be examined carefully, for they often complicate the protocol without offering substantial benefit.
Implementing directory-based coherency presents several challenges. Methods are described for preventing deadlock, maintaining a model of parallel execution, handling subtle situations caused by temporary inconsistencies between cache and directory state, and tolerating out-of-order message delivery. Using these techniques, cache coherence can be added to large-scale multiprocessors in an inexpensive yet effective manner.


Abstract The extraction of palynomorphs from sedimentary rocks and unconsolidated sediments has traditionally used hydrochloric acid (HCl) and hydrofluoric acid (HF) to remove the matrix by dissolution. The use of these, and other, acids in palynological preparation requires significant laboratory infrastructure, and may produce hazardous and potentially environmentally damaging waste. An effective technique of palynomorph preparation using sodium hexametaphosphate [(NaPO3)6] was recently developed. This technique was initially demonstrated on a suite of samples of Early Jurassic to Quaternary age. In this study, non‐acid preparation techniques were tested on 11 samples of Ordovician, Carboniferous, Jurassic and Paleogene age from the UK. In four of the six case studies described herein, the rock was prepared quantitatively using both the traditional mineral acid technique and the (NaPO3)6 procedure. In the Carboniferous case study, the two samples were prepared quantitatively using HCl/HF, (NaPO3)6 and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). In the quantitative preparations, the concentrations of palynomorphs can be directly compared. Two non‐quantitative case studies were undertaken using (NaPO3)6 only, in order to demonstrate that this method is of practical utility. The (NaPO3)6 and H2O2 methods generally proved to be as effective as the mineral acid procedure. However the results from the three Paleozoic samples proved somewhat variable. The Early Ordovician sample 1 did not break down in (NaPO3)6, and consequently the palynomorph yield from this sample was extremely poor, compared to the acid preparation. Two Lower Carboniferous samples were prepared using all three methods. In sample 2, all the methods were effective, although the H2O2 technique proved less effective than those using mineral acids and (NaPO3)6. In this sample, both the non‐acid methods produced palynomorph assemblages cleaner of extraneous woody material than the residue produced by the acid digestion method. By contrast, in Carboniferous sample 3, the acid preparation was far better than those from the two non‐acid preparations. It appears that mudrocks which are relatively indurated are not consistently disaggregated using (NaPO3)6 and/or H2O2. It may be possible to adapt these non‐acid techniques so that they are more efficient on these relatively hard lithotypes. The samples would need to be softened prior to treatment with (NaPO3)6 and/or H2O2. Even on relatively hard lithotypes, some palynomorphs were extracted using (NaPO3)6 and H2O2. This confirms that non‐acid methods can be used on harder rocks if a preliminary age assessment is required and/or the full laboratory facilities are unavailable. The (NaPO3)6 technique proved extremely effective in the two quantitative Jurassic case studies. These were on the Oxford Clay and Kimmeridge Clay formations (Callovian‐Oxfordian and Kimmeridgian respectively). In samples 4, 6 and 7, both methods gave similar palynomorph yields. However in sample 5 from the Oxford Clay Formation, the acid preparation proved less palynologically productive than the material prepared using (NaPO3)6. Palynomorph diversity was also higher in Oxford Clay Formation samples 4 and 5, prepared with (NaPO3)6. In samples 6 and 7 from the Kimmeridge Clay Formation, the palynomorph diversity, preservation and yield were closely comparable. However, the HCl/HF preparations proved extremely rich in amorphous organic material as compared to the (NaPO3)6 slides. It therefore appears that (NaPO3)6 is effective at disaggregating amorphorgen in addition to clay minerals. This means that this reagent may be used as an alternative to nitric acid (HNO3) and other strong oxidizing agents for cleaning organic residues of amorphous organic material. More studies should be done using (NaPO3)6 to prove its effectiveness in dispersing amorphogen. The two non‐quantitative case studies prepared only using (NaPO3)6 were also successful. Three samples (8–10) of Early, Mid and Late Jurassic age and sample 11 of Paleogene age all produced abundant, well‐preserved and diverse palynofloras. This indicates that the (NaPO3)6 procedure can prepare palynomorph assemblages from Mesozoic and Cenozoic mudrocks as effectively as the HCl/HF procedure.


We study decision procedures for two knowledge problems critical to the verification of security protocols, namely the intruder deduction and the static equivalence problems. These problems can be related to particular forms of context matching and context unification. Both problems are defined with respect to an equational theory and are known to be decidable when the equational theory is given by a subterm convergent term rewrite system. In this note we extend this to consider a subterm convergent equational term rewrite system defined modulo an equational theory, like Commutativity or Associativity-Commutativity. We show that for certain classes of such equational theories, namely the shallow classes, the two knowledge problems remain decidable.


"What inspires the learner or scholar in the field of architecture, as a need to satisfy, is the ability of the architect to deal with many of the architectural trends at the same time through the identification and investment in the creation of architectural configurations acceptable or have the balance among many architects. This approach has united the idea that architecture originated from a single source connected to man and his continuous quest to create an acceptable and acceptable environment. What interested the research is dealing with the Islamization of deconstruct architecture. The research found the emerged from the architecture of deconstruct has achieved disjointed products of interpretation has been struck with the intention of the concept of unification in the architecture of Islam by abolishing the social concept and the impact of this in the creation of a unified architecture. While dealing with the texts shown in the Quran has achieved deconstruct as a purification of information by dealing with the phenomenon of production, it maintains its composition and do not deal with the deconstructive vision common to them. Or the circumference of the phenomenon as manipulated by the deconstruction through a distortion of the apparent configurations."


The Mixed Least Squares Meshfree (MDLSM) method has shown its appropriate efficiency for solving Partial Differential Equations (PDEs) related to the engineering problems. The method is based on the minimizing the residual functional. The residual functional is defined as a summation of the weighted residuals on the governing PDEs and the boundaries. The Moving Least Squares (MLS) is usually applied in the MDLSM method for constructing the shape functions. Although the required consistency and compatibility for the approximation function are satisfied by the MLS, the method loses its appropriate efficiency when the nodal points cluster become too much. In the current study, the mentioned drawback is overcome using the novel approximation function called Mapped Moving Least Squares (MMLS). In this approach, the cluster of closed nodal was pointed maps to standard nodal distribution. Then the approximation function and its derivatives were computed incorporating some consideration. The efficiency of suggested MMLS for overcoming the drawback of MLS was evaluated by approximating the mathematical function. The obtained results showed the ability of suggested MMLS method to solve the drawback. The suggested approximation function was applied in MDLSM method, and used for solving the Burgers equations. Obtained results approved the efficiency of suggested method. Review History: Received: 2 January 2018 Revised: 19 June 2018 Accepted: 5 August 2018 Available Online: 14 August 2018


Exercise scientists teach that since muscle glycogen utilisation occurs at high rates (during high-intensity exercise in carbohydrate-adapted athletes), all athletes must be advised to ingest large amounts of carbohydrate before and during exercise.1 ,2 But this does not seem entirely logical.

Why, for example, should athletes involved in prolonged submaximal exercise—probably the most common form of exercise performed by most elite and recreational athletes in training and competition—need always to eat high-carbohydrate diets in which at least 40–60% of calories are derived from carbohydrates? Surely our abundant body fat stores could provide most if not all the energy necessary to fuel activities of a submaximal intensity? Might our ability to use fat as a fuel during most activities explain the opinion that 'a conclusive endorsement of a high-carbohydrate diet (for improved athletic performance) based on the literature is difficult to make'.3

What of the long-term health consequences of habitually eating a high-carbohydrate diet especially for that increasing number of recreational athletes who may be unaware that they are insulin resistant (IR)4–⇓6 and for whom carbohydrates pose a major health hazard including the risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus? The recent finding that habitual marathon …


