Due to limited access to foreign savings after the 2008 crisis, transition economies are forced to rely more on domestic savings in financing their growth. In that respect, it is often argued that the government should use tax policy to encourage domestic savings. Since the personal income tax reform is a burning issue in Serbia, the aim of this paper is to provide empirical evidence on the expected effects of each of the three income tax reform scenarios (flat, dual and comprehensive income tax scheme) on personal savings in Serbia, by taking into account both capital income tax effects and labour income tax effects. Taylor's theoretical model suggests that the personal saving is a function of personal income and the rate of return to savings. This is one of the seminal papers, in which the savings effects of tax policy reform are empirically estimated for a transition economy by taking into account both transmission channels. By combining Engle-Granger cointegration methods based on monthly macro data from 2004 to 2009, with the tax-benefit microsimulation model based on cross section micro data for 2007, it has been estimated that changes of capital income tax rate effects prevail over the effects of labour income tax changes, in terms of savings response. The results suggest that introduction of dual income tax in Serbia would boost personal savings in the long run, by 0.20%, while the flat tax and comprehensive income tax would lead to its decline by 2.15% and 3.64% respectively.


We suggest a new picture of supermassive black hole (SMBH) growth in galaxy centers. Momentum-driven feedback from an accreting hole gives significant orbital energy, but little angular momentum to the surrounding gas. Once central accretion drops, the feedback weakens and swept-up gas falls back toward the SMBH on near-parabolic orbits. These intersect near the black hole with partially opposed specific angular momenta, causing further infall and ultimately the formation of a small-scale accretion disk. The feeding rates into the disk typically exceed Eddington by factors of a few, growing the hole on the Salpeter timescale and stimulating further feedback. Natural consequences of this picture include (1) the formation and maintenance of a roughly toroidal distribution of obscuring matter near the hole; (2) random orientations of successive accretion disk episodes; (3) the possibility of rapid SMBH growth; (4) tidal disruption of stars and close binaries formed from infalling gas, resulting in visible flares and ejection of hypervelocity stars; (5) super-solar abundances of the matter accreting on to the SMBH; and (6) a lower central dark-matter density, and hence annihilation signal, than adiabatic SMBH growth implies. We also suggest a simple subgrid recipe for implementing this process in numerical simulations.


: The epidemiology of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in Denmark is analysed based on two sources. Regional experience is presented from 12 years' prospective ophthalmic control of infants at risk, in a Danish county with population 342,000 and 44,805 liveborns over the period 1982-93. Out of 127 subjects with ROP 101 reached stage 1 or 2 only; 26 progressed to at least stage 3. Seven with blindness due to ROP amounted to 15.6/100,000 liveborns, a high frequency. The trend over the twelve years was towards less serious sequelae. Currently, the national screening limits for ROP have been adjusted under guidance from the compulsory registration of childhood visual impairment; with birth years 1974-94 there were 157 ROP-children in the register. Blindness due to ROP is now seen only in the very immature. It is suggested that gestational age 30 weeks will soon replace the present limits of less than 32 weeks/1750 g.


Purpose
A comprehensive literature review of mega event management of dynamic sporting events is presented. The purpose of this paper is to learn from these mega events to prescribe mitigation strategies for improving cost performance while simultaneously minimising public disruption on formula one grand prix events. Knowledge accrued of challenges posed is theoretically applied to circuit construction and reestablishment processes involved in orchestrating a "street circuit" grand prix event.

Design/methodology/approach
An inductive research methodological approach was adopted using an interpretivist epistemological design. A mixed methods analysis of pertinent extant literature of mega events afforded greater synthesis of the research problem domain and generated more valid and reliable findings. The software VOSviewer was used to conduct a qualitative bibliographic analysis of pertinent extant literature.

Findings
Three thematic groups of past research endeavour emerged from the analysis and were assigned appropriate nomenclature, namely: customer experience; geographical location; and research methods and approaches adopted. Analysis of these clusters revealed common factors that impact upon construction works during mega sporting events including: inclement weather conditions; miscommunication between project stakeholders; and economic impact upon the local community. Factors for mitigating these risks were also proposed, namely: traffic management plans; shift working; and wider public consultation.

Originality/value
This unique study provides invaluable insight into construction works commissioned and implemented at a mega "motor sports" public event. Although the research context was narrowly defined, findings presented are equally applicable to contractors, organisers and public authorities orchestrating other types of public event. The research concludes with direction for future work that seeks to apply the lessons learnt and measure the impact of findings presented herein.


BACKGROUND
Head and neck cancers comprise the sixth most common cancer type worldwide. One of the most remarkable malignancies of the head and neck is the cancer of the nasopharynx, with a strong metastatic tendency already in the early stage. Besides the conventional pathways of metastasis formation, the information content of exosomes produced by the cancer cells may play a key role in metastatic transformation. The aim of this study was to investigate how stressors alter the characteristic of tumor derived exosomes.

METHODS
In our experimental model, we compared the quantity and content of exosomes produced by a nasopharyngeal carcinoma cell line (5-8F) under conventional (chemotherapy) and alternative (Ag-TiO2 -catalyzed reactive oxygen species generation) cytostatic treatment. After isolation, exosomes were identified by atomic force microscopy and quantified with Nanosight NS500 device. MicroRNA content of them was analyzed using SOLiD 5500xl technology. The sequences were annotated in CLC Genomics Workbench version 5.5.1.

RESULTS
Beyond the classic chemotherapeutic agent (doxorubicin), Ag-TiO2 in a photo-catalytic process also showed cytostatic activity. Tumor cell damage induced by the cytostatic treatments significantly altered the number of released exosomes and led to the predominance of tumor suppressors in the exosomal miRNA profile.

CONCLUSIONS
Our results suggest that the intercellular communication between tumor cells and surrounding stroma cells can be altered by microenvironment which increased quantity of exosomes and diversity of miRNAs in this study. Imbalance of oncogenic and tumor suppressor miRNAs caused by cytostatic treatments may influence the antiproliferative and metastasis inhibitory effect of cytostatic agents.


Recent social policy reforms in Hungary have signalled a significant reduction in state sup port for working mothers, including the mtro duction of means-tested benefits for families with children. In this article we argue that this represents a move towards a welfare-state regime similar to that found in the UK, which, for families with children, encourages the 'Breadwinner' household where the father is the sole earner and the mother works in the home. Comparative analysis of the incidence of child poverty in the UK and Hungary in 1993, prior to the recent reforms, shows that children in Hungary were less likely to fall into poverty than their UK counterparts. We argue that this was a result of a combination of gen erous and universal state benefits for families with children, and high rates of labour market participation by mothers. We maintain that the reforms recently implemented in Hungary can be expected to lead to increases in child poverty, the incidence of which is partly deter mined by the degree of welfare state support for families with children and the extent of female participation m the labour market.


This book tackles a complex area of law, social policy and social work, providing a comprehensive analysis of the theoretical, practical and legal boundaries of State power following safeguarding and child protection referrals in England. The book examines the history, rationale and implications of the current position, concluding that the balance of power is weighted in favour of the State. The Limits of State Power & Private Rights is ground-breaking in its approach to the subject and its detailed, critical analysis. Traditionally the subject matter of the book is considered within a welfare framework. The analysis in this book argues that a policing agenda is embedded within policy but without appropriate safeguards and controls, creating potentially irreconcilable tension described by the author as the 'welfare/policing dichotomy'. This book is of importance to academics, lawyers, social workers, policy makers, practitioners and service users. The book is written so as to be accessible to a multi-disciplinary audience, but is sufficiently detailed so as to be suitable for specialists and non-specialists alike in this subject area. The chapters include introductory and contextual sections as well as doctrinal, theoretical and socio-legal analysis. Although the focus is on the English system, the book is equally applicable to the many worldwide jurisdictions adopting the Anglo/American 'child rights' based framework of child protection. It is also of use as a comparative work in countries where a family support based system is practiced.


Cultural goods, in particular historical buildings and real estate, 'demand' a more complex understanding of ownership. Regardless of whether the owner is a private or a public entity, the need to protect these historical immovables in the interest of the society remains the same. There is no single category of owners, who will guarantee the proper protection and care of historical real estate. Private owners with no understanding of the limits of their right are just as undesirable as public owners (local authorities, the state), who have been known to utilize historical immovables for the benefit of their office, but without adequate protection or respect for the historical and artistic value. In all cases where ownership is affected by a public interest, the right is no longer purely private and therefore may be subject to restrictive regulation. However, common sense confirms that security of property and ownership is not in opposition to acknowledging a public element in these rights, particularly if their object is unique, as in the case of historical real estate.


To assess the role of adrenergic mechanisms during prolonged hypoglycemia, eight normal subjects were studied on six occasions. In study 1, insulin was infused subcutaneously (15 mU.m-2.min-1 for 12 h), and plasma glucose concentration (PG) decreased from 89 +/- 2 to 50 +/- 1 mg/dl. In study 2 (insulin as in study 1 + propranolol and phentolamine + variable glucose to maintain PG as in study 1), the rate of hepatic glucose production (HGO, [3-3H]glucose) was approximately 30% lower after 1.5 h, and the rate of peripheral glucose utilization (GU) was approximately 15% greater after 5 h. To quantitate the effects of adrenergic mechanisms on glucose counterregulation, in a control study (study 3), glucoregulatory hormone secretion was blocked, and the hormones were reinfused to reproduce study 1. When alpha- and beta-blockade plus variable glucose were superimposed to study 3 (study 4), HGO was approximately 25% lower (after 2 h), and GU was approximately 10% greater (after 6 h) vs. study 3. When glucose was not infused to match PG of study 3 (study 5), severe hypoglycemia developed (PG at 7 h 36 +/- 2 vs. 62 +/- 3 mg/dl). Finally, when glucose was not infused during alpha- and beta-blockade of study 2 (study 6), PG was 49 +/- 3 mg/dl at 7 h vs. 65 +/- 3 mg/dl of the control study (study 1), despite greater secretion of glucagon, growth hormone, and cortisol. It is concluded that adrenergic mechanisms play a key counterregulatory role, even in the presence of appropriate responses of glucagon and that greater increases in glucagon (and other counterregulatory hormones) cannot compensate fully for absent contribution of adrenergic mechanisms to counterregulation.


