The zero-repeat subunit of 13S globulin, which lacks tandem repeat inserts, is trypsin-resistant and suggested to show higher allergenicity than the other subunits in common buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench). To evaluate allelic variations and find novel alleles, the diversity of the zero-repeat genes was examined for two Japanese elite cultivars and 15 Pakistani landraces. The results demonstrated that two new alleles GlbNA1 and GlbNC1, plus three additional new alleles GlbNA2, GlbNA3, and GlbND, were identified besides the already-known GlbNA, GlbNB, and GlbNC alleles. In the Pakistani landraces, GlbNA was the most dominant allele (0.60–0.88 of allele frequency) in all except one landrace, where GlbNB was the most dominant allele (0.50 of allele frequency). Similar to GlbNC, the alleles GlbNA2 and GlbNA3 had extra ~200 bp MITE-like sequences around the stop codon. Secondary structure predictions of a sense strand demonstrated that the extra ~200 bp sequences of GlbNC, GlbNA2, and GlbNA3 can form rigid hairpin structures with free energies of –78.95, –67.06, and –29.90 kcal/mol, respectively. These structures may affect proper transcription and/or translation. In the GlbNC homozygous line, no transcript of a zero-repeat gene was detected, suggesting the material would be useful for developing hypoallergenic buckwheat.


The thesis describes an effort to minimize energy consumption in Cloud Data Centers (CDCs). The general approach is to do so by smartly using user provided information. The research challenges herein were twofold. Firstly, finding the right benign information. Secondly, smart application of such information to significantly reduce the energy consumption. In this dissertation, we have addressed those research challenges by innovating novel algorithms. Our research exemplifies that if Virtual Machines (VM) are consolidated based on the time when a VM can be removed from CDC, then more physical machines can be turned into sleep state, yielding lower energy consumption.


We investigate the impact of labour market concentration on two dimensions of job quality, namely wages and job security. We leverage rich administrative linked employer-employee data from Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal and Spain in the 2010s to provide the first comparable cross-country evidence in the literature. Controlling for productivity and local product market concentration, we show that the elasticities of wages with respect to labour market concentration are strikingly similar across countries: increasing labour market concentration by 10% reduces wages by 0.19% in Germany, 0.22% in France, 0.25% in Portugal and 0.29% in Denmark. Regarding job security, we find that an increase in labour market concentration by 10% reduces the probability of being hired on a permanent contract by 0.46% in France, 0.51% in Germany and 2.34% in Portugal. While not affecting this probability in Italy and Spain, labour market concentration significantly reduces the probability of being converted to a permanent contract once hired on a temporary one. Our results suggest that considering only the effect of labour market concentration on wages underestimates its overall impact on job quality and hence the resulting welfare loss for workers.


Standards for the making o f a community diagnosis were formulated and validated on a national basis. These standards can be utilised by the community health nurse to improve the quality o f community diagnoses. The quality o f community diagnosis by community health nurses, was analysed by means o f a retrospective audit. Incomplete diagnosis were observed in the compilation o f a community profile and data resources were inadequately utilised. Important health indicators were not taken into account during the interpretation of data and planning strategies were incomplete. It appears as if the community health nurse tends to pay more attention to data that is readily available or can be utilised fo r quick results in his/her community planning.


Titanium doped sapphire (Ti:sapphire) is a laser gain material with broad gain bandwidth benefiting from the material stability of sapphire. These favorable characteristics of Ti:sapphire have given rise to femtosecond lasers and optical frequency combs. Shaping a single Ti:sapphire crystal into a millimeter sized high quality (Q) whispering gallery mode resonator (Q ≈ 108) reduces the lasing threshold to 14.2 mW and increases the laser slope efficiency to 34%. The observed lasing can be both multi‐mode and single‐mode. This is the first demonstration of a Ti:sapphire whispering‐gallery laser. Furthermore, a novel method of evaluating the gain in Ti:sapphire in the near infrared region is demonstrated by introducing a probe laser with a central wavelength of 795 nm. This method results in decreasing linewidth of the modes excited with the probe laser, consequently increasing their Q. These findings open avenues for the usage of whispering gallery mode resonators as cavities for the implementation of compact Ti:sapphire lasers. Moreover, Ti:sapphire whispering‐gallery laser can also be utilized as an amplifier inside its gain bandwidth by implementing a pump–probe configuration.


This study had in its aim the construction and the validation of a patient classification instrument which has been based on the patient's individual necessities that require the nursing care. It was considered in the instrument 13 critical indicators : Mental State and Level of Conciousness, Breathing, Vital Signs, Nutrition and Hydration, Movement, Locomotion, Corporeal Hygiene, Eliminations, Therapy, Health Teaching, Behavior, Communication and Skin. Integrety. Each one of these indicators ha, a 1 to 5 gradation denoting an increasing level in the nursing care complexity. The patient is classified in all the indicators in one of the five levels, in the option that better describes his/her situation. The'content validation of the instrument was done by the Delphi Tecnique aplication through 2 rounds. A team of 15 nursing experts who attend patients or teach in the Medical School in Sao Jose do Rio Preto were participants in this research. The obtained results have showed the experts' agreement concerned to : the maintenance of the 13 critical indicators in the instrument; property and intelligibility of the critical indicator contents and the presence of an increasing level in the nursing care complexity. UNITERMS : Patient classification sistem (PCS)


There are two main approaches in Islamic legal theory to the classification of a meaning as explicit or implicit. The two approaches—i.e. the Sāfiʿite and the Ḥanafite—differ with regard to their underlying hermeneutic paradigms. It is sometimes assumed that the "standard" Sāfiʿite approach corresponds to that of Āmidī (d. 631/1233). However, as this paper argues, there were two other authors who had a major impact on the evolution of the Sāfiʿite approach: the post-Avicennian polymath and Sāfiʿī jurist Faḫr ad-dīn ar-Rāzī (d. 606/1210); and the Mālikite jurist Ibn al-Ḥāǧib (d. 646/1249) who creates his own classification—on the basis of both Āmidī's approach and the Ḥanafite paradigm. Aḍud ad-dīn al-Īǧī (d. 756/1355) eventually modified Ibn al-Ḥāǧib's classification using Rāzī's framework—and this is the version which is nowadays referred to as the Sāfiʿite approach.


Anthropologists frequently use musculoskeletal stress markers to reconstruct past activity patterns. Yet, researchers have called into question the reliability of muscle marker measurements in part because body size and age affect muscle marker scores. In this study, the author examined an aggregate upper limb muscle marker to determine if after controlling for the effects of body size and age, one could reconstruct activity patterns of a prehistoric Amerind population. Analyses were made of a sample of 102 (43 males, 59 females) prehistoric central California Amerinds. Muscle markers were measured using two-point observer rating scales; body size was measured by humeral articular surfaces; age and sex were determined previously through standard procedures. Using sex separated rankings and partial correlations, disaggregated muscle markers were examined for correlations with age and size to determine if specific muscle markers may be useful in pinpointing to activity patterns. Aggregate upper limb muscle marker correlated with: age, r = 0.44; humeral size, r = 0.44; and sex, r = 0.43; Ps < 0.001. Older individuals had greater muscle markers, as did larger individuals, and males. Rankings seemed to be confounded by the effect size had on the muscle markers. However, based on partial correlations controlling for size and age, the differences that remained between males and females could be used to reconstruct male activities of throwing in hunting and interpersonal aggression acts.


Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate measurement properties of self-report questionnaires measuring the social adjustment for youth after treatment of childhood cancer. Methods: Social adjustment measurement tools were identified through a two-stage systematic review. First, we searched for articles using self-report questionnaires to measure the social adjustment of youth after the treatment of childhood cancer. The appropriate tools were listed and categorized. Second, using methodological filters, we searched 5 electronic databases for articles examining the measurement properties of the tools when used with youth after the treatment of childhood cancer. The quality of these papers was then evaluated using the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) checklist. Results: Eight tools were frequently used to measure social adjustment. Eight studies investigated the measurement properties of 4 of these tools. The PedsQL 4.0 and MMQL-AF had moderate to strong evidence in some domains, but the rest of the domains had a lack of evidence. The SF-36 and KIDSCREEN-27 were validated for only a few areas. Conclusion: We found a lack of evidence regarding the measurement properties of these tools. More research is required on the measurement properties of tools for use in this population.


The coast between Tanabe and Kushimoto, on the west part of the Kii peninsula, was hit by huge tsunamis accompanied with an earthquake belonging to the gigantic Nankai earthquake. Many stone monuments are arranged on this coast for the victims of the 1946 Showa Nankai earthquake-Tsunami. In the Edo period (1602 to 1868 AD) two huge earthquakes were generated; one is the Hoei earthquake of 1707, and the other is the Ansei Nankai earthquake of 1854. Hatori(1980) made a field survey for estimating tsunami heights of those earthquake but his result was a rough estimation of the heights of historical earthquakes. In this study we made database of tsunami damage records on the basis of old documents which were introduced on the material books of the historical earthquakes published by Musha(1941, and 1951), and by Earthquake Research Institute (1983,1987,1989, and 1994). We conducted a field survey in the period from 17 to 20 January, 2017. The left figure shows the tsunami height distribution of the Hoei earthquake of 1707. The maximum tsunami height is recorded at a pass in front of Tokoji Temple in Shinjo area, Tanabe city, where two streams of run-up tsunami waves were jointed at the summit of the pass, where the ground height is 12.8 meters above the mean sea level. The residential area of Takai in Tonda area in Shirahama Town is located on a plateau of the height of 6.9 meters and an old document says that all houses were swept away there, which shows that the water thickness were 3.0 meters or more, so the tsunami inundation height was 9.9 meters or more. A stone monument in the cemetery of Manpukuji Temple in Susami town was made as a monument for the victims of the Hoei Tsunami in 1723 AD. On this stone monument it is recorded that the total number of the victims of the Hoei tsunami was 134 in this town. Acknowledgement: This study was achieved as a part of the commissioned research named "Study on the historical tsunamis in the Pacific coast of Japan (2016)" on disaster prevention for nuclear facilities proposed by the Nuclear Regulation Authority, Japan.