Seed and pollen transmission of alfalfa mosaic (AMV), cucumber mosaic (CMV) and bean yellow mosaic (BYMV) viruses was investigated in annual medic species (Medicago spp.). For seed transmission studies with AMV, graft inoculation was used to establish early infection and maximize possible transmission rates to seedlings via seed, but with CMV and BYMV aphid and/or graft inoculation was used. For pollen transmission studies, pollen taken from virus-infected plants was used to pollinate healthy plants, the seed collected and seedlings tested. The rates of AMV isolate OUI-2 transmission to seedlings through seed produced on infected plants ranged from 6 to 53% for commercial cultivars and from 7 to 65% for accessions. Accession DZA 3181.1.1 of M. sphaerocarpos had the highest overall AMV transmission rate. Only two cultivars, cvv. Borung and Hannaford of M. truncatula, and accession SA 4268 of M. orbicularis, had transmission rates of less than 10%. The rates of CMV transmission to seedlings via seed produced on infected plants of the cultivars and accessions tested were 0.3 to 13%, the greatest being found in M. polymorpha cv. Serena, but 6 out of 11 had no detectable transmission. The rates of BYMV transmission to seedlings via seed of the cultivars and accessions tested were 0.3 to 1%, but in 12 out of 15 none was detected. AMV isolate OUI-2 was transmitted to 52% of seedlings via seed produced on healthy M. polymorpha cv. Circle Valley plants pollinated from infected plants. In contrast, no transmission to seedlings by either graft-inoculation or pollination of M. polymorpha plants was detected with a second AMV isolate, OUI-1, which appeared to have lost its ablilty to be seed transmitted. No CMV or BYMV transmission to seedlings via pollination of healthy plants with pollen from infected plants was detected in M. polymorpha cvv. Circle Valley or Santiago. When empty immature pods, and dissected seed coats and embryos from immature seeds produced on AMV-infected plants of M. polymorpha were tested, AMV isolates OUI-I and OUI-2 were detected in all pods and seed coats, but only in 59% of embryos with isolate OUI-2 and in none with isolate OUI-1. CMV was detected in 12% of embryos tested from immature seeds produced on CMV-infected M. polymorpha cv. Serena plants. Transmission of all three viruses through seed, and of AMV through pollen, is cause for concern in annual medic breeding and evaluation programs. Moreover, carry-over outside the growing season in medic pastures is possible through seed with all three viruses.


We propose consensus propagation, an asynchronous distributed protocol for averaging numbers across a network. We establish convergence, characterize the convergence rate for regular graphs, and demonstrate that the protocol exhibits better scaling properties than pairwise averaging, an alternative that has received much recent attention. Consensus propagation can be viewed as a special case of belief propagation, and our results contribute to the belief propagation literature. In particular, beyond singly-connected graphs, there are very few classes of relevant problems for which belief propagation is known to converge


Sex steroid hormones play a central role in the development and progression of prostate and breast cancers. The biological functions of these and other steroid hormones are mediated by a family of closely related steroid hormone receptors (SHRs), with the androgen receptor (AR) mediating the effects of testosterone and related androgens, and the classical estrogen receptor (ERalpha) mediating the effects of estradiol. Recent studies have begun to elucidate the complex pathways through which SHRs regulate gene expression, and their interaction with other cellular pathways. These studies have also begun to reveal molecular mechanisms underlying the diverse spectrum of effects mediated by steroid hormone analogues in different tissues. A major advance has been the finding that certain drugs induce unique conformational changes in SHRs that alter their interactions with transcriptional coactivator and corepressor proteins, resulting in cell type specific responses. These unique conformational changes appear responsible for the tissue specific effects of the selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs) in breast cancer. SHRs are clearly well established therapeutic targets in cancer, and drug development has continued to focus on agents that either block steroid hormone production or bind to and modulate their receptors. The identification of multiple proteins and pathways that mediate the downstream functions of SHRs may eventually provide additional therapeutic targets. This review outlines the basic biology of SHR structure and function, with a focus on AR and ERalpha. Hormonal therapies in prostate and breast cancer that directly target AR and ERalpha, respectively, are then presented and possible novel drug targets in the SHR pathway are discussed.


The sedimentary cover of the East European Platform in the Łeba area (north-western Poland) encloses a Cambrian sequence that comprises almost all the equivalents of the stages distinguished in the classical section of Scandinavia. On the basis of macrofossils and partly microfossils the following zones and subzones have been recognized: MobergelIa, Hollmia, Protolenus (Lower Cambrian), Eccaparadoxides oelandicus (E. insularis, E. pinus), Paradoxides paradoxissimus (Hypagnostus parvifrons), Paradoxides forchhammeri (Middle Cambrian), Homagnostus obesus and Agnostus pisiformis, Orusia lenticularis, Peltura minor, and Peltura scarabeoides (Upper Cambrian). The Cambrian sediments overlie here the terrigenic sediment (Smoldzino Formation) of Vendian age.


A short summary of some speeches given during Seminar on Renewable Energy system (SERENE) is presented. The contributions have been mainly focused on power electronics for photovoltaic (PV) and sea wave energies, pointing out some aspects related to efficiency, reliability, and grid integration. Finally, main issues concerning fuel cell (FC) systems as generators based on hydrogen as a low environmental impact energy vector are presented.


One of Feynman's greatest contributions to physics was the interpretation of negative energies as antimatter in quantum field theory. A key component of this interpretation is the Feynman propagator, which seeks to describe the behavior of antimatter at the virtual particle level. Ironically, it turns out that one can dispense with the Feynman propagator in a direct-action theory of fields, while still retaining the interpretation of negative energy solutions as antiparticles.


Expanding Beta-Turn Analogs for Mimicking Protein-Protein Hot Spots. (August 2006) Samuel Onofre J. Reyes, B.S., University of the Philippines Los Baños Chair of Advisory Committee: Dr. Kevin Burgess Solid-phase syntheses of two 14-membered ring peptidomimetics were done to determine whether or not a beta-turn structure can facilitate macrocyclization. NMR methods, together with CD and QMD calculations, do not fully support this assumption. However, cyclizations of more ordered structures like those of compounds 2 were more efficient than those for highly strained ring systems like 1. A small library of 18-membered ring peptidomimetics that accommodate an extra amino acid residue was synthesized on resin. Their syntheses were not complicated by head-to-tail dimer impurity, unlike those for previously synthesized 14-membered systems. These larger macrocycles exhibit beta-turn structures as verified by NMR, CD and QMD techniques. Moreover, two compounds in this series (3a and 3g) were shown to have agonistic properties for TrkC in cell survival assays. Dimerization of monovalent mimics was achieved first by modifying the organic template so that monovalent mimics with requisite functional groups can be synthesized. Second, the monovalent units were dimerized using sequential nucleophilic substitutions on fluorescently labeled dichlorotriazine. Our rationale to make bivalent compounds out of monovalent ones was justified when compound 4 was shown to bind TrkA with a 20 nM affinity. Reactions of amino acids with NH4SCN under acylating conditions produced 2thiohydantoins in which the nitrogen of the amino acid (N) was acylated. This was proven by 2-D NMR which showed no cross-peak between the NH signal observed and the Cα-H of the amino acid. When the compound was deacylated, a new NH signal appeared and the corresponding cross-peak with the Cα-H was observed. iv Solution-phase syntheses of non-peptidic mimics were achieved by doing a double substitution on a dihalogenated nitrobenzene scaffold. Sonogashira and SNAr reactions were done to install the required side-chains to give the desired compounds. These non-peptidic compounds can be easily adapted to our DTAF-Inp dimerization protocol since the nitro groups can be easily reduced. Attempts to make a spirotetracyclic peptidomimetic with three side chain mimics were done by synthesizing the spirocyclic diketopiperazine precursor. The synthesis of the DKP was achieved by making the cyclic quaternary amino acid that was coupled to another amino acid via the HOAt-EDC method. This protocol gave dipeptides in high yields. These dipeptides were deprotected and cyclized to the DKP under mildly acidic conditions in toluene.


To date, the tunneling in China is experiencing an age of fast development for decades. The potential risks behind the huge amount of construction and operation works in China was first formally realized and managed after 2002. The transition of risk assessment from a qualitative manner to a quantitative manner is on the way from the research gradually to the practice. This paper tries to share some experiences in the quantitative risk management for tunneling in China by introducing novel techniques and associated practical applications. The fuzzy fault tree analysis is used for hazard identification, the conditional Markov chain for probability analysis of soil spatial uncertainty, the quantitative vulnerability analysis for consequence evaluation and the field data based statistics for environmental impact risk analysis. All these novel methods have been validated successfully by applying into real cases shown in the paper. The dynamic feature of risk management is appreciated due to the different stages and scenarios of a tunnel project. The real-time monitoring technique developed using the LEDs and MEMS coupled with WSN could visualize the risk to the worker on site timely. The resilience analysis model to incorporate the high-impact low-chance risk for tunnel lining structure is introduced in the end of paper, which could assist the engineers to make the decision on performance recovery strategies once the tunnel goes through a significant disruption


In Denmark there is a developed and well-organised advisory system. However, there is room for improvement. Many advisors experience that the farmers don't follow their advice, and therefore the same problems are discussed over and over. This entails that the advisors feel they lack impact and farmers feel the advising is inefficient and expensive. The job is therefore to make the utility value of the advising more visible, to motivate the farmers to exploit the full potentials of their production, and to make it clear to the farmer that the work of the advisors isn't just an expense, but a way to increase profits. The paper describes our work with advisers and farmers to find and develop methods, which can assist in obtaining these objectives. - Key account manager - No Cure No Pay - Benchmarking as a tool for motivation. In some regions the "key account manager"- idea is developing. The farmer has one advisor who is responsible for customer relations including optimisation of the relationship between the various advisors and the farmer. The paper describes how the advisors ensure that they meet the farmers' expectations. To make the value of advises even more obvious, we also work with contracts with integrated objectives for the farm. This ensures that the advisors are aware of the farmer's expectations and that the follow up part of the advising is at natural part of the process.