This paper presents a fully integrated 60 GHz power amplifiers (PA) fabricated in a 0.12 μm SiGe BiCMOS technology. The PA employs five common-emitter stages with on-chip power combining to achieve power gain of 27.5 dB, 19.2 dBm output power at 1 dB compression, and saturated power of 21.3 dBm. The modified Wilkinson combiner that is used shows 0.5 dB insertion loss. Small signal characteristics of the amplifier show peak gain at 61 GHz with 3 dB bandwidth of 14 GHz (23%). The PA's bias is applied using digitally adjustable bias circuits and it consumes quiescent currents of 210 mA from a 2 V supply and 340 mA at 1 dB compression.


The data storage industry seeks data densities of several terabits per square inch, corresponding to dot pitch <15  nm. Cost constraints prohibit using commercial microscopes designed for accurate measurements. However, we show it is possible to routinely make accurate pitch measurements with commercial general purpose atomic force microscopes and scanning electron microscopes by using a calibrated grating as a transfer standard. This provides short-term traceable calibration. Our accuracy was validated in two collaborative projects with three national metrology institutes. In the first project, we measured the pitch of a 144-nm two-dimensional grating. Our mean value agreed within 0.033 nm with that obtained at the PTB (Germany) optical diffraction lab. In the second project, described in detail here, we measured the pitch of a 70-nm one-dimensional grating. Because we used two measurement runs, the statistical treatment is more elaborate. We use basic statistical methods, such as analysis of variance, correlation, and tests of statistical significance, to draw key conclusions and enable us to combine the results of both runs to get an improved mean pitch value with some reduction in uncertainty. Our mean value agreed within 0.025 nm of the values found using the calibrated AFMs at National Institutes of Standard and Technology (NIST, USA) and National Metrology Centre (NMC, Singapore); furthermore, our uncertainty matched that of the other labs. The relative standard deviation (SD/mean) of individual pitch measurements is a figure of merit for the measurement system consisting of grating plus microscope.If the relative SD can be held below 0.5%, we have a clear roadmap to provide useful traceability for pitch standards down to 5 nm.


Passively detecting and localizing a frequency hopped signal presents two challenging problems. First, the signal must be detected by identifying individual frequency hopped chips associated with the signal of interest. Second, the array responses corresponding to individual chips must be combined in some manner to produce a direction of arrival estimate. This paper addresses the second problem. It describes a direction finding approach for frequency hopped signals that utilizes an antenna array, a switching network, and two wideband receivers. We present a maximum likelihood based approach to direction finding using array element response pairs collected during individual chip periods. Using a synthesized frequency hopped signal created from HF ionospheric sounder measurements, array responses are generated, and the direction of arrival estimated using the maximum likelihood based approach. The results are presented.


While there is a lot of data on interactive effects of eutrophication and warming, to date, we lack data to generate reliable predictions concerning possible effects of nutrient decrease and temperature increase on community composition and functional responses. In recent years, a wide‐ranging trend of nutrient decrease (re‐oligotrophication) was reported for freshwater systems. Small lakes and ponds, in particular, show rapid responses to anthropogenic pressures and became model systems to investigate single as well as synergistic effects of warming and fertilization in situ and in experiments. Therefore, we set up an experiment to investigate the single as well as the interactive effects of nutrient reduction and gradual temperature increase on a natural freshwater phytoplankton community, using an experimental indoor mesocosm setup. Biomass production initially increased with warming but decreased with nutrient depletion. If nutrient supply was constant, biomass increased further, especially under warming conditions. Under low nutrient supply, we found a sharp transition from initially positive effects of warming to negative effects when resources became scarce. Warming reduced phytoplankton richness and evenness, whereas nutrient reduction at ambient temperature had positive effects on diversity. Our results indicate that temperature effects on freshwater systems will be altered by nutrient availability. These interactive effects of energy increase and resource decrease have major impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem function and thus need to be considered in environmental management plans.


In order to increase precision and productivity in production systems, active components are increasingly being used which operate on the basis of conventional principles such as electrodynamics, hydraulics or pneumatics. An increasing performance range leads to larger demands in terms of function and energy density, which conventional actuators can only fulfil to a limited extent. Thermal shape memory alloys are the basis of an actuator technology that can overcome these challenges, but have recently been researched and used mainly as wire actuators. The associated drawbacks regarding realizable forces and large installation space may be the reasons why shape memory alloys have not yet been established in the field of production technology. This paper presents an alternative form of using shape memory alloys, which makes it possible to realize significantly higher energy densities. Starting from specific use cases, the basic design is discussed and a developed design methodology for such actuators is presented. This methodology is validated by measurements. Finally, an exemplary actuator concept is presented.


To test the effects of site and successional stage on nitrogen fixation rates in salt marshes of the Venice Lagoon, Italy, acetylene reduction assays were performed with Salicornia veneta- and Spartina townsendii-vegetated sediments from three restored (6–14 years) and two natural marshes. Average nitrogen fixation (acetylene reduction) rates ranged from 31 to 343 μmol C2H4·m−2·h−1 among all marshes, with the greatest average rates being from one natural marsh (Tezze Fonde). These high rates are up to six times greater than those reported from Southern California Spartina marshes of similar Mediterranean climate, but substantially lower than those found in moister climates of the Atlantic US coast. Nitrogen fixation rates did not consistently vary between natural and restored marshes within a site (Fossei Est, Tezze Fonde, Cenesa) but were negatively related to assayed plant biomass within the acetylene reduction samples collected among all marshes. Highest nitrogen fixation rates were found at Tezze Fonde, the location closest to the city of Venice, in both natural and restored marshes, suggesting possible site-specific impacts of anthropogenic stress on marsh succession.


Process approaches to writing are widely used in various second language teaching contexts, and many teachers and researchers are trying to find more efficient and meaningful ways to help students to improve their writing skills. Especially in the revision process, students can get help from teacher feedback, so they can have more opportunities to improve their drafts. In a class of 30 students, however, it is very difficult for a teacher to provide timely feedback to all students. The quality and the amount of teacher feedback can fall off due to time constraints and the number of students' drafts. If it is used effectively, a great help to a teacher of a writing class, then is peer feedback. Peer feedback can provide such other benefits as a sense of audience and ownership, more meaningful collaborative learning, and student awareness of the strengths and weaknesses in their drafts. The following report discusses the nature of peer feedback in writing and illustrates the effects of such feedback on students' perspectives about the revision process. The report also traces impact of providing and receiving different types of feedback. It shows us the unique features of paper-and-pencil and computer-mediated peer feedback, and highlights the important points in linguistic and extra linguistic elements observed in peer feedback.


A study on stress, support and well-being was carried out with probation trainees (n = 110). The study indicated that working as a probation trainee entailed high demands. Greater levels of demands were experienced by trainees with children and those undertaking part-time work. A large majority of trainees reported a high sense of personal accomplishment, had good self esteem, held positive attitudes towards themselves and enjoyed their work with offenders. Female trainees had significantly less positive attitudes towards themselves than males. Small, but significant numbers of trainees experienced problems with stress, well-being, low self-esteem, tiredness and emotional exhaustion. They might benefit from receiving more individual support, mutual group support and stress management courses. 'Professional' support opportunities from fellow students and practice development assessors were perceived as more important than from family or friends. There were some significant differences between trainees in their perceptions of support offered by Consortia and their tutors. Overall, there were no significant differences in relation to age or ethnicity.


Efficient target localization in wireless sensor networks is a complex and challenging task. Many past assumptions for target localization are not valid for wireless sensor networks. Limited hardware resources, energy conservation, and noise disruption due to wireless channel contention and instrumentation noise pose new constraints on designers nowadays. In this work, a lightweight acoustic target localization system for wireless sensor networks based on time difference of arrival (TDOA) is presented. When an event is detected, each sensor belonging to a group calculates an estimate of the target's location. A fuzzyART data fusion center detects errors and fuses estimates according to a decision tree based on spatial correlation and consensus vote. Moreover, a MAC protocol for wireless sensor networks (EB-MAC) is developed which is tailored for event-based systems that characterizes acoustic target localization systems. The system was implemented on MicaZ motes with TinyOS and a PIC 18F8720 microcontroller board as a coprocessor. Errors were detected and eliminated hence acquiring a fault tolerant operation. Furthermore, EB-MAC provided a reliable communication platform where high channel contention was lowered while maintaining high throughput.


Cyber behavior and religious practices on the Internet have grown in popularity and acceptability over the past decade. Consequently, a number of religious traditions and individuals frequently use the Internet, while also negotiating between the offline and online world. The study of religious use of the Internet is contextualized within a number of phases and trends, which emerged as early as the 1980s and came to prominence in the 1990s with the study of religious rituals and behaviors online. Over the last fifteen years, the examination of religion online has moved from descriptive analysis toward more in-depth questioning as well as addressing some of the methodological challenges of studying religion online. The future direction and next phase in the study of religious cyber behavior includes targeting a number of areas yet to be analyzed thoroughly and in doing so, providing a more holistic understanding of cyber religious behavior. DOI: 10.4018/978-1-4666-0315-8.ch037


Renal cell carcinoma accounts for about 2% of all adult malignancies. More than 300,000 individuals are affected each year. Unfortunately, around 30% of cases are discovered in advanced stages. Surgical resection remains the mainstay of treatment for localized disease and relapses can reach up to 40% in some cases. The effective treatment of metastatic RCC with systemic targeted therapy gives a strong rationale for its use as adjuvant treatment in high-risk patients. This chapter reviews different modalities that have been used as an adjuvant therapy for nonmetastatic renal cancer. Clinical trials using targeted therapy are discussed in detail, as they are becoming options for treat ment in high-risk patients. While the current set of completed adjuvant clinical trials have provided conflicting results, there are additional large-scale trials that are still in progress. Future directions include—incorporating a genetic recurrence score to evalu- ate risk of relapse in patients, developing an adequate and an objective standardized adjuvant trial design, identifying novel biomarkers, and evaluating novel drug targets. Based upon current clinical trial evidence, motivated high-risk patients should have a discussion with the urology oncology team regarding the benefits of adjuvant TKI sunitinib or consider enrollment in current ongoing immuno-oncology (IO) adjuvant clinical trials. incorporating a genetic recurrence score to evaluate risk of relapse in patients, developing an adequate and an objectively standardized adjuvant trial design, identifying novel biomarkers and evaluating novel drug targets.


