SIR,-Dr Peter Tyrer (7 October, p 1008) seems to have stimulated a raw nerve with his article on the prescribing of psychotropic drugs in general practice-at least so far as Dr D C Hogg (28 October, p 1228) is concerned. This rather unfortunate response needs to be countered. Having worked in general practice I know just what Dr Hogg means when he refers to "a horde of chronically depressed and anxious patients who are a constant source of work and difficulty." Surely, however, this can in no sense justify sloppy prescribing habits, which he appears to try to defend. Indeed, if it is thc work generated by patients in mental distress to which Dr Hogg objects, then I am surprised that he has chosen to be a general practitioner. He uses shortage of consultation time as one reason for not adopting prescribing patterns which he knows may be the best: all the more reason, therefore, to use scant resources carefully. More time spent listening to patients' troubles often obviates the need to spend extra time with the prescription pad. Of course, in the first instance this usually means greater effort on the doctor's part, for there are no short cuts to good medicine. In the long run, however, it is time well spent. I also find the comment that "innumerable patients . are managed quite well" very telling. Dr Hogg has missed Dr Tvrer's point -namely, that many patients are manifestly niot managed well by their family doctors so far as psychotropic medication is concerned. Not that I entirely agree with some of Dr Tyrer's points. For example, his comments about the dosage levels of certain drugsnamely, prescription of neuroleptics being "inadequate" at a level of less than 75 mg chlorpromazine daily or "excessive" at 400 mg of chlorpromazine (or equivalent) daily-are of limited value in the absence of clinical data. I am sure that he is aware of pharmacokinetic studies ' indicating the great variations in plasma levels of such drugs in individuals on identical dosage regimens, together with considerable differences in clinical response. Furthermore, the picture is made much more complicated by polypharmacy,' a feature stressed by Dr Tyrer. Added to this is the fact that up to 50"O of patients prescribed antidepressants by their general practitioners default within a matter of three weeks or so.4 In short, there is no such thing as an "acceptable" dosage range for any psychotropic drug -it depends how it is handled (physically and metabolically) by the patient concerned. In the final analysis, therefore, administration is (or should be) dictated by the clinical response of the patient, not by absolute dosage schedules. Secondly, he suggests that some tricyclic antidepressants had "perhaps" been prescribed for too long. There is evidence5 to suggest that in certain cases long-term administration of tricyclics may have a worthwhile prophylactic effect. Again, without clinical details it is difficult to evaluate Dr Tyrer's case. Nevertheless, these points are generously outweighed by the remainder of the paper. Dr Hogg accuses Dr Tyrer of "GP baiting" and being destructively criticial. This is nonsense: Dr Tyrer draws our attention to inadequacies in the dissemination of impartial information about psychotropic drugs and also to possible shortcomings in the pharmacological training of doctors. None of us is so good at his job that he doesn't need to be reminded to be judicious and vigilant. Dr Hogg's approach is a recipe for mediocrity: if we do not strive for excellence in prescribing habits we shall surely not attain it. GRAHAM CLIFF


The stock market is affected by sentiment. The question, however, is how to quantify this effect on asset prices. By using a news-based proxy for sentiment, this article intends to address the issue empirically by exploring the pricing implications of a stock's exposure to market sentiment. The authors explore a concept termed news beta—the sensitivity of stock returns to changes in market sentiment as reported by the media. After controlling for traditional factors, news beta is found to have strong return predictability over 6- and 12-month horizons. The evidence from this research suggests that news sentiment data are still an untapped source of alpha in financial markets.


A method is proposed for routing spatially distributed excess precipitation over a watershed to produce runoff at its outlet. The land surface is represented by a (raster) digital elevation model from which the stream network is derived. A routing response function is defined for each digital elevation model cell so that water movement from cell to cell can be convolved to give a response function along a flow path and responses from all cells can be summed to give the outlet hydrograph. An example application of analysis of runoff on Waller Creek in Austin, Texas, is presented.


In this paper the model of special metal cutting NC machine Tool is presented, which consists of a base module, an overall control module, particular functional modules as well as a relation module. Each module involved in aforementioned model will be composed by software, hardware and mechanical parts, so as to combine the convergence of the ideas of modularization and mechanical-electrical integration into current understanding of special NC machine tool through the proposed model. Specially, the relation module is introduced to deal with the linking among all the other modules. The presented model aims to broaden the perspective of machine designers intending to increase the efficiency in machine design. By giving the so-called function unit model a novel modeling approach is delivered to carry out control research of special metal cutting NC machine, which is followed by the formalization description method presented as a possible abstraction methodology towards the efficient description and identification of special metal cutting NC machine tool.


We present a spectral analysis of the Seyfert 1.8 ESO 113-G010 observed with XMM-Newton for 4 ks. The spectrum shows a soft excess below 0.7 keV and more interestingly a narrow emission Gaussian line at 5.4 keV (in its rest-frame), most probably originating from a redshifted iron Kα line. No significant line at or above 6.4 keV is found contrary to other objects showing redshifted lines, ruling out a strong blue-wing to the line profile. The line is detected at 99% confidence, from performing Monte Carlo simulations which fully account for the range of energies where a narrow iron line is likely to occur. The energy of the line could indicate emission from relativistic (0.17-0.23 c) ejected matter moving away from the observer, as proposed for Mrk 766 by Turner et al. (2004, ApJ, 603, 62). Alternatively, the emission from a narrow annulus at the surface of the accretion disk is unlikely due to the very small inclination angle (i.e. less than 10 ◦ ) required to explain the narrow, redshifted line in this intermediate Seyfert galaxy. However emission from a small, localized hot-spot on the disk, occurring within a fraction of a complete disk orbit, could also explain the redshifted line. This scenario would be directly testable in a longer observation, as one would see significant variations in the energy and intensity of the line within an orbital timescale.


ABSTRACT While the stereotypical older adult is one who is clueless about technology, research on this age group paints a different picture. Adding to the literature about older adults' varying tech savvy, this paper focuses on the technological support-giving abilities of those in later stages of life based on interviews conducted in four countries. Far from being dependent bystanders, some older adults serve as helpful sources of support to their peers. We also find mutual support – support given to each other – an important domain for how people in this age group give and get assistance when they encounter technical problems. That such a prominent amount of support providers exist in this age group implies that peer-led technical support approaches may be especially salient and effective in helping older adults use digital media. While some participants did not provide help with digital technology because they lacked confidence to do so, others believed they could, but were never asked. These individuals have the potential to play a critical role in digital media support that may be more acceptable to their peers than help from other age groups. Further investigation of how to harness this support is warranted.


Acute respiratory distress syndrome is a major complication in patients with thermal injury. The obstruction of the airway by cast material, composed in part of fibrin, contributes to deterioration of pulmonary gas exchange. We tested the effect of aerosol administration of tissue plasminogen activator, which lyses fibrin clots, on acute lung injury in sheep that had undergone combined burn/smoke inhalation injury. Anesthetized sheep were given a 40% total body surface, third degree burn and were insufflated with cotton smoke. Tissue plasminogen activator (TPA) was nebulized every 4 h at 1 or 2 mg for each nebulization, beginning 4 h after injury. Injured but untreated control sheep developed multiple symptoms of acute respiratory distress syndrome: decreased pulmonary gas exchange, increased pulmonary edema, and extensive airway obstruction. These control animals also showed increased pulmonary transvascular fluid flux and increased airway pressures. These variables were all stable in sham animals. Nebulization of saline or 1 mg of TPA only slightly improved measures of pulmonary function. Treatment of injured sheep with 2 mg of TPA attenuated all the pulmonary abnormalities noted above. The results provide evidence that clearance of airway obstructive cast material is crucial in managing acute respiratory distress syndrome resulting from combined burn and smoke inhalation injury.


Reactive oxygen species (ROS) have multifaceted roles in the orchestration of plant gene expression and gene-product regulation. Cellular redox homeostasis is considered to be an "integrator" of information from metabolism and the environment controlling plant growth and acclimation responses, as well as cell suicide events. The different ROS forms influence gene expression in specific and sometimes antagonistic ways. Low molecular antioxidants (e.g., ascorbate, glutathione) serve not only to limit the lifetime of the ROS signals but also to participate in an extensive range of other redox signaling and regulatory functions. In contrast to the low molecular weight antioxidants, the "redox" states of components involved in photosynthesis such as plastoquinone show rapid and often transient shifts in response to changes in light and other environmental signals. Whereas both types of "redox regulation" are intimately linked through the thioredoxin, peroxiredoxin, and pyridine nucleotide pools, they also act independently of each other to achieve overall energy balance between energy-producing and energy-utilizing pathways. This review focuses on current knowledge of the pathways of redox regulation, with discussion of the somewhat juxtaposed hypotheses of "oxidative damage" versus "oxidative signaling," within the wider context of physiological function, from plant cell biology to potential applications.


Optofluidic lasers (OFLs) are an emerging technological platform for biochemical sensing, and their good performance especially high sensitivity has been demonstrated. However, high-throughput detection with an OFL remains a major challenge due to the lack of reproducible optical microcavities. Here, we introduce the concept of a distributed fibre optofluidic laser (DFOFL) and demonstrate its potential for high-throughput sensing applications. Due to the precise fibre geometry control via fibre drawing, a series of identical optical microcavities uniformly distributed along a hollow optical fibre (HOF) can be achieved to obtain a one-dimensional (1D) DFOFL. An enzymatic reaction catalysed by horseradish peroxidase (HRP) can be monitored over time, and the HRP concentration is detected by DFOFL-based arrayed colorimetric detection. Experimentally, five-channel detection in parallel with imaging has been demonstrated. Theoretically, spatial multiplexing of hundreds of channels is achievable with DFOFL-based detection. The DFOFL wavelength is tuned over hundreds of nanometers by optimizing the dye concentration or reconfiguring the liquid gain materials. Extending this concept to a two-dimensional (2D) chip through wavelength multiplexing can further enhance its multi-functionality, including multi-sample detection and spectral analysis. This work opens the door to high-throughput biochemical sensing.