State Medicaid programs use preferred drug lists to help limit prescribing of high-cost drugs and, at the same time, to free providers from having to obtain prior authorization for a given prescription. We examined the impact of the Food and Drug Administration's May 2007 safety warning regarding rosiglitazone (Avandia), a diabetes drug found to raise the risk of heart attacks, on the drug's availability on state Medicaid preferred drug lists and on the prescribing of diabetes medications more generally for Medicaid beneficiaries. Nearly all state Medicaid programs covered rosiglitazone as a preferred drug, requiring no prior authorization, with minimal change after the safety warning. At the same time, the safety warning was associated with a greater-than-expected decline in rosiglitazone prescribing among states providing coverage as a preferred drug. This suggests that providers reacted to the safety warning by reducing prescriptions. However, Medicaid programs that did provide coverage of rosiglitazone as a preferred drug still exhibited prescribing rates that were three to five times greater than rates in programs that did not provide coverage without prior authorization. We conclude that state Medicaid programs missed important opportunities to promote safer, more effective prescribing in the wake of the 2007 safety warning about rosiglitazone by making full use of preferred drug lists and prior authorization programs.


People with extensive needs for support represent the last group of people routinely denied opportunities for literacy instruction. One of the major reasons for this lack of opportunity can be related to limited definitions of what constitutes literacy as a whole and reading and writing in particular. This article will explore the way in which definitions of literacy impact literacy opportunities for individuals with extensive needs for supports. We propose a set of core definitional principles and make explicit the assumptions underlying their inclusion. Our hope is that this will lead to a dialogue about how we define literacy and the implications this holds for the lives of people with extensive needs for support. Our work is based on the assumption that all individuals with extensive needs for support are fully capable of benefiting from literacy instruction and further that our field as a whole could benefit from a more optimistic and inclusive approach to literacy instruction. We conclude that the way in which we define literacy is powerful and essential to opening the final frontier of literacy opportunities to include people with extensive needs for support.


Nowadays, microplastics pollution has become a global concern as it endangers the ecology, marine animals, and cause health threats to human beings. This paper attempted to simulate an optical planar waveguide sensor for microplastics detection in water via Wave Optics Module-COMSOL Multiphysics®. The analyte refractive index was ranged from 1.4800 to 1.5000 RIU, in reference to the microplastics refractive index. The simulation results showed significant variations in the evanescent waves of the sensor at different analyte refractive indices, thus proving that the sensor has potential for microplastics detection in water with sensitivity of 0.0040 in dimensionless unit.


The aims of this study were to estimate the prevalence of familial cases in patients with Meniere's disease (MD) and to identify clinical differences between sporadic and familial MD. We recruited 1375 patients with definite MD according to the American Academy of Otolaryngology‐Head and Neck Surgery criteria, obtaining the familial history of hearing loss or episodic vertigo by direct interview or a postal survey in 1245 cases in a multicenter study. Familial clustering was estimated by the recurrence risk ratio in siblings (λs) and offspring (λo) using intermediate and high prevalence values for MD in European population. A total of 431 patients (34%) reported a familial history of hearing loss or recurrent vertigo and 133 patients had a relative with possible MD. After clinical reevaluation, 93 relatives in 76 families were diagnosed of definite MD (8.4%), including three pairs of monozygotic twins. λs and λo were 16–48 and 4–12, respectively. We observed genetic heterogeneity, but most families had an autosomal dominant inheritance with anticipation. No clinical differences were found between sporadic and familial MD, except for an early onset in familial cases. We may conclude that MD has a strong familial aggregation and that sporadic and familial MDs are clinically identical.


A tight control of the dopant surface concentration is important during phosphorus emitter diffusion due to the opposite requirements of a lowly doped emitter for good blue response and a sufficiently high surface concentration for a good ohmic contact. The Doped Oxide Solid Source (DOSS) diffusion technique is well suited for fine-tuning of the surface concentration. The sources are made in the laboratory using the standard POCl 3 diffusion technique and the source doping level can be controlled by changing the partial pressure of POCl 3 . DOSS diffusions were carried out in the temperature range 850-1050°C using sources with different doping levels obtained by varying the POCl 3 partial pressure from 0.004% to 4.28%.  The electrical profiles were measured using the Stripping Hall profiling technique. For the entire range of source doping concentrations and temperatures investigated, the obtained emitters were of the finite source emitter type and the profiles showed a surface concentration below the electrically active limit, thus implying the absence of a dead layer. The residual diffusion oxide was characterized using ellipsometry and XPS profiling. The oxide thickness increased with both temperature and source doping level within the range 7.5-30 nm.  XPS profiling indicated that the composition of the residual glass was a mixture of P 2 O 5 and SiO 2 . The phosphorus was not homogeneously distributed across the oxide but exhibited a pile-up in the near oxide surface region and also at the oxide/Si interface.


In surveillance studies the terms "sousveillance" and "inverse surveillance" describe forms of surveillance that have a bottom-up and democratic character. However, in this paper this democratic notion is questioned by looking into practices and experiences with both Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) and mobile cameras by Dutch citizens. By intervening in the nightlife district of the Rotterdam i city centre, data has been gathered on both mobile- and CCTV camera confrontations. From this, an exploration is made into how mobile cameras are experienced in the Nightlife landscape. Comparing these experiences with CCTV provides insight into new surveillance issues that emerge due to the mobile camera. The perspective of analyzing surveillance technologies as hybrid collectives that may take different shapes in different places, allows for a contribution that attempts to improve our understanding of the current changes in the surveillance technology landscape. i Rotterdam is the second largest city in the Netherlands.


In this paper, we investigate the performance of generalized frequency divison multiplexing (GFDM) employing maximal ratio transmission (MRT) over the Nakagami-m fading channel. Symbol error rate (SER) expression of the GFDM-MRT system over the Nakagami-m fading channel is derived by using the statistics of signal-to-noise power ratio. Simulation results for several antenna numbers and fading parameters are presented and our analytical findings are verified. We claim that GFDM-MRT can be a reliable, low-complexity and practical option for next-generation high-speed communication systems.


This study investigated the views and experiences of frontline officers. It aimed to explore: 1. Motivations for working on the frontline; 2. Factors influencing job satisfaction; 3. Communication and change; 4. Factors effecting operational performance and 5. Partnership working across the different participating agencies engaged in the criminal justice system. Semi-structured interviews were completed with 26 frontline officers working in a range of departments and roles. Qualitative data obtained via interviews were analysed thematically, using Braun and Clarke's (2006) six steps of thematic data analysis (1. Familiarisation; 2. Generation of initial codes; 3. Searching for themes; 4. Reviewing themes; 5. Defining and naming themes; 6. Write-up). This focus of this poster is the presentation of findings relating to the wellbeing of frontline officers. The analysis revealed how frontline officers were passionate about delivering positive outcomes for communities and people in need. In response to changing staffing levels and profiles, linked with a climate of economic constraint, accounts of frustration were linked with a desire to meet a (self-)imposed standard of quality in their engagements with the public. The data showed how frontline officers were going over-and-above to meet expectations, which has potential implications for stress, anxiety and an imbalanced home-work life. There were mixed viewpoints on the management of wellbeing by senior officers, with some being depicted as uncaring and not valuing the person outside of their formal role. The poster will present implications for the management of frontline officers by senior officers and call for a renewed focus on improving the wellbeing of officers on the frontline. While organisational strategies are welcomed, it is critical for supervising officers to create an everyday culture that prioritises wellbeing of frontline officers.


This study contributes to the broader literature demonstrating the devastating impact of floods on the poor, particularly women, making it very difficult to move out of poverty. Research on flood impacts in low-income communities in Buenos Aires found that most first responders to floods are women and it is them who assume leadership roles in high-risk situations, despite the serious gender gaps in education and economic opportunities they face. They are also affected differently and more adversely than their male peers, bearing primary responsibility for restoring their family's housing and livelihoods after the flood, and for household chores and care duties for children and older adults. The results of this analysis can help decision makers design gender-inclusive approaches for flood risk management, promoting and empowering women as positive agents of change. Gender gap analysis is essential to prevent existing inequalities from being maintained or accentuated as a part of the recovery process.


For water filled porous materials, the difference between the relaxation time of molecules at the pore surface and the relaxation time of molecules in the bulk fluid can be interpreted by a fast diffusion model. With this model, the nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) can be applied to investigate the microstructure of cement pastes. The cement pastes we tested are two series, one is of same water to cement ratio (w/c=0.4) at different curing time (7d, 28d and 90d), the other is of different water to cement ratio (w/c=0.3, 0.4 and0.5, respectively) at the same curing day. Comparing results by NMR method with those by mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) shows that NMR is a convenient and nondestructive way to probe pore distribution of cement pastes.