Along with the increasing world population, the water sources are faced with considerably serious problems in terms of quantity, quality and all other sector-specific usages. Today, brackish water, surface water, seawater and even wastewater can be treated to supply drinking water. Reverse osmosis, nanofiltration, ultrafiltration and microfiltration are the most widely used membrane processes for the treatment of these water sources. It is necessary to calculate the total cost, including both capital expenses and operation and maintenance expenses such as energy labor, membrane replacement, chemicals and concentrate disposal to determine the most economical design. In this study, the costs of large scale membrane systems for the treatment of brackish, surface and seawater to obtain drinking water were investigated for Turkey. The effects of the Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) concentration, turbidity and salinity values on the treatment costs of brackish water, surface water and seawater were investigated, r...


Scanning electron microscopy is very useful for morphological examination of pedofeatures. Whenever quantitative elemental microanalysis of pedofeatures has been required during such morphological examinations, either thin sections or polished resin-impregnated blocks across similar pedofeatures have had to be prepared to satisfy the smooth flat surface requirement of currently used electron microanalytical methods. This prerequisite has been accompanied by both conceptual and technical problems. A direct method for obtaining quantitative elemental microanalyses of rough-surfaced soil specimens in the scanning electron microscope is examined here. This method is based on the use of peak-to-background ratios in energy dispersive X-ray spectra. Analysis of a pyrite standard at a range of geometrys of analysis and of the iron sulphide minerals in two Holocene sediments indicates that the peak-to-background method can be used to obtain reliable quantitative elemental compositions of rough-surfaced soil specimens in the scanning electron microscope. Under ideal operating conditions (i.e., flat, polished specimens), the peak-to-background method will not be as accurate as the currently used peak integral methods ; however, the results here indicate that the peak-to-background method has, for the analysis of soil, the important advantage of being able to directly provide reliable quantitative elemental microanalyses of pedofeatures on rough-surfaced soil specimens in the scanning electron microscope.


Several scholars across many disciplines argue that neoliberal, free-market economic conditions drive inequalities, generating poverty and misery due to unfair austerity, ultimately affecting human health. Prof Labonté's prescription is that we jettison these policies targeting economic growth and development for generating greater fairness for the world ́s poor. This rejoinder argues contrarily that the criticism of neoliberal policies are misplaced, and that degrowth is really "self-imposed austerity," which will not benefit the poor. This rejoinder scrutinizes some simple stylized fact and assesses the soundness of the broader arguments. The evidence suggests clearly that becoming wealthy and following prudent economic policies is the best path to improving population health, equity, and other progressive outcomes. Badly required growth for the poor comes from free markets and good governance, and equity for the sake of fairness neither results in better health outcomes, nor an improved environment.


The discovery of the jet quenching in central Au+Au collisions at the Relativistic Heavy-Ion Collider (RHIC) at Brookhaven National Laboratory has provided clear evidence for the formation of strongly interacting dense matter. It has been predicted to occur due to the energy loss of high energy partons that propagate through the quark–gluon plasma. In this paper we investigate the dependence of the parton energy loss due to elastic scatterings in a parton plasma on the value of the strong coupling and its running with the evolution of the system. We analyze different prescriptions for the QCD coupling and calculate the energy and length dependence of the fractional energy loss. Moreover, the partonic quenching factor for light and heavy quarks is estimated. We found that the predicted enhancement of the heavy to light hadrons (D/π) ratio is strongly dependent on the running of the QCD coupling constant.


In the cell, NAD(H) and NADP(H) cofactors have different functions. The former mainly accepts electrons from catabolic reactions and carries them to respiration, while the latter provides reducing power for anabolism. ABSTRACT The nicotinamide cofactor specificity of enzymes plays a key role in regulating metabolic processes and attaining cellular homeostasis. Multiple studies have used enzyme engineering tools or a directed evolution approach to switch the cofactor preference of specific oxidoreductases. However, whole-cell adaptation toward the emergence of novel cofactor regeneration routes has not been previously explored. To address this challenge, we used an Escherichia coli NADPH-auxotrophic strain. We continuously cultivated this strain under selective conditions. After 500 to 1,100 generations of adaptive evolution using different carbon sources, we isolated several strains capable of growing without an external NADPH source. Most isolated strains were found to harbor a mutated NAD+-dependent malic enzyme (MaeA). A single mutation in MaeA was found to switch cofactor specificity while lowering enzyme activity. Most mutated MaeA variants also harbored a second mutation that restored the catalytic efficiency of the enzyme. Remarkably, the best MaeA variants identified this way displayed overall superior kinetics relative to the wild-type variant with NAD+. In other evolved strains, the dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase (Lpd) was mutated to accept NADP+, thus enabling the pyruvate dehydrogenase and 2-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complexes to regenerate NADPH. Interestingly, no other central metabolism oxidoreductase seems to evolve toward reducing NADP+, which we attribute to several biochemical constraints, including unfavorable thermodynamics. This study demonstrates the potential and biochemical limits of evolving oxidoreductases within the cellular context toward changing cofactor specificity, further showing that long-term adaptive evolution can optimize enzyme activity beyond what is achievable via rational design or directed evolution using small libraries. IMPORTANCE In the cell, NAD(H) and NADP(H) cofactors have different functions. The former mainly accepts electrons from catabolic reactions and carries them to respiration, while the latter provides reducing power for anabolism. Correspondingly, the ratio of the reduced to the oxidized form differs for NAD+ (low) and NADP+ (high), reflecting their distinct roles. We challenged the flexibility of E. coli's central metabolism in multiple adaptive evolution experiments using an NADPH-auxotrophic strain. We found several mutations in two enzymes, changing the cofactor preference of malic enzyme and dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase. Upon deletion of their corresponding genes we performed additional evolution experiments which did not lead to the emergence of any additional mutants. We attribute this restricted number of mutational targets to intrinsic thermodynamic barriers; the high ratio of NADPH to NADP+ limits metabolic redox reactions that can regenerate NADPH, mainly by mass action constraints.


Chemometric assisted spectrophotometry and HPLC methods have been developed for the simultaneous determination of Amlodipine besylate and Telmisartan. The two chemometric methods i.e. Inverse least square (ILS) and Classical least square (CLS) methods were successfully applied to quantify each drug in the mixture using the information included in the UV absorption spectra of appropriate solutions in the range of 230-302 nm with the intervals of 4 nm at 19 wavelengths. The HPLC method was developed and the three methods (ILS, CLS and HPLC) were successfully applied to marketed formulation and the results were compared statistically which showed no significant difference among the results.


This paper first proposes a new graphical model for decision making under uncertainty based on min-based possibilistic networks. A decision problem under uncertainty is described by means of two distinct min-based possibilistic networks: the first one expresses agent's knowledge while the second one encodes agent's preferences representing a qualitative utility. We then propose an efficient algorithm for computing optimistic optimal decisions using our new model for representing possibilistic decision making under uncertainty. We show that the computation of optimal decisions comes down to compute a normalization degree of the junction tree associated with the graph resulting from the fusion of agent's beliefs and preferences. This paper also proposes an alternative way for computing optimal optimistic decisions. The idea is to transform the two possibilistic networks into two equivalent possibilistic logic knowledge bases, one representing agent's knowledge and the other represents agent's preferences. We show that computing an optimal optimistic decision comes down to compute the inconsistency degree of the union of the two possibilistic bases augmented with a given decision.


Background: Patient autonomy has been promoted as the most important principle to guide difficult clinical decisions. To examine whether practising physicians indeed value patient autonomy above other considerations, physicians were asked to weight patient autonomy against three other criteria that often influence doctors' decisions. Associations between physicians' religious characteristics and their weighting of the criteria were also examined. Methods: Mailed survey in 2007 of a stratified random sample of 1000 US primary care physicians, selected from the American Medical Association masterfile. Physicians were asked how much weight should be given to the following: (1) the patient's expressed wishes and values, (2) the physician's own judgment about what is in the patient's best interest, (3) standards and recommendations from professional medical bodies and (4) moral guidelines from religious traditions. Results: Response rate 51% (446/879). Half of physicians (55%) gave the patient's expressed wishes and values "the highest possible weight". In comparative analysis, 40% gave patient wishes more weight than the other three factors, and 13% ranked patient wishes behind some other factor. Religious doctors tended to give less weight to the patient's expressed wishes. For example, 47% of doctors with high intrinsic religious motivation gave patient wishes the "highest possible weight", versus 67% of those with low (OR 0.5; 95% CI 0.3 to 0.8). Conclusions: Doctors believe patient wishes and values are important, but other considerations are often equally or more important. This suggests that patient autonomy does not guide physicians' decisions as much as is often recommended in the ethics literature.