Despite basic education being free and compulsory in the Philippines, former Education Secretary Jesli Lapuz (cited in Cueto & Ricafort, 2009) notes that there is a staggering number of school-age children and youth who are out in the streets facing exploitation in all forms. The Department of Education (DepEd) reports that for school year 2007-2008, some 2.2 million children aged six to 12 years old and 3.4 million children aged 12 to 15 year old are out of school (Cueto & Ricafort, 2009). Alarmed by this, the DepEd launched the Reaching All Children (REACH) program with the aim to bring young Filipinos back to school and prepare them for tough times ahead. It is foreseen that due to the global competitive pressures and financial crisis, out-of-school are most likely to experience continuing unemployment, poverty, and exploitation.


A passive cooling system, integrating radiative and convective cooling, was tested for a test cell in Sde-Boqer, Israel. The system was based on circulating water from a pond on the roof of the cell through a system of radiators, which removed energy from the system by nocturnal long wave radiation and convective losses. The water flowing through the system kept the radiators relatively warm, thus increasing radiative losses and eliminating convective gains. Wind screens were not necessary in this case. The radiators also served as a shading device over the roof during the day.


Discusses whether businesses in the transport sector, which are not yet subject to the EC emissions trading scheme, will be treated fairly when the scheme is extended to include them. Reports on the decision to extend the scheme to carbon dioxide emissions from air flights, and proposals to address the shipping industry and transport by road and rail. Considers how the price of carbon emissions will be set, and whether energy-intensive businesses which have been in the scheme for years benefit from advantages in allocation. Looks at the prospects of a UN Treaty to combat climate change in 2009.


Scanning electron microscopes are some of the most versatile tools for imaging materials with nanometer resolution. However, images collected at high scan rates to increase throughput and avoid sample damage, suffer from low signalto- noise ratio (SNR) as a result of the Poisson distributed shot noise associated with the electron production and interaction with the surface imaged. The signal is further degraded by additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) from the detection electronics. In this work, denoising frameworks are applied to this type of images, taking advantage of their sparsity character, along with a methodology for determining the AWGN. A variance stabilization technique is applied to the raw data followed by a patch-based denoising algorithm. Results are presented both for images with known levels of mixed Poisson-Gaussian noise, and for raw images. The quality of the image reconstruction is assessed based both on the PSNR as well as on measures specific to the application of the data collected. These include accurate identification of objects of interest and structural similarity. High-quality results are recovered from noisy observations collected at short dwell times that avoid sample damage.


In this paper, we assessed six native populations (55 trees) of Triplaris guayaquilensis Wedd (Fernan Sanchez), one of the major forest species from Ecuador, using morphological and AFLP (Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphisms) data. The populations were collected through two macro-sites (Central coastals: Quevedo, Ventanas, la Guayas; Andean surroundings: la Mana, Patricia Pilar, Pichincha). The populations showed the following traits: straight shaft (66 %); round, irregular top shape (50 %); and branch insertion angle 0° - 30° (86 %). Four qualitative (straight shape, type of leaf edge, leaf width and leaf pubescence) and four quantitative (commercial tree height, basal area, commercial volume and total volume) traits were the most explicative traits present after Principal Component Analysis (PCA). PCA separated populations into two groups: one group included populations from Central Coastals which showed morphological traits highly and positively correlated with wood production, and the other group included populations with lower tree growth from the Andean surroundings. Populations from Central Coastals showed the highest values of genetic diversity indexes, AFLP markers separated populations based on the macro site of origin. For K = 2 Bayesian analysis separated FS populations into two groups; two populations from Central Coastals region and the other four the Andean surroundings region (3) and 1 from Central Coastals (La Guayas). For greater K values, the genetic fragmentation of populations by origins was evident since for K = 5 four groups were performed: one including populations from Quevedo and Ventanas and other from La Guayas (Coastals), the third group included trees from La Mana and Pichincha and the fourth, from Patricia Pilar (Andean surroundings). Results suggested the constant and effective genetic recombination or the genetic flow among and within Fernan Sanchez populations with a clear tendency towards genetic differentiation.


Infection of Oxydoras kneri by the acanthocephalan Paracavisoma impudica is described. The parasites do not penetrate deeply into the host gut wall and do not reach the muscularis layers. Host reaction is minimal, consisting of limited fibrosis around the proboscides. Haemorrhages and lymphocyte infiltration are not observed, and phagocytic cells are only present occasionally. Oxydoras kneri is a newly reported host for Paracavisoma impudica.


Abstract : This paper discusses the Genetic Rule and Classifier Construction Environment (GRaCCE), which is an alternative to existing decision rule induction (DRI) algorithms. GRaCCE is a multi-phase algorithm which uses evolutionary search to mine classification rules from data. The current implementation uses a genetic algorithm based 0/1 search to reduce the number of features to a minimal set of features that make the most significant contributions to the classification of the input data set. This feature selection increases the efficiency of the rule induction algorithm that follows. However, feature selection is shown to account for more than 98 percent of the total execution time of GRaCCE on the tested data sets. The primary objective of this research effort is to improve the overall performance of GRaCCE through the application of parallel computing methods to the feature selection algorithm. The development and implementation of a parallel feature selection algorithm is presented. The experiments designed and used to test this parallel implementation are outlined followed by an analysis of the results. The results of this thesis effort show clearly that GRaCCE is improved through the use of parallel programming techniques.


The impacts of agro-pastoral activities on soil properties, plus nutritive value and residual standing biomass of herbaceous plants in areas of different land uses in western Serengeti, were evaluated. Vegetation and soil were sampled along 4,000 m transects laid across fallow land, areas grazed only by livestock, mixed grazing (livestock and wildlife) and wildlife grazing only. A total number of 123 plant species were encountered during sampling. Analyses of soil and vegetation samples were conducted at Sokoine University of Agriculture laboratories. The estimated average density of grazing animals encountered was 160 TLU/km on transects within livestock-dominated grazing lands, 129 TLU/km for mixed grazing and 83 TLU/km for wildlife grazing only. Results indicated that ADF, IVDMD, IVOMD, ME and TDN in residual herbaceous forage at flowering were significantly (P<0.05) affected by land use type but CP, NDF and ADL were not affected. Soil pH, OC, CEC, C:N ratio and Ca differed significantly (P<0.05) between land use types. An overall evaluation indicated that regardless of climatic conditions, residual biomass of herbaceous plants in western Serengeti is determined by intensity of grazing, soil C:N ratio and concentrations of Ca and P in the soil. We conclude that agro-pastoral practices conducted in western Serengeti affected residual standing biomass of herbaceous plants and soil properties. We recommend that grazing pressure in communal grazing lands be reduced by either reducing number of grazing animals or duration of grazing in a particular grazing area, and specific studies be conducted to establish stocking rates appropriate for specific communal grazing lands in villages.


Estrogens exert a protective effect against atherosclerosis. It is well known that hormone replacement therapy (HRT) can effectively decrease LDL-cholesterol and increase HDL-cholesterol and Apo-Al serum levels. Some recent studies have suggested that estrogens alone or in association with progestins may exert an antioxidant effect on lipids. Besides sex steroids, also vitamins exert an antioxidant effect on LDL and may preserve the endogenous antioxidants of LDL. The aim of our study was to evaluate whether HRT can improve alpha-tocopherol and beta-carotene serum levels in post-menopausal women. Fifteen postmenopausal women with climacteric symptoms were treated with 50 micrograms/24 h estradiol transdermally applied twice a week for 21 days. A daily dose of 10 mg oral medroxyprogesterone acetate was added for 12 days in each treatment cycle. This therapy lasted 6 months. A significant reduction was found in total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol after treatment. Besides, our study has shown that alpha-toc/LDL and beta-car/LDL ratios significatively increased after treatment, while alpha-tocopherol and beta-carotene serum levels did not change significantly after therapy. These preliminary findings suggest that HRT can preserve the content of alpha-tocopherol and beta-carotene in LDL particles and keep the LDL in a reduced antioxidant state.


Objectives/Goals This project was conducted in order to analyze the flux rates of nanoparticulate fouling of microfiltration membranes in two different types of feedwater: clarified secondary treated wastewater and Santa Ana River water. The initial idea was to conduct an experiment working with different types of nanoparticles, such as silver and gold nanoparticles. Some further research led to the formation of analyzing flux rates of different types of feedwater by using fluorescent nanobeads instead of actual nanoparticles. Methods/Materials Flux rate was determined by mimicking a microfiltration set-up. First, water samples were collected from clarified secondary treated wastewater from Orange County Sanitation District and Santa Ana River. Then, a mimic microfiltration was set up, consisting of a vacuum pump, a 4 place electronic balance, and a computer that grammatically collected flow data with an acquisition program. A microfiltration test cell was prepared using several 20-cm long tubes of 0.2 micrometer nomial size polypropylene membrane tubes. Next, base flow of deionized water was measured for 3 minutes. (A base flow rate with deionized water was done before each flux rate measurement with the feedwater.) Next, the deionized water was spiked with Fluospheres carboxylate-modified microspheres 0.1 micrometer, orange fluorescent (540/560) nanobeads using a pipet. Each flow rate was measured two times each. After, each feedwater was spiked with the same nanobeads, and the flow rate, which lasted for 22 minutes, was measured two times each. Finally, at the end of each flow rate experiment, the fiber was frozen and cross sectioned for microscopic observation and photos. Results Clairified secondary treated wastewater fouled more quickly (its flow rate decreased more rapidly) than Santa Ana RIver water. By comparing the two different types of feedwater' flux rates, the flux rate at 15.08 minutes of the clarified secondary treated wastewater already had 10.02% average flux rate while the Santa Ana River water had 28.68% average flux rate. Conclusions/Discussion The contributions of this project were beneficial. It is seen that clarified secondary treated wastewater fouled more quickly than Santa Ana River water, a realization that further study of nanoparticles and their effect in different feedwater should be conducted.


