Our current electricity economy is in a state of flux, from talk of a "death spiral" and customers abandoning the grid to utilities working to limit renewables and impose fixed fees, ostensibly for grid reliability and stability. Regulatory reform to change how utilities generate power and interact with consumers is occurring all over the country, spurred by new economic realities, customers demanding choice, and federal rules. U.S. regulators want a system that is reliable but promotes competition and other consumer benefits. Many of these have been summed up as wanting a performance-based system rather than a capital-based system.As states look to implement the EPA's Clean Power Plan, they should learn lessons from the new regulatory performance-based system adopted by the United Kingdom, RIIO. RIIO, which stands for revenue = incentives innovation outputs, was designed to achieve many of the same goals as the regulatory reform currently underway in the United States. Incorporating parts of the RIIO framework into the regulatory discussion in the United States could be especially helpful at this point in time.This article provides an overview of RIIO, highlighting three aspects which should be incorporated into the regulatory frameworks of states: 1) longer rate cases; 2) proportionate assessment; and 3) a focus on total expenditures limiting regulatory asset value used in rate cases. While RIIO is only used for transmission and distribution in the U.K., there is a potential for its performance-based approach to be used in both generation and transmission and distribution in the U.S. The article will discuss how RIIO could be applied across regulatory frameworks in the U.S. to vertically-integrated utilities as well as deregulated transmission and distribution companies. As the initial impetus for looking at RIIO was determining how it could apply to New York's Reforming the Energy Vision ("REV") process, the article will conclude with a discussion of how the parts of RIIO highlighted are likely – or not – to be implemented as part of REV, based upon the New York Public Staff's Track 2 white paper. While New York's public staff did seem to adopt certain parts of RIIO, like benchmarking, much more could have been implemented.


AIM OF THE STUDY: To define the characteristics of Crohn's disease in the elderly, basing on our own and other Authors' experience. CASISTIC: During last 10 years, 46 patients affected by Crohn's disease were observed at Emergency Surgery Unit of "Vittorio Emanuele" Hospital in Catania (Italy). Of these patients, 4 (8,6%) were old: 3 with an ileal location and 1 with a colic location of the disease. This latter patient was cured only by medical treatment because of the paucity of clinical manifestations of the disease. The other 3 patients underwent surgical treatment (2 ileocecal resections and 1 ileal resection). RESULTS: Up to date all 4 patients are alive and in good general conditions. Only one patient had recurrence of disease, but recovered after medical treatment. DISCUSSION: Crohn's disease in the elderly, although usually similar to the adult form, differs for some aspects. Concerning pathology, in the old patient fibro-sclerotic and ulcerative aspects predominate and the colic location is more frequent; clinically, in the elderly the occlusive (two out of our four cases) and haemorrhagic complications are seen more than in young-adults; sometimes the symptoms are poor so that a diagnostic delay occurs, with a possible worsening of prognosis. Regarding the treatment of Crohn's disease it, especially in old patients, must be medical, excluding peculiar situations which need surgical treatment (acute complications, unresponsiveness to drugs). Most frequent operations are segmentary ileal resections and ileocecal resections, as it happened in our experience. Post-operative morbidity and mortality are higher in the elderly, comparing to adult rates, because of more frequent cardiac and respiratory complications, due usually to pre-existing conditions. CONCLUSIONS: Crohn's disease affects old patients in 10-15% of cases. In this age-group it is mandatory to suspect the presence of this disease even if the clinical exam is poor, so that specific diagnostic investigations are carried out in order to avoid lost of time, which can be responsible of an unsuccessful treatment. The treatment is essentially medical; surgery, if necessary, must be as most conservative as possible.


Power allocation is studied for fixed-rate transmission over block-fading channels with arbitrary continuous fading distributions and perfect transmitter and receiver channel state information. Both short- and long-term power constraints for arbitrary input distributions are considered. Optimal power allocation schemes are shown to be direct applications of previous results in the literature. It is shown that the short- and long-term outage exponents for arbitrary input distributions are related through a simple formula. The formula is useful to predict when the delay-limited capacity is positive. Furthermore, this characterization is useful for the design of efficient coding schemes for this relevant channel model.


Diuretics that do not contain a sulfonamide group (eg, amiloride hydrochloride, eplerenone, ethacrynic acid, spironolactone, and triamterene) are safe for patients with an allergy to sulfa. The evidence is contradictory as to whether a history of allergy to sulfonamide antibiotics increases the risk of subsequent allergic reactions to commonly used sulfonamide-containing diuretics (eg, carbonic anhydrase inhibitors, loop diuretics, and thiazides) (strength of recommendation: c, based on case series and poor quality case-control and cohort studies).


The paper reports the relationship between single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) doping and capsulate crystal structure in RbxAg1−xI@SWNT composites. The structures of one dimensional (1D) RbI, AgI and RbAg4I5 crystals inside single-walled carbon nanotubes were established by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and high-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF HRSTEM), and confirmed by image simulation. Opposite to one-dimensional RbI and AgI, inheriting the structure of bulk analogues, 1D RbAg4I5 forms a new phase within a confined space of the SWNT channel, which differs from the bulk RbAg4I5 structure and can be described by a deformed cubic 1D lattice. X-ray absorption, XPS, optical absorption and Raman spectroscopies were used for comprehensive study of the composites' electronic structures. The study reveals the donor behavior of RbI capsulate and the acceptor behavior of RbAg4I5 and AgI. Quantification of doping levels indicated the prevalence of the effect of the chemical composition of the capsulate on the overall doping efficiency, while a structural effect is mostly prominent in potential distribution on nanotube walls and partial charges on SWNT atoms.


Organisms are protected against infective agents by non-specific (innate) and specific (acquired) resistance. On body surfaces and the intestines as well as in tissues and in the circulation, non-specific mechanisms are the first line of defence. The most important exponents are a number of antimicrobial factors and phagocytes. Certain phagocytes are able to present 'processed' antigen to T and B lymphocytes, which are able to recognise fragments with antigen-specific receptors. T and B cells having the right specificity, acquired during their maturation, will become activated by recognition of antigen. Blast formation and proliferation will result in the appearance of T cells producing cytotoxins and other lymphokines, plasma cells producing antibodies and memory cells (T and B): the specific immune reaction. Subsequent activation of non-specific effector mechanisms and inflammatory reactions ultimately result in elimination of the initiating antigen. Vaccination is controlled administration of antigen in order to induce memory without the appearance of disease symptoms: an increased number of cells showing specificity for that antigen will respond more rapidly upon repeated contact. In case of subsequent natural contact with the infectious agent the organism will be protected, on one hand because of antibodies still present, on the other hand because the immune response develops faster and more efficient than on primary interaction.


This research paper was commissioned by GFN-SSR as part of a helpdesk support to inform HMG to report on its engagement in the context of Nepal. The query asked for illustrative examples and lessons of integration; in particular, examples of integration into armies, integration into non-military forces (police, armed police, intelligence, etc), and creation of new security structures (industrial security forces, border police, etc) into which ex-combatants are then integrated.

One of the most contentious current challenges of the Nepali peace process is related to the future of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) - the military organisation of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) – CPN(M). The main parties struggle over the key questions of whether, how and according to what criteria the PLA should be integrated into the Nepali Army (NA) or other security forces. Furthermore, the question of integration of the PLA is linked to other issues, such as the prevalence of other militias and armed groups, and a broader debate on the cornerstone of a national defence strategy.

This paper provides a synthesis of key issues and lessons from academic and policy papers focused on issues relating to the integration of non-state and government military forces, as part of a wider peace settlement following civil war. As well as drawing upon existing studies the paper synthesises themes by examining the data from eight primary and fifteen secondary case studies, drawn from various sources.

An overarching and consistent theme throughout all case studies examined is the requirement, with integration endeavours, to view the process as the outcome. The integration of non-state military forces into the state security apparatus is an element of wider post-conflict peacebuilding and statebuilding processes and as such the outcome is rarely predictable. An effective and sustainable solution from one context cannot be assumed to represent a template solution for other contexts. Support to the process of decision-making, and bodies established to implement decisions has been seen to be an effective strategy for external assistance.

The paper has highlighted the complex and diverse nature of efforts to integrate ex-combatants into state security forces. There exist as many approaches and solutions as there are contexts in which they have been attempted. An examination of the available case study material has, however, provided some consistent themes that have been highlighted throughout the paper as lessons identified.


This consecutive study comprised 86 patients who were available for follow up 5-51 months after sustaining a Colles' fracture-Older type IV. A total of 42 patients were treated with Kirschner (K) wires of whom one had bilateral fracture. Forty-four patients (of whom two had bilateral fractures) were treated with Rush nails. A functional assessment of the patients was made using both a questionnaire and a clinical examination. The end-results of residual deformity, subjective and objective findings, and complications were evaluated according to the Lucas' modification of the Sarmiento demerit point-rating system. At follow-up, the ulnar/radial deviation was significantly better in the patients operated on with K-wires (37° compared with 27°, p < 0.02, range in both groups 0-80°), but no differences were found in the other directions of movement. A total of three patients (7%) developed complications. The final result showed that 40 (93%) of the fractures treated with K-wires were excellent or good compared with 38 (86%) of those operated on with a Rush nail. One fracture in each group (2%) had a poor outcome. Comparison of the final results showed no significant difference between the two groups.


Construction industry comprises a high degree of competition; the performance of construction projects is highly affected by the performance of civil engineers who are the core of construction productivity. Professional development is one of the essential milestones toward improving the performance of civil engineers. This paper, critically, evaluates the professional development and training of civil engineers in Baghdad. This encompassed the study of the existing programs offered for the professional development, the expected impact, and suggestions. Data were collected from 113 professional civil engineers about the existing professional development programs and training courses and analyzed. Large variations were found in terms of the time spent for professional development, despite the fact that they are comparable to some developed countries. Pitfalls in the field of professional training and development were clear. Remedial suggestions including professional development program and appraisal system were presented. It was emphasized that collaborative efforts by all stakeholders are required to ensure sustainable professional development.