Dagger nematodes parasitize plants. They cause economic damage and death of host crops through feeding on the roots and by spreading viral mosaic and wilting diseases, but field studies have shown that some control measures targeting reduction in the population of dagger nematodes can be effective in controlling viral diseases in susceptible crops. This 7-page fact sheet was written by William K. Heve, William T. Crow, and Tesfamarian Mengistu, and published by the UF Department of Entomology and Nematology, June 2015.
EENY 626/IN1097: Dagger Nematode Xiphinema spp. (Cobb, 1913) Inglis, 1983 (Nematoda: Enoplea: Dorylaimia: Dorylaimina: Xiphinematinae) (ufl.edu)


This study investigates the relationships between the spring phytoplankton community and environmental factors in the Brazil-Malvinas confluence region. Phytoplankton community composition was determined by the high performance liquid chromatography/CHEMTAX approach, complemented with microscopic examination. Abiotic factors included temperature, salinity, dissolved inorganic macronutrients (ammonium, nitrite, nitrate, phosphate and silicate), water column stability and upper mixed layer depth (UMLD). These environmental variables were reasonably informative to explain the variability of the phytoplankton communities (44% of variation explained). Cluster and canonical correspondence analyses allowed discrimination of four zones (coastal, Sub-Antarctic, tropical and intermediate zones), also identifiable in the T–S diagrams and in the nutrient spatial distribution patterns. The presence of nutrient-rich Sub-Antarctic waters was a major oceanographic feature, associated with diatoms and dinoflagellates. However, in the Sub-Antarctic zone, biomass was particularly low, probably as a result of grazing pressure, as suggested by chemical and biological indicators. In contrast, in oligotrophic tropical waters, phytoplankton was mainly composed by small nanoflagellates and cyanobacteria. A large intermediate zone was also dominated by nanoflagellates, mainly Phaeocystis antarctica, probably favored by strong water column stability. The coastal zone exhibited fairly similar conditions to those in the intermediate zone, but with deeper UMLD, a favorable condition for diatom growth. These results emphasize the importance of the properties of water masses and also biological processes such as grazing in structuring phytoplankton communities in the region.


Validity and Reproducibility of the Sargent Jump Test in the Assessment of Explosive Strength in Soccer Players The purpose of this study was to check the validity and the intra- and inter-evaluators reproducibility of the Sargent Jump Test, as an instrument of explosive strength measurement of soccer players of the sub-15 class. Forty-five soccer players were randomly selected from different clubs competing in the local soccer championship. All subjects performed one test on the same jump platform model Jumptest® (Hidrofit Ltda, Brazil) and two independent Sargent Jump Tests assessed by the same evaluator. Two days later, another Sargent Jump Test was performed simultaneously assessed by 2 evaluators. In all tests, three jumps were performed and the highest one was registered. In order to check the validity, the first Sargent Jump Test results were compared to those from the jump platform, considered the gold standard. To evaluate intra- and inter-evaluator reproducibility, results from the first, second and third Sargent Jump Tests were analyzed. The validity and reproducibility were evaluated by intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC), and by the Bland and Altman test (statistical pack SPSS 11.0), with a significance level set at p<0.05. The values found for validity (r=0.99, p=0.001), for intra-evaluator reproducibility (r=0.99, p=0.001) and for inter-evaluator reproducibility (r=1.0, p=0.001), permitted us to conclude that the Sargent Jump Test is a valid and reproducible instrument for measuring the explosive strength in homogeneous groups, such as those used in the present study.


The S stars near the Galactic Centre and any pulsars that may be on similar orbits can be modelled in a unified way as clocks orbiting a black hole, and hence are potential probes of relativistic effects, including black hole spin. The high eccentricities of many S stars mean that relativistic effects peak strongly around pericentre; for example, orbit precession is not a smooth effect but almost a kick at pericentre. We argue that concentration around pericentre will be an advantage when analysing redshift or pulse-arrival data to measure relativistic effects, because cumulative precession will be drowned out by Newtonian perturbations from other mass in the Galactic Centre region. Wavelet decomposition may be a way to disentangle relativistic effects from Newton perturbations. Assuming a plausible model for Newtonian perturbations on S2, relativity appears to be strongest in a two-year interval around pericentre, in wavelet modes of time-scale ≈6 months.


Intrahousehold analyses provide new insights into how households make economic decisions. Much of the work in economics has traditionally treated the household as a single economic actor, but a number of studies are providing evidence that the dynamics among household members affect the outcomes of household economic decisions. This paper contributes to our understanding of such models by incorporating the variability of individual incomes into the analysis of intrahousehold resource allocations, using detailed household survey data from Ghana.


Executive function is an umbrella term that includes cognitive processes such as decision-making, impulse control, attention, behavioral flexibility, and working memory. Each of these processes depends largely upon monoaminergic (dopaminergic, serotonergic, and noradrenergic) neurotransmission in the frontal cortex, striatum, and hippocampus, among other brain areas. Traumatic brain injury (TBI) induces disruptions in monoaminergic signaling along several steps in the neurotransmission process – synthesis, distribution, and breakdown – and in turn, produces long-lasting deficits in several executive function domains. Understanding how TBI alters monoamingeric neurotransmission and executive function will advance basic knowledge of the underlying principles that govern executive function and potentially further treatment of cognitive deficits following such injury. In this review, we examine the influence of TBI on the following measures of executive function – impulsivity, behavioral flexibility, and working memory. We also describe monoaminergic-systems changes following TBI. Given that TBI patients experience alterations in monoaminergic signaling following injury, they may represent a unique population with regard to pharmacotherapy. We conclude this review by discussing some considerations for pharmacotherapy in the field of TBI.


Introduction Currently, risk management options for BRCA1 mutation carriers include risk-reducing mastectomies (RRM), and selective oestrogen receptor modulators (SERMs). However, the majority of BRCA1-associated tumours are oestrogen receptor negative (ER-ve). SERMs do not reduce the incidence of ER-ve tumours, therefore are unlikely to be effective in this group of women. Oestrogen and its metabolites have been shown to cause DNA damage, resulting in genomic instability in BRCA1 deficient breast cells, an early hallmark of BRCA1-related cancers. Based on this, we hypothesise that oestrogen suppression in BRCA1 carriers may reduce DNA damage in breast tissue, and thereby potentially reducing breast cancer risk. Trial Design The study is an interventional, non-randomised, crossover study without masking. The primary purpose is to assess the impact of these drugs on suppression of DNA damage and therefore their potential for use as chemopreventive agents in this setting. Pre-menopausal BRCA1 mutation carriers will be recruited from the Family History Clinic at Belfast City Hospital. The proportion of women who receive information packs who progress to trial entry will be recorded, with target recruitment of twelve women to the trial. Participants will complete quality of life questionnaires, provide blood and urine samples and undergo baseline ultrasound-guided breast biopsy. Half of these women will receive a SERM (tamoxifen) for 3 months, whilst the other half receives oestrogen suppression therapy (goserelin and anastrazole), and then provide repeat questionnaires and samples (blood, urine and breast biopsy). Treatment groups will cross over for a further 3 months treatment, with a final set of questionnaires and samples taken. Compliance with treatment and adverse events will be monitored throughout the study. Eligibility Criteria Inclusion criteria: · Female · Age ≥18 years · Premenopausal · Known pathogenic BRCA1 mutation · Intact ovaries · No previous breast/ovarian/other carcinoma · No previous use of chemoprevention · Willingness to use non-hormonal methods of contraception Exclusion criteria: · BRCA1 mutation of uncertain significance · Contraindications to study drugs or breast biopsies · Pregnancy or breastfeeding · Inability to give informed consent · Patient awaiting risk reducing surgery Specific Aims The primary objective is to assess the feasibility of treatments by measuring successful recruitment rates and compliance. The secondary objective is to establish tolerability of interventions through quality of life measurements and adverse event occurrence. Exploratory objectives will assess the potential of treatments to reduce DNA damage through analysis of breast biopsies using comet assays and immunohistochemistry for 53BP1 and γH2AX (markers of DNA double-strand breaks). Oestrogen and metabolite levels will be measured in blood and urine samples using UPLC-MS/MS. Statistical Methods Not applicable due to nature and size of pilot study Present accrual: 1 participant Target accrual: 12 participants Contact information for people with specific interest in trial: email@example.com or firstname.lastname@example.com Citation Format: Campbell AM, Savage KI, McIntosh SA. Chemoprevention in BRCA1 mutation carriers (CIBRAC): A proof of concept clinical trial [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2017 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2017 Dec 5-9; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(4 Suppl):Abstract nr OT3-01-01.


Hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome is an emerging zoonosis in Brazil. Human infections occur via inhalation of aerosolized viral particles from excreta of infected wild rodents. Necromys lasiurus and Oligoryzomys nigripes appear to be the main reservoirs of hantavirus in the Atlantic Forest and Cerrado biomes. We estimated and compared ecological niches of the two rodent species, and analyzed environmental factors influencing their occurrence, to understand the geography of hantavirus transmission. N. lasiurus showed a wide potential distribution in Brazil, in the Cerrado, Caatinga, and Atlantic Forest biomes. Highest climate suitability for O. nigripes was observed along the Brazilian Atlantic coast. Maximum temperature in the warmest months and annual precipitation were the variables that most influence the distributions of N. lasiurus and O. nigripes, respectively. Models based on occurrences of infected rodents estimated a broader area of risk for hantavirus transmission in southeastern and southern Brazil, coinciding with the distribution of human cases of hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome. We found no demonstrable environmental differences among occurrence sites for the rodents and for human cases of hantavirus. However, areas of northern and northeastern Brazil are also apparently suitable for the two species, without broad coincidence with human cases. Modeling of niches and distributions of rodent reservoirs indicates potential for transmission of hantavirus across virtually all of Brazil outside the Amazon Basin.