Wind from different directions induce waves-waves to collid at the central zone of Taihu Lake. It causes exchange in water bodies and release of internal nutrients which increases algal bloom. This study aims to analyz the impact of the interactions between waves-waves collision from different directions and different sources such as traveling ships and explored factors, causing sediment resuspension. The results were achieved to collect high-frequency data for measuring wind speeds, currents, waves, and suspended solid concentration (SSCs). The results indicate that the water exchange and the turbidity highly escalated when wind speeds reached 5 m/s. The surface flow velocities are very high, about 80 cm/s or more according to the raw data after calibrating the instruments. This finding is very important in the processes of sediments dynamic. Maybe in these wide area, high waves –waves collide leading to constructive interference from different sources generate waves. Sediment processes were categorized into three period A, B, and C corresponding to three shear-stress thresholds. Period A: Sediment bottom particals was stable with τw < 0.01 N/m2. It did not change through this period and the averaged suspended solid concentration (SSCs) was approximately 50 mg/L. Period B: Sediment resuspension was small with a range between 0.01 ≤ τw < 0.1 N/m2. It jumped up slowly and the averaged was in the range of 50 to 70 mg/L. Period C: Sediment resuspension was moderate with shear stress 0.1 ≤ τw < 0.8 N/m2. The form of the sediment bed was changed at the second period, this shows that increase of the shear stress activated the sediment in this period. The bottom SSCs increased quickly from 60 to 350 mg/L in average. Outcomes of this paper presents the main factor causing sediment resuspension, which may assist further studies and estimate the real reasons for internal nutrient release from different waves induced waves-waves to collide in Lake Taihu.

 Key words: Eutrophication, central zone, shear stress, different direction wind, waves-waves collide, constrictive interference.


An unexpected temporary appointment in the Botany Department of University College, Nairobi, provided the opportunity to make a survey of the phytoplankton of some Kenya inland waters. Attention has previously been paid to some of the larger lakes, particularly those in the Rift Valley, but little information is available about the smaller lakes and reservoirs. The account which follows is an attempt to present the results of the survey in a form which can be understood by those who have had no specialist training in botany.


Context: Achieving a high degree of conversion (DC) is one of the major concerns during photopolymerization of bulk-fill composites. Aims: To evaluate the effect of light energy densities (11.2 J/cm2 and 20 J/cm2) on the DC and variation of DC in the 24-h postcuring of four bulk-fill composites: SDR, Venus Bulk Fill, MI FIL, and Tetric N-Ceram Bulk Fill at simulated clinically relevant filling depths. Settings and Design: This was an in vitro comparative study. Subjects and Methods: A total of twenty samples were prepared using a teflon mold. VALO curing light was used with two light intensity modes of 1000 mW/cm2 for curing time of 20 s and 1400 mW/cm2 for curing time of 8 s. The energy density was calculated as follows: energy density (J/cm2) is the light intensity (mW/cm2) applied during a certain time (s) divided by 1000. The DC was measured at two time intervals: immediately postcure and after 24-h storage in artificial saliva using an Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy equipped with attenuated total reflectance accessory. Statistical Analysis Used: ANOVA and Bonferroni test at P < 0.05. Results: High energy density (20 J/cm2) leads to higher DC. Thickness, type of composites, and postcuring phase strongly influence the DC. DC values of the top surface for all the bulk-fill materials investigated were found significantly greater (P < 0.005) than those of their bottom surface. Among composites, SDR showed highest DC. DC strongly increased after 24-h postcure by 32% on top surface and 76% on bottom surface. Conclusions: Energy density more than 20 J/cm2, derived by increasing curing time and low power density, helps obtain a high DC of bulk-fill composites for adequate clinical performance.


MALFORMATIONS of the Eustachian tube and the middle ear without simultaneous involvement of either the external or the inner ear or both are rare. The last review of the subject was made by Marx, 1926. Since that time a considerable amount of new material has accumulated, which made another comprehensive study advisable. This seemed particularly worth while in view of the renewed interest in the operative treatment of certain ear malformations. EUSTACHIAN TUBE Pharyngeal Ostium .—Although generally the pharyngeal ostium is situated in the fetus below the level of the hard palate, at birth at the level of the hard palate, and in adults about 10 mm. above it, individual variations in the position and shape of the ostium are frequent. Overdevelopment of the tensor tympani muscle may lead to abnormal patency of the ostium (von Kostanecki). Abnormal width of the ostium is not too rare. Sometimes a recessus is


v-ErbA, an oncogenic derivative of the thyroid hormone receptor α (TRα) carried by the avian erythroblastosis virus, contains several alterations including fusion of a portion of avian erythroblastosis virus Gag to its N terminus, N- and C-terminal deletions, and 13 amino acid substitutions. Nuclear export of v-ErbA occurs through a CRM1-mediated pathway. In contrast, nuclear export of TRα and another isoform, TRβ, is CRM1-independent. To determine which amino acid changes in v-ErbA confer CRM1-dependent nuclear export, we expressed a panel of green and yellow fluorescent protein-tagged mutant and chimeric proteins in mammalian cells. The sensitivity of subcellular trafficking of these mutants to leptomycin B (LMB), a specific inhibitor of CRM1, was assessed by fluorescence microscopy. Our data showed that a nuclear export sequence resides within a 70-amino acid domain in the C-terminal portion of the p10 region of Gag, and in vitro binding assays demonstrated that Gag interacts directly with CRM1. However, a panel of ligand-binding domain mutants of v-ErbA lacking the Gag sequence exhibited greater nuclear localization in the presence of LMB, suggesting that the various amino acid substitutions/deletions may cause a conformation shift, unmasking an additional CRM1-dependent nuclear export sequence. In contrast, the altered DNA-binding domain of the oncoprotein did not contribute to CRM1-dependent nuclear export. Heterokaryon experiments revealed that v-ErbA did not undergo nucleocytoplasmic shuttling when the CRM1 export pathway was blocked by LMB treatment, suggesting that the ability to follow the export pathway used by TRα has been lost by the oncoprotein during its evolution. Our findings thus point to the intriguing possibility that acquisition of altered nuclear export capabilities contributes to the oncogenic properties of v-ErbA.


We present what is to our knowledge the first demonstration of a tunable fiber Bragg grating device in polymer optical fiber that utilizes a thin-film resistive heater deposited on the surface of the fiber. The polymer fiber was coated via photochemical deposition of a Pd/Cu metallic layer with a procedure induced by vacuum-ultraviolet radiation at room temperature. The resulting device, when wavelength tuned via joule heating, underwent a wavelength shift of 2 nm for a moderate input power of 160 mW, a wavelength to input power coefficient of -13.4 pm/mW, and a time constant of 1.7 s(-1).


The Nigerian video film industry known as Nollywood forms one of the world's biggest entertainment industries today. In its stories, Nollywood reflects the values, desires and fears of African viewers and shows them new postcolonial forms of performative self-expression. In that way, it has become a point of reference for a wide range of people. As such, it not only excites a large number of viewers inside and outside Nigeria but also inspires some of them to make their own films. This nascent phenomenon of Nollywood inspired filmmaking is the starting point of my doctoral thesis and this article. By applying the methods of shared anthropology and performance ethnography I study a group of African migrants making their own film in Switzerland.


Forensic electroencephalogram (EEG)-based lie detection has recently begun using the concealed information test (CIT) as a potentially more robust alternative to the classical comparative questions test. The main problem with using CIT is that it requires an objective and fast decision algorithm under the constraint of limited available information. In this study, we developed a simple and feasible hierarchical knowledge base construction and test method for efficient concealed information detection based on objective EEG measures. We describe how a hierarchical feature space was formed and which level of the feature space was sufficient to accurately predict concealed information from the raw EEG signal in a short time. A total of 11 subjects went through an autobiographical paradigm test. A high accuracy of 95.23% in recognizing concealed information with a single EEG electrode within about 20 seconds demonstrates effectiveness of the method.


The combustion respiratory quotients of castor beans germinated to various stages, depending upon the length of the hypocotyl, were determined by means of a modified oxycalorimeter. After germination was well started, the respiratory quotient of the combusted germinated seed increased as the stage of germination increased, indicating a change from an oxygen-poor to an oxygen-rich substance, probably fat to sugar. The accuracy of the method was checked by organic combustions. The seat of formation of the oxygen-rich substance is in the endosperm.