Tetraphenylethylene (TPE) is fluorescent through aggregation induced emission (AIE) in water. Herein, TPE was used as the core of glycoclusters that target the bacterial lectins LecA and LecB of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Synthesis of these TPE-based glycoclusters was accomplished by using azide-alkyne "click" chemistry. The AIE properties of the resulting glycoclusters could be readily verified, but imaging could not be pursued due to the overlap of the fluorescence signals from cells and bacteria. Nonetheless, the glycoclusters displayed nanomolar affinities toward LecA and LecB. Further evaluation in a cell-based anti-adhesive assay highlighted a limited decrease in adhesion (20%) for the fucosylated glycocluster. This confirmed that these TPE-based glycoclusters are indeed LecA and LecB high-affinity ligands. Nevertheless, the hypotheses involving their application in imaging or anti-adhesive therapy could not be verified.


Background Siena Biotech is developing a highly selective SIRT1 inhibitor, selisistat, as a potentially disease-modifying therapy for Huntington's disease. Selisistat has shown to ameliorate HD phenotypes in HD preclinical models, from cells expressing mutant huntingtin to transgenic Drosophila and R6/2 mice before entering the clinical trials. Selisistat recently completed the Phase II Study, assessing safety and tolerability in HD patients. Aim Evaluate possible selisistat pharmacodynamic biomarkers to support further clinical progression. Within the EC funded project PADDINGTON, a transcriptional profile and huntingtin protein levels were evaluated in biological samples from HD patients treated with placebo or selisistat at different doses. Methods HD patients were randomised to receive different doses of selisistat or placebo. Serial blood sampling was collected at different time points after selisistat administration. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were employed to detect HTT protein levels by a validated ELISA bioassay. Whole blood samples were analysed through RT-qPCR to validate a previous identified transcriptional signature. Results Four transcripts were found specifically modulated by selisistat in whole blood samples, confirming the transcriptional signature. Moreover, the ELISA in PBMCs has proven to reliably measure of circulating HTT despite the low protein levels and high individual variability. Conclusions The quantisation of circulating HTT levels as well as gene expression evaluation represents a promising avenue towards monitoring disease progression and therapeutic interventions. Additionally, transcriptional signatures could be useful to draw hypotheses for target engagement and mechanism of action through the pathway analysis of the modulated genes. Final results for both investigations will be presented.


Porous additives and polymer modifications are becoming increasingly common routes to address some of the current challenges faced by membrane technologies. Here, using carbonization and pre-impregnation of fullerene to enhance the performance of a porous aromatic framework, we have developed a novel hydrophobic porous membrane additive (C60@PAF900) for enhancing the performance of forward osmosis (FO) water purification membranes. We examined the influence of C60@PAF900 loading on the polyamide (PA) layer in the fabrication of novel thin film nanocomposite (TFN) FO membranes and subsequently investigated the desalination performance of the resulting TFN FO membranes. The results showed that the addition of nanoporous C60@PAF900 greatly enhanced the water flux and water permeability of TFN FO membranes. Using 2 mol L−1 NaCl as the draw solution and 10 mmol L−1 NaCl as the feed solution, adding 0.01 w/v% C60@PAF900 into the FO membrane increased the water flux from 7.4 LMH to 12.4 LMH in the ALFS mode (active layer facing the feed solution) and from 12.6 LMH to 21.3 LMH in the ALDS mode (active layer facing the draw solution). To understand these results, the effect of C60@PAF900 on the surface morphology and chemistry of TFN FO was also investigated. Compared to the pristine FO membranes, the TFN FO membranes possessed a less dense crosslinked network due to the influence of C60@PAF900 on the interfacial polymerization process, and the interfacial repulsion between C60@PAF900 and polyamide. Together, this study provides an insight into the performance and potential effects of C60@PAF900 on advanced TFN FO membranes.


Our study in this research came as a proposal for an electronic platform to manage projects that graduate the fourth stage through which all tasks were transferred from the traditional system to an electronic system. As the system collects project proposals by the teachers and follows up the process of selecting them by the students, then managing the discussion process and sending the evaluation electronically by the members of the discussion committees and by connecting to the internal network (Router) via mobile or computer to the main database so that the system administrator prints the results The evaluation is processed electronically and submitted to the examination committee. The system was developed structurally according to the principle of the server and the client, and the wireless network was used to connect the system devices to transfer information between the server and the client. The system provided a protection method for system information and a way for users to enter, relying on efficient investigation methods to ensure safe access to all system interfaces. The system was tested on real information for the Computer Science Department, and the system showed its efficiency in achieving the required goals, completing the tasks, and issuing results accurately, quickly and without errors. Programming languages used in the design (C # for design interfaces + SQL Server for distributed database + PHP for web pages)


One of the well-known approaches to target tracking is the Kalman filter. The problem of applying the Kalman Filter in practice is that in the presence of unknown noise statistics, accurate results cannot be obtained. Hence the tuning of the noise covariances is of paramount importance in order to employ the filter. The difficulty involved with the tuning attracts the applicability of the concept of Constant Gain Kalman Filter (CGKF). It has been generally observed that after an initial transient the Kalman Filter gain and the State Error Covariance P settles down to steady state values. This encourages one to consider working directly with steady state or constant Kalman gain, rather than with error covariances in order to obtain efficient tracking. Since there are no covariances in CGKF, only the state equations need to be propagated and updated at a measurement, thus enormously reducing the computational load. The current work first applies the CGKF concept to heterogeneous sensor based wireless sensor network (WSN) target tracking problem. The paper considers the Standard EKF and CGKF for tracking various manoeuvring targets using nonlinear state and measurement models. Based on the numerical studies it is clearly seen that the CGKF out performs the Standard EKF. To the best of our knowledge, such a comprehensive study of the CGKF has not been carried out in its application to diverse target tracking scenarios and data fusion aspects.


Considerable attention has focused on the role of protein kinase C (PKC) in triggering the profound infarct-sparing effect of ischemic preconditioning (PC). In contrast, the involvement of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate [Ins(1,4,5)P(3)], the second messenger generated in parallel with the diacylglycerol-PKC pathway, remains poorly understood. We hypothesized that, if Ins(1,4,5)P(3) signaling [i.e., release of Ins(1,4,5)P(3) and subsequent binding to Ins(1,4,5)P(3) receptors] contributes to PC-induced cardioprotection, then the reduction of infarct size achieved with PC would be attenuated in mice that are deficient in Ins(1,4,5)P(3) receptor protein. To test this concept, hearts were harvested from 1) B6C3Fe-a/a-Itpr-1(opt+/-)/J mutants displaying reduced expression of Ins(1,4,5)P(3) receptor-1 protein, 2) Itpr-1(opt+/+) wild types from the colony, and 3) C57BL/6J mice. All hearts were buffer-perfused and randomized to receive two 5-min episodes of PC ischemia, pretreatment with d-myo-Ins(1,4,5)P(3) [sodium salt of native Ins(1,4,5)P(3)], the mitochondrial ATP-sensitive K(+) channel opener diazoxide, or no intervention (controls). After the treatment phase, all hearts underwent 30-min global ischemia followed by 2 h of reperfusion, and infarct size was delineated by tetrazolium staining. In both wild-type and C57BL/6J cohorts, area of necrosis in hearts that received PC, d-myo-Ins(1,4,5)P(3), and diazoxide averaged 28-35% of the total left ventricle (LV), significantly smaller than the values of 52-53% seen in controls (P < 0.05). In contrast, in Itpr-1(opt+/-) mutants, protection was only seen with diazoxide: neither PC nor d-myo-Ins(1,4,5)P(3) limited infarct size (52-58% vs. 56% of the LV in mutant controls). These data provide novel evidence that Ins(1,4,5)P(3) signaling contributes to infarct size reduction with PC.


The potential of tirapazamine to enhance the in situ efficacy of the anti-cancer drug cyclophosphamide (CP) was evaluated in two rodent tumours (KHT sarcoma, 16C mammary carcinoma) and one human ovarian tumour xenograft (MLS) using end points of in vivo to in vitro cell survival or in situ tumour growth delay. For comparison, bone marrow toxicity under similar treatment conditions was determined using a CFU-GM stem cell survival assay. The results showed that a 0.27 mmol kg-1 dose of tirapazamine alone had little anti-tumour effect. However, when given prior to a range of CP doses, tirapazamine increased the efficacy of this chemotherapeutic agent in all three tumour models investigated. CFU-GM stem cell toxicity, assessed under similar treatment conditions, demonstrated that this dose of tirapazamine (1) led to some bone marrow toxicity on its own; and (2) increased the toxicity of CP beyond that seen with CP alone. The present findings demonstrate that the bioreductive agent tirapazamine can potentiate the in situ anti-tumour efficacy of the alkylating agent CP. However, in the preclinical models investigated, the enhanced anti-tumour effect did not translate into a therapeutic benefit because a similar increase in bone marrow toxicity also resulted from this treatment combination.


In this paper we analyse the endogenous order of moves in a mixed duopoly for differentiated goods. Firms choose whether to set prices sequentially or simultaneously. The private firm maximises profits while the public firm maximises the weighted sum of the consumer and producer surpluses (weighted welfare). It is shown that the result obtained in equilibrium depends crucially on the weight given to the consumer surplus in weighted welfare and on the degree to which goods are substitutes or complements. We also analyse whether the equilibria obtained maximise the sum of the consumer and producer surpluses or not. Finally we study whether the nationality of the private firm influences the results.