In 2012 non-destructive testing measurements (NDT) of the reactor pressure vessels (RPV) in the Belgian Nuclear Power Plants Doel 3 and Tihange 2 revealed a high quantity of indications in the upper and lower core shells. The most likely explanation is that the measured indications are hydrogen flakes positioned in segregated zones in the base material of the pressure vessels. These hydrogen flakes have a laminar and quasi-laminar orientation with an inclination up to 15° to the pressure retaining surface. Under internal pressure, the crack tips undergo predominantly mixed mode loading conditions, where the induced stress and strain fields of the single crack tips influence each other. The safety assessment of crack afflicted pressurized components is performed by fracture mechanical approaches. For the evaluation of multiple cracks in crack fields, state of the art codes and standards apply interaction criteria and grouping methods, to determine a representative crack, which has to be evaluated.
 In this paper, the interaction of cracks in crack fields is numerically and experimentally evaluated. Damage mechanical models based on the Rousselier- and the Beremin model are used to investigate numerically the interaction of cracks in crack fields. Experimental data from ferritic flat tensile specimens afflicted with cracks are used to verify the numerical results.
 The damage mechanical calculations reveal critical crack arrangements due to coalescence behavior and cleavage fracture probability. These results and ongoing research intends the derivation of interaction criteria for cracks in crack fields. The interaction criteria will be used for the definition of a representative flaw for a conservative integrity assessment of crack afflicted components.


Abstract Purpose: This review sought to answer the question "what is known about people's experiences of living with MND?". Methods: The review followed the guidelines of the Centre of Reviews and Dissemination. Twenty articles met the inclusion criteria and their results were analysed thematically. Data were managed and coded using the software package NVIVO and the analysis was performed in two stages, with the first stage aiming to develop descriptive themes offering an overview of the included data. During the second stage, analytical themes were developed with the explicit aim to answer the review question. Results: The themes that emerged point to the following: (a) people with motor neurone disease (MND) develop experiential knowledge that helps them to live with the disease and (b) while people with MND believe they do not have any control over the disease, they try to have control over their lives through active choices, e.g. how and when to use adaptive equipment. Conclusions: This review highlights the decision-making and knowledge generating processes used by people with MND. Further research is required to explore these processes and their implications for the care of people with MND. Implications for Rehabilitation Decision-making process by MND patients regarding their care is complex and takes into account the social elements of the disease as well as the medical. Exploring the practical knowledge that patients develop can offer insights on appropriate care for MND patients.


The gaps issue in the food commodity happens in Muara Enim District, the demand for beef were steadily increasing but it can't fulfilled by the amount of beef production in the area. In order to increase the quality, population and productivity that based on the local farmer, government decide to make an effort to increase local farmer business by establishing the Sekolah Peternakan Rakyat (SPR). The purpose of this research was to analyze the effect of SPR for the local farmer in Muara Enim by mapping beef cattle supply chain and analyzing the role of SPR to increase added value for local farmer in Muara Enim. Primary data was collected by conducting an interview to respondents with a questionnaire as its guidelines. The data was analyzed by Hayami method. The result of this research shows that the SPR farmer had more wide sale access compared to non SPR farmer and SPR farmer added value increase can be seen by the improvement of the cattle weight.


Objective: Previous studies have demonstrated that circular RNAs (circRNAs) play vital roles in pathological process of various diseases, including tumors. This study aimed at exploring the role and mechanism of circRNA RNA ZNF609 (circ-ZNF609) in the occurrence and development of glioma. Materials and methods: Real-time quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR) was applied to measure the expression of circ-ZNF609, miRNA-1224-3p (miR-1224-3p) and Polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1) in glioma tissues and cell lines. Furthermore, the association between circ-ZNF609 and clinical features of glioma was analyzed. CCK8 assay, EdU assay and Transwell assay were conducted to detect the effect of circ-ZNF609, miR-1224-3p and PLK1 on proliferation, migration and invasion in glioma cells. Then, we investigated the underlying mechanism of circ-ZNF609 by bioinformatics analysis, luciferase reporter assay, RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP), qRT-PCR and western blotting assay. Results: Circ-ZNF609 was confirmed prominently upregulated in glioma. Inhibition of circ-ZNF609 could obviously suppress glioma cell proliferation, migration and invasion, while overexpression of circ-ZNF609 promoted glioma growth and metastasis. In vivo, xenotransplanted tumor model also showed that overexpression of circ-ZNF609 could promote in vivo glioma growth. Mechanistically, circ-ZNF609 could promote PLK1 expression via binding to miR-1224-3p, circ-ZNF609/miR-1224-3p/PLK1 was shown responsible for circ-ZNF609 promoting glioma growth and metastasis. Conclusion: Together, our results revealed that circ-ZNF609 elevates glioma growth and metastasis via enforcing PLK1 expression by competitively binding miR-1224-3p, suggesting that circ-ZNF609 might be an underlying therapeutic target for glioma.


The integration of research activities in universities of applied sciences (UASs) has led to the transformation of these universities into organisations with two primary processes: research and education. Although many believe in the benefits of combining research and education in one organisation, which is referred to as synergy in this study, research–education synergies have rarely been empirically investigated, particularly in the UAS context. Thus, this research investigates the intended synergy between the research and education of UASs by conducting a document analysis of their university‐wide strategic policy. The findings show that UASs aim for synergies among people, UAS organisations and outside UAS organisations, with a focus on education‐oriented synergies. This study provides an initial understanding of the strategic aims of UASs considering research–education synergy. The findings provide direction and a framework for future research and form a base for making explicit strategic choices for research–education connections in universities.


There is a consensus of perceptions that O'Neill as an artist developed over the years and that he experimented with a broad range of techniques in his long dramatic career. One of his remarkable experimentations in the middle part of his dramatic career pertains to the use of interior monologue technique in Strange Interlude. It is important as the technique had already been used by such prominent stream of consciousness writers as Virginia Woolf in her fiction. The technique, however, serves more to highlight limitations of the thoughts and their unusual fixed pattern. Human consciousness in normal condition is characterized by a consistent flow of thoughts. Besides, the thought processes of all the principal characters reflect a diseased pattern that disrupts their normal thinking and keeps it confined to what may be called zones of reflections. It is unusual that all the principal figures have similar zone of reflection that moves around a particular person, mood or desire without any recognizable variation and development in the nature of reflection in the whole play. Then these reflections are repeated with a teasing persistency that assumes a mechanical format for easy predictability of the readers. Thus an impression of stasis in thoughts imposes itself on these thinking patterns with negative and non cathartic impact on the readers' thoughts, sensibilities and imagination. Key words: O'Neill's Modern drama, interior monologue, strange interlude


The role of germline genetics in shaping the tumor immune landscape is largely unknown. Using genotypes from >9,000 individuals in The Cancer Genome Atlas, we investigated the association of common and rare variants with 139 well-defined immune traits. Our analysis of common variants identified 10 immune traits with significant heritability estimates, and an additional 23 with suggestive heritability, including estimates of T-cell subset abundance and interferon signaling. We performed genome-wide association on the 33 heritable traits and identified 23 genome-wide significant loci associated with at least one immune trait, including SNPs in the IFIH1 locus previously associated with several autoimmune diseases. We also found significant associations between immune traits and pathogenic or likely-pathogenic rare variants in BRCA1 and in genes functionally linked to telomere stabilization, and Wnt/Beta-catenin signaling. We conclude that germline genetic variants significantly impact the composition and functional orientation of the tumor immune microenvironment.


abstract An earthquake having an average body-wave magnitude of 5.1 occurred on Sunday, 27 July 1980 near Sharpsburg, Kentucky. The earthquake was widely felt throughout the Eastern United States and had a maximum Modified Mercalli intensity of VII in the epicentral region. The total felt area was approximately 673,000 km 2 . The well-constrained focal mechanism based on 128 P -wave first motions combined with other geological and seismological evidence indicates a fault plane striking N42°E, dipping 50°E with a slip vector 184° of the strike. This is a right-lateral strike-slip event with a small component of thrust. Isoseismal data strongly suggest a northeast-directed rupture. The strike is parallel to the trend of the West Hickman Creek fault zone but 30 km to the east of any known faults.