Biocompatibility has long been associated with surface microtopography, microtexture and microchemistry. The surface topography ultimately affects the nature and the strength of the interactions that occur at biomaterial-biological environment (cell adhesion, mobility, spreading and proliferation). Thus, it is necessary to produce and work with controlled microtopographical surfaces that present reproducible microdomains of a dimension similar to that of the biological elements of interest (for instance, cells). [1] There are a number of substrates that already have been studied (such as silicone, polystyrene, poly-L-lactic acid and titanium coated polystyrene) in terms of surface topography. [2] However, few studies are related to hydroxyapatite substrates. As it is well established, hydroxyapatite is a well known ceramic that is extremely used in medical applications, namely implants and coatings. In this work, the surface topography of dense hydroxyapatite substrates was altered by using KFr excimer laser. Excimer lasers produce high-intensity, pulsed ultraviolet radiation and are especially well suited for materials processing due to their large beam cross-section area, which permits using mask projection technologies to process relatively large areas in a single step.[3]


Prey selection studies may result in different conclusions depending on the analysed forager. Predators with different foraging modes, such as raptors and carnivorous mammals, may select different prey types. Certain prey morphological and behavioural patterns could explain selection. Predation would be favouring morphological/functional adaptations, such as inflated auditory bullae, saltatorial locomotion, use of habitat with shelters and higher activity levels during moonless nights. This kind of study is still scarce in Brazil. So, the goal of this research was the analysis of small mammal selection in the diet of three predators at Itirapina Ecological Station, SP, as well as to verify the vulnerability of small mammals in relation to hearing, locomotion, use and activity in different physiognomies during nights with varying lunar illumination. Analysis of prey selection by the Barn Owl (Tyto alba) was conducted in relation to species, size, age and sex. The Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia) was studied in relation to the consumption of small mammal species, size and age. The Maned Wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus) was only evaluated concerning prey species selection. Remains of bones (mandibles and pelvic girdles) found in pellets and faeces of predators were utilized to identify prey species, sex and to quantify number of consumed individuals. Analysis of prey species selection was conducted by comparisons between proportion of prey found in the diet and in environment, applying G test and Bonferroni confidence intervals. Differential sex consumption was evaluated by G test and Fisher exact test. Mann-Whitney test was employed to compare prey size in the diet and in the environment. Rodent ages found in pellets/ faeces and in the field were compared by G test. The volumes of auditory bullae were obtained by injection of water in these structures using micro-syringe. Bipedalism index (ratio between fore and hind limb lengths) was calculated to find the best potential escape response among the studied rodents. Small mammal abundance/activity in three different physiognomies was assessed by pitfall traps during full or no moon nights. The Barn Owl was more selective than the Burrowing Owl in relation to prey species consumption, though both of them include the same small mammal species in their diets. Calomys tener and Oligoryzomys nigripes were the most preyed on rodents by the two owls. Small-sized and juvenile individuals of C. tener were more consumed by the Barn Owl, whereas sub-adults were more preyed on by the Burrowing Owl. Differences may be due to foraging mode of each owl and biological characteristics of prey. Selection of smaller individuals within species may suggest predation of more vulnerable prey. So small-sized rodent selection may not result from active predation by the owls, but from higher vulnerability of these prey. Oligoryzomys nigripes was never selected positively by any of the three predators and the Barn Owl consumed mainly juveniles in the dry season. These set of information may suggest that O. nigripes is a less vulnerable prey to the owls and to the maned wolf in comparison to the other rodents. Its saltatorial locomotion may explain these results. The poor hearing ability and lack of response to varying lunar illumination levels suggest a later escape response opposed to detection of predator in advance. Calomys tener seems to be a high vulnerable prey in Itirapina. Although it decreases activity/abundance level during full moon nights, it is the most consumed rodent by the two owls. Both hearing and locomotion are poor in relation to the other rodents. The three predators positively selected Bolomys lasiurus. However, its abundance was very low in the Ecological Station and further investigation on its abundance should be assessed before conclusions. The consumption of larger prey, such as Clyomys bishopi, by the larger predator, the Maned Wolf, was expected. Data revealed that Clyomys bishopi owns the best hearing capability, but the worst escape response, according to the bipedalism index. Although it has large auditory bullae, which could be related to communication among co specifics, it is the most consumed prey by the maned wolf. The low consumption of this Echymyidae by the Barn and Burrowing owls may be related to its great body mass and consequently difficulties in prey handling. Based on this study, depending on locality and differences in prey composition/abundance, predators may adopt different strategies. In the same area, resource was utilized in different manner by these predators, at least, in terms of prey proportion in the diet, size and age. Further studies using the same methodology, involving all components of trophic guilds, besides environmental variables, may better illustrate the role of each species in community. The so-called efficient escape strategies were the ones found among rodents in deserts. It may be the case in http://www.biotaneotropica.org.br that these morphological and behavioural characteristics may not confer less vulnerability in savannah-like environments. Besides, the lack of information about predator and prey sensory capabilities makes it difficult to interpret and test hypotheses. All these questions should be taken into account in further studies about prey selection and vulnerability. Key-words: small mammals; predation; vulnerability; savannah FICHA CATALOGRÁFICA: Bueno, Adriana de Arruda Vulnerabilidade de pequenos mamíferos de áreas abertas a vertebrados predadores na Estação Ecológica de Itirapina, SP. 99 páginas Dissertação (Mestrado) – Instituto de Biociências da Universidade de São Paulo. Departamento de Ecologia. 1. pequenos mamíferos; 2. predação; 3. vulnerabilidade; 4. cerrado. Universidade de São Paulo. Instituto de Biociências. Departamento de


Proteinase activities in the larval midguts of the bruchids Callosobruchus maculatus and Zabrotes subfasciatus were investigated. Both midgut homogenates showed a slightly acidic to neutral pH optima for the hydrolysis of fluorogenic substrates. Proteolysis of epsilon-aminocaproil-Leu-Cys(SBzl)-MCA was totally inhibited by the cysteine proteinase inhibitors E-64 and leupeptin, and was activated by 1.5 mM DTT in both insects, while hydrolysis of the substrate Z-ArgArg-MCA was inhibited by aprotinin and E-64, which suggests that it is being hydrolysed by serine and cysteine proteinases. Gel assays showed that the proteolytic activity in larval midgut of C. maculatus was due to five major cysteine proteinases. However, based on the pattern of E-64 and aprotinin inhibition, proteolytic activity in larval midgut of Z. subfasciatus was not due only to cysteine proteinases. Fractionation of the larval midgut homogenates of both bruchids through ion-exchange chromatography (DEAE-Sepharose) revealed two peaks of activity against Z-ArgArg-MCA for both bruchid species. The fractions from C. maculatus have characteristics of cysteine proteinases, while Z. subfasciatus has one non-retained peak of activity containing cysteine proteinases and another eluted in a gradient of 250-350 mM NaCl. The proteolytic activity of the retained peak is higher at pH 8.8 than at pH 6.0 and corresponds with a single peak that is active against N-p-tosyl-GlyGlyArg-MCA, and sensitive to 250 microM aprotinin (90% inhibition). The peak contains a serine proteinase which hydrolyzes alpha-amylase inhibitor 1 from the common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris). Arch.


The effect of soil acidity factors on yields and foliar composition of intensively managed green beans was determined in Ultisols and an Oxisol typical of the Humid Tropics. Beans responded very strongly to liming on all six soils. Calcium content of the bean leaves increased and manganese content decreased with increasing lime rates and with yields. Bean yields increased with increasing soil pH to about 5.2 at which level these soils contained essentially no exchangeable aluminum. Bean yields increased with increasing exchangeable soil base content to about 70-percent saturation based on cation exchange capacities as determined with ammonium acetate at pH 7. Bean yields increased with decreasing exchangeable soil aluminum to essentially 0. Soil pH and exchangeable base and aluminum contents were effective criteria for liming these soils.


Background and Aim: Children with severe and profound hearing loss have difficulties in communicating with others and educating at school. Effects of learning environment on children's language skills have been recently focused and educating those students in ordinary schools has been proposed. According to this view, we compared perception of antonyms and synonyms as a semantic aspect of language in students of ordinary, integrated and special schools. Methods: It was an analytic cross-sectional study. Three groups of students were enrolled: normalhearing students of ordinary schools and hearing-loss students of integrated and specials schools. Each group consisted of 25 students in fifth grade of elementary schools in Tehran city. Two written tests were used. Subjects wrote synonyms and antonyms for each word in the tests. Results: Results denoted significant differences between scores of normal-hearing and hearing-loss students and also between hearing-loss students of integrated schools and hearing-loss students of special schools (p<0.05). In all three groups of the students, perception of antonyms was better than antonyms (p<0.001). Speech processing rate in normal-hearing students were higher than both groups of hearing-loss students (p<0.001). Conclusion: The differences between normal-hearing and hearing-loss students shows that similar to other language skills, perception of synonyms and antonyms as a semantic aspect of speech is related to the hearing conditions and type of education. Moreover, the differences between two groups of hearing-loss students represent that speech stimulants and interaction with normal-hearing children


Most patients with juvenile periodontitis manifest serum antibodies, sometimes at very high titers, to antigens of Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans, but the antigens inducing the immune response have been only partly characterized. We separated A. actinomycetemcomitans serotype b cells into protein, lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and soluble polysaccharide fractions and characterized them. Coomassie blue- and silver-stained sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis gels were used to detect protein and LPS components, and gas-liquid chromatography was used to determine their carbohydrate and fatty acid composition. Western blots, dot blots, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay inhibition with high-titer sera from juvenile periodontitis patients revealed which components were highest in antibody binding activity. These results showed that the major portion of the immunoglobulin G binding activity resides in the purified mannan-free LPS, with lesser amounts in the total protein fraction. Using Sephacryl S-300 chromatography, we separated LPS into high-molecular-mass components with high carbohydrate contents by gas-liquid chromatography and a low-molecular-mass component consisting mainly of lipid A and the inner core sugar heptulose. The results of quantitative dot blot assays and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay inhibition show that the serotype-specific antibody binding activity is highly concentrated in the high-molecular-mass carbohydrate-rich LPS fraction and is almost completely absent in the low-molecular-weight lipid-rich fraction. Our observations contrast with previous reports that the predominant serotype antigen of A. actinomycetemcomitans resides in a mannan-rich polysaccharide isolated from spent culture medium. These observations support the conclusion that the immunodominant antigen of the outer membrane is the O antigen of the LPS.


A new multidomain pseudospectral frequency-domain (PSFD) method based on the Legendre polynomials with penalty scheme is developed for numerically modeling electromagnetic wave scattering problems. The primary aim of the proposed method is to more accurately analyzing scattering and coupling problems in plasmonics, in which optical waves interact with nanometer-sized metallic structures. Using light scattering by a silver circular cylinder as a first example, the formulated method is demonstrated to achieve numerical accuracy in near-field calculations on the order of 10-9 with respect to a unity field strength of the incident wave with excellent exponentially convergent behavior in numerical accuracy. Then, scattering by a dielectric square cylinder and that by several coupled metallic structures involving circular cylinders, square cylinders, or dielectric coated cylinders are examined to provide high-accuracy coupled near-field results.


