Slowly, new immune-based therapies are registering successes in the fight against cancer. In some people riddled with the aggressive skin cancer melanoma, immunotherapy has not only eliminated disease but also kept it at bay for years. Such outcomes are virtually unheard of in patients with metastatic disease that has spread through the body. From a patient's perspective, the achievements are still tenuous. Some individuals respond dramatically, but only a fraction are treated successfully. What excites immunotherapists is that this modest group of responders keeps showing up in recent studies. With more tinkering, cancer specialists hope to shift additional patients into the responder category and devise more powerful combination treatments. At the same time, their successes are raising deep questions about where cancer therapy is headed. Integrating immunotherapy into clinical care will pose challenges of its own. Patients may take months to respond, making it difficult to assess whether treatment is helping. Furthermore, some treatments are highly personalized and impossible to administer outside of specialized settings. This makes them extraordinarily expensive. Many specialists wonder whether they can really become part of standard cancer care.


Today, forty years since its birth, the Caribbean integration has reached its limit.1 2 Consequently, there is urgent need to respond to the current realities and emerging global trends — which require greater engagement from the public, students, academics and policymakers — in moving the Caribbean Community towards a new trajectory of Caribbean convergence. The immediate concern is to devise ways of improving the convergence process among Latin American and Caribbean countries. This convergence process will have to be sensitive to both current and emerging global dynamics. This paper presents the roadmap of a new trajectory towards Caribbean convergence, sensitive to both current and emergent regional and global trends. It begins in Section I by identifying the emerging international political and economic trends that provide a backdrop against which the discussion on Caribbean convergence is squarely placed. Section II discusses the need for a new strategy of convergence, and provides the conceptual framework of Caribbean convergence. Section III spells out the pillars, strategies and delivery mechanisms of Caribbean convergence, and highlights the role of Trinidad and Tobago in this process. The paper concludes by pointing out the urgent need for a regional synergy of economic logic and political logic.


The efficiency of the payments system is at risk. Existing stored value products (SVPs) are early prototypes of what payments and money will become: digital, disintermediated, and, possibly, neither state- nor bank-issued. The formulation of stored value regulatory policy in the U.S. has been a complicated, slow process however, producing a piecemeal scheme of broadly uneven regulations. Suffice it to say that the result of several short-term fixes has been to postpone looming inefficiencies and highlight limitations stemming from inconsistencies inherent in their use.Past regulatory efforts have thrown a startling fact into sharp relief: The relevance of deposits, the hallowed central concept of payments jurisprudence, is undermined in emergent payments. While payments are becoming increasingly abstract, deposit-centered approaches to regulation or policy formulation are becoming ineffective or irrelevant. Some abstract products have defied efforts to pigeonhole them into traditional categories. The role of deposits, the linchpin of payments regulation and regulatory policy, is thus under question. The existing consumer framework in the U.S. does little to prepare for the demands a sophisticated, ultra-abstract, globalized payments system will make in the meantime, at least so far as emergent stored value possibilities are concerned.The changing nature of abstract consumer payments has been recognized as an important matter for attention in other jurisdictions. The need for preparedness, for future strategic advantage in the global payments arena, has, for example, been on the European Union radar for some time. In the U.S., the "wait and see" approach that encouraged a degree of complacency in the past may still hinder opportunities to address shortcomings of the consumer regulatory patchwork. The consumer framework is subject in effect to a looming "best by" expiry date as a result.Discussion of issues implicating the jurisprudential underpinnings of our payments system must ultimately ask the question: "Where to from here?" This article answers this question with an eye to the future. It proposes specific steps designed to facilitate the formulation of enduring SVP policy. Part II discusses the motivating and intensifying need for a deposit concept in emergent payments. Part III sets forth steps to follow to the formulation of a suggested taxonomical aid. Part IV presents the results of a pilot run of this regulatory aid, in the form of a three-layered, tailored solution to the central question asked by this article.


Diet plays a seminal role in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease. Therefore the present study was conducted to verify the cholesterol lowering and antioxidant activities of two promising Mediterranean oils namely almond and olive oils and to elucidate some of their mechanism of actions. The study included 60 rats classified into 6 groups (10/group).G1: rats fed on standard basal diet (-ve controls);G2 and G3: rats fed on standard diet supplemented with either 10% almond oil or 10% olive oil;G4: rats fed on atherogenic diet (+ve controls); G5 and G6:rats fed on atherogenic diet supplemented with either 10% almond oil or 10% olive oil. The experiment lasted for 10 weeks. Comparing to the +ve control group supplementations of the atherogenic diet with either almond or olive oils induced significant reductions (p<0.05) in plasma levels oftotal cholesterol (TC) and LDL-C, VLDL-C, triglycerides (TG), free fatty acids(FFA) levels and TC/HDL ratio.The same was observed for the %oβ- apo lipoprotein(LDL),% pre β-apo LP (VLDL), malodialdehyde (MDA) and liver HMG-CoA reductase activity. However, these supplementations also induced significant elevations (p<0.05) in plasma HDL-C level, % of α- apo LP (HDL),plasma total antioxidant capacity(TAOC) and for almond oil only, plasma lipoprotein lipase activity(LPL). The overall results, therefore, is toward a less atherogenic lipid profile. In conclusion almond oil was as effective as olive oil in improving blood lipids and in ameliorating oxidative stress and this may be due to the interactive or additive effects of the numerous bioactive constituents of these oils, resulting in downregulation of HMG-CoA reductase in the liver and up- regulation of LPL in plasma. Keywords:  almond oil, olive oil, atherogenic diet, apo-lipoproteins


At many locations with high tidal stream velocities – and potential for tidal stream energy generation – the flow is approximately rectilinear, that is to say the flow direction is always 0 degrees or 180 degrees with respect to a particular orientation. At some sites, however, there is an appreciable change in flow direction ('swing') away from 180 degrees between the two maxima of flow speed. In order to assess the performance of horizontal axis marine current turbines in non rectilinear currents, measurements of a model rotor have been made in a towing tank. Curve fits have been calculated as a function of the cosine of the yaw angle squared and the thrust as cosine of the yaw angle. The curve fits have been used in a case study to investigate the impact of fixed-orientation or yawing rotor designs on average annual energy output, at three locations in the English Channel. All three sites are of the type where flow is accelerated around a headland or cape, but their tidal streams vary in deviation from rectilinearity. For two of the sites - Portland Bill (Dorset, UK) and Race of Alderney (Alderney, Channel Islands/Normandy, France) - available data consisted of tidal stream diamonds printed on Admiralty navigational charts. These rely on local tidal elevations for interpolation of tidal streams. At the other site – St. Catherine's Point, Isle of Wight, Hampshire – current meter measurements of duration one month were available from the British Oceanographic Data Centre (BODC), allowing a direct tidal analysis. …


Nowicki, Philip T., and Lisa A. Minnich Effects of systemic hypotension on postnatal intestinal circulation: role of angiotensin. Am. J. Physiol. 276 (Gastrointest. Liver Physiol. 39): G341–G352, 1999.—Systemic hypotension causes a greater degree of vasoconstriction in intestine from 3than from 35-day-old postnatal swine. To determine the basis for this age-dependent difference, systemic hypotension (pressure reduction to ,50% of baseline) was induced by creating pericardial tamponade in postnatal swine instrumented to allow measurement of intestinal hemodynamics and oxygenation in vivo. Hypotension caused gut vascular resistance to increase 77 6 6% in 3-day-old subjects but only 18 6 3% in 35-day-old subjects. Prior blockade of a1-receptors with phentolamine, vasopressin receptors with [d(CH2)5,D-Phe,Ile,AlaNH2]AVP, or surgical denervation of the gut loop had no effect on hypotension-induced gut vasoconstriction. Losartan, which blocks angiotensin AT1 receptors, significantly attenuated hypotension-induced gut vasoconstriction in both age groups. BQ-610, which blocks endothelin ETA receptors, also limited the magnitude of vasoconstriction but only in younger subjects. This effect may have been consequent to an interaction between endothelin and angiotensin, inasmuch as a subpressor concentration of endothelin increased the contractile response to angiotensin in mesenteric artery rings. The substantial rise in 3-day-old gut vascular resistance was partly consequent to a locally mediated vasoconstriction that occurred in response to pressure and/or flow reduction during hypotension, as evidenced by the significant attenuation of this constriction when blood flow was held constant by controlled-flow perfusion to the gut loop during hypotension. Intestinal O2 uptake was compromised to a significantly greater degree in 3than in 35-day-old subjects during hypotension. This difference was primarily due to the inability of younger intestine to increase O2 extraction in the face of reduced blood flow and may be mediated, in part, by an effect of angiotensin II on intestinal capillary perfusion.


We identify all return leader-follower pairs among individual stocks using Granger causality regressions. Thus-identified leaders reliably predict their followers' returns out of sample, and the return predictability works at the level of individual stocks rather than industries. Our results indicate that, independent of its size, any firm may emerge as a return leader by being at the center of an important news development that has ramifications for other firms. Indeed, stocks undergoing news-generating developments see an increase in the number of stocks whose returns they lead.


Several trends in the computer industry are rapidly driving the development and adoption of newer wireless networking technologies, which link devices to each other and to corporate LANs, primarily via radio-frequency (RF) technology. To maximize the usefulness of wireless LANs, vendors want technology based on open standards rather than on proprietary technologies, which have been used during the past 10 years. With this in mind, the IEEE and two industry consortia have developed three major wireless LAN standards: IEEE 802.11, HiperLAN and HomeRF. The paper discusses these standards.