Many ecological studies and conservation policies are based on field observations of species, which can be affected by systematic variability introduced by the observation process. A recently introduced causal modeling technique called 'half-sibling regression' can detect and correct for systematic errors in measurements of multiple independent random variables. However, it will remove intrinsic variability if the variables are dependent, and therefore does not apply to many situations, including modeling of species counts that are controlled by common causes. We present a technique called 'three-quarter sibling regression' to partially overcome this limitation. It can filter the effect of systematic noise when the latent variables have observed common causes. We provide theoretical justification of this approach, demonstrate its effectiveness on synthetic data, and show that it reduces systematic detection variability due to moon brightness in moth surveys.


BACKGROUND
The etiology of Alzheimer's disease remains poorly understood at the mechanistic level, and genome-wide network-based genetics have the potential to provide new clues of the disease mechanisms.

OBJECTIVE
To explore the collective effects of multiple genetic association signals on an AV-45 PET measure, which is a well-known Alzheimer's disease biomarker, by employing a network-assisted strategy.

METHOD
First, we took advantage of dense module search algorithm to identify modules enriched by genetic association signals in a protein-protein interaction network. Next, we performed statistical evaluations to the modules identified by dense module search, including a normalization process to adjust the topological bias in the network, a replication test to ensure the modules were not found by chance, and a permutation test to evaluate unbiased associations between the modules and amyloid imaging phenotype. Finally, topological analysis, module similarity tests and functional enrichment analysis were performed for the identified modules.

RESULTS
We identified 24 consensus modules enriched by robust genetic signals in a genome-wide association analysis. The results not only validated several previously reported AD genes (APOE, APP, TOMM40, DDAH1, PARK2, ATP5C1, PVRL2, ELAVL1, ACTN1 and NRF1), but also nominated a few novel genes (ABL1, ABLIM2) that have not been studied in Alzheimer's disease but have shown associations with other neurodegenerative diseases.

CONCLUSION
The identified genes, consensus modules and enriched pathways may provide important clues to future research on the neurobiology of Alzheimer's disease and suggest potential therapeutic targets.


Leveraging the development of mobile communication technologies and increased capabilities of mobile devices, mobile multimedia services have set new trends. To support high-quality Video-on-Demand (VoD) in mobile wireless networks, using virtual community-based approaches to balance the efficiency of content sharing and maintenance cost of performance-aware solutions has attracted increasing research interest. In this paper, we propose a novel Performance-aware Mobile Community-based VoD streaming solution over vehicular ad hoc networks (PMCV). PMCV relies on a newly designed mobile community detection scheme and an innovative community member management mechanism. The former employs a novel fuzzy ant-inspired clustering algorithm and an innovative mobility similarity estimation model to group together the mobile users with similar behavior in terms of playback and movement into mobile communities. The latter introduces the role and task of members, member join and leave, collaborative store and search for resources, and replacement of a broker member. Simulation-based testing shows how PMCV outperforms another state-of-the-art solution in terms of performance.


DNA Blood Mini kit was used to isolate extracellular DNA from maternal plasma samples. Results: Mean values of tcf DNA in the GLO assay in Group A were 6327.3 genome equivalents (GE)/mL, in Group B 1734.9 GE/mL and in Group C 910.6 GE/mL. Mean values of the tcf DNA in the GADPH assay in Group A were 7332.1 GE/mL, in Group B 2357.2 GE/mL and in Group C 1280.1 GE/mL. Mean values of the fcf DNA in the SRY assay in Group A were 326.9 GE/mL, in Group B 63.1 GE/mL and in Group C 31.6 GE/mL. Conclusions: The amounts of both tcf DNA and fcf DNA were significantly higher in pregnancies with placenta associated disorders compared to controls in all performed assays. We intend to perform further studies to assess whether quantification of extracellular DNA could be used as a non-invasive screening test for placenta associated disorders earlier in pregnancy.


In episodes of collective violence between groups, which group members participate and which do not? Extant scholarship on individual participation in inter-group violence emphasizes dispositional susceptibilities: young, male, alienated, deprived, ethnocentric. This paper, however, finds that micro-situational opportunities also mediate selection into violence. In particular it highlights spatial factors. Using data on 2557 residents from one community in Rwanda, I map the household locations of participants, non-participants, and victims of Rwanda's genocide. I test two hypotheses. First, whether 'accessibility' – the ease with which an individual could access the site of violence – shaped participation. Second, whether 'social influence' – the ability to induce an individual to join in – mattered. I find support for the influence mechanism. Specifically, participants are more likely than non-participants to live both in the same household as and within close proximity of other perpetrators. These household and neighbourhood effects point to the existence of micro-spheres of influence.


In the lines of Albrechtlund and Dubbled (2005) and their call for a new direction in Surveillance Studies, this paper discusses the overlapping of surveillance, art and entertainment. Indeed surveillance ought to be considered not only regarding its negative implications (e.g. the infringement of privacy or social sorting) but also regarding 'the fun features and entertainment value of surveillance' (Albrechtlund and Dubbled 2005: 216). Drawing on this new direction in the recent years in Surveillance Studies, this paper focuses on the interplay between watcher and watched and the possibility of challenging surveillance through artistic, entertaining or/and playful motives. Play and games within this framework participate both to the active appropriation of the surveillant hegemonic values (and therefore their acceptance) and to the creation of a space of negotiations (and therefore the possibility of resistance). Thus this paper discusses, using several examples, the line between art, entertainment and resistance that has become blurry and has left a wider margin to respond to surveillance processes.


This is a small book but full of interesting ideas. It begins with a discussion of the work place community. The author says that it has eight stages. She gives an account of each stage. The last stage is transformation. She says about it, "Need to decide if the community in its current form still has a relevant role to play, or is it time to close, or transform; the need for working into a more traditional form organization needs to be assessed" (p. 7). The next chapter deals with the concepts and theories of leadership. She says that leadership in business is the key to sustainable success. She discusses the popular leadership theories and writes about their main ideas. Here she refers to All India Management Association which published 'Leaders on Leadership' in 2012. There is gist of their ideas. She rightly points out that trust, effective communication, continuous innovation,transparency and future vision are important qualities for effective leadership.


This experiment was conducted at Nedjo ATVET College with the objective of evaluating the effects of graded levels of wild silver leaf desmodium (Desmodium uncinatum) on growth and body weight change Horro sheep fed a basal diet of natural pasture hay. Twenty intact male Horro sheep with intact milk teeth and an average initial weight of 18.28±1.47 kg (mean± SD) were used. The experimental sheep were blocked into 5 blocks of 4 animals based on initial body weight and randomly assigned to one of the four treatments within a block. The treatments were natural pasture hay ad libitum (T 1 ) and wild silver leaf desmodium supplement at levels of 200(T 2 ), 300(T 3 ), 400(T 4 ) g/head/d on dry matter bases. The basal diet had DM, CP and OM of 91.2, 75.5 and 9.3, respectively while the corresponding values for Desmodium were 89.8, 77.8 and 16.8. Desmodium supplementation resulted in significantly higher (p<0.01) final body weight and average daily gain (15.6, 38.9, 45.6 and 68.9 g/d in T 1 , T 2 , T 3 and T 4 respectively) (p<0.001) than the sheep in the control treatment. Therefore, supplementation with 400 g/d Desmodium improved body weight of sheep and correspondingly increased the net income from the sale of sheep at the end of the feeding trial. Therefore, in the present study supplementation of wild silver leaf desmodium to natural grass hay at 400 g appears to be the best level for Horro sheep in growth and daily body gain.


An approach to use mixtures of thermochromic liquid crystals (TLCs) in transient heat transfer experiments is presented. Multiple TLC indications in a single experiment increase measuring accuracy for experiments where the range of indication times would be too wide when using only a single TLC-type or by providing additional measurement information [Talib et al. (2004)]. For this study, five types of narrowband TLCs with indication temperatures between 30 °C and 50 °C have been used. TLC-mixtures and single TLCs were calibrated simultaneously and repeatedly to investigate possible aging effects. For comparison purposes a single-jet impingement plate test setup has been used. Transient experiments were then conducted for a generic turbine blade internal cooling channel configuration with a 180°-turn and ribbed walls. A technique to filter and process the signals of the green-channel and to match the intensity peaks to the respective sort of TLCs is presented in relation to Poser et al. (2009) and the results with respect to heat transfer coefficient evaluations for the cooling configuration are given. The results indicate the possibility to detect via the TLC-indications regions of unsteady heat transfer in complex flow situations


ABSTRACT Side-scan sonar was used to survey 24 km of nearshore zone adjacent to the southwestern Rhode Island beaches in April, June, September, and December, 1977. The seafloor generally consisted of zones of clustered boulders and broad sand areas with occasional gravel patches. Sand bedforms included ripples, megaripples, and sand waves. Fields of low amplitude sand waves, 10-15 m in wave length, were discovered lying parallel to the shoreline at depths to at least 8 m in all surveys but September. The shapes of these features were unresolved except for December when some of the forms were judged to be asymmetrical toward land. The mechanism responsible for their genesis was undetermined. Narrow bands of megaripples also were found trending perpendicular to the coast line. These bands transect or partially blanket the sand waves. At 300-400 m offshore the bands tended to merge and terminate. Within the bands, long-crested megaripples of unknown symmetry were oriented parallel to shore. Working hypotheses proposed for the development of these megaripple bands are: a) rip currents, b) rip currents and subsequent wave action, and c) storm-generated, along-shelf flows followed by wave activity.