A developer can put women into a video game, but is it a fair representation of all the facets of their gender? Are they flat characters compared to their male counterparts, or are they dynamic individuals who are equally important to the narrative? My thesis will analyze female representation within the Dragon Age: Inquisition through gender and sociological perspectives. A video game fresh in everyone's mind, Dragon Age: Inquisition, is my object of analysis due to its popularity and relevance to current video game culture. Through my analysis of Dragon Age: Inquisition I have found that the women are designed to be more individualistic overall, and can be interacted with in both progressive and regressive ways. In analyzing Dragon Age: Inquisition as a cultural phenomenon I hope to gain insight into the representation of women in consumable media, and find an answer to the question of whether or not video games as a media are gaining or losing ground in equal and fair representation of the sexes.


Our target article on 'Innate talent' had two objectives, first to acknowledge the 20th anniversary of the seminal contribution by Howe, Davidson and Sloboda (1998) and second, to update this information as it relates to talent in the domain of sport. Many thanks to all the authors that took the time to provide commentaries on our review. Broadly, our target paper focused on 1) whether the concept of innate talent was reasonable and scientifically sound and 2) whether the concept of innate talent had any utility to those working at the coalface of sport science (e.g., coaches, scouts, etc.). All of the commentaries were complimentary to our review, which suggested continued interest in this area (although this was noted as surprising by Hambrick and Burgoyne). We have tried to respond to all of the interesting points raised by the commentaries, but this was not always possible. That said, we grouped our responses under general themes below. Our impression, based on the commentaries, is that innate talent is not a contested concept; in that there appears to be agreement (for the most part) that, 'this thing exists'. Rather, the concept of innate talent is contestable (Gallie, 1956); that is, there is debate about exactly what it is, the degree of its influence, and how useful the concept of innate talent is.


In acute and chronic experiments in rats has been studied the action of drugs influencing central neuro-transmitter on the functional activity of hypophysis-adrenal and hypophysis-gonadal system. Evidence has been obtained that central neurotransmitters participate in the control of ACTH-glucocorticoids secretion. However, there is no clear correlation between noradrenaline and serotonin level in the brain and the degree of reaction of pituitary-adrenal complex to stimuli. Pharmacological analysis of nervous regulation of gonadotropic hypophysis function has revealed the significance of adrenergic mediation in the mechanism of feedback action of sex hormones and in the mechanism of limbic influences on hypothalamic regulation of gonadotropin secretion.


This case study examines NETmundial, the Global Multistakeholder Meeting on the Future of Internet Governance, which was held in Sao Paulo, Brazil on April 23 and 24 of 2014. The meeting was convened by 1net, a coalition of stakeholder groups involved in Internet governance discussions, in partnership with the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee (CGI.br), in response to revelations of mass surveillance of communications by the United States. It sought to develop a set of universally acceptable Internet governance principles as well as a way forward for the evolution of the Internet governance system, which together could serve as a framework for the governance and use of the Internet. It convened 930 participants from 110 different countries, representing civil society, the private sector, academia, the technical community, governments and intergovernmental organizations, as well as over 1000 remote participants from 23 countries around the globe. It also employed a content contribution platform that sought to crowd source inputs from stakeholders for the production of the outcome document. The meeting served as a demonstration of the multistakeholder process in action: in the production of the outcome document, stakeholders with a diverse range of backgrounds and interests collectively negotiated the inclusion or exclusion of highly sensitive and complex issues. While the process of achieving rough consensus involved sometimes messy debates and there were procedural imperfections, the case is informative for its structured production of bottom-up multistakeholder outcomes.


Abstract. Color constancy is the feature of the human vision system (HVS) that ensures the relative constancy of the perceived color of objects under varying illumination conditions. The Retinex theory of machine vision systems is based on the HVS. Among Retinex algorithms, the physics-based algorithms are efficient; however, they generally do not satisfy the local characteristics of the original Retinex theory because they eliminate global illumination from their optimization. We apply the sparse source separation technique to the Retinex theory to present a physics-based algorithm that satisfies the locality characteristic of the original Retinex theory. Previous Retinex algorithms have limited use in image enhancement because the total variation Retinex results in an overly enhanced image and the sparse source separation Retinex cannot completely restore the original image. In contrast, our proposed method preserves the image edge and can very nearly replicate the original image without any special operation.


In the mid-to-late nineteenth-century adventure stories proliferated. Britain's imperial expansion-her ongoing conquest and colonisation of faraway lands-created an excitement and fascination with geography and maps. This interest in what lay beyond Britain's shores led to a rise in stories set in exotic locations instead of the domestic sphere and for stories that allowed for escapist imaginings. Simply put, there was a space created for stories about encounters with the "other" that exists beyond the realms of usual experience and for an elsewhere that differs immensely from home. A starting point for the usage of a narrated mapping process and a map in colonial fiction is Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe (1719). This novel captures readers' imaginations with a depiction of a castaway on a tropical island. Although the first edition did not contain a map of the island, the fourth edition (dated 7 August 1719) includes a map. In this edition it is labelled as "A MAP of the WORLD, on wch. is Delineated the Voyages of ROBINSON CRUSO"' (Phillips 15). The island that Defoe describes is given a position on a map of the world with "dotted lines inked in by the novelist himself to show where Crusoe had voyaged" (Byrd 29) which, as Richard Phillips explains, "led many readers to believe they were reading a 'real' map and a 'true' story, in which geographical facts were faithfully represented" (15). By including a map in later editions Defoe presents a space that can be visualised. Defoe's novel had an enormous influence upon later fiction and Phillips asserts the retelling and imitation of Robinson Crusoe "mapped Britain, on the one hand, and the British Empire, on the other (17). More than a century later, R. M. Ballantyne's The Coral Island (1857) was published. Ballantyne used a similar plot to Defoe but portrayed three boys shipwrecked upon a deserted island. The eldest boy, Ralph, explores the island and he, like Crusoe, gives a detailed account of his impressions. He describes finding, "the highest point of the island, and from it we saw our kingdom, lying as it were, like a map around us. As I have always thought it impossible to get a thing properly into one's understanding without comprehending it, I shall beg the reader's patience for a little while I describe our island ... (44). Ralph describes his surroundings, reading them like a map by giving approximations of distance, heights of mountains, type of vegetation, varying terrains and the island's location in relation to other islands. A mental cartographic representation is enabled through Ralph' s reading of the landscape. He gives us a word map or narrated map that Matthew Graves conceptualises as, "language constructions whose spatial extension is left to the imagination of the reader, creating the illusion of mimesis" (3). This type of mapping, like a graphic map, gives an air of reality to the location. Readers use the images words project to recreate the island in their imagination and this persuades readers to believe in the truth of the story. The usage of word maps and graphic maps thus enables the representation, in a different medium, of the physical world.
Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island (1883), H. Rider Haggard's King Solomon's Mines (1885) and Rudyard Kipling's "The Man Who Would Be King" (1888) are colonial adventure fictions published within the same decade that offer exciting adventures. Each story is set in a remote location such as the island of Treasure Island, or a place that presents as island-like such as Kukuanaland in King Solomon's Mines and Kafiristan in "The Man Who Would Be King". These "land-islands" are clearly demarcated and set apart from the rest of the world. To reach these spaces readers and characters are provided with a map and a purpose-the lure of treasure. Treasure Island and King Solomon's Mines descriptively chart these unknown spaces and also provide a graphic version of a map to support the narrator's descriptions. In "The Man Who Would Be King" the characters refer to graphic maps but these are not included in the narrative. In each story the map has a different format. Treasure Island's map is a detailed graphic image, King Solomon's Mines' map is a simple sketch and "The Man Who Would Be King" relies on words to map Kafiristan, as well as the implied images of the published maps referred to by Daniel Dravot and Peachey Camehan.
Critical cartographers J.B. Harley and David Woodward define maps as "graphic representations that facilitate a spatial understanding of things, concepts _conditions, processes, or events in the human world" (6). However a map is much more than the diagrammatic representation Harley and Woodward describe. Although maps impart geographical information, the very act of reading a map transforms it from a mere visual representation into an alluring invitation to characters and readers to enter a space where geography interacts with imagination. When used in fictional narratives a map provides an interface between the text and the world it refers to and a reader is connected to the characters by the shared act of reading a map. Graphic and narrated maps bond particularly well with fiction because maps and fiction deal with place, space, and the structuring of worlds. However, fiction superimposes a story upon its graphic and narrated maps so that the map becomes, as geocritic Robert T. Tally Jr. describes, "infused with the places that it explores, and that makes it [the map] what it is" (51).
The journey to an imaginary space is a journey to an elsewhere where, Phillips notes "anything seems possible and adventure seems inevitable. In these malleable spaces writers and readers of adventure stories dream of the world(s) they might find the adventures they might have, the kinds of men and women they might become"(3). Philips omits the characters in this statement but the act of dreaming must include them as it is through the characters' experiences that the reader lives vicariously. In Treasure Island, Jim Hawkins "brooded by the hour together over the map" (36). In King Solomon's Mines, Allan Quatermain carries a facsimile of a map that launched three other men, all of who dreamed of finding treasure, into adventure. Quatermain's possession of the map indicates the hold a map takes of the imagination. His innate curiosity is aroused and he cannot discard the map in spite of his wife's avowal that it is "all nonsense" (21) instead he carries a copy of the map with him. The map is, for Quatermain, his own licence to dream. In "The Man Who Would Be King", Dravot and Carnehan dream of "going away to be Kings" (252) and "establish[ing] a Dynasty" (253) and instinctively seek out the editor of the local newspaper in order to be shown his maps. When the pair are led into "the stifling office with the maps on the walls" Dravot remarks, '"That's something like ... This was the proper shop to come to."' (251). Peter Turchi notes that the invitation to dream is one of the functions of a map and that the inclusion of a map in a fictional work, "invites us to inhabit its world but also to see around it and beyond it too - to see our own world through it" (67). This elasticity of maps is a function that makes them so compelling, not only are they a useful tool but they act like a magic carpet allowing us to be whisked away to faraway places.
A map functions in different ways according to who is reading it. Characters and readers approach a map with different expectations and intentions therefore a map becomes more than a representation of the landscape. For characters, a map not only enables the journey to an unknown place it enables dreams of adventure and the fulfilment of desires. For readers, a map is a visual tool that aids navigation of the story but it is also infused with social, moral and political information. The maps found, or referred to in the three texts establish the space to be ventured to by characters and readers and initiate a journey that bridges the gap between the known and unknown worlds. Phillips explains that "geographies of adventure accommodate politics of resistance to dominant constructions of imperialism and masculinity" (13). Close readings of the graphic maps of Treasure Island and King Solomon's Mines reveal that they are invested with social and cultural content that the writer unconsciously inserts. For curious readers maps divulge meanings that their writers may never have intended.