As essential building blocks of the future smart grid, microgrids can efficiently integrate various types of distributed generation (DG) units to supply the electric loads at the minimum cost based on the economic dispatch. In this paper, we introduce a decentralized economic dispatch approach such that the optimal decision on power generation is made by each DG unit locally without a central controller. The prerequisite power generation and load information for decision making is discovered by each DG unit via a multiagent coordination with guaranteed convergence. To avoid a slow convergence speed which potentially increases the generation cost because of the time-varying nature of DG output, we present a heterogeneous wireless network architecture for microgrids. Low-cost short-range wireless communication devices are used to establish an ad hoc network as a basic information exchange infrastructure, while auxiliary dual-mode devices with cellular communication capabilities are optionally activated to improve the convergence speed. Two multiagent coordination schemes are proposed for the single-stage and hierarchical operation modes, respectively. The optimal number of activated cellular communication devices is obtained based on the tradeoff between communication and generation costs. The performance of the proposed schemes is analyzed and evaluated based on real power generation and load data collected from the Waterloo Region in Canada. Numerical results indicate that our proposed schemes can better utilize the cellular communication links and achieve a desired tradeoff between the communication and generation costs as compared with the existing schemes.


Whisky is one of the most commercialized distilled beverages in the world. Due to its large commercialization, the number of cases involving the adulteration of this beverage has increased. This work highlights the application of paper spray ionization mass spectrometry (PS-MS) in order to quantify whisky adulteration with additions of sugarcane spirit (i.e., the cachaca). 19 binary mixtures (0; 0.5; 1; 3; 5; 10; 20; 30; 40; 50; 60; 70; 80; 90; 95; 97; 99; 99.5; and 100 wt% of cachaca in whisky) were analyzed by PS-MS in both ionization modes, positive and negative, (PS(±)). Two chemometric models (using a partial least squares (PLS)) were designed to quantify the cachaca content in whisky:cachaca blends. The PS(±) mass spectrum of pure samples of whisky contained several signals in the m/z 250–900 region; the addition of the adulterant caused the suppression of the signals in the m/z 200–350 region, primarily, while the relative intensity of ions in the m/z > 350 region increased. These changes occur due to the increase of sugar concentration as a function of the addition of cachaca. When combining the PS(±) mass spectra with chemometric tools, such as PCA, it becomes clear that the first three main components describe the degree of adulteration for whisky samples along their negative and positive quadrants. The multivariate calibration model with variable selection, CARSPLS, presented a satisfactory linearity (R2 > 0.92) among the measured and predicted values, with RMSEP <10.9% v/v and LOD values of ≈13% v/v. In addition, a better accuracy was observed for the constructed CARSPLS model in the PS(−), yielding R2 and RMSEP values of 0.9592 and 7.97% v/v, respectively.


Site-specific recombination is a process employed by organisms in order to perform spatially and temporally defined rearrangement of DNA molecules, such as phage integration and excision, resolution of circular multimers, inversions for expression of alternate genes, and assembly of genes during development. Tn3R is the prototype of a family of closely related mobile genetic elements referred to as the class II or Tn3 family of transposons. Tn3 contains the genes encoding a transposase, β-lactamase, and a site-specific recombinase, Tn3 resolvase (Tn3R), that is responsible for the resolution of the cointe-grate, an intermediate in the transposition reaction. Tn3R is able to resolve in vitro supercoiled plasmids containing two 114 bp res sites in direct orientation into two smaller circular plasmids, each of them with a single res site. In this thesis, the solution properties of Tn3R were studied by sedimentation equilibrium (SE) and velocity (SV) analytical ultracentrifugation and small angle neutron scattering (SANS). Tn3R was found to be in a monomer-dimer self-association equilibrium, with a dissociation constant of kD1-2= 50 μM. SV and SANS demonstrated that the low-resolution conformation of dimeric Tn3R in solution is similar to that of γδ resolvase in the co-crystal structure by Yang and Steitz (1995), but with the DNA-binding domains in a rather extended conformation. In addition, equilibrium binding of Tn3R to the individual binding sites in res (sites I, II and III) was investigated by employing fluorescence anisotropy (FA) measurements. This revealed that site IIL (site II left end) and site III have the highest affinity for Tn3R, followed by site I, and finally by site HR (site II right end). The specificity of binding of Tn3R for non-specific DNA was assayed by competition experiments, where it was shown that the affinity of binding of Tn3R to site I is 1000 times higher than to non-specific sites. A new approach, involving a combination of rigid-body and ab initio modelling was developed for the study of the solution structure of macromolecules. At first, this approach was tested by applying it to the reconstruction of the low-resolution solution conformation of a DNA Holiday junction, based on small angle x-ray scattering and sedimentation velocity data. The scattering data were analysed in two independent ways: firstly, by rigid body modelling using previously suggested models for the Holliday junction (HJ), and secondly, by ab initio reconstruction methods. Sedimentation coefficients calculated for the models generated by both methods agreed with those determined experimentally and were compatible with the results of previous studies using different techniques, but provided a more direct and accurate determination of the solution conformation of the HJ. These results confirmed that addition of Mg2+ alters the conformation of the HJ from an extended to a stacked arrangement. The solution conformation of a stable protein-DNA complex formed by a mutant of Tn3R and DNA was studied by a similar approach. Hyperactive mutants of resolvase form a complex (X-synapse) containing two site I DNA fragments and a resolvase tetramer. The low-resolution solution structure of the purified, catalytically competent X-synapse was solved from small angle neutron and x-ray scattering data, by fitting the models constructed by rigid-body transformations of a published crystallographic structure of a resolvase dimer bound to site I to the data. This analysis revealed that the two site I fragments are on the outside of a resolvase tetramer core, and provided some information on the quaternary structure of the tetramer. Finally, the rigid-body modelling method was redesigned into a general systematic approach to retrieve the conformation of a macro molecule that simultaneously agrees with a range of experimental solution properties. In this method, generalised rigid-body modelling was combined with a Monte Carlo/simulated annealing optimisation method to search over a large range of possible conformations for the structure that best fits solution experimental properties derived from small angle scattering, fluorescence resonance energy transfer, and analytical ultracentrifugation datasets. This improved methodology was evaluated by applying it to two bulged DNA fragments with very different solution conformations.


Recent advances highlight the roles and mechanisms of the plant-specific VQ-motif-containing protein family in regulating stress and developmental processes. The VQ motif-containing proteins (designated as VQ proteins) are a class of plant-specific proteins with a conserved and single short FxxhVQxhTG amino acid sequence motif. VQ proteins regulate diverse developmental processes, including responses to biotic and abiotic stresses, seed development, and photomorphogenesis. In this Update, we summarize and discuss recent advances in our understanding of the regulation and function of VQ proteins and the role of the VQ motif in mediating transcriptional regulation and protein-protein interactions in signaling pathways. Based on the accumulated evidence, we propose a general mechanism of action for the VQ protein family, which likely defines a novel class of transcriptional regulators specific to plants.


The basic directions of optimization of drug help to senior citizens from the standpoint of rational use of medicines, taking into account the features of pharmacotherapy in these patients due to age-physiological processes in the body, polymorbidity, reduction of adaptation to the toxic effects of drugs, and the growing incidence of adverse side effects of drugs. The necessity to take into account these characteristics in the clinical trials of drugs, development of guidelines for their use, development standards or medical care, prescription drugs and establish a regime of receiving from therapists and professional counseling pharmacists by elderly patients when they contact the pharmacy organization is shown. The basic directions of organizational and pharmaceutical approaches for the rational use of drugs are discussed, the results of the analysis of information in the instructions for use are shown.


The drug-induced QT prolongation predisposes to development of torsades de pointes (TdP) ventricular tachycardia and sudden death. The association between specific drug and development of TdP is difficult to document, therefore, QT prolongation is considered as a surrogate marker of the proarrhythmia risk. Most of the drugs prolong QT interval usually by blocking the potassium IKr current or altering trafficking of proteins forming the channel. Improved understanding of ion channel structure and kinetics and its role in repolarization has tremendous impact on understanding of the mechanisms of drug-induced QT prolongation and TdP. Proarrhythmia caused by a QT-prolonging drug occurs infrequently, and usually multiple factors need to operate to precipitate such an event including a combination of two or more drugs affecting the same pathway, hypokalemia, and possibly genetic predisposition. ECG provides unique opportunity to ensure safety of administered therapy. QT measurement is the most routine approach to a drug safety monitoring, however, there are many challenges related to methodology of measurements, accuracy of measurements, or optimal heart rate correction. Since drugs affecting repolarization not only prolong QT but also they alter T wave morphology, novel computerized methods quantifying these changes are being developed to assist physicians and drug manufacturers in monitoring safety of the drugs. The response of a patient to a drug is very individual and therefore an individualized system of drug administration and monitoring needs to be developed, which takes into account baseline QTc duration and its changes after a drug was introduced. (Cardiol J 2007; 14: 523-533).


This paper presents a new approach for solving optimal control problems for switched systems. We focus on problems in which a prespecified sequence of active subsystems is given. For such problems, we need to seek both the optimal switching instants and the optimal continuous inputs. In order to search for the optimal switching instants, the derivatives of the optimal cost with respect to the switching instants need to be known. The most important contribution of the paper is a method which first transcribes an optimal control problem into an equivalent problem parameterized by the switching instants and then obtains the values of the derivatives based on the solution of a two point boundary value differential algebraic equation formed by the state, costate, stationarity equations, the boundary and continuity conditions, along with their differentiations. This method is applied to general switched linear quadratic problems and an efficient method based on the solution of an initial value ordinary differential equation is developed. An extension of the method is also applied to problems with internally forced switching. Examples are shown to illustrate the results in the paper.