Background Asynchronous telepsychiatry (ATP; delayed-time) consultations are a novel form of psychiatric consultation in primary care settings. Longitudinal studies comparing clinical outcomes for ATP with synchronous telepsychiatry (STP) are lacking. Objective This study aims to determine the effectiveness of ATP in improving clinical outcomes in English- and Spanish-speaking primary care patients compared with STP, the telepsychiatry usual care method. Methods Overall, 36 primary care physicians from 3 primary care clinics referred a heterogeneous sample of 401 treatment-seeking adult patients with nonurgent psychiatric disorders. A total of 184 (94 ATP and 90 STP) English- and Spanish-speaking participants (36/184, 19.6% Hispanic) were enrolled and randomized, and 160 (80 ATP and 80 STP) of them completed baseline evaluations. Patients were treated by their primary care physicians using a collaborative care model in consultation with the University of California Davis Health telepsychiatrists, who consulted with patients every 6 months for up to 2 years using ATP or STP. Primary outcomes (the clinician-rated Clinical Global Impressions [CGI] scale and the Global Assessment of Functioning [GAF]) and secondary outcomes (patients' self-reported physical and mental health and depression) outcomes were assessed every 6 months. Results For clinician-rated primary outcomes, ATP did not promote greater improvement than STP at 6-month follow-up (ATP vs STP, adjusted difference in follow-up at 6 months vs baseline differences for CGI: 0.2, 95% CI −0.2 to 0.6; P=.28; and GAF: −0.6, 95% CI −3.1 to 1.9; P=.66) or 12-month follow-up (ATP vs STP, adjusted difference in follow-up at 12 months vs baseline differences for CGI: 0.4, 95% CI −0.04 to 0.8; P=.07; and GAF: −0.5, 95% CI −3.3 to 2.2; P=.70), but patients in both arms had statistically and clinically significant improvements in both outcomes. There were no significant differences in improvement from baseline between ATP and STP on any patient self-reported ratings at any follow-up (all P values were between .17 and .96). Dropout rates were higher than predicted but similar between the 2 arms. Of those with baseline visits, 46.8% (75/160) did not have a follow-up at 1 year, and 72.7% (107/147) did not have a follow-up at 2 years. No serious adverse events were associated with the intervention. Conclusions This is the first longitudinal study to demonstrate that ATP can improve clinical outcomes in English- and Spanish-speaking primary care patients. Although we did not find evidence that ATP is superior to STP in improving clinical outcomes, it is potentially a key part of stepped mental health interventions available in primary care. ATP presents a possible solution to the workforce shortage of psychiatrists and a strategy for improving existing systems of care. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02084979; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02084979.


"A Companion to Biblical Interpretation in Early Judaism" presents eighteen commissioned articles on biblical exegesis in early Judaism, covering the period after the Hebrew Bible was written and before the beginning of rabbinic Judaism. The essays, all written by experts in the field, are arranged in seven categories: Hebrew Bible, Rewritten Bible, Qumran Literature, Apocalyptic Literature and Testaments, Wisdom Literature, Hellenistic Judaism, and Biblical Interpretation in Antiquity. Together these essays provide a systematic and comprehensive introduction to the diverse modes of scriptural interpretation practiced by a variegated and dynamic spectrum of Jewish groups in the Hellenistic and early Roman eras. Contributors: Moshe J. Bernstein George J. Brooks Edward M. Cook Peter Enns Matthias Henze Howard Jacobson James L. Kugel Robert Kugler Itamar Manoff Eva Mroczek Hindy Najman Zuleika Rodgers Martin Rosel Jacques van Ruiten Aharon Shemesh Gregory E. Sterling Sarah J. Tanzer Shani Tzoref Benjamin G. Wright III Yair Zakovitch"


Between 1972 and 2003 there were 168 attempts by terrorists to attack respondents or spectators at major sporting events around the world. A literature review of over 100 research papers outlines the reasons terrorist groups target such high-profile events, one of which, is the presence of the international media. This study considers how well New Zealand hotel managers were prepared for a terrorist attack, in their preparations for the 2011 Rugby World Cup. The senior managers interviewed operated a range of properties from serviced apartments to five-star hotels. The aim of the study was to determine levels of preparedness for an attack, and assess attitudes and approaches to risk management. The study finds that New Zealand hotel managers displayed a somewhat laissez faire approach to security, and it is suggested that Hofstede's low uncertainty avoidance category may help explain their carefree attitude to security risks during sporting mega events. It is hoped that results of this study will bring attention to the weak security measures, as these were not sufficient to prevent a successful terrorist attack in New Zealand.


Complex sphingolipids are major components of eukaryotic membranes and play critical roles in many physiologically important events. In mammals, complex glycosphingolipids can carry hundreds of sugar chains as polar head groups, and this structural diversity and complexity is thought to be closely related to their multiple biological functions. In the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae , the complex sphingolipids have five types of ceramide differing in hydroxylation status, and three types of polar head group containing inositol phosphate and mannose, and thus S. cerevisiae complex sphingolipids can be classified into 15 subtypes in total. Due to the limited molecular classes, the structural diversity of sphingolipids in S. cerevisiae is relatively simple as compared with that in mammalian cells. In S. cerevisiae , depletion of all complex sphingolipids causes a strong growth defect. In contrast, addition of hydroxyl groups to the ceramide moiety in complex sphingolipids and extension of the polar head group are non-essential for growth. However, recent studies indicated that these structural modifications of complex sphingolipids are important for many cellular functions. This review focuses on the physiological importance of each detailed structure and the structural diversity of complex sphingolipids in S. cerevisiae and the other


3D printed composites have potential to satisfy needs for lighter and more sophisticated materials for aerospace, medical, and other sectors. However, few mechanical property measurements of 3D printed parts at cryogenic temperatures are available. To address this need, this work performs ultimate tensile strength testing of 3D printed thermoplastics immersed in liquid nitrogen at approximately 77 K. Materials tested include carbon-fiber reinforced PETG and carbon-fiber reinforced Amphora AM1800 filament. The carbon-fiber reinforced PETG increased in ultimate tensile strength and modulus of elasticity by 49% and 43.2% from room temperature tests, respectively. The carbon-fiber reinforced Amphora AM1800 filament decreased in ultimate tensile strength by 29.9% from room-temperature.


Spinal muscular atrophy with respiratory distress type 1 (SMARD1) is a fatal form of infantile motoneuron disease. There is currently no effective treatment, although motor neuron replacement is a possible therapeutic strategy. We transplanted purified motor neurons into the spinal cord of nmd mice, an animal model of SMARD1. We also administered pharmacological treatment targeting the induction of axonal growth toward skeletal muscle target. At the end stage of the disease, donor-derived motor neurons were detected in the nmd anterior horns, extended axons into the ventral roots, and formed new neuromuscular junctions. These data correlated with improved neuromuscular function and increased life spans. The neuroprotective effect was associated with a reduction in proinflammatory molecules in treated spinal cords. This is the first report that functional restoration of motor units with transplanted motoneurons is feasible in an animal model of a human motoneuron disease, opening up new possibilities for therapeutic intervention.


The effect of N,N'-bis(benzoyl)dodecanedihydrazide (BADH) as a newly-developed organic nucleating agent on the crystallization process of poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) was examined in this study. Non-isothermal crystallization results indicated that BADH had excellent acceleration effects on the melt-crystallization of PLLA, and a larger proportion of BADH promoted more powerful crystallization. However, BADH inhibited the crystal growth of PLLA during the cold-crystallization process, and an increase of BADH concentration caused the non-isothermal crystallization peak to shift towards a higher temperature and become much wider. Although increased cooling rates might decrease nuclei density, it was surprising to see that BADH contents of 2 wt % to 3 wt % were able to accelerate the crystallization of PLLA upon fast cooling at 20 °C/min or even higher cooling rates. Besides, the effect of the final melting temperature on the melt-crystallization process of PLLA was not negligible, the relevant results implied that 190 °C was the optimal blending temperature of PLLA and BADH. Isothermal crystallization showed that, in the best case of the PLLA/3% BADH sample, the half-time of crystallization has a minimum value of 22.9 s at 115 °C. The calculation of frontier molecular orbital energies confirmed that the interaction between PLLA and BADH could form more easily during the melting blend than PLLA itself, indicating that the probable nucleating mechanism was chemical nucleation.


ABSTRACT Researchers argue that the therapeutic alliance is a crucial ingredient for successful releasee treatment outcomes, and more recently in effective correctional treatment. Within the context of the criminal justice system, I illustrate the value of the therapeutic alliance in effective case management and in supporting desistance from crime for reintegrating parolees. The study involved in-depth, semistructured interviews with 56 high-risk/high-need federal male parolees and three parolee case studies. Releasees reported an appreciation for their relationship with their caseworker(s), which they described as supportive and without judgment. I argue this relationship reflects the social dimensions of responsivity and embodies the valued treatment components, optimized through a therapeutic alliance, that foster pathways to releasee reintegration. I conclude by discussing the role of therapeutic alliances in processes of and implications for effective correctional treatment.


Pancreatic cancer is a rapidly fatal disease with palliation often serving as the main goal of treatment. The end of life is often marked by severe symptoms and poor quality of life (QoL). Several studies presented at the 2012 ASCO Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium addressed the importance of symptom identification and management for patients with pancreatic cancer: 1) a study evaluating the correlation between patient-reported symptoms, disease burden and treatment duration in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer undergoing gemcitabine-based chemotherapy (Abstract #370); 2) a Japanese study found that patients without worsening of pain or sleep symptoms at one month of chemotherapy had higher frequency of disease control (Abstract #195); and 3) a study showed that fear of cancer recurrence is a substantial problem following resection and should be targeted (Abstract #289). The authors summarize the findings and discuss the importance of QoL in these patients. The results of these studies may facilitate in identifying symptom changes as predictive markers, and improving care and QoL for patients with this devastating disease.


The superresolving filter design of Toraldo di Francia [ Atti. Fond. Giorgio Ronchi7, 366 ( 1952)], which consists of an array of concentric annuli of finite width, is studied. Such a filter compares favorably with other superresolving filter designs while being considerably more simple to fabricate. In particular, for given input energy, the intensity at the focal point is usually greater than for optimized filter designs. The manufacturing tolerances of such a filter are discussed.


Optical coherent transients have been studied in Nd3+-doped silica-glass fibers. Two- and three-pulse photon echoes were generated between 0.05 and 1 K to study optical dephasing mechanisms of ions in a disordered environment. The results are explained by a spectral diffusion model, which incorporates elastic dipolar interactions between the ions and atomic tunneling systems in the glass. Various issues associated with applying optical coherent transients to active fibers are discussed.