Recent work on privacy (e.g. WEIS 2013/4, Meaningful Consent in the Digital Economy project) recognises the unanticipated consequences of data-centred legal protections in a world of shifting relations between data and human actors. But the rules have not caught up with these changes, and the irreversible consequences of 'make do and mend' are not often taken into account when changing policy.Many of the most-protected 'personal' data are not personal at all, but are created to facilitate the operation of larger (e.g. administrative, economic, transport) systems or inadvertently generated by using such systems. The protection given to such data typically rests on notions of informed consent even in circumstances where such consent may be difficult to define, harder to give and nearly impossible to certify in meaningful ways. Such protections typically involve a mix of data collection, access and processing rules that are either imposed on behalf of individuals or are to be exercised by them. This approach adequately protects some personal interests, but not all – and is definitely not future-proof. Boundaries between allowing individuals to discover and pursue their interests on one side and behavioural manipulation on the other are often blurred. The costs (psychological and behavioural as well as economic and practical) of exercising control over one's data are rarely taken into account as some instances of the Right to be Forgotten illustrate. The purposes for which privacy rights were constructed are often forgotten, or have not been reinterpreted in a world of ubiquitous monitoring data, multi-person 'private exchanges,' and multiple pathways through which data can be used to create and to capture value. Moreover, the parties who should be involved in making decisions – those connected by a network of informational relationships – are often not in contractual, practical or legal contact. These developments, associated with e.g. the Internet of Things, Cloud computing and big data analytics, should be recognised as challenging privacy rules and, more fundamentally, the adequacy of informed consent (e.g. to access specified data for specified purposes) as a means of managing innovative, flexible, and complex informational architectures. This paper presents a framework for organising these challenges using them to evaluate proposed policies, specifically in relation to complex, automated, automatic or autonomous data collection, processing and use. It argues for a movement away from a system of property rights based on individual consent to a values-based 'privity' regime – a collection of differentiated (relational as well as property) rights and consents that may be better able to accommodate innovations. Privity regimes (see deFillipis 2006) bundle together rights regarding e.g. confidential disclosure with 'standing' or voice options in relation to informational linkages. The impacts are examined through a game-theoretic comparison between the proposed privity regime and existing privacy rights in personal data markets that include: conventional 'behavioural profiling' and search; situations where third parties may have complementary roles conflicting interests in such data and where data have value in relation both to specific individuals and to larger groups (e.g. 'real-world' health data); n-sided markets on data platforms (including social and crowd-sourcing platforms with long and short memories); and the use of 'privity-like' rights inherited by data objects and by autonomous systems whose ownership may be shared among many people.


A series of tests to validate an antenna pointing concept for spin-stabilized satellites using a data relay satellite is described. These tests show that proper antenna pointing on an inertially stabilized spacecraft can lead to significant access time through the relay satellite even without active antenna pointing. We summarize the test results, the simulations to model the effects of antenna pattern and space loss, and the expected contact times. We also show how antenna beam width affects the results.


We are in the midst of a sixth mass extinction but little is known about the global patterns of biodiversity when accounting for taxonomic, phylogenetic and functional information. Here, we present the first integrated analysis of global variation in taxonomic, functional diversity and phylogenetic diversity of more than 17,000 tetrapod species (terrestrial mammals, amphibians, reptiles and birds). We used a new metric (z-Diversity) able to synthetize taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic information across different sets of species to provide a comprehensive estimation of biodiversity. Our analyses reveal that hotspots of tetrapod diversity are clustered in specific regions of the world such as central Africa and the Indian peninsula, and that climate stability and energy availability have an overarching importance in explaining tetrapod spatial patterns. Future research might take advantage of these methods to perform an informed prioritization of protected areas.


small intestine is pulled over it. If the mucosa is sucked into the holes of the tubing the negative pressure is relieved by releasing the artery forceps on the side tubing. The presence of the kidney dish described above avoids soiling of the towelling by any small amount of intestinal contents which might occasionally come out of the side tubing. When the whole length of small intestine is decompressed the intestine is then pulled off the tubing, and later the tube itself is slowly withdrawn from the purse-string opening. During the withdrawal of the tube the assistant is very careful to handle the tube only and he becomes unsterile, whereas the surgeon handles the intestines only and remains sterile. As the last 6 in. (15 cm.) of tubing is withdrawn it is important that there should be a negative pressure in the tubing to avoid spillage from either the intestine or tube itself. As the terminal part is withdrawn the artery forceps holding the half-knot of the purse-string are lifted up so that the purse-string tightens as the tube is removed. Poirier forceps are then applied on either side of the purse-string suture, the artery forceps are removed, the mucosa is invaginated with fine dissecting forceps, and the purse-string is tied. The tube is available in various sizes so that it can be used for children or infants as well. It is manufactured by Willy Rusch, K.G., of Rommelshausen bei Stuttgart, Germany.-I am, etc., Mary Calvert Holdsworth FRANK I. TOVEY. Memorial Hospital, Mysore City, S. India.


Cycads occur in lowland forests and are threatened by their degradation, fragmentation
and over-exploitation. Our results indicate that cycad population sizes were very small (less
100 individuals) with high propagules. These increased mating between closely related individuals
growing in clumps. The allozyme data show although all studied cycads maintained high
levels of genetic diversity, an average of 0.556 (0.491 in C. hoabinhensis to 0.598 in C. chevalieri),
the degree of inbreeding was high. Factors that contribute to the high levels of genetic variability
include dioecy, perennial and complex habitat structure. The priorities for cycad conservation is
discussed as well.


We consider an imperfection of real closed-path eddy correlation systems—the decoupling of the water vapour and CO2 concentrations—with respect to the application of the Webb–Pearman–Leuning (WPL) theory. It is described why and how the current application of the WPL theory needs to be adapted to the processes in closed-path sensors. We show the quantitative effects of applying the WPL theory in different ways using CO2 flux measurements taken above the Danish Beech forest CarboEurope site near Sorø, Zealand. Using the WPL theory in closed-path sensors without taking amplitude damping and decoupling into account, overcorrected the annual flux by 21%, or 31 g m-2 yr-1, to which the decoupling effect contributed with 7%. We suggest either converting the raw data point-by-point to mixing ratios or using the uncorrected covariances of water vapour mole fractions with the vertical wind velocity that were calculated with the same time lag as for the scalar concentration when correcting the dilution effect.We showed that the two approaches yielded equivalent flux results. Correct ways of applying spectral corrections to CO2 fluxes calculated in either way are also shown. The findings reported here do not apply to open-path sensors.


Gastrointestinal symptoms, particularly diarrhoea, are a relatively common side effect of antibiotic usage. In the vast majority of cases the mechanisms involved in these side effects are not understood. Proposed mechanisms include the direct action of antibiotics on intestinal function, inducing predisposition to infection with an enteric pathogen, and factors secondary to disturbance of the normal intestinal flora that do not involve infection with a known pathogen. There is some evidence for all three potential scenarios.


Efforts to solve and control social problems are the responsibility of social studies teaching and learning in junior high school. One way to support such efforts is by empowering students' critical thinking skills. For effective empowerment of critical thinking skills, emancipatory learning was developed. The goal is to enable students to understand the material thoroughly, have critical thinking attitudes and skills, and act critically when dealing with various forms of social problems. After conducting the Research & Development method at two junior high schools in Ruteng City, the effectiveness of this model was analyzed. Qualitatively and quantitatively, the teachers performed well in carrying out the teaching and learning activities. The teachers saw this model as a good and creative innovation in social studies learning. Similarly, students gained a significant increase in terms of knowledge, attitudes, and skills related to the teaching materials, both individually and collectively. Students experienced meaningful learning, where this model has helped students connect teaching materials to the social reality around them. This research has an impact on the emergence of a critical attitude in the daily life of the students and an increase in the teachers' motivation to develop learning models to empower critical thinking skills.