Significance The exponential growth of research utilizing functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) systems has led to the emergence of modular fNIRS systems composed of repeating optical source/detector modules. Compared to conventional fNIRS systems, modular fNIRS systems are more compact and flexible, making wearable and long-time monitoring possible. However, the large number of design parameters makes designing a modular probe a daunting task. Aim We aim to create a systematic software platform to facilitate the design, characterization, and comparison of modular fNIRS probes. Approach Our algorithm automatically tessellates any region-of-interest using user-specified module design parameters and outputs performance metrics such as spatial channel distributions, average brain sensitivity, and sampling rate estimates of the resulting probe. Automated algorithms for spatial coverage, orientation, and routing of repeated modules are also developed. Results We developed a software platform to help explore a wide range of modular probe features and quantify their performances. We compare full-head probes using three different module shapes and highlight the trade-offs resulting from various module settings. Additionally, we show that one can apply this workflow to improve existing modular probes without needing to re-design or re-manufacture them. Conclusion Our flexible modular probe design platform shows promise in optimizing existing modular probes and investigating future modular designs.


Objective To design a clinical guideline for the emergency management of retained button batteries (RBBs) through analysis of UK National Health Service hospital guidelines and published literature. Method 49 acute hospitals were contacted, and their guidelines were analysed. A consensus guideline was then created with multidisciplinary input. The final guideline was independently peer reviewed by the British Association of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery (ENT UK) clinical guidelines committee. Results 40 (82%) trusts responded. 28 had a guideline for the management of a RBB in the aerodigestive tract. Significant variation between guidelines assessment, investigation and management of a RBB was identified. Conclusion A single-page guideline was designed to improve frontline healthcare professional's immediate investigation and management of a RBB on presentation to emergency care. This has been published by ENT UK as a clinical guideline.


Cyanoacetaldehyde (NC-CH2CH=O) and its isomer, cyanovinylalcohol (NC-CH=CH-OH), as possible components of the interstellar medium, comets, or planetary atmospheres, exist in equilibrium in the gas phase, although the latter compound is very much in the minority (2%). The recording and analysis of the gas-phase infrared spectrum of the former compound within the 4000-500 cm(-1) spectroscopic range and the potential presence of the latter isomer, which could be vital for their detection in these media, are reported. CCSD(T) and G4 high-level ab initio methods, as well as density functional theory calculations, predict the existence of two stable rotamers of cyanoacetaldehyde. The global minimum has a structure with an unusual O-C-C-C dihedral angle (150°) that falls between the antiperiplanar (180°) and anticlinal forms (120°). The second rotamer, which is about 4.0 kJ mol(-1) less stable in terms of free energy, has a planar structure that corresponds to the synperiplanar form (O-C-C-C dihedral angle: 0°). The absorption vibrational bands of the two aldehyde rotamers that are present in the mixture lead to a spectrum with a very complex structure in the region of deformation movements, in which several low-intensity bands overlap. A complete and unambiguous assignment of the experimental spectrum has been achieved by using the calculated harmonic and anharmonic vibrational frequencies.


Ixoras (Ixora L.) growing in calcareous sandy soils are highly susceptible to a reddish leaf spot disorder. Symptoms appear on the oldest leaves of a shoot and consist of irregular diffuse brownish-red blotches on slightly chlorotic leaves. Symptoms of K deficiency, P deficiency, and both K and P deficiency were induced in container-grown Ixora 'Nora Grant' by withholding the appropriate element from the fertilization regime. Potassiumdeficient ixoras showed sharply delimited necrotic spotting on the oldest leaves, were stunted in overall size, and retained fewer leaves per shoot than control plants. Phosphorus-deficient plants showed no spotting, but had uniformly brownish-red older leaves and olive-green younger foliage. Plants deficient in both elements displayed symptoms similar to those observed on landscape plants. Symptomatic experimental and landscape ixoras all had low foliar concentrations of both K and P.


The experimental fault-tolerant memory system described in this paper has been designed to enable the modular addition of spares, to validate the theoretical fault-secure and self-testing properties of the translator/corrector, to provide a basis for experiments using the new testing and correction processes for recovery, and to determine the practicality of such systems. The hardware design and implementation are described, together with methods of fault insertion. The hardware/ software interface, including a restricted single error correction/double error detection (SEC/DED) code, is specified. Procedures are carefully described which, 1) test for specified physical faults, 2) ensure that single error corrections are not miscorrections due to triple faults, and 3) enable recovery from double errors.


This short essay makes a general point about criminal law by making a specific point about the American Law Institute's debates regarding affirmative-consent requirements in sexual assault law. Last spring, the ALI fought a floor battle over the core difficulty of affirmative-consent provisions — their reliance on objective definitions of "consent." Rejecting the recommendation of its reporters, the Institute adopted a subjective definition of "consent," focusing on whether the partner was "willing" to engage in the sexual activity in question. Without any change in proposed statutory language, the reporters' latest draft commentary signals an approach that would undermine the Institute's preference for a subjective definition of consent. The mechanism is a reversal of the reporters' previous position on the intoxication defense. That reversal would return to the reporters' preferred, objective approach to "consent" in the large percentage of cases in which the accused is intoxicated.


Laser Doppler (LD) flux and transcutaneous oxygen tension (TcPO2) were measured in supine and sitting position at the dorsum of the foot with local skin temperature of 37 degrees C and 44 degrees C in 50 patients with stage IIb of chronic peripheral arterial occlusive disease (CPAOD) and in 30 healthy controls. The statistical analysis showed no significant differences between patients and controls in the supine and sitting position at 37 degrees C. A lower increase of LD- flux and TcPO2 could be noticed during hyperthermia and reactive hyperaemia in the patients group as well as a significant prolongation of oxygen (ORT) and flux reappearance time, of postocclusion time to peak flux and oxygen peak, of postocclusion time to half of peak flux and oxygen peak and of time to flux restoration at preocclusion levels (FTMAX) during reactive hyperaemia test. FTMAX and ORT allowed a clear separation between patients and controls and exhibited a high reproducibility. A regression analysis equation was derived with the most significant parameters indicating the presence and the severity of the disease. Moreover, the estimated time parameters of LD - flux and TcPO2 were correlated with the US - Doppler ankle systolic blood pressure indices and therefore with the impairment of the macrocirculation. In summary, we find that skin perfusion in patients with intermittent claudication is not different from normal subjects under basal conditions. However, maximal perfusion is reduced and the time to peak perfusion after a provocative stimulus is delayed.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


Purpose: To describe a specific imaging pattern of hepatic fatty change typical of diabetic patients on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) treated with intraperitoneal (i.p.) insulin. Material and Methods: Liver ultrasound was applied in 16 CAPD patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. Presence of hepatic subcapsular steatosis and maximum thickness of the fatty layer were recorded. Liver MR examination was made of 1 patient found to have extensive subcapsular steatosis. Results: Hepatic ultrasound revealed a typical pattern of subcapsular steatosis ("coating-of-fat") in 7/8 patients treated with i.p. insulin. None (0/8) of the diabetic CAPD patients treated with subcutaneous insulin had subcapsular steatosis. Conclusion: Hepatic subcapsular steatosis is specific to CAPD patients on i.p. insulin treatment. To our knowledge this is the first report to describe imaging findings in this particular form of hepatic fatty change.


This study investigated and compared the effects of active and passive warm-up on oral temperature and cardiovascular parameters of forty (20 males and 20 females) apparently healthy undergraduates. Subjects whose mean age was 22.6±1.37years acted as their own controls. During active warm-up (AWU) subjects rode on an unloaded bicycle ergometer for 15 minutes while they received infra-red radiation to the lower extremities for 15 minutes during passive warm-up (PWU). Oral temperature (OT) and cardiovascular parameters of systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), heart rate (HR) and ratepressure product (RPP) were measured before and after each type of warm-up. The data were summarized using mean and standard deviation and further analyzed using independent (unpaired) t-test with a set at 0.05.Results showed that there were no significant differences between pre- and post PWU cardiovascular parameters of the subjects. In contrast, significant differences were observed between the pre- and post- AWU cardiovascular parameters of the subjects. However, oral temperature responses to both AWU and PWU were statistically significant. Further, the responses (mean changes) of HR, SBP and RPP to AWU were significantly different. There were also no significant differences between the responses of male and female subjects to either AWU or PWU. Due to the significant increases in HR, SPB and RPP following AWU it was suggested that care should be taken when including AWU in treatment programmes of patients with or suspected of having cardiovascular problems.


A new and highly sensitive fluorimetric assay for hexokinase (HK) isoenzymes which requires only 5 μg. of tissue protein is described. This assay has been used to examine the alterations in the HK isoenzymes of rat skeletal muscle and adipose tissue under a variety of physiologic conditions. In both tissues, HK-II declined progressively with increasing age, reaching plateau levels in animals larger than 300 gm., whereas HK-I remained constant. HK-II activity decreased markedly in both tissues of young rats after a twenty-four to forty-eight hour fast and was restored after two days of refeeding. HK-I was not affected by the fasting-refeeding regimen. In older rats (300 gm.), adipose tissue HK-II did not fall during fasting but exhibited a significant rise when refeeding was instituted. "Pulsing" the fasted rat with periodic episodes of hyperglycemia (0.5 gm. glucose intraperitoneally every eight hours) did not prevent the fall in HK-II during fasting or restore HK-II activity in the two day fasted animal. Approximately 50 per cent of HK-I, but little or none of HK-II, is bound to subcellular organelles in skeletal muscle. In adipose tissue, however, about one-third of the HK-II and insignificant amounts of HK-I are in the bound form. Ratios of bound to free HK are not altered during aging, but HK-II binding in adipose tissue is decreased during refeeding. Normal mice exhibited a decrease in both adipose tissue HK isoenzymes with aging. Adipose tissue of sixteen week old obese hyperglycemic mice (obob) has lower HK-II and higher HK-I activity than that of normal litter mates, but no differences were detected in obob and normal mice at five weeks of age. The changes in muscle and adipose tissue HK-II activity associated with aging and fasting-refeeding parallel the known changes in insulin sensitivity of these tissues under comparable conditions.