Nuclear factor I (NFI) was suggested to be involved in the expression of the human alpha-globin gene. Two established cell lines, which express alpha-globin differentially, were therefore compared for differences in binding of NFI at the alpha-globin promoter in vivo. HeLa cells, in which alpha-globin is repressed, show a high density promoter occupation with several proteins associated with structurally distorted DNA. Cell line K562, which is inducible for alpha-globin, surprisingly was found to be heterogeneous consisting mainly of cells (approximately 95%) unable to express alpha-globin. However, the promoter of the nonexpressing K562 cells was clearly different from that of HeLa cells, being occupied only at basal transcriptional elements. Therefore, the alpha-globin gene in these K562 cells may not be truly repressed, but in an intermediate state between repression and active transcription. The NFI site of the alpha-globin promoter appeared occupied in HeLa but free of proteins in K562 cells. All cells of both cell lines produce NFI, but the composition and DNA binding affinity of NFI species differ significantly between the two cell lines. Therefore, distinct forms of NFI may repress alpha-globin transcription in HeLa cells. However, NFI is apparently not involved in establishing the latent transcriptional state of the majority of K562 cells.


The scaling problems which afflict attempts to optimise neural networks (NNs) with genetic algorithms (GAs) are disclosed. A novel GA-NN hybrid is introduced, based on the bumptree, a little-used connectionist model. As well as being computationally efficient, the bumptree is shown to be more amenable to genetic coding lthan other NN models. A hierarchical genetic coding scheme is developed for the bumptree and shown to have low redundancy, as well as being complete and closed with respect to the search space. When applied to optimising bumptree architectures for classification problems the GA discovers bumptrees which significantly out-perform those constructed using a standard algorithm. The fields of artificial life, control and robotics are identified as likely application areas for the evolutionary optimisation of NNs. An artificial life case-study is presented and discussed. Experiments are reported which show that the GA-bumptree is able to learn simulated pole balancing and car parking tasks using only limited environmental feedback. A simple modification of the fitness function allows the GA-bumptree to learn mappings which are multi-modal, such as robot arm inverse kinematics. The dynamics of the 'geographic speciation' selection model used by the GA-bumptree are investigated empirically and the convergence profile is introduced as an analytical tool. The relationships between the rate of genetic convergence and the phenomena of speciation, genetic drift and punctuated equilibrium arc discussed. The importance of genetic linkage to GA design is discussed and two new recombination operators arc introduced. The first, linkage mapped crossover (LMX) is shown to be a generalisation of existing crossover operators. LMX provides a new framework for incorporating prior knowledge into GAs.Its adaptive form, ALMX, is shown to be able to infer linkage relationships automatically during genetic search.


Gas leakage in industrial area causes many health issues. Thus, to prevent such disasters happen, the atmosphere of a workplace should be regularly monitored and controlled, in order to maintain the clean air environment. However, efforts in industrial air quality control have been impeded by the lack of science-based approaches to identify and assess atmosphere air quality and level of dangerous gas. Therefore, a monitoring system for gas leakage detection needs to be developed. For the development of this system, the combustible gas sensor (MQ9) was used in order to detect the present of methane (CH4) and carbon monoxide gas (CO). This sensor will detect the concentration of the gas according to the voltage output of sensor and operated in the alarm system, autonomous control system and monitoring system by using Arduino uno as the microcontroller for the whole system. Whereas the Zigbee will send the data reading from the gas sensor to monitoring system that display on LabVIEW Graphical User Interface (GUI). Besides, user can take immediate action upon the leakage occurs, else the gas supply and the system will shut down automatically within 10 minutes to prevent the condition becoming worst.


SUMMARY: The formation of chlorophyll in non-proliferating etiolated cells of Euglena gracilis var. bacillaris is inhibited by some antimetabolite analogues of vitamins. The cell size and cell mass of light-grown euglenas is considerably increased in vitamin B 12 deficiency. The inhibitory effect of 2,6-diaminopurine on chlorophyll formation in non-proliferating euglenas was not annulled by vitamin B 12; 6-mercaptopurine, sulphanilamide and benzimidazole were without effect. Isoniazide inhibition is not reversed by niacin: surprisingly, the vitamin itself is markedly inhibitory. The inhibitory effect of niacin, however, is prevented by pyridine-3-sulphonate. Niacin and its analogues were more inhibitory to growth in the dark than in the light. The inhibition of growth by niacin in the light is annulled appreciably by either glucose or pyruvate, or an overwhelming concentration of vitamin B 12. Aminopterin, desoxypyridoxine and 2-chloro-p-aminobenzoic acid do not have any effect on chlorophyll synthesis in non-proliferating euglenas; the last mentioned inhibits the growth of the alga more in the dark than in the light. Thiamine deficiency inhibits growth; such sub-optimally grown euglenas also synthesize less chlorophyll per cell on subsequent illumination under non-proliferation conditions.
The negative growth response of light-grown Euglena gracilis var. bacillaris to niacin suggests a microbiological method of estimating this vitamin in biological materials and pharmaceutical preparations up to concentrations of 70 μg./ml. in the growth medium. The 50% inhibition level of niacin in the light is 46 μg./ml.


© 2015 The Australian Psychological SocietyBackground: The present study explored the relationship between neuroticism, meta-cognitive beliefs about worry, pain catastrophising, and pain behaviour. Methods: A non-clinical convenience sample of 308 participants completed the following four measures in this cross-sectional study: Neo Five-Factor Inventory, Meta-Cognitions Questionnaire 30, Pain Catastrophising Scale, and the Pain Behaviour Checklist. Results: A multiple-step multiple mediator analysis was employed to test a model in which (1) positive meta-cognitive beliefs about worry would mediate the relationship between neuroticism and pain catastrophising and (2) negative meta-cognitive beliefs about worry would mediate the relationship between pain catastrophising and self-reported pain behaviour. We also hypothesised that the combined effects of meta-cognitive beliefs about worry and pain catastrophising on self-reported pain behaviour would be independent of neuroticism. Results supported the proposed structure with pain catastrophising and meta-cognitive beliefs about worry mediating fully the effect of neuroticism on self-reported pain behaviour. Conclusions: These findings identify, for the first time in the literature, a link between meta-cognitive beliefs about worry and both self-reported pain behaviour and pain catastrophising. The implications of these findings are discussed.

This is an electronic version of an article published in Spada, MM and Gay, H and Nikcevic, AV and Fernie, BA and Caselli,
G (2016) Meta-cognitive beliefs about worry and pain catastrophising as mediators between neuroticism and pain behaviour. Clinical Psychologist, 20 (3). pp. 138-146. DOI 10.1111/cp.12081


Measurements of PM2.5 mass and particle components over a 14-15 year period are used to explore trends at urban and rural locations across New York State. Such data are used to determine compliance with national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS), as well as track the effectiveness of reductions in source pollutant emissions. Since 2000 annual mean PM2.5 mass shows a downward trend with decreases of 4-7 μg m^(-3) in urban areas versus 3-4 μg m^(-3) for rural background sites. Much of this change can be attributed to particle sulfate (SO_4) and nitrate (NO_3) which showed annual decreases of 2-3 μg m^(-3) and 0.5-1.0 μg m^(-3), respectively. Determining accurate trends for the carbonaceous particle material is challenging due to the changes in the carbon sampling and analysis methods which impact the measurements. Analysis of the data indicate some decreases in particle elemental carbon (EC) but little change in the organic carbon fraction (OC). Significant improvements in air quality are observed since 2000, when New York City metropolitan area exceeded the 1997 annual PM_(2.5) standard of 15 μg m^(-3), to the present conditions where it meets the current standard of 12 μg m^(-3). Further improvements in air quality may benefit from controls on carbonaceous material which is currently the major component of PM_(2.5).


Lamp II (for lysosomal associated membrane protein II) is an integral type I glycoprotein. It consists of a very large and heavily glycosylated luminal domain, a single transmembrane segment, and a short cytoplasmic tail. We show that in highly purified lysosomes from rat liver, Lamp II, immunodetected with a monoclonal antibody on Western blots, it surprisingly distributed between a membrane bound form and a "soluble" form. The partition of the protein between the membrane and the content of lysosomes is strongly pH dependent. The soluble Lamp II population is sensitive to pH dependent aggregation as it is for many lysosomal content enzymes.