AIM To assess the prognostic value of amplitude integrated EEG (aEEG) 3 and 6 hours after birth. METHODS Seventy three term, asphyxiated infants were studied (from two different centres), using the Cerebral Function Monitor (CFM Lectromed). The different aEEG tracings were compared using pattern recognition (flat tracing mainly isoelectric (FT); continuous extremely low voltage (CLV); burst–suppression (BS); discontinuous normal voltage (DNV); continuous normal voltage (CNV)) with subsequent outcome. RESULTS Sixty eight infants were followed up for more than 12 months (range 12 months to 6 years).Twenty one out of 68 infants (31%) showed a change in pattern from 3 to 6 hours, but this was only significant in five cases (24%). In three this changed from BS to CNV with a normal outcome. One infant showed a change in pattern from CNV to FT and had a major handicap at follow up. Another infant showed a change in pattern from DNV to BS, and developed a major handicap at follow up. The other 16 infants did not have any significant changes in pattern: 11 infants had CLV, BS, or FT at 3 and 6 hours and died (n = 9) in the neonatal period or developed a major handicap (n = 2). Five infants had a CNV or DNV pattern at 3 and 6 hours, with a normal outcome. The sensitivity and specificity of BS, together with FT and CLV, for poor outcome at 3 hours was 0.85 and 0.77, respectively; at 6 hours 0.91 and 0.86, respectively. The positive predictive value (PPV) was 78% and the negative predictive value (NPV) 84% 3 hours after birth. At 6 hours the PPV was 86% and the NPV was 91%. CONCLUSION aEEG could be very useful for selecting those infants who might benefit from intervention after birth asphyxia.


Many multi-user receivers have been developed to mitigate the effects of both multipath and interference in CDMA radiocommunication networks. However, despite of these works, very few papers have been devoted to the implementation of these receivers and, more precisely, to the channel estimation problem in both the multi-user and FDD UMTS context. Assuming specular propagation channels and a multi-sensor receiver, the purpose of this paper is to present direct and turbo multi-user schemes for the joint estimation of the impulse response of the propagation channels between each user and each sensor for the FDD UMTS uplink. The quality of the latter are then evaluated through the bit error rate (BER) computation at the output of two receivers (2D-RAKE and decorrelator receiver) adapted to the FDD UMTS uplink.


Detecting the densest subgraph is one of the most important problems in graph mining and has a variety of applications. Although there are many possible metrics for subgraph density, there is no consensus on which density metric we should use. In this article, we suggest a new density metric, the discounted average degree, which has some desirable properties of the subgraph's density. We also show how to obtain an optimum densest subgraph for small graphs with respect to several density metrics, including our new density metric, by using mixed integer programming. Finally, we develop a new heuristic algorithm to quickly obtain a good approximate solution for large graphs. Our computational experiments on real‐world graphs showed that our new heuristic algorithm outperformed other heuristics in terms of the quality of the solutions. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. NETWORKS, Vol. 71(1), 3–15 2018


Objective: Current chemotherapy treatments available for treating high-grade brain tumors, Temozolomide (TMZ) or Bevacizumab (BEV), not only have specific anti-tumor mechanisms, but also have an effect on mitochondria. However, effects of both drugs on mitochondria isolated from human brain tumors have not been thoroughly investigated. This study determined the direct effects of TMZ and BEV as well as the neurotoxic condition (calcium overload), on the function of mitochondria and compared these effects on mitochondria isolated from low- and high-grade human brain tumors. Methods: Mitochondria were isolated from either low- or high-grade human primary brain tumors. Calcium overload conditions (100 or 200 μM), TMZ (300 μM), and BEV (2 mg/mL) were applied to isolated mitochondria from low- and high-grade brain tumors. Following the treatment, mitochondrial function, including reactive oxygen species production, membrane potential changes, and swelling, were determined. The mitochondrial morphology was also examined. Results: In calcium overload conditions, mitochondrial dysfunction was only found to have occurred in low-grade tumors. In TMZ and BEV treatment, BEV, rather than TMZ, caused greater membrane depolarization and mitochondrial swelling in both grades of brain tumors. Conclusions: TMZ and BEV can directly cause the dysfunction of mitochondria isolated from human brain tumors. However, BEV has a greater ability to disturb mitochondrial function in mitochondria isolated from human brain tumors than either TMZ or calcium overload conditions.


Mumps meningo-encephalitis has been recognized as a clinical entity for many years. It is still regarded as a rare condition. The fact that the patients in the seven cases presented here were seen by me in private practice or in consultation during the past six years suggests that the disease occurs more frequently than one has suspected. For the sake of brevity and clarity, these cases are recorded in a table, on which the following comments are made: SUMMARY OF CASES These cases were almost all seen in the first half of the year: two in January, one in March, two in May, one in June and one early in July. The ages varied from 6½ to 10½ years. All but one of the patients were boys. The predominance of male patients has frequently been noted. The meningeal symptoms coincided with swelling of the parotid glands in one instance. In


RDF is a data representation format for schema-free structured information that is gaining momentum in the context of Semantic-Web corpora, life sciences, and also Web 2.0 platforms. The "pay-as-you-go" nature of RDF and the flexible pattern-matching capabilities of its query language SPARQL entail efficiency and scalability challenges for complex queries including long join paths. This paper presents the RDF-3X engine, an implementation of SPARQL that achieves excellent performance by pursuing a RISC-style architecture with a streamlined architecture and carefully designed, puristic data structures and operations. The salient points of RDF-3X are: 1) a generic solution for storing and indexing RDF triples that completely eliminates the need for physical-design tuning, 2) a powerful yet simple query processor that leverages fast merge joins to the largest possible extent, and 3) a query optimizer for choosing optimal join orders using a cost model based on statistical synopses for entire join paths. The performance of RDF-3X, in comparison to the previously best state-of-the-art systems, has been measured on several large-scale datasets with more than 50 million RDF triples and benchmark queries that include pattern matching and long join paths in the underlying data graphs.


Wide-scale and sudden shifts in several biological and environmental systems of NW Europe have been reported in recent years, and attributed to a range of factors, both climatic and anthropogenic. To examine whether there is any evidence of coinciding region-wide environmental shifts, we gathered existing long-term data series on a wide range of physical and biological para- meters from the 1960s to the present and, following the methods of a similar recent study on North Pacific regime shifts, we analysed the data using principal component analysis and regime shift analysis to identify the extent and timing of regime shifts in NW Europe. The end-point of a regime (i.e. the year) was determined using a sliding window in regime shift analysis. Additionally we applied chronological clustering to the (1) combined data, (2) biological data and (3) environmental data. In all 3 cases, the same regimes were identified. Our results indicate that substantial regime shifts occurred in the marine ecosystem in 1979 and 1988 and perhaps also in 1998, although results were less clear-cut in the latter case. These regime shifts were most evident among the biological data series, but they appeared to have been triggered by earlier shifts in a number of environmental factors. Salinity and weather conditions played an important role in the 1979 shift, while in the 1988 shift, temperature and weather conditions were the predominant factors. Our results confirm those of the North Pacific study, with concomitant changes in physical and biological indices. This indicates a shift in climate-ocean interactions throughout the entire temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere.


This is a review article on Transpoetiquement votre. Anthologie (1966-2016) / Transpoeticamente vostro. Antologia (1966-2016) , a selection of Hedi  Bouraoui's poetry over 50 years, edited and translated into Italian by Mario Selvaggio, who also provides the Introduction. Hedi Bouraoui has written an Avant-Propos looking back over a long writing career. The article compares his career to a Ulyssean voyage, and sees him as a Nomad of language, of cultures, of Otherness. This article has also been translated into French and Italian (see below).


Knowledge of the profile of amino acids of the rumen-undegradable protein can help in the formulation of diets to provide amino acids that complement microbial protein as well as supply amino acids, which are most limiting for milk production. Three non-lactating cows fitted with rumen cannulas were used to determine the effect of in situ rumen degradation on crude protein and amino acid profile of rumen-undegraded protein of feedstuffs. The obtained values of rumen degradability of crude protein with significant difference (P < 0.001) between feeds ranged from 20.3 to 76.3% (mean 62.0 ± 17.9%) and values of total amino acids ranged from 30.9% in corn gluten meal to 83.8% in corn gluten feed (mean 67.5 ± 16.4%). An in vitro modified 3-step method was used to determine intestinal digestibility. Intestinal digestibility of undegraded protein varied from 54.5 ± 1.4% in raw soybean to 95.2 ± 1.0% in corn gluten feed. The absorbable amino acid profile of rumen-undegraded protein for each feedstuff was compared with profiles of the original feedstuff and the rumen-exposed undegraded protein. Absorbable lysine (9.3 ± 1.1 g/kg of crude protein) was higher in products of soybean and sunflower cake. Corn gluten feed and meal supplied more absorbable methionine (3.6 ± 0.6 g/kg of crude protein). This study showed that the digestibility factor of crude protein and amino acid based on in situ and in vitro methods for thermal treatment of protein feeds can be used in models to optimize the amino acid nutrition of dairy cows and expand knowledge about rumen degradability and ileal digestibility of amino acids in feedstuffs. Rumen degradation, undegradable, intestinal, thermal treatment, milk protein


ABSTRACT Stemming from our implementation of parallel coupled-cluster (CC) capabilities for electron spin resonance properties [J. Chem. Phys. 139, 174103 (2013)], we present a new massively parallel linear response CC module within ACES III. Unlike alternative parallel CC modules, this general purpose module evaluates any type of first- and second-order CC properties of both closed- and open-shell molecules employing restricted, unrestricted and restricted-open-shell Hartree–Fock (HF) references. We demonstrate the accuracy and usefulness of this module through the calculation of static polarisabilities of large molecules. Closed-shell calculations are performed at the following levels: second-order many-body perturbation theory [MBPT(2)], CC with single- and double-excitations (CCSD), coupled-perturbed HF and density functional theory (DFT), and open-shell calculations at the unrestricted CCSD (UCSSD) one. Applications involve eight closed-shell organic-chemistry molecules (Set I), the first four members of the closed-shell thiophene oligomer series (Set II), and five open-shell radicals (Set III). In Set I, all calculated average polarisabilities agree reasonably well with experimental data. In Set II, all calculated average polarisabilities vs. the number of monomers show comparable values and saturation patterns and demonstrate that experimental polarisabilities may be inaccurate. In Set III, UCCSD perpendicular polarisabilities show a reasonable agreement with previous UCCSD(T) and restricted-open-shell-MBPT(2) values.