This study focused on the observed impact of switching from a corn / soybean agricultural rotation to the planting of warm season perennial grasses for use in biomass agriculture, as well as the subsequent effects on resident mammal populations. We trapped two parcels of land planted in warm season perennial grasses between September 2011 and October 2013 in order to obtain a census of the mammal populations residing upon the property and to determine the impact (if any) of the change in agriculture. During the first year of the study, a seemingly inhospitable (urban) agricultural area revealed a diverse population of inhabitants. The second year of trapping resulted in the capture of 2 new species (total of 7 species captured) and the noticeable absence of 1 species; a distinct shift in mammal populations had been observed. There was an inverse relationship between the population increase of Peromyscus maniculatus during 2012 and the decline in the population of Peromyscus leucopus. When a Chi-square test was run (P<0.05), the hypothesis of competitive exclusion appeared to be supported. In the third year, population numbers of Peromyscus maniculatus had also plummeted. We observed that warm season perennial grass monoculture had an adverse impact on resident mammal species.


Imprisonment has become the response of first resort to far too many of the social problems that burden people who are ensconced in poverty. These problems often are veiled by being conveniently grouped together under the category "crime" and by the automatic attribution of criminal behavior to people of color. Homelessness, unemployment, drug addiction, mental illness, and illiteracy are only a few of the problems that disappear from public view when the human beings contending with them are relegated to cages.


In an era in which there is open discussion of many previously forbidden subjects, including race, sex, religion, and drugs, why is it that the nexus between money and art remains perhaps the last taboo subject for many in the art world? The answer can be found five centuries in the past. As the prices artists charged their patrons increased during the Italian Renaissance, their new social status was accompanied by the convention that they should not publicly appear to be concerned with money. This Renaissance ideal persisted into the modern era, even though the growth of a competitive market for fine art in the late 19th century made prices a subject of public discussion for critics and other observers of the art world. Pablo Picasso might privately use shrewd business tactics to amass a great fortune, but he and other successful artists were careful not to make public statements about the market for their work. It was not until the 1960s that a prominent painter decisively broke with the Renaissance tradition: Andy Warhol not only painted images of paper money, but also freely expressed his interest in financial success. Two leading contemporary artists, Jeff Koons and Damien Hirst, have followed Warhol's model of the artist as avowed materialist, specifically citing the high prices of their work as evidence of their importance. In a survival of the Renaissance convention, however, even today many critics and art scholars continue to regard the relationship between art and money as a taboo topic, and to maintain - incorrectly - that prices and artistic importance are unrelated.


Development is one of the six key steps in xerographic printing processes. Under certain printing conditions, the "deveopability" of the toner particles tends to degrade resulting in a loss of image quality. Existing process controls have limited authority in compensating for this degradation, and, ultimately, a service operation may be required to install fresh toner. From a customer perspective, this machine maintenance results in productivity loss and added cost, both of which need to be minimized. In this paper, a control oriented model that characterizes "developability loss" is derived from an experimentally validated comprehensive statistical model. The resulting model considers the stress case of printing "low area coverage" documents (e.g., text pages) in a low relative humidity environment, and it maps the development voltage and toner dispensing rate actuators to the developed toner mass per unit area, which is the sensed output and is also used as a surrogate for print quality. Under these operating conditions, system analysis shows that developability loss is unavoidable. Given this result, a constrained time optimal control problem is formulated to determine the dispensing strategy to maximize the printer operating time while maintaining acceptable developability. Numerical solution shows that for the stress operating condition leading to developability loss, the optimal dispensing strategy increased the operating time by 170% compared with a conventional dispensing strategy.


Data retention of nano-sized conducting filaments is a critical reliability issue in the pursuit of low-power graphene oxide-based resistive switching (RS) memory devices. Herein, an improvement in the low resistance state retention is demonstrated in fabricated oxidized carbon quantum dot (OCQD)–graphene oxide nanocomposites. Reliable RS characteristics with good retention properties were achieved instead of volatile switching, even with a relatively low compliance current of 100 μA. More epoxy groups were introduced as the concentration of embedded OCQDs was increased, resulting in a larger high resistance state, a higher set voltage, and deeper trapping levels. The dependence of the set switching time on the temperature acts as experimental verification that the oxygen migration energy barrier Ea was improved from 0.37 to 0.78 eV after embedding the OCQDs, which explains the enhancement of the low resistance state retention based on a filamentary model.


Computer music environments (CMEs) are notoriously difficult to design and implement. As computer programs, they reflect the complex nature of music ontology and must support real-time manipulation of multimedia data. In addition, these programs must be usable by native users, supporting their creative process without obstructing it through technical difficulties. To achieve these goals, the authors argue, CMEs must be provided with a well-defined methodology relying on techniques from the fields of software engineering, artificial intelligence, and knowledge representation. This paper contributes an aspect of this methodology, concentrating on the role of visualizations in CMEs. The authors state that visualization deserves a specialized theory that is based on music ontology and that is independent of the concrete, implemented graphical interface.


Herpes simplex virus type 1 immediate-early protein Vmw110 (also known as ICP0) has been implicated in the control of the balance between the lytic and latent states, but the precise mechanisms by which it exerts its effects are unknown. Vmw110 includes a characteristic zinc binding domain, termed the C3HC4 domain or RING finger, which is essential for its function. The solution structure of a related herpesvirus RING finger domain suggested that an amphipathic alpha helix might be an important functional component of the RING finger. In this paper, we show that the equivalent region of Vmw110 is important for virus growth in tissue culture and for the normal interaction of Vmw110 with nuclear structures which include the PML protein.


The aim of the paper is to find out if university teacher effectiveness is connected to the school-related experience. It also gives a brief overview of the related literature to the teacher effectiveness and tries to reveal the major qualities of effective teaching. Generally, teaching is a multidimensional process comprising a number of separable dimensions or instructor attributes, which sometimes are difficult to evaluate. The study was carried out to find out if university teacher effectiveness is connected to the school-related experience. We used primarily interviews, which were designed, as far as possible, to allow the students to talk freely about their University professors, using the terms and expressions of their own. Six university professors were selected; three of them did not have any school-related experience and three had experience of working at schools for different periods. The paper concludes that school-related experience is not a success factor in teacher effectiveness.


In argumentation theory, Dung's abstract framework provides a unifying view of several alternative semantics based on the notion of extension. Recently, a new semantics has been introduced to solve the problems related to counterintuitive results produced by literature proposals. In this semantics, an important role is played by a recursive schema in the definition of extensions. This paper proves that all the semantics encompassed by Dung's framework adhere to this property, not previously considered in the literature, which we call SCC-recursiveness. We argue that this notion plays a general role in the definition and computation of argumentation semantics.


The paper proposes an approach to information retrieval based on the use of a structure (ontology) that is used both for document (resp. query) indexing and query evaluating. The conceptual structure is hierarchical and it encodes the knowledge of the topical domain of the considered documents. It is formally represented as a tree. In this approach, the query evaluation is based on the comparison of minimal sub-trees containing the two sets of nodes corresponding to the concepts expressed in the document and the query respectively. The comparison is based on the computation of a degree of inclusion of the query tree in the document tree. Experiments undertaken on MuchMore benchmark showed the effectiveness of the approach.


"Recently, use of different nanoparticle metal oxides for preventing the spread of microorganisms has reached to the expanding field of nanomaterial research. The objective of this study is to validate combined ultrasound and CuO or MgO noparticle treatments for inactivating Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Results showed that nanoparticles of different materials vary in their effectiveness. Ultrasound increased the antibacterial effect of CuO nanoparticles more than the increased antibacterial effect of MgO. These results indicated that CuO or MgO nanoparticles exhibited antibacterial properties that could be additionally enhanced in the presence of ultrasound and, thus, should be further studied for a wide range of medical device anti-infection applications"


A review of 100 cases of invasive cervical cancer was designed to assess what changes in cervical screening services might be most effective in reducing mortality. In 68 cases there had apparently never been screening: no system of individual invitation existed for unscreened women. In 10 cases the last smear was reported as normal over five years earlier: a five-year recall system existed but was inefficient. In 13 cases suspicious cervical smear reports had not been followed up adequately. Two cases might have been diagnosed earlier, in spite of ;normal or inflammatory' smears, if the symptoms had been fully elicited. For the remaining seven cases one or more smear was reported as normal within five years of diagnosis of invasive cancer. Overall, 15 cases might have been picked up earlier if suitable opportunities for screening which did arise had been exploited. It was concluded that a substantial proportion of these 100 women might have received treatment at an earlier stage solely by the rigorous implementation of the present screening policy.


In this paper we revise the application of the UK37′ and UK37 indices as sea surface temperature (SST) proxies in the Nordic Seas. In the summer of 1999 and 2000 we obtained samples of filtered particulate organic matter (POM) from surface waters (∼6 m depth) of the Nordic Seas. A number of samples were collected from polar waters with up to 80% of sea ice cover. Alkenones were detected in all of the major water masses of the Nordic seas, across a spectrum of SST values from −0.5 to 13°C and SSS values from 29.6 to 35.6 (psu). Concentrations of alkenones were similar in magnitude to those reported previously for the North Atlantic and the Southern Ocean. Values of UK37′ from the new Nordic Seas POM data show no correlation with SST below 8°C. In contrast, below this temperature a linear correlation exists between UK37 and regional SST, supporting previous suggestions that, overall, UK37 may be a more appropriate SST index for the region. It must be noted however that UK37 is calculated using the tetraunsaturated alkenone, and the dominant control on this compound is not yet fully understood. The new data highlight major differences between distributions of UK37 and UK37′ in the water column POM and surficial sediments of the Nordic Seas. We also examine the geographical dependence of the UK37′ versus SST relationship in the region's surficial sediments. Some areas are associated with unreliable SST estimates, whereas in others the UK37′ versus SST relationship falls within the range of a global core top calibration. It is suggested that the breakdown of the UK37′‐SST relationship in some regions is due to ecological and sedimentological factors. The latter relates to the extension of the habitats of alkenone producers in polar waters. The former to the resuspension of sediments and laterally transported alkenone inputs. This suggests that accurate alkenone derived SST estimates in the Nordic seas are geographically constrained.