Describing the justices of the Supreme Court as 'liberals' and 'conservatives' has become so standard — and the left-right division on the Court is considered so entrenched — that any deviation from that pattern is treated with surprise. Attentive Court watchers know that the justices are not just politicians in robes, deciding each case on a purely ideological basis. Yet the increasingly influential empirical legal studies literature assumes just that — that a left-right ideological dimension fully describes the Supreme Court. We show that there is a second, more legally-focused dimension of judicial decision-making. A continuum between legalism and pragmatism also divides the justices, in ways that cuts against ideological preferences. The second dimension is systematic and significant, occurring in multiple different legal areas, and in consistent patterns. Seen in this way, the justices and their decisions can be understood in more complex terms, not just as ideological flag bearers, but as jurists who regularly have to choose between legal methodology and outcome preferences. In two dimensions, different patterns of coalitions emerge: in the second dimension, it is the Chief Justice and Justice Sotomayor, not Justice Kennedy, who sit at the median of the Court, and decide the balance of power.


This paper has examined some recent findings concerning the processing of fully dense hetero-nanostructured materials (i.e. consisting of nano, ultrafine and micrometric grains) which can be produced by using the interplay between heavy deformation and recrystallization. By plastic deformation of bulk materials, an improved strength/ductility balance can be obtained directly by imparting high strain deformation (by ECAE) until the occurrence of recrystallization. Using a powder metallurgy route, the strong potential of electric field assisted sintering (ECAS) for producing multi-scale microstructures when a milled powder is used is also demonstrated. In this case, in addition to modify the classic processing parameters (time/temperature of ECAS), altering the nature of the milled powder - by Y2O3 addition during the milling stage - is also a good way to delay the onset of recrystallization and, thereby, increase the fraction of ultrafine grains.


BACKGROUND
The study consisted of two phases. The first phase involved analysis of the variability in the rates of changing doctor recorded in the Areas of Insalud in the first two years after Royal Decree 1575/93 came into effect, pinpointing some of the factors that might explain this variability. The second phase describes the profile of the citizens who voluntarily changed their General Practitioner in a Health Area, and the possible reasons for doing so.

METHODS
A simple correlation is made between the accumulated rates of G.P. change in the Areas (voluntarily and owing to a change of address) and certain variables that were presumably associated with this, together with a systematic sampling of the voluntary changes recorded in Area 5 Madrid, for the first three-monthly period in 1994, and a description of the characteristics of both the patients involved and their former doctors.

RESULTS
The two-yearly rates of voluntary change in Areas (1.73-18.87 changes for every 100 cards) are correlated with the following variables: lower ageing of the population, number of inhabitants/doctor, frequency of visits, proportion of evening surgeries and population concentration on the Area. These last three variables are also correlated with the rates of change of address in the Areas (0.62-7.35 changes for every 100 cards). By contrast, no correlation was to be found between the two rates of change, neither was there any correlation between them and the extension of the cover through Primary Aid Teams. Those who requested to change doctors in the Area studied, were differentiated from the rest of the population in the Area because of their age (there was a larger number of elderly people and less adults than were expected) and zone of residence (more urban and less rural). Most of the patients did not change the model but did change their surgery visiting hours (the tended to change to the evening surgery), but these latter differences where not statistically significant.

CONCLUSIONS
The rate for changing one's G.P. in the Areas, bears no relationship to the setting up of Health Centres, but rather with factors that are present in the urban Areas (population concentration and an increase in the offers of assistance), which were conducive to the use of the new legislation by citizens, especially those who are users of the services.


Abstract. The distribution and dynamics of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and dissolved
combined neutral sugars (DCNS) were studied across an increasing oligotrophic
gradient (18 to 22∘ S latitude) in the tropical South Pacific Ocean,
spanning from the Melanesian Archipelago (MA) area to the western part of the
South Pacific gyre (WGY), in austral summer as a part of the OUTPACE
project. Our results show that DOC and DCNS concentrations exhibited no
statistical differences between the MA and WGY areas (0–200 m:
47–81 µM C for DOC and 0.2-4.2 µM C for DCNS). However,
due to a deepening of the euphotic zone, a deeper penetration of DOC was
noticeable at 150 m of depth at the WGY area. Excess DOC (DOCEX)
was determined as the difference between surface and deep-sea DOC values, and
euphotic zone integrated stocks of both DOC and DOCEX were higher
in the WGY than the MA area. Considering DOCEX as representative
of semi-labile DOC (DOCSL), its residence time was calculated
as the ratio of DOCSL to bacterial carbon demand (BCD). This
residence time was 176±43 days (n=3) in the WGY area, about 3 times
longer than in the MA area (Tr=51±13 days, n=8), suggesting
an accumulation of semi-labile dissolved organic matter (DOM) in the
surface waters of WGY. Average epipelagic (0–200 m) DCNS yields
(DCNS × DOC−1) based on volumetric data were roughly similar
in both areas, accounting for ∼2.8 % of DOC. DCNS exhibited
a longer residence time in WGY (Tr=91±41 days, n=3) than
in MA (Tr=31±10 days, n=8), further suggesting that this DCNS
pool persists longer in the surface waters of the WGY. The accumulation of
DOCEX in the surface waters of WGY is probably due to very
slow bacterial degradation due to nutrient and/or energy limitation of heterotrophic
prokaryotes, indicating that biologically produced DOC can be stored in the
euphotic layer of the South Pacific gyre for a long period.


Background: Men, more than 50 years of age, have a higher incidence of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), and this increases with the advancing age. The prevalence of LUTS varies in different geographical areas across the world, and studies have reported that LUTS in men may significantly affect the quality of life (QoL) and influence their health-seeking behavior. Early detection of LUTS is essential as it is related to several complications. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of LUTS and factors associated with LUTS and health-seeking behavior. Methods: We interviewed 201 men (>50 years) attending two urban primary care clinics in Bangalore using the IPSS questionnaire and calculated the prevalence of LUTS. Factors associated with LUTS and health seeking-behavior were tested using the Chi-square test. A P-value less than 0.05 was considered as significant. Results: The prevalence of LUTS was 85%. LUTS was significantly associated with those having diabetes and those consuming more than two cups of tea per day. The most common symptom was nocturia (85.4%) and a weak stream (35.0%). Moderate and severe LUTS were significantly associated with poor QoL score (P < 0.0001). Only 9.3% of the men sought medical help in spite of their symptoms, and the most common reason for seeking health care was the disturbance they had due to the urinary symptoms (81.3%). Conclusions: Family physicians should be aware that a significant proportion of the men in the age group of 50 years suffer from LUTS, and eliciting the same is essential during the process of consultation.


Choice of law can, and often should, be an important feature of an autonomy-enhancing law as it expands the possible frameworks within which people can govern their affairs. The theory of choice of law we develop in this article builds on three core notions that dominate existing doctrine: states, party autonomy and what we loosely refer to as 'limitations'; but it releases choice of law from its subordination to private international law (or its interstate equivalent in federal contexts). As a free-standing concept, choice of law belongs to private law's empowering sections and thus participates in the obligation of liberal states to proactively promote people's self-determination. This foundation of the field refines its three fundamental notions in a way that facilitates their peaceable cohabitation. It also recalibrates the boundaries of choice-of-law doctrine, clarifies its prescriptions and offers grounds for its reform.


Routing security is a major concerned in Wireless Sensor Network since a large scale of unattended nodes is deployed in ad hoc fashion with no possibility of a global addressing due to a limitation of node's memory and the node have to be self organizing when the systems require a connection with the other nodes. It becomes more challenging when the nodes have to act as the router and tightly constrained on energy and computational capabilities where any existing security mechanisms are not allowed to be fitted directly. These reasons thus increasing vulnerabilities to the network layer particularly and to the whole network, generally. In this paper, a Dynamic Window Secured Implicit Geographic Forwarding (DWSIGF) routing is presented where a dynamic time is used for collection window to collect Clear to Send (CTS) control packet in order to find an appropriate hoping node. The DWIGF is expected to minimize a chance to select an attacker as the hoping node that caused by a blackhole attack that happen because of the CTS rushing attack, which promise a good network performance with high packet delivery ratios.


Human induced range expansions of invasive dreissenid bivalves are of great concern. However, the underlying biological processes are only poorly understood, partly due to the lack of information on natural expansion events. Here we use the extinct bivalve species Sinucongeria primiformis as a model organism for testing natural (i.e. pre-Anthropocene) blooms of dreissenid species in a lacustrine system of Lake Pannon during the Tortonian (~ 10.5 Myr; late Miocene). A total of 600 samples from a consecutive core were evaluated for the relative abundance of this pavement-forming mollusc, which cover about eight millennia of late Miocene time with a decadal resolution. Our data indicate that the settlement by bivalves in the offshore environment was limited mainly by bottom water oxygenation, which follows predictable and repetitive patterns through time. These population fluctuations might be related to solar cycles: successful dreissenid settlement is recurring in a frequency known as the lower and upper Gleissberg cycles with 50–80 and 90–120 yr periods. These cycles appear to control regional wind patterns, which are directly linked to water mixing of the lake. This is modulated by the even more prominent 500 yr cycle, which seems to be the most important pacemaker for Lake Pannon hydrology.