Human Development Index (HDI) is a country-level measure of social welfare based on national values for average life expectancy, rates of adult literacy and school enrollment, and gross domestic product (GDP) per capita. Since HDI is based entirely on national averages it can provide only limited information about distribution within countries. The distribution of access to key resources is an important determinant of the effect of health, education and income on both individual well-being and on the aggregate well-being of a population as a whole. This paper makes a case for the importance of inequality to measuring social welfare; presents an original alternative to HDI that includes the distribution of health, education, and income in each country; and reports the results of this inequality-adjusted HDI for 46 countries.


Mesothermal gold provinces of Phanerozoic age are characteristically associated with regional structures along which allochthonous terranes have been accreted onto continental margins or arcs. A recurring sequence of transpressive deformation, uplift, late kinematic mineralization, and shoshonitic magmatism is consistent with thermal reequilibration of tectonically thickened crust. Mesothermal gold camps in the Superior province are spatially associated with large-scale structures that have been interpreted as zones of transpressive accretion of individual subprovinces or allochthonous terranes: these boundary structures are characterized by the sequence of significant horizontal shortening, uplift, late-kinematic mineralization, and shoshonitic lamprophyres and therefore may have the same geodynamic significance as Phanerozoic counterparts. In this model, thermal re-equilibration of underplated and subducted oceanic lithosphere and sediments in a transpressive regime, over time scales of 10 to 40 m.y., is a necessary precursor to gold mineralization. Hydrothermal fluids are released along boundary faults and their splays during uplift: the uniform temperature, low salinity and mole% CO2 signify uniform source conditions, whereas the variable O, C, Sr, and Pb isotopic compositions of fluids reflect lithological complexity of the source regions and conduits. Ou the basis of this model it is suggested that mesothermal lode gold deposits are the product of subduction-related crustal underplating and deep, late metamorphism, rather than magmatic or metamorphic events in the supracrustal rocks. Secular variations in the generation of Archean, Proterozoic, and Phanerozoic mesothermal Au provinces reflect the timing of collisional orogenies within terranes of these eras.


According to the mobility and continuity of the flow of data streams,this paper presents an algorithm called NSWR to mine the frequent item sets from a fast sliding window over data streams and it meets people's needs of getting the frequent item sets over data that recently arrive. NWSR, using an effective bit-sequence representation of items based on the data stream sliding window, helps to store data; to support different support threshold value inquiry through hash-table-based frequent closed item sets results query method; to offer screening method based on the classification of closed item sets for reducing the number of item sets that need closure judgments, effectively reducing the computational complexity. Experiments show that the algorithm has better time and space efficiency.


In the present work, we report on the biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using leaf extract of Convolvulus pluricaulis (Shankapushpi, bindweed) at room temperature. Synthesis of AgNPs is carried out by incubating the leaf extract in presence of AgNO3. Formation of AgNPs is confirmed by the appearance of a prominent surface plasmon resonance band in the UV-visible spectrum at 420 nm. The biosynthesized AgNPs are characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential thermo gravimetric (DTG) analysis. Further, the biosynthesized AgNPs are investigated for their catalytic, electrocatalytic and phenol remediation properties. The investigations revealed that the biosynthesized AgNPs excel in their respective applications. Based on the results, present study concludes that AgNPs can be biosynthesized using leaf extract of Convolvulus pluricaulis and further can be employed for applications in electrochemical sensing, dye degradation and phenol remediation. Copyright © 2016 VBRI Press.


BACKGROUND
Hyperlipidemia accelerates the progression of glomerular disease, and lipoproteins bind glomerular mesangial cells (MC) and induce proliferation and cytokine expression. In the vessel wall, the binding of lipoproteins to endothelial cells is markedly enhanced by lipoprotein lipase (LpL), synthesized by the underlying smooth muscle cells. While it is known that LpL is localized to the glomerulus, it is not known if and how it modulates the lipoprotein-mesangial interaction.

METHODS
Very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) was isolated from rats and was used to treat cultured primary rat MCs. Binding studies were done with and without LpL and with/without pretreatment with heparanase, which degrades cell surface heparan sulfate proteoglycan (HSPG), known to modulate the LpL-lipoprotein interaction in blood vessels. VLDL/LpL was also used to assess MC proliferation and gene expression of the cytokine platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF).

RESULTS
LpL enhanced VLDL binding to MCs by as much as 200-fold, and most of this effect was blocked by pretreatment with heparanase. LpL amplified VLDL-driven MC proliferation and increased VLDL-induced PDGF expression. Heparanase pretreatment of cells eliminated both of these amplifications. LpL alone increased MC proliferation and PDGF gene expression.

DISCUSSION
As in the vessel wall, LpL enhances VLDL binding to MCs. MCs respond to LpL binding by proliferating and expressing cytokines such as PDGF. LpL may be a crucial paracrine mediator of the glomerular response to circulating lipoproteins, amplifying a response that includes cytokine elaboration, influx of circulating monocytes, and eventual sclerosis.


E-commerce information system is a very important role in business enterprises in a company. Chocolate Warehouse is still using conventional way in making sales transactions so that buyers must come to the store to buy and know the information of chocolate food products, for it requires e-commerce information system that can support the smoothness in conducting sales and information transactions. The purpose of this study is an attempt to create an e-commerce information system in the business of Warehouse Chocolate that has not been computerized and still using a conventional way. In this research is expected to make e-commerce information system that will be produced will be able to overcome from system which not yet computerized. For the design and development of applications, researchers use the Waterfall method as the foundation in this research.

Keyword: E-commerce, Information System


AIM To describe the oral health-related quality of life (OHR-QoL) in patients with stomatological diseases. METHODS All new patients seen in the Stomatology Clinic, from August 2008 to July 2009 were selected. OHR-QoL was measured using OHIP-14, in face-to-face interviews. The stomatological diseases were classified into groups according to their origin. OHIP-14 data were used to calculate two variables: prevalence and severity. RESULTS The questionnaire was completed by 113 subjects, with a mean of 53.77 years; 63.7% women; 38% of the subjects reported one or more OHR-QoL impacts "fairly often" or "very often" in the last 6 months. The overall result of OHIP-14 index showed a mean of 14.35 (+/-12.01). There was no statistical significance between the stomatological disease groups and the prevalence scores (p=0.25) and mean severity scores (p=0.57). CONCLUSIONS It seems that bad oral conditions affected quality of life of these patients, especially physical pain and psychological discomfort.


A small software company with a worldwide presence uses one wiki to store or access most company information. Using open source software, the wiki started as a small team tool and then grew to reach technical people. An innovative content strategy proposal later extended the reach of the wiki to non-technical people. Five years later, the system is still the backbone of the company.
 Crucial factors for the unusual adoption of the wiki included technical competence, judicious leadership, champions at the executive committee, and a compelling proof-of-concept.


This article analyzes the local and global factors that shaped direct foreign investment in Argentina. Using information provided by a new database on foreign companies in Argentina (BDEEA-FCAD), an analysis is carried out of the changes in organizational structures and entry strategies of the 100 largest foreign multinationals during the period of state-led industrialization when these companies were attracted by the expansion in industrial demand within a protected economy. The central argument of this article is that Argentina was a host economy that was very open to foreign direct investment (FDI) during the period of state-led industrialization when foreign firms increased their holdings through the acquisition of Argentine companies, the creation of joint ventures, and participation in local companies.


Many of the indoor applications like navigation, indoor localization, object tracking require an indoor map. Indoor environments are dynamic in nature because of the objects present in it. To capture the essence of the indoor environment, it is essential to perform an object level mapping of an indoor space. This is because an object has the potential to alter the map of an indoor environment. Mapping a huge indoor environment could prove to be costly in terms of time with high infrastructure dependency. This compels us to find a simple solution in terms of cost, time and reliability to build an indoor map. The proposed solution should have minimal infrastructure dependence, so that it can be used in situations like disaster and rapid response scenarios, where the available infrastructure is minimal and time is of essence. We propose a Radio Frequency Identification(RFID) based approach which performs an object level mapping of the indoor environment using a portable RFID reader, RFID Ultra High Frequency(UHF) passive tags and inertial navigation sensors(INS). This approach identifies each object in the indoor environment using one or more passive tags. A novel algorithm has been developed which accurately maps the objects present in the indoor space. It is easily scalable to map huge indoor environments and can be applied without any intensive manual labor or expensive equipments. Our experiments show that this approach generates object level indoor maps with high accuracy.