This review summarizes the main pancreatic diseases from a nutritional approach. Nutrition is a cornerstone of pancreatic disease and is sometimes undervalued. An early identification of malnutrition is the first step in maintaining an adequate nutritional status in acute pancreatitis, chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer. Following a proper diet is a pillar in the treatment of pancreatic diseases and, often, nutritional counseling becomes essential. In addition, some patients will require oral nutritional supplements and fat-soluble vitamins to combat certain deficiencies. Other patients will require enteral nutrition by nasoenteric tube or total parenteral nutrition in order to maintain the requirements, depending on the pathology and its consequences. Pancreatic exocrine insufficiency, defined as a significant decrease in pancreatic enzymes or bicarbonate until the digestive function is impaired, is common in pancreatic diseases and is the main cause of malnutrition. Pancreatic enzymes therapy allows for the management of these patients. Nutrition can improve the nutritional status and quality of life of these patients and may even improve life expectancy in patients with pancreatic cancer. For this reason, nutrition must maintain the importance it deserves.


INTRODUCTION
Methylphenidate is a psychostimulant drug, which is commonly used by children and teenagers. This age group receives most orthodontic treatment. Effect of this drug on tooth movement is unknown.

AIM
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of methylphenidate on orthodontic tooth movement and histological features of bone tissue in rats.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Forty-two Wistar rats (male) were selected and divided to three groups, randomly (n=14). The control group (Group 1) received no drug, the experimental Group 2 received a constant dose of methylphenidate daily for 14 days while the experimental Group 3 received increasing doses of methylphenidate daily. To exert force, a NiTi coil spring was placed between the maxillary right first molar and the maxillary right central incisor. At the end of the study period, the amount of tooth movement was measured and then the rats were sacrificed for histological analysis of bone tissue. Differences between the experimental groups were analysed using Kruskal-wallis and Mann-Whitney U tests.

RESULTS
No significant differences were found in the amount of orthodontic tooth movement or osteoclasts and lacunae, between the experimental groups (p>0.05). Mann-Whitney U analysis showed significant differences in the depth of resorption lacuna between Group 2 and 3 (p=0.037).

CONCLUSION
Methylphenidate has no significant effect on orthodontic tooth movement or histological features of bone tissue in rats.


The title compounds crystallize with a new hexagonal structure type, which was determined from single-crystal diffractometer data of Gd4Co13(Si, P)9: space group Pm2, a = 1041.9(4) pm, c = 372.7(1) pm, Pearson symbol hP26. The structure was refined to a residual of R = 0.033 for 18 variable parameters and 190 structure factors. The silicon and phosphorus atoms (X) are located at three crystallographic positions with eight or nine metal neighbors forming capped trigonal prisms most likely with random occupancy. The gadolinium atoms occupy two sites, each with 6 X neighbors forming trigonal prisms. This coordination is augmented by 14 metal atoms (mostly cobalt atoms), thus increasing the coordination numbers of both gadolinium positions to 20. The four different cobalt atoms have 3, 4, or 5 X neighbors with 6 or 8 additional metal neighbors. The relative strengths of the chemical bonds correlate very well with the coordination numbers. The structure belongs to a large structural family with a metal to metalloid ratio of approximately 2:1, where all atoms are situated on two alternating mirror planes and most of the metalloid atoms (M, mainly silicon, phosphorus, and their homologues) with the coordination number 9 are situated in tricapped prisms of the metal atoms (R = large electropositive metals, mainly rare earth elements and actinoids; T = transition metals). It can be classified as the third member (n = 3) of a topological series RTn(n+2)–2M, where the structures of WC and α-UCr6P4 (LiCo6P4) are the members with n = 1 and n = 2, respectively.


This article describes simulation problems of hybrid excitation generator. As an example a conceptual prototype machine is build with two parts. One part of the machine is typical synchronous permanent magnet generator (with surface mounted magnets on rotor). The second part of machine has rotor with rotating-coil excitation. Both parts are integrated. Rotors are seated on a common shaft and stator is also common (the same) on whole length of both rotors. Article shows the problems of theoretical solving of electromagnetic circuit for this machine type. Main problem is regulating of excitation flux what gives directly problem with valuation of inducted voltage and power factor. There are three different methods used by authors to examine prototype of hybrid generator. In this article authors present a model of generator prepared in Ansoft Maxwell V.11. Pictures of machine intersections in different planes are presented.


The cAMP level and the activity of cAMP-dependent and independent protein kinases were measured in adenomatous polyps, villous polyps (premalignant condition) and adenocarcinomas. The cAMP concentration and ratio of cAMP level versus cAMP-independent casein kinase activity were significantly lower in adenocarcinomas compared to adenomatous polyps, thus permitting differentiation between benign and malignant lesions. The cAMP versus cAMP-dependent histone kinase level ratio was used as a test for differentiation between malignancies and premalignant condition. It was markedly lower in adenocarcinomas than in villous polyps.


Discourse concerning EMU reform is complex. This is in part because of the inherent complexity of the subject matter, and in part because the outcome, whatsoever that might be, will not be determined purely by economics. The EU is quintessentially the art of the possible, and politics is of considerable importance in determining the parameters in this respect. There is, moreover, a temporal dimension to discussion of EMU reform, which in this context signifies the fact that the likely direction of change emerges over time, with successive high-level reports operating incrementally to lay the groundwork for change. Thus, the key staging posts for the next stage of EMU reform include the Four Presidents' Report, the Five Presidents' Report, the Commission's Reflection Paper, and its 2017 Roadmap for completion of EMU.

This chapter looks at the proposals made by the EU institutions concerning EMU reform. It does not purport to exhaustively examine all aspects of this rich debate. In what follows, the principal emphasis will be on the economic pillar of EMU, which the prevailing view holds to be much less developed compared to the monetary pillar of EMU. This was believed to be one of the factors that contributed to, and aggravated, the Euro crisis. As such, the bulk of the EU institutions' proposals focus on reform of the 'E' of EMU. We will further look at the proposed measures concerning the Banking and Capital Markets Unions, which are nowadays considered to be core parts of or complements to EMU. Proposals put forward in the relevant literature, which link to the reforms examined here, will also be considered where appropriate.

The discussion will proceed as follows. The chapter begins with a brief analysis of the challenges facing multi-level, or decentralized, systems of economic governance and the EMU's setup in response to these challenges prior to the crisis (section 2). The aim is to highlight the various ways in which the measures that were adopted in response to the financial and public debt crisis plugged the gaps in the Maastricht framework. The discussion is further aimed to highlight the deficiencies that remain to this day. The focus then shifts to proposals on EMU reform, which are closely linked to the challenges identified in section 2. We will focus on the economic pillar of EMU, viz., reforms to the EU's fiscal and economic governance framework (section 3); structural reforms at the Member States (section 4); and the proposed macroeconomic stabilization function for the Euro area (section 5). The penultimate section examines the proposals aimed to complete the Banking Union and to deepen the Capital Markets Union (section 6). It further focuses on the creation of new financial instruments, such as the so-called Sovereign Bond-Backed Securities and the European Safe Asset. The final substantive section examines accountability in a reformed EMU (section 7).


The importance of understanding noise exposure effects on pregnant women and domestic animals was made apparent following findings that environmental sounds readily penetrate the abdominal wall, uterus, and fetal fluids. Relatively low‐frequency sounds (<0.5 kHz) are transmitted, with sound pressure levels (dB re: 20 μPa) often higher in utero than SPLs in the air surrounding the abdomen. Overall shapes of intra‐abdominal isosound pressure contours reveal important differences in the manner in which airborne and vibroacoustic sounds pass through the abdomen. Measurements of fetal cochlear microphonics show attenuation to be 10–15 dB for sounds 0.5 kHz and 40–45 dB for sounds between 0.5–2.0 kHz. Sound transmission is predominantly through bone conduction rather than through the fetal external and middle ear systems. Elevated thresholds for hearing can result from high‐intensity noise exposure in fetal sheep. Nonauditory effects in humans include increases in heart rate and heart rate variability and body movements. Changes in behavioral state in the sheep fetus are easily induced with amplitude and frequency‐modulated signals produced at the abdominal surface of the ewe. Stimulation in both REM and non‐REM sleep led to a change in electrocortical activity, implying central arousal. [Work supported by NIH and March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation.]


A simple, sensitive and selective high-performance liquid chromatography electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method was developed for simultaneous determination and pharmacokinetic study of caffeic acid (CA) and its active metabolites. The separation with isocratic elution used a mobile phase composed of methanol and water (containing 0.1% formic acid) at a flow rate of 0.2 mL/min. The detection of target compounds was done in selected reaction monitoring (SRM) mode. The SRM detection was operated in the negative electrospray ionization mode using the transitions m/z 179 ([M - H](-) ) → 135 for CA, m/z 193 ([M - H](-) ) → 134.8 for ferulic acid and isoferulic acid and m/z 153 ([M - H](-) ) → 108 for protocatechuic acid. The method was linear for all analytes over the investigated range with all correlation coefficients 0.9931. The lower limits of quantification were 5.0 ng/mL for analytes. The intra- and inter-day precisions (relative standard deviation) were <5.86 and <6.52%, and accuracy (relative error) was between -5.95 and 0.35% (n = 6). The developed method was applied to study the pharmacokinetics of CA and its major active metabolites in rat plasma after oral and intravenous administration of CA.


We address the problem of localizing and estimating the fine-pose of objects in the image with exact 3D models. Our main focus is to unify contributions from the 1970s with recent advances in object detection: use local keypoint detectors to find candidate poses and score global alignment of each candidate pose to the image. Moreover, we also provide a new dataset containing fine-aligned objects with their exactly matched 3D models, and a set of models for widely used objects. We also evaluate our algorithm both on object detection and fine pose estimation, and show that our method outperforms state-of-the art algorithms.