Recent publishing on the migration phenomena in the communitarian and globalized Europe, puts in evidence a fundamental racism which is capable of making cultural processes grow and feed both chaos and social disorder. As a matter of fact we are approaching the ending debates on multicultural citizenship as well as on solidary integration and antiracism. Since the appearing of these phenomena, namely the huge post colonial migration in the nineteen-eighties, by which the colonized countries became almost "emigrant nurseries", one could expect their stabilization. On the contrary, globalization and migration (twin subjects) everywhere still produce, at various levels, social disturbances together with some chauvinistic limitations as an ultimate kind of western prosperity defense. The peculiar European features of this new racism, less than ideological (superiority, homogeneity and civilizing mission), are confined to the concepts of patriotism, inequality and exclusion. In these terms one can understand why the new economic expansionism and the quest for new world markets makes European policies unstable, which remain undecided between conservatism, liberalism and extreme right. All this explains at least two things: the existing ambiguities of some European policies aiming to enhance particular forms of protectionism, and the difficulties in which the antiracist thought seems to be embedded. Indeed, according to what Walter Lorenz has already made clear, by using a well founded methodology, which prevents any fruitless protestations, it is impossible to contrast racism and nationalism. In such context, the educational field should try to use an operative epistemology. In other words the antiracist thought should dispose of competences and skills and, especially, personal and reflective capabilities. All this in order to avoid that which, in different historical scenes, permit the revival of the sense of moral opprobrium could not be identified with the political alibi to maintain privileges as well as advantages for the exclusive benefit of wealthy countries.


gramme, however, it is precisely this skill that is the hardest to ensure. Even with extensive training programmes some practitioners are always going to have less experience than others. Also, in the United Kingdom, examination couches are not routinely fitted with stirrups, which make it more difficult to obtain a good view of the cervix. Whether the presence of transformation zone markers indicates a good quality smear is disputed. We agree with Dr Wolfendale that, at a national level, this is the only effective way of ensuring some form of quality control. Their presence gives reassurance that the cervix has been sampled correctly, even though their absence does not necessarily imply the opposite. In a recent study at St Thomas's Hospital we found that under ideal conditions and with experienced smear takers the instrument(s) used to obtain smears in young women did not influence the number of dyskaryotic smears.2 But we confirmed the findings of an earlier study3 that when only a spatula was used the quality of smears varied widely as judged by the presence of transformation zone markers. When, however, a Cytobrush was added to the spatula the variation disappeared, with all operators taking good quality smears. If the operator's skill cannot be guaranteed it is surely simpler to provide a sampling technique that is independent of the operator. We found a significantly higher number of inadequate smears obtained with the Cervex sampler, as did another recent study, which compared the Cervex sampler with the technique using a Cytobrush plus a spatula in women who had had laser treatment.4 A two sample technique need not increase the laboratory workload; in our study, as in others, both the spatula and brush samples were placed on the same slide. We suggest that the technique using a Cytobrush plus a spatula is particularly useful in "difficult" patients, in whom the transformation zone is not easily accessible-for example, nulliparous women, postmenopausal women, and those who have had treatment for cervical lesions. In addition, the advantage of obtaining uniformly good quality smears regardless of the operator's skill should not be overlooked.


Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is an increasingly influential concept, which is usually claimed to be implemented more in the West than in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and MENA region, where it is portrayed as less developed and philanthropic. This research investigates developments of CSR in the UAE revealing different levels of awareness, engagement, and implementation. The study consists of data analysed from 29 interviews with CSR representatives of UAE-based organisations from 2011 to 2016, and a case study of a strategic youth engagement CSR programme. The varying degrees of sophistication and programmification of CSR activities in the UAE reveals a more developed stage of maturity than is implied in the literature. The use of project management to organise, implement, align and monitor CSR activity provides knowledge relevant to the UAE but also other countries. The study shows organisations with project management skills and governmental links are in a better position and under more pressure to undertake strategic CSR activity that is sustainable. Organisations linked to governmental organisations or leadership seem more aligned to national goals and so are more influenced to undertake strategic CSR activity that will contribute to these goals. CSR activity that is strategic seems to be projectised to achieve these goals as well. The research addresses a lack of knowledge on developments of CSR in the UAE, including the use of project management as a means to implement strategic CSR activity. Strategic CSR itself has not been associated with the region before, however the examination of CSR projects and programmes in the UAE has revealed that there are cases of CSR being strategically managed to achieve and contribute to organisational and not only social goals. Implications for project management theory drawn from the study include the application of project management to CSR activity, the CSR and PM theories are somewhat linked in the available literature, however not to the degree of which is presented in this study. The study provides an example of CSR and PM directly integrated to maximize success and achievement of organizational goals. Pellegrinelli (2002, p. 229) states that "Emergent thinking on programme management best practice has focused on the internal context, namely the marshalling of projects and resources to achieve the desired strategic and/or synergy benefits." Most importantly, this research demonstrates the positive influence project management can have on implementation of CSR. The study sheds light on the institutional factors such as government pressure and peer pressure that influence the way CSR is perceived and managed in organisations in the UAE. Studying these factors in more depth will allow us to understand more on the way CSR in the UAE is developing and how it might be expedited further towards sustainable development. This area is recommended for future research; to produce more specific theory on institutional drivers that could further develop the CSR landscape.


BACKGROUND AND AIMS
Malnutrition is commonly associated with chronic liver disease. The presence of protein-calorie malnutrition has been shown to be associated with increased short- and long-term mortality in patients with acute and chronic liver disease. We undertook this study to assess the prognostic value of nutritional status in predicting survival in cirrhotic patients. The aim of our study was to determine whether assessment of nutritional status using the RFH-SGA score adds significantly to CP (Child-Pugh) and MELD scores in predicting patient prognosis and survival in cirrhotic patients.

METHODS
Diagnosed cases of cirrhosis were enrolled and their nutritional assessment was done using the RFH-SGA score. All patients were followed up for a period of 6 months. The mortality rates in the various groups were compared with respect to their nutritional status. Multivariate analysis was used to determine the factors associated with mortality.

RESULTS
A total of 73 cirrhotic patients were taken up for this study. Of these, 23 patients (31.5%) were well nourished, 21 (28.8%) had mild to moderate malnourishment and 29 (39.7%) were severely malnourished. Multivariate analyses of various parameters identified poor nutritional status, increased CP grade, increased creatinine, lower sodium levels and longer prothrombin time as being independently associated with poorer survival.

CONCLUSIONS
RFH-SGA is a simple and inexpensive tool for assessing the nutritional status in cirrhotic patients and can reliably predict their disease prognosis and survival.


Over the past twenty years there has been a dramatic increase in both CEO pay and the wealth of the richest Americans. We examine three hypotheses regarding the relationship between wealth inequality and CEO compensation: first, that the increase in CEO income inequality helped cause increased wealth inequality; second, that increases in wealth inequality helped cause increased CEO income inequality; and third, that both types of inequality are caused by a third factor. We test these hypotheses by using ExecuComp and Forbes 400 data to estimate power law distributions and compare the behavior of these distributions over time. We find no support for any of the three hypotheses.


Any natural or artificial substratum exposed to seawater is quickly fouled by marine microorganisms and later by macrofouling species. Microfouling organisms on the surface of a substratum form heterogenic biofilms, which are composed of multiple species of heterotrophic bacteria, cyanobacteria, diatoms, protozoa and fungi. Biofilms on artificial structures create serious problems for industries worldwide, with effects including an increase in drag force and metal corrosion as well as a reduction in heat transfer efficiency. Additionally, microorganisms produce chemical compounds that may induce or inhibit settlement and growth of other fouling organisms. Since the last review by the first author on inhibition of biofouling by marine microbes in 2006, significant progress has been made in the field. Several antimicrobial, antialgal and antilarval compounds have been isolated from heterotrophic marine bacteria, cyanobacteria and fungi. Some of these compounds have multiple bioactivities. Microorganisms are able to disrupt biofilms by inhibition of bacterial signalling and production of enzymes that degrade bacterial signals and polymers. Epibiotic microorganisms associated with marine algae and invertebrates have a high antifouling (AF) potential, which can be used to solve biofouling problems in industry. However, more information about the production of AF compounds by marine microorganisms in situ and their mechanisms of action needs to be obtained. This review focuses on the AF activity of marine heterotrophic bacteria, cyanobacteria and fungi and covers publications from 2006 up to the end of 2012.


Video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) is currently being used to diagnose and treat several intrathoracic conditions with minimal morbidity, reduced hospital stay and possibly costs reduction compared with standard open surgery. Moreover, uniportal VATS (uniVATS) is emerging as a new, feasible and safe procedure capable to offer the same advantages compared with multiportal approaches; the addition of non intubated techniques may indeed pave the way to an innovative fast tracking concept. In recent years many authors focused on the possibility to avoid side-effects of intubated general anesthesia as well, in order to maintain more physiologic muscular, neurological and cardiopulmonary status in order to reduce the procedure-related traumas leading to fasten recovery and optimized outcomes. This is a review of the pertinent literature regarding this technique.


A Ph. Eur. herbal drug monograph requires for identification testing besides macroscopic (A) and microscopic (B) evaluation a thin-layer chromatography (TLC) fingerprint, prescribed as identification testing in subsection C. The main active constituents of Cassia senna L. and Cassia angustifolia Vahl are the dianthrone glucosides (mainly sennoside A and B). Therefore, this study presents a high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) method which uses the sennosides as characteristic constituents. The presented method results in a fast and simple fingerprint with characteristic yellow fluorescence for the sennosides due to derivatization with a potassium hydroxide solution. The use of a senna herbal drug dry extract as system suitability test (SST) allows for a cost-effective test control. The resolution of the sennosides zones is dependent on the extractives concentration. An overload of the analytes leads to tailing (u-shaped form) and broadening as well as change in the retardation factor (RF). The presented method is a suitable fingerprint method for Ph. Eur. conform identification C.