ABSTRACT Numerous police services in both Canada and the United States offer High School Resource Officer (HSRO) programs despite a paucity of research on the effectiveness of such programs. As such, this article reviews the theoretical basis for these programs and presents the results of a longitudinal multi-method evaluation of a Canadian HSRO Program. Results of the evaluation indicate a number of interesting trends, including the finding that: school staff are generally more positive about the program than are students, respondents from schools without the program in its first year rated it as less effective at reducing crime once they had the program as compared to when they did not, and longer exposure to the program did not result in improved ratings of it. Study limitations and directions for future research are discussed within the context of improving the effectiveness of HSRO programs. Placing High School Resource Officers (HSROs) in secondary schools began in Liverpool, England in 1951 (Bond, 2001). Since then HSRO Programs have burgeoned, expanding to both the United States and Canada. It may be argued that the placing of these police officers in secondary schools, within the context of HSRO programs, is in keeping with a community policing philosophy that views the identification and resolution of crime as the shared responsibility of police and the community and the work of police officers as encompassing both reactive and proactive components (McKenna, 2000). Accordingly, police officers work in collaboration with communities to ameliorate conditions that contribute to crime and schools constitute communities within which police officers and other stakeholders (i.e., students, parents and educators) can work collaboratively to address local issues. Given the above, it is important to note that a key tenet of community policing is that police engage in crime prevention. As such, an outcome of predicating police work on a community policing philosophy is that policing becomes inherently intelligence-led. Intelligence-led policing encompasses gathering and analyzing information to guide tactical decisions (Parkinson, 2002). It may be argued, therefore, that the primary benefit of the work done by HSROs in school communities is, in theory, that it is proactive rather than reactive. That is, the HSROs serve as information resources and intelligence gatherers and use intelligence to detect and prevent crime. Despite the proliferation of HSRO programs, there is a dearth of empirical research evaluating the effectiveness of such programs. The few studies that have been conducted to date come from the United States and suggest that such programs can contribute to creating a safer learning environment. Goggins, Newman, Waechter, and Williams (1994), for example, found that perceptions of police officers in schools in Akron, Ohio were very positive. Specifically, this study found that police were viewed as making a significant contribution to creating a safer school environment although different stakeholder groups varied in the extent to which they viewed the program favourably, with school administrators viewing the program more favourably than did teachers, counsellors, and students. Similarly, Humphrey and Huey's (2001) longitudinal study of the impact of a HSRO Program in nine New Hampshire schools revealed that the Program was beneficial in that it contributed to an improved school environment, changed the behavioural patterns of students (e.g., weapons carried to school on fewer days), and resulted in more favourable attitudes toward police officers. While these studies provide some insight into the benefits of HSRO programs, they are nevertheless limited by their mono-method bias and the absence of a comprehensive articulated program theory against which findings can be compared to determine program effectiveness. The present article reports on the effectiveness of a HSRO Program using a longitudinal multi-method approach that is predicated on its program theory, that is, the stated goals and objectives of the program. …


To make some advances in international criminology, one needs to face that, historically, criminological knowledge has often been used to support colonial and authoritarian rule and acknowledge that international criminologists operate by and large in a culturally ill-informed vacuum in which a "universal" validity of Western theories is taken for granted. Starting from Edward Said's famous critique of the "orientalism" of Western academics, an investigation is needed on how current cultural anthropological debates on cultural landscapes and cosmopolitan identities could help overcome this problem. The main scholarly debates in non-Western and counter-colonial criminology set a dialogue between perspectives elaborated by Global North scholars and viewpoints proposed by authors working in a variety of Global South regions. It constitutes, in this regard, a contribution to decolonize and globalize international criminology debates because it considers voices and visions all too frequently overlooked by the extant English-speaking literature. In addition, a nexus is set between current developments in this academic field and viewpoints put forth by critical criminology authors decades ago. It is argued that a culturally informed international criminology is not based on humanitarian do-gooderism or shame over a colonial past, rather, it is fundamental if criminologists are to understand the world around us and the "glocal" questions that confront the field.


MOTIVATION
Amino acid sequence alignments are widely used in the analysis of protein structure, function and evolutionary relationships. Proteins within a superfamily usually share the same fold and possess related functions. These structural and functional constraints are reflected in the alignment conservation patterns. Positions of functional and/or structural importance tend to be more conserved. Conserved positions are usually clustered in distinct motifs surrounded by sequence segments of low conservation. Poorly conserved regions might also arise from the imperfections in multiple alignment algorithms and thus indicate possible alignment errors. Quantification of conservation by attributing a conservation index to each aligned position makes motif detection more convenient. Mapping these conservation indices onto a protein spatial structure helps to visualize spatial conservation features of the molecule and to predict functionally and/or structurally important sites. Analysis of conservation indices could be a useful tool in detection of potentially misaligned regions and will aid in improvement of multiple alignments.

RESULTS
We developed a program to calculate a conservation index at each position in a multiple sequence alignment using several methods. Namely, amino acid frequencies at each position are estimated and the conservation index is calculated from these frequencies. We utilize both unweighted frequencies and frequencies weighted using two different strategies. Three conceptually different approaches (entropy-based, variance-based and matrix score-based) are implemented in the algorithm to define the conservation index. Calculating conservation indices for 35522 positions in 284 alignments from SMART database we demonstrate that different methods result in highly correlated (correlation coefficient more than 0.85) conservation indices. Conservation indices show statistically significant correlation between sequentially adjacent positions i and i + j, where j < 13, and averaging of the indices over the window of three positions is optimal for motif detection. Positions with gaps display substantially lower conservation properties. We compare conservation properties of the SMART alignments or FSSP structural alignments to those of the ClustalW alignments. The results suggest that conservation indices should be a valuable tool of alignment quality assessment and might be used as an objective function for refinement of multiple alignments.

AVAILABILITY
The C code of the AL2CO program and its pre-compiled versions for several platforms as well as the details of the analysis are freely available at ftp://iole.swmed.edu/pub/al2co/.


Student and protege of Sigmund Freud, Helene Deutsch was one of the most influential psychoanalysts of her time. An early woman analyst, Deutsch was an ardent feminist and a leading proponent of Freud's controversial theories about the psychology of women. Deutsch was also one of the first prominent career women to combine a professional life with motherhood-even though she never resolved her own conflicts over those contradictory demands. At the time of her death in 1982 at the age of 97, Helene Deutsch was the last survivior of Freud's original circle from Vienna. This volume is a definitive account of the life and works of this remarkable-and enigmatic-woman. The author knew Deutsch personally and was given exclusive access to her papers after her death. The private life of Helene Deutsch was as unconventional as her professional life. While Felix Deutsch, a physician who specialized in psychosomatic medicine, was to remain her husband for fifty years and father her son, Martin, their relationship was highly eccentric. Roazen produces evidence that indicates Felix Deutsch may have been homosexual; also that their son was raised primarily by Felix, as Helene was more interested in her career than was Felix in his, and the Deutsches often lived continents apart. With the rise of Nazism, Helene Deutsch departed in 1935 for America She was welcomed in Cambridge, Massachusetts by the Boston Psychoanalytic Society and was made director of the Society's new institute for the training of analysts. Her two-volume "The Psychology of Women, "published in 1945, remains one of the foundations of modern analysis. Roazen's biography is an authoritative portrait of a pioneer of psychoanalysis, and one of the unique women of her day. It will be of interest to psychoanalysts, cultural historians, and specialists in women's studies.


We study the incentive to invest to improve marriage prospects, in a frictionless marriage market with non-transferable utility. Stochastic returns to investment eliminate the multiplicity of equilibria in models with deterministic returns, and a unique equilibrium exists under reasonable conditions. Equilibrium investment is efficient when the sexes are symmetric. However, when there is any asymmetry, including an unbalanced sex ratio, investments are generically excessive. For example, if there is an excess of boys, then there is parental over-investment in boys and under-investment in girls, and total investment will be excessive.


The progress from the theoretical and experimental aspects in neutrino physics shines light into neutrino physics as well as in astrophysics. It is known that when neutrinos pass through a medium, the neutrinos interact with electrons before emerging from the stars with an effective potential energy produced due to coherent forward scatterings that occurred in the medium. This potential engenders significant changes in the neutrino masses and their mixing in the medium. Thus electron neutrinos would oscillate into different mass eigenstate and this is dependent on the energy of the neutrinos. Some of the energy will be lost in the coherent scattering with the electrons by the charged current interaction. We have calculated the energy loss of the neutrinos by using a stopping power equation for both rotating and non‐rotating 20 M⊙ and 40 M⊙ stars. The total energy loss of neutrinos depends on the electron density in the stars and on the survival probability of the electron neutrino. For high electron densi...


Behind the numbers

What should primary care doctors do about screening for alcohol problems? Beich and colleagues (p 590) seem to have provided the answer: Nothing. Some will consider their results authoritative and conclude these activities are ineffective in general practice. But as with all systematic reviews and meta-analyses, there can be devils in the details.