Introduction Women with HER2+ or triple negative/basal-like (TN/BL) breast cancers succumb to their cancer rapidly due, in part to acquired Herceptin resistance and lack of TN/BL-targeted therapies. BRCA1-IRIS is a recently discovered, 1399 residue, BRCA1 locus alternative product, which while sharing 1365 residues with the full-length product of this tumor suppressor gene, BRCA1/p220, it has oncoprotein-like properties. Here, we examine whether BRCA1-IRIS is a valuable treatment target for HER2+ and/or TN/BL tumors. Methodology/Principal Findings Immunohistochemical staining of large cohort of human breast tumor samples using new monoclonal anti-BRCA1-IRIS antibody, followed by correlation of BRCA1-IRIS expression with that of AKT1, AKT2, p-AKT, survivin and BRCA1/p220, tumor status and age at diagnosis. Generation of subcutaneous tumors in SCID mice using human mammary epithelial (HME) cells overexpressing TERT/LT/BRCA1-IRIS, followed by comparing AKT, survivin, and BRCA1/p220 expression, tumor status and aggressiveness in these tumors to that in tumors developed using TERT/LT/RasV12-overexpressing HME cells. Induction of primary and invasive rat mammary tumors using the carcinogen N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (NMU), followed by analysis of rat BRCA1-IRIS and ERα mRNA levels in these tumors. High BRCA1-IRIS expression was detected in the majority of human breast tumors analyzed, which was positively correlated with that of AKT1-, AKT2-, p-AKT-, survivin, but negatively with BRCA1/p220 expression. BRCA1-IRIS-positivity induced high-grade, early onset and metastatic HER2+ or TN/BL tumors. TERT/LT/BRCA1-IRIS overexpressing HME cells formed invasive subcutaneous tumors that express high AKT1, AKT2, p-AKT and vimentin, but no CK19, p63 or BRCA1/p220. NMU-induced primary and invasive rat breast cancers expressed high levels of rat BRCA1-IRIS mRNA but low levels of rat ERα mRNA. Conclusion/Significance BRCA1-IRIS overexpression triggers aggressive breast tumor formation, especially in patients with HER2+ or TN/BL subtypes. We propose that BRCA1-IRIS inhibition may be pursued as a novel therapeutic option to treat these aggressive breast tumor subtypes.


the BMA's discussion paper on the withdrawing of tube feeding and is incorrectly stated as representing the Roman Catholic view. To elicit an authentic Catholic teaching, however, it is best to go to a proper Catholic source such as the Vatican Statement of 1980: "Euthanasia includes not only active mercy killing but also the omission of treatments when the purpose of the omission is to kill the patient"2 or that of 50 American bishops early this year: "The harsh reality is that some who propose withdrawal of nutrition and hydration from certain patients do directly intend to bring about the patient's death ... nutrition and hydration (whether orally administered or medically assisted) are sometimes withdrawn not because a patient is dying but precisely because the patient is not dying (or not dying quickly enough) and someone believes the patient is perceived as having an unacceptably low 'quality of life,' or is imposing burden on others. "I Bishop Christopher Budd on behalf of the English and Welsh bishops, in the statement Euthanasia and Hard Cases, stated "A PVS patient is not dead in any normal or technical sense of the word. In spite of the expression 'permanent vegetative state' Tony Bland is still a live human being, he is not a vegetable, his soul has not left him.-Nor in fact is he dying. Accordingly he ought not to be killed by being starved to death any more than he should be killed by lethal injection. The quest for 'death with dignity' does not justify the deliberate taking of a human life, no matter how good the intention or how great the strain of waiting."4 I hope the above clarifies the Roman Catholic position. The Linacre Centre established by the English and Welsh metropolitan bishops for the study of health care ethics in the Hospital of St John and St Elizabeth, London, is always available for consultation.


In this thesis nanoscopic structure analysis is applied to precambrian microscopic fossils permineralised and bodily conserved in finegrained chert rock. For the first time atomic force microscopy (AFM) is used to image and analyse the three dimensional fine structure of the walls of single fossil unicells. Structural AFM data is complemented and backed by transmission electron microscopy yielding information on the crystalline nature and chemical composition of the quartz and the kerogen components of the fossil cell walls. The data is supplemented by raman spectra of the same single fossils, providing information on the molecular constitution of the kerogen material, as well as by quantitative electron microprobe data on the carbon content of the fossil cell walls.
For AFM experiments a new preparation method was devised, using hydrofluoric acid to expose single fossils buried in the rock matrix. The method is applied to intact conventional thin sections of chert without disturbing the fossil cells in their environment, thus maintaining the petrographic context of the sedimentary structure. As AFM conventionally images surfaces that are smooth on a micrometer scale, the etching process has to be precisely adjusted in order to achive a balance between exposing cell walls well enough for structural examination and retaining surfaces smooth enough for the atomic force microscope. The cell walls produced by the etch method introduced here protrude from the surrounding rock matrix by approximately two microns. A detailed study of the etching behaviour by macroscopic and AFM analysis provides information on the dissolution speed of whole samples and of specific sites within the fossilmatrix compound. It is shown that etch resistivity depends on the crystal size and the carbon concentration around and within the fossil.

Subject to examination were 850 million year old cyanobacteria from the Bitter Springs Formation of the Northern Territoriy, Australia, and 650 million year old acritarchs from the Chichkan Formation of Kasachstan. A classical analysis of size distributions within single populations of the microorganisms by light microscopy classified the cyanobacteria as Myxococcoides minor Schopf 1968, and the acritarchs are probably single celled planctonic algae, belonging to the classes of Chlorophyceae and/or Rhodophyceae. However, as the true nature of precambrian microorganisms cannot be proven by light microscopy alone, the desire to gather more information on the fine structure of the cells arises. This task was adressed here.
The analysis of the carbon concentration in the fossil cells shows that the main body of the cell wall in the acritarchs studied here is composed of quartz, and only about one percent of the total volume of the cell wall is made up of carbon. In two specimens the spacial distribution of kerogen within the cell walls was charted. In one case the fossil wall was composed of crystalline quartz lamellae, enveloped by a 30 nanometer thick carbonaceous membrane. In contrast, the other specimen showed totally non crystalline quartz in the fossil wall, with the carbon content distributed homogeneously throughout the cell wall, increasing along a concentration gradient towards the wall center. This difference between the two cells hints at the concept that the fossilisation process strongly influences the wall structure. However, in both cells the quartz and the kerogen is arranged in a regular tile structure that may be influenced, if not controlled, by the biological structure of the original organic cell. This was also observed in other cells. A detailed three dimensional analysis of the size and orientation of platelets composing the tile structure disclosed by etching forms the basis of this concept: In all analysed cells the platelets are oriented parallel to the radius of the cell. The average width of the platelets ranges from 260 to 330 nm, with a maximum error of 25%. A second set of smaller platelets was detected in two cells, showing widths ranging from 10 to 30 nm and occurring in quartz as well as in the carbon membrane.
AFM images show that the smallest platelets have a polygonal shape and sit on or possibly comprise the bigger platelets. LaserRaman spectra showed that the kerogen in the fossils consists of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons forming a network of interlinked planar carbonaceous molecules. Taking the polygonal shape of the platelets into account, it seems plausible that the original organic cell substance recrystallised during fossilisation to build up this molecular network structure comprised in the platelet components of the fossils. If this happened in a way that conserved biological structures, these may be found in the fossil.
A clue to this concept was found in the carbonaceous membrane mentioned earlier: A carbon structure was visualised in a cross section of the amorphous membrane which could possibly have been a basis for the fomation of the 10 to 30nm platelets, as both are of approximately the same dimension, the same orientation, and are adjacent to each other. It is conceivable that these carbon structures represent genuine nonrecrystallised biostructures.
A fossilisation model is proposed that is based on the structure of the biological membrane (or cell wall) and the flux of silica solution during silicification.


Abstract : Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVS) require further technological development in several key areas (including sensor systems) in order to assume a broader role in undersea military and commercial environments. This research was an experimental investigation of the TRITECH ST1000 and ST725 high resolution sonar systems used onboard the NPS AUV II. Test conducted with the ST1000 Profiler proved that the sonar could successfully be used in AUV positioning maneuvers but also revealed the requirement for some form of range dependent gain adjustment to ensure vehicle stability. The ST725 sonar was used in progressively complex static environments to clearly image objects. A scanline analysis of the ST725 data was shown to be useful in extracting stationary target information including range, bearing, and approximate size. AUV, Autonomous underwater vehicles, Sonars


Eighteen multiple sclerosis (MS) patients with a history of optic neuritis and ten normal subjects had the visual critical flicker fusion frequency (CFF) determined prior to and during exposure to moist hot air. Central temperature was monitored by a thermocouple placed against the tympanic membrane. The patients demonstrated a dramatic fall in CFF on exposure to heat, while normals showed a slight rise in CFF. The effect was frequently exquisite: in one instance a 40% fall in CFF was correlated to a 0.2 C rise in central temperature. The effect was also quite rapid with a statistical difference between the normal and patient responses noted within two minutes after heat exposure. During this time there was little demonstrable change in central temperature. Prediction curves for the CFF change of heated patients and normals were also calculated.


When a leader leaves office, the leader becomes impotent, divested of power. This makes the actual moment of farewell a particularly interesting case study in leadership, as the farewell moment marks the transition of power from one leader to another. Many leaders use the point of departure as an opportunity to articulate the legacy of the institution they leave behind. This article offers a rhetorical and theological analysis of the farewell sermon delivered by former presiding bishop of the Church of Norway, Helga Haugland Byfuglien in January 2020, and a shorter, comparative analysis of the equivalent farewell sermon of the former Archbishop of the Church of Sweden, Anders Wejryd (2014). The article analyses how Byfuglien and Wejryd conceptualize the legacy of the church with the use of epideictic and deliberative rhetoric (rhetorical analysis) and discuss what kind of legacy (theological analysis and discussion) they promote. The article argues that both Byfuglien and Wejryd use the farewell sermon as a rhetorical opportunity to articulate the church`s legacy for the future, although their own formal power to execute that legacy is coming to an end. Byfuglien appeals to a diaconal vision of the church`s legacy, with a tendency to emphasize the church`s welcoming and inclusive character. Wejryd addresses the current ecclesiological situation in more detail. By assessing the church`s numerical decline and changed societal status as a crisis, he mainly appeals to the church`s missional legacy. The article concludes that the farewell sermons of both Byfuglien and Wejryd may be interpreted as a sort of inheritance dispute, or better heritage dispute: In their farewell sermons, the departing bishops present their last(ing) act of leadership, appealing to the audience to commit to a particular vision of the church`'s legacy.