It is well known that the main contributor of greenhouse gases is C02. The
increasing C02 concentration in the atmosphere has resulted in a lot of
research finding ways to slow down this trend. Established traditional
technologies to capture C02 use aqueous amines. However there are
drawbacks to this method thus much attention has been given to solid
support. Bentonite clays have high cation exchange capacity, swelling
capacity, high surface areas, and consequential strong adsorption/absorption
capacities. Moreover, Bentonite clays are cheap and have been proved as a
suitable candidate in removing organic compounds such as benzene form
water. Thus, the objective of this research is to develop bentonite clay into
becoming an adsorbent for C02. Bentonite clays on its own are not effective
adsorbents for organic compounds thus modifications to the surface
chemistry can be done to enhance its capabilities by changing the surface
form hydrophilic to organophilic (hydrophobic). This type of clays called
as organoclays can be synthesized by exchanging the metallic cations on the
surface of bentonite clays such as Mi+, k + and Na + with organic cations.
Organic cations such as Tetramethylammonium (TMA) and
Hexadecyltrimethylammonium (HDTMA) have been used to synthesize
organoclays and have used successfully to treat water. Thus intercalation of
bentonite clay with N-cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTMB) cations
was done. The RAMAN spectroscopy results showed that the CTMB
cations were successfully intercalated into the clays. Results from
Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) showed that the organo
bentonites had increased its basal spacing from 9.72 to 14.03 A. COz
Adsorption were conducted and results showed the organo bentonite had
the ability to adsorb C02 but at relatively low amounts.


Borderline personality disorder is a complex mental disorder which has severe impact on the quality of an individual's life. Although it is the most common type of personality disorder in the population of people with mental disorders, it has so far proven to be rather resistant to pharmacological treatments. This may suggest that effective psychotherapeutic methods need to be developed to help people with this diagnosis. There have been several attempts to develop successful therapeutic interventions for borderline personality disorder. Most of them were developed either from cognitive-behavioural or from psychoanalytic paradigm. More recent studies have focused on developing a more holistic approach. One such approach is the STEPPS program. This programme combines elements from cognitive-behavioural and systemic approaches. STEPPS is a 20- week, manually based group treatment for patients with borderline personality disorder. In comparison with other established approaches, the STEPPS program does not interfere with patient's other ongoing treatments. In this article we present the basics of the STEPPS program. We also provide a review of studies, investigating the effectiveness of the program. We also discuss advantages and disadvantages of the program and suggest some topics for further research.


Understanding the characteristics of minerals is key in developing effective techniques for copper ore processing to maximise recovery hence income. Most studies have focused on understanding the fundamentals and principles of dissolution kinetics, oxidation and leaching of copper minerals. New developments and technologies have made it possible to reveal that copper ores are fascinating and complex minerals. Other research concentrates on chemical and mineralogical analysis, hence revealing information such as properties, compositional change and analysis. In this paper X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and Quantitative Evaluation of Minerals Scanning Electron Microscopy (QEMSCAN) are used as tools in quantifying chemical and mineralogical attributes of a copper ore (chalcocite bearing mineral) from Botswana as the objective. Obtained information was not limited to grain size and distribution, mineral associations and liberations characteristics of economic minerals in the ore and quantitative information being the latter. XRF indicates that the copper ore contains phases such as Al203, CaO, MgO, TiO2, V2O5 and SiO2, which is the dominant mineral with 60.6 wt% as well as traces of elements Fe, S, Pb, and Co with wt% of <0.02. Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) peaks also confirmed these elements to exist in the mineral. Quantitative X-Ray Diffraction (QXRD) analysis entailed phases present with silicates being the dominant phases and their existence on the mineral by wt%. SEM peaks showed evidence of Fe, Si, Cu, S etc. which is consistent with XRF data. In addition QESCAN also revealed grain size of cuprite particles to be greater than 45 μm with < 0.24 % liberated. The copper ore is characterized with a possibility of extracting metals or elements of economic value.


BACKGROUND
Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is a serious complication of heparin utilization. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is usually performed to assist in the diagnosis of HIT. ELISAs tend to be sensitive but lack specificity. We sought to use a new cutoff to define a positive HIT ELISA.

METHODS
We conducted a prospective observational study of hospitalized patients undergoing ELISA testing. All patients who underwent ELISA testing were eligible for inclusion (n = 496). Irrespective of the results, all subjects had confirmatory testing with a serotonin release assay (SRA). We compared a threshold optical density (OD) > 1.00 to the current definition of a positive ELISA (OD > 0.40) as a screening test for a positive SRA. We used sensitivity, specificity, and area under the receiver operating curve to determine whether an OD > 1.00 would improve diagnostic accuracy for HIT.

RESULTS
The SRA was positive in 10 patients (prevalence, 2.0%). Adjusting the definition of a positive HIT ELISA to > 1.00 maintained the sensitivity and negative predictive value at 100% in the cohort. The positive predictive value of the higher cutoff OD was more than triple the positive predictive value of an OD > 0.40 (41.7% vs 13.3%). No patient with a positive SRA had an OD measurement ≤ 1.00.

CONCLUSIONS
Increasing the OD threshold enhances specificity without noticeably compromising sensitivity. Altering the definition of the HIT ELISA could prevent unnecessary testing and/or treatment with non-heparin-based anticoagulants in patients with possible HIT.

TRIAL REGISTRY
ClinicalTrials.gov; No.: NCT00946400; URL: www.clinicaltrials.gov.


Unless otherwise specifically indicated, Miltenyi Biotec products and services are for research use only and not for therapeutic or diagnostic use. CliniMACS, gentleMACS, MACS, the MACS logo, and TexMACS are registered trademarks or trademarks of Miltenyi Biotec GmbH. All other trademarks mentioned in this document are the property of their respective owners and are used for identification purposes only. Copyright © 2013 Miltenyi Biotec GmbH. All rights reserved. Excerpt from MACS&more Vol 15 – 2/2013


Health professionals and people with diabetes recognize nutrition therapy as one of the most challenging aspects of diabetes care and education (1). Adherence to meal planning principles requires the person with diabetes to learn specific nutrition recommendations. It may require altering previous patterns of eating and implementing new eating behaviors, which requires motivation for a healthy lifestyle and may also require participation in exercise programs. Finally, individuals must be able to evaluate the effectiveness of these lifestyle changes. Despite these challenges, nutrition is an essential component of successful diabetes management.


The editors of Blake 2.0 are keenly aware of the digital moment and the widespread reassessment of the humanities that is currently underway. They tap into the growing excitement over the digital humanities and attempt to reinvent Blake studies by offering a collection of essays on Blake's "ongoing regeneration" in a new virtual world (1). The authors are engaged by the "broader possibilities of digitalization and web dissemination" and they set out to examine Blake's virtual selves as they appear in the "processes of translation, mutation, proliferation into other media" (2). Another title for this collection might have been Anxiety of Influence 2.0, as many of the essays rethink Harold Bloom's patrilineal model of literary competition for the twenty-first century. In place of his Freudian "writer-on-writer" contest (3), they propose alternative theories of influence based on the new media. Most of the reception studies assembled here focus on the transformation of Blake's work as it is appropriated in film, music, sculpture, graphic novels, and digital art, and they find that "agency can occur across a network" (4). Indeed, one of the threads that recurs time and again is the role of the author, the problem of ownership and possession, the conundrum of "mineness," as the editors state. What happens to the author function in the new digital surround? Is there still a recognizable self, or has nineteenth- and twentieth-century selfhood vanished into an evanescent cloud of virtual selves? Where is Blake 1.0 and does he still matter? Or has he become like Urizen, "Unknown, unprolific! / Self-closd," an "all-repelling" book of brass? These questions cut to the quick of the collection.


Regulation of nitrogen fixation genes in Rhizobium meliloti is mediated by two proteins, FixL and FixJ, in response to oxygen availability. FixL is an oxygen-binding hemoprotein with kinase and phosphatase activities that is thought to sense oxygen levels directly and to transmit this signal to FixJ via phosphorylation-dephosphorylation reactions. FixJ controls the expression of other regulatory genes, including nifA, that regulate the transcription of genes required for symbiotic nitrogen fixation. We have been studying the structural and functional features of FixL that are required for oxygen sensing. We constructed mutant derivatives and confirmed that FixL consists of 505 amino acids instead of 464, as originally reported. Hydropathy plots of the full-length protein, together with TnphoA insertional analysis, lead us to propose that FixL is likely to be a polytopic integral membrane protein containing four membrane-spanning segments. We have also constructed an N-terminal deletion of the FixL protein whose in vivo activity indicates that the hydrophobic membrane-spanning regions are not absolutely required for oxygen sensing in vivo. We also report that FixL shares homology in its N terminus with other sensor proteins, including KinA from Bacillus subtilis and NtrB from Bradyrhizobium parasponia. The region of homology comprises a 70-amino-acid residue stretch that is also conserved in two oxygenases, P-450 and isopenicillin synthase.


This investigation was conductedto study the mode of development of resistance Tetranychus urticae against acaricides. A T. urticae strain was collected from cotton plants grown in the experimental farm of Sakha. After ten generations of selection with abamectin and etoxazole under laboratory conditions, the resistance strain to abamectin and etoxazole started slowly in the first generation until the fourth generation, then began to increase gradually increase until reached the highest peak at the end of the tenth generation ( developed 140 and 37.45 fold resistance, respectively), suggesting that these glutathione-S-transferase (GST), acid phosphate, alkaline phosphate, ATPase and AChE enzymes are important in conferring abamectin and etoxazole resistance in Tetranychus urticae. The major resistance mechanism to abamectin was the increasing activities of glutathione-S-transferase (GST), acid phosphate, alkaline phosphate, ATPase and AChE. The activity in resistance strain developed 602.35, 203.52, 143.87, 8.93, and 1.31 fold comparable to that in the susceptible strain, respectively, with a percentage of increase equal to 419.38 % for alkaline phosphate. The activity of GST in the resistance strain for etoxazole developed 381.56 fold when compared with the susceptible strain. While the percentage of increase was 163.82 % for AChE.