Objective: Manganese (Mn) is a neurotoxin. However, the impact of elevated, chronic Mn exposure is not well understood, partially due to the lack of a cumulative exposure biomarker. To address this gap, our group developed a compact in vivo neutron activation analysis (IVNAA) system to quantify Mn concentration in bone (MnBn). Approach: In this study, we used this system and determined MnBn among male Chinese workers and compared results to their blood Mn (MnB), a measure of recent exposure, and the years of employment, a measure of cumulative exposure. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 30 ferroalloy smelters (exposed) and 30 general manufacturing workers (controls). MnBn was assessed using IVNAA, MnB was measured with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, and occupational history and demographics were obtained via questionnaire. Mn-doped phantoms were used to generate a calibration curve; spectra from these phantoms were consistent with in vivo spectra. Main results: The median (interquartile range (IQR)) values for Mn biomarkers were 2.7 µg g−1 (7.2) for MnBn and 14.1 µg l−1 (4.0) for MnB. In regression models adjusted for age and education, the natural log transformed MnBn (ln(MnBn)) was significantly associated with the exposed/control status (β  =  0.44, p  =  0.047) and years of employment (β  =  0.05, p  =  0.002), but not with natural log transformed MnB (ln(MnB)) (β  =  0.54, p  =  0.188). Significance: Our results support the use of IVNAA to quantify MnBn and the use of MnBn as a biomarker of cumulative Mn exposure.


Adult neural stem cells (NSCs) reside in the subventricular zone (SVZ) and produce neurons throughout life. Although their regenerative potential has kindled much interest, few factors regulating NSCs in vivo are known. Among these is the histone acetyltransferase querkopf (QKF, also known as MYST4, MORF, KAT6B), which is strongly expressed in a small subset of cells in the neurogenic subventricular zone. However, the relationship between Qkf gene expression and the hierarchical levels within the neurogenic lineage is currently unknown. We show here that the 10% of SVZ cells with the highest Qkf expression possess the defining NSC characteristics of multipotency and self-renewal and express markers previously shown to enrich for NSCs. A fraction of cells expressing Qkf at medium to high levels is enriched for multipotent progenitor cells with limited self-renewal, followed by a population containing migrating neuroblasts. Cells low in Qkf promoter activity are predominantly ependymal cells. In addition, we show that mice deficient for Bmi1, a central regulator of NSC self-renewal, show an age-dependent decrease in the strongest Qkf-expressing cell population in the SVZ. Our results show a strong relationship between Qkf promoter activity and stem cell characteristics, and a progressive decrease in Qkf gene activity as lineage commitment and differentiation proceed in vivo.


Abstract Kyrgyzstan, which is located in the collision zone between the Eurasian and Indo-Australian lithosphere plates, is prone to large earthquakes as shown by its historical seismicity. Hence, an increase in the knowledge and awareness by local authorities and decision makers of the possible consequence of a large earthquake, based on improved seismic hazard assessments and realistic earthquake risk scenarios, is mandatory to mitigate the effects of an earthquake. To this regard, the Central Asia Cross-Border Natural Disaster Prevention (CASCADE) project aims to install a cross-border seismological and strong motion network in Central Asia and to support microzonation activities for the capitals of Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan. During the first phase of the project, a temporary seismological network of 19 stations was installed in the city of Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan. Moreover, single-station noise recordings were collected at nearly 200 sites. In this study, the site amplifications occurring in Bishkek are assessed by analyzing 56 earthquakes extracted from the data streams continuously acquired by the network, as well as from the single-station noise measurements. A broadband amplification (starting at ∼0.1 and 0.2 Hz), is shown by the standard spectral ratio (SSR) results of the stations located within the basin. The reliability of the observed low-frequency amplification was validated through a time–frequency analysis of denoised seismograms. Discrepancies between horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratio and SSR results are due to the large amplification of the vertical component of ground motion, probably due to the effect of converted waves. The single-station noise results, once their reliability was assessed by their comparison with the earthquake data, have been used to produce the first fundamental resonance frequency map for Bishkek, whose spatial variation shows a good agreement with the presence of an impedance contrast within the Tertiary sedimentary cover.


A one-day workshop entitled "Super resolving systems: Toraldo pupils" was held at Villa Il Gioiello (also known as Villa Galileo) in Arcetri on October 12, 2017. The workshop was an opportunity for all the researchers involved in the "PUTO" project to meet together. "PUTO" is aimed at investigating the use of super-resolving Toraldo pupils in radio astronomy, and during the workshop several topics related to the Toraldo pupils were discussed: from basic principles to advanced computational electromagnetic simulations, and from laboratory measurements to the test planned with the Medicina 32-m radio telescope. Finally, alternative designs for Toraldo pupils based on metamaterials were also discussed and a possible application of these optical systems to non-invasive microwave probing techniques was reported.


Chardonnay is the basis of some of the world's most iconic wines and its success is underpinned by a historic program of clonal selection. There are numerous clones of Chardonnay available that exhibit differences in key viticultural and oenological traits that have arisen from the accumulation of somatic mutations during centuries of asexual propagation. However, the genetic variation that underlies these differences remains largely unknown. To address this knowledge gap, a high-quality, diploid-phased Chardonnay genome assembly was produced from single-molecule real time sequencing, and combined with re-sequencing data from 15 different commercial Chardonnay clones. There were 1620 markers identified that distinguish the 15 Chardonnay clones. These markers were reliably used for clonal identification of validation genomic material, as well as in identifying a potential genetic basis for some clonal phenotypic differences. The predicted parentage of the Chardonnay haplomes was elucidated by mapping sequence data from the predicted parents of Chardonnay (Gouais blanc and Pinot noir) against the Chardonnay reference genome. This enabled the detection of instances of heterosis, with differentially-expanded gene families being inherited from the parents of Chardonnay. Most surprisingly however, the patterns of nucleotide variation present in the Chardonnay genome indicate that Pinot noir and Gouais blanc share an extremely high degree of kinship that has resulted in the Chardonnay genome displaying characteristics that are indicative of inbreeding. Author Summary Phenotypic variation within a grapevine cultivar arises from an accumulation of mutations from serial vegetative propagation. Old cultivars such as Chardonnay have been propagated for centuries resulting in hundreds of available 'clones' containing unique genetic mutations and a range of various phenotypic peculiarities. The genetic mutations can be leveraged as genetic markers and are useful in identifying specific clones for authenticity testing, or as breeding markers for new clonal selections where particular mutations are known to confer a phenotypic trait. We produced a high-quality genome assembly for Chardonnay, and using re-sequencing data for 15 popular clones, were able to identify a large selection of markers that are unique to at least one clone. We identified mutations that may confer phenotypic effects, and were able to identify clones from material independently sourced from nurseries and vineyards. The marker detection framework we describe for authenticity testing would be applicable to other grapevine cultivars or even other agriculturally important woody-plant crops that are vegetatively propagated such as fruit orchards. Finally, we show that the Chardonnay genome contains extensive evidence for parental inbreeding, such that its parents, Gouais blanc and Pinot noir, may even represent first-degree relatives.


Aim: To evaluate the commonest presentation and intraoperative findings and significant post operative challenges in patients who underwent modified radical mastoidectomy in Melmaruvathur adhiparasakthi Institute of medical sciences and research. Design: Retrospective study. Materials and Methods: Fifty six patients who underwent modified radical mastoidectomy for unsafe ear disease were included in this study. The study period was from 2009 to 2012.The commonest presentation was evaluated with the history taken from the patient′s records. The intraoperative evaluation of primary pathology and its anatomic extension and ossicular status were identified. Common problems we faced postoperatively were documented. Results: Of the 56 patients,thirty eight(68%) were male and eighteen(32%) were female. The age ranged from nine years -fifty years of age. The commonest presentation in this study was foul smelling scanty discharge (75%) and the primary pathology was isolated cholesteatoma (54%). The involvement of mesotympanum, attic, aditus & antrum with primary disease was more than the isolated involvement of attic,aditus and antrum. Stapes erosion was more common than incus erosion in our study. We faced a very rare postoperative complication of delayed facial palsy in one patient who had no facial nerve dehiscence. Conclusion: Good attention given to patients with infrequent, minimal ear discharge helps to identify unsafe ear. In unsafe ear, otologists should be well prepared to face the stapes erosion during surgery. Even though rare, otologists should be aware of delayed facial palsy and be cautious about the past history of herpes simplex and varizella infection and consider antiviral prophylaxis before surgery.


In recent years, an increasing number of scholars have used the concept of 'accountability' to describe and assess relationships among actors who are primarily based in different state jurisdictions, or involving actors transcending state jurisdictions. Is there something inherently distinctive about accountability in transnational spaces as compared to the more familiar instances of accountability observed in domestic contexts? This paper examines the distinctiveness of transnational accountability in relation to: (1) its general meaning and specific forms; (2) its aims and importance; (3) its empirical existence and the relative frequency of its forms; (4) its causes; and (5) its effects. The paper cautiously concludes that on most of these dimensions the similarities outweigh the differences and that it would be unfruitful for research on transnational accountability to develop separately from that on domestic accountability.