The amyloid precursor protein (APP) of Alzheimer's disease is a transmembrane protein that is cleaved by an uncharacterized enzyme known as alpha-secretase within its extracellular/intraluminal domain after the activation of guanine nucleotide-binding protein-coupled receptors linked to phosphoinositide hydrolysis. The secretory process results in the release of large soluble derivatives of APP (APPs), and, when elicited by muscarinic receptor activation, exhibits both protein kinase C (PKC)-dependent and tyrosine phosphorylation-dependent components [Slack, Breu, Petryniak, Srivastava and Wurtman (1995) J. Biol. Chem. 270, 8337-8344]. In this report we examine the regulation of the release of APPs by epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptors, which possess intrinsic tyrosine kinase activity, and are coupled to a variety of effectors including phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase Cgamma. In A431 cells, EGF caused time-dependent and dose-dependent increases in the formation of inositol phosphates in cultures prelabelled with myo--3H-inositol, and in the release of APPs into the culture medium; the two responses exhibited similar time courses and EC50 values for EGF. Concomitant with these effects, there were concentration-dependent (3-300 ng/ml) increases in the phosphorylation of tyrosine residues in several proteins, including the EGF receptor itself. The specific PKC antagonist GF 109203X decreased the effect of EGF by approx. 35% at a concentration that abolished the stimulation of the release of APPs by the PKC activator PMA. Tyrphostin AG 1478, an inhibitor of EGF receptor tyrosine kinase, abolished the EGF-induced release of APPs. These results demonstrate that in A431 cells, activation of the EGF receptor stimulates alpha-secretase activity by a mechanism that is partly dependent on PKC activity.


Rural households' multidimensional poverty is still widespread and severe everywhere. For instance, worldwide a total of 1.45 billion people from 103 countries are multidimensional poor, most MPI poor people (72%) of them live-in middle-income countries. In East Africa, 559 million (42%) people are multidimensional poor. In Ethiopia, the new global 2018 multidimensional poverty index revealed that 49% of the Ethiopian population is multidimensional poor. A thorough analysis of the nature and determinants of multidimensional poverty is a key input for interventions to curb this horrific enemy of mankind. Thus, the general objective of the current study is an analysis of the status and determinants of rural households' multidimensional poverty in Jimma Geneti woreda (Ethiopia). A mixed-methods approach is used to achieve the research objective. Primary data are collected from 387 randomly selected rural households using survey questionnaires. In the analysis of the data, both descriptive and inferential statistics are used. The ordered logistic regression model is employed to investigate the determinants of being multidimensional poor. Results of the descriptive analysis show that 80.1% of the sample respondents are multidimensional poor. The intensity of poverty is 66.3% and the adjusted headcount ratio is found 53.1%. Dimensionally, the living standard dimension is the highest contributor to the overall multidimensional poor of the sample households (42.5%) followed by the education dimension (36.7%) and health dimension (20.9%. Among eleven multidimensional poverty index indicators, school attendance indicators (19.9%) and years of schooling indicators (16.8%) have the highest relative contribution to the overall multidimensional poverty index of the study area. The coastal area has contributed a total of 28.1% to the overall 80.1% of the incidence of poverty. Furthermore, results of the regression analysis indicated that kebele dummy, marital status, literacy status, farm size, and membership to cooperatives of households are found significant determinants of households being multidimensional poor. Policy implications that give top priority to living standard, education, and health dimensions respectively, that benefit sample households from the coastal area and that give due consideration to significant variables in poverty reduction efforts required.

Citation: Tariku Kassa Ambaye , Abrham Siyoum Tsehay and Alemseged Gerezgiher Hailu (2021) Application of Ordered Logit Model to Analyze Determinants of Rural Households Multidimensional Poverty in Western Ethiopia, International Journal of Development and Economic Sustainability, Vol.9, No.1, pp. 18-62


Creating a negative energy balance by decreasing caloric consumption and increasing physical activity is a common strategy used to treat obesity. A large number of review and original research papers have considered the role of physical activity in weight loss and maintenance. However, their conclusions are at times conflicting. In this review, we have critically evaluated the findings of systematic reviews and meta‐analyses and supplemented their conclusions with recently published, high‐quality clinical trials. We have eliminated studies that were methodologically flawed in an attempt to reduce the ambiguity in the literature. We further sought, through selective review of these publications, to isolate the effects of various types of exercise, independent of dietary interventions, to further clarify their independent contributions. Thus, our review describes (i) combined calorie restriction with physical activity interventions, (ii) physical activity interventions without calorie restriction and (iii) the role of physical activity on maintenance of weight loss. Through this critical examination of the literature, we have provided conclusions to address certain ambiguities regarding the role of physical activity in obesity treatment that will inform clinical practice. We have also identified several long‐standing gaps in knowledge that will inform future research.


Increasing transparency and openness in science is an ongoing endeavor, one that has stimulated self-reflection and reform in many fields. However, kinesiology and its related disciplines are among those exhibiting an "ostrich effect" and a reluctance to acknowledge their methodological shortcomings. Notwithstanding several high-profile cases of scientific misconduct, scholars in the field are frequently engaged in questionable research practices (QRPs) such as biased experimental designs, inappropriate statistics, and dishonest/inexplicit reporting. To advance their careers, researchers are also "gaming the system" by manipulating citation metrics and publishing in predatory and/or pay-to-publish journals that lack robust peer review. The consequences of QRPs in the discipline may be profound: from increasing the false positivity rate to eroding public trust in the very institutions tasked with informing public health policy. But what are the incentives underpinning misconduct and QRPs? And what are the solutions? This narrative review is a consciousness raiser that explores (a) the manifestations of QRPs in kinesiology; (b) the excessive publication pressures, funding pressures, and performance incentives that are likely responsible; and (c) possible solutions for reform.


and cons, instructions, and interpretations of the data obtained. Also, each problem area has suggestions for making functional observations. The author has clearly described the components of cognition and perception in an impressive way, and has offered numerous suggestions for evaluation and treatment. Students, new therapists, and experienced therapists would find this book extremely useful when dealing with this population. Beverly Franchuk


With technology advances, the interdependence of various infrastructures has increased, which enhances their vulnerabilities. The national information infrastructure security concerns the nation's stability and economic security. Risk assessment methodology was introduced into the safeguard of the information infrastructure, which is prone to terrorist attack. Through the analysis of terrorists' behaviors and its characteristics, the four steps of risk management were studied in detail using many factual examples. The macroscopic and microscopic countermeasures were developed lately, which attribute to adopting counteractions to reduce the vulnerability and relieve the risk in the modern society caused by terrorist attack.


Abstract Objective: To determine the effect of an acute (1 week) and chronic (3 weeks) exposure to E-cigarette (E-cig) emissions on mucociliary clearance (MCC) in murine lungs. Methods: C57BL/6 male mice (age 10.5 ± 2.4 weeks) were exposed for 20 min/day to E-cigarette aerosol generated by a Joyetech 510-T® E-cig containing either 0% nicotine (N)/propylene glycol (PG) for 1 week (n = 6), or 3 weeks (n = 9), or 2.4% N/PG for one week (n = 6), or 3 weeks (n = 9), followed by measurement of MCC. Control mice (n = 15) were not exposed to PG alone, or N/PG. MCC was assessed by gamma camera following aspiration of 99mtechnetium aerosol and was expressed as the amount of radioactivity removed from both lungs over 6 hours (MCC6hrs). Venous blood was assayed for cotinine levels in control mice and in mice exposed for 3-weeks to PG alone and N/PG. Results: MCC6hrs in control mice and in mice acutely exposed to PG alone and N/PG was similar, averaging (±1 standard deviation) 8.6 ± 5.2%, 7.5 ± 2.8% and 11.2 ± 5.9%, respectively. In contrast, chronic exposure to PG alone stimulated MCC6hrs (17.2 ± 8.0)% and this stimulation was significantly blunted following chronic exposure to N/PG (8.7 ± 4.6)% (p < .05). Serum cotinine levels were <0.5 ng/ml in control mice and in mice exposed to PG alone, whereas, N/PG exposed mice averaged 14.6 ± 12.0 ng/ml. Conclusions: In this murine model, a chronic, daily, 20 min-exposure to N/PG, but not an acute exposure, slowed MCC, compared to exposure to PG alone and led to systemic absorption of nicotine.


Results: Among the six cases evaluated, three had early prenatal diagnoses (14 to 20 wks; first signs: ''OEIS'' at 14 wks; ''omphalocele'' at 14, LBW complex at 19 wks; ''cystic tumor'' at 14 wks); two were terminated, one had an IUD at 17 wks. Three were recognised at 19–25 wks and diagnosed correctly at 26–29 wks; pregnancies continued to near term, and all neonates survived with varying handicaps. Conclusion: There is a spectrum of anomalies in OEIS that can be diagnosed prenatally. Early detection is possible, but failure to do so can lead to acceptable outcome.


This paper analyses the effects of introducing a common EU tax base with formula apportionment on the size of the EU wide tax base and on the distribution of the tax base between the EU member countries. We use a combined dataset of Deutsche Bundesbank's Foreign Direct Investment data (MiDi) and corporate balance sheet data (Ustan and Hoppenstedt) for the tax base estimations. The data is used to construct i) a separate accounting and ii) a formula apportionment tax base for the firms in the sample. Our results suggest that due to border crossing loss-offset, the EU wide corporate tax base represented by our data sample shrinks significantly. Smaller countries which are usually considered to attract book profits under the current system, i.e. Ireland and the Netherlands, tend to lose a larger part of their tax base than larger countries like Germany, Italy, France or Great Britain. However, these results should be evaluated in the light of the limitations of the data used in this study since our analysis is based on German FDI data only. Furthermore, the calculations do not take into account behavioural responses of companies caused by such a system change.