Executive Order 12,333 ("EO 12333") is a 1980s Executive Order signed by President Ronald Reagan that, among other things, establishes an overarching policy framework for the Executive Branch's spying powers. Although electronic surveillance programs authorized by EO 12333 generally target foreign intelligence from foreign targets, its permissive targeting standards allow for the substantial collection of Americans' communications containing little to no foreign intelligence value. This fact alone necessitates closer inspection.

This working draft conducts such an inspection by collecting and coalescing the various declassifications, disclosures, legislative investigations, and news reports concerning EO 12333 electronic surveillance programs in order to provide a better understanding of how the Executive Branch implements the order and the electronic surveillance programs it authorizes. The Article pays particular attention to EO 12333's designation of the National Security Agency as primarily responsible for conducting signals intelligence, which includes the installation of malware, the analysis of internet traffic traversing the telecommunications backbone, the hacking of U.S.-based companies like Yahoo and Google, and the analysis of Americans' communications, contact lists, text messages, geolocation data, and other information.

After exploring the electronic surveillance programs authorized by EO 12333, this Article proposes reforms to the existing policy framework, including narrowing the aperture of authorized surveillance, increasing privacy standards for the retention of data, and requiring greater transparency and accountability.


Language represent very communication means is necessary for oral good human being and also article. Functioning Ianguage as a means of social interaction in appliance meaning to submit mind, idea, concept or also feeling. Style represent the way of author expression in submitting idea by using beautiful Language media or how author lay open something that will be told in result of its creation. Language style is an arrangement of sentences and words able to express idea, idea, and feeling and also experience of author mind.
This research aim to obtain; get deskripsi about " Analysis Style language in Short story's Java Post alternatively Materials Teach Apresiasi Art in SMA. Method which is used in this research is descriptive method qualitative. this Research data in the form of Ianguage style which there are in short story. Source of data in this research is short story in daily media of Java Post edition three July wulan, August, September 2007 se-banyak 14 short story. Result of data analysis in this research indicate that Ianguage style pursuant to sentence structure consist of climax, anticlimax, repetition and antithesis, while Ianguage style pursuant to direct do not it him mean to be divided to become two that is 1) Ianguage style of restores 2) figurative Ianguage style, consisting of simile, metaphor, personification, and sarkasme of Innuendo. From both Ianguage style, Ianguage style pursuant to direct do not it him mean more dominant in using. Ianguage equation style seems by author in intending for memperindah and to be more emphasize meaning in its bearing with expression" inspire reader emotion" that way also Ianguage style pursuant to sentence structure relative a few/little using. the Ianguage style to explain nucleus; core or idea of story in its composition Learn art apresiasi intrinsically is getting wise to life and life. Through belles-lettres, human being will obtain; get mind gizi, so that dark sides in life and its life can be brightened to pass value kristalisasi, which implied in belles-lettres. Study of Ianguage style in short story's in Java Post so that/ to be protege do not feel saturated with Lesson materials which have is often used from taken away from by materials is written by short story's is author which have had name. Information at education world that Ianguage style in short story in is daily of Java Post can be exploited alternatively materials teach art apresiasi in SMA. information at Builder or instructor of art apresiasi matching with curriculum and high with quality.


The financial viability of rural hospitals has been a matter of serious concern, with ongoing closures affecting rural residents' access to medical services. We examined the financial viability of 1,004 US rural hospitals that had consistent rural status in 2011-17. The median overall profit margin improved for nonprofit critical access hospitals (from 2.5 percent to 3.2 percent) but declined for other hospitals (from 3.0 percent to 2.6 percent for nonprofit non-critical access hospitals, from 3.2 percent to 0.4 percent for for-profit critical access hospitals, and from 5.7 percent to 1.6 percent for for-profit non-critical access hospitals). Occupancy rate and charge markup were positively associated with overall margins: In 2017 hospitals with low versus high occupancy rates had median overall profit margins of 0.1 percent versus 4.7 percent, and hospitals with low versus high charge markups had median overall margins of 1.8 percent versus 3.5 percent. Rural hospital financial viability deteriorated in states that did not expand eligibility for Medicaid and was lower in the South. Rural hospitals that closed during the study period had a median overall profit margin of -3.2 percent in their final year before closure. Policy makers should compare the incremental cost of providing essential services between hospitals and other settings to balance access and efficiency.


The fine arrangement of neuronal connectivity during development involves the coordinated action of guidance cues and their receptors. In adolescence, the dopamine circuitry is still developing, with mesolimbic dopamine axons undergoing target-recognition events in the nucleus accumbens (NAcc), while mesocortical projections continue to grow toward the prefrontal cortex (PFC) until adulthood. This segregation of mesolimbic versus mesocortical dopamine pathways is mediated by the guidance cue receptor DCC, which signals dopamine axons intended to innervate the NAcc to recognize this region as their final target. Whether DCC-dependent mesolimbic dopamine axon targeting in adolescence requires the action of its ligand, Netrin-1, is unknown. Here we combined shRNA strategies, quantitative analysis of pre- and post-synaptic markers of neuronal connectivity, and pharmacological manipulations to address this question. Similar to DCC levels in the ventral tegmental area, Netrin-1 expression in the NAcc is dynamic across postnatal life, transitioning from high to low expression across adolescence. Silencing Netrin-1 in the NAcc in adolescence results in an increase in the expanse of the dopamine input to the PFC in adulthood, with a corresponding increase in the number of presynaptic dopamine sites. This manipulation also results in altered dendritic spine density and morphology of medium spiny neurons in the NAcc in adulthood and in reduced sensitivity to the behavioral activating effects of the stimulant drug of abuse, amphetamine. These cellular and behavioral effects mirror those induced by Dcc haploinsufficiency within dopamine neurons in adolescence. Dopamine targeting in adolescence requires the complementary interaction between DCC receptors in mesolimbic dopamine axons and Netrin-1 in the NAcc. Factors regulating either DCC or Netrin-1 in adolescence can disrupt mesocorticolimbic dopamine development, rendering vulnerability or protection to phenotypes associated with psychiatric disorders.


Leptospirosis is an emerging zoonoses caused by pathogenic Leptospira sps. It causes acute febrile illness in tropical regions. Usually the infection is underdiagnosed due to lack of awareness, varied clinical spectrum of diseases and difficult diagnostic methods. The present study aimed to explore the seroprevalence and clinical features of leptospirosis in patients presenting with an acute febrile illness. This was a cross sectional study undertaken at the microbiology department over a 12-month period. That included 597 people with more than 7 days with acute febrile illness. Those patients were tested using the IgM ELISA for leptospirosis. Of these 597 patients, 18.25% were seropositive for anti‐leptospira‐specific immunoglobulin (IgM) antibodies. Preponderance of male (n=77) was observed compared to females (n=32).Majority of leptospirosis patients were belonged to occupation fishing and related activities 37 (33.94%) followed by agriculture workers 21(19.27%).Mayalgia(92.67%), Jaundice(83.49%) and headache were found to be the common clinical presentations. Coinfection was observed in 15.60% of patients.In our study, the seroprevalence of leptospirosis was found to be 18%. Preponderance of leptospirosis was observed among people involved in fishing and related activities followed by agricultural workers.


Animal welfare monitoring is a vital part of veterinary medicine and can be challenging due to a range of factors that contribute to the perception of welfare. Tools can be used, however; there are few validated and objective methods available for veterinary and animal welfare professionals to assess and monitor the welfare of dogs over their lifetime. This study aimed to adapt a framework previously validated for other species, The Animal Welfare Assessment Grid (AWAG), for dogs and to host the tool on an accessible, easy to use online platform. Development of the AWAG for dogs involved using the scientific literature to decide which factors were relevant to score welfare in dogs and to also write the factor descriptors. The primary tool was trialed with veterinary professionals to refine and improve the AWAG. Content validity was assessed by subject matter experts by rating the validity of the factors for assessing dog welfare using the item-level content validity index (I-CVI) and scale-level content validity index based on the average method (S-CVI/Ave). Construct validity was evaluated by users of the tool scoring healthy and sick dogs, as well as healthy dogs undergoing neutering procedures. Mann Whitney tests demonstrate that the tool can differentiate between healthy and sick dogs, and healthy and healthy dogs post elective surgery. Test re-test reliability was tested by users conducting multiple assessments on individual dogs under non-changing conditions. Inter-rater reliability was assessed by two users scoring an individual dog at the same time in veterinary referral practice. Repeated measures ANOVA for test re-test and inter-rater reliability both show no statistical difference between scores and that the scores are highly correlated. This study provides evidence that the AWAG for dogs has good content and construct validity, alongside good test re-test and inter-rater reliability.


This working paper analyzes the data collected by the fifth European Working Conditions Survey done in 2010 to examine how working conditions are changing for different ages and occupation types. It brings insights into the quality of work and employment amongst ageing workers that help to inform the debate on how "sustainable" work is according to one's age and occupation. The authors conclude that the wide range of situations and challenges faced by different occupations demand extreme caution as regards policies to extend working life for all older workers without distinction. This diversity must be factored into the arrangements made to deliver European policy goals of increasing the employment rates of older workers and raising the actual age of retirement. Moreover, the responsibility for improving working and employment conditions in the final career years also falls to employers and calls for innovative human resources management practices.


This guide is maintained by JCSU librarians to assist faculty with OER initiatives and sources to locate OER materials. If you have questions or comments, please contact Monika Rhue at firstname.lastname@example.com.