Beich et al have addressed a clinically important question: "How effective is screening in general practice for identifying drinkers who can and do benefit from brief intervention?" The most trustworthy answer would come from a randomized controlled trial of screening and brief intervention compared with no systematic screening or intervention, but no such studies exist.1 The results of such a trial would provide a direct measurement of the number needed to screen (NNS) to benefit one patient.2 In the absence of studies evaluating such direct evidence, reviewers are forced to examine and link separate bodies of evidence (Is the screening test accurate? How effective is the intervention?). With the …


sensitive radioimmunoassays for serum TSH, total T3, and T4 have been developed in recent years. Compared with previous in vitro methods, these offer considerable advantages for the diagnosis of thyroid status in paediatric practice. They require only small sample volumes (100 pl for TSH, 25 p.l for T3 and T4), no preliminary extraction, and the thyroid hormone assays can be completed within a working day. In the T4 and T3 assays, bound hormones are displaced from serum binding proteins by 8-anilino-1-naphthalene sulphonic acid. Raised TSH (<20 ,uU/100 ml) with reduced T4/T3 ratios, are characteristic of childhood hypothyroidism. TSH and T4 assays are valuable in the diagnosis of hypothyroidism in infancy when the accurate assessment of bone age may be difficult. In hyperthyroidism, T4 and T3 levels are raised, but fall to normal within 3 months when the condition is secondary to maternal thyrotoxicosis. In the normal neonate, the TSH level rises rapidly within minutes of birth and is associated with marked increments in T3 and smaller increases in T4 levels during the first week of life. It is not yet clear whether the spurt ofTSH release is related to the low T3 levels in cord blood.


Summary

The development of temporary and permanent broad-band seismic arrays reinforces the need for advanced interpretation techniques in surface-wave analysis. We present a new method based on 2-D paraxial ray theory of inverting teleseismic surface-wave phase information and constructing phase velocity maps on a regional scale. Measurements of local phase velocities and propagation directions of Rayleigh waves taken from full waveform synthetic seismograms are used to validate the ray theory for smooth structures on a regional scale. Curved wavefronts created by heterogeneous structure outside the study area are taken into account through joint inversion for the phase velocity field and the shape of the incoming wavefronts. In the forward ray tracing procedure, the curved wavefronts are introduced through the boundary conditions by equating the slowness vector of the ray at the edge of the study region with the known gradient of the arrival time of the wave. To make the inverse problem non-singular we constrain the parameters in the inversion primarily by applying a smoothness criteria on the velocity field and on the incoming wave-field. Inversions of synthetic data sets computed by direct ray tracing and by full waveform modelling show that for 100 km spacing between stations the minimum size of structure that we can image is approximately 150 km. Heterogeneities with a size approximately equal to the wavelength are reconstructed by the ray-based inversion even though velocity variations are underestimated due to the wave-field smoothing of the structures. A minimum signal-to-noise ratio of 3.5 is necessary in order to correctly retrieve the phase velocity field. Inversion of a subset of the SVEKALAPKO data for 60 s period demonstrates the applicability of the method on real data.


A novel strategy for rapidly distinguishing healthy Tegillarca granosa samples from among those subjected to unspecified heavy metal contamination is here introduced using an infrared spectroscopy approach. Heavy metal contamination in ocean environments is complex, and using the common traditional multi-class classification model for heavy metal analysis is fraught with uncertainty due to the limited reference information available for classifier training. Therefore, the combination of the traditional classification model and infrared spectroscopy is incapable of identifying healthy Tegillarca granosa from among those contaminated with unspecified heavy metals. Identification of healthy Tegillarca granosa is considered as a one-class problem, and the spectral data of healthy Tegillarca granosa were considered as a specific type of information used for training. The data description boundary was determined; a one-classifier assigns a test sample to that class according to whether it falls within (healthy samples) or outside (heavy metal contaminated samples) the boundary. In order to reduce the spectral dimension, component factors were extracted to eliminate redundant spectral variables from projection processing. The performance of different preprocessing methods, including standard normal variate, first derivative, second derivative, and standard normal variate-first derivative, was compared. Three one-class models using whole spectra and component factors were developed, including the support vector data description classifier, Parzen data description classifier, and K-means data description classifier. The K-means data description classifier combined with standard normal variate, standard normal variate-first derivative preprocessed spectra and component factors showed optimal prediction results, and a sensitivity of 100%, a specificity of 91.60% and a prediction accuracy of 99.17% were achieved. Furthermore, the proposed strategy can allow healthy samples to be distinguished from those with unspecified contamination such as organic substance contamination.


Aim: Tooth mobility has always been a monumental factor in determining the prognosis of a tooth. There are no indices that link the etiology, grade of mobility, and radiographic appearance with treatment options for mobile teeth. This particular article aims to overcome the oversight and bring in a scoring system that incorporates all the above mentioned components. Materials and Methods: Previously existing index for tooth mobility has been modified (G Score) to make it more defined numerically and clinically, and it has been combined with indices for etiology (E Score) of tooth mobility and radiographic appearance (R Score) of mobile teeth. The Grading Etiology Radiographic appearance (GER) scores have then been allied with a combination of treatment methods (T Score) to get the Grading Etiology Radiographic appearance Treatment (GERT) index. Results: The index that results from this combination is one that encompasses the factors that determine the prognosis and treatment aspects of a mobile tooth. The index given in this article takes into consideration the components that contribute to the diagnosis of the etiology of tooth mobility such the clinical presentation and the radiographic appearance. The grade of mobility has been modified to allow for precise numerical assessment of mobility. Thus, the treatment plan proposed considers the basic cause for the mobility and the comprehensive treatment modality for the same. Conclusion: Although the index appears elaborate, once mastered, it would pave the way for a thorough treatment planning for mobile teeth and efficient execution of the treatment plan.


Biomass-based aldehydes, especially the sugar-derived furfural (FF), 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), and lignin-derived vanillin, are abundant and renewable, but their downstream applications often require further catalytic upgrading into chain-extended intermediates for the production of useful biofuels and renewable materials. This review article focuses on the catalytic upgrading processes that involve C–C bond forming, chain-extension coupling reactions of FF, HMF, and vanillin, as well as subsequent transformations of the resulting intermediates into value-added biofuels and polymeric materials. The topics are organized according to the three major types of the catalysts commonly employed for such upgrading and transformations: organic catalysts, metal-based catalysts, and recyclable supported catalysts.


In modern biomedical research aimed at finding methods for early diagnosis of cancer, microarrays containing certain biological information about patients are used. Based on these data, patients are assigned to one of two classes, corresponding to the presence and absence of some diagnosis. When solving this problem, one of the steps that have a decisive influence on the quality of classification is the significant features selection. This paper proposes a criterion for the selection of significant features, based on the ledge-coefficient of correlation. The ledge-coefficient was previously used to estimate the degree of interrelation of numerical and binary features. For two sets of microarray data, comparative examples of their binary classification are presented using three feature selection algorithms, three dimensionality reduction methods, six classification models. The use of the ledge-criterion for feature selection made it possible to obtain a classification quality comparable to the results of using common methods of feature selection, such as t-test and U-test. For the data set of the peptide microarrays considered in the paper, the effectiveness of applying the projection method to latent structures had previously been identified. The use of this method in combination with the significant features' selection using the ledge-criterion made it possible to obtain a higher classification quality measure.


Modern educational institutions require qualified teachers who can provide the educational services of proper level. The problem of providing educational institutions with pedagogical staff has been relevant for a long time, till nowadays. It can be solved by a consecutive marketing program, elements of which can be found on the school websites. The author carried out a general analysis of the websites of Ukrainian schools (both public and private ones) and concluded that there is a solid lack of information, which should be aimed specifically for young graduates. The author believes that during the process of development of marketing program, the governance of schools ought to orientate it not only based on necessities of consumers of educational services, but also made it suitable for teachers who in future can apply for work in these institutions. According to the author, the pages of websites devoted to the personnel policy of schools should also contain the requirements to the possible candidates for vacant places in these institutions. It is also important to place the information about working conditions - material and technical support of the educational institution. This will allow young specialists to make conclusions about the possibility of realizing their knowledge and practical skills. The author believes that young specialists are interested in the information concerning the projects in which an educational institution is involved. Such information indicates the level of development of the institution and possible perspectives for its employees. The author suggests the use of the "reverse" orientation of the marketing activities of the school regarding employees, which will encourage its attractiveness for young professionals, and will also help the educational sphere in its competition for highly skilled workers.


The use of alternative fuels derived from residues in energy-intensive industries that rely on fossil fuels can cause considerable energy cost savings, but also significant environmental benefits by conserving non-renewable resources and reducing waste disposal. However, the switching from conventional to alternative fuels is challenging for industries, which require a sound understanding of the properties and combustion characteristics of the alternative fuel, in order to adequately adapt their industrial processes and equipment for its utilization. In this work, a solid recovered fuel (SRF) obtained from the polymeric fraction of an automotive shredder residue is tested for use as an alternative fuel for scrap preheating in an aluminium refinery. The material and chemical composition of the SRF has been extensively characterized using proximate and ultimate analyses, calorific values and thermal degradation studies. Considering the calorific value and the chlorine and mercury contents measured, the SRF can be designated as class code NCV 1; Cl 2; Hg 2 (EN ISO 21640:2021). The combustion of the SRF was studied in a laboratory-scale pilot plant, where the effects of temperature, flow, and an oxidizer were determined. The ash remaining after combustion, the collected liquid, and the generated gas phase were analysed in each test. It was observed that increasing the residence time of the gas at a high temperature allowed for a better combustion of the SRF. The oxidizer type was important for increasing the total combustion of the vapour compounds generated during the oxidation of the SRF and for avoiding uncontrolled combustion.