Background: Extensive use of metal working fluids degrades their chemical composition. They
should be treated using a safe method. Chemical coagulation-flocculation process is one the
treatment methods.
Objective: The aim of this study was to optimize the coagulation-flocculation process using
calcium chloride in metal working fluids treatment.
Methods: This laboratory based study was performed in School of Health affiliated to Qazvin
University of Medical Sciences in 2014. Using calcium chloride and a six-compartment jar, the
efficiency of coagulation-flocculation process was assessed for removal of chemical oxygen
demand (COD) and turbidity and amount of released oil. Central composite design (CCD) and
response surface methodology (RSM) were applied to optimize the treatment operation parameters
(pH and dosage of coagulant). Quadratic models were developed for calculation of the three
responses (COD, turbidity, and released oil).
Findings: The optimum condition for coagulation-flocculation process was seen after treatment
with 4.2 g/L calcium chloride at pH 3.71 in which COD and turbidity removal efficiency were 93%
and 96.9%, respectively and the amount of released oil was 31.8 ml. The level of desirability was
91.2%. The values of laboratory study were in good agreement with the values predicted by the
model.
Conclusion: Metal working fluids treatment with calcium chloride was efficient in the removal of
pollution parameters. Dosage of calcium chloride was similar to the conventional coagulants such
as Alum, but its efficiency was higher.
Keywords: Treatment, Metal Working Fluid, Flocculation, Calcium Chloride, Response Surface
Methodology


The fourth Industrial Revolution is characterised by the computational fusion of physical, digital and biological systems. Increasing information in terms of size, speed and scope exponentially. This fusion requires improved, if not new, tools and methods to deal with complexity and information processing. By opening Generative Systems to interact with the context, we believe that they can develop solutions that are more adequate for our time. This research began with a literature review about generative systems and their application to solve problems. We then selected the tools, Cellular Automata, L-Systems, Genetic Algorithms and Shape Grammar, and thought about how to translate these original mathematical tools to specific design situations. We tested the application of these tools and methods in a workshop, implementing recursive loops to open these techniques to interference. Analysing the empirical results made us revise our design thinking, relying on the study of complexity to understand how these techniques can be more context-aware, so we can make design evolve. Finally, we present a comparative framework analyses that interlaces techniques and methods, so in the future we can merge physical, digital and biological information.


The distribution of Toxocara canis larvae throughout the tissues of mice was studied in three groups of fourty mice each using three inocula sizes, (200/500 and 1000 eggs/mice). The results obtained revealed a significant interaction between the duration of infection, the inoculum size and the dispersal rate of larvae through the examined organs of experimented with mice.


whole ntramuscularly Abstract Shrimp farmers have been suffering from loss of production due to White Spot Disease (WSD) in the last decades. A few studies focused on the environmental factors predisposed WSD. Our study aimed to investigate the effects of the different salinities on occurrence of WSD. The treatments were 30 ppt, 40 ppt and 50 ppt in triplicate and corresponding untreated control groups. White Spot Virus (WSV) was i s within the measurement of some hemolymph parameters such as Differentiated Hemocyte Count (DHC), Total Hemocyte Count (THC) and Total Plasma Protein (TPP) were carried out. A positive result was observed for the occurrence of the antigen of the WSV obtained from the samples of each treatment of salinity due to the challenging treatments with the WSV. Mortality at the salinity of 30 ppt began at 72 h post inoculation as well as the salinity of 40 ppt, but at 50 ppt it started after 50 h. The Minimum and maximum count of mortality at the salinity of 30, 40 and 50 ppt were 3.5, 8.5; 0.5, 4.5 and 1.5, 7.5, respectively. No mortality was observed in the untreated control groups of 30, 40 and 50 ppt during the experiment. It is concluded that the higher and the lower salinity, lesser or greater than the normal condition in exposed to WSV could lead to severe mortality of WSD.


Significant research works have been directed on control of reactive power, harmonics, load compensation & low power factor in the distribution system which is due to several causes like switching of the capacitors, loads, starting of large motor along with the proliferation of power electronic equipment, nonlinear loads in residential, commercial & industrial application. Such type of issue leads to the failure of sensitive equipment's used for controlling & protecting of the plant, which further causes lower efficiency and power factor and increases the risk of electromagnetic interference with the neighbouring communication lines so the cost of the overall system increases.

In order to overcome the various difficulties encountered in power system, such as harmonic current, unbalanced source current, reactive power burden etc. Besides the costs, the solution effectiveness of each alternative needs to be quantified in terms of the performance improvement that can be achieved. Development of compensator to enhance power quality has been an area of active interest for the past few decades. Passive compensators like shunt reactors and capacitors are uncontrolled devices and incapable of continuous variation in parameters. The emergence of custom power devices has led to development of new and fast compensators. The custom power devices include compensators like Distribution Static Compensator (DSTATCOM), Dynamic Voltage Restorer (DVR), Unified Power Quality Conditioner (UPQC), Interline Power quality Conditioner (IPQC), Battery Energy Storage System (BESS), and many more such controllers. So placement of custom power devices may prove to be an effective remedy for solving such type of power quality problems.

This present research work proposes several ANN controlled icosϕ for a three phase two level distribution static compensator (DSTATCOM) to perform the functions such as harmonic mitigation, power factor correction under reactive loads, which further reduces the DC link voltage across the self-supported capacitor of voltage source converter (VSC). The fundamental weighted values of active and reactive power components of load currents are extracted using the proposed control technique to generate the reference source currents. Further, the reference source currents are used to generate switching pulses for VSC of the DSTATCOM. The effectiveness of this control technique is demonstrated through simulation using MATLAB/SIMULINK and Sim Power System (SPS) tool boxes. The real time implementation of DSTATCOM is also carried out using Real time digital simulator (RTDS). The results demonstrate the robustness of the DSTATCOM with the proposed control algorithm as it is showing outstanding harmonic compensation capabilities under balanced and unbalanced loading conditions and keeping the THD of the source current well below 5%, the limit imposed by IEEE-519 standard.


Basing on studying of the biogenic amines metabolism and indexes of cardiodynamics in 49 patients with the burn shock of middle severity it was established, that performance of single infusion of perftoran preparation in the first day of the burn trauma had stimulated the organism adaptation reconstruction due to demolition of the catecholamines metabolism dysbalance, prevalence of stress-limiting processes in the reply to stress structure, formation of moderate hyperdynamics of blood circulation. The double infusion of the preparation had permitted to guarantee the indexes stabilization during all acute period of the burn disease.


Introduction Intracranial aneurysm flow diversion using the Pipeline Embolization Device (PED) has become a common mode of aneurysm treatment. Standard practice involves preoperative loading of a dual antiplatelet (DUAP) regimen that most commonly consists of clopidogrel and aspirin to prevent flow diverter thrombosis. However, preoperative dual antiplatelet treatment can exacerbate procedural hemorrhagic complications, since these agents cannot be easily reversed. By contrast, the antiplatelet effect of the glycoprotein IIb/IIIa agent eptifibatide wears off within 4 to 8 hours following discontinuation. We report the use of eptifibatide in a consecutive series of patients who underwent PED as an alternative to standard DUAP preoperative loading. Methods All patients received an eptifibatide weight-based loading dose of 180 microgram per kilogram upon initial placement of the Pipeline device, with a 12-hour infusion of eptifibatide following completion of the bolus dose at a rate of 2 micrograms/kilogram/minute. All patients were loaded with clopidogrel and aspirin following postoperative clinical assessment, and prior to discontinuation of the eptifibatide 12-hour infusion. Clopidogrel and aspirin platelet inhibition was measured following discharge at least 10 days after discontinuation of epitifibatide to assure therapeutic platelet inhibition: the 10 day delay was utilized to avoid spurious platelet function results from residual traces of serum eptifibatide. Results Seven consecutive patients underwent elective Pipeline flow diversion of unruptured intracranial aneurysms between October 2016 and February 2017. There were six women and one man in this cohort, with ages ranging from 33 to 61 with an average age of 51. All treated aneurysms were located in the intracranial anterior circulation. In one patient, endosaccular aneurysm coil placement was performed along with PED. All patients received a single Pipeline device except for one patient who received two telescoped Pipeline devices. There were no procedural complications in any of the seven PED cases. All patients were discharged home on postoperative day 1 with no evidence of new neurologic deficits or thromboembolic complications. Clopidogrel and aspirin platelet inhibition was measured for 4 of 7 patients two to three weeks after loading with clopidogrel and aspirin utilizing the Verify Now P2y12 and Aspirin Resistance Assay and were found to be therapeutic in all four patients. Conclusion Eptifibatide administration is a safe and effective alternative antiplatelet strategy to preoperative dual antiplatelet loading with clopidogrel and aspirin prior to intracranial aneurysm Pipeline flow diversion. Disclosures: A. Khan: None. R. Ryan: 2; C; Penumbra, Inc. A. Choulakian: None.


Cultural heritage describes our way of life. It comes from previous generational traditions and incorporates our current constructed and natural environments, and tangible artifacts. The photo narrative process, derived from photovoice, combines photography and narrative expression about artifacts important to one's way of life. The purpose of this study was to explore effects of the photo narrative process on students' intercultural learning in agriculture. Photo narrative assignments were developed for students to capture facets of their cultural heritage, and their host countries' cultural heritage from three separate study abroad programs. Archival data were collected (i.e., course assignments to illustrate one's cultural heritage via photo and text) and visual social semiotics were used to analyze data. The Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity provided context for students' levels of intercultural competence. The results showed participants experienced frame shifts (i.e., perspective change in worldviews) from ethnocentrism to ethnorelativism, as evidenced in the rhetoric of their artifacts after participating in the photo narrative process. The photo narrative process is a valuable educational technique; its purposeful use helps learners experience and progress through the stages of intercultural competence. Photo narrative takes advantage of young people's preferred communication methods (i.e., social media), combining image and text, which empowers them through expressive communication and reflection. Purposeful photo narrative processes may be adapted to help learners explore perspective shifts in racism, classism, or religion to increase understanding and empathetic response between dissimilar groups.