Codifying Maize Modifications Maize, one of our most important crop species, has been the target of genetic investigation and experimentation for more than 100 years. Crossing two inbred lines tends to result in "better" offspring, in a process known as heterosis. Attempts to map the genetic loci that control traits important for farming have been made, but few have been successful (see the Perspective by Mackay). Buckler et al. (p. 714) and McMullen et al. (p. 737) produced a genomic map of maize that relates recombination to genome structure. Even tremendous adaptations in very diverse species were produced by numerous, small additive steps. Differences in flowering time in maize among inbred lines were not caused by a few genes with large effects, but by the cumulative effects of numerous quantitative trait loci—each of which has only a small impact on the trait. Assaying nearly one million plants reveals that maize flowering time is not controlled by a large effect at any single locus. Flowering time is a complex trait that controls adaptation of plants to their local environment in the outcrossing species Zea mays (maize). We dissected variation for flowering time with a set of 5000 recombinant inbred lines (maize Nested Association Mapping population, NAM). Nearly a million plants were assayed in eight environments but showed no evidence for any single large-effect quantitative trait loci (QTLs). Instead, we identified evidence for numerous small-effect QTLs shared among families; however, allelic effects differ across founder lines. We identified no individual QTLs at which allelic effects are determined by geographic origin or large effects for epistasis or environmental interactions. Thus, a simple additive model accurately predicts flowering time for maize, in contrast to the genetic architecture observed in the selfing plant species rice and Arabidopsis.


Introduction: Exergaming is increasingly popular among youth. However, the extent to which exergaming is sustained over time in a population-based sample of youth is not well documented. The objective of this study was to describe the frequency and correlates of sustained exergaming over 2-3 years in adolescents. Methods: Data were available in a prospective cohort investigation of 1,800 Grade 5 students recruited in a convenience sample of 30 elementary schools in Quebec, Canada in 2005. Data on past week exergaming were collected from 971 participants at age 14 years on average (in 2008–2009), and again when they were age 16 years on average (in 2010–2011), in mailed self-report questionnaires. Potential correlates of sustained exergaming were identified in separate multivariable logistic regression models. Results: Forty-three percent of 185 exergamers at age 14 reported exergaming 2-3 years later. Most sustained exergamers (88%) played up to twice a week at moderate to vigorous intensity. Sex (being female) and weight-related variables (trying to lose weight) were associated with sustained exergaming. Conclusions: Many adolescents who exergame report exergaming 2-3 years later, which suggests that in real life settings, exergaming may be a viable approach to help adolescents increase their physical activity, especially if they are female and actively trying to lose weight. Acknowledgments: EO is supported by the FRSQ


Hypertension is poorly managed in Egypt due to low rates of awareness about the disease. The aim of this study was to describe the role of the pharmacist as a health care provider and the implementation of a pharmaceutical care model to improve medications adherence, BP control, knowledge and quality of life (QOL) in a sample of Egyptian patients suffering from hypertension. A total of 280 hypertensive adults, whether their BP was controlled or not, were enrolled in the study and randomly classified into either control group (CG) or intervention group (IG); both received the usual hospital care and kept on their antihypertensive. Patients in the IG, beside the usual hospital care, received a pharmaceutical care program described in the methods. All patients visited the clinic monthly up to three months for check and evaluation. Significant improvements were observed in the studied parameters for the IG compared with the CG, at the end of the study, although there was no significant difference (P > 0.05) between them in demographics and characteristics at the baseline. At the end of the study, a significant lower SBP (-8.2 mmHg, P = 0.003) and DBP (-5.4 mmHg, P = 0.001) levels were observed in the IG with significantly higher BP control (P=0.018). Also, medication adherence was significantly higher (P = 0.002) in the IG (27.2%, 52.8%, 20.0% vs 48.6%, 33.6%, 17.8% for low, intermediate and high adherence, respectively). Similarly, patients' knowledge, attitude and practice were significantly improved (P = 0.001) in IG ((20.5+1.8), (4.7+1.0), (4.7+1.0), respectively) vs ((13.7+7.2), (3.8+1.8), (2.9+2.0), respectively) for the CG. While end of study QOL for the IG, increased significantly compared with the CG (P = 0.001, 0.001, 0.020, 0.010 and 0.016 for patients' rate of QOL, enjoy, energy, sleep and access to health system, respectively), most of QOL dimensions were decreased significantly from their baseline in the CG. Conclusion: Pharmacist intervention can significantly improve BP control, medication adherence, patients' knowledge, attitude, practice and QOL in hypertensive Egyptian patients treated with antihypertensive agents.


There has been little recent empirical research which has examined the application of costs in make-or-buy decisions. This paper presents the results of a questionnaire survey with 256 British management accountants and interviews with 55 of them that gather evidence about the application of costs in make-or-buy decisions. The results of the questionnaire show that, in general, direct, manufacturing or total costs or some combination thereof are used in make-or-buy decisions. The interviews showed that in some cases that costs may be used inappropriately when the costs include allocated and assigned overheads and this might lead to sub-optimal decisions.


Internet telephony end systems can offer many services. Different services may interfere with each other, a problem which is known as feature interaction. The feature interaction problem has existed in telecommunication systems for many years. The introduction of Internet telephony helps to solve some interaction problems due to the richness of its signaling information. However, many new feature interaction problems are also introduced in Internet telephony systems, especially in end systems, which are usually dumb in PSTN systems, but highly functional in Internet telephony systems. Internet telephony end systems, such as SIP soft-agents, can run on personal computers. The soft-agents can then perform call control and many other functions, such as presence information handling, instant messaging, and network appliance control. These new functionalities make the end system feature interaction problems more complicated. In this paper, we investigate ways features interact in Internet telephony end systems and propose a potential solution for detecting and avoiding feature interactions. Our solutions are based on the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) and the Language for End System Services (LESS), which is a markup language specifically for end system service creation.


Titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) semiconductor nanoparticles are one kind of important and promising photocatalysts in photocatalysis because of their unique optical and electronic properties. Their properties, which are determined by the preparation method, are very crucial in photocatalysis. In this chapter, an overview was carried out on the different methods that are used or have been used to prepare titanium dioxide nanoparticles. There are various methods that can be used to synthesize TiO 2 and the most commonly used methods include sol-gel process, chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and hydrother- mal method among others. This review will focus on selected preparation methods of titanium dioxide photocatalyst.


The Office of the Secretary of Defense chartered the Joint Shipboard Helicopter Integration Process (JSHIP), Joint Test and Evaluation (JT&E) Program to improve Joint interoperability between U.S. Navy ships and U.S. Army/Air Force helicopters. One effort of the JSHIP JT&E Program was to improve the modeling and simulation tools and fidelity levels associated with conducting Joint shipboard helicopter operations, for both testing agencies and operational users. The UH-60A helicopter and the LHA class ship were identified as the highest priority helicopter-ship pair for operational forces and also allowed JSHIP to enhance models that currently existed. Enhancing the visual model of an LHA ship was a primary effort for the research and testing community in order to accurately replicate the shipboard visual cueing environment. Evaluating enhanced visual models in a research flight simulator in order to reduce actual shipboard flight testing or expand wind launch/recovery envelopes required the use of more aggressive and precise flight maneuvers than standard shipboard takeoffs and landings. The U.S. Army's Aeronautical Design Standard 33D (ADS-33D) contained flight test industry accepted maneuvers of sufficient aggressiveness and precision, but were not designed for, or intended to be flown from the deck of a ship at sea. The methodology and procedure used to modify selected ADS-33D flight maneuvers so that they could safely be executed aboard an LHA class ship is presented in this thesis, along with the final maneuver descriptions, locations, and flight tolerances. The results of the shipboard test program and follow-on simulator assessment are not presented here, as they fall outside the scope of this thesis. However, conclusions from the at-sea flight tests relating to development of the modified ADS-33D were included. The flight test philosophy, methodology, and lessons learned while developing the modified ADS-33D maneuvers for the shipboard environment are the primary conclusions drawn.


WiFi-based Long Distance (WiLD) networks have emerged as a promising alternative approach for Internet in rural areas. The main hardware components of these networks are commercial off-the-shelf WiFi radios and directional antennas. During our experiences with real-world WiLD networks, we encountered that interference among long-distance links is a major issue even with high gain directional antennas. In this work, we are providing an in-depth analysis of these interference effects by conducting simulations in ns-3. To closely match the real-world interference effects, we implemented a module to load radiation pattern of commonly used antennas. We analyze two different interference scenarios typically present as a part of larger networks. The results show that side-lobes of directional antennas significantly influence the throughput of long-distance WiFi links depending on the orientation. This work emphasizes that the usage of simple directional antenna models needs to be considered carefully.


The transient thermal characteristics of InAlAs/InGaAs/InP mid-infrared quantum cascade lasers in pulse driving conditions have been simulated by using the finite-element method,and evaluated experimentally.The results show that specific heat of the materials and heat capacity of the device should be take into account to simulate the thermal performance of the devices in pulse driving conditions.In this case,good coincidence of the simulation with the measured results has been reached and the much higher apparent thermal resistance of the quantum cascade lasers under pulse driving conditions could be explained.


OBJECTIVE
To study the clinicopathological significance and relationship of Gli1, MDM2 and p53 expression in human pancreatic cancer.

METHODS
The expression of Gli1, MDM2 and p53 proteins in 57 paired paraffin embedded pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) specimens and adjacent non-cancerous pancreatic tissues was detected by immunohistochemistry. The relationship between their expression and clinicopathological characters was analyzed. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) was used to examine the expression of Gli1 mRNA level in 14 paired fresh PDAC specimens and adjacent non-cancerous pancreatic tissues. siRNA interference were used to further detect the close relationship among them.