Mastering of the mathematical tools is essential for an in-depth understanding of Science. By building mathematical models and the associated computer simulations, students can understand the physical theories that explain various phenomena. The VPython programming language provides a favourable environment for effective and comprehensive learning activities. The computer models created by students form a bridge between the two fundamental components in the study of physics: the theory and the experiment. In this paper we present how we used the VPython programming language to explain the phenomenon of multiple reflections in two intersected plane mirrors. We followed the simultaneous development of students' skills in three areas: applying mathematical knowledge to solve a real-world problem, applying the principles of Physics to understand an optical phenomenon, and the ability to use the tools of information technology to verify and validate, by visualisation, the achieved mathematical reasoning. The applet generated with VPython allows viewing of the images of a point-like object in the two concurrent mirrors, showing their localization on the extensions of a successively reflected ray. The construction of VPython simulation was performed after the students had determined the number of images and after they had calculated their polar coordinates, assisted by the GeoGebra software. The representation of a successively reflected ray was not possible with GeoGebra, due to the limitations of the software in the use of a repetitive structure. The impediment was overcome by using the VPython programming language. The learning activity we present here is interdisciplinary, creating a correlation between knowledge acquired by students at three different school subjects: Mathematics, Physics and Computer Science. The outcome is the generation of a computer simulation of the phenomenon, based on the mathematical model built by the students.


Small proteins or protein domains generally require disulfide bridges or metal sites for their stabilization. Here it is shown that the ββα architecture of zinc fingers can be reproduced in a 23-residue polypeptide in the absence of metal ions. The sequence was obtained through an iterative design process. A key feature of the final design is the incorporation of a type II' β turn to aid in β-hairpin formation. Nuclear magnetic resonance analysis reveals that the α helix and β hairpin are held together by a defined hydrophobic core. The availability of this structural template has implications for the development of functional polypeptides.


In response to the 2008–2009 financial crisis, the EU has launched significant regulatory reforms on the Capital Requirement Directives and introduced many tougher rules on bankers' remuneration. Particularly, bankers' remuneration across the EU should be subject to a ratio between the fixed and variable components, which is usually known as bankers' bonus cap. On the issue of applying bankers' bonus cap to local financial institutions, the UK government has always held an opposite stance against the EU.
This article analyses the deep reasons behind the conflicts between the UK and the EU on the issue of capping bankers' bonuses, namely, the UK's political economic interests in the global financial market and the opposite philosophies on bankers' remuneration regulations. Furthermore, the article tries to predict the influences of Brexit on the regulations of bankers' remuneration in the UK. Specifically, the artile argues that bankers' bonus cap will eventually be removed and the UK will get back to its free market-based approach whereby the market plays the primary role in deciding bankers' remuneration and enhanced regulations compensate the market deficiencies.


Rim seals are fitted in gas turbines at the periphery of the wheel-space formed between rotor discs and their adjacent casings. These seals reduce the ingestion of hot gases that can cause significant damage to some of the most highly stressed components in the engine. In gas turbine engines this ingestion is principally caused by circumferential pressure asymmetries in the mainstream annulus, radially outward of the rim seal. A superposed sealant flow, bled from the compressor, is used to reduce or, at the limit, prevent ingestion. As the use of this sealing air can reduce the cycle efficiency, it is important to know how much flow is required to prevent ingestion and to understand the associated fluid dynamics and heat transfer when ingestion occurs. This paper presents an overview of experimental results from a research facility which models an axial turbine stage with generic, but engine-representative, rim seals. Measurements of pressure, gas concentration, temperature and swirl are used to assess the performance of different seal designs. As ingestion through the rim seal is a consequence of an unsteady, three-dimensional flow field, the cause-effect relationship between pressure and the sealing effectiveness is complex. The approach at Bath has been to conduct fundamental work to measure and understand the fluid dynamics using generic, fully-instrumented experiments specifically designed for the available measurement techniques. The experimental data is shown to be successfully calculated by simple effectiveness equations developed from a series of theoretical models which can be used to aid the design of more specific engine geometries.


Inhibitor of apoptosis (IAP) proteins are overexpressed in many cancers and have been implicated in tumor growth, pathogenesis, and resistance to chemo- or radiotherapy. On the basis of the NMR structure of a SMAC peptide complexed with the BIR3 domain of X-linked IAP (XIAP), a novel series of XIAP antagonists was discovered. The most potent compounds in this series bind to the baculovirus IAP repeat 3 (BIR3) domain of XIAP with single-digit nanomolar affinity and promote cell death in several human cancer cell lines. In a MDA-MB-231 breast cancer mouse xenograft model, these XIAP antagonists inhibited the growth of tumors. Close structural analogues that showed only weak binding to the XIAP-BIR3 domain were inactive in the cellular assays and showed only marginal in vivo activity. Our results are consistent with a mechanism in which ligands for the BIR3 domain of XIAP induce apoptosis by freeing up caspases. The present study validates the BIR3 domain of XIAP as a target and supports the use of small molecule XIAP antagonists as a potential therapy for cancers that overexpress XIAP.


A new patterned wafer laser-based inspection tool has been introduced to the market place, incorporating double darkfield laser scanning technology. Developed from a well-known production-proven platform, the new system is intended to provide the sensitivity required for 0.18 /spl mu/m design rules, with extendibility to 0.13 /spl mu/m. The inspection technology combines low angle laser illumination with dual darkfield scattered light collection channels. Enhancements to the illumination and collection optics have allowed for improved defect sensitivity and capture; and enhanced software algorithms have provided greater compensation for process variation, further increasing defect capture. The sensitivity performance and production worthiness of the tool were evaluated at Siemens Microelectronics Centre and the key results are presented. Both memory and logic products were evaluated, including memory products with 0.2 /spl mu/m design rule, and logic products with 0.2 /spl mu/m design rule. Layers from the front-end and back-end of the manufacturing process were evaluated. On memory products, sensitivity to defects occurring during capacitor and isolation trench formation was demonstrated, including etch defects deep in the trench structures and sub 0.1 /spl mu/m discrepancies in the formation of isolation trenches. Results from post-metal etch inspection demonstrated enhanced sensitivity in both array and periphery regions, largely achieved by exploiting the new ability to perform region-based optimisation, allowing full die area inspections. On logic products, surface foreign material less than 0.1 /spl mu/m in diameter was detected amidst logic structures and, in the same inspection pass, etch residuals affecting the memory cache area were also captured. The machine was installed and operated in a high capacity wafer production environment and adhered to all specified throughput, up-time and reliability matrices throughout the evaluation period.


Background
Few studies have previously assessed how pre-existing vitamin E status is associated with risk of tuberculosis (TB) disease progression.

Objective
We evaluated the association between baseline plasma concentrations of 3 vitamin E isomers (α-tocopherol, γ-tocopherol, and δ-tocopherol) and TB disease risk.

Methods
We conducted a case-control study nested within a longitudinal cohort of household contacts (HHCs) of pulmonary TB cases in Lima, Peru. We defined cases as HHCs who developed active TB disease ≥15 d after the diagnosis of the index patient, and we matched each case to 4 control cases who did not develop active TB based on age by year and gender. We used univariate and multivariate conditional logistic regression to calculate ORs for incident TB disease by plasma concentrations of α-tocopherol, γ-tocopherol, and δ-tocopherol.

Results
Among 6751 HIV-negative HHCs who provided baseline blood samples, 180 developed secondary TB during follow-up. After controlling for possible confounders, we found that baseline α-tocopherol deficiency conferred increased risk of incident TB disease (adjusted OR: 1.59; 95% CI: 1.02, 2.50; P = 0.04). Household contacts in the lowest tertile of δ-tocopherol were also at increased risk of progression to TB disease compared to those in the highest tertile (tertile 1 compared with tertile 3, adjusted OR: 2.29; 95% CI: 1.29, 4.09; P-trend = 0.005). We found no association between baseline concentration of γ-tocopherol and incident TB disease.

Conclusions
Vitamin E deficiency was associated with an increased risk of progression to TB disease among HHCs of index TB cases. Assessment of vitamin E status among individuals at high risk for TB disease may play a role in TB control efforts.


We develop a technique that now enables surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) coupled by nano-patterned slits in a metal film to be detected using conventional optical microscopy with standard objective lenses. The crux of this method is an ultra-thin polymer layer on the metal surface, whose thickness can be varied over a nanoscale range to enable controllable tuning of the SPP momentum. At an optimal layer thickness for which the SPP momentum matches the momentum of light emerging from the slit, the SPP coupling efficiency is enhanced about six times relative to that without the layer. The enhanced efficiency results in distinctive and bright plasmonic signatures near the slit visible by naked eye under an optical microscope. We demonstrate how this capability can be used for parallel measurement through a simple experiment in which the SPP propagation distance is extracted from a single microscope image of an illuminated array of nano-patterned slits on a metal surface. We also use optical microscopy to image the focal region of a plasmonic lens and obtain results consistent with a previously-reported results using near-field optical microscopy. Measurement of SPPs near a nano-slit using conventional and widely-available optical microscopy is an important step towards making nano-plasmonic device technology highly accessible and easy-to-use.


ABSTRACT Over the past decade more than 40 young men have left the Somali diaspora in the US state of Minnesota to fight for foreign terrorist groups. In 2011, fearing similar radicalization across the country, the Obama administration began to emphasize the potential for community policing to enable police agencies to partner with local communities to prevent it. Subsequently, the US Department of Justice sought to make the state's capital, Minneapolis-St. Paul, a national model for doing so. This article assesses the success of this goal and elucidates the principal lessons that might be learned from the ongoing process.