Existing convolutional neural networks (CNNs) have achieved significant performance on various real-life tasks, but a large number of parameters in convolutional layers requires huge storage and computation resources which makes it difficult to deploy CNNs on memory-constraint embedded devices. In this paper, we propose a novel compression method that generates the convolution filters in each layer by combining a set of learnable low-dimensional binary filter bases. The proposed method designs more compact convolution filters by stacking the linear combinations of these filter bases. Because of binary filters, the compact filters can be represented using less number of bits so that the network can be highly compressed. Furthermore, we explore the sparsity of coefficient through L1-ball projection when conducting linear combination to avoid overfitting. In addition, we analyze the compression performance of the proposed method in detail. Evaluations on four benchmark datasets under VGG-16 and ResNet-18 structures show that the proposed method can achieve a higher compression ratio with comparable accuracy compared with the existing state-of-the-art filter decomposition and network quantization methods.


Background/aim: This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between the Trendelenburg position and cerebral hypoxia in robot-assisted hysterectomy and prostatectomy.Materials and methods: A standardized mini-mental state examination was administered to 50 patients enrolled in the study 1 h before and after surgery. Near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) values and hemodynamic and respiratory parameters were recorded after induction of anesthesia (baseline) and once every 20 min in the Trendelenburg position and supine positions. The relationship between the development of cerebral desaturation and the patient's position was examined. Results: For all patients, the baseline mean cerebral oxygen saturation (RSO2) on the right and left were 70.5 ± 7.3% and 70.6 ± 6.7%, respectively. Right RSO2 values at 20 min and 60 min in the Trendelenburg position decreased significantly, but they increased at 120 min. A significant positive correlation was found between right RSO2 and EtCO2 in the supine period following surgery, and between left RSO2 and EtCO2 at 60 min in the Trendelenburg and supine positions. The relationship between NIRS values and cognitive dysfunction was not significant.Conclusion: We found that cerebral saturation decreases as age increases, and cerebral desaturation may occur owing to the Trendelenburg position. There was no correlation between patients? cognitive function and NIRS values.


Income per capita differences have increased dramatically over the last fifty years. Many economists seem to recognize knowledge differences as the main factor in this worldwide economic performance divergence. Developing countries suffer significantly from lagging labour productivity and managerial efficiency related in part to the failure to adopt the latest technology or to update their labour force, and such an evidence has recently led to a huge debate about which channel is most effective in stimulating technology transfer and acquisition. In this paper we will review the policy tools that have been effective in reducing the international knowledge-gap between Developed and Developing countries, and the role played by institutional factors in accomplishing such an issue.


Treatment of thyrotoxicosis in pregnancy with antithyroid drugs plus supplementary T4 is controversial. Data are presented on twenty consecutive pregnancies treated by this method. The mean birth weights of the babies and their gestation did not differ from those of normal controls. Cord blood mean T4 and free T4 index (FT4I) were not significantly different from controls and total T3 and free T3 index (FT3I), though significantly lower than the controls, were all within the normal range. In five babies in whom they were measured, FT3, FT4 and rT3 levels were not significantly different from controls. Cord TSH was significantly higher in the babies of thyrotoxic mothers than in the control babies. One baby had a goitre at birth which disappeared after a few days. Another baby, born euthyroid, developed neonatal thyrotoxicosis the day after birth. Data collected from the literature on this method of treatment are compared with similar data from women treated with antithyroid drugs alone.


Abstract This paper presents empirical evidence for nonlinear relationship between education attainment and participation in political violence. The results are based on unweighted and weighted Probit estimations using a consolidated dataset of 200 militants and representative sample of over 13,000 Pakistanis. The results reveal that likelihood of participation in political violence increases with education attainment. However, the response of education attainment to political violence is diverse and those with education around high school are more likely to engage in political violence than any other level of education. At no level of education, the likelihood for participation in political violence is found to be negative. Hence, while political violence seems to be associated with literacy, there are noteworthy variations in the extent to which literacy affects political violence.


When determining interventions against threatening infectious diseases such as HIV-infection, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), smallpox and pandemic influenza, the use of mathematical models of the spread of infectious diseases is becoming increasingly popular. These models contribute to the structuring of the knowledge already available in various disciplines, to finding epidemiological connnections, to demonstrating lacunas within the pool of knowledge and to the comparison of the expected effects and costs of preventative and intervention measures. The use of models leads to a 'made-to-measure' analysis ofthe effects and costs of preventative and intervention measures which takes account of the specific characteristics of infectious diseases. The integration of knowledge from various disciplines can be supported by more research into the theoretical epidemiology of infectious disease and by better integration of mathematical models into policy development. The resulting and better foundations of this policy that are achieved by means of infectious disease modelling translate into more effective combating of infectious disease.


There exists substantial literature describing how the two motivational systems of promotion and prevention (Regulatory Focus Theory; Higgins, 1997) influence behaviour. However, the specific cognitive correlates of regulatory focus remain unclear. Furthermore, how regulatory focus may influence the course of cognitive aging is unknown. Experiment 1 compared healthy older and younger adults on Higgins' measure of self-discrepancy and explored relationships with cognition. Experiment 2 compared younger adults induced into either a promotion or prevention focus relative to a no-induction control condition on measures of cognition. The results from Experiment 1 revealed that while the magnitude of self-discrepancy remains constant across the lifespan, the evaluation and content of self goals changes with age. The results from Experiment 2 suggest that the effects of the regulatory focus induction are limited but specific to particular aspects of memory and perception. Overall, these findings may contribute to our understanding of aging and motivated cognition.


Objective: Chronic postthoracotomy pain (CPTP) is a persistent, occasionally debilitating pain lasting >2 months following thoracic surgery. This study investigates for the first time the prevalence and clinical impact of CPTP in patients who have undergone a transapical transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TA-TAVR). Design: This was a single-institution, prospective observational survey and a retrospective chart review. Setting: The study was conducted in the University Hospital. Participants: Patients. Materials and Methods: A survey of 131 participants with either a previous TA TAVR or transfemoral (TF) TAVR procedure was completed. A telephone interview was conducted at least 2 months following TAVR; participants were asked to describe their pain using the Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire. Measurements and Main Results: Odds ratio (OR) was calculated using the proportions of questionnaire responders reporting "sensory" descriptors in the TA-TAVR versus the TF-TAVR groups. Results were then compared to individual Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ12) scores and 5-min walk test (5MWT) distances. A total of 119 participants were reviewed (63 TF, 56 TA). Among TA-TAVR questionnaire responders (n = 16), CPTP was found in 64.3% of participants for an average duration of 20.5-month postprocedure (OR = 10, [confidence interval (CI) 95% 1.91–52.5];P = 0.003). TA-TAVR patients identified with CPTP had significant reductions in 5MWT distances (−2.22 m vs. 0.92 m [P = 0.04]) as well as trend toward significance in negative change of KCCQ12 scores OR = 18.82 (CI 95% 0.85–414.99;P = 0.06) compared to those without CPTP. Conclusions: CPTP occurs in patients undergoing TA-TAVR and is possibly associated with a decline quality of life and overall function.


Utilization of sustainable and environmentally friendly solvents for the preparation of membranes has attracted growing interest in recent years. In this work, a polyester thin film composite solvent resistant nanofiltration (SRNF) membrane is prepared by interfacial polymerization on a cellulose support. The cellulose support is prepared by nonsolvent‐induced phase separation from a dope solution containing an ionic liquid as an environmentally friendly solvent (negligible vapor pressure). The polyester film is formed via the interfacial reaction between quercetin, a plant‐derived polyphenol, and terephthaloyl chloride. Alpha‐pinene is used as a green alternative solvent to dissolve terephthaloyl chloride (TPC) while quercetin is dissolved in a 0.2 m NaOH solution. The interfacial polymerization reaction is successfully confirmed by Fourier transform infrared and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy while scanning electron and atomic force microscopy are used to characterize the membrane structure. The composite membrane shows an outstanding performance with a molecular weight cut‐off around 330 Da combined with a dimethylformamide (DMF) permeance up to 2.8 L m−2 bar−1 h−1. The membrane is stable in strong aprotic solvents such as DMF offering potential application in the pharmaceutical and petrochemical industries.


The current studies aimed to measure and modify approach biases for physically active lifestyle cues. In Study 1, 136 participants who, on average, met physical activity guidelines completed an implicit association task (IAT) to measure approach bias for words representing a physically active or inactive lifestyle. Approach bias scores were positive overall, indicative of an implicit motivation to approach physically active lifestyle cues. Study 2 explored whether pre-existing approach biases could be increased using approach training (pairing active words mostly with approach words) or decreased using avoid training (pairing active words mostly with avoidance words). The sample consisted of 73 participants who self-identified as being insufficiently active and, on average, reported levels of physical activity that were below recommended guidelines. Approach bias for physically active lifestyle cues was stronger for the approach group than the avoid group at post-training. However, training effects were moderated by the strength of the pre-existing approach bias; the group difference in approach bias was more apparent among participants with either a moderate or a strong pre-existing approach bias. The results are consistent with dual-process models which highlight the importance of non-conscious processes in health behaviour and intervention, and suggest that cognitive bias modification may be a useful pathway for promoting physical activity engagement.


Network diagrams of ecological cycles, eg, carbon and nitrogen cycles, are a common feature in science textbooks for 14-18 years age groups. From an information design perspective these diagrams raise a particularly interesting challenge; that of categorising up to six types of biological information using two graphic syntactic roles – nodes and connecting arrows – whilst ensuring an efective and unambiguous message. This practice-led thesis reviews the precision of information categorisation in 209 network diagrams collected from UK and Danish science textbooks (1935-2009).