RESULTS
IHC showed the expression of Gli1 (50.9%), MDM2 (57.9%) and p53 (56.1%) was increased in 57 cases of pancreatic cancer compared to that in paired normal pancreatic tissues (33.3%, 26.3% and 17.5% respectively, t = 2.413, 2.848 and 2.960, all P < 0.05). Gli1 expression was positively associated with tumor TNM stage (χ(2) = 8.211, P = 0.004), invasion depth (χ(2) = 4.247, P = 0.039) and MDM2 expression (r = 0.299, χ(2) = 5.105, P = 0.024), while expression of MDM2 and p53 was associated with tumor invasion depth (χ(2) = 5.182, P = 0.023) and TNM stage (χ(2) = 5.696, P = 0.017), respectively. Univariate and multivariate analysis revealed that Gli1 was an independent adverse prognostic indicator for patients with PDAC (RR = 2.290, 95%CI: 1.051-4.992, P = 0.037), and patients with Gli1 and MDM2 co-expression had a significantly poorer overall survival than patients with their negative expression (P = 0.034). Gli1 mRNA expression was much higher in 14 cases of PDAC than that in adjacent normal pancreatic tissues (t = 2.926, P = 0.012). In p53 mutant AsPC-1 cells, Gli1 knockdown down regulated MDM2, but had no effect on p53 expression, whereas Gli1 knockdown down regulated MDM2 and up regulated p53 protein levels in p53 wild-type Capan-2 cells.

CONCLUSIONS
Gli1, MDM2 and p53 are overexpressed in PDAC, and are benefit for predicting patients' prognosis. Gli1can regulate MDM2 and wild-type p53 expression. Their co-expression might coordinately contribute to the development and progression of PDAC.


In "Dwight" D. Eisenhower's last speech as president, on January 17, 1961, he warned America about the 'military-industrial complex', a mutual dependency between the nation's industrial base and its military structure that had developed during World War II. After the conflict ended, the nation did not abandon its wartime economy but rather the opposite. Military spending has steadily increased, giving rise to one of the key ideas that continues to shape the country's political landscape. In this book, published to coincide with the fiftieth anniversary of Eisenhower's farewell address, journalist James Ledbetter shows how the government, military contractors, and the nation's overall economy have become inseparable. Some of the effects are beneficial, such as cell phones, GPS systems, the Internet, and the Hubble Space Telescope, all of which emerged from technologies first developed for the military. But the military-industrial complex has also provoked agonizing questions. Does our massive military establishment - bigger than those of the next ten largest combined - really make us safer? How much of our perception of security threats is driven by the profit-making motives of military contractors? To what extent is our foreign policy influenced by contractors' financial interests? Ledbetter uncovers the surprising origins and the even more surprising afterlife of the military-industrial complex, an idea that arose as early as the 1930s, and shows how it gained traction during World War II, the Cold War, and the Vietnam era and continues even today.


We present an object detection system based on the Fisher vector (FV) image representation computed over SIFT and color descriptors. For computational and storage efficiency, we use a recent segmentation-based method to generate class-independent object detection hypotheses, in combination with data compression techniques. Our main contribution is a method to produce tentative object segmentation masks to suppress background clutter in the features. Re-weighting the local image features based on these masks is shown to improve object detection significantly. We also exploit contextual features in the form of a full-image FV descriptor, and an inter-category rescoring mechanism. Our experiments on the VOC 2007 and 2010 datasets show that our detector improves over the current state-of-the-art detection results.


Introducing CO2 electrochemical conversion technology to the iron-making blast furnace not only reduces CO2 emissions, but also produces H2 as a byproduct that can be used as an auxiliary reductant to further decrease carbon consumption and emissions. With adequate H2 supply to the blast furnace, the injection of H2 is limited because of the disadvantageous thermodynamic characteristics of the H2 reduction reaction in the blast furnace. This paper presents thermodynamic analysis of H2 behaviour at different stages with the thermal requirement consideration of an iron-making blast furnace. The effect of injecting CO2 lean top gas and CO2 conversion products H2–CO gas through the raceway and/or shaft tuyeres are investigated under different operating conditions. H2 utilisation efficiency and corresponding injection volume are studied by considering different reduction stages. The relationship between H2 injection and coke rate is established. Injecting 7.9–10.9 m3/tHM of H2 saved 1 kg/tHM coke rate, depending on injection position. Compared with the traditional blast furnace, injecting 80 m3/tHM of H2 with a medium oxygen enrichment rate (9%) and integrating CO2 capture and conversion reduces CO2 emissions from 534 to 278 m3/tHM. However, increasing the hydrogen injection amount causes this iron-making process to consume more energy than a traditional blast furnace does.


In this revised edition of the text for social workers, the authors retain the comprehensive approach, while including a more balanced content about quantitative and qualitative methods. The text now presents a greater emphasis on alternative thinking; is more sensitive to the debate about quantitative and qualitative research; provides updated coverage of the technology of research; and offers a variety of alternative approaches to doing applied social work research in agency settings.


Fault diagnosis plays a very important role to the security of networks. Cluster-Based Comparison Diagnosis Algorithm for ad hoc networks is presented in this paper. By making use of the concentrative control function of the cluster-heads in hierarchical ad-hoc networks, the diagnosis process is optimized, and correct diagnosis for all mobile hosts can be implemented as dynamic network topology is presented. The correctness of the algorithm is proved and the performance is analyzed. Simulation results indicate that comparing with the Comparison-Based Fault Diagnosis Algorithm, the Cluster-Based Comparison Diagnosis Algorithm results in smaller system overhead.


We investigate the potential of different diversity and interference management techniques to achieve the required downlink SINR outage probability for ultra-reliable communications. The evaluation is performed in a realistic network deployment based on site-specific data from a European capital. Micro and macroscopic diversity techniques are proved to be important enablers of ultra-reliable communications. Particularly, it is shown how a 4×4 MIMO scheme with three orders of macroscopic diversity can achieve the required SINR outage performance. Smaller gains are obtained from interference cancellation, since this technique does not increase the diversity order of the desired signal. In addition, failures or malfunction of the cellular infrastructure are analysed. Among different types of failures evaluated, results show that failures spanning over large geographical areas can have a significant negative performance impact when attempting to support high reliability use cases.


There is some evidence that eating periodicity is inversely associated with the onset of obesity. Eating periodicity in obese individuals engaging in weight loss efforts has not been well studied. The purpose of this study was to examine the pattern of eating periodicity in obese adults engaging in weight loss efforts, and to examine the relationship between eating periodicity and subsequent changes in body weight. Seventy five sedentary overweight adults were recruited to participate in this study. Individuals were considered eligible if they were 18 to 55 years of age with a body mass index of 25.0 to 39.9 kg/m2. The subjects for this study were part of a 20-week sub-investigation of an ongoing 18-month clinical weight loss trial. Subjects were weighed at 0, 12, and 20-weeks, and were instructed to complete daily food logs that included the frequency of eating episodes. Analysis revealed significant weight loss of -6.3 ± 4.3 kg (-6.6 ± 4.2 %) from baseline to week 12 (n=63; p < 0.01), with weight loss of -8.6 ± 5.8 kg (-9.2 ± 5.8 %) observed from baseline to week 20 (N = 55; p < 0.01). Analyses indicated significant inverse correlations between total meals and snacks consumed and absolute body weight change at 12- and 20-weeks (-0.39 and -0.40, respectively, p<0.05), indicating that an increase in meal periodicity was associated with a lower body weight. However, eating periodicity was not significantly associated with absolute or relative magnitude of weight loss. This study demonstrated a significant, inverse correlation between meal periodicity and absolute body weight. These findings may be important because they may suggest eating periodicity can influence body weight by allowing for the maintenance of a lower body weight.


Author(s): Gonzales, Gloria G. | Advisor(s): Maier, Hendrik MJ | Abstract: This dissertation is a study of the literary representations of the Philippine Revolution against Spain and the United States which took place at the turn of the nineteenth century. The literary work of select Filipino historical novelists featured in this study is both a political and moral call for national unity around the iconic symbol of the nation that has endured to this day: the Philippine Revolution of 1896 / 1898. Similar to nationalist historians, historical novelists write the story of the nation. Through national homogenization, these novelists create notions and visions of a nation that gesture towards wholeness and unity despite what is known about the Philippine social system: strong family, kinship, and ethnic ties that underlie the propensity for fragmentation which in turn reveals itself in recurring factional politics and regionalism. The homogenizing tendencies of the Philippine historical novel to address disunity are revealed through chronotopicity (the novelistic time-space organization) and intertextuality (the interface between the "fictional" and "historical"). The novel then assumes a form that deviates from the time-honored European norm of "seamlessness of fact and fiction." In fact, the novelists expose the seams between the "fictional" and the "historical," such that fragments and chunks of the historical record are visibly imbedded within the novelistic text. The novel itself becomes an archive: a repository of the nation's history for present and future generations of readers and citizens. Thus, this study is about "revolution" in three levels: the literary (formal), the historiographical (the writing of history), and the political (nation-making).


The Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) is the most efficiently known way to compute the Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) of an arbitrary n-length signal, and has a computational complexity of O(n log n). If the DFT X of the signal x has only k non-zero coefficients (where k < n), can we do better? In [1], we addressed this question and presented a novel FFAST (Fast Fourier Aliasing-based Sparse Transform) algorithm that cleverly induces sparse graph alias codes in the DFT domain, via a Chinese-Remainder-Theorem (CRT)-guided sub-sampling operation of the time-domain samples. The resulting sparse graph alias codes are then exploited to devise a fast and iterative onion-peeling style decoder that computes an n length DFT of a signal using only O(k) time-domain samples and O(klog k) computations. The FFAST algorithm is applicable whenever k is sub-linear in n (i.e. k = o(n)), but is obviously most attractive when k is much smaller than n.
In this paper, we adapt the FFAST framework of [1] to the case where the time-domain samples are corrupted by a white Gaussian noise. In particular, we show that the extended noise robust algorithm R-FFAST computes an n-length k-sparse DFT X using O(klog ^3 n) noise-corrupted time-domain samples, in O(klog^4n) computations, i.e., sub-linear time complexity. While our theoretical results are for signals with a uniformly random support of the non-zero DFT coefficients and additive white Gaussian noise, we provide simulation results which demonstrates that the R-FFAST algorithm performs well even for signals like MR images, that have an approximately sparse Fourier spectrum with a non-uniform support for the dominant DFT coefficients.