Internet based service providers, such as Amazon, Google, Yahoo etc, build their data centers (IDC) across multiple regions to provide reliable and low latency of services to clients. Ever-increasing service demand, complexity of services and growing client population cause enormous power consumptions by these IDCs incurring a major part of their running costs. Modern electric power grid provides a feasible way to dynamically and efficiently manage the electricity cost of distributed IDCs based on the Locational Marginal Pricing (LMP) policy. While recent works exploit LMP by electricity-price based geographic load distribution, the dynamic workload and high volatility of electricity prices induce highly volatile power demand and critical power peak problem. The benefit of cost minimization via geographic load distribution is counterbalanced with the high cost incurred by violating the peak power. In this paper, we study the dynamic control of electricity cost to provide low volatility in power demand and shaving of power peaks. To this end, a Model Predictive Control (MPC) electricity cost minimization problem is formulated based on a time-continuous differential model. The proposed solution minimizes electricity costs, provides low variation in power demand by penalizing the change in workload and alleviates the power peaks by tracking the available power budget. By providing extensive simulation results based on real-life electricity price traces we show the effectiveness of our approach.


An effort has been made in this study to examine the trends in area, production, productivity, costs, returns and profitability of sugarcane and to determine the factors which are contributing toward productivity of sugarcane in major sugar producing states of Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra. It has been observed that area expansion has significantly contributed towards increased production of sugarcane but productivity has remained stagnant. Cost of cultivation of sugarcane also witnessed increasing trend and due to much higher use of inputs, it was found to be higher for Maharashtra than Uttar Pradesh. However growth of value of output has outpaced the growth of cost of cultivation and thus rising trend of profitability was observed and was higher for Uttar Pradesh as compared to that of Maharashtra. The study found the positive and significant contribution of human labour, machine, fertilizers, insecticides and size of plot towards productivity of sugarcane and thus efficient management of these inputs can certainly led to increasing the productivity of sugarcane in India.


Background/Objectives: As ICT has become more popular in the information society, radiology students have been increasing their use of IT devices in their studies. The purpose of this study was to analyze how much ICT use has been helping radiology students in Korea. Methods/Statistical Analysis: To accomplish the purpose of this study, a total of 650 college sophomores, juniors and seniors majoring in radiology were recruited through stratified sampling. The difference in awareness of the helpfulness of ICT use to their studies was then analyzed using one-way ANOVA (F-test) and χ2, etc. Findings: The results showed that those students who are using ICT well received more benefit in class preparation, class activities and evaluation. In particular, ICT use proved to be helpful in improving their overall academic abilities. Among the range of class materials available, it was found that students preferred videos the most, followed by materials comprised of images and descriptions. Application/Improvements: There was also found a statistically significant difference in their preference depending on ICT use. It is necessary to help ensure that students can take advantage of a lot of ICT for their study.


Granitoid plutons are common throughout the late Proterozoic basement complex of north-east Sudan, frequently accounting for 60% of the outcrop. Geological, petrological and isotopic studies indicate that two distinct types of granitic plutonism can be recognized. An older diorite to granodiorite assemblage was emplaced between c. 815 and 724 Ma and a younger predominantly alkali feldspar granite assemblage consisting of numerous discrete high level intrusions was emplaced between c. 717 and 555 Ma. These granitoids have a calc-alkaline character similar to the volcanic rocks of the basement complex to which they are spatially and temporally related. The geochemical and isotopic data suggest a destructive plate margin rather than a within-plate palaeotectonic association. It is suggested that the granitoids represent an evolutionary trend from early diorite to granodiorite intrusions emplaced above a late Proterozoic subduction zone to later, post-tectonic intrusions emplaced during a late stage of volcanic arc development. The magmas of the early granitoids were probably mantle-derived while the later post-tectonic intrusions may have been derived from magmas produced by partial refusion of the volcanic arc protolith.


The near-surface anisotropic properties within the South-Western Niger Delta were investigated to determine their impacts on geotechnical constructions. Uphole data analyses reveal a weathered layer that is thickest in the NW, E and SE with an average of 4.2 m and thinnest in the North-Central with a value of 3.8 m; a sub-weathered layer that is thickest in the NW and SW with an average of 32.1 m and thinnest in the SE with a value of 19.0 m and an underlying consolidated layer with great thickness. Vp/Vs values of 1.16265, 1.16279 and 1.16278 were computed for the layers, respectively. Similarly, Poisson's ratio of -0.9214, -0.9201 and -0.9202 were obtained for the layers respectively. Shear modulus has an average of 4.01 × 108 Nm-2 in the weathered layer, 26.0 × 108 Nm-2 in the sub-weathered layer, and 49.98 × 108 Nm-2 in the consolidated layer. Young's modulus has an average of 0.63 × 108, 4.11 × 108 and 7.98 × 108 Nm-2 in the layers, respectively. Bulk modulus has an average of 0.74 × 108 Nm-2, 4.62 × 108 Nm-2 and 0.94 × 108 Nm-2 in the layers, respectively. The ultimate bearing capacity, qf has an average of 804.9, 2241.0 and 3349.8 kNm-2 in the layers, respectively. The allowable bearing pressure, qa of the soil has an average of 201.2, 560.2 and 837.4 kNm-2 in the layers, respectively. Core samples collected to a depth of 66 m from 12 wells revealed an admixture of sand, sandy-clay, clayey-sand and dominant clay units. These quantitative results correlate with the standard geotechnical values for clay. The large deposit of about 30 m of clay delineated in this research may act as expansive soils which portends danger for foundations of buildings located in this area and must be avoided.

 Key words:  Anisotropy, uphole, near-surface, clay, geotechnical, Niger Delta.


We propose a new signal-detection approach for detecting brain activations from PET or fMRI images in a two-state ("on-off") neuroimaging study. We model the activation pattern as a superposition of an unknown number of circular spatial basis functions of unknown position, size, and amplitude. We determine the number of these functions and their parameters by maximum a posteriori (MAP) estimation. To maximize the posterior distribution we use a reversible jump Markov-chain Monte-Carlo (RJMCMC) algorithm. The main advantage of RJMCMC is that it can estimate parameter vectors of unknown length. Thus, in the model used the number of activation sites does not need to be known. Using a phantom derived from a neuroimaging study, we demonstrate that the proposed method can estimate more accurately the activation pattern from traditional approaches.


To get accurate estimation of flight state, a new fusion estimation method was presented. In the scheme, equipments of INS, GPS, wireless radio, and infrared equipments with different wavelength were considered. Firstly, three dimensional motion model of an aircraft was described, and then model simplification was discussed. By analysis of deferent equipment measurement errors, a new method for equivalent computational measurements and equivalent error were proposed. The new method was used for flight data processing. The experimental results show that fusion estimation outperforms any single measurement.


Over the past few decades, groundwater has become an essential commodity owing to increased demand as a result of growing population, industrialization, urbanization and so on. The water supply situation is expected to become more severe in the future because of continued unsustainable water use and projected change in hydrometeorological parameters due to climate change. This study is based on the integrated approach of remote sensing, geographical information system and multicriteria decision‐making techniques to determine the most important contributing factors that affect the groundwater resources and to delineate the groundwater potential zones. Ten thematic layers, namely, geomorphology, geology, soil, topographic elevation (digital elevation model), land use/land cover, drainage density, lineament density, proximity of surface water bodies, surface temperature and post‐monsoon groundwater depth, were considered for the present study. These thematic layers were selected for groundwater prospecting based on the literature; discussion with the experts of the Central Ground Water Board, Government of India; field observations; geophysical investigation; and multivariate techniques. The thematic layers and their features were assigned suitable weights on Saaty's scale according to their relative significance for groundwater occurrence. The assigned weights of the layers and their features were normalized by using the analytic hierarchy process and eigenvector method. Finally, the selected thematic maps were integrated using a weighted linear combination method to create the final groundwater potential zone map. The final output map shows different zones of groundwater potential, namely, very good (16%), good (35%), moderate (28%) low (17%) and very low (2.1%). The groundwater potential zone map was finally validated using the discharge and groundwater depth data from 28 and 98 pumping wells, respectively, which showed good correlation. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Solid super acid(S2O82-/FexOy-CuOx)was prepared and used as a Fenton-like catalyst to decompose H2O2 for the removal of orgnanic pollutants in water. The catalytic activity of S2O82-/FexOy-CuOx was evaluated by the degradation of organic pollutants and the decomposition of H2O2. The results show that the catalytic activity of S2O82-/FexOy-CuOx to decompose H2O2 is higher than that of S2O82-/FexOy. The reason for this may be due to the dissolved of Fe2+ from the S2O82-/FexOy-CuOx, and the concentration of dissolved of Fe2+ is proportional to the concentration of organic pollutants in water. The degradation rate of phenol by the catalyst of S2O82-/FexOy-CuOx is obviously higher than that by the catalyst of Fe2+ ion under the same conditions. BET measurements show that the surface area of S2O82-/FexOy-CuOx is larger than that of S2O82-/FexOy.


"The Surfing Tribe" presents a unique insight into the forgotten story of Britain's pioneering surfers. How did a sport practised in Hawaii find its way to the chilly Atlantic shores of Britain? How did a photo in a 1929 encyclopedia inspire a Newquay ice-cream man to become Europe's first regular surfer? How did the British surf industry grow from a handful of backyard board builders into the multi-million pound industry it is today? "The Surfing Tribe" tells the full story of the history of surfing in Britain. It explains how a quirky seaside pastime transformed itself over seven decades into a phenomenally popular sport and lifestyle. From Newquay to Newcastle and from Jersey to Swansea, the origins of Britain's separate surfing tribes are revealed and all the top British surfers from the various eras are profiled. The book also charts the evolution of British surfboards, and looks back at the films and magazines that have portrayed British surfing over the decades.