The Unique Legacy of Dr. Hughlings Jackson, by ARTHUR M. LASSEK, Springfield, Illinois, C. C. Thomas, 1970, pp. v, 146, $6175. This useful little book begins with a short, anecdotal biography, and presents a summary of Hughlings Jackson's major writings and an exegesis of his theories, making them available in an easily understood form. Jackson's doctrines of evolution and dissolution are recounted in some detail, but it is unfortunate that their relation to Herbert Spencer's synthetic philosophy-of which they are a neurologist's restatement and development-is not discussed. The book ends with the author's own evolutionary (i.e. anatomical) classification of nervous disease: this is irritatingly naive, for eponymous and pathological disease names often have a more precise meaning than names incorporating anatomical levels. Mis-spellings are also irritating, and anyone who turns from text to index for reassurance about Friedreich's ataxia or the Klippel-Feil syndrome will be disappointed. Nevertheless, this book serves as a reminder of Jackson's genius, and is recommended to neurologists and historians.


Prolotherapy is a controversial treatment for chronic low back pain involving repeated injections of tender ligaments with a solution of 15-20% glucose and 0.2% lignocaine. It aims to stimulate inflammation and subsequently to strengthen ligaments, leading on to a reduction in pain and disability. This paper presents the results of a multicentre pilot study comparing the effectiveness of prolotherapy with a range of other conservative treatments used in clinical practice for the treatment of chronic low back pain. The median percentage reductions in outcome measures (interquartile range) from baseline to three months for patients treated with prolotherapy (n=20) versus those treated with other therapies (n=13) were as follows - visual analogue back pain scores: 60% (46%, 78%) vs 40% (-8%, 56%); visual analogue leg pain scores; 76% (40%, 100%) vs 2% (- 8%, 67%); pain diagram scores; 37% (17%, 77%) vs 12% (-32%, 37%); and Roland-Morris disability scores; 43% (13%, 88%) vs 31% (-38%, 55%). This trial was conducted as a pilot study for a randomised controlled trial examining the efficacy of prolotherapy injections, saline injections and exercises in the treatment of chronic low back pain. (author abstract)


Customer relationship management (CRM) is a topic discussed, mainly, by information systems and marketing management areas. Many organizations are already using CRM systems. When a company uses CRM, it develops different organizational capabilities some of which lead to innovation. Whilst there are some studies that already analyze the creation of innovation capabilities resulting from the usage of a CRM system, how this is achieved has not been understood. The present study aims to contribute to this debate by building on the dynamic capabilities theory to develop a conceptual model for understanding the innovation capabilities development through CRM usage. The research question that guides this paper is: "What is the role of Dynamic Capabilities in the creation of innovation capabilities through CRM usage?" We conduct an exploratory study based on qualitative experts' interviews. Our findings support the argument that CRM drives innovation through dynamic capabilities. In fact, by sensing, seizing and reconfiguring market opportunities and threats, CRM allows organizations to generate innovation.


A novel ship wake constant false alarm rate (CFAR) detection algorithm is proposed. The algorithm first detects all the ships and replaces the pixels' gray value of the detected ship with the gray mean value. Then, with the ship target's geometric center as the center, a square image with a certain length is got, and the image is subdivided into four subimages, where the gray intensity contrast of the wake to clutter in the subimage is enhanced. Normalized Hough transform is applied on every subimage, and the probability distribution function in the Hough domain of each subimage is modeled, which can be used for CFAR detection. Finally, the detection results of the subimages are fused to get the final detection. Using our algorithm, the signal-to-clutter ratio of the wake to clutter is enhanced, the ship's navigation direction can be extracted easily, and most importantly, CFAR detection is realized.


This study proposed a broadband polarisation independent quad helix metamaterial-based absorber for thermo-photovoltaic cell (TPVC) application. Absorber is a very important part of TPVC. The design and simulation of absorber is done for wide operating wavelength range of TPVC absorber. It is observed that the average absorbance is 92.38% for the wavelength range of 340-1680nm in the proposed absorber. Furthermore, existing absorbers which are used in thermo-photovoltaic and solar cell are compared with proposed absorber and the proposed absorber is better in terms of operating wavelength range.


BACKGROUND
Positive parental attitudes towards infant feeding are an important component in child nutritional health. Previous studies have found that participants in the Special Supplemental Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Program have lower breastfeeding rates and attitudes that do not contribute towards healthy infant feeding in spite of breastfeeding and nutrition education programs targeting WIC participants. The objective of this study was to assess the frequency of exclusive breastfeeding in the early postpartum period and maternal attitudes towards breastfeeding in a population of mothers at two San Francisco hospitals and in relation to WIC participation status.

METHODS
We interviewed women who had recently delivered a healthy newborn using a structured interview.

RESULTS
A high percentage (79.8%) of our sample was exclusively breastfeeding at 1-4 days postpartum. We did not find any significant differences in rates of formula or mixed feeding by WIC participant status. Independent risk factors for mixed or formula feeding at 1-3 days postpartum included Asian/Pacific Islander ethnicity (odds ratio [OR] 2.90, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.17-7.19). Being a college graduate was associated with a decreased risk of formula/mixed feeding (OR 0.28, 95% CI 0.10-0.79). We also found that thinking breastfeeding was physically painful and uncomfortable was independently associated with not breastfeeding (OR 1.41, 95% CI 1.06-1.89).

CONCLUSIONS
Future studies should be conducted with Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders to better understand the lower rates of exclusive breastfeeding in this population and should address negative attitudes towards breastfeeding such as the idea that breastfeeding is painful or uncomfortable.


Synthesis of N alpha-9-fluorenylmethyloxycarbonyl (Fmoc) amino-acids by reaction of free amino-acids (glycine and alanine) with 9-fluorenylmethylchloroformate leads to formation of small amounts of Fmoc-dipeptide which are difficult to eliminate by crystallization. The alternative way to prepare Fmoc-amino-acids by reacting the Fmoc-chloride first with sodium azide and then with the free amino-acid eliminates this side reaction, at least for glycine and alanine.


This ARI provides an overview of the EU's capability for the planning, command and control of CSDP military operations and offers some practical recommendations.

This ARI provides an overview of the EU's capability for the planning, command and control of CSDP military operations and offers some practical recommendations. It argues that the lack of a permanent operational planning capability hampers flexibility in the Union's planning process, as politico-strategic deliberations over potential CSDP missions lack the crucial operational expertise necessary to address crucial political questions, such as how many troops are needed and for how long or how much the mission will cost. Secondly, the lack of an operational planning capability denies the Union the capacity to develop (advance) contingency planning products, that are so crucial in situations where rapid reaction is required. Finally, the lack of a permanent command and control infrastructure has a negative impact upon the quality and security of the Union's military Communication and Information Systems (CIS) and hampers the kind of overall situational awareness offered by a central command, so vital for a Union that aims to think more strategically (as argued in the 2008 revision of the European Security Strategy).


Purpose The purpose of this study was to introduce the surgical technique and functional outcome of joint-sparing limb salvage surgery with metaphyseal osteotomy by dependent design of three-dimensional printed prothesis for children with osteosarcoma in distal femur.Methods Between 2012 to 2019, we performed twelve joint sparing limb salvage surgeries (JSLSS) with metaphyseal osteotomy for the children of osteosarcoma in the distal femur with our dependent design of 3D-printed guided plate and prothesis. The clinical assessment including resection margin, limb-length discrepancy, orthopaedic complications and functional outcome would be analyzed.Results The mean operation time for JSLSS was 107.6 minutes and the average blood loss was 194.5ml with the dependent design of 3D-printed prosthesis. With the assistance of guide plate, the mean margin of the osteosarcoma from the epiphyseal plate was 1.6 cm and the mean limb-length discrepancy was 2.2 cm with maximum follow-up period of seven years (mean 45.3 months, range 12-84 months). All the patients could bend their knee through >90° flexion, achieved similar results for ROMs in 6DOF during gait compared with normal data of Chinese knees, and the mean MSTS score was 94.7 for the patients with JSLSS. One patient had a superficial infection and there was one patient of local recurrence happened during the follow-up with the necrosis rate less than 90% by preoperative chemotherapy. None aseptic loosening happened in distal femur for the patients in this group with dependent design of 3D-printed prosthesis.Conclusion Joint-sparing limb salvage surgery by metaphyseal osteotomy with the dependent design of 3D-printed prosthesis and guide plate would be a good choice for the children with osteosarcoma in distal femur.