Visual content analysis and graphic syntax theory (Engelhardt, 2002) is applied to review the existing information categorisation in relation to four types of graphic inefectiveness: 1) implicit nodes, 2) imprecise relative spatial positioning of graphic objects, 3) polysemy, and 4) inconsistent visual attributes or verbal syntax. This review finds 29 types of ineffective graphic tactics, which may result in ambiguous messages due to illogical linking sequences, implicit circulating elements, and confusion about chemical transfer and transformations. Based on these analysis indings, the design process in educational publishing is investigated. This identifies the rationale informing the transformation of information into network diagrams, based on semi- structured interviews with 19 editors, authors, designers, and illustrators in six publishing houses (3 in UK , 3 in Denmark).

The rationale is mapped using phenomenographic analysis method and existing theories on the design process, namely brief development and translation stages (Crilly, 2005), choice points and the problem setting process (Schon, 2006), problem- solution co-evolution (Dorst and Cross, 2001), and design constraints (Lawson, 2006). The curriculum purpose of the ecological cycle network diagram is found to tightly constrain the identiied rationale and the graphic decision-making based mainly on tacit knowledge. In a final discussion the research indings are integrated by identifying models of design activities (Dumas and Mintzberg, 1993) present in investigated professional practice. This reveals how design decisions may inluence the occurrence of inefective graphic tactics. Recommendations for alternative information transformation strategies are then presented, centred on integrating graphic syntax knowledge into the current processes. These recommendations are anchored in suggestions by the interviewed participants.


Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of T2 mapping for detecting myocardial injuries in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). Methods Twenty-one HCM patients and 7 healthy volunteers were examined. The T2 values were measured at hyperintense areas (high-T2 areas) identified with T2 mapping, at late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) areas, and in nullified myocardium of the HCM patients. The associations between T2 values and laboratory data or LGE areas were assessed. Results High-T2 areas had significantly greater T2 values than LGE areas (P < 0.05) and nullified areas (P < 0.01) of HCM and normal myocardium (P < 0.01). The presence of high-T2 areas was associated with an increase in troponin T levels (P = 0.02), and T2 values correlated with the levels of brain natriuretic peptide (P = 0.036, r = 0.86). Conclusions T2 mapping identified myocardial injuries suggested by the laboratory data in HCM.


This paper draws upon our experience of converting an existing educational videocassette into a video stream and presents a case study of the important issues that arose. The process was undertaken to apply some potential benefits of a new technology to support learners in higher education (HE). It was, however, by no means unproblematic and the issues that arose need to receive serious consideration if the potential of streaming technology is to be harnessed for more effective learning opportunities for students. 'Streaming' is a way of transmitting video (or other media files) across the Internet (or by similar means). It is an alternative to downloaded delivery of these media and viewers do not have lengthy 'download waits'. A more comprehensive definition is provided elsewhere (Brown, 2002). The term used here to describe the processes involved in enabling a video recording, made for delivery via videocassette recorder (VCR), to be transmitted across the Internet is 're-purposing'. One process within this broad remit is that of making specific changes to the content of the video recording. This is referred to as 're-engineering'. The authors all have a strong commitment to the use of video in HE and have actively participated in the re-purposing reported here. They feel that since the Joint Information DOI:10.1080/0968776030110203


Abstract. As a consequence of change in global climate, an increased frequency of natural hazards such as storm surges, tsunamis and cyclones, is predicted to have dramatic affects on the coastal communities and ecosystems by virtue of the devastation they cause during and after their occurrence. The tsunami of December 2004 and the Thane cyclone of 2011 caused extensive human and economic losses along the coastline of Puducherry and Tamil Nadu. The devastation caused by these events highlighted the need for vulnerability assessment to ensure better understanding of the elements causing different hazards and to consequently minimize the after- effects of the future events. This paper demonstrates an analytical hierarchical process (AHP)-based approach to coastal vulnerability studies as an improvement to the existing methodologies for vulnerability assessment. The paper also encourages the inclusion of socio-economic parameters along with the physical parameters to calculate the coastal vulnerability index using AHP-derived weights. Seven physical–geological parameters (slope, geomorphology, elevation, shoreline change, sea level rise, significant wave height and tidal range) and four socio-economic factors (population, land use/land cover (LU/LC), roads and location of tourist areas) are considered to measure the physical vulnerability index (PVI) as well as the socio-economic vulnerability index (SVI) of the Puducherry coast. Based on the weights and scores derived using AHP, vulnerability maps are prepared to demarcate areas with very low, medium and high vulnerability. A combination of PVI and SVI values are further utilized to compute the coastal vulnerability index (CVI). Finally, the various coastal segments are grouped into the 3 vulnerability classes to obtain the coastal vulnerability map. The entire coastal extent between Muthiapet and Kirumampakkam as well as the northern part of Kalapet is designated as the high vulnerability zone, which constitutes 50% of the coastline. The region between the southern coastal extent of Kalapet and Lawspet is the medium vulnerability zone and the remaining 25% is the low vulnerability zone. The results obtained enable the identification and prioritization of the more vulnerable areas of the region in order to further assist the government and the residing coastal communities in better coastal management and conservation.


AIM
To describe medication safety, transformational leadership and their relationship as evaluated by Registered Nurses.

BACKGROUND
Medication safety is one of the aspects of patient safety and an important part of nurses' daily practices. Nurse managers can ensure medication safety by adopting a transformational leadership style. However, little evidence exists regarding how transformational leadership relates to medication safety.

METHODS
Data were collected from Registered Nurses (n = 161) in three Finnish hospitals in May 2016 using an electronic questionnaire incorporating the Transformational Leadership Scale (TLS) and Medication Safety Scale (MSS). Data were analysed using statistical analyses including descriptive analyses, principal component analysis and multivariate analyses. STROBE reporting guidelines were followed (see Appendix S1).

FINDINGS
Nurses evaluated medication safety and transformational leadership in their units to be excellent and good, respectively. There was a moderate but statistically significant correlation between transformational leadership and medication safety. The medication competence of nurses and the management of nursing processes were significantly related to medication safety.

CONCLUSIONS
Nurse managers' transformational leadership style can promote medication safety in units. The medication competence of nurses must be addressed because assurance and confidence in their own expertise in pharmacotherapeutic tasks positively affects their perceptions of medication safety.


Pathogens use cell density dependent gene expression known as Quorum Sensing (QS) to launch virulent factors. Targeting the QS circuit without killing the pathogens is a very promising alternative to using antibiotics which generate antibiotic resistance. The identity and diversity of bioluminescent bacteria associated with Philippine aquatic organisms, and their potential as sources of anti-QS or quorum quenching (QQ) molecules remain unknown. In this study, out of 43 organisms, 30 were observed to harbor bioluminescent bacteria with 26 from marine and four from freshwater sources. Purified bioluminescent bacterial cultures were screened for QQ activity using motility assay and the membrane fractions (MF) of 5 isolates from marine organisms namely Johnius sp. (croaker), Sillago sp. (golden-lined sillago), Variola louti (yellow-edged lyretail), Strombus variabilis (variable conch), Cistopus indicus (octopus), and one from a freshwater host, Chanos chanos (milkfish), inhibited the QS-mediated swarming of Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain NSRI based on statistical analysis using Paired t-test and Univariate Analysis of Variance (p < 0.05). Despite the host differences, the bacterial isolates shared evolutionary relationship with commonly known bioluminescent genera based on 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis with five strains belonging to the genus Photobacterium (P. leiognathi and P. mandapamensis, 99-100% identity), and two to the genus Vibrio (V. harveyi and V. campbellii, with 99% identity).


Pentachlorophenol, octachloronaphthalene and decachlorobiphenyl were smoothly converted to cyclohexanol, decalin and dicyclohexyl, respectively, by reaction, during 0.5–2 h, with excess hydrogen over alumina-supported palladium (5% w/w) in the presence/absence of supercritical carbon dioxide (50–90 °C). With these conditions, dechlorinations and dearomatization to their cyclic analogs were complete but no carbon–carbon bond scission was observed and only traces of partial deoxygenation/dimerization of the pentachlorophenol substrate (to form 1,1′-oxybiscyclohexane) was seen. The scCO2 medium functioned as an inert support for the reactions; differences in rates of reaction between chlorinated compounds and their aromatic hydrocarbon homologs were not observed. These results suggest that environmentally recalcitrant chlorinated aromatic compounds can be detoxified facilely by catalytic reduction with H2 under mild conditions.


Climate change is accelerating and is already affecting the marine environment. Estimating the effects of climate change on the production of fish resources, and their dependent societies, is complex because of: difficulties of downscaling Global Climate Models (GCM) to scales of biological relevance; uncertainties over future net primary production and its transfer through the food chain; difficulties in separating the multiple stressors affecting fish production; and inadequate methodology to estimate human vulnerabilities to these changes. QUEST_Fish, a research project led from the UK, is addressing some of these challenges through an innovative, multi-disciplinary approach focused on estimating the added impacts that climate change is likely to cause, and the subsequent additional risks and vulnerabilities of these effects for human societies. The project uses coupled shelf seas biophysical ecosystem models forced by GCM forecasts to predict ecosystem functioning in past, present, and future time-slices. For each slice, and for 20 Large Marine Ecosystems, we estimate plankton production and use this to estimate size-based fish production through models based on macro-ecological theory. Ways of assessing vulnerability of fisheries to future climate change are developed, including the market consequences for fish-based global commodities. The results provide a new framework and new insights into the complex interactions between humans and nature.