We have investigated the refugia used by Bufo calamita and Bufo bufo throughout the year on heathland, sand dune and saltmarsh habitats in Britain. On the first two habitats, natterjacks mainly lived at depths of >20 cm in burrows of their own making and these burrows insulated animals very effectively against temperature fluctuations during the summer. In saltmarsh habitats natterjacks used a variety of refugia and at all sites common toads were found in mammalian burrows and under stones, logs and piles of leaf litter. Natterjacks at the saltmarsh site vacated areas following tidal inundation with no evidence of mortality attributable to this event. At the heathland site, male natterjacks adopted two distinct strategies for refugia use during the breeding season: commuters travelled to and from the ponds every night, returning before dawn to their summer burrows, while residents took up temporary abode near the ponds for the duration of the breeding season. On heaths and dunes natterjacks usually used the same burrows for hibernation that were used in the summer months, but buried themselves more deeply. Common toads also used similar sites to those occupied in summer, but often these were selected following an autumn move towards the breeding ponds. At the saltmarsh and other coastal sites in Cumbria, most natterjacks and all common toads hibernated under piles of stones or logs. or in the burrows of small mammals.


We propose a terahertz (THz)-band engineering technique based on generation of specifically designed time-domain radiation. The desired time-domain radiation is formed by combining the time-delayed outputs of an array of photoconductive antennas. We have employed this technique to generate tunable narrowband THz radiation. By using an array of identical photoconductive antennas with identical spacings, we have demonstrated a 12.5-mW output peak-power over 0.05-THz bandwidth and a tuning range of 0.65-1.4 THz. Considering the 2.5-THz bandwidth of each individual photoconductive antenna, 50 times higher power efficiency is achieved as a result of radiation-band shaping.


Saha, Bornali & Matiul Islam, Md. (2022). Assessment of yield performance and related attributes of selected soybean (Glycine max L. Merrill) genotypes in southwest coastal region of Bangladesh. Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., 28 (1), 76–88 The experiment was conducted at the Agronomy Laboratory and Field Laboratory of Agrotechnology Discipline, Khulna University, Khulna, during the period of February to May 2021 under the agro-ecological zone: AEZ-13 (Ganges Tidal Flood Plain). Ten soybean genotypes (varieties) have been released in Bangladesh viz. BD-4, Sohag, BARI Soybean-5; BARI Soybean-6, BINA Soybean-1, BINA Soybean-2, BINA Soybean-3, BINA Soybean-4, BINA Soybean-5 and BINA Soybean-6. All of them were selected for the study. The Agronomy laboratory experiment was carried out to evaluate the performance of selected soybean varieties under 5 different salinity treatments (0 dS m-1, 2 dS m-1, 4 dS m-1, 8 dS m-1 and 16 dS m-1) with 3 replications. In laboratory experiment, conducted following Completely Randomized Design (CRD), BINA Soybean-6 showed highest germination rate (100%), longest root length (19.12±0.91 cm) and highest number of lateral roots per seedling (10.53±0.35), while BINA Soybean-2 produced maximum fresh weight (0.53±0.05 g) and dry weight (in 0 dS m-1, 2 dS m-1 and 4 dS m-1 treatments) per seedling. The field experiment was laid out in a simple randomized design. Each plot size was (3×2.5) m2. Significant variation was found among the varieties in respect of observed parameters. BARI Soybean-6 showed the tallest plant height (50.2±1.44 cm) and highest number of nodes (11.8±0.33) per plant while BINA Soybean-3 produced highest number of leaves per plant (22.9±1.02). Highest pod-shell weight (10.09±0.86 g) was recorded in BINA Soybean-5. BINA Soybean-5 also produced highest number of pods (64.1) and seeds (146.4) per plant while the maximum stem dry weight (8.46±1.05 g) was recorded in BINA Soybean-4. The highest number of branches per plant (4.6) and highest 100-seed weight (13.15 g) was recorded in BINA Soybean-2. Highest seed yield per plant was observed in BINA Soybean-5 (14.302 g) followed by BINA Soybean-2 (14.225 g) while BINA Soybean-6 produced the lowest seed yield (8.495 g) and showed inferior yield attributes. BD-4 was the early matured variety and required 101 days to attain maturity while BINA Soybean-2 and BINA Soybean-5 required 106 days to mature fully. Among the selected ten varieties, BINA Soybean-2 and BINA Soybean-5 showed superior performances than other varieties. Moreover, BINA Soybean-2 performed comparatively better than BINA Soybean-5 under different levels of salinity stresses. Hence, BINA Soybean-2 was the most appropriate genotype for better yield and other performances in the salinity affected southwest coastal region of Bangladesh.


Author(s): Whitaker, Kelly | Advisor(s): Stone, Susan | Abstract: School-based health centers (SBHCs) have gained popularity as an approach to provide adolescents with access to health and mental health services in a convenient, youth friendly environment. Although evidence exists regarding SBHC's impact on access and health domains, clarification of the relationship between SBHC utilization and academic outcomes is needed. Yet, understanding the relationship between utilization of SBHCs and educational outcomes is fraught with many challenges. Although various studies attempt to singularly address these challenges, this study fully integrates these important prior insights into a single study. First, this study capitalizes upon a unique opportunity link three secondary data sources (administrative service utilization, education outcome data, and student survey data), which allows for analysis of the type of services used (medical services, general counseling, and behavioral health counseling) and dosage of each service used. Second, this study limits the impact school contextual differences by limiting the study population to one school, further enabling clarification of the general approach of the intervention. Third, this study employs propensity scoring methods to carefully control for differences between SBHC users and non-users. Specifically, this study aims to (1) clarify student level SBHC utilization patterns; (2) replicate prior research on school connection pathways (i.e. student perceptions of teacher support (school support) and student perceptions of their belonging to school (school connectedness), adding new analysis on specific types and dosages of SBHC use; and (3) replicate prior research linking SBHC utilization to academic outcomes, adding new analysis on specific types and dosages of SBHC use. Results indicate that students who use SBHC services have heterogeneous demographic characteristics and health and mental health needs compared to students who do not use SBHCs. This study did not find a relationship between SBHC service use and connection to school or education outcomes at the end of one school year. This study may serve as model for how we might approach future SBHC research.


This Essay is an inquiry into the role of death in copyright law. I argue that the role of the author's death in measuring copyright duration is intelligible as an indication of the way in which copyright law construes the formation of the right, and thus the juridical relation between author and work. Through the principle of independent creation, the originality doctrine posits an irretrievably personal link between author and work, and it is this link that accounts for the relevance of the author's death in our conceptualization of copyright duration. In short, the theory of originality entails a theory of duration. By way of conclusion, I deploy this convergence of originality and duration, authorship and death, as a springboard to deepen our appreciation and to reevaluate fundamental aspects of the foundational opposition between Lord Mansfield and Justice Yates in the classic case of Millar v. Taylor.


Several rehabilitation treatments have been applied to mitigate runoff and sediment in machine trafficked areas following logging operations, while the knowledge on the consequence of these remediation techniques on the recovery of soil properties remains scarce. The objective of the study was to determine the effect of different rehabilitation treatments including sawdust mulch (SM), water diversion structure (WDS), untreated/bare trail (U), and undisturbed or control area (UND) on the recovery of soil chemical properties over a six-year period after machine-induced compaction occurred on three longitudinal trail gradients (10, 20, and 30 %).In each treatment, the following soil properties were measured: litter thickness, pH, EC, soil organic C, total N, and available P, K, Ca, and Mg. Five sampling plots (with 10 m length and 4 m width) were positioned in each trail gradient classes and three of these plots were randomly considered for soil sampling.The results demonstrate that litter thickness differed among the three treatments, with the highest amount present on the UND area and lowest on the U treatment. Meanwhile, the highest pH (6.75), EC (0.21 Ds m−1), N (0.27 %), available P (14.61 mg kg−1), available K (123.5 mg kg−1), available Ca (135.1 mg kg−1), and available Mg (42.1 mg kg−1) and the lowest C (1.21 %) and C/N ratio (7.83 %) were found on the SM with gradient of 10 % compared to other gradient classes on SM, WDS and, U treatments. The recovery value of litter depth, pH, EC, C, N, C/N ratio, and available nutrients (P, K, Ca, and Mg) were higher on the SM than the WDS at the gradient of 10 %, while significantly higher levels of these variables were measured under WDS installed on trail gradients of 30 % and 20 % when compared with the same gradients on SM. Results of the study revealed that soil chemical properties showed some evidence of recovery following SM and WDS rehabilitation treatments compared to U, although these properties did not fully recover within 6 years as compared to UND area.


Thorough, objective investigation of medical adverse events rarely happens due to the complexity of the environment, litigation, risk, and socio-political implications. Special concerns can, and do, undermine investigation depth, breadth, and quality. Healthcare's distinct difference from other high hazard sectors requires a unique approach to adverse event investigation. We report on the initial results of a 15-month pilot program now underway to model a national healthcare investigation team. An example of adverse event investigation and organizational response illustrates these issues.


The COVID-19 pandemic has caused significant transformations of electoral institutions, and provoked changes in the politics of electoral reforms in some polities. The paper claims that Russia has used a special model of electoral reform during the pandemic that differs from both its previous experience and recommendations of international organizations. The comparative historical method is applied to bridge internal and external explanations that may offer an understanding of the current reform of electoral rule in the Russian political context. The pandemic has become a reason for changing traditional electoral procedures and for implementing this reform. Empirical evidence suggests that the reform has been implemented by a depoliticized technocratic procedure ignoring the principles of political consensus. The reform process implies a shift of the government's main efforts from decision-making to increasing dependence on propaganda, and informational confrontation with opponents in the subsequent reform cycle. The approach to the implementation of the electoral reform casts doubt on the level of public support for the new procedures and exacerbates political risks.