A detailed analysis of further proteolytic degradation of fibrinogen fragment DH (Mr 95 kDa) was performed. Two new proteolytic fragments DLA and DL derived from DH-fragment have been purified and analyzed. The results obtained allow to propose a general scheme of DH-fragment proteolysis by stepwise splitting of their individual domains. The borders and molecular masses of these domains were evaluated on the base of proteolysis data.


A review (81 references mainly from the period 2000-2003) concerning new thermoplastic elastomers (TPE) combining, in the defined temperature range, the properties of chemically cured rubbers with facility of processing and recycling of thermoplastic polymers. Four groups of such products were singled out, namely: block copolymers of styrene (mainly with butadiene, isoprene or isobutene; in a last case also graft copolymers), elastomeric polyolefins (based on propylene), thermoplastic elastomers made of polymer blends (physical blends of crystallizing plastomer with not crosslinked elastomer) and thermoplastic elastoionomers (elastomers containing side ionogenic acid groups, most often carboxylic or sulfonic ones). The principles of syntheses of TPE were discussed and directions of their applications as well as the present state and perspectives of their industrial manufacturing were presented.


Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to challenge the notion that culture change programmes will inevitably gain support from employees by exploring ways in which policy implementation is affected by and provokes shifts in organizational cultures.

Design/methodology/approach

– Case studies investigated aspects of cultural change post‐implementation of family‐friendly policies. A grounded theory approach was adopted in the collection and analysis of the data, largely but not exclusively obtained through three sets of interviews, giving a limited longitudinal dimension to the study.

Findings

– As both organizations had been sated with change, the idea that further adjustment was necessary to facilitate better work‐life balance for employees was potentially alienating to the very members most needing to be "brought on board". Harnessing widely esteemed values and adopting the language of "cultural revitalisation" rather than cultural change appeared more effective in securing broader support of employees.

Research limitations/implications

– Studies began after policy implementation so there was significant dependence on participant recall to access perceptions of any shifts and HR managers determined sample composition. Both necessitated the use of a wide range of supplementary evidence (as befits case study research) and the latter the development of an "informal track" of participants.

Practical implications

– Cultural change programmes must appreciate the importance of enduring values, correctly identifying those which appear most resonant for employees, ensuring that these feature prominently when promoting a "work‐life balance" agenda.

Originality/value

– It is unusual for case studies to look in detail at processes of change. This paper refines notions of organizational culture change and considers how best to include employees most likely to be resistant to a "work‐life balance" agenda.


Intrinsic parameter fluctuations introduced by process variations, such as line edge roughness (LER), create an increasing challenge to the CMOS technology scaling. In this paper, variations in double-gate dopant-segregate Schottky (DSS) MOSFETs, caused by LER of silicon-fin, are systematically investigated using statistical technology computer-aided design simulations. The impact of LER on both Schottky barrier and DSS-MOSFETs are examined contrastively. The results show that DSS-MOSFETs offer a larger and more uniform drive current, but suffer a more serious Vt fluctuation. The cause of such larger Vt flutuation is also analyzed, thus providing a good starting point to propose way to solve this problem.


Adjoint and self-adjoint filter operators are introduced, such that large-eddy simulation ~LES! with a spatially variable filter width satisfies important physical properties: Conservation of momentum and dissipation of kinetic energy. The combination of an arbitrary nonuniform explicit filter with the Smagorinsky model leads to a new model of the turbulent stress tensor, which includes backscatter, while the total subgrid dissipation is still positive ~analytically!. Nonuniform filter theory is further developed, in order to provide a more solid foundation of practical LES. The paper distinguishes between three sets of equations: The Navier–Stokes equations ~which are physical conservation laws!, the filtered equations and the modeled large-eddy equations. It is shown that general filtering of the Navier–Stokes equations destroys their local and global conservation properties. However, it is proven that the adjoint of a normalized filter is conservative. As a result, the filtering equations are globally conservative, for special nonuniform~e.g., self-adjoint ! filters. Implications for six subgrid-models that require explicit filter operations are considered, such as dynamic, similarity, filtering multiscale, and relaxation models. Incorporation of the adjoint filter analytically ensures several models to conserve momentum and dissipate kinetic energy. Examples of adjoint and self-adjoint filters are also provided, including a ''three-points'' self-adjoint filter and an adjoint filter that is applicable on unstructured grids. In addition, it is shown that positive nonuniform ~self-adjoint ! filters satisfy mathematical smoothing properties. The focus is on kernel filters, but projection filters are also discussed, and nonuniform self-adjoint Laplace filters are defined. The ~orthogonal ! projection operator is proven to be a nonuniform kernel filter. © 2004 American Institute of Physics.@DOI: 10.1063/1.1710479 #


Using micromagnetic simulations, the authors investigate the effects of the shape anisotropy of nanowires on the threshold current density (JC) in the adiabatic limit. It is observed that the type of domain wall significantly affects the dependence of JC on the shape anisotropy. For a transverse wall, JC is proportional to the shape anisotropy, but slightly deviates from the theoretical prediction [G. Tatara and H. Kohno, Phys. Rev. Lett. 92, 086601 (2004)] possibly due to antivortex formation. For a vortex wall, JC is almost independent of the shape anisotropy, as experimentally observed [A. Yamaguchi et al., Jpn. J. Appl. Phys. Part 1 45, 3850 (2006)]. Interestingly, JC and the velocity of the vortex wall at finite temperatures are in good agreement with the experimental values even when the nonadiabatic spin torque is not considered.


Aim: To clarify the advantages and disadvantages of different detection methods for Jamestown Canyon virus (JCV) in human tissue specimens. Methods: Specimens of lung and gastric carcinomas, and normal lung tissue, gastric mucosa, and tonsil were examined for T-antigen, VP and agnoprotein of JCV by nested PCR, Southern blotting and sequencing. JCV load targeting T-antigen was evaluated by real-time PCR, and JCV existence morphologically by immunohistochemistry, in-situ hybridisation (ISH) and PCR. For these experiments, the JCI cell line (JCV cultured neuroblastoma cell line) was employed as positive control. Results: In lung and gastric carcinomas, T-antigen, VP and agnoprotein of JCV could be detected by nested PCR whose products were confirmed by Southern blots and sequencing. With real-time PCR, frozen samples of gastric carcinomas gave better detection of JCV than their corresponding paraffin-embedded tissues (p<0.05). The positive rate of JCV was high in lung carcinoma, compared with normal lung tissue (p<0.05). It was the same for JCV copies in gastric carcinoma (p<0.05). Only the positive control exhibited JCV in the nucleus by ISH and immunohistochemistry. In-situ PCR showed that JCV genomic DNA was located in the nucleus of the carcinoma cell, some alveolar epithelial cells, and tonsil lymphocytes. In ISH and PCR, NBT/BCIP colouring was stronger than Fuchsin. Conclusions: Nested PCR whose amplicons should be confirmed by Southern blot and sequencing was a comparatively sensitive approach to detect JCV genomic DNA in human non-neural tissues. Real-time PCR might be employed to quantify copy number of JCV. In-situ PCR was a good method to observe the JCV location in cells, given appropriate modulation of amplification cycles. Combinations of various approaches will be adopted to explore the oncogenic roles of JCV in malignancies.


The discovery of the mechanism of RNA interference by ds RNA by Prof. Andrew Fire and Prof. Craig Mello in 1998, gave them the Nobel Prize in 2006. This discovery revealed a new mechanism for gene regulation through "gene silencing" at the transcriptional level (TGS) or at the post-transcriptional level (PTGS), which play a key role in many essential cellular processes. Today dsRNA is used as a powerful tool to experimentally elucidate the function of essentially any gene in a cell. The immense impact of the discovery of RNA interference (RNAi) on biomedical research and its novel medical applications in the future are reviewed in this article, with particular stress on therapeutic applications of radio-labeled antisense oligonucleotides (RASONs) for diagnosis and treatment of various cancers and neurodegenerative diseases by "gene silencing". Antisense oligonucleotides (ASONs) can also modulate alternative splicing which 74% of all human genes undergo. The most effective targeting strategy employs simultaneous blocking SnRNP binding sites and splice junctions. Correction of splicing by ASONs can be used to silence mutations causing aberrant splicing as in thalassemia, Duchenne muscular dystrophy and cystic fibrosis.