Does development research need reinventing? If it does, why now and in what ways does it need to be changed? These are the questions addressed by the articles in this issue of the IDS Bulletin, many of which were presented at IDS40, the fortieth anniversary conference, in September 2006. They were also posed by the 46 Roundtables held throughout the world in 2006, organised by IDS partners and alumni, which preceded and helped frame the conference agenda.


Theoretical assumptions must correlate with clinical efficacy and good surgical outcomes to be of value to clinicians and patients. This article examines several common assumptions regarding the use of bone marrow aspirate to enhance bone grafting procedures. Contrary to these assumptions, evidence-based research suggests the following: (1) No more than 4 mL of bone marrow should be aspirated from a single donor site. Aspiration of more than that amount does not substantially increase the number of progenitor cells harvested but instead dilutes the concentration of progenitor cells with other nucleated cells from peripheral blood. (2) Bone marrow aspirate should not be concentrated using centrifuge technology. Rather than isolating desired cells, centrifuging concentrates all nucleated cells, increasing the overall metabolic activity to the detriment of the desired cells. (3) Increasing the volume of graft material brought to a graft site has the unwanted effect of increasing the diffusion distance for oxygen and nutrients and may lead to graft necrosis. (4) Histomorphometric analysis is the most effective method of evaluating bone graft outcomes because only such analysis allows for quantification of the percentage of bone and viable cells within a bone core biopsy.


Microbiota research often assumes that differences in abundance and identity of microorganisms have unique influences on host physiology. To test this concept mechanistically, germ-free mice are colonized with microbial communities to assess causation. Due to the cost, infrastructure challenges, and time-consuming nature of germ-free mouse models, an alternative approach is needed to investigate host–microbial interactions. Drosophila melanogaster (fruit flies) can be used as a high throughput in vivo screening model of host–microbiome interactions as they are affordable, convenient, and replicable. D. melanogaster were essential in discovering components of the innate immune response to pathogens. However, axenic D. melanogaster can easily be generated for microbiome studies without the need for ethical considerations. The simplified microbiota structure enables researchers to evaluate permutations of how each microbial species within the microbiota contribute to host phenotypes of interest. This enables the possibility of thorough strain-level analysis of host and microbial properties relevant to physiological outcomes. Moreover, a wide range of mutant D. melanogaster strains can be affordably obtained from public stock centers. Given this, D. melanogaster can be used to identify candidate mechanisms of host–microbe symbioses relevant to pathogen exclusion, innate immunity modulation, diet, xenobiotics, and probiotic/prebiotic properties in a high throughput manner. This perspective comments on the most promising areas of microbiota research that could immediately benefit from using the D. melanogaster model.


Radio transient discovery using next generation radio telescopes will pose several digital signal processing and data transfer challenges, requiring specialized high-performance backends. Several accelerator technologies are being considered as prototyping platforms, including Graphics Processing Units (GPUs). In this paper we present a real-time pipeline prototype capable of processing multiple beams concurrently, performing Radio Frequency Interference (RFI) rejection through thresholding, correcting for the delay in signal arrival times across the frequency band using brute-force dedispersion, event detection and clustering, and finally candidate filtering, with the capability of persisting data buffers containing interesting signals to disk. This setup was deployed at the BEST-2 SKA pathfinder in Medicina, Italy, where several benchmarks and test observations of astrophysical transients were conducted. These tests show that on the deployed hardware eight 20 MHz beams can be processed simultaneously for ~640 Dispersion Measure (DM) values. Furthermore, the clustering and candidate filtering algorithms employed prove to be good candidates for online event detection techniques. The number of beams which can be processed increases proportionally to the number of servers deployed and number of GPUs, making it a viable architecture for current and future radio telescopes.


This article is part of PhD research dealing with gender issues in electroacoustic music, focusing on the voice. The first part of the article begins with a discussion of the musical material under research. Thereafter follows an elaborate overview of the number of male and female composers, vocalists and recorded voices in several series of CDs of electroacoustic and computer music. The gendered roles of the live, pre-recorded and synthesised voices are discussed and the musical couple of the male composer and the female vocalist emerges. The second part touches upon several issues raised by the results of part one: the roles of the performer and the composer, (dis)embodiment, femininity and technology. This is a preview into some of the remaining research. In section 2, other music than the CD series of section 1 is discussed as well. The gender patterns are interpreted in a broader context. The role of the female vocalist is many sided. Cyborg voices relate to old patterns as well as new possibilities.


This report discusses the political climate of Somalia, which has undergone extreme unrest for years. The report focuses on events since October 2002, including the formation of the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) in 2007 and the TFG's cooperation with the Re-Liberation of Somalia (ARS) in 2008. The report also discusses the U.S. relationship with Somalia under the Obama Administration, including U.S. economic assistance given to Somalia and U.S. efforts to contain Somalian terrorist groups.


At ISAC-TRIUMF, a 500 MeV proton beam is impinged upon "thick" targets to induce nuclear reactions to produce reaction products that are delivered as a Radioactive Ion Beam (RIB) to experiments. Uranium carbide is among the most commonly used target materials which produces a vast radionuclide inventory coming from both spallation and fission-events. This can also represent a major limitation for the successful delivery of certain RIBs to experiments since, for a given mass, many isobaric isotopes are to be filtered by the dipole mass separator. These contaminants can exceed the yield of the isotope of interest by orders of magnitude, often causing a significant reduction in the sensitivity of experiments or even making them impossible. The design of a 50 kW proton-to-neutron (p2n) converter-target is ongoing to enhance the production of neutron-rich nuclei while significantly reducing the rate of neutron-deficient contaminants. The converter is made out of a bulk tungsten block which converts proton beams into neutrons through spallation. The neutrons, in turn, induce pure fission in an upstream UCx target. The present target design and the service infra-structure needed for its operation will be discussed in this paper.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate long-term clinical outcome in dogs with upper airway obstruction treated with laryngeal web resection and mucosal apposition.

DESIGN
Retrospective case series.

ANIMALS
15 client-owned dogs with laryngeal web formation.

PROCEDURES
Medical records of dogs with laryngeal webs treated with a single procedure of web resection with mucosal apposition by use of a ventral laryngotomy were reviewed. Signalment, history, clinical signs, intraoperative complications, postoperative complications, and hospitalization time were recorded. Owners were interviewed 6 months to 6 years after surgery.

RESULTS
Most dogs had a history of oral ventriculocordectomy. Duration of clinical signs ranged from 3 months to 3 years. The most common clinical sign reported was exercise intolerance. Postoperative complications were observed in 4 dogs. Follow-up information was available in 10 dogs, and clinical outcome was classified as excellent in 7 and good in 3.

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE
A single surgical procedure of web resection with mucosal apposition for the treatment of laryngeal web formation in dogs resulted in low morbidity and was associated with a good to excellent outcome.


By comparing European and US newspaper debates on the 2003 Iraq War, this working paper empirically tests whether a European public sphere exists regarding the contested issue of war and peace. This component of foreign and security policy represents a hard case for the evolution of European communication and looking for it empirically leads into nearly uncharted territory, as most studies have not yet addressed this particular policy field. The data set includes more than 400 articles from six respected newspapers in Germany, Great Britain, and the US, which serve in this case as a non-European control group. One interesting finding of the frame analysis is the fact that one can identify a European community of communication that relates to the legal dimension of the Iraq-debate and to discourses in two European countries. Opinions related to the question whether or not the use of military force complies with international law vary widely in all three countries. However, in contrast to the discourse prevalent in the US, both the German and the British discourses show a strong preference for upholding the rule of international law.


A fractal model containing n-series of spheres and ellipses with corresponding radii, and surrounded by a thin film of adsorbed water has been developed. This model is more suitable to real sedimentary rocks because it not only allows for varying grain sizes and number of fractions, but also takes into consideration the influence of double electrical layers on the physical properties of sediments. Ellipsoid fractal models provide mathematical proof of the phenomenon of supercapillary conductivity observed in laboratory measurements. Using the parameters of the fractal models several petrophysical parameters can be calculated, namely resistivity porosity, and permeability. In a case study, layers with different resistivity were identified on a section taken from a TDEM survey, and porosity and salinity of water bearing layers were estimated using the fractal model. Estimated permeability using the fractal model showed good agreement with other methods.


Effect of specific inhibitors of extracellular-signal regulated protein kinase (ERK) pathway, PD98059 and U0126, on P-glycoprotein (Pgp)-mediated vincristine resistance of L1210/VCR cells was investigated. Both test inhibitors significantly reduced the survival of L1210/VCR cells in the presence of vincristine and this was associated with a decrease of LC50 values to vincristine from 2.65+/-0.43 to 0.67+/-0.28 micromol/l and to 0.69+/-0.09 micromol/l after treatment with 50 micromol/l PD98059 and 25 micromol/l UO126, respectively. Moreover, the effects of PD98059 are connected also with an increased intracellular accumulation of radiolabeled vincristine in resistant L1210/VCR cells in concentration dependent manner. The results of this study demonstrate that inhibitors of ERK signaling pathway are reversal agents of vincristine resistance in L1210/VCR cells. The precise mechanism of PD98059 and U0126 action in modulation of MDR is not resolved yet, but the role of ERK-mediated phosphorylation cascade could be considered.