We face a major challenge in learning how to quantify the impact of the anticipated global warming before it occurs. It is widely recognized that the application of coupled ocean-atmosphere global circulation models (GCMs) offers a sophisticated method of predicting climate. However, while GCMs accurately reproduce present-day conditions, their long-term forecasting accuracy can be compromised by the possibility that crucial climatic feedback elements are not realistically reproduced, or not included in the models at all. Provided that the derived 'hindcasts' can be calibrated and verified against proxy paleoenvironmental data preserved in the sedimentary record, an effective approach to examine the robustness of GCM predictions is to use the models to 'predict the past' in essentially the same way as they predict the future. It is commonly accepted that the Antarctic ice cap and the cold Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) in the adjacent Southern Ocean act together to constitute a highly influential component of the climate system. However, our knowledge of the Antarctic climate is still limited. One of the most fundamental problems is the causation of the onset of Antarctic glaciation about 34 million years ago. The initial development of Antarctic ice sheets marks the transition from the so-called 'hothouse' to an 'icehouse' world. In the early 1970s, it was proposed that Antarctic glaciation was related to the breaking up of the Supercontinent Pangea. Australia drifted to the north, away from Antarctica, opening an ocean channel known as the Tasmanian Gateway. It was hypothesized that this tectonic event resulted in the initiation of the cold (proto-)ACC. The hypothesis stated that the presence of this current prevented the warm East Australian Current to reach Antarctica, hereby causing the onset of 'thermal isolation' of Antarctica and the concomitant development of extensive ice sheets. Due to the lack of high-quality palaeoenvironmental records the (widely accepted) 'thermal isolation' hypothesis was never tested or refined since it was initially proposed. However, in 2000, excellent sedimentary data sets became available from Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Leg 189 Sites 1170-1172 off Tasmania. In order to test the 'thermal isolation' hypothesis, these records were analyzed in detail and compared with sedimentary information from other circum-Antarctic sites, as well as with the output of GCM experiments. In this dissertation it is definitively concluded that the onset of massive glaciation of the Antarctic continent during the Eocene-Oligocene transition cannot be related the formation of the Tasmanian Gateway. Integration of phytoplankton (dinoflagellates, diatoms) records and results of coupled GCM experiments provides conclusive evidence that deepening of the Gateway caused significant changes in circulation patterns and surface temperatures of the Southern Ocean around Antarctica. However, these changes did not include the development of a (proto-)ACC. This cold current and concomitant thermal isolation of Antarctica did not come into existence before Late Oligocene times. In order to explain the earlier ice expansion, Antarctic climate responses to decreasing atmospheric CO2 concentrations and orbital forcing should be further investigated.


BACKGROUND
Medical Doctors (MD), although at the front line of response to patients and their families, are seldom study subjects for occupational psychosocial risks and work related stress.

OBJECTIVES
Assess psychiatry and anaesthesiology residents in a central and university Portuguese Hospital for the presence of psychosocial risks at work.

METHODS
We used the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire version 2 (COPSOQ), which was applied face-to-face in two group settings, in April 2014. It comprised a sample of 19 Psychiatry residents and 20 Anaesthesiology residents. Statistical analysis was done by correlational analysis using Pearson's coefficient (r) and the t-student test for categorical variables.

RESULTS
An occupational health risk (red flag) was found for residents in the "Cognitive demands" dimension of COPSOQ and a health risk (red flag) in the "Work influence" dimension for the female Anaesthesiology sub-group. A possible risk (yellow flag) was found in 17 dimensions. Results also showed moderate correlations between various COPSOQ dimensions and the emergency department workload, workload, home study, number of children, year of training and the medical specialty variables.

CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that residents have a health risk which derives from the cognitive demands of their work and that it increases with the workload.  This implicates the need for occupational health measures to be taken to manage and reduce these psychological risks.


A reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) agent was directly anchored onto superparamagnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles (SPNPs) in a simple procedure using a ligand exchange reaction of 2-[(dodecylsulfanylcarbonylthiolsulfanyl) propionic acid] (DCPA) with oleic acid initially present on the surface of Fe3O4 nanoparticles. The DCPA-modified SPNPs were then used for the surface-mediated RAFT polymerization of di(ethylene glycol) ethyl ether acrylate and (oligoethylene glycol) methyl ether acrylate to fabricate structurally well-defined hybrid SPNPs with temperature-responsive poly[di(ethylene glycol) ethyl ether acrylate-co-(oligoethylene glycol) methyl ether acrylate] shell and magnetic Fe3O4 core. Evidence of a well-controlled surface-mediated RAFT polymerization was gained from a linear increase of number-average molecular weight with overall monomer conversions and relatively narrow polydispersity indices of the copolymers grown from the SPNPs. The resultant hybrid nanoparticles exhibited superparamagnetic property with a saturation magnetization of 55.1–19.4 emu/g and showed a temperature-responsive phenomenon as the temperature changed between 25 and 40 C. VC 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2013, 51, 3420–3428


Oligonucleotide-based fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) coupled with high-resolution high-sensitivity microscopy allows the visualization of single RNA molecules within fixed cells and tissues as distinct foci. We show here that combinatorial labeling of RNA molecules with several fluorescent dyes extends the number of genes that can be targeted simultaneously beyond the number of fluorophores used. This approach also inherently validates the identification of transcripts reducing false positive counts. We have used combinatorial FISH and image analysis to measure the transcript densities of six genes using three fluorophores. This has allowed us to visualize the endothelial maturation of lateral mesoderm in an in vitro ES differentiation assay from a single snapshot of molecular identities. Our observations show that, under these specific conditions, endothelial maturation follows a homogeneous course with a gradual increase in expression of Cdh5 and a concomitant loss of early transcription factors, arguing that maturation is governed in a generally deterministic manner. This methodology is limited by the number of fluorophores that can be used and by the available microscopic resolution, but currently available equipment should allow the visualization of transcripts from 10 or more genes simultaneously.


Earth's inner core exhibits elastic anisotropy, but the cause of the texturing is uncertain: solidification, deformation, or some combination. In experiments presented here we deformed in torsion directionally solidified Zn 3 wt pct Sn alloys at .97 the melting temperature of pure Zn. We used a Zn-rich alloy because Zn is hexagonal close-packed at atmospheric pressure, as is likely Fe under inner core conditions. The directionally solidified alloys have the textured, columnar dendritic microstructure that has been proposed for the inner core. As a control we deformed in torsion the same alloy at the same temperature, but with a starting microstructure that is comparatively fine-grained, equiaxed, and untextured. We find evidence that the directionally solidified alloys deform by means of grain boundary sliding, presumably accompanied by di↵usion near the ends of the columnar crystals in order to preserve macroscopic shape. We also find that the directionally solidified alloys require approximately three times the torque to deform to the same strain than do the untextured alloys. Grain boundary sliding and greater hardness are due to insu cient slip systems to accommodate the strain, as a result of the texturing. This is supported by microcracking in the deformed directionally solidified alloys. Although the inner core is unlikely to exhibit semi-brittle deformation, the experiments suggest that a directionally solidified inner core could have a higher viscosity than one with a finer-grained, untextured microstructure, and that grain boundary sliding may be a dominant deformation mechanism, in spite of the large


Immigration is an increasingly important political issue in Western democracies and a crucial question relates to the antecedents of public attitudes towards immigrants. It is generally acknowledged that information relayed through the mass media plays a role in the formation of anti-immigration attitudes. This study considers whether news coverage of immigrants and immigration issues relates to macro-level dynamics of anti-immigration attitudes. It further explores whether this relationship depends on variation in relevant real world contexts. The models simultaneously control for the effects of established contextual explanatory variables. Drawing on German monthly time-series data and on ARIMA time-series modeling techniques, it is shown that both the frequency and the tone of coverage of immigrant actors in the news significantly influence dynamics in anti-immigration attitudes. The strength of the effect of the news, however, depends on contextual variation in immigration levels and the number of asylum seekers. Implications of these findings are discussed in the light of the increasing success of extreme right parties and growing opposition to further European integration.


For the older individual, leisure activities are a resource that helps to maintain health and engagement with life. This article investigates change over 10 years in the level of participation of older people in leisure activities in Sweden, and the factors associated with these changes. The data are from nationally representative samples of the Swedish population aged 77 or more years in 1992 and 2002. The level of participation was higher at the later date, and among four major groups of activities, social and cultural activities increased the most, while physical and intellectual activities increased only among women. Ordered logistic regressions enable variations in the level of participation by age, gender, level of education, disability and fatigue to be described. Participation in most kinds of activities, including the overall level, was more common at the younger ages (the late seventies and early eighties) and among those with full mobility and more education. Since average health was worse in 2002 than in 1992, it cannot explain the higher level of participation. Other possible explanations, such as cohort differences, improved accessibility, and changing gender roles, and the implications for health promotion programmes are discussed.


FREDERIC B. Frees. Modal functions in two-valued logic. Ibid., pp. 125-128. Dr. Fitch exhibits a method whereby modal functions—necessity, possibility, etc.—may be constructed as characteristics of certain sub-sets of the general class 'proposition' in the familiar twovalued logic, which thus becomes many-valued without either Carnap's special syntactical treatment or Lewis's assumption of modalities as primitive concepts. Starting with a class 5 of .XT-elements such that no member of 5 can occur in any other member of S, he then forms further sub-sets of K whose members do contain at least one member of 5. These classes are classes of truth-functions of the members of S; and the principles of their construction answer to the several modalities. The latter are thus genuinely constructed out of the material of classical two-valued algebra in its ordinary syntactical expression. By implication, Lewis's system becomes a legitimate development within the confines of this familiar logic. SUSANNE K. LANGES


OBJECTIVE
This study aimed to assess the relationship of the prostate cancer and Gleason scores (GSs) or ISUP Grade system with prostate volume (PV) as assessed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) cognitive biopsy and standard biopsy.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
Data were collected from 659 patients who underwent MRI cognitive biopsy and standard biopsy from January 2014 to January 2018. The biopsies were performed because of increased prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels (>4 ng/mL) and/or abnormal digital rectal examination findings. Transrectal ultrasound was used to measure PV.

RESULTS
Prostate cancer detection rates in patients with increased PVs of ≤40 cc and >40 cc were 68.8% and 51.6% (p<0.001), respectively. ISUP Grade group ≥2 (Gleason score ≥3+4) detection rates for increased PVs of ≤40 cc and >40 cc were 68% and 73%, and 22.3% and 37.8%, respectively, for those with ISUP Grade group ≥4 (Gleason score ≥8) (p=0.003). Among the patients with PV>40 cc, univariate logistic regression showed a significant relationship between ISUP Grade group ≥2 and PSA, free/total PSA, PSA density, and MRI (p<0.05). On multivariable logistic regression, MRI (p=0.014) and PSA (p=0.039) predicted ISUP Grade group ≥2 in patients with PV>40 cc.

CONCLUSION
Although the detection rates of prostate cancer decreased as PV increased, the detection of prostate cancer aggressiveness increased as PV increased. This increase in high ISUP Grade lesions with the rise in PV is due to the use of MRI during prostate biopsy with standard biopsy.